Long live Emperor Wu!

Chapter 3 I'm Sorry

After hearing this, the prince pondered for a while and said:

"Girl of the Wu family... the county government must do things according to the law, otherwise even I can't interfere in other people's housework. Let me ask you, your brother, have they kicked you out and left you living on the street?"

Wu Rou felt something was wrong and said quickly:

"Although he didn't drive us out, he made us live in a dilapidated farm without giving us money to eat. He also asked us to use our own jewelry and clothes to pay for the food!"

Fu Jun said directly:

"That means there is no more... The laws of the Tang Dynasty only care about whether he has expelled his stepmother and brothers and sisters, but it does not stipulate how much money he must give a month or how he should live."

Wu Rou's heart was filled with worry, she was so anxious that she was sweating, and she quickly said:

"But they were disrespectful to my mother and even hit her. Isn't this a treason? Being unfilial is also treason!"

Fu Jun looked at Wu Rou in surprise and said with appreciation:
"As expected of the warrior Yu's daughter, we all know that...but there are specific rules. If you hurt a limb, you will be sentenced to exile. Did they break any of your arms or legs?"

"No...but...but..." Wu Rou stuttered anxiously.

Fu Jun interrupted her and said:

"That's it. I know you must have suffered a lot, but I can't impose a punishment until it reaches the point of sentencing. If there is a quarrel or a push or two, I have to take care of it, then this There are tens of thousands of people in a county, and how many people get angry and fight every day, can I handle it?"

"But they said they were going to kill us, killing us in the name of the plague. Shibo, if you don't care, we will die!" Wu Rou shouted anxiously, her voice like an oriole hoarse.

Fu Jun looked at her as if he thought she was being unreasonable. He patted the gavel and said:

"Nonsense. To put it bluntly, we have to wait until he actually kills you. By then, this county will provide you with justice. But nothing has happened now. You little girl just wants to rely on your heart. Evidence, can you accuse someone of murder with just one sentence?!

Wu Rou shook her body and straightened her kneeling body, as if just doing this would make her look taller and more powerful. She said:

"That's not what I meant! But Shibo, everything my little girl said is true, are you prepared to watch my beloved wife, Aye, and his beloved daughter being bullied and then die a violent death one day? Is it true? Is there nothing you can do to help us?"

The husband of the county government looked at Wu Rou and fell silent, with helplessness in his eyes. After a while, he said:

"There is really nothing I can do in official matters. In private, I will look for opportunities to persuade him. This is already rude. Niece, I also know a little about the grievances in your family.

A few years ago, the old Duke of Guo got the credit for starting a business. Because he was a merchant in Chang'an, he was looked down upon. He felt unhappy, so he hated Xiangli. His two younger sons died of illness. He refused to go home, and Xiangli died of illness. He won't go home.

Later, Gaozu arranged for him to remarry Yang, who was from the previous royal family. He was too partial to you.

Think about it, how much dissatisfaction your two brothers hold in their hearts.Now that they have finally gotten over it, it is probably useless for anyone to try to persuade them.If he didn't beat me out, he would have given me a lot of face. "

Wu Rou felt aggrieved and cried:

"But that's not our fault. My mother-in-law has never abused them, and we are not the culprits who killed their mother-in-law. Although we were not close before, I always regarded them as brothers. Now, they have sent their slaves Hit me, molest me, what’s wrong with me to deserve such humiliation?!”

After hearing this, the prince sighed and said after a while:
"Household matters, if the logic makes sense, there won't be so many contradictions. I'll ask someone to withdraw some money, and you can take it back to supplement the family income..."

Wu Rou lowered her head, cried out in pain, wiped away her tears for a while, and said in a low voice:
"No, thank you Mr. Fu, I'll go back now."

After she said that, she stood up from the ground and left the county government office without looking back.

……

……

Wu Rou went to find her friend.

She doesn't have many friends in Bingzhou, to be precise, she only has one.

Because their sisters and their mother had followed Aye warrior Xun in his tenure, he served as the governor of Yangzhou, and later became the governor of Lizhou and the governor of Jingzhou, each for three or four years.

Bingzhou is their hometown, but few of them came back, and they never stayed there for more than two years.

The only friend in Bingzhou was when Aye passed away while serving as the governor of Jingzhou. The emperor ordered Shi Liji, the governor of Bingzhou, to take Aye's coffin back to his hometown and preside over the funeral arrangements. All expenses were paid by the court.

At that time, Li Ji's daughter Li Xiangyun was assigned by Li Ji to go to Jingzhou on his behalf to take Aye's coffin back to his hometown in Bingzhou.They were similar in age and had similar temperaments, and they became friends who talked about everything on the way back.

Wu Rou rushed to the gate of Bingzhou Governor's Mansion in a hurry and knocked on the door.

The concierge inside opened the door, glanced at Wu Rou, didn't recognize him, and asked strangely:
"Who are you looking for?"

Wu Rou said quickly: "It's me, Xiaoliu. I'm a friend of you three girls. I'm Miss Yuan from Duke Ying's mansion."

The concierge was startled for a moment and looked at Wu Rou carefully. Only then could he see the shadow of the past on her thin and thin face, and said in shock:
"It's really Miss Wu! I haven't seen you for more than a year, why have you become like this? Our girl has looked for you several times, but no one has been seen."

Wu Rou's eyes turned red and she quickly said:
"Tell her that I have something to ask her about. It wasn't that I didn't want to see her in the past, it was because I was under house arrest."

"Is there such a thing?" Upon hearing this, the concierge quickly let her in and said:
"Girl, wait here for a while, I'll go and report."

After a while, a 15-year-old girl came out with the concierge. She walked very fast, the hem of her skirt flying, and she looked far away as she walked.

Before the person arrived, he saw Wu Rou standing at the door. He was already too thin, covered in dirt, and his clothes were shabby. He was shocked beyond words, and his eyes instantly turned red.

She took Wu Rou's hand and said:

"Arou, why are you like this?! Who put you under house arrest?!"

After not seeing her friend for a long time, Wu Rou finally had a backbone, and she burst into tears and said:

"Who else could be the Wu brothers? After Aye's funeral, they drove us to live in Xiangli's farm on the pretext of renovating the yard, cut off our money and food, and made the slaves watch us and not let us go out. We are not allowed to see guests and come to the farm from time to time to humiliate and beat us. I finally ran out today, Sister Xiangyun, you must save us."

When Li Xiangyun heard this, he immediately raised his eyebrows and said angrily:
"How could the Wu brothers do this? I went to see you several times. They all said that your mother was ill and was recuperating in the farm. It was not convenient for outsiders to disturb her. They rejected her every time she went.

I also have a temper. I thought you didn’t want to associate with me, and you never went there again. If I had known this was the case, I would have led someone to rush in to save you! "

She looked at Wu Rou again, pulled her inside, and said:

"Let's go, I'll take you to see Aye and let him seek justice for you!"

Li Xiangyun took her into the back hall and asked her to wait there while he went to Aye.But no one came after a long time.

Wu Rou sat in the lobby. The longer the time passed, the heavier her heart became. She thought something was wrong.

Sure enough, after an unknown amount of time, Li Xiangyun came back with her head lowered. She stood at the door of the lobby for a while, her eyes red, then she stepped across the threshold, cried to Wu Rou, and said:

"Arou... I'm sorry, I, Aye, said that the elders of the Wu family are no longer here. Brothers are like fathers. As long as they don't break the law, others have no room to comment... He said that it is your family matter and we are not in charge of it. .”

Li Xiangyun felt both self-blame and shame. She had just promised that she would rescue Wu Rou, but now she broke her promise.

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became, she cried loudly, covered half of her face with her sleeves, and said with tears:
"I said I want to go with you. Even if I speak out righteously, it's okay to scold those two people. How can I ignore the evil? Aye won't allow me to go.

He said: If you are a man and can marry her, then go ahead.You are not.Regardless of the name and status, you are talking freely here and have ruined the face of the Wu family brother. When you return home, the mother and daughter will be even more angry with the Wu family brother. "

Wu Rou's face turned paler as she listened, and she remained silent in despair.

Li Xiangyun continued:

"I discussed with Aye for a long time and said that if there is any way I can help you, it is to get married. But your marriage is now decided by the Wu family brother. If he doesn't agree, you won't be able to marry into a good family. go.

It's a pity that you sisters are all daughters, and none of you is a son. If you have one, even if you are young, I, Aye, can help you separate your family and become independent, and it will not be difficult to help you supplement some money.

But... isn't it true? …Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo,I think Aye is right. I really don’t know how to help you. "

The blood on Wu Rou's face faded completely.

The governor of a state is the highest military and political official in the state. The governor of Bingzhou is the emperor's ninth son, Prince Jin. Prince Jin has not come to Chang'an City, so Li Ji, the chief historian of the governor's office, is the de facto governor.

Now the governor of Bingzhou said they couldn't help her, so who could she go to?

Looking for the emperor?What if the emperor also said that this was their family matter and was not his business?

Wu Rou's eyes moved in Li Xiangyun's guilty eyes, she shed two lines of tears, and said with a miserable smile:

"It's okay, I know my sister has thought of me wholeheartedly, but Ah Rou's fate is not good... But I'm afraid that one day, the Wu brothers will feel that our mother and daughter are not cared about, so they secretly kill us.

If my sister cares about me, she will often send people to the rural farms to knock on the door and call my name to let them know that we are in Bingzhou and there is no one to care about or ask questions. "

After saying that, she smiled at Li Xiangyun again, lowered her head, and her posture was soft and graceful, as a noble girl should be. She walked slowly to the entrance of the lobby and said:

"I left. I ran out secretly. It would be wrong if I let the people in the farm know about it later."

(End of this chapter)