Love in Red Dust

All dead? It was like a bolt from the blue, leaving Dingyi utterly stunned.

She stood frozen, her limbs icy cold, her legs trembling so violently they could barely support her. Staggering, she leaned against the wall, feeling a surge of nausea in her chest as if she might vomit blood at any moment.

How could this be? She couldn’t believe it. All these years, whenever she faced insurmountable hardships, she had always thought of her brother far away. Though her parents were gone, at least she still had family—she wasn’t completely alone. But now, even her brother was dead. All three of them were gone. What was the point of living anymore?

Seventh Lord had little concern for who lived or died, but upon hearing this, he turned his head and scoffed, "Is this place hell? All three brothers dead—quite the complete set."

Hongce observed everything calmly, his sharp eyes taking in her every move. He understood now—Mu Xiaoshu must be Wen Lu’s daughter. No wonder she had gone to such lengths to enter Prince Xian's Residence after learning they were heading to Changbai Mountain to investigate. She had traveled thousands of miles just to find her brothers. Now that they were dead, she might not be able to bear the blow.

Her face was deathly pale, and she swayed unsteadily. His heart clenched. He needed to divert everyone’s attention—no one could notice her distress. Since the Wen brothers were dead, there was no need for her to reveal her identity. The longer it remained hidden, the better. Fewer obstacles meant more options for him.

He clenched his fists and slammed them onto the table, sending dishes and cups clattering noisily. The sudden outburst startled Seventh Lord, who was in the middle of eating taro. The officials present stiffened, rising from their seats in alarm, their faces filled with fear as they braced for reprimand.

His voice was sharp and stern as he rebuked, "What kind of management is this? Though the court exiled them as criminals, they were still people, still subjects of Great Britain. Even commoners’ deaths must be reported to the Captain. Were these men exempt? Tao Yongfu, you dared to conceal the deaths of major convicts from the court, making me go in circles. What punishment do you deserve?"

Eunuch Tao trembled from head to toe, dropping to his knees with a thud and kowtowing frantically. "This servant was negligent! At the time, a plague was raging, and the dead had to be carted away in rows. I’m not exaggerating—two carts full every day without fail. This servant was overwhelmed, too many died, and there was no time to verify each one—"

"No time to verify? Then how do you know it was the three Wen brothers who died?" He snorted. "I was ordered to reinvestigate this case, and now, coincidentally, not a single brother remains. What a remarkable string of coincidences—all conveniently falling into my lap. Who do you think you’re fooling?"

Eunuch Tao didn’t understand his implication, staring blankly before finally stammering, "My lord, please calm your anger. This servant will send people to investigate again. Perhaps there was a mistake back then… Please be patient, my lord. You’ve only just arrived after a long journey. Allow this servant to arrange proper rest for you. As for verifying the deaths, please grant me some time. I’ll have it done overnight."

Hongce gave him a cold sidelong glance. "Your last-minute efforts are quite impressive. Send others to investigate while you wait comfortably indoors. What? Is your precious body too immobile to move?"

Eunuch Tao gasped and hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes! This servant will go personally and ensure a thorough report for my lord."The local officials dared not slack off. While they stood before the Prince receiving his admonitions, their eyes had long signaled their attendants. Don’t just stand there—what time is it? Hurry up and get things done! The outcome was another matter; the important thing was to take action, to avoid being scolded for inaction.

Everyone was in a panic. Governance in such remote areas had always been lax, with no oversight from above, allowing things to muddle along in confusion. Now, suddenly, a clear-eyed Prince had arrived, tightening the reins, and they realized just how many flaws there were in their local administration. They scrambled to think of where they might have fallen short, making last-minute efforts to patch things up before the Prince could call them out. If they played their cards right, they might just slip through this time.

Seventh Lord, on the other hand, had always preferred to avoid trouble whenever possible. In his view, since the Wen family had already disbanded, whether there had been any injustice in the case no longer mattered. The people were dead—who would you exonerate? And who would thank you for it? Submitting a memorial explaining the circumstances would suffice; there was no need to go to such lengths. He smacked his lips a couple of times and said, “Goodness, this taro candy is so sticky it’s clinging to my teeth... Well, well, since things have come to this, let’s not be too particular. We’ll rest here for a couple of days, then set off refreshed! Once the Ningguta assignment is settled, we’ll return to the capital as soon as possible. If the case must be pursued, it doesn’t have to focus on the Wen brothers. We can handle it back home, comfortably settled in the capital, and approach it from another angle.”

Hongce, of course, understood the reasoning. If it weren’t for Xiaoshu, would he have cared so much about the Wen brothers? He wanted to give her some comfort, to investigate further and confirm their deaths so she could gradually accept it and let go of this lingering attachment, returning to her former carefree self. Seventh Master only sought peace and quiet; avoiding involvement in the case and spouting empty words was so much easier. Just open his mouth and say, “Ah, forget it, let’s just muddle through!” But muddling through only worked if things could be glossed over. This case had too many loose ends, and all the implicated Wen family members were dead—except for Xiaoshu, a lone survivor, perhaps spared by sheer luck.

As the two brothers debated, they suddenly noticed she was no longer there. Hongce’s heart skipped a beat, but he kept his composure, exchanged a few more words, and dismissed everyone present.

He hurried to the row house and pushed open her door, only to find the room empty, with no sign of her. Where had she gone? He stood there pondering—had she gone into the mountains alone? Anxiety surged within him. She was alone, with no sense of direction, and the mountains were unpredictable. A single misstep could mean death, with no hope of even recovering her body.

He was worried about her, but also a little resentful. In the past, she’d brought him basketfuls of minor troubles, never hesitating to inconvenience him. Now, faced with something so serious, she kept silent and tried to handle it alone, never intending to confide in him. What was she really thinking?

His usual calm shattered, and for the first time, he felt the torment of fear and helplessness. After a dazed moment, he realized he couldn’t launch a public search—it had to be done discreetly. But in this vast wilderness, with the weather so unpredictable, he had no idea which path she might have taken. Stepping outside, he saw the distant mountain ridges, the sky darkening, the peaks looming like stacked storm clouds. The mountain climate was harsh, and the nights would only grow colder. Did she really plan to cross those mountains in this freezing season? Did she think she was made of iron?

In a low voice, he called for Sha Tong. “Gather a few manor heads to guide us. Order Ha Gang to dispatch men into the mountains.”Sha Tong looked around with a dazed expression and asked, "Master, it's almost dark now. What are we going into the mountains for?"

Hongce ignored him, frowning as he said, "Find out where Aha is stationed, how many paths there are—don’t overlook a single one... Be quick. If we’re too slow, something might happen."

Sha Tong stared blankly. "Are you worried they’ve falsified the records, that the Wen Brothers aren’t actually dead, and the manor will silence them overnight? Could the Imperial Manor be colluding with the salt smugglers—are they the traitors?"

Attending to his master’s duties, the servant had sharpened his wits through constant exposure. With a single thought, he could piece things together. Hongce shook his head. "I’ve seen that roster. The paper and ink are aged—it can’t be faked that well. If there was foul play, it happened years ago. There’d be no reason to keep them alive until now." He didn’t know how to express his current thoughts. Leaning on his waist, he sighed helplessly. "Mu Xiaoshu has gone into the mountains. Any later, and he might end up in a beast’s belly."

Sha Tong slapped his thigh in frustration. "That Mu Xiaoshu—has he lost his mind?!" Clutching his hat, he dashed off, the red tassel on his cap bobbing in the snowstorm before disappearing around a corner.

Meanwhile, Seventh Lord, having had his fill of playing with the birds, noticed the Bird Keeper was missing. Unfazed, he carried the cage over himself, still chuckling as he entered. "Shu'er, this lark has learned a new trick..."

But when he looked up and saw no one there, he let out a puzzled hum. "Where’d he go at this hour... Off to Twelfth Master’s room?" He thought for a moment, then grew irritated. "Utterly shameless! Just because they’re both men doesn’t mean they can throw caution to the wind! How many times do I have to say it—is he a pig-brained fool?!" Fuming, he stormed out and bellowed, "Najin! Where the hell are you?!"

Najin came scurrying over. Before he could speak, he dropped to one knee and blurted, "Master, there’s trouble!"

Seventh Lord blinked. "What trouble?"

"You haven’t heard? That troublemaker Mu Xiaoshu had a fit and ran off. Twelfth Master took men into the mountains to look for him."

"What?!" Seventh Lord’s face darkened. "After all I’ve done for him, he turns runaway slave? My own servant bolts, and I’m the last to know—what kind of joke is this?" Enraged, he flung the birdcage aside and glared at Najin. "Are you useless? Standing there gawking—if we’re any later, we’ll be collecting his corpse! Why haven’t you called for help yet?"

His voice cracked with fury, and Najin cowered, nodding frantically. Seventh Lord stood in the light snow, turning back to the fluttering bird in the cage, muttering bitterly, "Mu Xiaoshu, you little bastard... Haven’t I treated you well? Acting like some thieving woman, a damn runaway..."

In the wild mountain terrain, a dim lantern flickered as official boots crunched through the snow.

Dingyi’s face was numb, her tears long dried, leaving only a hollow despair. She trudged forward aimlessly, determined to reach Aha’s camp. Even if it meant crossing two peaks, she wouldn’t believe it until she saw it with her own eyes.She still remembered the times spent with her brothers. As the youngest, she had been handed over to wet nurses and nannies from birth, so her bond with her parents wasn’t particularly deep. But her brothers had always doted on her. They would weave grasshoppers and locusts for her out of straw. When Ruliang returned from the Manchu Wrestling arena with blessed fruits rewarded by the palace, he would save every last one for her, wrapping them in the hem of his robe to bring home. That morning, he had promised to bring her a clay rabbit figurine—who could have foreseen such a sudden tragedy? Though the abrupt loss of parents was painful, now, truly left alone in the world, her parents and brothers seemed like shooting stars that had streaked across her life. She even doubted if they had ever existed at all. Or perhaps it had all been a dream spanning over a decade—maybe she had always been alone, desolate and helpless, with no one to rely on.

The wilderness was bitterly cold, so cold it made her teeth chatter. With nothing left to tie her down, she felt almost indifferent to life and death. She trudged forward through the snowstorm as clumps of snow suddenly fell from the branches above. In the distance, wolves howled. She tightened the curved knife at her waist—she was ready to risk everything, with nothing left to fear. There was no purpose left in her life now. All she wanted was to ask, to get answers, and then she could die in peace. As for the Twelfth Master—someone so sharp-witted must have already noticed the signs. She had tried hard to restrain herself, but there was no use. A blow like this left her with no will to live—what was there left to care about?

The Twelfth Master… what did he think of her? Knowing she was Wen Lu’s daughter, would he still treat her kindly? He had come this far to question Ruliang and the others about the case, but now they were all gone. Should he turn his spear elsewhere? The daughter of a disgraced official was far less innocent than an ordinary commoner. That was the reality, and now she had given up on herself entirely—all pretenses stripped away. What face did she have left in front of the Twelfth Master? The only regret was deceiving him until now—what must he think of her? It was too late to confess. She lacked the courage to face him again. She had hoped to repay him properly after finding her brother, but now… Her heart ached with guilt—she had wronged the Twelfth Master, and the Seventh Lord as well. This journey into the mountains might be her last. The debts she owed them would have to be repaid in the next life, even if it meant serving as their ox or horse.

The snowstorm howled around her, and her heart was filled with desolation. Gritting her teeth, she pressed onward. The mountains were so dark that only the lantern illuminated the small patch of ground beneath her feet. The surrounding snow reflected a faint blue glow, and each step sank deep, reaching her calves. Her boots grew damp, her toes numb from the cold. She curled in on herself, shrinking into a tiny ball. Ahead, the winding path was barely visible. Step after uncertain step—each one carried the risk of plunging into an abyss. But even if the next step sent her tumbling into the depths, it wouldn’t be unjust. With a heart set on death, she feared nothing. If Ruliang and the others were truly gone, she couldn’t go on living either. This was the inevitable end—so why fear anything now?

As she walked alone, she faintly heard calls behind her—voices calling out "Mu Xiaoshu," one after another, like the soul-summoning rituals performed by common folk along riverbanks and roadsides. At first, she thought she had imagined it, but listening carefully, she realized it was real. Someone had caught up to her—but who?

Suddenly, tears streamed down her face, an indescribable emotion clogging her throat. The two lords probably hadn’t given up on her yet—but what face did she have left to show them?By the roadside, there happened to be a haystack. She gathered some dry branches to sweep away her footprints, then crouched low to hide inside, peering out cautiously through the gaps—footsteps drew nearer, a line of black boots strode past, and the torches crackled as they burned. Someone shouted loudly, "We just saw a figure—how did it vanish in the blink of an eye?"

Twelfth Master stepped into the circle of torchlight, scanning the surroundings before saying, "Don't stop—keep chasing ahead." Yet he himself paused, waiting until the others had gone farther before turning and walking toward the haystack.

Author's Note:

"Runaway goods": Beijing slang, referring to a disreputable woman; "run" implies elopement.

"Zhuge lantern": A lantern with three sides made of paper and one side of glass.