Chapter 5: The Young Lady’s Extraordinary Identity
The bailiff’s gong sounded from east of the city to west of the city, drawing countless people to surge toward the city gate.
The beggars couldn’t care less about begging for food, squeezing forward desperately through the crowd, trying to see the decapitation more clearly.
Mo Zheng brought Yang Luo squeezing in, seeing on the high platform erected in front of the city gate that the inspector sat solemnly high up, with the county magistrate leading a group of officials attending, proclaiming loudly.
“These are the mountain bandits from Rongshan—”
“Who plundered White Horse Town—”
“Lord Ji personally led soldiers in pursuit and capture, netting all these mountain bandits—”
“Slaying thirty bandits on the spot, capturing ten alive.”
“Today they are sentenced to decapitation, to console the deceased—”
Under the high platform, the mountain bandits stood in a row, chains on their feet, hands bound behind their backs, each with their mouth stuffed.
Amid the civilians’ cries of alarm, the executioner’s broadsword swung, one head after another falling to the ground.
Mo Zheng’s gaze fell on the blood-soaked ground, seeing a headless corpse topple over, revealing half a rotten leg.
She turned to squeeze outward.
Yang Luo was enduring her fear to watch the decapitation, and upon seeing this, hurriedly followed.
“Did you notice? These people don’t seem like…” she asked in a low, urgent whisper.
Mo Zheng hummed in acknowledgment.
“I went to the county yamen prison to check.” she said.
Of course she wouldn’t just wait to watch the execution scene.
On the second day after entering the city, she had kept watch on the county yamen prison, and sure enough, last night she saw the prisoners from the death row prison quietly dragged out, loaded onto carts, and taken away.
Among them was this prisoner with the rotten leg.
Yang Luo breathed a sigh of relief, then whispered in admiration: “A Sheng, you’re amazing. I didn’t even notice you leaving.”
She had originally thought that under the dry bridge, in the beggar pile, she wouldn’t be able to sleep, but unexpectedly she had slept soundly through both nights until dawn.
Perhaps it was because she was too exhausted, and still hungry; even closing her eyes to drink the soup and rice begged by the beggars, that watery gruel could only ensure she wouldn’t starve to death, but getting full was impossible.
Mo Zheng said oh: “I’m a hunter. Even the wild beasts in the mountains can’t detect my movements.”
By now the two had squeezed out of the crowd.
“What else did you divine?” she asked. “Where are the real culprits who plundered White Horse Town?”
Yang Luo hummed, lowering her gaze: “The real culprits are in the capital city.”
Capital city? Mo Zheng was somewhat surprised, giving her a glance, then suddenly asking: “Your family, what kind of family is it exactly?”
This hunter youth is really clever, Yang Luo thought; this time he didn’t question whether what she said was true or false, but asked about her family background.
What kind of family background could attract such formidable enemies? Coming all the way from the capital city for an annihilation of the family.
Since she had already told him her secret, Yang Luo didn’t plan to hide it from her anymore.
“My family appears to be a very ordinary household in White Horse Town.” she said softly. “My father died early; there was only my mother holding up the family, operating a silk shop in the town.”
Appears ordinary, so it’s not ordinary. Mo Zheng said nothing, waiting for her to continue.
“My mother is surnamed Yang.” Yang Luo said, then thinking of something as she got to this point. “A Sheng, I never told you my name.”
Mo Zheng said: “No matter. I didn’t tell you mine either; you knew it yourself.”
Yang Luo felt like laughing a bit, finding this hunter youth’s way of speaking quite amusing, though the youth’s face was wooden, appearing emotionless.
“I’m called Yang Luo, the Luo from falling.” She made a hand gesture.
Mo Zheng said: “A Sheng.” Then added: “I’m an orphan. The hunter grandfather who picked me up gave me this name; I have no surname.”
Was this his way of introducing himself too? Yang Luo pursed her lips, feeling that only at this moment did they truly know each other.
Yang Luo put away her smile and continued: “My mother is surnamed Yang because back then when she married my father, she fell out with her family; my father’s family also disagreed and they fell out. Later my father fell ill and passed away; my grandfather’s family also wouldn’t acknowledge us. My mother had me take her surname, bringing me along without relying on her maternal family, no longer having a husband’s family, raising me single-handedly.”
Mo Zheng listened silently without speaking.
“Do you know Duke Ding’an of the capital city?” Yang Luo asked.
Mo Zheng looked at the street ahead; because everyone in the city had gone to watch the execution, it was somewhat empty.
“I’ve always been hunting in the mountains; I don’t know these big figures.” he said. “Dukes and marquises are very powerful families, right?”
Yang Luo nodded: “They were enfeoffed as dukes and marquises for merit in assisting the emperor’s rise to power.”
At this point she paused again; would a hunter youth from the mountains know what merit in assisting the emperor’s rise to power meant?
“We are now in the Great Xia Dynasty; it’s one the emperor just conquered. Duke Ding’an is a meritorious minister who fought the world alongside the emperor.”
The previous dynasty was the Great Zhou Dynasty; because the emperor was weak and imperial relatives held power, bandits rose everywhere, the under heaven in great chaos. At that time, the emperor, then just a colonel in the military, rose amid the chaotic times, and after years of fighting, ended the chaos, established the dynasty and nation, and ascended to the throne as emperor.
The new dynasty has been fifteen years so far.
This youth is sixteen or seventeen, born at the end of the chaotic dynasty, grown up in peaceful times, a lucky one who should know it’s now the new dynasty, new emperor, new golden age.
Probably hearing the worry in Yang Luo’s voice that he might not understand and thus explaining in more detail, Mo Zheng smiled: “I get it; a big figure, a close minister to the Son of Heaven.”
As he spoke, he turned back to look at the city gate, faintly seeing the officials on the high platform through the crowd.
“A figure even bigger than that inspector.”
Yang Luo said: “Actually it’s not ranked that way; one is nobility, the other a capable minister…”
At this point she stopped again; no need to say this to a hunter youth.
“My mother is the daughter of the old Duke Ding’an, now Duke Ding’an’s younger sister.”
After saying this, she saw the hunter youth’s narrow eye corner lift, clearly surprised.
“Oh.” He looked at Yang Luo. “I actually saved Duke Ding’an’s family’s young lady; then they will surely give me lots of rewards.”
Saving someone for reward is only natural.
Yang Luo didn’t find the hunter youth’s words offensive at all.
He had risked his life in danger to save her from the vicious mountain bandits’ hands.
“You saved my life; if my mother were still here, she would give you all our family’s money without blinking an eye.” Yang Luo said in a low voice; thinking of her mother made her nose sour. “But as for how my maternal grandfather’s family will treat me, I don’t know.”
She looked at Mo Zheng.
“As I said earlier, my mother fell out with the family; since I was born there has been no contact. They might have long forgotten they had this daughter.”
Mo Zheng was silent, seemingly as an orphan not knowing how to comfort a pitiful girl who had family but had fallen out with them.
Before he could think of words of comfort, chaotic hoofbeats sounded from behind, along with soldiers’ shouts driving people aside.
He hurriedly dodged aside with Yang Luo, seeing the inspector escorted by officials and soldiers galloping over.
“My lord, why not stay in the county tonight?”
“No, back to White Horse Town; only after the deceased are buried can this official feel at ease.”
As they galloped past, the officials’ conversation carried over.
Mo Zheng and Yang Luo watched the group depart.
“However, though she fell out with the family, once the government checks my mother’s identity, it will come out.” Yang Luo said. “They will soon send the news to Duke Ding’an’s Mansion.”
Mo Zheng said oh: “Duke Ding’an’s Mansion’s people will come, right? Then you…”
His words unfinished, Yang Luo turned to look at him: “A Sheng, take me to Duke Ding’an’s Mansion in the capital city.”
Mo Zheng’s expression was surprised again: “Me?”
