Chapter 27: Escape Fails, a Three-Person Shuraba… p1
Outside the window was a stretch of reeds. The house was built by the water, but there was a small section of green stone foundation left, just enough for Fu Tangli to pass sideways on her tiptoes. She hunched over, avoiding the maids’ line of sight, and circled around from the back of the house.
When she had gone for a walk that morning, she had already memorized the surrounding scenery and paths. This villa had no outer walls and no guards. Fortunately, the Prince of Huai’s residence was overconfident, which gave her an opportunity.
Fu Tangli suppressed the nervousness in her heart, not daring to pause for a moment. She followed the stone path she had walked on before, running at a brisk pace, while paying attention to the movements along the way. Several times, she almost bumped into the servants who were tending to the flowers and sweeping in the villa. Fortunately, the villa was overgrown with flowers and trees, which allowed her to hide in time.
And so, she ran for a long time, past a row of tall trees. Seeing that she had reached the end of the road, Fu Tangli took two more steps, then suddenly froze.
Before her was a vast expanse of river water. The sky was high, the water wide, the river flowing rapidly, the misty waves boundless. The green mountains on the opposite bank were like a dark eyebrow.
Fu Tangli had a bad premonition. She slowly walked over and looked down. The river was turbulent, crashing against the jagged rocks on the bank, making a splashing sound. A little higher up, it was covered in green moss, with no place to set foot.
Moreover, she couldn’t swim; she was a complete landlubber.
Fu Tangli gritted her teeth and, making a decisive decision, turned in another direction, following the riverbank. She didn’t believe that in such a large place, she couldn’t find a way out.
After walking for a while longer, she vaguely saw a large group of people ahead. Fu Tangli quickly hid behind a tree and secretly observed them.
It was a group of soldiers in armor, holding sharp weapons. They were powerfully built and heavily guarded. From a distance, they looked ferocious. Several boats were docked on the bank behind them. This was a ferry crossing.
Fu Tangli’s heart sank. Unwilling to give up, she retreated, circled around the group of soldiers from a distance through the trees, and continued along the riverbank. On the way, she encountered another ferry crossing, in a similar situation as the one before. By the time she was drenched in sweat and her legs were about to break, the surrounding scenery was gradually beginning to look familiar.
She dragged her tired legs and continued to shuffle forward in a daze.
In the distance, she saw the house she was staying in again. The apricot blossoms in front of the courtyard were just beginning to bloom, the reeds by the water swayed in the wind, and two white cranes danced up and down, their cries clear and bright.
The spring light was beautiful, the scenery pleasant.
Fu Tangli could no longer control herself. Her legs went weak, and she almost knelt on the ground.
So this was an island in the middle of a river.
No wonder the people of the Prince of Huai’s residence were so fearless, leaving the courtyard open for anyone to pass through. They were certain she could not escape. She had thought herself so clever, had planned so carefully, and had even thought that heaven was helping her. Now that she understood, she realized it was all a joke.
Intense anger and immense disappointment rushed to her heart at the same time. Fu Tangli almost shed a tear. She sat by the roadside, panting, without even the strength to get up.
And at this moment, the voices of the maids calling out came on the wind. “My Lady… Lady Fu, where are you? Stop playing and come back…”
They had already discovered that Fu Tangli was missing and were anxiously searching for her.
The calls rose and fell, gradually growing louder.
Fu Tangli gritted her teeth, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and managed to get up. She dodged through the grass and trees, found her way to the reed-covered bank, and jumped down.
Even if she couldn’t escape, she was unwilling to compromise so easily.
Reeds grew in wet soil. The moment she stepped in, Fu Tangli’s shoes were immediately enveloped in mud. The damp, sticky feeling seeped through the gaps to the top of her feet. She lifted her foot, pulled it out with effort, and struggled forward step by step. In a moment of carelessness, her foot slipped, and she lost her balance, falling forward.
She frantically supported herself with her hands, narrowly avoiding smashing her face on the ground. There were some sharp stones in the wet soil, and a fiery pain shot through her palm. She paid it no mind, lowered her head, hunched over, found a dense patch of reeds, and crawled inside to hide.
More and more voices were calling out. Fu Tangli heard the sound of hurried footsteps, sometimes running past nearby. After a while, she even heard the sound of heavily armored soldiers marching back and forth, their steps heavy, shaking the ground as they ran.
The two white cranes discovered the abnormality in the reeds and descended from the sky. One of them, the feathers on its tail not yet fully grown, was “Baiyu.” It was probably one to hold a grudge. Seeing Fu Tangli, it let out a “Gaa” and stretched its long beak to peck at her.
Fu Tangli curled up, her hands over her head, trying to make herself as small as possible, and said nothing.
Baiyu pecked a few times, and seeing that Fu Tangli was not moving, it found it boring and gave up. It flapped her head with its large wing and flew to the side with Zhenzhu.
The servants and soldiers of the Prince of Huai’s residence were searching back and forth, but no one had expected that Fu Tangli had already returned and was hiding in the nearest place. Moreover, the two white cranes were strolling about here, at ease, so everyone overlooked the reeds by the riverbank.
Fu Tangli slowly took her hands off her head, hugged her legs, and buried her face in her knees.
Her palm was cut and hurt a lot. Her arm was pecked by the white crane and also hurt a lot. Underneath her was cold, rough, wet soil, and her shoes were filled with mud and sand. She gritted her teeth and forced herself not to make a sound.
The wind blew, and the reeds rustled. The sound of the flowing river was soft and quiet. The sky was vast, birds came and went, with an occasional cry. This should have been a warm spring day.
But she was hiding in the mud, in a wretched state. Fu Tangli’s shoulders trembled. Her eyes were sore. She tried her best to hold back, but she couldn’t. Tears fell, quickly soaking the fabric on her knees.
I don’t know how much time had passed, but suddenly, the long, sharp cry of a hawk came from the sky, its sound piercing the clouds.
The two white cranes flapped their wings and flew away in a panic.
Fu Tangli’s hands and feet were ice-cold, her heart pounding wildly.
Soon, she heard the sound of wind being beaten by wings, circling, getting closer and closer. Suddenly, another hawk cry, and a whistling wind swooped down from above.
Fu Tangli almost jumped up. In her panic, she rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding the lunge of the raptor’s sharp claws, and fell into the mud, crushing a patch of reeds.
The white Haidongqing’s feathers shone, its posture nimble and majestic, its eyes like torches. It did not treat Fu Tangli as prey, but was probably just teasing her. It cried out repeatedly, hopping on the ground, feigning a pounce, its massive wings flapping with a whoosh.
Fu Tangli’s face was pale. She struggled to her feet, then was so frightened that she stumbled back, half of her foot already in the water, her body teetering.
“Yaoguang, come back.” The man’s voice was still cold, with an indescribable authority.
The Haidongqing stretched its neck, cried out twice more, and flew back.
“Are you coming up yourself, or shall I go down and pull you up?” he asked calmly.
At this point, there was no point in hiding any longer. Fu Tangli pushed aside the reeds and walked out, one foot deep, one foot shallow.
Her chignon had come undone during her flight and hiding, and a few strands hung down, wet with sweat, messily clinging to her cheeks. She had been crying just now and didn’t want Zhao Shangjun to see, so she had haphazardly wiped her face with the back of her hand, smearing the mud on it, making her look even more disheveled. She was covered in mud, her skirt a dark mess, still dripping with dirty water.
Emperor Yuanyan had once proclaimed to the world that the Fu clan had a daughter of gentle and virtuous conduct, modest and proper in bearing, and had thus chosen her as the Crown Prince’s consort. She was the most famous composed and virtuous lady in Chang’an, and she had never been in such a wretched state in her life.
But at this moment, she did not lower her head. Instead, she straightened her back and stood stubbornly before Zhao Shangjun.
Zhao Shangjun stood there. He had the appearance of a green pine, and he wore a deep blue cloak, his wide sleeves fluttering. The proud white hawk perched on his shoulder, its eyes like lightning, making him look even more divinely lofty.
The Daoist Master had always been fond of cleanliness, usually unable to tolerate even a speck of dust. But at this moment, facing such a Fu Tangli, he could still maintain his usual expression, and even curled his lips in a faint smile. It was still a look of indulgence, like a beast treating its prey, a condescending pity.
Fu Tangli bit her lip hard, almost drawing blood.
Zhao Shangjun extended his hand to her, holding out an oil-paper package. “Freshly baked. Eat it while it’s hot.”
Fu Tangli slapped Zhao Shangjun’s hand away and said coldly, “I lied to you. I don’t eat this.”
The oil-paper package was thrown to the ground, and a few wisteria cakes fell out, rolling to Fu Tangli’s feet.
The mud on her hand had smeared on Zhao Shangjun’s fingers. He was clearly unable to tolerate this. He took out a handkerchief and leisurely wiped his hand. “Lihua, do not provoke me again.”
“So what if I provoke you?” Fu Tangli took a step forward, lifted her chin high, revealing her long, tender neck. “Didn’t you want my head? Fine, take it. You can kill me now.”
Zhao Shangjun lightly tossed the handkerchief aside and said coolly, “Look at you, like a mud monkey, utterly improper. Go back and bathe and change.”
The maids waiting to the side timidly surrounded them. “My Lady, you should go and rest first.”
Zhao Shangjun turned to leave.
“Don’t go!” Fu Tangli pushed the maids away, lunged forward, and grabbed Zhao Shangjun’s sleeve, shouting, “If you won’t kill me, then let me go! Let me go! I want to go home!”
Zhao Shangjun stopped and glanced at his sleeve.
Fu Tangli’s fingers had left a dark, wet smudge on it.
Zhao Shangjun looked back at Fu Tangli, his eyes deep. In that instant, a cold, fierce aura flashed across them.
Like a sharp blade cutting through skin.
Fu Tangli was almost trembling, but she held on to Zhao Shangjun’s sleeve tightly and refused to let go. “I want to go home! Do you understand?”
Yaoguang let out a sudden cry and flew away.
Zhao Shangjun suddenly turned, and in the same motion, took off his outer cloak. The sleeve was still in Fu Tangli’s hand. With a flick of his wrist, the wide cloak flipped over and enveloped her completely, leaving only her head exposed.
His hands gripped her shoulders, and he pulled her in. The posture was like an embrace, a tender one. He was very tall and had to lower his head to speak to her, and his voice was also tender.
“Why do you want to leave? Stay here. Whatever you want, I can give it to you. Isn’t that good?”
“No.” Fu Tangli struggled for a moment but was held tightly and couldn’t move. The corners of her eyes were red, and her eyelashes were wet with tears, on the verge of falling, as fragile as white dew. But her voice was so firm. “What I want, you can’t give. What you want, I can’t give either. I have my own fiancé. Don’t make things difficult for me.”
Zhao Shangjun’s hand suddenly tightened. He curled his lips in a faint, almost imperceptible smile. “Fiancé? Yuanjia? You love him?”
The cold smile was chilling.
The servants on either side were as silent as cicadas in winter, their heads bowed low.
But Fu Tangli refused to show weakness. Her eyes were stained with tears, but they were as bright as flames, so beautiful they were almost dazzling. She answered clearly, “Who I love is none of your business! I want to go home!”
“Mm, you want to go home, is that it?” Zhao Shangjun asked softly, the smile on his lips widening. He pressed one hand on Fu Tangli’s back and slowly moved the other to her neck. His palm was wide, and he easily pinched that slender, soft neck, caressing it with the pad of his thumb.
The rough, warm touch would remind one of bloody rust and yellow sand. However, his scent was cool, a mixture of white plum blossoms and ebony, with a hint of bitterness.
Fu Tangli couldn’t control herself. She tried her best to stand straight, but her whole body was trembling.
“Alright,” he agreed, and said slowly, “As you wish. I’ll have someone come and take you back.”
Fu Tangli’s eyes widened.
***
After noon, the sunlight was just right. The reeds by the window swayed gently, and the flow of the water had slowed, its sound quiet. Baiyu and Zhenzhu flew to the window. One poked its head in and pecked twice, tap, tap. The other circled low, letting out a high-pitched cry.
Fu Tangli looked out the window, feeling a little envious.
A maid came over, shooed the two white cranes away, closed the window, and smiled. “These two living ancestors, they’re so arrogant because His Highness dotes on them. I was just afraid they’d burst in and disturb you, My Lady.”
Fu Tangli brought her gaze back and gave a faint smile.
She had just bathed and changed into clean clothes. The cloud-patterned brocade robe was of a single color, without any embellishments. The faint plum-green color might have been a little plain on others, but on her, it was like a pear blossom reflected in spring water, indescribably graceful and gentle. There was no trace of her previous wretched state, just a quiet and serene presence.
The maids didn’t dare to get too close. Several of them stood outside the curtain, but from time to time, they would look up to check on her, afraid of another incident. In a moment of carelessness, their eyes met Fu Tangli’s. Fu Tangli even gave a polite smile. The maids were very embarrassed and quickly lowered their heads again.
How boring.
After sitting quietly for a long time, an attendant came and said, “His Highness requests your presence, Lady Fu.”
After more than half a day, it seemed that all of his anger had dissipated. Fu Tangli had already returned to her usual calm state. She asked nothing, stood up, and went out, with the maids following behind her.
…