It was just past noon, the hottest time of the day. Even with a fan in hand, Wen Lisheng found the summer heat unbearable. After walking half a street, she had someone bring a carriage over.
The carriage turned onto the lakeside road along East Lake, passing rows of drooping willow trees before coming to a stop.
The pavilion was nestled among the trees. After getting out of the carriage, Wen Lisheng instructed Yu Gui and the two young men to wait by the carriage while she walked along the cobblestone path leading inward. After passing through the shade of the trees, a small pavilion came into view.
This little pavilion was practically Wen Lisheng’s private retreat. She loved coming here during the summer. Whether due to the terrain or the abundance of surrounding trees, this place was much cooler than others.
A gentle breeze swept through the pavilion, bringing a refreshing coolness. She settled onto a stone bench and was about to call Yu Gui to bring the thirst-quenching fruit soup from the carriage when she heard a faint rustling behind her.
She instinctively turned around but didn’t have time to see anything clearly before her vision went dark—a black hood had been pulled over her head. Wen Lisheng’s first thought was that she had made too many enemies in Yiguan County, and someone had come for revenge. She immediately covered her head, hoping to protect her face in case she was beaten.
But then her hands were tied together, followed by Yu Gui’s startled cry.
The sound of a scuffle broke out—likely Yu Gui engaging with the assailants.
She was hurriedly dragged away, her shoulders pressed down as she was shoved into a wooden barrel. Throughout the ordeal, she tried to reason with them, “Brothers, are you sure you’ve got the right person? Shouldn’t you at least confirm before taking action?”
No one paid her any attention.
“Are you after money or… something else?” she shouted. “If it’s the latter, I can give you plenty of silver notes so you can go to the pleasure houses and spend as you like. If it’s money, I can also—”
Someone kicked the barrel, annoyed by her chatter. “Quiet! Or we’ll pull out your teeth!”
Wen Lisheng had no choice but to shut up. She felt the barrel being lifted onto a cart, swaying and bumping as it was transported to an unknown destination.
To be honest, Wen Lisheng had been kidnapped so many times since childhood that she couldn’t even count them on both hands. She had learned to remain calm and composed in such situations. Knowing that shouting would be useless now, she settled down quietly.
After about half an hour, the carriage came to a stop. The barrel was unloaded and placed heavily on the ground.
Then the barrel was opened, and the hood was pulled off her head. Wen Lisheng closed her eyes briefly to adjust to the light before slowly opening them. She found herself in a sparsely furnished room with only a single table in the center, on which a lamp stood.
There were only three people in the room—two standing in the corners and by the door, and one standing beside the table. The candlelight cast his silhouette against the wall.
“Who are you?” Wen Lisheng asked directly.
The man turned around, and as soon as half his face came into view, Wen Lisheng recognized him—it was Mei Xing’an, the head of the Mei family.
He hadn’t fared well over the past half-month. His beard was unkempt, his clothes loose, tattered, and ill-fitting, and his face had grown noticeably thinner, with half his hair now gray.
She looked at him in surprise. “How did you end up so poor in such a short time?”
Her words struck Mei Xing’an like a sharp blade to the heart. He clutched his chest in pain and said, “It’s all because of your cunning father!””Every grievance has its source, every debt its debtor. It was him who harmed you, so go find him! Why tie me up here?” Wen Lisheng was quite indignant about this. The entire scheme to trick the Mei family into the trap had been planned by Xie Xiaonan and her father from start to finish. She didn’t even know when the two had started collaborating, so why was she the first one targeted for revenge?
Mentioning Wen Puchang, his face twisted with hatred: “A father’s debts are repaid by his children. I’ll kill you first, and in the future, I’ll take revenge on your father to avenge my Mei family, offering sacrifices to my elders and kin!”
Wen Lisheng found it strange: “Your Mei family elders and kin aren’t even dead. What are you sacrificing to?”
The Mei household, including distant relatives, numbered only a few dozen people. The main targets of punishment were Mei Xing’an and his brothers. His wife, children, elders, and the others were either exiled or imprisoned, but their lives were spared.
A fierce expression appeared on Mei Xing’an’s face, his eyes bloodshot as he roared, nearly hysterical: “Today, a fire broke out in the prison section of the southern suburbs. My wife, children, and relatives all perished in the flames. If it weren’t for your father scheming against me first and then imprisoning my entire Mei family, leading to today’s situation, it’s all your Wen family’s fault!”
Wen Lisheng gasped, feeling as if ice had settled in her heart: “How could a fire break out?”
Mei Xing’an seemed to be in extreme agony. He suddenly drew a knife and pointed it at Wen Lisheng: “Quickly hand over what you stole from my wife’s room that day, and I’ll give you a swift death.”
After all that talk, the conversation had circled back to this matter.
Wen Lisheng glanced at the knife tip in front of her. After a few breaths, she asked: “Is this why you captured me?”
“Enough nonsense! That item originally belonged to my Mei family. I’ll retrieve it first, then settle the rest of the accounts with you!” Mei Xing’an drew his long knife, pressing it against Wen Lisheng’s neck. The blade was sharp and cold; one more inch forward would draw blood.
Wen Lisheng wore a puzzled expression. She couldn’t understand why this man, who had just lost his wife and children, would prioritize retrieving that lost item. Was it really that important?
With the blade resting on her shoulder, she showed no fear. Suddenly, she stood up from the wooden barrel—the ropes binding her had somehow been untied at some point. Wen Lisheng twisted her wrists and said in a feigned tone: “If you dare lay a hand on me, you’ll never get that thing back in this lifetime.”
Mei Xing’an snorted coldly, unafraid: “I have nothing left now. If you don’t hand it over, I might as well take you down to the Yellow Springs with me to atone to the Mei family.”
Wen Lisheng stepped out of the barrel: “The item isn’t on me. I need to go back and get it.”
But Mei Xing’an’s face twisted savagely: “You cunning little girl, do you think I’d believe you? If you want to leave, leave one of your hands behind first!”
As he spoke, he swung the blade to grab her arm. Wen Lisheng was terrified, her eyes wide as she shouted: “Are you even reasonable?!”
Before the blade could land, something suddenly shattered the window and flew in, knocking the knife from his hand. Mei Xing’an’s arm went numb from the impact, and he staggered back two steps. Only then did he realize it was a small stone. Realizing Wen Lisheng had accomplices, he immediately yelled: “Grab her!”
The two remaining men in the room moved to act, but stones flew in one after another, striking them in the waist and sides. Mei Xing’an took one to the back of his knee, cried out in pain, and half-knelt on the ground.Wen Lisheng hadn’t expected to have an accomplice. In her surprise, she grabbed a candlestick from the table and smashed it onto Mei Xing’an’s head. Hot wax splattered across half his face, and he let out a miserable scream.
Seizing the moment, Wen Lisheng shoved the door open and dashed outside. Spotting a horse tied under a tree to her right, she sprinted over, untied the rope, and mounted it just as someone burst through the door.
Wen Lisheng scanned the area but saw no one nearby. She had no idea who had secretly helped her, but there was no time to linger. She slapped the horse’s rump hard, and with a long whinny, it bolted forward. Gripping the reins tightly, she leaned low, fearing she might be thrown off.
Fortunately, Wen Lisheng often wandered around Yiguan County, so she had been to this area a few times before. She vaguely remembered it was the southern outskirts outside the city and knew the way back. However, two men on horseback were in close pursuit, and she couldn’t shake them off no matter how hard she tried.
Her hands grew swollen from whipping the horse, but its speed gradually increased. The fierce wind whipped through her long hair, and the bronze bells on her head jingled lightly.
As scattered households began to appear along the road, she realized she wouldn’t make it to the city gates before being caught. Moreover, galloping through areas with pedestrians could cause harm. Reluctantly, she dismounted, pulled out a hairpin, and jabbed it into the horse’s rump. The horse reared with a piercing whinny, its hooves nearly kicking Wen Lisheng before it galloped away.
Wen Lisheng ran forward for a while, growing increasingly anxious, when she noticed a household holding a funeral by the roadside. A white canopy was set up at the entrance, and a group of people dressed in white mourning clothes wept around a coffin. The mournful sounds of suonas, gongs, and cymbals filled the air. Without a second thought, she rushed into the crowd, knelt beside the coffin, and used the mourning clothes of those around her to cover her own dress. She draped a white mourning cloth over her shoulders and neck, then began wailing at the top of her lungs.
Perhaps the mourners were too absorbed in their grief to notice Wen Lisheng as an outsider. Hearing her cry so fervently, those nearby felt a competitive urge, and soon everyone was wailing even louder.
Wen Lisheng peeked through half-closed eyes and saw the two burly men chasing her scanning the surroundings intently, failing to spot her among the mourners. She quickly lowered her head and pretended to weep.
However, the two men didn’t leave. Instead, they began searching meticulously, scrutinizing everyone in the area. Her heart sank. She clung to the coffin, hiding her face in an attempt to blend in.
Unbeknownst to her, as she put on this convincing performance of grief, Wen Puchang and Xie Xiaonan were standing just a dozen steps away.
Xie Xiaonan, bored and idle, let his gaze drift over the funeral crowd by the roadside. Suddenly, his eyes paused on one figure—a person weeping with their head bowed, adorned with two exquisitely crafted hollow bronze bells in their dark hair, from which dangled tassels of pale yellow.
His dark eyes narrowed as he observed for a moment before turning to Wen Puchang, who was diligently and earnestly dealing with the aftermath of the prison fire. “Prefect Wen,” he said, “I have some rather inauspicious news to share with you.”