Chapter 64: Such a Show-Off

More than ten miles outside the capital of Southern Zhou lay a village called Apricot Tree Village. It was not small, but so remote that it was nearly deserted for over twenty years. Yet, wherever there is land, people will come. Soon after, a few refugees fleeing famine arrived and settled. These people were honest, paying their taxes annually without need for reminders.

Later, another twenty or so arrived, taking wives and raising children, and Apricot Tree Village slowly regained its vitality.

Behind the village stretched an endless range of mountains.

On a flat expanse at the mountain’s base, more than fifty mounted riders thundered across the ground.

“Keep the formation tight!” shouted Nan He.

To one side, over twenty men watched from horseback; at their center was Yang Lue.

Ahead stood a line of archery targets.

“Loose!”

The fifty-odd riders released their arrows in unison.

With sharp thuds, the targets were soon bristling with shafts.

“How was that?” Nan He asked, a touch of pride in his voice.

Yang Lue replied calmly, “Some are quite talented, but all too young. What our lord needs are allies, not novices. Soon, take them to raid a shipment—there must be blood.”

“Yes, sir!” Nan He nodded. “If they don’t raid and plunder, these pups won’t survive anyway. By the way, aside from these adopted orphans, our own sons must taste blood too.”

“It’s time,” said Yang Lue. “After all these years, of the original twenty guards who followed me to Southern Zhou, only one died of illness; the rest have all settled here. Remind them not to forget His Majesty and our lord.”

“They won’t!” A shadow darkened Nan He’s eyes. “Those usurper father and son are nothing but monkeys in crowns. One day, we’ll storm the gates of Chang’an and hang them both.”

From the direction of the village, a lone rider galloped toward them.

“A letter.”

Yang Lue first checked the seal, then removed the scroll inside.

He unfolded it and read slowly.

After a long moment, he looked up, unable to hide the joy in his eyes.

“What good news?” Nan He asked.

Yang Lue pressed a hand to his brow. “Our lord has been appointed County Commandant of Wannian.”

“Excellent!” Nan He beamed. “At this rate, it won’t be long before our lord commands his own territory. As long as we have a foundation, we can rise step by step.”

He paused, puzzled. “But unless it’s for extraordinary merit, how could one leap from Officer of Unruly Affairs to County Commandant?”

Yang Lue’s eyes glinted. “It seems our lord saved the imperial consort of the pretender.”

He spurred his horse forward.

“Begin drills!”

“Follow me, maintain formation!”

The fifty-odd orphans, raised since childhood by Yang Lue and his men, answered as one and charged ahead.

That afternoon, they gathered together, listening to lessons from Yang Lue and the others.

“To be a general…”

The lesson ended.

At supper, Yang Lue asked, “Do you remember who gives you food?”

The fifty orphans raised their heads proudly. “The lord!”

“And what must you do?”

“Serve the lord to the death!”

Outside, the twenty-odd former imperial guards sat in silence.

Each gaze was filled with longing—

And bloodlust.

As if a crimson curtain had descended.

…

Han Ying and Wang Shun had spent several days in jail.

“My lady…”

Wang Shun heard distant prisoners crying out their grievances and shivered with fear.

Han Ying sat, her eyes vacant.

“Vomiting and diarrhea is one thing, but now someone’s dead—this won’t end well,” Wang Shun said, growing more distressed as she patted the straw. “If only we hadn’t forced Young Master Yang out of the business. With him backing us… even if there was a death, he’d have found a way to help us.”

Han Ying spoke softly, “He gave me only two choices: either I leave, or he leaves. What was I to do? Offer myself to him? But look at the pride of that maid beside him, as if serving him was the highest honor…”

Wang Shun choked up. “I’d have done it, but he wouldn’t have me.”

Han Ying fell silent.

After a moment, Wang Shun said awkwardly, “Should I… my lady, should I go offer myself? Maybe then Young Master Yang would save you.”

Han Ying pressed a hand to her forehead. “Stop dreaming.”

Wang Shun bowed her head, dejected. “If only you’d gone back home, my lady.”

“I won’t go back,” Han Ying replied coldly. “Mother treated me like a piece of goods to be sold, all for money. I’ll earn a fortune myself, then go home and ask if they still want to sell me.”

“Didn’t your brothers try to stop her?” Wang Shun asked.

Han Ying lowered her head. “No.”

She looked up, sniffing. “Women are worthless, but I believe I’m worth something. Maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll marry into a noble household one day.”

Wang Shun unwittingly crushed her hopes. “My lady, nobles marry those of equal status. Ordinary girls—even if they enter such houses—can only hope to be concubines.”

“Can’t you say something encouraging?” Tears finally slipped down Han Ying’s cheeks.

Days of terror burst out at once.

Clang!

The prison’s gate was flung open.

All the prisoners shrank back.

Only Han Ying and Wang Shun, the newcomers, remained seated.

Their sobs echoed off the stone.

“If anyone saves me, I’ll marry them!” Wang Shun wailed through her tears.

Footsteps approached.

There seemed to be hesitation.

“Release them.”

Han Ying looked up, incredulous.

Wang Shun’s head snapped up, wild with joy. “Heaven has heard my prayers…”

Yang Xuan turned on his heel and left.

Later, Han Ying and Wang Shun found themselves at the Yang residence.

“The matter is clear now,” Cao Ying received them in the front courtyard. “Someone poisoned the food, but it would only cause vomiting and diarrhea.”

Han Ying couldn’t help but ask, “Then why did someone die?”

Cao Ying replied, “The one who died was already fatally ill—sent to die, in fact.”

Understanding dawned.

Wang Shun was puzzled. “Who would set us up like this?”

“Silence!” Han Ying cut her off and asked, “Please ask Young Master Yang what will become of the Yuanzhou Noodle business now?”

Even knowing that the poisoning likely had something to do with Yang Xuan, Han Ying could only swallow her resentment.

Cao Ying, already instructed by Yang Xuan, replied, “You may run Yuanzhou Noodles on your own. The Yang family won’t interfere, but you may not use our lord’s name from now on. Otherwise…”

Han Ying rose and bowed. “Please tell Young Master Yang I am willing to work for him.”

Cao Ying shook his head. He saw that this blow had finally awakened the woman—the ‘beating by society’ the lord had spoken of. No matter what people think, without backing, it’s a crime to make a fortune, whether you’re a woman or a man.

With a thud, Han Ying knelt.

“I’m willing to sign a contract.”

Cao Ying asked with amusement, “As a hired hand?”

Han Ying nodded.

“Go, then.”

There could be no instability near Yang Xuan.

“Women are fickle,” Zhu Que concluded.

Yang Xuan, hearing Cao Ying’s report, felt no regret over losing a beauty.

Yi Niang, however, assumed he would and tried to comfort him. “My lord, women will come—many will come.”

Old Wang squatted nearby and muttered, “Are they tasty?”

Glutton! Old Thief, squatting beside him, snapped, “Women are for the bed, not the table.”

There was a knock at the front gate.

“Go see who it is.”

Yang Xuan thought his followers were a bizarre lot: one who lived for meat, a grave robber, a man who seemed a gentleman but was crueler than any rogue, and a kindly woman who turned out to be a master of palace intrigue, able to kill without leaving a trace…

Ah!

Old Thief rushed in, holding a folded sheet of paper.

“My lord, Han Ying said that if I dared read this, the only path left to me would be suicide.”

“What is it? Let me see.” Loyal Cao Ying prepared to test it for poison.

He glanced at it.

And froze.

“What is it?” Yi Niang, though she hadn’t played palace games for more than a decade, knew the Daoist temple was no gentle place—without skill, she’d have been cast out long ago.

Cao Ying silently handed her the paper.

“What is it?” Zhu Que’s curiosity blazed.

Yi Niang read it.

And was stunned.

Yang Xuan’s curiosity was piqued. “What is it?”

“My lord, this woman… she’s ruthless.”

For Yi Niang to call someone ruthless, Yang Xuan guessed she must be a killer without remorse.

He took the paper and glanced at it.

It was a declaration.

The beginning was innocuous, but at the end—

—“I willingly become a servant of the Yang family.”

Cao Ying murmured, “If she’s so determined not to return home, her family must be a pit of vipers.”

Yi Niang pondered. “There must be someone to serve at your side, my lord, but not her; she’s unstable, perhaps even a hidden danger.”

“With a child, what harm could she do?”

“What do you know!” The two began to argue.

Yang Xuan rose.

“If that’s the case, putting her in charge of the business is suitable.”

He needed someone to manage affairs. With no one at his side, all those moneymaking schemes he’d learned remained untried.

Cao Ying and Yi Niang were both taken aback.

Yang Xuan went to his chamber.

“A woman’s heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea!”

Cao Ying exclaimed, “My lord, what a splendid saying!”

Yi Niang smiled in relief. “If you understand that, my lord, I’m at ease.”

Han Ying stood in the courtyard, her eyes blazing.

“My lady, are you mad?” Wang Shun thought Han Ying must be crazy. “Even without work, you’re so beautiful—surely you could marry well, better than becoming a servant!”

Han Ying was silent for a long time.

At last, she said, “Young Master Yang could have easily cast me out and seized Yuanzhou Noodles for himself. Instead, he handed over this goldmine without hesitation—I’ve never heard of such magnanimity. I’m betting on his vision, that he can make room for a woman like me to rise to greatness.”

Cao Ying emerged.

“Go home and think it through. If you’re certain, come sign the contract tomorrow.”

Han Ying nodded without hesitation.

That night, she slept soundly.

But the Yang household was restless.

Yang Xuan had just lain down when Old Thief’s voice drifted in, as surreptitious as a thief in the night.

He missed the first call.

“My lord.”

Damn, he really did sound like a thief!

Yang Xuan went out and found Old Thief crouched by the door, very much like a thief. “Why are you whispering?”

Old Thief replied, “I was afraid to disturb you, my lord.”

Yang Xuan blinked, then kicked him in irritation.

“A bunch of old hands!” Zhu Que was quite excited.

Old Thief, clutching his backside, whispered, “My lord, something’s off outside.”

Yang Xuan looked up at the night sky. “How many?”

Old Thief shook his head. “Don’t know.”

He added, “But I sense trouble, and not a small one.”

To the right, the swish of garments cut through the air.

Yang Xuan murmured, “How flamboyant…”

“Have they all forgotten I was once the best hunter in the mountains?” He stretched out his hand.

“Bow and arrows!”