Wanjin Lady

Mo Sufang sneered, veins bulging on her hands as she gripped the railing. A frantic expression crossed her face. "Go tell Wei Zheng that his father was tortured before his death, constantly muttering the names of his two children... He died in my hands! I want Wei Zheng to suffer for the rest of his life!"

Wen Wan followed Mo Sufang's frantic gaze and saw Wei Zheng standing up shakily behind her, his eyes red and his face covered in sweat. In his hand was Zhao Heng's long sword.

He was filled with murderous aura and stumbled towards Mo Sufang, like... the Yama King from hell... who was demanding his life!

Wen Wan almost immediately threw herself on Mo Sufang, shouting, "Zhao Henghouji! Hold on to the Marquis! Mo Sufang is deliberately provoking him to achieve a quick death! We can't let her succeed!"

After all, Mo Sufang is a royal princess and the mastermind behind the smuggling case of treason. If Mo Sufang dies at the hands of Wei Zheng, and His Majesty becomes suspicious of Wei Zheng again, Wei Zheng will never be able to clear his name as a "guilty minister"!
"Wei Zheng! If Zhao Yingzhen dies, then His Majesty will always be suspicious of the Wei family!"

"For the Duke, for the Queen!"

Wen Wan's chest heaved violently, fearing that Wei Zheng had lost his mind in anger. She turned around suddenly and saw Zhao Heng and Hou Ji holding the unconscious Wei Zheng on his left and right.

Zhao Heng cried, "Madam, I was so anxious that I knocked the Marquis unconscious. When he wakes up, I will definitely punish him. You must help me persuade him!"

Wen Wan's back was completely wet, and she finally laughed out loud with relief. "Blow! I will definitely blow hard to save your life!"

"Hou Ji, keep an eye on Mo Sufang. Don't let her die."

"Zhao Heng, quickly go get Doctor Chu!"

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The next day, Wen Wan opened her eyes and saw it was drizzling outside.

In the blink of an eye, spring is about to arrive.

Because of this spring rain, the air is chilly, and a touch of green on the branches outside comes into view, adding a hint of spring to the lifeless sky.

She pulled out her numb arm, stood up, and saw that Wei Zheng's bed was empty.

Yesterday in the cell, Wei Zheng was so angry that he actually stood up despite the pain. Doctor Chu gave him medicine and acupuncture last night, and after finally calming him down for a while, Wei Zheng's fever came back in the second half of the night.

Wen Wan didn't sleep all night and could only take care of him by the bedside.

She stood up in a daze and saw that she was wearing Wei Zheng's coat. Then she remembered everything that happened in the prison yesterday. She almost ran out of the door, "Agui! Where's the Marquis?! Is he in the prison again?!"

Ah Gui was just coming over with breakfast. Seeing Wen Wan leave, he went out into the rain and quickly grabbed the umbrella from the porch to hand it to Wen Wan. "Madam, the Marquis is in the autopsy room—"

Before she finished her words, Wen Wan had already disappeared in the rain.

"Ma'am, umbrella!"

Agui hurried after him, clutching his oil-paper umbrella.

After a while, the door of the autopsy room was kicked open. Raindrops and slanting wind poured in. As Wen Wan entered, she saw Wei Zheng sitting in a wheelchair.

He was sitting there alone, with a skeleton and a wooden box on the table. He was slowly and carefully wiping each bone with a handkerchief.

He looked calm and focused.

He was completely different from the Yama who was taking lives yesterday.

Outside, the rain dripped on the eaves and fell like a curtain of beads. The spring flowers on the branches, which had just felt the spring breeze, were soaked and fell to the stone slabs, a field of red petals.

The air was damp and chilly.

Just like Wen Wan's mood at this moment. Wen Wan walked over quickly, moved a stool over and sat opposite Wei Zheng, and took a clean handkerchief to help wipe the Duke's bones.

Wei Zheng glanced at her and saw the rain on her shoulders as she hurried over. His heart tightened, thinking that in this world, perhaps only his aunt and Wen Wan would care about him so much.

Among them are Zhaozhao and Hunger.

Even though his father, mother and elder sister are no longer with us, he is no longer walking alone in this world.

The two men sat facing each other in silence, with fresh well water on the table. According to the customs of Dachen, the filial son needed to bathe the deceased, wipe his hair, and change his clothes. The two men wrapped the finger bones with silk, used bamboo knives to remove the rotten soil, and then wiped the bones clean with white silk.

Wei Zheng's fingertips rubbed across the broken ribs and the knife-marked cervical vertebrae, and he recited a sentence with each wipe: "Father's soul has returned, and my bones are now clean."

The two people wiped the bones silently.

The rain keeps falling outside the window.

Only a few petals are left on the ground.

Wen Wan heard Wei Zheng's voice was hoarse and raspy, and it made a buzzing sound in her ears.

"When I was little, my father was very busy and was not around all day. But every time he came home, he would come to my sister and me's room to take a look."

"Although he was a military commander, he was a refined gentleman, always very patient with my sister and me. Even though I was the only male in the family, he was strict with my studies and archery, but never harsh. Whenever I made a mistake, he always patiently and meticulously taught me."

"When I was little, I was very naughty and got into a lot of trouble, but my father never punished me or indulged me."

"He's a very good father."

Wenwan paused and looked at the person opposite her. His eyes were calm, but there was a hint of redness at the corners of his eyes.

"On the day of the Kyoto Incident, my father chased Prince Fu out of the palace and never returned. The people who went looking for him only said... they found a severed arm on the road."

"Later, I was fostered in my aunt's palace. His Majesty suspected my father of treason and was suspicious of me... and my aunt, constantly testing us. Although my aunt held the title of Empress, she still walked on thin ice within the palace."

"My aunt and I are both members of the Wei family, and in His Majesty's eyes, we are both criminals. At the age of fifteen, I should have inherited my father's title of Duke, but His Majesty did not issue an order, intending to punish my aunt and me."

"I swore then and there that in this life... to the ends of the earth... to the heavens and the underworld... I would find my father and clear his name, and clear the name of the Wei family. We, the Wei family, are loyal to our emperor and our country, and we have no second thoughts."

"Now that I have Zhao Zhao and Hun Ge'er, I cannot let them bear the stigma of being traitors and the suspicion of the royal family since childhood."

Wei Zheng looked at her, his whole body like broken glass. No matter what Wen Wan did, she couldn't put him back together. Wen Wan opened her mouth, wanting to comfort him, but with the Duke's incomplete remains in her hand, she suddenly felt that her words were empty and pale.

"I used to not believe in ghosts and gods. But fate had it all its own way, and I happened to land on this isolated island, and I happened to find the Duke's remains. Perhaps... the Duke's spirit in heaven... is protecting Zhao Zhao and Hun'er."

She held Wei Zheng's hand and said, "Now that this matter has been settled, we must spare Zhao Yingzhen's life. First, she can clear the Duke's name, and second, His Majesty can personally sentence Zhao Yingzhen. After these two matters are dealt with, we will take the Duke home—"

Home...

Wei Zheng finally found his father and had a home.

"Alright. I've already sent the military report to the emperor via 800 miles of expedited delivery. His Majesty should allow us to report as soon as possible. We'll leave tomorrow—"

Wen Wan glanced at Wei Zheng's legs, then smiled and said, "Okay, we'll leave tomorrow."

Wei Zheng's leg... needs treatment from the imperial physicians; it cannot be delayed any longer! (End of Chapter)