Horse-head Wall Reflects the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 92 Literary Ink Depicts the River, Chasing the Wind and Moon, Green Mountains Return to Their Peaks, Willing to Part
When Liu Qingxian's men arrived, a notice of a long holiday was posted outside the tightly locked gate. Nothing was missing from the private school, except that the people who should have been there were nowhere to be found.

"Hey, do you know where your husband went?"

Grabbing a child who looks like a student and asking him questions without being more polite might have yielded a useful answer. Instead, this behavior is simply asking for trouble.

"do not know."

"Who are you? I have never seen you visit the master before. Why have you come when the master is on leave?"

The young student, though small, could leave one speechless with his words. Undeterred, the newcomer stopped the student, saying, "Just tell me where your teacher is. Who did he go to see? Or where did he go?"

"If I had known, why would I have come here today?"

"If you have never been to school, you may not understand that even students who are praised by their teachers all day long do not actually want to get up early to go to the private school."

That makes sense. Even the people Liu Qingxian sent couldn't help but silently repeat this to themselves—although my family was poor, I did get to go to school for a few days when I was young…and only when I could no longer afford to go to school did I start to miss it.

"You really don't know where your master is?" The man came to his senses and realized that he had been deliberately led astray by the young student in front of him. He looked the man up and down without any attempt to hide his feelings. After confirming that the man was not "Yin Yunshan" in disguise, he breathed a sigh of relief, but he couldn't help but worry about how to explain himself when he couldn't deliver the report.

"Why do you keep pressing me with the questions I just asked you, without answering them?"

By the time the messenger tried to chase after the student, he had already vanished. With the student gone, there was no way to explain it back to the school. So, someone was sent back to report, while the rest remained outside the school gate, waiting for the student to return.

Little did they know, Liu Qingxian had his own methods. Since Cheng Heng had a powerful backer in the capital, he naturally wouldn't let the people around him suffer losses so easily. Not to mention, the madam of the brothel couldn't bear to part with Ling Xiao and had already taken him to the brothel before Liu Qingxian could.

"Mother……"

Throughout the journey, Guan Yin did not show Ling Xiao the letter sent by the madam of the music academy, but Ling Xiao was a clever girl after all, and she had already seen through Guan Yin's deliberate attempt to hide her panic from her every move.

"Miss Guan, it's been a long time." The madam of the music academy glanced at Ling Xiao but did not respond to his deliberate bowing in goodwill. Her gaze remained on Guan Yin as she instructed the girls inside to prepare some tea and snacks. "I have already sent a letter to the capital regarding matters here."

The capital city. Ling Xiao's beloved Zhang Shuwen is also in the capital city.

“That Zhang Shuwen…” Words and letters convey affection, and gold and silver express intentions, but Guan Yin knew that all of these were ultimately empty words. To this day, Zhang Shuwen had no intention of personally returning to take Ling Xiao away, nor had he sent a letter to the madam of the brothel to redeem Ling Xiao.

I'm afraid all of this is just an excuse to create a persona for himself! Having read so many novels, Guan Yin simply doesn't believe that a man who frequents brothels and entertainment venues could possibly be devoted to any woman.

"Mr. Zhang has important business in Beijing right now, and Mr. Cheng said in his letter that he would bring Mr. Zhang's good wishes back with him."

When facing Guan Yin, the madam of the music academy answered every question, but she didn't spare Ling Xiao a single word or glance the entire time.

"Mother……"

Ling Xiao felt somewhat wronged and regretted his previous attitude towards his mother.

On the surface, it seemed that her mother was preventing Zhang Shuwen from staying in the brothel and spending his days singing and dancing with her because he had spent all his money. In reality, she had seen through her mother's intentions and wanted to push Zhang Shuwen and herself onto their respective paths.

During this time, Ling Xiao also realized that he had repeatedly tested his mother's bottom line because he took advantage of her concern, and now...

Her mother had saved Lingxiao's life again. She could have been young and naive back then, but after experiencing so much in just two or three years, Lingxiao had no right to use her age as an excuse anymore: "Mom, I was naive back then, but now..."

"Miss Lingxiao, you don't need to call me that."

Despite her indifference and resistance, the madam of the music academy finally succumbed to Ling Xiao's two tormenting words, but her words were still merciless: "Miss Ling Xiao, don't speak to this old woman like you do to your sweetheart."

“Mr. Zhang has already sent Mr. Cheng to bring back your ransom. Before long, you will have nothing to do with my brothel anymore, and don’t lower yourself to call me ‘mama’ again.”

"I, he..."

Ling Xiao stammered, unsure of what to say for a long time. His gaze was fixed blankly on the teacup handed to him by the madam of the music academy. Before the steam even reached his eyelashes, his eyes were already brimming with tears.

Remembering his mother's heartless words, Ling Xiao felt a surge of grievance once again. He turned his head away, trying to swallow back the tears that were about to spill.

"Give me this water first." Ling Xiao did not take the water from his mother's hand. His emotions had made him disregard politeness. Guan Yin reached out at the right moment and took the teacup that the madam had been holding for a while.

“You’ve forgotten everything I taught you, and now you think I’m heartless.” Guan Yin was right in front of her, and the madam of the music academy didn’t try to avoid him, clearly not treating him as an outsider.

The water jug ​​in her hand was slammed down on the table in front of her by the madam, who stood up and forced Ling Xiao, who had turned around, to look at her again: "If you can panic like this over the slightest emotion, when you become the wife of the top scholar, neither you nor Zhang Shuwen will know how many people will laugh at you."

"You say you like him, but even if you don't consider his status, you should at least think about whether he will still treat you like his precious darling when you're old and faded."

Ling Xiao looked at his mother with a glint of disbelief in his eyes.

Guan Yin clearly hadn't expected that the madam from the music academy would be so frank with Ling Xiao, sharing her heartfelt thoughts so openly.

"As the wife of a top scholar, you have no manners whatsoever, no composure in the face of danger whatsoever. Even if Zhang Shuwen thinks you are presentable, have you ever thought about how people will perceive you?"

A beautiful woman's tearful expression is always so touching. However, the mother in front of me was once a celestial beauty in the eyes of others, but now she still stays in this small brothel, watching these girls repeat the same things that she and her group did back then.

"Cry? What's the use of crying?"

"When I taught you singing and dancing back then, did I ever teach you to cry for others?" The madam's gaze traced Ling Xiao's face, as if she had already seen through Ling Xiao's beautiful shell and what was decaying, repetitive, and something that the madam had seen through time and time again.

However, at this very moment, someone in the Liu residence was also crying.

It wasn't Liu Jiao'an, but Qingmiao. Just like her name suggests, Qingmiao was like water. Ever since Liu Jiao'an was forced to return to the house by her father shortly after leaving, Qingmiao had been crying.

"Miss, waaaaah..."

“Miss, I don’t think the master will do anything to you.”

Liu Jiao'an believed that Guan Yin was capable of protecting her. However—not long after leaving home, Liu Jiao'an suddenly became suspicious. Upon opening the pile of letters, she discovered that she had been thoroughly tricked by her father and Sanheng!

The letter contained provocative remarks against the government, written in a delicate hand that bore a striking resemblance to her own. Even the signature was Liu Jiao'an's own.

Liu Jiao'an is very smart.

He immediately realized that this was a trap set by his father. If he were to actually present this "evidence," it would be a lose-lose situation, and he, as a witness for Cheng Heng, would also have his reputation tarnished.

Although she had disregarded the father-daughter relationship first, she put the country before her family and took full responsibility for the punishment of suing her father as a son.

From the father's perspective, he wasn't entirely wrong. The facts were already laid out, and nothing he said at that point mattered. But the father didn't want to admit guilt—so many lives were lost, classmates, fellow students, none of whom Liu Qingxian wanted to take responsibility for. The lives of the entire Liu family couldn't bring these people back.

He was the target of public criticism and despised by the people. Although Liu Qingxian knew when he did it that once investigated, he would be condemned by thousands and cursed by tens of thousands, even if the Liu family was not raided, his descendants would find it difficult to hold their heads high in this land that had produced so many honest officials.

But Liu Qingxian did it anyway. Simply because the potential profits along this path were so tempting, simply because it was such an easy way to get to where he wanted to be…

So even if Liu Qingxian doesn't want to take responsibility now, he has to!
Therefore, when Liu Jiao'an heard that her father had fabricated a baseless charge to search Guan Yin, she simply took this opportunity to return to the Liu family, retrieve the evidence that her father had taken away, meet with Cheng Heng, and take it to the capital to restore justice and clarity to the world.

"Qingmiao, don't cry, and don't even think about pleading for your young lady."

“Miss, there’s not even any food left. If this continues, your body won’t be able to hold on… Miss has started her period again, like this, like this…”

Back then, her stepmother was on a busy rainy day. Her period had already made her stepmother weak, but she was still urged to finish her work for the day... Qingmiao didn't want to think about the past, nor did she want anything bad to happen to the young lady who was good to her.

"Miss, Miss, wouldn't it be better if we apologize to the master, then go to your cousin's house and leave this place, leave this place of sorrow?"

"Qingmiao, there's something I haven't told you yet, but I think you've already guessed it."

Qingmiao's face turned visibly pale at Liu Jiao'an's words, and her voice trembled as she spoke, "Miss, actually, there's nothing we can do, it's just that more innocent people..."

"no, I can not."

The fact that Cheng Heng was able to gain support in the capital shows that there are officials far more powerful than his father who are interested in this matter. Whether they genuinely want to bring stability to the people, want to accumulate some political achievements for themselves, or simply want to make room for Cheng Heng, they are all on the same path and can help him achieve his desired goals!

"Qingmiao is Liu Qingxian, but not just Liu Qingxian."

"Miss……"

“You can hate him, and I hate him too… but I have no right to hate him.”

"Or you can hate me."

“Miss is much braver than Qingmiao, who dared not even ask for justice for her family.” Qingmiao stopped crying, but her eyes were red like a rabbit’s.

“You should hate me. If it weren’t for what Father did, the Liu family wouldn’t have such good conditions, and you wouldn’t have to serve him. You could have done whatever you wanted and stayed with the people who love you.”

Guan Yin and Liu Jiao'an once said: "There is a group of people on the border of our motherland who have committed unforgivable crimes. Some people say, 'As the old saying goes, misfortune should not befall one's children,' but many more people say, 'Misfortune should not befall one's children, but the premise is that one's children should not benefit from it.'"

Liu Jiao'an believed she had gained something from the deal.

Even if none of Liu's father's actions were forced upon him by the Liu family, and even if Liu Jiao'an and her mother did not allow Liu Qingxian to embezzle a single penny, her own pampered upbringing stemmed from this very fact...

"Qingmiao doesn't hate Miss, because Miss is fighting for justice for us."

Qingmiao had already noticed that her young mistress was emotionally unstable. Liu Jiao'an was not only blaming herself, but also feeling exhausted, hungry, regretful, apologetic, and resentful. When these emotions were mixed together, Liu Jiao'an was delirious, like Fan Jin after passing the imperial examination, and she might go insane at any moment.

"Miss." Someone knocked on the door and spoke tentatively, as if trying to continue, "Miss, I... I, Sanheng, have something I'd like to say to you."

Sanheng was ordered to keep an eye on Liu Jiao'an. He had obviously been listening at the door for a long time before finally stepping forward. Liu Jiao'an dared not guess the former's purpose.

"If you have something to say, say it through the door." Qingmiao didn't think this Sanheng was a good person.

The young lady treated him so well, yet he conspired with the master to set her up. This kind of person is beyond redemption!

"Miss, those letters are still with Sanheng."

"How did you..."

When Liu's father gave the letter to Sanheng to make a copy of the old Xuan paper with the same color, Sanheng was suddenly moved. He skimmed through the characters that Miss and Yin Yunshan had taught him and roughly understood the contents of the letter. He then copied it out.

Ever since the master set a trap for the young lady, Sanheng has not been able to sleep well.

The things the master did were very bad.

Embezzlement kills people; framing someone kills people; floods kill people.

As soon as Sanheng closes his eyes, all he sees is the word "death"!

"Miss, Sanheng will find a way to get you out of here. No matter what happens in the future, you must never come back to the Liu family!"

"Squeak..."

The wooden door, slightly warped from dampness, was opened from the inside by Qingmiao, and Sanheng finally saw his young mistress after a long time.

"Then what about you and your parents?"

“Sanheng and his parents, three people with six hands, still won’t starve.”

"I hope that Miss's journey will be successful..."

What could it be? Sanheng didn't say anything more, but the three people inside and outside the boudoir all knew the answer.