Chapter 7: An Unexpected Turn

In the dead of night, west of the city of Chang'an, within a certain courtyard.

Two men’s snores rose and fell in turn.

The night was like water, the moon like a hook. The autumn wind stirred the fallen leaves, spinning them softly across the ground.

At the corner of the south wall, a figure suddenly appeared. A man in black vaulted over the wall and slipped inside.

Within the room, two young men, one fat and one thin, both in coarse homespun, slept soundly in separate corners, east and west.

The dark figure crept inside with slow, soundless steps. Soon, a hand reached gently toward the waist of one of them.

A faint click of metal rings touching sounded through the night.

Outside the window, branches swayed in the wind.

Now and then, two or three dogs barked in the distance. The night remained peaceful.

Gradually, the bright stars dimmed. The sky on the horizon slowly lightened, dark gray giving way to the pale white of dawn.

The snoring in the room grew softer; one man turned over.

Just as the sun was about to rise, a boy of seventeen or eighteen came down the alley.

Ah Tai was humming a little tune, smiling at everything he saw along the way, his mood unusually bright.

When he reached the place, he pushed at the door and found it bolted, so he hammered on it with a loud bang.

“Open up, open up! The sun’s nearly on your backsides and you’re still sleeping!”

“Ah, coming, coming...”

The two men inside woke one after the other.

The fat man grunted, got up, and waddled outside to draw back the door bolt. In a simple, hearty voice, he said,

“You’ve come awfully early, young sir!”

Ah Tai smiled. “Of course. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm!”

Still humming happily, he walked toward the storeroom, took the key from his waist, and opened the door.

He made a circuit around the room. Seeing everything clean and the goods arranged neatly, he turned back in satisfaction and reminded them,

“It’s been dry and windy lately, so fire prevention comes first. We’re almost ready to sell, so don’t slack off. Young sir will treat you to chicken legs!”

At that, the fat man clapped his hands repeatedly. “Wonderful, wonderful! Young sir is a good-hearted man. You’re bound to make a fortune!”

The thin man lazily got up at last. Still drowsy, he stood at the doorway, smiling sleepily.

“Young sir Ah Tai, what happy event has come your way? Why do you look so pleased today?”

Ah Tai did not hide it at all. “You guessed it! Hahaha, yes, yes, there really is happy news!”

The two men spoke almost at once. “What happy news?”

The thin man, who had seemed half-asleep only a moment ago, was instantly alert. His eyes lit up. He bent low and hurried over, perched on a short stool, and looked up at him expectantly, smiling as he waited for the story.

Ah Tai did not keep them in suspense and said directly, “The person I like most has found her ideal husband!”

The moment he finished, laughter burst out in the courtyard.

Especially the thin man, who shut his eyes, pointed at him, and laughed with great delight.

“You hopeless fool, and you’re this happy just because the person you like found her ideal husband! It’s not like she’s marrying you. Are you stupid? You ought to be crying, not laughing!”

Ah Tai flushed red. His expression grew solemn, and even his speech became a little halting.

“H-how could she marry me! Nonsense. You’re the stupid one! She’s the person I like most, so I just want her to be well, the better the better! Best of all, she should be the happiest person in all the world, not, not the kind of liking you mean!”

The thin man only laughed harder.

*****

In the afternoon, at the mansion of the Duke of Ningguo.

Yan Xi had only just awakened from her midday nap and was sitting at the table, drawing and practicing calligraphy.

Qinglian came in from outside and walked to her side. “Miss, Ah Tai is back.”

The young girl looked up and saw a smile on Qinglian’s face. Thinking of the date, her heart leapt, and she asked with her eyes.

Qinglian pressed her lips together and nodded with a smile.

Yan Xi immediately put down the brush in her hand.

“Have him come in at once.”

In the blink of an eye, Ah Tai was ushered inside, and the door was closed behind him.

Seeing the servant’s eagerness, Yan Xi blurted out, “It rose?”

The servant nodded hard, three or four times in a row.

“It almost doubled!”

In the room, Qinglian, Taohong, and Yan Xi were all overjoyed.

“Miss truly is a diviner!” Taohong could not help praising her, then continued, “Then today, quickly, let’s sell it all right away!”

Ah Tai had returned not only to bring the good news as quickly as possible, but also to ask the young lady what should be done next.

Now was the perfect chance. Should everything be sold today?

After Taohong finished, all three looked to the young lady, waiting for her answer.

Yan Xi shook her head with certainty.

“Not yet. Wait four more days, and it will rise again.”

The three of them were stunned: first, that the goods could still rise; second, at the young lady’s confident prediction.

From childhood to adulthood, the young lady had been renowned for her sharp mind. She learned everything quickly. Not only was she skilled in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she had an astonishing memory and the ability to remember everything at a glance. Any teacher who had instructed her never failed to praise her.

The several of them had grown up with her and knew her well enough. Though they did not know how she had come by this knowledge, they naturally trusted her judgment.

Ah Tai immediately nodded. “All right!”

*****

The next day, everything went smoothly, and, just as Yan Xi had predicted, the price of the goods truly rose again.

That evening at dusk, Ah Tai came once more with good news.

Then the following two days were the same, one happy report after another.

The nearer the day drew, the more Yan Xi fretted. It was only human nature.

This day was the third. One more day, and the entire batch would be sold.

Yan Xi and her two maids could hardly sit still in the room, so they took advantage of the bright afternoon sun and went out for a walk.

The Lu family’s garden behind Peach Blossom Residence was vast, full of flowers and trees. At this season, the plum blossoms had just begun to open, and even from afar one could smell their faint, elegant fragrance upon entering.

When Yan Xi first came here a month ago, she had still been a little shy and unwilling to meet others. Now, after a month had passed, she had finally adapted somewhat. Though the Lu family was large and full of people, anyone she had met, even if only once, she could still accurately remember which branch of the family they belonged to.

There were not many people passing through the garden at the moment, only an occasional few young ladies and maidservants. Yan Xi and the others merely exchanged nods in passing.

The three of them strolled along, admiring the scenery as they walked deeper in.

Qinglian said, “Miss, don’t worry too much. Tomorrow will surely go smoothly!”

Taohong agreed. “I think so too. These past few days have been so smooth! Everything is already prepared. Tomorrow will surely be even smoother!”

Yan Xi nodded. “Mm.”

Though she answered, she naturally hoped in her heart that everything would go well, but for some reason an inexplicable unease had begun to stir in her chest.

Yan Xi did not dwell on it. Nor did she get the chance to, because her thoughts were interrupted by a man’s voice.

“Is... is that Sister Yan Xi?”

At the sound, Yan Xi and the maid both looked up instinctively and followed it.

Not far away, beyond several plum trees, stood a young man in white, a folding fan in his hand.

Yan Xi recognized him.

He was the nephew of Madam Wang, the second wife of the family, named Wang Qingan.

His reputation was poor. He was a lecher who lingered among flowers and women, utterly given to indulgence. He drank, gambled, visited brothels, and did all manner of vices. Aside from a passable face, he was good for nothing.

Seeing that it was him, Yan Xi felt a sudden instinctive fear, especially as he had come uninvited and was staring fixedly at her face while walking toward her.

“It really is Sister Yan Xi!”

He had only taken a few steps before Yan Xi retreated. Qinglian moved in front of her, putting herself between them.

“Master Cousin, please conduct yourself properly. Do not come any closer.”

As she spoke, Yan Xi had already turned away. With the two maids escorting her, she hastily circled around and left.

Wang Qingan’s gaze flickered. Like a soul lost from its body, he stared after that frail, delicate back for a long while. Only then did he come to himself and realize what had happened. He struck his palm with his folding fan, again and again...

******

Back in her quarters.

Qinglian brought tea to the young lady to calm her nerves.

“Miss, you were frightened, weren’t you?”

Yan Xi nodded. Just now, for that instant, she truly had been frightened. Her heart had pounded so hard that it still had not settled.

That night, she tossed and turned and could not sleep for a long time. Her feelings were strange, as though she were expecting something, as though she were excited, yet more than anything, uneasy.

Since that afternoon’s encounter with Wang Qingan, that sensation had never fully faded. Yan Xi did not know whether it was because she despised that cousin of hers, or because of something else...

The whole night passed, and even then it was unclear when she finally fell asleep.

The next day, the three of them rose very early.

Since yesterday noon, Ah Tai had been gone, fully occupied with preparing to sell the goods.

If all went smoothly, by noon today everything should be finished.

Yan Xi and the others waited all morning for news.

The closer it got to noon, the more anxious Yan Xi became, without question.

As time passed, that anxiety gradually changed into unease, and then into panic.

Because Ah Tai had still not returned.

Night fell in the blink of an eye. He should have been back long ago, yet still no one had appeared, not even a word.

All signs were unlike Ah Tai’s usual character.

The young girl could no longer sit still, like an ant on a hot pan.

Not only her, Qinglian and Taohong were also in a panic.

“Miss, wait a little longer. Perhaps the road is far and he’s returning slowly, or perhaps there was a small delay and the sale is taking longer. At worst, today’s sale simply won’t be finished, and then we’ll sell it tomorrow.”

Yan Xi’s soft voice was already trembling slightly as she spoke from the heart.

“It’s all right if the goods can’t be sold. We can just give them up. Compared with money, I, I’m more worried about Ah Tai...”

As soon as she said this, tears almost welled in the eyes of both maids.

They had depended on one another for many years. The young lady’s feelings toward them were no longer those of ordinary master and servant. Hearing this, one could not help being moved.

Qinglian said, “Then Miss has even less reason to worry. What could happen to Ah Tai? We haven’t done anything illegal, only sold some goods. An upright person need not fear accusations. What could go wrong? It can’t be that the Madam found out. If that were so, things would not be this quiet; she would have already sent someone to look for Miss. I’ll go out tomorrow and check... Miss, don’t worry.”

Yan Xi slowly let out a breath. Her eyes were damp, and after a long while she finally answered.

By now it was late; curfew had already begun, so even if they were anxious, they could not go out and could only wait until morning.

That night was unbearably long...

The next morning, Qinglian prepared early. Once the household gates were open and the servants could go out, she was the first to leave.

A while back, when Ah Tai had rented the house to store the goods, she and Taohong had both gone with him, so she knew exactly where the goods were kept.

This time, the wait was not long.

The maid returned in just over an hour.

The door was shut tight.

Yan Xi went up to meet her, asking urgently, “Well?”

Qinglian said, “Miss, the house is already empty. The things have been moved out, and the two hired men are gone as well. The courtyard and storeroom are both very tidy, with no sign of a fight or anything else amiss. I asked the neighbors, and none of them noticed anything unusual. They said they saw Ah Tai yesterday morning. He was the one who moved the goods away, and he looked as cheerful as always.”

After hearing this, Taohong could not hold back any longer and said angrily, “The goods are gone too! And so is the man! It’s been a day and two nights! That damned Ah Tai—after worrying about his safety, could it be that he sold the things and ran off with the money himself?”

“Nonsense!”

Yan Xi’s delicate face fell at once, and she interrupted Taohong coldly.

“Do not speak of him like that. He would never do such a thing!”

Just then, footsteps sounded outside, along with a maid’s voice.

“Miss, the servant at the front gate has come to report that someone is looking for you and is waiting outside the manor.”

After hearing this, Yan Xi immediately had a cloak put on her and hurried out.

If it had been any other day, she would surely have asked after the matter in detail.

But not now. Her mind was in complete disarray, like overgrown weeds tangled into a knot.

There was hardly anyone in Chang'an who knew her, and of all times, it had to be now. She had a strong feeling that the visitor must be connected to Ah Tai.

The young girl strode quickly all the way forward.

When she reached the gate and went outside, her eyes locked at once on a slightly stout man in coarse clothes.

Of course she recognized him. He was one of the two men Ah Tai had hired half a month ago.

She had once seen the two of them from within the carriage.

Suppressing the tremor in her heart, Yan Xi quickly descended the stone steps.

“Where is Ah Tai?”

The man was the fat one.

His face was deathly pale. “Miss, Ah Tai has gotten into trouble. Serious trouble, life-and-death trouble! You, you must save him quickly... They asked who owned that batch of goods, and he refused to say no matter what, insisting it was his. I’m afraid they’re about to use torture. The Lu family, the Lu family is of high rank and great power. Even the highest officials give them some measure of respect. You, you must save him quickly...”

The young girl’s pupils dilated suddenly, especially when she heard the words “use torture”!

Without the slightest hesitation, she turned and climbed into the carriage the fat man had brought.

“Where? Take me there at once!”

Qinglian went with her and sent Taohong back.

Tears in her eyes, Taohong refused several times, but in the end she could not resist and stamped her foot in frustration.

The fat man climbed into the carriage afterward and immediately cracked the whip to urge the horse onward.

Along the way, Yan Xi dared not think too deeply.

Yet without needing to think deeply, the matter was already obvious.

Something had gone wrong with her batch of goods.

After more than half an hour, the carriage stopped at a certain place.

Yan Xi was helped down by the maid.

The young girl’s bright eyes slowly searched the area, while her heart pounded wildly, thumping against her chest.

All around stood rows of government soldiers, solemn and terrifying.

What exactly had happened to her goods?

And which official had seized them? What rank? What was his surname and name?

Unconsciously, Yan Xi’s soft hands had clenched tightly.

The fat man spoke to the soldiers.

The soldiers sized Yan Xi up twice, then led the way and took them inside.

Along the route, Yan Xi’s mind remained in utter turmoil.

She had no experience of the world. She had grown up sheltered, and after the Shen family’s misfortune, she had come to the Lu family. Though she had always been living under another’s roof, the Duke of Ningguo had more or less protected her, so she had still remained within a sheltered world...

Such a scene, such a matter, was a first in her life.

Had it not been for Ah Tai, she would never have appeared here.

Unknowingly, she was led into a room.

Yan Xi was still thinking about how to speak to the person, how to beg for mercy, how to invoke the Lu family, how to...

Before she could finish the thought, her slender body had already turned around a screen. She subconsciously lifted her face, and in that instant it was as though some heavy object had struck her heart with brutal force. She froze where she stood.

Because within that room, a man stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his figure and build all too familiar.

Not someone else.

It was none other than Lu Zhi.