Chapter 82: Intentions (1)

"Magistrate Shao, don't listen to his nonsense!"

It was the village chief's son of Yin Family Village who broke the silence.

He'd been listening dumbly for a long time, finally thinking he'd figured out the whole story.

He shot Le Wuya an angry glare, then stammered nervously, trying to comfort Shao Hongzhen: "You, you don't need to be scared. Worst case, you just quit this official post. If anyone comes looking for you, you can hide with us in the woods—that'll work, right? As long as we folks in Yin Family Village got food to eat, you'll have some too!"

Faced with such clumsy kindness, Shao Hongzhen gave a bitter laugh. "...Thank you."

Suddenly, a mountain villager came stumbling up, yelling frantically: "Sir, sir, a whole bunch of people just came into the village!"

Le Wuya glanced sideways and saw torchlight blazing in the distance, lighting up half the sky.

The mountain villagers immediately threw into a panic.

They gripped their machetes tight, pointing the gleaming blades at the outsiders there.

Shao Hongzhen sensed something was off and shot to his feet.

"Don't panic!" he barked. "Nobody move!"

But the thought of "the village getting raided" stirred up the deep fear in every heart in Yin Family Village, turning their eyes red.

They'd thought that once they got rich, a day like this would never come again.

How could this be? How could it come to this?

Seeing that even the commanding Shao Hongzhen had momentarily lost his authority, and the mountain villagers were closing in with their blades out, Le Wuya's heart sank a little. He knew words were useless now, so he just spread his arms and pulled Xiang Zhijie and Wen Renyue into his embrace, shielding their heads and necks.

He'd do his best—this was all he could manage.

And his move only stoked the villagers' fury even more.

One man, unable to hold himself back, stepped forward and thrust his machete at Le Wuya's back!

In a flash, Pei Mingqi's sword rang out as he knocked the blade aside—yet he didn't press further, nor take advantage of the man's wide-open guard to cut him down.

Pei Mingqi had a fierce temper, but he was a general skilled at defense.

If the mountain villagers had seen one of their own bleed here, things would've spiraled completely out of control.

He spun his longsword in his hand, gritted his teeth, and stood watch behind Le Wuya.

His back—there was always someone guarding it.

Seeing Pei Mingqi's extraordinary martial skill, the mountain villagers hesitated for a moment.

But as the torches blazed closer, closing in on their flower fields, the villagers got restless again.

Another blade came swinging down, driven by seething hatred.

This time, it wasn't Pei Mingqi who stepped in—it was Shao Hongzhen.

He darted forward, blocking the way, and grabbed the machete's blade with his bare hand.

The blade flashed and cut clean through most of his palm.

The villager holding the weapon saw Magistrate Shao's blood spray out, and his grip went slack. He dropped the blade and stumbled back a few steps, his dark face twisted with pain, confusion, and self-blame.

Shao Hongzhen seemed to feel no pain at all, grinding his teeth: "You want blood, huh? Then take mine!"

The mountain villagers stared at Shao Hongzhen, tears streaming down their faces without them even realizing.

Before long, they were all sobbing in a ragged chorus.

Someone hastily tore off a strip of cloth to wrap Shao Hongzhen's wound.

Another, choking on his tears, cried out: "Magistrate Shao, run into the mountains! Go, go find those who buy our medicine—run over to Annam!"

Even now, they still insisted on calling the opium "medicine."

They saw no fault in themselves at all. Even if they vaguely knew the stuff was harmful, they were brazenly indifferent, not caring one bit.

Shao Hongzhen lowered his eyes.

In a single night, he seemed to have gotten thinner, older.

In the moonlight, his once-round face had hollowed out, leaving only a pale layer of skin stretched tight over his cheekbones: "If I run, who'll shield you? ...A county magistrate is the people's umbrella. Even if I can only block a little wind and rain, that's something."

At once, wailing broke out all around.

The scene was enough to move anyone watching to tears.

Le Wuya had no time to appreciate this bond between the official and the people.

His eyes were clear as mirrors, his heart as hard as iron.

Such weeping was indeed sincere and moving.

The convulsions of addicts going through withdrawal, the sobs of the dying, the desperate cries of their families...

Their cries were too distant—the mountain villagers couldn't hear them, and Magistrate Shao couldn't hear them either.

Amid the mournful wailing, Le Wuya calmly asked Wen Renyue: "You alright?"

"I'm fine." Wen Renyue was full of apology. "It's just... I'm no good."

Le Wuya pressed his forehead against Wen Renyue's. "Nonsense. Our Scholar Ming did us proud."

Then he turned to Xiang Zhijie, looking at his dirt-smudged face, not sure what to say.

Xiang Zhijie looked back at him, voice soft and gentle: "I'm fine too."

Le Wuya said nothing, but touched his sleeve, soaked through with blood, and thought: Cold as that? You're full of it.

Amid the wailing of the Yin Family villagers, a squad of armored soldiers charged straight in.

In an instant, like a gust of wind, they efficiently disarmed the wailing mountain folk.

Leading the charge, his face cold as iron, was none other than Pei Mingqi's deputy general, An Shuguo.

He'd been away on business for the past two days, out of camp. When he got back, he learned that Pei Mingqi had taken a few personal guards and plunged headfirst into the bandit-infested mountains of Xingtai to investigate a case. Sensing trouble, he rounded up twenty extra guards and came to back Pei Mingqi up.

On the way, he ran into the shadow guards Xiang Zhijie had sent for help.

Deputy General An knew things were bad, and being one who always played it safe, he immediately rode to a garrison five li away, brought out every available man, and made straight for Yin Family Village.

As soon as he caught sight of Pei Mingqi standing with sword in hand, the cold hardness on his face melted away like a tide, and he rushed over to check him over from head to toe.

Only after confirming that he was as strong and healthy as a young ox did Deputy General An's eyes well up with a glimmer of joyful tears.

Though only five years his senior, An Shuguo had always been a born worrier.

After more than a decade of day-in, day-out closeness, he had almost come to regard Pei Mingqi as his own son.

He clapped Pei Mingqi on the shoulder repeatedly: "Next time you go out, you're taking me with you, no matter what! You scared me half to death!"

Pei Mingqi turned his head away, catching sight of the two people wrapped in Le Wuya's arms. He swallowed hard, forcing down a surge of bitterness.

He turned away, refusing to look at what would only pain him: "Are the men who came with me alright? They were all busy chasing after me—the villagers didn't have time to deal with them, did they?"

Deputy General An: "They'd even dug the pits to bury them! And stripped their clothes off too. Thank goodness they hadn't gotten around to killing them yet."

Pei Mingqi nodded: "Good. If I'd brought you along, you'd be the one in the pit right now."

Deputy General An: "..."

Pei Mingqi remarked callously: "You and your love of food—nothing can stop you."

Even though Deputy General An was well aware of his habit of never saying anything decent, he was still so infuriated that he nearly toppled over, and that tender paternal affection transformed into a rising urge to slay his master.

Pei Mingqi didn't want to turn back and heap more shame and longing on himself, so he simply addressed the shrubs ahead: "I'm going to check on my men."

With that abrupt remark, he strode off in large steps, heading straight down the mountain.

As he withdrew, Deputy General An finally caught sight of Le Wuya behind him.

...Why had the magistrate of Nanting come to Xingtai?

Deputy General An's thoughts were somewhat muddled, but when he clearly saw the person Le Wuya was embracing, he was jolted wide awake as if hit by lightning. He hastily bowed, then darted behind Pei Mingqi and descended the mountain right on his heels.

The shadow guard, who'd been slow to arrive, finally made his appearance at that moment.

Seeing Zhi Jie in such a state, his face turned ashen and he trembled like a leaf, looking even more miserable than the wounded Zhi Jie himself.

He knelt on both knees, struggling to steady his breath: "Sixth Master, this subordinate failed in his duty to protect you—it is a crime deserving my family's annihilation..."

Zhi Jie glanced at him, then closed his eyes again: "You brought troops to rescue me—that is a great merit. How can you speak of guilt?"

The shadow guard's heart relaxed.

Zhi Jie instructed softly: "Quickly destroy those opium fields at the foot of the mountain, and seal and transport the evidence. You shall personally oversee this—there must be no mistakes."

The shadow guard jerked his head up: "You are gravely wounded—that is already this subordinate's fault. How could I leave your side?"

"With Magistrate Wenren protecting me..." Zhi Jie said in a gentle voice, "What do I have to fear?"

The shadow guard offered no further objections: "I'll prepare a carriage for you, with medicine and hot water ready. Are you heading to Xingtai, or..."

Zhi Jie: "Return to Nanting."

The shadow guard dared not question further, and replied crisply: "Yes."

...

On the other side, the villagers of Yinjia Village, with tears welling up, were bound and taken away one after another.

As for Shao Hongzhen, being the principal culprit, he was singled out for iron shackles.

These shackles had been brought from the military camp and were exceedingly heavy. He staggered before barely managing to stand upright.

He stumbled forward a few steps and saw Le Wuya.

"If I'd known this would happen, I truly shouldn't have let you speak," Shao Hongzhen sighed. "One tongue can do the work of a hundred men."

Le Wuya glanced at his blood-stained palms, then his gaze settled on the patched pouch at his waist.

He raised his eyes casually: "Magistrate Shao, you have no children yet, do you?"

Shao Hongzhen shook his head: "No."

"Then it's good you don't," Le Wuya said. "Magistrate Shao, you truly love the people as your own children. But spoiling a child is as good as killing him. Throughout history, running a great state and managing a small family have followed the same principle."

Shao Hongzhen was silent for a moment, wanting to argue back, but found himself at a loss for words.

In the end, he only said: "Thank you for the lesson, Magistrate Wenren... However, there is one thing I still don't understand. Might I ask Magistrate Wenren to clear this up for me?"

Le Wuya: "Go ahead."

Shao Hongzhen stepped forward, leaned in, and gazed at Le Wuya. Behind those broken lenses, his eyes were full of scrutiny.

"I've ruined my eyes from too much reading, but I'm not blind, and my heart is not blind either," he said. "You are as different from the Wenren Yue of half a year ago as night and day."

Could a fledgling little magistrate, who had just emerged, been stripped of power, and could barely take a step, truly have transformed so completely in just half a year?

Le Wuya was taken aback for a moment, then broke into an easy smile, seeing right through him: "Magistrate Shao, even if you're determined to protect the villagers of Yinjia Village, you don't have to go out of your way to find fault with me."

Shao Hongzhen pressed on stubbornly: "Your appearance..."

Le Wuya was utterly unconcerned: "If Magistrate Shao wants to grasp at shadows and drag others down, be my guest. But Yinjia Village genuinely has opium fields—that's just the fact of the matter. How can anyone deny it?"

Shao Hongzhen gave him a deep look: "Sometimes, grasping at shadows, even without solid evidence, can still have some effect."

Zhi Jie, who was giving instructions to the shadow guard, seemed to sense something. He blinked his damp lashes and glanced toward where the two were talking.

Le Wuya ignored him.

After Shao Hongzhen was escorted down the mountain, Le Wuya also supported Zhi Jie, walking down together with Wenren Yue.

Halfway down, Le Wuya noticed Zhi Jie's body felt abnormally hot, so he touched his forehead.

He dared not delay. He crouched down, hoisted Zhi Jie onto his back, and headed straight down the mountain.

The shadow guard had already failed in his duty; if his master didn't pursue the matter, that was his master being gracious. How could he dare to be careless at this moment?

As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, they saw two carriages already waiting, though no drivers were in sight.

The first carriage had been fitted with thick, soft cushions and was stocked with an assortment of wound medicines thrown together in a hurry, clearly prepared for Zhi Jie.

Le Wuya helped Zhi Jie into the carriage, and as he was lifting the curtain to peer around for a military physician, Zhi Jie grabbed the hem of his robe.

Zhi Jie was burning up with fever, his fingers lacking much strength.

He murmured: "...Teacher, don't go."

Seeing the usually composed and steady Zhi Jie acting so clingy, Le Wuya's heart melted instantly. There was no way he could leave that carriage now.

While Le Wuya was busy cutting away Xiang Zhijie's blood-soaked sleeve, Wen Renyue lifted the curtain: "Is there anything I can do?"

Le Wuya was sweating from the frantic pace, and said casually, "Go get a coachman. We need to get back fast and find a real doctor. Xiaoliu never gets sick. Now that he's down, who knows if it'll be good or bad?"

Wen Renyue clenched the soft curtain tightly.

...Xiaoliu.

Seeing the two of them embracing while the medicine was applied, so intimate and close, Wen Renyue felt his blood surge with heat. He could only steady himself by gripping the curtain, letting the churning emotions in his chest settle.

If only Brother Gu would hold just him...

At this thought, Wen Renyue gave a start, overwhelmed with shame.

The Sixth Prince was gravely wounded, brought to such a state.

How could he even think like that?

This gentleman of jade-like virtue set aside all selfish desires and, with the cloying scent of blood on him, left the carriage to find the coachmen.

The two coachmen had gone to a nearby house to borrow a kettle and boil water, and came back drenched in sweat.

Once the two big pots of hot water were loaded onto the carriage, the wheels rumbled forward, heading straight for Nanting.

As the carriage rocked gently, Xiang Zhijie opened his eyes, his gaze landing on the soft curtain that Wen Renyue had crumpled.

He said softly, "Teacher, if I really don't pull through..."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Le Wuya hadn't expected Xiang Zhijie to still be awake, and hurriedly coaxed him, "Don't you scare me. If you really died, I..."

Le Wuya kept saying "I" for a long while, trailing off, unable to imagine what he would do if, having lived a second life, Xiaoliu, Xiaoqi, or Little Phoenix were truly gone.

For him, the past life had been strewn with thorns, but fortunately they were there, giving him a few moments of sweetness amid the pain.

Seeing that Le Wuya couldn't answer, Xiang Zhijie comforted him instead.

"It's okay. Don't be afraid," he said. "...I owe you."

Le Wuya frowned: "What do you owe me?"

Xiang Zhijie pressed his sweaty cheek against Le Wuya's shoulder and repeated, "...It's always me who owes you."

Le Wuya knew exactly what the kid was feeling guilty about.

His face went cold instantly: "Is this what I taught you?"

Before he could keep scolding this unusually disobedient student, the carriage hit a loose stone and jolted up and down. Xiang Zhijie's face went pale, and he murmured, "Teacher, it hurts..."

All of Le Wuya's anger vanished in that instant. He laid Xiang Zhijie's injured arm flat and grumbled, "Twenty-three years old, and still so fragile."

Treating the wound was now urgent.

But this carriage had been commandeered on the spot, and space was limited. Xiang Zhijie was tall and slender—lying down wasn't possible, sitting was uncomfortable. Le Wuya ended up half-carrying, half-holding him, sitting in his lap with his legs wrapped around Xiang Zhijie's waist so he could lean back comfortably.

Worried that his Xiaoliu would be scared by the sight of the wound, Le Wuya wrapped a strip of soft white cloth over his eyes before cleaning it.

After his earlier display of petulance, Xiang Zhijie seemed to feel embarrassed, staying obediently silent as he let Le Wuya tend to him—truly a cooperative patient.

Le Wuya carefully washed the wound with clean water, then dried the area around it with a clean cloth.

The gash was sizable, fierce and gruesome to look at—it would definitely leave a scar.

When Le Wuya was in a bad mood, he always liked to crack jokes to lighten the mood.

He gestured at Xiang Zhijie's arm: "Do you know how long a cut you've made?"

Xiang Zhijie's eyes were covered, revealing only his handsome nose and a pale, angular mouth.

He shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

Le Wuya: "When you enter the bridal chamber in the future, you'll probably give your wife quite a fright."

Xiang Zhijie didn't respond to Le Wuya's quip, nor did he laugh.

Le Wuya was pondering what else to say to ease his mind when he heard Xiang Zhijie rasp, "Next time... don't let Teacher hold Wen Renyue."

Just from the sound of his voice, there was even a hint of grievance and pitifulness.

Le Wuya was momentarily stunned, thinking, he really is badly hurt—he's not even bothering with riddles anymore.

The next moment, he burst out laughing: "My Sixth Lord, that was to save a life."

Xiang Zhijie lowered his head, pondering seriously and conflictedly for a moment.

"Saving a life is fine," he said softly. "Anything else, no."