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墨書 Inktalez
You live in a two-story courtyard in Jiangnan, spending your days reading, drinking tea, and gazing at the flowing stream while daydreaming in the sunset.
In the culturally open southern region, some people are curious about you, the well-off widow with an unclear background, introducing you to men who have lost their wives or those who are so poor they have no way to make a living. However, you politely decline them all. It's not that you can't forget the young master; it's just that this era has low expectations for men but imposes numerous restrictions on women.
You have rental income from your shop and fields, so you don't worry about food or clothing. You would have to be crazy to look for a man who is arrogant and greasy, pointing fingers at you every day.
Your four maids take turns working, with three days on and one day off. They have never experienced such a good life, and each of them has become plump from their comfortable living. But later, you discover that one of them is not just gaining weight; she is pregnant.
Her affair with the household servant is exposed, and she kneels in fear. You simply smile and ask her if she wants to marry or just continue as they are. The young maid, still quite young, looks longingly at the household servant, who hangs his head in silence. She then kneels before you, begging for your permission to grant them a Certificate of Freedom so they can marry. You nod in agreement.
You live alone; the courtyard doesn't need so many people. However, you collect twenty taels of rent each month, which is enough to support a small maid earning five hundred coins and a household servant earning one tael. You glance at the household servant who has remained silent throughout; you don't have high hopes for them.
Another maid advises you, voicing what you think. In your household, they only need to do sewing, washing, dusting, and cooking—working three days on and one day off with food and lodging included for five hundred coins a month. Outside, they would have to work hard to make a living and raise children; it hardly seems worth it.
The kneeling maid remains resolute; love can drive one to madness. Letting them go isn't necessarily kind; you're merely curious about how this young maid's story will unfold.
Aside from this little episode, the rest of your maids are loyal and devoted. Such an easy job is hard to find in the world.
On a rainy day, you encounter a down-and-out scholar and kindly offer him a shed to help him through tough times. The scholar is handsome and charming, with remarkable literary talent. At night, sharing the shed with him is far more pleasant than being with that nauseating young master from before.
Months later, when the scholar goes to the capital for exams, you feign composure and give him two taels of silver for travel expenses. You think that doing such good deeds might extend your life.
From then on, whenever you see a handsome horse groom or a strong long-term laborer, you stop to admire them. You completely understand the young master's urgent desire for a beautiful wife or concubine and freedom from brothels because within certain limits, you've become another young master yourself.
Bound by the times and constrained by gender without family backing, you dare not openly pursue these pleasures—much like he was restricted by his parents to only study back then. With resources at your disposal and many choices available to you that could enslave others for your pleasure, you never think of dedicating yourself wholeheartedly to anyone.
The question of whether a concubine maid can become a primary wife and share a lifetime with her master becomes utterly laughable once you've gained the ability to see things from another's perspective.
Having just turned twenty, you're healthy with no bad habits and enough surplus money each month; soon you'll save enough to buy another shop.
You thought you could live this life simply and happily, but disaster struck in the South.
It was said that dozens of Wokou landed from Ningbo Prefecture, brandishing sharp steel blades as they marched northward, burning, killing, and looting along the way. They were cunning and fierce fighters, and the decaying government could not withstand them. By the time you learned of these events, they had already swept past you, continuing their march northward. The nearby towns, being coastal, suffered greatly.
The peaceful small city that had not experienced war for hundreds of years suddenly became a Ghost Town. Blood flowed like rivers, corpses were everywhere, and houses burned to the ground. Several families from your neighborhood hastily packed their belongings to leave this prosperous little city and seek refuge with relatives inland. And you, with no one to rely on and nowhere to escape to.
Outside your elegant two-story house was a flimsy courtyard wall; a wooden door could only keep out gentlemen but not well-equipped rogues. The girls were frightened and worried that the bandits would return. The only man in your household, the Household Servant, suggested returning to the main family estate. That family had been in government service for generations; their mansion had been renovated several times, with a heavy double door and tall courtyard walls, and there were many guards inside. More importantly, it was under the emperor's rule; surely this group of Wokou would not be allowed to run rampant.
But you had clearly worked hard and relied on rare luck to escape the life of a maid; how could you go back now? What identity would you return with? Under the urging and anticipation of those three girls and one Household Servant, you attempted to think calmly about the pros and cons to find a way out.
As night fell with a small lamp lit, you gazed at those properties that could not be quickly liquidated with worry. You felt a haze of bloodlight and screams throughout the city; the servants had already barricaded the door, yet those villains could scale walls and leap into the courtyard, grinning as they split open the intricately carved wooden door with a single blow.
Your Household Servant was the first to die. Your girls hid inside but were caught by them, subjected to abuse by several men in turn until their cries faded into silence; they were then stabbed through to ensure they were dead. Their young faces were stained with dried blood and tears as one after another fell to the ground, fading into your tear-blurred vision.
Dawn was slow to arrive; ultimately, this hiding place was discovered by that group.
A dark, menacing face appeared before you, grinning wildly as he reached out his hand with lightning speed, grabbing your foot and dragging you out.
No matter how hard you struggle, you cannot reverse this overwhelming power, not to mention that there are many of them. You feel despair, regret, and scream, finally waking up.
On the table, there is still a dim yellow lamp and a Night Servant Girl who, upon hearing the noise, comes over to ask if you had a nightmare. Outside, the sound of the watchman's drum has just passed the third watch of the night. You confirm that what just happened was a dream, feeling slightly at ease. You then hear the loud voice of the Night Watchman reminding everyone about recent banditry, urging them to keep doors and windows tightly shut and extinguish lights.
You wipe your face and call for the remaining members of your household. They are all sleepless, looking at you with eager eyes, thinking you have made a firm decision to return. To their surprise, you take out most of the land deeds and property contracts, as well as each person's Certificate of Freedom, distributing them among them.
You recount the dream you just had; it was so vivid and realistic that you seriously suspect it was a Golden Finger moment. If you were to stay, that would be your fate. In the dream, they fought desperately to protect and cover for you. Even though they were all slaves, they could have seized their Certificates of Freedom and run away, but they did not.
They hold the thin sheets of paper in their hands as you tell them you want to become family with them; each one is dumbfounded. You have become your own master and enjoyed a life of comfort; you want them to understand why you do not wish to go back. More importantly, in this world, you have no family to support you; you need to build a family that you can rely on.
You are taking a gamble—a gamble on human nature—betting that these three Girls and one Household Servant would still follow you for money and benefits just like before. This night is long yet exhilarating.
A few who were born as slaves and have never known familial warmth trust each other and share a jar of murky rice wine under the moonlight, pledging brotherhood and sisterhood. You are the Eldest Sister; below you are Second Sister, Third Brother, Fourth Sister, and Fifth Sister.
Next, you will lead your younger siblings as you escape inland while seeking a way out for them. You assure them that although local officials are corrupt, the emperor is not weak. Given time, he will surely eliminate the coastal Wokou; your properties will not become worthless paper; good days are still ahead for you.
You were once someone from a master's household who could read and write; in their eyes, you are knowledgeable, so they are willing to listen to and trust what you say. Now that you treat them as family and have shared land with them, this is something they have never heard before. For your trust in them, they respect you as Eldest Sister and unanimously agree with your suggestions.
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