Deng Yi and his party rested at the postal station for one night. After arranging for carrier pigeons to send a message to the Prince of Zhongshan, they set off again.
The Prince of Zhongshan would help intercept them, but the prince couldn’t send the people back to the capital. They still needed to continue forward to meet up with the Prince of Zhongshan.
As the horses and men disappeared into the distance, the wind swept up dust and sand. The station master stood outside the postal station, squinting his eyes, his hand falling to his waist, feeling his empty money pouch.
The events of the past few days had ultimately turned into a dream.
“Sir,” a postal servant approached, “that A-Fu was General Chu Wei’s daughter. That little girl is truly too good at deceiving people. Others might deceive with a few words, but she set up an entire theatrical troupe with gongs and drums.”
The station master snorted: “Deceive? You’re underestimating her. This wasn’t mere deception. She was practically a bandit!”
Such a grand gesture of scattering money, one link connecting to another, playing everyone for fools—this had the mark of a bandit.
The station master thought about that A-Fu, how she often kept her head lowered, occasionally raising it to glance at people with those eyes that looked quite fierce.
He hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time, after all, she was just a young girl.
Hmm—that postal soldier called A-Jiu had asked such detailed questions. Had he noticed something was amiss?
The station master shook his head again. So what if he had? In the end, A-Jiu still took her along. The story was too perfect—who could have imagined it was this little girl who paid people to perform it?
But it was truly remarkable that Chu Yi’s daughter was like this.
On second thought, it wasn’t so remarkable. The things Chu Yi had done in the past were far more alarming than a young girl’s deception.
“Sir,” the postal servant asked curiously, “what exactly is the story with General Chu Wei? He sounds obscure, given his low official position, yet when mentioned, he seems quite famous—everyone knows of him.”
The station master glanced at him. This postal servant was still young, only seventeen or eighteen. When Chu Yi was at the height of his fame, this boy was still nursing.
“When General Chu Yi was your age,” he said, “he was already renowned.”
“I’m not entirely clear how he gained His Majesty’s favor. Street gossip says His Majesty was visiting a military camp in disguise when Chu Yi, taking him for a spy, knocked him off his horse. I don’t know if that’s true, but if it is, then Chu Yi was an unruly youth from the start.”
“Later, he left the capital to become a minor officer in a border commandery. He was adept at warfare and extraordinarily brave, reversing the situation where Western Liang had been moving through the border commanderies unopposed. In one swift campaign, he defeated the King of Western Liang so thoroughly that the king sent a letter of reconciliation to the Emperor, addressing him as ‘brother.'”
“Chu Yi rose rapidly, ascending to the position of Defensive General, with the position of Grand General seemingly within reach.”
“His Majesty bestowed unprecedented favor upon him. He could even correspond directly with His Majesty, bypassing the Imperial Guard and the Ministry of State Affairs.”
“For him, postal stations were specially equipped with postal soldiers to deliver messages.”
Such favor was indeed unheard of. The postal servant clicked his tongue in astonishment, but remained puzzled: “Then how did he end up as only a Defensive General? And staying in the border commandery all this time—I heard he hasn’t left for more than a decade.”
Border commanderies weren’t pleasant places. Military officials came and went; the only ones who stayed so long were exiled criminals, weren’t they?
The station master smiled: “As the old saying goes, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Heavy favor brings its problems. This Chu Yi was young and arrogant, full of pride. Eventually, his indulgence led him to become lawless. He offended His Majesty, and if not for his many military achievements, forget about being Defensive General—he might not even have kept his life.”
From heaven to earth in an instant—the postal servant grew more curious: “What mistake did he make?”
The station master paused for a moment, thinking: “The cause was probably bandit suppression. In those border regions, with Western Liang running rampant, the people were destitute. Mounted bandits and robbers were everywhere. Besides intercepting Western Liang forces, Chu Yi was also ordered to suppress bandits. But during one bandit suppression mission, he privately released bandits. When local officials impeached him and His Majesty questioned him, he accused His Majesty of incompetent governance that allowed bandits to flourish—”
The postal servant listened with his mouth agape: “This… this is… he was too bold!”
The station master wore an expression of one who had seen through worldly affairs: “It’s not surprising. Once a military official is favored by the Emperor, they easily become like this. They spout nonsense like ‘a general in the field may sometimes refuse the Emperor’s orders,’ say arrogant words, do outrageous things, ruining their futures.”
The postal servant shook his head: “His Majesty would have been justified in beheading him. Yet he still allowed him to remain as Defensive General—truly merciful.”
The station master put his hands in his sleeves, looking toward the direction of the border commandery: “From then on, Chu Yi was abandoned by His Majesty in the border region, fading into obscurity.”
The postal servant pouted: “He deserved it. With such a criminal as a father, Miss Chu still dares to be so arrogant. She truly doesn’t know her place.”
Was Miss Chu arrogant? The station master rubbed his rotund belly. As far as appearances went—never mind, he had no right to judge this Miss Chu anymore, since he had been deceived by her.
This time, it had been all effort for nothing, leaving him empty-handed and nearly losing his official position. He would stay far away from Chu Yi and couldn’t afford to provoke this Miss Chu either.
“Come on, let’s get to work.”
“Everyone, keep your eyes sharp!”
“Put away your kind hearts!”
……
……
The further north they traveled, the colder the wind grew. When night fell, they found shelter from the northern wind. Only when the bonfire was lit did their frozen bodies gradually recover.
Zhang Gu unwrapped his scarf, exhaled a breath, and patted his companion: “Do you have any dry rations left? Let me have a bite quickly.”
Before his companion could answer, someone from the side handed over half a piece of wind-dried rabbit meat.
“Master Zhang, please roast this to eat,” came a timid female voice.
Zhang Gu turned his head to see a girl wrapped in a headscarf, looking like a round bundle: “A-Fu, this rabbit meat, it’s from a few days ago? How did you—”
“I preserved it with herbs, Master Zhang. Don’t worry, it hasn’t spoiled,” A-Fu hurriedly explained, wiping the meat with her hand. “That’s not dirt on it, just herbal residue.”
Zhang Gu smiled: “A-Fu, I’m not looking down on it. I meant, this was for you. Why haven’t you finished it?”
A-Fu shook her head: “I eat very little and couldn’t finish it. You soldiers work hard—it’s for you to eat.”
“You silly girl.” Zhang Gu pushed the rabbit meat back to her. “Now we’re all traveling together. Who’s working harder than whom? Your small, frail body makes it more difficult for you. Eat it quickly!”
“Master Zhang is truly kind,” said A-Fu, her large eyes, visible outside her wrappings, full of gratitude.
A hand reached over and took the rabbit meat away.
“A small frame shouldn’t eat too much,” he said. “The weak can’t absorb excessive nourishment.”
A-Fu said nothing. Zhang Gu sighed helplessly: “A-Jiu, don’t always pick on a child.”
A-Jiu sat down beside him: “What child? Brother Zhang, I’m only a few years older than she. I’m a child too.”
He extended his hand, measuring the distance between himself and A-Fu.
With his long limbs, even seated, he was almost level with the standing A-Fu.
“See, we’re about the same,” he laughed.
Zhang Gu glared at him, then looked at A-Fu. A-Fu had already retreated, sitting quietly at the edge of the bonfire. Her sister took out some dry rations and roasted them over the fire.
A-Jiu waved the rabbit meat over the fire just twice before tearing into it.
“Brother Zhang, try it. It’s not bad,” he said.
Zhang Gu snorted: “I’m an adult. I won’t fight over food with you children.”
A-Jiu burst into laughter.
The other postal soldiers also laughed, taking out dry rations and even wine, eating and drinking merrily. They couldn’t drink too much wine—it was just to ward off the cold; a mouthful or two for each person was enough.
“That A-Fu, A-whatever, do you want some?” A-Jiu deliberately asked.
He had remembered the name A-Fu, but her sister, silent throughout the journey and constantly by A-Fu’s side like a shadow, remained nameless to everyone even now.
“Thank you, soldier,” A-Fu expressed gratitude. “My sister and I are fine with hot water.”
A-Fu’s sister had suspended a small pottery bottle over the bonfire, filled with water they had fetched. When the water heated up, she poured it onto a cotton cloth and gently rubbed A-Fu’s hand.
After washing her hands, she poured water into a clay cup, which was for drinking.
A-Fu held the clay cup in one hand, drinking water, while her other hand was held by her sister, who applied medicinal ointment. A faint herbal fragrance wafted through the air.
Traveling in the depths of winter was arduous; hands and faces easily got frostbite. A-Fu’s sister had prepared ointment to soothe her.
“As the saying goes, ‘an elder sister is like a mother,'” Zhang Gu observed and sighed softly. “Having an elder sister is truly wonderful.”
A-Jiu took the wine flask passed to him, tilted his head back for a sip, and said: “It’s not necessary. Having a maidservant is just the same. My maidservant is this attentive—regardless of the season, she always remembers to carefully apply fragrant ointment for me.”
This boy! Zhang Gu glared at him and then shook his head. Never mind—this boy had grown up in luxury and comfort. How could he understand the hardships of the common world?