Bao Zhu looked embarrassed, glancing sideways at Shisan Lang, who also appeared uncomfortable, setting down the stick he’d been holding for defense.
This was quite a significant misunderstanding.
Shisan Lang stammered in explanation: “Elder brother thought you were a bad person… Who told you to follow Jiu Niang so sneakily all this way? When asked why you were following, you just wouldn’t say. When scared off, you stuck like dog-skin plaster and refused to leave. No matter how you looked at it, it was suspicious, so elder brother could only keep sleepless vigil watching you, preventing you from doing anything bad to Jiu Niang.”
Yang Xingjian showed an expression of lingering resentment, pointing at the bruises on his neck and loudly rebuking: “Little monk, cease your slander! Who exactly is the bad person?! He tried to kill me multiple times!”
Shisan Lang sighed: “If eldest brother truly wanted to kill you, even a hundred heads wouldn’t be enough—how could you still have the life to sit here chattering? He simply saw you hadn’t actually done anything truly bad, so he showed mercy.”
Yang Xingjian trembled with rage, righteously scolding: “Stop talking nonsense! The princess often wore a worried expression, crying daily without cease. Of course this was because she was being controlled! How can you call black white and distort the truth!”
Shisan Lang was left speechless by this high-minded accusation, mumbling: “But she could cry over finding a worm in her dates—we weren’t deliberately bullying her.”
Bao Zhu felt extremely embarrassed, coughing twice to cover it up and saying quietly: “There’s indeed a misunderstanding here. Wei Xun was a guard I hired, not an evil servant. The chief clerk needn’t worry. Though he does like to play tricks on people and looks somewhat suspicious… he hasn’t done anything… anything vicious to me…”
Her voice grew lower as she spoke, seeming somewhat lacking in confidence, as Wei Xun’s appearance was indeed quite suspicious. A destitute vagrant without proper registration, his face constantly wore a careless, mocking smile, showing no proper respect to anyone, often speaking rudely. When she first met him at Cuiwei Temple, she had only hired him as a guard because she had no one else available, and had been driven to tears by him more than once or twice along the way.
Unlike Liu Mao, Huo Qi Lang and other underworld figures from society’s bottom layers, both she and Yang Xingjian—born of the prestigious Hongnong Yang clan—shared a deep-seated fear of “evil servants usurping their superiors.” This was not only a frequent theme in legendary tales, but after the An Lushan Rebellion, with continuous warfare and the collapse of social order, stories of evil servants blackmailing masters with compromising information, seizing their property, and forcing themselves on their women were commonly heard. Even the emperor could be controlled by military eunuchs.
Yang Xingjian’s suspicion that the disrespectful Wei Xun was an oppressive evil servant was not unfounded speculation. Moreover, the princess was now without support, young and beautiful—exactly the most vulnerable target.
“In any case, there’s no coercion or extortion here. Chief Clerk Yang needn’t worry.”
After Bao Zhu’s clarification, Yang Xingjian naturally bowed respectfully in agreement, but privately he speculated: The princess was a pure, innocent girl raised in the deep palace who had never married. That villain was skilled in martial arts and ruthless—he must have used all manner of sinister, despicable methods to torment the princess, making it difficult for her to speak of it. With the man absent but leaving behind a subordinate spy, the princess must fear his authority and dare not reveal the truth.
He thought of how the princess, with her precious golden body, was so noble, yet now this beautiful jade and bright pearl had fallen into an evil servant’s hands, suffering intimidation and torment, even having to constantly read the servant’s expressions—how pitiable! The various experiences here were too shameful to describe in detail; naturally she was unwilling to admit them. As her subject, he should pretend ignorance, carefully protect her, and think of every way to preserve the princess’s reputation and dignity.
Prince Shao missed his only sister every moment, one could say he thought of her to the point of madness. That the princess was now alive was already a miracle. Even if he had to be torn to pieces or brave fire and flood, he would safely escort her to Youzhou. Having clarified the priority, Yang Xingjian said no more, looking at her with both sympathy and pity.
Seeing Yang Xingjian’s bedraggled state and numerous injuries, Bao Zhu figured he must have been tormented terribly by Wei Xun these past days. Though it was based on misunderstanding, for a weak scholar who couldn’t even beat a donkey to grit his teeth and refuse to reveal her identity, devising plans and persevering in his attempts to “rescue” her, could be considered loyal and tenacious. No wonder her elder brother trusted him deeply enough to send him alone to Chang’an to investigate. She too looked at him with both sympathy and pity.
The two spent quite some time pitying each other until Bao Zhu suddenly exclaimed “Ah!” realizing why Wei Xun had been acting strangely these past days, often keeping irregular hours and staring off absently. He had mistaken Yang Xingjian for an enemy, couldn’t determine his background, and this person persistently followed without leaving. Unless he killed him outright, there really was no good way to shake him off.
He had been watching the stalker, not gazing at the pagoda?
While deep in thought, sounds of constables searching and shouting drifted through the window, seeming to draw ever closer.
Yang Xingjian asked: “Your subject has one matter that puzzles me greatly—may I ask how Your Highness escaped from the underground tomb?”
Bao Zhu sighed deeply: “That’s another strange tale that no one would believe even if turned into a story. I’ll tell you when there’s time later. Right now the most urgent matter is that I lack identity documents. Wu Zhiyuan has ordered the city sealed to catch thieves. If they inspect this place, the constables will certainly interrogate me harshly. What should I do?”
Yang Xingjian said: “Your Highness need not worry. Your subject came precisely for this matter.”
He produced a household registration record detailing the names, ages, and status of six people—men, women, old and young—in one family.
Yang Xingjian pointed to a line reading “Female – Fangxie – Fifteen years old – Young daughter” and said: “Please condescend, Your Highness, to temporarily pose as Xingjian’s daughter.”
Bao Zhu took the record to examine carefully, delightedly saying: “You handle affairs very thoroughly indeed.” After thinking, she asked: “Where is Fangxie herself? Is she truly your daughter?”
Yang Xingjian answered: “She was your subject’s eldest daughter. She died of epidemic disease the year before last. Because my old mother at home loved her dearly and cannot forget her, we never canceled her household registration.”
Bao Zhu was startled, seeing Yang Xingjian’s expression remained normal, finding it strange in her heart.
With this household record, she would be a legally registered person. She probably wouldn’t be troubled by Xiagui County officials anymore, and it would be convenient for passing through various checkpoints during travel. If not for Wei Xun’s disappearance, this could be considered perfectly satisfactory.
Yang Xingjian asked: “May I ask where Your Highness’s blue-robed guard has gone?”
Bao Zhu’s worried expression didn’t clear as she shook her head: “I don’t know either. He only said he was going out to handle some business, then never returned. Then the city was sealed.”
Yang Xingjian’s thoughts raced, thinking that blue-robed servant’s disappearance coincided exactly with Xiagui County’s city closure. Most likely he was a fugitive carrying serious charges, afraid this round of inspections would expose his background, so he hid away in fear of punishment. Thinking this way, the city closure had actually saved the princess.
Yang Xingjian was originally a resourceful advisor in the prince’s mansion. In a moment’s thought he had devised a strategy, saying: “Then there’s no need to trouble Your Highness with a midnight move. Your subject will take lodging at Sun’s Inn immediately for convenient nearby service. Only this young master must change locations.”
Shisan Lang was startled: “Why? Eldest brother told me to stay and care for Jiu Niang.”
Yang Xingjian said: “Young master doesn’t know yet—the city is conducting strict searches of wandering monks. Your presence here would implicate the princess.”
Shisan Lang explained: “I have proper monk registration and have already checked in at Lianhua Temple. I’m not a vagrant.”
Yang Xingjian feigned surprise: “What! Already checked in at Lianhua Temple—why haven’t you returned? The authorities have now detained all temple monks on site. If you remain here, the princess will certainly be implicated!”
Bao Zhu was also shocked: “What’s happening? Explain clearly.”
Yang Xingjian said: “Lianhua Temple is precisely where the pearl theft occurred—it cannot escape involvement. All monks in the temple, from top to bottom, are suspect, including visiting monks who are treated the same as temple residents. Of course suspicion varies in degree. Most are simply confined to the temple, forbidden to leave, awaiting the theft investigation results.”
Bao Zhu immediately panicked: “He’s already signed and sealed documents in the monks’ hall. Though the person wasn’t present, his name is on the list. If caught outside the temple, he’d immediately be judged as fleeing—his crime would be compounded.”
Yang Xingjian nodded: “If he returns immediately to report for duty, saying he stayed at a patron’s home for two days, being young, it won’t arouse suspicion.”
Hearing this, Shisan Lang said loudly: “I can’t abandon Jiu Niang and leave alone!”
Bao Zhu urgently said: “What do you understand! Being caught as a fugitive means torture!”
Shisan Lang remained calm: “I’ve been beaten since childhood—I’m not afraid of beatings.”
“Nonsense! Torture is vastly different from beatings! You foolish child…”
Bao Zhu had already jumped up, pulling out a cloth bundle and stuffing travel supplies and some food into it haphazardly, pushing it into Shisan Lang’s arms. “See if you’re missing anything? At daybreak you must immediately go to Lianhua Temple to report, act innocent and naive, just say you’ve been wandering outside begging for alms these past days, only just heard that constables were arresting monks, so you rushed back to await judgment.”
Shisan Lang said urgently: “If I leave, what about you?”
Yang Xingjian patiently persuaded: “Only when you leave will the princess be safe. If you’re arrested at the inn, you’ll certainly be taken to the county office together to clarify your relationship. Even if you’re stubborn and unafraid of rod punishment, how could the princess’s precious golden body bear shackles and suffer such humiliation?”
Shisan Lang was struck dumb.
With Wei Xun absent, how could this inexperienced young boy match this cunning old politician? Yang Xingjian exploited their mutual concern for each other, arranging everything with just a few words.
After daybreak, Bao Zhu repeatedly urged Shisan Lang to leave the inn and report to Lianhua Temple.
Yang Xingjian hired a porter to fetch his luggage from another inn, officially checking into Sun’s Inn under the name of Yang Fangxie’s father, becoming her new guardian.
Having racked his brains and lived in constant fear along the way, he had finally successfully rescued the princess from the evil servant’s hands, dismissed the subordinate spy, and taken her under his protection. For a moment his mood was supremely cheerful—he wanted to dance with joy. Even the injuries from Wei Xun’s beatings and the donkey’s kick no longer felt painful.
The only improper aspect was falsely claiming to be the princess’s father. Though this was merely expedient necessity, he couldn’t help feeling anxious—such presumption would surely shorten his lifespan considerably.