Proud Feather

Chapter 119 Teasing
Lin Wenyu set off in the morning and left quietly.

With a bundle and two officials, they embarked on their journey to Lingnan. To onlookers, all they saw was an old man with half-white hair, wearing chains, trudging along, a pitiful and lamentable sight.

After walking for most of the day, they finally arrived at the outskirts of the capital. Seeing that there were fewer pedestrians, the escorting officers removed the chains and even carried the bundle for him.

Thus, their journey consisted of an old scholar accompanied by two attendants, strolling through the mountains and fields.

It sounds romantic, but it's actually not an easy walk. Lin Wenyu is nearly sixty years old and usually lives a life of luxury. He's never walked such a long distance before. By the afternoon, he had blisters on his feet.

To make matters worse, Lin Wenyu encountered several men of unknown origin arguing for the right of way. He lost his footing and tumbled down the slope, causing them to deviate from their route.

By the time the two officers found the person, the moon was already high in the sky.

"Sir, please hang in there a little longer. It's too cold; we can't sleep outside." Under the moonlight, one officer carried the child on his back, while another supported him from behind, as they panted and climbed the hill.

Lin Wenyu's hair was disheveled and shivering in the cold wind, and he was completely stiff.

"I understand, thank you for your hard work."

As arrogant as Minister Lin was, just a few days ago he was cursing the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review as a "poor boy," but now he is being very polite to two low-ranking officials. He is truly flexible and adaptable.

As they walked, one of the officers suddenly rubbed his eyes and said, "Look, isn't there a light ahead? I'm not seeing things, am I?"

Firelight? Someone's there?
"It really is!" another officer exclaimed excitedly. "Quick! Let's get over there right now!"

They were disheveled and disoriented, unable to find the right path. To make matters worse, it was winter, and spending the night outside would leave them freezing.

Having someone to ask for directions, or even borrow a fire to keep warm, is truly a savior sent by God!
The three of them were immediately motivated and moved toward the firelight.

Upon closer inspection, the three were overjoyed.

The other party actually had a carriage! They even had a tent! They didn't bring many servants—a young servant, a strong servant, and a steward—each with their own duties. The master wasn't seen; he might be in the carriage or the tent.

“Gentlemen…” one of the officers called out.

Those people immediately turned to look at them.

I don't know if it was just his imagination, but he seemed a little secretly pleased?
Oh dear, there must be some unavoidable difficulties to spend the night in the wild in this kind of weather. It's normal to be happy to meet fellow travelers!
The officer quickly convinced himself, walked over casually, and asked, "Where are you from? Why are you spending the night here?"

The steward stood up and replied, "Greetings, officers. We are from out of town and are unfamiliar with the area. We couldn't find an inn and have to spend the night out here. May I ask who you are...?"

"We are government officials," he said vaguely. "We were ordered to come out on business today, but we took the wrong road and were delayed on our way back. It's such a coincidence that we ran into you."

The butler chuckled and said, "What a coincidence indeed." He paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "It's better to meet by chance than by invitation. Since we're so destined, would you like to stay here for the night, sir?"

The official was exactly what he wanted, and beamed with joy: "Thank you very much!"

The three sat down by the fire and asked them for hot water.

The servant chuckled and said, "Sir, please wait a moment, we're not ready yet!"

"Prepare? Prepare what? Weren't they just chatting by the fire?" the officer wondered, bewildered.

But having borrowed someone else's fire, he couldn't be picky, so he took out his own dry rations to roast first.

"Swish!" A faint sound came from inside. Lin Wenyu looked up and saw the butler standing at the back of the car, pulling something out of it. It seemed to be... a rope?
The servant leaned into the carriage window and whispered something to the person inside.

The servant had gone quite far, and in the dim moonlight, all that could be seen was him taking something out of his waist and wiping it against a tree branch.

Although Minister Lin was old, his eyesight was sharp. He saw a flash of cold light and a chill ran down his spine.

No, it's a knife! The other person is carrying a knife! Could they be bandits? I had indeed heard that bandits occasionally appeared in the outskirts of Beijing in recent years, but I never expected to be so unlucky as to actually run into one!

No, he can't die here.

Lin Wenyu, as expected of someone who had served as a high-ranking official, remained calm and composed as he stood up and said, "Brothers, I'm going to relieve myself."

The two officers, unsuspecting, even offered to accompany you, saying, "It's so dark, why don't we go with you?"

"No need, no need!" Lin Wenyu said with a smile. "You've all worked hard just now, so take a rest now! I just need to relieve myself, I'll be right back."

The official readily agreed.

They were initially reluctant to take on this task. Fortunately, the Lin family was generous, having sent lavish gifts early on and even used their connections to ensure the couple received proper care. Thinking that completing this journey would make them wealthy enough to return home, the two naturally became extremely obedient to Lin Wenyu.

Lin Wenyu descended the slope in the dark, deliberately choosing secluded spots, and soon disappeared from sight.

He looked back at the firelight, made sure no one saw him, and quickly ran outside.

He had been walking along mountain paths and rolling down slopes all day, so he was already in a sorry state, and now he was in even worse shape. Every step he took felt like being pricked with needles, and his body kept scraping against bushes and hitting loose rocks, adding to his wounds.

But he dared not stop. He thought to himself, Lin Wenyu had lived a glorious life, and to die at the hands of bandits just after arriving in the outskirts of Beijing was such a waste! He had to live. Even though he was unlucky now, he could turn his life around in a few years!

As I ran, I heard a voice beside me, as if someone was calling, "Over there!"

Lin Wenyu panicked even more, stepped on the wrong foot again, and tumbled down.

He couldn't control it at all, and by the time he stopped, his old bones were too weak to move.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard the sound of footsteps crunching on fallen leaves, and then he was lifted up.

A burly servant's rough voice rang out: "Found it! It's right here!"

Lin Wenyu's heart sank to the ground. He opened his mouth and begged, "Hero! Hero, spare my life! I am an old man on my deathbed with nothing to my name. It would be a waste of effort to kill me! Go find those two men; all the money is on them!"

The servant groped over and laughed, "You shameless old man! Not only did you sneak away, but you also pushed your own people out as shields. What a despicable person!"

Lin Wenyu replied, "Yes, yes, yes, I am a lowly man! Poor and useless, and my flesh is skinny. Please, sir, have mercy and just let it go!"

The burly servant sneered, "I can't stand treacherous scoundrels like you. Let him go? Dream on! My old bones can still render some oil!"

Lin Wenyu was terrified and hurriedly said, "Hold on, sir! I'm not entirely useless! To tell you the truth, I used to be an official, but I was exiled for committing a crime... Although I have no money on me, I have a fortune at home! If you spare my life, I will have my family send a ransom!"

"Really?" The burly servant stopped and looked him over.

"Really, really!" Lin Wenyu nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. "I'm already an exile, and no one will care even if I report it to the authorities, right? Why don't you give it a try, hero!"

The other party seemed to be persuaded, patted his face with the knife, and said, "Alright! Then I'll give you a chance! We just started cooking rice porridge. If you can get back to the camp before the porridge is ready, we'll spare your life."

Lin Wenyu was overjoyed: "Yes! Thank you, hero!"

"Let's begin!"

The servant shoved him, watched the old man run desperately towards the camp, and clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

Minister Lin, who was born into a privileged position, experienced for the first time in his life being treated like a pig or a dog.

I've made a quick change to the version, so let's leave it like this for now!