The Fugitive's Wife (11)
The atmosphere had grown so tense it felt awkward even to breathe. “Um… Lord Hai?” I spoke up first, carefully breaking the silence. If I let it continue like this, I was going to suffocate from the sheer discomfort.
Haiyan, who had been walking beside me with an expression like he wanted to dig a hole and crawl into it, flinched and whipped his head around. “Lord? Perish the thought! Please, just call me comfortably, Sister-in-law.”
“Ah, yes. Then I’ll call you Mister Yan.”
“M-Mister?” Haiyan squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before opening them again. “I am truly ashamed, Madam. How could I have failed to recognize you….”
“It’s fine. You started with good intentions. Protecting the weak is a rare virtue in these chaotic times.” I waved my hand dismissively and changed the subject. If I kept listening to apologies, the sun would set before we arrived.
“So, Mister Yan, where did you learn that swordsmanship? It was no ordinary skill.”
Haiyan. From my previous life’s memories, he was the man who ranked seventh in Sima Qian’s Table of the Meritorious Officials and Marquises of Gaozu in the Records of the Grand Historian. (And that Xiahou Ying was eighth.) Yet despite such an impressive ranking, almost nothing was known about him. The only record was that he died in battle and his mother received the title in his place. Beyond that, not even his background was clear—except that he was from Peixian. A truly mysterious figure.
Thanks to that, some creative works even portrayed him as a woman.
Well, at least one thing was certain: he was unmistakably a sturdy, full-grown man.
At my question, Haiyan glanced at Fan Kuai before answering in a low voice. “I learned it from Big Brother Liu.”
“……Pardon?” He learned swordsmanship from Liu Bang? A snort of laughter escaped me before I could stop it. “That man doesn’t know any swordsmanship, does he?”
“Huh?” Haiyan looked at me as if I’d said something absurd. Then a flash of realization crossed his face. “Ah… It’s not that Big Brother doesn’t know swordsmanship. It’s just that he….”
“Just that he?”
“Is hopelessly limited by his body.”
“Hah.” Was it really okay to say that about his own lord? Still, I found myself picturing Liu Bang flailing around with a sword in his head. Behind us, Fan Kuai sidled in with a sly grin.
“The kid’s right, Sister-in-law. Back in the day, he tried to act sophisticated and went around learning swordsmanship.”
“Really?”
“Of course. You know how curious Big Brother is.” Then Fan Kuai added with a chuckle, “Of course, he got kicked out by the master in less than a year for skipping lessons to drink.”
……Well, it wouldn’t make sense for a hero of this chaotic era to be completely useless with a blade.
Besides, Liu Bang had been the boss of the back alleys in Peixian. A man of his ordinary build couldn’t have ruled with just his fists. If things got ugly, he must have swung a sword like a madman.
“I had no idea.”
“Has Big Brother never once drawn his sword in front of you, Madam?” Haiyan asked, sounding surprised.
“He showed me his practice once. Though I never once thought it was proper swordsmanship.”
“Even so, it couldn’t have been that bad. His understanding of sword theory is quite profound.”
“I’m telling the truth. From the very basics—his gaze and stance—everything was unstable.”
“His gaze and stance?”
“Yes. His eyes kept drifting toward me, and his center of gravity was on his backside instead of the sword… Anyway, even to a woman’s eyes, he didn’t look like an expert at all.”
“Hmm.” Haiyan seemed to mull over my words for a moment. “That does sound like Big Brother.” A small smile finally slipped across his lips. It was the first time I’d seen him smile like that—relaxed, human.
“You mean that sloppy appearance?”
“Yes, well… of course that’s not all there is to it.”
“……?”
Haiyan said nothing more. His expression suggested it wasn’t his place to explain. Well, a good player doesn’t always make a good coach. I nodded, accepting it. It somehow felt very Liu Bang-like.
Just then, Ho, who had been walking at the front, stopped. “Madam, I can see smoke.”
“Really?” I hurried to catch up behind him. Peering through the trees where he pointed, a thin gray wisp of smoke rose clearly between the forest’s deep green canopy.
“Could that be….”
“Yes. That is our campsite.” Haiyan added in a calm voice.
Fan Kuai let out a hearty “Ha!” and readjusted the pack on his shoulder with a relieved smile. “Looks like we’re not meant to die today after all. My legs were starting to go numb.”
“Even you get tired, Lord Fan?”
“All because someone earlier was mercilessly driving us forward.” Fan Kuai stared pointedly at Haiyan. The latter responded with an awkward cough and averted his eyes.
“Hehe.” I chuckled lightly and gazed at the smoke once more. My heart began to beat faster, gradually picking up speed.
I’m finally going to see Liu Bang.
It had been nearly three months. The moment I had simulated hundreds of times in my head was now right before me.
Hmm….
But now that it was actually here, my mind went completely blank. I had missed him… I really had missed him the whole time, but I couldn’t think of a single natural first thing to say.
It’s been a while? Too formal. I missed you? Cringe-worthy. Just run over silently and throw myself into his arms? ……Gross.
Of course, there were mountains of things to talk about—the events that had happened, the welcoming ceremony plan, how I’d messed with the county magistrate—but none of them seemed like the right first words to say to a husband who had just returned alive from hell after three months.
What an idiot I am. At my age, getting nervous like a college student going on a blind date.
Feeling self-mocking, I kept my head down and continued walking. And at last, the dense trees parted, opening up the view.
“Who goes there!”
At the entrance to the basin where the path suddenly widened, a sharp voice rang out from a crude watchtower made of lashed logs. Haiyan glanced at me before stepping forward. “It’s me. It’s Yan.”
“What, is that you, Yan?” The owner of the voice poked his head out from the tower. It was a face I recognized fairly well—one of the young soldiers who had left Peixian with Liu Bang. He relaxed once he confirmed Haiyan and Ho, but then he spotted me standing between them and froze solid.
“……Huh?” The man rubbed his eyes and looked again. He clearly recognized me. Well, it would be stranger if he didn’t, considering Liu Bang had kissed me publicly right before they left.
“Hey, Su! Long time no see!” Fan Kuai laughed boisterously as he strode past me. The sentry Su finally snapped out of it and scrambled down from the tower in a hurry.
“Is that you, Kuai? And this person is….”
“Yeah, it’s Sister-in-law.” Fan Kuai turned to me with a big grin.
“Hello. It’s been a while.” I stepped forward without hesitation now, wearing the most elegant, matronly smile I could manage.
“I-I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly.” Su bowed his head deeply, looking overwhelmed. From the way he treated me, it seemed Liu Bang had maintained strict hierarchy even in the mountains. Well, that man does have the makings of an emperor.
I smiled brightly and stood right in front of Su. “When you say you didn’t expect me so quickly, does that mean my husband doesn’t know I’m coming today?”
“Ah… yes. Big Brother thought the letter would arrive first. He said the roads were rough, so it would be much later before you could come in person….” Su added with an embarrassed look, “Since the snow hasn’t even fully melted yet.”
In other words, Liu Bang was currently in a state of perfect ‘unpreparedness.’
“I see.” A sudden mischievous impulse flared inside me. The fact that Liu Bang had no idea I was coming meant I had the perfect chance to see that sly old fox jump out of his skin in shock.
And if I appear like this, I won’t have to worry about coming up with an awkward first greeting, right?
The corners of my mouth lifted without my permission. Besides, this suited us as a couple much better. Rather than a third-rate melodrama of tears and snot with I missed you, husband, it was more like a sitcom where I slapped him on the back with a Haha! Surprised, weren’t you?
“Then I should report to Big Brother right away….”
“No.” I raised my hand to stop Su as he turned to leave. He froze mid-turn. “Yes?”
“Don’t report it. I’ll go myself. Secretly.” I pressed my index finger to my lips in a shushing gesture. Then I looked back at the rest of the group. “Please wait here for a moment, everyone. I’ll go find my husband first and greet him.”
“Kahaha! Sure. It’s been three months— you two should have a nice, private reunion.” Fan Kuai burst into laughter as if there was no question about it.
“Big Brother is probably at the very center of the camp, in the largest hut. There’s a wild boar hide hanging at the entrance, so look for that,” Haiyan added helpfully with a nod.
“Yes, thank you for your consideration.” I gave Ho a small bow as well, then straightened my clothes. I took one deep breath. Hoo. Treading as quietly as possible, I crept toward the basin spreading out behind the watchtower.
And before long—
……Wow.
A truly small village unfolded before my eyes. A large basin where not a single blade of grass grew. Dozens of crude huts stacked with dry wood and straw still had pure white snow on their roofs. On the right side of the camp, children were splashing and laughing by a babbling stream. In the center of the basin lay a large mat where quite a few men sat weaving straw sandals or stripping the hides off deer they had hunted, their upper bodies bare. Drying racks everywhere held meat slowly curing, and from an open area where the women had gathered, the smoke of cooking rice rose in gentle curls.
Amazing. He really built himself a kingdom.
It felt far too peaceful and organized to be a den of fugitives. As expected of the future Emperor Gaozu. It actually looked more livable than the slums back in Peixian where our house was.
I looked around in astonishment for a moment, then caught an older man passing by and asked, “Excuse me. Where is Big Brother Liu right now?”
“Eh? The boss?” The man tilted his head and looked me up and down. “He’ll be at home. The biggest one over there.” As if it were nothing important, he pointed to a large hut about thirty paces away. Just as Haiyan had said, a massive curtain made of wild boar hide hung at the entrance.
“Thank you.” I bowed politely and headed straight for it.
Looks like a lot of people come looking for Liu Bang. He didn’t seem surprised at all.
My steps naturally quickened. My heart, which had calmed a little, began pounding fiercely again. The plan was perfect. I would sneak into Liu Bang’s house, smile elegantly, and say, “Husband, I’m here.” He would definitely spit out his drink and fall over in shock, and I would cackle at his stupid face.
I can’t wait.
I was also curious about his reaction afterward. Would he be startled? Or would he laugh heartily? Or maybe… silently pull me into a tight embrace? No matter what happened, the awkwardness of our reunion would surely melt away in that moment of surprise. After teasing him to my heart’s content, I would take his hand and slowly tell him everything that had happened over the winter.
Is this it?
The hut was larger than I expected. A fairly impressive command post built with roughly hewn logs for pillars and layered thickly with animal hides and straw. Looks like he’s doing a proper job as leader.
I hid the smile spreading across my lips and gave my clothes one final check. I combed my wind-tangled hair with my fingers and brushed the dirt from my trouser hems.
Good.
What I wanted to show him was the most elegant and composed version of myself. Not the look of someone who had run all this way because she missed him, but the cool expression of someone who simply said, You called, so I came.
I approached the entrance of the hut, the heavy leather curtain, with careful steps. And just as I reached out with a trembling hand to lift the curtain—
“Hngh…! It hurts…! Boss…!”
A sound came from inside. It was the wet, nasal moan of a young woman.
My hand stopped dead in midair.
“Just bear with it a little. You have to relax for it to go in.”
And the voice that followed was unmistakably Liu Bang’s. A voice so familiar… and yet so horribly unfamiliar. Gone was his usual boisterous tone; this was a sticky, secretive low murmur meant to soothe a woman.
“……What?”
The light in my eyes went out. A chill tightened at the back of my neck.