Chapter 4

Alarmed, Lady Gu went to the Shen residence under the pretext of discussing the marriage, hoping to learn their position.

Lady Shen said it had only been mentioned casually. No betrothal gifts had been delivered, no birth particulars exchanged. It couldn’t be counted as a real engagement.

Lord Gu was so angry he couldn’t eat for days. He shut himself in his study and saw no one.

Lady Gu wept with worry too.

Gu Qingyi, however, paid her respects at the proper hour and ate at mealtimes as usual. Nothing showed on her face.

A few days later, Lord Gu prepared to resign and return home.

The household busied itself packing boxes and sealing storerooms. They wanted to retreat before the storm arrived and find safety in their ancestral home.

Nearly everything was ready.

That evening, I was helping my mistress check the books in her room when a commotion broke out.

She put down a book and went to the window.

Armed soldiers carrying torches poured through the courtyard gate, their faces grim.

Their leader held a bright yellow imperial decree and shouted:

“By the mandate of Heaven: Grand Secretary Gu Heng has formed factions and harbored unlawful designs. His property shall be confiscated at once. Every member of his household shall be imprisoned!”

The courtyard erupted.

Older servants and maids scattered, only to be herded together like livestock.

Some slipped on the stone and struggled toward the covered corridors. Others tried the side gate and were forced back by spears.

Cries and shouted orders filled the air.

At the window, Gu Qingyi murmured:

“What must come cannot be avoided.”

She turned. Her usually cool eyes were now frighteningly still.

“Awan.”

I stepped forward. “My lady.”

“I’ve brought this upon you too.”

I bit my lip and shook my head.

“Please don’t say that.”

She said no more. With a bleak smile, she straightened her robe and prepared to walk into the courtyard full of blades.

I rushed forward and caught her wrist.

“Don’t go out! I have a way!”

09

She turned, frowning slightly.

“There’s a hole in the back courtyard wall. We can escape.”

There was no time to explain. I tore a coarse maid’s outfit from the drying rack, pushed it into her arms, and spoke quickly.

“The soldiers are in front now. They’ll search the back soon. We must hurry. Change.”

She looked at the clothes, then at me.

Finally, she bit her lip, turned away, and changed swiftly.

I led her along the wall toward the rear courtyard.

Clouds hid the moon. Only a few flashes of fire came from the front, where shouts, screams, and fighting filled the air.

Crouching low, we passed the reception room and servants’ quarters, feeling our way to the farthest corner.

I parted waist-high weeds. A modest opening appeared at the foot of the wall.

“I found this by chance earlier.”

I turned toward her. “Hurry!”

She stared at the hole, hesitant.

A cherished daughter of the Grand Secretary’s household, she had never crawled through a dog hole.

But the noise was drawing closer. Footsteps were already heading our way.

I gave her no time to think, pushing her toward the opening.

“We’re out of time!”

She bent and crawled through.

The moment she emerged, a brief startled cry came from outside.

My heart pounded. Thinking the soldiers had caught her, I hurried after her.

But they weren’t soldiers.

Several masked men in black stood outside.

They exchanged glances.

Without a word, one struck the back of Gu Qingyi’s neck.

She went limp, and he slung her over his shoulder.

Another strode toward me.

Before I could run, someone seized me from behind and dragged and carried me into the darkness.

10

They took us through winding alleys, choosing remote paths.

Gu Qingyi remained unconscious on a man’s shoulder, the lotus-pink edge of her skirt swaying in the night.

After an unknown length of time, a dim yellow light appeared ahead.

A solitary estate stood at the foot of a slope beyond the city, surrounded by open fields.

The men pushed the door open.

Nothing distinguished the outside. Within, everything was tidy.

Tables and chairs, clean bedding on the heated kang, tea and plates of pastries on the table—as though all had been prepared in advance.

They laid Gu Qingyi on the kang in the inner room and released me. They didn’t seem to intend us harm.

As I puzzled over it, footsteps sounded faintly outside.