Ji Cheng shook her head. She had been in a daze for the past few days. After being abducted by Huo De from the room where she was staying, she was drugged and remained in a stupor throughout the journey until Shen Che rescued her. Therefore, she did not know about what had transpired during those days. However, she was aware of being poisoned because the pain was so intense, and she had vomited so much blood that she thought she would surely die.
“How was my poison neutralized?” Ji Cheng asked Nan Gui. She had her suspicions but needed Nan Gui’s confirmation.
“The Young Master transferred the poison from your body to his own,” Nan Gui replied.
It was just as Ji Cheng had expected. She asked with concern, “Has the poison in his body been cured?”
Nan Gui lowered her eyes and shook her head. “The Young Master left in a hurry, only instructing us to find Doctor Ma. But…”
“But what?” Ji Cheng’s heart tightened as she listened.
“But Doctor Ma is elusive, and we have no idea where he is. We already have limited manpower on the grasslands, and we can’t spare anyone to search for Doctor Ma’s whereabouts. The Young Master wouldn’t allow it either,” Nan Gui explained.
For Ji Cheng’s sake, Shen Che was willing to mobilize all his undercover agents to search for Zha Yina’s whereabouts. But for himself, he wouldn’t, because those people had more important tasks.
Ji Cheng’s spirits were low, her face pale from excessive blood loss. She leaned against the pillow, closed her eyes, and pondered for a moment before asking, “Nan Gui if it were you who had taken the poison from me into your body, what would be the consequences?”
“This servant’s martial arts skills are not enough to withstand such a potent poison. At best, I would lose all my martial powers; at worst, I would die from the poison,” Nan Gui answered honestly. Seeing Ji Cheng’s troubled expression, she quickly added, “But the Young Master is blessed by heaven. His skills are unfathomable, so I’m sure there won’t be too much impact.”
Ji Cheng opened her eyes and looked at Nan Gui. “But his martial powers will be greatly diminished, won’t they?”
Nan Gui nodded slightly.
In just a moment, Ji Cheng had figured out the cause and effect. Huo De’s scheme was ruthless; he was forcing Shen Che to save her. Now that Shen Che’s martial powers were greatly reduced, he had instantly changed from the hunter on the grasslands to the hunted. Huo De’s men were probably already searching for Shen Che’s whereabouts, which explained why Shen Che had left in such a hurry.
Ji Cheng propped herself up from the pillow. “By your estimation, when will your people be able to find out Doctor Ma’s whereabouts?”
Nan Gui didn’t dare to estimate and remained silent.
“Do you have a general idea of where he might be?” Ji Cheng asked again.
Nan Gui replied, “We only heard that after Doctor Ma left the capital, he went north. We don’t know if he came to the grasslands or went somewhere else.”
Ji Cheng’s heart sank. It seemed they could only rely on luck. She stood up and said, “We can’t just sit and wait. Perhaps I can find Doctor Ma’s whereabouts. But I need a portrait of him.”
Nan Gui shook her head. “We don’t have a portrait of Doctor Ma.”
Ji Cheng then asked, “Has anyone seen Doctor Ma?”
Nan Gui had seen him. The last time Shen Che returned severely injured from the Western Regions, Doctor Ma had appeared at the Nine Li Courtyard, and Nan Gui had caught a glimpse of him.
“Good. Prepare some paper and brushes for me. You describe, and I’ll draw,” Ji Cheng said. This was her only option.
Nan Gui looked at Ji Cheng skeptically, doubting her ability to draw based on a verbal description.
However, Nan Gui had underestimated Ji Cheng. After all, she had studied painting with Madam Yu for over a year. After returning to Jin Bei, the quiet and solitary life of guarding the tomb allowed her to focus more on her painting skills, and she made considerable progress.
Still, drawing a person based solely on a verbal description was a first for Ji Cheng. Fortunately, Nan Gui had an incredible memory. Although she had only seen Ma Yuantong once, she remembered his facial features clearly.
After several revisions and a floor covered with discarded papers, Nan Gui finally nodded in approval. The last portrait was about ninety percent accurate to Ma Yuantong’s appearance. Ji Cheng had brought him to life on paper, far surpassing the wanted posters hung at city gates. Anyone who had seen this portrait would surely recognize Ma Yuantong in person.
Ji Cheng worked through the night, drawing over twenty such portraits. When she stood up, her vision went black, and she fell backward. Nan Gui, alarmed, dropped the scroll she was holding and rushed to catch her.
Ji Cheng was extremely weak. She had lost so much blood and hadn’t properly rested or recuperated before spending the night drawing. It was no wonder she fainted. If not for her good physical constitution, she would have collapsed much earlier. Although the poison had been removed, her body was still damaged.
Ji Cheng didn’t remain unconscious for long. Worried about the situation, she forced herself to open her eyes even while struggling. She anxiously tried to get out of bed, but Nan Gui held her down and made her drink a bowl of meat porridge before letting her go.
“Let me get up. I know my own body,” Ji Cheng said. “Now is not the time to worry about these things. We must find Doctor Ma quickly; we can’t afford to waste time. If Huo De and his men find the Young Master, all will be lost.”
Nan Gui quickly reassured her, “The Young Master won’t let them find him so easily. Now that we have this portrait, I’ll distribute it, and our people will be able to search faster.”
Ji Cheng shook her head. “You don’t need to comfort me. You said earlier that you don’t have enough manpower.” The Jing Shi Army’s spies were mostly Han Chinese who could blend in with the crowds in Central Plains, but they stood out on the northern grasslands, greatly limiting their movements.
“But…” Nan Gui thought to herself, “You’re helpless too,” but she didn’t dare say it aloud to Ji Cheng.
“No buts. Help me get dressed,” Ji Cheng said, mustering her strength. “Have someone prepare horses.”
Nan Gui exclaimed urgently, “How can you ride a horse in your current condition?”
Ji Cheng didn’t respond to Nan Gui, only giving her a cool look. Nan Gui immediately realized her mistake. While her concern for Ji Cheng wasn’t wrong, Ji Cheng was her mistress, and as a servant, she shouldn’t repeatedly contradict her mistress’s orders. If Shen Che gave the order, Nan Gui wouldn’t dare say a word of objection.
Within five days, Nan Gui accompanied Ji Cheng on horseback through three major cities: An Jia, Pu Gu, and Sui Ye. They had barely rested for five days and nights, changing horses more than ten times.
“Young Mistress, we’ve arrived at Sui Ye City,” Nan Gui gently called to Ji Cheng, who was slumped over her horse. After a while, Ji Cheng laboriously raised her head.
“Good.”
Human potential is limitless. After these few days of grueling travel, even Nan Gui was exhausted. She couldn’t fathom how the pampered Ji Cheng had managed to persevere. If Nan Gui’s respect for Ji Cheng had previously been an extension of her respect for Shen Che, now her admiration was solely for Ji Cheng herself.
Ji Cheng sat in a room opposite the “San Bao Hao” shop, forcefully patting her face to bring some color to her bloodless cheeks. This was the last person she needed to visit.
Someone like Ji Cheng, who had long anticipated that her father would take back her authority, couldn’t have failed to make advance arrangements. Although Zhe Li had cleared out some of her collaborators in the Western Turkic territory, where Ji Cheng had been establishing a backup plan for the Ji family, he hadn’t completely dismantled the network.
This was also thanks to Shen Che. Although he had control over this line, he hadn’t touched it, leaving some leeway for Ji Cheng. This leeway had finally come in handy today.
By now, Ji Cheng had washed up and her face had regained some color. Looking at her now, who could tell that she had been on a desperate five-day, five-night journey? She walked into San Bao Hao with the confidence of someone who had everything under control.
After Ji Cheng revealed her identity, the shopkeeper still made excuses, saying the owner wasn’t in. Ji Cheng glanced at Nan Gui, who immediately took out a banknote for 100,000 taels of silver and placed it in front of the shopkeeper.
Ji Cheng smiled at the shopkeeper and said, “Ask your boss if he wants to do a 100,000-tael business deal.”
Sha Ge was a Han Chinese man married to a Turkic woman. His lifestyle was a mix of Central Plains and Turkic customs, appearing somewhat incongruous, but there was no denying that he was the wealthiest man in Sui Ye City.
“What wind has blown Miss Ji to our humble abode?” The owner of San Bao Hao, Sha Ge, soon appeared before Ji Cheng, showing no embarrassment despite his shopkeeper having just claimed he wasn’t in the city.
“The spring wind brought me,” Ji Cheng smiled, as gentle as the spring breeze.
“I hear the young miss is now married. Shouldn’t I be addressing you as Young Madam? What brings you to our godforsaken place?” Sha Ge asked.
“I’ve come to bring you silver, of course,” Ji Cheng said. Without further ado, she had Nan Gui unfold the portrait and say to Sha Ge, “I want to find this person. If you can tell me his whereabouts, these 100,000 taels of silver are yours.”
The 100,000 taels of silver were too hot to handle. Sha Ge didn’t dare to accept it, stroking his goatee as he said, “For just finding one person, the young miss is offering so much silver. I dare not accept it.”
“Oh, but you do dare. Weren’t you playing both sides between Zhe Li and me before? How come you’re suddenly shy now?” Ji Cheng smiled.
Sha Ge’s face showed some embarrassment. “Where did the young miss hear such a thing? I’m a Great Qin citizen. How could I collaborate with Zhe Li?”
How could Ji Cheng not understand the nature of a merchant like Sha Ge? “Brother Sha, to be honest, I’m in some trouble now and must find this person. If Brother Sha can help me this time, Ji Cheng will be forever grateful. These 100,000 taels are a small matter. In the future, if Brother Sha needs any favors, just say the word, and I’ll go through fire and water for you.”
“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare,” Sha Ge still wouldn’t agree.
Ji Cheng hadn’t expected Sha Ge to agree so quickly. “This is a small matter. I won’t put Brother Sha in a difficult position. If you find this person, you can also sell the information to Zhe Li.”
Zhe Li was now completely baffled by what game Ji Cheng was playing.
From Zhe Li’s startled expression, Ji Cheng already knew that Sha Ge and Zhe Li likely had a deep relationship. She was Shen’s daughter-in-law, and the Shen family, because of the Northern Expedition Army, was at odds with Zhe Li. This was why Sha Ge had been reluctant to agree; he favored Zhe Li.
“I don’t understand what the young miss means by that,” Sha Ge said.
“I only need you to tell Zhe Li two days later,” Ji Cheng smiled, pushing the banknote forward. “What do you think, Brother Sha?” Money moves people’s hearts. Sha Ge might not earn 100,000 taels even in ten years.
“Alright, since the young miss has put it this way, it would be unkind of me, Sha, to keep refusing,” Sha Ge said, looking greedily at the banknote.
Ji Cheng turned to look at Nan Gui, who took out another bank note for 20,000 taels from her bosom. Ji Cheng took it and handed it to Sha Ge. “This is the deposit. If you can find his whereabouts, the remaining 80,000 taels will be delivered on time. If you can’t find him, consider these 20,000 taels as compensation for your trouble.”
Ji Cheng was too generous and straightforward, always considering others. Who wouldn’t be happy to work with such a “fool”?
“However…” There’s always a catch after good news.
“However, what?” Sha Ge knew this money wouldn’t be easy to earn.
“However, this matter needs to be quick. If there’s no news within ten days, our agreement is void,” Ji Cheng stood up and smiled at Sha Ge. “Brother Sha, one must have foresight. Even if the Shen family loses this time, as long as Great Qin exists, Princess An He is still there, and the Shen family’s Second Master is still in the Western Regions, the Shen family won’t fall. Believe me, becoming an enemy of the Shen family won’t do you any good. And if the Northern Expedition Army wins, you should know even better what that means.”
This was a carrot and stick approach.
When they returned to the inn from San Bao Hao, Ji Cheng could no longer support herself and collapsed. Her lips were covered in dry skin, her eyes sunken from weight loss. She hadn’t had time to apply any sunscreen, so even the exposed skin had darkened considerably.
Nan Gui moistened Ji Cheng’s lips with water and gently covered her with a blanket. Not wanting to disturb her, Nan Gui went outside to light a fire and cook some porridge. Finding a bit of rice to make porridge in the frontier was not easy, as the locals didn’t eat it.
The first thing Ji Cheng asked when she woke up was, “Is there any news from Sha Ge’s side?”
Nan Gui shook her head. “How could it be that fast? Young Mistress, you’ve only slept for an hour. Don’t worry, in these five days, you’ve already spent sixty to seventy thousand taels of silver. Money can make ghosts turn millstones, so we should see some results, right?”
Ji Cheng, supported by Nan Gui, sat up and drank a little rice porridge.
Nan Gui had accumulated many questions in her heart, but she hadn’t found the opportunity to ask Ji Cheng along the way because her spirits were so low, only putting on a brave face when meeting people.
“I’ve always been curious, Young Mistress. How did you carry so many bank notes when you left home? In these chaotic times, if they were lost, that would be several hundred thousand taels of silver,” Nan Gui asked.
Ji Cheng was a merchant, always looking for business opportunities wherever she went. She carried these bank notes intending to use them to set up her own business if she found any trading opportunities on the grasslands.
War always pains people and displaces civilians, but many people also make great fortunes during wars. Ji Cheng was clearly the type of person who sought opportunities, so she wasn’t afraid of risks and even enjoyed taking them. Besides, she had Shen Che backing her.
After hearing Ji Cheng’s plans, Nan Gui could only admire her in her heart. The Young Mistress didn’t miss any opportunity, which explained how the Ji family had developed so quickly under her management in just a few years.
“But Young Mistress, you’ve been too generous this time. Is one piece of information worth 100,000 taels of silver? It seems too much,” Nan Gui said.
“If you think it’s worth it, then it is. Think about it this way: they’ll think the same, and they’ll work faster. What we can’t afford to waste now is time. We can always earn more silver, but if we lose a person, we lose everything,” Ji Cheng explained. That’s why she was so liberal with the silver.
“But Young Mistress, why did you say they could pass the information to Zhe Li?” This was what Nan Gui found most incomprehensible.
Ji Cheng said, “This was to make them agree.