Quanzhou had seven city gates. The decision to leave through the Tongjin Gate had been carefully considered beforehand.
After Jia Fu’s father passed away, all of the Zhen family’s external affairs were handled by Zhang Da. He was steady and capable, skilled at social maneuvering, and had managed relations with Quanzhou officials at all levels impeccably. When he went out, he commanded a certain respect, with people addressing him as Master Zhang. This Shi Quan You had always maintained a good relationship with him. Most importantly, Shi Quan You was not familiar with Zhen Yao Ting and had no regular contact with him. Based on these considerations, Zhang Da decided to use this city gate, and they ultimately passed through safely despite the tense situation.
The carriage compartment was open to view with no possibility of hiding anyone. How could Shi Quan You have imagined that the man sitting brazenly in the carriage was not the Zhen family’s young master, but rather a mysterious person urgently needing to leave the city? Even less could he have imagined that the young woman in the same carriage was Jia Fu from the Zhen family.
Jia Fu had accompanied Xiao Yin Tang for many years and knew his calculating nature, his willingness to use any means to achieve his ends, and the gambler-like recklessness and arrogance inherent in his character.
Just before departure, he had proposed that she travel in the same carriage as a cover. Old Lady Hu initially refused, saying she would arrange for a clever and trustworthy maidservant instead, but he insisted on Jia Fu. With her grandson held hostage, Old Lady Hu had no choice but to make him swear to heaven that he would not harm Jia Fu and would release her immediately after leaving the city.
Xiao Yin Tang agreed.
Earlier, as the carriage approached the city gate, he had disheveled her hair, loosened her collar, and firmly gripped her waist with one hand while pressing his face against her shoulder, Fugning intimacy with her.
At the very moment the carriage door was opened, Jia Fu clearly felt his grip tighten, with such force that it seemed he might break her waist, and his entire body suddenly tensed like a fully drawn bow.
This was a sign of extreme nervousness, with his body becoming extremely excited in response.
Jia Fu kept her eyes closed, completely motionless. As soon as they passed through the city gate, she pushed away Xiao Yin Tang, who was still holding her and tried to rise from his lap. Just as she stood up, his hands suddenly landed on her shoulders. Jia Fu felt a weight, her knees buckled, and she was forced back down onto his lap.
Xiao Yin Tang lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling upon Jia Fu’s tender, delicate face. Starting from her eyebrows, his eyes slowly moved downward, passing over her nose, and finally resting on her lips, lingering for a moment. Suddenly he leaned in closer, his nose approaching her temple, tentatively inhaling the fragrance emanating from her hair. His Adam’s apple moved almost imperceptibly, and then he raised one hand, seemingly about to lift her chin.
Jia Fu quickly turned her face, avoiding his gesture, and rapidly knocked twice on the carriage wall, producing two crisp “tock-tock” sounds. Immediately, Zhang Da’s tense voice came from outside the window: “Does the young master have any instructions?”
They had just passed through the city gate and were still very close to it. Xiao Yin Tang’s hand stopped in mid-air, paused briefly, and he gave Jia Fu a look.
Jia Fu broke free, supporting herself against the carriage wall as she moved to a corner near the door, turning her back to him. She lowered her head to straighten her slightly disheveled clothes and rebind her long hair, never looking back at him.
Once the carriage had passed through the city gate, it increased its speed. Zhang Da followed closely alongside. After traveling more than ten li without stopping, they finally reached the entrance to the estate. After stopping, he sent away the carriage driver and all nearby people, then approached and said in a low voice: “Young master, we’ve arrived.” He opened the carriage door and looked inside, immediately spotting Jia Fu sitting to one side. The man was reclined against the back seat, his gaze fixed on her back. Seeing nothing else amiss, Zhang Da let out a sigh of relief. Noticing that the man remained motionless, he added: “Young master, we’ve arrived, this place is safe now. The horses were fed before departure and had good stamina. They can travel several hundred more li today. From here westward, there’s a convenient path out of Quanzhou with few travelers during daylight. Please depart quickly, young master.”
Xiao Yin Tang’s lips curled into a slight smile as he finally looked away. He tied back his hair, straightened his clothes, and rose, passing by Jia Fu to exit the carriage.
Zhang Da hastily offered the mount he had ridden when leaving the city. Seeing the man mount the horse, he watched as, before departing, he turned to glance once more at the now-closed carriage. Finally, he spurred his horse in the direction Zhang Da had indicated and gradually disappeared at the end of the road. Zhang Da let out a long breath, wiped his sweat, and ran back to the carriage, comforting in a low voice: “Young lady, you suffered earlier, but fortunately that villain has gone, and nobody knows…”
“Uncle Zhang, I’m fine, please don’t worry about me.”
A soft, calm voice came through the carriage door.
Jia Fu did not return to the city that night but stayed at the estate. She soaked in a bathtub filled with hot water, repeatedly scrubbing her entire body, until her skin turned red from the friction, with touched areas showing traces of blood. Only when the hot water soak began to sting did she finally suppress the bone-deep chill that seemed to emanate from deep within her flesh.
While Xiao Yin Tang had left, his attendant Liu Yi remained secretly at the Zhen house, holding Zhen Yao Ting captive. Old Lady Hu kept the matter secret. Throughout the household, apart from Madam Meng, Jia Fu, and Zhang Da, no one else knew about it. Only half a month later, after officials had searched the entire city without result and lifted the blockade on the city gates, Liu Yi quietly left in the dead of night. During those two weeks, Zhen Yao Ting had been tied up in that workshop. When Jia Fu rushed into the workshop the next morning to see her brother, she almost didn’t recognize him. Zhen Yao Ting’s cheeks were sunken, his appearance haggard, and his body emitted a terrible stench. Hearing Jia Fu rush in calling him “brother,” he wept bitterly, knelt on the ground, and repeatedly slapped his face. The next day, he fell ill and didn’t begin to recover until the third month.
After his serious illness, Zhen Yao Ting seemed to become a different person. He no longer spoke of sailing abroad, nor did he continue to mix with the spoiled young men of Quanzhou. Every day he followed Zhang Da, leaving early and returning late, keeping busy, as if he had transformed into an adult.
Although the Zhen family had suffered this strange calamity at the beginning of the year, fortunately, the matter had passed. Zhen Yao Ting’s character greatly changed due to this unexpected lesson. Old Lady Hu and Madam Meng watched with gratification. On the twenty-third day of the third month, during the Mazu Festival, the entire city of Quanzhou turned out, with people performing operas and setting off firecrackers, flocking to the Mazu Temple to offer sacrifices and pray for blessings. The entire road, from beginning to end, was packed with people. In previous years, the Mazu Festival had been led by the Zhen family and several other prominent households in the city, and this year was no exception. The old lady took Madam Meng and the siblings Zhen Yao Ting and Jia Fu to the Mazu Temple.
The Mazu Temple was crowded with people. After the solemn sacrificial ceremony, the old lady personally took Zhen Yao Ting to pay respects to the city officials who had also come today. Madam Meng took Jia Fu, planning to visit the quiet chamber behind the Mazu Temple specifically set aside for ladies from prominent families. With several servants in tow, the mother and daughter turned out from the front hall. Madam Meng encountered the wife of a minor official with whom she was on good terms. This lady held her in conversation while smiling and repeatedly looking at Jia Fu. Jia Fu knew she likely wanted to arrange a match for her, which displeased her. She turned her back and moved a little distance away, waiting for her mother to dismiss the lady. Suddenly, she heard a commotion in the distance. Looking up, she saw thick smoke billowing, though she didn’t know which ship docked at the port had caught fire. Then she heard someone shouting that the Golden-Faced Dragon King had come ashore to plunder, killing people and setting fires, and was rushing in this direction, telling everyone to flee.
Although many ships in Quanzhou enjoyed the Golden-Faced Dragon King’s protection when sailing, this was not something to be spoken of openly. After all, he was a pirate, and in official documents, the Golden-Faced Dragon King was portrayed as heinously evil, nothing short of a demon of the sea, with wanted posters prominently displayed at every city gate. Upon suddenly hearing that the Golden-Faced Dragon King had come ashore to plunder, kill, and set fires, everyone was terrified. They turned around and fled in panic.
In reality, anyone with a bit of sense would know this was impossible. Mazu was considered a protective deity in the South Seas region. Although the Golden-Faced Dragon King was a pirate, he too made his living from the sea. Even if he truly wanted to come ashore to plunder, he wouldn’t choose today of all days.
But that’s often how things happen—once someone starts running, panic spreads quickly, and who would stop to consider what’s true or false?
In front of the Mazu Temple, chaos erupted instantly. People turned to flee, and Madam Meng was bumped by someone rushing past, nearly losing her balance, fortunately steadied by Mama Liu beside her. Jia Fu heard her mother anxiously calling for her and responded, just about to run over to join her and leave, when she was suddenly separated by the surging crowd. Her ankle was caught by someone, causing her to stumble. Before she could regain her footing, her mouth and nose were suddenly covered from behind. A sweet smell entered her nostrils. She tried to call out but couldn’t make a sound. Soon, she lost consciousness.
……
When Jia Fu regained consciousness, she found herself bound hand and foot, her mouth gagged, lying in a carriage. The carriage doors and windows were sealed, the light dim, and it was moving extremely fast, jolting severely.
Her head was still dizzy, her limbs sore and weak. Lying there, she didn’t even have the strength to move.
After that unexpected incident at the beginning of the year, for a long period, Jia Fu had fallen back into nightmares. Once asleep, she would dream of various events from her previous life, waking with a pounding heart and racing pulse. During the day, she didn’t dare to go out alone.
She had a feeling that Xiao Yin Tang’s departure that day was not the end.
That moment, perhaps, was just the beginning of this life’s nightmare.
She was tormented by such thoughts, her heart filled with apprehension and fear. She wanted to escape these feelings but couldn’t, nor did she have anyone to confide in, not even her mother who loved her most.
Finally, after more than two months, today her hidden fears were confirmed, coming so unexpectedly.
Xiao Yin Tang. He was the only person she could think of who would do this to her.
It could only be him!
As the carriage jolted forward, Jia Fu suppressed the nauseating, spinning sensation and commanded herself to calm down. Using all her strength, she dug her ten fingernails deep into her palms, using the pain to force herself to quickly regain her senses.
The fear and anxiety that had been tormenting her for these past few months suddenly vanished like smoke.
The worst thing, since it was inevitable and had already happened, what was there left to fear?
Find a way, and face it directly.