Chapter 194 Reunion

After Ming Huashang dealt with the Feng family's affairs, she quietly took Wei Zhu away and returned to the governor's mansion without alerting anyone. The first and second wives of Feng still had no idea what had happened. Ming Huashang planned to wait until the case of old lady Feng was settled before notifying the Feng family.

In the government office, Jinbao and several maids were still waiting for her. Ming Huashang had arranged to close the case, but a long time had passed and Li Huazhang still hadn't returned.

Ming Huashang was worried. Li Huazhang had long suspected that the guards recruited by Old Lady Feng were problematic, and had long been on guard against Prince Qiao. He had already made arrangements for Dong Hai and his men, so there shouldn't be any danger. But Ming Huashang didn't dare to take any chances. She kept sending people out of the city to investigate. Suddenly, a guard ran in and reported, "Princess, the prince is back."

Ming Huashang was overjoyed and ran out without even bothering to put on her clothes: "Husband..."

She excitedly opened the curtain and bumped into a dark figure. She stumbled back a step and the figure subconsciously held her arm. Ming Huashang looked up at the person in front of her and was unable to react for a moment. At this time, Li Huazhang came over from the corridor. He quickly scanned the situation in front of him, and quietly pulled Ming Huashang to his side and asked in a low voice: "It's so late, why don't you rest?"

Ming Huachang finally felt relieved when she saw Li Huazhang. She naturally put her arm around Li Huazhang and smiled as she rounded off the oolong she had just made. "How can I feel at ease if you're not back? Thank you, brother. It's been a long time since we last met. How have you been?"

Xie Jichuan noticed Ming Huashang's address and actions, lowered his eyes and said, "Not bad."

Ming Huashang had no time to deal with the embarrassment just now. She finally saw Li Huazhang and said hurriedly, "You are finally back. I interrogated Wei Zhu, the head maid Baozhu, and learned that Old Lady Feng had defected to Prince Qiao and wanted to harm you."

"I already know." Li Huazhang looked at Ming Huashang's thin clothes, put his arm around her shoulders and walked into the house, "Let's go in and talk first."

There is no need to elaborate on how Li Huazhang knew that Xie Jichuan, who was far away in Chang'an, appeared in Shangzhou late at night. Ming Huashang was pushed into the door by Li Huazhang, and she did not forget to turn around and greet Xie Jichuan: "Brother Xie, what are you standing for? Come in and sit down."

The last time Xie Jichuan saw Ming Huashang was before their wedding. After not seeing her for so long, she was still smiling and cheerful, making people feel better when they saw her. After Ming Huashang entered the house, the curtains were lowered, and the warm fragrance and light were instantly blocked. Xie Jichuan looked at the lights inside the corridor. It was so close, but so far away from him.

Xie Jichuan stood alone in the wind. Suddenly, the curtain moved, and warm light once again poured out from the gap. Li Huazhang stood sideways in the halo of light and said, "You must have been tired on the journey. Come in and have some hot tea, so you don't blame Shangzhou for being cold again."

His eyes were clear and frank, and he clearly understood why Xie Jichuan stopped. Men are always very sensitive to such things. Both of them knew each other's thoughts and had secretly harbored hostility. However, Xie Jichuan still traveled thousands of miles to remind Li Huazhang to be independent, even though Li Huazhang refused. Li Huazhang also took the initiative to reach out, and his attitude was the same as usual, as if the two were still friends.

Xie Jichuan stood in the darkness with his sleeves folded, silent for a long time, while Li Huazhang waited patiently for him. Finally, Xie Jichuan moved and walked in slowly. Inside, Ming Huashang had already placed snacks and tea, and greeted them with a smile: "Come and sit down, and try the tea produced in Shangzhou. I added cassia flowers to it, which has the effect of calming the nerves and nourishing the heart. The water is the snow water I collected, which just fell a few days ago, and it is fresh."

Xie Jichuan sat down at the desk, feeling a little dazed by the scene. It was as if it was the same snowy day, the same murder had happened, Ming Huashang was boiling snow and brewing tea, and she said almost the same thing.

So many years have passed, so many things have happened, even two emperors have died, everyone is struggling in the torrent of fate, but she has not changed at all. Xie Jichuan suddenly realized that the things he was entangled with were actually irrelevant. Ming Huashang may know or not, but as long as Li Huazhang regards him as a friend, Ming Huashang will regard him as his brother's friend.

Many things have never changed. To her, he is always her second brother's friend.

Xie Jichuan once blamed himself for being passive and incompetent. If he had taken the initiative to do something, would the outcome have been different? But he never took the step of being a friend. Wasn't it fate that had already told him the answer?

Ming Huashang was only kind to him because he was Li Huazhang's friend. When Prince Zhang Huai decided to let Duke Zhenguo take Li Huazhang away instead of Xie Shen, it was destined that Ming Huashang and Li Huazhang would become the most unique existence in each other's lives. Prince Zhang Huai chose Duke Zhenguo to raise his young son, perhaps because Xie Shen persuaded Prince Zhang Huai to kill Empress Wu.

Xie Shen grew up in a wealthy family. From a young age, he saw and learned that profit was supreme, and personal feelings were insignificant in the face of power. A person with a cold heart and a clear mind is suitable for being a minister, but is definitely not suitable for raising children.

Fate is linked to fate, cause and effect have been determined. Even if Xie Jichuan tried, the result would not change, because his last name is Xie and her last name is Ming, Ming Huashang would not like him who grew up in Xie's family.

This feeling was very mysterious. Although Xie Jichuan was still unwilling, he was strangely relieved. Xie Jichuan finally put on his signature fake smile and said, "It seems that I will have a good time again. The only thing missing is Ren Yao. It will be the same as in Feihong Villa."

Li Huazhang rolled his eyes at him coldly: "Say something auspicious."

Ming Huashang didn't mind at all and said with a smile, "That's not difficult. If there's a chance, invite Sister Ren over and I'll cook another pot. Oh, and Sister Jiang Ling and Sister Yu Ji can also come."

Li Huazhang turned the teacup around and didn't say anything. Xie Jichuan smiled and said, "Ren Yao is indeed rushing to Shangzhou, but it's hard to say whether she is willing to drink tea with us."

Ming Huashang blinked and tilted her head to look at Li Huazhang. Li Huazhang explained to her: "The situation in Chang'an is tense. The queen is worried about Prince Qiao, so she sent people to Junzhou to guard it. The person leading the troops is Ren Yao."

Ming Huashang suddenly realized that Ming Yuji's letter said that Ren Yao was highly valued by Queen Wei. So, he was already so highly valued. Ming Huashang still looked unconcerned and said, "Sister Ren will definitely come. If Sister Ren is going to Junzhou, what about Jiangling?"

Li Huazhang and Xie Jichuan didn't care much. Xie Jichuan said, "Who knows? Ren Yao is following the emperor's orders. Jiang Ling is not so stupid as to come to the front to be cannon fodder, right?"

Ming Huashang raised her eyebrows and did not continue the topic, but murmured with certainty: "He will definitely come."

As they talked, Xie Jichuan drank two cups of tea, and his stomach pain finally eased. Ming Huashang saw that the two people who had been busy all night had relaxed, so she slowly got to the point.

Ming Huashang quietly asked about the whereabouts of Dong Hai and others, and what happened in Chang'an. She also tried to explain how Wei Zhu committed the crime in simple words. After listening to Wei Zhu's murder plan, Xie Jichuan was very interested in this person. Li Huazhang said: "I saw the needle on the saddle and suspected the cause of death of Old Lady Feng. I was worried that it would be too late. Fortunately, you found it. As expected, it depends on you to solve the case."

"No, we are in perfect accord." Ming Huashang said, "If you and Brother Xie hadn't arrested Dong Hai and his gang, even if I caught Wei Zhu, the case would not be solved. We can't just catch the poor guy who fought back from a desperate situation, but not punish the culprit who caused the tragedy."

Li Huazhang looked at her and smiled gently: "It is precisely because of you in Shangzhou City that I know you can definitely catch the murderer, so I dare to chase the bandits without worry."

Xie Jichuan looked at the two men and thought of the fireworks he saw outside the city. He quietly left Chang'an and rushed to Shangzhou without any worries that Li Huazhang would refuse. How could any normal person not be tempted when faced with such a great opportunity to seize the throne?

But Li Huazhang was unmoved. Ming Huashang had never communicated with Li Huazhang, but she had already set off the fireworks to summon the Xuanxiao Guards, because she knew he would not leave.

Just like Li Huazhang confidently handed over most of the power of Xuanxiaowei to Ming Huashang, because he also knew that Ming Huashang would not abuse it.

Xie Jichuan looked at the loving and trusting couple in front of him, feeling inexplicably depressed. He asked, "What are you going to do with Weizhu?"

"I've thought about this a long time ago," Ming Huashang said. "Although she is pitiful, she must be punished for murder. We can write a letter to the Dali Temple to explain her situation. Whether her sentence can be reduced depends on the Dali Temple's decision."

Li Huazhang said: "Write to me. When I was in office as Jingzhao Yin, I had some dealings with the Dali Temple. But now is a time of trouble. The Wei Party has seized power. It is hard to say whether the Dali Temple can still work normally. It is better to lock Wei Zhu up in the government office first, and wait until the situation in Chang'an is more stable before sending the files to Chang'an."

Ming Huashang agreed and asked, "What about Prince Qiao and the Feng family?"

After the three sat down, they all avoided talking about politics, but they couldn't avoid it. The King of Qiao would not stop rebelling just because they were unwilling to face him. Sooner or later, the war would spread to Shangzhou. And the three of them had a premonition that this day would not be far away.

Li Huazhang paused and said, "It's too late tonight. You've been tired all day. Go take a rest first. We can discuss these things tomorrow when you're fully rested."

It was past midnight now, so no matter how difficult the problem was, it wouldn't take this long. Ming Huashang and Xie Jichuan both acquiesced, and Xie Jichuan was the first to stand up and say goodbye. After they left, Ming Huashang looked at Li Huazhang with worry in his eyes, "Second brother, if you don't go back, will Chang'an be okay?"

Her eyes were sincere and she was worried about him with all her heart. Li Huazhang felt warm in his heart, and he held Ming Huashang's hand and said, "It doesn't matter. A gentleman has his own way of doing things and his own way of not doing things. Since I'm in Shangzhou, I can't just sit back and watch the rebellion in Junzhou. If I miss it, it means that I have no destiny with that position, so there's nothing to regret."

Li Huazhang smiled softly and whispered, "Besides, I didn't want to sit in that position in the first place. I do everything out of my heart, not for the sake of seizing the throne."

"What a coincidence. I am not interested in being the empress either." Ming Huashang smiled and leaned on his shoulder, saying, "I hate competing with others for anything. How can the most honorable position for a woman in the world compare to a husband who belongs only to me? If you think you should stay, then we will stay. I have issued a call for you. Let's go to the base tomorrow to check it out. No matter how many people come, I will accompany you. If successful, we will go back to Dongdu together to see the peony flowers bloom. If not, we will be buried together in Shangzhou."

She had already understood his choice without explanation. He didn't care about the nonsense of the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, and let her live happily according to her own heart. She was also willing to follow his decision, sharing life and death, regardless of glory.

Li Huazhang reached out and stroked Ming Huashang's hair, his voice low and trembling: "Okay."

·

The next morning, the wind that had been blowing all night finally died down. Snow hung on the branches, and it was as quiet as a painting. Not long after Li Huazhang got up, he heard the soldiers report that Dong Hai's body had been found. He did not alarm Ming Huashang and immediately rode out of the city.

In front of the rocky beach, the cold river water rolled eastward. A male corpse was lying face down on the rocks, his body was covered in blood, and a broken arrow could be seen on his back. Li Huazhang stepped forward on the gravel, turned over the body and looked at it, and said to the soldier: "It's Dong Hai. Have you searched his body?"

"It has been searched. Everything is in there."

Li Huazhang took the package, which contained a soaked cloth, a letter whose handwriting could no longer be seen, a few strings of copper coins, and some miscellaneous weapons. Li Huazhang asked, "Is this all you have?"

"Replying to the governor, when we followed the river to find him, he had already been washed up on this shallow beach. We searched these things out of his clothes. His bag was washed away somewhere by the water."

Dong Hai's bag was missing, which meant that Sui Houzhu was also missing. The soldier saw Li Huazhang staring at the river and asked, "Governor, are you going to fish in the nearby river?"

Shangzhou is mountainous and located in the upper reaches. The river flows very fast in Shangzhou and becomes slower when it reaches Junzhou. It is already a hundred miles away from where Dong Hai fell off the cliff. There are many turbulent underground rivers. How can we find such a small pearl?

In the past, the Suihou Marquis had the pearl, and the King of Chu destroyed Sui; the Chu State held the treasure, and the powerful Qin attacked Chu. Today, even the powerful Qin State has been buried in the dust, but the Suihou Pearl has been passed from one owner to another, and people have been losing their homes and property for it, and their families have been destroyed. Now it has fallen into the turbulent river with the thieves. Maybe it will be picked up by someone by chance and put on the throne again; or it may be buried deep at the bottom of the river, and the pearl will be covered with dust.

Perhaps, returning to the world and being free from the influence of right and wrong is its best destination.

Li Huazhang said calmly: "No need. Just deal with Dong Hai's body."

The soldier nodded and was about to carry the body to bury it when Li Huazhang suddenly stopped him and said, "Wait."

The soldiers stopped, and Li Huazhang looked back in the direction of Shangzhou City, then looked along the direction of the flowing river, and asked: "Following this river, it is Junzhou, right?"

The soldier didn't understand, so he said, "Yes. But the river is very dangerous, and there are whirlpools in some places. Only a few veterans dare to cross the river, and most people go there by land."

Li Huazhang nodded slowly, looked at the river and thought for a while, then said, "Hire a car from the surrounding villages, pack up Dong Hai's body, and take it back to the government office."

The soldiers looked at each other, not understanding what the governor wanted to do, and crossed their hands in confusion: "Yes."

When Li Huazhang returned to the government office, he ran into Xie Jichuan, who had just finished dressing up and was walking out leisurely. Xie Jichuan saw the dust on his clothes and said slowly, "Oh, you're here so early. I thought you ran away."

Li Huazhang glanced at him calmly and held back. Xie Jichuan still looked like he deserved a beating, and watched them busying around with his hands in his pockets, saying, "Isn't this a bandit? Why did you freeze his body?"

Li Huazhang was too lazy to pay attention to some idle people who had nothing to contribute. After instructing the people in the morgue to keep an eye on Dong Hai, he quickly walked back and asked, "Where's the princess?"

"Awake, in the backyard."

Li Huazhang was about to leave the hospital when he ran into Ming Huashang. Seeing her, Li Huazhang hurriedly said, "Don't run. Be careful of the slippery road."

Ming Huashang was wrapped up like a rabbit. She hopped to his side and looked behind him: "Did you find Dong Hai?"

"Yes." Li Huazhang hurried down the stairs to meet her and asked softly, "Have you had breakfast?"

Xie Jichuan came over from behind and sneered, "I didn't have breakfast either, why didn't you ask me?"

Li Huazhang's eyebrows jumped, and his patience was on the verge of bursting. Ming Huashang smiled and said, "It just so happens that I know a restaurant that makes particularly good breakfasts. I will treat you today. However, there are many people in that restaurant, so it is not advisable to show off. You need to change into casual clothes."

After a while, Xie Jichuan sat in the shop Ming Huachang mentioned, lifted the bamboo curtain and glanced downstairs, saying, "This shop has a lot of business. Not only is the breakfast good, but there are also many people staying in the shop. There are so many people here so early in the morning."

And they were all dusty, with bright eyes and alert expressions. Ming Huashang poured three cups of tea and said, "It's the end of the year, and booming business is a good thing. Congratulations to the shopkeeper. What would you like to eat?"

Xie Jichuan sneered, and he explained why Huachang suddenly wanted to treat them. It turned out that they were just looking for an excuse to come to the base of Xuanxiaowei. He put down the curtain and said nonchalantly: "The guest follows the host's wishes, you decide."

Li Huazhang, needless to say, always let Ming Huashang make the decision, so Ming Huashang ordered what she liked without worrying about it. After a while, the steaming breakfast was served. Xie Jichuan took a bite of the soup cake and said in surprise: "Is it really edible?"

"Of course." Ming Huashang seemed to have been greatly insulted, and said righteously, "Xuan Xiaowei's chefs have to practice cooking in addition to knife skills. Don't look down on me."

While Ming Huachang was talking, Li Huazhang had already prepared the sauces and quietly placed them next to her. Each one was to her liking. The three of them ate while observing the crowd downstairs. Xie Jichuan roughly estimated and said, "I thought Shangzhou was far away and that we couldn't summon many people. I didn't expect that there were quite a few people. In such a short time, there are already ten people. But for the rebellion, it's still a drop in the bucket."

Li Huazhang handed Ming Huashang a handkerchief and replied calmly, "The Xuanxiao Guards are good at gathering information, spying on intelligence, arresting and assassinating, and they were not originally used on the battlefield."

"But sieges require soldiers, and they have to be well-trained soldiers," Xie Jichuan asked, "How many soldiers does Shangzhou have?"

Li Huazhang and Ming Huashang were silent. It was obvious that the number was not optimistic. Xie Jichuan still felt that there was no need to feel that this battle could not be won. He said without much hope: "You really don't want to go back to Chang'an with me? It's not too late to leave now while Prince Qiao hasn't raised his army yet."

Ming Huashang was about to speak when she suddenly felt an inexplicable pull. Across the noisy lobby, she strangely heard the person at the counter say, "Two guest rooms, find a doctor, quickly."

Ming Huashang felt something and lifted the bamboo curtain. The person downstairs happened to look up, and their eyes met. Ming Huashang pursed her lips and said, "No need. We can't go back to Chang'an."

In the guest room, the doctor packed up the bloodstained cloth, gave the prescription, and left. Li Huazhang closed the door, glanced at the people behind the screen, and asked, "Why did you come to Shangzhou?"

"Yes." Ming Huashang was already impatient and asked hurriedly, "Sister, why are you here? Where is father?"

Ming Yuji gulped down two cups of tea and sighed deeply: "It's a long story."