After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 140

Chapter 140: Madam Lu’s Serious Injury

 

Indeed, Zhou Xun had met the Duke of the Protectorate. When the Duke of the Protectorate learned that he was Zhou Cai’s younger brother, a son of a concubine, and had heard some rumors from Zhou Cai, he had treated him with disdain. This old man was very stubborn and took pride in his “unyielding loyalty to the emperor.” Given his personality, it was impossible for him to show any leniency to his former brother just because of his old age.

 

Moreover, the crime his brother had committed was something that the Li family would never forgive. And now the Duke of the Protectorate(Hu) repeatedly mentioned his brother and even spoke of moving him to the family tomb. Clearly, he harbored an almost “guilty” feeling toward his brother. This was almost unbelievable.

 

However, if…

 

Zhou Xun’s fingers moved. A conjecture formed in his mind.

 

What if this feeling was indeed guilt?

 

What if the so-called defection of his brother, Li Zhiwei, was originally a misunderstanding?

 

Countless clues began to link together in Zhou Xun’s mind. The conversation between Old Shen and Fu Kang, the empty courtyard of the Duke of the Protectorate’s manor, the decisive war with the Northern Wei decades ago, Li Zhiwei, who, dissatisfied with his suppressed life, defected to the Northern Wei with outdated battle plans, the disastrous defeat of the Northern Wei because they trusted those plans, Emperor Gaozong not punishing the Duke of the Protectorate afterward, and Old Shen’s years of fruitless search for the truth…

 

A terrifying hypothesis gradually formed in his heart.

 

What did the Duke of the Protectorate know?

 

What did he know?

 

He knew… the truth behind Li Zhiwei’s defection, and because of this, he felt guilty and made a firm decision. Yet Old Shen and Fu Kang never knew.

 

Did Emperor Gaozong know? Did Emperor Gaozong, who did not punish the Duke of the Protectorate after the incident, know? Old Shen had spent many years trying to prove General Shen’s innocence to Emperor Gaozong, and in the end, he witnessed the blood that Emperor Gaozong vomited for General Shen—a red, vivid blood, like the heart’s blood that General Shen shed when he looked at the palace, at his former companions and the emperor who now doubted him, in Hongmei Lane. That moment, what Old Shen saw was not only General Shen’s innocence being proven but also the regret in Emperor Gaozong’s eyes. He saw the “person” who was sacrificed because of his wrong decision…

 

But what about Li Zhiwei? After vomiting that blood, did Emperor Gaozong resolutely seal away his file again? And many years after his death, the Duke of the Protectorate, as Li Zhiwei’s older brother, finally found the ultimate truth from the few words left by his brother?

 

If Old Shen knew that he had successfully cleared General Shen’s name, and that besides General Shen, there was also Li Zhiwei, what would he think?

 

“Zhou Xun? Zhou Xun? What are you thinking about?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

Zhou Xun swallowed a sip of tea and finally came back to his senses before Xie Zhengqing and Li Miao could notice his abnormality. He changed the subject and said to Li Miao, “It looks like you just returned from outside the capital? I heard you took leave from the Ministry of War recently. Where did you go?”

 

“I went to find Princess Chang Le.”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

The teacup in his hand nearly fell to the ground. “Princess Chang Le?!”

 

“Yes.” Li Miao said, lowering his eyes, looking a bit gloomy. “I heard some… rumors about her, heard some people gossiping about her behavior, so I took a horse and rode out of the capital to chase after her. Actually, I originally wanted to catch up to her and ask her to come back. How could she take someone else’s bride and elope with her? This is improper. She’s a woman, how can she do such a thing? Does she know what people will say about her? Does she know how angry the emperor will be? She…”

 

“But when I left the capital, I discovered that I had taken a lot of banknotes with me—almost ten thousand taels. At that moment, I didn’t understand what I was thinking. I just kept chasing after her, and I had the emperor’s men behind me, but I ran faster. In the end, I caught up to her. I had a lot to say at the time, but when I saw her and… Miss Yan laughing so happily, I couldn’t say a word.”

 

“You were infatuated with Princess Chang Le,” Xie Zhengqing said.

 

“Yes,” Li Miao smiled bitterly. “I thought many times that when I passed the imperial exams, I would propose to her. But at that moment, when I walked over and saw them stop laughing when they saw me, I thought to myself, why do I even like Princess Chang Le? If I really liked her, shouldn’t I want to see her smile even more?”

 

“Then I let go of it. I gave all the banknotes to them, as if I had originally intended to do so. I heard the emperor’s men were coming closer, so I told them to go quickly, and I would hold them off. Because they really looked beautiful when they smiled,” Li Miao said.

 

Zhou Xun choked for a long time before shaking his head and laughing, “Young Master Li, you are truly a man of emotion.”

 

“What I didn’t expect was that when I drew my sword to block the emperor’s men to let them go, I was pinned to the ground by the leader, who thought I was harassing them!!” Li Miao slammed the table. “Turns out they weren’t coming to catch them, but were sent by the emperor to give them a golden bond of brotherhood, a royal decree, and escort them all the way!!”

 

Zhou Xun: …

 

Xie Zhengqing: …

 

“I should’ve known! The emperor has a whole bunch of male favorites. How could he arrest his own sister, who ran off with a girl? Even if it was a real elopement, the emperor would make it look like a legitimate marriage!!” Li Miao said indignantly, “I…”

 

He stopped when he saw Zhou Xun’s increasingly friendly smile.

 

Li Miao: “I…”

 

Zhou Xun: ?

 

What did he just say? The emperor… a bunch of male favorites??

 

Li Miao seemed to hear an explosion between the seats.

 

In the end, it was Xie Zhengqing who acted as a mediator, easing the tension between the two. Li Miao started looking for something to talk about and said, “Why are there fewer people in Luhuan Nong now compared to before?”

 

“The young master doesn’t know.” The waiter smiled wryly. “The former Zhaoying Pavilion was renamed to Haolaiwu, and it attracted a lot of customers. It’s strange, really. The girls in Haolaiwu only sing and dance, don’t let anyone touch them or… do anything ‘private’… ‘private connections’? Yet they attract all these customers, who now form factions and spend all day watching the performances. Many shops around Zhaoying Pavilion have been impacted, and Luhuan Nong has been doing better than most. Some have even said that if business doesn’t improve, they’ll just sell the shop to them at a good price.”

 

“This…” Li Miao was stunned. “Isn’t this ‘Haolaiwu’ being a bit too domineering?”

 

“Yes!” The waiter whispered. “So we privately call them ‘Hengdian’!”

 

Li Miao: …

 

Luhuan Nong, back courtyard.

 

Madam Lu dragged a cloth bag and carefully pressed it against the corner of the wall, listening intently inside.

 

This was a small courtyard in the back of Luhuan Nong. She had spent a lot of time and finally found this spot. Now, she could crouch outside the wall and listen to the sounds coming from inside.

 

“…these days.”

 

“…Northern Wei… Xiliang…”

 

“…Red Lotus Sect.”

 

“Send someone to follow Zhou Gongzi… Unfortunately… ‘General’s’ request…”

 

Countless words made her back chill, and she finally understood that the so-called “Red Lotus Sect’s Saintess” was indeed here in this “Luhua Nong”!

 

Now, she had finally found the location of the Red Lotus Sect and could help Lord Xun. If it were in the past, Madam Lu might have only thought about how the silver she had been deceived out of was finally accounted for, but at this moment, she didn’t think of the silver at all.

 

She only remembered the disappointed look on Lu Bin’s face, Lord Xun, and that day in the yamen, the hopeless, useless version of herself. At that moment, she just wanted to shrink into the sunset, but now, she finally felt a sense of “being alive” again.

 

She had never been a clever woman, and as she aged, she was even less so. Therefore, she had been deceived and bought those talismans to treat her son, because she wanted to prove to everyone that she could save her son and restore this nearly broken family on her own, that she was “needed” by others, even though it was all in vain. She thought that this was the only thing she could do. An old, useless woman who wanted the respect of her family, but could only do so in such a sad way.

 

And now, she finally felt useful again… she found the Red Lotus Sect!

 

She had to tell Lord Xun, yes, tell Lord Xun! She couldn’t go to the palace, and the Zhou residence was a bit far from here, but not too far! It was getting late, and she might not be able to find a carriage, but she could walk, she could run, she could use any means to get there. She was old, her eyes didn’t work well, but her legs could still walk. She would tell him that she found it. She would tell him…

 

Lord Xun’s help had not been in vain. That day, Lord Xun didn’t blame her, but he didn’t speak to her either. She was so upset that she almost cried.

 

Her stupidity… would it cause a kind man who had once wanted to help a stranger to disappear?

 

So, she had to tell him, she had to tell him. Whether walking, running, or crawling… she had to tell him, Lord Xun…

 

Your help was not in vain.

 

She started walking, faster and faster, and soon saw the small door of Luhua Nong right in front of her.

 

But she didn’t reach it.

 

She heard a voice behind her, a stranger’s voice: “So it’s this little mouse.”

 

“Dispose of her,” another person said.

 

…

 

After a while, Li Miao, drunk, lay on the table, snoring loudly. But at this moment, Xie Zhengqing stood up and walked with Zhou Xun into the garden of Luhua Nong.

 

The garden of Luhua Nong was quite large, with artificial mountains and water, all of it complete. As they walked, Xie Zhengqing said, “I think I saw people from Prince Kang of Northern Wei following you on the road. Besides Prince Kang, it seems there is another group secretly following you. What’s going on?”

 

Zhou Xun didn’t hide anything. He told Xie Zhengqing about the matter between Prince Kang and Zhou Cai, as well as the Northern Wei’s demand for money.

 

“As for the other group, I have no clue at the moment,” Zhou Xun said.

 

Xie Zhengqing frowned and said, “You need to be careful. I’ve heard things aren’t peaceful in the capital lately.”

 

Zhou Xun nodded.

 

As they walked, they suddenly saw a white shadow quickly pass by. Xie Zhengqing paused for a moment and said, “Miss Ruo?”

 

Zhou Xun followed his voice and looked.

 

The white shadow paused and stopped. She turned to face them and said, “Mr. Xie? … Mr. Zhou?”

 

It was a very delicate young woman. She had a fair face, with no makeup, so pale that it looked somewhat dull. Only when she introduced herself did Zhou Xun suddenly recall her identity from the blurry memories, connecting her to the stunning celestial beauty.

 

This was her look without makeup. But Zhou Xun hadn’t expected Xie Zhengqing to recognize her from afar.

 

This was because Zhou Xun didn’t know that on many rainy days, Xie Zhengqing would sit in a teahouse and watch the figure of the celestial beauty in the flower building across the river. If someone had watched another person’s figure for so long, even if her appearance changed, he would still recognize her.

 

What puzzled Zhou Xun was that the unadorned Miss Ruo didn’t look very similar to the alluring celestial beauty in his memory. Yet, he felt that Miss Ruo looked strangely familiar.

 

There was a subtle but unmistakable familiarity in the outline of her brows and eyes.

 

Miss Ruo seemed a little flustered after removing her makeup, but she quickly smiled and said, “It turns out you two are here. It looks like you have something to talk about, so I will take my leave.”

 

“Mm.” Xie Zhengqing nodded at her from a distance.

 

That was all the interaction between the two. But just as Miss Ruo was about to leave, Zhou Xun’s voice called out behind her.

 

“Strange, how did Miss Ruo recognize me as ‘Mr. Zhou’ so easily? I don’t recall having met Miss Ruo before.”

 

Miss Ruo’s back broke out in a cold sweat, and she instantly froze.

 

After Miss Ruo left, Zhou Xun stood where she had been.

 

Fragrance…

 

Flower lanterns.

 

Talismans.

 

Notes.

 

That was… a familiar fragrance!

 

…

 

After the white shadow left, Zhou Xun turned to Xie Zhengqing and asked, “Mr. Xie, are you very familiar with this young lady?”

 

Xie Zhengqing remained silent for a long time. After a while, he said, “Miss Ruo, she’s also a pitiful person. Born here, even if she appears to be a flower on the highest branch, she’s still just a flower swaying in the wind.”

 

Zhou Xun stared at him without speaking.

 

“I’ll send you back to your residence,” Xie Zhengqing said. “With me around, they shouldn’t dare to do anything.”

 

Li Miao was taken away by his family, and Xie Zhengqing sent Zhou Xun back to his residence. On the way, for some reason, Zhou Xun suddenly felt very anxious.

 

He stopped and, after a while, suddenly ran back!

 

Xie Zhengqing chased after him, panting, and asked, “What happened?”

 

“It’s not moss. That spot by the back gate… it’s not moss… it’s… someone’s… blood!!”

 

…

 

Madam Lu was crawling on the ground, her mind hazy.

 

She felt pain all over her body. She must have lost a lot of blood, right? She thought maybe she was about to die.

 

In fact, she had lived for so many years, and aside from suffering for a year or two, she had lived long enough. But she couldn’t die, at least not now, she couldn’t die.

 

She still had to tell Lord Xun the news. If she died here now, she wouldn’t be able to say anything, and her life would mean nothing.

 

No one would know why she died here. Everyone would just think she was a filthy, stinky old woman. And Lord Xun would never know… she wanted to repay him.

 

‘Zhou Residence is so far.’ She thought, ‘How much farther?’

 

How much farther?

 

She was in so much pain. She had to keep recalling everything she had just heard, repeating every word and sentence in her mind. She was old, her memory was poor, and her mind didn’t work well, so she had to carve it all into her mind. If she saw Lord Xun later but mixed up the words, it would be laughable.

 

She thought this, and surprisingly felt a bit happy. The happiness was like a placebo, giving her a bit of luxury clarity.

 

Her consciousness began to fade. Until she heard hurried footsteps and a familiar voice. That voice sounded very familiar, but she couldn’t remember who it was.

 

The person squatted down and, as if not minding the dirt, pulled her into his arms.

 

She seemed to hear that person shouting for a doctor. That person’s voice was so urgent, completely different from the usual calmness.

 

All the mud and sand rubbed off on that person, but that person didn’t mind.

 

Perhaps that day at the Ministry of Justice… that person had never minded her.

 

Madam Lu suddenly wanted to cry. She thought that with her nose running, tears mixed with blood, dirt, and mud, she must look very bad.

 

But she had finally done it.

 

She had finally… arrived at the “Zhou Residence.”

 

It seemed that a doctor had arrived, and at this moment, she finally passed out.