As for Qun Qing, she had already walked to the East Market, looking around as she went.

“Young lady, buy a candied hawthorn stick! My family’s candied hawthorns are the freshest and sweetest in Chang’an city.” A vendor stuffed a candied hawthorn stick into her hands.

Qun Qing lifted her veil and looked twice at this glistening red candied hawthorn: “Who says it’s fresh? The sugar has melted. Do you have any new ones?”

“This isn’t fresh? Young lady, come into the shop with me. I’ll get you one straight from the sugar pot!” The vendor lifted the curtain, leading her into the shop, and called out, “Yue Niang, watch the stall for me!”

A woman responded “Aye” and emerged from the shop as they passed each other.

Once Qun Qing entered, she found it was a cramped shop, with a curtain at the back connecting to the room where the family slept. The vendor secured the doors and windows, opened the pot lid, fished out a candied hawthorn stick and stuffed it into Qun Qing’s hands: “Qing Niang, eat this. They’re all freshly made this morning.”

His manner and expression while speaking were completely different from before. His voice was very low, his eyes revealing alertness: “I received your message a few days ago and have been waiting for you daily. It’s good you remembered I left you an empty wax pill. What happened? Why did you suddenly leave the palace?”

This vendor was actually a Nan Chu spy named An Lin, ordinarily stationed within the East Market.

Qun Qing didn’t reveal much, only asking him about the “Heaven” agents in the palace.

An Lin said: “Of the dozens of spies I sent into the palace under false identities that day, now less than ten remain, all minor roles, not ‘Heaven’ agents. I don’t know who those two ‘Heaven’ agents in the palace are either.”

Qun Qing lifted her veil, her eyes fixed on him, looking extremely forbearing: “Brother An, I left the palace today because Lin Yujia has gone too far. I can’t continue. You’re the only ‘Heaven’ agent I know. Can I… become your subordinate from now on?”

An Lin was stunned upon hearing this: “Before entering the palace, I warned you that the palace was dangerous and that Lin Yujia was a hypocrite. But you insisted on entering the palace, saying you had to find your sister, saying she couldn’t manage without you.”

“…” The words she’d said back then felt like a slap across Qun Qing’s face.

Seeing Qun Qing’s grip on the teacup tighten until her knuckles turned white, An Lin stopped rubbing salt in her wounds, though doubt remained: “Qing Niang, you’re someone who can endure. What excessive thing did that Lin Yujia do to force you to flee? I’ve long known he likes to steal your credit and curry favor before our master. Has he assigned you another mission?”

Qun Qing looked like she was trembling with anger, yet her lips remained tightly sealed, saying nothing.

An Lin observed her for a while, his expression relaxed, his eyes even showing some appreciation: “With such a tight mouth and ability to get things done, which ‘Heaven’ agent wouldn’t want a ‘Kill’ agent like you? That Lin Yujia is killing the goose for the eggs—he’s stupid. Such an incompetent, short-sighted person will be replaced sooner or later.”

Qun Qing’s heart stirred: “So you agree to let me follow you?”

This was the method Qun Qing had devised to leave the palace.

With two “Heaven” agents in the palace, escaping by her own power alone was truly difficult, so she thought to borrow another “Heaven” agent’s power to help her succeed.

An Lin had previously served in Chu’s Jinwu Guard before becoming a spy. After Chu fell, Qun Qing nearly lost her life at Qingjing Temple. After being rescued and recuperating outside the palace, An Lin was the first to find her.

He told her about Crown Prince Zhao establishing Nan Chu and recruited her for the great cause of restoring the kingdom, then helped her return to the palace. He was considered a trustworthy person.

Before entering the palace, An Lin was responsible for teaching Qun Qing close combat techniques. Because of her resilient character and intelligence, he appreciated her greatly and originally wanted to keep her outside the palace as his subordinate, but she insisted on entering the palace to accompany the Princess.

An Lin found it regrettable and left her an empty wax pill so she could contact him if she changed her mind.

However, between spies, due to their special status, emotions were naturally distant and trust was lacking. Moreover, after so much time, she wasn’t certain if An Lin’s thoughts had changed, so she sent this wax pill as a test, only hoping he still needed her.

Having taken the risk to appear in person, Qun Qing showed full sincerity. An Lin hesitated before speaking: “Half a month ago, I happened to lose a ‘Kill’ agent. If you’re willing to fill that position, naturally that’s very good… It’s just that the ‘Kill’ agent was stationed at Siye Tower in Pingkang Ward. That kind of pleasure quarter—for a young lady of clear background like you…”

“It doesn’t matter.” Qun Qing agreed without hesitation. “I can do it.”

Wherever it was, it couldn’t be more dangerous than inside the palace. She only wanted to leave the vortex’s center as soon as possible, first exit the palace, preserve her life in the increasingly prosperous Great Chen, then find a way to search for her mother and plot her escape…

Her answer was so prompt that An Lin was somewhat surprised. He pondered for a moment, then said: “Qing Niang, even if I agree, leaving the palace isn’t as easy as you think. There’s one thing you must do: take out your palace registry.”

Qun Qing looked at him, completely bewildered.

“You couldn’t think you could just run out of the palace casually, could you?” An Lin laughed, pushed open the wooden window, and gestured for her to look outside.

Qun Qing saw several soldiers in silver armor in the midst of the bustling market, inspecting documents in the hands of a woman leading a young child.

“You’ve been in the palace almost a year, and the Ministry of Finance has been implementing the tally system outside for almost a year. Anyone entering or leaving major cities, official roads, or fortresses must have tallies as proof. People from the Ministry of Finance also conduct random inspections within Chang’an city. Those without tallies can be directly detained—all to hunt down we spies who hide from daylight and exterminate us completely!”

“When you entered the palace, things were still chaotic inside. The palace maid Qun Qing’s corpse had barely been dragged out before my ‘Kill’ agent brought you into the Lateral Courts to assume her identity. Now that’s completely impossible.” An Lin said, “Now the Six Ministries are running smoothly, and the Consort of Prince Yan manages the palace. It’s very difficult to find loopholes anymore.”

“That paper is the tally, and it must be carried at all times?” After observing for a while, Qun Qing pointed at the woman. “What about the palace registry—is that a palace maid’s identity document? Like before, similar to common people’s household registration?”

“Exactly so.” An Lin said, “It’s just that now, all residents within the city have been counted and recorded by the Ministry of Finance and given specially made tallies to carry daily. Even people of base status—pleasure women, shamans, doctors, even refugees—all have them, just different types. For you to leave the palace, you must first pass the palace checkpoint. They’ll give you your palace registry stamped with an expulsion seal.”

“What I can do is use your palace registry to exchange it for a tally in the shortest time. By the time Lin Yujia chases after you, you’ll already be inside Siye Tower. That Siye Tower is a place that devours young ladies without spitting out the skin. Lin Yujia absolutely won’t be able to extract anyone. Then I’ll report to our master and requisition you.”

Combining what An Lin had just said, without this tally, even leaving the city would be difficult. This made Qun Qing’s heart sink. She thought for a moment and asked: “Brother An, this tally looks like just a piece of paper. Can’t it be forged?”

“Do you think the Li family are fools? The Ministry of Finance has verification methods unknown to outsiders. The Minister of Finance was originally a subordinate of Prince Yan. I heard this method was devised by a strategist surnamed Lu from Prince Yan’s mansion. We’ve tried forging them or discovering the verification method, but lost several people. Now we have no one left in the Ministry of Finance.” An Lin complained.

The two watched together as the woman and child were taken away by officers. The West Market descended into brief chaos, but upon hearing it was investigating spies, order was quickly restored.

A chill filled Qun Qing’s heart, as if the person being taken away were herself. Such thunderous measures, so suffocating—the strategist surnamed Lu, could it be Lu Huating?

Thinking of this, Qun Qing temporarily abandoned the idea of taking the risk to forge documents: “Needing a palace registry with an expulsion stamp means having to leave the palace through proper channels. That’s fine. I already have an idea, but I need some time.”

She remembered that in her previous life, at the end of this year, there would be a grand ceremony releasing palace servants. But this was information obtained through rebirth and inconvenient to mention.

“Palace management is strict indeed. It’s truly not an easy matter.” An Lin seemed to be comforting her. “In any case, you needn’t rush… I heard our master has already assigned me a new ‘Kill’ agent to take over the deceased one’s mission. She’s already on the road. If this woman isn’t useful, I’ll contact you. That’s when I’ll need to rely on you, Qing Niang.”

Qun Qing couldn’t help looking at An Lin, whose expression was somewhat uncomfortable. No wonder he’d been hesitant earlier and hadn’t agreed readily—he already had a new subordinate candidate.

While An Lin appreciated her, if the new “Kill” agent Crown Prince Zhao sent had outstanding abilities and completed external affairs perfectly, what would there be for her? In that case, he wouldn’t have as strong a motivation to help her leave the palace.

“Brother An, since spies have been lost, the mission must be somewhat difficult. Can you tell me what this ‘Kill’ agent’s mission is?” Qun Qing looked at him with dark eyes. “I’m willing to compete with her. I should be the faster one.”

An Lin also looked at her in surprise. Spy missions were laborious and dangerous. Everyone who received a mission had to do some mental preparation with closed eyes. He never expected this could be competitive!

“What exactly did that Lin Yujia do to you to make you so desperate to escape?” An Lin couldn’t help saying. “He didn’t… take advantage of you physically under the pretext of your betrothal?”

Seeing Qun Qing lower her head without speaking, An Lin’s sympathy deepened, as did his disgust toward Lin Yujia: “I’ll impeach this Lin Yujia before our master. What kind of creature…”

While the two were talking, a young girl suddenly ran out from the inner room. Upon seeing Qun Qing, she turned to An Lin with a wronged expression: “Father, you said you’d save the candied hawthorn for me…”

Qun Qing quickly handed the candied hawthorn to the girl, somewhat surprised: “Brother An, you have a child already?”

An Lin carefully straightened the girl’s dress, put on her tiger-head shoes, and adjusted the bone whistle strung on red cord around her neck before sending her out to play. Only then did he reply awkwardly: “Yue Niang the oil-cake seller’s husband died. A widow and orphan—we made a family together, supporting each other to get by.”

Mentioning family, traces of uncomfortable tenderness spilled from the creases at the corners of An Lin’s eyes, very different from his formerly cold and stern appearance.

Watching him, Qun Qing felt relieved: a person with family attachments wouldn’t sell his life madly for Nan Chu. If she could follow An Lin in the future, things should be much easier, making it easier to escape then.

Since the conversation had been interrupted, An Lin rewrapped a candied hawthorn stick and took the opportunity to stuff a wax pill containing the mission details into the paper bag before handing it to Qun Qing. Qun Qing placed the candied hawthorn in her basket and left.

…

Leaving the palace wasn’t easy. Qun Qing seized the opportunity, taking familiar small paths, turning here and there until she reached Yangbing Ward.

People coming and going here carried medicine packages, plainly dressed monks and common people courteously making way for each other.

Yangbing Ward’s predecessor was Lingdao Temple. Two years ago when Chang’an city fell, casualties were severe. The city’s physicians and medical monks spontaneously gathered here, sheltering the wounded inside the temple for treatment. Later, this temple gradually formed several medical clinics with an endless stream of patients.

Physician Li’s medical clinic was among them.

Yangbing Ward’s main gate stood open. In the courtyard stood a lotus-seat stone monument with prayer red candles leaning against its base. People seeking treatment and buying medicine entered from the monument’s right side, while those cured filed out from the left.

Qun Qing followed the crowd seeking treatment into the main eastern dharma hall, following her memory’s route to Physician Li’s medical clinic to find Fang Xie.

The eastern hall connected through to the rear hall, several times larger than when Qun Qing left, accommodating several times more patients. Three physicians held consultations in the hall, with long queues forming before their tables. Clean straw mats lined the walls for waiting people to rest briefly.

Qun Qing sat down with several women, her gaze piercing through the crowd to spot Fang Xie taking someone’s pulse.

The young man wore blue dharma robes. Being young and not yet capped, his hair hung loose at his nape, but his pulse-taking and prescription-writing movements were already quite practiced.

Qun Qing lifted her veil to see more clearly and with greater surprise. When she left, Fang Xie had still been a porcelain-doll-like child, but in just one year, he had completely revealed a youth’s refined features.

Fang Xie seemed to sense something and raised his head, looking directly at Qun Qing’s face. His breathing immediately became disordered.

Qun Qing gestured for him to continue writing prescriptions.

She came to the medical clinic firstly to see Fang Xie, and secondly because the large quantity of castor oil Lin Yujia wanted would be more reliable to obtain from someone familiar.

Fang Xie’s mind was clearly disturbed. From time to time, he had to raise his head to glance at her. His eyes were full of unease, as if worried that if he wasn’t careful, she would disappear again.

Qun Qing felt helpless and curved her lips slightly. The next moment, her smile froze on her face.

In the queue on the other side, someone followed Fang Xie’s actions and turned to look at her.

This person wore white cloth garments, but because of his upright bearing, wore these thin, light-permeable clothes with an air of leisurely elegance. When he casually turned around, the clothes clung to his lean, strong waist and back, the two raised sleeves light as wings. On the high-bound waist belt, a dagger and sachet touched together.

Qun Qing’s gaze shifted and met that immortal young master-like face. Those eyes were very dark, the tails slightly upturned, like fire burning in the night, absolutely magnificent.

She saw Lu Huating.

He saw her too.

In an instant, Qun Qing’s heartbeat stopped, a layer of fine cold sweat seeped from her spine, her whole person tensed to the extreme—an instinctive reaction to her mortal enemy from her previous life.

But—so what if he saw her? In this life, he’d never seen her before. They’d never have the chance to be enemies again.

Qun Qing’s emotions receded like the tide. She didn’t avoid him but stared straight back at him across the moving figures.

Lu Huating’s gaze naturally swept across her face, then turned back, talking about something with the person beside him.

Qun Qing lowered her veil. Unable to stay another moment, she drifted out of the inner hall with the crowd.

The clamor in the medical clinic continued as before. Human voices, cries of pain, and the sound of pounding medicine wove densely together like a net.

“Changshi, what are you looking at?” Juan Su noticed Lu Huating’s tension and placed his right hand on the sheath at his waist.

Lu Huating straightened his sleeves, but said: “Keep an eye on that veiled young lady behind us.”

“What veiled young lady?”

Lu Huating turned around. Indeed, Qun Qing’s shadow had vanished from the straw mat. Scanning the entire medical clinic for a long while, a cold smile escaped his lips.

She ran.