In the end, it had to be said that the detour was rather large. When Prince Chun's Residence realized their master was missing, chaos erupted. Who was the priority to find? Naturally, it was Twelfth Master. They doubled back, calling out for their master as they went, so frantic that even the barrel hoops seemed ready to burst—yet there was no sign of him.
Sha Tong was on the verge of tears. The vast wilderness stretched endlessly—where was Twelfth Master? Not only had Mu Xiaoshu not been retrieved, but now another was lost. This assignment was a death sentence. He grimaced as the northwest wind howled into his mouth, then slapped himself twice. "Useless bondservant scum! If anything happens to the master, you might as well die!"
Twelfth Master's residence was entirely different from Seventh Lord's. Take the bondservants, for example—those from Twelfth Master's knew shame. Without needing orders, those who had followed him through Khalkha would give their lives for him. But Seventh Lord's? A pack of wolves and dogs, skilled only in mischief and deceit, grinning foolishly in their master's presence without an ounce of propriety. When trouble struck, they panicked worse than anyone. This was the difference in how a household was managed.
One team pressed forward while another turned back to search. They met at the cliffside, where Sha Tong, with a face full of despair, kowtowed to Seventh Lord and asked, "Have you seen our master, my lord? This useless servant lost him, and now I’m beside myself with worry. What should we do?"
Seventh Lord froze. "Isn’t this just a matter of combing the mountains? I haven’t seen him." Then it hit him—this was bad. The two must have met up and deliberately shaken off the others. A wave of bitterness rose in his chest. That was his bondservant—how dare Twelfth Master always get there first? Was there no justice left? Twelfth Master had gone too far. He wouldn’t stand for this humiliation—he’d take it to the Emperor, accuse him of abducting a Feather Banner bondservant! He might not be an Iron-Cap Prince, but he was still the master of his own banner. How could he let Twelfth Master steal his servant? With a single word from him, even if Mu Xiaoshu died, he’d be buried in Prince Xian's cemetery. Let Hongce watch helplessly—after all, banners might as well be mountains apart!
On one hand, he seethed with indignation; on the other, he cursed himself for always being one step behind. Truth be told, Hongce had nerves of steel—he had no reservations at all, as if he had nothing left to lose. No matter how fine Mu Xiaoshu was, he was still a man. A prince of Great Britain, openly embracing such affairs—did he have that kind of audacity? Why couldn’t he? Seventh Lord straightened his back. Even Twelfth Master, the usual paragon of filial piety, dared to defy convention—was he any lesser? He’d made up his mind: once he caught Mu Xiaoshu this time, he’d pin him down and figure things out as he went. Cook the rice first, worry about the rest later. As for the future… A man couldn’t demand status, but he could buy him houses, land, and servants. A poor boy dropped into a nest of gold and silver—wouldn’t he be overjoyed?
His resolve was firm, but priorities came first—finding them now was critical. Out in the wilderness, if something really happened, it’d be too late. Seventh Lord waved his hand. "Stop gawking. Spread out and search." He began directing, "One team goes this way, another that way… Keep your eyes sharp. Don’t come back to me with just a shoe, or I’ll have you roasted alive!"The guards acknowledged with a "zhe" and quickly disappeared into the woods. Seventh Lord looked around despondently as the wind kicked up fine snow from the ground, the cold biting enough to make one gasp. If not for this wretched assignment, he'd be in Beijing right now, warming himself by a charcoal basin while enjoying opera! What infuriated him most was Mu Xiaoshu—there had been countless opportunities to escape during their journey through the provinces on horseback, yet he chose to wait until now. Wasn't this just asking for trouble? Did he think they wouldn't chase him into the deep mountains and dense forests? Once he fell into his hands this time, he'd strip him of at least two layers of clothing first!
The snowstorm eased slightly, the night's darkness fading as faint birdsong emerged from the treetops—dawn was approaching.
It had been a night of exhausting toil, leaving everyone stumbling along. From the second mountain peak, they could vaguely make out a row of huts in the valley below—that must be the Aha Camp!
Hope flared in Dingyi's heart as she stood on tiptoe and said, "Twelfth Master, look! We'll be there once we descend the mountain!"
Twelfth Master stood beneath a tree. Before he could speak, a squirrel leaped overhead, shaking loose a cascade of snow from the branches that buried him in white. She gasped and hurried over to brush him off. He turned to her with a smile as a blush of red spread across the horizon—today would be clear. With a long sigh, he said, "It's been years since I last watched the sunrise in the wild. I remember when I was twelve, accompanying my imperial father on the Autumn hunt. We reached the hunting grounds before dawn, all my brothers gathered around the viewing platform, listening to the deer calls and watching the sun slowly rise... I'd never seen a sun so large and red before. Even after all these years, I remember it vividly. Those were good times..."
Dingyi followed his gaze, realizing he wasn't just reminiscing about the scene but also the spirited confidence of his youth. Now, the older one grew, the more troubles accumulated—such was life.
"What about you?" he asked her. "What happy memories do you have from childhood? What did you play?"
"Me..." She thought carefully. "My family fell into ruin when I was six, so there wasn't much to do. Many things are hazy now, but I remember loving to fish for goldfish in the pond. My brothers were skilled—they hatched the fish eggs themselves. I knew that among goldfish, the Red Cap Oranda was fiercer and hardier, but they could still die if not cared for properly. The Ryukin and Ranchu, if fed well, wouldn't lose weight and were easier to raise. All my playful theories came from my brothers. Later, when I drifted elsewhere, I stopped being so particular. There were many village children, and once I had playmates, it was mostly climbing trees and swimming in the river. Catching cicadas, trapping coffin-lid crickets—just fooling around." She glanced at him. "Twelfth Master, I always have endless things to say to you. You don't find me too noisy, do you?"
He shook his head. "I enjoy watching you... speak." Often, he made small talk just to steal more glances at her. As long as she was speaking, he could openly admire her.
Her gaze drifted away, a faint smile lingering at the corners of her lips. She could sense the meaning behind his words—Twelfth Master must have some affection for her. How wonderful, what great fortune. Even if she ended up with someone else in the future, she could look back on this with pride.
She took a deep breath. The sky brightened slightly, and the path down the mountain gradually became clearer. The closer they got to the truth, the more timid she felt—the valley ahead seemed like a gaping maw ready to swallow everything. Gritting her teeth, she asked, "Twelfth Master, do you think they'll be there?"To be honest, the hope was slim. These endless mountains had buried countless souls and dreams. A person diving into them wouldn't even create ripples like a stone thrown into water. But how to explain this to her? He paused briefly before saying, "Whether they're still alive or not, you'll have to accept it."
She nodded slowly. "I've thought a lot tonight. There's no choice but to accept. They're gone, but I can't follow them to death. I still have my master to care for, my responsibilities. Like you said, if I could live before, I can certainly live on, and even better... But I'm just afraid. I feel they should be alive. All these years, I've kept thinking about them..."
He said, "Then go look for them. Once you've searched, your heart will be at peace, and you can move forward as you should."
The descent was harder than the climb, each step uncertain in depth. The two supported each other, inching forward step by step. As they neared the place, they heard coughing and shouts from inside. Soon, over a dozen soldiers emerged, swords at their waists, whips in hand, their warm hats askew and legs spread wide, their faces twisted in vicious scowls.
The Aha filed out one by one, hunched and cowering. They wore tattered old cotton jackets, coarse and faded beyond recognition, the torn patches revealing mottled yellowed cotton wadding, uneven in thickness, shivering from the cold. Their suffering ran so deep, even their eyes were dull. Noticing the newcomers, they glanced up slowly before lowering their heads again. Nothing in this world concerned them. In the biting wind, they tucked their sleeves into each other's, oblivious to others, their hair disheveled and faces filthy, dragging along in cotton shoes with exposed toes. Each step landed with a heavy thud, their plight worse than prisoners in Shuntian Prefecture's jail, even worse than beggars on the streets.
Tears streamed down Dingyi's face. If Ruliang and the others were among them, how could they ever resemble the young masters they once were?
The soldiers' whips cracked sharply as they bellowed, "Filthy peasants, still gawking? Worthless dogs, lazy after a full meal! Starve you for three days, see if you can still turn your necks to look!"
"Who goes there?" A figure in a cape stood far off, hands on hips, shooing them away. "This is a restricted imperial area, not some spectacle for gawking. Scram, get out! Or we'll haul you all in!"
Dingyi guessed this must be the overseer and hurried forward. "Excuse me, I'd like to ask about a few people—"
Before she could finish, she was cut off with a string of dismissals. "Ask what? Can't you see we're busy? Is this a place for idle staring? These are imperial convicts—dare to get closer, you looking to break them out?" Seeing her frozen in shock, the man scrutinized her several times, her figure hidden under the cape. He roared, "Still not leaving? Waiting for me to toss you in a cell? We've got no shortage of chains and Heavy Cangues here—want a taste?"
The commotion drew others over. One look and they laughed. "Sergeant Ren, your eyesight's failing—this is a woman looking for her man. Lower your voice, don't scare her."The man surnamed Ren took another look and sized her up. "A woman? A woman coming here—must be some chaste and virtuous widow! Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere. Just consider him dead since he's been exiled and find another. At the very least, we brothers wouldn't mind stepping up..."
The group was laughing and joking, not noticing the person approaching from behind until a gusty slap landed squarely on the leader's head. "Blind, dog of a slave, how dare you!"
The Ren leader was struck so hard he saw stars. By the time he regained his senses and was ready to kill, he turned around to see an ivory identity plaque smacking toward his face. Focusing his eyes, he saw the words "Prince of the First Rank" carved on the ornate base. The shock was enough to instantly freeze his fury into shards of ice. He stumbled back several steps before dropping to his knees and kowtowing. "This slave... this slave is a worthless fool, his mind clouded by greed, unaware of Your Highness's presence... this slave deserves ten thousand deaths!"
Everyone in the Great Britain banners knew that waist plaques were the name cards of the Imperial Clan—if it said Beile, it was a Beile; if it said Prince, it was a Prince. With their leader on his knees, the underlings had no right to stand tall. The guards hurried to kowtow, and thousands of bondservants immediately prostrated themselves. The Ren leader led the cries for mercy, while the bondservants wailed their innocence in unison, filling the mountain valley with deafening shouts.
To Hongce, the commotion outside was nothing more than a minor irritation. He merely frowned and said, "Gather everyone together. I have questions for them later."
The Ren leader hastily acknowledged, still kneeling as he turned and waved. "Quickly, take all these bondservants to the front pasture. Anyone who keeps wailing gets their mouth stuffed with donkey dung..." Realizing he was being too presumptuous in front of the Prince, his voice trailed off, and he flusteredly glared. "What are you waiting for? Move it, hurry up!"
The underlings bowed and obeyed, cracking their whips loudly through the air. Unable to bear the sight, Dingyi turned away and asked the Ren leader directly, "How long have you been stationed here?"
Uncertain of her status, the Ren leader answered cautiously, "Replying to the young lady, this lowly one is a bondservant under the Zhengbai Banner. My ancestors have long been stationed in the Changbai Mountain region. I began serving at the Imperial Manor at fifteen, and this winter will mark twenty years."
"What about the people exiled from the capital twelve years ago—do you remember them?" she pressed urgently. "Censor Wen Lu had three sons sent to the Imperial Manor. Where are they now? Are they among those people?"
The Ren leader stared blankly for a long moment. "Wen Lu's sons? Wen Ruliang and them?"
Dingyi's heart clenched. "Yes, exactly! Where are they?"
The Ren leader shook his head. "Those rebels never settled down—inciting others to revolt, leading escapes, and such. They kept it up for nearly two years. Later, they were locked in the Water Dungeon for three months. After that, they quieted down, but when they came out, there was a livestock plague. They caught it and died soon after."
Though she hadn't held much hope to begin with, she hadn't expected utter despair either. Now, after asking and confirming, they were truly gone. The blow was too much for her to bear. Her mind went blank, and she collapsed into unconsciousness.
Author's Note:
① Watchtower: A lookout point on high ground during the Qing Emperor's hunting expeditions.
② Lingcui: A Qing Dynasty official title responsible for records and salaries.
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