When they arrived in Dongping town, Master Yang and Yu Zhi did not show up but instead handed a letter to Han Ji.
That night, Zijin went out and returned a shichen later. Zijin told Yuxi, "Miss, Master Yang said you can follow him, but only you and I can leave." If too many people left the caravan, it could easily attract other people's attention.
Yuxi nodded and said, "Okay, but the only problem now is that it's difficult to find a stand-in to take my place."
Zijin suggested, "Why the need to find a stand-in? Just directly ask Zisu to pretend to be Miss and Shiliu to be her maid. Other people do not know the root of the matter. As long as the other party does not reveal the details, who will know, right?"
Yuxi thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "You are right." After saying that, she turned to look at Zisu, who was already dumbfounded.
Zisu hastily waved her hand in disapproval and argued, "No, I can't pretend to be Miss. Moreover, I can't leave Miss' side. If only Zijin can follow Miss, who will serve Miss then?"
Yuxi responded, "I don't need to be served." She could take care of herself.
Zijin spoke, "Zisu Jiejie, this journey will certainly be very unsafe. We have had a lucky escape before, but no one can predict what will happen to us next. If Miss leaves the team to follow Master Yang, it will be safer for Miss."
Yuxi said, "Zisu, if you disagree with this, then let's just forget about it. We will think of another way."
When Zisu heard Yuxi's words, she gritted her teeth and finally gave in. "Okay, Miss. Then you have to take good care of yourself." Although she didn't want to give up on trying to follow Yuxi, she could still tell which was more important right now.
Yuxi asked Zijin to call Luo Shuigui and Chief Huang over. She then told the two that she was ready to leave. Yuxi also had no choice. If she did not tell them, it would undoubtedly cause a riot, and later, it would become a troublesome matter to handle.
Zijin said, "There are three people, Master Yang, Fourth Brother Yu, and me, enough to protect Miss' safety." Zijin felt that if there were more people, the more cumbersome it would become.
Luo Shuigui looked at Yuxi and asked, "Has Miss made up Miss' mind?"
Yuxi nodded and said, "From here to Yucheng, there is still more than a month's journey. I'm troubled about any unforeseen events along the road." Instead of being noticed by being in a big group, it was better to follow Master Yang's team. There were advantages to having fewer people. At least it would not be that eye-catching.
Yuxi nodded and said, "I have already decided."
Luo Shuigui nodded and said, "Since Miss has already decided, I won't say much." He did feel that it was safer for Yuxi to follow Master Yang's group. For one thing, with fewer people, she would be less conspicuous, and for another, they could use the caravan to attract the attention of those who had ulterior motives.
Chief Huang, as the hired one, did not have much say. However, he made a suggestion. "Miss, I don't think it's right to let Miss Zisu pretend to be you. The bandits of Menghu Mountain had seen Miss before. Although they didn't know Miss' face, they knew Miss' height. To find a body double, we have to find someone with a similar figure."
Yuxi hesitated. "But, can it be that easy to find a woman who is about the same height as me?" She was considered very tall among women.
Chief Huang responded, "Don't worry about it. As long as Miss has money, we can find one."
Yuxi had lost all her gold and silver jewellery, but she still had silver tickets. Thus, she asked Zijin to give Chief Huang two hundred taels of silver tickets, which he could exchange for silver in many places. Yuxi said, "If this town can not exchange them for silver, then I have to bother Chief Huang to pay first in advance." The bandits of Menghu Mountain had also robbed Yuxi's money box. Now, she only had silver tickets left. To be safe, she had placed all her silver tickets in Zijin's hands at that time.
Chief Huang spoke with a smile, "Don't worry, Miss. I'll get things done by tonight." When they were at Menghu Mountain, because Yuxi had covered her face with a veil, the bandits did not know what she looked like. Therefore, he should just find someone with a similar body shape. Such a person was still relatively easy to find.
In the middle of the night, Han Ji came over to report the matter to Yuxi with a very ugly-looking expression, "Miss, Chief Huang bought two people from a brothel back."
Yuxi nodded and said, "In the end, it's the people who often travel outside who can be this thorough." Zijin had made a name for herself in Menghu Mountain, and she was also Yuxi's personal bodyguard. If she were also not with the caravan, it would inevitably make people think more.
Han Ji, however, felt that Chief Huang did this to damage Yuxi's reputation. Therefore, he felt very uncomfortable. "Miss, if the woman's behaviour is not good, won't you be angry that she has ruined your reputation?"
Yuxi smiled. "She's merely a stand-in, so what's the point of talking about how she will ruin my reputation? It would be best if you also stopped blaming Chief Huang. It's already good that he could find stand-in people in just one night."
As Zisu recalled her own dark experience, her expression also turned extraordinarily unsightly. "Miss, I don't want to serve her!"
Yuxi said, "You don't have to. You'll be in the same carriage with Mama Qu and the others later on." Anyway, to outsiders, Zisu was an insignificant person, and no one would pay attention to her.
Zisu nodded and said, "Okay."
Before dawn, Yuxi left the inn with Zisu and went to a small farmhouse where Master Yang was currently staying.
Master Yang looked at Yuxi, who was wearing grey male clothes, and commented, "As long as people are not blind, they can still know that you are a woman at a glance." The clothes did nothing to hide Yuxi's shapely woman figure. Even spacious clothing could not completely cover her body shape.
Yuxi also knew that she could not pretend to be a man as she said, "I can pretend to be a couple with Zijin." Zijin did look more like a man. If she and Zijin masqueraded as a couple, they would not arouse anyone suspicion.
Master Yang laughed. "That's a good idea." After that, he stood up and said, "It's still early. Go to sleep for a while. Don't feel so anxious to hasten on with our journey."
Although the house was very shabby, as long as Yuxi had a place to shelter her from the wind and rain, she wouldn't be picky. After washing up, Yuxi went to sleep with Zijin.
Yuxi had a good night's sleep. When she went out of the house, she saw Master Yang and Yu Zhi were playing chess. They looked indescribably leisurely.
Yuxi didn't know why but watching the two of them playing so casually had removed a lot of the jittery feeling she had in her heart. Perhaps it was because she knew that Master Yang was a straightforward person, so she was not worried about her safety! Yuxi smiled and greeted the two, "Master Yang, Fourth Brother Yu, good morning!"
Chinese Tobacco Pipe
Image Credit | Chinese Items
Image Credit | Chinese Items
Yuxi said with a smile, "I couldn't sleep well on the way because I was always scared and on edge. I finally got a good night's sleep yesterday till I overslept, and this is all thanks to Master Yang for being around me."
This speech of hers was unmistakably an act of flattery. Master Yang knocked the tobacco pipe on the table and said, "Hurry up and pack. We still need to get on with our journey!" If it were not for Yuxi and Zijin particularly looking exhausted last night, he would have woken them up much earlier, not allowing them to sleep until the sun was three-pole high.
After packing, Yuxi got into the carriage. There was a big box inside with a quilt laid on it. Besides them, there were two oversized packages and a square stool. The carriage was not exceptionally spacious. With so many things put inside it, there was only enough room for one person to sit. Good thing Yuxi's tolerance was very high. If it was another young lady, she certainly could not stand this crammed space.
Master Yang got on the carriage and asked, "Young Mistress, are you already seated?" The identity of the four people had already been decided. Yuxi and Zijin disguised themselves as husband and wife, with Yu Zhi as their personal attendant and Master Yang their chauffeur.
Yuxi instructed softly, "You can go now."
Not long after, Yuxi heard yelling from outside the carriage. Soon, the carriage stopped. Master Yang said, "Young Mistress, let's have something to eat here." The way he called her as a young mistress sounded particularly strange to Yuxi's ears.
In a short while, Zijin brought in a bowl of noodles and a basket of steamed cakes for Yuxi. [+]
Chinese Steamed Cakes
Yuxi put the small stool in place. Then she placed the noodles and steamed cakes on it with a smile. After that, she sat down and ate them slowly.
In the beginning, the road was relatively smooth, but the more the carriage, the bumpier it became. Finally, Yuxi could not stand it any longer, so she lifted the curtain and asked, "Master Yang, why is it so bumpy?"
Master Yang said, "We are taking a small road, not an official road, so naturally, it is a little bumpy. You should bear with it for a while. It will soon be fine."
Zijin rolled her eyes at Master Yang and said toward Yu Zhi, "Fourth Brother Yu, you should drive the carriage and let Master ride the horse." Zijin and Yu Zhi were both riding horses.
Master Yang snorted coldly and complained, "If you dislike me, then why do you still follow me?" Although he uttered this complaint, he still threw the horsewhip in his hand to Yu Zhi.
Yu Zhi slowed down the speed, and Yuxi felt better sitting inside the carriage. At noon the four people ate roujiamo with water, which was very convenient.
It was almost dark when the group saw a village, and Master Yang said, "Tonight we will spend the night here." They were not in a hurry anyway.
Yuxi did not object.
When the caravan stayed overnight in a farmhouse, they would borrow the whole place, and their people did all the cooking. This time, when Master Yang asked for lodging from the farmhouse owner, they didn't have to prepare their own meals. Master Yang politely asked the owner, Yang Qing, to prepare them. That night, Yuxi ate mutton paomo, a speciality cuisine of Shaanxi.
Yuxi ate a large bowl of it. After she finished eating, she smilingly said, "I have never eaten this much at night." Yuxi usually ate sixty per cent full for evening meals, but today was an exception.
Master Yang touched his stomach as he spoke, "That's because it's delicious. Next time, I'll let you try the minced beef noodles. Its taste is also a masterpiece."
Minced Beef Noodles
Yuxi smiled and said, "Okay, then next time we have to try it properly."
That night, after the two of them lay down, Zijin suggested to Yuxi, "Miss, if you want to leave, now is the best opportunity."
Yuxi said with a smile, "Are you sure you can convince Master Yang and Yu Zhi?" Master Yang and Yu Zhi were not unknown people. If they helped her escape, they would be in a lot of trouble.
Zijin was silent for a moment before saying, "Miss, not to mention that Yu City is always at war, making it a not-safe place to stay; it also has a lot of Yun Qing's enemies. Will Miss have a peaceful life after marrying him? Instead of being dragged down by him in the future, why not Miss take this opportunity to escape?"
Yuxi was silent for a moment before she spoke, "Let me think about it first." Because of Zijin's words, Yuxi tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep all night.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi