TDLC Chapter 29

Terms used in TDLC Chapter 29

Shizi (世子) – heir apparent of an aristrocratic family.
gongzi (公子) – a noble’s son.
xiaojie (小姐) – young lady, with implications of being noble or one’s master.
min’nü (民女) – commoner girl.
gonggong (公公) – an old and/or high-ranking eunuch.
Hou’ye (侯爷) – Marquis.
benhou (本侯) – a self-address used by a Marquis.
zaixia (在下) – myself (humble).
xiaoren (小人) – a self-address used by a person of low social status, to humbly refer to themselves.
laonu (老奴) – old slave.
zajia (咱家) – I; me [often used in vernacular fiction]
Furen (夫人) – the official/legitimate wife.
Daren (大人) – title of respect towards superiors.

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Luozhou was northwest of Qingzhou and travelling there via horse carriage required five to six days. However, since an urgent case was being held up, and based on Huò Wēi Lóu’s nature of passing like thunder and moving like the wind, it was highly likely that he wanted to spur the horses at full speed through the day and night, but Bó Ruò Yōu’s horse carriage could not go any faster.

“Hou’ye, will [we] be stopping for the night?”

Ever since they set off at daybreak, they did not stop to rest at all apart from feeding the horses. Upon seeing that the sun was lowering in the west, an embroidered emissary stepped forward to ask the question, to which Huò Wēi Lóu wrinkled his eyebrows slightly.

Fu gonggong said: “One fears that there is no need to rush for the next two days. Ming gongzi and Xiao Shizi are still on the road, and the Ministry of Justice’s Assistant Minister Lín daren is terribly slow on the water route, so what’s the point of us arriving early?”

• 小世子 (pinyin: xiao shi zi) – young heir apparent. In this context, Fu gonggong is referring to Huò Wēi Lóu’s paternal younger cousin, who will be introduced later.

As Bó Ruò Yōu listened to Fu gonggong’s words, her brows twitched minutely. She did not know who the Gongzi and Shizi were, but she understood the term Ministry of Justice’s Assistant Minister perfectly well. Therefore, this Luozhou case was not only being presided over by Marquis Wuzhao, but also the Assistant Minister of Justice, who was coming down south from the Capital, which amply displayed the gravitas of this case.

Huò Wēi Lóu shifted his pupils, gaze landing on the horse carriage with a vermilion lacquered roof. The carriage was exquisite and sturdy, and while they hadn’t stopped once for the whole day, Bó Ruò Yōu did not issue a single word despite her paling complexion, and when they were eating in the afternoon, Huò Wēi Lóu was aware that Bó Ruò Yōu only ate a small half of a millet pancake. His gaze sank slightly, “Upon reaching a hamlet at the front, search for a place to rest [our] feet.”

Fu gonggong chuckled and responded, “Not bad, not bad, laonu is on the verge of collapsing from fatigue after following Hou’ye from the Capital to Qingzhou, and now [we] can slow down the pace a little. When all is said and done, the case happened ten years ago, what difference would it make even if it’s delayed for a few days?”

The space between Huò Wēi Lóu’s brows creased lightly. He raised his horsewhip, speeding ahead at an even faster pace.

Fu gonggong smiled as he urged his horse to keep pace with the horse carriage so he could continue talking to Bó Ruò Yōu. Travelling on the road was genuinely boring, and when they were travelling down south early on, he only had capable but reticent embroidered emissaries for company. He could forget about the exhaustion, but there wasn’t even a single person that he could properly talk to. Now that there was the addition of Bó Ruò Yōu, Fu gonggong was genuinely happy, “Yōu Yōu, you said that you had something to ask of Hou’ye, what is the request you’re going to make? Why don’t you tell zajia, zajia can offer a few words of praise for you when the time comes around…”

With the passing of the day, the goodwill that Fu gonggong felt towards Bó Ruò Yōu had increased, going as far as asking her what her foster father called her during wu shi (11AM-1PM). Having considered himself her elder, he proceeded to call her Yōu Yōu.

Bó Ruò Yōu’s lips curved slightly upon hearing that question, “One does not dare to trouble Gonggong. Because it isn’t an ordinary request, it isn’t exactly appropriate to state it explicitly before the business is resolved.”

Fu gonggong raised an eyebrow, “The business must be handled appropriately before one can speak, could it be that it is related to your coroner profession?”

Bó Ruò Yōu lowered her head and smiled faintly, “Gonggong thinking that way isn’t wrong.”

The evening sun was setting in the west, causing the golden twilight to spread across the mountain range. The further northwest they travelled, the thicker the remaining snow of the winter days were; the white snow on the two sides of the main road were more layered, extending outwards continuously. Sitting up high on the horseback, Fu gonggong chose not to continue pursuing the question since he could tell that Bó Ruò Yōu was being taciturn about the topic. He merely felt that her smile was sweet and clever, while her eyes were wrapped in ice and snow, which made his gaze soften even more in the moment, “Your way of thinking is correct. Hou’ye has always evaluated the merits before rewarding, but…”

After hesitating briefly, Fu gonggong’s tone of voice became stricter by a few degrees, “But this case, it isn’t easy to resolve ah.”

Bó Ruò Yōu raised her head, her doubts apparent in her eyes. However, Fu gonggong glanced at the frontmost Huò Wēi Lóu before saying: “When it comes to the official business, it’s better to allow Hou’ye to brief you, but there’s no need for you to worry either. Since Hou’ye brought you along on this trip, [your] chief duty is still examining the remains.”

Bó Ruò Yōu hummed in response, the seriousness at the bottom of her heart heightening by a smidgen. Although she had anticipated that this case would be different from normal cases, Fu gonggong’s manner of speaking made her realise that it was going to be much harder than she initially estimated.

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When the last shred of the evening sun lowered beneath the horizon, their group entered a small town.

The embroidered emissary who recced the road said, “Hou’ye, this place is called Xiushui Town which has around a hundred households and two inns. Xiaoren has already booked the Laifu Inn, which has more empty rooms.”

Huò Wēi Lóu nodded wordlessly, then urged his horse to trot into the only long street in Xiushui Town.

Xiushui Town was remote and most of the households were native commoners to this land. When they suddenly saw strangers appearing, all of them stepped out of their doors to take a look. Fortunately, all of the embroidered emissaries had changed into normal clothes today, so they were not as frightening. In the eyes of the public, they merely felt that some rich and honourable family was passing through the area again.

They arrived at Laifu Inn very quickly. The large wine banners fluttered in the wind, outside was a large courtyard for the horses to rest and going inwards led to a two-storey building. Although it was simple and unadorned, the grey roof tiles and white walls were clean and tidy. When Bó Ruò Yōu’s horse carriage went through the courtyard entrance, a young manservant immediately welcomed her.

Once the hanging screen was raised, the young manservant had already placed down the step stool, “One greets Furen…”

Bó Ruò Yōu was about to lower her body to alight the horse carriage when her complexion changed slightly due to that sentence. Meanwhile, Huò Wēi Lóu had already reached the main hall’s entrance, but he unconsciously frowned and looked over when he heard that address.

Bó Ruò Yōu hurriedly said: “I’m not a Furen.”

The young manservant was incredibly quick-witted, “Ah… Then Shao Furen…”

• 少夫人 (pinyin: shao fu ren) — the wife of a young master.

The inn was located at the top of the town, accepting guests that were heading further north from the south. Whenever there were womenfolk, they would usually be accompanying family members, which was why the young manservant presumed that Bó Ruò Yōu must have a respected and noble identity since she was sitting in the horse carriage, and that she was either a Furen or Shao Furen.

Bó Ruò Yōu furrowed her brows helplessly, whereas Fu gonggong nearly fell over laughing from the entire proceeding. He coughed lightly before he said: “Do not randomly recognise people, this is our family’s xiaojie (Young Lady).”

The young manservant’s complexion became awkward for a second, “Gongzi moves like a dragon and has the posture of a phoenix, and xiaojie is elegant and pretty, they genuinely look like… Xiaojie, please forgive, it was xiaoren whose eyes are dull, please come inside—”

Huò Wēi Lóu stood at the hall entrance, the knit of his brows becoming even tighter as he continued to listen, but he did not say a single word as he stepped into the hall after shooting Fu gonggong a terse look. Of course, Bó Ruò Yōu did not dare to answer to the ‘xiaojie’, and she looked at Fu gonggong with some wariness after getting off the carriage.

On the other hand, Fu gonggong stepped forward and took her arm in a humble manner, “If it isn’t stated that way, people are going to start treating you as our Shao Furen on this journey.”

Bó Ruò Yōu was suddenly reminded of the scene where Zhèng Xiāo insisted on saying that she was the Marquis’ wife. This comparison did make Fu gonggong’s address of xiaojie appear less frightening, but Huò Wēi Lóu’s stern gaze had landed on her face just now, and she knew that Huò Wēi Lóu must have felt offended. In all honesty, did she look like she was very happy to hear it?

After entering through the hall doors, she saw the manager of the inn speaking solicitously in front of Huò Wēi Lóu, “There are three principal rooms, which happens to allow gongzi and xiaojie to occupy one room each, that… elderly, can stay alone too. There are five other second-grade rooms, and it should be enough to accommodate the older brother guards. Should dinner be sent to the rooms, or will it be eaten outside?”

Huò Wēi Lóu was already walking up to the second floor, “Send it to the rooms.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s gait was fast enough to cause wind, and Fu gonggong hurriedly brought Bó Ruò Yōu to catch up with him. Once they reached the second-floor landing, they saw Huò Wēi Lóu stopping in the middle of the principal rooms before he pointed at the room at the end, “You can stay there.”

This sentence was directed to Bó Ruò Yōu and she verbally complied. Upon shifting his eyes, they saw the manger wearing a strange expression as he looked at them, as if he felt that their relationship was not very sibling-like. Fu gonggong pointed at the room at the end, “Move, move, move, go and have a look—”

It was also at this moment where a male and female walked through the main doors downstairs. The pair looked like they were a married couple in their early thirties. The woman was wearing a small, worried frown on her face as she uttered, “A perfectly alright Buddhist Conference, and yet it was cancelled just on word alone, how is this acceptable?”

The man at the side supported her waist as he comforted her, “We can only come again next year, if that doesn’t work, we can just go to the Capital’s Xiangguo Temple…”

The pair had a foreign dialect, and their volume was loud as well. After they said those words, they realised there were a lot of people inside the hall, and when they noticed the two sword-carrying embroidered emissaries standing near the stairs, their expressions changed, and they quickly returned to their room.

The manager turned his head back, only to see Bó Ruò Yōu and Fu gonggong standing there, and Huò Wēi Lóu had yet to enter the door as well, so he smiled and explained in a low voice, “The pair checked in yesterday, and they were planning to go to the Famen Temple in Xixia Mountain to pray for a son, but they only learned that the Famen Temple’s Buddhist Conference wasn’t going to be held this year after they reached this area today. They stayed behind for a day, wanting to see if the news will change, but it looks like they are planning to go back soon.”

The manager sighed when he spoke to this point, “When the Famen Temple holds a Buddhist Conference every year, this inn of zaixia will be fully occupied every day as well, but because the Buddhist Conference isn’t being held this year, zaixia’s inn has become quieter as well.”

Bó Ruò Yōu had stayed in Qingzhou for ten years, so she was naturally aware of the famous reputation that the Famen Temple in Xixia Mountain boasted.

The Great Zhou Dynasty placed great importance on Buddhism and was lighter on the Tao, which was why there was not a single aristocratic family who did not pray to the Buddha, to say nothing of the Imperial Family who had the habit of making offerings to Buddhist Temples. The Capital’s Xiangguo Temple was built a hundred years ago by craftsmen on a Great Ancestor’s orders, and presently, it had already become the most well-known Buddhist Temple in Great Zhou.

Whereas this Famen Temple had a more far-reaching reputation before Xiangguo Temple was built; Famen Temple had the name of being the best Buddhist Temple underneath the Heavens back when the previous dynasty placed less importance on Buddhism, and its annual Ten Thousand Buddhist Conference was a tradition that had been passed down for more than a hundred years. Not only did worshippers both near and far from Luozhou come over, but even the people from the Capital and neighbouring countries would travel over to pray for blessings.

But why was it being cancelled without any rhyme or reason this year?

Bó Ruò Yōu had some suspicions, but Huò Wēi Lóu had turned around and entered his room. Bó Ruò Yōu hesitated, but she did not say more in the end. She was following Huò Wēi Lóu on this trip and she had to be prudent with every uttered word and phrase; she should not inquire about things that she should not be prying into.

Fu gonggong patted Bó Ruò Yōu’s arm, “Go and rest, Yōu Yōu.”

Bó Ruò Yōu bowed, pivoting on her heels to enter the room at the end of the corridor.

The shroud of night colours had descended. Upon pushing open the windows, Bó Ruò Yōu could see the residual snow in the back and front courtyard, and a few old willow trees with interweaving branches that rooted beside a pond, if she was closer, perhaps she could perceive the soft shoots on the branches.

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Dinner was sent over very quickly and Bó Ruò Yōu finished all of it in an efficient manner, and because Huò Wēi Lóu hadn’t called for her, she decided to take a bath and rest up. However, before she could finish her bath, knocks suddenly rang out at her door, which made Bó Ruò Yōu abruptly plunge into the bathtub, and even her heartbeat was slightly panicked.

Outside the door, Fu gonggong said, “Yōu Yōu, come over for a bit.”

Heaving a sigh of relief, Bó Ruò Yōu hastily responded in the positive before she swiftly climbed out, wiped down her body, and changed into her clothes. When she eventually reached Huò Wēi Lóu’s room door, her hair was loosely coiled, and the ends were still dripping water.

She knocked on the door, and in the next second, the door opened.

Huò Wēi Lóu’s lapels were slightly loose and he was still in a comfortable and leisurely black overcoat. In the instant where he caught sight of Bó Ruò Yōu, the arch of his eyebrows twitched.

Since she had just bathed, even her eyelashes seemed to be damp. Her cheeks were faintly dusted with a pinkish hue, her lips in light reds, and a few strands of ink-dark hair which wasn’t pulled together, had fallen on the sides of her cheeks, thus contrasting with her bright eyes and white teeth. The skin on her cheeks and sides of her neck appeared to have a dewy and gem-like lustre, and a dark fragrance was being faintly emitted.

By no jest, she had flesh of ice and bones of jade, cut out of snow in tribute to God.

Bó Ruò Yōu’s clothes were worn in an exceedingly tidy fashion, and because she left her room in a rush, her expression still harboured some anxiousness. Huò Wēi Lóu’s grip on the door tightened slightly before he retracted his line of sight, turned around, and walked inside.

“Skies above, why isn’t [your] hair dried yet.” Fu gonggong was busy keeping the documents that Huò Wēi Lóu brought on his person, and upon seeing Bó Ruò Yōu walking in while she was dripping wet, he immediately sighed, “It’s so cold outside, you’re going to harm yourself from the chill by doing this.” As he said that, he unexpectedly moved to the side to pick up a square towel before he pointed at the stool beside the round table, “Sit down—”

Bó Ruò Yōu had just closed the door, and she was slightly hesitant upon seeing that. It could not be denied that she felt cold; although the weather had been warming up over the past few days, the remaining snow was not completely melted yet, and the night happened to be the coldest period. Her hair was still dripping water because she did not have the time to dry it, and she only felt that it was very lacking in manners, but she did not expect that Fu gonggong would show her such concern.

However, she did not dare to move, only looking at Huò Wēi Lóu, who was standing in front of the window, with some fearful reverence.

Huò Wēi Lóu’s side profile was facing her, and his gaze had also landed outside the window.

Fu gonggong smiled helplessly, going forward to pull her towards the stool to make her sit down, “What are [you] being afraid of Hou’ye for? Who was the person that said that she wasn’t afraid of Hou’ye?”

Having her secret exposed in said person’s presence caused Bó Ruò Yōu to become slightly fidgety, but who could have anticipated that Fu gonggong would dry her hair as he remarked: “When zajia was taking care of the Elder Princess back then, the Elder Princess praised zajia for having the best hand at hair brushing…”

Bó Ruò Yōu felt a sword at her back.

The Elder Princess was also Huò Wēi Lóu’s birth mother, and the biological younger sister of the current Emperor. Fu gonggong had taken care of the Elder Princess, but what virtue and capability did she have?

Bó Ruò Yōu was about to stand up when Fu gonggong pressed her down. “Don’t panic, zajia regards you like a little niece, there’s no need to be a stranger to zajia…”

Bó Ruò Yōu was rather embarrassed, “Min’nü does not dare to accept that honour.”

Fu gonggong laughed wordlessly, only continuing to help her dry her hair. Bó Ruò Yōu glanced at Huò Wēi Lóu’s back figure, “Does Hou’ye have any instructions?”

It was only then that Huò Wēi Lóu turned his body with narrowed eyes, peering at her with an unfathomable gaze. This kind of gaze was oppressive and compelling, and the sense of aggressiveness was almost tangible, which threw Bó Ruò Yōu’s heart into a mess.

“Able to ride a horse?”

With that question, Bó Ruò Yōu immediately came to an understanding. The horse carriage was still too slow, she was dragging down everyone.

Bó Ruò Yōu’s lips thinned slightly, “Yes.”

Huò Wēi Lóu replied, “[We] will be riding horses tomorrow, it is not good to delay the Luozhou case.”

Fu gonggong also chimed in at this moment: “Although this case is an old case, someone died recently, and it is incredibly urgent.”

Fu gonggong was rather unhurried during the day, and perhaps because they had received another piece of news at night, it had similarly compelled him into thinking that they should pick up the pace. Bó Ruò Yōu responded, “Min’nü understands, min’nü knows how to ride a horse.”

It seemed like she was called over for this issue, and since the command had been given, Bó Ruò Yōu started to hesitate if she should take her leave. However, Fu gonggong said: “Hou’ye, perhaps the details of the case should be laid out?”

Huò Wēi Lóu pondered briefly before he walked over to the writing desk and sat down, “You should have heard it just now, the Famen Temple’s Buddhist Conference will not be held this year.”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s heart moved as Fu gonggong continued to speak for him, “For this case, the place that we are going to is the Famen Temple.”

Huò Wēi Lóu posed another question, “Are you aware of the relationship between the Famen Temple and the Imperial Family?”

Some circulating rumours flashed past Bó Ruò Yōu’s mind, but she was not certain about any of them. Hence, she shook her head, to which Fu gonggong explained: “The Famen Temple was the Buddhist Temple with the most famous reputation in the previous dynasty. Besides its long history and the numerous senior monks it has produced, it is also because it has an underground palace, and within that underground palace, is where the Śarīra – Buddhist relics which have been found among the cremated ashes of a Buddha – is being enshrined and worshipped.”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s refined eyebrows raised slightly, she heard about this.

Fu gonggong continued to say, “When the previous dynasty perished, the underground palace was nearly destroyed by bandits, and it was only until our dynasty where the Great Ancestor ordered for the renovation and repairing of the underground palace. Moreover, the underground palace is only opened once every three decades, and borrowing the true effigy of the Buddha, a religious assembly to pray for blessings will be held, to pray for the peace and prosperity of our Great Zhou and its people.

“The last time the underground palace was opened was ten years ago. His Majesty went there in person back then, and he even brought half of the hundred civil and military officials of the court to this very temple. The entire religious ceremony went by very smoothly, but when the Śarīra was supposed to be placed back in the underground palace on the last day, the Śarīra disappeared. That pearl-like Śarīra is rumoured to be the true effigy of the Buddha, and the religious ceremony has always possessed the intent of praying for the country’s peace and prosperity, but the Śarīra was lost in the end. Back then, His Majesty had flown into a great rage, and even fell ill because of it.”

Bó Ruò Yōu could not help but ask: “Could it be that this trip is being made for the sake of chasing down that Śarīra?”

Huò Wēi Lóu said, “For the past ten years, there has been an ongoing effort to track down the Śarīra, except disappearing together with Śarīra that year, was Great Master Jìng Kōng, who was in charge of Famen Temple. Hence, for all these years, it has been rumoured that Great Master Jìng Kōng had selfishly stolen that pearl-like Śarīra because he wanted to seek the Buddha’s origin. However, just a month ago, Famen Temple discovered a set of skeletal remains, and according to his disciple’s account, that set of skeletal remains probably belongs to Great Master Jìng Kōng who had disappeared ten years ago.”

Bó Ruò Yōu came to a sudden epiphany. Luozhou reported this to the court a month ago, which prompted Emperor Jianhe to order Huò Wēi Lóu to personally investigate this matter. Later on, he was entrusted with Marquis Xinyang’s faith so he made a detour, but everything was ultimately for the Luozhou case.

Huò Wēi Lóu’s tone of voice became a degree stricter, “If the skeletal remains truly belong to Great Master Jìng Kōng, then the timing of his death is a cause of suspicion. If the events which happened that year can be fully elucidated, perhaps the long lost Śarīra can be found. For all these years, the outside world has been completely unaware that the Śarīra was lost, and the annual Ten Thousand Buddhist Conference continued to be held as per normal, but it was cancelled this time around because the skeletal remains were discovered. Keep this knowledge to yourself, do not tell it to anyone else.”

Bó Ruò Yōu immediately complied, and Huò Wēi Lóu continued to state: “Apart from benhou, there are still a few court officials that were in-charge of arranging the Grand Śarīra Religious Praying Ceremony. After that incident happened that year, they were included in the list of suspects, but nothing came out of the investigation, and it wasn’t desirable to blow the matter out of proportion, so it was concealed first. After the information was sent back to the Capital, they have already been ordered to rush to Famen Temple together.”

Unconsciously, Bó Ruò Yōu’s expression became more solemn by two parts.

That would explain why Huò Wēi Lóu travelled a thousand miles south, it turns out it was for this case. There had always been rumours about the Famen Temple’s underground palace enshrining relics from the cremated ashes of a Buddha, although it would only be used by the Royal Clan and Imperial Family during the religious praying ceremony which happened once every thirty years. Ordinary citizens were not allowed to attend, and in addition to how it was only opened once every three decades, the reputation of the event was not as big as the annual Buddhist Conference. However, this matter was related to the Imperial Family, the Śarīra was lost, and the senior monk who was presiding over it might have died a long time ago; when all the factors were considered, this case genuinely needed Marquis Wuzhao to personally oversee it.

Upon seeing that Bó Ruò Yōu’s eyes had congealed, Huò Wēi Lóu said: “Your main task is to examine the bones. The person has been dead for many years, and the final conclusion as to whether it is Great Master Jìng Kōng has not been made.”

Bó Ruò Yōu responded in the affirmative, but she could not resist asking, “But Gonggong previously mentioned that someone just died?”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes sank slightly, “The person directly responsible for this case was the old Prefectural Magistrate of Luozhou, and he was later promoted to take up a post in the Capital as an Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Justice. He originally declared that he was returning to his homeland three years ago, but after learning that Great Master Jìng Kōng’s bones had been found, he was called to Luozhou again. A piece of news was delivered last night, stating that two days after his arrival to Luozhou, he fell off the back mountain of Famen Temple and died.”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s mind tensed. She had yet to see the corpse, but she could perceive that something was awry just from hearing Huò Wēi Lóu’s speech. The old Prefectural Magistrate was perfectly fine and yet he died from falling off a mountain precipice; was this an accident or man-made?

“This case might be more complicated than the case of Marquis Anqing Residence, since it involves the Imperial Family and several court officials, and it can be considered a national affair. You have to be cautious.” After giving a pause, Huò Wēi Lóu uttered, “If nothing can be concluded, benhou will not blame you either.”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s hands curled tightly within her sleeves, “Yes, min’nü understands.”

She was fully informed of the case details, but Fu gonggong was not done drying Bó Ruò Yōu’s hair. Huò Wēi Lóu glowered at Fu gonggong for a moment, his eyebrows knitting together impatiently, which unsettled Bó Ruò Yōu quite a bit. Attending her duties at Marquis Anqing Residence and following Huò Wēi Lóu were two vastly different things; since she was following him at every moment, she was becoming increasingly aware that the rumours about his temperament and unfathomable nature were true.

“Many thanks to gonggong, if Hou’ye has nothing else to instruct, min’nü will take her leave.”

In a sensible manner, Bó Ruò Yōu stood up, and only heard Huò Wēi Lóu hum in response. She bowed with womanly obeisance, thanked Fu gonggong again, and then she turned around to depart, even making sure that door was closed properly.please read this on yuulation dot wordpress dot com

Fu gonggong looked at the towel in his hands with a sour expression, “Why does Hou’ye have to be so frightening?”

On the contrary, Huò Wēi Lóu shot him a cold look, “If Mother heard that ‘xiaojie’ address of yours, do you know how she will react?”

Fu gonggong put down the towel as he sighed, “Is Hou’ye trying to berate laonu? Laonu merely feels that her age is similar, which is why some thoughts stirred…”

Despite his explanation, Huò Wēi Lóu’s expression did not relax at all, “She has nothing to do with you and I; after this business ends, she will go elsewhere, and what will you do when the time comes around? It’s fortunate that she has a sense of propriety, otherwise the goodwill that you are showing her will only harm her.”

Although Fu gonggong was a slave, his status was far greater than an ordinary person. If a normal girl were to receive his concern as an elder, most of them would definitely feel touched, and in addition to how he was a trusted aide of Marquis Wuzhao, it was highly likely that they would start having other thoughts.

Fu gonggong said smilingly, “Hou’ye is the best at perceiving a person’s heart; since it has been realised that Yōu Yōu is clever and abides by the protocol, why is there the need to worry about these? Laonu keeps getting the sense that he has an affinity with her, and since [we] will be going separate ways after this case, wouldn’t it only make sense for laonu to treat her with more kindness for the next few days? Furthermore, she isn’t Hou’ye’s subordinate, not in the sense of the word, and it’s not as though laonu can order her around by pointing at her chin?”

• 颐指气使 (pinyin: yi zhi qi shi) – fig. arrogant and bossy.

Huò Wēi Lóu scowled since he was being blocked by those words, whereas Fu gonggong stepped forward, and his manner of speaking was more intimate and softer than when he was speaking to Bó Ruò Yōu, “My Hou’ye, this place is neither the court nor the battlefield; she is just a little girl, there is no need to weigh each and every thing.”

After hearing those words, Huò Wēi Lóu could not exhibit any severeness or speak tersely even if he wanted to. He shook his head helplessly, “Garrulous—”

After saying that, he rose to his feet and went to rest. His back figure was still erect, broad, and robust; able to support both the heaven and earth with his indomitable spirit, causing winds with every step, but there was still some dim, youthful air. Fu gonggong heaved a sigh, his family’s Marquis was just twenty and three ah.

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After a night of shallow sleep, Bó Ruò Yōu promptly woke up just as movement sounded in the room that was next to hers. She got out of bed and freshened up in an efficient manner, and by the time she carried her clothed bundle and exited the door, Huò Wēi Lóu was also coming out from his room. Bó Ruò Yōu quickly bowed and paid her respects.

Huò Wēi Lóu inspected her from head to toe, wanting to say something only to suppress it in the end. After they had their breakfast downstairs, the group moved out of the hall and prepared the horses before setting off on the journey again. 

A docile black horse – which was well-built but not overly tall – was prepared for Bó Ruò Yōu. Huò Wēi Lóu flipped his body to straddle the horseback before he turned his head to look at Bó Ruò Yōu. With his pointed look, the other dozen embroidered emissaries including Fu gonggong, also looked towards Bó Ruò Yōu in succession.

Bó Ruò Yōu gritted her teeth, trembling and faltering as she climbed on the horseback. Although her movements were slightly rigid, she could still sit stably on top, and her grasp of the whip and reins could be considered as adept. After making those observations, Huò Wēi Lóu finally withdrew his gaze and urged his horse forward.

Without the horse carriage, their footpace was a lot faster, but just as they hit noon, cold sweat was already starting to form on Bó Ruò Yōu’s forehead.

Her horsemanship was decent, but she had never ridden a horse across a long distance. It was just half a day of travelling and her arms felt like they weighed down by lead and her inner thighs were stinging with pain; by the time dusk arrived, she basically felt like her entire body was no longer her own. However, at that time, the embroidered emissary reported something that turned all her hopes into dust.

“Hou’ye, there are no villages or hamlets fifty miles from this point, one fears that it will be difficult to find a footfall tonight.”

Huò Wēi Lóu said indifferently, “Since that’s the case, [we] will continue on the road through the night.”

Bó Ruò Yōu only felt that she was being blasted with a huge impact. At this moment, Huò Wēi Lóu looked over, “Able to persist?”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s face was dripping with sweat. Her heart squeezed as she nodded heavily, “Yes.”

For some unknown reason, Huò Wēi Lóu took two additional glances at her before he shifted his gaze away. He raised his whip swiftly, “Within three days, [we] have to reach Luozhou!” Before his voice fully landed, he was already speeding along like an arrow.

Bó Ruò Yōu sucked in a mouthful of cold air, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped onto the reins. Her thighs were in so much pain that it had gone numb, and she was struggling to step on the pedals properly. However, an arrow fired from a bow could not be retrieved; if she said that she could not persist right now, it was unknown what Huò Wēi Lóu would do.

Bó Ruò Yōu continued to grit her teeth without relaxing once, and even when the curtain of night had fallen, the group’s speed did not decrease at all, and Huò Wēi Lóu would only slow the horse’s speed whenever he had commands, or he was talking to the embroidered emissaries. Apart from that, Bó Ruò Yōu scarcely saw his back figure, and unbeknownst to her, a clear moon had risen to the middle of the sky. Cold sweat was rolling down her cheeks, and even her lapels were soaked with sweat.

She did not know how much time had passed, but she abruptly snapped back to her senses when she heard Fu gonggong calling her from a distance. She raised her head to look. It turns out that she had unknowingly fallen behind by a wide margin, and she immediately tried to raise her whip to move faster, but the hands that had fallen to her side seemed to be broken because she could not raise it. Her body on the horseback swayed, noise pounded beside her ears, and she could not even hear what Fu gonggong said next.

Just as she felt her vision darken sporadically, she saw a human and horse galloping towards her. They were moving exceedingly fast, and in a few moments’ work, they arrived in front of her. Borrowing the bright moonlight, Bó Ruò Yōu finally managed to discern that the person was Huò Wēi Lóu.

Huò Wēi Lóu’s brows were furrowed as he looked at her, “Can [you] still persist?”

Bó Ruò Yōu panted roughly as she nodded her head subconsciously. However, Huò Wēi Lóu did not move as he stared at her for a few seconds. All of a sudden, he said: “Get off the horse.”

At that moment, Bó Ruò Yōu’s typical agile response had fled her. Looking dazed, she opened her mouth a few times, trying to process Huò Wēi Lóu’s words before she eventually released the reins in an attempt to get off the horse. However, just as she moved, a piercing pain shot through her thighs, hurting so badly that it made her small face scrunch into a ball, and uncontrollable tears started to well at the rim of her eyes—

Bó Ruò Yōu did not realise that her eyes were wet because her hands could not hold the saddle. In the next moment, her body lost its equilibrium, and just as she was about to take the fall, Huò Wēi Lóu, being keen-sighted and deft-handed, supported her, but the pain that the chaffing caused genuinely squeezed out a tear from her eye corner.

The clear illumination flooded the earth, and with her body half-raised, even Huò Wēi Lóu could see that single teardrop at a glance. His irises darkened and the hand he was using to support Bó Ruò Yōu stiffened momentarily. However, when he noticed that Bó Ruò Yōu’s legs were still oddly deadlocked in its initial appearance, his brows abruptly twitched. Unexpectedly, he stretched his hand out and lifted Bó Ruò Yōu’s hemline.

Bó Ruò Yōu was on the brink of fainting due to the pain, but she never expected that Huò Wēi Lóu would turn into a lecher at this time. Her eyes widened abruptly as she gripped onto Huò Wēi Lóu’s wrist, but Huò Wēi Lóu completely ignored her resistance, only taking heed of what was below her hemline. Upon seeing traces of bloodstains on her snow-white undergarments, he wrinkled his brows.

• 登徒子 (pinyin: deng tu zi) – a famous lecherous character from the story Deng Tu Zi is Fond of Beauty (登徒子好色赋), which is written by Song Yu during the Warring States Period.

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