Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Distress
Lu Chen dismounted and went straight into the east courtyard.
As the sun was setting, the lights were on all around the corridor, but the house was still pitch black.
Lu Chen was in a relaxed mood and didn't notice anything unusual.
He took a few steps up the stone steps, raised his hand to close the door, lowered his head and smiled, then tentatively pushed the door lightly.
The wooden door then opened, and the room was quiet, with no lights on.
Lu Chen was stunned for a moment, and an inexplicable chill rushed up his spine. He instinctively had a bad premonition and immediately rushed into the inner room.
After walking around the lattice and taking in the situation clearly, he froze in place for a moment.
The inner room was deserted, completely empty. The bed and bedding were neatly folded, the dressing table spotless. Pulling one layer open revealed his jade lock. The next layer down contained the account book key, and on top lay a piece of paper.
It's Zhe Rou's handwriting.
Lu Chen's heart suddenly sank, and he inexplicably felt a sense of fear.
Gritting his teeth, he reached out to take out the letter, tore open the envelope, quickly glanced at the contents on the paper, and then clenched it suddenly, his joints crackling.
What did the letter mean? Was it what he understood?
She left?
She actually left!
She left Shangjing so quietly and abandoned him!
She didn't even take a penny of his salary, and only took away the jewelry and savings she brought from Taozhou.
Gradually coming back to his senses from the shock, Lu Chen clenched his jaw, his vision blacking out in anger.
Okay, what a good girl.
I just want to break up with him completely!
For a moment, filled with hatred and rage, Lu Chen smashed the bronze mirror on the table. The sharp edge instantly cut the back of his hand, and blood flowed down. However, he could no longer feel the pain. He turned around and strode out of the main hall, shouting, "Lead the horse!"
Rushing out of the mansion, Lu Chen jumped onto his horse, whipped it, and headed straight for Zhe Rou's medicine shop.
Not long after, Xiaochan heard the noise in the shop and went out to greet him, "My dear."
Seeing that she was still there, Lu Chen grabbed the reins with one hand, his eyes bloodshot, and asked sternly, "Where is Xiu Xiu?"
Xiaochan was bewildered and confused. "My lady, she said she had something to do and asked me to wait here."
Lu Chen's heart suddenly sank, as if someone was gripping it tightly, causing a sharp twisting pain.
She was alone, without even Xiaochan, and she didn't have much money on her. Where could she go?
It's only been a month since she had a miscarriage. How much suffering will she have to endure on the road without anyone to take care of her? Stupid!
"What's wrong with her lately? Has she ever mentioned where she wants to go?"
Xiaochan guessed that something had happened and shook her head in panic.
"When did you arrive at the pharmacy? When did she leave?"
"It seems...it seems around 9:00 PM..."
They left at 9:00 PM, which was less than five hours ago. If they were to return to Taozhou by the official road, they would have traveled at most a hundred miles. If he rode his horse all night in pursuit, he should be able to catch up.
Lu Chen glanced at the sky and knew that in two more incense sticks, the city gates would be locked.
Without even a moment's pause to inquire about the carriage's whereabouts, he turned his horse and galloped to the North City. The heavy city gate was slowly closing before his eyes. The gate officer saw someone forcing their way in and quickly raised his halberd, intending to stop them. "Who dares to do this!"
Lu Chen was already extremely anxious. He suddenly drew his sword and pushed away the long spears on both sides, shouting angrily: "Get out of here!" Without waiting for the city gate captain to react, he led his men on horseback and rushed out of the city gate.
As the night deepened, he galloped along the official road, but there was no sign of the woman along the way. The more he looked, the more panicked he became, and he couldn't suppress his hatred and anger. He was afraid that she might meet with an accident on the road, but he also blamed her for abandoning him cruelly.
Where are you, 妱妱?
The burning pain in his heart almost burned through his skin and flesh, burning throughout his body. He only wished he could catch the man back immediately and never let him leave his side again.
I kept chasing until dawn, when a faint morning light appeared in the distant sky.
After searching for a whole night, they were about to stop. Lu Chenfang suddenly felt weak in his hands and feet. Although he still didn't feel hungry, he had not eaten or drunk anything for seven or eight hours.
The horse beneath him was drenched in sweat and snorted heavily. A fishy smell filled Lu Chen's throat, and his vision went dark.
Calculating the distance she has walked, there is still no sign of her. She must not have returned to Taozhou.
I never went back to Taozhou in the north...that means I was determined not to let him find me.
Lu Chen closed his eyes and clenched his teeth in hatred. His fingers gripped the reins with such force that they turned white and his joints crackled.
Wait till he finds it, wait till he finds it...
The veins on his solar plexus were throbbing rapidly, and Lu Chen had a nearly splitting headache. He could only force himself to focus his mind and think about where she had gone.
She was a cautious and thoughtful person. Since she was traveling alone to an unfamiliar place, she would most likely take the more stable and safe water route, and would probably choose a canal boat instead of a foot boat.
If it were a canal boat, everything would be easy.
Leaving the Ma Xing Street Pharmacy, the nearest ferry is the Bianhe Ferry behind the Daxiangguo Temple.
With her pace, it would take her about two incense sticks to walk there. She would leave at the beginning of the Si hour and arrive at noon at the latest. She was in a hurry to leave Beijing, so she would not wait at the ferry for long. She would definitely leave as soon as there was a boat. Even if she went to other ferries, unless there was an accident, she would only take the returning boat before the Wei hour.
By this calculation, it shouldn't be difficult to find.
Lu Chen took a breath and paused, then called Pingchuan in a hoarse voice, saying quickly, "Go check the carriages and footpaths near the pharmacy. Are there any single women taking carriages to the Caoyun Ferry around 9:00 yesterday? If so, ask for their appearance and where they were going, and bring the porter back to me!"
Pingchuan responded immediately, turned his horse around and hurried away.
Immediately, Lu Chen turned to look at Nan Heng, holding his breath, and said quickly: "Bring your men, take my name card, and say that we are tracking down the remaining bandits. Go to the Gangyun Division and check the files of yesterday's grain transport boats. Bring me the ones from the Bianhe River ferry. For the other three grain transport ferry crossings of Caihe, Guangji, and Jinshui, from the time of Si to Wei, within three hours, all the public inspection books that have been checked must be screened for me! Don't look at names and hometowns, just the body shape and age. As long as they are similar, report them all to me, quickly!"
Nan Heng's expression became serious, and he took the order and rode away.
As he watched the few people walk away, Lu Chen's eyes suddenly went dark. He could no longer hold on and fell heavily from the horse.
"My dear!"
"General!"
Lu Chen could vaguely see the vast sunlight above his head, but he could not hear any sounds around him. It was as if all the strength in his body had been drained away, leaving only waves of severe pain in his heart. The pain was so severe that he had to curl up his back slightly and hardly dared to breathe.
妱妱……
It was clear that from the beginning to the end, she was the only one in his heart, so how could she be so cruel? How could she abandon him like this?
**
After sailing together for two days, Zhe Rou gradually became familiar with Ye Yian. In the evening, when they went to the deck to fetch water, they would exchange a few words when they met.
After a few visits, Zhe Rou learned that Ye Yian was the son of a merchant family in Chuzhou. He went north to take the imperial examination this year, but unfortunately failed. Now he is returning home by boat.
She simply pretended to be a widow who had been bullied by her husband's family and could no longer live in the capital, so she planned to go south to find a way to make a living.
Ye Yian was quite sympathetic and asked with concern: "Forgive me for being so rude, Madam Shen, you are all alone, how are you going to survive?"
Zhe Rou smiled and said, "I know a little bit about medical skills. It shouldn't be difficult to make a living by selling medicine and practicing medicine."
Ye Yian's eyes suddenly lit up, "Madam Chen, where are you going? I have a medicine hall in my home in Suzhou."
Zhe Rou thanked him with a smile and was about to say she was going to a place even further away than Suzhou when she suddenly heard a series of strange noises coming from the river not far away. Someone exclaimed in surprise, "What's that noise over there?"
Everyone was originally joking and chatting, but when they heard this question, they all fell silent for a moment and craned their necks to look towards the river.
Night fell, it was late, the light on the water was dim, and all she could hear was the sound getting closer. Zhe Rou raised her head and saw a fishing boat breaking through the water in the distance, with its sails hoisted high and full of wind. It was moving very fast and was approaching in the blink of an eye. Standing on the bow of the boat were several burly men, half-naked and with fierce expressions.
The guards on duty reacted suddenly, turned around and shouted: "River bandits! It's river bandits! Draw your weapons!"
The sound was like water being poured into a frying pan. The boatmen and sailors all picked up their weapons and rushed to the side of the boat. The passengers on the deck screamed and fled in all directions.
Ye Yian didn't care about etiquette, he grabbed Zhe Rou and said hurriedly: "Hide quickly, get into the cabin!"
Although Zhe Rou had never encountered bandits, Taozhou was located on the border, and Qiang soldiers often came south to "plunder the valleys." The situation was probably similar, so hiding was not an option. There were only a few places on the boat, unlike the mountains. How could he hide without being discovered? If he wanted to save himself, he had to leave as soon as possible while the chaos was about to break out.
As she ran towards the cabin, she pondered a way to escape. "This stretch of river isn't far from the shore. There's a sampan at the stern. I can lower it. While the boat is in chaos and the darkness is covering us, I can row to shore and be safe."
Unexpectedly, Ye Yian suddenly showed his pedantic temper at this moment, shook his head and refused, saying: "The pirates are after money, not life. I have books that cannot be lost, Madam Shen, please leave!"
Before he could finish his words, there was a sudden loud bang, and the entire boat was shaken violently. Zhe Rou lost her balance and was about to fall forward. Fortunately, Ye Yian supported her in time, and she was saved from a heavy fall.
Before she could stand firmly, she heard a few clapping sounds. Several planks had been placed on the side of the ship. More than ten shirtless bandits rushed up on long boards. They drew their swords and chopped at the men they saw. Soon they were fighting with the canal soldiers.
Ye Yian was shocked by the scene before him, "Why, why, why..."
Zhe Rou grabbed him and ran towards the stern of the boat, saying calmly, "Get the sampan!"
Ye Yian came back to his senses and nodded hurriedly.
Unexpectedly, when the two men ran to the stern and were about to lower the sampan, some pirates noticed their movement and chased after them with knives in hand.
They could only turn around and run into the cabin to shake off the bandits behind them. The two of them then worked together to drag the long table over, blocked the door, and blew out the candles.
From time to time, the sounds of shouting and killing could be heard from outside the cabin. It was obvious that this group of pirates were extremely ferocious. The canal soldiers and boatmen were no match for them and were quickly killed and scattered. Dozens of pirates were walking back and forth overhead, and the wooden boards were stepped on with a creaking sound that made one's teeth ache.
Zhe Rou clenched the hairpin in her hand, her chest heaving rapidly, and her whole body trembling.
The pirates were after wealth and usually only robbed the passenger ships. Once they provoked the imperial grain ships, they would definitely try to steal salt and grain. But she was on a ship that was returning after unloading grain, so how could she attract the pirates' attention?
Just as he was pondering this, a fierce, gruff voice boomed overhead: "There's a single woman who's boarded a ship in Shangjing. She's about twenty years old, slender, with lychee eyes and mountain-like brows. She's pretty, with delicate skin and tender flesh. She's a beauty. Have you ever seen her?"
Zhe Rou was stunned for a moment, her eyes wide open in shock, and she subconsciously looked at Ye Yian. They could read shock, confusion, and unspeakable fear in each other's eyes.
Listening to this description, it was clearly talking about her... Then, were these pirates actually coming for her?!
How could this be?
She was completely puzzled and couldn't figure out how she could be involved with pirates thousands of miles away.
"You don't know or you won't tell me? Watch out, I'll stab you six times and throw you all down to feed the turtles!"
"Grandpa, spare me! Grandpa, spare me! I really didn't know..." Before he could finish his words, a scream was heard, accompanied by a muffled thud, as if someone had fallen to the ground.
He asked a few more people, but none of them knew. Another pirate said, "Hey, Fourth Brother, is your tip reliable? Are you sure it's on this boat? We don't have much time. I'm hanging my head on my hakama, so I'm going to take a gamble!"
The man cursed with a rough voice, "Fuck you! When have you ever seen me do something wrong?! I'll search the entire ship thoroughly. I don't believe we can't find it! You little bitch, are you really going to rebel?"
The pirates quickly dispersed and searched around, and the sound of a heavy object hitting the hatch not far away was heard.
Zhe Rou was horrified, knowing that hiding here was not a solution. She had no choice but to gamble her life. She hurriedly stood up and walked to the window. Just as she was about to escape, she pursed her lips and looked back.
Ye Yian gritted his teeth, pressed his back against the cabin door, and whispered, "Mrs. Shen, please leave!"
Zhe Rou thanked him softly, and without hesitation, she lifted her skirt and climbed out of the low window of the cabin. She walked back carefully and found the small sampan under the canal boat. She gritted her teeth and jumped down resolutely.
Unexpectedly, the boat had not gone far when it was discovered by a pirate on the boat. The man turned around and called his companions, then quickly rushed to the side of the boat, jumped into the water, and chased after her.
The thief was an excellent swimmer and soon caught up with them. He suddenly overturned the boat and Zhe Rou was caught by the wrist by the thief, unable to break free.
Suddenly choking on a mouthful of water, Zhe Rou forced herself to calm down in panic, tightly grasped the hairpin in her hand, and stabbed it wildly. The thief suddenly felt pain and cursed angrily, "You little thief". The strength in her hand loosened a little, and Zhe Rou took the opportunity to push it away with all her strength, wanting to go back to look for the sampan.
But she was born in the north and was not familiar with swimming. She struggled to paddle a few times, but soon she ran out of breath and became weak all over. She choked on water while floating and slowly sank into the water.
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