Chapter 1
In early summer, at noon, the scorching sun was directly overhead.
Pedestrians on the official road hurried by as usual. Li Mingwei wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. The prolonged exposure to sunlight made her a bit dizzy, so she squinted her eyes and looked into the distance.
The road ahead was flat and unobstructed, with no place to take a temporary rest.
She felt a sense of despair in her heart. By now, she had already been affected by the heatstroke, and if she continued like this, she was afraid she would collapse on this road.
"Halt!"
The sound of chaotic hoofbeats came closer from a distance. Li Mingwei turned her head and looked at the road. A small platoon of soldiers, consisting of more than ten men, was galloping towards her.
Perhaps their mission was urgent, as the horses were running fast, kicking up clouds of dust as they passed by. Pedestrians on both sides turned their backs, trying to avoid the gusts of sand and wind.
Li Mingwei quickly moved to the side, covering her face and turning away. The platoon of soldiers, who were supposed to zoom past her, stopped behind her. The platoon leader took a look at her figure and took out a portrait from his pocket.
"You, turn around."
Li Mingwei clenched her clothes tightly, looked around, and realized she had nowhere to escape. She could only reluctantly turn around. She hunched her back, burying her head in her chest, and her body trembled slightly.
"Sir, what's the matter? I-I'm a good person."
The platoon leader frowned. "Raise your head."
The other soldiers were a bit puzzled, looking at the raggedy-dressed woman. This timid woman with such a little courage didn't seem to be the person they were looking for.
One was the fairy in the sky, the other was just mud from a lotus pond. What was there to inquire about?
With a heavy heart, Li Mingwei slowly lifted her head. She knew she couldn't hesitate at this moment. Hesitation would only raise suspicion. She raised her chin and revealed her face covered in dirt.
Her hair was disheveled, her face inexplicably covered in black and yellow mud, and her lips were slightly chapped. The soldiers turned their faces away, showing some disdain.
"Captain, she doesn't seem to be the one. Let's go. It's too hot today. Not just us, even the horses can't bear it."
"Yes, yes."
The platoon leader glanced back and cast a sideways glance at his men, signaling them to quiet down. He was about to let her wipe her face and take another look when he saw the woman unconsciously taking a step back and falling into a ditch beside the road.
There was no water in the ditch at the moment. Li Mingwei fell onto the yellow soil, feeling the pain, but she still managed to stand back up. She rudely patted her buttocks, imitating the actions of the farmer's wife where she had rested the day before, and twisted her waist.
"Ouch, I almost broke my back!"
Li Mingwei had never referred to herself in such a way, and saying these words made her blush a bit. Unfortunately, her face was covered in thick mud, and nobody could see it.
Hearing her sharp words and crude actions, the platoon leader seemed convinced that she wasn't the one. He spurred his horse's belly with his legs and continued forward with the platoon.
After going a long way, he couldn't help but turn around for another look. He saw the woman pulling a few blades of grass, struggling to climb back onto the road from the ditch. Her behavior was extremely uncouth. Finally, he increased his speed and left her behind.
Li Mingwei watched as they walked away without looking back, relieved that she had escaped unharmed. It was worth it for her to act in this play.
Seeing that she couldn't get up, several kind-hearted passersby came forward and helped her up.
She bowed and said, "Thank you, gentlemen."
An old man clasped his hands together and said, "You're welcome, miss."
Someone asked, "What did those soldiers say to you just now?"
Li Mingwei shook her head and replied, "They didn't say anything, just told me to look up, and then they glanced at me and left."
"Are they searching for someone?"
"Perhaps it's some wanted criminal."
There were also people who knew the truth, and one of them pretended to be surprised and said, "You all don't know?"
Immediately, a group of people surrounded him, curious to know, "Know what?"
Under the expectant gaze of the crowd, the man felt somewhat smug. He waved his hand, gesturing for them to step back a bit, and said, "Don't crowd, don't crowd, it's too hot."
"I just came from the capital city, and I heard that the Minister of Officials' daughter has gone missing!"
"Ah?"
The group of people widened their eyes in astonishment and exclaimed, "How could such a young lady go missing?!"
"Oh dear, she's about eighteen or nineteen years old. Recently, their family has been searching for her." The man leaned in closer to the crowd and whispered, "Let me tell you, the rumors are spreading outside. It's said that they fear she won't be found."
"Why?"
"Do you know who she married? Prince Jian, the current emperor's own brother. They say this Prince Jian has a mistress outside, and in order to let the woman from outside enter the household, he harmed her!"
This...
Seeing that some of the people were skeptical, he continued, "It's true. This young lady said she was going to make an offering at the temple and never came back. She had so many guards from the royal residence with her, but not one of them saw how she disappeared."
The crowd still found it hard to believe. After all, it was quite normal for a prince to have three or four concubines. Why would he harm someone's life just to take a concubine?
"It can't be that serious. The Minister of Officials may not be as important as a prince, but it's still a high-ranking match for his daughter."
"Hey, what do you guys know? Her father may not be comparable to a prince, but her grandfather was the former emperor's mentor. Many officials in the court were his students. He was knowledgeable and had a wide range of abilities. He wouldn't allow his granddaughter to suffer such injustice!"
An old man suddenly recalled, "Could it be Minister Li?"
"Yes, it's him!"
"Who is Minister Li?"
The old man's eyes filled with memories, and after a moment, he said, "You probably won't remember even if I tell you. Back then, it was his suggestion to establish schools in various places so that children from poor families could have books to read."
"But now schools also require money, right?" The person who spoke had children studying, and they had to pay a lot of money every year.
The old man lowered his head and sighed, "At that time, schools had just been established everywhere, but war broke out in the north again, and the court had no money to hire teachers."
So now the teachers in schools everywhere would collect some fees themselves.
"Minister Li traveled all over our country for this matter. He even visited the school in our town. I was lucky enough to encounter him and had a brief conversation with him."
"That's a great merit!"
There are many people who wish for their children and grandchildren to study and become literate, in order to achieve fame and bring honor to their family. However, not everyone possesses such abilities. Minister Li, by doing so, has provided opportunities to many more people.
"Minister Li is such a good person. Surely, the girls in his family are exceptional as well. This Prince Jian, he really doesn't know what's good for him!"
"Oh my, my old friend, please don't say that. We can't criticize someone of noble birth."
Li Mingwei paused for a moment. The rumors had already spread outside, but she hadn't suffered, as they had divorced.
That day, she simply had a sudden realization and wanted to escape that cage and see the outside world.
She wanted to give it a try, to live without that respected identity, without her grandfather's protection. She wondered what kind of person she could truly become.