Grandma chattered nonstop the whole way.
Nan Yang tried to sleep with her head covered, but the incessant chatter kept her drifting in and out of slumber beneath her cloak, her ears filled with nothing but “Lu Dalangjun.”
Unable to bear it, she pushed the cloak aside. “What childhood sweethearts? I haven’t seen Elder Cousin Lu since I was ten. How many years has it been?”
Grandma retorted angrily, “That’s because you were confined to the inner residence and couldn’t go out! He wasn’t in the capital!”
Nan Yang replied, “I’ve always been shut away in the Wei Family’s inner residence, never moving for years. If Elder Cousin Lu truly wanted to see me, couldn’t he have found a way? So, deep down, he didn’t think I mattered much.”
Grandma fell silent.
The carriage finally quieted down, and Nan Yang covered her head again to continue sleeping.
But Grandma’s words still had an effect. Her heart was no longer as calm as before, like ripples stirred by a gentle breeze on a lake, trembling faintly.
She actually remembered Elder Cousin Lu Che of the Lu Family quite clearly.
All the Lu brothers were studying at the Imperial Academy in the capital. During festivals, a whole group of Lu Family youths, big and small, would come to the Wei Family to pay New Year’s visits and bring gifts.
Lu Che, as the eldest brother, led a noisy bunch of little ones trailing behind him, standing out like a crane among chickens. He was handsome, with a cool and distinguished demeanor, making it hard for anyone not to notice him.
When she was young and naive, she didn’t think much of it. But as she grew older and occasionally recalled those years—the few years before her mother went mad—her mother, taking advantage of managing the Wei Family’s inner residence, had indeed tried to match her with Elder Cousin Lu.
Among the three sisters in the family, she had an elder legitimate sister above her and a younger sister below. Stuck awkwardly in the middle, she was always the one leading the way whenever they met the Lu brothers.
Nan Yang turned over.
Grandma felt sorry for her. After the marriage arrangement between her and Elder Cousin Lu fell through, Grandma still held onto hope, wanting to salvage it for her.
But in truth, within the entire Wei Family, only Grandma thought this way.
When Nan Yang was young, she didn’t understand these complexities.
The year her mother went mad, she moved to a desolate, remote courtyard to live alone. It was too quiet, so she counted the days on her fingers, waiting for Elder Cousin Lu to bring his younger brothers to visit her during the New Year. A lively group of Lu brothers would set off firecrackers, hand out gold coins, paint New Year’s pictures and peach wood charms, and carry lanterns around.
She had prepared brushes, ink, painting paper, and return gifts in advance, but Elder Cousin Lu never came to her small courtyard.
That was his final year at the Imperial Academy.
After the New Year, he left the capital. It was said he had come to the Wei Family once to say goodbye, but Nan Yang still didn’t see him.
Several years later, when she went to pay respects to her Legal Mother, she arrived early and overheard through the door:
“A legitimate eldest son of the Lu Family matched with a legitimate daughter of the Wei Family—that’s what you call a suitable match. Madam Zhou, born into a merchant family, only smells the stench of copper. She sees people as having two eyes and one nose, thinking that just because the Lu Family hails from Shanyang Commandery, they’re country bumpkins, and her daughter, bearing the Wei surname, is a worthy match. What does she know about noble families, about seven generations of lineage, about centuries-old prestigious clans?”
…
“You all see people with one eye and two noses. May your families stay spotless, your money pouches develop holes, your rice jars run empty, and may you never smell a whiff of copper.”
In the jolting carriage, Nan Yang muttered softly under her cloak.
The carriage sped up, jostling too much to sleep. She lifted the fluttering window curtain and leaned out to look.
The soldier driving the carriage up front noticed the movement and, thinking she was worried about the journey, called out loudly:
“You needn’t worry, Second Miss Wei. Please return to your seat. My master said he would see you home, and so he shall. We’ll enter the Capital Region tomorrow! By dusk the day after, you’ll surely be at the gates of the Wei Family!”
Thank you so much, that sounds utterly unappealing.
Nan Yang: “…It’s fine if we travel a bit slower.”
The driving soldier shouted back, “Slower won’t do! Just now, the master gave orders that the carriage was too slow and told me to whip the horses faster. May I speed up a little more?” With that, he cracked the whip fiercely.
The two fine horses broke into a gallop, jolting Nan Yang three inches off her seat inside the carriage.
Grandma turned pale and lunged to cling to the carriage window.
Nan Yang yelled, “Slow down! Grandma is about to be sick!”
Grandma: “Urgh!!”
Magistrate Yang, who had been silent at the front for a long while: “—Urgh!!”
The light cavalry halted by the roadside to rest, waiting for the large carriage that had fallen far behind to catch up.
Xiao Chengyan took the portrait, examining the depiction of the young lady who had saved him by the waters of Ping An Town, drawn based on the descriptions given by the women.
A pointed chin, a small face, round eyes. She looked sweet and delicate.
Indeed, as Ming Wenhuan had said, she somewhat resembled Wei Er Niang in appearance.
But how many young ladies in the world have round eyes and an oval face? In the capital alone, one could easily find hundreds with a little searching.
After looking it over, Xiao Chengyan tossed it aside.
“Young ladies like Wei Er Niang, who rarely go out, hardly see sunlight all year, so of course they’re pale.”
“There are plenty of short women. As for slightly decent looks—an oval face with round, almond-shaped eyes—you can find them everywhere.”
Ming Wenhuan hurried out to retrieve the discarded portrait.
“Marquis Xiao makes a fair point, but Wei Erniangzi truly does bear a resemblance.”
Xiao Chengyan closed his eyes. “Wearing coarse cloth, barefoot, rowing a boat alone to gather lotus seedpods.”
Ming Wenhuan fell silent.
That was the biggest point of doubt.
How could a young lady from a noble, high-ranking family wear coarse cloth and grass shoes, going out alone to row a boat and pick lotus seedpods?
Every detail, when placed on a young lady from the Wei Family’s Earl’s Mansion, was simply shocking and unheard of.
Only poor young women struggling to make a living would be so unrefined.
Xiao Chengyan snatched the portrait back.
The early autumn sun was harsh overhead. He bent his long legs and leaned back in the shade of a tree, placing the portrait over his face to block the sun.
A calm sigh came from beneath the paper.
“The longer this drags on, the harder it will be to find her. We should have just set fire to that mountain.”
Ming Wenhuan choked back a cough.
After all this time, he’s still fixated on burning the mountain?
“Marquis Xiao, please be patient. Before we left, we mobilized local garrison troops to continue posting notices everywhere, offering a hefty reward, and sealing off the mountain to search for her.”
“How many people can there be around a small town? Even hunters who spend their lives in the mountains—someone must have seen her. If someone has seen her, we can find her. It’s just a matter of time.”
Xiao Chengyan closed his eyes, leaning against the tree trunk as if dozing off.
Seeing the mountain wind about to blow away the portrait covering his face, Ming Wenhuan quickly grabbed it—this was the last copy.
In the sunlight, the side profile of a handsome young man with fine features was revealed. His sword-like eyebrows were thick and dark, his forehead broad and full, and his thin lips curved upward as if smiling, yet upon closer inspection, it seemed more like a sneer.
Suddenly, Xiao Chengyan opened his eyes.
With his eyes closed in feigned sleep, his face merely appeared noble and handsome. But once his eyes opened, their narrow corners lifted, and when he glanced sideways at someone, it carried a full measure of provocation.
Now, his gaze slanted toward the road from which they had come.
The magnificent carriage with its jeweled canopy, pulled by two fine horses side by side, was one he had specially brought from the capital, intending to take it to his fief as a symbol of prestige. This was originally a carriage that could race like the wind, leaving all others in the dust.
Now it resembled a rickety cart pulled by an old village ox, crawling along at a sluggish pace, wobbling unsteadily into view.
From each side window, a half-dead figure leaned out, adding to the aura of frailty and infirmity that surrounded this ill-fated treasure of a carriage.
Grandma and Magistrate Yang clung to the windows, one on each side.
“Blegh—!”
“Lie down and rest a bit.” Nan Yang supported Grandma worriedly, glancing over at Magistrate Yang, who couldn’t stop retching.
Both suffered similar symptoms—their nerves were too frayed, they hadn’t eaten or drunk anything all night, and the journey had been too bumpy. Their bodies simply couldn’t take it anymore.
Nan Yang called out to the front, “Slow the carriage down a little more.”
The soldier driving the carriage tugged hopelessly on the reins. “Our lord is waiting for us up ahead… and has been for a long time.”
Grandma, still vomiting, mumbled prayers to the gods, hoping the Huaiyang Marquis would meet with an accident ahead, die early and be reborn, so the two groups wouldn’t have to meet.
As they traveled, Nan Yang’s impression of the Huaiyang Marquis had shifted somewhat.
“Was last night’s so-called death trap just meant to scare us?”
She muttered to herself, “He talks tough, but he didn’t kill Magistrate Yang, nor did he kill us. He even gave us his own carriage to take us to the capital.”
Grandma turned back, her face pale, and sighed deeply.
“Second Miss, you always think too well of people. Just because he didn’t act last night, who knows if he might suddenly take a fancy to harming us tonight? He’s a Living Yama… blegh!”
The soldier driving shouted, “I see our lord up ahead! Hang in there, both of you. Mr. Ming’s medical skills are exceptional. Once we meet up, he’ll surely be able to cure you!”
Hearing that the two groups were about to meet and that Marquis Xiao was just ahead, Grandma and Magistrate Yang retched even more violently.
The carriage merged into the light cavalry formation. Mr. Ming briefly examined them using the four diagnostic methods, then reported back to his lord.
Nan Yang sat inside the carriage, the conversation outside clearly reaching her ears.
Magistrate Yang and Grandma both showed symptoms of acute wind-heat fever.
Ming Wenhuan said, “Though it’s not a serious illness, if not properly managed on the road, it could easily turn severe. With two more patients now, the carriage will have to travel slowly for the next few days.”
“Should the light cavalry enter the capital first, or should we wait for the carriage to proceed slowly together? Please decide, Marquis Xiao.”
Xiao Chengyan’s voice was so flat it bordered on cold and cruel.
“What’s the point of living for those who can’t even withstand a little wind-heat fever? Speed up the carriage and follow the light cavalry into the capital.”
“Yang Shenzhi, get on a horse. Mr. Ming, treat him as you see fit. Throw the Wei Family’s wet nurse out. Is Wei Er Niang fine? Let her continue riding. We enter the Capital Region tomorrow.”
“Which one was driving just now? Slowing down the progress—drag him out and give him twenty lashes.”
Nan Yang sat up in shock.
—Throw the Wei Family’s wet nurse out??
The carriage curtains were flung open on both sides. Two sturdy soldiers boarded, directly hauled Magistrate Yang out of the carriage, and tossed him half-dead onto a horse.
The soldier who had been driving wore a look of resigned misfortune as he was dragged away for military punishment.
The soldiers faithfully carried out their lord’s orders, but the final step—throwing the Wei Family’s wet nurse out of the carriage—met with resistance.
Nan Yang clung to Grandma, refusing to let go.
As Grandma was dragged out of the carriage, Nan Yang followed.
Grandma was thrown into a roadside ditch, and Nan Yang hurried after, gripping her hand and squatting down in the ditch alongside her.
Events unfolded too quickly and chaotically. Grandma murmured that she shouldn’t be worried about, Mr. Ming came over to console them, Magistrate Yang shouted something to her from afar, but Nan Yang simply stayed squatting by the roadside with Grandma.
The culprit behind this chaos had already ridden far ahead when he suddenly reined in his horse and glanced back.
Two personal guards rushed over to escort her back to the carriage, but Nan Yang stubbornly refused to move.
She clung tightly to Grandma’s hand, found a flat spot in the roadside ditch, and calmly lay down.
“Just leave us all here.”
“Don’t let Marquis Xiao’s carriage be delayed on its return to the capital.”
“Thank you, Marquis Xiao.”
Ming Wenhuan approached and overheard this “Thank you, Marquis Xiao.” He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and reported truthfully upon returning:
“Wei Er Niang refuses to abandon her wet nurse, preferring to be left together in the desolate wilderness. That ditch is full of dust and mud—how can a young lady like her lie down in it?”
Xiao Chengyan had already taken in the situation with that single glance back.
Wei Er Niang was rather interesting. It had been a long time since he’d seen someone so amusing.
“A young lady of only sixteen, unmarried and raised in comfort—surely she wouldn’t truly give up returning home so easily, willing to wander the wilderness with her wet nurse?”
Xiao Chengyan stated confidently, “She’s scheming for the small carriage.”
The Wei Family’s small carriage had been abandoned along the way. Once free of his light cavalry escort, walking back from here for a day or two would likely lead her to the carriage.
If luck was on her side, she might even find the Yang family coachman left by the roadside.
Ming Wenhuan thought it over and realized this was the only plausible explanation.
Seeing the living, breathing young lady lying in the ditch, he couldn’t bear it and pleaded on her behalf:
“Marquis Xiao, spare the Wei Family’s mistress and servant. Send them back to the carriage.”
Xiao Chengyan replied, “If she enjoys lying in the ditch, let her lie there. I want to see how long she can last.”
With that, he handed the reins to a personal guard and walked toward the wild woods by the roadside. Leaning against a lush, leafy tree, he kept a distant but watchful eye.
Ming Wenhuan: ??
Didn’t you order us to hurry back to the capital, Marquis Xiao? Why aren’t you in a rush now?
Nan Yang lay flat in the ditch, listening as the sound of carriage wheels faded into the distance.
Grandma had fallen into a deep sleep beside her. After lying there in a daze for a while, Nan Yang got up to search for water.
The Huaiyang Marquis’s light cavalry had long since vanished, leaving only a mess of hoofprints on the ground. A few steps away lay a waterskin, discarded by someone, with half a bag of parched rice for forced marches still beside it.
A surge of joy rose in Nan Yang’s heart. She gave Grandma a few sips of water, then scooped out a handful of parched rice and fed it to her with water.
Dusk enveloped the wilderness, leaving only the two of them in silent desolation. Wild woods surrounded them, their massive canopies looming menacingly in the darkening sky. Yet, after gazing at them for a while, they held a peculiar charm.
Nan Yang removed her cloak and spread it on the ground, moving Grandma onto it to lie down. She sat guard for a while, ate some parched rice, admired the wild scenery, and then lay down again.
This time, she didn’t stay down for long before getting up, sighing as she brushed herself off and murmuring, “There are bugs…”
Stars twinkled overhead.
The surrounding wild woods were teeming with shadowy figures.
Di Rong had been squatting in the woods, keeping watch for half the night, and couldn’t take it anymore. Smack—he killed a buzzing, blood-sucking mosquito and muttered under his breath, “She really did lie in that ditch for half the night…”
Wei Erniangzi had lain in the ditch for half the night, while they had squatted in the woods watching her for half the night. What kind of situation was this??
Xiao Chengyan, of course, hadn’t slept either, personally keeping watch in the woods. From dusk until midnight, he actually seemed quite pleased.
“What an interesting young lady, don’t you think, Mr. Ming?”
Ming Wenhuan, squatting in the woods, kept rubbing his face.
Everyone stayed up all night watching Wei Er Niangzi, but he had no particular thoughts about it. He was a normal person, unable to grasp what exactly was so “interesting” about Marquis Xiao’s antics, nor could he understand why Marquis Xiao didn’t hurry on with the journey or rest, but instead spent the middle of the night enthusiastically watching a young lady sleep in a dirt ditch.
Speaking of which, Wei Er Niangzi, who slept half the night in a dirt ditch—are you normal?
The wet nurse was no longer in mortal danger, so why didn’t Wei Er Niangzi hurry back on the return journey, rushing overnight to find the small carriage and the Yang family’s coachman? Why did she lie back down to sleep in the dirt ditch again? Huh??
Nan Yang woke up four or five times that night, feeding Grandma water and food three times and being bitten awake by insects three times.
Just as she was drifting into drowsiness again, the earth trembled once more, jolting her awake.
The soldiers dozing in the wild forest also abruptly roused themselves, gripping their swords and rising to their feet.
A large troop of fast horses was chasing them from afar.
Xiao Chengyan stood with his arms crossed at the edge of the wild forest, his eyes gleaming faintly as he watched several fast horses rein in by the roadside. Torchlight illuminated the large, chaotic hoofprints and carriage tracks on the ground.
The pursuing light cavalry shouted back: “Reporting to Prefect Lu! There are fresh carriage tracks here—it’s Huaiyang Marquis’s two-horse carriage! Huaiyang Marquis has just left with Wei Er Niangzi!”
Nan Yang, caught off guard by the mention: …Huh?