The General Under the Skirt - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Shen Roujia didn’t understand what Liu Gang meant. She frowned and asked, “What do you mean?”

“You thought she was a good friend, didn’t you? Tsk tsk, what a fool. That woman spends all her time in our beds. Somehow she found out about you being sent to that rich family. Last night, right after the government officials finished their inspection and we were all below deck, the crate that was meant for you somehow became hers.”

Shen Roujia’s mind reeled. She couldn’t believe it. 

“How do you know that someone… someone didn’t just switch the crates?”

Liu Gang said, “Such a fool.”

“Liu Gang, what are you doing? Let’s go!”

Liu Gang turned and replied, “Coming!”

Then he turned to Shen Roujia and said, “But speaking of that woman, she tastes really good. Too bad she’s gone. You, on the other hand…”

Liu Gang’s gaze swept over Shen Roujia, sending a shiver down her spine.

***

She really couldn’t find Qingrong.

She returned to the place where they were all being held together. The people in front of her were scrambling for the disgusting food like animals. The ground was damp and smelled of rotting food. Shen Roujia’s clothes hadn’t been changed in over a month. Her hair was matted and she had a foul odor that even she found repulsive. She was starving, but she didn’t want to fight with them for food.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t accept the food here like she had in the beginning, she just didn’t want to move. She sat there thinking about Qingrong who had already left the boat. To be honest, she still didn’t quite believe what Liu Gang had told her. But on second thought, there seemed to be no reason for him to lie.

“Qingrong was sent away?”

Someone beside her asked. Shen Roujia came to her senses and looked over. She remembered this woman. She was one of the two she had asked about Qingrong’s whereabouts before.

Shen Roujia nodded and said, “Yes.”

The woman shook her head.

“No wonder you don’t eat. Tsk tsk, I thought she wouldn’t be sent away.”

Shen Roujia was taken aback.

“Why do you say that?”

The woman said, “Don’t tell me you didn’t know. Qingrong, she’s the prettiest one here besides you. Qingrong is just like us, but in reality, she is a tool for those people to vent their desires.”

“Otherwise, why do you think she always had better food than us?”

Shen Roujia felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She had never really thought about why Qingrong always managed to get better food.

So the food that Qingrong shared with her every day was obtained in that way.

Shen Roujia felt a wave of nausea. She didn’t find Qingrong disgusting, and she knew she had no right to.

She just felt a deep sadness.

Her stomach churned and she felt too weak to think.

“I thought they would keep her on the ship, I didn’t expect them to actually send her away.”

Shen Roujia clenched her fists and asked, “Why did you think they wouldn’t send her away?”

The woman said, “There is always one woman left on the boat for them to play with. Usually that woman is not sent away. They can only wait to die on the boat and then the next woman will take her place. That too is routine.” 

The woman sighed. 

“Qingrong is so lucky. She was always so distant, I don’t know why she suddenly became so attached to you after you arrived.

***

Shen Roujia was no fool, she just couldn’t accept that Qingrong had used her. But now it seemed that she had no choice but to believe it. The kindness she had perceived was nothing more than a deceptive facade hiding a sharp blade.

The truth was undeniable.

Qingrong had overheard where Shen Roujia was to be sold and had approached her. Their month of mutual support was nothing but a sham, a waiting game.

How did Qingrong get that bowl of porridge?

Now that she thought about it, Qingrong had really wanted her to drink that delicious porridge. Shen Roujia remembered the hopeful look in Qingrong’s eyes.

Why was that?

Maybe because the porridge was really hard to get. Or maybe because the time had come and the porridge was Qingrong’s last gift to her.

A thank you for her foolishness, for giving her a chance to survive.

Did Qingrong ever think about what would happen to her, left behind on the ship?

Betrayal always came so easily.

Shen Roujia shifted her legs, feeling the numbness. Her stomach was empty, but she didn’t want to eat.

As evening approached, Shen Roujia wrapped her clothes tighter around her. She didn’t know any of the people around her. The noise turned into the sounds of another world, the sounds of loneliness and despair. After Qingrong left, Shen Roujia’s days became much simpler.

She stopped fantasizing about being rescued, about returning to her life of luxury.

No one gave her hope, no one held her hand and promised that they would be saved.

She learned to fight for food, to swallow moldy bread and rancid vegetables without a second thought.

The ship continued its journey.

She didn’t know when she’d get off the ship, but she wasn’t looking forward to it.

It would be the same miserable existence, just in a different place. 

But what she feared most had finally happened.

She was sitting alone in a corner when two men dragged her away. She struggled and screamed, but it was no use. The other women kept their distance, indifferent, their eyes filled with pity.

She was dragged into a room. As soon as she entered, Liu Gang lunged at her, tearing at her clothes, his voice urgent.

“Fuck, I finally got my chance. While Big Brother is away, this woman must still be a virgin. I’ll go first, you guys wait in line.”

“Hurry up then, Brother Gang, we’ll wait outside.”

“All right, all right, I know.”

“You can’t… My father, my father is the Imperial Tutor, I’m the Crown Princess appointed by His Majesty, do you… do you want your entire family executed…?”

Shen Roujia’s words were broken. She still clung to the hope that her identity would intimidate them, but whether they believed her was another matter.

Liu Gang laughed and said, “Even better, a noblewoman, it’ll be even more exciting.”

“Get away from me! You…”

Shen Roujia screamed, her eyes wide with terror. She clutched desperately at her clothes, her voice hoarse, but Liu Gang showed no sign of stopping. Liu Gang slapped her and Shen Roujia’s head swayed, but she continued to fight with all her might.

At that moment, she truly felt like an animal.

Stripped of all dignity.

Her outer clothing had been torn off, leaving only a pale green belly band. Her porcelain white skin seemed to glow in the candlelight.

All this was a fatal temptation for the men.

Liu Gang reached for her trousers.

Shen Roujia was filled with shame.

She screamed like a madwoman and crawled to the edge of the bed, but every inch she gained was pulled back by Liu Gang. Finally, with all her strength, she reached the headboard. She looked at the wall and, without hesitation, banged her head against it.

Thud.

The world fell silent.

Blood flowed from her head, her consciousness fading.

She prayed, prayed that this time she would be allowed to die.

She was the legitimate daughter of the Shen family. Even reduced to this, she still carried their blood.

If she couldn’t bring them glory, she would at least protect the purity of their lineage.

If she couldn’t escape, what was she holding on to?

Everything she had ever known was being shattered. Everyone she had met on this journey seemed to be evil.

She had always followed the rules and regulations, never stepping out of line, always living within a rigid framework. She had envied the seemingly vibrant world outside.

Now that she had experienced it, she realized that those vibrant colors belonged to man-eating demons.

During her time on the ship, Shen Roujia thought of Huo Zhao more than once.

She had heard stories about him for as long as she could remember.

“Incredible! The Young Master of the Duke’s Mansion outclassed the Captain of the Guards at the drill ground today.”

“Huo Zhao burned down the Si Chun Brothel. It is said that there was some shady business going on there, and His Majesty had been troubled by it for a long time. Huo Zhao just burned it down, problem solved.”

“Who has the most power in the capital? It’s not some prince, it’s Huo Zhao, the Empress’s younger brother. You know how favored the Empress is. Huo Zhao is a genius, highly regarded by His Majesty. As long as he doesn’t burn down the palace, the Empress and His Majesty will protect him.”

“But he never causes trouble. The few times he has acted, it has always been to punish bullies and help the common people.”

“Huo Zhao went to war with his father at the age of twelve.”

“Look at the head of the Khan of the Western Regions that General Huo took down. They say Huo Zhao had a hand in it.”

***

There were so many such events – any one of them could be a story in itself.

Shen Roujia sometimes wondered if, with a little effort, she and Huo Zhao might have had a chance.

At least it won’t be like now, not even meeting in person.

Her mother was the Eldest Princess, her father had tutored the Crown Prince, and Huo Zhao was close to the royal family. If she had really wanted to meet him, it wouldn’t have been difficult given her status.

But she had been too timid. Eight years had passed because of her timidity.

If she had another chance, she would take it.

But it was too late now.

Even if she had escaped, Huo Zhao was gone.

She seemed to have been unconscious for a long time. Even though she wasn’t fully conscious, she could feel the passage of time. Everything became numb.

When she finally woke up, her head was throbbing. She groggily opened her eyes, her vision slowly coming into focus.

“Aah!”

Shen Roujia’s eyes widened in horror. With a sudden burst of strength, she rolled to the side and looked cautiously at the person in front of her.

It was a middle-aged man she had never seen before.

To call him middle-aged didn’t seem quite right. He was hunched over, his temples streaked with white, his crooked yellow teeth seeming to give off a foul odor. His face wrinkled when he smiled, his body thin, his bones visible.

When Shen Roujia awoke, he looked down at her with a smile. The sudden appearance of his face startled her. The man looked at Shen Roujia and smiled.

“Little girl, you’re awake.”