A True Friend is Hard to Find

Heshen's fat face immediately flushed red, as if he had been caught red-handed and said helplessly, "General Hong, before the current Emperor, we are both subjects. What can we do? We can only bow our heads and obey orders! Although I promised at the time that as long as you unite with my imperial army and do everything possible to disintegrate the alliance of the eighteen chieftains, I would plead with the Emperor to pardon the bandit leader Xiang Quan's death sentence. But now the situation has gone off track and become uncontrollable. Who told you to collude with the alliance of the eighteen chieftains and act in concert? Officials and bandits are actually joining forces. What are the civil and military officials in the court supposed to think? What will the Emperor say? And how can I, an official, plead with the Emperor?"

White Lightning was shocked and unconsciously raised his head, facing Red Moon and asking sharply, "Red Moon! What exactly have you been hiding from me?!" Red Moon was immediately speechless. She dared not look up to meet his sharp, lightning-like gaze, and simply lowered her head without saying a word, her mind in turmoil!

Heshen chuckled inwardly, his eyes darting around as a plan formed in his mind. He smiled slyly and said, "Actually, this isn't General Hong's fault. Seeing you so bewitched, falling deeper and deeper into the bandit leader Xiang Quan's trap, she couldn't bear to see you continue to sink so low. That's why she volunteered to see me, asking me to persuade His Majesty to let her lead a reinforcement army into Sichuan to help you defeat the alliance of eighteen chieftains and return in triumph. So, I exhausted my efforts and persuasion, finally reaching an agreement with the Emperor to have General Hong infiltrate your ranks, monitoring your every move with Xiang Quan's bandit group, waiting for the opportune moment to join forces with our imperial army to annihilate the entire bandit army in western Sichuan!"

White Lightning's eyes widened in fury as he rushed forward and grabbed Red Moon by the neck, executing a Dragon Claw throat lock. He roared viciously, "Yesterday, you saw that our main force had gone to Xiaojinchuan to rescue Jin'er. Taking advantage of the emptiness of the Qiongshan official residence, you secretly sent someone to deliver a message to the people of the Sticky Rod Bureau, who had been hiding nearby for a long time, ordering them to massacre the Qiongshan official residence overnight, resulting in Xiang Quan's tragic fate of still being missing! Red Moon, you know that what I hate most in my life is traitors. Tell me, why did you do this?!"

Red Moon, heartbroken and with no will to fight back, whispered in utter despair, "Now I realize that marrying you was the most foolish thing I ever did! Because you never had a place for me in your heart; Fragrant Fist was the one you loved until death!"

Bai Shandian was even more furious, and shouted angrily, "What time is it? You're still jealous of Quan'er! You caused her to be wiped out, and her fate is still unknown. Don't you feel any remorse?"

Red Moon sneered, "You need to understand your own position. You and Fragrant Fist are on completely different paths. You're on the golden road to wealth and glory, while she's on the swampy path to the eighteenth level of hell! No matter how glamorous she is now, seemingly able to turn the world upside down and command the land like a local tyrant, in the end, she will undoubtedly meet a terrible end!"

The words "may you die a horrible death" ignited Bai Shandian's murderous intent. He tightened his grip, intending to snap Hong Yueliang's neck, and hissed viciously, "Since you want Quan'er to die so badly, I'll kill you first!" Hong Yueliang's face turned bright red instantly, and she could no longer breathe. She simply drooped her eyelashes, closed her eyes, and awaited her death!

Seeing her face grow increasingly contorted and ugly, Bai Shandian vaguely sensed that he was about to strangle Hong Yueliang to death. Suddenly, a thought struck him: "She was the woman I was once so proud of! Am I really going to kill her like this for Quan'er? Isn't that too cruel!" He quickly released his grip, frozen in shock! Looking at Hong Yueliang again, he saw that she had run out of breath and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Moon—" White Lightning cried out in despair, rushed over and picked up Red Moon, letting her lie in his arms. He sat on the ground and frantically rubbed her chest and patted her back, crying and shouting like a madman, frantically trying to save her.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Heshen quickly gave the four generals a look, and the four of them rushed forward, tackled Bai Shandian and Hong Yueliang to the ground, quickly handcuffed and shackled them, and used chains to pierce their shoulder blades before taking them into the dungeon and locking them firmly to the stone walls of the stone chamber.

Seeing that Bai Shandian was so flustered by love that he was so easily dealt with by his subordinates, he was very pleased. Suddenly in high spirits, he followed Bai Shandian to the dungeon. Looking at the furious but helpless Bai Shandian, he burst into wild laughter. After a long pause, he stopped, saying in a sarcastic tone, "Bai Shandian, you usually rely on the Emperor's favor, acting arrogantly and haughty, your tail practically wagging in the air. Who do you think you are? You're so self-absorbed, waving the banner of integrity and honesty, openly keeping three Tibetan mastiffs at your gate to deter those who come seeking favors! It's said that once, the late Emperor Yongzheng, traveling incognito, passed by your house and was nearly scared to death by the vicious dogs. Luckily, you were blessed with good fortune and luck; the late Emperor not only didn't punish you for startling him, but also promoted you three ranks. He said your method of avoiding sycophants is commendable, and that it's rare to find such a just and honest minister. This kind of character is exactly what the court needs."

Heshen chuckled coldly, then said mockingly, "As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune are intertwined, honor and disgrace are shared. It is precisely your unsociable and unsociable way of dealing with people that has thoroughly offended all your colleagues in the court. As a result, when you fell on hard times, all the officials in the court stood by and watched, and who was willing to say a good word for you in court? Moreover, those who used to fawn over you and were rejected actually jointly submitted a memorial impeaching you for a series of crimes! They were all acting out of personal vendetta, fabricating charges out of thin air, and purely taking advantage of your misfortune to kick you when you're down!"

"Stop talking!" Bai Shandian was so angry at his words that he was dizzy and shouted sharply, "Tell me quickly, where is my wife Xiangquan now? What have you done to her?!" Heshen deliberately provoked him, pretending not to hear, and continued to play his tune, saying in a sarcastic tone, "Tsk tsk, I suddenly changed my mind. I don't want you to commit suicide immediately. Since you're so amusing, I want to play with you for a couple more days! Hehe—"

"You beast, you're worse than a pig or a dog! How did I, Bai Shandian, ever save you, you ingrate, at Xinfeng Courtyard in the capital?!" Bai Shandian cursed angrily. Heshen sneered, "Very well, now that you mention Xinfeng Courtyard, the capital's premier brothel, my mind is filled with memories. Your daughter, Yu Ruyi, was truly beautiful back then—full breasts and a curvaceous figure, with fair skin. She truly deserved to be Xinfeng Courtyard's top courtesan, a real beauty, so alluring and irresistible!"

Bai Shandian was an upright man who hated evil and loved the people like his own children. He severely punished corrupt officials without exception, earning him considerable prestige in the court and among the people. He was a man who could not tolerate even the slightest injustice! In all his life, when had he ever suffered such humiliation? He immediately channeled his inner strength, his bones cracking and popping like soybeans being fried in a hot pan. But a sharp pain shot through his shoulder, quickly piercing his heart. He knew that even if his inner strength broke through the iron chain as thick as a child's arm, his wound would likely reopen, and he would bleed to death! He dared not push himself too hard, calmed himself, and withdrew his inner strength.

Ignoring the little man and the fat man, he instead gazed at Red Moon, who was locked up to the side. Seeing her brows furrowed and still unconscious, he felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if stabbed by a knife. He hurriedly cried out, "Moon, wake up! Moon, wake up!"

Before long, Red Moon slowly awoke. When she saw that she, like White Lightning, was imprisoned in the dungeon with chains piercing her shoulder blades, her eyes widened in anger. She stared at Fatty He and demanded sharply, "Lord He, what have I done to deserve this?!"

Heshen glared at her coldly, his face expressionless, and said in a sinister tone, "General Hong, was that self-inflicted injury ruse you and your husband, Bai Shandian, played really meaningful? Don't treat people like three-year-olds!" Hong Yueliang couldn't help but laugh in exasperation, then sighed helplessly, "When someone wants to find fault, they'll always find a reason! Fine, I'd rather die than live any longer. What's the point of living anyway? Honestly, I, Hong Yueliang, have never wronged anyone in my life! It's a pity the world doesn't understand my heart, only creating unnecessary trouble for themselves!"

Bai Shandian knew she was referring to him, and his nose stung with tears. They say men don't easily shed tears, only when deeply hurt. He let the tears flow, gazing at the red moon with deep affection, his lips trembling as he said, "Moon, I know everything you did was for me! But I'm unworthy to be your and Quan'er's husband. You are both good women, each one impeccably good. I've wronged you both! Looking back on my life, the biggest mistake I've made is my indecisive nature! If I had hardened my heart and led you and the two children to Sichuan with Quan'er, we wouldn't have lived such a lonely and miserable life! Instead, we ended up in this tragic state of being torn apart, our family destroyed, and everyone dead!"

Red Moon nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at food. Seeing her husband's tears streaming down his face, she couldn't help but feel her own eyes well up with tears. She sighed and said, "Lightning, I finally understand one thing: money and fame are nothing but fleeting clouds, gone in an instant. The bumpy road to officialdom, the darkness of the bureaucracy, filled with deceit and intrigue, has completely broken my heart! Only when the family is happy and together is that we truly win in life! Lightning, following you for the rest of my life is my only purpose! I'll be your family in life and in death, I'll stay with you for life!"

Seeing his wife had reconciled and they were as good as new, Bai Shandian couldn't help but smile through his tears. He made up his mind: Even though I treated her that way, she didn't seem offended; instead, she loved me even more. With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for!

Nothing in the world can compare to true love. Fame, fortune, and wealth are nothing but fleeting clouds, vanishing in an instant! Wealth and glory are nothing but the moon in the water and flowers in the mirror, destined to turn into bubbles sooner or later! Only one person who understands me is the most dazzling star in my life, shining brightly and radiantly!

(End of this chapter)