Even though Li Zhi had long seen through her desire to run away, he still did not expose her.
If she had only known how to weep and wail like before, his interest wouldn’t have been so strong. But now that he had glimpsed her craftiness and cunning, it added quite a bit of amusement—after all, playing with people was far more entertaining.
Li Zhi was lustful, and though he knew well that beauty was a double-edged sword, he humored Wang Yuzheng this once, refusing to believe she could ever wriggle out from the palm of his hand.
Liu Ming had been beaten by him into severe internal injury. The damage was to his vital organs, so nothing seemed overly amiss on the surface.
When Wang Yuzheng was brought over to see him, Liu Ming was lying on the ground, curled up into a ball with bloodstains at the corner of his mouth, completely unconscious.
Wang Yuzheng felt a trace of fear.
Li Zhi delivered a kick to Liu Ming, who remained motionless like a dead dog.
In front of Zhang Baixiang and the others, he spoke with cold ruthlessness: “Your Liu family dared to tamper with the ransom money; how could I let you off easily?
“This beating today should teach you a proper lesson. Lady Wang, you promised me that upon your return, you would use your dowry to cover the rest of the ransom. If you dare go back on your word, I will surely slaughter your Liu family until not even the chickens and dogs are left in peace.”
Wang Yuzheng hurriedly fell to her knees, trembling as she said, “So long as you brave men are willing to release my husband and me, I will certainly send someone to deliver the remaining ransom!”
Li Zhi gave a cold snort and walked away on his own.
Wang Yuzheng hastily crawled over toward Liu Ming, putting on a show as she wept, “Husband, husband, wake up…”
Zhang Baixiang and the others also hurriedly gathered around. When Liu Ming was being brutally beaten earlier, they had shrunk into the corner like quail, not daring to breathe loudly.
Zhang Baixiang was advanced in years; initially, he had wanted to step in and stop it, but he ended up being shoved to the ground, taking quite a while to catch his breath, tears streaming down his weathered face.
Xiao Guan caught the subtle implication. Having long been unable to stomach this place, he asked tentatively, “Madam, did the bandits agree to let us go?”
Everyone looked anxiously at Wang Yuzheng, who wiped her tears and said, “I pleaded with them to let me return and use my dowry to cover the rest of the ransom, but I do not know if they will agree.”
Xiao Guan was instantly crushed with disappointment.
Unexpectedly, however, matters took a turn for the better—the bandits agreed to release them.
The next day, Liu Ming was tossed outside. Zhang Baixiang and the others felt as if they had received a general amnesty as several of them were led to Hulu Pass by the bandits.
The carriage they had rented was still there, except the horses had been replaced with old donkeys.
Not daring to linger for even a single second, the men hurriedly drove the donkeys, eager only to flee for their lives.
Wang Yuzheng was kept in the rear. It was only after Zhang Baixiang and the others had vanished from sight that Li Zhi finally let her leave, offering a warning:
“Lady Wang, this departure is like a fish returning to the sea. I truly intend to take you as my chief’s wife; once you return to Fancheng, do not forget what you promised me.”
Wang Yuzheng could not care less about the promises she used to dupe him, swearing solemnly, “Lord Li can rest assured; I, a woman of the Wang family, will definitely not go back on my word.”
Li Zhi did not believe a word of her nonsense, merely saying with a smile, “It had better be so.”
Looking at his mouth full of flashing white teeth and fearing he might change his mind, Wang Yuzheng hastily kowtowed to him.
Li Zhi reminded her, “Liu Ming is injured; in ten days to half a month at most, you will become a widow. Keep your wits about you.”
Wang Yuzheng expressed her thanks.
Li Zhi waved his hand at her. Restraining the wild joy in her heart, she bowed and took her leave.
Afraid that her ecstasy would betray her frame of mind, she initially walked at a measured pace. Soon, however, she stumbled and ran faster and faster, like a wild sparrow in the mountains flying toward the vast sky, bound by constraints no more.
Who could have expected that Li Zhi would suddenly draw a bow? The whistle of the arrow breaking the wind came from behind her, brushing past her body, scaring Wang Yuzheng so much that she nearly fell over.
She snapped back to full awareness in an instant, reining in the terror in her heart as she cursed the scoundrel under her breath.
That arrow was undoubtedly a warning: even if he let her go today, he possessed the means to come knocking on her door to settle accounts.
Xiao Guan was waiting for her up ahead. Catching sight of her figure at long last, he gave a joyful shout.
Wang Yuzheng ran up in disarray.
Mistress and servant hurriedly departed Yanjun Mountain; they had long been unable to stand this damned place and wished only to run as fast as possible.
Li Zhi and his men also departed Hulu Pass.
Hu Chong seemed somewhat puzzled and asked, “Chief, you just let that woman go like that?”
Sitting atop his horse, Li Zhi replied, “Didn’t you tell me to take her as my chief’s wife? I have to make her yield willingly. If she makes a scene with me every few days, who could stomach that?”
The men all burst into laughter.
Zhang Chang teased, “What if that woman goes back and refuses to acknowledge the debt? Wouldn’t Chief lose both the person and the money?”
Li Zhi laughed as well, remarking cheekily, “Her husband won’t live much longer anyway. Crawling into a widow’s bed wouldn’t be half bad either.”
At these words, everyone roared with laughter, cracking crude jokes back and forth.
On the other side, Wang Yuzheng and her party fled with lightning speed, paying no heed to Liu Ming’s injuries as they drove the donkeys along the bumpy road to get far away from that dangerous place.
To escape from the tiger’s den was fortune enough; how could they dare delay?
By the time noon arrived, Liu Ming suddenly spat blood, giving everyone a thorough fright.
Wang Yuzheng wished nothing more than for him to die, yet she put on a troubled face and said, “Those bandits are truly despicable. Now that my husband is so gravely injured, what are we to do?”
With that, she hypocritically wiped away tears.
Xiao Guan comforted her, saying, “Madam, do not worry. The head of the house is a good man blessed by heaven; Heaven will surely protect him so he returns home safe and sound.”
Zhang Baixiang was much calmer, planning to ask along the way if there were any itinerant doctors to assess the situation.
Not daring to delay any longer, the group had no choice but to push onward.
Sitting inside the carriage, Wang Yuzheng looked at Liu Ming with a somewhat cold gaze.
He looked strikingly like Madame Zhao, with fox-like eyes and a hooked nose—at a glance, clearly no good sort.
Remembering how the original host had died in the firewood shed, now that it was Liu Ming’s turn, it was nothing short of karmic retribution.
Wang Yuzheng felt in high spirits. With Liu Ming eliminated, she had her own plans for dealing with that old hag, Madame Zhao.
Later, on their way back to Fancheng, the party found an itinerant doctor to examine Liu Ming. The verdict was far from optimistic, stating that his internal organs were damaged and he likely would not survive many more days.
These words frightened Zhang Baixiang out of his wits, leaving him utterly helpless and at a loss.
Wang Yuzheng wept even more tearfully, putting on a grand display of bitter crying, stopping only after the others tried their best to console her.
Fearing that Liu Ming might die on the way home, Zhang Baixiang dared not delay, pressing on day and night toward Fancheng.
The details of the journey need not be elaborated.
By the time they entered the outskirts of Fancheng, Liu Ming’s physical condition had grown dreadful to the extreme.
His face had turned greenish-gray, his entire body reeked of death, and one could even smell the stench of decay on him—a sign that his internal organs had rotted.
Upon entering Fancheng, Xiao Guan headed back to the Liu residence first to deliver the news.
Upon learning that they had brought him back, Madame Zhao was overjoyed, hurriedly rising to her feet and asking, “Has my son truly managed to free himself and return home?”
Xiao Guan nodded repeatedly, “He’s back! He’s back! They have already entered the city!”
Madame Zhao beamed with delight.
Beside her, Madame Qin was also overjoyed. As if remembering something, she asked out of the blue, “And what about the Young Madam? Has she returned together with him?”
Xiao Guan did not think deeply about the underlying meaning, answering simply, “They have all returned.”
Madame Qin was stunned for a moment, glancing inconspicuously at Madame Zhao, who showed no particular expression.
A moment later, after Xiao Guan had stepped down, Madame Qin murmured in suspicion, “That Wang woman truly has a tough life, to actually have returned along with him.”
Madame Zhao remained silent, seemingly finding it mind-boggling as well.
She had been unable to scrape together the eight hundred guan ransom, so out of desperation, she had mixed fake money into it in an attempt to pull the wool over their eyes.
Once Wang Yuzheng was detained in the bandit’s den, her property would fall into the Liu family’s hands in the future; who could have known that she had the luck to come back alive?
Madame Qin also knew the tricks involved and said worriedly, “Old Mistress, now that the Wang woman is back, I fear she might…”
Madame Zhao interrupted her coldly, “What would she dare to do?”
Madame Qin shut her mouth and said no more.
Madame Zhao: “Now that my son is back, it won’t be too late to settle accounts with her in the future.”
Who could have expected that in less than half an hour, the Liu family’s joy would turn to sorrow?
Madame Zhao and her servant personally went to the entrance to welcome Liu Ming. Xiao Guan had previously reported only the good news and not the bad, so when the two women saw Liu Ming’s injured state, they were caught completely off guard.
Seeing her carried-out son beaten beyond recognition, Madame Zhao could no longer hold it together, wailing, “My son, my son…”
The maid beside her hastily supported her.
Zhang Baixiang said anxiously, “Old Mistress, quickly send for a doctor, fetch the best doctor in the city!”
Madame Qin’s eyes were also brimming with tears as she hurriedly instructed the household servants to fetch Doctor Chen from Baohe Hall to examine him.
The entrance was in utter chaos at that moment; everyone was revolving around Liu Ming, such that Wang Yuzheng stood in the crowd with no one asking after her.
Liu Ming was carried to Biyue Pavilion, already fallen into a coma.
Unable to accept the reality, Madame Zhao furiously questioned Zhang Baixiang.
Tears streaming down his old face, Zhang Baixiang recounted to her what had transpired in the bandit’s den, making Madame Zhao gnash her teeth in hatred.
“Report it to the authorities! Go report it to the authorities immediately!”
Thus, Xiao Guan and Steward Xu made a trip to the yamen to report the crime to the authorities.
Before long, Chen Bisheng, the doctor from Baohe Hall, came over to the Liu residence.
Chen Bisheng was already over seventy years old and was considered one of the top doctors in Fancheng in terms of medical skill.
The accompanying apprentice carried the medicine chest, and master and disciple hurriedly followed the servant toward Biyue Pavilion.
At the same time, Wang Yuzheng returned to Shaoguang Courtyard and went to see Nanny Xu.
Nanny Xu was locked inside the firewood shed. Hearing the commotion outside, she shouted excitedly, “Young Lady? Is it Young Lady who has returned?!”
Wang Yuzheng forcefully ordered the maidservant to open the door, allowing Nanny Xu to see the light of day once more.
Having not seen each other for more than half a month, Nanny Xu had worried about Wang Yuzheng’s safety every single day, her whole person growing haggard and thin.
Now, as if in a dream, seeing that person return safe and sound, Nanny Xu could no longer hold back her tears, her face streaming as she said, “Heavens above, Young Lady has finally returned!”
Wang Yuzheng, usually aloof in temperament, felt somewhat moved at this moment. “I have made Nanny Xu worry.”
Full of grievances, Nanny Xu looked at her with tearful eyes, her throat choking up as she said, “I thought you, thought you…”
The rest of her words were swallowed by tears; she was both excited and heart-stricken.
Wang Yuzheng offered a good deal of comfort before Nanny Xu’s emotions finally eased somewhat.
Sending the servants away, Nanny Xu had many questions bottled up inside her. Wang Yuzheng did not say much, only lowering her voice to say, “Liu Ming is going to die.”
Nanny Xu’s heart gave a violent start.
Looking into her eyes, Wang Yuzheng said word by word, “I am about to become a widow.”
Hearing this, Nanny Xu instantly panicked, for she knew how difficult a widow’s life could be.
“Young Lady…”
Wang Yuzheng patted her hand, reminding her, “Tidy yourself up. In a short while, we still have to go over to Biyue Pavilion to take a look; there is a tough battle to be fought.”
Nanny Xu’s mood instantly surged and plummeted like a rollercoaster. She hurriedly gathered her composure, determined not to drag her master down.
Over at Biyue Pavilion, the atmosphere was solemn. After Chen Bisheng examined Liu Ming’s condition, he likewise asserted that he would not live for more than a few days.
Madame Zhao’s legs went weak and she could not stand firm; Madame Qin quickly supported her.
As if unable to believe her own ears, Madame Zhao spoke incoherently, “Doctor Chen, did you misdiagnose him? My son is so young, how could he not have much time left?”
Doctor Chen let out a sigh and said helplessly, “Your son’s internal organs have all suffered severe injuries, and treatment was delayed. This old man is also powerless to reverse the course.”
Madame Zhao felt completely exhausted, the weight of half her body leaning onto Madame Qin as she kept saying, “Impossible! Impossible! My son is still so young, he absolutely won’t leave me, an old gray-haired mother, to see him off!”
Having just arrived, Wang Yuzheng and her servant saw Madame Zhao losing her composure, and Nanny Xu could not help but grow nervous.
Wang Yuzheng, however, swiftly adjusted her emotions and entered battle mode.