eurekapd Chapter 451 Han Zhong's wife's determination: she was determined to save her husband, no m
Chapter 451 Han Zhong's wife's determination: she was determined to save her husband, no m
In the room,
After grieving for a while, Liu Ruolan suddenly raised her head and fiercely wiped away the tears on her face with her sleeve.
She can't go on like this.
She had to find a way to save her husband.
There are still three days until my husband is executed. There is still a chance, there is still a chance!
She took a deep breath and gradually suppressed the surging bitterness.
Then he stood up, straightened his clothes, pushed open the door, and went out.
Dusk had fallen in the courtyard.
Under the ginkgo tree, the two daughters stood there, gazing in the direction of the study, their eyes filled with confusion and unease.
When Han Xin'er saw her mother come out, her eyes lit up and she quickly went to greet her.
She stood in front of her mother, her lips moved slightly, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke, her voice trembling.
"Mother, Father...will he be alright?"
Looking at her, at her daughter's clear eyes filled with worry, Liu Ruolan felt as if a dull knife was slowly cutting into her heart.
She gritted her teeth, and slowly raised the corners of her mouth to force a smile.
"It will be alright. Don't worry, His Majesty won't do anything to your father."
Her voice deliberately suppressed her emotions, carrying a nonchalant calm.
But Liu Ruolan's heart felt like a pot of boiling oil, burning her insides and making her tremble.
Even she herself didn't believe that His Majesty wouldn't do anything to your father.
But she couldn't tell the truth, and she couldn't let Han Xin'er worry.
But Han Xin'er was incredibly intelligent.
Looking at her mother's forced smile and the tear stains still visible at the corners of her eyes, she suddenly understood something.
Her eyes were slightly red, but she didn't cry, didn't ask any questions, and didn't even show a trace of sadness.
She simply nodded, a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth revealing a sweet, endearing smile.
"Then I'm relieved."
Han Xin'er also didn't want her mother to worry, and didn't want her mother to be distracted by comforting her when she was already under immense pressure.
She could only pretend that she knew nothing, understood nothing, and that nothing had happened.
Liu Ruolan reached out and gently touched her daughter's head.
"Go do your homework with your sister. Watch over her, okay?"
Han Xin'er nodded.
She turned around and walked towards her sister.
My younger sister, Han Qin'er, was squatting by the flowerbed, still holding that foxtail grass in her hand.
She looked up at her sister and mother, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.
Although she was innocent and naive, she and her sister were twins and had an inexplicable telepathic connection.
She could sense her sister's unease and the sadness beneath her mother's smile.
She couldn't describe the feeling, only that her chest felt tight, like a stone was lodged in it.
Han Qin'er stood up, patted the grass clippings off her skirt, and walked to her sister's side.
"Sister, Mother, what's wrong?"
Her voice carried a hint of doubt, and a hint of fear that she herself was unaware of.
Liu Ruolan shook her head, smiled, and said:
"It's nothing. Go do your homework with your sister."
She dared not look into her daughter's eyes, afraid that if she did, tears would fall.
Han Xin'er reached out and gently took her younger sister's hand.
The hand was cold and trembling slightly.
She gripped it tighter, her voice soft.
"Let's go, I'll take you to study."
Han Qin'er nodded and then glanced back at her mother.
She felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She obediently followed her sister toward the study.
After walking a few steps, I turned back and looked at my mother standing under the ginkgo tree. The twilight stretched her thin figure long and long, like a candle flame flickering in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.
Han Xin'er led her younger sister into the study.
The door slowly closed behind her.
She leaned against the door, closed her eyes, and tears silently streamed down her face.
She didn't make a sound, and even her breathing was kept to a minimum.
She couldn't let her sister hear it, couldn't let her sister see it, couldn't let her sister know that the family had changed.
Han Qin'er stood in front of the desk, flipping through the book "Women's Instructions" that she had read countless times, but her eyes were fixed on the pages and she couldn't concentrate on a single word.
She was still replaying her mother's smile in her mind. That smile was so strange, unlike any smile she had ever seen before.
She bit her lip, looked up at her sister, whose back was to her and whose shoulders were trembling slightly.
"Sister?" she called softly.
Han Xin'er quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve, turned around, and a faint smile appeared on her face.
"What's wrong?"
Han Qin'er shook her head, lowered her head, and continued reading.
She didn't ask any further questions.
She didn't know what she was afraid of; she just didn't want to see her sister and mother's expressions like that anymore.
In the courtyard, Liu Ruolan stood under the ginkgo tree, gazing at the tightly closed study door and the two slender shadows sitting together on the window paper. Tears finally welled up silently.
Her lips were trembling, her fingers were shaking, and she looked like a puppet whose soul had been taken away, her whole body cracked and on the verge of collapsing.
She didn't cry out loud.
She dared not cry out loud.
She was afraid her daughters would hear, afraid they would worry, afraid they would run out, afraid they would ask, "Mother, what's wrong?"
At this moment, Liu Ruolan had only one thought in her mind.
She couldn't let her daughters be without a father.
She had to save Han Zhong, she had to find a way, she had to find someone who could save him within three days, and she had to fight for a chance of survival for her family.
Liu Ruolan took a deep breath and swallowed back the surging tears little by little.
She raised her head, gazing at the last rays of twilight on the horizon, a resolute glint in her eyes.
She turned around and strode quickly toward the main hall.
"Someone come here!" Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.
A servant strode out from around the corner of the corridor, head bowed, and paid his respects.
"What are your orders, Madam?"
"Go and invite all the elders of the clan. Tell them I have something important to discuss with them."
The servant was slightly taken aback, raised his head, and glanced at the lady.
The lady's face was pale, her eyes were slightly red, but her back was straight and her gaze was firm.
He dared not ask any more questions, lowered his head, turned and quickly left. The sound of his footsteps gradually faded into the twilight.
Liu Ruolan stood at the entrance of the main hall, her hands behind her back, gazing at the ginkgo leaves in the courtyard that shimmered with a dim golden light in the twilight, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
She didn't know if the elders would come, whether they would be willing to help, or what solutions they could come up with.
All she knew was that she had to try—for Han Zhong, for her daughters, for her family.
She would seize even the slightest hope.
She would be willing to kneel down and beg them. She would not hesitate to give her life in exchange for Han Zhong's.
Half an hour later, the main hall was brightly lit by candlelight.
The clan elders arrived one after another, walking in through the gate, through the courtyard, and into the main hall.
They were all members of the Han family, including elderly people with white hair, middle-aged people in their prime, and scholars with solemn expressions.
The oldest was over seventy years old, leaning on a cane, his white beard hanging down to his chest, and he walked with a limp.
The youngest was over forty years old, his face was pale, and his eyes were full of anxiety and resentment.
Some of them wore official robes, some wore scholar's robes, and some wore plain clothes, but every face of them was filled with solemnity and unease.
They didn't know what crime Han Zhong had committed, why His Majesty wanted to kill him, or whether they could still save him.
All they knew was that Han Zhong was the pillar of the Han family and their only support in the imperial court.
If Han Zhong dies, the Han family is finished.
They sat on the rosewood armchairs on either side of the main hall, some drinking tea, some sighing, some lost in thought, and some whispering amongst themselves.
Everyone had a deep knot between their brows that could never be smoothed out.
Liu Ruolan sat in the main seat, her back ramrod straight, her hands folded on her knees, her gaze sweeping over the clan elders.
Her face was as pale as paper, and her lips were completely bloodless, but her eyes were unusually calm, as calm as a stagnant pool.
"My esteemed uncles, I have summoned you here today because of my husband's matter. His Majesty has decreed that he will be executed in three days. Time is of the essence, and I would like to hear your opinions."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
The group exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions shifting uncertainly.
He will be executed in three days!
So rushed!?
We don't even have enough time to think of a solution!
An elderly man with white hair was the first to speak, his voice hoarse, carrying a deep-seated helplessness and weariness.
His name is Han Demao, Han Zhong's uncle, and he is over seventy years old, holding the highest seniority in the clan.
"Ruolan, it's not that we don't want to help, it's just that we really don't know how. His Majesty's words are law; he means what he says. We old bones can't even get through the palace gates, how can we plead with His Majesty?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than another middle-aged clan elder took over the conversation.
His name was Han Dechang, a cousin of Han Zhong. He was a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue, not of high rank, but he had some connections in the court.
"I heard in court today that Han Zhong himself confessed to his crimes, didn't utter a single word in defense, and only wanted to die. What can we outsiders say? We can't just force him to stay alive, can we?"
His voice carried a hint of helplessness, and a trace of unspoken resentment.
Another elder spoke, his voice low and urgent.
His name was Han Deren, and he was Han Zhong's cousin. He worked in the Ministry of War and was known for his impatient nature.
"Madam, we're not trying to discourage you. His Majesty just asked in court if anyone wanted to plead for him. His tone and look—who would dare speak up? If we go, not only will we fail to save Han Zhong, but we'll also be doomed!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of agreement arose in the hall.
"Yes, yes, with His Majesty's tone, who dares to speak?"
"Han Zhong himself has admitted it, what else can we do?"
"It's not that we don't want to save them, it's that we can't!"
As Liu Ruolan listened to those words and saw those flickering eyes, the fire that had just ignited in her heart was gradually dying out.
But she didn't give up. Her face remained expressionless, and her voice remained calm and steady.
"Uncles, I know this is a difficult matter, but Han Zhong is, after all, the head of the Han family, the pillar of the family. If he dies, the Han family will have no one left in the court. We can't just stand by and watch him die in front of the Meridian Gate, can we?"
Her words silenced the room once again.
The clan elders looked at each other, their eyes filled with struggle and resentment.