The Marquis Yuyang’s Mansion had long been taken under governmental control. Thus, Shen Zhen had moved herself, Zhen Hong and the few servants who had remained with her to Zhaoxing Lane, which was in the southernmost part of the City of Chang’an. It had the cheapest courtyards to rent, since most of the people living in the neighborhood were simple commoners.
When Shen Zhen finally came home after yet another bad day, she was welcomed by the sight of Shen Hong drinking medicine from a bowl.
Retainer An, who had preferred to die than to be separated from her young masters, was caressing his back, cooing to him affectionately.
“Oh, my little master, don’t be in such a hurry. You might choke. Drink it slowly. Slowly, now.”
Shen Hong wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his robe, raised his eyes and, immediately, the light in them returned.
“Third Sister is back”, he shouted in bliss.
Shen Zhen stepped forward, extending a trembling hand, and caressed Shen Hong’s hair, her heart tightening painfully.
Shen Hong had always been a clever child. However, he had been born frail and was plagued by sickness. Whenever winter came, he became a small container for medicine. He would be eating medicine the way some children ate sweets.
Shen Zhen slid her hand to his cheeks, squeezing them with affection, playing the sensible big sister.
“Drink your medicine like a good boy and then, off to bed.”
Their courtyard was very small. In fact, there were but two rooms to it. Ever since they had moved in, she had been hearing intermittent, weak coughing coming from the second room. Even with her eyes closed, she could imagine Shen Hong shriveling up on himself, covering his small mouth with his hands, doing his best not to make a noise.
Thinking about this, Shen Zhen took him to bed and covered him from head to toe, tucking him up like their mother would have.
“Sleep”, she whispered into his tiny ear.
Shen Hong had always considered his sister a sort of deity. He listened to her every word and obeyed her without ever questioning. Thus, he closed his eyes at once … Just that, a child was a child. His pretending to sleep did not go unnoticed. His eyelids quivered. His eyelashes, so long and fine, fluttered like butterfly wings.
Shen Zhen knew very well that he was scared. How would he not be? Too many sad things had happened in his short life. Sneaking her hand under his covers, she reached his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. Adopting the tone of a mother, since that was what this sister had been for him ever since their mother’s death, she made him a promise.
“I will stay by your side until you fall asleep. Now, take it easy and do not worry about anything.”
Hearing this, Shen Hong’s frown softened and he turned to the side, grabbing one of Shen Zhen’s fingers.
Once Shen Hong had fallen asleep, a cool breath caressed Shen Zhen’s nape. An hand grabbed onto her wrist.
“Miss, please come with this old slave”, Retainer An said.
Entering the next room, Retainer An produced a square box she placed in front of Shen Zhen.
“At noon, someone dispatched by the Eldest Miss came to give this. Let us take a look.”
With trembling fingers, Shen Zhen opened it. And immediately, the blood left her face. She felt like she had heard the string in her heart that had been pulled over and over again in the last month snap with a dull noise. How could she not recognized the objects in the box?! Gold. Silver Jade. All part of Eldest Sister’s dowry. Just looking at it made tears spring to Shen Zhen’s eyes.
Retainer An looked at Shen Zhen’s silent sobbing and her heart swell to the point it was hard to breathe. The jewelry the Eldest Miss had sent had been selected by the Marquise Yunyang herself. It has already been three years the Marquise had died. That was the first misfortune than had befallen the Marquis Yunyang’s household.
At the beginning of that year, the Eldest Miss, Shen Ran, had fallen into a lake by accident and a certain Li Di, a poor family’s son, had saved her. Since the proper distance between men and women had not been maintained, Shen Ran had been forced to marry into the Li household. And at the end of that year, the Emperor bestowed the Second Miss, Shen Yao, to a Uighur prince, giving her the title of princess in the process and sending her off to the steppes. Immediately after the Second Miss had left, the Marquise had gotten down with an infectious disease that had caused an epidemic in the capital. And she had passed away just like that.
Retainer An had been serving the Shen family since the age of fifteen. For the last thirty years, she had witnessed firsthand the Shen family becoming a Marquis’s Household. But who would have thought that one careless act would make thirty years of hard work crumble.
Squatting down, she pulled Shen Zhen into her arms, her lips pressing against her ear.
“The Eldest Miss had someone tell this old slave to relay a message to the Third Miss. Rather than pawning everything off, it is better not to repay the debt at all.”
Shen Zhen raised her eyes, shuddering in horror.
“Then what does Eldest Sister propose that I do with this?”
Retainer An shot a glance around her before shushing Shen Zhen to continue.
“The Eldest Miss wishes so send the Miss and the Hong’er out of Chang’an tomorrow. There are some legal documents hidden at the bottom of the box. Once you arrive at the city gates, you are to find an officer surnamed Xu. He is going to help you out of gratitude towards the Marquis who has been very good to him. He will be easy to recognize since he has a scar at the corner of the eye.”
Shen Zhen could but stare in amazement. Although she had reached the end of the rope, the idea of escaping had never even grazed her mind. After all, how many people were actually after her?! She was surrounded by beasts, with wolves in front of her and tigers behind her. How could she even think of escaping?!
Retainer An read the thoughts off of Shen Zhen’s face and continued.
“I will set fire to the front of the courtyard. That will prevent people from entering while you and Hong’er take advantage of the night to run. We will have Qingxi dress in your best clothes and she will cover for you. Once you are out of the city, you will not look back. You will never come back to Chang’an in this life. What do you say?”
The more she heard, the more it sounded wrong to the ears. Shen Zhen could not help ask what was dearest to her heart.
“What about Wet Nurse?! What about Qingxi?!
“This old slave as well as the Xi girl are nothing but servants. Even if the government were to come for us, what would happen? We would just be sold again. But the Miss and Hong’er are different. That loan contract makes no sense. However, we cannot get to His Excellency, the Marquis, and ask him about it. Selling the two of you off would be like casting you to the beasts.”
It would exactly be like having sheep enter a tiger’s mouth. The thought of it made Retainer An shake her head. She could guess every word Shen Zhen would utter and she was not ready to let her speak. Some things were better left unspoken to boost one’s morale.
Stretching out her hand, this loyal servant stroked Shen Zhen’s eyebrows and smiled, her eyes read. She had brought this child up. She had coaxed her into happiness when she had cried as a baby. And she had brushed her hair when she had become a young girl.
Sixteen years had passed so fast. To some, sixteen years were a short period of time. To others, they were a lifetime.
She was really reluctant to just let her go out in the wild without any protection. But there was no other choice. Retainer An stared at Shen Zhen for a long while, as if to carve the image of her into her heart, knowing she might never see her again.
“This old slave knows the Third Miss has always been a fretful little thing. But this cannot go on. You must stay strong from now on, whatever happens. For our lad Hong’s sake.”
After a long while, after having cried and whimpered against one another, Shen Zhen left Retainer An and went to abandon herself to a restless night of sleep.
9th Day of October, Noon.
Shen Zhen left for Baihua Lane as she would have for any other day. Her missing a day of business, especially so close to the deadline to that loan agreement, would have appeared suspicious. She had to keep on acting the way she would have usually.
When it was almost noon, a little man in a blue robe walked into the shop, bowed respectfully and engaged conversation.
“The Young Master of our family has asked me to come fetch the cosmetics he had purchased yesterday.”
Shen Zhen jumped to her feet at once, ready to welcome a customer.
“Has Lord Lu ordered you to come?”
Xiao Xiao good-naturedly nodded his head.
“Yes.”
Shen Zhen stepped forward, handing him a box of cosmetics.
“Here. These are all the products.”
However, before she let him leave, she opened a cabinet to retrieve another painting by Master Chun Zhi and added it to the box, albeit it was not part of the purchase.
She had originally planned to pawn Master Chun Zhi’s art off for some petty money. But she was leaving Chang’an that very day. Since the things in the shop could not be taken away by fear of attracting attention, it was better to leave at least this painting to the Lord who had had the mercy to help her once.
After this episode, another guest appeared in Baixiang Pavilion, one that was most unwelcome. Shen Lan, dressed in a long red cloak, the collar made of white fox fur, the very image of a proper Chang’an lady, stepped through the door, raising the veil covering her face.
“Aunt has come?” Shen Zhen stood once more.
Shen Lan approached, letting herself fall down on a mahogany stool, inlaid with blue stones. Facing Shen Zhen, she frowned in false worry.
“Zhen’er! Tomorrow is the tenth day! Are you truly planning on signing a selling contract to pay off that debt? Do you realize where you are going to end up if you do? Would you rather sell yourself than trust your aunt?!”
Shen Zhen looked down and nodded. The closer they got to the point everyone wanted to bring up, the more Shen Zhen had to accept the fact she would have to put on an act to pacify her aunt. She clenched her fists, a mixture of rage and fear.
“Zhen’er knows Aunt will scold her for being ungrateful. But, Aunt, Prince Teng and father have never dealt well together. He terrifies me.”
Shen Lan, carefully listening to her words, quickly interjected:
“Silly child, you have an aunt! What are you so afraid of? If you were to be truly persecuted, would your aunt just stand by and watch?!”
A month ago, had she been told she had an innate talent for acting, Shen Zhen would have laughed it off nervously. It was in the direst situation that one discovered hidden facets of oneself.
“Zhen’er, if you were to enter Prince Teng’s household, you would have more than just your aunt to rely on. The whole Suning Count’s Estate would stand behind you and support you. Helping the Suning Estate advance would increase your own standing and give you more power wherever you went. You should take this into account as well, don’t you think?”
As her aunt said her piece, Shen Zhen just lowered her head and in the smallest of voices, she dared to plead with Shen Lan.
“If Aunt promised to keep Hong’er, Zhen’er would obey Aunt wholeheartedly.”
Upon hearing her niece’s words, Shen Lan could finally put some worries to rest. She was so reassured she actually gave a short laugh.
“Hong’er is also my darling nephew. I will be taking him in to live with us at Suning Mansion from tomorrow onward. It will be more comfortable for him to live there. He shall be greatly cared for, cossetted and fed all sorts of good things. Whenever you will want to see him, you will just have to tell your aunt.”
Shen Zhen gave Shen Lan a most sincere look, a mixture of gratitude and relief. But her heart was as cold as ice. Her aunt’s words appeared kind enough at first glance. But the only reason for Count Suning to keep a little beggar like Zhen Hong would be to use him as a trading chip to threaten Shen Zhen. Having Shen Hong ensured they always had a means to control her and make sure she did their bidding..
Shen Zhen became more aware than ever that if she did not make an attempt to save Hong’er and herself that very evening, by tomorrow the two of them would become fish on the chopping board, only good to be slaughtered by the avaricious.
As the evening approached, the sunset died the surroundings in a frightening blood-red light.
While Shen Zhen and Shen Hong were changing back at their courtyard, Qingxi softly whispered into her mistress’s ear:
“The Miss should remember not to follow official or waterside roads. No one should be able to guess your whereabouts at any time.”
Her voice trembled in grief, fully aware of the dangers her Young Mistress and the Little Master would face.
As soon as they stopped discussing their plan, dull noise rose from the streets. It was the beating of drums. A signal announcing the curfew was about to start. The City of Chang’an had strict laws concerning the curfew. As soon as the markets closed, the sound of drums would inform the pedestrians it was time to return home as quickly as possible. Once the sound of the six hundred mallets and drums throughout the city would stop, the streets were to be cleared. At that moment, all the gates leading in would also be shut for the night.
The time had come.
Retainer An wrapped a cloak around herself, hiding her hair under a hood. Lighting a piece of wood, she slowly stepped out of the house. The sky was dark as were the surroundings. Retainer An carried the burning piece of wood towards a makeshift campfire setting made of dry wood and hay right by the front yard. She threw the torch onto it and looked at it going up in flames.
On the other side of the yard, Shen Zhen grabbed onto Shen Hong’s tiny hand, bent over and rushed out their hiding place and into the streets. Shen Zhen did not dare turn her head. She just desperately ran through the streets, trying to reach the city gates in time. Even with her back turned to the courtyard, she had the impression she could feel the thick fire washing over her. But as soon as Shen Hong started coughing from the strain of running, Shen Zhen halted. Stooping down, she stroked Shen Hong’s back.
“Do you want us to take a break?”, she asked, on the brinks of a breakdown but nonetheless trying to project the image of an omnipotent elder sister.
“Third Sister, I can bear it, do not worry.”
Shen Zhen pulled his clothes under his nose, whispering:
“Keep your mouth closed while you run. Try to breathe through your nose as much as possible. If it gets unbearable, squeeze Third Sister’s hand as hard as you can. Do you agree?”
Shen Hong nodded obediently, only making his sister’s heart heavy with sorrow. Such a small child, doing his best to act as an adult … He shouldn’t have been so reasonable, yet had he not been, their plan would have failed before they had started putting it into effect.
Living in Zhaoxing Lane, they were close to Anhua Gate, in the southwestern part of the city. The two of them slid against dark walls until they finally reached the aforementioned gates. However, the scarred officer was nowhere to be seen. As times pasesd, Shen Zhen’s anxiety peaked. She could not help but turn around, fear gnawing at her loins.
That is when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Shen Zhen looked back swiftly, only to see a group of soldiers standing at a short distance from them. The world seemed to have come to halt at that instant. The next moment, the cold wind roared by her, cutting through her figure like an axe.
The sky was dark. Snowflakes were twirling all around her, falling heavily on her face. As they melted along her cheeks, they eerily looked like tears.
She saw a man advance on horseback, jump down into the snow, pass through the thick crowd and walk towards her unhurriedly.
His eyes were deeper and darker than she had ever seen them, piercing through Shen Zhen, not even the smallest a spark of mercy in the midst of them. Opening his lips ever so slightly, he asked in his deep voice:
“Where does the Third Miss think she is going?”
