Chapter 63: Who will come save my twilight years!

Du Shanü was never the type of a fussy mother-in-law.

To her, all that hemming and hawing, tears and snot flying everywhere, are useless.

In the fire, hesitating like this, who knows—soon not only the box but even Chinu and Chen Weifang could get trapped in there.

Then what does the box matter?!

Save the people first; the box will still be there.

"Father... mother..."

"Chen Weifang struggled desperately on her shoulder, constantly turning her head to look at the two chests, her voice full of urgency and unwillingness:"

"No way, I can't abandon my parents!"

"Du Shanü couldn't help herself and gave the other a light pat on the butt:"

"As long as the green mountains remain, we'll never lack firewood!"

"If your parents saw you getting hurt while protecting them, they'd surely not want that!"

"Heaven and earth as my witness, Du Shanü said this, truly just to save as many as possible, one by one."

However, that pat completely changed Chen Weifang's shouting tone.

If the earlier shouting was mixed with indignation and sorrow, now there's only...... terror.

Chen Weifang, her legs bound, could only clutch her own waistband in terror, hysterically bursting into a loud cry:

"Ahhh——!"

"My twilight years——! My twilight years——!!!"

Du Shanü was carrying a man much heavier than herself, already gritting her teeth to endure; hearing this, she almost tripped, her left foot catching her right, and nearly fell into the fire.

Chinu followed closely behind, blocking flying sparks with one hand and shielding Du Shanü with the other, occasionally reaching out to clear away logs in the way.

He heard Chen Weifang's pig‑slaughtering‑like wails and couldn't hold back:

"Wake up, you don't have any 'twilight years' kind of thing there!"

"If you keep making noise, I'll reveal how you, when you previously served as the Salt Transport Commissioner of the Two Huai Salt Transport Office, disguised yourself as an entertainer in a music hall to investigate a corruption case!"

Du Shanü's eyes were already stinging from the fierce fire and thick smoke; hearing this, she really couldn't hold back and laughed out loud:

"Tell me in detail! Tell me in detail!"

"Although the timing isn't right, she really is curious what someone as pure and breezy as Chen Weifang would look like disguised as an entertainer!"

"Would she be alluring and charming, or an ice‑cold beauty......"

Du Shanü was thinking with gusto, when suddenly she felt the weight on her shoulder inexplicably increase a bit.

She turned her head to look back——

"All right!"

"Afang fainted!"

"Look at this fuss, but as long as we can save people it's fine."

Du Shanü straightened her smile, hoisted the person more securely, and while stepping on scorching ash, she strove to flee through the sky‑filled firelight and thick smoke.

It may be fate, or thanks to Chinu shielding them the whole way; the three barely escaped disaster, and just behind them the county hall's main hall wall collapsed with a roar.

And those two large chests from before were instantly swallowed by the flames and dust.

Du Shanü silently noted the location, planning to return later to search, and then carried Chen Weifang all the way to an unscorched corner of the wall, gently setting her down.

She quickly removed the wet cloth from her own mouth and nose, carefully wiped Chen Weifang's face, preparing to wake her; but Chinu was more direct, bending over, narrowing her eyes, and leaning close to Chen Weifang's ear to say:

"Wake up, otherwise...... I won't just tell about your disguise as an entertainer, I'll also tell about how you were relentlessly pestered by a wealthy young master!"

"If you don't wake up, your twilight years will really be gone!"

"Ahhhh——!!"

Fact proves, no one can escape the iron rule of fearing Chinu, not even close friends.

Du Shanü's wet cloth wiped over and over had no effect; as soon as Chinu spoke, Chen Weifang let out a string of startled cries, then gasped heavily.

"It's too scary, too scary!"

"I actually dreamed I was caught in a fire, couldn't bring my parents, Chinu came to rescue me, and even said to me......"

"Say......"

"Can't go on saying."

Because in the next instant, Chen Weifang lifted her head and saw two figures before her, as huge as mountains.

"Chen Weifang: \"...... \""

Du Shanü looked at his suddenly dazed expression, inexplicably felt a bit amused, was about to bend over to comfort him, when she heard Chen Weifang staring at her and let out another anguished cry:

"My twilight years!"

"Who will come save my twilight years——!!"

"Chinu: \"...... \""

"Du Shanü: \"...... \""

"Very curious."

"Really very curious."

"Why does Chen Weifang appear so pure and carefree, yet in private she's the type who, upon being touched, feels shame and rage to the point of wanting to die?"

"Earlier I saw him as quite scheming, resembling the gentlemanly demeanor of antiquity......"

"Turns out it's because they're not familiar enough?"

Du Shanü scratched her brow, pondering how to speak, but Chinu had already raised her hand high——

"Honest now."

"Chen Weifang is completely honest now:"

Forget it, it's nothing to sacrifice a bit of decorum...... You're willing to come rescue me, I'm actually quite happy in my heart.

This sentence, when spoken, is very true.

But, the gritting of teeth in the first half of the sentence is also very true.

The scholar whose face is no longer young gazes at the distant blazing fire, unable to conceal his weariness and desolation.

Within that blaze, perhaps there is also a glimmer of water.

Only Du Shanü, having walked through the fire for a long time tonight, has her eyes smoked and somewhat sore, and did not see it.

Du Shanü restrained her smile and asked solemnly:

"What exactly is going on tonight?"

The moonlight is like water, the firelight unceasing.

Chen Weifang sat on the cool steps of the xian xie, the red mark behind her ears from excitement not faded, her brows and eyes gradually sinking, her eyes like ancient ripples:

"What else could it be? Nothing more than corrupt officials and venal functionaries being far more numerous than expected."

The longer time passes, the more evident Chinu's skillful scheming becomes.

Earlier, if it weren't for Chinu having prematurely killed the corrupt officials of Cang Cheng, leaving him and another chief clerk willing to petition for the people, who could have run about for the tax matter, and the higher-ups, indeed, also feared letting the situation blow up......

Fearful that Cang Cheng now might also fall into the same state as the surrounding counties.

The tax documents coming from Jinling have always been twenty catties, but through layer upon layer of transmission, not knowing which link erred, it became a stone.

When it reaches those magistrates' hands, even if they sense something amiss, they will only levy tax according to a stone.

How can the common folk endure such heavy taxation?

They want to flee, but the able-bodied men can run; what about the women, children, and families left behind in the locality?

If they stay, they can only think of their own ways......

And tonight's affair is clearly their 【method】.

They cannot pay this county's taxes, so they can only go to other county towns to loot!

When those peasants earlier rushed into the county office with farming tools, Chen Weifang roughly grasped the situation; he sent constables to seize a person for on-the-spot interrogation, and the result was roughly the same.

But he never expected that someone would set fire to the county office's storeroom in order to rescue the person he had seized and interrogated!

The storeroom and inner chambers are extremely close; just as he anxiously turned back, wanting to bring out his parents......

Everything, it was already too late.

Chen Weifang lowered his head, covered his mouth with his hand, coughed heavily twice, and only then discovered that his palm was full of obstructing ash.

He silently stared at the ash for a few breaths, then suddenly broke into a smile and said:

"...... The false dynasty's fate is exhausted; its downfall can be anticipated."

?? Afang's moral bottom line has consistently been quite flexible.....