Chapter 21

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

"Good, good..." The Marquis's Lady, impatient to bring her daughter home, subconsciously answered in rapid succession: "Go quickly, go quickly!"

But she heard the Marquis say: "No, I shall go fetch Zhu'er myself."

The Marquis's Lady instantly realized this was clearly the fastest way to see their daughter; a moment ago she had been muddled by excitement, and she hurriedly nodded again: "Yes... My Lord, I will go with you!"

"Father and Mother have not traveled far in a long time, and it is deep winter..." Feng Xu worried for a brief instant, yet it was only an instant, before he said with red eyes: "But Zhu'er has returned from a great calamity; she must also be yearning for Father and Mother terribly. If they can meet a moment earlier and set their hearts at ease, that is more urgent than anything. So, I will have people prepare for departure at once."

The Marquis nodded, instructing Feng Xu to manage household affairs well and await their return.

Feng Xu was moved and said: "Yes, Father rest assured; Xu will surely manage everything at home properly, to await Zhu'er's return — New Year's Day approaches, and with Heaven's pity, this year our household can also celebrate a reunion festival!"

The Marquis and his Lady left the capital in haste that very day.

Since they had not yet seen their daughter, the Marquis did not have the matter announced; outwardly, it was only said that the Lady was going to Henei Jun to worship at the Xiwangmu Temple.

The Marquis came from a rural background, but the Lady's maternal clan was the famous wealthy Shen Tu clan of Henei Jun; thus the Lady was also called Lady Shen Tu.

Rumor had it the Xiwangmu Temple in Henei Jun was especially efficacious; Lady Shen Tu had fallen ill from grief over losing her beloved daughter for many years, and the Marquis had always cherished his Lady, so accompanying her to worship was an ordinary matter.

The triumphant army led by Ling Ke would pass through Henei Jun.

At this time the Ling Family Army was still a hundred li from Henei Jun, advancing in orderly fashion.

The carriage carrying Feng Zhu was positioned behind the Light Cavalry, protected within the Central Army column.

Ever since being rescued, Feng Zhu had spent most of her time unconscious; she had too many wounds on her body, and her spirit had been traumatized, so she ran a high fever for several days on the road.

Ling Ke sent his retainers to purchase women's necessities in the prefectures and counties they passed through, and also bought back a maidservant.

The maidservant looked about thirteen or fourteen, slender of build, but quick-handed and efficient; her single given name was just "Pei".

Pei's family was destitute; her father had just died, supposedly passing out drunk in a pigsty, and by dawn when the family found him, he had been gnawed by pigs until only his upper body remained.

Hearing someone had come to buy a slave girl, Pei's mother, holding a toddler who could not yet walk in one arm, grabbed Pei with the other and squeezed through the crowd with all her might, saying her daughter worked the hardest and was the best value; she only asked for three thousand cash.

Slave trading was very common at the time; strong men and better-looking maidservants could sell for ten thousand cash; Pei had all four limbs intact and her looks were not coarse or ugly, so three thousand cash was indeed excessively cheap.

Ling Ke's subordinate left four thousand cash, took Pei away, and had her attend and care for Feng Zhu.

Pei was very devoted; looking at the shocking wounds on Feng Zhu's body, she never spoke or asked more than necessary, only carefully applying medicine and tending to her.

On this day, Feng Zhu, still running a low fever, murmured in her stupor; Pei leaned close to listen, and heard intermittent, sometimes frantic calls: "Qingniang, quick... quick, go! Escape far away!"

Pei took out a cloth to wipe Feng Zhu's cold sweat, but Feng Zhu suddenly startled awake and opened her eyes; she shoved Pei away, panic-stricken and on guard: "... Who are you! Get away!"

Pei hurriedly knelt and replied: "Young Lady, this servant's name is Pei..."

This was Feng Zhu's relatively most "lucid" moment in recent days, and precisely because of that, the three words "Young Lady," unheard for so long, were like an old door suddenly shoved open; endless memories surged forth from behind it without warning, nearly drowning her, until her chaotic mind could hold nothing but these waterfall-like flooding memories —

She looked around, realized she was inside a carriage, and her face suddenly turned deathly pale: "No, I don't want to go to the Xiwangmu Temple anymore... there will be bandits on the road, they will kill people!"

She suddenly propped herself up, screaming to jump out of the carriage: "Stop, go home, I want to go home!"

Pei was terrified; quick-eyed and quick-handed, she caught Feng Zhu in her arms and said urgently: "Young Lady, do not panic; right now we are precisely on the road home!"

This sentence actually calmed Feng Zhu; she verified with Pei: "Truly?"

Pei nodded heavily.

Liu Qi, hearing the commotion ahead, rode his horse closer; seeing the situation, he also spoke soothing words. Feng Zhu found his face familiar and asked in a trance: "How is Young Master Gu also here?"

Before the Ren Emperor ascended the throne, he had been very close with the Feng Family; Feng Zhu habitually addressed the Ren Emperor's several sons as Young Master.

When Feng Zhu went missing that year, Liu Gu was not even as old as Liu Qi is now, and at that time Liu Qi had not yet been born.

Liu Qi was silent for a moment, but in the end did not expose the truth, only saying: "Young Lady, please sit steady inside the carriage; you will see the Marquis and Lady Shen Tu very soon."

Feng Zhu reluctantly nodded, sat back in the carriage with a fluctuating expression; she was by turns doubtful, by turns uneasy, by turns shaking her head and muttering to herself.

Liu Qi rode up to the Marquis of Changping and explained the Feng Family Young Lady's condition to his maternal uncle in a low voice.

The army was not lacking in soldiers who, after suffering severe trauma, would forget part of their painful memories; this forgetting might be temporary, or it might be long-lasting.

Ling Ke sighed faintly: "Not necessarily a bad thing."

After the great army advanced like this for two more days, Ling Ke dismounted beside the official road outside Henei Jun and personally went to welcome the Marquis and his Lady, who arrived driving a fast horse and carriage.

The carriage curtain was lifted; Feng Zhu, curled in a corner of the carriage, clutching her knees tightly, suddenly looked up and saw her white-haired, aged parents.

The Marquis's fingers gripping the carriage curtain were trembling; the tears welling in his eyes in that instant were also trembling.

All around fell strangely silent for a moment; Mother could not bear to look, Father trembled beyond words, and the daughter could not quite recognize her parents who had "suddenly" grown so old.

Both sides, earnest yet timid.

In the end it was still Feng Zhu who spoke first; she made a small, uncertain sound: "... Father? Mother?"

In the cold wind, Lady Shen Tu suddenly burst into heart-rending, ear-splitting sobs.

Two quarters of an hour later, the Marquis finally wiped his tears and descended from the carriage, composed himself, went to thank the Marquis of Changping who was waiting to one side, and also saluted Liu Qi standing nearby.

After returning the salute, Liu Qi watched as the Marquis and his maternal uncle went alone to speak before a snowy forest.

After a moment, Liu Qi turned his gaze toward the direction of Chang'an.

Whether because he had something on his mind, as the road home drew nearer and nearer, the young Liu Qi's unease grew heavier and heavier; from time to time, those slightly messy, ferocious blood characters flashed through his mind.

Inside the carriage, Feng Zhu curled against her mother like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow, while her mother slowly patted her back.

Feng Zhu was trembling; holding her mother, another scene flashed before her eyes — a little girl nestling in her mother's arms. Feng Zhu suddenly tensed; she looked down at her own arms, empty.

That emptiness felt as if someone had taken a knife and gouged out her heart; she could not immediately fathom the source of this sudden sense of loss, and could only immediately hold her mother even tighter, close her eyes, shed tears, and tremble as she said: "Mother, I'm afraid, I'm truly afraid..."

"Doudou, don't be afraid!" Lady Shen Tu's voice was exceptionally firm; hoarse yet infinitely gentle. She held her daughter tightly and coaxed: "Once we're home, Mother will fry ring cakes for Doudou, with lots and lots of rock sugar, how about that?"

Sugarcane juice is filtered out, mixed with honey and chrysanthemum, and boiled together; after it solidifies, the sugar blocks are rock sugar.

A small piece of pale yellow honeycomb-shaped stone honey was brought to Shaowei's mouth.

"You should be awake by now? Ah, open your mouth——"

Shaowei forced her eyes open, and what met her gaze was the young woman's smiling face, and the stone honey she offered.