Chapter 147

Chapter 147

Li Mu racked his brains the entire journey, unable to recall ever meeting such a young man.

His daily life was a strict two-point routine: other than returning home for meals and to see his children, he spent his days drilling troops at the military camp, with no time for anything else.

Upon reaching the camp entrance, he finally saw the person standing outside.

Li Mu paused, finding the figure vaguely familiar, as if he had seen them before. A closer look brought back the memory of a brief encounter at Qingfeng Temple. He wondered why this person had come to seek him out.

Lin Sui also spotted Marquis Wuping. Dressed in light armor today, the Marquis appeared quite robust. Coupled with his imposing height, he approached like a small mountain. The courage Lin Sui had mustered earlier evaporated upon seeing the man’s face; he even turned as if to flee.

Li Mu was not unattractive; with thick eyebrows and large eyes, he could be called handsome. However, a bluish-black birthmark covered half of his left eye, and combined with the battle-hardened aura—a presence forged through real bloodshed—ordinary people dared not meet his gaze.

"What brings you to me?"

Lin Sui’s legs gave way, and he dropped to his knees, his voice trembling. "I beg the Marquis to pardon me and not cause trouble for my brother and sister-in-law..."

"What?" His voice was too soft for Li Mu to hear clearly.

Lin Sui bit his lip, mustered his courage, and repeated, "I beg the Marquis not to trouble my brother and sister-in-law."

Li Mu scratched his head, wondering if his ears were failing him—how could he not understand what was being said? Who were this person’s brother and sister-in-law? When had he ever troubled them?

"Stand up and speak."

Lin Sui slowly rose to his feet. The long walk under the scorching sun had left him somewhat dizzy, and he staggered, nearly falling.

A large hand supported his arm, steadying him.

Lin Sui, startled, quickly withdrew his hand. "Thank you, Marquis."

Not far away, several officers who witnessed the scene began hooting and teasing, mimicking in shrill voices, "Thank you, Marquis~"

Li Mu’s face darkened further. He gestured at them with a thumb before turning to Lin Sui. "Let’s go talk in the side room."

Lin Sui dared not refuse and followed Li Mu into the small guardhouse by the camp entrance. Li Mu offered him a seat, but Lin Sui only perched on the edge, his entire body tense as if ready to flee at any moment.

"Earlier you said something about not troubling your brother and sister-in-law. Who are they, and why would you say that?"

Lin Sui guessed that Shopkeeper Wei’s wife had not yet had time to speak with Marquis Wuping about the matter. Feeling somewhat more assured, he recounted the entire story from beginning to end.

"Shopkeeper Wei’s wife claimed to be your aunt and said she would call on you to shut down my sister-in-law’s shop. I was at my wit's end, so I came to find you. I beg the Marquis to be merciful and spare us..." After speaking, Lin Sui knelt on the ground and began kowtowing.

"Get up quickly." Li Mu helped him to his feet and, seeing him weeping, quickly took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to him to wipe his face.

"Th-thank you, Marquis." Lin Sui took it between sobs.

"If what you say is true, I am not an unreasonable person. Naturally, I will not trouble you."

Lin Sui looked up in surprise. "Really?!"

Li Mu nodded. It was true that Shopkeeper Wei’s wife was his aunt, but he had long severed ties with his father’s side of the family, including this aunt, with whom he hadn’t had contact in years. He hardly even remembered her existence. He hadn’t expected her to dare commit misdeeds in his name.

"Set your mind at ease. I will send someone to warn them. They will not trouble your shop again in the future."

"Thank you, Marquis! Thank you!" Lin Sui finally relaxed, a grateful smile appearing on his face.

He was naturally handsome, and this vulnerable demeanor easily stirred sympathy in men. Li Mu, thinking of how he had lost his husband at such a young age, couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity.

"Did you come alone?"

Lin Sui nodded. "I went to your residence first but didn’t find anyone, so I asked for directions and came here."

Li Mu felt another wave of goodwill toward this delicate young man who had come all this way alone to the military camp to find him, all to avoid bringing trouble to his brother and sister-in-law.

"I’ll have someone give you a ride back later."

"No, no need to trouble yourself. I can walk back."

Li Mu insisted, "This area is remote. You might encounter ruffians on the road. It’s too dangerous for a young man like you." He then called over Tian Baihu, who was watching nearby.

"Old Tian, get a carriage ready and take this young man back."

"Alright!" Tian Baihu cheerfully went to prepare the carriage and soon returned driving a flatbed wagon used for military supplies. "Young master, please get on."

The flatbed wagon’s chassis was too high. Lin Sui tried several times but couldn’t climb up. Watching from behind, Li Mu couldn't bear to watch any longer and supported Lin Sui’s waist with one hand, lifting him onto the wagon.

Lin Sui’s face flushed with embarrassment, and he whispered his thanks, "Thank you, Marquis..."

*

Back at home, no one knew Lin Sui had gone to the military camp alone.

Wang Ying, after settling matters at the new house, returned home only to find Qing Yun hanging clothes in the yard instead of Lin Sui.

"Where’s Brother Sui?"

Qing Yun said, "Didn’t he go to the new house to find you?"

"No, I haven’t seen him all morning."

Chen Qingyun scratched his head. "He said he was going to the new house to find you..."

Wang Ying’s heart sank. Could the child have gone to plead with Shopkeeper Wei?

"I’m going out for a bit. If Mother asks, tell her I went to the shop."

Wang Ying called Tian Ju and Ma Zhandong and hurriedly rushed toward the Wei family’s incense and candle shop. Along the way, Wang Ying was frantic with worry, afraid Lin Sui might do something foolish.

Lin Sui had no education, his thinking was simple, and after long-term suppression and hardship from his former husband’s family, he had developed a self-blaming personality, habitually taking all mistakes upon himself and reluctant to cause trouble for others.

If anything were to happen to him, how could they face Third Aunt?

When they reached the Wei family’s incense and candle shop, Wang Ying stormed in angrily. "Where’s your boss?!"

The clerk recognized Wang Ying and quickly said, "The boss isn’t here. Is there something you need?"

"Did my brother come here earlier?"

The clerk thought for a moment and nodded. "He did come. He said he wanted to see our manager. I told him the manager wasn’t here, and he left."

Wang Ying didn’t believe it. "Is Shopkeeper Wei really not here?"

"Really not. This morning, the manager’s wife came to open up. She threw me the keys and went back."

Seeing that the clerk didn’t seem to be lying, Wang Ying left the shop with the two others. Staring at the bustling streets, his head was swimming—the city was so large; where could they find him?

"Let’s split up and ask around. Tian Ju, you go to Zhenghe Street. Ma Qianzi, you go to Zhengtong Street. I’ll search here on Zhengyang Street. Ask everyone you see if they might have seen him."

"Yes." The two quickly ran off.

Wang Ying began asking around the neighborhood, from noon until afternoon without getting any leads. Just as he was about to give up, he suddenly heard someone calling him.

"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law!"

Lin Sui looked up and saw a carriage approaching in the distance, with none other than Lin Sui sitting inside!

"Officer, please stop the carriage!"

"Whoa!" Tian Baihu reined in the horse. "Easy there, young master."

Lin Sui held onto the carriage shaft and slowly jumped down. "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome." Tian Baihu turned the carriage around and left.

Wang Ying hurried over, grabbed Lin Sui, and looked him over from head to toe. "Brother Sui, where have you been? The family has been worried sick about you!"

Lin Sui lowered his head guiltily. "I'm sorry, sister-in-law. I worried you."

Seeing him like this, Wang Ying couldn't scold him any further. "Where did you go? Who was that who just brought you back?"

Lin Sui hesitated for a moment, then explained that he had gone alone to the military camp to find Marquis Wuping. "He promised me he wouldn’t cause any more trouble for our shop!"

Wang Ying’s heart leaped to her throat. He couldn’t believe Lin Sui had walked such a long distance alone and actually managed to meet Marquis Wuping.

"Don’t ever do this again. If something had happened to you, how could I ever face your mother?"

"I understand…"

Wang Ying sighed. "I know you’re afraid of burdening us, but you’re still young. We adults will handle everything—you don’t need to worry about these things."

Lin Sui felt his nose sting with emotion, and he secretly wiped away a tear. It was so good to have his sister-in-law by his side.

Not long after, for reasons related to Marquis Wuping, Shopkeeper Wei and his wife came in person with gifts to apologize.

Wang Ying didn’t accept the gifts but insisted that the two of them loudly admit in front of the shop that they had slandered Lin Sui, to clear his name.

Shopkeeper Wei’s face turned red with embarrassment, and he stood at the door unable to speak. His wife, however, shouted a few words before hurriedly leaving.

Her jinx of a nephew, whom they hadn’t heard from in years, had suddenly visited the day before and threatened them, warning that if she dared to cause trouble using his name again, he would have their two sons conscripted into the military.

The threat scared Mrs. Wei half to death, so the next day she dragged her husband to the Wang family’s ice shop to apologize.

*

The incident soon blew over, and time flew by until the end of July. Chen Qingyan and the others were about to take the provincial examination.

The examination was scheduled for the eighth day of the eighth month. This year was a major examination year, held once every three years, so scholars from all over the prefecture gathered in the city to wait to take the exam.

Some who lived far away had arrived as early as half a year in advance, renting houses in the city to wait slowly. Those who came later couldn’t even find places to stay—the city’s inns were fully booked, and even common dormitories and storage sheds were packed with people.

Scholars in Confucian robes and hats could be seen throughout the streets and alleys, and teahouses and taverns were buzzing with talk about the provincial examination. The atmosphere was thick with exam fever.

The two cousins from Tianyang County had also arrived. The second cousin, Li Bingchen, was sitting for the exam this year—his third attempt—while the eldest cousin, Li Bingwen, accompanied him.

Their uncle had originally planned to come as well, but he had recently suffered a back ailment that left him bedridden and in too much pain to travel. Thus, the two sons had to come to the prefecture capital without their father.

They brought many things with them and, using the address from the last letter, found their way to the rented courtyard.

When they arrived, however, they found the gate tightly shut and the courtyard silent and deserted.

Li Bingchen asked doubtfully, "Did we come to the wrong place?"

"No, this is the right place—the seventh house in Xizi Alley, with a jujube tree at the entrance."

"Then why is no one here?"

The brothers’ faces clouded with worry. Had their aunt been putting on a brave face in her letters, hiding that all wasn't well?

Just then, a neighbor happened to come out. Li Bingwen quickly approached to inquire, "Uncle, did a family named Chen used to live here?"

The old man replied, "Oh, you mean the previous renters? I heard they bought a new house and moved away."

Li Bingwen’s face brightened. "Do you know where they moved to, sir?"

"Still in this alley—three houses down."

The two hurried over and knocked on the door. After a while, they finally saw a familiar face.

Uncle Chen gaped at the two visitors in surprise. "You two… are the young masters from Tianyang?"

"You still remember us, sir?"

Uncle Chen quickly opened the gate. "Please, come in! Young master Chen, madam, our cousins from Tianyang have arrived!"