Tie Ci paused in her bone-gnawing motion but still stripped off the last bit of meat from the bone. She chewed unhurriedly ten times before swallowing, then said: “Hmm?”

Dan Ye had been swinging his legs while watching her. As he watched, the speed of his leg swinging gradually slowed down. Hearing her question, he was startled and his somewhat confused expression focused before he said: “You said I love to molest my father’s concubines. I thought about it carefully—my father’s concubines. Each one has a face big enough to hold ten pounds of mutton. That won’t do, I’m not convinced. I can’t bear the reputation of molesting ugly concubines for nothing. I’ve thought it over—I need to get a few beautiful concubines back for my father to be worthy of this reputation. Looking around, well, to untie the bell one must be the person who tied it. You’re suitable, so it’s you.”

As he spoke, Tie Ci listened with a serious smile, casually throwing the bone to Hai Dongqing. The eagle raised its golden claws and kicked the bone away, staring intently at her. The golden ring around its eyes was quite fierce, but Tie Ci only glanced at it lightly. This spiritually gifted bird paused for a moment, then twisted its head away viciously.

Dan Ye looked at his beloved bird with some amazement. Mo Ye was extremely fierce—this was the first time he’d seen someone subdue it with just a glance, and it was a woman at that.

Tie Ci took the handkerchief Chi Xue handed her and wiped her hands and mouth before laughing: “First time I’ve seen someone use ‘to untie the bell one must be the person who tied it’ like that. Young man, you’re failing in language arts.”

Dan Ye didn’t understand and didn’t ask, gnawing on bones as he asked: “What do you think of this idea?”

Tie Ci smiled: “You’d have to ask the million troops of Great Qian what they think.”

“Don’t try to pressure me with your status.” Dan Ye pouted. “You’re currently traveling alone for training, using someone else’s identity, right? Can you really command a million soldiers? I imagine when the orders are issued, assassins would come first, right? If I take you away now and stuff you deep in the desert, your Empress Dowager would probably be quite pleased. When that puppet father of yours outlasts that old she-wolf and sits on the throne, he can send a great army to wander the desert for seven or eight years. By then you’ll probably have borne seven or eight wolf cubs for my father king.”

Tie Ci applauded.

“Who would have thought the Little Wolf King knows so much about my Great Qian’s imperial family. This scenario is truly fantastical and heartwarming. But may I ask, how do you plan to achieve the great ambition of kidnapping me to the desert to be your mother?”

Dan Ye: “…”

For some reason, he suddenly felt something wasn’t right.

He stood up, put on his arm guard, and Hai Dongqing spread its wings. The sky above the entire small courtyard seemed to darken.

“Starting today, be careful when you eat, never sleep, and when bathing or using the toilet you’d better keep your clothes on properly. Because I can’t guarantee when or under what circumstances I might suddenly appear to take you away. I don’t know myself, so wash yourself clean and wait!”

With a whistle accompanied by Hai Dongqing’s fierce cry, sand and dust filled the air, leaves scattered chaotically in mid-air, green fragments drifted across half the sky, and beneath the bird’s black wings, the red figure rose like a suddenly blazing flame.

Once again they flew away with people startling and horses neighing all along the way.

Tie Ci watched that vigorous and slender figure with a face full of yearning, murmuring: “So it’s not only angels that have wings, but also bird-men.”

…

The bird-man left, and Shen Mi appeared. This was a clever person who knew what should not be heard or spoken of. He didn’t even show a questioning expression, as if the mess covering half the courtyard didn’t exist at all.

But Tie Ci had questions. After bidding farewell to Mother Shen and just walking out the door, she turned to look at Shen Mi.

Shen Mi lowered his eyes and after a long while bowed deeply to the ground: “Thank you, Young Master, for sparing my mother and child from humiliation.”

“Illusions are easy to create but difficult to maintain. No one can maintain a facade their entire life. When the day comes for it to be exposed, the embarrassment will be deeper than originally accepting reality—it might even become more unmanageable.” Tie Ci said lightly. “No matter how many unspeakable difficulties or thoughtful considerations there are, they’re actually just self-righteous behavior that looks down on others’ ability to bear things while exaggerating one’s own abilities. We’re all adults—who among us definitely can’t handle things?”

Shen Mi was stunned, not expecting this person to guess most of it before he even confessed. After a long while he smiled bitterly: “Yes, Young Master’s teaching is correct.”

So Tie Ci learned a somewhat clichéd story. An upright high official was framed and executed, his family reduced to slave status. The young man ran about everywhere and with help from his father’s former close friends, those above relented and decreed that only one person need become a slave. The young man naturally couldn’t let his mother and sister fall into disgrace, so he concealed it from them and entered base status himself. But one lie requires more lies to patch it up. Not mentioning becoming a slave, he had to pretend he was still studying. Since he was studying, he had to maintain the dignity a scholar’s family must have. So at minimum there had to be a servant woman, clothes had to match his status, and his mother and sister’s various needs couldn’t be too shabby. Therefore, besides receiving his assignment at the yamen, he daily went to the docks to help, wrote letters for people by lamplight at night, and copied books and homework for wealthy students at Yueli Academy. Busy and rushed, stretching resources thin, he maintained this lie. Originally following Old Liu, earning a bit of payment, he also hoped the old man would teach him skills—one more survival skill, maybe he could become a coroner and thus have fixed income.

However, Old Liu didn’t regard him as a disciple and wouldn’t teach him key things, only using him like a slave. When Old Liu was leaving and the county deputy had no intention of letting him take over, Tie Ci parachuted into this place. He thought of currying favor with Tie Ci, earning some reward money, learning some of Old Liu’s skills from Tie Ci, and ideally when Tie Ci left, she could recommend him as a coroner. After all, Tie Ci was a noble from the capital—perhaps the county deputy would give her some face.

Hearing his “grand ambitions,” Tie Ci couldn’t help but want to laugh. But Shen Mi pleaded with her again: “Young Master speaks reasonably. This humble person has unavoidable reasons. After my father’s execution, my mother developed a heart condition. This humble person fears she cannot bear it…”

“Heart conditions rarely develop later in life. If she had it before, and your father’s execution didn’t cause your mother to have an episode, I don’t think your little troubles would necessarily trigger it either.” Tie Ci laughed. “Rather, by initially not being honest and creating a peaceful sanctuary for your mother and sister where time stands still—now they’re protected from wind and rain, but their expectations have inflated accordingly. For instance, waiting for you to graduate from the academy, waiting for you to pass the imperial examinations. What will you do then? Find some red paper to write your own name and hire fans to beat gongs and drums to deliver congratulations?”

She stopped speaking because Mother Shen had come out after them with newly bought brushes, ink, and paper for Shen Mi to take, earnestly instructing him not to skimp on lamp oil while studying. Usually Shen Mi was skilled at coaxing and deceiving his mother, but now with Tie Ci watching with an ambiguous smile nearby, he couldn’t manage that attitude anymore. He only lowered his head and mumbled acceptance, cold sweat seeping from the palm holding the paper.

Mother Shen suddenly glanced at Tie Ci, who understood and walked a few steps away.

Mother Shen then said quietly to Shen Mi: “…Normally mother shouldn’t tell you this, but today buying this good paper and getting your sister a new dress that just came out, I’ve used up all the money you gave last time…”

Shen Mi pulled out money from his chest: “Mother should also get herself some new clothes. Take this first, I’ll send more money back in a few days… Last time one of my essays received top marks and the academy gave another reward…”

“At mother’s age, I don’t need to dress up. Mother is ashamed—other families support their children’s studies, yet mother still needs you to subsidize us…”

Tie Ci suddenly called out from afar: “Oh right, Brother Shen, when you return to the academy this afternoon, don’t forget to bring the spring tribute!”

Mother Shen stopped taking the money and looked at Tie Ci in amazement. Tie Ci smiled: “Brother Shen didn’t tell his mother? The academy requires seasonal tributes to the masters throughout the four seasons. Spring’s good wine, summer’s ice, autumn’s fine fruits, winter’s silver silk charcoal… Surely mother has prepared these for Brother Shen before and just forgot today?” She seemed not to see Mother Shen’s increasingly pale face or Shen Mi’s increasingly panicked expression, spreading her hands: “The academy has quite a few expenses, far more than top marks rewards can cover. Speaking of shame, this nephew’s annual tributes all depend on mother’s needlework to supplement—truly ‘thread in a loving mother’s hand, silver in a student’s hand’…”

Shen Mi said: “Brother Mao!”

Tie Ci smiled and stopped talking, bowing to Mother Shen, saying farewell, and turning to leave.

The moment she turned around, she saw Mother Shen push the money pouch back. Whether Shen Mi took it or not, she didn’t care.

This person seemed gentle as spring wind and rain, but actually had a heart thin as an iron sheet hammered thousands of times—when drawn out it could serve as knife or dagger, striking like a sudden storm of pear blossoms. Where was all that finger-wrapping tenderness, entangled with people’s mundane affairs?

She wasn’t a walking stick for everyone to lean on.

By now it was getting late, so she returned to the yamen. Tomorrow being the fifteenth, there would be a great market in the city where people could climb the Cangsheng Tower to light lamps and pray for blessings. As she walked she pondered the case, thinking that with recent murders in the city causing panic, there would surely be many climbing the tower tomorrow. This tower had some age to it—she didn’t know how sturdy it was. If it was deteriorated from age with narrow stairs and crowding led to trampling, there might be many more deaths.

Thinking this, she took a detour toward Cangsheng Tower. Although the tower belonged to Yuantan Temple, it was separated from the temple’s rear section with a separate entrance. Walking all the way there, Tie Ci discovered that the tower entrance was positioned directly across from Fuchun House. Local guide Shen Mi had taken her on a shortcut through a very hidden narrow alley beside Fuchun House, from which the dark yellow gate of Cangsheng Tower’s entrance was visible.

When Tie Ci passed through the side alley, the red lanterns were just being lit. Spring flowers supported curtains at Fuchun House as customers gathered from all directions like ants drawn by sweet honey. The scent of powder and flowers accompanied women’s soft, coquettish voices, washing over half the street. When the flower district’s premier show began, the entire Zuihua Street awakened.

Through the courtyard wall, Tie Ci saw an exquisite small building. Upstairs a window was half-open, and behind carved flower screens appeared the silhouette of a beauty half-leaning, half-reclining—cloud-like hair, willow-slim waist, graceful and charming. It was rather an artistic scene. Tie Ci was just thinking of playing the cultured person by plagiarizing some poetry her master had taught to praise it when suddenly the beauty raised her hand and whoosh—something flew down, nearly hitting her head.

Tie Ci dodged and the object hit the ground with a clear sound. Looking closely—oh my, a fried golden duck bone with meat still clinging to it.

Hah, throwing trash on the street—beautiful but low quality!

Tie Ci glanced over the duck bone and suddenly felt something wasn’t right. Just as she was about to step forward for a closer look, another dark mass came crashing down—this time an entire fried quail carcass.

This sister certainly had a good appetite.

After throwing the bones, the window above opened with a clatter. Tie Ci thought the person might apologize, but there was a tree beside the alley positioned very cleverly—it didn’t obstruct the view upward, but its canopy blocked the person above from seeing below. The trash-throwing beauty obviously hadn’t seen Tie Ci and the others and hadn’t expected anyone below. After all, this was an alley too narrow for almost anyone to pass through. She stood at the window, grasped with both hands to untie her skirt, then…

Tie Ci stared in rare bewilderment, not understanding what this person planned to do.

Suddenly a hand reached out from behind the beauty and yanked her back, conveniently grabbing her half-untied skirt. With a clatter the window closed, and inside someone could be heard saying vaguely: “Be careful! Is this a place for relieving yourself?!”

Tie Ci: “…”

Nearly got peed on.

The beauty not only threw trash on the street but also relieved herself in public!

Author’s Note:

For certain unspeakable reasons, I can’t directly name names, but surely by now readers have realized that the beauty who sold himself to work as the top courtesan at the brothel is the male lead Murong Yi, right?

In later text, because of his disguised and changing identity, references to the male lead will be varied—beauty, top courtesan, Feiyu… they’re all referring to that person. I’m mentioning this so everyone doesn’t get confused while reading.