All dead? It was like a thunderbolt from the clear sky, striking Ding Yi dumbfounded.
She stood frozen, hands and feet ice-cold, her legs trembling so much they could barely support her body. Stumbling, she leaned against the wall, feeling her chest heaving in waves as if she could spit blood with just the opening of her mouth.
How could this be? She couldn’t believe it at all. Over these years, whenever she faced insurmountable difficulties, she would think of her brothers far away. Though her parents were gone, at least she still had family; she wasn’t completely alone. But now even her brothers were dead—all three of them. What meaning was there in continuing to live?
The Seventh Master didn’t care much about who lived or who died, but upon hearing this, he turned his head and snorted, “Is this place a purgatory? All three brothers dead—how complete.”
Hong Ce observed everything impassively, taking in her every movement. He understood now; that Mu Xiaoshu must be Wen Lu’s daughter. No wonder she knew they were going to Changbai Mountain on a case and had gone to such lengths to enter Prince Xian’s mansion. Traveling thousands of miles just to find her brothers, and now that they were dead, she likely couldn’t withstand such a blow.
Her face was deathly pale as she swayed unsteadily. His heart clenched. He needed to divert everyone’s attention now, to prevent them from noticing her abnormal state. Since the Wen brothers were all dead, she didn’t need to acknowledge her relationship with them. Her identity could remain concealed if possible, and concealment had its benefits—fewer obstacles meant more options for him.
He clenched his fist tightly and slammed it hard on the table, sending dishes and cups jumping in disarray, giving the Seventh Master, who was eating taro, quite a fright. Everyone tensed; the seated officials all stood up, their faces showing alarm, trembling as they listened for instructions.
With a severe tone and expression, he questioned: “What kind of steward are you? Those exiled by the court may be criminals, but they weren’t sentenced to death—they’re still human beings, subjects of our Great Empire. Even the deaths of common villagers must be reported to the local magistrate, yet these people needn’t be? Tao Yongfu, you dare to conceal the deaths of serious offenders from the court, making me go in such a big circle—what punishment do you deserve!”
Eunuch Tao was so frightened that his legs trembled. He fell to his knees with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing, “It was this slave’s oversight. At that time, a plague was rampant; the dead had to be loaded onto carts. I’m not exaggerating—two carts every day without fail. This slave was truly overwhelmed then; there were too many deaths to verify each person’s identity…”
“If you couldn’t verify, how do you know the dead were the three Wen brothers?” he snorted, “I was ordered to reinvestigate the case, yet coincidentally not one of the three brothers survived. Of all the coincidences in the world, I’ve stumbled upon them all—who are you trying to fool?”
Eunuch Tao didn’t understand his meaning and stared at him with fixed eyes. After a long moment, he came to his senses and stammered, “Please calm your anger, Master. This slave will send people to inquire again; perhaps there was a mistake then… Please be patient, Master. You’ve just arrived and had a tiring journey. Let this slave attend to your proper rest. As for the investigation, please give this slave some time. This slave will have people working on it overnight.”
Hong Ce looked at him coldly with a sidelong glance, “You’re quite skilled at preparing at the last minute. Send people to investigate while you wait comfortably inside. What? Is your precious body unable to move?”
Eunuch Tao exclaimed, “Yes, yes, yes, this slave will go personally and clarify everything to give Master an account.”
The local officials didn’t dare to be negligent either. While standing before the Prince listening to instructions, they had already signaled with their eyes to their attendants. Don’t just stand there! What time is it? Hurry and get to work! The results can be discussed later, but move, move now to avoid scolding.
Everyone was in a panic. The governance in such places had always been lax; without supervision from above, things had muddled along. Now suddenly a clear-headed Prince had arrived, and he was tightening the reins. They immediately felt that there were too many shortcomings in local governance to attend to. They tried to think about what wasn’t up to standard, making last-minute efforts to remedy things before the Prince found fault, hoping to just get through this crisis first.
As for the Seventh Master, he had always preferred to avoid trouble. He felt that since the Wen family was already scattered, it didn’t matter whether there was injustice in the case or not. Everyone was dead—who would you redress for? Who would be grateful after redress? Just submit a memorial to explain the circumstances, and that would be enough. It wasn’t worth such great effort. He smacked his lips a couple of times and said, “Goodness, this taro is quite sweet, it’s sticking to my teeth… Well, well, I think since things have come to this point, there’s no need to be so meticulous. Let’s rest here for a couple of days, and when we’re fully rested, let’s continue our journey! Once the matter in Ningguta is resolved, we can return to the capital early. If we must pursue the case, it doesn’t depend on those few Wen sons. We can deal with it after returning, comfortably staying at home and approaching it from another angle.”
Hong Ce certainly understood the logic; if it weren’t for Xiaoshu, would he care so much about the Wen brothers? He wanted to give her some comfort, to investigate further and confirm their deaths so she could gradually accept it and completely let go of this attachment, allowing her to live as freely as before. Old Seven only sought peace in the world; not having to handle cases was much easier—just a casual remark, “Oh, forget it, let’s just get by!” But getting by requires getting by. This case had too many suspicious points. All the implicated Wen family members were dead, leaving only Xiaoshu as a loose end, one who had slipped through initially. Perhaps surviving was just a stroke of luck.
As the two brothers debated, they realized she was no longer there. Hong Ce felt a jolt in his heart, but he suppressed it, exchanged a few more words, and then dismissed everyone around him.
Hurrying to the tube-shaped quarters, he pushed open the door to her room, but it was empty, with no sign of her. Where had she gone? He stood thinking for a moment—had she gone into the mountains by herself? He couldn’t help but grow anxious. She was alone, unable to discern directions, and the mountain conditions were variable; one misstep could cost her life, and even her body might never be found.
He worried for her but also felt some resentment. In the past, she had brought him basketfuls of small troubles, never hesitating to bother him. Now with such a major issue, she kept silent and tried to find her solution, never planning to be frank with him. What was she thinking?
He was so anxious that he lost his composure. This usually detached person finally experienced the taste of fear and worry. After a moment’s daze, he realized he couldn’t search openly; it had to be done quietly, privately. But in this weather, with the vast expanse of land, which path did she take? He couldn’t fathom or guess. Stepping outside to look, in the distance were continuous mountain ridges; the sky was darkening, appearing like piles of black clouds. The mountain climate was harsh, likely even colder at night. How could she cross mountains and ridges in this freezing season? Did she think she was made of iron?
He called Sha Tong in a deep voice, “Find a few farm managers to lead the way, and order Hagan to dispatch men into the mountains.”
Sha Tong’s face was blank as he looked around and said, “Master, it’s almost dark now. Why go into the mountains?”
Hong Ce ignored him and said with furrowed brows, “Ask clearly where the Aha are stationed, how many paths there are—not one can be overlooked… Be quick, any delay could lead to trouble.”
Sha Tong stood dumbfounded and said, “Master, are you worried they reported falsely, that the Wen brothers aren’t dead, and the estate might kill them tonight to silence them? Could this imperial estate be in collusion with the salt smugglers? Are they inside agents?”
The servant, having attended to his master’s official duties, had also developed a keen eye through observation and influence, able to connect all the dots with just a turn of thought. Hong Ce shook his head, “I looked at that register; the paper and ink have aged considerably, which can’t be faked. Even if there was harm intended, it was something from several years ago, not worth keeping until now.” He simply didn’t know how to express his current feelings, and said helplessly with his hands on his waist, “Mu Xiaoshu has gone into the mountains. Any later and she might end up in the belly of a wild beast.”
Upon hearing this, Sha Tong slapped his thigh in frustration, “This Mu Xiaoshu, she’s truly reckless!” Holding his hat, he ran off in quick steps, the red tassel on his hat dancing in the snowy wind, disappearing around a bend.
Meanwhile, the Seventh Master had finished playing with his bird and discovered the bird handler wasn’t around, but he wasn’t upset and carried it over himself. He entered the door still smiling, “Tree, the lark has learned a new trick…”
Raising his eyes to see she wasn’t there, he made a curious sound, “Where did she go at this late hour… Did she go to Old Twelve’s quarters?” He thought for a moment, getting a bit angry, “This is outrageous, they don’t need to observe propriety just because they’re two men? I’ve told them several times but they haven’t improved, are they pig-headed?” He was exasperated, went outside, and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Na Jin, where the hell have you gone?”
Na Jin came running and jumping over, and before he could speak, he pointed to his knee and said, “Master, something has happened!”
The Seventh Master was confused for a moment, “What happened?”
“You don’t know yet, that troublemaker Mu Xiaoshu had a fit and ran away, and the Twelfth Master has taken people into the mountains to find him!”
“Hey!” The Seventh Master’s expression changed, “Am I not good enough for him that he’s fleeing like a runaway slave? My servant has run away, and I’m the last to know—what kind of situation is this?” He was so angry that he threw the birdcage down and glared at Na Jin, “Are you dead? Why are you standing in my face? Any later and we’d be collecting his corpse, and you’re still not calling people?”
Finally, even his tone changed, making Na Jin shrink his neck in fear and repeatedly say yes. The Seventh Master stood in the light snow, turned to look at the bird fluttering in the cage, and muttered in the complaint, “Mu Xiaoshu, you ungrateful bastard, haven’t old master treated you well? You’ve learned to run away like a thieving woman…”
In the wild mountains, a Zhuge lantern flickered dimly, and official boots made compressing sounds as they trod on the accumulated snow.
Ding Yi sat with a wooden expression, her tears dried up, feeling only despair and disillusionment. She trudged forward blindly, wanting to reach the Aha station; even if it was two mountains away, she wouldn’t believe it until she saw it with her own eyes.
She still remembered the times when she was with her brothers. As the youngest, she had been handed over to wet nurses and caretakers as soon as she was born, so her feelings for her parents might not have been deep, but her brothers had always been very loving towards her. They made grasshoppers and locusts for her from woven grass. Ru Liang, returning from the fabric bureau, would bring her the blessed fruits rewarded from the palace, too precious for him to eat, all folded in the corner of his clothes for her. On the morning of the incident, he had promised to bring her clay rabbit figurines, but who could have known such a mishap would occur? Though the sudden loss of their parents is distressing, now she has truly become all alone. Her parents and brothers were like meteors passing through her life; she even doubted whether they had ever existed. Perhaps the past fifteen years had been just a dream, and she had always been alone, solitary, and helpless.
It was truly cold outside, cold enough to make one’s teeth chatter. Without any attachments, she almost disregarded life and death. She moved forward in the wind and snow; snow suddenly fell from the branches, and in the distance, there was the howling of wolves. She tightened the curved knife at her waist; ready to sacrifice everything, there was nothing to fear. Living now had no purpose for her; she would go to ask in person, and once she understood clearly, she could die without regrets. As for the Twelfth Master, such a clever person, he had likely already figured things out. She had tried very hard to control herself, but there was no way; with such a blow, having no will to live, what were those concerns anymore?
The Twelfth Master… what were his intentions? Knowing she was Wen Lu’s daughter, could he still treat her kindly? He had come to find Ru Liang and the others to inquire about the case, but now that they were gone, would he turn his attention to her? The daughter of a criminal official was far less pure than an ordinary commoner. It had always been this situation, and now she felt somewhat self-destructive; the fig leaf had been completely torn away—what face did she have left before the Twelfth Master? She only felt sorry for him, concealing the truth until today, what must he think? Now it was too late to be frank; she didn’t dare to face him again. She had originally planned to find her brothers and then properly repay him, but alas… She felt deeply guilty in her heart, sorry to the Twelfth Master, sorry to the Seventh Master. This time going into the mountains, she might die here, and the debts owed could only be repaid by serving them as cattle or horses in the next life.
The wind and snow howled, and her heart was filled with desolation. Gritting her teeth, she moved forward. The mountains were so dark, with only the lamp illuminating the small patch of ground at her feet. The surrounding snow reflected a faint blue light; each step sank to her calf. Her boots gradually became wet, her toes numb with cold. She tried hard to curl up, twisting her body into a small ball. Looking ahead, she could vaguely see the winding path. Taking uneven steps, each one was uncertain; if the next step led into an abyss, it wouldn’t seem unjust. With a determination to die, if Ru Liang and the others were truly gone, she couldn’t live either. Sooner or later, this would be the outcome, so she feared nothing.
She walked alone desolately, vaguely hearing calls from behind, one after another shouting “Mu Xiaoshu,” like the soul-calling ritual of common people by the riverside. She thought she had misheard, but listening more carefully, it was indeed so; some group had caught up.
Suddenly, tears filled her face; an indescribable feeling lingered in her throat. The two masters probably hadn’t given up on her, but what face did she have to meet people?
By the roadside happened to be a haystack. She gathered some dry branches to sweep away her footprints, then crouched down to hide, partially concealed, quietly looking out—the footsteps drew nearer, a line of official boots strode past, torches made sizzling sounds as they burned, and someone loudly said, “I just saw a figure, how did it disappear in a flash?”
The Twelfth Master stepped into the torchlight, looked around, and said, “Don’t stop; keep pursuing forward.” But he paused, and after the others had gone far, he turned back and walked towards the haystack.