The Sixth Year of Shenchu
Escape from the Xie Mansion
Leaving the Xie family and starting a new life is an exhilarating event for every newborn calf.
A whole night, Alai tossed and turned, unable to sleep, imagining all sorts of things after dawn and the freedom that would come with completely breaking away from the Xie family.
As the sky began to lighten, Xiaoshi woke up, gently opened the window to take a look, and saw the two house slaves responsible for guarding them sleeping in the corner with drool flowing from their mouths. Xiaoshi pushed the door open and went out. The house slaves immediately woke up upon hearing the noise, but Xiaoshi swiftly delivered a knife-hand strike to the back of their necks. They didn’t even have time to make a sound before they fell back asleep.
Alai, clutching a bundle, poked her head out from behind the door and said joyfully, “Mother, that move is amazing! I want to learn it!”
“With your current strength, you can’t do it yet. But don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of time in the future.” Xiaoshi pressed on her back, cautiously looking around. “Let’s go!”
Uncle Dong had already prepared the cart for the New Year gifts. The final box was tied up last night, and they had to set out early this morning to make the journey.
The cart was on the west side of the back gate of the Xie Mansion, just a wall away from the room where Alai and her mother stayed, making it convenient for them to reach it. In the early morning of midwinter, with ice and snow everywhere, the entire Xie Mansion was dark, and all noises were covered by the howling wind. Alai and her mother smoothly reached the cart, half-emptied a box filled with dry goods to hide inside, and quietly waited for Uncle Dong’s arrival.
South yard of the Xie Mansion, the coachman’s room.
The burnt-out oil lamp had long since cooled, just like Uncle Dong’s corpse lying on the ground.
He still held a wine cup in his hand, and from his wide-open eyes, one could still read the shock and fear he felt before his death.
The door was half-open, and a gust of wind blew it, making it bang and shake as if it would shatter at any moment.
Alai’s head suddenly dropped, waking her from a fuzzy dream.
She dreamed that the cart was rushing out of Qixian, and outside Qixian, it was springtime with flowers in bloom. She picked a flower and gave it to her mother, who smiled brightly at her.
But when she woke up, she saw that they were still in the dark box, motionless without any signs of bumping. The cart hadn’t set off yet?
Xiaoshi slightly opened the top of the box to look outside, a beam of light reflected in her eyes. Alai saw her visibly startled, immediately closed the box top, and sat back down.
“What happened?” Alai asked urgently.
“Shh.” Xiaoshi gestured for her to be quiet.
From a distance came the sound of footsteps and horse hooves. Alai listened intently as a group of people and horses quickly approached the cart with the New Year gifts.
“It’s really unlucky to have to run all the way to Dongchun in this cold weather. The old fellow died at the wrong time.”
Alai found this young man’s voice familiar but couldn’t place it. But no matter what, this person wasn’t Uncle Dong. Then, the voice she least wanted to hear sounded impatiently:
“Get lost now if you want to. I’ll just consider it as one less useless dog to feed.”
Xie Suishan?!
Alai felt as if struck by lightning. How could Xie Suishan be here?
Xie Suishan was on horseback, wrapped in a fur coat and animal skin hat, leaving only his eyes visible. The slave who had complained quickly apologized.
Xie Suishan glanced at the cart with the New Year gifts. There were three horses in total, and the cart was loaded with boxes of various sizes. Ever since he could remember, the gifts sent to Dongchun every year before the new year had only increased. His father had always valued maintaining relations with the Dongchun clan. The road to Dongchun was full of winding mountain paths, which were very slippery and dangerous in winter. Only Uncle Dong had the driving skills to make the trip safely.
This year had been nothing but bad luck. Not only was there a refugee incident, but Uncle Dong had suddenly died of excessive drinking just after the cart had been prepared. Originally, the matter of the New Year gifts had nothing to do with Xie Suishan. But as soon as Uncle Dong’s death was reported, his mother had rushed to his room in the middle of the night, dragged him up, and told him to take the gifts to Dongchun!
His mother said that Uncle Dong’s sudden death left his father unable to find a replacement in time. The gifts had to be delivered before the year-end. He had just made a big mistake, and his father’s anger had not yet subsided. If he volunteered to deliver the gifts, his father would surely look at him differently, and the refugee incident would be forgotten over time. More importantly, the Dongchun clan was full of high-ranking officials. If he went to show his face and build relationships, it would greatly benefit his career in the future.
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His mother’s words made sense, so even though Xie Suishan was lazy, he had no choice but to take his followers, prepare provisions, and set off in a hurry.
Their casual conversation made Alai and her mother, hiding in the box, extremely anxious.
Could the old fellow refer to Uncle Dong? Could Uncle Dong be dead?
It was possible. If something hadn’t happened to Uncle Dong, Xie Suishan wouldn’t be here. It seemed he was going to replace Uncle Dong in going to Dongchun.
Xiaoshi tightened her grip on Alai’s hand, signaling her to stay calm and watch how things unfolded.
Actually, it didn’t matter whether it was Uncle Dong or Xie Suishan delivering the gifts. As long as the cart left the city and traveled for half a day, they would be out of Qixian’s jurisdiction. By dusk, they would definitely look for a place to stay, which would be the perfect opportunity to get off the cart. Even if they weren’t in Nanpu yet, it wouldn’t matter. Xiaoshi seemed to have been planning to leave the Xie Mansion for a long time, as she had saved up quite a bit of silver. They could hire another cart to continue to Nanpu. The heavy snowfall would also help hide their tracks, even if Xiaoshi’s legs and feet are inconvenient, making it difficult for Xie Suishan to find them even if he realized they had escaped.
Alai forced herself to calm her pounding heart, waiting for the cart to move.
Xie Suishan tossed a stack of gift lists to the slaves and told them to check the labels on the boxes. Once everything was verified, they tied the ropes through the holes in the box bottoms, secured them to the cart, and prepared to set off.
Just as Xie Suishan’s mount took two steps, a group of slaves rushed out from behind the horse team, running swiftly.
“Hey! Where are you going!” Xie Suishan asked curiously, stopping them.
“Answering Young Master, Xiaoshi and her daughter have escaped. The master has ordered us to capture them immediately!”
“They escaped?!” Xie Suishan raised an eyebrow. The very thought of this unlucky mother and daughter made him furious. He hadn’t found a chance to deal with them yet, and they dared to escape. “Weren’t there people guarding their door? How could they escape?”
“Answering Younger Master, the guards were knocked out by them.”
“Useless dogs! Can’t even keep an eye on a cripple and a child! What’s the use of you!”
The slave reporting this had no words, only enduring the scolding.
Wait, a cripple?
Xie Suishan thought it strange: “The Xie Mansion is guarded front and back; it’s not easy to leave quietly. Moreover, that crippled woman can’t run fast. If they escaped on foot, the Xie family’s horses can catch up quickly. This pair must have planned this long ago. If you chase recklessly, you will come up empty-handed.”
“Please, Young Master, enlighten us!”
Xie Suishan slowly looked around the Xie Mansion. His horse turned in a slow circle, and finally, his gaze fell on the cart full of large boxes.
Such large boxes could hide many people, let alone two.
Xie Suishan laughed heartily, his long sword drawing from his waist, shouting, “Come! Open all the boxes! I want to see who can stop me from killing these self-destructive scum!”
“Yes!”
At Xie Suishan’s command, the slaves quickly began roughly opening the boxes at both ends of the cart, turning the well-packed gifts into a mess. If the box was full of dry goods, they stabbed it with swords to check.
The sound of boxes hitting each other was loud. Xie Suishan swayed lightly on his horse, waiting for the biggest two boxes to be opened, squinting his eyes, anticipating a satisfying scream.
The two boxes were opened simultaneously, searched, and found empty.
The searching slaves, who had thought like Xie Suishan that Xiaoshi and her daughter would be in there, exchanged puzzled glances when they found nothing.
Xie Suishan frowned. Did he guess wrong? But a cripple and a little girl couldn’t have quietly slipped out of a courtyard full of guards. He dismounted, gripping his sword, and stabbed forcefully into the largest two boxes. Confirming no one was hiding inside, he was about to feel puzzled when a heavy box lid flew from the side, hitting him square in the face. Xie Suishan cried out and fell back, caught by two slaves.
It turned out the mother and daughter had not hidden in the largest boxes but in the less noticeable small ones.
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“You two…” Xie Suishan, his face covered in blood, pointed at Xiaoshi, who had just shown her head, and began to curse. But before he could finish, Alai leaped out of the box and kicked him hard in the chest, making the three of them fall to the ground.
As Alai’s kick landed, Xiaoshi had already crawled out of the box, grabbing a rock from the ground to knock out the two attacking slaves.
No one had expected this usually quiet mother and daughter to be so formidable. The surrounding slaves hesitated to get closer.
These scum were so bold! Xie Suishan was furious, struggling up and shouting: “Dogs! What are you waiting for! Capture them now!”
“Yes!”
“Mother, let’s fight our way out!” Alai picked up the long sword that Xie Suishan had dropped, protecting Xiaoshi with one hand while skillfully wielding the long sword, charging towards the main gate of the Xie Mansion. A few house slaves tried to block them but were forced back by the imposing blade.
Xiaoshi gritted her teeth and charged forward. She understood that as slaves, escaping privately gave the master full rights to dispose of their lives. At this moment, they were desperate and could not afford to be captured here.
But Alai was small and weak. If she were alone, she might rely on her agility to break through the siege. However, carrying her crippled mother made it impossible to fend off a dozen well-trained strong house slaves. Xiaoshi said to Alai:
“If I am captured, you must hold Xie Suishan hostage and escape the city. Do not come back to save me! Mother has her own way to escape. Do you hear me?”
Alai, swinging the long sword continuously, was agile and fast but ultimately lacked strength. Gradually losing her energy, she barely managed to fend off two house slaves’ left and right attacks. Hearing Xiaoshi’s words, she urgently turned back and said, “Mother! I can’t…”
In that brief moment of distraction, a long sword came at her back. Xiaoshi pulled Alai aside, grabbing the sword with her bare hands. The slave holding the sword couldn’t move it forward. This crippled woman had such great strength, even surpassing him!
Standing nearby, Xie Suishan was completely shocked that this mother and daughter had martial skills. Although the surrounding house slaves were numerous, they were cautious and hesitant, failing to capture the two. He drew a sword from another person and shouted angrily:
“Useless things! Kill them! Do I have to do it myself?!”
Someone whispered in his ear: “Young Master, don’t be angry! Master Xie ordered us to capture them alive without harming their lives.”
Xie Suishan, his nose bleeding like a red beard, shouted: “What?! Slaves escaping is a serious crime, deserving of skinning and dismemberment. My father still wants to keep them alive?!”
As he spoke, he saw Alai and her mother had already reached the gate. Pushing aside those trying to stop him, he rushed out.
Why was his father so lenient with this mother and daughter? Could the rumors be true that Alai was to be included in the Xie family genealogy? What a huge joke! As long as he was alive, he would never allow it! Today, they must die here!
“Young Master! No! Young Master!”
Xie Suishan, blinded by rage, had a group of people trying to stop Alai and her mother while also trying to restrain him, causing chaos. In a fit of anger, he stabbed a house slave blocking him in the abdomen.
“Anyone who blocks me will end up like this!”
The house slaves, unable to harm Xie Suishan or disobey Master Xie’s orders, provided an opportunity for Alai, who swung her sword more fiercely, kicking open the gate guards and rushing out with Xiaoshi.
Ah Xun had spent the entire night outside, inspecting and recording the situation of the gathered refugees, preparing to discuss it with her father.
Her carriage stopped in front of the mansion gate. Hearing the sounds of fighting and weapons inside, she tightened her grip on her whip, lifting the curtain and asking, “What’s going on?”
With an exclamation from the accompanying maid, Ah Xun had not yet seen what had happened when a dark shadow rushed towards her in the dim morning light, directly pushing her back into the carriage.
The whip in Ah Xun’s hand was about to be swung but was immediately grabbed by someone with great force, making it impossible for her to retrieve it. In the narrow carriage compartment, she was unable to move and was firmly subdued.
A strong smell of blood reached her nose, and she saw clearly that the person restraining her was Xiaoshi! And Alai was right behind her!
Ah Xun was stunned, “Alai? You…”
Before she could finish speaking, the carriage was already surrounded by people. Xie Suishan’s voice followed, cursing, “Don’t let any of them escape!”
Xiaoshi twisted her arm behind her back, pinning Ah Xun in front of her. She pulled a gleaming dagger from her sleeve and pressed it against Ah Xun’s neck.
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Alai urgently whispered, “Mother! Don’t hurt my sister!”
Xiaoshi, who had always been submissive, now pressed the dagger against Ah Xun and pushed her to the carriage door, saying, “Ah Xun, don’t panic. I won’t take your life. I just need to borrow your identity as the legitimate daughter of the Xie family for a moment. Please instruct the coachman to drive us out of the city. Once we’re safe, I’ll let you go.”
The dagger was extremely sharp, tightly pressed against Ah Xun’s neck. Any slight mistake could result in her being killed on the spot.
Alai stood helplessly by the side, completely unprepared for how things had escalated. She had no desire to trouble Ah Xun.
Ah Xun steadied herself and lifted the carriage curtain. Everyone outside saw the dagger at her neck.
“Stand back,” Ah Xun said.
The household slaves were already in a difficult position. Seeing their mistress captured, they reluctantly made way.
Xie Suishan, enraged, laughed bitterly, “Well! This audacious slave dares to threaten her master!”
Xiaoshi shouted, “Young Master Xie, my daughter and I only seek a way to live! If you let us go, we won’t harm a hair on your mistress’s head. Otherwise…” Xiaoshi pressed the dagger harder, and Ah Xun’s neck was cut, blood seeping out.
Ah Xun, terrified, urgently yelled, “Retreat! Do you want to get me killed?” Then she turned to the coachman, “Quickly! Out of the city!”
The coachman, seeing Xie Suishan hesitate, had no choice but to obey Ah Xun. Trembling, he picked up the whip and struck the horse’s flank. The horse, in pain, bolted, crashing through Xie Suishan’s men and heading towards the city gate.
