Chapter 56 (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
Chapter 56
Lin Rong has been living in the ancient kingdom of Kucha in the Western Regions for five years.
Five years ago, she fell off a cliff and into the water, injuring her chest and ribs, and almost drowned in the deep pool.
Fortunately, Sesame was clever. It ran along the mountain path to the bottom of the cliff, even wading through water, and carried the unconscious Lin Rong out.
Although Sesame is a horse, it has been confined in a cage since childhood and has been beaten and killed. Apart from Lin Rong, Sesame trusts almost no one. It is very wary of strangers. In this battle, Sesame also witnessed the ferocity of those Hu soldiers and dared not approach people again.
Sesame hid from everyone it saw, avoiding the war-torn main city. After several days of bumpy travel, it arrived in Liangzhou, which was occupied by Tibetan cavalry.
If Lin Rong hadn't been unconscious for many days, her body temperature had dropped, and her lips hadn't been dry, Sesame wouldn't have sought help from the panicked caravan seeking refuge.
At that time, the Western Wei was in chaos and war, and innocent people died unjustly under the iron cavalry of the barbarian soldiers. Because the city gates were closed, many Hu people who were doing business in Liangzhou were trapped in Liangzhou. It was not until the Tubo cavalry marched south to attack the city that the defense of the Lianglong area was relaxed, and they had a chance to escape.
A caravan of Hu people from Kucha spotted the scraggly horse carrying Lin Rong from afar. Startled, before their guards could draw their bows and swords and assume a defensive stance, Zhima knelt down before the group of people in front of her.
The setting sun poured through the gaps in the forest, its golden rays covering the kneeling steed that carried its master. It made Lin Rong's beautiful, jade-like face appear even more holy and solemn, as if a celestial maiden had descended to earth with her beast to save all living beings.
This scene stunned everyone present.
Lambs kneel to suckle, and crows and sparrows feed their parents.
The fine steed seemed to gain intelligence, kneeling and bowing before people, clearly begging for help to rescue its master.
Such a domesticated animal, so intelligent and perceptive, is truly a rare find.
The ancient kingdom of Kucha has always revered Buddhism, and the city boasts countless monasteries and sacred temples. Deeply influenced by Buddhism, they had certainly heard the Buddhist verses about "Buddha and Bodhisattva descending to earth during times of calamity, and Guanyin saving the world."
The Hu people suspected that what they were seeing was a test from Guanyin, the Buddha, and dared not be negligent, lest their evil act of refusing to help someone in distress reach the ears of the heavens and bring divine retribution.
For a moment, the Hu people in the Kucha caravan relaxed their guard and put away their weapons.
They rushed forward without stopping to rescue the injured and unconscious Lin Rong.
Three months later, Lin Rong recovered and regained consciousness.
Lin Rong was taken back to the ancient kingdom of Kucha, a thousand miles away from Liangzhou, by the merchants from the Hu people. She was quite lucky and even met other Wei people who had escaped from Liangzhou in the small kingdom of the Western Regions, including several old friends from Yumen Village.
Aunt Zhang had never seen Lin Rong's true face before and didn't recognize her at first. She thought the beautiful woman in front of her was a princess from some small Western Region country. Yang Feng, on the other hand, was familiar with Lin Rong's words and actions and recognized her as "Miss Mu" at a glance.
Yang Feng had witnessed a conflict between Lin Rong and Pei Zan before, and knew that her real name was "Lin Rong".
Overwhelmed with excitement at their long-awaited reunion, Yang Feng softly called out, "Miss Lin?"
Lin Rong had previously caused Yang Feng's injury, but now that she saw him walking freely and his legs were fine, the guilt she had felt had finally vanished.
Lin Rong, relieved to have survived the ordeal, smiled and said, "Brother Yang, it's been a long time."
Yang Feng gazed at Lin Rong's beautiful face and finally understood why Pei Zan had led his troops to pursue Lin Rong with great fanfare that day.
Neither of them spoke of the catastrophe in Yumen Village. After a moment of silence, Lin Rong cautiously inquired about the current situation in Lianglong and the ongoing war between Wei and Tubo.
From Yang Feng, Lin Rong learned that Pei Zan had given up on heading north to seize the city and had led his army back to the south.
Pei Zan was concerned about the country and loved the people. He not only rescued the six prefectures ravaged by the Tibetan barbarian cavalry, but also sent troops to the border to recover the Liang and Long prefectures, driving the barbarian cavalry who burned, killed and looted out of the territory of the Great Wei.
The Wei dynasty split into two kingdoms: Western Wei and Northern Wei. Pei Zan declared himself king in the west and later established his capital in Liangzhou with his son.
Lin Rong was finally relieved to learn that Pei Jiashu was safe and sound.
Yang Feng wasn't stupid. He still vividly remembered the scene of Pei Zan wielding absolute power and leading troops to capture people. He vaguely guessed Pei Zan's identity.
Today, after hearing Lin Rong inquire about the Western Wei emperor and his family, Pei Zan's illustrious status became even more certain.
Having been entangled with the ruler of a country, Lin Rong naturally had no way to escape.
Yang Feng admires Lin Rong and hopes she is well. He will not harm her or reveal this matter.
Yang Feng hesitated for a long time before saying, "Miss Lin, if you wish to return to Western Wei, I also have a caravan outside that can escort you back."
Lin Rong was taken aback by what she heard and remained silent for a long time.
Lin Rong remembered Pei Jiashu and was grateful to Pei Zan for saving the common people.
To be fair, although Pei Zan had many bad habits in bed, he had never neglected her in terms of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.
A wise person judges by actions, not intentions; if we judge by intentions, no one in the world is perfect.
Pei Zan repeatedly threatened to kill her, but he never actually slaughtered Lin Rong's old friends and relatives... It seems that his methods of intimidation and coercion were only aimed at forcing her to go home.
To be honest, Lin Rong didn't dislike Pei Zan, but now, thinking back on everything, all that welled up in her heart was a deep weariness.
In the moment she was about to fall off the cliff and commit suicide, Lin Rong was prepared to abandon her past. Although she had been too cruel to her son, Lin Rong had never lived for herself in her life, and she wanted to be selfish for once.
Perhaps one day, she will have had enough of life outside and will return to Western Wei to reunite with Pei Jiashu.
Or perhaps Pei Jiashu is still young, and in a year or two he will forget about his birth mother, and even feel ashamed of her maidservant background, wishing that Lin Rong would stay in the border region and never return home.
Thinking of this, Lin Rong smiled with relief: "I appreciate Brother Yang's kindness... but I want to live outside for a while longer and don't plan to return to Western Wei for the time being."
Upon hearing this, Yang Feng said, "Miss Lin, Yumen Village was burned, killed, looted, and completely destroyed by the Tubo cavalry. Taking advantage of the chaos, I led the villagers to flee to the borderlands... You know most of the people in the caravan; they are all simple and kind-hearted people from Liangzhou. If Miss Lin doesn't mind, you can travel with us so we can look after each other."
When traveling abroad, it is naturally better to travel with fellow countrymen.
However, Lin Rong had reservations and did not respond immediately.
Yang Feng didn't press her; he patiently waited for Lin Rong's reply.
Lin Rong thought for a while, and when she looked down, she suddenly saw a yellow dog hiding behind Yang Feng, wagging its tail incessantly.
Lin Rong had a sudden thought and called out, "Big Yellow?"
Upon hearing its former owner's call, the yellow dog immediately let out a whimpering sound, barked twice, and pounced on Lin Rong.
Lin Rong saw that the livestock she had left in Yumen Village had been fattened up and grown strong by Yang Feng.
Even in the midst of the chaos of war, he did not abandon Dahuang and flee... Yang Feng is indeed a good person. Lin Rong felt a lump in her throat, deeply moved, and ashamed of her earlier wariness.
Lin Rong sighed, "How could I possibly look down on Brother Yang? I'm just afraid that I, a woman, might be causing you trouble by traveling with the team alone..."
"Miss Lin, you are being too polite. We are old friends, so why would I bother you? I am very happy to travel with you."
Lin Rong knew Yang Feng's good intentions, so she didn't refuse anymore. She took a veil to cover her face and looked around.
The small kingdom of Kucha is bordered by the Tianshan Mountains to the north and the Gobi Desert to the south. Although the city is full of earthen houses built with yellow clay and poplar wood, it is not what Lin Rong had imagined. Instead of being filled with yellow sand and parched land, rivers flow down from the Tianshan Mountains, forming lush oases.
Although the Kingdom of Kucha was small and its various tribes had a small population, they were extremely skilled in iron smelting and tool making. Moreover, they were located in the center of the Western Regions, and local commerce was thriving, so their lives were relatively affluent.
Furthermore, the battle between Tibet and the Great Wei did not affect this small town. As a result, many camel caravans fleeing for refuge gathered in the town, and the bustling crowds created a lively scene.
Lin Rong settled here with her old friends from Yumen Village. She was resilient by nature and very hardworking.
Several years have passed, and Lin Rong has actually begun to get used to life in the Western Regions.
Lin Rong knew that she was born with a beautiful face. When she went out, she would either apply rouge and black cream to half of her face to cover it up as a "birthmark" or wear a hat and veil to protect her face from the sand. She dared not be careless in the slightest to avoid bringing disaster upon herself.
Five years later, Lin Rong traveled with Yang Feng's caravan and actually made a small fortune, and even learned the languages of several Western Regions countries.
Their current life, while not affluent, is enough for Lin Rong to eat and dress warmly, and to buy a small earthen courtyard of her own.
Lin Rong's courtyard was small, with only a kitchen and a bedroom, but she specially hired craftsmen to help build a stable for Sesame to rest in, and also a doghouse for Big Yellow to sleep in.
Lin Rong knew that Sesame was intelligent and didn't restrict its movement. In fact, every time she went out with a caravan, she would bring back a roasted lamb bone for Big Yellow and a few sweet and juicy pumpkins for Sesame.
During these five years, Lin Rong also disguised herself and followed Yang Feng's camel caravan back to Western Wei.
She was concerned about Yu Nu and subtly inquired about Pei Jia Shu's current situation from the people of Liangzhou.
Lin Rong knew that Pei Jiashu had been named Crown Prince and was deeply loved by the emperor, while Pei Zan had not remarried or established an empress, and had no other children... Yu Nu must be doing quite well.
Lin Rong squeezed through the bustling crowd and saw Pei Zan, the beloved king of Western Wei, in the distance.
The man wore a jade crown and black robes, and possessed a refined and aloof demeanor.
Even after several years, he still had the same handsome features as before, with an otherworldly appearance that was as pure as snow and as delicate as plum blossoms.
Pei Zan appeared listless, propping his head up with one hand and sitting idly in the ornate carriage.
His expression was indifferent, while he held the little boy Pei Jiashu in his other hand, glancing at him with his arm from time to time, and then tucking his son back into his arms.
Pei Zan seemed worried that his son was too curious and might accidentally fall off the carriage while looking around. He would occasionally frown and scold Pei Jiashu in a low voice, advising him not to move around.
The banners of the Pei clan, symbolizing the Five Clouds and Constellations, fluttered in the wind, while the attendants of the ceremonial guard, holding umbrellas and blades, escorted the emperor and the crown prince.
As the carriage drove further and further away, it passed by Lin Rong.
As Lin Rong watched the father and son's sedan chair return to the capital, the pent-up frustration in her heart suddenly dissipated.
She smiled with relief, let out a soft sigh, and felt a sense of peace welling up inside her, though she didn't know what she was sighing about.
Lin Rong thought that although Pei Zan had committed many evils, he was not extremely bad.
At least Pei Zan kept his promise; his word is as good as gold.
He became an excellent father; he really took good care of their son.
Lin Rong felt relieved. She turned around, mounted the camel left by Yang Feng, and rode away into the distance.
The caravan members were all waiting for Lin Rong to return together.
Lin Rong faced the wind, freely cracking her whip, and headed towards Liangzhou Pass.
At that moment, Lin Rong thought: bad causes don't necessarily lead to bitter results. She and Pei Zan had been entangled for many years, and it seemed that it was not a bad ending for them to forget each other in the world like this.
A note from the author:
Some information.
Liangzhou is about 1,000 kilometers, or about 2,000 li, from Kucha in the Western Regions. Mo Yu can travel 300 to 400 li a day. If he changes horses along the way, it will take about three or four days to reach Kucha. (There may be some oversights regarding travel time and expenses, but I won't go into details. This is a bit of a plot device and a fictional setting. The ancient location is also slightly different from the location in our text. We will be closer, so don't worry about that.)
Eagles can deliver messages at speeds of up to 170 kilometers per hour, which is equivalent to 340 li in ancient times. Therefore, if there is an urgent message, it can be delivered to Pei Zan in a day. When he is out on business, it does not interfere with court affairs and military matters.
Don't worry about it too much, but these are some of the little things Pei Zan will use to win back his wife later.
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