◎Enemy Attack◎

While Xie Heng had people contact Liang Hui, he also arranged for Luo Wanqing and Zhuque to be disguised.

By afternoon, the two had taken their identity documents and left the military camp. Before departing, Xie Heng grasped Luo Wanqing’s hand. When she looked up, she saw Xie Heng gazing at her. After looking for a long while, he finally just pressed his lips together and said: “Staying alive comes first.”

“I know.”

Luo Wanqing flashed a smile, then pulled her hand free and left.

She and Zhuque rode out of the forest together, then tethered their horses in a hidden grove not far from the city gates. After entering the city, the two walked through the streets. Luo Wanqing surveyed the surrounding streets and discussed with Zhuque: “If we go in together and something unexpected happens, we’ll both be finished. In a while, you go find Liang Hui while I find another way to get close to Zheng Bikui. After dinner,” Luo Wanqing raised her hand, pointing to a restaurant, “we’ll meet at the restaurant. Just sit behind me.”

“Alright.”

Zhuque agreed, then turned and said: “Then I’ll go find him.”

Luo Wanqing walked straight ahead without saying more.

Xu City hadn’t closed its gates yet because there were still many supplies coming and going, and obviously Zheng Bikui hadn’t made the city’s people aware that war was about to break out.

After all, if the Zheng family was going to rebel, that was treason, without legitimate justification. If the people knew, they feared the city would descend into chaos before any fighting even began.

But the entire city’s atmosphere was somewhat different from ordinary cities. There were many transport wagons coming and going on the streets. Luo Wanqing glanced at the length of those wagons and felt they were similar to the Supervision Department’s weapon transport wagons.

Even without these wagons, Xu City was obviously more desolate compared to places Luo Wanqing had stayed before—sparsely populated, with beggars appearing on the roads every so often.

There was even a child, starved to skin and bones, sitting on some steps. It looked like in another day or two, he might breathe his last. As Luo Wanqing passed by, she bought a steamed bun and placed it in front of him.

She casually walked half a circle around the city, inquiring about news of Zheng Bikui. Since Zheng Bikui had come to oversee Xu City, he would naturally let his subordinates know he was there. It was said he had a residence in the city. Luo Wanqing inquired about the residence’s location and prepared to head toward the Zheng mansion. But halfway there, she suddenly saw a crowd gathered in front of a notice board. She glanced over and saw the notice stating that the Zheng mansion was recruiting medical officials and medical women—even those who could only bandage wounds could report to the Zheng mansion for training.

Medical personnel were always in short supply during wartime. In siege warfare, civilian women were often organized to transport and treat the wounded. This was the Zheng family preparing for battle.

After thinking about it, Luo Wanqing realized this was her best opportunity. She turned around, took her documents, and went to register at the Zheng mansion’s main gate.

The registration area was already filled with a long queue, mostly women. Medical officials had higher requirements for men, but almost no threshold for women. Men without medical knowledge might as well be sent to the battlefield.

After queuing for a while, it was Luo Wanqing’s turn. She stepped forward and handed over her identity document under the assumed name Yao Qingqing. After simply identifying two medicinal ingredients, she was marked as “First Class.” After waiting briefly, once twenty people had gathered, they were led into the residence by a maid.

Their group was led to the rear courtyard. Upon entering the courtyard, Luo Wanqing saw women coming and going everywhere, grinding medicinal herbs. She sniffed and recognized these as common wound medicines.

She followed the maid into the main hall, where a woman sat in an elevated position, reviewing a roster.

“Madam Yao,” the maid bowed. “All the new medical women have arrived.”

Hearing this, the female official Yao sitting above raised her head to scan everyone, then fixed her gaze on a young girl beside her, tilting her chin: “Tell them the rules.”

The girl bowed upon hearing this, then stepped forward. Though she looked no more than sixteen or seventeen, she had grown accustomed to such occasions. Her speech was measured and authoritative: “This is Madam Yao Slate, who oversees the Zheng mansion’s medical officials. I am Nanxing, Madam Yao’s attendant. From now on, while you’re in the mansion, you’ll be under Madam Yao’s supervision. You must follow all of Madam Yao’s arrangements, speak no unnecessary words, and disobey no orders. Do you understand?”

“We understand.”

Everyone answered in unison. Yao Slate looked up and scanned everyone once, saying flatly: “Very well. First, familiarize yourselves with the courtyard, then go grind medicine.”

With Slate’s words, Nanxing led everyone out. She showed the group around their living quarters, then distributed medicinal materials and began preparing medicines.

Luo Wanqing was assigned to make pills, which was easy work for her. In less than half an hour, she had finished her tasks. Nanxing was inspecting the medical women in the courtyard. Seeing that Luo Wanqing had already finished rolling all the pills, she couldn’t help saying: “Have you studied this before?”

“I know a little,” Luo Wanqing replied modestly.

Nanxing chuckled coldly, only saying: “Don’t think being somewhat clever gives you license to show off everywhere. Being too conspicuous might earn you resentment.”

Luo Wanqing was startled, then realized that while these words were mocking, they were also well-intentioned. She quickly said: “Thank you for the reminder, Miss.”

Nanxing paused, her expression softening slightly. She snorted and turned to leave.

When evening came, it was dinnertime. Nanxing led everyone to the dining hall for their meal. Luo Wanqing claimed she felt unwell and returned to her room, then directly leaped out of the courtyard and hurried to the restaurant according to her arrangement with Zhuque.

Zhuque was already sitting in the restaurant, waiting. When he saw her, he glanced around without speaking. Luo Wanqing entered the restaurant and sat at the table next to Zhuque’s, back-to-back with him. She loudly called for a waiter to order several dishes, then said quietly: “I became a medical woman at the Zheng mansion.”

“Liang Hui arranged for me to enter the army as a guard.”

Zhuque quickly reported the day’s news. Luo Wanqing immediately asked: “Can you be positioned near the city gates?”

“Yes.” Zhuque drank some wine, propping his chin and surveying the surroundings. “It’s hard to arrange anything close to Zheng Bikui.”

“I’ll figure out a way,” Luo Wanqing thought aloud. “I’ll handle the assassination. Once Zheng Bikui is dead, you open the city gates.”

“Can you manage alone?” Zhuque was somewhat worried.

Luo Wanqing replied: “I can manage.”

The two quickly coordinated their plans. Zhuque finished eating and left. Luo Wanqing waited for a moment, ensuring that even if someone had followed Zhuque, they should have left by now, then complained loudly about the slow service, paid for her wine, and departed.

This back-and-forth took less than two quarters of an hour. Luo Wanqing calculated the time and returned. When she got back to the room, the medical women had just finished dinner and returned. Seeing Luo Wanqing lying on the bed, one of them couldn’t help saying: “Yao Qingqing, are you alright?”

Luo Wanqing responded, feigning weakness: “Thank you for your concern. I’m feeling better.”

Hearing her response, these medical women exchanged a few casual pleasantries, then sat down to chat.

Some medical women had been there for several days and were familiar with the mansion. Many newcomers didn’t understand things and asked various questions.

“Sister Cuizhu,” one medical woman asked curiously, “I heard the Zheng family’s eldest young master came to Xu City. Is it true?”

“Of course it’s true,” Cuizhu replied while cracking sunflower seeds nonchalantly. “Who do you think summoned us all to the mansion?”

“What did the eldest young master come to do?” Upon hearing that Zheng Bikui was truly in Xu City, the women all began murmuring. “He recruited so many of us girls… will he see us?”

This question carried certain implications that everyone could hear. Cuizhu scoffed and said, “Don’t even think about it. The eldest young master recruited medical women, not concubines. Unless you’re like Nanxing, who can be selected to work beside Madam Yao and might see the eldest young master, everyone else will only see him once when entering the mansion.”

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing’s mind stirred.

She remained silent, listening as others asked: “Will we be able to see the eldest young master?”

“Yes,” Cuizhu recalled. “Everyone who enters the mansion has to pass before the eldest young master’s eyes. Today, the eldest young master was busy, but once he finishes his business and returns, he’ll see all of you.”

“Is the eldest young master handsome?”

“What’s the eldest young master’s temperament like?”

“The eldest young master…”

Everyone crowded around Cuizhu, asking various questions, all extremely curious about Zheng Bikui. But after questioning for a while, Cuizhu chuckled and said: “Alright, you can ask all you want, but don’t you dare set your sights on the eldest young master. He’s not someone to mess with. I heard that a few years ago, there was a maid in this mansion who got pregnant, and the eldest young master beat her to death.”

Hearing this, everyone gasped. Someone trembled as they asked: “She was carrying his child—why kill her?”

“It was precisely because she was carrying his child,” Cuizhu lowered her voice, quite apprehensive. “The eldest young master cares greatly about bloodlines. No woman who isn’t from a noble family may bear his offspring.”

With this explanation, everyone understood.

Several women’s faces turned deathly pale. Cuizhu glanced at them and couldn’t help laughing: “He killed a maid, not a medical woman. What are you afraid of?”

“But…” the woman looked troubled. “There’s no fighting now, yet the eldest young master has summoned so many women. Isn’t it for…”

She didn’t finish, but everyone understood. Cuizhu scoffed, then said: “I thought the same thing at first, but after picking medicinal materials here for a few days, I discovered that although I don’t know why, we really are here to be medical women. Don’t worry.”

“Really?”

Everyone’s faces lit up with joy upon hearing this. Getting confirmation, they all became happy, sitting down to chat. The girl beside Luo Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief and nodded: “That’s wonderful. Then I can stay here with peace of mind and won’t be a burden to my family anymore.”

“Me too.”

Cuizhu listened and smiled bitterly: “Taxes were raised again this year. There’s no way to survive at home. My father originally wanted to sell me to a brothel. Fortunately, they were recruiting medical women just in time, and I happened to know some medicinal herbs…”

Everyone spoke of their backgrounds one after another. Listening, Luo Wanqing gathered that they were all from impoverished families.

The Si Prefecture was already heavily exploited with extremely high taxes. This year, perhaps to fund Li Zong’s garden construction, another tenth was added. These girls’ families couldn’t survive and had begun selling them.

But this seemed commonplace in Si Prefecture. These girls were used to it—one had even been sold and resold four times already.

Listening, Luo Wanqing couldn’t help saying: “Haven’t you… Thought of reporting them?”

This question came abruptly. Everyone looked over curiously: “Report what?”

“The court’s tax rate is thirty percent,” Luo Wanqing couldn’t help saying. “They’re collecting eighty percent…”

Before she could finish, a girl beside her quickly covered Luo Wanqing’s mouth. Everyone looked terrified. Cuizhu was bolder, laughing once before mocking: “Report? Report to whom? Does Si Prefecture have a Director Xie? We’re not Liu Qingqing.”

At this mention, everyone laughed. Recently, the story of “Romance of the Supervision Department” had been spreading everywhere, even adapted into opera performed in streets and alleys.

Everyone laughed, but their faces carried bitterness. Cuizhu drank some water and sighed: “In Si Prefecture, no one can control anything. We can only…”

Before she could finish, the ground suddenly trembled slightly. All the women were startled, then heard someone outside the window exclaim: “What’s that in the sky?!”

Everyone was attracted by these words and rushed outside. Luo Wanqing followed them out the door. As soon as she stepped outside, she saw countless paper kites dancing in the dark sky, with small paper boxes dangling beneath them. When the strings were pulled, the boxes tilted, and countless sheets fluttered down like snow, scattering across all of Xu City.

Everyone looked up at the falling papers. Someone asked in bewilderment: “What is this?”

Luo Wanqing silently reached out and caught one of the falling sheets. She lowered her eyes, holding the paper, and read aloud: “The Zheng clan plots treason and brings chaos to Si Prefecture. His Majesty pities the people and issues an edict for the western expedition. At dawn tomorrow, open the city gates and welcome the imperial army. Supervision Department’s Xie Heng will set up a court before the battle lines to sweep away injustices and seek fair justice. Si Prefecture’s taxes are permitted at twenty percent. With the Zheng clan’s heads, we offer blood sacrifice for Si Prefecture.”

Luo Wanqing finished reading calmly while everyone stared in shock.

At that very moment, urgent reports came from outside the gates, shouting as they rushed in: “Enemy attack!”

“Many cavalrymen have appeared outside the city! Notify the eldest young master—enemy attack!”

—

**Author’s Note:**

**[Mini Theater]**

Luo Wanqing: “Zhuque, remember to eat less during this mission.”

Zhuque: “Why?”

Luo Wanqing: “Remember last time you ate steamed buns randomly and slept all night?”

Zhuque: “Didn’t I sleep quite well?”

Luo Wanqing: “…You can’t sleep this time!!”

Zhuque: “Fine, I won’t eat beef this time. Boss, one pound of beef!”