Xie Family Village.

Today Xie Baozhu was at home reading, and had not gone to work the fields.

Qiu Baba brought a few new books every time he came to call on Prince Shou, and never forgot to bring them for Xie Baozhu.

“My master had them purchased to furnish the study and make it look respectable, but he never reads them,” he said. “So I just buy them all according to what you enjoy, Eldest Miss.”

Qiu Baba actually had considerable personal wealth of his own and had no need of working as someone’s servant for money.

He was Prince Shou’s milk-brother, and had shared an unusually close bond with the prince since childhood. Having also served as the grand steward of Prince Shou’s household for many years, his wife and children had long since been released to free status. Outside, they owned a house and land, and at their own home he commanded servants of his own.

It was just that after spending many years navigating the upper circles of Yunjing society, he suddenly found that without the identity of a noble household’s retainer, he experienced all sorts of inconveniences that came from having no power or influence to rely on.

He thought it over, and decided he would still have to attach himself to someone.

Among the stewards and household staff of powerful families there was their own network of connections. He sought out old acquaintances, sent gifts, and made entreaties; eventually someone truly did help him find a position in the household of a newly ennobled military family. The original agreement was to go as a steward, but when he arrived he discovered that this family was, in truth, extraordinarily “new” — nothing had yet been properly established.

After Qiu Baba’s diligent efforts to manage and organize things, the household had finally taken on some semblance of a noble family’s air. Through this, he earned considerable trust from his new master. Though his title was nominally Second Steward, in practice he already held authority over the entire household management.

Xie Baozhu was sitting by the window reading when she heard a noise outside. She immediately reached out and drew the window shut.

Prince Shou’s residence was already the finest household in this village — but even so, it was merely a small courtyard of two connected sections. Nothing like the deep courtyards and layered compound of their former life, where Xie Baozhu could keep herself hidden in the inner chambers and avoid being seen.

But as she listened for a moment, she heard a familiar voice — it sounded like crying. Right on its heels came the booming voice of Er’zhu: “Eldest Miss, Eldest Miss, come out here.”

Xie Baozhu walked out of her room. Er’zhu had already brought the visitor into the rear courtyard — and it was a young boy, his eyes red from weeping.

“Shiujiu Lang, what has happened?” Xie Baozhu asked.

The boy, upon seeing her, cried even harder: “Da Hu Jie, my sister has disappeared!”

Xie Baozhu frowned. “What do you mean, disappeared?”

Shiujiu Lang wept: “She hasn’t come back for two days. Father says she wandered off and got lost — but, but… I saw earlier that there were strangers, and also the soldiers who guard the village, and they were with my sister…”

Xie Baozhu’s pupils contracted slightly.

Li Weifeng had spent a night outside the city, and the following day had wandered about aimlessly for the better part of a day. He hadn’t found anything worth hunting, just a few rabbits and a small deer. He had no particular destination in mind — in plain terms, he was simply drifting, not wanting to go back to the mansion and face Zhang Fen. He was in the countryside, not familiar with the area, but there were roads, and roads meant people, so he followed the roads, unconcerned about encountering travelers.

They were on horseback, so they moved quickly. Before long, a carriage came into view ahead. He thought to ride up and ask directions, when one of his personal guards suddenly said: “Isn’t that our mansion’s carriage?”

Noble households’ carriages typically bore identifying marks. The group looked closely, and sure enough, spotted the mark of Beirong Marquis Mansion on the carriage body.

They rode forward; the driver was indeed one of their own people. Hearing them call out, he turned around: “My lord?”

At the sound of the voice, the curtain of the carriage lifted, and the second steward of Beirong Marquis Mansion jumped down. “What brings my lord here? Returning to the mansion today, or to the residence?”

Li Weifeng disliked nothing more than this question. He turned it around: “Old Qiu, what are you doing here? Where are you headed?”

The expression on the steward’s face became hesitant.

Li Weifeng raised an eyebrow.

Seeing this, Old Qiu quickly said: “If my lord please — this servant is going to Xie Family Village.”

“Oh — is that nearby?” Li Weifeng said, realizing. “Ah, going to visit your old master?”

Old Qiu said: “Indeed.”

Li Weifeng gave a dismissive wave and clicked his tongue: “Look at you, I thought you were going off to do something you couldn’t show your face about! It’s just visiting your old master — what’s there to be secretive about!”

Old Qiu let out a breath of relief and clasped his hands: “My lord is most magnanimous.”

Right on the heels of that, Li Weifeng said: “Perfect — we’ll borrow your old master’s kitchen stove.”

Old Qiu’s heart sank, yet he had no way to refuse, so he reluctantly climbed back into the carriage and led this entire band of rough soldiers toward Xie Family Village with him.

He told himself: when they reached the front gate, he would call out for Er’zhu first, warn her that guests were coming, and let the women withdraw to the back. The courtyard was so small that a shout from the front gate would carry clear to the rear. A person as sharp as the Commandery Princess would certainly understand, and simply stay out of sight.

Young women of noble families fallen on hard times — as long as they had no designs on climbing back to power through marriage, it was better they kept themselves hidden.

Old Qiu’s plan was perfectly sensible. Unfortunately, things seldom obliged one’s intentions. The moment they reached the checkpoint at the entrance to the village, they saw a crowd gathered, talking noisily all at once.

Xie Family Village was no ordinary village — it was a place of confinement for members of the former dynasty’s imperial clan. Li Weifeng’s brow furrowed.

He rode forward, just about to speak, when from the commotion he heard a young woman’s voice say: “The current Son of Heaven possesses both civil and martial talents, with a breadth of mind and generosity of spirit, and treats us of the former dynasty’s clan with great kindness. Such benevolent deeds are surely destined to be recorded in the annals of history and praised for ten thousand generations.”

That voice — clear and soft, unhurried, with perfectly modulated rises and falls… truly beautiful!

It drifted into Li Weifeng’s ears, and a layer of goosebumps rose on him at once!

He rubbed the back of his neck, and only a second later did it register — this magnificent torrent of flattery was directed at Li Gu.

Well, the “martial talents” part was certainly accurate. As for “civil talents”— that wasn’t really apparent yet, was it? And “recorded in the annals, praised for ten thousand generations” — Li Weifeng almost burst out laughing.

He looked toward the crowd. Among them, the young woman stood out completely.

The sun today was not particularly strong, and she was not the only woman in the crowd — yet she alone wore a flattened bamboo hat, making her conspicuous above all others.

The woman continued: “Yet now there are those who abuse their position for private gain, selling off women of the imperial clan, and tarnishing His Majesty’s reputation…”

Before she finished, the garrison officer snapped in irritation: “Xie Eldest Miss, watch what you’re accusing people of!”

The woman said: “I had not wished to think so ill of anyone. You gentlemen have been assigned to guard Xie Family Village, and you have always been orderly and disciplined, never once bullying or oppressing us in our fallen state — the clan members have all felt grateful for this. But my younger cousin has suddenly gone missing, and when I wished to go report it to the magistrate’s office, you would not allow it — which I’m afraid leaves me no choice but to suspect the worst.”

The officer said: “You know the rules as well as anyone — members of the Xie clan who wish to leave the village must register, and must have a fellow clan member vouch for them. You want all these people named Xie going out at once — what exactly are you planning?”

The woman said: “There is no need for many people — I need only take two or three with me. Please allow me to register now.”

The officer said: “You are not even the aggrieved party — in a matter like this, let the aggrieved party come forward themselves!”

The woman said: “The aggrieved party has lost her daughter and is overcome with grief — she cannot even rise from her bed. Though I am not the missing girl’s parent, I am her clan-elder sister.”

The officer said: “Clan-elder sister, clan-elder sister — that’s a distant relation at best! That won’t do. Even if someone is to go, it must be the girl’s own family. Find a man — you won’t do!”

He simply would not permit the woman to leave the village.

Li Weifeng had been listening for a while, and had already pieced together a rough outline of what was going on — and he could see where the corruption lay.

But this woman, sharp as she was in speech, had clearly been blinded by her closeness to the situation.

Just at that moment, his household steward Old Qiu jumped down from the carriage and called out: “Eldest Miss!”

The woman turned around.

Well. Besides the hat, her face was also wrapped in a cloth veil. Li Weifeng was still up on his horse, positioned high enough, but still couldn’t see a thing.

The woman said: “Eighth Uncle!”

This woman was none other than Qiu Baba’s former master’s daughter — Commandery Princess Xie Baozhu.

Qiu Baba asked: “Eldest Miss, what has happened?”

Xie Baozhu lowered her voice: “I suspect someone has trafficked away Fourteenth Niang. I need to go report it to the magistrate’s office, but the garrison guards won’t allow it.”

She added quietly: “Eighth Uncle, I must go!”

Qiu Baba had great trust in Xie Baozhu. He made up his mind to help her on the spot.

Li Weifeng was still standing nearby watching the spectacle — when he saw his household steward step forward, plant his feet wide apart, clasp one hand behind his back, and hold the other at his waist. He drew breath from his dantian, emanating an air of prosperity and dignity, and raised his voice: “Silence, all of you! His Imperial Majesty’s personally conferred Beirong Marquis is here present! Bring any matter to the Marquis!”

Li Weifeng: “……”

……

……

What in the—??

Suddenly sold out by his own steward, transformed from a bystander watching entertainment into the person in charge, Li Weifeng dismounted and steadied himself, his mood still rather complicated.

Even so… though he had clearly already heard everything and understood perfectly, he deliberately asked Xie Baozhu: “What’s going on?”

Xie Baozhu gave a slight bow and said: “If I may report to the Marquis…” and proceeded to lay out the whole affair again, calmly and in full, including her own suspicions.

From the moment Li Weifeng appeared, the garrison officer’s face had looked very unwell. Seeing Li Weifeng’s gaze come his way, he quickly tried to explain: “My lord, she is making baseless accusations. She is not the aggrieved party — the aggrieved party herself has not come forward. Who is to say the girl hasn’t eloped, or simply wandered off? Perhaps in a few days she’ll come back on her own. Why involve the magistrate’s office? They’re all named Xie — I was afraid of making a scene, so I…”

Li Weifeng had actually already spotted the corruption long ago, but he had no desire to get involved. He turned his head. “Hey, you heard all that. I don’t know which of you two is right. You tell me — what should be done?”

Xie Baozhu thought to herself: I wasn’t counting on a military man to pass judgment anyway. She raised her head. “The business of investigating and judging is naturally the magistrate’s office’s. I only ask that the Marquis see to it that they do not obstruct me, and allow me to go.”

As she raised her head, the front brim of the hat tilted back, and though she still had the veil covering her face, Li Weifeng, from his higher vantage, caught a glimpse of a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes.

Her voice was lovely, and her eyes were lovely too. Li Weifeng felt a stirring in his chest, genuinely wanting to know what she looked like.

Besides, among the crowd there were other women besides her — married and unmarried alike — and all of them showed their faces. She alone was covered up like this.

Li Weifeng’s gaze flickered. “Isn’t this thing in the way when you’re talking? Take it off, take it off.” Even as the words left his mouth, his hand moved faster than his mouth — he reached out and lifted Xie Baozhu’s hat straight off.

The silver hairpin fell to the ground; the bun came loose.

That face was considerably paler than the average woman’s, as if she seldom saw sunlight.

Startled by Li Weifeng’s abrupt gesture, Xie Baozhu froze where she stood, nowhere to retreat — her phoenix eyes wide open, fixed on Li Weifeng.

Li Weifeng also stared at her, his expression dazed.

A long moment passed. He let out a long, slow breath.

“Ah — your surname is Xie… no wonder.”

Qiu Baba went rigid. He felt that far from having helped Xie Baozhu, he may have brought trouble upon her.

In the main hall of the Zichen Palace, Li Gu was reviewing memorials. An attendant reported that Beirong Marquis had arrived.

Moments later, Li Weifeng came rushing in, his expression slightly excited: “Shiyi, Shiyi! I found you a woman!”

Li Gu had thought he had something important to report. Upon hearing this, he felt utterly exasperated and rubbed his temple. “What woman?”

“She’s right in the side hall!” Li Weifeng came over to tug at him. “Come look — once you see her you’ll understand!”

This was the main hall of the Zichen Palace — not just anyone could be brought in. But Li Weifeng’s spirits were high, and Li Gu felt helpless; he had no choice but to let him lead the way. He also asked: “What happened to your face?”

Li Weifeng said: “Got scratched. I endured all of that for you!”

Li Gu walked into the side hall and saw the woman. He immediately understood what Li Weifeng meant.

The woman heard the sound and looked up, her gaze passing over him with quiet composure.

One look, and the impression was: beautiful, refined features — like what Princess Baohua Xie Yuzhang… might look like, all grown up.