TSWRLM -Chapter 84 Pretending to Be Dead

After breakfast, Liang Weimin indeed took them to visit the charitable halls in the city.

It had been over half a year since the flood, so there weren’t many refugees left in the halls, and each of them was cleanly dressed. As soon as they saw Liang Weimin, they knelt and kowtowed repeatedly in thanks.

“You should be grateful to His Majesty and the court. I am only a servant of the state, receiving my salary to carry out the court’s work,” Liang Weimin said modestly, showing no desire to take credit. He was especially gentle with the refugees.

Shen Qingyuan watched him put on a show and did not expose him.

There were thirteen charitable halls in the city in total. It wasn’t until evening that they reached the last one, in the western part of the city.

This hall had been converted from a City God temple. It housed more refugees, and just approaching the entrance, a revolting stench hit them.

Liang Weimin frowned and was about to advise Shen Qingyuan not to enter, when suddenly someone rushed out from the crowd.

“Help! An assassin!”

Liang Weimin screamed in fright and fled. Shen Qingyuan took two steps back, shielding Chen Xi, while Qing Shu drew his sword and kicked the person flying.

The person lay curled on the ground for a moment before shouting: “Master Shen! It’s me, Wan Niang! Don’t you recognize me?”

Master Shen?

Could the lord still have romantic debts?

Chen Xi couldn’t help but peek from behind Shen Qingyuan to get a better look. The next moment, she heard Qing Shu’s trembling, shocked voice:

“Madam… it’s you?”

Madam?

It wasn’t even fully dark yet, and she was pretending to be dead?

Just then, Chen Xi felt a pinch on her wrist.

Liang Weimin was still there, so Shen Qingyuan didn’t say much, only signaling with his eyes for Chen Xi not to overthink it.

Chen Xi patted her chest in understanding and then pointed at the disheveled girl on the ground: “Qing Shu just kicked pretty hard. Should we get a doctor for the madam first?”

The moment Qing Shu said “madam,” Liang Weimin snapped out of his fear of the assassination attempt. Without Shen Qingyuan speaking, he immediately ordered someone to carry Mo Yunwan on a stretcher to the city’s best medical clinic.

Chen Xi immediately followed with Qing Shu.

“I apologize, Master Shen. This was my negligence. I will have the best doctors care for Madam Shen’s health. But how did she end up in a charitable hall in the first place?”

Liang Weimin wore an apologetic expression, but his eyes were sharp and probing. Shen Qingyuan withdrew his gaze from Chen Xi and said calmly: “My wife went missing several years ago. We searched everywhere but to no avail. We even thought she had been killed. I don’t know when she came to Xuzhou.”

She had been missing for years. That meant this Madam Shen might know everything about the disaster relief situation.

Liang Weimin’s heart tightened slightly. Though his face remained composed, his mind raced with several ways to eliminate her.

Shen Qingyuan caught all of Liang Weimin’s subtle expressions. Mo Yunwan had been missing for years and appeared now—if it wasn’t deliberately arranged by Liang Weimin, then who was behind it?

—

At the medical clinic, Mo Yunwan washed off her grime and changed into clean clothes, revealing a pitiable face.

Her features were delicate, her body frail, and with her pain-tinged pale face, she exuded the charm of a tragic beauty, inspiring sympathy.

Qing Shu’s kick had been quite forceful—one of her ribs was broken. Only after the doctor had splinted and bandaged her could Chen Xi and Qing Shu enter the room.

Seeing Qing Shu, Mo Yunwan burst into tears:

“I’m not dreaming! Master Shen really came to save me! I thought I’d never see him again in this lifetime!”

She couldn’t stop crying. Qing Shu, still feeling guilty for the kick, instinctively comforted her:

“Mad… don’t cry. Master Shen will take you back to the capital to reunite with your family.”

Qing Shu wanted to say “madam” but swallowed the last two words because Chen Xi was there.

Chen Xi, however, didn’t mind. She stepped forward, handing Mo Yunwan a handkerchief and asked eagerly: “Madam, how did you end up in Xuzhou? Were you kidnapped by villains, unable to send word to the Hou family to come for you?”

Hearing this, Qing Shu realized that Mo Yunwan was able-bodied and sane; over all these years, she should have tried to send a message for help.

Curious, Qing Shu looked at her. Mo Yunwan’s hand trembled as she wiped her tears. She didn’t answer, instead asking: “Who are you? Why have I never seen you at the Hou residence?”

“My name is Cao Er. I am the master’s newly appointed attendant.”

A new attendant?

Mo Yunwan blinked, then suddenly collapsed emotionally: “Yes… I’ve been gone so many years. The Hou family must have changed completely. Master Shen has new attendants. Maybe he has a new companion at his side. If I’m alive, what’s the point?”

She tried to bang her head against the wall. Chen Xi grabbed her, while Qing Shu shouted anxiously: “Master Shen has not remarried! You are still the Hou family’s Madam!”

Hearing this, Mo Yunwan’s eyes lit up: “Really? After all these years, Master Shen hasn’t remarried?”

False.

Not only had he remarried, but the new madam was sitting right in front of her.

Chen Xi didn’t want Mo Yunwan to be further upset or harm herself, so she nodded to confirm that Shen Qingyuan hadn’t remarried and then asked: “So, Madam, when exactly did you end up in Xuzhou?”

Mo Yunwan refused to answer, speaking softly: “I’m a bit tired. When Master Shen arrives, I will tell him everything.”

In other words, she wouldn’t answer anyone else.

Chen Xi didn’t press further, and she and Qing Shu waited outside.

Night fell, and Shen Qingyuan finally entered the clinic with Liang Weimin.

“Is Madam Shen alright?”

Liang Weimin spoke first, showing more concern than Shen Qingyuan.

Chen Xi summarized her condition, and Liang Weimin immediately said: “Madam Shen is lucky to be safe. It’s good her health isn’t seriously harmed. But she must have been frightened. Master Shen, please go in and comfort her.”

He stepped aside, not intending to interfere with the couple’s reunion.

Shen Qingyuan stood still, still looking at Chen Xi: “Did she say when she arrived in Xuzhou?”

“No. Madam said she would tell everything when you arrived.”

Shen Qingyuan frowned, about to ask more, when Mo Yunwan suddenly rushed out of the room: “Master Shen! You’re here!”

After taking medicine and resting a bit, her strength had returned, and her voice was lighter.

She ran straight toward Shen Qingyuan’s embrace.

But Shen Qingyuan reacted quickly and avoided her.

Mo Yunwan didn’t stop in time, falling to the ground. The fall hit her recently fixed rib, causing a piercing scream.

“Shh~”

Chen Xi gasped.

Just hearing it hurt.