Mu Fulan first breathed a sigh of relief.
On her way back, she was thinking about the purpose of his trip. After thinking about it, her biggest worry was that she could not prevent Zhu Liuhu. Perhaps he had known that Changsha was secretly expanding its army. Otherwise, she really couldn't think of what else could make him come all the way from Hexi to find her.
Just a moment ago, when she pushed open the door, she was still nervously thinking, if he really came for this purpose, how should she deal with it in order to successfully overcome this crisis.
She never thought that what Xie Changgeng questioned was Xier's identity.
How did he come to the conclusion that Xier was his and Yuan Handing's illegitimate child
It's so absurd that it's ridiculous.
But just after she breathed a sigh of relief, she immediately realized the seriousness of this new problem.
Looking at Xie Changgeng's expression, the words he said were definitely not meant to scare him.
He really, truly believed it.
In Xie Changgeng's eyes, Mu Fulan's silence seemed like guilt and acquiescence.
“Excellent.”
He laughed in anger and nodded.
"Mu, our previous agreement is no longer valid! You can take care of yourself."
He strode away.
Mu Fulan's heartbeat suddenly quickened.
Yuan Handing promised that it would take another year.
Before the initial completion of the military expansion plan, Xie Changgeng's words were by no means a joke that could be ignored for Changsha State.
She didn't take his anger lightly.
She turned her head to look at the back that was almost reaching the door and said, "Do you think that I gave birth to this child and kept him in the dark, and only brought him back to my side now?"
Xie Changgeng's back paused slightly, then he continued walking towards the door.
Obviously, that's what he thought.
Mu Fulan didn't hesitate any longer, and immediately chased after him and stopped at the door.
His hand had reached for the door, but she blocked it.
"I know you met Xier last night." Mu Fulan said.
"You heard about me. He is an orphan. He grew up without a father or a mother. He grew up in the Huguo Temple in Shangjing. I was summoned to Shangjing by Empress Liu at the end of last year. I met him by chance in the temple. I liked him very much and got along well with him. That's why I brought him back to Changsha. If you don't believe me, go and ask Elder Huiji in the temple for confirmation. Xi'er was adopted by the elder from the back mountain and grew up in front of the elder!"
"At that time, I didn't tell you about this because, firstly, I thought it was a trivial matter, and secondly, I was in a difficult situation at the time. Although you and I lived in the same room, we were like strangers. It was really inconvenient for me to tell you such a selfish thing, and I thought you didn't want to listen at the time."
Xie Changgeng's eyes rested on her face. Seeing that she was looking straight at him with a calm expression while she was speaking, he was startled and slowly put down the hand that was about to open the door.
But when he thought of what Zhang Ban said in the letter, the face of the child from last night appeared in front of him again, and his anger rose again.
"Mu, you are so scheming and treacherous that I have to admit you are inferior. This child's eyes and eyebrows are so similar to yours. How could such a coincidence happen in the world? If he is not born from your belly, whose child could it be? Judging from his age, it is obvious that you got him around the time I proposed marriage. How do you know that you, Mu, didn't give him away after giving birth in order to promote the marriage? Elder Huiji only knows that he was adopted. You asked me to ask the elder, what can he prove?"
He sneered.
"You and your entire Mu family have deceived me in the contract, but now you are still full of lies. Do you think I will still listen to you?"
"Step aside!"
Mu Fulan didn't move.
A flash of anger flashed across his eyes, and with a "clang" sound, he drew out the long sword at his waist.
A cold light flashed before Mu Fulan's eyes, and murderous aura rushed towards her. Her neck felt cold, and the hairs on her delicate skin stood up instantly.
"Get out of my way."
He repeated it, and seeing that she still didn't move, as if she was rooted in the ground, he placed the three-foot-long sword across her neck.
Mu Fulan's body froze. But soon, instead of giving way, she faced the sword in his hand that was stained with her son's blood, and slowly straightened her weak shoulders.
She said, "I really don't know why you are so stubborn and insist that Xi'er is my illegitimate child. I tell you, Xi'er is indeed my child. From the moment I met him and heard him call me mother for the first time, he has been my child. I swear to heaven, but he is not my child with another man! He has no relationship with General Yuan!"
"Xie Changgeng, even if you kill me today and destroy Changsha tomorrow, I will only say this."
As she finished speaking, the room fell silent.
"How do you explain that he looks so much like you?"
His voice suddenly came to my ears.
Mu Fulan stared at the man opposite her who was still holding a sword at her neck, and said, "It is precisely because his eyebrows and eyes are like mine that I got along so well with him after meeting him. Besides, there are thousands of faces in the world, so what's so strange about some of them being similar?"
Xie Changgeng snorted coldly.
"Last year, on the first night you arrived in the capital, you called out the name of your adopted son whom you hadn't met yet in your dream. If the appearance is really just a coincidence as you said, how do you explain it?"
"That night, I saw my previous life in my dream. In my previous life, I had a child, but I died before he grew up, and that child never grew up..."
Her eyes dropped to the sword in his hand.
The last rays of the setting sun shone on the sword that was across her neck. A dark red reflection shone on the tip of the blade, like an old bloodstain that could not be erased.
"The child I dreamed of was named Xi'er. He grew up in Huguo Temple and originally had no name. It was after I met him that I gave him this name, and that's when he became known as Xi'er."
There was silence in my ears again.
Mu Fulan raised her wrist, and with her two slender fingers, she gently pinched the cold sword blade, and slowly pushed the sword away from her neck.
Her beautiful eyes stared into his.
"I know you didn't come here just for this matter. I have explained Xi'er's origins to you clearly. If you have anything else to say, just speak up."
Xie Changgeng stared at the woman in front of him who stretched out her hand to push his sword away from her neck.
He had received implicit or tactful suggestions from his subordinates more than once, reminding him to bring her back. Having her help solve the long-standing and thorny issue of the natives in Hexi.
Xie Changgeng naturally saw this a long time ago.
Letting her give it a try is a wise way to solve big problems at the lowest cost, both from a rational and utilitarian point of view.
There's no reason for him not to use it.
When he came back from Xiu Tu that day, the letter he originally sent was to call her back and ask her to help him solve the problem.
He has helped her a lot and promised to protect Changsha State. It is only natural for him to ask her to do things for him.
But now, he didn't want to mention it at all.
Even if it took twice, ten, or a hundred times more effort, or even if he had to resort to force, which he was unwilling to use in the first place, and suppress the rebellion with soldiers and cause blood to flow, he was unwilling to speak to the woman in front of him and say that he needed her help.
After Mu Fulan finished speaking, she saw the corners of his lips slightly curled up and a sneer appeared on his face.
He said, "Mr. Mu, you are very eloquent. I know you will never admit this. I, Xie Changgeng, have been on the road for many years, but this time I was defeated by a man named Mu. I admit it."
He sheathed his sword with a clang, then ordered her to step back and reached out to open the door.
Mu Fulan silently stepped aside.
As he was about to leave, he turned his head, stared at her and said, "Mu, remember to keep your secrets to me. If any rumors are spread, you will know it yourself."
As if it was a threat or a warning, he said it and turned away.
Mu Fulan stood behind the door, watching the figure leaving, feeling a little complicated.
She knew that he still didn't believe her explanation. But judging from his tone, it seemed that this was the end of it. In any case, this was a good thing.
She exhaled slowly, remembering that he had met Xier last night, but she didn't know the details. She was afraid that Xier would have a trauma in her heart, so she went back to where she lived.
Xi'er was very happy to see her finally come back. That night, when Mu Fulan accompanied him to sleep, she heard Xi'er ask herself: "Mom, that man, he said he would marry you, will he take you away and not let you be with me?"
Mu Fulan had long known from Mu's mother what happened when Xie Changgeng and Xi'er met last night. She knew that he still scared Xi'er, and hated him secretly in her heart. She immediately said, "He's gone. He won't come back again. Xi'er, don't be afraid. No matter what, mother will not be separated from Xi'er. You sleep well and wait for mother here for a few more days. By the end of the month, mother will have finished her work and we can go back together."
Xier nodded, closed her eyes and went to sleep.
The next morning, the Liancheng Ling came to see Mu Fulan and said that Xie Changgeng and his group had left.
There are many patients in Liyang, and after the doctors we brought were dispersed to various villages and caves, there was a severe shortage of manpower.
After he left, Mu Fulan felt relieved. After checking the newly arrived batch of medicinal materials, they set out again soon and rushed back to Liyang with Yuan Handing. In the evening, when they were almost there, they passed a mountain road on the side of the mountain. Suddenly, the horses became restless and their feet seemed to tremble slightly. Although this feeling disappeared immediately, gravel began to fall along the mountain wall above their heads.
Everyone was stunned at first and stopped where they were.
"The ground is shaking! Hurry over! Stop in the open space!"
Yuan Handing reacted quickly, roared, dismounted quickly, snatched the whip from the driver's hand, took the driver's place, and drove the cart in which Mu Fulan was sitting, galloping towards an open space not far ahead.
The crowd followed closely, and just as they ran to the open space, they felt another tremor under their feet. Many people lost their balance and fell to the ground.
On the mountain road that we just passed, rocks fell like raindrops.
The tremor came suddenly and went away quickly. After just a moment, it stopped.
"My Lady! Are you okay?"
Yuan Handing held the reins tightly to prevent the horse from being frightened and running around. After the earthquake subsided, he pushed open the car door and asked Mu Fulan.
Mu Fulan grabbed the car window with both hands, quickly calmed down, and said, "I'm fine."
Although the earthquake was not severe, Yuan Handing asked everyone to stay where they were for fear of aftershocks.
Everyone followed his orders and waited there for a while. Assuming there wouldn't be any further disturbances, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Although the earthquake lasted for a short time and was not very strong, Mu Fulan thought of Xier and felt worried. She asked the others to take the medicinal materials to Liyang first, and she planned to turn back. Unexpectedly, she was told that the trestle bridge they had just passed was broken and there was a deep ravine below. They could not find a ferry and could not cross.
Seeing that it was not long before dark, Mu Fulan had no choice but to follow Yuan Handing's arrangements. He sent an attendant who was good at swimming to swim over and return to the city to inquire about the news, while he continued on his way.
When she arrived in Liyang, the leader and his men were waiting eagerly. Dozens of houses had collapsed and hundreds of people were injured, with varying degrees of severity. She immediately led people to treat the wounded and was busy until late at night. She was so tired that she took a nap in the room prepared for her by the leader. The next morning, the follower came back with good news.
Xi'er is safe. Mother Mu told her not to worry. The impact in Liancheng was not great either. The people only felt a slight tremor. Only a few old houses were damaged. One person was injured, and his leg was broken because he ran around in fear and fell.
Mu Fulan finally felt relieved.
There were other villages and caves nearby, and some people were injured there. When they knew she was there, they all came to look for her.
Mu Fulan didn't even have time to rest and continued to provide treatment.
She was busy because she would be able to finish her work here and go back at the end of the month. How could she have imagined that because of this sudden accident, the seemingly peaceful life that she and her Xier had planned would be shattered.