Lu Ying was finally released.

She left the house with urgent haste like escaping from a demon’s den, pretending intimacy with Wang Daxia.

Li Yiren watched their retreating figures: What a perfect match, a pair of beautiful children and fine spouses.

Actually, every word Wang Daxia spoke was true, but his understanding of “not letting down” and Li Yiren’s understanding of “not letting down” were completely different, so even though he feared ghosts, he dared to swear to heaven.

Lu Ying whispered, “How did you know I was trapped at home?”

Wang Daxia said, “Doctor Wei guessed it. She’s been very worried that you’d lose your position. Yesterday she told me that if you hadn’t gone to the Embroidered Uniform Guard office all morning, you were probably confined at home learning needlework and being forced to change your temperament to prepare to be a virtuous wife and good mother in three years, which isn’t what you want. So she asked me to come, sparing no cost to rescue you, including sacrificing my masculine charm. Isn’t it just forcing you to marry? I can shield you for three years. Many things can happen in three years, there will always be a turning point. Doctor Wei said, never lose hope, there will definitely be a turning point.”

It was Wei Caiwei after all! Indeed, women understand women’s predicaments best.

Lu Ying asked again, “How did you trick both your father and Commander Mu into coming to offer incense?”

Wang Daxia said, “It wasn’t tricking, just slight guidance. I told my father that if not for Loyal Earl’s help, father’s Thousand Household rank might not have been preserved. I also told Commander Mu that if not for Loyal Earl speaking to Personnel Minister Wu Peng, you couldn’t have become commander. When Loyal Earl passed away, you should present generous funeral gifts and go to the Lu residence to pay respects. They both said they had the intention to offer incense, but being of low official rank, they didn’t dare visit. I said I had some connections at the Lu residence and could make introductions, so they followed me.”

Wang Daxia’s smooth tongue convinced both sides. Anyway, during the mourning period, marriage discussions were forbidden, so nothing could be exposed.

Seeing Lu Ying’s tense expression, Wang Daxia wanted to lighten the atmosphere and teased, “I never thought the fearless Commander Lu would be afraid of her mother.”

Lu Ying said, “Didn’t your father chase you through the streets with beatings? Would you dare fight back?” When Wang Daxia was still one of the four scoundrels of North City, Wang Qianhu would beat him every three days lightly and every five days severely.

Wang Daxia shook his head, “I wouldn’t dare. I’m afraid my father would strain his back. Even though he’s beating me, I’d still bear the guilt of being unfilial.”

Lu Ying sighed, “We’re all the same.”

Lu Ying spurred her horse into a gallop, casting off her unhappiness. Wang Daxia whipped his horse but couldn’t catch up. The two horses entered the Embroidered Uniform Guard office one after the other. Lu Ying leaped down from her horse, threw the reins to the groom, and seeing the duty room she had been away from for a month, Lu Ying immediately felt refreshed and spirited, ordering, “Call them all over to discuss the arrangement of upcoming duties.”

“Yes!” Wang Daxia took a bronze gong, striking it while shouting, “Commander Lu has returned!”

The gong was loud and Wang Daxia’s voice was booming. Combined together, before long, the quiet duty room became as noisy as a bustling marketplace, with Wu Xiaoqi and other subordinates all coming at the sound.

Lu Ying wore a white four-cornered Tang cap, dressed in plain mourning clothes, and hemp shoes. “To be beautiful, wear all white.” Lu Ying wore her mourning clothes with the elegance of a refined young gentleman with extraordinary bearing. She had grown thinner, but her gaze remained resolute.

It was good that she had returned. The originally restless crowd finally breathed a sigh of relief, because except for Wang Daxia, everyone thought Lu Ying was Lu Bing’s illegitimate son. Now that Lu Bing was dead, an illegitimate son naturally wouldn’t be welcomed by the family. They had also heard that Lu Bing’s heir Lu Yi had been appointed to the position of Assistant Commander and would come to serve after completing the mourning period. When the legitimate heir arrived, where would there be a place for an illegitimate son in the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

Lu Ying was capable and protective of her subordinates, caring for those under her. They were all willing to work for her and didn’t mind that she was an illegitimate son. But if Lu Ying withdrew from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, whom could they serve?

Lu Ying had returned, everything was as before. Everyone was extremely excited, bowing together, “This subordinate pays respects to Commander Lu!”

This call of “Commander Lu” nearly brought tears to Lu Ying’s eyes. Lu Ying bit her lip, forcing the tears back. Thank goodness I didn’t give up!

“Please sit, everyone.” Lu Ying raised her hand, “I took a month’s bereavement leave. This month, thanks to all of you sharing my duties, official business wasn’t delayed. You’ve all worked hard.”

Everyone said in unison, “Not hard at all!”

Lu Ying said, “It’s almost the end of the month, and the accounting office needs to clear the books. If you have anything that needs reimbursement signatures, bring them all over. I’ll handle this matter first before discussing official business.”

What a wonderful thing! Reimbursements right upon return! Working under such a considerate commander was the right choice!

Wang Daxia was the first to raise his hand, “I have some, I’ve saved up quite a lot.”

Just as Lu Ying was signing documents until her hand was sore, the new Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander Zhu Xixiao was also handling official business in the duty room. He heard the commotion and asked his personal guard, “What’s happening outside?”

The personal guard went to inquire and said, “Reporting to Your Excellency, that illegitimate son has returned.”

Zhu Xixiao’s brush stroke faltered. Others didn’t know Lu Ying’s true identity, but as the younger brother of Lu Bing’s relative by marriage, he naturally knew Lu Ying was a young lady, “How did she return so quickly?”

The guard said, “An illegitimate son is still an illegitimate son, without proper status. He’s not qualified to mourn for Loyal Earl, so he returned to continue his duties.”

Zhu Xixiao placed his brush on the brush stand, “She is also Lu family blood, don’t look down on her. From now on, treat her with the same respect as Lu Yi.”

The guard quickly said, “Yes, this subordinate admits his error.”

Zhu Xixiao originally wanted Lu Ying to come chat, but she was a woman, sigh, how troublesome. Zhu Xixiao ordered, “Go see what she’s doing.”

The guard made a round and reported back, “Commander Lu immediately signed a month’s worth of accumulated reimbursement receipts upon arrival. They’re piled up like a small mountain on her desk.”

Half of that mountain was Wang Daxia’s “contribution.”

This girl has some ability. She knows to stabilize people’s hearts as soon as she returns. It seems she has no intention of leaving the Embroidered Uniform Guard and intends to continue working.

Zhu Xixiao remembered Emperor Jiajing’s instructions to take care of Lu Ying, and as long as it didn’t harm her life or the Lu family’s reputation, let her be and don’t restrict her.

Sigh, did I come here to be a commander or to babysit?

Zhu Xixiao said, “If Commander Lu has business and comes looking, report directly to me and don’t obstruct her.”

Lu Ying finally finished signing all the reimbursement documents and began discussing official business.

Wang Daxia cleared his throat twice, “Before the New Year, when Loyal Earl was being interred, we received a carrier pigeon message from Ding Wu, discovering that Sect Leader Zhao Quan had dealings with Japanese pirates. Part of the firearms stolen from the Royal Gunpowder Works by the White Lotus Sect had already fallen into the hands of Japanese pirate raiders. The White Lotus Sect and Japanese pirates were working hand in hand, one in the north and one in the south, bringing disaster to our Great Ming.”

“Ding Wu said that one of the four chief disciples of the White Lotus Sect, Tie Niu, who specialized in raising and training death warriors, had never been found at the White Lotus Sect headquarters in Fengcheng, nor had the missing Royal Gunpowder Works firearms been discovered in the north. He was actually mixed in among the Japanese pirates. The White Lotus Sect disguised themselves as Japanese pirates, using firearms stolen from the Royal Gunpowder Works to rob ships at sea and smuggle goods for profit.”

Wang Daxia laid out a pile of cargo lists, “These are the goods lists we confiscated from the White Lotus Sect’s Ten Thousand Goods Trading Company. Eastern and Western goods of all kinds were there. Ten Thousand Goods Trading Company mainly sold foreign goods, and this was actually a place for selling stolen goods. Just by passing through Ten Thousand Goods Trading Company’s accounts, stolen goods became legitimate merchandise. In this way, the sect leader had almost no costs – smuggling or robbery was procurement, and selling through trading companies everywhere was profit.”

Wang Daxia had marked all the White Lotus Sect shops confiscated in various places in the second half of last year on a map, “Just what we found amounts to twenty-seven trading companies, all mainly selling foreign goods. Additionally, in the Songjiang area, there are silk shops and porcelain stores.”

Wang Daxia spread out a sea chart, “Silk and porcelain are the main goods that Japanese pirates smuggle overseas, earning ten times, even a hundred times profit. Then they import foreign goods from overseas and sell them for another ten or hundred times profit. What could be more profitable than smuggling? If it were me, if I had a batch of excellent firearms in my hands, I definitely wouldn’t let them gather dust at home. I’d make the best use of them.”

“I estimate they stole at least over nine hundred firearms, enough to form a force capable of opposing Great Ming’s army. Shaving their hair in the yin-yang style, wearing wooden clogs, not wearing pants, hanging a loincloth below, disguising as Japanese pirates to engage in smuggling – it’s really too profitable.”

Lu Ying stared at him steadily. Wang Daxia shrank his neck, “If, I mean if. Who wouldn’t like work that brings quick money? With money, you can recruit soldiers and buy horses to rebel. Without money, who would risk their lives for you? Everyone needs to eat.”

Lu Ying pointed at the map, “Japanese pirates are along the Fujian coast and also in the Yunjian County area of Jiangzhe. Where are the Japanese pirates that White Lotus Sect’s Tie Niu is disguised among?”

Wang Daxia said, “We don’t know yet, but Ding Wu has already gained Sect Leader Zhao Quan’s trust in Fengcheng. He followed the Japanese pirates’ messenger southward, sending secret signals many times along the way. Our Embroidered Uniform Guard’s various hidden posts have been watching with rotating personnel. According to the latest news, Ding Wu and the messenger have reached Linqing and are staying at an inn. These past few days the weather has warmed up, and the ice on the canal around Linqing is about to melt. They’ll go south by boat to see where they’re headed. We only need to watch the bait to find the White Lotus Sect’s disguised Japanese pirate nest, thereby annihilating them and recovering the lost firearms.”

“Wait.” Lu Ying found it hard to believe, “Ding Wu is in Linqing? Didn’t you say the four chief disciples of the White Lotus Sect don’t know each other and only handle their own affairs? Ding Wu is already one of the chief disciples as the new military advisor. How could Zhao Quan easily let him know the secrets of Tie Niu and the firearms? And his method of accumulating wealth? Could this be a trap, used by Zhao Quan to test Ding Wu?”

Wang Daxia said, “Sect Leader Zhao Quan indeed has this rule, but now the White Lotus Sect isn’t entirely under his control. The former White Lotus Sect saintess Jin Ying is now An Da Khan’s khatun. An Da Khan dotes on his young wife very much, letting her do as she pleases, even wanting his young wife to participate in political affairs. Now the Khan’s court respectfully calls her Zhong Jin Khatun.”

“Zhong Jin Khatun appreciates Ding Wu and wants Ding Wu to go south to select overseas treasures for her. Zhao Quan doesn’t dare refuse. The White Lotus Sect suffered great losses in Central Plains last year, being thoroughly excavated by us. Zhao Quan must depend on An Da Khan to preserve the White Lotus Sect, while Ding Wu has been encouraging Zhong Jin Khatun to take the White Lotus Sect for her own use, weakening Sect Leader Zhao Quan’s influence.”

Lu Ying was deeply moved: So Ding Wu had accomplished so much in the past half year. When even an undercover agent works so hard, what reason do I have to give up?

Author’s Note: Due to space limitations, Ding Wu’s experiences at the Khan’s court won’t be written in detail, just touched upon to explain the general process. The focus is still on Great Ming.