bid farewell
The night was slightly cool, and Wutong Lane was quiet and still.
After returning from the restaurant, Mu Qing checked the household registration documents and luggage that Aunt Man had given her, preparing to leave Weizhou. She was using Lu Xier's name, but she couldn't play the zither, and staying here would expose her sooner or later.
The candlelight on the octagonal table was bright, clearly illuminating the words on the household register. As Mu Qing raised his finger to stroke it, he heard two knocks on the door.
The courtyard gate was already closed; the person knocking was knocking on the door of the house.
She immediately got up and was about to pick up a stool not far away when she heard someone outside the door speak.
"Qingqing".
Upon hearing Zhong Linlan's voice, Mu Qing frowned and reluctantly opened the door, only to find that he had changed out of his glamorous attire from the banquet and was now wearing a dark blue-black outfit suitable for nighttime travel.
"What kind of look is that?" Zhong Linlan laughed as she entered the house. "You're allowed to climb over the wall, but I'm not?"
Mu Qing remained silent, glanced outside, and quietly closed the door.
Zhong Linlan looked at her. Even in prison, it was always him putting on a one-man show. "Still don't want to talk to me?"
Thinking of how much he had helped, Mu Qing asked, "Your banquet ended so quickly?"
"It didn't end. But I left when I saw you leave." Zhong Linlan paused, noticing the luggage and household registration documents on the table. "I thought you'd want to..."
Mu Qing walked to the table and sat down. Hearing him stop halfway through his sentence, she urged, "What are you thinking about?"
Zhong Linlan scrutinized her. "You were almost dragged back to jail on the spot, and your identity was almost exposed in public. Aren't you aggrieved?"
Mu Qing said indifferently, "So what? I'm perfectly fine right here."
Receiving no reply, she glared at Zhong Linlan. "What are you laughing at?"
Zhong Linlan said, "I'm glad you think that way."
Mu Qing said unhappily, "In your imagination, I am vindictive and would harbor resentment to seek revenge and kill?"
She desperately wanted to get rid of the person in front of her. She hadn't wanted to see him before because she was afraid he would bring her trouble, but even now that she didn't have that worry, she still didn't want to see him.
This person knows what she was like in the past and will always remember how savage she was back then.
She didn't want to see him, just as she didn't want to see her past self. Back then, she was able to be calm because of ignorance; the ignorant have no reverence. But those who have received a good education and understand reason wish they could erase everything from the past.
Zhong Linlan said softly, "I came because I was worried that you were feeling down and didn't know what to do."
Does that mean she's a coward? That's even worse.
Mu Qing was about to retort when he heard him say, "When people don't know what to do, they often do things they didn't originally want to do."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"If I imagine you would commit murder, then I am projecting my own feelings onto others."
Mu Qing became more and more confused as she listened. When she first met Zhong Linlan, he had the air of a gentleman. Whenever she treated people badly, he would look very frightened and then turn around and patiently reason with her.
She had always thought he was a kind-hearted man who would never fight back or talk back, and that if someone was bullied to death, he would thank the other party for taking care of him in his final moments.
What triggered your urge to kill?
Mu Qing became curious, thinking that this must be the crux of the problem that had caused him to change so much over the past five years.
Seeing the change in her expression, Zhong Linlan smiled and said, "Do you still remember that packet of something that looks like icing sugar under my pillow?"
The night she barged into his house was actually his last night on earth. He was wide awake, sitting at the table idly flipping through a book, waiting to visit his uncle's house the next morning.
The paper packet hidden under his pillow contained white powder. It wasn't icing sugar; it was arsenic he had stored away for a long time.
His parents died early, his family property was seized, and his uncle's family often tormented him.
Years of resentment overwhelmed his conscience, leading him to decide to leave this cold and indifferent world, taking his uncle's family with him.
On the eve of the operation, Mu Qing broke into his residence.
He wasn't some pedantic person who would ignore someone's injury because of the taboo against men and women touching each other. He was only focused on planning how to poison someone without being discovered, and he didn't care about anyone else or anything else.
Unexpectedly, he was entangled with her threats, which annoyed him. He recalled how his cousin would bring a group of people to assault him whenever a girl showed interest in him.
The idea that women bring trouble is deeply ingrained in his mind, so he doesn't really want to deal with women who barge into his home.
But how could she rummage through his clothes on his bed?
She lay there, her back exposed, the skin of her back white, gleaming in the dim light.
The bloody wound on it didn't hold his attention; he would always inadvertently glance elsewhere.
A white undergarment, a light pink blouse, and dark red drawstrings within easy reach made his blood boil. His trembling fingertips touched the soft skin, and he shook uncontrollably. But then he heard her scold, "Coward! You're not scared just because you see the wound, are you? Hurry up and pull the arrow out for me!"
Yes, he was just treating her wounds; he shouldn't have looked at anything else, much less let his mind wander. He, who had initially thought that poisoning someone wasn't a big deal, secretly despised himself.
At this very moment, my senses were exceptionally sharp, and amidst the pervasive stench of blood, there seemed to be a faint fragrance, concealing a seductive evil.
He couldn't help but scold, "Aren't you afraid, you're a young lady?"
She scoffed, "What are you afraid of? Just do it."
He couldn't help but wonder how someone could grow up without any wariness towards strangers. Didn't their elders teach them? Upon reflection, he realized that he hadn't had any elders properly guiding him either.
Having lived in this world for so many years, he felt that people's hearts were ugly and treacherous, yet she exposed herself to him, cursing and swearing, but without any guard, as if testing him: Is your heart ugly and treacherous?
Therefore, he began to act like a gentleman, strictly adhering to the rules, to avoid indulging himself.
When Mu Qing heard him mention the icing under her pillow, she thought for a while before remembering that when she was occupying his bed, she had reached under the pillow for a package of something and wanted to taste it, but he had slapped it away, making her angry and scolding him for being stingy.
Hearing him admit he was never a good man, she didn't know what to say. Before she could even sort out her thoughts, he said, "You didn't lead me astray, and I hope I can help you understand. During the day in court, I asked the Grand Commander's Chief Secretary Cao Mao some questions. Do you have any more questions you'd like to know?"
Mu Qing shook her head. "His answer was the truth, wasn't it?"
Although the people in the village weren't exactly merciful, they had never wiped out an entire family before. She couldn't believe it was the villagers who did it, yet she also felt that it wasn't impossible in a moment of righteous indignation. Listening to what the Grand Commander's Chief Secretary had said, she realized that there were actually more government soldiers present that night; sometimes, the line between officials and thieves is very thin.
Seeing that she had no intention of asking more questions, Zhong Linlan said to herself, "The reason I investigated this person is because the letter that the monkey left on Bihua Island mentioned him, but not only mentioned him."
Mu Qing revealed an expression of certainty, "Who else was mentioned?"
Zhong Linlan looked at her, "Do you know that your father has another identity?"
Mu Qing nodded. She had only heard snippets of information from others, but later Uncle Huai told her that her father was originally a general in the court. After being repeatedly suspected, he became a rebel general in a fit of rage and even went to the home of the official who impeached him and carried out a massacre.
Her father had a bad temper when he drank. He was able to quit drinking in his younger years, but as he got older, he needed to drink to fall asleep.
After she finished speaking, Zhong Linlan quickly recounted the events of that year.
A military general who once commanded three armies has now joined forces with bandits. In his prime, he was a valiant and capable warrior, able to be a mountain king. But everyone grows old eventually, and as his strength declines, he foresees his eventual downfall and will surely be filled with unease. Upon learning of the court's inclination to pardon and grant amnesty, despite his suspicions, he mostly believed it.
The fact that a military general whom the late emperor once favored had fled to the mountains and become an outlaw evoked complex emotions. After more than a decade of leniency, the emperor orchestrated his annihilation before his death, naturally to eliminate any future threat.
With the emperor having unified the country, how could he possibly have the time to consider how much selfishness those in charge might harbor, or what kind of injustices they might create?
If the case is to be overturned, it will involve some tacit edicts, which will affect the late emperor's reputation, and the chances of success are slim.
It would be better to leave the case unsolved and put it to rest.
Seeing that Mu Qing remained silent, Zhong Linlan asked, "Are you resentful?"
Mu Qing said, "If you mean dealing with that Grand Commander's Chief Secretary, I won't act recklessly. There is justice and fairness in the world, and that is something that can be put into the sunlight and is worth pursuing."
Zhong Linlan smiled and said, "The Lu family has taken good care of you."
Mu Qing lowered her head. "The Lu family taught me a lot, but it also made me feel despicable. Every time I see you, that feeling of despicableness is especially strong."
Once she truly realized that bandits were not meant to be seen in the light of day, she wished countless times that she had been born as the young lady of the Lu family, and often even forgot who she originally was.
Zhong Linlan was silent for a moment, then spoke gently, "You have nothing despicable about you. If anything I said hurt you, it was my fault."
Mu Qing glanced at him, her expression softening considerably, and said, "I've thought a lot in prison. Why did that Song Baixuan have to come to me and seek death? He probably wants to learn to be gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and modest, and has some faith in me, but he also remembers that he grew up as a bandit. His current thoughts are incompatible with his past self, and there has to be a winner."
Hearing the end of the sentence, Zhong Linlan smiled slightly, "In your heart, the former is the winner."
Mu Qing did not deny it, "But the shadows of the past still linger."
“They’ll disappear sooner or later,” Zhong Linlan said. “There’s someone who wasn’t familiar with you before, but has always wanted to protect you. If you can, you might as well meet him.”
*
As joyous music rang out in the street, Mu Qing was in the Treasure Pavilion, worrying about Boss Lin.
That day, I met Boss Lin with Zhong Linlan. He introduced himself as his cousin and said that he took her away from her swaddling clothes to reunite her with him. However, he never expected that many things would happen later, which would cause her to run away with him, wandering from place to place, and eventually she would be put on the wanted list. He felt very sorry for this.
Mu Qing was hardly incredulous and refused to acknowledge this unexpected relative. However, Boss Lin's persistent promises of various benefits made her somewhat tempted.
This time, Boss Lin displayed jewelry to her, stroked his mustache, and waited for her to call him uncle, as if he had everything under control. Mu Qing was a little embarrassed and angry.
Hearing the commotion outside, she excused herself and went to the window to look down.
The street was crowded with people, who made way for each other in the middle. Joyful music filled the air, and colorful confetti filled the sky as a long procession draped in red and colorful decorations slowly walked by.
A man dressed in wedding attire rode a tall horse and occasionally cupped his hands in thanks to the people around him who were loudly congratulating him.
When he arrived at the front of the Treasure Pavilion, he suddenly looked up.
Mu Qing couldn't dodge in time and met his gaze for a moment.
A look of surprise flashed across the young prince's gentle face; he must have recognized her through the veil.
When they last met, she was still feeling resentful and was a bit cold towards him; looking back, she felt regret.
She quickly smiled and curved her eyebrows, and he seemed to smile back, then turned his head to face her again.
The procession of women in red proceeded forward, surrounded by familiar faces from the Lu family. Mu Qing smiled as she watched, then suddenly touched her empty chest, completely bewildered.
When he turned around, Boss Lin was talking to someone at the door and learned that the young master of the Jiang family had left not long ago.
Mu Qing stayed in Weizhou for several more days, precisely to wait for this day.
Jiang Likun hid in a street corner, followed by several men who would fight to the death for money. Just as he was about to unleash his malice on the bridal sedan chair parading through the streets, a masked woman stepped in front of him.
He started cursing, but then he saw the woman's veil fall off, revealing her face.
He stared in disbelief, glancing at the bridal sedan chair not far away, confirming that the woman before him was indeed real. "It's you!"
The woman hurriedly lifted her veil, turned around and disappeared into the crowd, and he quickly followed after her.
I chased after them the whole way, but I still lost them.
Zheng Dacang caught up with him, panting, "Young Master, the Chief Secretary just sent someone again, saying that if you really dare to cause trouble for the Prince, he will no longer care about you."
Jiang Likun said angrily, "She's not a Miss Lu at all! That Chen Shilang is lying to me!"
Mu Qing listened from a short distance away and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although she knew this person wouldn't cause any major trouble, she was relieved to have thwarted his plans and prevented him from causing trouble for the real Lu Qingxue.
Watching the procession of brides disappear into the distance, she couldn't help but think of the Third Madam. The Third Madam had been so afraid that the marriage would fall apart; now she should be at ease.
Boss Lin said that the third wife was her biological mother. However, no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't believe it. In her father's words, her mother was promiscuous, unfaithful, and utterly hateful. He hated her so much that when her father saw her in his drunken stupor, he suddenly came to his senses and began to beat and scold her.
The third wife was the best wife she had ever met; to compare her to her father was simply an insult.
Thinking this, Mu Qing headed east of the city.
When the Lu family sent their daughter off to get married, nearly half of the household went to see her off, and the place was quiet all around.
The third lady walked alone on the garden path, and stopped by the stone pool in front of the artificial hill.
The emerald green water reflected a black cloud-like hair, a rosy glow, and the moon's radiance. But upon closer inspection, the reflection suddenly looked up, gazing at the artificial hill.
Mu Qing stepped back, but unexpectedly, a rock protruded from the artificial rock cave behind her, causing her to bump into it and wince in pain.
A smile crept across the Third Madam's complex expression. Just as she was about to speak, a wailing sound came from the garden.
Lu Fei, dressed in red, rushed out. "She's barely spoken to me these past few days. I'm willing to send her off as a bride. Isn't that good enough?"
Master Lu scolded from behind, "What time is it now? Hurry up and go!"
When the father and son met the third wife, one complained and the other reasoned, causing quite a commotion.
As the third wife walked away, she glanced back and saw that no one was visible at the entrance of the artificial cave.
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