Abandoning the boat to go ashore, they entered the territory under the jurisdiction of Haiyou Regional Administration Commission. After changing to horse carriages and traveling urgently for several days, they arrived at a place called Ziyang County under the administration of Lai Prefecture. This was the first station Tie Ci had chosen for her trials.
It wasn’t Yongping Garrison that she had mentioned to Rong Pu.
She had kept her guard up.
Yongping Garrison was too complex and crucial. For her initial trials, it wasn’t suitable to directly enter dangerous territory. Moreover, when she went to Yongping Garrison, her objective wouldn’t merely be investigating local livelihood conditions.
But she also wouldn’t explain her real destination to Rong Pu. Let the Rong family focus their attention on the Yongping area. If Rong Pu truly intended to pursue and investigate, his lingering and searching around Yongping would attract the Xiao family’s attention. Since Yongping was so sensitive and crucial, the Xiao family would definitely suspect the Rong family of harboring ulterior motives. With their energy focused on the Rong family, she would be relatively safe here.
Tie Ci felt no guilt about using Rong Pu. How could a subject inquire into his sovereign’s private affairs? Since he had inquired, paying a price for it was only proper.
That day at sea, when something important was stolen from her, by the time she wanted to pursue, the other party was skilled at boat handling and escaped without a trace using the morning fog. With the vast sea, there was nowhere to search, so she had to set it aside for now. Fortunately, that thing was made secretly—ordinary people couldn’t discover its secrets, and using it required matching official seals, so there was no fear of causing trouble. She continued according to her original plan and came to this Haiyou Province.
The land of Haiyou, located to the right of the great sea, was one of the birthplaces of Great Qian’s Confucian learning, with flourishing literary culture. It also had both water and land transportation, suitable climate, abundant grain harvests, and lush fruit trees, making it an important source of food and economic crops for Great Qian. It bore the beautiful name of “granary of grain and oil, homeland of fine fruits.” Moreover, its strategic position was crucial—the entire territory was a narrow strip, connecting Beining and Liaodong above and linking to Nanshu and the imperial capital below, making it historically a battleground for military strategists.
Lai Prefecture was considered a mid-level prefecture in the Haiyou region, while Ziyang County was also a mid-level county in Lai Prefecture, unremarkable in all aspects. Tie Ci chose this place partly for discretion and partly because it was close to Qingyang Mountain, the legendary residence of the direct descendants of the Confucian patriarch Qingyang—perhaps she could encounter that famous reclusive scholar, the Confucian sage.
Haiyou was prosperous. Though Ziyang was only a mid-level county, the streets were clean and pedestrians looked relaxed. While there were inevitably some ruffians and beggars, overall one could see the county was peaceful and orderly. When they turned into the main street in the county town, it was even livelier. Upon inquiry, they learned that today happened to coincide with the local market day, with people from ten li around bringing their local products to gather and sell in the county town. The largest temple in the city, Yuantan Temple, year-round hosted various performances and stalls, with scholars and ladies either seeking books and ink or buying pearls and flowers, weaving through the crowds.
Tie Ci wanted to first observe the local county administration, so she casually strolled around. She heard people mention that on March 15th, Yuantan Temple would hold the year’s biggest temple fair, featuring countless entertainments like flying forks, banner poles, stone locks, sword gates, chuiwan, magic, vocal mimicry, and so on. The Cangsheng Pagoda, normally closed and the highest building in the city, would also open for visitors.
Tie Ci wore a white long robe with a silver-red sash. One end of the sash hung down from the waist, pressing against the fluttering robe corners with distinct colors. On the other side hung not the common jade pendant, but a specially crafted writing brush, larger than ordinary brushes, with a jade-like shaft and brush tip faintly gleaming with gold—very distinctive. In her hair was only a hairpin of green lapis lazuli and aloe wood. Graceful as a willow figure, with eyes as clear as water, accompanied by two maids, she walked smiling through the crowd. People on all sides kept looking at her.
Initially it was quite leisurely, but gradually it became crowded. Tie Ci suddenly reached out to steady a woman who was falling backward, smiling: “Miss, be careful.”
The woman looked at her shyly and timidly, then suddenly covered her face and ran away squealing.
Tie Ci: “…???”
After taking only a few steps, she reached out again: “Miss, you stepped on me.”
The woman in pink clothes had cheeks pinker than her clothing. Her eyes glanced up from below, and she suddenly pressed a handkerchief into Tie Ci’s hands: “Then this handkerchief shall be given to the young master as an apology!”
After saying this, she stuffed it into Tie Ci’s hands, twisted around, and also ran away squealing.
Tie Ci: “…”
Where did all these squealing monsters come from!
Dan Shuang had a face full of frost while Chi Xue giggled.
In the imperial capital, the Crown Princess was always troubled by her appearance, so after age twelve, she often wore face masks. Now that she had come to a foreign place and felt it didn’t matter, when her true appearance was revealed, it attracted swarms of admirers.
Along the way, Tie Ci was stepped on five times, bumped into six times, had fresh flowers and fruits thrown into her robes ten times, not to mention being bathed in countless glances and women’s delicate laughter from all directions.
She had dressed as a man since childhood, with refined and elegant bearing, completely without feminine airs. Combined with her noble aura, in this small Haiyou county, she was like a phoenix among chickens, a bright lamp in the dark night—very eye-catching.
Carrying a robe full of flowers and fruits, Tie Ci thought expressionlessly that the famous beauties Su Jie and Yun Chun of Great Qian—one was knocked unconscious by thrown fruits, the other was literally stared to death. The ancients truly did not deceive me.
She wiped off a fruit, bit into it with a crunch, and casually asked a passerby where the county office was. The person pointed randomly: “It’s right on Ronghua Street.”
“Where is Ronghua Street?”
“You’ll know when you see it.”
Gnawing on the fruit while squeezing through the crowd, the next street was indeed Ronghua Street. Just as Tie Ci was about to search, suddenly a large group of people surged over. Looking at their clothes, they were all servants and guards. The lead person said: “That’s him!”
The rest of the crowd rushed over, clamoring: “Yes, yes, let’s go, let’s go!”
Tie Ci was stunned.
Had her identity been discovered so quickly?
Behind her, Dan Shuang snorted coldly, but Tie Ci pressed down on her hand.
Just arrived, in broad daylight with crowds of people—it wasn’t appropriate to display martial arts. Better to wait and see.
That group of people rushed up, some grabbing sleeves, others pulling at her clothes, trying to drag her toward a carriage nearby. Tie Ci pulled away her sleeves, protected her clothes, and unhurriedly straightened everything before smiling: “Gentlemen needn’t pull and tug. Wherever you wish to go, I’ll follow you.”
The crowd then laughed: “This young master is good, very gracious and refined.” They escorted her onto the carriage.
Listening to them, Tie Ci felt it didn’t sound like they had recognized her identity. Since she was here, she might as well make the best of it. She sat down calmly and examined the carriage’s furnishings—luxurious but not refined enough. In the imperial capital it wouldn’t be impressive, but within this small county, it must belong to a powerful and wealthy household.
The carriage curtains were raised, but she didn’t lower them. At the window, she smiled and waved at the watching citizens on all sides, just like when returning from Qingjing Temple to the palace in the past, accepting the people’s worship along the way.
However, the servants and attendants following the carriage had never seen such a person. They had originally thought that having almost forcibly abducted someone, the other party would definitely panic and make a fuss, and they were prepared for appropriate forceful suppression. Who knew the other party not only cooperated but seemed quite to enjoy it. They couldn’t help whispering to each other, with someone saying: “This young master seems to be quite a personage.”
Others sneered: “Looks like an embroidered pillow, but judging by his bearing, he’s like Her Highness the Crown Princess.”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Hearing this, Tie Ci also smiled.
The carriage didn’t travel long. Before finishing Ronghua Street, it entered a large mansion. Tie Ci saw the mansion was quite imposing and wondered if it might be a government office?
The carriage drove straight in, directly entering the second courtyard, where someone resembling a steward came out to receive them. When Tie Ci got off the carriage, she saw someone already waiting in the hall.
It was a middle-aged man wearing a blue-green brocade robe with floral patterns. His features were quite compact, but his face was extensively broad. A pair of thick eyebrows pressed down on small eyes, making one think of an angry bird at first glance.
Little Bird in the hall bowed to Tie Ci and introduced himself as the local Deputy County Magistrate.
The second-in-command, Tie Ci thought. Had he discovered her identity? That seemed impossible.
Little Bird Deputy Magistrate said: “Rashly inviting the young master here was indeed somewhat abrupt. It’s just that earlier at the market, my daughter’s personal maid was nearly pushed and jostled by the crowd, but fortunately the young master came to her aid. The maid didn’t know proper etiquette and failed to thank the young master. So my daughter asked this old man to invite the young master to our home, to offer modest gifts in gratitude for the young master’s life-saving grace, and to thank you in person.”
Tie Ci: “…”
What a sight to behold.
Wasn’t this the legendary “catching a son-in-law beneath the examination rankings”?
People of the time pursued scholars, and once scholars achieved success in the imperial examinations, their value immediately soared with everyone competing for them. One family’s son meant a hundred families seeking him. Gradually, some bold and unscrupulous people would strike first. Looking beneath the golden rankings, they would find someone with decent appearance and youth, then first invite them into their mansion, either tempting them with gold and silver or confusing them with promises of future prospects, pestering them in every way to make the young man dizzy and agree to marriage. This way they could avoid being a step too late and missing the chance to become in-laws with ministers and chancellors.
Generally, those who did such things were middle-ranking officials or local wealthy people—having some power but not being particularly powerful, hence this urgency.
She hadn’t expected to be caught herself.
No, no, no—she hadn’t achieved success in the imperial examinations yet. This was seeing her extraordinary bearing and immortal beauty, then striking to snatch her, making an advance reservation?
Really good eye.
But this excuse was too far-fetched to bear hearing.
Helping someone became a life-saving grace.
The master family rewarding on behalf of a maid.
The Deputy County Magistrate smiled, seemingly casually showing Tie Ci the boxes and trunks already prepared in the hall.
Tie Ci nodded and praised with a smile: “Light gifts but heavy sentiment.”
Deputy County Magistrate: “…”
Incredible, this person before me has quite an appetite.
The Deputy County Magistrate then had people lift the curtains. When Tie Ci looked up, she saw flowers in the distance, and among the flowers stood a beauty.
The beauty wore a white gauze skirt and red silk clothes. From afar, her hair was like clouds and mist, her eyes flowing with emotion.
Tie Ci smiled and bowed from afar, causing a burst of secretive delicate laughter in the courtyard.
When Tie Ci turned back, she faced Little Bird’s no-longer-angry smile. Little Bird asked Tie Ci quite smugly: “What does the young master think?”