Ink Burns

Chapter 124: Reappearance of Old Things
Thirty miles east of the capital's outskirts is Xiangshan.

At the foot of Xiangshan Mountain, a royal courtyard with white walls and red tiles was built along the mountain. This is the Qingshou Palace. It was originally a summer palace for royal family members, and was later given to Prince Qing by the previous emperor as a villa. After Prince Qing ascended the throne, he re-hung a plaque on the villa and renamed it "Vacation Palace".

Outside the palace, the official post station was quietly hidden in a side alley. Two attendants in black and wearing masks stood at the door. The attendants had their hands folded on their chests and looked down at the ground. There was no distinguishing feature on their bodies. Only a pair of sharp eyes were exposed, observing passers-by like hawks.

In the carriage, Shan Yue clenched her fists and unclenched them, crying: "How can we get in here? What if we are discovered? Madam, let's go back first and discuss it later."

Zhu pursed her lips and said sternly: "If she is discovered, then she is discovered! If she doesn't say anything, I will come to see my own loyal servant. Even if I report it to the Queen Mother, I will only be known as a person of affection and righteousness! If Fifth Mother speaks..."

If she removes the fire from under the bonnet and stops the danger in its tracks, there will be someone to protect her!
Just thinking this way, my chest aches.

That’s He Xiaowu.

That’s He Xiaowu.

Even if she lost her mother and had no hope of survival, He Xiaowu would still stay by her side.
It's better not to say
If she hadn't said it, she would have broken through that layer of sky and rescued Xiaowu.

Zhu lowered her eyes slightly, put her hands into her sleeves, and tightly grasped the prepared jade bottle.

Shanyue's eyes swept across Zhu's hand as she retracted it into her sleeve.

——As for how to get in?
Zhu glanced at Shanyue calmly and said, "Just wait and see. 'Qingfeng' has been in business for many years, it is definitely not just an empty shell. Even if it is the Purple Luan Palace, you can still break in if you risk your life."

The carriage was stopped not far from the official post station.

The driver smiled flatteringly: "I am from Suzhou Prefecture and will stay here for one night. I hope you will let me go."

The gatekeeper said, "Go, go, go! We have something important to do today, and the government post is closed for business!"

The driver hurriedly handed over a customs document, wiped two bags of silver, and pointed to the carriage: "The uncle of Guanbei Hou's family, the one with the imperial edict. Chang's family"

The Chang family is difficult to deal with, which is a consensus in the capital.

Generation after generation of Guanbei Marquis have all been of violent temper, and the current Guanbei Marquis's son is notoriously difficult to deal with. He will beat people up severely if they disagree with him in the capital, and he has killed so many people that he can't even count them with his hands.

Guanbei Hou almost always follows behind his son to wipe his asshole.

The guards looked at each other, stretched out their hands to look at the customs documents, wiped off the silver, and tilted their heads: "Go through the side door, and don't walk around inside. You can go out after noon."

The driver nodded repeatedly.

Inside the carriage, Zhu looked at Shanyue calmly and said, "Just hang in there. Twenty years from now, with the help of Qingfeng, you will be able to do anything."

The tone was calm, but there was a hint of smugness in it.

Shan Yue shrugged and replied timidly, "Yes."

Then she slowly leaned back and hid her face in the darkness: she didn't need to have omnipotent hands and eyes.

A true hunter only needs to drop a bait and set a trap. He doesn't even need to think about how to clear the obstacles and drag people in. Then someone will come along and get in.

After entering the post station, they drove straight in as if there was no one there. The servant lowered his head and led the two of them through a secret door into the deepest wing.

There were no windows in the wing room, and the only light came through the hemp paper covering the tall beech trees.

He Wuma curled up in the corner.

Hearing a "squeak", He Wuma's eyes were dull and she slowly raised her head. When she saw that it was Zhu, she broke down and cried out, "Miss! Miss!"

He Wuma was not covered in wounds as Zhu had predicted, but she looked haggard, a little thin and miserable.

Shan Yue saw Zhu pause and hesitate for a moment.

"Miss! Miss!" He Wuma supported herself on the ground with both hands and crawled towards Zhu, crying. She was afraid of the guards at the door, but also eager to vent her inner anger. Her voice was so low that it was almost hoarse, and there was no trace of the arrogance of the seventh-rank official in front of the Madam in the past: "Madam! That Xue Xiao is a piece of shit! He is not even a human being! He arrested me and took me to the Censorate, and locked me up in a corner that I couldn't even get out of. I only had a few grains of rice and a few sips of water every day, and the lights were on all day long, and no one talked to me."

He Wuma had indeed not spoken for a long time. She paused for a long time after speaking and looked a little slow.

"That bastard! He was born by a mother but never raised by her!" He Wu's mother cried, "How dare he do this to me! Madam! Madam! He is disrespectful to you!"

Shanyue lowered her eyes slightly and glanced at He Wuma.

Zhu bent down and wiped away the tears on He Wuma's face. She sighed and said, "That rebellious son..." She shook her head, as if she didn't care. She changed the subject and asked, "He treated you like this?——" She paused, "He treated you like this?"

Just lock you up?
No beating, no scolding, no torture?
The last official who went to the Censorate was tortured with water. A cloth soaked in bitter vinegar was covered over the mouth and nose. It is said that the clerk in the Censorate who carried out the execution felt weak in the knees when he came out.

He was so cruel to the old officials, but he just locked you up and didn't give you any food or water? The question in Zhu's tone was not heard by the still slow-witted He Wuma.

The whole room was filled with the low wails of He Wu Ma: "More than ten days! It's been like this for more than ten days in a row! I've been shaking with fear all day long, and I dare not sleep."

He Wuma kept talking.

Zhu turned around and sat down, leaning forward and interrupting He Wuma's crying: "Have you ever said anything you shouldn't have said?"

He Wuma paused, her eyes widened, and she leaned back: "Heaven and earth are conscientious, and the sun and the moon can bear witness to this! I, a lackey, am loyal to you! Even if I am imprisoned to death! Or starved to death! I cannot say a word that would disgust you!"

"Really?" Zhu asked with a frown, her palms tensed. The jade bottle hidden in her sleeves pressed against the tender flesh at the edge of her nails, causing her both pain and anxiety.

He Wuma cried bitterly, clutching the clothes in front of her chest: "How can it not be true! Go forward——"

He Wuma suddenly woke up from her dullness. She caught a glimpse of Shanyue standing in the shadows. She quickly swallowed the words on her lips and continued crying, "It's not easy for us to move forward. You support me and I support you to live. I bet Xue Xiao wouldn't dare to kill me for no reason. What right do I have to say it? If I say it, it means death. If I don't say it, I still have a chance of survival!"

He Wuma's face was covered with wall dust, and her tears washed away two clear paths of dust. She clutched the corner of Zhu's jacket tightly with her hands: "Madam! Madam! Think about it, we were poor at the beginning, and we shared a pair of shoes and a cotton coat. Whoever went out wore it. When I was a child during the Chinese New Year, I had a fever and was delirious. My brain seemed to be cooked in a steamer. It was you who put on a pair of bamboo slippers and went around in the ice and snow to find a doctor for me!"

He Wu's mother was about to cry and faint: "Madam! I, He Xiaowu, am stupid but sincere. I will never say a word to endanger you!"

To awaken a person's emotions, don't talk about how much you have given, but let the other person recall how much you have given.

Shan Yue blinked in the shadows.

Zhu lowered her head and slowly pulled her hand out from her sleeve.

Forget it.

forget it.

He Wuma will not betray.

"Knock knock knock—" there was knock on the door.

The servant who led them into the wing whispered through the secret door on the east wall: "Someone from the post office has arrived. Madam, please come out and pass the customs documents."

Zhu glanced at He Wuma and whispered, "I'll be back soon."

After saying this, he hurried out through the secret door on the east side, leaving Shanyue and He Wuma in the side room.

The source of light is too narrow.

Covered with dust and alienation.

Shan Yue walked out from the shadows.

He Wuma was still sobbing.

Shan Yue sat down at Zhu's seat, leaned over and brushed off the non-existent dust on her skirt, and opened a hidden drawer under the desk while speaking in a clear voice, "Mother He, the relationship between you and the lady is really enough to make anyone cry and feel sad."

The voice was stripped of all timidity, carrying with it a hidden allure and frivolity.

Completely different from usual.

With tears on her face, He Wuma slowly raised her head in surprise.

Shan Yue poured a glass of wine in his hand.

The wine cup is made of ancient silver.

Shan Yue held both hands in front of He Wuma: "I offer you a toast to wash away your bad luck. I also hope that you and Madam will work together in the future and stay the same."

He Wu Ma's gaze was not on the calm surface of the wine, nor on the well-crafted wine cup, nor on Shan Yue's slender and slender jade fingers.

He Wuma's gaze moved slowly from the wine cup to the tall silver enamel pot with two handles on the table.

The wine jug is exquisite and the ancient silver plate is smooth.

The spout, body and bottom of the teapot are inlaid with thousands of red and blue sapphires of various sizes, scattered like stars.

(End of this chapter)