The hiding place Jiang Wei and his people had chosen was genuinely clever — the location had been abandoned, and there was no one to watch it.

It was the old Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace. After the last coup, it had been completely sealed off — even the gates had been bricked up with stone.

For accomplished martial artists like Jiang Wei and his people, scaling a wall was hardly a challenge.

During the last coup, rebel soldiers had stormed through the Eastern Palace into Shiyuan Palace, dealing a devastating blow to the already besieged Chu Emperor, Yang Jing. Yang Xuanji’s old forces had gone on a killing spree within Shiyuan Palace, leaving countless dead and wounded. Afterward, Yang Jing had ordered the Eastern Palace sealed entirely — all its entrances bricked shut.

That abandonment, however, gave Jiang Wei and his people a remarkably safe refuge.

Crouched now among the desolate halls of the Eastern Palace, Jiang Wei’s feelings were a tangle. He wanted to climb somewhere high and shout curses into the air — at whoever had been mad enough to kidnap the Ning Prince’s foster mother.

Even setting aside the current situation, this was something no one would have dared do even before the Ning Prince had taken Da Xing City. If you moved against the Ning Prince’s brothers or his subordinates, the Ning Prince would bring all his strength to bear in retaliation. But if you moved against his foster mother — this was no longer about the Ning Prince alone. The entire Ning Army would stir. The vengeance would be like a mountain falling into the sea.

And beyond that — this kind of reckless action had completely wrecked Jiang Wei’s next step.

That was why he wanted to curse. If it had been possible, he might even have been willing to kill the fool himself on the Ning Prince’s behalf.

*”My lord.”*

One of Jiang Wei’s men couldn’t help asking: *”Should we try to get out? The way things are now, it seems like we can’t do much.”*

Jiang Wei shot him a look. *”Get out? The Ning Prince’s foster mother has been taken. Every gate in Da Xing City has been shut. The Ning Army is going house to house. How exactly do you think we’re going to leave?”*

The man sighed. *”Who’s the bastard who got us into this?”*

He asked Jiang Wei: *”Could it have been… one of ours?”*

The thought actually gave Jiang Wei pause. He turned it over carefully. Given what he knew of Jiedushi Pei Qi’s methods, it was genuinely possible that he had arranged for a separate group to come.

*”Could it be Xue Lingcheng?”*

Jiang Wei muttered to himself. But he knew Xue Lingcheng — the young man was rash in some respects, but not impulsive to this degree. Did Xue Lingcheng not understand that even if he grabbed the Ning Prince’s foster mother, there was no way out? And what could grabbing her possibly achieve? Beyond enraging the Ning Prince, nothing at all.

*”Something’s off.”*

Jiang Wei rose and began to pace.

He suddenly realized — this might not be a real kidnapping at all. It might be the Ning Prince’s stratagem.

The Judicial Guard would certainly know that garrison command operatives were somewhere in Da Xing City. But a sudden lockdown without cause would terrify the ordinary people — might even spark serious unrest.

Yet if the official story was that the Ning Prince’s foster mother had been abducted, then even when the Ning Prince sealed and searched the city, the common people would have no complaints. They would even cooperate fully. Anyone who knew of outsiders hiding nearby would rush to report it to the authorities.

*”A clever ploy — flush the snake from the grass.”*

Jiang Wei thought of it with a faint, reluctant admiration.

This was what it meant to use power and strength perfectly. The Ning Prince was done circling. He had a hundred thousand soldiers — why play cat and mouse? Dig deep enough and how hard could it be to turn someone up?

*”Everyone.”*

Jiang Wei looked at his men and said: *”Only three people out each day to gather intelligence. Back here before dark. Buy food that can be eaten as is — we can’t light a fire in here.”*

He let out a long breath. *”We need to prepare for a long stay.”*

He was still speaking when a strange sound came from somewhere nearby. His expression changed. He signaled his men to be on guard.

His people moved toward the source of the noise — and then Jiang Wei’s fury ignited.

The ones who had come in were Xue Lingcheng’s people.

Perhaps because they had trained the same way, perhaps because their minds worked along similar lines — their choices had turned out to be identical.

The moment Jiang Wei laid eyes on Xue Lingcheng, his rage surged past restraint. He threw a punch straight at Xue Lingcheng’s face. Xue Lingcheng hadn’t expected him to simply attack — he couldn’t react in time, and half his face swelled up from Jiang Wei’s fist.

*”I’d advise you not to start anything.”*

Xue Lingcheng said, pressing his face. *”If the people outside hear a commotion, none of us get out.”*

Jiang Wei glared. Xue Lingcheng glared back.

*”Enough from both of you.”*

Shang Jiuying looked at the two men with contempt. She hadn’t wanted to come on this mission at all, and seeing her own side behaving like this only deepened her revulsion.

She found a place to sit. *”Save your energy and think about how to get out of here. Any chance we had of achieving something is gone.”*

Jiang Wei heard in that one sentence that her read of the situation matched his own.

*”Not entirely.”*

Jiang Wei said, brow furrowed. *”We’re already at this point — options are few. So we might as well take a gamble.”*

Shang Jiuying looked at him. *”What are you thinking?”*

Jiang Wei said: *”If my guess is right, this whole thing is nothing but the Ning Prince striking first — the story about Lady Xiahou being taken is just a pretext.”*

Shang Jiuying said: *”Our people are in here, their people are in here — who else could have taken Lady Xiahou?”*

Jiang Wei said: *”Exactly. So — what if we actually managed to take Lady Xiahou?”*

Shang Jiuying’s eyes lit up.

With the entire city being combed, the focus was on inns and lodging houses.

*”Lady Xiahou is staying in the New Garden.”*

Shang Jiuying said. *”Let me go and watch. As a woman, I can move around more easily than you can.”*

She turned to her people. *”All of you rest. Before dawn tomorrow, you’re coming with me.”*

Her people — all eight of them women — acknowledged in unison.

Shang Jiuying looked at Jiang Wei with something approaching appreciation. Compared to Xue Lingcheng, Jiang Wei’s mind and reflexes were considerably sharper.

Xue Lingcheng said nothing. He knew his objection would carry no weight.

And if they could actually get Lady Xiahou in hand — their way out might open up.

*”I’ll assign two of my people to back you up.”*

Xue Lingcheng looked at Shang Jiuying. *”You should have support.”*

Shang Jiuying looked at him once, didn’t respond, and turned to Jiang Wei. *”Do you have anyone capable?”*

Jiang Wei nodded. *”Yes.”*

The people he had brought were the garrison command’s finest — and among them, two or three were absolute experts.

Shang Jiuying said: *”Pick them out. They come with me tomorrow. I’m going to rest now. No one disturb me.”*

She turned and walked toward a quiet corner.

Xue Lingcheng looked at Jiang Wei. Jiang Wei looked at Xue Lingcheng. Both men read the same thing in each other’s eyes — undisguised and unhidden: the desire to be rid of the other.

*”Talk when we’re out of here.”*

Xue Lingcheng gave a short hum and went to find somewhere to sleep.

Jiang Wei’s thoughts ran in a different direction: *you’d best not make it out at all.*

—

At the same time, in the New Garden.

Reports from across the city came in to Gao Xining one after another.

*”The eastern city is about sixty to seventy percent covered. No suspicious individuals so far.”*

*”The southern city is still being searched. Seven or eight people came up as irregular, but clearly not from Shu.”*

Gao Xining listened and thought at the same time, wondering where those people might have hidden themselves.

Lady Xiahou sat beside her, ladling out a bowl of silver-ear-and-lotus-seed congee she had made herself and setting it in front of Gao Xining.

Gao Xining quickly rose. *”Thank you, Mother.”*

Lady Xiahou said: *”Don’t rush. The people aren’t afraid — they’re helping with the search. What kind of person could hide from that?”*

Once the common people were mobilized, anyone hiding in the city truly had nowhere to go. If someone was still concealed, they must be in a place even ordinary citizens couldn’t find.

A place even ordinary citizens couldn’t find?

Something brightened in Gao Xining’s eyes. She immediately gave the order: *”Invite Teacher Ye back. Have Fang Xidao and Shang Qingzhu return as well.”*

Lady Xiahou asked: *”Did something come to you?”*

Gao Xining made a sound of confirmation. *”I think I have an idea. We’ll go and check Shiyuan Palace.”*

The Ning Prince didn’t reside in the imperial palace, and the household that had originally served there had been dismissed — so Shiyuan Palace stood empty too. It was guarded, but an empty palace complex would naturally not be given many troops. Garrison command operatives were all capable martial artists — slipping into a Shiyuan Palace that was now sparsely defended would be no great challenge.

*”You should tell Chi about it.”*

Lady Xiahou said. *”If you go on your own, Chi will worry.”*

Gao Xining nodded. *”Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll go and tell him before I head out.”*

Lady Xiahou held Gao Xining’s hand. *”Be careful. Have Yuli come with you — she can help.”*

Gao Xining thought, and then nodded. *”All right.”*

Soon afterward, Li Chi and Teacher Ye arrived at the New Garden at nearly the same moment. After listening to Gao Xining explain her thinking, Li Chi turned to his guard and said: *”Go and mobilize Gao Zhen’s Wolf Ape Camp. Give Wolf Ape a chance to train.”*

About half a shi later, in the Wolf Ape Camp.

Gao Zhen assembled his entire force, visibly in high spirits.

*”The Ning Prince orders us to surround Shiyuan Palace. Intelligence suggests a large number of Shu spies may be concealed within.”*

Gao Zhen said loudly: *”Consider this a chance to see what your opponents are capable of. When we reach Shu, garrison command operatives will be your most dangerous enemy.”*

He said it, then looked at Fang Biechen. *”You don’t have to come.”*

Fang Biechen shook his head. *”I’m the Wolf Ape’s deputy general. How could I not go — unless you don’t trust me.”*

Gao Zhen gave him a pointed look. *”Then we split and lead from opposite sides, each taking two directions. Get them turned out before dawn.”*

Fang Biechen nodded. *”Agreed.”*

His feelings at this moment were complicated too. Even if his brotherhood with Jiang Wei had long since died, he couldn’t pretend he felt nothing. Those were people he had once fought beside — men who had taken wounds for each other, faced death together, more than once.

*”Be careful.”*

Gao Zhen clapped Fang Biechen on the shoulder. *”They came to Da Xing City to kill you. If they see you appear and realize they have no way out, they may well go down biting.”*

Fang Biechen took a long breath. *”Don’t worry. I’m not that easy to kill.”*

Gao Zhen laughed. *”You’d better not get yourself killed. You still owe me money.”*

Fang Biechen laughed too.

Gao Zhen waved his hand. *”Move out!”*

The Wolf Ape force — over ten thousand strong — rolled out of camp in a great, surging tide.

—