Chapter 57 Leaving the City [VIP]
Chapter Summary: "I will marry you."
Liu Shiyu stepped forward and replied, "Master Xu."
Looking up at the sandalwood coffin, she choked back tears and said, "I've come to see him off."
Xu Qinguo lowered his eyes, looking worried.
After Xu Luchuan confessed to him that night, he began to seriously reflect on Liu Shiyu's merits and demerits over the years. Upon careful consideration, he suddenly realized that Shao Yuan's Princess Protector of the Nation was not as despicable as the world had portrayed her to be.
On the contrary, those whom Liu Shiyu slayed were all wicked and rebellious. It turns out that the one whose vision was clouded by the dust and smoke was himself.
However, Xu Qinguo had not yet broken free from his rigid thinking, and he found it difficult to admit that he was wrong.
But now is not the time to discuss these things; the most pressing matter is ensuring the funeral procession leaves the city smoothly. Clearly, his disciples are still not enough to faze Wei Jingshan.
Xu Qinguo turned to look at Liu Shiyu. Fortunately, her appearance could change everything.
Xu Qinguo then said, "I'm sorry to trouble Your Highness."
"My son died saving this old minister, and I am deeply grieved. Now, as an old man burying his son, my only wish is that he be buried in Liyang. That way, my time with him will not have been in vain. But who would have thought that there would be thieves blocking the way! They have unjustly prevented the funeral procession from leaving the city. I wonder who it was that set this rule and is truly defying it."
"Therefore, this old minister humbly begs Your Highness to uphold justice and let my son rest in peace."
As Xu Qinguo finished speaking, Liu Shiyu turned around and saw that all the people who had followed him behind him had knelt down.
They shouted with fervor.
"We implore Your Highness to uphold justice and allow the Second Prince to rest in peace."
The earnest pleas deeply moved Liu Shiyu. But before she could speak, Wei Jingshan leaped off his horse and shouted sternly at the crowd, "This is the rule I set."
Wei Jingshan dismissively walked past the kneeling men. He had finally stopped using Liu Shiyu as a shield; he now controlled everything in Jinling with impunity. Standing before Xu Qinguo, Wei Jingshan said in a sinister voice, "Your Highness is soft-hearted, but I am not. Whether this city can be left or not is entirely up to me."
"It seems your second son has suffered divine retribution? In that case, why does the Grand Master of Ceremonies insist on burying him in the ancestral grave? Just grind his bones to dust and scatter them to the wind; that would save you the trouble."
Wei Jingshan spoke rudely, and Xu Qinguo retorted without backing down, "Traitor, the one who should be ground to dust is you."
Upon hearing this, everyone chimed in with their own words of rebuke.
"Traitor, how dare you!"
"The Second Young Master died saving his father, which is an act of loyalty and filial piety. How dare you, a rebellious and disloyal scoundrel, interfere in his affairs!"
"Traitor... traitor..."
Liu Shiyu remained silent. She turned and, amidst their insults, slowly walked to Xu Luchuan's coffin. Once she stood still, Liu Shiyu stretched out her hands and pushed hard, opening a corner of the coffin lid.
She looked down and saw Xu Luchuan's fair face, just as she had seen him for the first time.
A miraculous recovery...
Liu Shiyu hopes everything will go as smoothly as Liu Zhizhou said.
But her calm gaze was finally shattered upon seeing him like this. Tears welled up in her eyes, and Liu Shiyu instinctively covered her pale lips with her hand. However, she couldn't let herself cry too pathetically and attract too much trouble.
So she forced down the grief choking her throat. She straightened herself up beside the coffin, regaining her usual composure.
But when Liu Shiyu looked up, she met Gui Hai, who was dressed as a coffin bearer in the group.
Over there, Wei Jingshan was completely enraged by the crowd. He snatched the sword from the guard beside him and held it to Xu Qinguo's neck. This startled the crowd, who tried to rush forward to protect him, but Xu Qinguo remained calm and composed. He could read the apprehension in Wei Jingshan's eyes.
Xu Qinguo was the head of the Nine Ministers, and the Xu family had served as officials for three generations. He was not some insignificant remonstrating official.
If Wei Jingshan wanted to become king, he would worry about the historians' pen and future generations' opinions. Therefore, he could not act impulsively. But the people behind Xu Qinguo were different; their blue official robes represented their status and their weight in the judgments of posterity.
Wei Jingshan killed them in the blink of an eye.
He slowly raised the sword in his hand away from Xu Qin Guo, saying, "I know that Grand Master Xu is not afraid of death. What about them?"
Just as the sword was about to fall, Xu Qinguo was about to speak to stop it. Suddenly, Liu Shiyu's voice came from beside the coffin. As she spoke, Wei Jingshan's sword remained suspended in mid-air and did not fall as expected.
"Send Xu Luchuan out of the city to Liyang for burial."
Upon hearing this, Wei Jingshan turned around to look, but Liu Shiyu was still gazing affectionately at Xu Luchuan in the coffin.
"I will marry you."
It's unclear who this statement was made to.
After speaking, Liu Shiyu gently closed the coffin lid. Although she knew nothing about everything, she trusted Xu Luchuan and was determined to send his coffin out of the city at all costs.
"You agreed?" Wei Jingshan stood still, lowering the sword in his hand, utterly astonished and puzzled.
Liu Shiyu withdrew her fingertips from the coffin lid, then raised her eyes to scan the surprised gazes of the crowd. Finally, she fixed her gaze on Xu Qinguo before speaking: "But I have a request. My wedding must be presided over and organized by Lord Xu and all of you personally."
Wei Jingshan sneered upon hearing this.
Unexpectedly, even after things have come to this, Liu Shiyu is still thinking of protecting Xu Qinguo and them. It's truly laughable...
Suddenly, the sound of a sword striking the ground rang out crisply.
Wei Jingshan then pulled out the dagger he had snatched from Liu Shiyu that day and resolutely walked forward. He was fierce and ruthless.
Liu Shiyu remained calm and composed, waiting indifferently for him to approach.
Wei Jingshan arrived at the coffin and said angrily, "Since that's the case, then I also request that the coffin be sealed with iron chains, and that I personally send people to escort it and watch him be buried in Liyang."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyu narrowed her eyes, glaring angrily at Wei Jingshan. This was their duel. But Wei Jingshan was cunning; he would not allow her any room for regret. He plunged the dagger into the coffin lid and shouted, "There is still a tiger! Open the city gates and send the Second Young Master home!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of the iron chain scraping against the ground was exceptionally jarring.
After sealing the coffin, the Southern army opened the city gates. A dull, thunderous roar resounded.
Liu Shiyu stood at the foot of the city wall and looked out. She saw Yongzhou, the endless yellow sand, and the warhorses galloping by.
She saw hope.
Suddenly, the sound of suona horns rose high behind them, and smeared joss paper fell like snow. The funeral procession, surrounded by a troop of Southern soldiers, gradually moved away from Liu Shiyu.
Xu Luchuan left, and left safely.
Liu Shiyu stood frozen, staring at the city gate that opened and closed repeatedly, silently chanting in his heart...
Xu Luchuan, I'm waiting for you to come back.
If you don't come back... I won't live on either. I will perish together with Wei Jingshan, drag him down to hell, and then I'll go find you.
But if that really happens, please wait for me.
With the city gates tightly shut, Wei Jingshan turned to Liu Shiyu beside him and said in a deep voice, "Let's go back to the palace."
Liu Shiyu ignored him and turned to walk towards the carriage. She seemed dazed. As she passed Xu Qinguo, she suddenly received a sincere bow from him. The others followed suit.
When Liu Shiyu came to her senses, she looked at Xu Qinguo wearily and softly replied, "Mr. Xu, please accept my condolences. Go home soon."
Looking back, Liu Shiyu boarded the carriage to return to the palace.
Xu Qinguo slowly straightened up, remaining silent. Presumably, after this incident, he no longer harbored any resentment towards Liu Shiyu. He then turned to look at the city gate, just as Wei Jingshan brushed past him. Xu Qinguo gazed straight ahead.
He believed that Xu Luchuan would surely return with hope.
Because he has always been proud of himself.
...
The distance from Jinling to Liyang is only about a hundred li, so the Southern army seeing them off and the funeral procession arrived in Liyang the next day. When Youhu arrived in Liyang, he found that it was different from Jinling; daily life was as usual, and there was nothing unusual.
He led his entourage through the streets and alleys, through the gazes of passersby, and on his way to the Xu family in Liyang.
Upon arriving at the gate of the mansion, Shang Youhu, still on horseback, casually waved his hand, signaling someone to place the coffin in front of the gate.
Seeing the strange scene before him, the servant boy from the Xu family was so frightened that he scurried into the mansion and rushed to report to his master. He hurried into the front hall and shouted, "Grandma! Grandma! Something terrible has happened!"
The Xu family members had just finished lunch and were resting in the front hall when they unexpectedly heard this.
Before the Dowager Madam could speak, Chen Wanlian, the second wife's daughter-in-law, blurted out, "Pah! Pah! Pah! Where did this servant come from? So ignorant of manners! What's wrong? What's wrong?"
"Reporting to Second Madam, a group of officials has arrived outside our mansion..." The servant said breathlessly, only managing to finish his sentence.
Upon hearing this, Chen Wanlian put down her teacup, glanced at the Grand Madam, and replied irritably, "An official? Look at your spineless appearance. You're just a little brat who's never seen the world. In Liyang, is there any official that our Xu family is afraid of? Let alone Liyang, there aren't many we're afraid of in Jinling either."
Upon hearing this, Second Master Xu Qinhua nudged Chen Wanlian with his elbow, signaling her to keep quiet. However, Chen Wanlian, true to her nature, did not back down, only glaring at Xu Qinhua to show her authority.
At this point, Madam Chen Xiang finally put down the Bodhi seed bracelet in her hand and asked, "Did that person say why he came to our door?"
The servant, having recovered, shook his head and replied, "Reporting to the Madam, the official didn't say much, but simply placed a huge coffin with iron chains outside our gate."
Everyone was stunned by these words.
Chen Wanlian was the first to exclaim in surprise: "What a scoundrel! Such a big thing, why are you only telling me now!"
She stood up angrily, turned around and took the old lady's hand, saying hurriedly, "Aunt, this person is really audacious. The master has not communicated with us, and there is no news of death in Liyang. Come, let's go and see who is causing trouble. They really don't know the immensity of heaven and earth. We must teach them a lesson."
Chen Xiang appeared nonchalant, but inwardly he had already become suspicious.
She was helped out of the front hall by Chen Wanlian, and everyone else got up and went outside as well.
Outside the mansion gate, You Hu saw the Xu family arrive, but did not dismount. Instead, he stood on his horse, clasped his hands in a condescending manner, and asked disdainfully, "Grand Madam."
Chen Xiang stood inside the door, looked at the coffin, then at Shang Youhu, and asked, "Who are you?"
"I am acting on the orders of the Commandant of the Guards to escort Xu Luchuan, the second son of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, back to his hometown for burial. You may proceed with the preparations. Once the ceremony is complete, I will return to the capital to report back," Shang Youhu replied.
After he finished speaking, the Xu family members were once again stunned. Even Chen Wanlian had lost her previous imposing manner.
Chen Xiang, incredulous, stretched out his trembling right hand and touched the cold coffin lid, asking in confusion, "Erlang?"
[Author's Note]
It's almost over!
Xiao Bei is working hard to come up with some extra chapters, hehe!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 20:39:35 on January 11, 2023 and 21:06:09 on January 12, 2023!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 2 bottles of effort;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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