In June, a gentle breeze blows, and the wheat fields ripple like waves of gold across a green ocean.
Su Ruanruan smiled and waved goodbye to the villagers of Shiying Village. As night fell, she finally arrived in town and went to the inn where she would stay.
After tidying up, a carrier pigeon gracefully landed in front of her window. She carefully untied the pigeon's leg and, by the dim candlelight, gazed at the contents of the note.
Huo Yan had no idea that Fu Hengfeng didn't actually have the so-called account books. It was just a smokescreen set up by Fu's father to save his son's life.
While in prison, Fu's father had met with Huo Yan alone. He claimed that he still had undestroyed mine ledgers, which detailed the mine's profits over the past few years.
However, after Huo Yan took over, the amount of silver deposited into the national treasury was 500,000 taels less. Whether Huo Yan had embezzled the funds could be clearly seen by simply looking at the account books.
Fu's father used this as leverage to force Huo Yan to agree to two things: first, to marry Fu Xinrou; second, to spare Fu Hengfeng's life and ensure the continuation of the Fu family line.
He was made to swear an oath to protect Fu Hengfeng's life with his life, and that if anything happened to him, the account book would be secretly sent to Emperor Shun.
Not only the Huo family, but even Consort Xian and Prince Yi will find it difficult to escape unscathed. The consequences are so severe that they are simply unimaginable.
Although Fu's father did not know why Huo Yan had embezzled 500,000 taels of silver, he was still willing to take the risk for his two children.
He bet that Huo Yan wouldn't present the account books to the emperor, and he also bet that Huo Yan still had some affection for Fu Xinrou and wouldn't use her life as leverage to torture Fu Hengfeng and force him to reveal the whereabouts of the account books.
Su Ruanruan slowly got up, moved to the window, and looked up at the bright moon.
He really made the right bet! If Huo Yan had used Fu Xinrou's life as leverage earlier, how could he have been controlled by the Fu family father and son!
If she hadn't been so resolute, subjected Fu Hengfeng to extreme torture, and threatened Fu Xinrou's life, how could she have heard the truth from Fu Hengfeng?
So this is what Huo Yan meant by "unavoidable hardship"!
Once, on the edge of the cliff, the Black-Faced God had mentioned the 500,000 taels of silver. At that time, she was also puzzled. Huo Yan was always upright, so why would he covet that silver?
However, these days he often went to the homes of the poor to provide them with free medical treatment, and Su Ruanruan naturally heard some stories from some of them.
Some time ago, some families received several taels of silver secretly left for them by kind-hearted people at night. After receiving the silver, these families all kept quiet and cautious.
However, secrets don't stay hidden forever, and there are always one or two gossipy people who spread rumors that a chivalrous hero has appeared, robbing the rich to help the poor.
Su Ruanruan inquired a few more times and discovered that the families who received the silver all had one thing in common: someone in their family had been to the battlefield.
Some of them were disabled, some were buried in the mountains, and all that returned were their remains. Some lost their sons, some women lost their husbands, and some children lost their fathers from a young age.
The government's pension was meager, and those who lost their ability to work were left destitute and their lives were filled with misery.
At this point, Su Ruanruan finally guessed where Huo Yan had spent that large sum of money.
...
Midsummer's first rays of light, the seventh month still lingering.
Su Ruanruan's heart sank to the bottom. She traveled around seeking medical help, while desperately searching for Mu Bai's whereabouts.
However, despite traversing countless mountains and rivers, she was still unable to find Mu Bai's whereabouts.
She sat down wearily at the tea stall, unfolded Mu Bai's portrait in her hand, and gently stroked his eyebrows and eyes with her fingers. She murmured softly, "Brother Mu Bai, where are you?"
The waiter at the tea stall came to serve tea, and his gaze inadvertently swept over the portrait in her hand. He asked, "Miss, are you looking for someone?"
"Have you seen him before?" Su Ruanruan excitedly handed the portrait in her hand to the waiter and asked eagerly, "Take a close look, have you seen him before?"
The waiter examined them carefully for a while longer before confirming, "I have indeed seen him before. Just a few days ago, they were sitting here drinking tea. That young master and lady are both very good-looking, so I couldn't help but take a second look. I'm absolutely certain I'm not mistaken."
Madam? Su Ruanruan knew that the girl he was referring to must be Mu Bai's wife.
"Do you know where they went?" Su Ruanruan pressed.
The waiter pondered for a moment, "They seem to have said they're going to stay in Caixia Village for a while. That's right, Caixia Village."
Su Ruanruan gratefully handed over the silver and thanked the waiter.
She spent money to send someone to Caixia Village to inquire about the situation. That very evening, the person returned with news that a couple had indeed arrived in Caixia Village, and the man looked exactly like the person in her portrait.
Although the man was certain that the person he saw was exactly the same as the person in the painting, Su Ruanruan longed to see him one last time from afar.
Her current appearance is disguised, like a flower in the mist. Not only has she changed her womanly attire, but she has also concealed three or four parts of her beauty.
That night, Su Ruanruan tossed and turned on her bed, unable to sleep all night.
The next morning, just as the sun rose, she rented a horse-drawn carriage in town and headed to Caixia Village.
As she got closer to Caixia Village, Su Ruanruan felt increasingly conflicted, even experiencing a sense of trepidation as she approached her hometown.
She longed to see Mu Bai, yet she feared that even a glimpse from afar would cause ripples to spread across her already turbulent heart, like a stone thrown into still water.
"Madam, we've arrived."
"Oh." Su Ruanruan suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, but as soon as she stepped off the carriage, she froze on the spot.
Not far away, a man dressed in white stood like a tall poplar tree, holding a long branch in his hand, helping several children take down the kites that were hanging on the tree.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
