The Fugitive's Wife (5): No Hesitation
“You must be freezing out here in this weather.”
“Ah, Lady Lü.”
“Come now, have a drink of this. I’ve sweetened it with plenty of honey.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
The soldiers’ faces brightened as they accepted the flasks of warm honeyed water. The oldest among them glanced around, then lowered his voice.
“Planning to go out for some fresh air again today?”
“Yes. Staying cooped up inside makes me restless.”
“Hmm… You do go out rather often.”
Even after I had severed the magistrate’s twisted desires, my legal standing had not improved dramatically. I remained, after all, the wife of the rebel Liu Bang. On paper, I was under house arrest, subject to the magistrate’s “special surveillance.”
One soldier took another sip and sighed with resignation.
“Understood. But you must return before noon, as always.”
“Of course. Have I ever been late?”
I smiled and drew ten coins from my robe. The clear, pleasant clink of copper split the winter wind.
“Don’t worry about me. Use this to buy yourselves a warm drink. I hear Lady Cao’s tavern has a new brew these days.”
“Oh, now, this really isn’t necessary…”
Even as he protested, he tucked the coins away without hesitation. He cleared his throat, then waved to the men sipping honey water near the gate.
“Make way! The lady is stepping out for a short walk!”
I offered them a light nod and hurried out of the house.
At this rate, I won’t be able to keep this up much longer.
Paying a toll every time I left felt increasingly tiresome. I walked without looking back. The stream in front of the house had frozen solid. Once I reached the main road, Xiahou Ying, who had been waiting beneath the large scholar tree, spotted me and approached.
“Sister-in-law.”
He bowed deeply, then fell into step beside me with a worried look.
“Are you certain this is wise? You look rather pale.”
“I’m fine. It’s only the cold.”
In truth, my pallor had little to do with the weather and everything to do with the soldiers stationed permanently outside our door. A dilapidated house with no gate, and me—the wife of a fugitive whom no one could protect. The magistrate might have spared me personally, but that did not mean the nights grew any easier.
“So, how did yesterday’s delivery go?”
“Without incident. It seems the magistrate has yet to notice your enterprise.”
“That’s a relief. And the new orders?”
“A merchant from the southern market placed a large order for rope. He plans to bring back a shipment of dried fish from the coast.”
“Dried fish? Is that even possible in this weather?”
“The cold keeps the fish from spoiling. It’s a seasonal trade only winter allows.”
“Oh?”
Of course. In an age without refrigeration, winter itself became a kind of cold chain.
A winter-limited cold-chain system…
I quickened my pace, already turning over new business ideas. We had barely rounded the main alley when Xiahou Ying suddenly stopped.
“…Huh?”
“What is it?”
I looked up—and froze.
The tavern belonging to Lady Cao—Seom-a—lay in ruins, as though struck by a bomb. Shattered jars had spilled their contents across the yard, the liquor frozen into jagged sheets. Tables and stools lay smashed and scattered. In the center of the wreckage sat Seom-a herself, staring blankly at the destruction.
I gathered my skirts and ran.
She lifted her head at the sound of my footsteps.
“Lady Lü…”
Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot from crying; tears and mucus had frozen at the tip of her nose. I knelt and pulled her into my arms.
“What happened? This… all of this…”
“It… it was…”
Her lips trembled. Then she collapsed against me, sobbing uncontrollably.
“The tavern… they confiscated the tavern! Officials came and said a rebel’s property reverts to the state… and since I was his concubine, mine was forfeit too!”
She struck the ground with her fist; the skin split and bled.
“Everything we earned… every coin we saved… even yesterday’s payment for the bean paste… they took it all! They didn’t leave so much as a spoon!”
She pressed her face to the frozen earth and wailed.
“How am I supposed to raise Fei now…?”
Beneath the ruined wall, Liu Fei sat in Xiahou Ying’s arms, his small face blank with shock. The five-year-old boy watched his mother break apart—the only world he had ever known—his eyes wide with unmistakable terror.
Those bastards.
I drew a deep breath, heat rising in my chest. Anyone connected to Liu Bang was now a target. His only blood relative, his illegitimate son—there could be no better example for the magistrate to make. And it would not stop with Seom-a; Fan Kuai and Zhou Bo would soon find themselves in danger as well.
Damn it…
I bit my lip until it hurt. Anger would not help anyone right now. A weeping woman and a terrified child stood before me; I had to remain steady.
“Lady Cao.”
I knelt and gripped her shoulders firmly.
“Calm yourself. Take a breath.”
“How can I calm down? They took everything!”
“I know. That’s why you need to breathe. Come now—slowly.”
She wept for a long while before the storm finally began to subside.
“…I’m sorry. Making such a scene.”
“Don’t be. Cry if you need to.”
I wiped her tear-streaked face with my sleeve.
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
Her story was outrageous. That morning, three officials had burst in just as she opened the tavern doors.
“Liu Ji is a traitor. A traitor’s property is confiscated under Qin law. You were his concubine, so your property is forfeit as well.”
With that flawless logic, they had stripped the place bare—dishes, utensils, even the emergency fund Seom-a had hidden beneath the floorboards for Liu Fei.
“How did they find the hidden money?”
“I don’t know… I thought no one else knew about it.”
“Someone inside sold you out.”
I bit my lip again. One of the tavern staff must have traded the information for a reward.
“Where are we supposed to live now? The tavern was our home…”
She began to tremble again. There was no need to deliberate.
“Lady Cao.”
“Y-yes…?”
“Come live with me.”
Her eyes widened.
“My house. You, Liu Fei, and I. The three of us.”
Her wet lashes trembled.
“But… your house is also…”
“Yes, it’s a mess. Soldiers stand guard at the gate every day. The rooms smell of rope and straw sandals. There’s no door, so the wind cuts straight through. Still, it’s a house—walls, a roof, a stove. And three people sharing body heat will be warmer than one person freezing alone, won’t they?”
I smiled brightly to reassure her.
“Besides… I’ve been lonely too. That big empty house makes all sorts of thoughts creep in.”
Seom-a’s eyes filled with fresh tears—this time tears of relief.
“Thank you… truly, thank you.”
“There’s no need for thanks. We’re family.”
The word felt strange on my tongue. A house without its husband, housing the principal wife, a concubine, and an illegitimate son. But this was no time for such distinctions.
I turned to the boy in Xiahou Ying’s arms.
“Liu Fei.”
“…Yes?”
“Are you hungry?”
“…A little.”
“Then I’ll make you some bean-paste porridge. With plenty of honey, just the way you like it.”
At the mention of honey, a spark returned to his dull eyes.
“Really?”
“I promise. So, will you come home with us?”
He glanced at the ruined tavern, at his weeping mother, then at my outstretched hand. After a moment, he nodded, a faint, relieved smile touching his lips.
“Thank you.”
I took his small hand in mine.
※※
“Please look after them.”
“Of course, sister-in-law. I’ll guard them with my life.”
Liu Fei had fallen asleep against Xiahou Ying’s chest, tension finally eased. Seom-a stood beside them, dabbing at her reddened eyes with her sleeve. Xiahou Ying glared the onlookers away, then leaned closer.
“So you’re going to see Lord Xiao right now?”
“Yes. I can’t let this pass.”
I nodded calmly, then lowered my voice.
“Lord Xiahou, I have a request.”
“Speak.”
“After you take them home, find new merchants to sell the bean paste. Don’t approach just anyone—gather the capable ones and hold an auction.”
“An auction?”
“Yes. We won’t set the terms in advance. Instead, let the buyers write down their own offers—without knowing what anyone else has bid.”
“Without knowing…?”
“That uncertainty will make them nervous. ‘What if someone else offers more?’ A shrewd merchant won’t want to lose a proven business, so they’ll bid as high as they possibly can.”
“Ah… I see.”
Xiahou Ying struck his knee in understanding. I bowed my head.
“I’m counting on you.”
He adjusted Liu Fei in his arms and disappeared toward our house at a brisk pace. I watched him go, then clenched my fists and turned toward the yamen.
I’ve been too soft.
In history, Empress Lü would eventually try to kill Liu Fei. Not yet—but once she began eradicating every Liu not of her own blood. But the Liu Fei I saw now was only a pitiful, snot-nosed child. A five-year-old terrified by his mother’s tears. And as a thirty-year-old man who had once been a functioning member of society, I could not stomach the sight of such a child being crushed.
Child abuse crossed the line, you bastards.
“Lord Xiao!”
I ignored the gatekeeper and marched straight to Xiao He’s office. A soft cough sounded from within, followed by his characteristically calm voice.
“Enter.”
The door opened. My footsteps were angry; my skirts snapped sharply. Xiao He regarded me in silence for a moment, then spoke in his usual measured tone.
“My lady? The first phase is proceeding as planned…”
“No. We’re changing the plan.”
“Changing it?”
He tilted his head, puzzled. I placed both hands on his desk and continued without hesitation.
“From now on, we’re doing this the rough way.”