Wang Daxia’s surveillance was not proceeding smoothly, because by this time the capital had reached the late autumn month of October. Even lined jackets couldn’t withstand the cold wind, requiring cotton clothing, and those wealthy people who feared the cold had even early on donned their thick fur garments, making everyone appear bulky and cumbersome.

Even more troublesome was that every autumn and winter season, as vegetation gradually withered and all things withered away, the weather became dry. When the northwest winds arose, the entire city was filled with dust and sand!

Under the sky full of swirling dust, in order to protect their eyes when going out and prevent sand from blowing in, the people of the capital, regardless of men or women, all followed the fashion of covering their eyes with a layer of eye gauze.

Eye gauze, also called eye cloth, was similar to modern windproof sunglasses. Made from extremely thin silk fabric, the eye color was mainly black or dark blue, with two straps at the back tied around the back of the head to secure the eye gauze so it wouldn’t be blown away by the wind.

The Central Plains originally had no such thing – this was something passed down from the Yuan Dynasty. The Mongol Golden Family had risen to power on the grasslands and deserts, and as a family of horseback riders, they needed to shield themselves from the scorching sun and prevent dust from entering their eyes while riding. When the dust storms were severe, they would even cover their horses’ eyes with a layer of eye gauze.

The Yuan Dynasty established its capital in Beijing and unified the realm. Although from the founding of the nation to the Ming Dynasty’s destruction of the Yuan Dynasty was only a short ninety-eight years, the Yuan people’s eye gauze remained in Beijing due to its convenience and practicality. Every autumn and winter day when dust storms arose, almost everyone had a piece of eye gauze – like the masks during the pandemic of later generations, it was an essential item when going out.

Even when Ming Dynasty court officials were demoted and sent out to serve as local officials, regardless of the season or whether there were dust storms, they had to wear eye gauze when leaving the capital, forming an unwritten rule of officialdom.

But with everyone wearing eye gauze, even if Wang Daxia and the supervising Embroidered Uniform Guards had eyes like fire, they still couldn’t see clearly the faces of those coming and going.

There was a poem that said: “A short foot of silk, monopolizes the colors of Chang’an. How can the people before our eyes, face to face not recognize each other?” (Note 1)

After putting on eye gauze, even couples who shared the same bed at night would have trouble recognizing each other when standing face to face, let alone picking out the carriage driver who had kidnapped Wei Caiwei from countless passersby wearing eye gauze.

So Wang Daxia had almost no opportunity to dress in women’s clothing and wear his beloved pearl ornaments and silk flowers, because in this weather, wearing men’s clothing and covering his face with eye gauze, even the people from Prince Jin’s mansion wouldn’t know he was Wang Daxia.

Of course, Wang Daxia also couldn’t recognize the culprit. Everyone had become blind with open eyes, every day looking at the blurry world through the hazy eye gauze.

After Wang Daxia had eaten dust and sand at various surveillance points for several days, he dejectedly went to find Lu Ying, “Boss, this job simply can’t be done in dust storm weather. The brothers are outside surveilling, exposed to wind and sun while also having to endure cold and eat dust. Every one of them is coughing, and Wu Xiaoqi even had a fever last night – I heard his lungs nearly coughed themselves out.”

“Moreover, these past few days the dust storms have been severe, with everyone wearing eye gauze and even face cloths (which are masks). Even if the culprit walked right in front of us we wouldn’t recognize him. Even if we encounter someone with a similar silhouette, we can’t forcibly remove a suspect’s eye gauze to see what he looks like – that would alert our quarry.”

This was indeed a problem.

Lu Ying looked at the gray and hazy scene outside the window. In deep autumn, dust obscured the sky and blocked the sun. If there were no night watchmen striking clappers to announce the time, one wouldn’t know what hour it was – it seemed there were only dusk and night, these two periods.

“This time Heaven isn’t giving us face. It looks like we’ll have to wait until winter when it snows, and the ice and snow cover up the dust, so it won’t be blown by the wind to fill the sky with sand.”

In winter, though the weather was bitterly cold, the air actually became clean and clear. Only on days with fierce winds would some dust be blown in from beyond the northern desert – much better than deep autumn when every day was filled with flying dust.

Wang Daxia said, “According to previous years, I’m afraid we’ll have to wait another month for snow. Do we really have to wait a month?”

Lu Ying decisively gave the order, “Then we’ll wait another month. Doctor Wei is staying at my house and her life is temporarily safe. Having the brothers drink the northwest wind mixed with dust every day like this is futile and exhausting, and it’s making them sick. Now, except for the hidden sentries that have shops as cover, withdraw all the others who are stationed outside.”

Lu Ying protected his own people and cherished his subordinates. He wouldn’t pursue merit while disregarding the lives of his men.

Wang Daxia complied and recalled his subordinates for rest and reorganization. But he himself did not withdraw. He went to a street outside Zhengyang Gate, specifically to shops that wholesaled and retailed eye gauze, and purchased a batch of goods. Disguising himself as a peddler, he also rented a wheelbarrow, set up an eye gauze banner, and specialized in selling eye gauze. Every day he pushed his wheelbarrow around Prince Jin’s mansion’s real estate and manor properties, waiting for the right opportunity like a hunter by a tree stump.

The reason was simple: passersby would only voluntarily remove their old eye gauze when purchasing new eye gauze to try on the new ones. This way, the peddler Wang Daxia could see clearly the customers’ faces.

This was a clumsy method that relied almost entirely on luck. But Wang Daxia was worried about Wei Caiwei’s safety and was determined to find the culprit who had kidnapped her as soon as possible. Passively waiting for snowy weather was not his style of doing things.

Outside, the dust storms were severe. He wore eye gauze on top and also covered his nose with a face cloth, almost covering his entire face. His hair was wrapped in a black headscarf. When he went out in the morning the headscarf was black, but when he returned in the evening, the headscarf had turned grayish-white – at least two taels of dust could be shaken out of it.

Moreover, Wang Daxia sneaked in through the back door used by the Wang mansion’s servants every day, and he made Lu Ying promise to keep it secret and not tell Wei Caiwei, fearing she would worry and stop him from using this clumsy method of waiting by the tree stump.

Each time Wang Daxia would wash himself completely clean before going to see Wei Caiwei and the others.

This greatly changed Lu Ying’s opinion of Wang Daxia. He said to Lu Bing, “I always thought he only knew how to be opportunistic and glib-tongued. I didn’t expect he was also willing to put in hard work. I still underestimated him.”

Lu Bing, however, had an opposite view of this, “This matter could be completely entrusted to subordinates to handle, yet he insists on doing it personally. The saying goes that the compassionate cannot command armies. He might become an excellent spy in the future, but he’s not suitable for being a high official or general who must make life-and-death decisions. He’s been in the Embroidered Uniform Guard for almost half a year, but his heart has actually become softer than when I first met him.”

“Our Embroidered Uniform Guard’s reputation in the capital can almost stop children from crying. Initially, he joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard with the notorious reputation of being one of the Four Scourges of the North City, but now he’s become a good person with compassion who cares about others. The Embroidered Uniform Guard actually whitewashed a charcoal-black dandy.”

Lu Bing, who could achieve his current position, was definitely not a merciful person. With wisdom and methods, he walked in the gray boundaries, being both righteous and evil, having done both good and bad deeds. Initially, he thought Wang Daxia was the same type of person, so he cultivated him carefully. But it seemed he had misjudged – perhaps influenced by Lu Ying, Wang Daxia was becoming increasingly compassionate.

Actually, Lu Bing hadn’t misjudged. In his previous life, Wang Daxia had gone through trials and tribulations and indeed became another Lu Bing – decisive in killing, becoming the dreaded Eastern Depot Director, walking in gray areas, and finally able to retreat with his wife Wei Caiwei and die peacefully.

In this life, Wei Caiwei not only preserved Wang Daxia’s essence but also changed his character, allowing him to remain a clear-eyed youth even after the age of fourteen.

Lu Ying insisted on his own view, “Compassion is not a weakness. What’s this about ‘the compassionate cannot command armies’ – these are all outdated sayings. When a person picks up weapons and practices martial arts diligently, it’s not to kill people, but to protect what they want to protect. Small scale – protecting one person; large scale – protecting a country. What’s wrong with being compassionate to one’s own people? I think Wang Daxia is better than before.”

Lu Bing sighed, “I was thinking of cultivating him well, paving the way for him, so that in the future he could take over my position. With him as a protective umbrella, you, and the entire Lu family’s days would be easier. The current Wang Daxia is no longer the best candidate.”

Lu Ying said, “If sitting in this position requires becoming cold and heartless, ignoring the lives of subordinates, then it’s better not to hold it.”

Lu Bing said, “Behind glory is originally solitude. You are cold on the outside but warm inside – even if you were a boy, you couldn’t inherit my position.”

“Hmph, stubborn, I don’t care for it anyway.” Lu Ying left with a flourish of her sleeves.

After curfew, Wang Daxia returned to the Wang mansion. It took five buckets of hot water to wash the dust from his body clean. As he dried his hair, Lu Ying came.

Lu Ying had just argued with her father and was unhappy. Hearing Wang Daxia’s coughing through the door, she knocked, “I brought you lung-clearing medicinal soup.”

Wang Daxia opened the door, and Lu Ying entered along with some dust and sand. Wang Daxia began coughing violently.

Lu Ying immediately closed the door, placed the food box on the table, and took out a pot of medicine, “After inhaling dust and haze all day, quickly drink this.”

Wang Daxia drank the medicine straight from the spout, feeling a coolness from his throat to his lungs. He stopped coughing and said, “It’s not entirely without gain. My business was good today – I sold over fifty pieces of eye gauze. If I don’t continue as an Embroidered Uniform Guard in the future, I could still work as a peddler to support my family.”

Wang Daxia forced himself to be spirited, making light of his hardships, and asked Lu Ying, “How is Doctor Wei’s health today? Make sure she absolutely doesn’t go out – there’s dust and sand everywhere, it’s too choking.”

Lu Ying said, “Today the palace sent people to fetch her. Noble Consort Shang summoned her to the palace, and she hasn’t returned yet. It seems Noble Consort Shang has kept her there.”

“Noble Consort Shang?” Wang Daxia exclaimed in surprise, “That girl I played with fireworks has been promoted to Noble Consort so quickly?”

Lu Ying warned him, “Noble Consort Shang is currently favored. His Majesty is already moody and unpredictable – if the Emperor knew you were alone with her as a man and woman, playing with fireworks, you would be demoted at best, killed at worst.”

Wang Daxia said, “I know my limits. I’m only speaking privately with Commander Lu.”

The next day, Wang Daxia again disguised himself as a peddler and went out to sell eye gauze while braving the dust storms. Noble Consort Shang sent people to escort Wei Caiwei back to the Wang mansion. Caiwei had just entered the room and removed her eye gauze when a managing matron from Prince Yu’s mansion came to request her, saying that the Princess Consort of Prince Yu was asking her to come to the prince’s mansion for medical consultation.

Although it was clearly Princess Consort of Prince Yu who had requested her, the first person Wei Caiwei thought of was Li Jiubao, who was serving as a concubine in Prince Yu’s mansion, and how she was faring.

During this visit to the palace, Wei Caiwei had met with Chen Jingji and even introduced him to the new palace favorite, Noble Consort Shang. As the saying goes, when one person achieves enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. As long as Shang Qinglan’s imperial favor didn’t decline, Chen Jingji would rise faster than other students in the Inner Library and had a bright future ahead.

Just as she had promoted Wang Daxia back then, from an obscure nobody, he immediately became a palace celebrity.

Only when Chen Jingji became strong early on could he and Li Jiubao look out for each other. Otherwise, the two of them would be rootless duckweed, unable to control their own fate anywhere, only able to drift with the current.

Caiwei changed to a clean piece of eye gauze to wear, still covering her mouth and nose with a face cloth for dust protection, and boarded Prince Yu’s mansion’s carriage.

Author’s Note: “A short foot of silk, monopolizes the colors of Chang’an. How can the people before our eyes, face to face not recognize each other?” was written by Wang Shizhen, one of the Later Seven Masters of the Ming Dynasty.

Eye gauze, eye mask, eye cloth – these are all the same thing, just different names. In Jin Ping Mei, almost every time Ximen Qing went out to have affairs, he would wear eye gauze. Besides preventing dust when riding horses, it also served to conceal one’s face.

Face cloth, face garment – both mean mask. In Ming Dynasty woodblock prints, when entertaining honored guests, the servants serving tea and water often wore face cloths covering their mouth and nose to keep food clean.