Longing for Love (Twice Reborn) - Chapter 42

“Why does Liniang get to escape marriage? What about my Xiaocui? When she was thrown into the river last year, did any of you step forward to stop it?”

“And my daughter Yuanyuan she was the first bride offered to River Earl! Why didn’t any of you speak up back then?”

“And my Ling’er! Liniang’s father, when I begged you to join me in opposing these sacrifices, what did you say? You claimed it was the will of the people and you had no right to object! Now that it’s your turn, you let Liniang flee and even called in soldiers to oppress us!”

“Why? Why does your family get to be exempt?”

The crowd seethed with fury. The soldiers stationed outside the courtyard, under orders from Prince Pengshan, could only defend and were forbidden from harming the villagers. Left with no choice, they formed a shield wall to hold the people back.

Lu Feng remained at Liniang’s home to protect the elderly couple. Glancing back, he noticed Song Mo rubbing his temples, his eyes shadowed with exhaustion. Sternly, Lu Feng insisted he return to rest only with sufficient energy could they devise a solution.

Inside the carriage, Song Mo pinched the bridge of his nose, eyes closed, trying to steady his thoughts. Yet the villagers’ heart wrenching accusations still echoed in his ears.

They weren’t blind to the fact that the floods hadn’t abated over the years.

But from the moment the first seed of suffering was sown, resentment had festered in everyone’s hearts.

Each grieving family vented their anguish onto the next, layer upon layer, perpetuating the cycle to this day.

Song Mo lowered his head, lost in thought, but the more he pondered, the more tangled his mind became. His temples throbbed, yet despite a sleepless night, his eyes remained clear, devoid of any drowsiness.

The carriage rumbled to a halt before the Jiangyang government office. Song Mo lifted the curtain and stepped out, exhaling quietly. He straightened his posture, unwilling to let Juchen detect even a hint of weariness in his expression lest it add to her worries.

Entering the inner office, he found breakfast prepared for him. Scanning the room, he noticed only a few guards on duty; the rest were absent.

“Where is everyone?” Song Mo asked a clerk serving the meal.

The clerk bowed. “Your Highness, the officials left for the riverbank early this morning.”

Song Mo pressed, “Did the princess and Secretary Li go as well?”

“It was Secretary Li who proposed the visit.”

The River Earl’s marriage ceremony began with festive music, lively and jubilant, as though celebrating a true joyous occasion. Next, an elderly monk set up an altar to commune with the river deity, praying for favorable weather. Then, the bridal sedan was brought forth, its curtain lifted toward the river for the deity’s inspection, confirming the bride’s presence inside.

Finally, both the sedan and the bride were cast into the waters.

Since Jiangyang lay along the river, many villagers were skilled swimmers. To prevent brides from escaping, the monk claimed the River Earl demanded the bride’s hands and feet be bound with rope, ensuring she would descend properly to the dragon palace in her sedan.

“Quick, tie me up as I showed you.”

By the banks of the Lu River, Juchen extended her bound hands toward Yong’an.

Yong’an’s fingers trembled around the rope. “Sister Juchen, this is too dangerous!” she protested, shaking her head.

The surface of the Lu River appeared calm, but beneath it surged turbulent currents and treacherous undercurrents. Even an ordinary person falling in might not escape unscathed, let alone someone bound hand and foot and thrown into the water.

Despite Juchen repeatedly emphasizing her excellent swimming skills, Yong’an kept shaking her head, still too afraid to let her take the risk.

“Yong’an, trust me. I can undo the ropes.”

“This isn’t about whether I trust you, sister. It’s just too dangerous. I’m scared.”

“I know you’re scared. I’m scared too. But those girls forced into the sacrifice are even more terrified.”

Yong’an’s shoulders trembled. Juchen steadied her with both hands, her expression calm as she said, “Yong’an, if neither of us does anything for them, what will become of them? More innocent lives will be lost here in the future. I have to go down and come back up to prove to them that there’s no Dragon Palace in the river, that this is all a scam by those three monks.”

“But….”

“No more ‘buts.’ Besides, look at all the people standing guard. The constables from the yamen are all strong swimmers do you really think they won’t be able to save me? Come on, tie me up. I need to prove to everyone that this method works.”

In her past life, Juchen had arrived in Jiangchuan to take up her post just after the annual River God wedding ceremony had concluded. She never met Limiang, only encountering her grief stricken father on the road.

Shocked by his heartbroken account, she resolved from the moment she took office to abolish this cruel tradition.

She had tried to persuade the local people, gathering evidence to expose the three monks’ lies, but to little effect.

Left with no choice, Juchen had risked her life, deliberately learning a special knot tying technique. The knot appeared to be a dead knot but was actually a slipknot. However, hemp ropes tightened when wet, so she practiced hundreds of times to master untying them underwater enduring many near drowning experiences in the process.

But in the end, her efforts paid off. She took the place of the next bride, sitting in the bridal sedan under a red veil as they threw her into the river. Then, before the eyes of all the onlookers, she resurfaced and swam back to shore.

To prevent the crowd from realizing the bride had been switched, she had her subordinates beat gongs and drums, loudly proclaiming, “The River God does not wish to marry!” to divert attention. Meanwhile, the real bride, dressed in a soaked wedding gown, stood before them unharmed, claiming the River God had released her.

Later, Juchen gathered evidence that the three monks had embezzled the dowries. She sentenced each to a hundred heavy strokes of the rod, executing them in the marketplace as a warning to any who might dare scheme against Jiangyang again letting them know its magistrate was ruthless and unyielding.

Now, at the riverbank, the Lu River stretched dark and fathomless. Even in early summer, its waters carried a bone-chilling cold.

As Juchen threw herself into the water, she had already mapped out every step of her plan.

The only thing she hadn’t anticipated was this: the moment she plunged into the river, the icy water flooding her nose and mouth, she couldn’t suppress a shudder from the piercing cold. Just then, a furious roar rang in her ears.

“Li Juchen!”

The voice was chillingly familiar, sharp and full named, startling even Yong’an and the others on the shore.

Even Juchen, submerged in the water, froze momentarily. It occurred to her that in this lifetime, this was the first time he had ever called her by her full name like this.

The roar was followed by another splash someone else had jumped in after her.

Bound hand and foot, Juchen plunged into the water and began to sink rapidly.

She quickly held her breath, first twisting her wrists to free her hands, then undoing the ropes around her ankles. With a graceful spin, she arched upward like a mermaid swimming toward the surface.

Just as she turned, Song Mi caught up from behind and wrapped his arms around her.

Tall and broad-shouldered, he easily encircled her waist and pulled her tightly against his chest. He carried her upward until they broke through the water’s surface, his unyielding frame pressing firmly against her. Even after they reached the shore, he refused to let go.

As people gathered around them, Juchen sat on a pile of grass by the bank and tried to push him away, but Song Mi wouldn’t budge. Trapped in his embrace, she couldn’t see his expression only hear the frantic pounding of his heart.

She tapped his chest lightly with her fingertips. “Your Highness, people are coming. You should release me.”

Instead, he tightened his hold, his breath heavy against her damp hair. “No. You’re soaked.”

“I wore an underskirt it’s not transparent. Nothing’s visible.”

“Still no.”

“…”

Fortunately, Yuan Ruo was quick witted. Seeing the situation, she swiftly retrieved the cloak Song Mi always kept in his carriage and handed it over before the crowd could approach.

The moment he took it, he bundled Juchen up securely.

Gathering the edges of the cloak, she finally managed to stand, but before she could utter a word of gratitude, Song Mi’s expression darkened as he turned to the onlookers. “What were you all doing?”

Though his clothes were drenched, his hair slightly disheveled, and droplets still clung to his lashes giving him a somewhat disheveled appearance his low, commanding voice carried an unmistakable authority. The local officials of Jiangyang, unaccustomed to such intensity, fell silent in fear.

In the end, it was Princess Yong’an, his niece, who stepped forward bravely.

She linked arms with Juchen and softly explained what had happened.

Juchen chimed in, clarifying that she had entered the water voluntarily while gently chiding him for his recklessness. “Your Highness shouldn’t have rushed in like that. With so many people around, and Yong’an here, it was obvious I wasn’t drowning or throwing myself into the river.”

Song Mi stared at her intently before finally murmuring, “I didn’t think that far ahead.”

The moment he arrived at the riverbank and stepped out of the carriage, his vision had been consumed by the sight of Juchen turning and falling into the water. There was no room in his mind to assess the situation even the slightest risk was one he couldn’t bear to take.

It was rare for Song Mi to act so impulsively. Those around him, unaware of his usual restraint, assumed the Prince of Pengshan was simply a man of great compassion despite his high status, and they regarded him with admiration.

Only Juchen, watching his self-sacrificing demeanor, felt her throat tighten.

A familiar ache surged from deep within, churning through her veins until her nose stung with unshed tears.

She did not like this didn’t want him to risk himself for her like this again.

Just as she parted her lips to insist he must never act so rashly in the future, a gust of wind swept over the river and she sneezed before a single word could escape.

Song Mi quickly helped her into the carriage and returned to the yamen to change into dry clothes.

Once both had freshened up and gathered in the front hall, Juchen finally recalled her original intent. She recounted to everyone how she had emerged from the water with her hands and feet unbound. “See? I told you there was no problem.”

The corners of Juchen’s lips curled up, her eyes crinkling like crescent moons as she firmly declared she would take on the task.

Song Mi cut her off without hesitation. “No.”

His refusal was resolute. Juchen choked back her words, then pressed urgently, “Even if you hadn’t come down today, I could have swum up on my own. And you saw for yourself I really could untie the ropes.”

Song Mi still shook his head. “No.”

When Lu Feng returned and heard the details of how the two had ended up in the water, he nodded and said, “If we must use this method, we should send a man instead. It’s too dangerous for a young girl.”

“But who would you send? A man might not escape any better than I could.”

After a brief silence, Song Mi stepped forward, his gaze fixed on her as he declared, “If a woman can perform this ritual, then so can a man.”