Chapter 70 Life and Death (Part 2) The lady... she's dead! ...
Just as Xun Wei was about to say something more, the carriage suddenly stopped.
Hurried footsteps came from outside the carriage, along with Guo Jia's urgent shout: "Say Yi?!"
The carriage curtain was unceremoniously pulled open, and Xun Wei met Guo Jia's anxious gaze. He tilted his head slightly, looked at Deng Jie, and said, "I'm here. Why didn't you come earlier?"
Guo Jia paused, disregarding Xun Wei's presence, stepped onto the carriage shaft, and reached out to Deng Jie, "Come back with me first."
Seeing that Deng Jie did not react, Xun Wei said in a low voice, "Don't think so much. Taking care of your health is the most important thing. Other things are not related to you. Why worry unnecessarily?"
Deng Jie was too weak to answer. He glanced back at Xun Wei and numbly placed his hand on Guo Jia's palm.
Guo Jia immediately held her tightly and carefully helped Deng Jie out of the carriage, supporting her with his arm as they returned to the bedroom.
Deng Jie sat on the edge of the couch, staring blankly at the floor with his head down.
Guo Jia changed the charcoal fire, poured her a cup of hot water, and placed it in her hands to warm her.
He knelt before Deng Jie, took her hand, and said, "I'm sorry, Jia was busy with matters concerning the Wuhuan today and neglected you. If you want to see Madam Xun, you can simply tell Ayu Huai Niang to deliver the message. Why go out yourself?"
“I’m not going to see Shen Ge,” Deng Jie replied coldly, raising his eyes to look at Guo Jia. “I’m going to see my master.”
Guo Jia's heart sank, his eyes widened, and his brows furrowed involuntarily: "What master?"
“Ye Prison…” She took out the token of the Sikong Mansion from her bosom and placed it in Guo Jia’s hand: “I have seen my master.”
Guo Jia stared intently at the token, exhaled heavily, and paused for a moment before saying, "...Very well."
"Don't you have anything to say to me?" Deng Jie asked, dissatisfied.
"You already know, what else do I need to say?" Guo Jia still didn't meet Deng Jie's eyes, replying blankly.
"Guo Fengxiao! You once swore to me that you would never hide anything from me again!" Deng Jie suddenly became agitated, grabbed the token, and wanted to throw it on the ground to vent his anger, but he restrained himself from doing so.
"You said Master went home? But it was your brilliant idea to put him in prison! You clearly knew about Young Master Cang Shu's situation, yet you kept it from me along with everyone else! It's been so hard!"
You call going to jail "protection"?! Why don't you lock me up with you?!
Cang Shu is just a child. How can you bear to feed him cinnabar continuously, making him suffer more and more each day, and force him to risk his life for your so-called 'destiny'?!
Her voice trembled with emotion, and tears streamed down her face, a mixture of anger and utter disappointment.
"Master even told you this." Guo Jia looked up at her with a wry smile.
“Yes! He said it, he said it was your ‘protection,’ saying I shouldn’t know!” Deng Jie stood up excitedly. “But tell me, what use is this kind of ‘protection’ to me?! A-Qiao, Big Eyes… even my brother…”
Speaking of Deng Zhao, Deng Jie's heart still ached. "You also kept it a secret, but in the end you still found out, didn't you? I know I'm useless; I can't change anyone or anything..."
For so many years, the same question has been troubling her: "But I don't want to be treated like a fool and excluded by you. Even if I can't do it, I'm willing to do my best to help, stand by your side, and face it with you!"
Her eyes shone with a determined light, which was exactly what Guo Jia did not want to see.
He avoided that gaze, his voice hardening: "Don't we have days like this? Consort Dong, Xu Ta, Xu You, Guo Tu... these bloody things will only haunt you with nightmares every night. Do you think I don't know that? I'll only be busier from now on, unable to be by your side every night. How can I bear to see you sinking into the mire, tormented by these memories?"
As he spoke, he turned to look at Deng Jie, "These things shouldn't be your burden. There are millions of ordinary people in this world who, like us back then, yearn for a peaceful world. They live far more miserable lives than we have, waiting for the end of a chaotic era."
When it comes to verbal sparring, Deng Jie was never as good as him and couldn't say anything to refute him, but deep down he still couldn't agree with him.
She could only nod, forcing a sad smile: "Fine... fine... you're right. But you promised Master that once you brought Master's wife and senior sister to Ye City, you would let him go out to reunite with them, right? Could it be that this is also a 'necessary price,' or... you didn't even send anyone to pick them up?!"
Guo Jia's face instantly turned grim. He choked back a sob, then let out a long sigh: "These matters... involve the Emperor and our lord, and are indeed not something you should be concerned about. Once involved, no one can escape. I can't, and neither can my master..."
"But if you can't escape, what makes you think I can? Didn't you say that in front of others, I represent your position? Even if I hide in the courtyard, the current empress will still come looking for me, and enemy strategists will still infiltrate... You said we are 'fellowships in troubled times,' so what makes you think I can stay out of it?!"
Guo Jia was momentarily speechless under her questioning, and paced irritably. "Fine, you want to know? I'll tell you, I can tell you!"
With his neck stiff and eyes red, he cornered Deng Jie against the wall, almost shouting, "Now do you understand? Are you satisfied?! Accomplice!!"
Deng Jie was so frightened by his appearance that she couldn't speak, only tears streaming down her face. "Master's wife... Senior sister... Even Senior brother's family..."
"The Emperor's men are already restless. If I release my master, he will become the greatest threat to my lord and the young master once he finds out!" He clenched his fist tightly against Deng Jie's neck, gritting his teeth as he said, "I've said it before, no one involved will escape!"
Deng Jie was trapped in the corner by him, getting what she wanted—the "truth"—but it was so heartless.
"There's no escaping it...no one can escape it...sob..." She slid helplessly down the wall to the ground, her forehead hitting her knees. "I want to go home...I miss home so much..."
Guo Jia looked down at her, feeling a pang of pain in his heart, but unusually lost his patience: "This is your home."
“I miss my mother… I miss my brother and sister-in-law… I don’t want to stay here, I want to go back to Wancheng…” Her head was lowered, and her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
"Wancheng... the Deng residence is long gone. Where else do you have a home besides this place?"
These words clearly stung her; she trembled for a moment, then sank into despair. "You're right, my family is long gone... I should have gone with them..."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Guo Jia was enraged by her words and grabbed her arm, shouting, "You promised me that you would protect me and our home!"
Deng Jie looked up at him with tears streaming down her face. His anger and persistence at this moment were genuine, but it was precisely his dependence on her that Deng Jie could not let go of.
She pursed her lips, wiped away her tears, moved Guo Jia's hand away, leaned against the wall to get up, opened the lattice door leading to the backyard, and slowly stepped onto the corridor.
"Where are you going? It's windy outside!" Guo Jia was about to step forward to stop her when he saw her turn around with vacant eyes and say, "I'm going to see them... I miss them..."
Seeing her distraught appearance, his anger subsided somewhat. He took off his outer robe and draped it over her shoulders before turning and leaving through another door.
Deng Jie, still wrapped in his outer robe which retained his body heat, drifted around the backyard like a wandering soul.
The cold spring wind was still biting, shaking the bare branches of the trees in the yard and making a whistling sound.
The wind tossed her disheveled long hair and the hem of her outer robe, making her appear even more emaciated.
She looked up at the gloomy sky and the barren, withered branches that blocked her view, and felt an endless desolation and loneliness in her heart.
Night had fallen, and the evening drum had long since sounded. Guo Jia sat in his study for a long time, but he still did not hear any sound of Deng Jie returning.
He touched the study door several times, but hesitated and withdrew each time.
Even as night deepened, he couldn't shake his unease and rushed into the back room.
Pushing open the half-closed door, in the dim candlelight, he saw that thin figure curled up beside the cold altar, already asleep.
Her long eyelashes were still wet with tears, and even in her sleep, her brows were tightly furrowed. In her arms, she held a wooden box containing her belongings.
Guo Jia's heart was gripped by this scene, feeling both sour and painful.
He carefully approached and tried to pick her up, but the action startled Deng Jie.
She didn't struggle; instead, she reached out and gently grasped the front of his shirt. "You're right... There are so many people in this world... waiting for the end of this chaotic world... waiting for you..."
Guo Jia hadn't expected her to still be thinking about this. He took a breath and picked her up in his arms. "Alright, let's not think about these things anymore. I'll take you back to rest first."
Deng Jie leaned against him, sighing, "Fengxiao... the truly narrow-minded one isn't you... it's me. You're thinking of imperial power, of the world, of that unattainable peace... but all I want is to protect you... I don't want to care about anything else... and I can't care about anything else..."
Guo Jia felt a mix of emotions. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead, then strode into the courtyard. "Yes, you didn't need to think about anything else. Just stay with me, stay with our home, and stay with our child. That's enough."
Deng Jie was silent for a moment, then asked softly, "The Northern Expedition...is it already on the agenda? Are you leaving?"
Guo Jia pondered for a moment and nodded slightly, "It still lacks a final decision... There's considerable resistance. I'm working hard."
Deng Jie closed her eyes, nestled tightly in his arms, and murmured, "...I'm so tired..."
“Would you like to see the child? You haven’t seen him for a single day…” Guo Jia suggested cautiously, trying to dispel the gloom in her heart with the hope of a new life.
Deng Jie shook his head, "Right now... I don't want to see anyone."
Guo Jia's heart sank. He didn't press the matter further, entered the bedroom, and gently placed her on the couch. "Okay."
That night, Deng Jie slept soundly, as if he had exhausted all his energy.
Guo Jia stayed by her bedside for a long time, but when he saw that she was having nightmares again, he finally got up silently and went to his study.
The next morning, the sky was still overcast. Guo Jia tidied his clothes, his face showing exhaustion, and took the map and documents with him, preparing to head to the Sikong Mansion.
He stepped into the front yard, and Deng Jie's voice came from behind him: "Fengxiao."
Guo Jia turned around and saw her standing in front of the door, wearing only a thin outer garment and leaning against a pillar, her face still frighteningly pale.
He frowned anxiously and hurried back to the corridor. "Why did you come out again? Go back quickly! Let Huai Niang stay with you today; you can't be exposed to the wind anymore!"
Deng Jie reached out and took his arm, then looked up at him intently.
The intensity and despair of yesterday were gone from those eyes; only a calm that made one's heart tighten remained.
"Is Fengxiao's biggest target now the Wuhuan?"
Deng Jie looked at the light shining in his eyes, and a relieved smile curved his lips. "Good... It's good to have a goal. With a goal, Fengxiao will live well and keep moving forward..."
For some reason, these words made Guo Jia feel inexplicably uneasy. "Don't say such things again! We're all fine, waiting for peace to return to the world..."
Before he could finish speaking, Deng Jie stood on tiptoe and gently left a kiss on his lips.
"Okay, take good care of yourself." She said this, stopped on the ground, gently pushed him, and smiled tenderly, "Go now."
Guo Jia took two steps, then turned back to look at her with unease, only to see her waving gently at him, but his heart was filled with anxiety.
"You stay home and wait for me to come back. We'll have a good talk tonight!"
Deng Jie did not respond to his words, but simply repeated, "You must wait for me."
Guo Jia looked back at her several times, finally nodded, and strode out of the house.
Only when the dull sound of the evening drum echoed over Ye City, announcing the end of the day, did Guo Jia drag his body, exhausted from a day without rest, out of the Sikong Mansion.
Just then, a panicked figure rushed out from the alley and fell to the ground at his feet.
"The libationer! The libationer!" Ayu cried out hoarsely, trembling all over, "Madam... Madam... she's dead!!"
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