"Don't even think about it! Quickly report to the master. If the young lady is missing, we'll be in for a beating."
After whispering to each other, the two quickened their pace and ran back.
Once there was no more noise outside, An Ruochen quickly looked around the alley entrance to make sure no one was there. She took off her cloak, hugged her bundle to her chest, and walked out of the alley.
As An Ruochen walked past a young woman strolling down the street, he handed her the cloak: "Miss, my family is having a happy occasion. This cloak was blessed by a master, who instructed me to spread the good fortune so that I might receive blessings in return. I see you have a wonderful figure, and this cloak would suit you perfectly. How about I give it to you?"
Upon hearing this, the girl's face lit up with joy. An Ruochen helped her unfold the cloak so she could examine it closely. The fabric and pattern were of the finest quality, and the girl was even more delighted, her face beaming with surprise. An Ruochen then draped the cloak over her shoulders, saying, "Please take this good fortune with you, young lady."
The girl stroked the cloak with obvious delight and thanked her. An Ruochen smiled, waved goodbye, and, carrying her bundle, hurried through a side alley toward the city gate.
Not long after An Ruochen left, the servants and guards of the An family began searching the streets for her. After searching half the city, when a familiar cloak came into view, the servants took off running after the girl wearing it. At that moment, An Ruochen was running frantically towards the city gate.
A farm carriage that An Ruochen had booked in advance was parked in a secluded corner near the city gate, loaded with bundles of hay. An Ruochen paid the money and climbed into the carriage. Just as she was hiding, she suddenly heard two familiar voices pass by the carriage. It was An Ping, the steward of the An family, and his personal servant.
An Ruochen's heart was pounding in her chest, and her palms were sweating profusely with nervousness. Wasn't the steward out of town on business? How come he's back so soon?
Anping was extremely loyal to her father, and was also an accomplice in his plan to marry her off to that lewd, vile, poisonous, and disgusting old man in the neighboring city. Her father said he would sell her, so he helped him do so.
An Ruochen's escape plan was quite complicated, but she was determined to succeed.
The hay cart finally started moving, making An Ruochen's heart pound. She peeked through the gaps in the hay pile and saw a servant run over, talking to Anping. An Ruochen guessed he was reporting her escape; perhaps the cloaked girl had been discovered. But her cart was already out of the city gates; they wouldn't find her.
Just as she was thinking this, the carriage suddenly seemed to hit a rock, lurching violently, and An Ruochen was almost thrown off. She swayed and grabbed the carriage, but the pile of hay in front of her rolled off the carriage, causing a chorus of screams from those around her.
An Ruochen's vision suddenly opened up, and when she looked up, she met An Ping's eyes. Both of them were shocked. An Ruochen shouted, "Uncle, run!" At the same time, An Ping also shouted, "The young lady is over there!"
The old man driving the carriage cracked his whip, urging the horse to gallop away. An Ruochen glared at An Ping and the servants running towards her, muttering to herself, "I can't catch up, I can't catch up, I definitely can't catch up."
The carriage sped further and further away, and Anping and his companions' figures gradually became smaller. Before An Ruochen could even breathe a sigh of relief, she saw Anping run towards a carriage by the city gate.
The car turned a corner, and An Ruochen could no longer see An Ping and the others. But her heart was pounding with panic. They must be catching up; she couldn't just sit and wait to die.
An Ruochen tidied up the hay on the cart, then asked the old man driving to stop at the wooded section of the road ahead, so that she could get off and he could continue on his way.
The old man driving the carriage agreed, and soon the carriage stopped. An Ruochen jumped down and waved vigorously to urge the old man to hurry up. Then she hid in the woods for a while and, sure enough, saw An Ping, along with his entourage and a servant, chasing after the old man's carriage in a horse-drawn carriage. An Ruochen breathed a sigh of relief and turned to run down into the woods.
She couldn't completely relax yet. She wasn't fast enough, and the old man driving the carriage might not be so discreet. Once Anping caught up with him, he might find out she had gotten off here, and they would continue their pursuit. She had to run quickly. From this grove, she could reach another road at the foot of the mountain. If she was lucky, she might be able to get into another carriage and escape this jaws of death.
An Ruochen has never been a pessimistic person.
When she was a child, her father married a second wife, a third wife, and even a fourth and fifth wife. Her own mother was in tears and almost in despair. But she felt that this was just to make people realize that her father was heartless and cruel, but life still had to go on.
Later, her mother died, and her younger siblings and other children kept sprouting up one after another. Her wet nurse was heartbroken and worried about her every day. But she felt that the family still had enough to eat and could get by.
What's that saying again? Well, as long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of running out of firewood.
Later, she grew up and was almost eighteen. Her father wanted to use her to gain something in return, so he wanted to marry her off to Qian Pei, a sixty-eight-year-old man from the neighboring city, as a concubine in exchange for a business opportunity.
An Ruochen had no idea what kind of shit was in her father's brain.
Not to mention that although Qian Pei has some money, her reputation is worse than a rat in a ditch. Just consider that Qian Pei is old enough to be her father's father, yet her father still wants her to be his son-in-law.
When the news of the engagement arrived, the wet nurses and maids wept, but An Ruochen did not. She had no time to cry. She knew it was time for her to act. From childhood, she had seized every opportunity to learn about the terrain inside and outside the city, and she had saved every copper coin she could.
Life goes on, but it doesn't have to be lived in a rat's nest.
An Ruochen believed that there was always a way out. So, although she had never left home before, she still decisively ran away.
An Ruochen ran downhill. The forest was quite large, but the mountain wasn't too steep. Ahead lay a sloping meadow; once she crossed it, she could descend the mountain. At the bottom, she was sure she could find a good opportunity…
Before she could finish her thought, An Ruochen tripped over a rock. This trip sent her sprawling face-first into the mud, and not only that, she tumbled all the way down the mountain.
The world is spinning, I feel dizzy and lightheaded.
As An Ruochen rolled downhill, two thoughts raced through her mind. One was why the stone always seemed to be against her; the other was how lucky she was to have worn a bra. Having large breasts was a problem, and thankfully she had prepared in advance, otherwise, the consequences for her breasts after being rolled down like this would have been unimaginable.
Before her mind could process it all, she finally stopped rolling.
When she stopped, her head hit the ground with a soft "thump," followed by a sharp pain; it felt as if she had bumped into a rock again.
An Ruochen doesn't swear, so while rubbing her forehead and looking up, she muttered, "Pig, dog, cow, sheep, chicken, duck, goose."
"Uh..." It wasn't a stone after all, it was a foot. Wearing hard, shiny combat boots.
"Uh..." Even combat boots shouldn't be as hard as rocks.
An Ruochen looked up from the boots, seeing thick thighs, a sturdy narrow waist, and a strong chest that the armor couldn't hide. Above that was a resolute, cold face, as hard as if carved from stone.
That face was looking down at her, expressionless, neither surprised, confused, nor angry, as if a girl had rolled down out of nowhere and landed at his feet, which was as if nothing had happened to him.
Wait a minute, not lying down.
Kneeling!
An Ruochen suddenly realized that her posture was indecent and quickly got up.
He can act as if nothing happened, and so can she.
She patted the dust off her clothes, then looked down and found her bundle. Just as she was about to bend down to pick it up, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She quickly turned her head and stared in disbelief.
At the other end of the road, there was a large group of soldiers, some sitting and some standing. Their numbers far exceeded what An Ruochen could estimate at a glance. Even more startling was that, although the soldiers remained silent, they all watched An Ruochen and the stone-faced man with expressions of amusement.
An Ruochen could no longer remain calm.
What kind of thing is it to be seen by a large group of men rolling down the mountain and kneeling at the feet of one of them?
Author's Note: Long Da's story shouldn't be very long; it's just a side story.
54☆、Side Story 2: The General (2)
Zhonglan City is a border city, adjacent to the Southern Qin Kingdom.
Although the Southern Qin Kingdom has been peaceful for many years, several incidents have occurred this year. These incidents are neither major nor minor; while they may indicate an intention to invade, they also warrant our attention.
So Long Da received the imperial order and led troops to guard the border between Xiao and Qin, which meant guarding Zhonglan City.
The army was stationed south of Zhonglan City. Long Da led his troops, traveling day and night, and let them rest when they were near the city. Long Da himself stood at the foot of a hillside, pondering the military arrangements after the garrison was established.
Suddenly, there was a strange movement on the slope, and a person rolled down with a whoosh.
A girl.
She had a fair complexion, appearing to be around twenty-nine years old. Her eyes were bright, clear, and intelligent. Her breathing was deep and deep; she knew no martial arts.
Long Da quickly sized her up from head to toe and concluded that this woman posed no threat. So he didn't draw his sword; he simply looked at her.
An Ruochen had no interest in looking around at these men. Having recovered from her initial shock and embarrassment, she realized that her most urgent task was to keep running.
Just as he was about to bend down to take her bundle, he heard a loud shout from the slope behind him: "Young Miss!"
An Ruochen's hair stood on end.
She didn't look back; her mind was racing. She was wondering what she should do.
She knew she couldn't outrun them if she tried to run now. Besides, she couldn't let them go back and report that she had run away from home and elopement; if she did, all her belongings would be confiscated, and she would be locked in her room until her wedding. She couldn't afford to be in such a passive situation.
She failed to escape this time, so she needed to leave herself a way out for next time. But what could she do?
An Ruochen heard An Ping's voice calling her from behind, and heard that they were rushing down the hillside. She turned her head slightly and saw a flag fluttering among the group of soldiers on the other side of the road. On the flag was embroidered a majestic "Dragon".
An Ruochen suddenly grabbed the hand of the stone-carving giant in front of her and exclaimed, "General Long, I've finally met you!"
After she finished speaking, An Ping and the other two stood in front of her. An Ruochen ignored them and continued, "I have long admired General Long and have long hoped to see your face. Today, I heard that you have come to Zhonglan City, and I have gone through many hardships to get here to see you. Now that my wish has been fulfilled, it is truly thanks to the blessings of Buddha."
Her words were incoherent, and she was still gripping Long Da's hands tightly. Long Da's unchanging expression finally cracked, and he became more lively.
He raised one eyebrow. With a knowing, slightly amused expression, he raised one eyebrow.
An Ruochen wanted to imitate his raised eyebrows, but she found that her eyebrows weren't as flexible as his; whenever she moved them, both sides would twitch. So she simply squeezed his hand harder.
She asked for nothing else, only that he not undermine her.
Long Da didn't contradict her; he didn't even say anything. It was because An Ping interrupted her.
An Pingyuan wanted to reprimand An Ruochen, but seeing the situation before him, he quickly bowed to Long Da: "I am An Ping, the steward of the An family in Zhonglan City. I heard that the general would not arrive until tomorrow, and my master had already arranged to hold a celebration in the city to welcome the general. I never expected the general to arrive today. I am sorry for not being able to welcome you properly. I hope the general will forgive me."
Long Da frowned. He hated these ridiculous "welcome greetings" and "hostels" the most. He didn't know them, and there was no law saying he had to be picked up wherever he went, so why were they putting themselves in this mess? They were out of their minds!
Anping was very good at reading people's expressions. Seeing that Long Da's face was not happy, he knew it would be difficult to continue his flattery. He quickly said a few more polite words, and then said that An Ruochen was his eldest daughter, and that she had mischievously run out today to catch a glimpse of the general's demeanor, and had offended the general, so he asked the general not to be offended.
Hearing An Ping's words, An Ruochen felt a sense of relief. She quickly seized the opportunity and sincerely apologized. After a few more words, the group took their leave.
An Ruochen quietly kicked the bundle to Long Da's feet. Taking advantage of An Ping and the others turning around and not paying attention, she lowered her voice and whispered to Long Da, "Please keep this safe for me, General. I will come back to retrieve it later."
Long Da raised an eyebrow again upon hearing this, but An Ruochen didn't have time to look closely. She turned around and followed An Ping's footsteps back to the mansion.
She sneaked out of the manor and offended a distinguished person. An Ruochen was still punished upon returning home.
However, she was quite satisfied; she'd only received a few lashes of discipline, which she could endure. At least she hadn't been locked up like a prisoner, which was good enough. Although she suspected her father and Anping had doubts about her motives for leaving home, she was empty-handed, which didn't seem like she was planning to run away. Besides, her explanation for giving away the cloak was plausible, since she had genuinely gone to the temple to pray for blessings, and she could produce at least ten witnesses. Furthermore, the excuse about General Long was reasonable. Therefore, although An Changfu had his suspicions, he couldn't say anything.
In the end, he had no choice but to scold his daughter, berating her for being shameless for a woman of marriageable age to confess her feelings to a man. He gave her several lashes and told her to reflect on her actions.
An Ruochen reflected on her actions. She seriously considered the reasons for her failure: she had been too hasty. Without help, alone and not fast enough, her chances of success in escaping were naturally slim. She should have hidden herself first, waited for the situation to calm down, and then sought an opportunity to leave the city.
With that in mind, she began to make preparations.
The people in the manor are unreliable. It's not entirely a matter of loyalty. For example, her wet nurse and her two maids are genuinely good to her, but they panic and cry at the drop of a hat, making them useless. Moreover, they are right under the noses of everyone in the manor; if they reveal any weakness, all her efforts will be in vain.
Therefore, An Ruochen wanted to find a helper outside the mansion.
The person couldn't know too much, so as not to reveal anything, and they also had to be capable and useful. In the end, An Ruochen chose the old woman who delivered vegetables to the An family.
An Ruochen initially wandered around the manor whenever she had nothing to do, and then she liked to chat and complain to people, making everyone think that the young lady was afraid to go out now and could only stay in the manor and chat idly when she was bored.
Then An Ruochen found an opportunity and finally intercepted the vegetable delivery woman, chatting with her idly. Everyone was used to her liking to confide in others, so no one paid any attention. But An Ruochen used this method to get the vegetable delivery woman to accept her bribe and rent a small room for her in the city.
An Ruochen's reason was that she had a female friend who had married a bad husband. Sometimes he would beat and scold her severely, and she didn't dare go back to her parents' home. So she thought of having a small house where she could occasionally escape her husband's beatings. But since it was a place to hide, she couldn't show her face in public, so she had to ask the old woman to bring her some food to that house every day. They agreed that if someone lived in that house, they would put a bamboo basket at the door, and the old woman would put the food in the basket every day.
The vegetable delivery woman believed it wholeheartedly and promised to keep it a secret. After all, it was just a favor she could do, and she'd get paid for it, so why not?
Two days later, the vegetable delivery woman came to report that the house had been rented and the bamboo basket had been placed inside. She handed the key to An Ruochen, saying that once her friend moved in, the basket could be put out. She would pass by the house every day and would never miss delivering food.
An Ruochen thanked him and began to wait for the opportunity to escape home a second time.
A few days later, the opportunity finally arrived.
That day, a distinguished guest was to visit the An residence. An Changfu was both excited and nervous. He began preparations a day in advance, summoning the servants for a pep talk and calling over his concubines and children. He gave them numerous instructions, emphasizing that they should be respectful to the guest, courteous, and appropriately dressed. In particular, he instructed his daughters—well, to be precise, all the daughters except An Ruochen—to be well-dressed, wear their most beautiful clothes, be articulate, and be willing to drink with the guests. In short, he wanted to ensure the guest left satisfied.
An Ruochen's expression was the same as her other daughters', but in her heart, she began to despise her father again. "You're not a brothel madam, and your daughters aren't prostitutes. Is it proper for a father to give orders like 'make up nicely, dress beautifully, be able to talk, and be willing to drink with you'?"
They even left satisfied? They're like pigs, dogs, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks, and geese—bah!
The next day at noon, the distinguished guest arrived.
An Ruochen felt utterly disgusted by the fact that her entire family had to line up like servile servants to welcome her. She really wanted to take out the mirror in the room and look at them one by one, so they could see their own true colors.
But she dared not do it. Not only did she dare not do it, she also had to put on the same demeanor as them. She thought that although she had to bow and scrape today, she could still get by.