The horse galloped through the quiet night. After some time, He Yan pulled the reins to stop.
They were at an empty marketplace where vendors had long since returned home. The strong-willed young lady, who had been trembling since boarding the carriage, seemed to have slightly recovered from the effects of the drug. She spoke weakly, without much strength: “Let me go.”
He Yan helped her down from the horse and sat her down at the entrance of a tofu shop.
In the earlier rush, he hadn’t properly looked at the young lady’s appearance. Now, under the dim light of the lantern hanging from the tofu shop’s eaves, he could see that she was indeed beautiful. She was delicate and soft, fair-skinned and tender, with refined features, though her cheeks were somewhat chubby, giving her a childish appearance. She seemed young, probably around the same age as Cheng Lisu.
Such a young girl, yet the Wanhua House had dressed her provocatively in inappropriate thin gauze clothing with heavy makeup, leaving her shivering in the cold.
As soon as she sat down, the girl shrank back, watching He Yan vigilantly: “Who are you?”
He Yan was startled for a moment, then realized the girl might have mistaken him for a kidnapper. He removed his face cloth and smiled: “Don’t be afraid, I’m here to rescue you. I couldn’t show my face earlier, that’s why I covered it. Did I frighten you?”
In the moonlight, the young man who removed his face cloth had delicate features and spoke gently, gradually putting her at ease.
“How did you know…” She still struggled to speak. He Yan pulled out a paper ball from his sleeve: “I found this that you threw out. I had heard about Wanhua House’s forced prostitution business, so I hid in the teahouse next door and followed the carriage that took you.”
He Yan looked at the girl: “Are you alright? Did they hurt you?”
The question made her eyes well up with tears. She trembled as she held out her hands, showing all ten fingers swollen frightfully, clearly having been pinched by something.
In brothels, especially with newcomers, even when discipline was needed, the madams wouldn’t use methods that left visible marks. After all, the girls still needed to entertain customers, and bruises would be bad for business. Hence, they devised such torturous methods instead.
He Yan felt pained seeing this – any parent would be heartbroken seeing their daughter treated this way. He softened his voice further and asked, “Miss, where is your home? Let me take you back.”
“Home?” The girl was stunned for a moment, looking at He Yan before finally answering, “My home is in Shuojing…”
“Shuojing?” Now it was He Yan’s turn to be surprised. “Were you kidnapped?”
“Sort of,” the young lady said. “I… I ran away from an arranged marriage. I originally planned to go to Yangzhou, but took a wrong turn and ended up in Liangzhou. I only meant to stay a few days before leaving, but Sun Ling saw me.” She added vengefully, “When I return to Shuojing, I’ll make them pay!” Her words were practically gritted through her teeth.
He Yan: “…”
This young lady appeared delicate, but her courage was remarkable. Coming alone from Shuojing to Liangzhou? Was running away from marriage becoming fashionable among the capital’s youth? First Cheng Lisu, and now this young lady.
He Yan asked, “Did you come alone? Do you know anyone in Liangzhou, or have a place to stay?”
The young lady shook her head.
He Yan was in a dilemma. Such a situation – could he take her back to the inn? Xiao Jue probably wouldn’t kill him, even though they were due to attend Magistrate Sun’s banquet in a few days, and he had just rescued someone from the magistrate’s son.
The young lady seemed to notice He Yan’s hesitation. She struggled to sit up straight, and quite spiritedly bit her lip and said, “You… you don’t need to worry about me. I can hide somewhere by myself. For your great kindness, when I return to Shuojing, my parents will reward you. Whatever you want – gold, silver, jewels, mansions, beauties – all possible. What’s your name? When I return…”
“Young lady, you can barely protect yourself right now,” He Yan rubbed his temples. “It’s uncertain if you can even leave Liangzhou city, let alone think about such distant matters.”
“So what?” She avoided his gaze, eyes reddening. “I won’t beg you anyway.”
The young lords and ladies from Shuojing were all so stubborn. He Yan thought that while being strong-willed was good, being too inflexible could be problematic. If it were Cheng Lisu had in this situation, been able to adapt, she might have avoided much physical suffering even in Wanhua House.
He Yan pulled her up. “Shall we go?”
“Where?”
“To my place, of course. Miss,” He Yan said helplessly, “I just rescued you, and soon, Young Master Sun will likely search the entire city for you. At this late hour, with nowhere to go, you’ll end up being found by Sun Ling. He’ll only torture you more severely. Did I work hard all night just for this outcome?”
The young lady, still weak, let He Yan help her onto the horse, hesitating: “If you take me home, it will bring you trouble. The Sun family rules Liangzhou…”
This little girl was quite clear-headed. He Yan rode on: “Don’t worry, my family rules all of Great Wei.”
If worst came to worst, he could always bring up Xiao Jue – wasn’t the Second Young Master Xiao indeed powerful throughout Great Wei?
He Yan asked, “I forgot to ask, what’s your name?”
“I’m… Tao Tao,” she said.
Tao Tao? The name sounded familiar as if he’d heard it somewhere, but He Yan couldn’t quite remember where. Given the urgent situation, it wasn’t the time to dwell on such matters. They could discuss it further after getting Tao Tao safely back to the inn.
……
He Yan hadn’t grown up in Liangzhou city and didn’t know the streets well. Fortunately, he was good at remembering routes and found his way back to the inn they came from. Fearing someone might recognize Sun Ling’s horse, they dismounted far from the inn’s entrance. He slapped the horse’s rear, sending it running into the night in the opposite direction.
Second Young Master Xiao had chosen the inn well. This area was quieter than the Wanhua House district, and at this late hour, almost no one was around. When He Yan helped Tao Tao upstairs, even the inn’s ground floor was empty. Opening the door, he found Fei Nu wasn’t there either, which made him sigh in relief.
There was water prepared in the room. He Yan said, “Wash your face first. I have some clean clothes here for you to change into. You can’t keep wearing what you have on – you’ll catch a cold.” He handed Tao Tao the pile of clothes Cheng Lisu had given him, “Choose whatever you like.”
Tao Tao looked at him, blushing. “You should leave.”
He Yan suddenly remembered he was presenting as a man, and said, “Of course. I’ll go out and guard the door. Change comfortably.”
After closing the door, he thought for a moment and went to Xiao Jue’s room, pressing his ear against it to check if Xiao Jue was inside.
The lights were out, and He Yan wasn’t sure if Xiao Jue was asleep. He softly called, “Commander? Commander?”
There was no response. He gently knocked on the door, still receiving no answer. He Yan stood straight, hesitated for a moment, then pushed the door open.
The window in the room was open, letting in the wind. In the moonlight, he could see the bed was neat and untouched. Xiao Jue wasn’t there, and his Yinqiu sword that had been on the table was gone too. That person never parted from his sword, so he must have gone out.
He Yan also noticed the familiar Wanxiang zither still placed on the side table. He pursed his lips, thinking cynically – claiming to be here to repair the zither, but clearly conducting some secret business in Liangzhou city. With Fei Nu gone too, the master and servant must have gone out on business, deliberately excluding him, obviously not trusting him.
Though He Yan had long known that Xiao Jue didn’t trust him and understood it was reasonable, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable. After all, they were classmates who had known each other for so many years. If they went out on business, he wouldn’t tell anyone! How petty.
He retreated from Xiao Jue’s room, carefully closing the door again.
Meanwhile, Tao Tao had changed clothes and opened the door. Seeing He Yan, she lowered her head and said, “I’m changed.”
He Yan pushed her inside with a “Shh,” saying, “The walls have ears. Let’s talk inside.”
He lit the lamp in the room. Tao Tao, now wearing Cheng Lisu’s clothes, looked much more refined. Cheng Lisu’s wardrobe consisted mostly of bright colors, and the apricot-colored robe made the young lady appear even more fair and elegant. Her eyes were still red, with her hair falling loose over her shoulders. She looked as docile as a snow-white rabbit He Yan had once seen, clearly someone raised in luxury, a carefully nurtured daughter of a wealthy family.
“I apologize, I shouldn’t speak this way, but your taste in clothing is truly terrible.” The little rabbit’s words made her less adorable. Tao Tao frowned, pointing at the carp design on the clothes, “It’s extremely gaudy.”
He Yan: “…”
Miss, at a time like this, you still have the mind to critique clothes? Were all young ladies from Shuojing like this? He Yan reflected that he hadn’t been like this before. He coughed lightly and said, “Given the circumstances, Miss Tao Tao should put aside clothing concerns for now.”
He handed over Cheng Lisu’s box of hairpins: “First choose one you find less gaudy and tie up your hair. You can’t maintain a feminine appearance right now.”
“Why not?” Tao Tao asked, confused.
“Sun Ling will likely send people to search soon, looking for girls who resemble you throughout the city. We won’t be exempt.”
Hearing this, Tao Tao grew nervous. “What should we do?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to send them away. It’s late, and you haven’t eaten, right? I have some dried food here, and tomorrow morning, I’ll have the inn prepare something hot for you. There’s tea here too – it’s a bit cold, but help yourself.”
Tao Tao touched her stomach, finally feeling hungry, and went to pour tea. Seeing this, He Yan sighed inwardly. This girl was truly naive – even after the Wanhua House incident, she still trusted others so easily. If she hadn’t met him and instead encountered someone with ill intentions, they could have easily drugged her tea and kidnapped her without much effort.
Although He Yan had also left the He family alone years ago, he had traveled with the Fu Yue Army, which wasn’t nearly as dangerous. This world was always harder on women.
He had originally planned to keep this from Xiao Jue, but with both Xiao Jue and Fei Nu absent, things became more complicated. He had counted on Xiao Jue’s presence to prevent anyone from searching the rooms if Sun Ling’s men came. Without this protection, merely invoking Xiao Jue’s name might be dismissed as lies.
He could only hope Xiao Jue would return soon. He Yan had never found himself so eagerly awaiting Second Young Master Xiao’s return before.
Tao Tao ate a few bites of dried biscuits and drank a cup of tea before saying, “I’m done.” From her wrinkled nose and disdainful expression, this “I’m done” clearly meant the food wasn’t to her taste rather than being full.
She sat at the table, facing the bronze mirror to tie her hair. After a while, she turned around and said, “Done!”
He Yan, who was drinking tea at that moment, nearly spat it out upon seeing her. The child’s hair was a complete mess, looking like she had just escaped from a disaster. He couldn’t help asking, “Is that… supposed to be tied hair?”
“I’ve never had to do my hair before at home, the maids always did it for me,” the young lady said pitifully, throwing down the comb. “I don’t know how!”
He Yan: “…”
He walked over helplessly, good-naturedly picking up the comb, saying, “If you don’t know how there’s no need to get angry. I’ll help you.”
With that, he took Tao Tao’s long hair in hand and began combing it stroke by stroke.
Tao Tao was startled, seeing in the bronze mirror the gentle and handsome young man, and couldn’t help asking, “You know how to do this too?”
“You learn with practice,” He Yan answered with a smile.
He had been the He family’s eldest young master for many years, but aside from the first and second branches of the He family, no one knew about his changed identity. Therefore, He Yan’s servants were never allowed to get too close to him. Even something like hair-tying could give away the secret. So from a very young age, He Yan learned to tie his hair.
Not just hair-tying, but anything that might reveal the secret, he had to do himself. Over time, this developed into a self-reliant nature. Though sometimes he envied those young masters and ladies who grew up pampered, he would think that in situations like today’s, he wouldn’t be crying helplessly – there was more confidence in being able to rely on oneself.
After finishing with the hair, He Yan darkened her face slightly and thickened her eyebrows. He was well-versed in disguising women as men. After the makeup was done, Tao Tao stared at herself in the mirror, stammering, “Th-thank you… you’re very skilled.”
He Yan clapped his hands, “Just practice. Miss Tao Tao, please turn around now, I need to change clothes too.”
……
Tonight, Liangzhou City was extraordinarily lively.
Someone had hijacked Young Master Sun’s carriage not far from Magistrate Sun’s residence. The person in the carriage was supposed to be Young Master Sun’s new concubine, and suddenly the Liangzhou government office was in chaos, vowing to catch the thief at all costs.
“Young Master, Young Master, that person was her lover!” The guard who had been punched by He Yan earlier was now kneeling and protesting, “They were in it together, deliberately staging the kidnapping!”
“She’s not even from Liangzhou, how could she have a lover here?” Sun Ling kicked him, “Fool!”
Sun Ling was now thirty years old and had achieved nothing in life, living off his magistrate father, bullying men and women in Liangzhou city, and committing all sorts of evil. He had an ugly appearance with rabbit-like features and a black birthmark on his cheek that made him look even more frightening. He had countless concubines in his mansion and had abused and abandoned numerous women from good families. The people of Liangzhou could only silently endure his and his father’s tyranny over the city.
But today, he had been intercepted on his way home. The woman was a minor concern – losing face was the major issue. To Sun Ling, this was a blatant show of disrespect toward the Sun family!
“The city gates are already sealed,” another guard said. “The woman is injured and must still be in the city. If we search house by house, we’ll find her!”
“Fool,” Sun Ling cursed again, “When have the people of Liangzhou city been so bold as to challenge me? Since you say this person dared to act even knowing she was mine, they must be reckless outsiders. Probably not from Liangzhou.”
“That woman isn’t from Liangzhou either, they might be working together!” the previous guard added.
“Whether they’re working together or not, anyone who dares oppose my Sun family should be prepared to forfeit their life! Tell me again, what did this person look like?”
“His face was covered, couldn’t see what he looked like. About seven chi tall, a head shorter than me, slight build, but dressed wealthy – the fabric of his clothes wasn’t ordinary stuff,” the guard wracked his brain to remember. “In any case, probably not a poor person.”
Sun Ling pondered for a moment, then said, “I understand.”
Both guards looked at him.
“Keep the men at the city gates, but the main force will come with me to search the inns!”
“The inns? Young Master, why?”
Sun Ling cursed, “Fools will be fools. Think about it – if they’re not from Liangzhou, they must be staying at inns! You said this person was dressed wealthy, so they wouldn’t stay at shabby inns. Just search the good ones, the expensive ones, isn’t that obvious?”
“I see,” the two guards hurried to praise, “Young Master is brilliant, Young Master is brilliant!”
“Hmph,” Sun Ling smiled smugly, his birthmark appearing even more frightening. He said menacingly, “It’s been a while since we’ve seen someone so fearless in Liangzhou city. I want to see who’s so bold. And that worthless woman, truly ungrateful, doing this repeatedly – she must not know my capabilities.”
“Don’t let any of them escape!”
……
The city night seemed illuminated by torches. At what should have been bedtime, households were awakened by hoofbeats as yamen runners and city guards burst into civilian homes, conducting searches one by one.
This shouldn’t have happened, but the Sun family’s abuse of power wasn’t new. Hearing that Sun Ling’s concubine had been kidnapped, many secretly cursed.
“Bah, nonsense! What concubine? With his appearance, even with vast wealth, no one would look at him. Must be another innocent girl he kidnapped somewhere. How is this any different from banditry? Even bandits strike at night, who dares to rob so openly?”
“But wasn’t she rescued? Must be some righteous hero who couldn’t stand by.”
“If it’s truly a hero, I’ll pray daily before Buddha for his safety, may he not be caught by that Sun fellow!”
“Ah, times have changed.”
These voices naturally didn’t dare appear openly before the officials, only whispered after they’d passed, quickly dissipating into the night without a trace.
The city’s inns also suffered tonight, with innkeepers and workers, along with upstairs guests, all pulled out for questioning. Those who appeared wealthy were questioned more thoroughly, their rooms searched so thoroughly that not even a fly could escape.
He Yan sat on the bed’s edge. The lamp was out, with only moonlight filtering through the window. It was deep into the night, yet Xiao Jue and Fei Nu hadn’t returned. He wondered if they weren’t coming back at all. Like those families too poor to raise extra children who take their youngest to crowded streets, promising candy, then disappearing, abandoning their flesh and blood.
Had Xiao Jue abandoned him? How pitiful! With only this little silver, tomorrow’s inn payment due, needing food, and having to return to Liangzhou garrison – could anyone be so heartless? If so, tomorrow he’d sell that Wanxiang zither next door. As He Yan’s thoughts wandered, wondering if they’d return, if not, he and Tao Tao could each have a room, not wasting space.
While thinking, Tao Tao, also sitting on the bed, whispered, “You won’t run away, will you?”
“Huh?” He Yan was surprised.
“They say Sun Ling is very powerful in Liangzhou, everyone fears the Sun family’s authority. Before, I begged many people for help, but when they heard it was Sun Ling, not one dared help.”
Tao Tao spoke angrily. When she first ended up at Wanhua House, it wasn’t immediate trickery. She had struggled along the way, seeking help at every opportunity. She approached many people – strong-looking warriors, scholars spouting righteousness, wealthy merchants old enough to be her father, wandering swordsmen carrying blades. She tried to find those who seemed capable of rescuing her, but when they heard it was Sun Ling’s person, they all scurried away. Even when she promised riches and revealed her identity, no one would help.
Finally, Tao Tao despaired. When she threw that paper note, she hadn’t expected to see it tomorrow. She’d planned to die together with Sun Ling when she met him. Who knew at the last moment, someone would rush out?
She turned to look at the person beside her. The young man tilted his head, lost in thought. Strangely, this seemingly frail young person gave her an inexplicable sense of security. Perhaps it was his constant gentle smile, or his clear, untainted eyes.
Tao Tao inexplicably trusted this person, yet worried. She said, “Even a strong dragon can’t overcome a local snake…”
“You know that saying?” He Yan smiled. “I’m a local snake too, and I’m very capable.”
Seeing his relaxed expression, Tao Tao also relaxed a bit. Looking at He Yan, she couldn’t help asking her final question: “The Sun family is so domineering, you’re not from Liangzhou and don’t know what trouble saving me might bring. When others dared not act, why did you save me?”
This child has so many questions. He Yan turned his head, seeing the young girl’s reddened eyes looking at him, curious and expectant. He couldn’t help patting her head.
“Because you’re a woman,” he said, silently adding in his heart: “And so am I.”
……
Noisy commotion surrounded the entire inn.
The night was lit red by torchlight as everyone in the inn was awakened by the sudden arrival of officials, lined up at the door for questioning.
Sun Ling stood at the entrance, his gaze falling on the last room upstairs. “What about that room? Why isn’t it open?”
The innkeeper tremblingly knocked: “Young Sir, Young Sir?”
After a while, someone shuffled to open the door – a refined young man in underclothes, saying sleepily: “What is it at this late hour?”
Before he finished speaking, officials entered to search. Inside was also a page boy, busy helping the young man put on clothes: “Young Master, don’t catch cold.”
The officials searched thoroughly but found nothing, quickly emerging to shake their heads at Sun Ling.
Sun Ling looked at the young man before him, who appeared young and pampered, his page boy busy helping him put on boots.
“What are you doing?” He Yan frowned. “Not even announcing yourselves.”
“Announce ourselves?” Sun Ling sneered. “Ridiculous. There’s nowhere in Liangzhou city where I, Sun Ling, need to announce myself.” He looked at He Yan, remembering what the guard had said about seven chi tall and slender build. This young man matched exactly.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Cheng Lisu,” He Yan answered.
With a “clatter,” the page boy dropped the boot he was holding. As everyone looked over, Sun Ling’s expression changed suddenly: “You, raise your head.”
He pointed at the page boy.
He Yan thought “Not good” and asked: “What are you doing? In broad daylight, are you trying to steal my servant?”
“Your servant?” Sun Ling stared at him, gaze sinister. “Don’t speak too soon. You on the ground, raise your head for this young master!”
The person on the ground didn’t move, head lowered, hands visibly trembling.
Seeing this, Sun Ling’s expression grew more fierce. He stepped forward to grab the page boy’s hair. In the next moment, He Yan blocked his way, gripping Sun Ling’s arm: “Sir, mind your behavior.”
“You’re the assassin who stole my concubine, aren’t you?” Sun Ling smiled, his birthmark like a demon’s tattoo. “You’re dead!” He shouted: “Come, arrest them both!”
“Arrest me?” He Yan smiled, saying: “I advise you to think thrice. Do you know who my uncle is?”
Sun Ling asked: “Who is your uncle?”
“My uncle is the current Emperor’s personally appointed General Feng Yun, now Right Army Commander, Second Young Master Xiao. Young Master Sun, are you sure you want to arrest me?” He Yan raised an eyebrow.
Sun Ling was stunned, then burst into laughter, laughing until tears came. He pointed at He Yan and asked those around: “Did you hear who he said his uncle is?”
Everyone around laughed.
“You brat,” Sun Ling stopped laughing and glared at He Yan menacingly: “Since your uncle is Xiao Jue, let him come out! What of Xiao Jue? Today, right in front of your uncle, I’ll make you beg for life without hope and beg for death without release!”
“Is that so?”
A strange voice sounded from behind him.
Sun Ling turned to see a moon-bright young man followed by guards approaching slowly, his voice deep, carrying cold mockery.
“Why don’t you try?”
Yan Yan: When you can’t handle it, call for parents.