The General Under the Skirt - Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Her consciousness drifted in and out of a chaotic state, her limbs bound, her whole body uncomfortable. Suddenly, her head hit something with a jolt. Shen Roujia frowned slightly. The pain dragged her out of unconsciousness and she opened her eyes groggily.
She seemed to be in a square wooden compartment. Calling it a compartment wasn’t quite right, it was more like a small storage room.
The ground was very damp and mottled with traces of mold. The smell was unbearable – not only was it fishy and foul, but it carried the stench of decay from years without ventilation. The humidity in the air was overwhelming, and the cold was enough to make one shiver.
The stench nearly made Shen Roujia vomit.
As her senses gradually returned, Shen Roujia finally realized what had happened to her.
She moved her body, only to discover that her hands and feet were bound. She was completely immobilized. The room was very cramped, so small that even if she weren’t tied up, she wouldn’t be able to stand. The ceiling was low, forcing her to lower her head even when sitting.
She could feel herself moving, even rising and falling rhythmically.
Her head still hurt, but she had no time to worry about that.
Where was this? Who were the people who had taken her? What were they going to do?
From the depths of her heart, a terrible panic spread. Shen Roujia huddled in the corner, her clear eyes filled with helplessness and fear of the unknown.
Her soft, long hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her lips were pale, her skin was snow-white, her eyelashes slightly lowered, her features soft and curved in a breathtaking arc.
She knew she couldn’t just stay like this, but her wrists were bound tightly. She struggled, but to no avail. She took a breath and tried to calm herself, her hands twisting and turning. The ropes were tied tightly, rubbing against her skin, causing excruciating pain.
She was terrified of pain. She had never experienced anything truly painful in her life. The waves of pain made her nose tingle and tears welled up in her eyes. After a long time there was still no progress. She looked down at the tightly bound ropes on her hands. The knot wasn’t too tight; it wasn’t completely impossible to untie.
She moved her lips, hesitated for a moment and then began to pull at the ropes with her teeth. The pungent, foul smell filled her nostrils. The rope was damp, coated with something sticky and unknown. Shen Roujia closed her eyes, every moment a torture.
Finally, Shen Roujia found the right spot. With a hard tug, she finally loosened the ropes on her hands. The taste lingered in her mouth and made her sick. But she didn’t care. Once her hands were free, she began to work on the ropes that bound her feet.
Shen Roujia had been pampered since childhood, her skin was delicate, and a shocking purple-red mark surrounded her wrists. After a long struggle, she finally untied the ropes from her feet. But before she could get to her feet, the door burst open with a loud bang.
Shen Roujia flinched and shrank back into the corner.
The person outside bent down and entered. It was a burly man with a beard. Without a word, he grabbed Shen Roujia’s foot and dragged her out with little effort.
This sudden turn of events filled Shen Roujia with panic, and she tried to free herself from the man.
“Ah! What are you doing? Let me go!” she screamed.
Shen Roujia had never been treated with such disrespect. The man had a fierce look in his eyes. To be dragged by the feet like that was something she had never experienced before.
Shen Roujia’s resistance was like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot.
She was dragged out. The sudden exposure to daylight made her eyes sting. The man let go of her as soon as she was outside. Shen Roujia quickly pulled her legs back and crawled backwards on her hands and feet. Her words were somewhat incoherent, but she still tried to keep her composure and said, “What are you doing? Do you… do you know who I am? If my father…”
Slap!
The man slapped Shen Roujia across the face. Her left cheek instantly turned red. The taste of blood filled her mouth, and bright red blood dripped from the corner of her lips.
The blood stood out against her pale skin. The girl’s eyes filled with tears, her cheek swollen. A beauty in distress, her appearance utterly pitiful, but the man showed no mercy.
“Stinky girl, what nonsense are you spouting? ‘My father’ at a time like this!”
Shen Roujia was stunned by the slap, her mind foggy for a moment. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she stepped back and asked, “What… what do you want?”
“You untied yourself? You stinky girl is so bold, were you trying to escape…”
Before the man could finish, another voice came from behind, “Liu Gang, what the hell are you doing?”
Liu Gang turned around and said, “Just checking on this stinky girl.”
The newcomer walked over and looked at Shen Roujia crouched on the ground. Seeing her disheveled hair and the blood still dripping from her lips, he frowned slightly and asked, “Did you hit her?”
Liu Gang laughed nonchalantly.
“This bitch is so tender-skinned, she turns red like this with hardly any force. Touch her once and she’ll scream like you’re trying to fuck her. She’s noisy as hell, pissing me right off!”
Liu Gang’s eyes swept over Shen Roujia, lingering for a moment on the bracelet on her wrist and the hairpin in her hair. Then he said, “Big Brother, I guess this little lady comes from a wealthy family. The goods on her body are worth a lot of money.”
Liu Wei followed Liu Gang’s gaze. The white jade bracelet on the girl’s wrist shone in the sunlight. Liu Wei looked at Liu Gang and said, “Let’s take them off her.”
The two of them approached Shen Roujia together. Their shadows loomed over her, leaving her nowhere to retreat. Tears streamed down her face, and she choked out in a panic, “Don’t come any closer…”
Suddenly, Shen Roujia remembered something. She frantically removed the hairpin from her hair and started to take off her bracelet, but for some reason she couldn’t get it off. She put the hairpin on the floor and started to take off her earrings, saying, “Take them all, just don’t come any closer…”
The two men ignored Shen Roujia’s pleas. Liu Gang reached out and grabbed her hair, pulling at her scalp in pain. She was forced to raise her head and look into the man’s ferocious face, crying and pleading incoherently, “Let me go…”
Liu Gang lowered his head, brought his face close to Shen Roujia’s neck, and inhaled deeply. The girl’s scent pleased him, and he showed a look of pleasure, his eyes filled with lust.
“So fragrant.”
Shen Roujia cried and struggled, but her limbs were restrained, and she couldn’t move.
“You… get away from me!”
Liu Gang’s gaze terrified her, but she could only be slaughtered like a fish on a chopping block.
The girl’s neck was as white as porcelain, her beauty captivating. Liu Gang suddenly kissed Shen Roujia’s neck. Not only that, he even stuck out his tongue and licked the girl’s neck wantonly, his hands groping her breasts. The sudden attack made Shen Roujia’s eyes widen. She struggled violently to free herself.
“Ah, you… get away! Let me go…”
“Liu Gang!”
Liu Wei, who was standing beside them, frowned and pulled Liu Gang away from Shen Roujia.
“Have you forgotten what I told you?!”
Liu Gang’s dark face flushed with heat. He licked his lips and said, “Tsk, I couldn’t help it. Look at this woman, who the hell could resist?”
“Don’t you want the money anymore?”
Looking a bit annoyed, Liu Gang said, “Fine, fine, let’s hurry,” and pointed at his crotch.
“Look at me. I’m about to explode.”
Not only that, he forcefully grabbed Shen Roujia’s hand and pulled it towards his groin, asking lewdly, “Are you satisfied?”
Shen Roujia’s fingers clenched into a fist. She couldn’t bear it. She closed her eyes, her mind in chaos, able only to scream incessantly.
“Get away from me! You… you…”
Another slap landed on Shen Roujia’s face, blood flowing again. Shen Roujia seemed to feel nothing as she continued to scream.
“I fucking hate it when women make noise.”
“Cut the crap, just rip off anything valuable she’s got.”
With that, Liu Wei began to remove the hair ornaments from Shen Roujia’s head. Seeing Liu Wei start, Liu Gang also stopped talking. He helped Liu Wei remove the ornaments from Shen Roujia’s hair.
Some of the pieces weren’t as easy to remove as the hairpins. They required some skill, but Liu Wei obviously didn’t have the patience, so he resorted to brute force. In the process, he ripped out a great deal of her hair and finally pulled off the hair ornament that was studded with small gems.
“Fuck, I wonder if it’s even real.”
The white jade bracelet was forcefully removed from her wrist. Shen Roujia’s hand was numb with pain, but the men didn’t stop there. Convinced that Shen Roujia must have other valuables on her, they continued to grope her.
She felt extremely humiliated. As she watched the men groping her, she even considered simply dying. Shen Roujia cried and screamed, but her cries were pitifully weak in this situation. Not only the jewelry, but also the red cloak she was wearing were taken off.
The two eventually left her. Shen Roujia’s voice was hoarse. As soon as they were gone, she curled up, hugged her knees and sobbed quietly.
Liu Gang picked up the bracelet and said, “I wonder if it’s real.”
Liu Wei weighed the hairpin in his hand and said, “It probably is. Judging by how delicate this woman is, she doesn’t look like a pauper.”
Liu Gang grinned and replied, “Okay, put her back. It’s a pity she looks like this.”
Then Liu Wei grabbed Shen Roujia’s arm and roughly dragged her back, slamming the door shut again with a bang.
Silence returned once more.
Shen Roujia clutched her clothes tightly, tears streaming down her face, her knuckles white, her eyes red and swollen. She stifled sobs, her despair and pain palpable in the cramped space.
Her collar was torn open, revealing the delicate white skin beneath. Her hair was a mess, strands clinging to her face. Blood still trickled from her lips, her cheek swollen, the red marks on her wrists shockingly visible.
Liu Gang’s saliva and red marks remained on her neck. Shen Roujia rubbed the back of her neck with her sleeve, the skin becoming raw, but she didn’t stop.
It had all happened so suddenly.
She had studied ethics and morality, what was proper and improper for women. After experiencing this, she felt completely defiled. She had hardly spoken to a man in her life, let alone suffered such humiliation.
Her father was an important official in the court. Although he hadn’t spent much time with her and had always been strict, she knew he loved her. Of the four daughters in the household, she was the best, and her mother’s death did not change that. She studied poetry and books, learned proper behavior, and the biggest blow she ever received was her mother’s death. If she so much as scratched her finger, a crowd would make a fuss over her. Everyone around her was well educated, courteous and gentle. She lived under the protective wing of the Shen family, in a world where everyone was kind.
It was only a few days ago that she had argued with her father.
When the imperial edict for her marriage was issued, she wasn’t as happy as the rest of the Shen Residence. She didn’t want to marry the Crown Prince. But she didn’t dare disobey her father, nor defy the imperial decree. Everyone in the residence was celebrating the Shen family’s impending elevation. Only Su Qin noticed her low spirits.
Shen Roujia was born with a timid and gentle nature. Although Su Qin was nominally her younger sister, she was more like an older sister. Su Qin would remind her of things she hadn’t done well and help her with anything she wanted to do. This time was no exception.
Su Qin told her that if she really didn’t want to marry the Crown Prince, she should talk to their father. Although the Imperial Edict had been issued, it wasn’t completely unchangeable. His Majesty was always kind, and if her father discussed it with him, there might be a chance.
Once she entered the Imperial Palace, she would be confined within its red walls and green tiles for the rest of her life. She would share the Emperor’s affections, endure the hidden dangers of the harem, and sever all ties with her past.
Such a life was both good and bad.
Whether she would succeed or not was one thing. But at least she should strive for what she wanted. That way, even if she failed, she would only feel powerless, not regretful.
So, after much hesitation, she set out to find her father.
The result was a predictable failure. Her father was furious. Shen Roujia had never seen him so angry. He didn’t even let her have a chance to finish her sentence before he had her sent to the confinement room.
The confinement room was a special place for punishing servants who had committed offences.
When she was released, it was the day Huo Zhao’s remains returned to the city.
Two days earlier, news of Huo Zhao’s death in battle had spread like wildfire from the northwest to the mainland. The nation had been plunged into mourning.
Su Qin was the only one who knew of her admiration and affection for Huo Zhao. But she hadn’t told Shen Roujia the news, knowing it would devastate her. Two days later, Shen Roujia was released from confinement. That same night, Huo Zhao’s remains were brought back to the capital.
Wrapped in a war banner, his heroic spirit finds no rest.
Not only was Huo Zhao Dachang’s general, he was also the Empress’s younger brother. The Emperor himself descended from his carriage outside the city and escorted the coffin along the hundred-foot-long Shishi Street.
This news struck Shen Roujia like a thunderbolt.
Huo Zhao was dead. Dachang’s most formidable wall had fallen. In her heart, there was no one more powerful than Huo Zhao.
Although she had never met him, he was her faith.
He was an invincible general and a legend.
He was a man of unwavering loyalty and burning passion.