Chapter 50: Foster Father "Didn't Miss Tang come today?" ...
"Miss Tang hasn't come today either?"
The Ling Mansion's guard replied, "Sir, no."
This is so abnormal...
Ling An's already furrowed brows were now twisted into a deep "chuan" shape.
He had already decided to go back with her.
As for Lin Xiangli, he would give her this mansion and leave her a fortune sufficient to ensure a life of prosperity and peace. He also planned to use his divine power upon returning to the temple to cultivate merit for her and ensure her safety throughout her life.
But Tang Suzi didn't show up for a long time, and Lin Xiangli had been feeling unwell for the past few days, so he really couldn't spare the time to look for her.
No, I should go find her. She hasn’t been here for such a long time, something must have happened!
As a result, just as he ordered the guards to remove the door bolt, an urgent call came from behind him -
"Master Ling, this is bad! The young lady has fainted again!"
This voice was clearly that of Lin Xiangli's personal maid Yan'er.
Ling An immediately turned around and rushed back, "What happened? Wasn't he feeling better just now?"
"I don't know either, Master Ling, you should go and take a look."
＊
Tang Suzi was walking towards Chen's house, she was planning to look for Chen Weiyu.
When she went to Ling's house this morning, the response she received was exactly the same as yesterday, which made her vaguely certain that Ling An and Xiang Li seemed to be deliberately avoiding her.
She had thought of going to the foot of Yunluan Holy Mountain to guard it as she did in the past, but all she waited for were the maids from Ling Mansion who came to collect dew.
She asked the maid, but didn't get any useful information. She was really at her wit's end, but didn't want to just sit and wait, so she decided to go find Chen Weiyu to find out how she was doing.
Just as she reached the door of Chen's house, she ran into Guo Yan rushing over from the opposite side. Before she could open her mouth, she heard him say:
"I just received news from my men that Chen Weiyu's father has returned. Let's go in and take a look."
Father Chen is back?!
As soon as I stepped into the yard, I saw Chen's father sitting on a stone bench in the yard. Chen Weiyu was holding a small bowl in one hand, carefully scooping porridge and bringing it to Chen's father's mouth.
"uncle!"
Tang Suzi and Guo Yan ran over.
Father Chen was about to open his mouth to drink his porridge, but when he saw them, he immediately nodded and greeted them with a smile: "Ms. Tang... ahem... Miss Tang, Mr. Guo, you... ahem... are here!"
He kept coughing while talking, so Chen Weiyu quickly patted him on the back to help him calm down.
Guo Yan took a step forward and walked to Chen's father's side. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Chen Weiyu hurriedly call out, "Dad!" and quickly helped Chen's father up. "You must be tired. I'll help you go back to the house to rest!"
As he said this, he hurriedly tried to help Chen's father leave.
"Hey, Weiyu..." Father Chen turned away Chen Weiyu's hand, "Miss Tang and Lord Guo finally came... ahem... here, what are you doing?"
Guo Yan also quickly spoke at this time, "Uncle Chen, I want to ask where you have been these days?"
Father Chen looked at Guo Yan with a puzzled look on his face: "Is this what you came for?"
Seeing Guo Yan's serious face, he didn't understand why, but he still explained, "A few days ago, my eldest brother, also... ahem... Wei Yu's uncle, said that my mother was sick and asked me to go back to see her." He muttered softly, "It's strange, though. Mother didn't have any serious health problems, but my eldest brother insisted on letting me stay for a few days, so I stayed with him for a few days..."
"Then..." Guo Yan wanted to ask another question, but was interrupted by Chen Weiyu.
"Are you done asking?"
She held Father Chen's arm again and almost pushed him into the house. "Dad, please go back to the house and rest. Master Guo and I have something else to discuss."
After settling Chen's father down, Chen Weiyu came out from the inner room and said in a cold voice, "My father needs to rest, you guys go back."
Guo Yan was so angry that he asked loudly: "Chen Weiyu! What the hell is going on?"
Chen Weiyu had a blank expression on his face. "Didn't you hear what happened? Could it be that my father could make up a lie to you?"
"If that's the case, why did you change your confession? Do you know how many people your carelessness will harm?!" Guo Yan stared at Chen Weiyu, angry, anxious, and earnest. "You can not care about Fang Buyu, but what about the other sisters who appealed with you? What will happen to them if you change your confession?!"
Hearing this, Chen Weiyu's face finally changed, but she just bit her lips tightly, turned her head to the side, and said, "You go back."
Guo Yan couldn't get to the bottom of the matter, and he was so angry that he just threw his sleeves and left.
"Wei Yu..."
After he left, Tang Suzi spoke. She walked forward, hugged Chen Weiyu, and patted her slightly trembling shoulders gently.
Chen Weiyu seemed to be shrouded in an invisible haze. Her chest heaved violently, as if she was trying desperately to suppress something, but she couldn't suppress the emotion. She raised her head, and a drop of warm tear fell on Tang Suzi's neck.
"Miss Tang, I have no other choice. I really have no other choice. I have to do this..."
Her voice was so choked that it was almost inaudible. Tang Suzi lifted Chen Weiyu from his arms, held her shoulders with both hands, stared straight into her eyes and asked, "What do you mean there is no way? Who is threatening you?"
"I don't know who it was... That day, my uncle told me that someone threatened my cousin's life and asked him to take my father away. He also told me to do as they said so that my cousin and my father would be safe."
Tang Suzi frowned when he heard this. Could it be true, as Guo Yan guessed, that the person behind this was Prime Minister Tuoba?
But now she had no time to think about it, Chen Weiyu's emotions had broken down, and she didn't dare to ask any more questions.
She loosened her grip on Chen Weiyu's shoulders, took out a handkerchief from her bosom, reached out to wipe the tears from Chen Weiyu's cheeks, and comforted him:
"Fortunately, my uncle is back now, so you don't have to worry too much..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Weiyu cried even harder. She sobbed and said, "My father was fed drugs by them. Only by doing what they said can I get the antidote. Otherwise..."
She didn't continue.
Tang Suzi stopped wiping her tears, her heart awestruck. The man behind the scenes was so cruel and merciless that he would do such a cruel thing to an innocent old man just to achieve his own goal. No wonder Father Chen was coughing so badly just now. Was it because of the medicine he took?
She hurriedly said, "Weiyu, listen to me. Let's go get a doctor first, the best doctor. I don't believe they are the only ones in the world who have the antidote."
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Chen Weiyu took several steps back and said, "No, we can't go see a doctor. If they find out, my father will really be beyond saving..."
"Wei Yu..." Tang Suzi wanted to say something more, but she swallowed it back. She knew that Chen Wei Yu had already endured too much pain and pressure at this moment, and any inappropriate words could be the last straw that broke her back.
They didn't notice that in the room on the far right, behind the half-open door, Father Chen was desperately covering his mouth with his hands to prevent himself from coughing.
His eyes were red, and after hearing what they said, he slowly squatted down against the wall, his shoulders shaking...
＊
As the footsteps outside the door slowly approached, Tuoba Xuan was sitting in front of an exquisite desk, looking leisurely. He slowly picked up the steaming teacup in front of him and took a sip.
The footsteps stopped abruptly at the door. Tuoba Xuan raised his head slightly, and amidst the respectful reports from his subordinates, his eyes fell on the visitor.
"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, Lord Liu, we have arrived."
Indeed, standing at the doorway was none other than Liu Mingzhong, the most powerful eunuch in the court. He wore a dark blue satin casual suit and a wide-brimmed black hat. The brim hung low, like a thick, dark cloud, obscuring most of his face, revealing only his tightly pursed lips and a stern-lined chin.
Tuoba Xuan had always looked down on people like eunuchs, but he still put on a good show. He immediately put down his teacup, put on a warm smile, and walked forward to greet him with a look of flattery. "Master Liu, long time no see. How come you have time to visit me today?"
Liu Mingzhong, however, had no intention of engaging in these superficial pleasantries. As soon as he entered the room, he asked directly, "Why am I here this time? Prime Minister Tuoba, don't you know that Fang Buyu's imprisonment was not your doing?"
After hearing this, Tuoba Xuan laughed out loud twice. The laughter echoed in the empty room, sounding a bit harsh.
He smiled, took Liu Mingzhong's arm, and led him to his seat, saying enthusiastically:
"It seems that Lord Liu is here to call for justice. Come, come, come, please sit down first, have some tea and calm down. We can talk slowly..."
Liu Mingzhong raised his hand to politely decline the tea he offered him. This casual gesture caught Tuoba Xuan's eye on his right palm. He saw a long scar running from the knuckles to the palm. The scar was hideous and horrific, as if it had split the entire palm in two.
Tuoba Xuan recalled an old story. Twelve years prior, at a grand banquet, a maid serving food in front of the palace suddenly pulled out a sharp knife and stabbed the emperor. The ministers and guards were too slow to react. In that crucial moment, Liu Mingzhong, then a mere eunuch, leaped forward and firmly blocked the knife with his own hand, averting a crisis that could have upended the court.
Thinking of this, Tuoba Xuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart: A palm in exchange for a ladder to promotion and a life-saving talisman, it's really worth it!
"What do you want?"
Liu Mingzhong's voice brought Tuoba Xuan's thoughts back to reality.
Having said that, Tuoba Xuan stopped pretending. He casually placed the cup of tea for Liu Mingzhong on the table, then slowly walked back to the chair on the other side and sat down. He picked up his own teacup, took a sip of the tea, moistened his throat, and then said slowly:
"It's simple. Let Fang Buyu close the case and stop everything with Lin Bowen. Don't investigate further."
"You know very well that this is impossible given his personality."
Tuoba Xuan chuckled, "I don't know what his personality is like, but if he insists on going down this path, then I'll have no choice but to teach him the ways of being an official myself."
Liu Mingzhong clenched his fists silently.
He secretly regretted that he had been desperate and had lost his composure when he heard Zhao Hui's tearful pleas, and hadn't thought carefully. Since all of this was a trap set by Tuoba Xuan, how could he let Bu Yu go so easily?
It seemed that this conversation was doomed to produce no results. Liu Mingzhong stood up expressionlessly, without saying goodbye to Tuoba Xuan, and walked out directly.
When he walked out of the door, he immediately saw the woman standing by the door. The woman had a graceful figure and a pretty face, but at this moment her face was a little stunned and uneasy.
Liu Mingzhong disagreed. After all, Tuoba Xuan's romantic affairs were well known in the court. He had many concubines, and this woman must be one of them. Thinking of this, Liu Mingzhong's contempt for Tuoba Xuan intensified. He quickened his pace and left without looking back.
"Master Liu, take care. I won't see you off."
Tuoba Xuan shouted loudly towards the outside of the door. Before he could completely disappear the gloating expression on his face, he saw Liu Yiyi suddenly appear at the door.
"What did you do to Fang Buyu?!"
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