Chapter 56 : Get through it and spring will come.

Cui Yunzhao was very clear that she could not show weakness when dealing with these people. The more timid she was, the more reckless they became; instead, if she took a strong stance, they would hesitate.

Suddenly, Cui Yunzhao brought up Huo Tan, which intimidated the more timid outlaws. Liu Shiba’s expression darkened. He realized that this Cui woman had a sharp tongue, if she kept speaking, those cowards would surely think twice about offending Huo Tan. How could they continue their business then? Having already offended Cui Yunzhao, it was too late for him to back down, so he might as well make a big move.

Thus, he didn’t give Cui Yunzhao a chance to speak again. He swung the long stick in his hand and charged straight at Manager Sun. “Don’t listen to her! At this point, do you really think that Huo Tan will let you off the hook?”

The outlaws exchanged glances, and finally, steeling their resolve, they lunged forward, engaging in a fight with the few laborers. Chaos erupted in the porridge shed.

The refugees or beggar outside were terrified and immediately scattered, not daring to approach. The kitchen staff screamed and ducked aside, while Mother Xia clenched her teeth, holding onto Cui Yunzhao tightly. Cui Yunzhao, however, fixed her gaze ahead, wielding a long spoon to fend off the incoming attacks.

She was scared, but she couldn’t show it.

However, in the midst of heavy breathing, their group was defeated. Outlaws were ruthless and swift, caring little for the lives of others. Soon, several laborers lay on the ground, beaten.

At that moment, only the injured Manager Sun still stood in front of Cui Yunzhao. Her hairpin had come loose, and her hands were bruised, yet she remained fearless, holding her head high as she looked at Liu Shiba.

Liu Shiba’s eyes burned with malice as he leered at Cui Yunzhao, his smile sickeningly smug. “That woman has long bored me, but I wonder what the daughter of the Cui family tastes like.”

As he spoke, he laughed heartily, advancing towards her, as if victory was assured. He didn’t even regard the barely standing Manager Sun.

Cui Yunzhao discreetly reached for the hairpin on her head, gripping it tightly. Liu Shiba, eyeing the beautiful woman before him, couldn’t help but lick his lips. Cui Yunzhao appeared unfazed, but she had actually stepped back half a step.

Where were the patrol soldiers? Where was Huo Tan?

Her palms were sweating cold, and she clutched the sharp hairpin tightly, ready to retaliate at any moment.

Liu Shiba continued to advance. “Beautiful lady, let me teach you what a man—”

Before he could finish, he suddenly cried out in pain, and a spray of blood erupted into the misty air. Liu Shiba fell to the ground, screaming, “Ah! My leg, my leg!”

Cui Yunzhao then saw a familiar Tang knife embedded deep in Liu Shiba’s thigh, piercing through flesh. Liu Shiba collapsed, unable to rise due to the pain.

Cui Yunzhao finally breathed a sigh of relief. Huo Tan had arrived.

At that moment, she realized her back was already soaked with cold sweat, clinging to her spine and making her tremble involuntarily.

Liu Shiba fell, causing the outlaws to instinctively retreat a step. But then, their expressions changed, and they immediately tried to flee in all directions.

At that moment, a furious shout pierced the air. “Who dares move!”

Cui Yunzhao saw Huo Tan riding his chestnut horse, charging through the parted crowd. He wore a green military uniform, with armor over it, and his Tang knife was gone, replaced by a long blade Cui Yunzhao had never seen before.

Their eyes met, and in Huo Tan’s gaze, she saw determination and concern. In that instant, she felt completely at ease.

Huo Tan rode swiftly, skillfully maneuvering even through the dense crowd, carving a path forward. Behind him, dozens of soldiers marched in neat formation, the sound of hooves resounding with great momentum.

In the blink of an eye, Huo Tan arrived in front of the porridge shed. He gently pulled on the reins, and the chestnut horse whinnied, stopping gracefully before the shed.

Huo Tan leaped down, his steps light as he jumped onto a table, reaching Cui Yunzhao in an instant. They exchanged a glance, he didn’t ask how she was but simply nodded at her, conveying, “I’m here, don’t worry.”

In his eyes, there were only those six words.

With Huo Tan’s arrival, the situation immediately turned in their favor. The soldiers rushed in, pinning all the unruly outlaws to the ground. The refugees retreated in unison, shrinking back as they cautiously watched the tall soldiers.

Huo Tan looked down at the writhing Liu Shiba, slightly bending down to directly pull his Tang knife from his leg.

“Ah!” Liu Shiba screamed in agony.

Blood dripped from the knife, and Huo Tan grimaced in disgust. Cui Yunzhao glanced at him, untying her apron and handing it to Huo Tan. He calmly wiped the blood from his knife.

“What’s your name?”

Huo Tan’s voice was calm, yet it cut sharper than winter’s wind.

Liu Shiba clutched his head, screaming in pain while pretending to be deaf.

Cui Yunzhao replied softly, “Some call him Liu Shiba.”

Huo Tan nodded at her, unable to suppress another glance her way, noticing her pale face yet calm demeanor, which eased his concern.

He turned back to Liu Shiba. “Liu Shiba, you’re fighting in the street and injuring the daughter of an official. According to the Zhou laws, you will receive thirty strokes of the rod and be exiled to the border.”

This punishment was already quite severe. However, Huo Tan was still somewhat dissatisfied. He looked away from the writhing Liu Shiba, raising his gaze to scan the surroundings.

“If anyone has evidence of other crimes committed by Liu Shiba, it will be processed together,” Huo Tan knew these refugees were timid and wouldn’t dare to cause trouble, so he continued, “The Boling Army will ensure your safety from these bandits.”

He gestured towards the outlaws on the ground and declared loudly, “They will also be exiled to the border.”

Exile to the border meant almost certain death, only a few survived the journey.

It was clear that Huo Tan was genuinely enraged this time. He thought mere exile was insufficient; he wanted Liu Shiba and the others executed publicly to serve as a warning.

The refugees looked at each other, but in the end, no one dared to step forward. They might not have known the full story, or perhaps they were afraid of offending other outlaws hidden among the refugees. The porridge shed fell into an eerie silence.

Huo Tan frowned, his expression darkening, exuding an intimidating fierceness. A tremendous rage roared within him, but he managed to maintain the dignity and responsibility of a military officer, struggling to keep himself in check.

“If anyone is willing to report, a reward of ten taels of silver will be given, along with Boling residency.”

Huo Tan spoke again. This statement was like a thunderclap, resonating among the refugees. It seemed everyone was moved this time. They exchanged glances, whispering to one another.

Just then, a weak voice broke through. “I report.”

Cui Yunzhao’s breath caught as she suddenly remembered the frail woman who had been left in front of the porridge shed by Liu Shiba. Without thinking, she quickly patted Huo Tan and rushed outside the shed.

Huo Tan couldn’t stop her in time, he watched as Cui Yunzhao bypassed the long table and bent down to help a disheveled figure.

Cui Yunzhao saw that the woman’s face was covered in blood, her breath shallow and weak. Pain gripped her heart as she said softly, “Don’t speak. I’ll take you back to the city to get treated.”

The woman gently squeezed Cui Yunzhao’s hand. Her touch was cold, icy, and her calloused fingers felt sharp. Yet, she still managed to give Cui Yunzhao a bloodstained smile.

She coughed lightly and whispered, “Lady Cui, help me up.”

Cui Yunzhao didn’t mind the woman’s dirtiness and strained to help her stand. Although Cui Yunzhao wasn’t particularly tall or strong, the woman felt frail, as thin as a piece of paper, and leaned heavily against her.

This movement made the woman gasp for breath. She struggled to swallow the blood in her mouth and managed to say, “I… I am Liu Shiba’s wife.”

Each word was a labor, and she seemed to be at her limit.

“Liu Shiba is from Boling, he…”

At this point, Liu Shiba, lying on the ground, shouted angrily, “Shut up, you—”

Before he could finish, another scream escaped him.

Cui Yunzhao didn’t look at Liu Shiba’s stat, her focus was entirely on the woman. She heard Huo Tan’s cold voice cut through, “Shut up.”

The woman suddenly smiled.

Her face was smeared with blood, making it impossible to discern her features, yet in that moment, Cui Yunzhao felt that she was alive and vibrant. Freed from her husband’s oppression and abuse, even at her weakest, she felt joy.

Moreover, the woman who had been so looked down upon could now send him to hell.

She couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Blood flowed from her lips, but she paid it no mind. “Liu Shiba, look at you now!”

“When you beat me, when you tried to sell me for money, didn’t you feel smug? Did you think I’d never get the upper hand?”

“I’ve lived, endured the beatings, just for this day.”

“Liu Shiba, I will send you to the underworld.”

As the woman shouted, her voice filled with blood and tears, she relaxed completely and collapsed into Cui Yunzhao’s embrace.

Having said everything she needed, and returned all her pain, she lay there quietly smiling at Cui Yunzhao before casting one last glance at the sky.

What a beautiful sunny day it was.

Cui Yunzhao instinctively called out, “Someone, get a carriage, get a carriage!”

She didn’t even realize that she had remained fearless in the face of danger moments before, yet now, tears streamed down her face.

Cui Yunzhao was overwhelmed with sorrow, her tears falling like rain.

She held the woman’s hand tightly, her voice hoarse as she urged, “Hang in there, spring will come soon.”

With the woman’s testimony, it would be much easier to convict Liu Shiba and the others.

Before the Great Zhou, the laws prohibited family members from testifying against each other, a long-standing tradition. However, the “Zhou Penal Code” made revisions and additions allowing for accusations in cases involving serious crimes like treason and murder.

Huo Tan squinted, glancing at Liu Shiba, who was writhing on the ground like a dead dog, and smiled faintly.

“Take him away. I will report to the general and ensure he is convicted.”

After giving his orders, Huo Tan looked towards Cui Yunzhao.

They exchanged a fleeting glance across the table, but it was enough for them to understand one another.

Huo Tan said, “You accompany the injured back to the city, I’ll handle things here.”

Cui Yunzhao nodded, “Thank you, my lord.”

Though they were newlyweds, they shared a mutual understanding akin to that of a long-married couple, needing no further words to convey their thoughts.

Soon, the carriage arrived.

Cui Yunzhao helped the injured people into the carriage, then led Mother Xia and Tao Fei inside, hurrying towards the city.

Huo Tan dispatched a team of city defense soldiers to escort them. They rode swiftly, reaching the Qingpu Road Apothecary in no time.

Among the city defense soldiers was a familiar face, Tan Qiqiu, whom Cui Yunzhao had met a few times. He was quick-witted and immediately ran into the apothecary to call for a doctor without needing to be told.

After a busy round of treatment, when the doctors had seen to the injured, Cui Yunzhao approached the woman.

Among the short laborers, only two had been hurt, the others were still helping in the porridge shed. Manager Sun and Wang Huzi had external injuries that the doctor had treated with medicinal powder. Young Wang Huzi hadn’t sustained any internal injuries.

The only one in serious condition was this woman.

She had coughed up a lot of blood and was covered in wounds, looking utterly miserable.

The one treating her was Miss Cheng San.

Although young, Miss Cheng San ,she was very skilled in medicine. Upon seeing the woman’s condition, she immediately applied Cheng family golden needles to save her life.

After a moment, the woman stopped coughing up blood, and her pain seemed to lessen.

Once she calmed down, Miss Cheng San wrote a prescription and sent someone to prepare the medicine while beginning to tend to her wounds.

The woman had many injuries, old scars hadn’t healed before new ones appeared, leaving no unblemished skin on her body.

In the freezing cold, her fingers and toes were frostbitten. If left untreated, they would soon become ulcerated.

Half-awake and half-asleep, the woman endured the pain well. Cui Yunzhao watched as Miss Cheng San cleaned her wounds, cutting away the necrotic flesh, and the woman didn’t scream or struggle.

Perhaps, for her, this little pain was nothing.

Meanwhile, Cui Yunzhao and Tao Fei were heartbroken, feeling immensely distressed.

Mother Xia worked with Tan Qiqiu to prepare medicine for the other injured, giving them generous compensation, then instructed the carriage to take Manager Sun and Wang Huzi back first.

When they returned to the Qingpu Road Apothecary, Miss Cheng San wiped her forehead and sighed.

“She’s seriously injured, but fortunately, it’s not life-threatening. If she rests well for over a month, she should recover slowly.”

Cui Yunzhao asked, “But she coughed up so much blood, what is the cause?”

Miss Cheng San sighed again.

Even as a doctor, accustomed to such scenes, she felt sympathy for the woman.

“She has gone days without food, already at her limit, and then was force-fed hot porridge, which her stomach couldn’t handle, causing her to vomit blood. However, it’s not life-threatening, she hasn’t been poisoned or seriously injured. The key is rest.”

“She has endured beatings and hunger for a year, and to hold on until now is truly remarkable,” Miss Cheng San said in disbelief. “She is so resilient.”

As they spoke, Mother Xia and Tan Qiqiu returned.

The moment Tan Qiqiu entered, he stared fixedly at the woman on the sickbed, motionless.

Cui Yunzhao was surprised. “Little Tan, what’s wrong?”

Still staring at the woman, Tan Qiqiu remained frozen. Cui Yunzhao noticed his hands were tightly clenched, as if he was holding back anger.

He said nothing, scanning the woman from head to toe. In the next moment, he turned and rushed towards the exit.

Cui Yunzhao immediately shouted, “Mama, stop him!”

Mother Xia was quick and grabbed Tan Qiqiu’s arm.

Tan Qiqiu hadn’t lost his senses; he snapped back to reality the moment she pulled him, and tears began to fall.

Big drops of tears slid down his youthful cheeks as he turned and knelt by the sickbed.

“Elder sister, elder sister,” he cried, gasping for breath.

Cui Yunzhao was even more astonished, but she quickly understood Tan Qiqiu’s pain and guessed what he was about to do.

He wanted to kill Liu Shiba.

Liu Shiba had abused his sister to this extent, he deserved to die a thousand times over.

Tan Qiqiu was just a boy of fifteen or sixteen, his face still boyish. Normally, Cui Yunzhao saw him with a bright smile, looking sunny and radiant.

But today, all the light had faded from his face.

What remained was only pain and hatred.

As an outsider, Cui Yunzhao couldn’t say much; she could only step forward in silence, waiting for Tan Qiqiu to finish crying before helping him up.

“Little Tan, your sister will be okay. I will do everything I can to treat her, so don’t worry.”

As he wiped away his tears, Tan Qiqiu choked out words.

Even Miss Cheng San felt for the siblings and comforted him, “As long as the patient receives proper treatment and care, she will recover. Just be good to her.”

Tan Qiqiu nodded vigorously.

Seeing that the woman on the bed still hadn’t woken up, Cui Yunzhao asked Mother Xia to let Tan Qiqiu sit nearby while she found a chair for herself.

As she sat down, she realized that her whole body ached.

The relaxation that followed her tension didn’t bring relief; instead, it made her feel uncomfortable. Fatigue washed over her, and she had to fight to stay alert to manage the situation properly.

Cui Yunzhao took a deep breath and asked the apprentice to brew some tea, then turned to Tan Qiqiu.

“Little Tan, tell me about your sister.”

Tan Qiqiu nodded, wiping his face dry with his sleeve. He lowered his head, lost in thought for a while before speaking in a hoarse voice.

“My mother passed away when I was young, and my father served in the military. My sister raised me, she is eight years older than me, and she was like a mother to me. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

Tan Qiqiu’s voice was rough, each word coming with a sob, making it hard for him to continue.

“When I was twelve, my sister got married.”

“My brother-in-law’s last name is Chu. He ran a tea stall in a good location, right by Jiukong Bridge. He was skilled at herbal tea, and his business was always thriving.”

“Because of that tea stall, my brother-in-law’s family was able to buy land and a house in Boling. They valued my sister for her efficiency and reputation. She had worked at a nearby eatery and had helped my brother-in-law’s mother, who recognized her at first sight.”

“This marriage was a match made in heaven, and everyone was happy.”

As Tan Qiqiu spoke, a fleeting smile appeared on his face, showing how beautiful that period of his life was to him.

“After my sister married, life was good. My brother-in-law was very considerate of her, and his mother cared for her as well. Our two families often interacted, and it was harmonious.”

Tan Qiqiu’s delicate brows furrowed.

“Unfortunately, my sister’s mother-in-law suddenly fell ill.”

“She developed a heart condition and could no longer work at the tea stall. She had to stay home to recuperate and needed medication. At that time, the old lady didn’t want to be treated, but my sister and brother-in-law disagreed.”

Tan Qiqiu’s voice grew increasingly somber. “My sister and I had lost our mother at a young age. The old lady had treated my sister very well, and she didn’t want to lose another mother. She urged the old lady to get treatment.”

“But the illness was too difficult to cure. By the time they sold off their farmland, the old lady had not improved, and after a year, she passed away.”

Cui Yunzhao couldn’t help but sigh.

Tan Qiqiu looked up at her, his eyes dark and devoid of light.

“The old lady was gone, but my brother-in-law remained, and the tea stall was still there, so there was hope for the future,” Tan Qiqiu continued, suddenly filled with resentment. “But then, a few bandits appeared in Boling.”

Although Boling hadn’t been ravaged by war, it was frequently visited by bandits and thieves fleeing from other areas. They were all desperate men, committing heinous acts of murder and arson. This led to an increase in the city’s patrol guards, and it was how Tan Qiqiu ended up enlisting.

Cui Yunzhao listened and began to understand the situation.

“My brother-in-law’s tea stall was doing well and had a prime location, which caught the attention of those bandits. Under the cover of darkness, they raided the stall, wanting to harm my sister. If it weren’t for my brother-in-law fighting to protect her, who knows what would have happened…”

Tan Qiqiu choked up at this point.

“Back then, it was young master who saved my sister and brother-in-law. He was alone, just passing by, and saw them committing crimes in the tea stall. Without hesitation, he rushed in to save them.”

“When I arrived, those bandits had all been killed by young master. He was covered in blood, watching my sister cry over my brother-in-law.”

“My brother-in-law died just like that.”

In a time of chaos, every sad story carries its own pain.

No wonder Tan Qiqiu holds such deep respect for Huo Tan, there’s this layer of history behind it.

“My brother-in-law wasn’t from Boling, he was a refugee from elsewhere, with no relatives here. My sister closed the tea stall and returned home to live in mourning.”

At this point, the story wasn’t so painful yet.

“But then, later, our father was injured on the battlefield and could no longer continue fighting.”

“Our father’s injury was severe, he needed a lot of medicine to manage the pain. The compensation from the army was barely enough for food and drink, let alone anything else,” Tan Qiqiu’s tone was numb. “Our father was just an ordinary sergeant, nobody cared.”

Since he was thirteen, Tan Qiqiu’s life had been filled with farewells.

One after another, relatives died in his life, and this kind of pain was truly unbearable.

Yet he remained strong.

Every day, he smiled, stayed cheerful, and was full of vitality, actively facing life.

“My sister’s mother-in-law’s illness consumed the family’s savings, and they sold off their land. My sister and brother-in-law lived in the tea stall, and later, when my brother-in-law passed, my sister sold the stall.”

“But that money was just a drop in the bucket, it couldn’t save our father, nor could it help him sleep peacefully.”

“When the family’s money was almost gone, someone came to propose.”

“Among them was Liu Shiba.”

“My sister was very beautiful, with thick brows and big eyes, hardworking and filial, everyone praised her. Even in widowhood, many suitors came to court her.”

“But Liu Shiba seemed to be the best among them.”

At this point, Tan Qiqiu almost gritted his teeth.

Tears streamed down his face again. “When he proposed, he was truly sincere. He gave our family a large sum of money and told my sister that he would love her for a lifetime.”

In his laughter, there was only deep-seated hatred.

“How true it is that you can know a person’s face but not their heart, who could have known he was such a vile beast?”