Chapter 359
**Chapter 357: A Reunion**
Lingcheng was vast and sparsely populated; there shouldn’t be so many laborers in the city.
The county magistrate of Lingcheng was a man in his thirties, a successful candidate from last year’s imperial examination, assigned to this post.
The magistrate of Lingnan clasped his hands and replied honestly, “General Ye, the floods in Nanzhou require the construction of dikes. There aren’t enough hands in Nanzhou, so the laborers exiled to Lingnan have been sent here to build dikes and dams to combat the floods. But rest assured, the grain allocated by the court will not be embezzled. Even the lowest-ranking laborers can have two bowls of porridge each day.”
Sun Qingmei’s gaze swept over the laborers. Under the silvery moonlight, they all looked exhausted, leaning against the walls in the windbreak area, sound asleep, yet none appeared overly emaciated.
In the city, tents had been set up, with five or six porridge stalls where the laborers lined up for their meals.
Sun Qingmei said nothing more and rode her horse toward the official residence.
Just as she reached the entrance, a woman in plain clothes suddenly rushed out from somewhere. The woman dashed in front of the deputy general’s horse, startling the animal, which made the deputy quickly pull on the reins.
The fine steed reared up, nearly kicking the woman.
The deputy general was taken aback and frowned, scolding, “Where did you come from? Don’t you fear being trampled by the horse?”
The woman’s slender body trembled as she knelt before the horse, curling up in a pitiful, delicate manner.
The bright moonlight illuminated her face, which was quite fair, and she trembled as she spoke, “I’m a commoner, I deserve to die. I accidentally startled the general; I hope the general can forgive me.”
Tears glistened in her eyes, like pear blossoms in the rain.
She looked so pitiful.
The deputy general, having spent years fighting in Liangzhou, was surrounded by rough men and wild women, and had never seen such a delicate girl. For a moment, he was completely taken aback.
Seeing his reaction, the girl feigned a cough, clutching her chest as if she might faint.
“General, it was my offense; I’ll leave right away,” she said, her delicate brows furrowing as if she intended to depart.
After taking a couple of steps, she pretended to collapse.
The deputy scratched his head, awkwardly saying, “I’m just a guard, not a general. You shouldn’t call me that.”
The girl in plain clothes froze, instinctively glancing at another fine horse nearby. The night had fallen, and on that black steed sat Sun Qingmei, clad in armor.
Sun Qingmei wore no makeup, her long hair tied up high, with two strands of black hair falling at her temples. Her eyes were dark and deep. After days and nights of travel, a faint weariness marked her face, and shadows lingered beneath her eyes.
Her straight nose and heroic brows exuded a sense of vigor.
The girl in plain clothes blinked, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. “Sister-in-law? Is that you?”
After a moment of careful recognition, her face lit up with joy as she poked her nose and exclaimed, “Sister-in-law, it’s me, Shangguan Qian! You should remember me!”
The girl was indeed Shangguan Qian.
Years ago, Sun Qingmei had brought a hefty dowry to marry Shangguan Xuan in Yanjing. Later, after parting ways with him, the entire Shangguan family was exiled to Lingnan.
Who would have thought that months later, they would reunite in this small Lingcheng?
Shangguan Qian clung to the hope of salvation, rushing toward Sun Qingmei’s horse, crying out, “Sister-in-law, please help me! I’m suffering so much. Can you take me back to Yanjing?”
With her entire family exiled, Shangguan Qian was no longer the highborn lady of the marquis’s household; she had become the lowest of laborers, toiling in misery, living a life worse than death.
Due to the floods in Nanzhou, the exiled criminals and their families had been sent there. The men moved stones to repair the dams, while the women sewed coarse clothes and cooked.
Shangguan Qian lamented her fate.
She was unwilling to accept it.
Upon hearing that a great general was coming to Lingcheng, she had secretly waited at the official residence, hoping to catch the general’s attention through a staged encounter. If luck was on her side, perhaps the general would take notice of her, allowing her to escape her hard life.
When she discovered that the rumored general was her sister-in-law, Shangguan Qian was overjoyed, believing her chance for a turnaround had finally come.
Sun Qingmei, sitting tall on her horse, cast a cold glance at Shangguan Qian. “I have severed ties with the Shangguan family long ago.”
With that, Sun Qingmei spurred her horse into the official residence.
The deputy general, seeing this, paid no further attention to the sobbing Shangguan Qian and followed Sun Qingmei inside.
As the heavy door closed, Shangguan Qian was left standing outside, blocked by the thick entrance.
Stunned, she desperately pounded on the door, shouting, “Sister-in-law, you can’t be so heartless! Please help me, help my brother! He’s in the city too; I’ll have him apologize to you!”
The guards inside the residence were unsympathetic and immediately dragged the crying Shangguan Qian away, sending her back to the weaving workshop to continue her work.
...
...
Sun Qingmei seized the time to rest, quickly opening her eyes before dawn. After a simple breakfast, she swiftly rode away from the official residence in Lingcheng.
The laborers in the city were gradually waking up, lining up to receive their porridge.
“Giddy up!”
“Make way!”
Two horses galloped forward, and the laborers hurriedly moved aside.
Someone murmured, “Who are those two? They’re in armor; are they generals from somewhere?”
“I heard they came from Liangzhou, sent to Yanjing on official business.”
“They look quite impressive. The one in front, is that a female general?”
“Yeah, I heard she’s General Sun from Liangzhou. Last year, when the barbarians attacked the border city, it was General Sun who led the troops and drove the bandits back three hundred miles.”
The laborers buzzed with conversation.
Among them, a young laborer with a haggard face held a chipped bowl, his expression numb as he stood in line. He was Shangguan Xuan, once a celebrated general, now exiled to Lingnan.
Hearing the discussions around him about “General Sun,” a flicker of confusion crossed his weary features, his eyes moving as if rusted.
He looked up.
The morning spring breeze blew gently, lifting the dark hair at the temples of the young female general as she skillfully rode her horse at full speed.
It was Sun Qingmei.
No longer the delicate lady of the household, she had transformed into a spirited female general.
The steed raced like lightning, vanishing in an instant. Shangguan Xuan stared at her graceful silhouette, and suddenly, he let out a low laugh.
As he laughed, he covered his face, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
...
...
In the palace.
Time flew by, and it had been ten days since Shen Wei fell into a coma from poisoning. Her condition seemed to worsen by the day.
She was hanging on by a thread.
Li Yuanjing, after finishing his daily duties, would always sit by her bedside. He could see clearly that Shen Wei was fading at a slow pace.
Like withering spring flowers.
As night fell, Yongning Palace was enveloped in a faint scent of medicine. Leyou sat on a small stool by the bed, tilting her little head to ask Li Yuanjing, “Father, when will Mother wake up?”
Li Yuanjing gently stroked his daughter’s hair. “She’ll wake up in a couple of days.”
Leyou lowered her head, feeling dejected.
Tears glistened in her eyes, rolling down and soaking into the carpet by the bed.
Li Yuanjing comforted his daughter, then took Shen Wei’s hand. He disliked the coldness of her fingers, as if warming them just a little might give her the hope to continue living.
But this time, as he touched Shen Wei’s fingers, he inadvertently felt her wrist pulse.
The pulse was so weak it was almost imperceptible.
His head buzzed: “Someone, summon Mo Xun!”
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