The Tingwei Mansion.

Yu Jiuling truly could not stand lying there any longer. He felt that if he kept lying down, he might rust up — that certain bodily functions would simply cease to work.

So he persuaded the Tingwei officer attending him, and finally obtained permission to take a walk around the courtyard.

Thus he cast a sympathetic glance at Little Zhang Zhenren, who was lying on the other bed, and asked in a most enthusiastic tone: “Need to pee?”

In the battle at Songhе Lou, Little Zhang Zhenren had also sustained serious injuries. The force behind the Sect Master’s kick would have been enough to kill an ordinary person outright.

After the physician from Shen Medical Hall had examined him, he said there were two reasons for Little Zhang Zhenren’s survival: first, Little Zhang Zhenren’s own martial cultivation was excellent, his physical constitution far surpassing that of ordinary men; and second — he was fat. That blow had struck him squarely in the chest, and his chest was large.

Little Zhang Zhenren, upon hearing this diagnosis, wanted to say: would you kindly shut your mouth.

But Yu Jiuling said, “Just think about it — didn’t that Master Chu also dodge a killing blow by flexing his chest? By that reasoning, you and Master Chu ought to be about evenly matched.”

The only difference, he continued, was that Master Chu’s chest muscles had to flex for them to shake, while yours shook just from stomping your foot.

Little Zhang Zhenren did not find Yu Jiuling’s comfort comforting in the slightest.

Now, hearing Yu Jiuling ask whether he needed to pee, he shot him a fierce glare.

Yu Jiuling said: “Ah — right, I forgot. You can’t get out of bed yet. In that case, I’ll personally go pee on your behalf. I’ll pee a good long stream — the back half is yours.”

Little Zhang Zhenren: “Shameless.”

Yu Jiuling: “I pee for you, and you call me shameless?”

Little Zhang Zhenren: “Why can’t the first half be mine?”

Yu Jiuling: “……”

Just then, Dike Huaqing arrived carrying fruit she had bought to check on them. The moment Yu Jiuling saw his wife, his eyes immediately began to shine.

Dike Huaqing’s belly had already grown noticeably round. The pride and satisfaction on Yu Jiuling’s face made Little Zhang Zhenren glare at him once more.

“I bought you the fruits you like.”

Dike Huaqing raised the bag in her hand with a smile on her face.

Yu Jiuling quickly took the bag from her: “Next time, no more carrying heavy things! You stubborn woman, why don’t you ever listen? Do you want me to enforce household discipline on you?!”

At the words “household discipline,” Dike Huaqing’s face suddenly flushed red.

Yu Jiuling handed the items to the Tingwei officer beside him: “Go give those to the fellow over there with no visitors.”

Little Zhang Zhenren gave a snort: “My master came to see me just yesterday!”

Yu Jiuling: “Is your master a woman?”

Little Zhang Zhenren: “……”

Yu Jiuling took Dike Huaqing’s arm. “Let’s go for a walk in the courtyard.”

Dike Huaqing: “Your injuries haven’t healed yet. You don’t need to support me — let me support you.”

Yu Jiuling: “What nonsense. Are you the man here, or am I? I’ll support you!”

Dike Huaqing chuckled. Their man might not be the most handsome, but their man knew how to cherish his wife.

Everything good — whether food or useful things — Yu Jiuling would give to Dike Huaqing without exception. His mouth was a little loose, perhaps, but that was its own kind of fun. The faster the mouth, the more fun it brought, wasn’t that right?

Little Zhang Zhenren lay on his bed: Is your master a woman… even if my master were a woman, I probably still wouldn’t take a liking to him.

Just then, Yu Jiuling spotted the Tingwei Army’s two Senior Officers, Yu Hongyi and Zaoyunjian, leading their unit out. He called out to them.

“Where are you two heading?”

Yu Hongyi called back: “The Chief Tingwei has ordered us to Xingchen Lou.”

Yu Jiuling froze for a moment, then let out a sigh.

What a shame, he thought. He’d been to Xingchen Lou before. Quite a nice place.

He felt a pang of vexation too — had he not been injured, this errand should rightfully have been his to handle.

The two Senior Officers led the Tingwei Army’s black cavalry out through the gates of the Tingwei Mansion. The moment they hit the main street, people along both sides turned to look.

It had to be said — the black cavalry of the Tingwei Army was a sight to behold, dazzling and magnificent beyond compare.

Inside a shop along the street, the disguised Liu Yanggong watched the Tingwei Army’s column pass and let out a cold laugh in his heart.

That calligraphy seller — he really was one of Prince Ning’s people.

Fortunately, he had already notified everyone who needed to be notified. There was no way they would find any incriminating evidence.

He rose and left, walking in the direction of the inn where Li Chi and Xiahou Yili were staying.

—

The previous night, Han Huamei had not slept a wink, staring at those characters — growing more bewildered as the hours passed, yet also more and more excited.

In truth, as far as the brushwork itself was concerned, he could already say with complete certainty that it was genuine. It was only the content that was, frankly, rather outrageous.

Yet he could not even remember writing that line about a temple on a mountaintop and a jug of wine for someone else — so how could he possibly know whether the calligraphic styles of his master and the masters before his master were correct, given that all those writings were completely improper?

The reason he could not confirm that the styles of the masters above his own teacher were correct was precisely because those characters were not serious.

The reason he could confirm that Songming Xiansheng’s piece was genuine was, ironically, also because Songming Xiansheng’s piece was not serious.

But then, Songming Xiansheng being improper was itself famous. In those days, many people could not understand the old master’s behavior and personality.

To call him unrestrained and unbridled was an understatement.

The most celebrated calligraphic work of the old master’s was not the Dengque Tai piece, but the Pachuangtai — the “Climbing the Windowsill” piece.

Was that a serious title?

The genuine Songming Xiansheng pieces that the young Li gentleman had left at Yunbao Zhai were two lines of verse — verse that was, to say the least, impossible to describe with a straight face.

The neighbor’s daughter has just come of age; with the strength to move mountains and the spirit to conquer the world.

One could fairly call it complete nonsense.

Yet the even more improper work of Songming Xiansheng was that Pachuangtai piece — had anyone other than Songming Xiansheng written it, the court would certainly have listed it among the banned books.

The opening lines of the Pachuangtai read: …Of memories from my fifteenth year, next door lived a woman of celestial beauty, yet fate had dealt her harshly — her husband had passed, and she had no children. She said she adored little ones, so she spent each day playing with me and keeping me entertained. But I was no longer a little child… If ever a day came when she did not seek me out, I would go climb her windowsill to look in on her…

Such a vulgar record — it was barely fit to look at.

And yet, simply because it had been written by Songming Xiansheng, the literary establishment had praised it as unconventional, rule-breaking, and so on and so forth — a whole basket of flowery compliments.

If Li Chi had known of the connection between Songming Xiansheng and Li Xiansheng, he would not have found any of this the least bit strange.

The very first money Li Xiansheng had ever earned in this world — the earliest, earliest, earliest sum — had come from writing down memories of Journey to the West and selling it. The best-selling portion was the scene in the Peach Garden where the seven fairy maidens were frozen in place.

Because Li Xiansheng had no shame, he had described that section in rather generous detail.

—

In the inn.

Xiahou Yili was somewhat puzzled: “Why arrange for the Tingwei Army to go to Xingchen Lou? Won’t that just tip them off?”

Li Chi smiled: “Because the people at Yunbao Zhai have been waiting precisely for us to tip them off.”

He walked to the window and looked out at the street. Before long, the black cavalry column would pass through.

“I thought carefully about it last night. If the proprietor of Yunbao Zhai is the one hiding in Xingchen Lou — that Mr. Yu — then why would the young shop assistant go to see him with so little caution?”

Li Chi said: “A person that even the Cao family couldn’t dig out, yet whom we found so easily — the only reasonable explanation is that the people of Yunbao Zhai wanted us to find Mr. Yu.”

Xiahou Yili thought it over and began to understand: “So that Mr. Yu is not actually one of Yunbao Zhai’s people. The shop assistant visiting him was a deliberate lure — meant to draw us into arresting him. If we had made a move, the people of Yunbao Zhai would have known that you and I were actually Prince Ning’s agents all along.”

Li Chi nodded: “If nothing goes wrong, the moment the Tingwei Army’s black cavalry moves out, whoever needs to hide will immediately hide — and wherever they hide is where the real treasure is concealed.”

Xiahou Yili: “Is there an old fox hiding inside your head?”

Li Chi smiled and continued: “If nothing goes wrong, Cao Lie’s men should have been exposed some time ago as well. This is more than enough proof that the person who has never shown himself can nonetheless see everything.”

Xiahou Yili: “So this person hasn’t actually hidden away — they’ve simply made everyone think they’re hidden. There’s a nine-in-ten chance they’re right inside Yunbao Zhai.”

Li Chi made a sound of agreement: “An arrogant person, even as enemies begin to close in on him, can still stand by and watch as though he has nothing better to do.”

Xiahou Yili asked: “Now that Yuzhou City is sealed — no one going out — no matter how arrogant this person is, how much longer can they hide? Since we suspect he’s in Yunbao Zhai, why not simply take everyone there into custody?”

Li Chi looked at Xiahou Yili: “Because Yunbao Zhai is full of the greatest literary figures of the day.”

Xiahou Yili thought carefully again, and understood.

If someone like Han Huamei were arrested by Li Chi, it would cause an uproar — not just among the enemy’s side, but among every scholar and man of letters within Yuzhou City.

In Yuzhou City, Han Huamei was the undisputed leader of the literary world and its scholars. All the others in the Zhai were equally prominent figures.

If they were all arrested at once, the intellectuals of the city would certainly be stirred up and pressured into pushing back against Li Chi.

And once word of it spread and was trumpeted by the enemy, Li Chi’s reputation would suffer considerably.

The blades that killed men in this world were not only the real ones — there was also the brush of the scholar.

Li Chi said: “If we make a move and arrest them all, but not a single real agent of the Inspector’s Office is among them — this affair will be seized upon and broadcast far and wide.”

It was only now that Xiahou Yili truly grasped just how complex it was to be a successful ruler — complex enough to give her something of a headache.

At this point, even if Li Chi himself cared nothing for his own reputation, the civil and military officials beneath him would have to care for it on his behalf.

“So the play must go on.”

Li Chi rose and straightened his clothes: “Let’s go to Yunbao Zhai.”

The two of them got ready, brought out a finely carved seal, and set off on foot toward Yunbao Zhai — it wasn’t far at all.

Meanwhile, Liu Yanggong, who had been watching them from the shadows, could not help but frown slightly. Gold worth more than a hundred thousand taels, just sitting in the inn, and both of them have gone out together — isn’t that obvious enough?

If he were to mobilize his people now and go to the inn to move the silver out, he would likely be seized on the spot.

So Liu Yanggong quietly withdrew.

He did not return to Yunbao Zhai. Instead, after turning two streets, he arrived outside a small shop selling pastries.

The shopkeeper was a woman, who appeared to be about thirty years of age. Originally the shop had been run by a husband and wife; after her husband passed away several years ago, the woman had kept it going alone.

Because she was reasonably attractive, quite a few scoundrels and good-for-nothings around the city made trouble for her from time to time. Whenever anyone came, she would grip a knife — either she would kill whoever tried to take advantage of her, or she would kill herself.

After several such incidents, none of the scoundrels had managed to get what they wanted. Some then tried to act under cover of night, but on the way they happened — unluckily — to stumble into a clash between rival underground factions, and those men were hacked to death in the crossfire.

The people on this street all called the woman Auntie Mei. The neighbors respected her fierce spirit and helped her whenever they could.

Liu Yanggong entered and smiled: “Two jin and two liang of osmanthus cake.”

Auntie Mei frowned slightly, looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then lowered her voice: “You shouldn’t have come.”

Liu Yanggong smiled: “No one followed me. Relax — just wrap up the cake.”

Auntie Mei’s hands moved swiftly as she packed the cake. While she worked, Liu Yanggong said: “We need to find a way to leave.”

Auntie Mei gave a small nod and handed the osmanthus cake to Liu Yanggong: “Come back after midnight.”

Liu Yanggong took the cake and left.

Auntie Mei stood there for a long time in silence, then lowered her head and looked at the dark green brick floor beneath her feet.

—