Wang Daxia was incompetent at everything but first-rate at lying.
He didn’t disappoint Lu Ying’s expectations, saying: “To force out the real culprit, the Embroidered Uniform Guard deliberately spread word that on the night at Sijia Inn, a guest claimed to have seen someone sneaking around Chen Qianhu’s mount from their window, with ill intent.”
“Your room window directly faces the government office. After Commander Lu personally brought people to Tianshui Lane to question you and then released you, the killer might think you’re that guest and want to silence you. So Commander Lu sent people to secretly protect you in order to catch the real culprit.”
This explanation was so seamless that even Lu Ying almost believed he had actually done this!
Wei Caiwei said anxiously: “Commander Lu, this commoner woman knows nothing! If I’m truly being targeted by the killer, how should this bait protect herself?”
Given the current situation, they could only make the best of it. Lu Ying struggled to tell lies: “Don’t be afraid. I’ll continue having people secretly protect you. Do whatever you normally do, act as usual, and don’t alert the enemy.”
Hearing Lu Ying speak so formally, word by word, Wang Daxia thought, “Is lying really this difficult?” He quickly added: “You must trust Commander Lu. The Embroidered Uniform Guard won’t harm you.”
Like hell they won’t!
“Yes.” Wei Caiwei said: “It’s already late, and the northern districts are far away. If this commoner woman walks home, curfew will begin halfway there. Please trouble Commander Lu for a travel permit.”
The Embroidered Uniform Guard office was in Jiangmi Lane in the southern district, while Tianshui Lane was near Shichahai in the northern district. In terms of Beijing five hundred years later, this was equivalent to crossing from the Second Ring Road South to the Second Ring Road North.
Lu Ying picked up his brush to issue the permit, pointing at Wang Daxia: “It’s quite dangerous for a woman to walk alone at night. You’re her neighbor—escort her home.”
Lu Ying actually considered the danger of a woman traveling alone at night and proactively solved the problem, which somewhat surprised Wei Caiwei, who was full of wariness toward the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
This Commander Lu wants to conveniently monitor me, right?
Perfect timing—I was just wondering why the little widow changed her escape plan without permission. Wang Daxia yawned: “Fine, I’ll definitely deliver Doctor Wei home safely. I didn’t sleep well at Tian’an Temple last night—the monks started ringing bells and chanting before dawn, so noisy. Just right to go home for a good sleep.”
Lu Ying reminded him: “The Embroidered Uniform Guard takes roll call at chen hour (7 AM) daily. You cannot be late.”
Wang Daxia grunted acknowledgment without taking it to heart—naturally he’d sleep enough before coming.
Having spent two days together, Lu Ying deeply understood Wang Daxia’s lazy, gluttonous nature and warned: “My rules are strict. Being late means deducting money from your confiscated private funds—half a tael of silver per instance. I’m also docked for being late. This money goes to the public fund for treating the brothers to meals and tea. If you don’t mind losing silver, feel free to be late!”
Wang Daxia knew Lu Ying’s rigid, harsh character meant he’d keep his word, so he finally became honest.
Lu Ying asked Wei Caiwei: “Can Doctor Wei ride horses?”
Wei Caiwei nodded: “Yes, this commoner woman used horses for transportation in Tieling. Now practicing as a traveling doctor in the capital, walking through streets and alleys, it’s inconvenient to ride.”
Hearing “Tieling,” Lu Bing, who had been keeping his eyes closed in meditation and silent as if about to fall asleep, moved his eyelashes slightly but didn’t speak.
Lu Ying said: “You and Wang Daxia each take a horse and return home early.”
Wei Caiwei quickly thanked him.
Lu Ying raised his right hand: “No need for courtesy. You were frightened today and lost some belongings. Go home and make a list. Tomorrow morning, have Wang Daxia bring the horse and list to the Embroidered Uniform Guard—we’ll compensate you in full.”
Wei Caiwei thanked him again: “This commoner woman runs a small business that truly can’t withstand such troubles. Commander Lu understands my difficulties—I’m infinitely grateful and won’t refuse. I’ll definitely list everything accurately.”
Outside, Wei Caiwei skillfully mounted her horse. Wang Daxia asked the groom: “Where’s my horse?”
Lu Ying was most annoyed by his troublemaking: “Didn’t you ride an Embroidered Uniform Guard horse back to the capital? Use that horse.”
But that horse was given to the little widow for escape… Wang Daxia said: “Commander Lu, you really don’t know how the well-fed don’t understand the hungry. I’m currently penniless—”
Wang Daxia shook his sleeves: “Not a cent to my name. All my possessions are with Commander Lu, even the protective talismans and bronze Buddha were requisitioned from Tian’an Temple. But I can’t avoid paying for tea and meals, right? Those are small businesses struggling to get by. I worried about damaging the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s reputation and being scolded by you, so I sold the horse for twenty taels to cover case expenses.”
“You—” Lu Ying couldn’t stand it anymore and lashed out with his whip.
Wang Daxia nimbly dodged: “When I requisitioned items, you said I lost face for the Embroidered Uniform Guard. When I sold the horse for money to avoid taking food and drink from common people for free, you whip me. Everything I do is wrong. Alas, ‘being a wife in your household is difficult; this concubine cannot bear such treatment—please send me away soon!'”
Lu Ying said: “Embroidered Uniform Guard horses are all fine breeds from the imperial stables, capable of traveling a thousand li and charging into battle. One horse costs over fifty taels, yet you sold it for twenty taels. You must compensate the difference from your private funds—don’t think you can default.”
Wang Daxia was indignant: “Others profit from official duties, but I have to pay out of pocket for mine. Commander Lu is being unreasonable.”
“Since you won’t even arrange a horse for me, I’ll share a mount with Doctor Wei to go home.” Wang Daxia pretended to lift his long leg, stepping on the stirrup to sit closely behind Wei Caiwei.
“Men and women shouldn’t have physical contact—don’t defile this widow’s reputation!” The upright Lu Ying swung his whip, which wrapped around Wang Daxia’s ankle and pulled him off the stirrup.
“Give him a horse.” Lu Ying pointed his whip at Wang Daxia: “Tomorrow I’ll settle all accounts with you!”
Wei Caiwei and Wang Daxia rode out of the Embroidered Uniform Guard office one after the other.
Lu Bing stood by the window, watching Wei Caiwei’s skilled riding posture. Lu Ying returned: “Father, Wang Daxia is too outrageous.”
In public they used titles; in private, father.
Lu Bing asked back: “Do you want to expel him from the Embroidered Uniform Guard?”
Lu Ying was silent for a moment, then said: “He… has his merits. Quick-thinking, silver-tongued, at home among common people, well-versed in all social classes. If he didn’t have those flaws of laziness, disregarding discipline, being terrified of ghosts, and superstitious nonsense, he’d be exactly the talent the Embroidered Uniform Guard needs. I’ll endure him for now—we’ll see after this case is solved.”
Lu Bing showed appreciation: “In the past, you’d definitely have expelled him. This case has made you grow considerably, learning tolerance. You even lied today—quite rare for your character. Wang Daxia has strengths you lack. Learn to use him for your purposes. As for the rest, turn a blind eye and let it pass. I kept him partly to teach you the art of managing people.”
Lu Ying said: “This child will remember father’s teachings. It’s getting late—father should go home and rest.”
Lu Bing said: “No, you’ve been too tired lately. You must go home and rest tonight.”
Lu Ying was concerned about the case: “Father, Miss He’s remains have been brought to the office, and we still haven’t found eleven suspects who gave false addresses—”
“Will staying up all night help you find hotel guests whose identities can’t be verified? Or will the remains in the office run away by themselves?” Lu Bing swept his sleeve to extinguish the candles and forcibly pulled Lu Ying into a luxurious carriage drawn by five horses, saying:
“At your age, I worked ten times harder than you, resulting in a lifetime of ailments. What was all my striving for? To watch you follow in my footsteps and ruin your health? Go home and sleep—no staying up late.”
Lu Ying couldn’t oppose his father and had to comply. The carriage had ice basins, cool and comfortable. Soon he fell asleep in the gently swaying cabin.
Even while dozing, Lu Ying didn’t loosen his collar. Lu Bing undid it so Lu Ying could sleep more comfortably.
Then Lu Bing opened the case files Lu Ying had prepared to take home, finding a copy of Wei Caiwei’s household registration. His gaze fell on the four Tieling officials who had issued the registration: “Tieling Guard Administrative Officer,” “County Magistrate Qian Wende,” “County Deputy Fu Xue,” and “Clerk Ding Wu.”
Household registration was the most important data for the court to track national population movements, including registrants’ houses, vehicles, boats, land, and other movable and immovable property—evidence for taxation, military service, and corvée labor. Essentially the Ming Dynasty version of “big data.”
Therefore, issuing household registration required layer-by-layer verification, checking from top to bottom, with signatures and seals.
The county deputy held the lowest official rank at Grade 8, while “clerk” wasn’t even an official position—unranked, merely doing clerical work. Simply put, county deputy and above were established national civil servants receiving court salaries within the system.
“Clerks” were unestablished temporary workers receiving county office wages—outside the system.
But Lu Bing’s gaze remained fixed on “Clerk Ding Wu,” looking thoughtful. Then he wrote down Ding Wu’s name and handed it to a guard on horseback by the carriage window, whispering: “Tomorrow put this person’s intelligence from Tieling over the past ten years on my desk.”
His subordinate received the order and left.
Meanwhile, Wei Caiwei and Wang Daxia galloped home. The Five Cities Military Commission’s night patrol, seeing their Embroidered Uniform Guard permit, let them pass.
Reaching Tianshui Lane with no one around, Wang Daxia stopped her: “Why didn’t you follow my advice? We almost got exposed today.”
Isn’t it because I must stay in the capital to prevent your future self-castration!
Wei Caiwei said: “I’m not the killer—why should I hide? Hiding would make me more suspicious. Besides, Commander Lu doesn’t seem like a cruel official who tortures confessions—he’s reasonable. Come get the compensation list early tomorrow morning. I need to rest.”
Wei Caiwei dismounted, took out her key to open the door and go home. Wang Daxia, helpless, could only lead both horses home.
Wei Caiwei entered the house, barred the door, and was about to strike her fire steel to light the oil lamp when a black-clothed figure who had been waiting behind the door ambushed her from behind, tightly embracing her and covering her mouth and nose with a cloth soaked in drugs.
Caught off guard, Wei Caiwei smelled a strange floral fragrance flooding her mouth and nose, immediately feeling weak in her limbs. Realizing something was wrong, she used all her strength to kick over a table. The table crashed down with a muffled thud, followed by a crisp sound as the glass lampshade on the table shattered across the floor.
In Tianshui Lane, Wang Daxia, still leading two horses and not yet far away, was nursing his grievances, feeling that Wei Caiwei was “like a dog biting Lü Dongbin—not recognizing a good person’s kindness.”
But hearing vague sounds from inside the house, he still led the horses back and knocked on the door: “Doctor Wei, are you alright?”
Author’s Note: Tomorrow at 12:00:18 AM entering VIP, with a 10,000-character update! To thank everyone for supporting the original version, readers who subscribe to VIP chapters automatically enter a lottery to win 20,000 Jinjiang coins split among 1,000 readers! Early chapter subscriptions are crucial for Zhou—how long Zhou can write doesn’t depend on Zhou alone, but on how long readers want to hear Zhou’s stories. “Return to Before Husband’s Self-Castration” is a light, healing story. Zhou has been smiling like an auntie while typing. Zhou waits for everyone at the story’s end, hoping to bring you joy.
Thanks again for everyone’s support.
Also, the next ancient novel “Hu Shanxiang” is now accepting pre-orders. This is the story of an ordinary girl from Jining, Shandong, who goes from commoner to female official, Crown Prince’s consort, Crown Prince’s wife, to Empress, finally finding herself and achieving a magnificent transformation. Super good!