Xia Sheng looked even darker than a few months ago. He was already taller and more robust than Dongsheng, who worked as a servant. Such a large figure, awkwardly hunched on the carriage shaft, was quite conspicuous—he didn’t look like anyone’s coachman at all, but more like a hired thug. Seeing his mistress emerge from the Inner Gate, he quickly jumped down from the shaft and stood beside the carriage.
Rong Shi turned to the Lin Family maids and matrons who had accompanied Ren Yaoqi to see her off and said, “I have a few words to say to the child. You may withdraw for now.”
Her tone and demeanor were gentle, but after all, she had once been a Princess Consort. With just one sentence, the maids and matrons immediately bowed and retreated without a word.
Only then did Rong Shi speak to Ren Yaoqi: “Dongsheng returned late last night.”
Ren Yaoqi’s heart stirred. He returned late last night, and today Rong Shi brought Dongsheng to see her? Originally, she had told Rong Shi she would find an opportunity to visit her. If there was something to say, why not wait until then? After all, given Rong Shi’s usual style, she wouldn’t come to the Lin Family.
Could it be that there was something important to tell her?
Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but glance at Xia Sheng, but his face remained as expressionless as ever, revealing nothing.
Rong Shi, however, patted Ren Yaoqi’s head, her expression gradually turning serious. “The Han Family may not be as simple as they appear on the surface.”
Ren Yaoqi was startled and immediately asked, “What did Xia Sheng find out this time?”
Rong Shi looked at Xia Sheng, who lowered his head and said, “Han Dongshan did indeed stay in Jiangnan, but he is not from Jiangnan. Back then, he left Yan Prefecture with the Yanbei people fleeing south to escape the Liao people. He was less than ten years old when he left and grew up in Chuzhou, Jiangnan, until he was seventeen, when he returned to Yanbei to escape a famine. Han Dongshan claims to be from Shangzhuang Village, Zhuqiao Town, Chuzhou. This time, when I went to Zhuqiao Town, I discovered that after that famine, a plague broke out near Chuzhou. Because many people in Shangzhuang Village fell ill, the local magistrate ordered the village sealed off. In the end, no one in the village survived.”
To prevent the spread of plague, local officials would seal off villages where most people had fallen ill, cutting off contact with the outside world and leaving them to their fate. Once infected, nine out of ten would lose their lives, with no possibility of treatment. However, the result of such measures was often that no one in the affected villages survived—everyone would eventually fall ill and die, and the village would be burned to the ground.
“Then who confirmed Han Dongshan’s identity for you?” Ren Yaoqi raised an eyebrow and asked.
“Although the original Shangzhuang Town no longer exists, Han Dongshan wasn’t the only one who escaped before the plague. I originally thought there was no way to verify further, but while passing by a newly built stone bridge at the site of the old Shangzhuang Town, I noticed an inscription on the bridge. It turned out the bridge was built by a merchant to commemorate his ancestors. His father was from Shangzhuang Village. Back then, after the drought and locust plague but before the epidemic, his father left home with his uncle, a traveling peddler. I later sought out this merchant, and his father is still alive.”Xia Sheng paused briefly before continuing, "That elderly man was about the same age as Han Dongshan. I roughly described Han Dongshan’s appearance to him and asked if he knew anyone who had come from Yanbei back then. Unexpectedly, he firmly insisted that the person I described was his childhood companion, whose name wasn’t anything like Dongshan or Xishan, but Zuger."
"Zuger?" Ren Yaoqi frowned. "What was his surname?"
Xia Sheng shook his head. "This Zuger settled in Shangzhuang Village back then with a woman called Li Niang, who simply called him Zuger. That old man didn’t know their surnames either. Li Niang made a meager living by helping others during the busy farming seasons, and their life was quite difficult. Later, when Zuger grew older, he worked as a cowherd. Li Niang claimed to outsiders that Zuger was her son, but the old man said that once, when he went looking for Zuger, he heard Li Niang call him 'young master.'"
"After all these years, he can still remember these details clearly?"
"He said he wouldn’t remember if it were about others, but this mother and son were quite unusual back then. Besides their Yan Prefecture accent, even though Zuger did chores like the other village children as he grew up, his face, hands, and body were always clean. He didn’t fight or go swimming and catching fish in the river with the others. Because of his delicate appearance, some even suspected he was a girl. What was even stranger was that sometimes they were so poor they couldn’t even afford to cook, yet Li Niang still insisted on sending Zuger to the village school. When they couldn’t pay the tuition, Li Niang would wash clothes, cook meals, and mend clothes for the teacher, which stirred up a lot of gossip, but she persisted regardless. Later, many women in the village tried to drive them away with brooms. However, Li Niang eventually fell ill and passed away. Not long after, Chuzhou was hit by a disaster, and Zuger fled Shangzhuang Village alone. After he left, someone secretly went to their old house, hoping to find some food by chance. Instead, they discovered a blood-stained straw doll used for curses under the bedboard of Li Niang’s bed. Strangely, the name on the straw doll wasn’t anyone from Shangzhuang Village."
Ren Yaoqi looked at Xia Sheng. "Whose name was on the straw doll?"
Using straw dolls to curse enemies was a folk sorcery practice passed down in the Yanbei region. Whether it worked or not, those born in Yanbei knew about it—even Ren Yaoyu, who grew up sheltered in the inner chambers, had used it before.
However, unless it was a blood feud, no one would use blood on a straw doll; at most, they would prick it with needles. Because blood rituals would cause the caster to suffer backlash, essentially trading their life for the enemy’s.
Xia Sheng said, "It was a famine year back then, and people were struggling to even eat, so after the villager who discovered the straw doll was frightened, no one in the village paid it much attention. However, a few bold young men in the village went to take a look out of curiosity, and that person happened to go along. At the time, someone who could read recognized the characters on it, but unfortunately, after so many years, that person couldn’t remember clearly." At this point, Xia Sheng glanced up at Ren Yaoqi. "I had no choice, so I tentatively asked if the name on it was surnamed Ren. That person thought for a long time before recalling that it really did seem to be someone surnamed Ren."
Xia Sheng had asked out of caution, but he was startled himself when he received a positive answer.
"However, this isn’t entirely reliable. That person is quite old now, so it’s possible he remembered incorrectly." Seeing Ren Yaoqi remain silent, Xia Sheng thought she was frightened.After thinking for a moment, he hesitated and said, "However, it was purely coincidental that I happened to see that bridge and followed the clues to find the person who built it. Apart from that, no one seems to know anything about Han Dongshan's background. I heard there were a few others who left Shangzhuang Village with Han Dongshan back then, but none of them left any trace in Yanbei." Han Dongshan had lived in Chuzhou for so many years, yet no one knew his origins—this in itself was a strange matter.
After Xia Sheng finished speaking, no one spoke. They stood under the shade of a locust tree, where dappled, swaying light fell on Ren Yaoqi's face, making her expression flicker between light and shadow, difficult to discern.
Rong Shi's gentle voice pulled Ren Yaoqi out of her contemplation: "When forming a marriage alliance, the most dangerous thing is not knowing the other party's background. The Han Family has lived in Jizhou for generations, which is not an issue. However, Han Dongshan himself... is not simple. His true origins and background are likely problematic. I came today to warn you. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, I noticed the Ren Family and the Han Family were very close, and I heard the two families intend to form a marriage alliance." At this point, Rong Shi sighed, "Unfortunately, I cannot say this in front of your grandparents, but I will write a letter to your mother."
If Rong Shi were to mention these matters in front of the Ren Family, Old Madam Ren would first suspect that the Xianwang Residence had ulterior motives, interfering in the marriages of the Ren Family's children, and it might even implicate Third Madam Ren. Moreover, the Ren Family would not only disbelieve Rong Shi's words but might also leak the news that people from the Xianwang Residence had left Yanbei without permission, putting the Xianwang Residence in danger.
Ren Yaoqi understood Rong Shi's meaning and nodded, "I understand, Grandmother. You don't need to worry too much."
Rong Shi patted Ren Yaoqi's head affectionately and said kindly, "Qi'er, you are a clever and good child." Rong Shi knew that it was Ren Yaoqi who had asked Xia Sheng to investigate Han Dongshan, and unexpectedly, some clues had been uncovered.
Ren Yaoqi smiled at Rong Shi and glanced at Xia Sheng, "Thank you for your hard work on this matter, Xia Sheng."
Xia Sheng remained standing respectfully to the side. He was a reserved and taciturn person and didn't know how to respond to Ren Yaoqi's praise, so he remained silent.
Rong Shi patted Ren Yaoqi's hand and sighed, "If you encounter any difficulties, send a message. You are still young, and many things cannot be resolved on your own."
Ren Yaoqi obediently nodded. Seeing that she had conveyed everything she needed to, Rong Shi bid farewell to Ren Yaoqi, who personally helped her grandmother into the carriage.
As the carriage curtain was lowered, Xia Sheng suddenly said, "Young Miss, I brought two people back for you this time, but it wasn't convenient to bring them today."
Ren Yaoqi was taken aback for a moment before remembering that before Xia Sheng left, she had asked him to train a few maids skilled in martial arts for her.
Xia Sheng scratched his head with the horsewhip, "I bought these two girls from a street performance troupe. Since they've been practicing basic skills since childhood, they'll learn faster. If we started training younger children from scratch, it might be too late. If you think it's suitable, I'll begin teaching them. If you dislike their humble origins, I can look for others."Ren Yaoqi smiled and said, "Since you brought them back, it means they have good potential. Let Sister Chuchu and the others help me assess their character. As for their background... as long as they don’t cause trouble in the future, it should be fine."
Chuchu was standing nearby, not yet having boarded the carriage. Hearing this, she smiled and nodded at Ren Yaoqi. "Don’t worry, Miss Cousin."
Ren Yaoqi truly felt reassured.
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