A pot of fresh lotus root and pork soup bubbled and gurgled on the stove.
The sweet, rich aroma of lotus seeds mingled with the savory scent of meat, filling the small courtyard of the Wei Family.
A sack of over ten catties of lotus seedpods and lotus roots had been carried home and placed heavily in the kitchen, providing Nan Yang’s family with the assurance that they wouldn’t starve. She hadn’t stepped out of the house for nearly eight days.
The four sacks of moldy, blackened grain had finally proven somewhat useful—the pig farmer’s family had accepted them, and Grandma had exchanged them for thirty catties of pork.
“The pig farmer was kind-hearted, seeing how difficult it is for us womenfolk. He even gave us an extra ten catties of offal and a few pork bones,” Grandma muttered as she busied herself. “Second Miss is still at an age where she’s growing. Drinking more meat soup will help her grow taller. Ah, a young lady doesn’t need to be too tall—being petite and delicate is also endearing. But still, growing a couple more inches would be best…”
Nan Yang stood beneath the peeling, varnished pillar of the corridor, raising her hand to measure her height against it.
There was a faint scratch mark on the wooden pillar, made when they had moved in at the end of last year.
Half a year had passed, winter giving way to summer. While the plants in the courtyard sprouted, bloomed, and grew wildly, and the climbing vines luxuriantly covered the courtyard walls, the height of the house’s mistress remained unchanged.
Nan Yang: …
Truth be told, during her years at the capital’s main family, no one had ever deprived her of food or drink. At six years old, she hadn’t been much shorter than her eldest sister and had even been a head taller than Third Sister.
Later, after her mother fell ill with madness, she was moved out of her mother’s courtyard and lived with her wet nurse in a secluded small yard, confined by four square walls.
She rarely left the small courtyard, and with little activity throughout the day, she naturally ate less. The less she ate, the lazier she became, and so the years passed…
By the time anyone noticed, she had become the shortest among the three sisters of the Wei Family. Her gentle features also made her appear younger. Standing side by side with Third Sister, one might mistake her for the youngest of the Wei Family, Third Miss.
Grandma handed Nan Yang a bowl of hot soup and insisted she finish half of it, meat and all. Unable to eat any more, Nan Yang clutched her nearly bursting stomach and retreated to her room.
Grandma sighed and opened a chest to sort through the fabric.
Nan Yang had been sent to the countryside under the pretext of recuperating, and the main family was supposed to provide for her clothing and daily necessities. According to the rules, for each of the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter—they should send two bolts of fabric for tailoring clothes.
It was now June, and the summer fabric should have been high-quality silk gauze or satin. Even second-grade fine silk cloth would have been acceptable.
But the main family was truly bullying them—how could they send two bolts of coarse linen cloth that even the Wei Family’s servants wouldn’t wear?
Manager Ding had shamelessly boasted about the linen, calling it “fine, high-quality cloth!”
“These rotten-hearted scoundrels! Who knows if they were deliberately withheld by the Mistress of the House’s maids or if Manager Ding swapped them out? Perhaps they were in on it together. A bolt of silk gauze is very expensive!”
Grandma grumbled as she sorted the linen. “Just wait. When Second Miss returns to the capital’s main family and reports to the head of the family in person, we’ll deal with these wicked servants one by one and make them pay!”
Nan Yang leaned halfway out of the window and called to the courtyard, “Grandma, don’t get angry over such trivial matters. It’s not worth it. A small matter like two bolts of cloth—Father won’t care.”
Grandma retorted angrily, “If the head of the family doesn’t care, won’t the Mistress of the House? If Second Miss of the Wei Family wears coarse linen that even servants refuse to wear, with her delicate skin rubbed red by the rough fabric, wouldn’t it shame the Wei Family? Would the Mistress of the House feel honored if word got out?”
As for what was happening in the capital, Nan Yang couldn’t see it, couldn’t touch it, and couldn’t be bothered to think about it.
“Clothes just need to be wearable, food just needs to fill the stomach. Reputation belongs to the Wei Family, only the body is one’s own. Grandma, don’t be angry anymore—getting upset harms your health.”
Grandma’s heart ached so much her eyes turned red.
Nan Yang walked over to the wooden chest and rummaged through the fabric. “Two whole bolts of linen cloth. Keeping them at home only upsets you, so why not trade them for some rice and grain? The few outfits brought from the capital at the beginning of the year can still be worn after some mending.”
Grandma carried out the two bolts of linen cloth and exchanged them with the gatekeeper woman for some daily necessities like firewood, rice, oil, and salt.
With some free time, Nan Yang sat in the kitchen, lost in thought.
She hadn’t dared to tell Grandma about rescuing the injured young lord on the other side of the river, afraid of being lectured.
The news about the Huaiyang Marquis was too shocking. It wasn’t until the next day that she belatedly remembered: the young lord who had nearly fallen to his death on the other side, after wiping the blood off his face, looked somewhat familiar in the contours of his eyes and brows.
It seemed she had seen him somewhere before.
It wasn’t that she was deliberately thinking about him—she really didn’t go out much. All year round, the same few faces always drifted before her eyes.
With the same familiar faces coming and going, six or seven years passed like this. Occasionally encountering a young lord with exceptionally well-proportioned features, the impression would naturally be a bit more lasting.
Nan Yang stared blankly at the hot pot. Where had she seen him? Why did he look familiar?
It couldn’t have been at the Wei Family in the capital. The Wei Family had strict rules; she hadn’t seen any unrelated men since she was ten.
Perhaps it was during the few times she had secretly gone out in the half year since moving to Ping An Town, when she had unintentionally bumped into him.
She wondered how much Doctor Huang had extorted for the consultation fee, and whether the injured young lord had survived?
…
She added two ladles of water to the hot pot, pushing the scattered thoughts to the back of her mind.
The gatekeeper woman bargained fiercely, securing a substantial benefit for herself. Delighted to do a favor, she spent half the day whispering to Grandma, pouring out the town’s big news.
Grandma’s eyes widened in horror. She closed the door and hurried back into the room. “Second Miss, have you heard?”
The “baleful star from across the river” that every household in the town was wildly gossiping about—the Huaiyang Marquis—had officially led his troops into Ping An Town.
“They say they’re searching for bandits and thieves? They brought so many soldiers and horses. The town is barricaded on all sides with wooden fences—no one inside is allowed out, and no one outside is allowed in.”
That evening during dinner, Grandma was preoccupied and couldn’t even eat.
“Ping An Town is just a small rural town, with fewer than five hundred farming households and a dozen or so wealthy local families. How could bandits possibly hide here? How much profit could be squeezed out? Why seal off the town? I heard from the gatekeeper woman…”
Grandma’s lips trembled. “The only thing worth sending troops to plunder in Ping An Town is people. The tender, delicious hearts of children, and the flesh of… delicate young girls in their teens…”
Nan Yang listened while sipping her soup.
No matter how terrifying the rumors, after being repeated over and over for many days, with the same pattern again and again, she had long grown numb to them.
Half a bowl of meat soup filled her stomach, and she ate and drank her fill. There was too much lotus root in the bowl to finish. Grandma herself couldn’t eat, but she wouldn’t let Nan Yang put down her chopsticks. She pushed over two large, square pieces of fatty pork, urging her to finish them.
Just as Nan Yang’s mouth was stuffed full, a loud crash came from next door, followed by a woman’s cries through the wall.
The wife next door was shouting, “What has my family done? Why are you arresting my husband?”
Only to hear several rough voices shout, “Who arrested your man? We’re conducting a search under orders! Where is Feng Ergui, the head of your household? According to the official registry, your household has six members. Currently, only four women and tenant farmers are present. Where have the head of the household and his son gone? Are you colluding with mountain bandits?”
The sounds of rummaging through chests and overturning cabinets continued without end.
Someone shouted loudly, “Found one! Their boy was hiding in the rice jar.”
The woman next door screamed in terror, “Don’t touch my Zhuer! Marquis of Huaiyang wants to eat… The noble wants supper. I still have a thirteen-year-old maidservant, young and fresh! I’m willing to offer the maidservant, just spare my Zhuer!”
Before her words faded, a girl’s piercing scream from next door nearly tore her throat, clearly terrified to the extreme.
“Mistress of the House, spare this servant!”
Almost simultaneously, Grandma also showed a suffocated expression, suddenly rising from the dining table and accidentally knocking over the long bench.
“Second Miss, quickly… hide. No, we must find a way out.” Grandma rushed toward the woodshed to look for a wooden ladder.
Nan Yang put down her bowl, left the room, crossed the small courtyard, and walked behind the tightly closed main gate.
Outside, people shouted and horses neighed. The two gatekeepers had long since vanished without a trace. A solitary copper lock hung outside the gate, with bright torchlight leaking through the cracks.
The copper lock was fastened from the outside. Nan Yang pushed, but the gate wouldn’t open.
A pair of dark, round eyes peered through the crack in the gate.
A team of armored, formidable soldiers approached. The leading general had a scar between his thick eyebrows and rode past the gate on horseback, carrying a long spear.
As Nan Yang observed from inside, the general also reined in his horse to examine the rare blue-tiled mansion in the countryside.
The village head of the town followed in front of the horse, his face covered in sweat—whether from heat or fear, his complexion had turned a liverish red.
The village head stammered, “Reporting to General Di, this residence is not easy to search. The occupants inside are… are female relatives of the Wei Family from the capital. This is their inner residence in Ping An Town.”
“The Wei Family from the capital?” Nan Yang stood behind the gate, listening as the thick-browed, scarred general on horseback asked, “Which Wei Family from the capital?”
“It’s the Wei Family whose ancestors made great contributions to the founding of the nation. The current Yongxing Earl’s Mansion is also a noble household! This residence is where the Wei Family’s female relatives rest in the countryside…”
The light grew intensely bright as all the torchlight gathered around, illuminating every detail in front of the Wei Family’s residence.
Nan Yang quickly shrank back, avoiding the light, and quietly crouched in the shadows.
General Di turned his horse around and galloped back. From behind the crack in the gate, it was impossible to see where he went, but his shout could be heard: “Send someone to report to the master—there’s a residence belonging to the Yongxing Earl’s Wei Family!”
Nan Yang: “Huh?”
So, this imposing General Di in front was just a vanguard, and there was still a master behind him?
Just as this thought crossed her mind, the “vanguard” General Di suddenly turned his horse around, his gaze filled with murderous intent as he stared at the tightly closed gate of the Wei Family’s residence and shouted:
“Under the command of Marquis of Huaiyang, we are ordered to search Ping An Town! Whoever is behind the gate, listen up—open the door!”
Nan Yang: “…” These soldiers were indeed somewhat terrifying.
Even separated by a gate, she was roared at until her ears buzzed, and she took several steps back.
Hearing the commotion, Grandma rushed out from the woodshed and shouted, “The gate is locked from the outside, we can’t open it from—”
Outside the gate, General Di sensed the refusal and, without waiting for Grandma to finish shouting, waved his hand and made a decisive chopping motion.
“…The door can’t be opened from the inside.” Nan Yang murmured, finishing Grandma’s last words just as a tremendous crash echoed from outside the door.
A deafening boom rang in her ears!
Torchlight flooded through the entrance in a wide swath. The dim courtyard was instantly illuminated brightly, exposing the frail figures of Nan Yang and Grandma, one young and one old, under the torchlight.
The door panels had split… cracked…
The two thick wooden door panels resembled watermelons smashed open to reveal their flesh, hacked by axes into a large crack three feet long and half a foot wide.
Nan Yang’s ears buzzed from the impact, her shoulders sprayed with wood shavings, as she stared wide-eyed at the gaping maw in the door.
Several arms reached through the hole, undid the wooden bolt behind the door, pushed open the gaping entrance, and soldiers poured into the courtyard in single file.
Grandma let out a terrified cry, like a mother hen protecting her chicks from a predator, her trembling arms clutching Nan Yang tightly and pushing her behind.
Yet the soldiers seemed to ignore the mistress and servant, swarming in to search every corner.
From outside, a loud voice continued shouting: “How many members in the Wei Family? How many servants and tenant farmers? Have you harbored any outside bandits? Report truthfully!”
Nan Yang: …
Did these people not know what an inner residence was? Couldn’t they see the lock on the outside of the main gate?
She calmly reported: “Two people, mistress and servant. Two gatekeeping women. No farmland or tenant farmers. The inner residence dares not harbor bandits. We do not go out on ordinary days.”
The soldiers who had charged in were like a pack of hunting hounds released for a field chase. They swept through the kitchen and Hou Yuan in a rush, even jumping down into the cellar to inspect for a long while. Finding nothing to seize, they actually withdrew just as they had come.
Outside, a man who looked like an army clerk lowered his head, scribbling notes with his brush. “Wei Family of the capital, four people total, all women…” Suddenly remembering something, he pressed Nan Yang:
“Young lady, you never step outside even half a step? The weather is so hot, might you occasionally go to the waterside?”
Nan Yang: “I…”
Grandma rushed forward, full of vigilance. “My young lady is a noble maiden from a high-ranking family. She never even leaves the main gate on ordinary days, how could she go to the waterside? There are gatekeepers outside; the young lady never goes out!”
Indeed. Di Rong glanced at the copper lock on the split gate, locked from the outside.
Since the Wei Family had no male members, and the Wei young lady never went out, both matters—the search for mountain bandits and the young woman who had saved a life—were completely unrelated to the Wei Family.
Di Rong marked a check on the record book.
“Next house.”
The soldiers swarmed in like a tide and receded just as quickly.
The Wei residence returned to silence, only the gate hacked open by axes still gaping wide.
Nan Yang measured the size of the hole with her hand, then tried poking her head through the gap. Half her body actually slipped through smoothly. She took a light breath—this gaping hole definitely needed to be repaired.
Since she was already halfway through…
With half her body sticking out through the crack in the door, she peered down the dirt road in both directions.
In the distance, torches snaked along as armored soldiers searched house by house. The next household was already in chaos, with loud inquiries about farmland, household members, and unregistered drifters.
Behind her, Grandma hopped anxiously, tugging at her elbow to pull her back. “This is no place for a young lady to squeeze through!” “Watch out for splinters!”
Nan Yang, stuck in the gap of the door panel, shielded herself from the splinters with her hand as she slowly retreated back inside. Suddenly, a flash of light dazzled her eyes, several blinding beams shining directly on her face.
She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
A carriage drawn by two horses slowly passed along the dirt road.
Forty to fifty elite soldiers, armed with gleaming blades and clad in armor, rode on horseback, forming a protective circle around the carriage. The two black horses pulling the carriage were tall and majestic, while the lanterns leading the way shone with exceptional brightness. Their lamp covers, crystal clear and translucent, resembled the expensive glazed lamps that had become fashionable in the capital in recent years.
Grandma had long spotted this imposing two-horse carriage through the crack in the door and urged in a trembling voice, “Second Miss, hurry, hurry back inside…”
The carriage curtain was rolled up halfway, revealing only darkness inside, making it impossible to discern any figures. From within, a young and unfamiliar male voice rang out:
“What is that thing stuck in the door of the house on the right?”
Several glazed lamps were simultaneously directed toward the crack in the door on the right.
The gate of the blue-tiled house had been split open with a large gap, but no one was in sight.
Nan Yang held her breath and sat quietly behind the door, brushing off the wood shavings scattered all over her body. Outside, someone replied, “Reporting to Marquis Xiao, the house on the right is indeed the Wei Family mentioned by General Di.”
“The Wei Family of the capital, Yongxing Earl Wei Xie, has a sick daughter recuperating in Ping An Town. The household consists solely of womenfolk, with no male members inside.”
“Is that their daughter stuck in the door?” the man in the carriage asked in a low, hoarse voice.
Nan Yang’s lips twitched slightly as she shifted further into the shadows behind the door.
Author’s Note:
Marquis Xiao: Is that their daughter stuck in the door?
Nan Yang: If you don’t know how to speak, you can just keep quiet…
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