The Young Lady of the General’s House

The chosen children were boys and girls about 5-6 years old to 11-12 years old, all looked healthy. Chu Xiuyuan brought them down the bunker underneath the garden of guest rooms. Food, water, blankets and so on, they gave as much as possible to the children.

These items should last for a month except for some of the food stuff. Chu Xiuyuan told them in detail how to open the door from inside, then closed the bunker. It was an underground bunker so even during daytime there was only a little light, but he told them not to use candles too much.

Chu Xiuyuan also arranged that in the event the town was broken by the Barbarians, the Mansion would be lit in fire. This should cover the whereabout of those 5-12 year old children, and the Barbarians wouldn’t search too carefully.

Everyone else just prepared themselves to meet death.

Heaven didn’t abandon those who hoped, four days after the children entered the bunker, a good news came.

Years after, Shen Jin still vividly remembered that day. The General’s banner waving in the wind, the heads strung on bamboo poles like lanterns, the Barbarians who stopped attacking at once, their faces were full of horror as they stared at the troop approaching from behind.

“Is the General….. “

“The General is back!”

Cheers continued from the wall, some knelt on the ground wailing and crying, some held each other screaming …… The General was back, they were saved!

“Kill!” Not sure who first yelled, but very soon everyone joined. Anyone still alive picked up weapons, Chu Xiuyuan ordered town gates to be opened, he led the charge out, working with Count Yongning’s army to sandwich the Barbarians in the middle…

“How if this is a trap?” These two days Shen Jin had been taking care of the injured with An Ping, she also heard.

Steward Wang said, “Even if it’s a trap, so what?”

These days Shen Jin found Steward Wang had either intentionally or not taught her a lot of things. Hearing his reply, she froze for a while then continued brewing medicine. That’s right, even if it was a trap then what about it. It had been bad, what could be worse?

“Really is back…. ” Shen Jin still felt it unreal.

An Ping ruthlessly pushed a young man to the ground, cleaned his wounds with strong alcohol, “Just don’t move.”

“I want to fight with the General.” The young man’s body was full of wounds especially his abdomen.

An Ping pressed on his wounds without mercy, as he cried out in pain, she said, “You will just die.”

“Even if I die, I want to die in battle.” He struggled to speak.

He was only 16 – 17 years old, Shen Jin looked over, “Too many died already, the living ones are more useful for the General.”

Steward Wang didn’t say anything, but his eyes looked appreciative. Shen Jin’s words made some people eyes reddened.

Count Yongning didn’t just break the siege, he pushed them back hard, killed so many that they couldn’t form a troop anymore. Countless of them were killed, a few hundreds were captured, so the attack stopped.

However this didn’t mean it was all over, everyone was busy again as the town was damaged by battle, there was deficit of supplies, and the fallens needed burial.

The crying never stopped…..

The town was not decimated, but no family didn’t experience loss. Even those good-for-nothing hooligans and thieves had chosen to die in battle. Some families had no men left, their women took up weapons and fight. Some old people had no strength to fight so they jumped down from the wall dragging a Barbarian to die together….

Only later Shen Jin heard those heads hanging on poles like lanterns were the Barbarian’s chiefs, priests, and clans people. Count Yongning’s army had seized their back line first, and killed everyone. Men and women, old and young, all beheaded.

Was it cruel? The old Shen Jin in Rui Wang’s mansion would be horrified, but the current Shen Jin who had experienced battle only felt glad. It was lucky the General returned in time, otherwise the heads on the poles would have been theirs.

Shen Jin only met the General three days after. She was squatting next to the well with a few others washing cotton cloths, the cloths were for bandaging wounds so still had to be boiled after washing.

He was wearing a worn colourless whole body armour and helmet, a face full of big beard except for a pair of sharp eyes was looking down at Shen Jin from above.

Shen Jin didn’t know who he was, until An Ping called out, “General…. “

Count Yongning turned out to be not that scary…. Either because Shen Jin’s guts had grown bigger now, or because she was misled by the rumours to think worse of him. Shen Jin didn’t react for a moment, she was somewhat dumbfounded.

People around her let go their stuff and abruptly knelt down, Shen Jin who was still squatting looked odd by herself.

She came to her senses, stood up and bowed, “General.”

“All rise.” Count Yongning had only Steward Wang following behind, he was smiling at Shen Jin. “Madam, I come to bring you back.”

“Thank you, Fujun.” Shen Jin had a good sense to change her address.

(*) T/N: Fujun = husband

Long after, when Count Yongning and Shen Jin talked about their first meeting, he said Shen Jin looked like a tiny little ball, he would never had imagined Shen Jin had such courage to stand up if he had not heard it from Steward Wang and the others.

He then asked her first impression of him, Shen Jin told him the truth…. asking him not to laugh, she said he looked ugly and fiercely hideous.

But of course that time Count Yongning still didn’t know this, he confidently held out his hand, Shen Jin struggled inside a bit then put her hand on his.

Shen Jin’s hands were no longer soft and tender like when she first arrived, washing cloths in cold and hot water made her hands very ugly, swollen and cracked. However Count Yongning didn’t notice it, he firmly held her hand.

Today he personally picked her up was to demonstrate his regards to her, Shen Jin was truly a member of the Chu family now, an acknowledged wife of the Count’s.

However Count Yongning only took her back to the Mansion, he then went back to work. An Ping was still with Shen Jin, but Xi Le….. had passed away under the arrows of the Barbarians.

The children had been released from the bunker. Count Yongning’s return didn’t only break the siege but also strengthened everyone’s heart.

On the fourth day, everyone wore hemp clothing, paid respect together to those who had died.

Today Chu Xiuyuan accompanied Shen Jin, Count Yongning was with the soldiers watching the captives. The captives had been starved for four days and right now were weakly kneeling in front of the grave.

All fallen people would be buried together, their names would be carved on the stone tablet, Count Yongning personally wrote the names.

This was the tradition of the border town, as there was constant warfare around here, a piece of land with the best fengshui was reserved for those who died in battle. Everyone else who died of illness or old age would be buried outside, around that piece of land. Border town people would come for memorial services on New Year or other festive days.

After pouring wine on the ground, Count Yongning said, “Blood offering.”

As his voice fell, the heads of the captives fell to the ground one by one as well. The heads were neatly placed in front of the graves.

“I, Chu Xiuming, swear to the Heavens, one day I will offer the blood of all Barbarians to our dead warriors.”

“Kill!”

“Kill! Kill!”

Everyone’s eyes were red, the thick smell of blood didn’t unnerve them, in contrast it stirred up hatred in the hearts of people. The voice of all men and women, old and young, shouting at the top of their lungs was deafening…

Chu Xiuyuan was also shouting until his voice broke, Shen Jin looked at the man standing at the front.

Even if he was hideous and terrifying, he was a magnificent man, was that really her husband? Someone completely different from Rui Wang, someone staunch, true like a rock….. If he really liked eating raw meat, Shen Jin thought she would try raw meat too.

Would raw meat taste better if dipped like chopped fish?

(*) Chopped fish 鱼脍 – pieces of raw fish eaten dipped in condiment.