Breaking a promise
Wuxia noticed that Jingwan was acting strangely these past two days. The day before yesterday, when she went to tidy up the clothes in the room, she saw Jingwan sitting in front of the dressing table, seriously counting silver.
There was also an empty jewelry box; the jewelry inside was nowhere to be seen, as it was all gone from her body.
She even stored the grinding wheel in a large box.
The few beautiful and gorgeous dresses in the wardrobe were still neatly placed, but the few simple and plain dresses she usually wore were all put into a bag.
Wuxia already had a guess in her heart: Was she going to leave Pingdu? With that young master of the Qin family? She just didn't know whether she should send a message to her master.
Even after Lu Chang returned to Pingdu, he never removed her from Jingwan's side, only telling her to stay by Jingwan's side and protect her.
"Leave the rest to her!"
Since her master had said so, Wuxia decided not to inform Lu Chang anymore. If Jingwan wanted to leave, she would escort her all the way.
To be honest, for Wuxia, hiding the news of Jingwan's departure from Lu Chang was more like a little prank. She really wanted to see how that man would react when he found out that the woman he liked had left with another man.
Jingwan seemed to be in a good mood. Lately, she had been enjoying tending to her plants, humming a little tune as she pruned the branches and leaves, occasionally spacing out, her eyes filled with the joy of anticipation for the future.
That day, Wuxia saw a package in the cabinet containing clothes and silver. There was also a box of pastries wrapped in oil paper on the table. She closed the cabinet without making a sound, pretending that she hadn't seen it.
That day, after dinner, Jingwan specially called her to her room. She pulled her to sit down together, treating her as intimately as if she were her own sister. Wuxia knew that she was leaving, probably tonight.
There was no better opportunity than tonight. With the New Year approaching, there were many banquets in the palace, and the entire Gao family had entered the palace. Jingwan, being a concubine's daughter, was not qualified to enter the palace.
Jingwan took out a contract of sale and handed it to Wuxia. The name on the contract was "Dongxia". There was also an official document stating that the Qinggao family had released her from the mansion. This eighteen-year-old girl named "Dongxia" was no longer a slave.
Wuxia stared at the two pieces of paper, hesitating to take them.
Jingwan was busy finding something for her and didn't notice Wuxia's mood. She handed her a bulging sachet, saying somewhat embarrassedly, "I don't have much money, but I've saved some. Take this. You can use it when you leave the Gao family. Oh, and this too, you must accept this—"
She pushed a small box over, inside which was a jade pendant. It was carved from the finest mutton-fat white jade, and Wuxia recognized it. This was the last piece of jade ornament that Jingwan had worked on before putting the jade carving machine into the large box. At the time, she thought it was for that boy, but she never expected that it was made especially for her.
She asked Jingwan why she was suddenly giving her so many things.
Jingwan naturally wouldn't tell her that she was leaving with Qin Ziyou that night. She said, "You saved me from the water last time, and I didn't know how to repay you, so I asked my father for this indenture as a token of my gratitude! My father said that you can stay and work for the Gao family, or you can leave if you don't want to. Having some money on you will make things easier. As for this 'no trouble' token..." She suddenly felt a little sad, "Being by my side always brings you bad luck. I hope this 'no trouble' token will keep you safe!"
Wuxia remained silent; she was always taciturn, and Jingwan was used to it. However, today, she could see a trace of sadness in that otherwise calm face.
She started killing people with a knife at the age of twelve, and she lost count of the number of souls that died by her blade. She thought she had long since become heartless and without desire, but she never expected that in her twentieth year, someone would still be able to touch her heart.
Although it's only a little bit.
That's not right. For someone like her, even the slightest bit of affection is unacceptable.
Wuxia folded the contract in a few quick movements and put it into the box containing the "no trouble" plaque. The box was then closed with a "click," and the friendship they had built over the years was also included inside.
She said, "Thank you so much, young lady!"
Jingwan sighed with relief. Her only concern now was Dongxia, and now that this matter was settled, she could finally relax.
Looking at the vast Gao family estate again, there was nothing left for her to cherish; after all, she was an outsider.
She had been looking forward to this night for a very long time, so much so that her fear was temporarily suppressed.
Qin Ziyou had planned everything perfectly. Instead of leaving the city through the main street, they would take a boat and sail out of the city along the Li River. He had already prepared horses, so instead of rushing north, they would continue eastward first, and once they reached the eastern harbor, they would board a boat.
The young boys, disregarding everything, recklessly and ridiculously imagined their future. Jingwan thought that she would probably never be so impulsive again in her life.
But she was still very happy, with her lover by her side, and wished that the time ahead could pass more slowly.
It was a cold day and there were few people on the road. They agreed to meet at the Jinsha Causeway near the water. Qin Ziyou told her that he had arranged for a boatman to stop early on the causeway, and they would leave as soon as they boarded the boat.
When Jingwan arrived at Jinsha Causeway, she did not see Qin Ziyou. In the past, he would always have arrived earlier than her.
She walked further to the water's edge and indeed saw scattered fishing lights. A small boat was moored on the shore, and a fisherman was sitting at the bow drinking to ward off the cold.
She stepped forward and asked, "Are you Old Man Li?"
The fisherman put away his wine gourd, lit his lamp, and looked her over before repeatedly agreeing, "Yes, yes! That young master has been here for a while, just waiting for you. Hurry up and get on the boat!"
Jingwan was relieved; it turned out Qin Ziyou had arrived long ago!
She lifted her skirt and stepped into the small boat, unable to resist saying sweetly to him, "It's so cold, please warm my hands..."
But when she looked up again, she saw that there was a man she didn't recognize in the boat.
The man, in his early thirties, with a unkempt beard and a menacing gaze that sent shivers down one's spine, stared intently at Jing Wan and reached out to grab her: "Little beauty, you've finally arrived!"
The dock wasn't large. The moment his hands touched Jingwan's, she trembled and struggled to break free: "Let go of me! I don't know you! I...I want to get out!"
How could she possibly compete with a grown man? The man held her tightly against him and took liberties with her. Jingwan was terrified and cried, but she still struggled desperately. She bit the man's hand, and his grip on her loosened. However, a slap landed heavily on her face, and the back of her head hit somewhere, causing excruciating pain.
The boatman was about to row away when he saw the commotion in the dock. He immediately put down his oars and went inside to pull people out, shouting "Hey, hey, hey!"
Just then, the patrolling soldiers arrived...
Jingwan knelt in the main hall. The old lady, the duchess, Gao Yun, Wang Shi, and everyone else who was supposed to be there had arrived.
After the banquet in the palace ended, the group was still chatting and laughing, until they saw the junior official who had been waiting for them at the gate of their home, at which point their expressions changed.
Gao Yun suppressed his anger and said, "It is really not appropriate to air the dirty laundry in the family. I hope you will be lenient with me." He then summoned the steward and handed him a sufficient amount of silver notes.
The clerk immediately smiled obsequiously: "My master understands perfectly well, which is why he sent me here. Rest assured, sir, no one else will know about this."
It was less like she was kneeling and more like she was half-lying on the ground. The hairpin that held her hair back was nowhere to be seen. Her black hair was tangled in a messy knot, and the hair at the back of her head was stained with blood and stuck together. Her clothes at the collar were torn open. The most horrifying thing was her face. Her right cheek was swollen high, and the blood at the corner of her mouth was mixed with a bluish-purple mark. Her eyes were empty, and there was no fear in them.
Gao Yun slammed the package down in front of her, repeatedly slamming his fist on the table and angrily shouting, "How could my Gao family have given birth to such a bastard like you? You have disgraced our ancestors!"
He pointed at Jingwan, who was lying on the ground, and shouted, "You've done such a shameful thing! Have you thought about your family? Have you thought about your brothers and sisters? How are they supposed to face the world after this? If Pingdu and I are acquainted and you ask me to handle this privately, you'll make my Gao family drown in the spittle of the world!"
Wang chimed in from the side, "She always seemed so well-behaved and sensible, but it turns out it was all an act!"
As Gao Yun was scolding Jing Wan, Bo Jun rushed in, knelt on the ground and said, "Second Uncle, Jing Wan was wronged in this matter. That scoundrel is an idle person in the city. Jing Wan did not know him at all, so how could there be any talk of eloping? Second Uncle, please do not wrong Jing Wan."
Shi Jun scoffed. Compared to himself, Jing Wan was the real good sister to him. A shameless woman who eloped with a man, and he still had to protect her like this!
She looked at Gao Yun and said, "Even if Gao Jingwan is not familiar with the thief, the boatman is indeed an honest businessman. He confessed that a man did book his boat to take him out of the city from Lishui tonight. Brother, you were there when the boatman said this, so don't distort the facts."
Bo Jun was surprised that it was his usually refined younger sister who would be the first to undermine him, and immediately shouted, "Shut up!"
He remained kneeling on the ground, saying, "So what if they eloped! Jingwan is a member of the Gao family, she is our family! She was almost humiliated, shouldn't the one who should be killed, beaten, and cursed be the thief who hurt her? But what are we, as her family, doing? We are continuing to hurt her!"
He single-handedly fought against his entire family and against the ethical codes that had constrained human nature for thousands of years, but it was nothing more than an ant trying to shake a tree, or a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
Shi Jun had no intention of letting Jing Wan off the hook. She wanted to take this opportunity to crush this person she had never taken seriously and make sure she could never rise again.
The image of Lu Chang bending down to kiss Jing Wan was a nightmare that haunted her every night. She had never seen her cousin so gentle before and thought he was cold-hearted. Only that day did she realize that she was not worthy of his love.
So, following Bo Jun's words, she continued to ask, "Fine! Since it's an elopement, and since she doesn't know that scoundrel, then let her tell you who the person she eloped with is!" Her tone was casual, but her words were like sharp blades, piercing people's hearts with every strike.
Gao Yun stepped forward, bent over, and roared, "Speak! Who are you going to elope with! Speak now!"
The person lying on the ground didn't speak; her hair was disheveled, and tears kept flowing uncontrollably.
Gao Yun made his decision and ordered the steward to prepare the whip for the family punishment. His face was flushed red from the force of his earlier scolding. He closed his eyes, finally made up his mind, and slowly said, "After the twenty lashes, I will have someone send you away. You... go back to the Northwest and never come back!"
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