Chapter 61: The Lucky Star
This novel is translated and hosted only on Bcatranslation
It turned out that Ma Family Village, along with several neighboring homesteads, was a massive den of human traffickers. The villages were so poor that no respectable family for miles around would let their daughters marry into them. Although some local girls did marry within the village, the severe preference for sons meant daughters were extremely rare. To continue their family lines, many brothers even chose to share a wife. For those who refused to share and couldn’t find a bride nearby, they resorted to buying wives from elsewhere.
Over the decades, more than a thousand women and children had been abducted and taken to these villages. Among the kidnapped were even daughters of wealthy merchants and officials.
Madam Yao was appalled. “How could this happen? Didn’t the local authorities know? Didn’t the families who lost their children try to find them?”
Chancellor Du shook his head gravely. “They did, of course. Ordinary folk might not have the means, but some wealthy families and officials managed to find clues. But once those clues led to that region, they vanished.”
“You see, human trafficking has become an industry there. Whenever outsiders come searching, everyone in the area—including the authorities—helps cover it up. The Ma Family Village and the surrounding settlements are deep within the mountains and forests. Without a local guide, outsiders wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
Chancellor Du sighed deeply. “If the Guardian Duke hadn’t brought troops, I’m afraid rescuing those poor women would have been impossible.”
The word “rescue” might sound simple when spoken, but only those who had experienced it knew the peril and helplessness involved.
Madam Yao’s eyes widened with realization. “No wonder Yi’er didn’t reveal Madam Tian’s exact whereabouts but mentioned Ma Family Village after following You Bing Yue’s lead.”
Chancellor Du nodded appreciatively. “Exactly. Yi’er is both compassionate and clever. Our Dasheng Empire isn’t what it was a hundred years ago when women were barred from official positions. Yi’er has great talent, and along with the Guardian Duke and Marquis Wu’an, I recommended her to His Majesty. When His Majesty heard about this, he realized how much harm official negligence could cause the people. That’s why he changed the exam topic from ‘The People and Grain’ to ‘The People and Officials.'”
Coincidentally, on the eve of the exam, Du Zi Heng had discussed this matter with me. Unfortunately, Du Zi Heng was too preoccupied with the grievances of You Bing Yue. Although he didn’t deny Yu Zhi Yi’s excellence, he wouldn’t look at her with appreciation. Otherwise, he might have clinched the top spot this time,” Chancellor Du mused. “But it’s too late to dwell on that now.” He concluded with a satisfied smile, “In any case, Yi’er is the lucky star of our residence. I have a feeling our family will prosper for a hundred years, and the Du family will join the ranks of the great houses.”
Meanwhile, Yu Zhi Yi had no idea that Chancellor Du held such high hopes for her. At that moment, she was fiddling with the official seal in her hand, her delicate face scrunched up in a frown.
Zi Yuan finally looked up from the treasured official robes she was admiring. Seeing her mistress’s less-than-enthusiastic expression—as if she were attending a funeral rather than celebrating—Zi Yuan couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, isn’t it a good thing that you’ve been promoted?”
Yu Zhi Yi placed the seal back into its box and sighed. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Ever since her rebirth, she had been pondering her sudden death in her previous life. The more she thought about it, the more she felt it was punishment from the heavens for overstepping her bounds.
She had used her abilities to help Zhang Tian Shun climb the ranks. In the process, not only had Zhang Tian Shun benefited, but so had his soldiers and the civilians who survived his victorious battles.
Her master had once told her a story about a senior fellow disciple. It was said that after completing his training and leaving the mountain, he made it his mission to save all living beings, achieving many great deeds. Among them, his greatest accomplishment was foreseeing a massive earthquake that would have killed hundreds of thousands.
Despite his master’s objections, he insisted on saving those lives. He informed the authorities, urging them to evacuate the people. He even personally persuaded those who didn’t believe an earthquake was coming, using his true abilities to convince them to leave. A few days later, the city that once housed hundreds of thousands was empty. And just as predicted, the earthquake struck the day after everyone left.
The outcome was cause for celebration—except for that senior. Everyone in the area, from officials to commoners, survived. But on the day of the earthquake, in a place where no earthquake should have occurred, the senior was crushed by a falling boulder from the sky.
Whenever her master recounted this story, he would remind her earnestly to act within her means. “Merit is a good thing, but if you can’t bear it, it becomes a death sentence.”
Initially, Yu Zhi Yi hadn’t thought much about it. But after her rebirth, when she saw the golden light of merit descending upon her, gradually changing her physical condition and enhancing her cultivation, she began to understand that her death in her previous life was because she was unworthy of the merits she had accumulated. Perhaps the reason she could be reborn was that she had amassed too much merit, and the heavens granted her a second chance.
Realizing this, Yu Zhi Yi decided not to intervene in court decisions anymore. After all, such decisions could affect the fate of tens of thousands.
As for the recent incident where she used the Guardian Duke to rescue the people of Ma Family Village, the merit that truly fell upon her was only that of Madam Tian’s family. Those trafficked women were rescued by the Guardian Duke; what did that have to do with her?
But despite all her precautions, she still couldn’t escape the gears of fate.
“Well, so be it,” she murmured. “If soldiers come, I’ll face them; if water rises, I’ll build a dam.” After all, the emperor had bestowed this official position upon her without even asking her opinion. It would be reasonable if she chose not to accept it, wouldn’t it?
Having thought it through, Yu Zhi Yi slept soundly that night. As for the chaos in the Duke Courage’s residence, or how You Bing Yue might be grinding her teeth in frustration—it had nothing to do with her.
The next day was the Jade Forest Banquet—the emperor’s birthday celebration and the award ceremony for the top three imperial exam candidates. It was the most festive event in the palace each year, even more so than the traditional holidays.
Yu Zhi Yi felt no urgency; after all, her noble title was practically guaranteed. Even if today’s assassins didn’t show up, she could exchange this fifth-rank official position with real power for a nominal noble title.
But Madam Yao was extremely nervous. She arrived early in the morning to oversee Yu Zhi Yi’s makeup and attire. Under Madam Yao’s watchful eye, Yu Zhi Yi changed into ten beautiful dresses in succession.
“Really, Mother,” Yu Zhi Yi sighed, feeling helpless.