Chapter 395
**Chapter 393: The Sister Who Will Never Return**
The task of escorting the tribute to Qingguo was pressing. Even though the current "Shen Wei" was shrouded in suspicion, King Wu had no choice but to hire him.
He suppressed his emotions and told Shen Wei, "I am hiring you as my guide. In two days, you will set out with me."
Shen Wei cupped her hands in gratitude. "Thank you, Your Highness. I will not let you down."
King Wu instructed his guards to prepare a room for Shen Wei, and she temporarily took up residence in the royal palace.
After Shen Wei left, King Wu summoned a guard. "Find out who this Shen Wei really is. I've been in Wu County for a year and have never heard of any fishermen with the surname Shen."
The Shen surname was quite rare throughout Donglin, more commonly associated with Qingguo.
The guard bowed. "Yes, I will investigate immediately."
King Wu paced alone in his modest study, feeling a sense of melancholy. If the divination by the national master of Yue was true, his destined benefactor had already appeared. So why had his future bride not shown herself yet? Could it be that she was in Qingguo?
...
At the Wu royal palace, the guard led Shen Wei into a simple room furnished only with a table, chairs, and a bed. Yet, compared to the dilapidated huts of Yuangjia Fishing Village, it was a significant improvement.
Shen Wei closed the door, quickly washed up, and collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted. As she contemplated the route to Qingguo, her thoughts began to drift. She recalled twenty years ago when she had just become a maid in the Yan Wangfu, driven by ambition to secure a small courtyard for herself.
Now, lying in this small room in the Wu royal palace, Shen Wei sighed, feeling a sense of déjà vu wash over her.
...
The next day, King Wu continued to recruit cooks and stable hands. To escort two carts of tribute to Qingguo, the team needed at least ten people. Guides, guards, stable hands, and cooks were all essential. Since the emperor of Donglin was not sending any help, King Wu had to recruit on his own.
Finding guides, guards, and stable hands was easy, but cooks were another matter. The cooks in the Wu palace knew that going to Qingguo was tantamount to a death sentence. One of them knelt before King Wu, bowing his head and pleading, "Your Highness, I have an elderly parent and young children to care for. I cannot embark on this perilous journey."
With the departure date looming and no cook in sight, King Wu was at his wit's end when a guard reported that a young boy had come forward, willing to be a cook.
King Wu was taken aback.
When the boy was brought in, King Wu was surprised to see it was Yuan Fu from Yuangjia Fishing Village.
King Wu rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "You little brat, don’t come here to cause trouble. Go home and take care of your sister."
Yuan Fu's nose twitched, and he fell to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "My sister... she’s already dead, wuwuwu."
The boy cried with a heart-wrenching intensity, his tears and snot covering his face.
King Wu winced at the sound, pushing a plate of sweet cakes toward Yuan Fu. "Stop crying, stop crying. Your sister was just fine a couple of days ago. How could she be dead?"
Yuan Fu lowered his head, wiping his tears with his small hands, and recounted the story of how the old bachelors in the village had coveted and bullied his sister, Yuan Xier. After losing their parents and facing relentless harassment, she had tragically taken her own life in despair.
King Wu was taken aback.
He paced the room, hands clasped behind his back. "Such vile deeds happen in that wretched fishing village? Someone, go investigate this matter!"
Wu County was small, and the guards quickly uncovered the situation in Yuangjia Fishing Village. King Wu was shocked to discover such ugly and despicable acts hidden in a seemingly insignificant village.
He thought his own suffering in the royal court was bad enough, but Yuan Xier's fate was even more tragic.
King Wu felt a mix of emotions, tinged with regret. Yuan Xier's death was partly his responsibility. After a moment of contemplation, he instructed the guards, "Arrest those old bachelors from Yuangjia Fishing Village. Each of them will receive thirty lashes and be imprisoned in the county jail for hard labor. I will deal with them when I return from Qingguo."
"Also, inform the village chief that if there are any more incidents of bullying orphaned girls, the seafood from Yuangjia Fishing Village will no longer be allowed to be sold in the county. They can go starve."
King Wu ordered the guards to handle the situation in the fishing village.
He looked at the tearful Yuan Fu and comfortingly patted his shoulder. "Which sea did your sister jump into? I will send someone to search the shore for her body."
Yuan Fu's tears flowed like a broken string of pearls. He choked out, "She won't come back... wuwu, my sister will never return..."
Last night, when Shen Wei decided to disguise herself as a man to enter the Wu royal palace, she had already revealed the truth to Yuan Fu.
Yuan Xier was dead.
Now, living in her body was someone else.
Yuan Fu was taken aback but had his suspicions all along. After all, he and Yuan Xier were siblings, having spent years together and knowing each other's true nature. After his sister awakened, she was no longer the timid and greedy girl but had become brave and resolute, which sparked a flicker of doubt in Yuan Fu's heart.
When Shen Wei revealed the truth, Yuan Fu cried and accepted it.
"Your Highness, the fish soup I make is especially delicious, and I can cook many dishes," Yuan Fu knelt before King Wu. "I am willing to be the cook in the palace. Please give me a chance to live."
King Wu furrowed his brows deeply, patiently explaining to Yuan Fu, "Do you think I’m going to Qingguo for fun? This journey is fraught with danger; I might not even return alive."
Yuan Fu replied, "Then I want to go with you. I can't go back to the fishing village."
With departure tomorrow and no other options, King Wu looked at the tearful Yuan Fu and was momentarily reminded of his own past, when his sister was forced into a marriage alliance, and he had cried even harder than Yuan Fu.
With no other choice, King Wu nodded in agreement.
He patted Yuan Fu on the head. "Once we reach Qingguo, I will send you to my sister's home. She lives there and longs for Donglin's food, so you will have a place to stay."
King Wu felt a sense of indirect responsibility for Yuan Xier's death.
Taking care of Yuan Xier's brother would be his way of atoning for his sins.
...
The next day, as dawn broke, the carriages were ready at the entrance of the Wu royal palace. Three carriages: two loaded with tribute and one carrying King Wu.
The team, consisting of eleven people, set off hastily.
Shen Wei, as the guide, rode a thin horse at the front. As they left Wu County, she unfolded the Donglin map, studying which official road was the shortest.
Just as she was about to continue, a guard on horseback stopped her. "Shen Xiaodi, let’s take a break. The king has something to say."
Shen Wei was puzzled. "Zhang Wuge, we need to hurry. What does the king want?"
The guard named Zhang Wuge sighed, as if accustomed to this. "The king wants to bid farewell to his homeland."
Shen Wei: ...
Turning around, Shen Wei saw King Wu solemnly stepping out of the carriage. His long, dark brown hair was braided, with pearls adorning the end. He smoothed out the wrinkles on his slightly worn purple-gold royal robe and leaned closer to the guard holding a bronze mirror, carefully checking his handsome face.
Once satisfied with his elegant appearance, King Wu slowly stepped onto the soil of Wu County.
He bent down to scoop up a handful of yellow earth, gazing at the dilapidated scenery of Wu County. A wave of sorrow washed over him, and facing the chilly wind, he began to recite passionately, "As the years pass, it seems the good times and beautiful scenery are all in vain. Even if there are a thousand kinds of charm, who can I share them with?"
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