Chapter 35: A Splendid Escape

"Zhang An?"
"Oh, right, that’s me."

An Xin realized. He watched Wu Damou transition from shock to clarity, and finally to a state of utter bewilderment.

"Get up," An Xin gestured toward the seat below the dais. "Sit and talk."

Wu Damou stood up and sat down, his mind in a whirl. Looking at the official in the cyan robe with the mandarin duck rank badge, he dared not even confirm if this was truly the "Zhang An" he once knew.

"I have been thinking, I still owe you fifty taels of silver, Mr. Wu. Hu Changshan!"

An Xin clapped his hands, and Hu Changshan emerged carrying a tray. Five silver ingots lay upon it, strikingly visible. At this moment, Wu Damou finally realized that the "Magistrate An" before him was none other than the wandering traveler "Zhang An" he had previously dismissed. The act of bringing out the fifty taels now clearly signaled that the magistrate held a grudge.

Like a compressed spring released, he leaped to his feet.

"My Lord, My Lord!" Wu Damou’s chubby face turned deathly pale, and he waved his hands frantically. "This is truly... this is truly humiliating for this humble one!"

In this moment, the memory of how he had forced the magistrate to enter the Wu residence through the servant's gate, the arrogance with which he had made him wait, and the thinly veiled threats he had uttered at the banquet all flooded back to him, every word and phrase crystal clear. His heart trembled. How could he have ever imagined that the wandering "Zhang An" who had brought his daughter home was the very Magistrate of Wuren County now sitting before him?

"Sit down," An Xin said, seeing Wu Damou’s genuine fear. He waved his hand, deciding not to press him further, and signaled for Hu Changshan to take the tray away.

Wu Damou sat down tremulously, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

"This humble one heard that you enjoy the study of Taoist cultivation, so I commissioned someone to find this volume of Heavenly Master Taoist techniques. The annotations, it is said, were written by the hand of the previous Heavenly Master, Zhang Bojun," Wu Damou explained.

An Xin nodded and took the scroll from its case. Lately, he had acquired quite a few ancient texts, but after studying them and finding no true methods, his interest had cooled. The volume was thin, the pages yellowed and showing signs of wear. The three characters for "Five Thunders Method" on the cover possessed a lingering energy, seemingly the work of a master. Upon opening it, the pages appeared even more archaic; the text was neither the Song-style typeface of the current dynasty nor the regular script of the Song era. It was the Great Seal script of the pre-Qin period, which An Xin found very difficult to decipher.

By now, the room had grown dim, and Hu Changshan entered to light the candles. An Xin set the book aside, thinking it was time to hire a few maidservants.

Seeing that An Xin was not particularly impressed by the ancient text, and desperate to mend the rift caused by his earlier negligence, Wu Damou gritted his teeth. "My Lord, I have heard of the campaign to suppress the bandits. The banditry has persisted for years. My family’s weaving workshop has had to rely on waterways for shipping, and even shipments to Shandong and Wunan have to take detours, wasting both time and money. Your campaign to eradicate these bandits is truly a service to the nation and the people. I am willing to contribute five thousand taels of silver to assist you."

At this, An Xin was finally moved. Five thousand taels—this was the largest "sponsorship" he had received for the bandit suppression campaign.

"Very well!" Since Wu Damou was willing to pay, An Xin did not hesitate to offer his praise. "Master Wu is truly a virtuous merchant. When the county archers succeed in their campaign, you shall have your share of the credit."

Seeing that An Xin’s attitude had finally softened, Wu Damou felt the heavy stone in his heart lift. After chatting for a while, and recalling the advice the bailiff, young Li, had given him before entering, he took his leave.

As soon as he stepped out of the county office, he hitched up his robes and ran toward his carriage. With a agility that belied his stout frame, he stepped onto the wooden stool and vaulted into the carriage, causing the cabin to tilt precariously.

"Quickly, home!"

He was now desperate to know the nature of the relationship between his daughter, Wu Lijun, and the magistrate. Did the magistrate have any intentions toward her? Even a little would suffice! As for the marriage proposal with the Su family, they were currently unwilling to budge. But the status of the Su family depended on who they were compared to. Compared to An Xin, the father and mother official of Wuren County, the Su family was nothing.

The carriage raced home. Upon entering the inner courtyard, Wu Damou found the household in complete disarray. Confused, he hurried toward the main house and saw the maid, Huan’er, kneeling on the floor, weeping.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked, seeing his wife glowering at the maid with a savage expression.

"Lijun went to the textile shop today to check the accounts, and while she was in the warehouse, she snuck away," Madam Wu said indignantly.

"What?" Wu Damou’s eyes widened. He frowned at Huan’er. "Speak! What is going on?"

Seeing Wu Damou’s fierce gaze, Huan’er trembled and sobbed, "It was the young mistress who wanted to see that Master Zhang. She forced me to help cover her escape. I really didn't..."

"Wait!" Wu Damou interrupted. "Is it Zhang An, Master Zhang?"

"Yes!" Huan’er nodded repeatedly.

"Hahahaha!" Wu Damou suddenly burst into laughter. "Run! Running is good!"

"What?" Everyone stared at him in astonishment, wondering if he had been driven mad by Wu Lijun’s antics.

Meanwhile, Wu Lijun was making her way through the City God’s district, jogging toward Yongan Street. The lanterns outside the shops on both sides of the street were lit, and signs for "Wine," "Noodles," and "Sesame Cakes" were more prominent than they had been in the daylight. In the distance, the light atop the stone pagoda of the City God’s temple was bright against the night sky. The faint sounds of singing and music from the courtesans along the Qu Shui stream drifted over, and the scholars and celebrities feasting atop the Mingyue Pavilion leaned against the railings, gazing out at Crescent Lake.

Wu Lijun had no heart for any of this. She hurried through the dense crowd in front of the City God’s temple and finally reached Yongan Street. Across from it stood the Confucian Temple.

The moon hung high like a silver plate, and the great locust tree in front of the temple was bathed in silver moonlight, its leaves rustling in the breeze like waves. She lifted her skirt and ran across the street, standing beneath the great tree. She tilted her slender neck, looking upward, searching carefully for the gold-threaded red cord she had tied there. Before long, she saw it fluttering in the wind.

The night breeze blew, her clothes billowed, and Wu Lijun’s fiery heart gradually cooled.

"Why didn't Master Zhang come to find me? Did he not see it? Or does he have no interest in me?"

The calm lake of her heart began to churn, and mist gathered in her eyes. All these days, Zhang An had not come to seek her; there hadn't even been a word. Today, she had made up her mind to seize the chance and see for herself if Huan’er had truly followed her orders to hang the cord. Now that she saw it dancing in the wind, she felt all her strength drain away, a sense of powerlessness washing over her. She whispered softly, "I offered my heart, hoping for your favor, but fate is thin."

"Before the lamp, my hands tremble, and the letter remains unwritten; the ink is light, but the passion is deep, every word hiding my longing."

A response came, pulling Wu Lijun back from her dark thoughts. She turned quickly, only to see the man she had been longing for stepping out from behind the locust tree, as if he were a dream that might shatter at a touch.

"Master Zhang!"

The tears in Wu Lijun’s eyes finally fell, but the bitterness in her heart instantly transformed into an unrequited joy. She ran toward An Xin. Not until she was held tightly in his arms did she finally feel a sense of reality.

Beneath the locust tree, An Xin embraced Wu Lijun, who was dressed in white. Amidst the dancing shadows of the moon, An Xin felt the softness in his arms and thought to himself, "Truly, this is full of romanticism."