Why did Wei Caiwei “go back on her word” and “walk into the trap”?
Let’s rewind time by half an hour to when Wei Caiwei slipped Wang Daxia’s letter through the door crack of Yingying’s house.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the door opened. It was actually Yingying herself who opened it. “You’re the female doctor who rented Wang Daxia’s house?”
After three days, Yingying still wore the same outfit of blue clothing and black headband, her face washed clean of makeup, no rouge or powder, not even wearing earrings.
Wei Caiwei nodded. “Miss Yingying, may I come in?”
“Please.” Yingying opened half the door to allow Wei Caiwei to lead her horse into the courtyard, saying, “My surname is Jin, given name Ying. Doctor Wei may call me Miss Jin.”
Yingying was her professional name at Red Sleeve Pavilion. Now that Jin Ying had bought her freedom, both her dress and how she was addressed differed from before.
The only thing unchanged was her beauty—so stunning that Wei Caiwei couldn’t even feel jealous, only admiration.
“Thank you, Miss Jin.” Wei Caiwei led her horse inside.
Jin Ying looked over Wei Caiwei in her green jacket and red skirt, with large red peony gauze flowers in her hair, and laughed softly. “This was Wang Daxia’s choice, wasn’t it? If he were reborn as a girl, he’d probably wear all the gold and silver mountains on his body, afraid people wouldn’t notice him.”
Exactly—her dead ghost husband had this taste his whole life: ostentatiously wealthy, gaudily dressed, vulgar beyond measure.
Wei Caiwei said, “Precisely. I need Miss Jin’s help to change into plainer clothing. I’m still in mourning and shouldn’t dress so elaborately.”
Jin Ying said, “Our builds are similar. If Doctor Wei doesn’t mind, please wear my clothes.”
Wei Caiwei thanked her and went inside to remove the bright colors, changing into blue cloth clothing and wrapping her hair in a mourning chignon with white silk.
Jin Ying spoke from behind a screen: “I read the letter. Wang Daxia says you’re in big trouble and need to change your appearance, using new registration papers to escape the capital. I do have connections, but it takes time. I’d trouble Doctor Wei to stay here three days. In three days, the papers will be ready, and I’ll help you leave the city.”
Wei Caiwei resumed her widow’s appearance and emerged from behind the screen, asking, “Why does Miss Jin trust Wang Daxia so much? I’m being watched by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Based on just one letter from him, Miss Jin shelters me—aren’t you afraid of bringing trouble on yourself?”
This was Wei Caiwei’s real purpose for personally meeting Jin Ying.
She had a straightforward nature, lazy about guessing and speculating, pointlessly increasing worries and wasting time. Rather than hearing about someone, it was better to meet face-to-face and speak clearly.
Jin Ying said, “I used to be the top courtesan at Red Sleeve Pavilion. When I reached the age to be taken by a man, patrons competed in bidding, or simply wanted to buy me as a kept woman. Only Wang Daxia asked if I wanted freedom…”
Jin Ying smiled, her eyes bright as stars. “Only he knew I didn’t want to surrender myself to any man and helped me escape that life. The world mocks him for naively saving fallen women. We’re kindred spirits—now that he has a request, I’ll definitely help with all my strength.”
So that’s how it was!
However, Wei Caiwei, living a second life, didn’t believe Jin Ying was the type to die for a confidant.
Because in her previous life, when Wang Daxia suffered calamity and castrated himself, no Miss Jin Ying ever came to help. After Wang Daxia married her, he never mentioned this devastatingly beautiful woman either.
It seemed Wang Daxia’s sincere heart was ultimately misplaced.
Wei Caiwei didn’t trust Jin Ying. She had only pretended to agree to Wang Daxia’s suggestion to seek Jin Ying’s help to placate him.
Wei Caiwei said, “The Embroidered Uniform Guard has cast a dragnet—new registration papers alone won’t be enough to escape. Wang Daxia is too young, too naive, thinking too simply. When I first heard about the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s interrogation and torture, I panicked. Now that I’ve calmed down, I’m clearly an innocent widow—why should I spend the rest of my life as a fugitive? An upright person fears no crooked shadow. I want to go to the Embroidered Uniform Guard office and make things clear. That horse was stolen by Wang Daxia from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Please hide the horse well, Miss Jin, preferably change the color of its coat so the Embroidered Uniform Guard won’t discover it and implicate you.”
Wei Caiwei took her leave. Jin Ying didn’t insist she stay. “If Wang Daxia weren’t naive, how would he help you and me? This is both his weakness and his strength. He’s young and reckless, naturally having many unconsidered aspects.”
Wei Caiwei didn’t trust Jin Ying, just as Wang Daxia didn’t trust the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
In this lifetime, Wei Caiwei personally carried out her revenge, not wanting to drag Wang Daxia into it. She completed a triple killing cleanly and efficiently in just four days after rebirth, eliminating the main culprits.
Preventing Wang Daxia from taking the extreme path of self-castration in the future was her only reason for risking staying in the capital after her revenge.
If she took new papers and fled far away, Wang Daxia would walk the same path of self-castration as in her previous life.
All her disguises—deliberately leaving her real name and address, arguing with the Sijia Inn keeper over room fees, diligently going out daily to practice medicine—were reverse psychology, making her appear to be a proper female doctor trying to make a living, earn money independently, and establish a reputation in the capital.
Without witnesses or physical evidence, it wouldn’t be easy for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to convict her. Moreover, she wasn’t without backing…
So Wei Caiwei “walked into the trap,” feigning panic as she went to the Embroidered Uniform Guard office to seek Lu Ying’s help, claiming she encountered bad people following her.
Wei Caiwei said, “…This commoner woman dares not return home, fearing the stalker might climb walls and pick locks to harm me. Therefore I come seeking Commander Lu’s protection.”
Lu Ying looked her up and down. “Since you didn’t go home, why aren’t your medical parasol and medicine bag with you?”
Wang Daxia: Oh no! Those things are all with me!
Wei Caiwei smoothly covered with lies: “The parasol has rolling beads inside—whether turned or not, it makes noise. The medicine bag, having contained medicines year after year, has a medicinal smell. Having finally shaken off the stalker to come to the Embroidered Uniform Guard office for help, I worried the sound and smell would expose my location, so I threw them along with my hat into the river.”
Lu Ying asked, “How did you shake off the stalker?”
At this moment, four people were in the room: Lu Bing sat in the center, Lu Ying sat to his right, Wang Daxia stood behind Lu Bing in a guard position, and Wei Caiwei stood facing the three men.
Wang Daxia mouthed “women’s bathhouse” and, while Lu Bing and Lu Ying couldn’t see him, used his finger to write the three characters on his chest.
Having been husband and wife in a previous life, Wei Caiwei understood and said, “Women’s bathhouse.”
Wang Daxia mouthed and gestured the character for “money,” then held up his palm and drew it across his navel, dividing his torso in half.
Wei Caiwei seamlessly responded, “This commoner woman gave the bathhouse owner half a string of coins, begging her help.”
Wang Daxia pointed at the room’s back door.
Wei Caiwei said, “The owner let me out through the back door.”
Such perfect coordination—truly worthy of an old married couple who had shared a bed for thirty years in their previous life.
Seamless as silk, Wang Daxia breathed a sigh of relief.
To cover his nervousness, Wang Daxia chuckled and decided to break through the window paper entirely. “This really is the great river washing away the Dragon King’s temple—family members not recognizing family members. No bad person was stalking you. The person you encountered was actually—”
Wang Daxia deliberately drew out his tone, looking at Lu Ying teasingly.
Lu Ying felt embarrassed and glared fiercely at him.
Wang Daxia said, “Actually it was Commander Lu—”
Lu Ying clenched his fists, having mentally beaten Wang Daxia’s dog head a hundred times!
Wang Daxia: “—who sent Embroidered Uniform Guards to secretly protect you.”
Huh?
Lu Ying relaxed his fists, not speaking up to expose Wang Daxia’s lie.
Lu Ying was young, thin-skinned, and cared about face. Though Wang Daxia had lied, he preserved the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s dignity.
“This—” Wei Caiwei clasped her hands at her waist, her fingers nervously fidgeting. “So I was too clever for my own good, mistaking protectors for criminals. What a false alarm.”
“However—” Wei Caiwei looked puzzled. “Why did Commander Lu send people to protect this commoner woman?”
This stumped Lu Ying. One lie requires countless lies to maintain!
But Lu Ying had an upright character and wasn’t good at lying.
Yet losing face before a little widow was unbearable for Lu Ying, so he turned to Wang Daxia. “You explain to Doctor Wei.”
After all, spouting nonsense is your specialty.
This was the first time since knowing Wang Daxia that Lu Ying had valued his particular talent.
Author’s Note: Wang Daxia’s mouth—a lying ghost~ When husband and wife work together, their strength can cut through metal. Through gestures and guessing, they finally passed this hurdle, but more thrilling challenges await them.