There are still good people in this world! Zheng Shuting drunkenly chuckled to himself.
That afternoon, just as he was stumbling back to his little shack, starving and humiliated, a giant of a man suddenly appeared at his door asking for directions. He must have been from the North, given his towering stature. After Zheng Shuting gave him directions, the giant, in gratitude, unloaded the fine food and wine from his saddlebags and invited Zheng to eat and drink with him.
Now that night had fallen, it had turned into the most satisfying and indulgent meal Zheng Shuting had enjoyed in nearly a month. He couldn’t help but think what a good person this man was!
Who was this man? Of course, it was Duo Luo Qi, who had followed him all the way here!
"Master Zheng, you’re the son-in-law of the Jun family. How did you end up in such a miserable state? It’s so unfair."
"Sigh, don’t even mention it! I brought it on myself—what’s there to say? Though they were harsh, I suppose I deserved it. But still, I maintain that a woman’s virtue lies in her lack of talent. A woman who reads too much, like my eldest sister-in-law, becomes a freak that no one dares to marry. Sigh! My wife, on the other hand, is both talented and virtuous—who knows where they’ve hidden her? All I want now is for them to return my wife and daughter to me." With every sentence, Zheng Shuting sighed; whenever he thought of his wife, he felt like crying…
"The eldest sister-in-law you mentioned, is that Miss Jun Qiluo?" Duo Luo Qi held his breath, waiting for the answer; he needed to confirm it once more…
Zheng Shuting waved his hand.
"Who else could it be? That woman is too formidable—she doesn’t need a sword or a blade to destroy someone."
Duo Luo Qi couldn’t agree more.
"Although she’s the most beautiful of the three sisters, a woman like that is not fit to marry. Besides my wife, the other two sisters don’t deserve to marry at all. The eldest is cunning and cold-hearted, the youngest sharp-tongued and without virtue—no wonder they remain unwed!"
Today’s conversation was the most enjoyable one Zheng Shuting had had in nearly a month. It was rare to have someone to listen to his complaints, so once he started talking, he couldn’t stop. After another cup of wine, he grabbed Duo Luo Qi and said:
"Don’t think that Jun Qiluo is some refined lady—she’s completely ruined her reputation. Outsiders only know that she was married in the North and returned home after her husband died; but the truth is, she never married at all. She’s the one who posed as Jun Feifan, living as a man for four years, deceiving everyone. I’m ashamed to even speak of it. Tell me, isn’t that woman a monster?
I always said she’d get what was coming to her, and now it’s happened! But look at me—I’ve been ruined by her…" His voice trailed off as he grew increasingly incoherent.
Duo Luo Qi struggled to contain his laughter. He thought, if the young master heard this, he’d definitely be pleased—at least he wasn’t the only one who gritted his teeth in anger at Miss Jun. And this man had been dealt with even more thoroughly. In fact, while following Zheng Shuting, Duo Luo Qi had already learned about his identity and current circumstances.
"Why did you have to cross Miss Jun in the first place?" Duo Luo Qi asked again.
"B-because… she disgraced the family name… and sh-shamed the Jun family… p-pregnant…"
The last two words were so mumbled that even with his sharp ears, Duo Luo Qi couldn’t make them out. But his instincts told him it was an important answer, so he quickly asked, "Master Zheng, what did you say?"
Before Zheng Shuting could answer, the sound of a carriage stopping outside caught the attention of the two men in the small shack.
Who could it be?
Jun Jiangjuan had been sent by her father, bringing a food box and ten taels of silver to check on her nearly starving brother-in-law.
As she was helped down from the carriage by a maid, she was startled by the sight of a large black horse tied to the fence. She had never seen such a huge horse in her life.
How could Zheng Shuting own such a magnificent steed? Well, no point in guessing—she’d find out as soon as she went inside. Perhaps one of his drinking buddies had a bit of a conscience and had come to keep him company. But could any scholar ride such a powerful horse?
It didn’t matter. The first priority was to make sure that bookworm didn’t faint from hunger. However, she had no intention of making things easy for him, so she loudly called out as she entered: "Zheng the bookworm, Zheng the bookworm, are you dead yet? Please answer ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Wow! This is quite the place, a real gem, almost rivaling Tao Yuanming’s humble abode under the Southern Mountain—too bad the fields are barren; you might starve here!"
As her clear, delicate voice trailed off, she entered the small shack, only to be surprised by the sight of an unbelievably tall man. His presence made the little shack seem even more comical and strange. She blinked her beautiful eyes.
"Who are you?"
"And who are you?" Duo Luo Qi crossed his arms and exhaled lightly. What a charming girl! What a sweet voice! He stared at her with a gaze full of appreciation.
"Jun Jiangjuan, why are you here? I, Zheng, have nothing to do with the Jun family anymore!" Zheng Shuting, unable to stand, leaned awkwardly over the table, his speech slurred and lacking any authority.
Jun Jiangjuan glanced at the mess of cups and dishes on the table, then glared at the giant.
"Are you the one who gave him something to eat?"
"Yes," he grunted with a nod.
"Well, that means he can't be threatened anymore, and now he's just a drunkard... sigh!" She sighed, set down the food box, and walked over to Zheng, standing with her hands on her hips, trying to think of a way to sober him up a bit. She also asked the giant, "Who are you? Why are you getting close to him? He has nothing to offer anyone now!" She fanned her hand in front of her nose; Zheng reeked of alcohol and clearly hadn't bathed in days. So, she scooped up a ladle of water from the barrel and poured it over his head.
She thought this would wake him up, but to her surprise, Zheng just mumbled something and promptly fell asleep. Jun Jiangjuan covered her mouth, stifling a laugh, and finally burst out laughing. In the nearly two years she had known this fool, this was by far the funniest moment. Then she straightened up, walked over to the writing desk by the window, ground some ink, and picked up a brush to write on a blank sheet of paper, modifying Tao Yuanming's famous poem:
"I built my hut in the realm of men, but without the noise of horse and cart.
You ask how I can live like this? With no silver, the place is naturally quiet.
Drinking away my regrets beneath a barren field,
Still, I think of Mount Jun.
The mountain air is fine at dusk, with birds flying home together.
There is true meaning here, but in my drunkenness, words fail me."
At the bottom of the page, she added a note:
"Ten taels will last a month; only then can you pass the test. If you wish to see your wife and daughter, bury your head in books."
After setting down the brush, she turned around, only to find that the giant was still standing inside the room. She headed toward the door.
"If you're his friend, tell him to live frugally! If you're just passing by, you can leave now that he's passed out."
Men and women shouldn’t be in the same room together, especially at night, and she knew it wasn’t proper for her to stay. Although the giant didn’t seem like a bad person, his gaze was rather annoying.
"Is Jun Qiluo your elder sister?" Duo Luo Qi asked. In truth, their similar faces had already given him the answer. As he stepped out of the shack with her, he didn’t want to part too soon—this girl was quite special.
Jun Jiangjuan climbed into the carriage and, before pulling down the curtain, replied, "Yes. Does that satisfy your curiosity? You can think of everyone in the Jun family as bad people if you like. I won’t bother about Zheng's friends—they’re all the same, so I don’t have any expectations."
After the carriage drove away, Duo Luo Qi mounted his horse. He wasn’t surprised to find himself intrigued by this little beauty.
At least, he thought with some relief, Jun Jiangjuan’s temperament was definitely much milder than her elder sister’s. So does that mean he wouldn’t suffer too much?
Who knows!
* * *
With just half a month left until her due date, Jun Qiluo spent each day holding her waist, forcing herself to move around a bit. Otherwise, with such a large belly, where would she find the strength to give birth when the time came?
As the child grew inside her, she missed him more and more—probably because she wanted the child to know what their father looked like. She constantly imagined his face in her mind; recently, she even began to feel as if he were near her. Of course, that was impossible. With tensions high between Liao and Song, war could break out at any moment—there’s no way he would risk his life to come here. But if he knew she was still alive, it wouldn’t just be "possible"—he "definitely would" come. But she was "dead"! So why would he come?
This child, would he grow up to be as strong and powerful as his father?
"Sister! Sister! Big news!"
Jun Jiangjuan came rushing into the backyard, shouting excitedly. Normally an excitable girl, she was now even more frantic—almost out of control!
If Stepmother saw her, she’d probably faint.
Jun Qiluo slowly sat down on a smooth stone, exhaled, and then looked at her panting younger sister.
"What’s the matter? Did the sky fall?"
"No! That’s not it!" She patted her chest, trying to catch her breath as she spoke, "The entire city of Hangzhou is plastered with royal proclamations—starting tonight, no one is allowed on the streets after dark. It looks like a curfew is being enforced. And every household is forbidden from sheltering outsiders; every inn must register its guests. They even sent a contingent of the imperial guards from Bianjing to take command here!"
"Are they hunting a notorious bandit?" Jun Qiluo’s first thought was about the potential impact on her family’s business operations.
"No! Why would they go to such lengths just to catch a bandit?"
"Calm down! Catch your breath and then speak clearly. We’ll have to send someone to the manager to handle this later…"
"Sister! Forget about that for now! It’s the Khitans! Khitans have infiltrated Hangzhou. It’s terrifying! Those Khitan people, who eat bones and drink blood, have somehow slipped into the South without anyone noticing, and our forward army didn’t even detect them! Who knows what they’re planning? They must be monsters, coming here to eat people!"
Jun Qiluo suddenly grabbed her sister's hand.
"Khitans? What did the royal proclamation say?" Why was her heart racing like this? Why was she so agitated? It couldn’t be him, it couldn’t be!
Jun Jiangjuan tried hard to recall.
"There were no portraits, but it did mention that one of the two Khitans had blue eyes. How terrifying! Only monsters have blue eyes; and both of them are giants. Our imperial guards have been chasing them all the way from Bianjing, but they just can’t catch them. No one even knows how many there are or what they look like. They move like ghosts, leaving no trace..."
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