The Seventh Year of Shenchu
Young Master Liao
After sitting on Jiang Daochang’s donkey cart for an entire day and night, the cart bumped along the wild mountain paths, almost splitting Zhen Wenjun’s buttocks into four and shaking her waist to the point of breaking. Finally, they saw a shallow official road. Walking three more li on the official road, a square city wall could be faintly seen on a dirt slope not far away. The city stood there alone, without even a guard. A large black and red flag of Da Yu was crookedly planted above the watchtower, swaying in the cold wind as if the next gust could break it in half.
This was a desolate place, a small county town poorer than Qixian. Jiang Daochang drove the donkey closer to the city gate, where a yawning guard without a helmet glanced at his household registration token, half-opened his eyes, and waved him in.
Qiansuxian.
As they entered the city gate, Zhen Wenjun saw a stone tablet covered in gray dust, inscribed with the name of the small county in seal script. Unfortunately, it had long been neglected and the characters were barely legible.
Qiansu?
Zhen Wenjun remembered that the six counties of Suichuan all had single-character city names like Qixian, while compound-character city names seemed more common in Dongchun. Judging by the distance in her mind, this place should still be within the Dongchun Prefecture.
(LP: “Xian” means “County” so it would be “Qi County”, but I preferred “Qixian”.)
As soon as the donkey cart stopped in front of a courtyard, Zhen Wenjun heard the loud scolding of a woman and the sobbing of children from inside.
“None of you can stand properly, and you can’t even sit right. There’s no need for you to learn how to serve tea or water; at least you can smile, can’t you? Who would ever take a liking to you with such gloomy faces? What a curse! With the way you are, how many of you will still be breathing by next winter?”
Jiang Daochang tied up the donkey cart and led her into the courtyard.
“Who am I to you?” Jiang Daochang asked as they walked.
“Foster father, Mr. Jiang.”
“Where do you come from?”
“600 miles south of the Suidong Mountain Range lies Xumo Mountain. I am 15 years old and just reached adulthood. 3 years ago, my father, who depended on me for survival, passed away. After descending the mountain to make a living on my own, I met Mr. Jiang and Lady Yue. The Jiang couple, moved by my plight, took me in as their daughter. Since then, our family has made a living by selling medicinal herbs.”
“I have sold you to the broker here. From now on, you only need to remember 8 words: ‘Submit to circumstances and adapt as needed.’ Do not act rashly. If you mess up the master’s important affairs, you know the consequences.” Jiang Daochang took a plain cloth pouch from his pocket and tossed it to her. As it landed in her hand, Zhen Wenjun’s heart pounded wildly.
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Her palms were sweating as she struggled to muster the courage to untie the thin string at the mouth of the pouch. Finally, she opened it and found a lock of black hair inside.
She did not know whether to feel sorrow or relief.
“If you deceive us, this will be the fate of Xiaoshi’s hair.”
It seemed to indeed be her mother’s hair.
The word “fortunately” settled comfortably in her heart. At least it wasn’t other severed limbs.
Zhen Wenjun carefully placed the pouch into her bosom and entered the courtyard with Jiang Daochang.
Inside the courtyard, the door of a large house was wide open. A burly middle-aged woman was standing at the entrance, angrily scolding someone. About ten young girls were huddled together in fear, not daring to make a sound, with tears streaming down their faces.
Zhen Wenjun felt sorry for the young girls, but given the current hard times and turmoil, it was inevitable. Whether in Suichuan or other counties, many families’ fields lay barren, and no matter how hard they worked, it was difficult to grow enough food. With not even enough to eat, how could they have extra food to raise children? If it were a young boy, perhaps they would light incense and support him for the sake of continuing the family line. But for them, young girls were just money-losers. Selling them to wealthy households as servants could bring some money and food to help the family through tough times. For the young girls themselves, it was also a good thing, as following a wealthy and powerful master ensured at least a meal and prevented them from starving to death.
Zhen Wenjun had once heard her mother say that Da Yu had already established slave markets, with brokers specialized in the slave trade. These brokers lived by their experience, their keen eyes able to pick out children who could fetch a good price from among the masses of famine-stricken, emaciated kids. They would then sell them to the next buyer. The next buyer might be a wealthy household—becoming a servant of a noble family would be the best outcome. Alternatively, they might become small assistants or followers in various trades, which was the most common fate. In these tough times, with countless people starving to death, survival was not left to fate but required a struggle.
The broker Wang Jiang Daochang mentioned should be the one currently spitting and scolding. Zhen Wenjun felt this person’s fierce demeanor was justified, considering the current chaos and strife; everyone had to give their all to survive.
“Sister, are you busy here?” Jiang Daochang, who was usually cold and aloof, suddenly became obsequious, bowing low with a smile as he greeted the broker Wang. His eyes, narrowed to slits, stared lecherously at her ample bosom as he bent over. Broker Wang shot him a sideways glance, turned away, and, still fuming from some unknown grievance, snorted disdainfully.
Jiang Daochang pulled Zhen Wenjun forward. “It seems I came at a bad time, but I’m anxious. Remember what we talked about last time? If you have a moment, could you take a look?”
Broker Wang initially looked impatient, but after giving Zhen Wenjun a once-over, seemed to notice something. She grabbed Zhen Wenjun’s chin, turning it left and right to examine her closely, then smiled and said:
“Oh, not bad. How old is this young girl? She looks quite pretty, but I wonder about her temperament. What’s her name? Jiang, is this really your daughter?”
Jiang Daochang was about to speak again, but Zhen Wenjun quickly understood and stepped forward to greet first. She introduced herself as Zhen, the daughter of Mr. Jiang, and mentioned that she had already come of age this year.
Broker Wang said “good” three times in a row, then suddenly dropped her smile and sternly said to Jiang Daochang:
“You are Jiang, and she is Zhen. How can you be family? And no matter how I look, I don’t see any resemblance between you two. Don’t try to deceive me; I don’t accept that here.”
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Jiang Daochang smiled and said, “What are you talking about? This child is truly my daughter, my adopted daughter. Her looks take after her biological mother, who was quite pretty. If it weren’t for our dire situation at home, I wouldn’t have brought her here. I’ve taken good care of her all these years, giving her the best food and clothing. I secretly brought her here while my wife was out.” As he spoke, he used his dirty sleeve to wipe his tears, smearing mud all over his face.
Zhen Wenjun silently admired Jiang Daochang’s convincing performance, thinking who would believe that this rustic man is an assassination expert. Seeing Jiang Daochang’s earnest act, she couldn’t just stand there idly. She rubbed her eyes hard until they turned red, then held her eyelids open without blinking. Soon, her eyes began to sting unbearably, and after a moment, tears started to fall like pearls from a broken string. She used to employ this trick to beg for mercy when her mother was about to punish her, and she never thought it would come in handy on such an occasion.
“Father, I can’t bear to leave you and mother either…” Zhen Wenjun clung to Jiang Daochang’s coat, crying with tears streaming down her face.
Jiang Daochang saw her instantly turn into a tearful mess, even outdoing his own performance, and momentarily felt a bit out of character and dazed.
Broker Wang said, “Alright, alright. Although she’s a bit older, she is still quite pretty. Since there’s no deception here, I’ll take her. But remember, here, it’s an absolute sale: once sold, there’s no redemption. If you agree, sign the contract and take the money. From now on, whether your daughter lives or dies has nothing to do with you.”
Jiang Daochang immediately agreed, rubbed his hands together, pressed his fingerprint on the contract, and took the silver pieces. He then gave Zhen Wenjun a couple of instructions, telling her to obey Broker Wang and not to cause trouble. Zhen Wenjun understood the hidden meaning in his words, nodded in agreement, and observed Broker Wang’s face, which showed signs of aging beneath her vulgar makeup, wondering if she was also a pawn of the Xie family. She decided to find an opportunity to test her.
Unexpectedly, before she could find such an opportunity, she and a dozen other girls were thrown into a carriage. They were repeatedly sold several times, each time with the price increasing due to the brokers’ silver tongues. The constant jostling made the girls vomit until their insides felt torn apart, but the brokers completely ignored their suffering, allowing them to weaken day by day.
Zhen Wenjun truly could not understand the minds of these brokers. Even if the girls were treated as merchandise purchased with silver, wouldn’t it be a loss if they died halfway? However, on second thought, in these times, food was more valuable than human lives. These shrewd brokers would rather let the girls die from illness than spend money on them. She recalled that while sparring with Jiang Daochang, she had accidentally found an herb that seemed to strengthen and replenish energy. Regardless of its effectiveness, she decided to pick some and try it.
After consuming the herb, the two girls who had been vomiting the most finally fell asleep, and when they woke up the next day, they looked slightly better. They saved a piece of steamed cake through frugality and secretly gave it to Zhen Wenjun to repay her for saving their lives.
As the carriage headed south, stopping and starting along the way, the dozen or so girls were gradually divided up, and there were fewer and fewer traveling companions.
In a year of famine, food was already precious. Zhen Wenjun kept the piece of steamed cake for a long time, unwilling to eat it. Whenever she wanted to eat it, she thought of her mother, wondering how she was doing and whether she could have a piece of hot steamed cake. So, she resisted her craving and kept the cake securely in her bosom.
As they reached south of Dongchun, the weather grew warmer, and the padded jacket Zhen Wenjun wore became too much to bear.
Taojun City is at the southernmost tip of Dongchun, separated from Pingcang by only the lowest peak of the Suidong Mountain Range. After crossing this mountain, traffic became frequent, and Taojun City was now in sight.
When the carriage entered Taojun City, there were only a few girls left, each of them exceptionally beautiful. Zhen Wenjun did not know where she would be sold and silently wondered. It was clear that during her year at the old courtyard, she had been conserving her strength, waiting for the opportunity to approach Wei Zizhuo. But now, being resold to a distant place without being informed of the next steps—weren’t they afraid she would mess things up due to uncertainty about her future? Zhen Wenjun looked at the bewildered faces of the other girls in the carriage and suddenly realized that she was no different from them; she then understood the intentions behind this move.
Since she did not know where she was being taken, she had no way to expose herself, thus minimizing the risk of revealing her identity. Jiang Daochang’s advice to “submit to circumstances and adapt as needed” was not just empty words. They had set up the most natural scenario to deceive Wei Zizhuo completely. If she could successfully reach Wei Zizhuo’s side one day, it would be without anyone noticing.
The phrase “adapt as needed” was her greatest test.
After arriving in Taojun City, she and the girls were confined to a courtyard in the east of the city. The brokers here did not mistreat them, providing them with meals daily. Initially, the girls were sad and cried because they had left their homes, but within a few days, seeing that they had enough food and clothing, they began to laugh and play. As there was nothing to do for a few more days, a team of merchants delivering rice and flour by ox cart arrived at the back door daily, and the brokers had the idle girls help unload the goods.
“Are we just going to be household slaves here?” asked the most talkative girl as she quietly brought a stack of cloth into the room.
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“Wishful thinking. Don’t you know what this place is? Outside these walls is Taojun City’s largest slave market. We are waiting for buyers to come,” replied another girl, who had been saved by Zhen Wenjun’s medicine and had barely made it to Taojun City.
“But will any young master come here to buy slaves?”
“You wish to be bought by a handsome young master to become a personal maid.”
“Oh, what are you talking about! Don’t pretend you don’t think the same.”
“Of course I do, I hope to be noticed by Young Master Liao. If I could be bought by him, the rest of my life would have hope.”
“Young Master Liao? Who is that?”
“You don’t know Young Master Liao? He is the most generous and charming noble in all of Dongchun, renowned for his kindness and tenderness towards women. Regardless of their background, he treats those he fancies with equal respect. Young Master Liao is most considerate and gentle to those he loves. I heard that Lady Zhenfu from Sile Academy loves Songjiang perch (a fish), and to make her smile, he had the freshest perch delivered daily by fast horses from Songjiang, kept on ice. And for the third Miss of the Zhu family, who is an expert in swordsmanship, he had a rare sword manual transcribed onto gold leaf as a Lantern Festival gift. Oh, if I could win the favor of Young Master Liao, I would have no regrets even in death!”
