Chapter 80: With Uncle Here
Liu Chan, sleeping on the small bed indoors, was already emitting faint snores.
Yang Luo sat up from the bed, draped on her clothes, and quietly walked out.
The room on Liu Changqing’s side was also dark and silent.
Yang Luo walked outside the kitchen and softly called, “Young Lady.”
There was no sound inside.
Yang Luo pushed open the door and saw that the stove fire was left with only scattered embers, the room empty and unoccupied.
A Sheng hasn’t come back yet?
Yang Luo turned her head to look next door.
The clinking sounds next door had also stopped, the big pot in the courtyard possibly still simmering, emitting a briny aroma and light.
Something was wrong.
A Sheng wouldn’t come back this late.
Yang Luo clenched the hand placed in front of her body and looked toward the night sky outside.
……
…….
Duke Ding’an looked at the flickering firelight under his feet; the blood all over the ground seemed to dance along with it, even more terrifying.
However, after being successively frightened by the scene and the words he heard, he instead sobered up.
Evil ghosts aren’t this terrifying!
People are terrifying!
The detestable madman Wei Jiao, and… that niece who gave him headaches!
Duke Ding’an’s face was ghastly pale.
“What exactly is going on?” He asked weakly, looking at the young girl before him who was covered in blood, her clothes and hair disheveled, as if she had just crawled out from a pile of corpses, “Didn’t you go to the Liu Family?”
How did she end up in this ghastly state.
Mo Zheng also stopped pursuing further questions; Duke Ding’an’s reaction was already enough for her.
“Uncle.”
She grabbed Duke Ding’an and shook him while choking up.
“I was pursued and killed; today I was pursued and killed—no, I’ve always been pursued and killed.”
“Uncle, my mother’s death was not the work of mountain bandits.”
“Those people weren’t mountain bandits; they came specifically to kill my mother and me…”
Duke Ding’an felt dizzy from being shaken, and these words made him even dizzier: “What nonsense are you saying?”
“I’m not talking nonsense!” Mo Zheng said with tears in her eyes, “I’ve been hiding my name and identity, not daring to reveal my true name and background, precisely because I’ve been pursued and killed.”
Her tears welled up in her eyes.
“My mother’s death was a conspiracy; someone deliberately harmed us.”
“Think about how the government delivered the news to you back then? Mountain bandits wiped out the entire town.”
“Don’t you find it strange? What kind of mountain bandits could wipe out an entire town in one night!”
At the time, when the news came that the person had suddenly died at the hands of mountain bandits, he did find it surprising, but in a remote place, there was nothing strange about it; besides, it was her own choice, and she had to bear the consequences herself…
Dying cleanly.
But she hadn’t died cleanly… otherwise, he wouldn’t be dragged out in the middle of the night now to see this scene.
Duke Ding’an irritably snapped, “What nonsense are you spouting? Who would want to kill you all and why…”
At this point, he thought of something.
His expression changed slightly, and his voice abruptly stopped.
……
…….
“I’m not spouting nonsense.”
Mo Zheng’s voice was still echoing.
“Mother said someone wanted to harm us… Mother was murdered, I escaped, but they still pursue relentlessly… I just arrived at the Liu Family tonight and discovered someone following me; these people came to kill me… I want to report to officials… Uncle, quickly report to officials…”
With that, she tugged Duke Ding’an to look at Wei Jiao.
“The Embroidered Uniform Guards are here; Captain Wei is here—thank goodness Captain Wei is here…”
Duke Ding’an’s heart pounded, his ears buzzing from the shouting, but his mind was very clear.
In other words, his niece encountered a villain and also happened to run into Wei Jiao.
He glanced again at the scattered corpses on the ground—too terrifying; these Embroidered Uniform Guards were indeed formidable at murder.
This made sense; otherwise, how could his niece still be standing here shouting.
Report to officials.
They absolutely could not report to officials.
Duke Ding’an grabbed Mo Zheng in return, planting his feet firmly on the ground: “Shut your mouth; don’t talk nonsense…”
He glanced at Wei Jiao.
The young man’s face bore a smile, his eyes coldly clear as he watched them.
Ever since the two began speaking, he had stood quietly by the side listening, without interjecting to intimidate.
Hearing this, Wei Jiao let out an “oh”: “That’s right; we Embroidered Uniform Guards resolve worries and difficulties…”
What nonsense; when did the Embroidered Uniform Guards ever resolve worries and difficulties? They themselves were the worries and difficulties! Duke Ding’an hurriedly shook his head while tugging Mo Zheng: “No, no, no, how could we trouble Captain Wei with this? This kind of matter, this kind of matter…”
He lowered his head to look at the corpses and gore around, swallowing hard.
“This kind of matter is Jingzhao Prefecture’s responsibility; how could we trouble the Embroidered Uniform Guards.”
With that, he glared fiercely at Mo Zheng again.
“Don’t talk nonsense; how is this pursuing and killing you? The capital’s nights are inherently, inherently not peaceful!”
“Everything will wait until the officials investigate; this is the Capital City, under the Son of Heaven, a prosperous and clear era!”
Mo Zheng looked at him: “Uncle, so is the Capital City ultimately not peaceful or peaceful…”
“Shut your mouth.” Duke Ding’an irritably snapped.
The blood-soaked girl clenched her hands, her eyes brimming with tears, and fell silent.
Duke Ding’an hurriedly soothed: “Don’t overthink it; with your uncle here, you go home first; I’ll have people investigate and get to the bottom of it.”
At this point, he squeezed out tears.
“Too dangerous; if something happened to you, how could I explain it to your late mother.”
…….
…….
“…Duke, Duke, it’s late—you can’t die!”
Duke Ding’an’s Wife’s crying voice came from outside the street.
Although he was resting at his concubine’s place, when the Embroidered Uniform Guards came knocking in the middle of the night and took Duke Ding’an away, the steward immediately informed Duke Ding’an’s Wife.
Duke Ding’an’s Wife had hurriedly chased after, but was stopped outside the street, unable to see the situation here.
“Shut your mouth! Stop shouting!”
Duke Ding’an irritably shouted.
With that, he looked at Wei Jiao again.
Wei Jiao stood motionless in place, smiling as he watched them.
“Captain Wei, thank you, Captain Wei; my child is frightened and injured—let her go back first.” Duke Ding’an said. Fearing Wei Jiao would obstruct, he quickly added, “I’m not leaving; I’ll handle the rest.”
Before Wei Jiao could speak, Mo Zheng looked toward him.
“Captain Wei—” Her eyes pleaded, “Please help me investigate the murderer; Captain Wei, I trust only you—”
Wei Jiao smiled: “You trust me, but does that mean I have to let you order me around?”
Duke Ding’an hurriedly nodded and scolded: “Exactly; what nonsense are you spouting, child? How could the Embroidered Uniform Guards be ordered about by you!” He apologized to Wei Jiao, “This child is talking nonsense out of fright.” With that, he pulled Mo Zheng outward, “Quickly go home.”
Wei Jiao lifted his chin slightly, and the surrounding Embroidered Uniform Guards parted to make way.
He watched Duke Ding’an rush out, watched the young girl seemingly powerless to break free as she was dragged away, then heard shouts, scoldings, noisy chaos coming from outside.
“Oh heavens, oh heavens, what happened? What happened?”
“Stop shouting; she encountered thieves—quickly take her back; we’ll talk after going back.”
“My maidservant is still over there; what if those people harm her—”
“Oh heavens, villains—all because you ran around!”
“Go, go, go fetch her.”
…….
…….
The night was deathly still, so still that Yang Luo felt suffocated. Suddenly, footsteps came from outside, but this didn’t let her catch her breath; her whole body tensed even more, clenching the fire poker in her hand.
The footsteps grew closer and closer, stopping at the door.
Yang Luo held her breath, but at the same time, a soft call came from outside the door.
“Miss Liu?”
The call was for Miss Liu; she was now masquerading as Liu Chan using Yang Luo’s maidservant identity, so this was the most correct way to address her.
It’s A Sheng!
Yang Luo exhaled in one breath, hurriedly opening the door. By the flickering torchlight outside the alley, she saw A Sheng with her hair simply tied up, a cloak wrapped around her entire body, her face ghastly pale yet seeming to flush faintly.
“Young Lady!” She pounced forward to hug her.
A Sheng indeed wasn’t next door.
Thank heavens; A Sheng had come back again.
