Love in Red Dust - Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Dingyi struggled with this for a long time. A confession was inevitable, but she had no idea what the outcome would be once she spoke, so she dared not risk it. What if the Princes flew into a rage or felt humiliated? They might lock her up for interrogation or drive her away. With Changbai Mountain so close, would all her efforts go to waste? She decided to wait until they arrived and act according to the situation. Before she set out, her master had warned her not to claim her brothers blindly, even if she saw them; she understood the logic behind that. She had to stay composed. Now was not the time, even if the words were on the tip of her tongue, she had to swallow them back.

Since she was unwilling to bring it up, he naturally would not press the matter, though he understood enough in his heart to feel a greater sense of concern for her.

They continued their routine of traveling by day and resting by night. Departing from Fushong, taking the official road required a long detour, but cutting diagonally to the southeast would save half the journey time. The road was arduous, however, and at the end of the tenth lunar month, they encountered a heavy snowstorm, making progress exceptionally difficult.

The freezing cold was unbearable, and the two birds were truly miserable, shrinking their necks all day long like chickens waiting to be slaughtered at the market. They no longer sang their songs or performed their dances; with their beauty faded, the world felt eternally silent, incomparably desolate and bleak.

The small golden cage the Seventh Prince had bought in the capital came in handy. Both were the size of cricket cages, so carrying them against his chest wasn't too much trouble. They just looked a bit unsightly. If she placed them up and down, she feared smothering them; putting them side-by-side allowed for ventilation, but she felt it was completely humiliating. Yet, the Seventh Prince insisted on checking on them. Without waiting for her to move, he would flip open her robe himself. Removing one left the other side bulging, looking bizarre and leaving her unable to laugh or cry.

With things bulging under her chest, the Seventh Prince would sigh, "Look at our 'Shu'; you’re just like a woman. If you were to wear fine jewelry and pretty clothes, you would catch everyone's eye wherever you went."

She was endlessly embarrassed. The Seventh Prince had a good eye, but in her situation, the reality of being exposed was far from the beauty he imagined.

She continued to play the fool, acting with extreme caution and keeping to her station. The cavalry marched through the snow and finally arrived at Changbai Mountain on the scheduled day.

Standing at the gates of the Imperial Estate, she felt as if she had lived through a lifetime. Looking around, the world was vast and desolate. In winter, the area was rarely visited by humans; there was nothing but rolling mountains and the sound of wind through the pines. Dingyi was trembling all over, her teeth chattering with a sharp clack-clack sound. It wasn't from the cold, but from an irrepressible surge of excitement. After all the hardship, she had finally arrived. The past twelve years seemed to have been lived solely for this day. Standing on this soil—the place where her brothers had suffered—she felt that once she found them, her long-cherished wish would be fulfilled, and she could finally offer comfort to her parents' spirits.

The so-called "Imperial Estate" was farmland and pasture managed directly by the Imperial household. There were only five or six such places in the early days of the Great Ying dynasty, but now the number had grown to over twenty. Where there were estates, there were houses. The imperial court specially appointed eunuchs to supervise them. Usually, the mountains were high and the Emperor was far away, making these eunuchs "local emperors." They would tuck their hands into their warmers, walk with a swagger, and oppress the tenants and slaves. Now that the Princes had arrived, the eunuchs led the estate stewards and attendants out to greet them, and a massive crowd knelt in the darkness outside the gate.

The weather was so cold that their faces were numb. The Seventh Prince had developed a frostbite sore on his ear; after dismounting, he rubbed it while shouting, "Stop this damn formal display! You knew we were coming—why isn't everything prepared yet!"

The head eunuch, Tao Yongfu, bowed and scraped as he stepped up to serve them. "Answering the Master: this is a wild mountain village, and everything here is crude and unpresentable. This servant has rushed to have a banquet prepared. The dishes are wild game from the mountains, and the wine is locally brewed strong spirits. It is all ready to welcome the masters and warm your bodies. Please, move to the quarters."

The Seventh Prince lost his appetite as soon as he heard "wild game." He waved his hand and said, "We’ve eaten enough meat on the road. Just stew a pot of fish and boil a pot of taro."

Tao Yongfu agreed repeatedly and signaled to his subordinates; one group led the masters inside, while the other was ordered to the kitchen.

The Prince and the officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice went to the main hall, while the guards and protective troops were directed to their quarters. The Imperial Estate had nothing else in abundance, but it had many rooms. From south to north, rows of long, narrow rooms looked like pigeon coops with very low roofs, but for two people to a room, it was comfortable enough. Dingyi had received special permission to stay in a room with her birds, sparing her from crowding with others. After lighting a brazier and settling the birds, she was finally able to go out for a stroll.

As evening approached, the sky looked like an overturned pickle jar, pickled greens turned into yellow dregs, with a dull, murky color at the bottom of the vat. She looked up, her breath forming clouds. With her hands tucked into her sleeves, she shuffled toward the back and saw someone dressed like a farmhand pushing a three-wheeled cart. The cart carried many things: tofu in basins, and baskets filled with radishes, yams, winter bamboo shoots, and lotus roots—likely vegetables for the estate. As he pushed, the wheel hit a rock and jolted, causing one basket to tip over and sending potatoes rolling all over the ground.

Dingyi quickly stepped forward to help pick them up. The farmhand thanked her repeatedly; his accent was from Beijing. She felt curious. "Are you from Beijing?"

The farmhand answered in the affirmative. "Are you a personal attendant to the Imperial Envoys? You look unfamiliar."

Dingyi responded, "We arrived today. Once settled, I came out to take a look around. It’s so cold here; it can't be compared to Beijing."

The man laughed. "Who would come here if they had a choice? We're all criminals sent into exile, here to sell our lives to redeem our sins."

Dingyi glanced at him. Since the conversation had reached this point, she casually asked, "I see the place is quite large. Do all the A-ha slaves live here?"

"Hardly. This is the residence for Eunuch Tao and his ilk; why would they let those poor souls live here? Over that hill, there’s a place surrounded by a wire fence with iron thorns. Inside, there are shacks and shared beds where dozens of people sleep in one room. Right next to them are the cow sheds and sheep pens; they live next to the livestock."

Dingyi felt a pang in her heart, sighing, "Coming here, they aren't even considered human anymore..."

"Criminals, after all. Keeping them alive is just to work them; why would we provide them with food and drink?" The farmhand shook his head. "You don't know—in the morning, the overseers drive them out to reclaim wasteland, and they don't drive them back until dusk. They live like mules and horses every day. What do they wear? Old, thin cotton jackets that don't keep out the cold; the sleeves are rotten, and the pant legs are hanging in tatters. Since you've arrived, it's just as well—put in a word to the Imperial Envoys to give Eunuch Tao and his gang a proper clean-up. We tenants are miserable; we're so oppressed by them we can't even lift our heads. We don't know how much rent the imperial court collects each year, but regardless, if you produce ten piculs of grain, they demand nine and a half. We work from dawn to dusk, and at the end of the year, we don't even have enough for our own rations. How is one supposed to live like this?"

The tenant was full of complaints and poured out his grievances whenever he met someone from the capital. Dingyi was concerned with other matters, so she responded vaguely while helping him move the baskets onto the cart. The man thanked her profusely. She laughed, "It’s nothing, no need to thank me." She then asked, "Where are the A-ha working the fields? In such cold weather, are they not processing ginseng?"

The man said, "Ginseng is harvested three times a year, and the last trip was in the ninth month. They’ve been rushing to process it day and night since they returned, and that’s long finished. There’s no work now, but they can't be idle, can they? They’re all being driven into the mountains—doesn't matter if it's snowing or raining knives, they’ve gone to plow the fields." He pointed to the south and said, "It’s two hills over; they’re all there! Some young boys are crying from the cold. I truly heard their wailing reaching the heavens yesterday. Sigh, it's pathetic!" After finishing, he cupped his hands, thanked her again, and pushed the cart away.

Dingyi stood there, dazed. She didn't know how many A-ha were on this Imperial Estate or where she could inquire about their names. She was terribly anxious but had nowhere to turn for help. After thinking for a while, she realized that since the Twelfth Prince was here specifically because of the case, if she kept an eye on him, she might be able to find her brothers.

She turned around, and a flurry of snowflakes swept across her face. She squinted. She had envisioned this a thousand times, but with two hills in between, it felt no different from before. She wondered if Ruliang and the others were alright. Recalling what the man had just said—hungry and cold, wasting their lives away in this ice and snow—she had always thought her own life was difficult, but in reality, theirs were a thousand times worse. She couldn't imagine the sheer desperation of looking at a future filled with endless suffering.

She walked back listlessly and happened to run into Na Jin, who was coming out to look for her. He called out, "The Twelfth Prince is talking about bird lore with someone and wants you to bring the two birds over."

She acknowledged him and returned to her room to cover the birdcages with thick felt. She carried them to the main hall. As she lifted the door curtain, heat surged out to meet her. The two Princes were seated in the place of honor, with a line of officials on both sides, including those from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Justice, as well as local government officials. The Seventh Prince was peeling a taro and dipping it in sugar; seeing her, he beckoned, "Shu, the taro here is grown exceptionally well; come and have a taste."

This Prince was truly bold and unconstrained. She laughed and shook her head, "You enjoy it, Master. This servant is not hungry; I have brought the birds."

She removed the felt cover; since the room was warm, the two birds came back to life. They began to sing—the lark imitated a waterwheel, zhi-niu, zhi-niu, and the red-rumped canary went qi-ge-qiang, automatically adding the beat of a drum. The room, filled with people who understood and those who didn't, all clapped and cheered.

The Seventh Prince was impatient with discussing the case and turned his head to find someone to talk about the birds. The Twelfth Prince was anxious to finish his duties and head to Ningguta. Once seated, he summoned the manager to check the records.

"In the twenty-seventh year of Chengde, the Retired Emperor issued an imperial decree to handle the case of Wen Lu, a censor of the Censorate. Wen Lu was executed, and his three sons were exiled to the Imperial Estate. It has been twelve years now. I was ordered to reopen this case when I left the capital, and I need to summon them as human witnesses..." He scraped the lid of his tea cup and took a sip. "How many people are on the estate? Bring me the register so I can check them one by one. Do it immediately."

The clerk below received the order and exited. Tao Yongfu rubbed his hands and said, "If the Prince would wait a moment, this servant estimates it will be time-consuming to check. To rectify the discipline of the court, many people have been exiled to Changbai Mountain over the years. For instance, in the sixth year of Chengsheng, when the case of the Wang family in the Imperial Household Department was exposed, the estate received a total of 227 people. Calculating up to the present, I estimate the number of A-ha has exceeded ten thousand. With people coming and going, it will require a great effort to pin it down to a specific individual..."

Hong Ce glanced at him. "Serving the Emperor, and you're worried about the effort? What do you suggest then, that we leave the matter unattended? We are hardworking, unlike you who are so blessed. Your achievements on the estate over these years are great; a Jia-la Zhang-jing commander from Dunhua mentioned you when he came to the capital to report, and he praised you highly. The Emperor has also spoken and ordered me to investigate. If it is true, you will naturally be well-rewarded. You just said there are people coming and going—I know about the coming, but what about the going? Where do they go?"

Tao Yongfu was made nervous by his words. He had heard of the Twelfth Prince's reputation, and the talk of "achievements" was clearly ironic. Now that he was being questioned, he had to be twelve times more careful. If he provoked him, a single imperial decree could cost him his head. Therefore, he spoke cautiously, "Your Highness is wise. The climate in Changbai Mountain is unlike other places; not to mention the mountain being sealed by snow, even when it comes to the ninth month and entering the mountains to dig for ginseng, one slip and you’ll freeze to death—that is the first point. Secondly, the mountains are treacherous, and not a few people lose their lives inside every year. To put it bluntly, once you reach this place, you are here to suffer. Whether you live or die depends on your fate. For example, if someone falls ill, there is a doctor on the estate, but this doctor doesn't just treat humans; he treats livestock..." He smiled sheepishly. "A 'Mongolian doctor' treats people as livestock. How many with tough lives can withstand that? So, the 'coming' is the court sending people by imperial decree, and the 'going' is dying. Not just here, but Ningguta is the same. Which year doesn't lose several dozen? There is simply no other way."

As they spoke, Dingyi listened carefully, and upon hearing this, she couldn't help but shudder. Eunuch Tao spoke of life and death as if he were talking about eating; he didn't treat human lives as anything of value. She suddenly felt a sense of terror, and her heart began to beat wildly. She prayed that her brothers were alright. The reason she had endured all this suffering was because a belief was sustaining her; she had to find a way to save them. The Twelfth Prince was kindhearted; if she knelt and begged him, perhaps he could show some extra-legal mercy. If that path didn't work, she was even determined to beg the Seventh Prince. He had once said that if she were a woman, he would make her a secondary wife, which meant that in the Seventh Prince’s eyes, she wasn't entirely disagreeable. She hadn't thought of climbing high; as long as she could save her brothers, she was willing to sacrifice everything, even if it meant being a menial maidservant—she would accept it.

While they traded official jargon, she stood there in great agitation, frequently looking out the window, seeing only the boundless, falling snow. After waiting for about three quarters of an hour, the clerk who had gone out earlier returned, holding a register and calling out, "Answering the Prince: this subordinate has followed orders to investigate the archives from over ten years ago. In the Gengxu year, there was indeed such a record entered: the three sons of the Wen family, Ruliang, Rugong, and Rujian, were exiled to the Imperial Estate due to their father's crimes..."

Dingyi felt as if her soul were hovering above her head, ready to depart at any moment. Trembling, she strained her ears to listen. After the clerk finished speaking, he stepped forward, handed over the register, and pointed with his finger to a certain place, continuing, "Your Highness, look here. Recorded here is the situation of the three men serving on the Imperial Estate—in the second year of Chengsheng, during the Grain Rain season, they contracted an epidemic while working. Their illnesses were critical; after ten days of treatment, there was no sign of improvement. On the fourteenth day, their conditions plummeted, and within three days, all three passed away.”