Chapter 198: Wails Along the Way
Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Wails Along the Way
Wang Tingyue didn’t hesitate, turning to Xiao Wu at his side. "Tomorrow, you will accompany the Lady and depart first."
This time, even a simple "yes" was omitted.
Liang Wan watched him in silence.
Wang Tingyue met her gaze. The corners of his lips twitched into a faint smile. "I can also make Lou Shixun travel even more slowly."
Liang Wan frowned. "Aren’t you afraid I’ll go ahead and tip him off?"
’On the surface, Gao Qian had adopted the Lou Family’s suggestion, allowing Lou Shixun to take command of the army and escort Lu Xiu back to Jinye.’
’Although she didn’t know the Empress Dowager’s true purpose for employing Wang Tingyue, having him accompany the escort was surely a test. If Lu Xiu escaped, how could he possibly avoid being implicated?’
The half-moon cast a surprisingly bright reflection on the river. A cool, damp night wind brushed past their cheeks.
Perhaps it was the softness of the moonlight that made his gaze seem exceptionally gentle.
Wang Tingyue’s expression softened into a calm smile. "So what if you do? He let me go once, so I can return the favor. Besides, he’s your husband. As your Brother, I want you to be happy."
Liang Wan’s throat was too tight to speak.
Wang Tingyue watched her for a moment before saying gently, "I can tell he’s truly good to you."
Liang Wan lowered her head, her eyes welling with tears.
’He understood at a glance that she felt guilty toward him, but that wasn’t what he wanted.’
A deeper sadness welled in his heart. He lowered his gaze in thought, then said, "During those years my mother was ill, we couldn’t see each other, but I knew you were the one who had someone send all those medicinal herbs. On her deathbed, she said she regretted not being able to give me the status of a son born to the primary wife. But in my heart, more than anything else, I cherish the fact that we met. Do you understand?"
Liang Wan drew a sharp breath and slowly nodded.
Wang Tingyue hesitated, then reached out and patted her head, just as he had when they were children. "Go on back now."
’Liang Wan froze. She looked up at him, and it was just like that time they had run away together. She hadn’t wanted to go back then, and he had patiently coaxed her.’
’Ever since Wang Tingyue returned to Jinye, she had been avoiding him, deliberately or not, and had never been alone with him. Was it really because she didn’t want to bring him trouble, as she’d claimed? Or was it because the knot in her heart remained, and she didn’t know how to face him?’
They had known each other for so long; how could he not see it? She avoided him, and he let her. But avoidance was the cruelest wound of all.
’Living this life again, shouldn’t her heart and eyes, beyond just revenge, focus on cherishing and protecting everything she had lost and now regained?’
Suddenly, clarity dawned in Liang Wan’s heart.
She looked up, her eyes shimmering with tears, and smiled at him. "Brother."
Xiao Wu stood like a shadow a short distance away, silently watching them talk. ’In truth,’ he thought, ’I’d ’known’ of the Lady for a long time before coming to Jinye.’
’His gaze shifted back to the man who stood so straight and tall, yet seemed steeped in sorrow. What a pity.’
「The next day」
It was late morning before Lou Shixun, limbs weak and aching, finally managed to push himself out of bed.
’You really can’t dine with the Commoner Clans. He had done nothing out of the ordinary, just drinking and carousing with them, but he’d spent the entire night suffering from vomiting and diarrhea.’
’It must be because the Commoner Clans are so base and filthy that I’ve been afflicted like this,’ Lou Shixun thought.
A sharp cramp twisted his gut, each wave more intense than the last. The pain contorted his body, and he could no longer spare a thought for his noble bearing. All he wanted was explosive relief.
"Quickly! Hurry!"
Shrieking, Lou Shixun grabbed his attendant’s arm. Weak as a spineless shrimp, he was half-carried to the commode. After a loud RUMBLE, he let out a long sigh of relief.
The attendant held his breath and turned his head away. Their faces had been green since the middle of the night.
Liang Wan quickly packed a small bundle and left, once again on horseback.
Wang Tingyue helped her mount. "It seems you were already planning to leave ahead of us when you arrived yesterday."
Liang Wan didn’t hide it from him. She had put the laxative in Lou Shixun’s meal at midday.
’With Lu Xiu’s sharp perception, he would see through any of Lou Shixun’s schemes in an instant. Traveling with that man would make it impossible to succeed.’
Liang Wan took the small bundle from Wang Tingyue and secured it to her person. Her voice was soft. "Brother, you don’t have to delay him for too long. I only need to arrive three days ahead of you."
Her pale, fine-featured face was free of any disguise or powder. It was her truest self, like a lotus blooming atop a snowy peak—pure, flawless, strong, and beautiful.
Wang Tingyue gave a slight nod. ’Three days would be enough time to escape.’
"Be careful."
Liang Wan nodded, then glanced at Xiao Wu. "Let’s go."
With a flick of their hooves, the two horses shot forward like arrows, one after the other.
The fall of Lu Yang was a classic feint. Lu Huai’s entire front was annihilated, and the casualties were devastating.
After this battle, Lu Xiu had no choice but to retreat to Pingzhou.
The army was already demoralized after the major defeat, its morale shattered. The discovery of Lu Huai’s blood letter, written as he was dying, only fueled more rumors. At this point, a counter-offensive was out of the question; they would be lucky to simply hold Pingzhou.
As Liang Wan and Xiao Wu traveled on, the closer they got to Pingzhou, the more devastation they saw. The road was filled with refugees fleeing the war. Rumors were spreading like wildfire: Pingzhou was about to fall; the Great General had colluded with the enemy; the iron hooves of Beizhou would soon be trampling over their bodies. If they didn’t run now, they would die for nothing.
They walked, they listened, they saw. All along the way were refugees. Those who couldn’t go on were, if they were lucky, buried in a simple mound of earth. The unlucky were left as corpses by the roadside.
Such is the chaos of war.
Meanwhile, Jinye City remained mired in extravagance and debauchery.
Xiao Wu had lived through such scenes before and was not surprised by them. For Liang Wan, however, it was the first time. She had tried to imagine it before she left, but seeing it with her own eyes, she realized the reality was far worse than she had pictured.
Local officials, for the sake of their own records, either concealed the situation or found that reporting it was useless, so they simply let things run their course.
’Liang Wan didn’t dare to imagine what Pingzhou City must look like now, or how Lu Xiu had managed to hold on for so long. What was even the point of holding on? And Lu Huai’s death... it was all for nothing.’
The cries of anguish here could not awaken those living in a drunken stupor thousands of miles away.
Liang Wan stood up and sighed.
"Lady." Xiao Wu leaped from his horse and handed her a freshly filled waterskin.
Liang Wan accepted it with a word of thanks. She’d had little appetite the entire journey, forcing herself to eat only a few dry biscuits and drink some water.
Xiao Wu gazed into the distance. "We’re in Pingzhou’s territory now. We should be able to make it into the city before dark, but getting in might not be easy."
Liang Wan only gave a soft murmur of agreement. ’Morale is low right now,’ she thought. ’If a few spies were to slip into the city, they could easily incite a panic and a call to surrender. They have to be cautious.’
Suddenly, a series of sharp cries and curses erupted nearby.
Xiao Wu moved in front of Liang Wan, his gaze sharp and alert.
In the straggling line of refugees, some people were pushing and shoving. It looked like a fight had broken out over food.
A woman’s voice, choked with sobs, cried out, "This monster! A grown man, and he sees we’re a widow and her child! He’s been harassing me this whole journey, and now he’s stealing food from my boy! Is there no justice? Is there no law?"
A few people paused to glance over, but most simply leaned on their walking sticks and staggered onward, dragging their feet.
Seeing that no one was paying her any mind, the woman sat on the ground, half-cradling her child as she wailed. The man’s initial, flustered guilt quickly morphed into a fierce arrogance.
"You bitch, what nonsense are you spouting? I’m your man! It’s my right to eat your food, drink your water, and sleep with you!"
With that, he raised a fist to strike her.
Xiao Wu’s temper flared. "What kind of man is he!"
He seethed with anger and started to rush forward.
"Wait."
Liang Wan grabbed his arm, holding him back.