Chapter 12
But the four walls were sealed tightly, the door locked, and outside stood Xie Jin’s personal guards.
“Seize Jiang Yunchan! Alive or dead, I want to see her and her corpse!” Xie Jin, clutching his injured eye, kicked the door open.
Boom—
The loud crash of the door falling echoed alongside a distant thunderclap.
A dozen or so guards surged into the courtyard, blades drawn.
Jiang Yunchan looked around helplessly and noticed that the small door on the west side, covered with climbing vines, was slightly ajar—one door left unlocked!
Had Xie Jin’s men overlooked it?
Grasping her skirt, she darted out.
Outside was a deserted narrow alley leading straight to the Gu family’s kitchen.
She ran recklessly, her shoes and hairpins falling off as her long hair streamed behind her.
Rain began to fall; what had been a perfect night under full bloom and moonlight was now shrouded by dark clouds.
The world turned pitch-black, save for a few dim red lanterns flickering faintly in the alley.
That fragile light was soon to be extinguished by the wind.
Behind her, the guards clamored in pursuit; the metallic clash of cold weapons rang out, drawing ever closer.
Was her entire family of three doomed to perish at the hands of the Xie family?
Jiang Yunchan was unwilling, resentful, and defiant!
Mist clung to her cheeks—rain or tears, she couldn’t tell.
At that moment, she spotted a large bamboo basket brimming with fresh greens in the kitchen’s corner.
Knowing the guards would outrun her, she slipped inside and hid beneath the leaves, covering herself completely.
Footsteps flooded the kitchen moments later.
“Have you found the bride yet?” the guards demanded, dragging out the busy maids and servants, slashing with blades without warning.
Several servants were injured, blood splattered across the floor.
Terrified, Jiang Yunchan hugged her knees, shrinking herself smaller and smaller.
She dared not breathe heavily, silently peering through the woven bamboo holes to observe.
---
The guards overturned jars of wine and rice in the kitchen, hacking them with their blades.
Bang! Bang! Boom!
Each sound struck Jiang Yunchan’s heart like a hammer.
She knew her disguise was imperfect and that sooner or later the guards would discover her.
“The young lady, I advise you to come out yourself and spare yourself more suffering!” the leader twisted his neck. “Last time you kicked the master into the water; now you’ve injured his eye. If you come forward and plead early, you might keep your body intact!”
“Perhaps if you please the master, he might spare you a few more days!”
Laughter erupted from the kitchen.
Heavy footsteps approached the basket.
In such a situation, a lone woman standing against dozens of warriors was a fool’s dream.
Jiang Yunchan gripped the basket tightly, her hand cut by the bamboo splinters, though she did not notice.
The leader drew his blade and thrust it into the vegetables—the sharp blade whistled past her ear, missing her head by mere millimeters.
“Sir, please don’t damage the vegetables in this basket!”
At that moment, a vegetable farmer blocked the guards, bowing and offering a string of coins. “We are farmers from Zhou Village outside the city. We’re not only delivering vegetables to the Gu household but also fresh fruits to the Marquis’s residence later!”
The guards frowned, annoyed by the interference.
The farmer added, “The fresh celery is specially prepared for the Crown Prince. If it gets damaged, we won’t be able to bear the responsibility.”
Everyone in the capital knew the Crown Prince’s favorite dish was stir-fried yellow beef with celery. Now that the Crown Prince was visiting the Marquis’s residence, the heir specially requested this dish.
Though not a rare delicacy, displeasing a noble’s palate was tantamount to risking one’s life.
The guards dared not provoke them, sheathing their blades and stepping aside.
Two farmers lifted the basket.
Jiang Yunchan rose with the basket onto a cart, which creaked as it was pulled down the narrow alley, away from the Gu residence.
She parted the leaves and glanced back at the Gu estate.
The continuous rain blurred the plaque above the gate; the red lacquered door’s decorative character for joy had been washed away, its color faded.
The red lanterns were extinguished, and her husband was gone.
From which road had she come, and to which road would she go?
---
Jiang Yunchan sank into a deeper melancholy.
What was she to do now? Where could she go?
As a child trapped in such a dead end, at least Xia Zhu was by her side, and she still had some family fortune.
Now, Xia Zhu had been sent away somewhere unknown, and the dowry funds were inaccessible.
She laughed bitterly at herself; the words she had just spoken to her parents under the moonlight now seemed a cruel joke.
Alone and isolated, she had nothing left.
Though it was early summer, she felt colder than the harshest winter.
She hugged herself tightly, but her soaked wedding gown gave no warmth.
Suddenly, urgent footsteps echoed down the deserted street.
“Block the roads! Capture the fugitive!” Xie Jin’s furious voice rang out from the street corner.
Armored soldiers marched in disciplined ranks, searching house by house.
He had even called in the Jizhou garrison that came with him to the capital! Who could evade the military’s ironclad pursuit?
Jiang Yunchan’s heart sank to the depths of despair.
She leaned weakly against the basket, a thought flashing through her mind—
Perhaps she could return to the Marquis’s residence with the farmers and seek help from the heir.
Only the heir could resist Xie Jin’s ruthless grasp.
It was the only option, yet it made her feel even more powerless.
After three years of careful planning, she had been gone from the Marquis’s residence for just three hours, only to return in the most humiliating way.
How pathetic!
Jiang Yunchan closed her eyes slightly; a tear slid down her cheek.
She was like an empty shell, her soul shattered, jolted along with the cart.
Time passed unknowingly; the air grew thin, and the suffocating atmosphere pressed down on her once more.
She knew she had returned to the Marquis’s residence.