In her previous life, Lin Wan died quietly without even a grave. In this life, she is still alive, but the grave and the tombstone are made in a proper manner. It has to be said that this is a great irony. Ding Mujie stood in front of the tombstone, deep in thought, with a very complicated expression.
Ding Xiang secretly pulled his sleeve and whispered, "Brother, let me tell you something. Sister Lin Wan is not dead. Her reputation has been ruined. The old lady couldn't tolerate her, so she told the public that she was dead. Her maid came to me yesterday and asked me to pass you a message. Brother, Sister Lin Wan is really pitiful. She has such a strict grandmother. Please help her. She now lives in a manor outside the capital, and she doesn't even have a servant around her."
Unable to hook up with King Kang, Lin Wan thought of Ding Mujie again. It was also because Ding Mujie was too infatuated in the past, and he listened to her and obeyed her in everything. So until now, she still thought that as long as she looked back, Ding Mujie would soften. It’s a pity that Ding Mujie has been used by her all his life, and his heart has been broken and can never go back to the way it was before.
"Xiang'er, you should be more careful." Ding Mujie took a last look at the tombstone and said slowly, "The last time, the golden hairpin was broken by Lin Wan herself. She couldn't explain to the old lady, so she tricked you over and deliberately led you to shake the hairpin so as to frame you. She and Prince Kang were willing to be together, not forced by circumstances. When I went to her house to see her that day, she asked me to cancel the engagement voluntarily to fulfill her wish, but I refused because I didn't want to be accused of being heartless and ungrateful. Some people look cold, but they are actually warm-hearted; some people look gentle and kind, but they are actually full of ghost tricks, just like Lin Wan. If you don't want to be framed by her again, you should have less contact with her in the future."
Ding Xiang was stunned. After a long while, she stammered, "Brother, is what you said true?"
"Between me and Lin Wan, who do you believe?" Ding Mujie asked instead of answering.
"Of course it's my brother!" Ding Xiang replied quickly, and then sighed: "Oh my God, was it Sister Lin Wan who framed me last time? How could she be so bad? She even asked you to cancel the engagement on your own initiative, and accused you of being heartless and fickle! Brother, you grew up with her, and your relationship is so deep, but she didn't care about you at all, she's so scary!"
"You can't judge a person by his appearance, but by his heart. You should be careful next time." Ding Mujie helped Ding Xiang onto the carriage, and he rode his horse down the mountain. Passing by a high hill, he saw a cloud of dust ahead. It turned out that the army heading for the Western Expedition had set out today and was preparing to go to the border to fight against the Huns.
General Lin and Lin Tie walked at the forefront of the army with solemn expressions, followed by Prince Zhuang and some deputy generals. The women of the Lin family stood in the Shili Pavilion not far away and watched them leave. The men of the Lin family spent almost their entire lives at the border, and even if they returned to Beijing, they could only stay for a few months. The women of the Lin family stayed quietly in the capital, and even though they endured the fear of losing their loved ones day and night, they never complained.
As the eldest daughter of the Lin family, Lin Dan is naturally very strong. When she married into the Ding family, she never complained about the injustice for herself, but just took care of the family quietly. Whenever her mother and sister encountered difficulties, she would do her best to help them. She was so good, but he couldn't see it at all... Ding Mujie's heart ached when he recalled the past. Just at this moment, Lin Dan realized that someone was looking at him. He turned around and looked over. His cold eyes swept over him lightly and then looked away.
Ding Mujie seemed to be under a spell and didn't dare to move for a long time. He waited until Lin Dan was completely gone before he slowly exhaled.
He was ashamed to see Lin Dan, but he really wanted to see how she was doing recently. If Lin Dan cannot be happy, his rebirth will really lose its meaning, so he tries his best to change the tragedy of the Lin family.
But fate is fate. Even if he knew it in advance and was well prepared, the bad news still came as expected. The Western Expedition Army was defeated by the Xiongnu in Hetao, causing the Xiongnu army to extend southward to northern Shanxi and northern Shaanxi. General Lin was killed on the spot, and the rest of his men also died in battle to save him. General Lin was captured and his life or death is now unknown. Only the youngest son of the Lin family guarded the rear and luckily escaped. The prosperous Lin family was on the verge of ruin in an instant.
The emperor did not blame the Lin family for the defeat, and even sent many rewards to appease the elderly, the weak, women and children of the Lin family. However, the Lin family's great reputation still suffered a severe blow, and there were voices of doubt both inside and outside the court. The Lin family was also in chaos. The old lady and Mrs. Lin fell ill one after another. The women in the other rooms could not bear the situation and could only cry. Several concubines secretly collected their property and ran away at night.
Only Lin Dan is the calmest person in the family. She has not been here for long and cannot be said to have deep feelings for the Lin family, but since she has become the original owner, she should shoulder the original owner's responsibilities. She knew that Lin Tie was definitely not dead. He was the deputy commander of the Western Expedition Army and the soul of the Lin Family Army. He was of extremely high value and the Huns would not kill him easily. If we set out now and rush to the border day and night, maybe we can find a way to save Lin Tie.
Lin Dan was a man of great action. He acted as soon as he thought of something. That night, he simply packed up some valuables, selected the strongest horse from the stable, left a letter and left. She stole the token of the Lin Mansion. The guards guarding the city did not dare to stop her and immediately opened the door to let her out. Just as she ran out a short distance, she saw a man leading a horse, standing on the road leading to the border, as if waiting for someone.
"Lin Dan, you really ran away from home!" Hearing the sound of horse hooves, the man raised his head, revealing a handsome face, it was Ding Mujie.
"Are you waiting for me?" Lin Dan tightened the reins and slowly stopped.
"Can I go to the border with you?" Ding Mujie asked instead of answering.
"I'm going to the border to save my father, what are you doing there?" Lin Dan frowned tightly, looking unhappy.
Ding Mujie sneered and said, "I am worried about you traveling alone, and you are a woman. The Lin family has been kind to me, I can't just watch you take risks, I will go with you." After hearing the bad news in her previous life, Lin Dan also secretly ran away from home, but he found her in time and brought her back, then locked her in the backyard for five years. His original intention was to protect her and prevent her from doing stupid things, but in the end he became the culprit who forced her to death. All her family members had died and she had no husband or children to rely on. She worried too much and gradually gave up hope of living.
Now if he could do it again, he would not stop her again. Whatever she wanted to do, he would help her secretly; wherever she wanted to go, he would accompany her and protect her, and would never let her be alone.
Lin Dan raised his whip and said, "If you want to follow me, then follow me. I have to hurry and don't have time to waste with you." After saying this, he rode away.
Ding Mujie hurriedly caught up.
…………
The two of them traveled day and night without stopping, and in three days they had covered half the journey. Ding Mujie thought that he was a grown man and could take good care of Lin Dan, but he didn't expect that he would hold Lin Dan back instead. The saddle rubbed the skin on the inside of his thighs and his hipbone was almost shattered. He collapsed as soon as he got off the horse and couldn't get up.
Lin Dan fetched some water for him to wash, then ran to the nearest town to buy two pieces of soft leather and had him tie them around his thighs.
"This way you won't get your skin rubbed off. We can reach the border if we hold on for two more days," she said.
"Thank you." Ding Mujie ran behind the tree to tidy up his clothes and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"
"I have been practicing horse riding and archery since I was a child, so I'm used to it." Lin Dan said as he dealt with the hunted prey.
Looking at her calm profile and then her clean and neat movements, Ding Mujie's heart was filled with frustration and shame.
Lin Dan did not give him time to feel sad about the passing of time. She urged him to eat quickly. After eating, he put out the campfire and climbed back on the horse. Ding Mujie tried several times before he finally climbed up with great difficulty. As soon as he sat down, he felt a sharp pain in his hips and wanted to fall down instantly. But in order not to let Lin Dan look down on him, he forced himself to hold back, whipping the horse and cheering as if he was in great spirits. However, he did not run far when his head began to feel dizzy. Although he tried his best to hold on to the reins, he still staggered and fell down.
Lin Dan was extremely careful and had already noticed his abnormality. He galloped over and caught him in his arms the moment he landed on the ground, laying him horizontally on the back of his horse. Ding Mujie was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. He raised his head with difficulty and thanked Lin Dan with a red face. However, Lin Dan didn't even look at him. She put her fingers in her mouth and whistled to call back the horse that had run away.
The two horses rode side by side without slowing down at all, raising a long trail of yellow dust on the road.
Ding Mujie lay on the horse's back, with the whistling of the wind in his ears and Lin Dan's body temperature beside him, but his heart was in a mess. In his previous life, he had never bothered to get to know Lin Dan. He only knew that she was unskilled in literature and music, and was a very vulgar and shallow woman. Only now did he know what the real Lin Dan looked like. She is not vulgar, on the contrary, she is very free and unrestrained; she is not shallow, on the contrary, she is very brave and fearless. It's not that she's bad, it's just that no one knows how to appreciate her goodness...
In his previous life, if he had stopped to get to know Lin Dan properly and seriously, the tragic and ridiculous ending would not have happened.
Ding Mujie was already in tears as he thought about it. Suddenly, he heard Lin Dan say indifferently, "When we get to the next town, I'll find a place to put you. Either you stay there for a while, and I'll pick you up when I come back, or you hire some escorts to go back to the capital. You're a spoiled nobleman, why do you have to follow me and suffer this kind of hardship?"
After hearing these words, Ding Mujie was no longer sad, and he still felt a sense of absurdity about the gender reversal in his heart. He always felt that he was a delicate woman and Lin Dan was the strong man.
"I want to go to the border with you, maybe I can help you. Although I am not physically strong, I am very smart, believe me." Ding Mujie tried hard to show his strengths.
Lin Dan said nonchalantly, "How could a smart person like Lin Wan? Forgive my poor eyesight, I really can't see it."
Ding Mujie: “…”
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