"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor's decree is bestowed upon the brave and valiant Zhou clan of Luoyan Village, Lumian Township, Youzhou. With their prowess in sieging cities and breaking formations, their unmatched valor, their ability to scout afar and capture swift eagles, and their bravery in confronting ferocious beasts, they possess both courage and skill. Therefore, they are hereby appointed as Assistant Generals, and bestowed with three catties of gold, one thousand taels of silver, a jade belt, imperial wine, and various quantities of venison, cattle, and sheep. By Imperial Mandate!"
"Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your boundless grace. May my Emperor live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand thousand years!"
In the winter of the sixth year of Yan Yongping, the fourth year of Xia Yuanjia, the imperial decree of Murong Xi, Emperor of the Great Yan, finally arrived. Zhou Fugui was promoted to Assistant General, a minor military official of the ninth rank.
However, regardless of the rank, Zhou Fugui had, in just two years, risen from a mere soldier in the Yan army to a low-ranking military official in the Great Yan. This was hardly meteoric success, but it was a start. Especially for a Han Chinese.
It was precisely because Zhou Fugui was Han Chinese that the Yan court bestowed upon him such a minor official position. If Zhou Fugui were Xianbei, the situation would have been entirely different.
"General, congratulations." After the imperial envoy finished proclaiming the decree, Zhou Fugui gave them some money, and they left with joyful hearts. Once the envoys were gone, Xiao Qing, seeing Zhou Fugui beaming with happiness, congratulated him with a smile.
An Assistant General could indeed be addressed as "General."
"What are you congratulating me for?" Zhou Fugui chuckled. "Congratulating me for becoming this 'ass-general'? Xiao Qing, you are mistaken. What makes me happy is finally being able to return home and reunite with my family..."
Truth be told, Zhou Fugui was rather pleased with this reward from the Yan court, though not because of this "ass-general" title. He cared not for it at all. What Zhou Fugui truly cared about was the considerable sum of gold and silver bestowed by the Yan court. With this, Zhou Fugui could provide more compensation to his fallen fellow villagers.
Zhou Fugui had been carrying the ashes of Liu Changshun, who had sacrificed his life to save him, on his back. Upon returning to Luoyan Village, Zhou Fugui planned to visit Liu Changshun's family first to deliver Liu Changshun's ashes and the compensation money.
Every time Zhou Fugui thought of this, his heart grew heavy.
"Returning home? General Zhou..." Xiao Qing said with some hesitation.
"Call me Brother Fugui," Zhou Fugui interrupted with a smile.
"Brother Fugui..." Xiao Qing said shyly and bashfully. "Is it... is it appropriate for me to go to your home?"
Zhou Fugui was returning home in glory, bringing with him a beautiful young maiden. For Xiao Qing to follow him home without any formal status would be rather awkward.
"What's not appropriate about it?" Zhou Fugui revealed a mischievous smile. "You are my chambermaid, after all."
Under Zhou Fugui's persistent pleas, Murong Huiying finally "granted mercy" and agreed that when she married Zhou Fugui, she would bring Xiao Qing with her as a dowry maid. Dowry maids, after following their mistresses to their husbands' homes, would generally become chambermaids, followed by concubines of various ranks.
Xiao Qing did not mind. As a former palace maid in the Xia palace, captured by the Xianbei and taken to the northern lands, her fate had been incredibly tragic. To have such a future now was considered fortunate.
It was known that many palace maids in the former Xia palace were abused by the barbarians, some even to death. Many more were sent to the Yan's "miscellaneous courtyards," which were gathering places for captured Xia women who performed menial tasks and were also forced to serve the Xianbei and other barbarians, enduring their lustful advances. These courtyards were akin to, or even worse than, brothels.
This fate befell not only the palace maids but also some of the former Xia palace's consorts and princesses.
Xiao Qing felt happy to become Zhou Fugui's chambermaid or concubine because, after so long, she had come to understand Zhou Fugui. She knew he was a kind-hearted man, a man of integrity, who would never mistreat her and would never allow others to do so.
What's more, Brother Fugui was so full of vigor... Xiao Qing thought shyly.
Murong Huiying, being a good person to the end, had instructed Xiao Qing to attend to Zhou Fugui during her absence from Youzhou.
"Not only Xiao Qing will return home with me, but our little Jade Slave will also come home!" Zhou Fugui then said, picking up Little Jade Slave with a laugh.
"Big Brother, mm... Jade Slave also wants to be a chambermaid and serve Big Brother," Little Jade Slave said in a childish voice, biting her finger while sitting in Zhou Fugui's embrace.
"Pfft!" Xiao Qing couldn't help but burst into laughter at this.
"I... you... what nonsense are you spouting? Little girl, do you even know what a chambermaid is?" Zhou Fugui said, his face slightly red, as he flusteredly handed Little Jade Slave to Xiao Qing.
"Heh heh, Jade Slave, you shouldn't be a maid. When you grow up, you'll marry a good man," Xiao Qing said, hugging Little Jade Slave and smiling. "Unlike me, who had no choice but to become this beast's... beast's maid."
Xiao Qing, in a rare moment, bantered with Zhou Fugui, her beautiful eyes glancing at him with a watery sheen.
"What? You say I'm a beast?" Zhou Fugui said with a dark, "angry" expression. "I haven't done anything to you, and now I'm a beast? You should speak with a conscience."
In the past two years, Zhou Fugui had come close several times, but he ultimately did not want to harm Xiao Qing.
"Heh heh..." Xiao Qing knew Zhou Fugui wasn't truly angry, so she said with a giggle, "I heard them say that Brother Fugui fought on the battlefield like a beast."
"That was on the battlefield!" Zhou Fugui continued with feigned "anger." "Alright, since you say so, when we get home, I'll certainly take you. By then, Brother will truly transform into a beast... Heh heh!"
With one beautiful woman after another "tempting" Zhou Fugui, he was nearly driven mad. If he held back any longer, it might cause problems. Since Xiao Qing had already become his, Zhou Fugui no longer intended to restrain himself.
"Brother Fugui, don't say such things in front of Little Jade Slave..." Xiao Qing's face immediately turned bright red upon hearing this.
"Oh, oh, right, right. Xiao Qing, Jade Slave, get in the carriage quickly. We're heading to our home in Luoyan Village!" Zhou Fugui said, scratching his head somewhat sheepishly.
Zhou Fugui hired a carriage, and Xiao Qing, holding Little Jade Slave, got in. Zhou Fugui glanced at the goods in the carriage, tidied his clothes, slung his bow and arrows over his back, fastened his saber at his waist, mounted his horse, and the four of them left Youzhou city, heading towards Lumian Township and Luoyan Village.
"Swallows fly south, swallows fly south, their cries break my heart. I haven't left today, but I already long for spring's return, I long for spring's return. Today I leave, wishing for spring's return. Longing for return, do not let your heart be bruised, do not let your heart be bruised. Just wait for spring's return!"
After leaving Youzhou city, Zhou Fugui felt a great sense of relief and began to sing loudly.
"Brother Fugui, what song is this? It's so beautiful," Xiao Qing said, lifting the carriage curtain and smiling.
"Longing for Home," Zhou Fugui replied with a smile.
"Longing for Home?" Xiao Qing murmured the lyrics.
...
"Xiao Qing, how does the scenery of my hometown compare to yours?"
As they neared Luoyan Village, Zhou Fugui and his party arrived before a grove of elm trees. In front of the elm grove was a grassland dotted with sparse white snow. Before the grassland was a small bridge, known as the "Five-Arch Bridge." Beneath the bridge, a small river flowed gently, its surface covered with a thin layer of ice.
"Brother Fugui, Xiao Qing hasn't been back in a long time," Xiao Qing said with a smile.
"Oh, hehe, the small bridges and flowing water of Jiangnan are nothing more than this," Zhou Fugui nodded and pointed at the elm grove with his whip, laughing.
Xiao Qing pursed her lips and smiled, remaining silent.
Although Xiao Qing hadn't been back to her hometown in a long time, the beautiful scenery of her memories was far more picturesque than this. The beauty of the Jiangnan region, a land of abundance, could not be compared to this Youzhou.
"Rustle, rustle!"
Just then, some larks suddenly took flight from the elm grove, soaring into the air in a panic and scattering in all directions.
"Stop!"
Seeing this, Zhou Fugui ordered the driver to halt. The carriage stopped on the Five-Arch Bridge.
The driver, surnamed Zhang, and Xiao Qing looked at Zhou Fugui in surprise.
The birds flying from the woods indicated that something was happening, either a person or a beast, that had caused the larks to be so startled.
Thinking of this, Zhou Fugui ignored the surprised glances of the driver and Xiao Qing. He took out his "thousand-mile eye" from his embrace, placed it before his eyes, and carefully observed the elm grove.
"Brother Zhang, Xiao Qing, quickly return the way you came. Five li to the south is a road, then go west about seven li, and you will reach Luoyan Village," Zhou Fugui said to the driver and Xiao Qing a moment later, putting down the thousand-mile eye.
"Brother Fugui, what happened?" Xiao Qing asked in surprise.
"Don't ask, hurry!" Zhou Fugui glared at Xiao Qing anxiously. "You go first, I'll follow."
The driver, surnamed Zhang, immediately urged the horse and carriage back across the bridge to the west, then drove the carriage south.
"Brother Fugui, be careful!" Xiao Qing poked her head out of the carriage, saying to Zhou Fugui with great concern.
Zhou Fugui nodded, slowly took the Moon-Chasing Bow from his back, mounted his horse, and stood at the head of the bridge, silently watching the elm grove.
There were people in the woods, and quite a few of them. They thought they were well hidden, but Zhou Fugui had gotten a general idea of their numbers with his thousand-mile eye.
Zhou Fugui did not know who they were, but their furtive hiding in the elm grove suggested some shady business.
Could they be bandits, waiting to rob the carriage for its valuables? Zhou Fugui guessed inwardly.
Zhou Fugui sat on his horse at the head of the bridge, blocking the only crossing in the vicinity, to buy time for Xiao Qing and the others.
The north wind howled, making the elm grove rustle and Zhou Fugui's clothes flutter. Zhou Fugui stared intently at the elm grove, but apart from the sound of the wind, there was no other movement within it.
"You people in the woods, hiding and sneaking around, what kind of heroes are you? Why not reveal yourselves and let me, Zhou, learn from you?" After a long while, Zhou Fugui held the Moon-Chasing Bow, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly.
With Zhou Fugui's shout, there was finally movement in the elm grove. Some figures in black emerged from the woods. They were a dense mass, numbering over a hundred.