Chapter 5
Old Madam Zhou was an entirely ordinary old woman.
She knew no martial arts and had no clever plan.
Demanding an explanation from the emperor was, to her, like planting rice in spring and harvesting and threshing it in autumn. It was something that ought to be done.
She rode the donkey while Yihe led it.
The two traveled the main road in silence. Only the stubborn donkey occasionally broke it with a snort.
It was absurd.
So Yihe thought.
A girl alone in the world and an old woman who whistled through the gaps in her teeth, going to take revenge on the emperor.
The thought made her laugh aloud.
Old Madam Zhou laughed too. Perhaps they were laughing at the same thing.
They walked from high noon until the moon shone among sparse stars. They drank from streams when thirsty and ate dry rations when hungry. Half a month passed in this way before they finally reached Xiandu with their unlucky donkey.
Once inside the city, Old Madam Zhou sold the donkey and gave Yihe half the money.
“Little girl, thank you for leading it.”
Yihe did not stand on ceremony. She accepted the money, and they parted ways.
Before she could take revenge, she had to rescue her mother. She could not charge blindly at the palace gates like this reckless old woman.
She watched Old Madam Zhou’s retreating back. Sure enough, she headed straight onto Vermilion Bird Avenue.
Follow it to the end, and you reached Heaven-Revering Gate, the entrance to the imperial palace.
In another quarter of an hour, Yihe thought, the old woman might be beaten to death.
She put the money into her purse, tucked the purse into the lining of her jacket, and headed south.
She had asked around. There was a nunnery in the southern part of the city. Perhaps it would shelter her for a few days.
After walking for roughly seven and a half minutes, Yihe looked up. The bright sun hung high overhead.
She wiped her forehead, turned, and ran back.
The old woman walked so slowly. Surely she could catch her?
With that thought, she quickened her pace. Yet when she reached Heaven-Revering Gate, the old woman was nowhere to be seen.
She saw two guards carrying a rolled straw mat, cursing their bad luck.
A foot slipped out. The shoe on it had a hole in its upper.
It was preposterous, Yihe thought. How could someone die so quickly?
She had run all the way.
People came and went. Yihe stood there a long time.
Suddenly Heaven-Revering Gate opened. Guards lined both sides of Vermilion Bird Avenue, and a litter carved with golden dragons slowly emerged.
As one, the people knelt, crying, “Long life to the State Preceptor!”
Someone struck the backs of Yihe’s knees. She fell with a thud. The pain brought her back to herself.
She raised her eyes.
A Daoist sat in the litter. His brows were elegant, his eyes long and fine, with a vermilion mole beneath one of them. His beauty was almost uncanny.
For a man, he was far too beautiful.
A hand landed on the back of Yihe’s head and pushed it down.
Only then did she notice the young man kneeling beside her. He looked at her helplessly. “You dare look up? Do you want to die?”