Love in Red Dust - Chapter 39
Chapter 39
"All dead?" It was like a bolt of lightning from a clear blue sky, striking Dingyi into a state of stunned paralysis.
She stood rigid, her hands and feet turning icy, her legs trembling so violently they could no longer support her weight. She staggered and braced herself against the wall, a wave of nausea rising in her chest, as if she could vomit blood at any moment.
How could this be? She couldn't believe it. For all these years, whenever she encountered an insurmountable obstacle, she would think of her brothers far away. Although her parents were gone, she at least still had kin; she wasn't truly alone. But now, even her brothers were dead—all three of them. What was the point of her living on?
The Seventh Prince cared little for who lived or died, but upon hearing this, he turned his head and gave a humph. "Is this place a purgatory? All three brothers are gone—they certainly died in a neat set."
Hong Ce remained calm, observing all directions; her every move was in his eyes. He understood now: Mu Xiaoshu must be the daughter of Wen Lu. It was no wonder she had gone to such lengths to enter the Prince Xian estate, knowing they were coming to Changbai Mountain to investigate the case. She had traveled thousands of miles just to find her brothers, and now that they were dead, she surely could not withstand such a blow.
Her face was deathly pale and she looked ready to collapse; his heart gripped in agony. Now he had to divert everyone's attention; he couldn't let anyone discover her abnormality. Since the Wen brothers were all dead, she didn't need to claim her kinship. She should hide her identity as much as possible; concealing it had its advantages, creating fewer obstacles. For him, that meant one more path forward.
He clenched his fists tightly and slammed them against the table, making the plates and cups jump and scaring the Seventh Prince, who had been eating taro, out of his wits. The others felt a chill; all the seated officials stood up at once, their faces full of panic, trembling as they listened for instructions.
With a stern and fierce tone, he rebuked them, "What a fine manager! Even though the court exiled them as criminals, it didn't mean they weren't human. They were still people—subjects of our Great Ying. Even when a common villager dies in the countryside, it must be reported to the banner company; yet, for these people, nothing is needed? Tao Yongfu, you dared to hide the death of major criminals from the court, making this Prince take such a massive detour. What crime do you deserve for this!"
Eunuch Tao was so terrified his legs shook. He fell to his knees with a loud thud, bowing his head frantically. "It was this servant's negligence! It was because the plague was rampant at the time, and the dead had to be loaded onto flatbed carts. I am not exaggerating—two carts a day, without fail. I was truly swamped with work back then; too many people died, and there was no time to verify every single identity..."
"No time to verify, yet you knew the deceased were the three Wen brothers?" He hummed coldly. "I was tasked with reopening the case, and yet not one of the three brothers remains. With so many coincidences in the world, they all had to hit me at once. Who are you trying to fool?"
Eunuch Tao didn't know what he meant, staring at him with wide, fixed eyes. After a long while, he came to his senses and stammered, "Master, please calm your anger. This servant will send people to investigate again; perhaps a mistake was made back then... Please, Master, be patient. You just arrived and the journey was hard. Let this servant serve you so you can rest properly. As for checking the headcount, please allow me some time; I will have people handle it overnight."
Hong Ce glanced at him indifferently. "Your ability to 'sharpen your spear right before the battle' is quite good. You send others to check while you stay comfortably in the room waiting for news? What? Is your precious body too delicate to move?"
Eunuch Tao gasped, then promised repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes. This servant will go personally. I will definitely investigate clearly and give the Master an account."
The local officials didn't dare to be slow either. While standing before the Prince, they had already signaled their attendants. Don't just stand there! What time is it? Go and handle it! Regardless of the result, if they got moving, they wouldn't be scolded.
Everyone was in a panic. The governance in such a place had always been lax; with no superiors questioning things, they had just muddied through. Now, a sharp-witted Prince had suddenly arrived, and by demanding strict adherence to the rules, he made them realize there were too many flaws in their local administration to cover up. Thinking about where they had fallen short, they scrambled to fill the gaps before the Prince could strike, hoping that by being sensible, they could muddle through this hurdle for now.
As for the Seventh Prince, he was the type who preferred to avoid trouble. He felt that since the Wen family had already "closed up shop," it didn't matter if there were injustices in the case. The people were dead—who would you be vindicating? And after you vindicate them, who would be grateful to you? Just submit a memorial explaining the reasons; it wasn't worth such massive effort. He smacked his lips and said, "Good heavens, this taro has plenty of sugar; it's sticking to my teeth... Well, well, I see that things have reached this point, so let’s not be so insistent. Let's rest here for two days, and hit the road once we’re well-rested! Once the Ningguta errand is settled, we'll return to the capital early. If we really must handle the case, it doesn't have to be the Wen family's sons. We can handle it when we get back, sit comfortably at home, and start from elsewhere—it’s all the same."
Hong Ce naturally understood the logic. If not for Xiaoshu, would he have cared so much about the Wen brothers? He wanted to offer her some comfort. By investigating further and confirming they were dead, she could slowly come to accept it, let go of this attachment completely, and then live as freely and easily as before. The Seventh Prince only sought peace and quiet; he didn't want to touch the case and found it easy to toss off dismissive remarks—one mouth, a sigh, "Oh, forget it, just let it pass!" But it could only pass if one could truly move past it. This case had too many suspicious points. All the involved members of the Wen family were dead, leaving Xiaoshu as the only one left—a lone remnant who had slipped through the cracks. Perhaps her survival was a stroke of luck.
The two brothers argued, and when they looked again, she was gone. Hong Ce’s heart skipped a beat. Suppressing his anxiety, he managed to wrap up the conversation with a few remarks and dismissed everyone present.
He hurried toward the dormitory blocks, but when he pushed open the door to her room, it was empty. Where had she gone? He stood there, lost in thought—could she have gone into the mountains herself? He began to feel anxious. She was all alone, unable to distinguish directions, and the mountain conditions were volatile. If she had a mishap, she would die out there, and they wouldn't even be able to find her corpse.
He worried for her, but also felt a sense of resentment. In the past, she had brought him endless small troubles, always running to him, never fearing that she was being a burden. Now, faced with such a massive crisis, she was suffering in silence and trying to find a way on her own. She had never once intended to be honest with him. What was really going on in her heart!
He was so anxious he was losing his composure. Normally an indifferent man, he finally understood the feeling of being terrified and worried. After a moment of hesitation, he realized he couldn't conduct a grand search; it had to be done quietly and privately. But in this weather, with the vastness of the world, he couldn't guess which path she had taken. He stepped outside to look; in the distance were rolling mountain ridges, and as the sky darkened, they looked like clusters of stacked dark clouds. The climate in the mountains was brutal, and the night would be even colder. Was she trying to cross mountains and ridges in this freezing, ice-cold month? Did she really think she was made of iron?
He called out to Sha Tong in a low voice, "Find some estate stewards to act as guides. Order Ha Gang to dispatch his men into the mountains."
Sha Tong wore a bewildered face, looking around as he asked, "Master, it’s almost dark. Why are we going into the mountains?"
Hong Ce ignored him, brow furrowed. "Find out where the A-ha are stationed, and how many paths there are. We cannot overlook a single one... Hurry. If we are too slow, something will happen."
Sha Tong stood stunned. "Master, are you afraid they reported false records, that the Wen brothers aren't actually dead, and the estate will kill them in the night to silence them? Is this Imperial Estate colluding with the salt trade routes? Are they internal traitors?"
As a servant who served a master carrying out official business, he had become sharp-eyed through osmosis, and a quick turn of his brain could connect everything. Hong Ce shook his head. "I looked at that register. The paper and ink have aged for years; it couldn't have been made to look old. If they were going to kill them, it would have been years ago; there was no need to wait until now." He didn't know how to express his current frustration, so he braced his waist and said helplessly, "Mu Xiaoshu has gone into the mountains. If we are any later, she’ll be in a wild beast's belly."
Hearing this, Sha Tong slapped his thigh in despair. "That Mu Xiaoshu, he must be throwing his life away!" He pressed his hat down and took off running, the red tassel on his cap dancing in the snow and wind, disappearing around a corner.
Over there, the Seventh Prince had finished playing with the birds and discovered that his "bird-master" was missing. He didn't get angry, but instead carried them over himself. He was still laughing when he entered, "Shu, this lark learned a new trick..."
When he looked up and saw no one there, he let out a strange, "Eh?" "Where did he go, in the middle of the night... Did he go to the Twelfth Prince’s room?" He thought about it, feeling a bit angry. "Simply outrageous. Don't the two of them need to maintain some boundaries? I’ve said it how many times and he hasn't made any progress. Is he pig-brained?" In a rage, he went outside, raised his voice, and shouted, "Na Jin, where the hell are you?"
Na Jin came running and jumping over. Before he could speak, he hit his knees and said, "Master, something’s happened!"
The Seventh Prince was momentarily stunned. "What happened?"
"You don't know yet? That troublemaker Mu Xiaoshu has lost his mind and run off, and the Twelfth Prince has taken men into the mountains to find him."
"Hey!" The Seventh Prince’s expression shifted. "I wasn't good enough to him, so he’s acting like a runaway slave? My servant runs away, and I’m the last to know? What kind of situation is this?" He was so angry he threw the birdcage down, glaring at Na Jin. "Are you dead? Why are you staring at me? If he’s any later, you’ll be collecting his corpse. Damn it, why aren't you calling the men?"
By the end, his tone had shifted. Na Jin pulled his head in and promised repeatedly. The Seventh Prince stood in the light snow, turning to look at the birds flapping in their cage, murmuring a condemnation, "Mu Xiaoshu, you little bastard. Was I not good to you? You’re acting just like a disreputable woman—what are you, a runner-off?"
Deep in the wild mountain terrain, a Zhuge lantern flickered with semi-darkness, the official boots stepping on the deep snow, making a crunching sound.
Dingyi had a wooden expression, her tears long dried; she felt only coldness and despair. She trudged aimlessly forward. She had to go to the A-ha encampment. Even if it was two hills away, she would not believe it unless she saw it with her own eyes.
She still remembered the scenes of when she and her siblings were together. She was the youngest. Because she had been handed over to a wet nurse and a nanny as soon as she was born, she hadn't been particularly close to her parents, but her brothers had always cherished her dearly. They would weave grass crickets and grasshoppers for her. Whenever Ruliang returned from the wrestling grounds, he would get "fortune fruits" rewarded by the palace; he wouldn't eat them himself, but would pouch them all in his robes to give to her. On the morning of the disaster, they had agreed that he would bring her a clay rabbit figurine, but who could have known such a calamity would occur? Losing one's father and mother was a wound, but now that she was truly an orphan, her parents and brothers felt like meteors that had streaked across her life. She even doubted if they had ever really existed. Perhaps it had all been a fifteen-year-long dream, and she had always been one person—solitary, lonely, and without a pillar to lean on.
The wilderness was truly cold, so cold that her teeth chattered. With no attachments left, she had practically cast aside her own life. She forged ahead through the wind and snow; snow suddenly tumbled from the branches above, and in the distance, she could hear the howling of wolves. She tightened her grip on the curved blade at her waist. She had nothing left to lose; there was nothing to fear. She had no purpose in living now. She just had to ask them in person. Once she knew the truth, even if she died, she could close her eyes in peace. And the Twelfth Prince? A man as clever as him had probably seen through the clues long ago. She had spent great effort trying to hold herself together, but there was no helping it. Faced with such a blow, life held no meaning; did she still need to worry about those things?
Twelfth Prince... what was he thinking? Now that he knew she was Wen Lu’s daughter, could he still treat her kindly? His trip was to find Ruliang and the others to investigate the case; now that they were gone, should he change his target? A criminal official’s daughter was far from the clean status of a commoner. It had always been like this, and now she felt somewhat self-destructive. The veil had been torn away—what face did she have left to show before the Twelfth Prince? She only felt sorry for him; she had kept it from him until today. What must he think of her? It was too late to confess now. She didn't have the courage to face him anymore. She had wanted to find her brothers and repay him properly, but it was all for nothing... She felt overwhelming guilt. She had failed the Twelfth Prince, and she had failed the Seventh Prince. If she died in these mountains, the debts she owed could only be repaid in the next life, as a beast of burden.
The wind and snow whistled. Her heart was desolate. She ground her teeth and pressed on. The mountains were so dark; only the lantern light illuminated the small patch of ground at her feet. The snow all around reflected a faint blue light, and every step she took sank into the calf. Her boots gradually grew wet, and her toes froze until they lost all sensation. She struggled to curl them up, twisting her body into a small, tight ball. Looking ahead, the winding path was vaguely visible. Each step, deep or shallow, was unknown. If she plunged into an abyss with the next step, it wouldn't be unfair. She held onto her death-oath; if Ruliang and the others were truly gone, she could not live either. The outcome would be the same sooner or later, so she feared nothing.
She walked alone, and in her delirium, she heard a voice calling from behind. It was a one-by-one cry of "Mu Xiaoshu," like the ritual of commoners calling for a soul by the riverside or roadside. She thought she had misheard, but when she listened carefully, it was indeed so. She didn't know which group of men had caught up.
Suddenly, tears streamed down her face. A nameless feeling welled up in her throat. The two Princes likely hadn't given up on her, but what face did she have to meet them?
Just so, there happened to be a haystack by the roadside. She swept away her footprints with a bundle of withered branches, crouched down, and hid inside. Peering out quietly—footsteps approached. A row of black-soled boots strode past, and the torches burned with a sizzling sound. Someone shouted loudly, "We just saw a shadow—how could it disappear in a blink?"
The Twelfth Prince stepped into the firelight. He looked around and said, "Don't stop; keep chasing forward." But he himself paused. Once the men had moved far away, he turned and walked toward the haystack.