Chapter 4: Appeal
“You’ve said enough, come in and help me.” Her muffled voice sounded cold, it made the people outside the carriage quiver, a lady speaks in this manner?
Wu Si scratched his head, he looked back towards the brothers behind him, everyone took a step back, pointing their chins towards him, urging him to help. Wu Si was afraid to go and do the bidding of a woman! Wu Si secretly swallowed a mouthful of saliva, stepped a foot onto the carriage, opened the curtain, and headed inside. Unexpectedly he encountered a pair of cold eyes, seeing the woman before him, Wu Si sucked in a mouthful of cold air.
Inside the carriage, a red-clad woman was half-leaning against the side of the carriage, her little eyes were straightly staring at him coldly. Wu Si had never before met a woman who has such eyes, a pair of eyes staring at him, making his breathing inexplicably difficult. And her face, two deep knife marks have ruined the entire right cheek, at first glance it is horrible to look at it, is this the beauty the Hao Yue kingdom sent? Wu Si wondered, they did not grab the wrong person, right?
When Wu Si was looking at Qing closely, Zhuo Qing was also watching him. The man in front of her is in his early thirties, his mop of unruly hair tied up with a strip of cloth, his clothes covered with many patches looked shabby, he’s dressed like . . . the ancients!
It’s all too weird! Quelling her uneasiness, Zhuo Qing stretched out her hand, grabbed Wu Si’s arm, leveraging against him to stand up. Unfortunately, motionless for too long, Zhuo Qing suddenly fell down, Wu Si rushed to hold her hand, this woman is really skinny!
Holding the leaning Zhuo Qing they went to the carriage’s door, before opening the curtain of the carriage, Wu Si suddenly grabbed the canopy of the carriage and covered Zhuo Qing’s face with it, only then did he lead her out.
Zhuo Qing walked limply, half leaning against Wu Si’s arms, assisted by him she still could barely walk. The red wedding dress accentuated her slim figure, every step of the way she appeared infinitely delicate, the veil over her face, it was really beyond the people’s imagination.
A teenage boy clucked his tongue and exclaimed: “Wow!” This Hao Yue kingdom woman is really made of water! Even the way she walks and how the village women walk are different ah!” Following the young man’s jest, a group of people began to boo and heckle. Wu Si glared at the teenager, leading Zhuo Qing to sit down on a stone bench, for a time, she did not know what to say.
Xiao Wuzi took a step forward, pulled Wu Si to the side, smiled and said: “Elder brother Wu, I heard the Hao Yue kingdom specially sent a beauty, not only that, this lady they sent, she is famous in all kingdoms ah, anyway, since we have her already, as least let everyone see what she looks like, okay?”
“No!” Wu Si roared, and scolded, “We acted like that today only in order to seek justice for our benefactor, of course we were forced by circumstances to kidnap her, but if you do this, what makes you different from those villainous bandits?!”
Xiao Wuzi shrunk his neck, muttering to himself: “Elder brother Wu, we just want to take a look at the so-called alluring beauty that can ruin and overturn a kingdom, not taking a fancy to her!” Elder brother Wu is ordinarily a nice guy, what’s up with him today?
Meeting the eyes of the baffled villagers, Wu Si also felt like he reacted excessively, whispering he urged them: “Even this is also not good!” Which woman will not pity her face, her face unknowingly ruined like that, to be seen by people, he fears she’s going to be broken-hearted and sad.
“Elder brother Wu . . .” Xiao Wuzi was about to say something when a piece of red silk was neatly thrown to the ground. Xiao Wuzi turned around and a face full of knife marks greeted him, stunned he cried, “Wah! Oh my golly! This is the alluring beauty, eh!”
The curious villagers surrounding him were also shocked, for a time the crowd of people became quiet, they were literally stunned to silence. Zhuo Qing calmly stared back at their burning gazes, reflected in their eyes, was surprise, fear, sympathy, and pity, slightly raising her head, her eyes coldly scanned the crowd one by one, the villagers unconsciously stepped back. She thought, hostage-taking, after all, is something bad, but right now, this group of villagers looked very simple and honest.
Zhuo Qing slowly stilled her heart, and asked: “Who did you say I am just now?” This is not her body, she’s figuring out now, who the hell is she?
Xiao Wuzi swallowed and replied: “You are the woman from the kingdom of Hao Yue, and a tribute to the emperor, but I heard the emperor bestowed you to the prime minister, but the way you are, I guess the prime minister would not want to have you!”
“Xiao Wuzi!” Wu Si immediately yelled.
Zhuo Qing’s face was deadpan, she continued to ask: “what is this place?”
“This is the village of Niu Jia, ahead is Huan Yang, the capital city of Qiong Yue.”
Qiong Yue? Huan Yang? It did not ring a bell! Taking a deep breath, Zhuo Qing looked at the crowd of people, her voice clear she asked: “Have you ever heard of China?”
Everyone reacted in unison, shaking his head.
They speak Chinese, dressed in ancient costumes, but do not know about China, as far as she knew, in the world where she lived there should not be a place like this. But, she’s still got a body, no matter how much she refuses to believe, she’s still conscious and existing in an unknown place where she entered the body of a “tribute”.
Heavens! Her head still hurts!
“Miss, are you okay?” Wu Si watched Zhuo Qing incomprehensively, one moment she was an imposing bully, now what, a look of pain?
Zhuo Qing was in no mood to be bothered by anyone, she needs to calm down!
“Elder brother Wu! Elder brother Wu!” Came a bunch of excited boys from the village, a twenty-year-old boy Liu Yu rushed over towards Wu Si, pushed his way through the throng of villagers, holding a piece of paper, showcasing it he exclaimed, “you came back, I have written it well, Elder brother Wu you take a look at it!”
Wu Si pushed Liu Yu’s hand, he smiled awkwardly: “Look at what, I’m not literate.”
Xiao Wuzi also curled his lip and jeered: “Exactly. Among us here, you’re the only one who can read! Asking us to look, we cannot read it, ah.”
Liu Yu looked down, embarrassed he scratched his head, smiled and said: “I . . . I learned from my father for just two years, after he died, I had no one to teach me.”
“That’s already better than ours!” Grabbing the paper in the hands of Liu Yu, Xiao Wuzi examined it at length but did not understand a thing, puzzled he asked, “Elder brother Wu, why must we write this thing ah?”
Wu Si whacked Xiao Wuzi’s head, took the piece of paper, carefully folded it, and sighed: “didn’t the feudal official say, we need to submit an appeal, we cannot afford a lawyer, so we have to write this on our own. If Prime Minister Lou really comes, then we must have something on hand to submit, to inform our grievance, isn’t it?”
“I see now why we need to write this thing!” Casting a sidelong glance at Zhuo Qing, Xiao Wuzi cursed under his breath, but for this disfigured woman, will Prime Minister Lou really come?
The feudal official said, the appeal is indeed crucial, whether or not they’re able to clear the benefactor, he has to see it. Wu Si glanced at Zhuo Qing who was sitting nearby, his eyes lit up, he pleaded: “Miss, could I trouble you to help us look at it?” He knew the girl comes from a rich family, she must be literate!
Zhuo Qing thought for a moment and replied: “Bring it to me.” She also wanted to know what drove these simple and honest villagers to the extent of kidnapping a person, and this country’s writing she has not seen yet, she might as well take advantage of this opportunity to have a look.
Unfolding the paper, Zhuo Qing was flabbergasted.