Chapter 32: Escaping Marriage, White Moonlight 9 It’s like being trapped in the web of fate…
Perhaps what happened tonight was like history repeating itself. In his dream, Ali recalled the life story of Pan Yunli that he had read in the system.
Pan Yunli's mother, Su Rou, used to be the best embroiderer in the Pan family. One day, she was spotted by her father, Pan Yuan, and was forcibly taken in as his concubine.
At first, Pan Yuan doted on this new concubine very much, and sent all kinds of rare treasures to Su Rouyuan like water. Even Madam Ni, who had just given birth to a legitimate son, could not compare to him in favor of her.
Pan Yuan likes to read poetry and often pretends to be cultured. As the two of them spend time together, Su Rou gradually develops some genuine love for him.
But Pan Yuan was a playboy. Two years later, as concubines were brought in one after another, Su Rou gradually lost favor and spent her days in tears.
If life had continued like this, Su Rou would have gradually withered away like the other concubines in the backyard. But on the night of Mrs. Ni's birthday, Pan Yuan got drunk and had a big quarrel with her, and then broke into Su Rou's yard.
After that day, Su Rou became pregnant.
She hoped that the child could keep her husband's heart, but contrary to her wishes, Pan Yuan still forgot about her, and Mrs. Ni hated her and her unborn child because of this.
Even though the child was a girl, the situation of the mother and daughter became even more difficult.
Su Rou is as her name suggests, with a weak and sentimental nature. She cries when something happens. Therefore, Pan Yunli learned to fight for food and clothes since she was a child. Although she is a delicate lady, she has mastered the ruffian ways of the market.
He is stingy, petty, and a teller of lies.
She acted like she was not someone to be messed with, earning a little breathing space for herself and her mother.
But even so, those people in the mansion who stepped on their heads could easily destroy everything.
While staying at the mansion, a nephew of the Pan family developed sexual desire for Pan Yunli and almost bullied her.
Afterwards, in order to show her virtue and please Pan Yuan, Mrs. Ni defended this man in every way, saying that it was Pan Yunli who deliberately seduced her.
Naturally, Pan Yuan would not let the family scandal be made public and affect the careers of his sons and nephews. Moreover, this daughter was dispensable to him.
With Pan Yuan's cold acquiescence and Mrs. Ni's instigation, the incident was treated as if it had never happened. Without even a word of comfort, Pan Yunli was driven back to the small courtyard.
It just so happened that the Liu family came to propose marriage, so the two of them naturally sent her away to avoid being an eyesore.
Then, she escaped from her marriage on the way, but accidentally fell off a cliff and was rescued by Lu Jingming. She thought she had finally met someone who loved her sincerely, but she was deceived and betrayed. In despair, she chose to jump off the cliff and commit suicide.
In the dream, Pan Yunli's helplessness and despair were vivid in her mind. Her life was just like that thunderstorm night in the Pan Mansion, just like tonight.
He had clearly struggled desperately, but his hands and feet were still stiff and uncontrollably stiff. His heart was hysterical, but his body could not move, as if he was trapped in the net of fate and was being manipulated at will.
Ali suddenly opened his eyes.
This was the first time she felt the original body's emotions so vividly: despair, resentment, and unwillingness.
This was a living person who died before her eyes.
Ali felt a sudden pain in her heart, and after a long time she came to her senses, her eyes becoming clearer.
But tonight, now last night, faced with the same situation, she struggled to break free and escaped.
Ali pressed the stinging solar plexus, stood up from the bed, and accidentally knocked over the teacup beside him.
"What's wrong?"
Lu Jingming's voice sounded outside the door almost immediately, and his tall and slender figure was reflected on the window.
Ali let out a long sigh and slowly sat down on the bed: "I'm fine,... Why is the young master here?"
Lu Jingming's figure seemed to pause.
“Just passing by.”
Ah Li couldn't help but laugh. Her laughter was very soft, but Lu Jingming seemed to hear it clearly: "Are you laughing?"
Ali wiped the moisture from his cheeks without saying a word.
Lu Jingming took a step forward, wanting to see the situation in the room clearly through the window, but he was concerned about Ali's mood, so he didn't know whether to go forward or retreat.
Both of them suddenly fell silent.
Until Uncle Wei came to report that the county magistrate, Lord Wu, had arrived.
Lu Jingming glanced at the closed door, then turned back, his eyes already icy with frost. "Please ask him to wait in the study."
*
Wu Mian was feeling restless at the moment.
Late last night, he was enjoying the company of his beautiful concubine when he was suddenly awakened by a flustered servant and there was a commotion in the front yard.
He hurriedly put on his clothes and went out to see a man covered in blood, tied up and thrown into the yard. He was breathing more than he was breathing out.
Wu Mian was a little annoyed: "What happened?"
Uncle Wei stepped forward and said respectfully, "Sir Wu, this man was molesting a decent woman in the street. If my young master hadn't been passing by, I'm afraid there would have been a big incident."
"This...this..." Wu Mian's expression changed, and cold sweat oozed from his forehead. "This kind of thing has never happened in Shangxi County. I'm afraid there is some misunderstanding?"
Uncle Wei smiled and said, "If you have any questions, you can come and ask the young master in person tomorrow. The young master said that he is looking forward to your arrival."
Wu Mian swallowed his saliva, his eyes dodging. "That's not necessary. I naturally believe what you say, sir. Come on! Take this man away and interrogate him tomorrow!"
A guard came forward and dragged the man down like a dead dog.
"I will certainly handle this matter properly, please rest assured, young master." Wu Mian said.
Uncle Wei still had a smiling face. "My lord, you have worked hard. The young master has a few words for me to pass on to you. A thousand-mile dam is breached by a single ant. I hope you take good care of yourself."
Wu Mian was puzzled, and Uncle Wei continued, "Master Wu, I have already brought the people and the message, and I still need to reply to the young master. I will not stay any longer and disturb your sleep."
Wu Mian thought about these words over and over again all night long, and set off for Lu's house before dawn the next day.
When Lu Jingming came in, Wu Mian immediately stood up and looked over: "Mr. Lu——"
Lu Jingming raised his hand to stop him from speaking, walked slowly to the incense burner, and casually stretched out his hand to warm himself.
The room fell into an unbearable silence.
Lu Jingming moved his stiff fingers, and the coldness in his body gradually dissipated.
Wu Mian suddenly remembered the scene when he first met him.
At that time, I had just taken office and was in high spirits. I heard from my subordinates that a young man from the Lu family in Xingyang County lived here. This young man was well-educated and outstanding, so you might as well go and visit him.
Wu Mian disagreed. How could a young boy, who was still wet behind the ears, dare to show off in front of him, the county magistrate, just because he had read a few more books and had some family background?
Until a land dispute occurred. A rich family and a farmer each held an old land deed, and both claimed that the paddy field in the eastern suburbs was theirs. The two deeds were almost identical, and it was impossible to tell the real one from the fake one.
Wu Mian had no choice but to order people to carefully check the tax payment records of this paddy field over the past ten years. It was found that all the taxpayers were wealthy families, so he concluded that the farmers had forged land deeds in an attempt to seize other people's land.
But when the verdict came out, the farmer cried and screamed and even fainted in the court. Wu Mian was afraid that someone would die, so he quickly announced that the case would be retried.
After repeated persuasion from his subordinates, Wu Mian finally knocked on the door of the Lu family. Sitting in the room was a very young man. Wu Mian was still a little skeptical, but after a few words, the young man had discovered the secret. He took the two deeds from Wu Mian's hands and pointed out in a moment that the deed of the rich family was forged.
Wu Mian was very confused. He asked several coroners to identify the evidence, but everyone said it was difficult to tell the real from the fake. How could he, a young man with little experience in the world, make such a conclusion?
The handsome young man before him smiled, his face still a little childish. "Both deeds are made of old, yellowed paper. The contents are identical, but old paper should have different interiors. It's yellow on the outside and white on the inside, but this one is yellow on both the outside and inside, and has a very faint scent of tea. It must have been forged by soaking it in tea."
Wu Mian ordered people to investigate with doubt, and the result was exactly as Lu Jingming said.
In order to seize the farmers' land, the rich families deceived the farmers decades ago by saying that they could be exempted from labor service if they paid the taxes through their own hands. This made the farmers hand over the taxes to him, who would then pay them to the court. He also forged land deeds and soaked them in tea in an attempt to confuse the farmers.
Wu Mian was finally convinced, and he frequently visited the Lu family thereafter, placing great faith in Lu Jingming's words, until...
"Why are you standing all the time, sir? Please sit down."
When Wu Mian came to his senses, he saw that Lu Jingming had sat down and was looking up at him.
He touched his nose and sat down in response: "I still have some questions about what happened last night, so I came to ask you personally."
Lu Jingming nodded: "Please speak, sir."
"Did that person last night offend you, sir?"
Lu Jingming has always been measured in his actions, but what happened last night was really unusual. Wu Mian guessed that this person must have offended Lu Jingming in some way, so he wanted to use him to deal with him.
This isn't a big deal, but I still need to find out before I can take any action.
Lu Jingming raised his eyebrows slightly: "I thought Uncle Wei had conveyed the message last night."
Wu Mian was embarrassed, and it became increasingly difficult for him to understand his thoughts: "Sir, why don't you speak frankly?"
"Where is that person now?"
Wu Mian replied, "He is being held in the government jail. I will judge and sentence him when I return."
Lu Jingming lowered his eyes and let out an almost inaudible sigh: "Still alive."
Wu Mian immediately understood and said seriously, "Don't worry, sir, this matter will be handled properly."
Lu Jingming's father holds his financial resources, and Lu Jingming now holds his official position. He wouldn't dare to offend either of them even if he had a hundred guts.
A trace of contempt flashed across Lu Jingming's eyes, and he said slowly, "I heard that Lord Wang, who was sent by the court to supervise the dredging of the river, is on his way."
"That's true." Wu Mian nodded slightly. He handed in the letter and memorial as Lu Jingming said. Not long after, the court allocated funds again and ordered the censor Wang to supervise it personally.
Lu Jingming picked up the teacup and gently blew away the floating leaves. "If Lord Wang had also seen a drunk running amok in the middle of the night while in Shangxi County, I wonder what he would have written in this report upon his return to the capital?"
Wu Mian's face turned paler as he listened: "I will order a thorough investigation tomorrow—"
"No rush." Lu Jingming put down the teacup and smiled faintly, "I am just making a suggestion. As for how to do it, it is up to you, the adults, to decide."
Wu Mian's face froze. "Mr. Lu, you're joking. I hope you can give me more guidance in the future."
Lu Jingming continued, "Since you took office last year, Shangxi County has been plagued by natural and man-made disasters. As the old saying goes, 'Excessive joy leads to sorrow,' and 'Moderation is the key.' Do you understand, sir?"
Wu Mian was struck in the heart, and his heart was shocked. It was obvious that the man in front of him was not even twenty years old, but with just a few calm words, he was overwhelmed by his aura.
"I just have something to tell you, sir." Wu Mian wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Yesterday, a merchant ship from your government passed through Shangxi County. Due to the incident where a government ship hit a rock, the number of ships passing through the Xiashiqu River each day is now fixed. I have arranged to put your ship at the front of the queue so it will not be late—"
“No need.”
"What?" Wu Mian thought he had misheard.
Lu Jingming's thin lips moved slightly: "I said no need."
He looked at Wu Mian with a half-smile: "Although my father and you have some friendship, you can't let personal matters override public ones. Moreover, Lord Wang will be arriving soon, so who knows if he won't ask about other matters."
Wu Mian immediately thought of the flash floods a few months ago and had no time to think about anything else: "Young Master, you are indeed very thoughtful. Everything must be done according to the rules."
Wu Mian left quickly. After Lu Jingming returned to the inner room and washed up briefly, he took out a bottle of top-quality pills and put it in his sleeve.
He pushed open the door and saw a man in front of the courtyard. He was pale and carrying a basket on his back, about to go out.
If it’s not Ali, then who else could it be?
Lu Jingming was furious. He rushed over and grabbed her wrist, suppressing his anger and asking, "Where are you going?"
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