"Loneliness, regret, betrayal, pain... I have been through it all, but I never lost hope. Survive, fight to gain your freedom—do it, for there will always be a door opening for you."
A full year had elapsed since that dark day. I was now a slave, with Li Wei remaining as my sole companion. Her brother had succumbed along the way. Only the two of us remained, bound together in endless suffering.
We were in the service of a man named Mo Junwei and his son, Mo Yang. There was also an adopted daughter, Mo Hao—a spoiled, fickle creature who harbored a venomous hatred toward me.
Mo Yang was a young man of letters—kind-hearted, charming, and remarkably approachable.
Our work was neither noble nor simple. Mo Junwei and his mistress, Dai Mei—to whom I had been sold—abused us relentlessly. We were beaten, and Li Wei was treated as nothing more than a plaything in their eyes. I couldn't take it anymore. Suffering, being beaten, eating leftovers, and watching my best friend be treated as mere entertainment—all of it drove me to pure rage. So one evening, I made a decision. It was time to set things right for Li Wei and me.
We had just finished our evening work. Sitting together in our small hut, I turned to Li Wei and said: "Li Wei, it is time for everything to change. It is time for Mo Junwei, Dai Mei, and Mo Hao to pay for all their misdeeds and their crimes against the Empire."
Li Wei looked exhausted. She replied: "My Lady, how are we going to pull this off? We can't even escape this place... There are guards everywhere, and we are stuck in a village cut off from the rest of the world."
I took her hand and said: "Wei Wei, trust me. We will make it. We are going to escape this horrible place and make Mo Junwei and his whole gang pay. I have a plan to get us out, and I know who is going to help us."
"My Lady... speaking of the person who can help us, do you mean the young master?
"Yes, he is our only way out. Tomorrow morning, I will speak to Mo Yang and share my plan with him. Li Wei, get ready—we will be leaving this place soon."
Morning came so quickly. Suddenly, there was a knock at our door. Li Wei went to see who it was and, caught completely off guard, came back to wake me with a trembling voice: "My Lady, wake up! You won't believe it—the young master has just arrived. He is right here."
I told her: "Li Wei, calm down. I will speak to him alone. Go to work as usual, and if Dai Mei or Mo Hao ask where I am, tell them I caught a cold and will be late. Keep everything normal."
I got out of bed and stepped out under the eaves. Mo Yang was standing there, waiting for me. Li Wei left for work as if nothing were amiss.
"Yue, it has been a long time since my departure. How are you holding up?"
I replied: "I'm fighting the best I can."
"I heard that Mo Hao mistreats Li Wei even worse than the other slaves. She also tried to burn you. Yue, I am so sorry that my adopted sister is a cold-hearted woman who only lives for the luxuries provided by my father and her mother. If only my father weren't so corrupt and a lawless man, you wouldn't even be here."
I looked at Mo Yang with a sorrowful yet rage-filled gaze. I knew that all of this had begun because of my stepmother and the murder of my father... If only.
Gathering my courage, I knew I had to tell him about my plan to escape this miserable life. So I told him: "Mo Yang, I need your help."
Looking genuinely surprised, he replied: "My help?!"
"Yes, I need your help... and I know you already see where I'm going with this."
He sat down and said: "Yes, Yue, I know very well what you're getting at. You want to escape from this place. I had thought about it, I wanted to help you do it, but I didn't have any status before. That's why I didn't dare do anything."
"Mo Yang, now you can do it... With your position as the keeper of the accounts, you have the power to help me. I need someone who can take me and Li Wei to the capital. I have to meet someone there. It's been a year, and I have to go. I promised my father before he died."
"I just hope that person is still alive..."
Mo Yang looked at me gravely: "The capital has been in turmoil ever since the Emperor passed away two months ago. The new emperor is young. Traitors are everywhere, and wars will soon rage. Yue, life in the capital won't be easy, and the journey to get there will be just as dangerous. But I will help you. When do you want to make your escape?"
"I plan to do it tomorrow night, so as not to alert your father's and stepmother's men."
"Agreed. I will arrange everything by tomorrow morning. I'll make sure my father suspects nothing—they won't even realize you're gone. Don't worry."
Mo Yang was about to leave when suddenly, a slave approached running and panicked: "Yue, Yue, Yue, Li Wei is in big trouble!"
"Young master... Your sister... Li Wei has offended Lady Mo Hao's guests... and they want to punish her by beating her in front of all the other slaves. Yue, come with me, we must hurry or she might not survive it!"
Mo Yang took me by the hand: "Yue, let's go!"
Upon arriving at the slave quarters, she was there, accompanied by Dai Mei and her men. The other slaves were there too.
Mo Hao saw me and shouted out loud: "Mo Yang, get away from this idiot! Get away right now!"
Beside her, Li Wei was bound with ropes around her hands, weeping: "My lady... I am sorry... It was an accident, I didn't mean to disappoint you."
I looked at her with eyes filled with tears and anger, trying my best to reassure Li Wei through my gaze. In a loud voice, Dai Mei cried out: "An accident? Do you take us for fools... Your job was simple. You only had to entertain my daughter's guests. But instead of that, you spilled wine on one of them and you say it's an accident... Pathetic."
Mo Hao stepped forward and yanked Mo Yang away: "My dearest brother, you should forget about this idiot, she doesn't deserve you, she's just a slave. Her and her idiot of a servant do nothing but annoy me and my guests. I despise them."
Mo Yang snatched his hand away and, with fury in his eyes, shoved Mo Hao back. Incensed, Dai Mei stepped forward, her voice sharp: "Mo Yang, watch yourself! Mind your actions in my presence."
Mo Junwei didn't take long to arrive... Mo Hao put on her pathetic act as the adored only daughter: "Father, Father! Mo Yang hurt me just for this slave, this idiot Yue and her useless servant... You must punish them! Li Wei has disappointed my guests."
In a fit of rage, Mo Junwei slapped Mo Yang across the face and growled: "Yue, ever since you arrived, you and your servant have done nothing but bring us trouble. Today, you will be severely punished without mercy—you will receive 30 lashes, and Li Wei 25, for the insult committed. Those guests were of the utmost importance, and yet you dared, you ungrateful little wretch..."
Mo Yang tried to intervene, but I shot him a look of acceptance, knowing it wouldn't last much longer. Dai Mei's men beat us in front of all the other slaves. Dai Mei and Mo Hao were laughing, while on the other side, Mo Yang looked at me with a gaze that was both sad and furious.
Night fell. One of Mo Yang's emissaries brought us salves for our wounds. Haui, a friend of Li Wei's, helped us apply it to our injured flesh. When she finished, I lay down beside Li Wei, and whispered softly: "Li Wei, tomorrow night, pack what little we have. Our hour is finally at hand." She replied in a weak voice: "Alright, my lady."
Mo Yang
It was late when I left my quarters. I set out to find the most trustworthy of my men—Jun Hao. He was the only man I could ever trust with Yue and Li Wei's lives.
When I found him, he said to me: "Young master, it is late. What are you doing out here? If your father notices your absence..."
I need your help, Jun Hao. Tomorrow evening, you must take Yue and Li Wei with you. I trust you.
"But Young Master, where am I taking them?"
"You must take them to the capital. Be careful. Prepare the carriage well, along with everything else you might need for the journey. I trust you, Jun Hao. You must protect them at all costs. I need to return to my quarters before my father notices I'm gone."
Jun Hao vanished into the shadows, and I returned to my quarters without arousing any suspicion.
The next day, everything happened so fast. Me and Li Wei, we were counting the minutes. Night fell.
Mo Yang came to my house late that evening, after everyone had finished their shift.
"Yue, it's time. Everything is ready. We have to go to the village entrance now."
I replied: "Alright, let's move! Li Wei, come on, let's go."
The men guarding that night were Mo Yang's men. We passed the small forest before arriving at the village gate. Jun Hao was waiting for us there.
"Young master, everything is ready. Lady Yue, let me take your bags. We should leave immediately while it's dark. We'll spend the night in the next village at my cousin's house, then hit the road early in the morning."
Li Wei climbed into the carriage, and Mo Yang turned to me: "Xian Yue, I've done my part. As a friend, I wish you nothing but the best. Take care of yourself. Never bow down to anyone. Jun Hao will watch over both you and Li Wei. I hope you find the person your father told you to look for. Stay safe."
I answered: "Mo Yang, thank you with all my heart. Because of you, I am free... I'll never forget everything you did for me or how you always stood up for me. If my life ever changes, I'll invite you for a drink. You should head back before your father's guards switch shifts. Take care, and I hope to see you as the grand chancellor here one day."
"Yue, I'm so glad I got to know you, and I'm proud to call you one of my best friends. Safe travels."
Jun Hao, with a lamp, took the rope that ties the horse's neck and that's how we moved away from the slave village. From afar I looked at Mo Yang waving goodbye to me. Yes, we were free.
In the carriage, Li Wei, with a smile, took my hand and told me: "My lady, we made it, we are no longer slaves, we are masters of ourselves. We will survive, my lady, we will survive."
We stayed at Jun Hao's cousin's house for the night, then left for the capital the next morning. The road will be long, but we are finally free. Mo Junwei, Dai Mei, Mo Hao, Mei Lin, Xian Biachen, Xian Ruolan—I am free now, and I'll do everything to make you pay. I survived one year, and I will keep surviving until I destroy you.
And so my adventure went on... I was ready for anything to survive and avenge my parents. Xian Yue is my name, and yes, the journey continues.
end of the chapter two.
see you in the next chapter.