Chapter 39

The night in Bianliang was enchanting, easily stirring up longing thoughts.

But the sounds of revelry from the taverns and teahouses outside the courtyard, the tunes of string and wind instruments, the sounds of hearty drinking, and the laughter of people celebrating the Spring Festival, gradually extinguished the heart of Lady Zhang, which had been tormented for so long.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she took a basin from the courtyard and, with great effort, carried a bucket of hot water, moving unsteadily into the house. She invited her parents to sit down, then placed the two basins at their feet. She began to remove their shoes and socks. Seeing this, Instructor Zhang sighed bitterly and said, "My child! Don't be so busy. It's New Year's Eve tonight; stay with us and keep us company!"

Hearing her father's call, Lady Zhang's tears silently slid down her cheeks, dripping into the wooden basin and causing ripples.

Seeing her daughter's appearance, Lady Li, her mother, felt a deep pain in her heart and quickly reached out to pull Instructor Zhang. But Instructor Zhang sighed again and silently gazed at his filial daughter, gradually becoming lost in thought.

After washing for a while, Lady Zhang used a towel to dry her parents' feet and then quietly poured the water back into the bucket and carried it out. After tidying up, she called over the maidservant Jin'er, who was wiping away her tears, and the two of them entered the room. Lady Zhang gently locked the door. Seeing her mistress still in this state, Jin'er wanted to console her but didn't know what to say. In the past six months, she had already used up all the words of consolation. Since Master Lin Chong was exiled, she had never seen her mistress speak, as if she had lost her voice.

At this moment, Lady Zhang took out a house deed and a hundred taels of silver from a wooden cabinet by the bed and handed them to Jin'er. The maid was greatly surprised and tried to refuse, but Lady Zhang remained silent, her eyes, which had long lost their ability to show emotion, stared straight at the maid, and she forcefully pushed the items into her hands. Jin'er, with red eyes, had no choice but to accept them.

Seeing her accept them, Lady Zhang let out a light sigh as if a great matter had been completed, closed her eyes, and made no further movement. Jin'er, seeing this, retreated and, holding the house deed and the hundred taels of silver, hurriedly went to find Instructor Zhang. Lady's behavior tonight was unusual, which made her secretly alarmed.

Hearing the sound of the maid closing the door, Lady Zhang opened her eyes, locked the door of her boudoir again, and sat in front of the dressing table, slowly combing her long hair. In the copper mirror, a beautiful woman with tears on her face, heartbroken, was reflected. Looking at the divorce letter on the table, Lady Zhang spoke the first words in the six months since her husband's departure, "I hope we will meet again in the next life..."

After saying this, Lady Zhang turned, moved a chair, slowly stood on it, and threw the white silk she had prepared onto the beam, tying a knot. She slowly put it around her neck.

At this moment, a faint sound came from the window. Lady Zhang heard it but paid no attention. Her heart was already dead, and she only softly said, "My husband, I'm going ahead..." Then she kicked the stool under her feet with all her strength, and her entire body's weight pressed down on her neck. But Lady Zhang remained silent, silently enduring the final pain of leaving this tragic world.

Just as the situation was critical, a scholar in white clothes lifted the window and flipped into the room. Seeing Lady Zhang hanging from the beam, he was shocked and rolled to the ground, quickly drawing the sword from his chest. He prayed, "May the sword not fail me!" and, relying on the swordsmanship skills he had learned from the old Taoist in Exi for over ten years, threw the sword toward the white silk.

Perhaps due to his sincerity, the sword instantly cut a small hole in the white silk. Under the pressure, the small hole expanded infinitely until it could no longer bear the weight. With a tearing sound, the tightly knotted white silk became a straight line, and Lady Zhang fell heavily to the ground, motionless.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open, and an elderly soldier rushed in with a spear. Seeing his daughter in this state, he cried out, "My child!" and bent down to check her pulse. Hearing her daughter cough, he was relieved, stood up, and shouted, ready to fight the stranger who had appeared in his daughter's boudoir.

"Instructor Zhang, wait! I have a letter from Instructor Lin!" Wang Lun quickly shouted to stop him.

The nearly lifeless Lady Zhang, hearing this, struggled to get up and reach for the letter. Wang Lun, seeing that Lady Zhang was safe, was relieved and quickly took the letter from his chest. Suddenly, Instructor Zhang shouted, "My child, don't be deceived, it must be their trick!"

Wang Lun saw that this family had been driven to mental tension by Gao Qiu, not even noticing his rescue, and mistook him for someone sent by the Commander-in-Chief's office. He didn't waste words and threw the letter over, which landed at Lady Zhang's feet.

Lady Zhang quickly bent down to pick up the letter and hurriedly opened it. Seeing the first line, tears streamed down her face, and she said to Instructor Zhang, "Father, it's my husband's handwriting!"

Instructor Zhang relaxed slightly but remained on guard. Lady Zhang quickly finished reading the letter and shouted, "Father, he... he has come to take me!"

Instructor Zhang looked Wang Lun up and down, then bowed and said, "Please wait a moment," and took the letter from his daughter. At this moment, Lady Lin's mother and the maidservant Jin'er rushed in. Lady Li hugged her daughter and wept, "My poor child..." The three women cried together, but Lady Zhang's eyes were vacant, and she murmured, "He hasn't forgotten me... he hasn't forgotten me..."

Instructor Zhang read the letter from beginning to end, confirming it was his son-in-law's handwriting. He deeply planted his spear in the ground, a move similar to Lin Chong's, and burned the letter in the candlelight. He then apologized to Wang Lun, "I didn't know you were the leader of Jizhou, Wang. I was rude just now, please forgive me!"

Wang Lun, seeing his skillful technique and attention to detail, bowed and said, "It's not a sin to be unaware. Instructor Zhang is still as strong and fierce as ever!"

Instructor Zhang smiled bitterly and said, "I only make a fool of myself, driven by the scoundrels of the Gao family!"

Wang Lun chuckled and said, "My brother's letter, what do you plan to do, Instructor Zhang?"

Before Instructor Zhang could answer, Lady Zhang said urgently, "I will go with you!"

Wang Lun bowed to Lady Zhang and called her "Sister-in-law," then looked at Instructor Zhang, waiting for his response.

Instructor Zhang smiled bitterly, looked at his anxious daughter, and then at his wife who was nodding, and sighed, "I only have this one daughter. If she leaves, what's the point of us old folks staying in the capital? Fine, we will all go to your stronghold and trouble you, Leader Wang!"

"That's great, I can finally give my brother a satisfactory answer! Instructor Zhang, since Instructor Lin is my brother, you are my elder. Don't mention any trouble, please don't be so formal!" Wang Lun smiled and bowed.

"How dare I? We will surely trouble you in the future! Since that's the case, we will be a burden, but when do we leave?" Instructor Zhang, a straightforward person, decided and didn't hesitate.

"Let's leave tonight while the city gates are still open!" Wang Lun said.

Instructor Zhang nodded and signaled his wife to pack their belongings. Suddenly, he thought of something and said, "There are people from the Commander-in-Chief's office watching and guarding my house. We need to deal with them first!"

Wang Lun smiled and said, "Instructor, don't worry. I have taken care of them. Just pack your things and leave the city under the moonlight!"

Instructor Zhang nodded in thanks and went to pack. At this moment, Lady Zhang, holding Jin'er's hand, said, "Jin'er, you have been with me and my husband for many years. This time, I don't want you to take the risk. Now that I am going to find my husband, I will give you the two houses in the capital and all our possessions. Find a good family and get married!"

Jin'er, hearing this, wept and said, "Meeting Miss and Master was my good fortune. I have no family left. I want to follow Miss to find Master. Please don't send me away!"

Seeing this, Lady Zhang wiped Jin'er's tears and nodded gently. Jin'er, the maid, turned her tears into a smile, overjoyed. Lady Zhang, seeing this, straightened her clothes, extended her left arm to her right, crossed her hands at her waist, and performed a deep bow to Wang Lun, saying, "I was in a hurry just now and was rude. Please forgive me, Uncle! You came all the way from Shandong to reunite me with my husband, I am deeply grateful!" She bowed again, and Jin'er, seeing this, also bowed.

Wang Lun quickly returned the bow and said, "It's a small matter, not worth mentioning. Lin Chong and I are like brothers. His affairs are my affairs. Sister-in-law, don't be so formal. Just pack your things, and let's leave the city!"

Lady Zhang, hearing this, thanked him and, with the joyful little maid Jin'er, began to pack their belongings in the room.

At this moment, Wang Lun walked to the window, waved his hand, and Jiao Ting, Zhang San, Li Si, and others, who had been waiting below, flipped into the room. Zhang San and Li Si, due to their relationship with Lu Zhishen, recognized Lady Lin. They came forward to greet her, and Lady Zhang also remembered them. They chatted for a while, but Jin'er, covering her mouth with one hand and her heart with the other, stared in fear at a large-headed, beardless, and mustache-less strong man. Jiao Ting chuckled and stood behind Wang Lun without a word.

At this moment, a lazy voice came from outside the front courtyard, "Lady, even during the New Year, I can't forget you. I've come to see you..."