My Uncle
The horse galloped in the silent night. After an unknown period, He Yan took the reins and stopped the horse.
This was an empty market and the vendors had already returned home. The lustful girl was trembling since she got on the carriage. At this moment, the drug’s effects started wearing off, and she regained her ability to speak. Her voice was soft and weak, as she said, “Let go of me.”
He Yan helped her down and sat down in front of a tofu shop.
As she was in a hurry earlier, she didn’t take a good look at the girl’s appearance. Now the faint light of the lantern hanging under the eaves of the tofu shop made it clear that the girl was indeed beautiful. She looked really delicate, soft, white and tender, with exquisite eyebrows, fleshy cheeks, and seemed rather young. She didn’t look too old, at most about the same age as Cheng Lisu.
Such a little girl was dressed up by the people of Wanhua Pavilion in an inappropriate tulle dress with heavy makeup and was shivering in cold.
As soon as she sat down, the girl shrank back and looked at He Yan with a vigilant look, “Who are you?”
He Yan was stunned for a moment, then came back to her senses, thinking that this girl might have confused her as a flower picker. She pulled off her scarf and said with a smile, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to save you. It’s just that it was inconvenient to show my face, so I covered it with a scarf. I didn’t scare you, did I?”
Under the moonlight, the young man who just removed his scarf had delicate eyebrows with a soft gentle voice, making people gradually let go of their guards.
“How do you know…” She still had some difficulty in speaking, so He Yan took out a paper ball from her sleeve, “I picked up this thing that you threw out. I heard about the business of Wanhua pavilion which forces girls into prostitution so I hid in the teahouse next to Wanhua Pavilion, and followed along with your carriage to save you.”
He Yan looked at the girl, “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
Things were okay until she mentioned this. The girl’s eyes flushed, and she stretched out her hand while trembling, her all ten fingers were scary-looking and swollen, making people wonder what they had gone through.
The girls in the brothel, especially the newcomers, even if they didn’t understand the rules, the mother would avoid using any punishments that would scar the body. After all, the girls still had to go out to entertain guests. If their bodies were bruised, the guests would lose their appetites and there would be no profit. Therefore, she came up with this kind of torture method.
He Yan looked a little distressed. Whosoever’s daughter would go through this, her parents would be heartbroken. She softened her voice a bit and asked, “Girl, where is your home? I’ll take you home first.”
“Home?” The girl was stunned for a moment, looked at He Yan, and then replied after a long while, “My home is in Shuojing…”
“Shuojing?” Now it’s He Yan’s turn to freeze, “Were you kidnapped?”
“Sort of.” The little girl said, “I, I escaped from my marriage. I wanted to go to Yangzhou. But I got headed to the wrong direction and came to Liangzhou instead. I only wanted to stay in Liangzhou for a few days before leaving. I didn’t expect to be seen by Sun Ling.” She bitterly said, “If I return to Shuojing, I will definitely make them pay!” At the end, she almost gritted her teeth.
He Yan, “…”
The little girl looked soft and weak, but was too courageous. Who would dare to escape from Shuojing to Liangzhou? What’s the matter with all the teenagers in the capital nowadays? They seemed to be fleeing from marriages. First Cheng Lisu, and now, this little girl too.
He Yan said, “Are you here alone? Is there anyone you know in Liangzhou?”
The little girl shook her head.
He Yan was also in trouble. Does she have to take such a big person back to the inn? Xiao Jue might beat her to death. Thereafter, they will be going to Sun Zhixian’s mansion for a banquet in a few days. Furthermore, she had intercepted someone from Sun Zhixian’s son tonight.
The little girl seemed to notice He Yan’s troubles. She sat up with difficulty, but elegantly, bit her lip and said, “You… don’t have to worry about me, I will just hide by myself. You have shown me great kindness. When I return to Shuojing, I will let my parents repay you. Whatever you want, gold, silver jewels, mansion or beauties, it would be fine. What is your name, I will go back…”
“Little girl, you can’t protect yourself now,” He Yan said, “It’s hard to say whether you can get out of Liangzhou City, let alone going back to your home so far away.”
“So what?” The other party avoided her gaze and said with red eyes, “I won’t beg you anyway.”
All the young masters and ladies who came from Shuojing had bad tempers. He Yan thought that being stout was a good thing, but being stubborn was not. If Cheng Lisu was here, he would naturally adapt, even if he entered Wanhua Pavilion, he would save himself from all the tortures.
He Yan pulled her up, “Let’s go?”
“Where to go?”
“Of course, to my place. Girl…” He Yan said helplessly, “I’ve just rescued you. I think Master Sun will soon be searching for you throughout the whole city. Also, you have nowhere to go at this time of night. You would be only caught by him eventually and he will torture you even harder. I worked hard all night not to see this result.”
The little girl had yet to fully regain her strength so she was supported by He Yan onto horse, her voice hesitant, “If you take me home, it will cause you trouble. The Sun family in Liangzhou is like an absolute monarch, you…”
This little girl had a clear heart. He Yan drove the horse and said, “Don’t worry, my family covers the sky in Dawei.”
If there were really no alternative, He Yan would drag Xiao Jie into this. After all, the Second Young Master Xiao is the one covering the sky in Dawei.
He Yan asked, “I forgot to ask you for your name”
“My name is… Tao Tao,” she said.
Tao Tao? This name sounded familiar as if she had heard it somewhere. He Yan thought about it carefully, but couldn’t remember it. The situation was urgent and it was not the time to fool around. So she thought of waiting until Tao Tao was brought back to the inn, and then after tonight, she will cross-examine everything carefully.
…
He Yan didn’t grow up in Liangzhou City, nor did she know the roads of the city. Fortunately, she was good at remembering the way, so she found the inn where she came from. For fear that people would find Sun Ling’s horse here, she dismounted with Tao Tao far from the inn, patted the horse’s butt in the opposite direction, and watched the horse run into the night.
The second son of Xiao was quite good at choosing the inn. This place was not as lively as the previous Wanhua Pavilion area and looked much quieter. At this moment, it was late at night and there were almost no people. When He Yan helped Tao Tao upstairs, there was no one downstairs in the inn. She opened the door and felt relieved upon finding out that Fei Nu was not inside.
There was water prepared in the room, and He Yan said, “You can wash your face first. I have some clean clothes here so you can change into them. It won’t work if you wear this one on your body, you will catch a cold.” She put the pile of clothes that Cheng Lisu gave her in Tao Tao’s hands, “You pick the ones you like to wear.”
Tao Tao looked at her, blushing, “You go out.”
He Yan then remembered that she was now a man, and said, “Okay, I will go out and guard at the door. You can change with peace of mind.”
After she closed the door, she thought for a while, then slipped outside of Xiao Jue’s room again, attached her ears to the wall to hear if Xiao Jue was there.
The light in the room was already out, so she didn’t know if Xiao Jue was asleep. He Yan whispered, “General, General?”
No one responded. She reached out and knocked gently on the door, but still, no one answered. He Yan stood up straight, hesitated for a moment, and opened the door.
The windows in the room were not closed, and the wind from outside leaked in, looking at the moonlight. The bed was neat and tidy, and there were no traces of anyone having slept on it. Xiao Jue was long gone, and the Yin Qiu Sword he put on the table was also no longer there. This man didn’t leave behind his sword, which meant that he must have gone out.
He Yan also noticed that there was still the familiar Wanxiang Zither on the small table next to her. He Yan curled her lips, slandering in her heart, saying that he lied that he was here to repair the zither, but in fact, he must be doing something in secret here. Fei Nu was not here either. The master and servant must have gone out to do errands. The fact that they didn’t take her along made it clear that they didn’t trust her.
Although she knew that Xiao Jue didn’t trust her for a long time, and also knew that this was reasonable, He Yan still felt a little uncomfortable in her heart. After all, they were classmates who had known each other for so many years. Yet, he would not tell her when he has to go out to do things! So stingy.
She exited Xiao Jue’s room again and closed the door for him again.
On the other end, Tao Tao had already changed her clothes, pushed the door open, saw He Yan, bowed her head, and said, “I’m done.”
He Yan pushed her in, “Hush, The wall has ears, come in and talk.”
She lit the lamp in the room and Tao Tao, who had already changed into Cheng Lisu’s clothes, was looking much more delicate. Cheng Lisu’s clothes were mostly bright colored, and the satin-colored robe worn on the little girl made her look more fair and beautiful. Her eyes were still red, and her hair was scattered on her shoulders. She looked like the snow-white bunny that He Yan had seen. At first glance, she was a pampered and well-brought-up girl.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t say this, but your taste in clothes is really terrible.” When the little rabbit said, it was not so cute. Tao Tao frowned and pointed to a carp on the clothes, “It’s so gaudy.”
He Yan, “…”
What is this young lady, she still has the heart to observe the clothes? Is it true that all the young ladies from Shuo Jing are like this? He Yan wondered that she wasn’t like this before. She coughed lightly and said, “At this moment, there’s no other choice, you have to put off with these clothes for a while”
She handed Cheng Lisu’s box of hairpins over, “Choose one that you don’t think is so gaudy, and tie your hair up. You can’t dress up as a woman right now.”
“Why?” Tao Tao was puzzled.
“Sun Ling should send someone over soon in search of a woman in the city who looks similar to you. We will not be spared either.”
Tao Tao became nervous when she heard this, “What should I do?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to get rid of them. It’s so late. Have you eaten? You can have some dry food that I brought along on my journey here. Wait until tomorrow. I will let the inn make you something hot to eat. There is still tea. Here, though it’s a little cold. Just make yourself at home.”
Tao Tao touched her stomach, only to feel hungry. She went to pour the tea in the teapot by herself. He Yan sighed when she saw this. This girl is really innocent. After her experiences at the Wanhua Pavilion, she still trusted others so easily. If she didn’t meet her but came across someone else with evil intentions, with a little coax, anyone could easily administer drugs in her tea and abduct her again.
Even though she left the He family alone back then, she followed the Fuyue Army, so it wasn’t so dangerous. This world is always harder on women.
She thought to herself that this matter was originally intended to be kept secret from Xiao Jue, but since Xiao Jue and Fei Nu are not there, it would not be easy to do so. Originally, she planned that if Sun Ling’s people came to the door and Xiao Jue was there, they wouldn’t be able to enter the room to check. Now that the ‘big Buddha’ is not around, people would probably think she’s lying if she tried to make use of Xiao Jue’s name.
Now, she could only hope that Xiao Jue would come back soon. She had never found herself looking forward to the return of Xiao Jue so much as she was doing now.
Tao Tao casually ate a few mouthfuls of dry bread, drank a cup of tea, and said, “I’m done eating.” This “done eating”, judging from the expression of her wrinkled nose — it wasn’t because she was full, but because she was not satisfied with the taste.
She sat down at the table by herself, tied her hair in the bronze mirror, combed for a moment, turned around and said, “done!”
He Yan also felt a little thirsty at the moment, took a cup and was drinking tea, and almost didn’t spit out the tea. The child’s hair was tied up in a mess as if she had just returned from an escape. She couldn’t help but ask, “Is… is this how you tie your hair?”
“I’ve never combed my hair before in the mansion. The maid did it for me.” The little girl was so aggrieved that she threw the comb away, “I can’t!”
He Yan, “…”
She walked over helplessly, picked up the comb with a good temper, and said, “If you can’t, you can’t. Why are you getting angry, I’ll help you.”
After that, she really held Tao Tao’s long hair in her hand and combed her hair one at a time.
Tao Tao was taken aback. The young boy reflected in the bronze mirror was gentle and handsome. She couldn’t help asking, “You can even do this?”
“After a few attempts, I’ll be able to do it.” He Yan replied with a smile.
She has been the young master of the He family for many years, but no one knew about the change of her status except for the people in the second house of the He family. Therefore, He Yan’s servants and maids had never been too close to her. Even the matter of tying the hair can expose her. So He Yan started to tie her hair from a very young age.
Not just the hair, but anything that might reveal her secret, she has to do it herself. Over time, she also developed a temperament to do everything by herself. Although sometimes she felt envious of those young masters who have grown up in the palm of people’s hand. But on second thought, for example, when encountering things like what happened today, at least she will not be crying for anything. For many things, she could rely on her own strength.
After finishing her hair, He Yan darkened the girl’s face and made her eyebrows thicker. She has long been very comfortable in disguising a woman disguising as a man. After putting on the makeup, Tao Tao looked at herself in the mirror and said in a daze, “Many, many thanks… You are really good at this.”
He Yan shook her hands, “Practice makes perfect. Girl, Tao Tao, turn your back, I have to change clothes.”
…
The night in Liangzhou city was very lively.
Someone actually robbed Young Master Sun’s carriage not far from Sun Zhixian’s mansion. The person in the carriage was Master Sun’s new concubine, and for a while, Liangzhou Prefecture’s government jumped around vowing to catch the culprit.
“Master, Master, that person was clearly her lover!” The guard who had received He Yan’s punch before was kneeling on the ground and shouting injustice, “They were in cahoots, and he deliberately took her away!”
“She’s not from Liangzhou at all. Where did her lover come from?” Sun Ling kicked him over. “idiot!”
Sun Ling was now thirty years old and had accomplished nothing, relying on his Prefect father to live his life, bullying the people in Liangzhou City, as if he was doing no evil. He was born with a rabbit-like head, with a black birthmark on his cheek, which made him even more horrible. There were countless concubines in his house and countless women from good families who have been insulted and discarded by him. The people of Liangzhou dare not speak, allowing this pair of father and son to dominate the city.
Today, he was intercepted by someone near his home. Losing a woman was a small thing, but the embarrassment it caused was big. For Sun Ling, this was a blatant disregard for their Sun Family!
“The city gates are now sealed off.” Another guard said, “The woman was injured and should still be in the city. With door-to-door inspections, we can always find out their whereabouts!”
“Idiot,” Sun Ling scolded again, “When did the people of Liangzhou become so bold to move the ground from the feet of this monarch! Since you said that the man knew that it was the person I wanted, he still dared to do it. Naturally, he must be someone who is not afraid of death. Likely, he is not from Liangzhou.”
“That woman is not from Liangzhou either, they may be in the same group!” The previous guard said again.
“Whether or not they are in a group, he dared to fight against the Sun family. He must be prepared for death! You say it again, what did that person look like?”
“He had his face covered and we couldn’t see what he looked like. He was about seven inches shorter… or a head shorter than me, thin and frail, but was wearing very rich and luxurious clothes. The material of his clothes was not like ordinary goods. “The guard racked his brains. “In short, it should not be a poor man. “
Sun Ling thought for a moment and said, “I see.”
The two guards looked at him together.
“The people in the city continue to block the gates, and the remaining guards follow me to check the inn!”
“Inn? Master, why?”
Sun Ling scolded, “A stupid person would always be stupid, just think about it. Since they are not from Liangzhou, they must be staying in an inn! You said that this person was dressed like rich, so it would be impossible for him to live in a crude inn. Isn’t it?”
“So that’s how it is,” the two guards quickly praised, “Master is wise, Master is wise!”
“Humph,” Sun Ling smiled triumphantly. The birthmark on his cheek looked even more ugly. He surveyed and said, “In Liangzhou city, I have never seen such a person who is not afraid of death. I would like to see who is so bold. And that slut, she really doesn’t know how to behave, this is already the second time! I’m afraid she doesn’t know how powerful I am.”
“I’ll not spare any of them!”
…
The night in the city seemed to be illuminated by torches. It was supposed to be the hour of bedtime, every household was awakened by the sound of horseshoes, as the government officials and the city guards rushed into the civilian’s house and interrogated them.
It stands to reason that this should not be the case, but Sun’s abuse of private power was no longer a day or two. Hearing that Sun Ling’s concubine was taken away, many people secretly rebuked.
“Bah, nonsense, a concubine who came from nowhere, with his looks, I’m afraid he can afford her, she must be some innocent girl who must have been kidnapped, how is this behavior different from robbers? Who dares to rob so openly?”
“But wasn’t the person taken away? That person must be some righteous man who couldn’t stand it and made the move.”
“If he really was a righteous man, I would pray to the Bodhisattva for his safety and health every day, and not be caught by man with the surname Sun!”
“Ah, the world has changed.”
Naturally, these voices did not dare to appear blatantly in front of the officers and soldiers, only whispers sounded after the people had left, and they dispersed into the night very quickly without a trace.
The inns in the city were all caught up tonight. The shopkeeper and the staff, as well as the guests upstairs, were all pulled out for investigation. If someone seems to be from a wealthy family, they were even more carefully cross-examined, and even a fly in the house was searched.
He Yan was sitting by the bed, the lights were out, only a little moonlight came in through the window. It was late at night, and Xiao Jue and Fei Nu hadn’t returned yet. She thought to herself, are these two not coming back? Just like those poor families who can’t afford to support extra children, they took their youngest sons to the crowded streets and lied to the children to buy sweets. In a blink of an eye, they’d disappear, leaving their flesh and blood by the side of the road.
Did Xiao Jue abandon her? Then she is too pitiful! There was only such a small amount of money on her, the rent of the room in the inn has to be settled tomorrow, and she has to eat and go back to the Liangzhou guardhouse too. Is this something that humans can do? If that is really the case, she will sell the zither from his room tomorrow. He Yan thought wildly, whether this person will come back, if not, she and Tao Tao will not have to share a room tonight, and there will be no waste.
As she was thinking, Tao Tao, who was also sitting on the side of the cavern, whispered, “You won’t run away, will you?”
“Huh?” He Yan was surprised.
“They said that Sun Ling is very powerful in Liangzhou and everyone is afraid of the Sun family. I have asked for help from many people before but whenever people heard that it was Sun Ling, no one dared to help.”
Tao Tao said this with an angry expression. She was living in Wanhua Pavilion at the time, and it was not calculated from the beginning. Struggling on the road, following the opportunity to ask for help. She found a lot of people, including those who looked tall and powerful, and some scholars who looked polite, righteous with integrity. There were even old wealthy businessmen who were old enough to be her father and some knights who wandered around with knives on their backs. She tried her best to find people who seemed to be able to rescue her, but when they heard that she was the person whom Sun Ling wanted, they walked away with their tails in grief. Even though she promised great rewards and revealed her identity, no one took care of her.
In the end, Tao Tao herself was desperate. When the note was thrown out, she never thought that there would be a tomorrow. Just thinking about seeing Sun Ling, she would rather die. Who knows, at the very last minute, someone rushed out.
She turned her head to look at the person next to her. The young man tilted her head and didn’t know what he was thinking. It was strange that such a weak and juvenile person would provide her with an inexplicable sense of security. Maybe it was the soft smile on his face or his clear and pure eyes.
Tao Tao believed this man inexplicably, but she was still a little worried. She said, “A strong dragon can’t overpower a local snake…”
“Do you still know this?” He Yan smiled, “Actually, I am also a local snake. I am very powerful.”
Tao Tao saw his relaxed expression and felt relaxed too. She looked at He Yan and couldn’t help asking the last question. She asked, “The Sun family is so domineering, you are not from Liangzhou, so you don’t know what kind of trouble you will be in. People don’t dare to take action in such situations, why would you save me?”
This kid, why does she ask so many questions? He Yan tilted her head and saw the little girl looking at her with red eyes, curious and expectant, she couldn’t help reaching out and touching her head.
“Because you are a woman.” She said silently in her heart, “And I am also a woman.”
…
The noise surrounded the whole inn.
The night was bright red from the firelight, and everyone in the inn was awakened by the sudden officials, standing at the door and questioning them one by one.
Sun Ling stood at the door, looking at the last room upstairs, and said, “What about that room? Why isn’t it open?”
The shopkeeper tremblingly knocked on the door, “Little boy, little boy?”
After a long while, someone came to open the door sloppily. He was a delicate young man wearing a shirt and said with sleepy eyes, “It’s so late, what’s the matter?”
Before the words were finished, the officers and soldiers barged in and searched. There was also a servant boy in the room, busy putting clothes on the boy, “Master, don’t catch the cold.”
The officers and soldiers went in and searched, but they came out very quickly and shook their heads at Sun Ling.
Sun Ling looked at the boy in front of him. This boy was young and looked respectable. His servant boy was busy putting on boots for him.
“What are you doing?” He Yan frowned, “Not even a greeting.”
“Greeting?” Sun Ling sneered, “What a joke. In the entire Liangzhou City, there’s no place where I, Sun Ling, need to greet anyone.” He looked at He Yan, remembering what the guard had said before, he was about seven feet tall and thin. This boy was just like that.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Cheng Lisu.” He Yan replied.
With a “pop”, the boots in the servant boy’s hands fell to the ground. Everyone followed their gazes. Sun Ling’s expression changed and suddenly said, “You, raise your head.”
He was referring to the servant boy.
He Yan noticed something was wrong, and asked, “What are you doing? In broad daylight, while the world is still bright, are you trying to rob me?”
“Rob you?” Sun Ling stared at him with dark eyes, “Don’t speak too early. The one on the ground, raise your head for this young master!”
The person on the ground did not move, his head lowered. Looking carefully, his hands were trembling a little.
Upon seeing this, Sun Ling’s expression became more and more ferocious, and he took a step forward to pull the servant boy’s hair. The next moment, He Yan stood in front of the servant boy, and held Sun Ling’s arm, “This son, pay attention to your actions and words.”
“The assassin who snatched this young master’s concubine is you, right?” Sun Ling laughed, his birthmark was like a ghost tattoo, “You are dead!” He said, “Come here, get me both of them!”
“Catch me?” He Yan smiled, and she said, “I advise you to think twice. Do you know who my uncle is?”
Sun Ling asked, “Who is your uncle?”
“My uncle is the present-day His Majesty’s personally proclaimed General Fengyun, and now the chief of Right army, the second son of Xiao. Master Sun, are you sure you want to catch me?” He Yan raised an eyebrow.
Sun Ling was taken aback and burst into laughter a moment later. Tears of his laughter were about to come out. He pointed to He Yan and asked people around him, “Have you heard that, who did he say his uncle is?”
Everyone around laughed.
“Smelly boy,” Sun Ling stopped laughing and stared at He Yan fiercely: “Since your uncle is Xiao Jue, let him come out! What Xiao Jue? I’ll make you beg for your life and death in front of your uncle today!”
“Is that so?”
An unfamiliar voice sounded from behind him.
Sun Ling looked back and saw that the young man, who was as bright as the moon, followed the guard slowly, with a low voice and a cold mockery.
“You might as well give it a try.”
Join our Discord for fun and spoilers! || Support Phoenix Walk on Ko-fi for bonus chapters! || Read ahead on Patreon!