Three Joys

Chapter 70

On that day, I quickly made preparations for the journey and had a carriage prepared. As I was about to leave the estate, the whole household came out to see me off.

I left Tiaoyun and Yingyu, the two servants, at the estate. If they chose not to return to the Xu family in the capital, they could find esteem positions to work at the Zhuangzi estate.

Meng Qing and the other servants stood together. Before departing, I couldn't help but pat Meng Qing's head. Although he appeared frail, he was also resilient. Despite feeling reluctant, he respectfully bowed and, in a mature manner, joined the other servants in saying, "Sir Shen, have a safe journey."

Yangsu City was over a thousand miles from the capital. Even with fast horses and no delays, it would still take more than half a month to reach there. Moreover, we were traveling by carriage. After more than ten days on the road, we finally arrived in Xianyang, but the capital was still three to four hundred miles away.

When we reached Xianyang City, it was already late, and the city gates were closed. We were contemplating our next steps when a city official on horseback approached and asked, "Are you Master Shen from Yangsu, heading to the capital?"

I got off the carriage and greeted him, "Indeed, I am. May I ask who you are?" Before I could inquire further, he introduced himself, "I've been sent by the local authorities to assist you. Please accompany us to the relay station for a day of rest."

We followed the official to the relay station outside the city, where we could change horses and rest for the night, setting out again in the morning.

During this period, we had been on the road for several days, spending nights in the carriage. I should have been extremely tired, but even when I laid down to sleep, I couldn't close my eyes. And if I did manage to sleep, I would wake up at the slightest disturbance. In fact, it wasn't just these past few days; ever since I left the Xu family, over these two years, I rarely had a peaceful night's sleep.

I tossed and turned until midnight when I suddenly heard a series of horse hooves in the distance. I figured it was some officials rushing through the night, so I didn't find it particularly unusual.

I sat up in bed, took a candle, and lit it. It didn't matter why; it was just one of those nights where I couldn't sleep and decided to get up.

I descended the wooden steps, which must have been quite old, as they creaked with every step, accompanied by the pattering sound of rain outside, making the noise especially pronounced. Just at that moment, I heard footsteps and a loud "thud" as the relay station doors were forcefully pushed open.

Rain and wind gushed in, causing the candle in my hand to flicker. The person who entered looked straight at me, and I finally saw his face clearly. His features were still sharp, like a sculpture, and he didn't seem to have changed much from the first time I saw him years ago, yet he also seemed entirely different. His hair, soaked with rain, was now streaked with gray, and he wore a leather mask on the right side of his face, covering one eye.

Rainwater dripped from his wet coat, and his shoes were caked with mud, as if he had traveled through the night from some distant place. He was slightly out of breath, but his gaze was fixed on me, and he didn't blink for a long while.

"General" at this point, a messenger approached respectfully, "your room has been prepared. Please go upstairs and rest."

Xu Changfeng seemed to snap back to reality, giving a slight nod.

In that moment, the candlelight flickered, and I too suddenly woke up, realizing that I was indeed not in a dream.

The person before my eyes was real...