Love in Red Dust - Chapter 58
Chapter 58
Dingyi saw him, and though they were not far apart, she shouted at the top of her lungs. It was too late; he couldn't hear her. The panic on his face was heartbreaking. In the past, he had always lived a life of ease and privilege, handling everything with measured calm. When had he ever experienced anything like this? Now that his heart was tied to someone, his fright and anxiety were exposed for all to see. She felt only pity for him, and tears began to stream down her face in torrents.
She couldn't reach him; the world was filled with chaos, and she was bound by the hands and dragged forward. She looked back, but the man had a face painted with garish, colorful makeup, his features indistinguishable. Only the mole on his eyebrow ridge remained, like a heavy hammer, smashing ruthlessly against her heart.
She started in shock. Before she could even speak, he came up and covered her mouth. "Don't shout. I have something to tell you."
What could he possibly have to say? It was nothing more than the reality that she had fallen into the hands of human traffickers. The procession continued to move forward. She couldn't break free and could only watch helplessly as the Twelfth Prince was swallowed by the sea of people.
After traveling for a few miles, they peeled away from the crowd. People were waiting for them in the wilderness. She was bundled into a carriage and they galloped wildly away, though she knew not where. Since she had fallen into their clutches, escaping would not be easy. She struggled violently against the doors and windows, but it was all in vain. She realized she couldn't save herself and slumped down in despair.
Her life was so bitter. Since childhood, her family had been destroyed. Luckily, she had met the Twelfth Prince, who had held her in the palm of his hand during her most helpless moments. It was fortunate she had him. But after only a few days of peace, she had fallen into the hands of slave traders again. Was she destined to suffer endlessly in this lifetime? She refused to give up, pounding against the window. "Master Yue, let's talk this over. What is the meaning of this? Where are you taking me?"
There was no response from outside, only the sound of galloping hooves and the whistling wind.
She still wouldn't give up, changing her tone to negotiate. "What do you want? Money? If you send me back, I’ll tell them you saved me. Master Jin will reward you; it won't be any less than the commission you’d get for selling me. Master Yue, perform a good deed. Our master is still looking to do business with you. What you're doing now is truly dishonorable."
It was like throwing a stone into the sea; not even a ripple was stirred. She knew it was over; they had made up their minds. With such a massive Yangge troupe sweeping through, even if the Twelfth Prince had made arrangements, she had been snatched away stealthily, and those on the perimeter wouldn't have noticed.
All her pleasant words had been in vain. She leaned against the side of the carriage, sighing, with no choice but to take things one step at a time. Since she had managed to survive for the past dozen years, she would surely be able to turn this danger into safety as well. Besides, there was the Twelfth Prince; once he discovered she was missing, he would naturally send people to look for her. No matter if they had gone ten or twenty miles, as long as they were still within the territory of the Great Ying, he would eventually find her.
She lay down in a daze, half-frightened and half-cold. She hugged her arms tight, shrinking into a tiny ball. She had to stay calm; she needed to think about how to respond. But she wasn't given much time to ponder. The place was reached, and the people outside opened the door, dragged her out, and shoved her into a room.
It was different from what she had imagined. She had expected a hovel crowded with slaves, surrounded by a foul stench, but it wasn't. This was a single room with tiled roofing and simple furnishings—a table and a stool. She looked around; the room was empty. Two funerary candles burned brightly, and smoke spiraled endlessly from an incense burner, filling the chamber.
She was somewhat baffled. Spirit tablets were enshrined on an altar, and a strange, profound feeling welled up in her heart. Was there some custom where one had to bow to ancestors and kowtow after kidnapping someone? But strangely, her heart settled, and she didn't feel afraid.
She walked over and cast a glance; there were four tablets in all. She looked at them one by one. Written on them were the spirit positions of her late father, Wen Lu, and her late mother, the Lady Zhou, as well as those of Ruliang and Rugong. Because they hadn't married, they were all addressed as "Elder Brother." She was struck as if by lightning. Of all things she had imagined, she had never expected this situation to greet her. She crawled forward on her knees, cradling the four spirit tablets in her arms, stroking them over and over, muttering the names of her father, mother, and brothers. She was heartbroken to the extreme, and her mind began to throb with a dull pain.
After leaving the Wen household, she had never had the opportunity to set up spirit tablets for them. Because she had been struggling to survive, she had to conceal her identity. Every time Qingming or the Winter Solstice came, she could only visit their graves to offer incense and clear weeds, and only then could she send some spirit money and gold ingots to her parents. She often dared not think about it, for she was truly unfilial; while others sacrificed to their ancestors, she had nothing. She wondered if her parents would resent her in the underworld. Now that she saw them, that chord in her heart had been touched. She pressed her head against the cold blue bricks, weeping uncontrollably.
Someone came up behind her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. As if crossing the vicissitudes of a thousand years, they whispered, "Little Zao'er." "Little Zao'er" was her childhood nickname. Her mother had said that her formal name was for the grand halls and should be loud and clear, while her childhood name should be humble, for humble names were easier to raise.
She turned around in a daze, staring blankly at the person before her. That face, now scrubbed clean of greasepaint, overlapped with the one in her memories. No wonder he had seemed strangely familiar when they first met; Yue Kundu was actually Rujian.
She moved forward two steps. "Are you the Third Brother? Are you Wen Rujian?"
His eyes filled with tears, and he said tremblingly, "I am the Third Brother. I escaped from the Changbai Mountains. Of the three of us brothers, only I remain, and I ended up wandering here."
She threw herself into her brother’s arms. After twelve years of separation, she had longed for this reunion countless times, imagining there would be endless sighs and emotions. But in truth, those were all secondary; there was only an indescribable, heart-wrenching pain—a pain so deep it would have been no different if she had died right then and there.
The siblings held each other and wept, pouring all their yearning into their sobs. At last, the family was reunited, but with four dead and only two left, it was a completeness that felt incomplete.
She lifted her face, weeping mournfully. "Third Brother... Third Brother, you are still alive? I went into the Changbai Mountains to look for you all, and when I asked the Aha (bondsmen), they all said you had died of the plague. My heart turned to ice. At that time, I really wanted to follow you to the grave."
"I was lucky and survived. But I am the only seedling left from thousands of miles; the Wen family has only one son left." Rujian brushed the hair from her forehead, wiped his tears, and smiled. "This is a happy occasion; don't cry. Come, let Third Brother have a good look at you. Our Zao'er has grown up. If Father and Mother could see you, they wouldn't know how much they’d love you! When Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and I were in the Changbai Mountains, we missed home. We didn't know how you and Mother were doing. The family was scattered, and we only hoped you were safe. Later, we suffered so much in that hell on earth. The only thing that kept us going was you and Mother. We planned to settle down, and when things calmed down, we would escape and come back to find you..." He shook his head in pain. "But in the end, we couldn't endure it. The farm heads and tenants thought of ways to torture people. Newly arrived officials had to be 'tamed like eagles'—hanged from trees, starved for two days and two nights without being allowed to close their eyes. If your eyelids even stuck together, you’d get a brutal beating. When we first arrived, we were guards and had weathered storms and trials, so we could still bear it. When they saw they couldn't break us, they used shackles to cuff our hands to carrying poles. It had just started snowing then, and we were tied in the snow for three days. We had no choice but to decide that a hero doesn't suffer the immediate loss; we bowed our heads and faked it. Later... there was too much. I can't even list all the torture we suffered. I really don't dare to look back; thinking about it can wake me up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night." He rolled up his trouser leg to show her; it was a ruin of scars, each with its own story. "This one was pierced by a red-hot poker; this one was pierced by an iron hook; this one was bitten by rats in the water dungeon... and there are knife wounds, arrow wounds, and whip marks. My whole body is covered in them."
Dingyi covered her mouth while crying. Indeed, her experience was shallow; in Shuntian Prefecture, at the feet of the Emperor, they dared not abuse lynching, but in those desolate lands, it was entirely different. After being exiled, besides mining for ginseng and plowing the fields, the Imperial Estates took private work. The farm heads would take money to rent out the Aha, specializing in solving tasks that livestock couldn't handle, and the darkness of it was beyond description.
She looked down at the two smaller spirit tablets, wiping the characters over and over, muttering, "Eldest Brother and Second Brother must have experienced those things too... Why couldn't they live! I remember Eldest Brother was so healthy; in the dead of winter, he would swim naked in the river, and we could only watch from the bank, yearning."
Rujian said, "What use is being healthy? Once you fall into the hands of those people, it's very hard to survive. You asked around, so you know the cause of my brothers' deaths. Back then, we couldn't bear the oppression and rebelled, so we were caught, thrown into the water dungeons, and beaten half to death. Those people didn't give us food or water, wanting to starve us to death. When a person reaches that point, they truly dare to gnaw on their own flesh. Do you know the feeling of chewing on your own flesh while enduring the pain..." He shook his head and sighed deeply. "It was too horrible! The wounds became infected by sewage, turning black and rotting. Finally, a bitieshi (clerk) spoke up, fearing the imperial court would inquire, and only then were we pulled out. Eating one’s own flesh is intolerable to heaven and earth. After we got out, all three of us had contracted foul diseases. They wouldn't call a doctor and left us to die on our own. In the end, they couldn't hold on and let go of their lives. I was also on the verge of death and was dragged to the mass grave along with them. They buried me first, then them. After they finished burying, they found I had clawed the dirt away. Those people said this kid had been reincarnated as a cat and had nine lives. Just then, a dealer from the Suifen River slave market came to scout for merchandise. I was a 'bonus'—a freebie given away without asking for money—and so I ended up wandering all the way here."
To be sold by others and eventually become one of those people himself—he had truly bowed his head to fate! Dingyi listened as if to a long and tortuous story. She sighed, "Why didn't you go back to Beijing to find me? I waited every day for you to come and get me. I knew it was a luxury, but I waited for twelve full years."
He said, "I asked around and was told the family was in dire straits. Mother sold the house. I also heard the small courtyard I had rented was burned to the ground, and you and Mother had perished inside and hadn't been able to get out. That’s when I felt the Wen family was truly finished, defeated completely... With no hope left, I should have gone abroad; the Central Plains was no place to stay for long. But I had no silver on me—was I to continue letting people bid on me? My martial arts are not bad. By flattering and fawning, I became an assistant to the slave trader of that time. It's been five or six years, and I’ve walked step by step to where I am today." He looked at her tenderly. "I’ve always resented myself for entering this profession, but a month ago, I thanked the heavens with tears in my eyes. If I hadn't remained in this circle, how could I have waited for you? It wasn't my first time seeing you at the 'Guest Arriving with Clouds' inn; I was there when you found the Aha barracks. I watched from afar, looking at your features and your build, and the more I looked, the more you resembled Mother." He trembled as he spoke. "Later, I sent a message by pigeon back to the capital to investigate. Once there was a target, it was very convenient to find. Thank heaven, thank earth—at last, one was left for me. Heaven has not treated me poorly."
The siblings looked at each other with teary eyes, talking on and on. Beyond the bitterness, there was the cherishing of this hard-won reunion. Rujian held her shoulders and said, "In these two years, I’ve saved some money. Let’s leave this place and go elsewhere—the Western Regions or a vassal state—and we can live quite comfortably. I’ve already had people make arrangements. We can cross the border while it's frozen, and in a blink, we can escape to freedom. Zao'er, from now on, we siblings will rely on each other. Third Brother wants to see you get married, see you have children, and see the Wen family rise again."
His grip was so strong it caused her pain. Of course, she wanted to be with him; he was the brother she had finally found again, the only person of her own flesh and blood she could rely on. If it had been before, she would have said she was leaving without hesitation. But now, she had concerns. She was worried about the Twelfth Prince and couldn't bear to leave him behind.
She looked at him hesitantly. Rujian’s eyes were full of expectation, and with the words on the tip of her tongue, she dared not say them easily. Her attitude seemed indecisive. "Must we leave Great Ying? If we go outside, I don't know what kind of world it will be..."
She had grown slack. She had thought she had found her harbor and had forgotten the deep hatred she carried. She could choose not to seek revenge, she could settle for a quiet life, but she could not let her spirit be extinguished. Rujian knew a little about her and Yuwen Hongce’s affair; he could taste the protectiveness a man feels when falling in love from every word and action of Yuwen Hongce. Perhaps they were truly in love, but he was definitely not the right match for her.
He sighed deeply. "Who caused the Wen family's destruction? It was the current Retired Emperor! He sits high in the palace—has he really grasped the truth of the case? Father was merely a scapegoat; he died for Prince Zhuang, for the General who guards the country, and for the Minister of Works. The Retired Emperor was blinded by his relatives and arrogant slaves; he is the true blind man! All the crimes of the world rest with the monarch. With one stroke of his vermillion brush, how many lives did he ruin? If you talk about hatred, he is the primary culprit. But an arm cannot twist a thigh; the tragedy of us ants is that we cannot enter the forbidden grounds to kill him. Since we cannot afford to provoke him, we hide. Go to a foreign nation and never step foot into the Central Plains again..." He examined her face carefully. "Little Zao'er, what can compare to family? We are siblings of the same blood; will you not stay with Third Brother?"
She was torn; on one side was family, on the other was love. It was hard to choose. She muttered, "The Twelfth Prince is the Imperial Commissioner for this trip, acting under orders to re-investigate the original case. Since Third Brother knows the inside story, why not explain it clearly to him? Why not restore Father's innocence?"
He gave a cold laugh and turned his face away to look at the candle flames on the table. "How much is innocence worth? Can it buy back the lives of Father, Mother, and our brothers? Besides, it’s been over a decade; everything that needed to be done has been done. What evidence could remain? If I come forward rashly, maybe a charge will be smashed down on my head, labeling me for slandering a court official, and then I’d truly be finished. It’s just that I can't get over the hurdle in my heart, blaming myself for my incompetence. Back then, when I was exiled, I was already fifteen. I had walked in the Imperial Study and engaged with the nobility on the wrestling grounds; I’m afraid few of the new favorites today don't recognize me. I don't return to the capital not because I fear death—I’ve died many times over—but because of a matter of dignity... I must continue the bloodline of the Wen family. It has already become like this; if it breaks at my generation, it will be my greatest unfilial act."
She understood all his meanings, he just hadn't explicitly pierced the veil regarding her and the Twelfth Prince. She felt some shame; although love had nothing to do with others, it could not override the hatred of the family. Yet she truly couldn't let go. The thought of separating from the Twelfth Prince made her heart ache beyond description.
She lowered her head, not knowing how to refute Rujian, and felt she hadn't done anything wrong. Caught between a rock and a hard place, she was trapped in a giant vortex and couldn't break free. Now she only feared that he would be disadvantageous to the Twelfth Prince. Hongce was in the light while Rujian was in the dark; since he could kidnap her, plotting against him wouldn't be difficult.
"Did Third Brother know from the very beginning that Jin Yangxian was the Twelfth Prince?" she asked, clutching the hem of her clothes. "Then he..."
"Old Twelve was sent out to Khalkha early on; otherwise, he should have recognized me. The Yuwen clan of the Southern Garden originated from the Xianbei; they are bastards mixed with many bloodlines, and their appearance is different from ordinary people. They can fool the barbarians here, but they can't fool me." Rujian said, "Don't worry, I also hate the business of human trafficking; it’s just that once you step into this pit, you can't climb out for a while. If he wants to investigate the Ningguta Imperial Estate, that's a good thing. I brought Solontu in just to give him a helping hand. I know he has been a benefactor to you, and I consider it repaying that favor before I leave, so you don't have to carry this debt for a lifetime."
Dingyi’s heart turned cold. For the first time, she truly felt she was powerless, and she looked at Rujian with tears in her eyes. "I have no other attachments inGreat Ying besides my master and the Twelfth Prince. I won't hide it from Third Brother: we have made solemn vows, and I am already at the point where I would rather die than marry another. You can curse me for being useless, or curse me for forgetting my roots—I can no longer be the master of my own fate."
What was this? A mess she seemed not to want to clean up. Rujian looked at her helplessly, unable to bear scolding her. She had suffered enough. Which young lady of a pampered family could walk onto an execution ground to hold the knife for others? Thinking of it was truly heartbreaking. He clenched his fists and sighed. "A girl is grown, and it’s inevitable. I blame myself for appearing; if I hadn't found you, if you had gone back to the capital with him, perhaps you could have planned for a future with him."
He hadn't berated her with a furious face, which made her feel even worse. She cried, "Curse me, Third Brother. I am a wretch and do not deserve the surname Wen."
He waved his hand. "Don't say that. We each have our own hardships, and a few words can't sum it up. If you truly cannot bear it, go back to him; I won't blame you."
The more he said that, the harder it was for her to make a decision. How could she betray her only living relative to achieve her own marriage? She stood up, put the spirit tablets back one by one, lit the incense, and gritted her teeth. "Third Brother, please allow me to see him one more time. I will finish what I need to finish, and then I will naturally go with you. I have missed you all for so many years; now that we can recognize each other, I don't want to part again. I dare not ask Third Brother to help me; I don't have the face for it. But to me, nothing would be more perfect than seeing the wicked punished and the Wen family cleared of injustice. If Third Brother is willing to consider it, this sister will be grateful from the bottom of her heart. If the situation really forces our hand, there is no other way. I am short-sighted and cannot see so far; I still need Third Brother to weigh the options."
Rujian watched her, and his heart was truly moved. But he had too many concerns. After mixing in the jianghu for so many years, who else could he trust?
He loosened his clenched fists and nodded. "I won't stop you from seeing him. We Wen family members have never liked to owe favors, and it's not unreasonable for you to go and settle things. But there is one thing: the fact that we siblings have reunited today cannot be revealed at all. Old Twelve might show partiality, but others are eager to perform meritorious service—who knows what plots they might be hatching. As for you... a girl must have self-respect. This isn't something a brother should have to say, but now that there is no one else in the family, I cannot afford to be soft."
Dingyi paused, a strange light bursting from her eyes before it vanished. She bowed low. "I will remember Third Brother’s instructions and will not dare to forget. I only... want to see him to speak my heart. As for the rest, I have my own sense of propriety. Please, Third Brother, rest assured.”