Lu Bing knew when to stop. He took the severely injured and unconscious Ding Wu and others away with him. He dared not leave Ding Wu in the neighboring villa, fearing that Yan Shifan might repeat his old tricks—imitating his fire-setting and rescue act to charge in and snatch Ding Wu away, rendering all the efforts of Lu Ying and the other two tonight completely futile.
As expected, the Embroidered Uniform Guard lying in ambush by the moat spotted a suspicious individual. This person appeared just as the curfew was about to begin, when the children swimming in the moat were being dragged home by their mothers, their ears pinched, and the lively, bustling river surface had returned to calm. The suspect was carrying a burlap sack.
As the person entered the moat with the sack and began untying the ropes sealing it, the ambushing Embroidered Uniform Guard apprehended them.
The individual was a Death Warrior. They bit into a poison capsule hidden in their collar, dying with blood streaming from all seven orifices and foam frothing from their mouth.
When the Embroidered Uniform Guard opened the sack, a foul stench of alcohol and decay assaulted them. Inside was a person with most of their face rotted away.
It was the deceased Masked Wu.
By the time Lu Bing and his party arrived at the moat outside Zhengyang Gate, Masked Wu’s corpse was already laid by the roadside. Fellow guards had purchased paper money, gold and silver ingots made of paper, and other funeral items, which had already been burned into a pile of black ashes.
Although they had anticipated this, everyone was still deeply shaken upon seeing Masked Wu’s body. Lu Bing dismounted first, and the others followed suit.
After a moment of silent mourning, Lu Ying said, "Father, please return to the office and rest. I will take the body back to Masked Wu’s home."
Lu Bing had just recovered from a stroke and could not afford to strain himself by staying up late.
Knowing his own physical limits, Lu Bing asked, "Do you know what to say to Masked Wu’s family?"
Lu Ying initially thought of telling the truth, but considering Yan Shifan’s terrifying methods, she feared that Masked Wu’s grief-stricken and enraged family would only be crushed like an egg hitting a rock.
Biting her lip so hard that her upper teeth nearly drew blood, Lu Ying finally said, "He drowned accidentally while drunk."
After saying this, Lu Ying slapped herself hard across the face and was about to strike again when Wang Daxia grabbed her arm to stop her, saying, "This is not Commander Lu’s fault. Even someone as fearless as I was terrified by Vice Minister Yan tonight. As the son of a thousand-household commander, if Vice Minister Yan wanted to crush me, or even my father, it would be as easy as squashing an ant—let alone Masked Wu’s family. If lying is for the sake of protection, there is no shame in it. Let me go in your stead and explain to Masked Wu’s family."
Wang Daxia had been won over by Lu Ying, who had dived back into the water to rescue him and defended him during Yan Shifan’s interrogation. He was willing to take the blame for her.
Lu Ying shook him off. "You’re covered in injuries. Go back first. I’ll take Masked Wu home. It’s settled."
Lu Bing looked at the tooth marks on his daughter’s lower lip, his heart aching for her. But there was no other way. She had chosen to don armor over fine dresses, refusing to be a sheltered young lady waiting for marriage in a wealthy family’s inner chambers. This path destined her to face the harsh realities of growth. Masked Wu’s death was only the beginning; more struggles and pains awaited her.
He was old and had suffered repeated strokes. He could not shield her from storms forever—she had to learn to fly on her own.
Lu Bing mounted his horse. "Leave ten men to escort Masked Wu home. The rest, come back with me."
Wei Caiwei crouched beside Masked Wu’s corpse, silently gazing at his disfigured face. Like her family, he was another victim of Yan Shifan. They were all as insignificant as ants, unable to shake the elephant that was Yan Shifan.Dealing with Yan Shifan could not be handled with the swift vengeance used to kill Thousand Household Chen and his son. Protected by layers of death warriors, Yan Shifan could only be brought down by leveraging forces within the court.
"Let's go," Wang Daxia said.
Wei Caiwei remained silent as she boarded the carriage, fearing that if she spoke, the hatred suppressed for ten years would spill out uncontrollably.
The city gates had closed, and the curfew had begun within the walls.
But who was Lu Bing? With a single order from him, the gates swung open—starting from the bridge barricades at the moat, the outer gate, inner gate, and barbican gate all opened in sequence, allowing Lu Bing to enter the city.
By tomorrow, censors would surely submit memorials impeaching Lu Bing for forcing the gates open at night. However, whenever the Jiajing Emperor received such memorials, he would retain them without action. Lu Bing was frequently impeached; with so many lice, one stops itching, and with so many debts, one stops worrying.
Lu Ying brought Masked Wu's body to his home on Broom Lane. His family had been waiting for him to return for the Dragon Boat Festival, thinking he was delayed by duties, never expecting it would be a final farewell.
His elderly mother fainted upon seeing her son's corpse. Lu Ying and her subordinates tied up Masked Wu's son and worked through the night to set up a mourning shed, busy until dawn.
Back at the Imperial Guard Office, Lu Bing's first task was to have Ding Wu carried down to the underground death row cell.
For safety, Ding Rukui's cell had no lamp; for ten years, he had lived by the sun's schedule. But tonight, Ding Rukui did not sleep. He lay on the bed, clutching his son's small gold seal tightly in his hand.
To die or not to die—that was the question.
Fortunately, Ding Rukui had been badly deceived by Yan Song and Yan Shifan a decade ago, leaving him with a deep-seated paranoia. He pondered back and forth, uncertain of Ding Wu's safety, and thus had not yet swallowed the gold to end his life.
A light appeared in the corridor, accompanied by footsteps. Ding Rukui immediately tensed, afraid, his hand trembling uncontrollably as he gripped the seal.
The scene felt familiar. Ten years ago, on a similar night, Lu Bing had suddenly visited to inform him of his wife's death during exile.
As the footsteps drew closer, Ding Rukui could no longer pretend to sleep. Barefoot, he rushed from the bed to the iron bars and asked, "What has happened?"
He dreaded hearing the worst news.
It was indeed Lu Bing. Behind him followed two soldiers carrying a stretcher, on which lay his son, Ding Wu.
Ding Rukui's legs instantly gave way, and he collapsed to the floor.
Lu Bing said, "Ding Wu is still alive. I rescued him. You can rest assured."
Hearing this, Ding Rukui quickly reached out to check for breath on his son's face on the stretcher.
It was faint, but he was alive.
Lu Bing said, "You must trust me. You have no one else to trust now." With that, Lu Bing extended his hand. "Give it to me."
Ding Rukui knew what he wanted and placed the gold seal in Lu Bing's palm. "Save him. He's all I have left. I swear I will never seek death again."
At this moment, Ding Rukui was not the former Minister of War, nor a death row prisoner—he was simply a father.
Meanwhile, Wei Caiwei applied her own specially formulated burn ointment to Wang Daxia. "Don't pop this blister; let it heal naturally. In this summer heat, if the wound festers, it could turn serious. I've seen entire arms rot away, leading to amputation. We mustn't take it lightly."Upon hearing that his arm might be amputated, Wang Daxia trembled with fear, "I'll obediently recover and won't run around recklessly."
Wei Caiwei prescribed oral medication and instructed the guards to fetch and brew the herbs overnight, "Drink the medicine before sleeping, don't slack off."
Wang Daxia meekly agreed, "Thank you for setting the fire tonight to save me."
Had it been any later, he wouldn't have escaped so smoothly.
Wei Caiwei said, "Thank you for saving Ding Wu. He doesn't know martial arts and was tortured on the water wheel—he almost didn't make it."
Ding Wu's constitution wasn't as robust as Wang Daxia's; after hanging on the water wheel for half a day, he remained unconscious.
Before even drinking the medicine, Wang Daxia began to feel jealous again, "Did you save me because I rescued Ding Wu?"
You... Wei Caiwei truly wanted to pry open Wang Daxia's skull to see how his mind worked.
But seeing the burns on Wang Daxia's arm, Wei Caiwei softened once more, her tone gentle, "Whether Ding Wu was involved or not, I would have saved you."
She then handed him grapes from the plate, "Eat something as a midnight snack; don't drink medicine on an empty stomach."
Wang Daxia was easily appeased—a kind word and a little treat were enough to satisfy him.
Lately, however, Wang Daxia had clearly grown bolder, "Ah, my arm hurts so much. It aches when I use my hand, and peeling grapes is difficult."
He meant for Wei Caiwei to peel the grapes for him.
Wang Daxia was the type to push his luck with the slightest encouragement—give him an inch, and he'd take a mile. Leave him unchecked for three days, and he'd tear the roof off.
Anyone else would have told him to get lost long ago.
But Wei Caiwei wasn't just anyone—she was his wife in their previous life. He had relied on her support all his life, and in this world, only she could tolerate him the most.
In their past life, Wang Daxia had been the one peeling grapes for Wei Caiwei. After a lifetime of doing so, it was now his turn to act spoiled.
She held back, telling herself this life was meant to repay his affection.
Wei Caiwei washed her hands and personally peeled the grapes for him, even using a toothpick to remove the seeds—just as Wang Daxia had done for her in their previous life.
"Open your mouth."
Ah—Wang Daxia opened wide, waiting to be fed.
Just as Wei Caiwei was about to toss the grape into his mouth, Wang Daxia suddenly ducked his head like a pecking chicken, his tongue swiftly scooping the grape inside.
The delicate warmth of his tongue against her fingertips sent a ripple through Wei Caiwei's heart, reminding her of the intimacy she shared with Wang Daxia when they were an Eunuch and Maid Pairing.
Wang Daxia was a eunuch without roots, but he was clever and skilled with his hands—and his words—excelling at relying on others' support.
Though they were an Eunuch and Maid Pairing, they had no lack of bedroom pleasures...
Wait, what am I thinking? This Wang Daxia is only fourteen, not yet of age.
Moreover, aside from sharing the same handsome face and a penchant for garish, eye-searing aesthetics, the fourteen-year-old Wang Daxia and the future Eunuch Wang were almost entirely different in personality.
Wei Caiwei steadied herself and pushed the remaining grapes toward Wang Daxia, "Eat them yourself."
She did feel some transference of emotions toward the current Wang Daxia, but she wasn't a monster—her dead husband was still just a half-grown boy, tender and immature.
He didn't understand what he was doing, what consequences it might bring, or whether he could bear those consequences.
He was still a youth with a bright smile that needed her protection. His eyes, free of any shadow, were something Wei Caiwei had never seen in their previous life.
Wang Daxia whined, "My hand hurts."Wei Caiwei plucked a grape and placed it in her mouth, biting out the flesh before spitting out the skin. "Just eat it like this—no need to peel it with your hands."
Seeing how gentle and patient Wei Caiwei was with him, Wang Daxia grew spoiled by the affection. "Look, I'm injured—ouch, it hurts!"
Wei Caiwei had no choice. What else could she do? This troublesome husband of hers was hers to pamper. She peeled the grapes, removed the seeds, but instead of feeding him directly, she placed the flesh into a small bowl for Wang Daxia to scoop up with a little spoon.
Author's Note: A man who acts cute is truly blessed! The day before yesterday, Lan Zhou acted cute, rolled around begging for comments, striving for a one-day spot on the monthly rankings. With all the readers' tremendous support, we gathered over a thousand comments in a single day. Having typed away until today, Lan Zhou hasn't seen much of the world and had never experienced such a surge in comments before. It felt like this move was fiercer than a tiger—surely enough to land a one-day spot on the monthly rankings. But when Lan Zhou checked the rankings, not only did we not make it, we even dropped several places. Other new stories with better data overtook us. Although Lan Zhou is disappointed by the defeat, we accept it wholeheartedly—at least we tried. Still, we're very grateful for everyone's comments. This chapter comes with 200 red envelopes as a small token of appreciation. It's been a joy to tell the story of Daxia and Banxia's two-life bond this summer. Every day, Lan Zhou types away with an auntie's smile—telling this story brings so much happiness!
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