Falling into the river
On the morning of February 12th, Shui Xian sewed six one-hundred-tael silver notes, which she had wrapped in oiled paper beforehand, into Xi Chun's inner garments. She also put several taels of loose silver into four purses. Thinking that today was the day of parting, and that the concubine could finally run towards the vast freedom of the world, Shui Xian laughed and cried at the same time.
Xichun pulled her into her arms and cried, "Narcissus, thank you. Take care of yourself from now on."
Hearing Xichun's cries, Shuixian stopped crying, took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, and smiled through her own tears, saying, "You're pregnant, don't cry, or the baby will cry too. It's getting late, let's set off now."
Xichun stepped out of the gate of Chaoxia Courtyard and was greeted by Mozi, who had run to see her. Shuixian bent down to help carry Mozi into Xichun's arms. Xichun gently stroked Mozi's shiny black fur, and seeing Mozi's amber eyes staring intently at her, Xichun lowered her head and kissed its forehead, then asked Shuixian to help put it back on the ground.
Xichun walked several dozen steps away, and the inkstone still sat obediently in the same spot, watching her go. Xichun turned her head back for a glance and said goodbye to it in her heart.
Goodbye, ink.
Liu An had already made arrangements. As soon as Xi Chun's carriage left the Prince Zhao's residence, it was followed by a group of people. Since they were going out of the city this time, all six guards followed.
They made their way out of the south gate without any major incident. With the Bodhisattva's birthday approaching, many pilgrims were heading to Jixiang Temple to offer incense, making the usual main road extremely congested. Before Xichun could speak, the driver suggested taking a slightly longer, less crowded route, where their ambush was conveniently located. Xichun smiled and agreed.
As the carriage traveled into the afternoon, it came to a stone arch bridge, beneath which flowed the rushing Liujiang River. Just as the driver was still a few feet away from the bridge, Liu An's pre-arranged ambush suddenly rushed towards Xichun's carriage from the surrounding woods.
"Robbery!" the leader shouted.
The newcomers were all wearing painted masks and dressed in black. The six guards immediately took up arms to protect Xichun, but unfortunately, one of the newcomers was a master of poison. A dose of sleeping potion rendered the six guards powerless.
Then the other party gestured to Xichun in the carriage, and Xichun and Shuixian hurriedly got off the carriage. Several guards saw two men in black following Xichun and chasing after them.
After Xichun crossed the arched bridge, she disappeared from sight. Then they heard a splash in the water and Shuixian shouting for her concubine. The six guards tried to go to the bridge, but were quickly knocked unconscious by the men in black. The men in black circled around and took the valuables from the carriage. Seeing the coachman pretending to be dead next to the carriage, they went up and knocked him unconscious as well.
Then the group of men in black quickly disappeared back into the mountains with the stolen goods.
Xi Chun took off her orange pomegranate-patterned coat and gave it to Liu An. After putting it on, Liu An deliberately jumped close to the shore towards the boat under the bridge. Before boarding, Xi Chun threw her lotus-patterned silver bracelet into the grass on the shore. Shui Xian stood on the shore watching her cousin row the boat with Xi Chun further and further away until they disappeared from sight.
To make it seem like she had also been robbed, Shui Xian had her cousin take away her valuable jewelry, and she herself jumped into the river and swam to the bushes on the bank to wait for a kind passerby to come and help her.
More than half an hour later, a group of pilgrims who were also going to Jixiang Temple to offer incense passed by and found the guard who had been knocked unconscious, and rescued Shuixian.
Upon receiving the news, Ming Chuqing immediately dispatched people to search for Xichun's whereabouts along the river.
"Your Highness, I saw from Narcissus that the concubine fell into the water, and I think she's probably in grave danger. I never imagined that the concubine would be so unlucky as to encounter bandits while just leaving the manor," said Cuiju.
Ming Chuqing took a sip of hot tea and smiled, "Alas, she insisted on going, and I had no choice but to accept it. It's just a pity about the child in her belly, but her loss is a pleasant surprise."
Cuiju asked, "What about the Prince? How does the Princess intend to speak to him?"
Ming Chuqing lifted her eyelids and glanced at Cuiju, saying, "To tell you the truth, the prince's beloved concubine has died, and I am also very sad."
The next morning, when the weather cleared, he wrote a letter and sent a guard from his residence on horseback eastward to deliver it to Wei Qiao. He also ordered Cuiju to send the prepared midwife and wet nurse out of the residence.
On the rippling Dongjiang River, Xichun sat leisurely in the cabin watching Liu An and his young apprentice, Suanmiao, row their boat. Three days ago, they had replaced the small, melon-shaped boat that Liu An had initially used to ferry Xichun at Huishui Ferry with this larger, covered boat. Now they were heading south to Nianshui City in Daizhou Prefecture. From there, both water and land transportation were convenient, allowing Xichun to freely go wherever she wished.
Xi Chun had changed into an inconspicuous light purple outer garment, and her hair was styled into a woman's bun and wrapped with a light blue headscarf. At first glance, she looked like a beautiful woman from a poor family.
"Xichun, our boat will reach Nianshui in ten days. Have you decided where you want to go?" Liu An asked her from the bow of the boat.
"I haven't decided yet, but I'd like to go somewhere closer to home," Xichun replied to Liu An while preparing dinner for the three of them in the cabin.
“The places closest to Fuping County, let me think, Yanzhou, Suishui, Ningchun, Dongting, and Feng’an are all only a little over a hundred li away from Fuping County, and it would only take three or four days to travel there and back,” Liu An said.
"The places Brother Liu mentioned all sound good. I'll think about it some more. Dinner's ready, Brother Liu, Garlic Sprouts, come and eat!" Xichun said with a smile.
Liu An nudged the tall, thin boy in light brown clothes next to him, "Suanmiao, go eat. Come back and relieve me later."
Seeing his master speak, Suanmiao nodded, bowed, and went into the cabin. Suanmiao was mute. Five years ago, Liu An encountered him on his way to deliver goods, where he was being bullied by an old beggar while begging on the street. Liu An took him in as his apprentice and raised him with his family. Suanmiao had a good appetite, so Xichun served him a full bowl of rice. He took the bowl, smiled shyly at Xichun to express his gratitude, and then ate heartily.
After dinner, Suanmiao went to row the boat, while Xichun put on a cloak and sat at the stern to enjoy the breeze. The sky wasn't yet dark; the orange-red sunset spread across the sky like ribbons. It had been a bright, sunny day, and the evening breeze still carried a hint of warmth. Birds chirped incessantly in the forests on both sides, fluttering their wings and circling between the trees. Listening to the birdsong and the sound of the water, Xichun felt as if she had truly regained her freedom.
After finishing his meal, Liu An washed the dishes. Seeing that night was falling outside the cabin, he lit a lamp and hung it on the stern. Liu An had a wealth of stories to tell, and after every meal it was time for him to tell tales. Xi Chun and Suan Miao would sit on the deck, tilting their heads as they listened to his vivid narratives.
Today he told a story about a scholar who fell in love with a lotus spirit. Just as he finished telling the story, a wind blew across the river, causing Xichun to wrap her outer cloak tighter.
"Xichun, hurry up and go into the cabin. It looks like it's going to rain soon," Liu An said to her with a smile, glancing at the sky.
With just over two months until delivery, Xichun, fearing she might catch a cold from getting wet in the rain, returned to her cabin as instructed.
The awning boat was borrowed by Liu An from a friend. It was much larger than an ordinary awning boat, and there were two beds inside, one large and one small. Xi Chun slept in the smaller one. Just as Liu An had said, she had only been in the cabin for a short while when she heard the pattering of rain outside.
As midnight approached, Liu An found a deserted ferry crossing to dock. A light rain continued until the early hours of the morning, and the three people in the cabin slept soundly through the night, accompanied by the drizzle. The next morning, after washing up, Liu An continued to set sail. Before the boat had gone far, Xi Chun discovered an unconscious person lying on the riverbank.
"Brother Liu, there's someone here!" Xichun called out to Liu An.
Liu An handed the oar to Suan Miao, went into the water, swam to the shore, and found that the person was still breathing. He then rescued the person and brought him back to the boat.
“It’s a girl,” Liu An said.
There were several sets of clothes prepared for Xichun on the ship, so Xichun changed her into a clean set of clothes and let her sleep on her own bed.
It wasn't until just before dinner that Chu Wei groggily opened her eyes and realized she had been rescued. She hadn't eaten properly for several days, and the aroma of food made her struggle to get up from the bed. Seeing a pair of brand-new embroidered shoes in front of her, she put them on and walked out of the inner room separated by the wooden door.
"Is there anything to eat?" Chu Wei asked, leaning against the doorframe towards Xi Chun, who was busy at the stove.
Xi Chun looked at her upon hearing the voice. Chu Wei had an oval face, large single-eyelid eyes, and skin that wasn't particularly fair. However, she was very tall and slender, a full head taller than Xi Chun. Therefore, the clothes that Xi Chun wore during her pregnancy fit her perfectly.
Xi Chun pulled Chu Wei to a stool and gave her two large steamed buns with garlic sprouts that morning, which were left in the pot. Chu Wei ate the buns quickly with rice porridge. Seeing that she was still staring at the steamer, Xi Chun simply put the remaining four buns in a bamboo basket and placed them in front of her. Chu Wei swallowed, smiled shyly, grabbed one in each hand, and ate them in a few bites.
When Liu An came in, he saw the girl stuffing half a bun into her stomach. The buns made with garlic sprouts are usually very big; he could only eat two, but this girl could eat six. She really had a good appetite.
After Chu Wei finished eating, she kowtowed deeply to each of the three people who had saved her life on the boat. Liu An helped her up before slowly listening to her recount her story.
Her name was Chu Wei, and she was a hired assassin in the Prince Cheng's household. Her small team had been lying in wait near the Princess Cheng's maternal home, Cuiling, so they were unaffected after the Prince Cheng's faction was wiped out.
However, their squad leader was a loyal servant of King Cheng, sworn to avenge him, and secretly plotted revenge, intending to eliminate the emperor's two sons. He ordered Chu Wei and several other assassins to kill the eldest prince while he was out of the palace for a visit. Tired of the fighting and killing, she ultimately released the eldest prince.
Her actions were witnessed by another member of the squad, and the squad leader ordered Chu Wei to be killed. After being knocked unconscious, Chu Wei was buried alive on Cui Ling Mountain. Fortunately, a torrential rainstorm struck shortly after she was buried, saving her life. With nowhere to go, she came down from the mountain to catch some fish in the river, but she slipped, fell, and hit a protruding rock in the river, losing consciousness. That's how she drifted all the way to the bank where they found her.
Xi Chun was worried that she would have a hard time living alone as she was about to give birth. When she learned that Chu Wei was an assassin and had nowhere to go, she invited her, "Chu Wei, if you don't mind, come with me."
Chu Wei turned her head to look at Xi Chun, who was dressed in coarse cloth and heavily pregnant. She felt a little uneasy. Over the years, the little money she received from the Prince Cheng's mansion had all been donated to Zhang's Steamed Bun Shop on Cuiling Street. This woman was quite beautiful, but she didn't seem wealthy.
She gave an awkward laugh and, with a forced smile, asked her question, "I have a big appetite, do you have money?"
Xi Chun remembered the silver notes sewn inside her clothes and nodded to her, "I can make sure you have enough to eat. Come with me."
On the very day that Xichun found her travel companion, the guards from Prince Zhao's residence who were delivering a message found Wei Qiao, who was accompanying the emperor on his journey.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
