Chapter 66 Returning to Her Warm Embrace
The next morning, Huachun went out to open the shop. When she returned, she had an indescribable expression on her face and sidled up to Yuezhi, who was wiping the faces of the two little ones with a handkerchief.
He whispered, "My lady, I went to the city gate and saw with my own eyes that young master's carriage procession leave the city. It was a grand and imposing procession, as if he had really left."
Yuezhi paused, and through the damp handkerchief, the child's little nose twitched slightly, pulling her back to reality.
He's gone.
A sudden emptiness filled my heart; I couldn't tell if it was joy or sadness. In the end, things went their separate ways.
He went back to be his emperor, while she stayed with her two children and two shops, each living their own lives peacefully, with no further connection between them.
That brief reunion was like a pebble thrown into the center of a lake; after the ripples spread, the lake returned to calm, and life went back to its original course.
The warm morning sun streamed into the courtyard, and all that could be heard was the soft sound of breathing.
Yuezhi leaned against the soft pillows, her clothes slightly open, holding Yanqing in her left arm and Yunxi in her right.
The two little ones were chubby and fair-skinned, each dressed in a new red and blue outfit, soft and fragrant, burying their heads in her chest, sucking and chewing with their little mouths, the gurgling sounds of them swallowing clearly audible.
Yan Qing was quiet by nature, and even when she was nursing, she was very gentle. Her two little hands were softly placed on her breasts, her little eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and she used all her strength to nurse.
Yunxi was much more lively. While eating, she kicked her little feet restlessly, her big eyes darting around, and she made satisfied humming sounds in her throat, as if urging something on.
Yuezhi lowered her head, looking at the two little bundles of joy nestled close to her. A smile appeared on her lips as she stroked the children's soft hair with her fingertips. A feeling of happiness enveloped her, washing away all her fatigue.
After a while, the sucking strength gradually weakened, and she knew that she had no more milk, so she called the nanny who was taking care of the child.
The two nannies quickly brought over two small bowls containing minced meat and rice oil that they had prepared in the small kitchen. After the two children turned one year old, their appetites increased, and they could not get enough to eat just from milk, so they gradually started adding some complementary foods.
Yuezhi, with her clothes on, held two children and had the nanny feed them.
The delicate minced meat was fed to Yan Qing's lips. Yan Qing took a small sip, following the taste. Her little mouth moved, but she swallowed much more slowly. Yun Xi was more direct. When she realized it wasn't breast milk, she turned her little head away and babbled in displeasure. A little bit of rice oil smeared on the corner of her mouth.
Yuezhi wasn't in a hurry, and patiently coaxed, "Sweetie, just one more bite. You need to eat your fill to grow up..."
The two nannies were quite experienced in taking care of children. They used a soft cloth to wipe Yunxi's mouth clean, then replaced it with a spoon and persistently fed it to her pouting little mouth. After a lot of effort, they finally managed to feed the two little ones.
“Madam is busy during the day, and the young lady and young master get hungry quickly when they wake up. We have to feed them three to five times a day. It’s been more than a month, and they still can’t get used to the food.”
“I used to serve in a wealthy family. They would grind rice into flour and cook it into a fine rice porridge to feed their children.”
"How about we try making fish paste? Qingzhou is by the sea, and the catch is fresh. I've heard that children who eat a lot of fish are smart."
The two nannies gave her some advice. Yuezhi thought that the family was not short of money, so she asked them to make a little of each kind and see which one the child liked to eat.
Today, Cui Xianglan is in the shop looking after the accounts, Huachun is already quite adept at being the shopkeeper, and Yuezhi is finally able to stay home and spend time with the children.
In the afternoon, a maid came to report: "The steward of the Marquis of Yongding's residence is outside the gate, saying he has come to deliver something to the lady."
After settling the children in, Yuezhi rushed to the gate and saw the steward she had met in front of the Yongding Marquis's mansion that day, now smiling broadly and bowing obsequiously as he offered her a full jar of fresh, warm goat milk.
"I was wrong to neglect you that day, please don't take offense. This was sent by the madam. The Marquis and his wife love this. They have several good sheep that produce milk every day."
"Before leaving, Young Master Zhang specifically instructed that there are two little masters in your household who have just turned one year old. He said that he would send them to you every now and then. They are nothing special, so please don't be shy about it."
Raising livestock is a troublesome matter. Apart from farmers in the mountains, only wealthy families would raise so many sheep just for a few mouthfuls of goat milk.
Knowing that it was an apology gift from the Marquis's residence and a favor done by "Young Master Zhang," she did not refuse and nodded her thanks.
The children's food is of paramount importance. She was feeding two children on her own and often felt overwhelmed. This goat milk came at just the right time.
That afternoon, I warmed up some goat milk and gave it to the two little ones to try.
The rich aroma of milk tantalized Yunxi, who eagerly put the spoon in her mouth and gulped it down. After finishing, she smacked her lips and waved her little hands, wanting more. Although Yan Qing was quiet, her reaction was exactly the same; she drank it mouthful after mouthful, much more smoothly than when she usually ate rice porridge.
The nannies also made fish paste and rice cereal, and gave the children a little of each. Except for the rice oil, which they disliked the most, the other dishes were added to their usual complementary food menu.
Looking at the children's satisfied faces, Yuezhi couldn't help but smile gently.
Thinking about who put their heart and soul into making this goat milk, a complex and indescribable emotion quietly crept into my heart, but I had already decided to let it go and not think about it anymore.
It's his way of showing goodwill towards the child; just accept it.
The next day, several burly men suddenly appeared outside her house, saying that someone had paid them three years' wages to work as guards, and that each of them was highly skilled, much more capable than the guards who were originally in her household.
Yuezhi knew perfectly well that besides Pei Heng, who else would do such a thing?
Suspecting that he was using the same old trick to send spies over again, she questioned the men about their backgrounds and even sent someone to their homes to confirm that they were locals with clean families. They were either elderly people who had left the escort agency or retired from the military due to injuries. When asked about their employer, they only said that it was a brokerage firm that arranged the deal, and that the money was paid in full at once. They knew nothing else.
Hearing their honest and hesitant answers, Yuezhi knew that Pei Heng had not revealed his identity, but had simply helped her choose a capable person.
She was silent for a moment, then sighed.
The house wasn't big, but her business was doing well, and most of her assets were kept at home, so it was inevitable that people would covet it. She did need someone to look after it, so she left a few people there.
Another day passed, and she was selecting clothes for her child from the box Pei Heng had sent. Her fingertips slipped through layers of silk and satin, parted a few pairs of tiger-head shoes, and reached the bottom, where she found a stack of stiff contracts and a heavy box.
She was startled. She unfolded the deed and found it to be the land deed for a five-courtyard mansion in Qingzhou City, near the Marquis's residence. It was the most valuable property in the city, and the name on it was clearly hers.
Upon opening the box, one finds a neatly stacked box of gold ingots, totaling five hundred taels, with a letter underneath.
"This is a gift I'm presenting to my nephew on his first birthday. I hope you are healthy, intelligent, and happy."
Yuezhi held the cold letter and the contract weighing over a thousand pounds, sitting alone for a long time.
She desperately wanted to forget him, but this all-encompassing, meticulous, and thoughtful "compensation" was like a gentle yet domineering net, silently casting its way down and firmly securing her and her children's lives, while also filling her heart with a bittersweet feeling and a sense of bewilderment.
She burned the letter and put the contract and gold ingots into the bottom of a box and locked them away.
Inside the courtyard, the nannies were holding children and basking in the sun, while outside, the newly arrived guards were diligently pruning branches and repainting the wood. Everything was peaceful and serene.
Pei Heng kept his promise and never appeared again, and news related to "Young Master Zhang" gradually disappeared from Qingzhou City.
Only at Yuezhi's door, people would occasionally come to deliver a newly broken peach blossom branch, a few freshly caught perch, a basket of fresh bamboo shoots, and several pots of camellias that had just been transplanted from the mountain, with the morning dew still clinging to the petals...
The people who came were all local elderly women, beaming with smiles and exceptionally enthusiastic because they had received a high fee for running errands.
When asked about their employers, the descriptions they gave were all very different, ranging from old to young, tall to short, fat to thin, and they didn't look like the same person at all.
Yuezhi gave up the idea of finding out the source from them and focused on her own little family, filled with surprises and vitality day by day, and her mood gradually improved.
Spring is getting brighter every day; tomorrow will surely be a sunny day.
*
In the inner courtyard of the Yu family, a maidservant hurriedly ran into the inner courtyard. Seeing the tightly closed door and hearing the lingering sounds inside, she hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door.
"Madam, news has arrived from home."
Hearing the sound, the commotion inside stopped. A short while later, a strong young man opened the door from the inside, put on his coat, and walked out quickly with his head down.
The maid was already familiar with the scene and entered the room as usual. Zhao Meier was wearing a red bodice, her legs were bare and she was hanging off the edge of the bed. Her cheeks were still flushed and her voice was languid.
"Was it a message from my uncle?"
"Yes, my uncle said he's short-handed and asked you to send some more capable people over there. If we go any later, there might be too many fishing boats at sea and it could cause delays."
"Understood." Zhao Meier swept her long hair back, raising an eyebrow. "I asked you to inquire about that Young Master Zhang. Any news?"
The maid shook her head. "Young Master Zhang only arrived in Qingzhou on the day of the birthday banquet. He stayed at the Yongding Marquis's residence for three days before leaving. He didn't do anything during that time, and I didn't find anything suspicious. He's been gone for over ten days, and nothing has happened here. He shouldn't be after us."
Zhao Meier nodded in relief, "That makes sense. Yu Shao's route is much safer than the previous trade routes. How would ordinary people notice it?"
"Should I go and deliver the message?"
"Go ahead, tonight."
Just as the master and servant had finished their agreement, a commotion arose outside the door, accompanied by spoiled complaints. The door was pushed open, and Pei Xuan'er walked in with a pout. She wasn't surprised to see Zhao Mei'er's disheveled clothes and plopped down on the soft couch next to her, looking unhappy.
"Cousin, you have to stand up for me!" Pei Xuan'er tugged at the handkerchief in her hand and began to pour out her grievances.
"That Liang Zhang is such a blockhead! I pester him every day, but he just uses official business to brush me off. He's either looking at files or patrolling the city. He doesn't respect me at all! I really don't know what Father was thinking, making me fawn over such a boring person!"
Zhao Meier frowned.
It turned out that she couldn't get the Qingzhou prefect's door open with money, so she had no choice but to ask her uncle for help. He invited the pampered county princess he kept at home, and even after she moved into his mansion, it was still to no avail.
The Sixth Prince was her uncle-in-law and Pei Xuan'er's biological father. Their mothers were sisters, originally from the same root, so she naturally couldn't bear to see Pei Xuan'er suffer.
"Tell me in detail how you want me to help you."
“Of course, you should get rid of that vixen first,” Pei Xuan’er replied immediately.
"Who?" Zhao Meier wondered.
"Who else could it be?" Pei Xuan'er was furious. "It's that woman who runs the pastry shop! Liang Zhang has never seen any other women before, but he's only interested in her. Just a few days ago, he was scolding the housekeeper at home, standing up for that Yue Niangzi. He has the time to stand up for her, but no time to go shopping with me!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She, a county princess, a woman of noble birth, was not as attractive as a lowly merchant's daughter.
Knowing that Yuezhi was in the way, Zhao Meier also recalled the times she had been humiliated, and her tone became even colder: "If it is this person, I can really help you deal with her."
"Really?" Pei Xuan'er's anger turned into a smile.
"Of course, you have no idea how annoying she is. She won't even take money from me, and she humiliated me in public at the Marquis's birthday banquet. I was just looking for a way to vent my anger."
The two exchanged a glance, their minds in perfect agreement.
Pei Xuan'er clapped her hands happily, "We have to teach them a lesson. A mere merchant girl and a local official, do they really think they can do whatever they want?"
Zhao Meier sneered, "Don't worry, something big just happens to happen tonight. I'll make sure that bitch knows what's what!"
*
Night falls at Qingzhou Port. A salty, damp wind blows from the sea, and several inconspicuous merchant ships are quietly moored in the shadows of the dock, gently swaying with the dark waves.
Under the dim lanterns, the boatmen, who were trying to make a living, waited for customers to come to them. Some of them occasionally glanced at the boats with sharp eyes.
Just then, a well-dressed boat captain walked over, sized them up, and said in a gruff voice, "You lot, come aboard with me! You'll get your wages!"
Several people followed the foreman onto the gangplank and entered the cargo hold of one of the merchant ships.
The cabin was filled with sacks, the air was stuffy, and there was a smell mixed with sea salt and the rust of metal.
"That's all. Move these to the cart over at the dock, and be quick about it!" The foreman pointed to the pile of sacks in the corner. The sacks looked heavy and thick, and it was hard to tell what kind of goods they contained.
The boatmen moved about in the hold, a strange smell wafting through the air. The men standing in the hold were unsteady on their feet, and before they could even lift the cargo, one after another they collapsed to the ground...
At this moment, outside a winery located halfway across Qingzhou City, Yuezhi closed the door and walked alone on the street carrying a lantern.
The family had just moved to a new house yesterday, and Cui Xianglan and her servants were unpacking their belongings. "Guard Liang" had a sudden idea and took Pei Xuan'er, who also loved "traveling and sightseeing," to the wild mountains outside the city. Just in case, he also brought Su Jingyun along.
The wine shop and the Honey Fruit Shop are just across the street. She is going to the Honey Fruit Shop to meet up with Huachun and then take a carriage back to their new home.
To save time, she took a shortcut through a quiet alley.
The alley was deep and secluded, with high courtyard walls on both sides. Her footsteps echoed in my ears, and the lanterns cast swaying shadows.
Suddenly, I heard a series of hurried footsteps behind me!
Yuezhi's heart tightened. Just as she was about to turn around, a rough, large hand suddenly appeared behind her, covering her mouth and nose, and a pungent, strange smell rushed into her nostrils.
She stared in terror, struggling desperately, and the lantern fell to the ground, going out instantly.
Since Lord Zhang became the prefect of Qingzhou, clearing up old cases and patrolling day and night, Qingzhou City has been very peaceful. In the months she has lived here, she has not encountered any local bullies or even petty theft. How come today...
Yuezhi's consciousness became blurred, and she collapsed to the ground, feeling as if she was roughly lifted up and shoved into a narrow, bumpy place.
She didn't know how much time had passed before she woke up with difficulty amidst a violent shaking and a damp, musty smell.
It was pitch black, with only a small window high up providing ventilation. Dim yellow light shone through the window, making it vaguely clear that it was a low, enclosed space. The air was foul and stuffy, and the sounds of suppressed sobbing and frantic breathing filled the air. Beneath me were cold wooden planks that swayed with the waves.
Is this on a ship? Inside the cabin!
Yuezhi coughed twice, feeling choked by the increasingly distinct smells of woman's perfume, sweat, and the salty smell of the sea.
She forced herself to sit up and looked in that dim light; her heart sank to the bottom.
There were a dozen or so women crammed together, some still unconscious, lying haphazardly; others had woken up, hugging their knees and trembling, their faces full of fear and bewilderment.
"Where is this?" a trembling voice, choked with sobs, asked, but no one answered her.
Yuezhi suppressed her fear and forced herself to calm down.
—Was she kidnapped? But there are so many women here, ranging from twenty to forty years old, and not all of them are stunningly beautiful. Some of them are clearly peasant women. What money could they possibly have? Why would they kidnap so many people?
"Let me out, sob sob sob..." The crying woman finally couldn't hold back anymore and staggered toward the cabin door, her voice interrupting Yuezhi's thoughts.
"Stop shouting." An elderly woman's voice came from the corner, unusually calm. "Save your energy. Shouting until your throat is hoarse won't do any good. It will only invite beatings and scoldings."
Following the sound, Yuezhi looked and saw a middle-aged peasant woman dressed simply, with a haggard face but bright eyes.
Upon seeing the wooden hairpin in her hair, Yuezhi realized that all her valuable clothes and hairpins were gone, and the other women had been robbed before even boarding the ship.
"Sister, what are we doing here..." Yuezhi asked in a low voice.
The peasant woman gestured toward the cabin wall and lowered her voice: "Where is this ship going? I don't know. How did the people get here? I guess they were all probably tricked or kidnapped."
She paused, her eyes revealing a disheartened despair. "The next compartment is full of men. Judging from the noise, they seem to be laborers. But in our compartment, they're watching us much tighter."
Just then, a harsh shout came from outside the cabin, and the sharp crack of a whip struck the man's body, causing him to groan in pain.
The women inside the cabin trembled with fear and fell silent.
The peasant woman's face paled even more. She pointed to the small window used for ventilation and said, "Just now, someone who was being restless resisted a few times, and this is what happened... You must never do what he did..."
Yuezhi recognized the voice and quietly straightened up. Looking out through the small window, she saw torches blazing in the larger space outside the cabin. Several fierce-looking thugs were brandishing whips and clubs, wielding long whips at a man tied to a frame.
The man's coarse cloth clothes were torn to shreds by the whip, his hair was disheveled, and his face and body were covered in blood, making him almost unrecognizable.
Ke Yuezhi recognized the clear facial contours beneath the drooping bangs almost instantly, and even though he was disheveled and bloodied, the image was still deeply etched in her heart.
It's Pei Heng!
Unable to distinguish between shock and fear, Yuezhi felt her limbs go cold, her hands trembling as she pressed them against the hatch, and she bit her lip hard to keep from screaming.
Outside the cabin, the sound of whips lashing flesh echoed one after another, a dull thud that sent shivers down one's spine.
The guard rudely berated him: "Damn it, you don't know what's good for you! Being favored by such an important person is a blessing you've accumulated over eight lifetimes! Stop pretending to be tough!"
"Pah! You look like a human but have a worthless bone in your body! You should come with us and serve the lady properly. You have your time to enjoy life, but you insist on making trouble here! We might as well beat you to death and throw you into the sea to feed the fish."
As Yuezhi listened and watched, her fingernails almost dug into the wooden board. She saw Pei Heng clench his teeth, and apart from the suppressed groans, he didn't even utter a single plea for mercy.
Why didn't he fight back after suffering such humiliation?
He is clearly... Even if he can't reveal his identity, he still has martial arts skills. If this continues, he will be beaten to death! Yuezhi's heart felt like it was being whipped, and she was in so much pain that she couldn't breathe.
"What kind of person do they want?" Yuezhi turned around abruptly and asked the peasant girl in a trembling voice.
The peasant woman lowered her voice, "I woke up early and overheard them chatting. It seems they're really short of people who know how to forge knives and especially how to train people..."
Forging swords? Training troops? Yue Zhi's heart tightened. Ignoring the risks, she rushed to the cabin door, pounded on the wooden planks, and shouted, "Heroes outside, please hear me out!"
The soft, melodious female voice was particularly noticeable in the cabin. A guard with a fierce face walked over impatiently and kicked the cabin door.
"What's all the noise about? You want to get beaten up?!"
Yuezhi suppressed her fear and pretended to be ingratiating, "Heroes, please calm down! I think none of you are mediocre people. That man outside, he, he is my younger brother. He has been stubborn since childhood and doesn't know how to be flexible. Please be merciful! He may not be good at anything else, but he is best at training soldiers and leading people. Back in our hometown, all the able-bodied men in the surrounding villages obeyed his orders."
The guard squinted suspiciously, turned around and looked at the young man who looked surprised when he heard the plea for mercy, and then stared at Yue Zhi’s disheveled but beautiful face through the small window.
"Training troops? How do you know? If he were that capable, how could he have ended up like this? You say he's your brother, what proof do you have?"
Yuezhi's heart leaped into her throat. She lowered her eyes and said, "I dare not lie to you, he is indeed my brother. He... has an arrow wound that runs from his back to his chest. It was left from the battle years ago."
She knew his body better than anyone else.
One of the henchmen standing next to Pei Heng casually ripped open his collar, revealing the arrow wound.
The guard stood by the small window, gesturing for her to continue. Yuezhi then said, "Our hometown is in the north. Unable to bear the barbarian invasions, we came to Qingzhou to visit relatives. However, we got separated on the way, and I only just recognized him. He is very skilled, but he has bad luck and is stubborn and refuses to bow his head, so... I beg you, sir, to spare his life. Perhaps he can serve you?"
The guard stared at Yuezhi for a long time. She was beautiful and had a temperament unlike that of an ordinary woman. He then glanced at Pei Heng outside, who had a tall frame and a deep-set face, and believed that they were "siblings".
The guard yelled at one of the thugs, "Drag this kid away and find a doctor in the area to take a look at him. Don't beat him up! We also need to take him to see the boss!"
Yuezhi watched as Pei Heng was untied and dragged away, feeling utterly exhausted. She slid to the ground, her back soaked in cold sweat.
"Consider yourself lucky, kid. You have a kind older sister pleading for you, which is somewhat useful." The two thugs threw the man into the cubicle and slammed the door shut.
The cubicle was next to the one next to it. Yuezhi could not see him when she got up. She could only see the bloodstains on the ground where he had been dragged. She was even more worried and could only plead with the guard.
"Good sir! Please, let me go see my brother! He's so badly injured, he'll die if no one takes care of him! This is all I have that's worth some money, please have mercy!"
She took off an old, somewhat blackened silver bracelet from her wrist and eagerly handed it over.
The guard glanced at it and sneered, "This paltry sum of silver, are you trying to give a beggar a penny?"
Yuezhi gritted her teeth, grabbed the bracelet, and slammed it against the door frame. The silver outer layer caved in at the impact mark, revealing the brilliant golden interior.
She pleaded urgently, "Please, please make an exception!"
The guard's eyes lit up. He took the bracelet, picked up a dagger, and pried open the old silver skin, revealing a solid gold bracelet. He weighed it in his hand, estimating it to be at least three ounces, and smiled with satisfaction.
"I didn't realize you were so shrewd. Alright, for the sake of gold, I'll let you and your siblings have a little reunion so you can look after each other."
As he spoke, he unlocked the hatch.
Yuezhi stumbled out and entered the dimly lit, cramped cubicle, where a stench of blood mixed with mold assaulted her senses.
The young man lay motionless in the corner, his body soaked in blood, as if he had lost his breath.
"Aheng?" Yuezhi's voice trembled as she rushed over and knelt beside him, her hands shaking so much that she didn't dare touch him.
He can't die!
Putting aside old grudges, he was still a diligent and benevolent emperor, beyond reproach. Moreover, he had no nominal heirs to date. If he died here, the Great Zhou, which had only been stable for a few years, would immediately fall into a bloody struggle for the throne, and the world would be in chaos!
Tears streamed down her face. She stopped trembling, tore off her relatively clean undergarment, and carefully wiped the blood off his body, her voice trembling with sobs.
"Wake up, don't die..."
Just as her fingertips were about to touch his face, the young man's faint, almost inaudible voice reached her ears.
"Sister, don't cry... I'm alright..."
Yuezhi's crying stopped abruptly, and she stood there stunned.
The voice was intermittent, carrying a gentle laugh, comforting her: "Flesh wounds... they look scary, but it's nothing... I've suffered many injuries like this in my younger years, and it doesn't hurt anymore..."
Yuezhi blinked, and hearing that he was thinking clearly, she gradually realized: he was faking it! Pretending to be an ordinary person who didn't know martial arts, he didn't seem as badly injured as he appeared!
She immediately breathed a sigh of relief and almost collapsed to the ground.
At that moment, the young man beside her, who was "severely injured and about to die," moved weakly, his head and shoulders naturally resting on her bent legs and nestled against her lower abdomen, letting out a long, relieved sigh.
Yuezhi stiffened, instinctively wanting to push him away, but when she looked down and saw his blood-stained profile and slightly trembling eyelashes, her heart clenched again. She bit her lip and let him lean on her.
The compartment was deathly silent, with only the creaking of the boat rocking in the sea.
There were many things Yuezhi didn't understand, but surviving was the most important thing right now. Listening to the other breathing sound, her body gradually relaxed, and her hand, which was resting by her side, found a more comfortable position, placing it on his shoulder and gently smoothing his long hair.
The young man, who had remained silent and unperturbed even when whipped, now buried his face in her lower abdomen, looking forlorn.
Under the cover of the dim light, a trace of moisture seeped from the corner of his eyes, and all his emotions melted away in her warm embrace.
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