“Keep your sympathy to yourself. The more you try to torment me, the more I pity you.”
In the darkness of night, Fifth Madam Niu’s expression was indiscernible. As if she hadn’t heard anything, she waved her hand, signaling the Zhao family servants to take Ji Yingying away. “Whatever you say, I won’t let you off. I enjoy watching you live a life worse than death. Tomorrow morning’s cooking duties are yours. It’s getting late—since you’ve delayed everyone’s meal, you and your maids will go without food for two days.”
Breakfast for over three hundred people was usually prepared in rotating shifts of fifty people. How could six people manage it? Would there be no sleep tonight? Ji Yingying, as usual, remained silent and turned to leave.
“I’m not asking you to cook—I want you to fetch water. No one has drawn water for tomorrow’s cooking yet,” Fifth Madam Niu covered her mouth and laughed. “No one will see you at night, so you can wash yourself by the river. I’m tired of how foul you smell. It’s unbearable to even speak with you.”
Could she be this kind? The water-fetching task had become a privilege, an opportunity to get clean. For almost a month, Fifth Madam Niu had prevented Ji Yingying and her maids from fetching water, deliberately making them the filthiest, most malodorous women in the camp. Ji Yingying had never dreamed Fifth Madam Niu would allow her to fetch water. She turned and sneered, “Aren’t you wearing a veil? If talking to me through your covered nose and mouth is so uncomfortable, why not remove your veil as well?”
Fifth Madam Niu merely snorted in response.
Ji Yingying cheerfully led her five maids to collect the wooden buckets. Tonight’s campsite wasn’t far from the riverbank. Knowing they were going to fetch water, four Nanzhao soldiers followed them to the riverside.
Her heart began to race. Others had attempted escape while fetching water. Some were shot dead by Nanzhao arrows, while others drifted away with the current, their fate unknown.
Ji Yingying had grown up by Huanhua Creek and was a capable swimmer. She glanced at her maids. They had discussed this privately before—all five maids could swim. Tonight, the moonlight was hidden behind layers of clouds, casting dim light. It was the perfect opportunity to escape by water.
“Sir, it’s too dark to see. We’re afraid of twisting our ankles on the river stones. Could you lower the torches a bit?” Chunlan pleaded knowingly with the Nanzhao soldiers.
Two soldiers stepped into the shallow water, lowering their torches to illuminate the water’s surface. The other two stood behind them.
After filling their buckets halfway, Ji Yingying and the five maids straightened up. Xiang’er swayed as if she had slipped, splashing water onto one of the torches. As one torch went out, Ji Yingying turned and called out, “Sir, could you bring the torch closer?”
In that instant, they simultaneously splashed water toward the torches and swung their buckets at the nearby soldiers.
When the torches went dark, the riverbank plunged into darkness.
None of them intended to kill the four soldiers—they just needed that moment of confusion to run toward the river’s center.
Escape meant life; failure meant death.
Ji Yingying could hear her breathless panting and the splashing of feet in the water.
“Worthless wench!” the Nanzhao soldier cursed, his boots making sharp splashing sounds as he entered the water.
“Ah!” Xiang’er’s scream rang out behind her.
Ji Yingying couldn’t help but look back—a soldier had grabbed Xiang’er by the hair. Instinctively, she pulled a small knife from her boot, lunged forward, and stabbed the soldier forcefully.
“Run!” Ji Yingying shoved the soldier away and pulled Xiang’er up.
The two stumbled forward as the water rose to their thighs. The sharp whistle of arrows cutting through the air filled the night. Ji Yingying pulled Xiang’er down into the water. An arrow struck the moonlit river surface, creating a spray of water.
“Stop running, or we’ll shoot to kill!” The voice was accompanied by pursuing footsteps.
To prevent escape attempts, the soldiers’ tents were positioned along the riverbank. Their commotion had instantly alerted the soldiers in their tents.
Torchlight illuminated the river’s surface, reaching them in an instant. Ji Yingying pulled Xiang’er up from the water. Pursuing soldiers had already surrounded them.
Ji Yingying gripped Xiang’er’s hand tightly. It seemed Chunlan and the others had jumped into the river—one or two might have escaped. Better one than none.
A man wearing the uniform of a Deputy General approached her, glancing at the person lying in the river. The torchlight danced on the water’s surface, where the soldier lay face-down, motionless. The Deputy General grinned at Ji Yingying: “I’ve been hoping for little ladies trying to escape…”
His teeth gleamed unnaturally white in the darkness. Ji Yingying suddenly understood—no wonder Fifth Madam Niu had let her fetch water. She had calculated that after enduring so much, Ji Yingying wouldn’t be able to resist trying to escape by river. Fifth Madam Niu wanted these soldiers to violate her dignity. Compared to this, all other torments were mere trifles.
She gripped her small knife tightly and pressed it against her own throat, speaking coldly: “General, you’d better hear me out.”
“Heh, heh, heh…” The Deputy General laughed in extreme anger, crossing his arms. People had died on the road before—did she think this trick would intimidate him? Still, he wanted to hear what she had to say.
“The Ji Family Dyehouse’s secret formula has been passed down for a hundred years. My mother, brother, sister-in-law, and newborn nephew are all dead. I’m the only one who knows the secret. A year ago, Sheng Fengze came to Yizhou. He tried everything to obtain this formula. General, if you intend to violate me and my maids, this dyeing secret will be lost forever. Would you rather ask General Chi Kuang about this, or force me to die now?”
The silver knife pressed against her delicate neck, her hand steady without a tremor.
The Deputy General’s smile froze. He had accompanied General Chi Kuang to Sandaoyan. He also had a list. Besides the Zhao family of textile merchants, his deepest impression was of the specifically mentioned Huanhua Dyehouse Ji family. Unfortunately, the Ji mother and son had died before the General.
During the name registration, Ji Yingying had been recorded as Yang Ji-shi. Fifth Madam Niu didn’t want to reveal that she was Second Miss Ji from the Huanhua Dyehouse. Zhao Xiuyuan had no idea that Ji Yingying had been found by Yu Yuan under Fifth Madam Niu’s orders.
Hearing Ji Yingying’s words, the Deputy General finally realized. A married woman takes her husband’s surname. Yang Ji-shi was the daughter of the Huanhua Dyehouse Ji family.
He gave Ji Yingying a deep look and extended his hand: “Give me the knife. I can overlook tonight’s incident. But if you dare try to escape again, I have ways to make you wish you were dead.”
Ji Yingying slowly replied: “I can’t give you the knife. It’s a memento from my husband. Without even this small reminder, I’d rather die now. Chunlan, come here.”
She sheathed the knife and tucked it into her clothes. Looking directly into the Deputy General’s eyes, she said: “Aren’t you kidnapping people to dye silk and weave brocade in Nanzhao? I won’t run away anymore. I can dye the most beautiful silk and cloth for you. However, I want to ride in a carriage, have hot baths, and wear clean clothes.”
The Deputy General was so angry that veins bulged in his temples. This woman was truly pushing her luck. Did she think he really couldn’t do anything to her now?
Ji Yingying spoke calmly: “Capturing a thousand unskilled people isn’t worth as much as treating one highly skilled person well. Isn’t that right?”
The Deputy General finally spoke: “You are our slave!”
“Captured to warm soldiers’ beds? Your monarch and the White King want skills, not prostitutes! General, I’ve promised not to escape, promised to use my ancestral secret formula to dye silk and cloth for you. Isn’t this merit worth calming your anger?” Ji Yingying squeezed Xiang’er’s hand and sheltered the crying Chunlan and another young maid behind her.
Having thought the Huanhua Dyehouse’s secret formula was lost forever, finding a Ji family heir would be quite an achievement. Looking into Ji Yingying’s bright eyes, the Deputy General burst into laughter: “Yang Ji-shi, you’ve convinced me. That carriage is yours. Someone, tell Second Madam Zhao to take good care of Madam Yang!”
Ji Yingying led her three maids up the bank and walked to Fifth Madam Niu: “Second Madam Zhao, please have someone boil some hot water and prepare clean clothes. My maids and I need to bathe and change.”