Ah Luo was unaware of the apparent changes that had taken place in the imperial court. She was now a snail curled up in its shell. She behaved herself, staying comfortably with Seventh Mistress and Xiao Yu in the small house. Seeing as they had food, it would not matter if they did not step foot outside for half a year.
In the first few days, soldiers came and knocked on the door. Xiao Yu had gone and opened the door with her hair combed into a married woman’s style. With her black outfit and wrinkles plastered deliberately on her face, she looked ten years older. The soldiers did not question much, merely opening the portrait and glancing at it, then left. Ah Luo had taken Seventh Mistress to a secret door and hid under the house’s artificial hill. They came out quietly after the soldiers left.
Only four servants and an old housekeeper were left in the house to keep watch. Ah Luo had given clear orders long ago that they were not allowed to enter the backyard. The owner of the house was not here, the backyard was deserted without anyone cleaning it, and the secret door was made cleverly. After they dodged the initial inquiry, no one would bother them anymore.
Everyday, Ah Luo would teach Seventh Mistress and Xiao Yu how to play Fighting the Landlord from cards that she had made. They would play after eating and eat after playing, then take a nap and continue after waking up. The three of them had a great time. When they were tired of playing Chinese poker, they would read books. Ah Luo’s favourite book was on the national cultures and customs of each empire. The chronicles on the Ning Empire’s local places were read until they turned into rags. She sighed. Even when she was at university, she had never read a book like this.
Every night was uneventful, with Seventh Mistress embroidering under the lamplight and Ah Luo telling stories. As long as she could think of it, she could tell of all the movies, dramas, novels, and jokes that she had seen and heard all over the world one by one. Seventh Mistress and Xiao Yu would listen fascinatedly and often asked Ah Luo where she had learnt of these things. Ah Luo would recall things from the modern times. At this time, facing Seventh Mistress and Xiao Yu, she had even less misgivings and would gesture animatedly. Seventh Mistress and Xiao Yu would listen to her as though she was telling fairy tales.
When Ah Luo sat in the backyard alone, thinking of Liu Jue, she could not help but sigh. She did not know if he had vomited blood from anger yet. Recalling every fun thing that had happened, she could not help laughing. In this way, five months passed by peacefully and quietly. Ah Luo sighed to Seventh Mistress and Xiao Yu, “We are in a prison that we had created ourselves.”
It was uncertain whether it was because Seventh Mistress and Xiao Yu were simply used to staying inside four walls in the Minister’s residence or what, but they were not irritable in the slightest. Ah Luo finally decided to drop into town and take a look.
This day, she changed into a male outfit. Just like her male disguise in the past, she darkened her face and hands. She strutted with large steps into the house. The old butler was shocked and shouted with joy, “Young Master has returned!”
The four young servants rushed over and looked at Ah Luo eagerly and curiously. Ah Luo thought that the best people in this world were the commoners, they did not scheme. They were especially sincere. She smiled and said, “Uncle Fu, I just came over from the west to buy goods. I haven’t come for a long time, it must have been difficult for you.”
Uncle Fu was so happy that his beard trembled with joy, “What is Young Master talking about? Even though you were not here, you gave me so many silver taels and you did not mind me bringing my family here to live with me. Where else could I find a master like this?”
Ah Luo chatted with Uncle Fu as they walked into the main hall. The entire place was very clean and neat. It seemed like they had cleaned everyday and Ah Luo felt moved. Uncle Fu and the others had not slacked off from their work just because their master was absent. She sat down on the master’s seat and a servant immediately served fragrant tea with a very respectful attitude. Ah Luo could not help but say, “I have forgotten your name.”
The young servant smiled shyly, “I’m Cheng Yong, did Young Master forget?”
Ah Luo had bought the four of them from a slave market, all of them saying that they were homeless and abducted by human traffickers. Ah Luo had put things right for good* and given them names. This young servant was the third one and was named Cheng Yong. At this moment, Ah Luo smiled. It really was for good, it was easy to remember and sounded nice.
Ah Luo smiled and Cheng Yong stared. Uncle Fu patted him on the head, “Don’t be impolite, staring at Young Master like this. Go and do your duties.”
Hurriedly stopping Uncle Fu, Ah Luo smiled and said, “He is only younger than me by two or three years and I have only just turned 15.”
Uncle Fu smiled gently and looked at Ah Luo, “Will you be having lunch here?”
“Okay, I haven’t been here for a long time. I’ll eat here today.” Ah Luo wanted to hear if Uncle Fu and the others knew anything about the situation in Feng City.
Not long after, Uncle Fu’s wife cooked many dishes, filling the whole table. Uncle Fu smiled when he saw Ah Luo eating very well. While she ate, Ah Luo asked Uncle Fu, “Have there been any major events in Feng City lately?”
“I heard that Emperor An Qing has returned from the town at the border. His Majesty decreed that it was time for him to go home and enjoy a peaceful retirement. Prince Li was sent to the border town in his place.”
Ah Luo nodded. Zi Li had finally taken control of the army. She feigned ignorance and asked casually, “I heard that the Third Miss in the Minister’s family was abducted, the one engaged to the An Qing Palace. Has she been found yet?”
“Oh , Young Master, you have no idea. At that time, everyone inside the city was very nervous. As long as they were female or young boys, anyone who entered and exited the city were interrogated. Portraits were posted everywhere and those who found them would be rewarded with ten thousand gold. I heard that many people brought girls to the Prince’s Palace and claimed that they were the Third Miss of the Minister’s Family, yet they were all kicked out. It was said that the Young Prince was so angry that he charged over three hundred hills southward, killing dozens of large and small groups of bandits.”
“Oh, it seems like this Young Prince is head over heels in love with the Third Miss of the Minister’s family.” Hearing this, Ah Luo felt touched. There were not many people in this world who cared about her so much.
Uncle Fu was simply a gossip hub. Who knew how much he had heard through the grapevine over a cup of tea or a meal. He became more and more enthusiastic, “It appears that Emperor An Qing’s family are all hopeless romantics. The old Emperor himself only married one princess. The Young Prince preached that he would not marry until he found the Third Miss of the Minister’s family, whether she was alive or dead! I also heard that he was granted the title of General Ping Nan for the sake of avenging the Third Miss by eliminating the bandits in the South!”
Ah Luo chuckled, thinking to herself that it was more likely due to something else that he had gained the title of General Ping Nan and made such a bad excuse. She asked Uncle Fu, “Then is there anyone still looking for the Third Miss now?”
Uncle Fu shook his head, “Half a year has passed already and after another half, it would be impossible to save her. After falling into the bandit’s hands, the Third Miss of Minister Li’s scholarly family must have committed suicide if she had not yet been killed.”
Ah Luo’s heart skipped a beat. After eating, she said to Uncle Fu, “I’m going to take a walk in the city. Allow Cheng Yong to come with me.”
Hiring a sedan chair, Ah Luo brought Cheng Yong out of the house and headed straight to the South Gate. As they passed the city gate, Ah Luo lifted the curtain to peek outside and saw people bustling through the gate without being interrogated by the lazy guard. She pursed her lips into a smile and felt very happy. She instructed Cheng Yong, “I am very curious about the Third Miss of the Minister’s family. Go quietly, see if you can find any portraits and let me have a look.”
Cheng Yong smiled and said, “They were long gone. Exposed to the wind and sun, nothing was left of them after they broke down a long time ago and there have been no new ones. It appears that too many people went to the Minister’s residence and the Prince’s Palace so they were tired of it.”
When they returned to the house, Ah Luo took out a silver note and gave it to Uncle Fu, saying, “Uncle Fu, I’m taking a trip south and it may take a long time. This for the house’s expenses.”
Uncle Fu took a look, “Young Master, this is five thousand taels. Why would we need so much here?”
Ah Luo sighed, “Uncle Fu, you are growing older. Let me speak frankly to you. When I leave this time, I may not come back again. If I don’t return after two years, sell the house. Think of all the money gained from it as the pension I’m giving you.”
Uncle Fu’s eyes turned red, “Young Master, you are so nice to people. My wife and I have no children and we have not done anything for you here. I will keep the house here so that one day when you come to Feng City, you will have a place to stay. This money will be enough to use conservatively. It’s just that Ah Yi, Ah Lao, Ah Yong, and Ah Yee won’t have a home. Please don’t sell them off.”
Ah Luo smiled and said, “Uncle Fu, how could I sell them off? Just let them stay here. If I don’t return, it will be time to help them have their own families. Teach them how to make a living and maybe in the future, I will still have the opportunity to come and visit you all.”
Uncle Fu said firmly, “Young Master, we will await your return. Although you have not come many times and have never stayed here, this is also your home.”
If it were not for the dangers that Feng City brought, Ah Luo felt that Uncle Fu and the others were truly good people. She agreed with a smile. When she left, she gave Uncle Fu another silver note. Calculating the amount of money she had left on her, she still had more than 30,000 taels. It was enough for them to hurry to Lin Nan City and meet Madam Zhang.
The next day, Ah Luo, Seventh Mistress, and Xiao Yu hired a carriage and left Feng City. She would never have guessed that Liu Jue was staying in Lin Nan City at this time.
Once they were out of Feng City, they finally heaved a sigh of relief. The three of them travelled along the main road with Ah Luo always dressed in a man’s outfit. All three of them wore plain clothing, just like they were a family going home. Ah Luo teased Xiao Yu, “From now on, call me husband! You are my wife.”
Xiao Yu replied cleverly, “Yes, husband.” Ah Luo chuckled.
There were thirty cities between Feng City and Lin Nan City. There had not been a war for many years and Liu Jue had cleared out all the bandits on the road. The people were simple and honest, no one would pocket anything they picked up off the road.
They were in no hurry and when they reached a city, they would stay for ten days up to half a month. In some places, they would stay for a few months, enjoying the scenery, eating delicious food, visiting the temples and burning incense, and looking at the scenery. Two years passed by in this carefree manner and they still had yet to reach Lin Nan City. Ah Luo grew another head taller and she never slacked off in practicing her karate. After disciplining herself for so long, she not only moved faster but her body was very healthy. She taught Seventh Mistress and Xiao Yu to practise yoga, so now they only liked to eat vegetarian and not meat. Ah Luo laughed and said, “Good for saving money!”
By now, Ah Luo was 17 years old and she had lost the immaturity of childhood. Being outside for more than two years, her skin had changed from its original pale colour to a healthy wheat colour. In men’s clothes, she was elegant and handsome. Xiao Yu would often stare dazedly then pounce on her and call out, “My husband!”
Ah Luo asked Seventh Mistress, “Mother, do I still seem like the Third Miss in the Minister’s family?”
Seventh Mistress smiled and said, “Similarly, your eyes have not changed, but your temperament and skin colour are completely different!”
Ah Luo was very happy. She planned that once they arrived at the border city, she would start to show off her Chinese boxing skills in the name of Mister Cheng.
*TN: “Putting things right for good” in Chinese is “一劳永逸” (yi lao yong yi). Ah Luo took a character for each servant’s new name. For the sake of this novel, the second ‘Yi’ has been written as ‘Yee’.
