Chapter 6: Perilous Situation
The change came even faster than Guo had anticipated. Before the group could find a place to stay, the pursuers pounced.
Liu Jun and Lu Jing hid among the reeds, watching the pursuers knock on doors and ask questions, their hearts sinking deeper and deeper.
Although they occasionally helped these villagers, they were still strangers with whom they had little connection. Why would the villagers risk their lives to cover for them?
Sure enough, pursuers had already found the Lu family home and were ransacking it.
Fortunately, Guo took her female relatives to the surrounding towns to shop during the day; otherwise, she would have attracted even more attention and would have fallen into enemy hands sooner or later.
Suddenly, Liu Jun's breath hitched, and his gaze fell on one of the soldiers.
“Lu Jing,” Liu Jun said in a low voice, “I remember you’re good at swimming?”
Lu Jing nodded.
“I have something extremely dangerous and important that I need you to do. Listen carefully.” Liu Jun looked at him intently. “We two will be discovered sooner or later. It would be better for you to escape first and find the old lady and the madam as soon as possible. Tell them not to worry about me, to take care of themselves, and to wait for news from Father.”
Lu Jing firmly said, "I'm just a lowly slave, I'd rather go out and distract them..."
He had a sudden inspiration, "Or I could wear the young master's clothes..."
“It’s no use,” Liu Jun said with a wry smile. “I saw the servant who followed my aunt. He’s probably betrayed us. He’s busy pointing people out to him.”
Seeing that the pursuers had emerged from the Lu family compound, Liu Jun decisively said, "If you still consider me your master, then do as I say. Otherwise, not only you and I, but also Grandmother and the others will perish here. The Liu family of Zhongshan is a prestigious clan, and Liu Qiao will not easily break off relations or harm my life, but if the women fall into the hands of the marauding soldiers, who knows what will happen to them... You must leave quickly!"
Before he could finish speaking, he pushed Lu Jing into the water, pinched his thigh hard, and choked out a sob.
Immediately, pursuers heard the noise and came looking for him. They saw a beautiful little boy hiding in the reeds, sobbing. They immediately shouted, "Liu Bao, come and see if it's him!"
Liu Jun trembled as he crawled out of the water. Upon seeing Liu Bao's face, he cried out, "Master Liu, why did you team up with these bad people to harm me!"
Since his reincarnation, everything has gone smoothly for him. Because of his precocious talent, he is valued by his elders. Liu Jun feels both ashamed and amused. He often suppresses the smugness he feels from being praised by others and repeatedly reflects on himself, constantly reminding himself that he is over twenty-five years old in both his previous and current lives. He is not a child prodigy, and he is even stricter with himself than in his previous life.
Now, in order to survive, I'm pretending to be insane and acting crazy. This kind of hysteria and disregard for dignity is something I've never done before in two lifetimes, and I feel an inexplicable sense of exhilaration.
Liu Bao was filled with shame. It turned out that he was the martial arts instructor who taught Liu Jun riding, archery and boxing. He was captured on the way to escort the Hua family and agreed to the task of identifying his former master in order to save his life.
Seeing the young master crying his heart out, and noticing the disdain some people around him were showing, Liu Bao, remembering the main purpose of his trip, took out his sword and held it to Liu Jun's neck, saying, "Quickly, tell me, where is Madam Guo?"
Yes, wives and children can be remarried and reborn, but parents can only be one pair, especially in the Jin Dynasty, where filial piety was the foundation of governance. Therefore, to coerce a man as upright as Liu Kun, one had to first kidnap his parents.
Of course, being able to capture his eldest son was an unexpected bonus.
After roughly estimating Lu Jing's walking strength, Liu Jun pointed shakily to the north.
Sima Xiao's original palace had become Liu Qiao's camp. At first, Liu Jun was thrown to the ground like a sandbag by the rebels, and a soldier even kicked him a few times.
This was the first time in his two lifetimes that Liu Jun had suffered such humiliation, and he even found it somewhat novel.
The words of comfort to Lu Jing just now were somewhat suspicious of extorting him. Although Liu Qiao shares the same surname as the Liu brothers, he has always been at odds with them. It is unknown what kind of person he is, or whether he would lay a hand on the elderly, weak, women, and children.
So what if I die here? I'm already a dead man anyway.
With that thought in mind, Liu Jun simply changed his position, lying down with his arms bent and looking around. Before long, the child, exhausted, fell asleep.
When he woke up, someone had already untied him and brought him a bamboo mat, which made him feel relieved—it seemed that Liu Qiao did not intend to make a deadly enemy.
After waiting a short while, voices could be heard. The man who entered amidst the crowd was wearing armor, but his demeanor was arrogant and haughty. Judging from his behavior, he seemed like a wealthy nobleman.
Liu Jun stood up and bowed, "Baron of Anzhong County".
Seeing that he was neither humble nor arrogant despite his young age, Liu Qiao gave him a proper look and said, "I am the governor of Yuzhou appointed by the emperor. If you don't know how to address me, you can call me Governor Liu."
Sima Xiao's appointment as governor of Yuzhou was made by Sima Yue, not by imperial decree, which is why Liu Qiao refused the appointment.
But everyone knows that he doesn't actually respect that foolish emperor; he's just unwilling to hand over his territory.
The Jin dynasty, which once unified the Three Kingdoms, has fallen to this state. Even Liu Jun couldn't help but sigh, "Jun is just a young man and doesn't understand the ins and outs of this matter. He only knows that now that war has broken out again, countless more people will suffer."
Liu Qiao laughed loudly, "You're quite eloquent."
He turned and went out, signaling the soldiers to escort Liu Jun to follow him. After walking about a hundred paces, they arrived at a prison cart covered with burlap, through which a figure could be vaguely seen.
Liu Jun already had a guess in his mind, watching Liu Qiao smugly have someone reveal it.
Inside was none other than Liu Fan, Liu Jun's grandfather!
He was disheveled and covered in wounds; where was his usual noble and elegant demeanor?
Liu Jun was furious, but before he could explode, he suddenly remembered the bloodshed in Nanque in his previous life and Guo's earnest teachings, and he managed to hold back.
Seeing the child's stiff shoulders and tightly pressed lips, clearly filled with anger yet remaining silent, Liu Qiao was slightly surprised, but his smugness only intensified. He laughed loudly, "So you can know that your father has already fled north with the Prince of Fanyang, abandoning his family behind. Liu Yueshi, you call yourself a hero, but in the end, you couldn't even protect your father and your own children. How laughable!"
While he was spouting his nonsense, Liu Jun had already looked around and noticed many people in high-ranking official robes. He knew that Liu Qiao's entourage consisted not only of advisors and guests, but also of many officials from outside the court. He sneered, raised his head, and looked at Liu Qiao coldly, saying, "Publicly, my grandfather was the Protector of Huaibei of the court. Privately, both our families are members of the former Han imperial clan. If we trace our lineage, even I am your uncle. Without an imperial edict, one cannot serve as the Governor of Yuzhou. So, since you also lack an imperial edict, how can you use private torture on an official appointed by the court, even imprisoning him in a cage?"
As he spoke, he walked to the prison cart, ignoring the swords that were almost touching his face. “Respecting the elderly is a virtue, and honoring the elderly is a good deed. My grandfather is old and needs someone to take care of him. I beg the Magistrate of Anzhong County to have compassion and lock me up with my grandfather so that we can look after each other.”
After that, he remained silent, but knelt down, his posture pleading, yet his spine remained ramrod straight.
You yourself were once a subject of Wei, and to receive such a bow will surely bring you ruin sooner or later.
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