Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Official
Chen San entered the mansion to assassinate Lu Chen with the intention of dying together with him. He was ruthless and left no room for mercy. Lu Chen was seriously injured. The wound on his waist and abdomen was stitched for more than two inches long. He drank countless ginseng soups and barely managed to stay alive.
After being in a coma for nearly three days, Lu Chen finally struggled to wake up. His consciousness gradually returned and he vaguely recalled the previous situation. His heart sank suddenly and he woke up completely in an instant. He wanted to get up from the bed immediately, but the movement caused severe pain in his waist and abdomen. He was so painful that he was exhausted and fell on the bed covered in sweat.
He closed his eyes and took two deep breaths to calm down a little. Then, Lu Chen called Nan Heng over in a hurry. When he spoke, his voice was extremely hoarse.
"Do the spies heading south have any news?"
Nan Heng quickly replied, "Yes," and said carefully, "My dear, the two canal boats heading south have both reported back. One went straight to Jiangning, but there was no sign of my wife along the way. The other encountered pirates near Guide Prefecture, and almost none of the canal soldiers or boatmen survived. Only a few passengers were lucky enough to encounter an official ship suppressing the bandits and escaped... The rest were either killed on the spot or abducted by the pirates..."
At the end of the conversation, Nan Heng was feeling very nervous. He looked up and saw that Lu Chen looked calm, so he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Where's Chen San?"
Nan Heng's scalp suddenly went numb. "...The thief bit his tongue when no one was paying attention, and he's still not conscious."
Lu Chen looked over suddenly.
Nan Heng's eyelids kept twitching, and he could only lower his head further.
Lu Chen was silent for a while, then continued to ask, "Which official ship was it that suppressed the bandits and rescued the people?"
Nan Heng hesitated and shook his head. "I only know that the ship was flying the flag of the Huainan East Route, and that it wasn't traveling in a group. This was just one ship chasing the bandits alone, and time was limited. The spies we sent out wouldn't be able to find out much information."
"They didn't form a team and pursued the enemy alone... They must not be ordinary soldiers, at least lieutenant generals or above."
Cold sweat dripped down his temples. Lu Chen gritted his teeth and ordered, "Send a message to Mingqi immediately. The naval forces in Huainan and Nan are now under his command. If there are any merits in killing bandits or saving people, they must be reported to him. He will definitely know which ship rescued the people. Ask him if he has seen any trace of Aiai."
Nan Heng quickly responded and retreated in a hurry.
It was almost noon. After Lu Chen took the medicine and rested for a while, he quickly got up, changed his clothes, and went into the Forbidden City to ask for leave from the emperor.
The task he was assigned was extraordinary, as it involved guarding the Forbidden City. He would be away for at least half a month and at most several dozen days. If he wanted to go, he had to obtain the emperor's approval.
After traveling slowly for nearly an hour, he got off the carriage and handed over the sign outside Donghua Gate. The Qingsuolang standing on both sides stepped forward and saluted, "General."
Lu Chen nodded slightly, entered the palace, and was led by the eunuch to the outside of Funing Hall. After announcing everything, the eunuch on duty gently raised the beaded curtain and invited him in.
After several days of continuous rain, the sky was about to clear up. The light in the hall was dim. The emperor was leaning over the imperial desk, as if he was drawing. Two palace maids were waiting in the corner from a distance, standing quietly with their heads lowered. The beast furnace was emitting green smoke, making the hall seem even quieter and more spacious.
Hearing Lu Chen approaching, led by the eunuch, the emperor didn't stop writing. He simply raised his eyes and gestured for him to take a seat without formalities. "I heard that you were assassinated at home two days ago. Why don't you take good care of your injuries, but instead wander around aimlessly?"
The tone was still concerned and intimate. Lu Chen weighed the situation and replied, "I came to the Forbidden City to ask for a long vacation from the emperor, at least ten days, at most a month."
The official kept writing, smiled faintly and nodded, "So it's just a small matter. Just submit a memorial. Your injuries are serious, so you should stay at home and recuperate for a while. Okay."
Lu Chen was silent for a moment, then continued, "Your Majesty, you may not know that I am not requesting to recuperate at home, but rather to go to Huainan."
The official paused, looked up at him, and said, "Going south? For what?"
Lu Chen smiled self-deprecatingly and reported to his superiors, "My previous actions displeased my wife, causing her to abandon me. However, I still have many concerns about her and cannot let her go. Therefore, I would like to ask the emperor for permission to travel south to find my wife."
Hearing this, the official slowly put down the small brush in his hand and looked up at Lu Chen. "You came to ask for leave from me, ignoring your serious injuries and heading south, just to find a woman?"
Lu Chen knew that this was ridiculous, but he nodded calmly.
The official stopped talking, and the gaze on his face gradually became distant, as if he was looking at him, but also as if he was looking through him at something nearby. After a long silence, he slowly withdrew his gaze, lowered his head, sighed, and waved his hand, saying, "Go, it won't hurt to stay a little longer."
Lu Chen quickly stood up, said "Thank you, Your Majesty", bowed and took his leave.
He took a few steps and was about to leave the palace when he was suddenly stopped by the official from behind.
"Bingyan."
Lu Chen turned around and said, "I'm here."
Deep in the palace, the sun's shadow was mottled and the air was thick with mist. The official slowly stood up, and his shadow was quietly cast on the ink-stained landscape screen, which inexplicably showed a sense of oldness and desolation.
After a long while, he murmured, "Since you have wronged her, even if she resents you and makes you suffer, you must find her back."
Lu Chen's Adam's apple rolled slightly, and he lowered his head in response.
**
Half a month passed quickly, and Zhe Rou had already adapted to life in Suzhou. She found a job at the Ye family pharmacy and planned to stay there for a while.
Although Xie Yunzhou was busy with official business in the prefectural government office most of the time and rarely seen, living under the same roof was inconvenient. Zhe Rou paid half a month's salary from the pharmacy and rented another courtyard across the alley. This way, the two could take care of each other without being too close.
July 12th is her birthday, and Zhe Rou plans to go back early to make herself a bowl of longevity noodles.
She had just walked out of the pharmacy and a few steps when she saw the maid sweeping the door arguing with a little girl, apparently trying to stop her from entering.
The girl looked about five or six years old. She was wearing a plain cotton jacket that had been starched to a pale color. She had two small buns on her head. Her face was red with anger. She was holding a piggy bank[1] in her arms and was struggling and shouting.
"Let me go! I need to call a doctor for my mother!"
The maid in the pharmacy paid no attention to her. She just held the girl tightly under her armpit and started to walk her out of the yard.
Seeing this, Zhe Rou couldn't help but ask.
When the story was told, the maid's face showed no disdain at all. She curled her lips and said, "My lady, you don't know. This child is called Nian Nian. She is from the widow Jiao in Mao'er Lane next door. The man in that family died, leaving only the two of them. Her mother won't marry or stay married now. She only gets married in small amounts and has a half-open house."
As she spoke, the maid looked around and saw that no one was around. She lowered her voice and waved her hand, saying, "Well, it's a disease of the intestines. Our pharmacy can't treat it, and they don't have the money to treat it!"
Niannian was still young and didn't understand what was said at first, but she understood the last part, "There is no money to treat it," and she struggled and shouted.
"I have money! I do!"
Niannian angrily broke free from the maid, ran to Zherou with the piggy bank in her arms, and poured out all the contents of the piggy bank.
Inside were seven or eight copper coins, a few faded pieces of colored paper, three or four dried red dates, and half a piece of malt candy with a bite taken out of it.
Zhe Rou was stunned.
After emptying the piggy bank, Niannian seemed to feel a little awkward and nervous. She raised her slightly red face, fought back the tears in her eyes, and looked at her timidly, "Madam... these are the treasures I saved. Are they enough for my mother's medical treatment?"
Zhe Rou's heart suddenly soured and she couldn't help but squat down and put her "treasures" back into the piggy bank one by one. She wiped her tear-stained face, nodded and smiled, "Take me to see your mother, I can cure it."
Every year I am surprised and happy, and I burst into laughter through tears.
The courtyard where Nian Nian lived was not big, but it was kept very clean and there was not much clutter in the room. Zhe Rou saw a thin woman lying on the couch at a glance.
Hearing the noise at the door, Madam Jiao did not move, but said in a hoarse voice: "I am not feeling well. Come back tomorrow."
Niannian ran over, hugged her arm and shook it, saying happily, "Mother, mother, it's me! I've found a doctor for you!"
Madam Jiao froze for a long while, then turned her head and slowly sat up.
Zhe Rou smiled at her gently, put down the medicine box on her shoulder, and walked forward to examine her.
The slender fingertips touched the pulse of the child's wrist. Madam Jiao suddenly flinched, as if she had suddenly come to her senses. She hesitated and stammered, "Doctor, my child is ignorant. I, my illness..."
She hesitated, finding it increasingly difficult to speak, her fingertips unconsciously clenching the quilt so tightly that they turned white.
Zhe Rou interrupted, "Don't worry, I know everything. It's okay."
After taking her pulse and examining her symptoms, Zhe Rou realized that she had contracted fish mouth disease. Fortunately, her symptoms were not too severe and the required medicinal materials were cheap and easy to obtain, so her family could barely afford it year after year.
After writing the prescription, Mrs. Jiao thanked her repeatedly.
Zhe Rou hesitated for a while, and finally couldn't help but persuade him, "Don't do this business anymore, it's not good for your health."
Madam Jiao paused, then gradually became numb. She sighed softly, "Without a man, if we don't do this, how are we, an orphan and a widow, going to survive?"
Zhe Rou looked at her and said softly, "Madam Jiao may not know this, but I was born in a border town, where barbarian raids and invasions were common. At its worst, every household on the streets wore mourning. Women who lost their husbands could still survive. They embroidered, sold tea, grew vegetables, and raised chickens. They all made a living. They just lived their lives the way they wanted."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but think of herself. Zhe Rou pursed her lips and continued, "Madam Jiao, even if we lose our husband, we women can still live on our own. It may be a little difficult, but we can still make a living. If we can stand up for ourselves, others will no longer look down on us or bully us."
"The disease you contracted can be cured at present, but if it continues like this, what will happen to Niannian when you are gone one day?"
Madam Jiao opened her mouth, but in the end she remained silent.
Zhe Rou stopped trying to persuade her and told Niannian to take care of her mother and make sure she took her medicine and washed herself on time. She picked up her medicine box and said goodbye and left.
After this delay, it was almost noon when I returned to the courtyard. The night sky seeped in through the window lattice, and the house was pitch black, with no sign of life.
Zhe Rou walked into the house and sat quietly for a while. There was silence all around, and the fatigue and loneliness that she had not noticed during the day surged up like a tide.
On her birthday, looking at Nian Nian and Jiao Niangzi, mother and daughter, who depended on each other for survival, she suddenly missed her parents and the child she had lost.
It has been some time since she left Beijing. It would be a lie to say that she is no longer sad. It would also be a lie to say that she has never thought about Lu Chen.
But whenever she thought of him and the other woman pretending to be nice, her heart felt like it was stuck with a sharp thorn, which she couldn't spit out or swallow. Even if she forced herself to swallow it, it would only cut through her internal organs and make her heart bleed.
She had also thought that if she and Lu Chen were just an ordinary couple who got married blindly and dumbly, and got married at the behest of their parents, once she knew that her husband was having an affair with someone else, she would probably turn a blind eye like most women in this world. As long as it did not affect her own peace of mind, she would be able to endure the days of rubbing sand in her eyes.
But they are not.
Precisely because that person is Lu Chen, he is particularly hateful, so she cannot tolerate him no matter what.
Although life is harder and more lonely now, it is rare for her to be comfortable and at ease. She no longer feels helpless and frightened like before.
It’s good enough to get what you want, isn’t it?
Zhe Rou raised her fingertips and gently pressed away the moisture from the corners of her eyes.
At this moment, a burst of brisk footsteps suddenly sounded in the yard.
"Nine Lady!"
The person has not arrived yet, but the sound has arrived first. The young man's clear voice came in, and the silent courtyard seemed to come alive in an instant.
Xie Yunzhou took a few steps up the stone steps and knocked on the door with his long fingers, "Nineth Lady."
Zhe Rou secretly breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and opened the door, "Ming Qi, what do you want to talk to me about?"
"Of course I have something to do." Xie Yunzhou leaned against the doorway, picked up the cloth bag in his hand, raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Isn't today your birthday? Fortunately, I made it in time. I'll make you birthday noodles."
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