She drifted for an unknown amount of time until she reached shallow water and lay down. From upstream, she faintly heard Du Yu calling out for his wife, which immediately roused Zhenshu. She climbed up, clinging to the grassy bank, and looked at herself, soaked to the bone and covered in dry grass. She inwardly mocked herself: "You used to say you were decisive, sensible, and better than the other sisters. Now, after such a small incident, you're wallowing in self-pity, even trying to commit suicide like those weak women with bound feet. How utterly shameful! If I've lost my virginity, it's painless, painless, and without any illness—it's like being bitten by a vicious dog. Why be so disheartened?"
Thinking of this, she went ashore again, picked off the dry grass from her head, and strode downstream.
Du Yu dismissed his servant Teng Sheng, humming a little tune as he returned to his straw hut. Pushing open the door, he found the hut empty and his heart pounded with alarm: "Oh no!"
It turned out that he had escaped from the capital that day. When he reached Wen County, he was penniless and had nowhere to go, so he went to work as a day laborer for Liu Zhang, a local landlord, to earn money for food. He also sent a message to his servant Teng Sheng in the capital, asking him to come and give him some money so that he could continue westward.
A few days later, Tengsheng arrived empty-handed. His stepmother, Yang, knew that Du Yu would need money to escape the capital, so she kept a close eye on Tengsheng, fearing he might bring money to Du Yu. Tengsheng was also penniless, and had managed to escape Yang's watchful eye by begging his way to Wen County. The reunion of mistress and servant was filled with sorrow.
Because of Du Yusheng's handsome appearance, Liu Wenxiang, the young lady of the Liu family, took a liking to him after a few visits, and they began to exchange glances.
What Du Yu had his eye on was the little lion dog that Liu Wenxiang always carried in his arms. These lion dogs were all no more than half a foot in size, covered in white curly fur. Although short-legged and small, their barks were loud and powerful, like a lion's, hence their nickname, "Lion Dog." This breed of dog had historically been kept in the imperial court, exclusively for the royal family. Some favored high-ranking officials might also own a few, mostly as gifts from the imperial court; ordinary people were not allowed to keep them.
Despite the official ban, some people still secretly kept them as pets. Since these puppies were always kept in inner courtyards, they were rarely discovered unless they were close relatives. Therefore, a small Shih Tzu could fetch anywhere from ten to twenty thousand taels of silver on the black market. Du Yu, lacking travel expenses and exhausted from his daily labor, conceived the idea of stealing the puppy to exchange for silver. However, the puppy was always kept by Liu Wenxiang's side; to get close to the dog, one would first need to get close to Liu Wenxiang.
Although the Liu family was wealthy and powerful, Miss Liu was naturally plain-looking. Her protruding teeth and long eyebrows gave her a somewhat fierce appearance when she smiled. Precisely because of her unattractive appearance, she was particularly drawn to handsome men. After exchanging glances with Du Yu a few times, she couldn't control herself and spent her days running to the servants' quarters, bringing them soup one day and a cake the next.
Du Yu had seen countless beauties in the capital, so why would he be interested in someone of her ordinary appearance? But for the sake of that little lion dog, he had no choice but to try his best to appease her. Eventually, he managed to find an opportunity to steal the puppy, drugged it, and bring it out to Teng Sheng, who was then to sell it. That's when Liu Zhang discovered what was happening.
Enraged, Liu Zhang dispatched his entire household's elite guards to search for Du Yu from Hanjiahe onwards, determined to find the little lion dog.
Chapter 28 Liu Zhang
After giving the lion dog to Tengsheng and instructing him to travel over the mountains to Wenxian and Lixian counties to find a way to escape, Du Yu himself spent his days wandering and escaping in the Wuling Mountains. One day, while wandering among the reeds along the official road, he suddenly heard the deafening laughter and chatter of women in a carriage. They were talking about the patterns of silks in the capital, the embroidery techniques for cloud-shaped shoulder capes, and the string of words on the mother-of-pearl inlay. He guessed that these women were from the capital, so he secretly hid in the reeds and followed them. He thought that since these women were so talkative and loud, he might be able to overhear something about him to find out if the Yingtian Prefecture in the capital was still hunting him down, or if the Duke's mansion had sent out servants to chase him.
But Zhenshu, with his sharp eyes, spotted the servants searching for him in the mountains and then found him among the reeds. Helpless, he had no choice but to use his lightness skill to circle around Zhao He, then sneak back to listen carefully under the official road. Unexpectedly, the Liu family servants on the mountain saw Zhao He running in the distance and thought he was there. They all rushed down the mountain, even dropping the carriage, which then abandoned Zhenshu and ran away.
Du Yu had witnessed everything from beginning to end. He saw Su Shi frantically abandoning her child, and Zhen Shu weeping and wailing, tormenting the sapling on the hillside. He had initially intended to take pity on her and detour to take the little girl to Hanjiahe outside the mountains. Unexpectedly, he encountered a tiger in the middle of the night, was exhausted, and slept soundly after being scratched by it. When he awoke, he found Zhen Shu had tidied the house with vitality. She possessed a capable and efficient nature, and she could also comfort him with gentle words. It was then that Du Yu truly began to admire her.
Since he had such feelings, he wanted Zhenshu to stay with him for a while longer so that he could take her home after Tengsheng got rid of the puppy. To prevent Zhenshu from leaving, he used the trick he used when he was a child to pretend to be sick so he wouldn't go to school.
That day, he pretended to have a fever and slept in the house, while Zhenshu took off her clothes and bathed in the river. He couldn't resist the allure of the water's sound, so he quietly got up to peek. He saw that Zhenshu was slender and beautiful, and although she was still young, she had already grown all the necessary parts.
Driven by lust, he conceived the idea of tricking her into bed.
He was imprisoned at the age of eighteen. Before that, he had a maidservant by his side, and the two had shared some intimate moments. Although he had been a spoiled and unruly young man since childhood, he was truly in love with this maidservant and wanted to marry her and spend his life with her. However, the maidservant later died under mysterious circumstances. In his pursuit of the murderer, he caused a scene at the Duke's mansion, accidentally killing his stepmother Yang's mother, and then Yang falsely accused him of trying to rape her.
With his beautiful wife in his arms, Duke Du only listened to her side of the story. Moreover, his son was older and, seeing his father with a young and beautiful wife who was only a few years older than him, he had no respect or love for him.
Therefore, he offered no explanation and dutifully entered the Yingtian Prefecture prison. He spent two years there, studying literature and martial arts.
Prince Ping, who was far away in Liangzhou, had known him since childhood. After settling down in Liangzhou, he thought of his good brother and wanted to govern Liangzhou together with him. So he asked someone to send a letter to Teng Sheng. Teng Sheng gave the letter to Du Yu, who then began to plan his escape from prison.
It was on the day that Zhenshu and her sisters went to visit the Marquis of Beishun that he escaped from prison and headed northwest towards Liangzhou.
Fate intertwined them along the long road, bringing them together. He wanted to coax her into bed and also trick her into going to Liangzhou. The more lies he told, the harder they became to expose. In the end, he himself was too exhausted to maintain the lies any longer. Just as he was desperately trying to salvage the situation, he returned to his room to find Zhenshu gone.
Du Yu called out to his wife as he rushed downstream, but in his haste, he didn't even notice Zhen Shu drifting downstream before he ran far away.
Zhenshu walked along the official road; it was only early morning, the sun was high in the sky. As she walked, she rounded a bend and saw an elderly man with white hair, leaning on a cane and wearing shod shoes, walking slowly along the road. This official road deep in the mountains rarely saw travelers even during the day. Seeing that it was an old man, Zhenshu thought it would be good to have his company while traversing the Five Mausoleums Mountains, so she hurried forward and called out, "Uncle!"
The old man stopped using his cane, shook his head slightly, and turned around with difficulty. Zhenshu looked at him and exclaimed in shock, "Father?"
Song Anrong's once black hair had turned completely white, and his face was deeply lined with wrinkles. In just three to five days, he looked as if he had aged twenty or thirty years. He threw down his cane, staggered over, and said with tears streaming down his face, "Zhenshu, my son."
Zhenshu rushed over and hugged her father, letting all her grievances and sorrow flow through her eyes as she cried, "Father, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
Song Anrong looked Zhenshu up and down and found no bloodstains or wounds on her body. Then he shook his head and sighed, "It's my fault. I didn't want to go to the capital to deal with it. I let your mother take you there alone, and that's how you got lost."
If Zhenshu hadn't been repeatedly deceived by Du Yu, she could have left Wuling Mountain a few days ago. Now, thinking of the worry and torment her father had suffered for her these past few days, her hatred for Du Yu deepened. She helped Song Anrong up and asked, "Father, did you come here alone? Uncle Zhao?"
Upon regaining his lost daughter, Song Anrong was no longer as weak as before. He straightened up and called out, "Zhao He!"
Suddenly, a group of people rushed down from the hillsides on both sides of the river and gathered around Song Anrong. The one in the lead bowed and asked, "Master Song, what is this?"
Song Anrong pointed to Zhenshu and said, "This is my lost daughter. Now that she has returned safely, you no longer need to search for her. Just focus on finding the fugitive."
The servant pondered for a while, then looked Zhenshu up and down before asking, "Where has Miss Song been these past few days?"
Zhenshu slowly shook her head, tears streaming down her face. After a long while, she finally said, "I want to go home."
Zhao He arrived at some point and stood in front of Zhen Shu, holding his sword to block the servants, saying, "My young lady is clearly deeply frightened. Now is not the time to talk. You go and search for the fugitives along the way. When we arrive at Hanjiahe and meet with your Master Liu, we will discuss things in detail with him."
The servant bowed in response, then waved his hand and led the other servants down the official road, heading upstream along the stream from which Zhenshu had come, still searching for Du Yu.
Zhao He also brought a carriage. He placed Zhen Shu inside the carriage, and he and Song Anrong sat on the edge of the carriage and drove towards Hanjiahe.
She lay in the carriage, wrapped in her father Song Anrong's cloak, swaying with the car, her eyes closed as she recalled the past few days, every detail of how Du Yu had kept her in suspense, her anxious feelings when he had a high fever, and her half-hearted resistance when he wanted to take things further. She suddenly realized that ever since he carried her into the mountains and single-handedly killed that tiger, she had actually fallen in love with him. She had fallen in love with the farmhand he had pretended to be, secretly planning to marry into his family, to marry off Zhenyuan and Zhenxiu one by one at Caijia Temple, and to take care of Song Anrong and his wife in their old age.
While she was making these plans, all he could think about was how to coax her out of bed.
The naive young girl suddenly realized that her first real love, along with her virginity, was now a thing of the past. She had fallen in love with an escaped murderer, but thankfully she managed to extricate herself in time, lest she be deceived into leaving her homeless and destitute in a distant land.
If written as a storybook, this would indeed be a legendary tale full of twists and turns.
Upon arriving at the Liu residence in Hanjiahe, the maids brought Zhenshu some simple food. Then, Liu Zhang, the head of the Liu family, entered. He was the same age as Song Anrong, and although they weren't usually acquainted, Song Anrong was the illegitimate son of Song Gongzheng, a high-ranking official in the court. Out of respect for their ancestral lineage, Liu Zhang showed him some respect. He entered and sat at the head of the table. After Zhenshu had been greeted, he asked, "Miss Song, where have you been staying in the Wuling Mountains these past few days?"
Zhenshu replied, "There was a small straw hut where a hunter temporarily stayed along the way, so I stayed there."
Liu Zhang looked Zhenshu up and down, noticing that she was dressed fairly cleanly, except her skirt was nowhere to be seen, and she was only wearing trousers. After a moment's hesitation, he asked again, "Did you live with that runaway slave, Lin Dayu?"
Zhen Shu said, "Yes."
Liu Zhang was surprised by her calm response, her expression unchanged. He looked up and gave Zhenshu another deep look before saying, "He stole a famous dog that the Crown Prince bestowed upon me. Do you know where he hid it?"
Zhenshu shook her head and said, "I don't know."
Liu Zhang changed his tune and said, "You spent three to five days with him, and he didn't reveal anything? Or perhaps Miss Song... Miss Song has developed some kind of feeling for that fugitive...?"
Zhenshu interrupted him, saying, "No, it wasn't."
Liu Zhang then asked, "What did you do during the three to five days you spent together?"
Zhenshu gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, saying, "He killed a tiger, but he was also scratched by it and has been lying in bed with a fever ever since. As for me..."
She lifted her thigh and said, "The carriage ran over my right leg that day, and the injury was quite severe, so I couldn't walk. That's why I stayed there for a few days to recover. Once my leg could move again, I walked out on my own."
Liu Zhang knew about her being run over by a cart. He nodded thoughtfully, feeling that Zhenshu was hiding something deep in her words, but he didn't know where to begin. So he changed his tone and said, "That Lin Dayu has a handsome face, and he loves to do philandering. He's seduced several maids in my household, and now they're crying uncontrollably every day. Miss Song, please don't..."
"No." Zhenshu looked up to meet Liu Zhang's gaze and said, "My daughter is worried about her parents, but she has been unable to walk due to her leg problems. She has been shedding tears by the river every day. As for Lin Dayu, he has been running a high fever for many days. I suppose he would like to, but he doesn't have the strength. You can rest assured, Master Liu."
After a long pause, Liu Zhang asked again, "Did he say where he was going?"
Zhenshu spoke with difficulty, "I heard he said he was going to the capital."
Liu Zhang nodded slowly, and after a while said, "That dog was given to me by Yu Yichen, the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace. In order to get close to Yu Yichen, I spent a total of two million taels of silver, which is half of my life savings."
He held up two fingers, shook his head, and said with a bitter smile, "Half of my possessions were exchanged for a puppy. That dog is my lifeblood. If I catch Lin Dayu, I will cut off his manhood and feed it to the dog!"
After saying this, he slammed the teacup down on the table, the porcelain shattering with a crisp sound. Zhenshu curtsied and said, "Please take care, Master Liu."
Chapter 29 Watermelon
Song Anrong came out from the inner room and comforted Zhenshu, saying, "It seems that Master Liu does not believe you, but you are my daughter, and I believe you. I know that everything you said is the truth."
Zhenshu felt ashamed and embarrassed by her father's words, nodding heavily and then shedding tears.
Although Liu Zhang left in a huff, when Song Anrong took his leave, he hurriedly came out of the mansion to see him off, cupping his fists from afar and saying, "Brother Song, I have failed to take good care of you and your daughter this time, please forgive me."
Song Anrong returned the greeting and said softly, "I have four daughters, but this one is the most dutiful and obedient to me. She would never lie or deceive anyone. If she has been impolite, I hope you will forgive her."
Liu Zhang laughed and said, "Not at all!"
He pulled Song Anrong aside and whispered, "I've heard that your family has a beautiful young lady in her late twenties. My son Wensi is also eighteen this year, so we're about the same age. Although you come from a scholarly family, my family is quite wealthy. If we could arrange a marriage between us..."
He finished speaking and laughed heartily. Song Anrong bowed apologetically and said, "Brother Liu, you don't know this, but I have a shrew at home. I have no say in the marriages of my daughters. When I get home, I'll try to persuade my wife. If she agrees, I'll write to you, Brother Liu. Is that alright?"
Liu Zhang bowed and thanked him. The two said their goodbyes, and then a skinny donkey pulling a tattered cart came over from in front of the Liu residence. The donkey driver came over, bowed and said, "Master Song, I'll drive you back."
It turned out that Song Anrong had rushed there after hearing the news at home, riding only a fast horse and not having time to hitch up a carriage. Upon arriving at Hanjiahe, he borrowed a carriage from the Liu family to go to the Wuling Mountains. After everyone found Zhenshu and returned home, Madam Han, Liu Zhang's wife, eavesdropped on Zhenshu and Liu Zhang's conversation. Being a woman, she was naturally more aware of matters of the heart than Liu Zhang. She had overheard Zhenshu speaking little, but every word was directed at the farmhand, Lin Dayu. Enraged, she ordered her servants, "Put away the good carriage and hitch up a beat-up one for her. Let her show her face all the way, let everyone along the dozens of miles of road embarrass her and make her feel ashamed."
Seeing how shabby the carriage was, Liu Zhang angrily asked the driver, "Is this the carriage from the manor?"
The coachman bowed and said, "Madam and Miss have gone back to their parents' home."
There are more than a dozen carriages in the mansion. How many can the lady and young ladies use?
Liu Zhang was about to get angry again, but Song Anrong quickly stopped him, saying, "I am already extremely grateful. Farewell, farewell!"
The area around Liu's residence was the most bustling and popular part of Hanjiahe. Zhenshu knelt on the cart, her eyes fixed on her brow, sitting steadily. Perhaps some people had heard rumors, for some men and women by the roadside were whispering and pointing at her. Zhenshu felt no shame and remained upright. After traveling about a mile from Hanjiahe, they came to a teahouse where people could rest and cool off. The driver stopped and ordered a bowl of tea to moisten his mouth, but Zhenshu still did not get off the cart, remaining seated inside.
Suddenly, Song Anrong beside him asked with a smile, "Steward Han, where are we going?"
A group of people came up from behind, the one in the lead being the one who had interrogated Zhenshu in Wuling Mountain. Dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, he bowed and said, "The fugitive escaped from Wuling Mountain and fled here. We are pursuing him all the way."
Zhen Shu's heart pounded like a drum, thinking that Du Yu had come after her. Although she knew that he could not show himself among the many servants here, she could not help but look around to see if there was any sign of Du Yu.
Song Anrong said, "I've heard he has an excellent gait. How can a farmhand have such a skill?"
Butler Han said, "So I'm afraid he's not just an ordinary farmhand, but a notorious bandit. That would be troublesome."
At this moment, Zhenshu looked into the distance and saw three tall men standing under a large locust tree beside the millet field behind the teahouse. The tallest of them was Du Yu. He stood by the roadside with his hands on his hips, muttering something, while the other two listened with their heads down, nodding occasionally.
He was still wearing the tattered clothes she had mended for him that day, but now, standing between the two of them, he exuded a certain air of elegance, far from the demeanor one would expect of a farmhand.
Zhenshu glanced at him sideways, expecting him to look at her too. But he seemed oblivious or completely unconcerned, continuing his conversation with the other two. A moment later, a short boy ran over, carrying a large watermelon. He placed it on the ground, cut it in half, offered it first to Du Yu, and then shared it with the other two.
Zhenshu turned around and suddenly saw that Steward Han's gaze was about to look at the big locust tree, following her gaze. In her panic, she cried out and clutched her leg, saying, "Father, it hurts so much."
Song Anrong hurriedly asked, "Is your injured leg hurting?"
Zhenshu nodded and said, "Let's go quickly."
Butler Han understood and immediately bowed to make way, saying, "Please take care, Master Song!"
He then led his servants to search elsewhere.
When Zhenshu looked back at the big locust tree, only a few melon rinds remained under it; Du Yu was nowhere to be seen.
In late May, at the beginning of summer, all things flourished rapidly. For dozens of miles along the way, there were fields belonging to Liu Zhang's mansion. The millet and sorghum were still green seedlings. The farmhands working in the fields wore short shirts and bent over. They had been tired for too long, struggling for a living, and were completely unaware of the woman with her eyes closed as she passed by in the cart.
The Wei River can be seen in the distance, and Caijia Temple is right in front of us.
Zhenshu got off the carriage outside the courtyard gate, went inside and walked into the backyard. She saw Zhenxiu carrying a basin and fetching water in the yard. When she saw Zhenshu coming in from outside the yard, she was so frightened that she threw the basin down and jumped into the main room.
Zhenshu didn't care at all. She pushed open the door to the small west room and picked up Zhenxiu's belongings one by one, throwing them outside. Jewelry boxes clattered, quilts and mattresses were covered in dust, and even Zhenxiu's smelly footprints were scattered in the yard. Several pieces of clothing also fell to the ground. The more she threw, the more excited she became. Moreover, she was filled with anger, and now she even became violent. She moved the bed board aside, carried the two bed frames outside, and then carried the bed board out as well.
Su stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth and watched from the outside with Zhenyuan and the others for a while. When the room was quiet, she was about to step inside when suddenly a bronze mirror flew out from inside and almost hit Su on the head.
After another long silence, Madam Su craned her neck and called out, "Zhenshu, my daughter!"