The night deepened, heavy with sorrow. Rain poured from the heavens like a divine lament, crashing against rooftops and streets, soaking the world in darkness and grief. Lightning split the sky, illuminating the city in flashes of silver, while thunder rumbled like the voice of a wrathful god.
Zhao Wei stood outside her home, her shawl soaked through, her eyes darting down the empty road. Li Cheng had not returned. Hours had passed since he stormed off, and her heart thudded louder with each tick of time. She knew him. Knew where he would go. The Li family mansion.
Her thoughts returned to the humiliation she'd endured earlier that day, Yang Xin's cruelty, the slap, the threats. And now, her son was missing, alone, and possibly walking into the lion's den.
"Chang'er, please... be safe," she whispered, her voice nearly drowned by the storm.
She waited longer, gripping the frame of the door as the wind lashes against her, But patience gave way to fear. Without another word, she stepped into the downpour, the rain masking the tears already streaming down her cheeks.
She walked alone, her steps unsteady as her shoes splashed through puddles. The streets were deserted. Only the distant glow of lanterns lit her way as she headed toward the Li mansion.
Under the shelter inside the Li mansion, near the front gate, two guards from earlier huddled, shivering and bickering.
"I'm tired," one groaned, stifling a yawn. "Let's lock the gate and get some sleep. No one's coming out in this storm."
"We can't," the other snapped. "What if someone important shows up? You want the Patriarch to find out we were sleeping on duty? You think we would get off easily?"
"In this weather? Who's stupid enough to co...?"
Knock!!. Knock!. Knock!!.
Both men froze.
"…You heard that, right?" the sleepy one said, voice suddenly sharp.
Knock… Knock…
This time the knock were louder and Clearer.
"Are you sure it's not a ghost?" he whispered, edging away from the gate.
"Idiot. Ghosts don't knock," the other muttered, trying to sound braver than he felt. "Come on, let's check."
"You go."
"No, you go."
"Why me? I'm not even married yet. If I die here, what do I tell my father?"
"Shut up and move!".....the sleepy one earlier shouted at his colleague in anger.
With trembling steps, they tiptoed toward the gate. One of them peeked through the narrow slit between the doors, then recoiled in surprise.
"It's… it's a woman."
The other leaned in and peered too. "What kind of madwoman is out in this heavy downpour?"
They unlatched the gate and opened it halfway. There, drenched to the bone, stood Zhao Wei. Rainwater streamed from her hair and clothes. Her eyes were wild with desperation, her lips trembling.
"Who are you?" one of the guards barked. "If you're here to beg, you've picked the wrong house."
But the other guard narrowed his eyes. "Wait… Isn't this…"
"…Li Cheng's mother?" the first guard said in shock, stepping back in recognition.
What are are you doing here?.... wait I have been wondering where your son got his foolishness from, now I could tell it's from you.
Zhao Wei didn't flinch at the insult. Her voice cracked as she stepped forward. "Did my son come here? Where is he? Tell me…"
"Li Cheng?" one of them scoffed. "You mean that useless brat?"
The other chuckled. "You must've buried him already, haven't you? Or maybe the vultures did it for you. After we beat him half to death, we tossed him out like garbage."
They both burst into laughter.
Zhao Wei stood frozen. Her lips parted, but no words came. Only silence and the sound of rain. Then her knees gave in, and she dropped to the ground, her hands clutching her chest as sobs tore from her throat.
One of the guards shrugged. "I'm going back to rest. Let's lock the gate."
As they began to shut the doors, Zhao Wei suddenly sprang to her feet with a howl of fury and lunged at them. She clawed and kicked, trying to force her way inside.
"You monsters!" she screamed. "Give me back my son!"
They shoved her down roughly, and she hit the wet ground with a dull thud.
"You should be grateful, old woman," one of them said with a sneer. "We did you a favor. At least now you won't have to worry about raising that little failure anymore."
The gate slammed shut in her face.
Thunder crashed above, drowning her screams.
She lay there, crumpled on the ground, as the cold rain soaked her completely. Her wails thour through the night.
"Li Qiang!!" she cried, lifting her face toward the sky. "You cast your own son aside like a dog! You let them kill him! In your own house, You stood by while your child was broken!"....her voice laced with pain.
Lightning flashed, and in that flash, her eyes gleamed with something darker than grief.
"I curse you," she whispered, voice trembling with hate. "You, Yang Xin, your bastard son Li Yuen… the entire Li family. May the heavens make you feel every ounce of the pain you gave us. May your line wither, and your power turn to ashes"
Her body shook violently as the tears continued to fall. "Chang'er… you didn't deserve this. You didn't deserve to die like this…"
Above, the storm raged on, but it no longer felt like mere weather. The thunder roared like judgment. The rain, like mourning. It was as if the heavens themselves wept with her.
And somewhere, far from that gate, in the carriage of Wang Yue, who had lifted him from the dirt, Li Cheng was laying lifeless and breathing still.