“Both of them are in the house?”

“Not one missing.”

“If you’ve made a mistake, I won’t spare you!” The speaker’s voice carried a vicious edge.

“Commander, if I can’t even handle such a small matter correctly, how could I continue to survive on the streets of the capital?”

“Mm.” The man fell silent for a moment. “Are all the other arrangements in place?”

“Rest assured, sir. I’ve transferred away all the constables and runners from this area, and I’ve had the Patrolling Censor detained by my men. There are no official personnel within several blocks.”

“Good. Take a few trusted subordinates and keep watch at the street entrance.”

“Commander.” The respondent’s tone suddenly changed, becoming cautious yet crafty. “The tasks you’ve ordered me to perform, I have completed one by one. Those two people we’re watching might be imperial fugitives; transferring away the constables and runners is because we need to raid a thieves’ den in the southern district tonight and must use these men; as for the Patrolling Censor, everyone has their own connections, and inviting someone to drink is perfectly ordinary.”

He paused before continuing: “But now you want me to stand watch with you – this is proper official business. I am a subordinate of the Shuntian Prefecture, and I dare not obey orders unless the Prefect himself gives the command. After all, you are the Commander of the Divine Engine Battalion, and I dare not inquire about what business you’re conducting, much less have the qualifications to meddle in it.”

These words were soft yet firm. The man opposite was startled for a moment, then laughed coldly: “No wonder people call you ‘Glass Rat.’ Constable Liu, you really are slippery as an eel, watertight indeed.”

Constable Liu smiled apologetically: “Commander Yi mocks me. To survive on the streets of the capital, if one does well, there’s promotion and wealth; but if one is careless, who knows which ditch one might fall into. This little rat of mine depends entirely on noble persons like yourself for advancement.”

The man opposite was indeed Yi Sang’a, Commander of the Divine Engine Battalion. Ever since learning that Su Zixuan held evidence against him, he had been unable to rest day or night. In less than three months, his hair had turned white around the edges, making him look ten years older. Living like this was worse than death itself. Finally, he steeled his resolve to break into Su Zixuan’s home while both master and servant were present, seize the fatal evidence of treason, then kill to silence them and destroy all traces.

According to Su Zixuan’s claims, besides Sixi, she also had a page boy called “Sanxiao,” and the crucial evidence was in Sanxiao’s hands. Because of this, Yi Sang’a had never dared act rashly. He had his men secretly follow Su Zixuan’s master and servant, and after a period of observation, discovered no one had contacted them. Yi Sang’a suspected that Sanxiao was entirely Su Zixuan’s fabrication and decided to take the risk. Even if Sanxiao truly existed, as long as Su Zixuan died, there would be physical evidence but no witness. He was now Prince Chun’s favored general, and his father-in-law was also an important court minister – surely he wouldn’t be brought down by a mere boy?

“Forget it. Go handle your own affairs, but remember one thing: if a single word about today’s events leaks out, you’re asking for trouble.” Yi Sang’a impatiently waved his hand. The capital was heavily guarded, and breaking into homes to kill was no small matter. Though his arrangements were thorough, he had to consider the aftermath. He had originally planned to drag the Shuntian Prefecture into this, but hadn’t expected this constable to be as alert as a rabbit guarding its burrow. Though he readily agreed to help, when it came to serious matters, he wouldn’t wade into even a drop of muddy water, and it seemed he was already suspicious.

“Don’t worry, sir. Those in our line all have iron clasps on our mouths.”

After Constable Liu left, Yi Sang’a immediately began deploying his forces. For this matter, he dared only use his most trusted subordinates, but this was sufficient. His personal guards were all skilled Manchu warriors, each capable of fighting ten men, going against two weak women – even Yi Sang’a found it amusing.

But he had witnessed Su Zixuan’s formidable abilities. Not long ago, what happened at Prince Chun’s mansion still made Yi Sang’a shudder when he thought of it. If Su Zixuan had been captured then, if she had implicated him… Yi Sang’a truly dared not think further. She was determined to take revenge against the court, and who knew what earth-shaking disasters she might cause in the future. Next time, she might very well implicate him. At this thought, Yi Sang’a felt as if a hundred claws were scratching at his heart, making him unable to sit still.

But when the moment came to give the order, his thoughts drifted to distant places, back to when he first met Su Zixuan. She was still Princess Zixuan then, a bright-eyed beauty with unparalleled looks, the First Minister’s daughter. Born of humble origins himself, he was fortunate to be promoted by Minister Sushun, but this also drew jealousy and resentment from other generals. When he was the target of all arrows, Princess Zixuan, who was usually cold as ice toward men, actually looked favorably upon him. She didn’t hesitate to humble herself, using the example of Marquis Huaiyin Han Xin’s early struggles to console him. How grateful he had been then, even hoping something might happen so he could be injured or bleed for Princess Zixuan’s sake. Later, when he boldly declared his feelings to Princess Zixuan, that emotion was unforgettable to this day – as if her single word could truly determine his life or death.

“Clang… clang…” The sound of bells drifted through the air. Yi Sang’a’s heart trembled, his consciousness returning to his body. It was the bell from the Great Bell Temple in the western district of the “Five Districts of the Capital.” Who would have thought that now it was he who would determine Princess Zixuan’s life or death.

“Even if I don’t want wealth and honor, I cannot disregard my life and family. Moreover, I do want wealth and honor!” Yi Sang’a hesitated no more, forcefully waving his hand. “Rush in! Kill anyone you see!”

However, Su Zixuan’s three-courtyard residence was completely empty. The soldiers gripping steel blades kicked open door after door, all reporting back “no one inside.” Yi Sang’a’s expression grew increasingly ugly. He strode quickly through two courtyards, reaching the small courtyard of the final row of connected buildings. In the courtyard, a small pool was built with pebbles, and several red-backed carp, unaware of what was happening, swam leisurely back and forth in the pool.

Yi Sang’a stared intently at the door of the building, about to give an order when suddenly he heard the sound of someone playing a qin from inside. The music was passionate, and someone sang in a melodious voice: “The dodder vine is truly heartless, following the wind as it sways. Who made the female vine branch come and forcefully embrace it? Two grasses still share one heart, but human hearts are not like grass. Don’t roll up the dragon-whisker mat, let the silk threads grow from it. Just keep the amber pillow, perhaps dreams will come in time. Can spilled water be gathered to fill a cup again? An abandoned wife, once gone, can hardly return. Since ancient times, the fortunate never betray each other, but now only the Green Mound Platform remains.”

“It’s her! She’s in the room.” Yi Sang’a’s heart settled like a falling stone, and he couldn’t help feeling wildly joyful. But when he listened carefully to the song, his heart sank again.

It was Li Bai’s “White Hair Lament.” He and Princess Zixuan had once made vows of growing old together, but now on the Green Mound Platform, one branch of their intertwined tree was about to strangle the other.

As he pondered this, the qin music had already shifted from indignant mockery to melancholy longing, continuous and unending like lovesickness. The soldiers in the courtyard, though unversed in music, all listened as if entranced.

“I knew you would come eventually. If you didn’t come, you wouldn’t be you.” The qin music vibrated three times and ceased. As the lingering notes echoed around the beams, the melodious singer in the room spoke.

Yi Sang’a had not intended to say much, but when the moment came, he couldn’t help responding: “Times change. Don’t blame me – if you were in my position, you would do the same, perhaps even act sooner.”

“Is that so?” Su Zixuan laughed. “How well we know each other. I never thought you understood my heart so well.”

“If you have any unfulfilled wishes, I can help you settle them,” Yi Sang’a said in a heavy voice.

“Just you?” Su Zixuan’s voice was again filled with that mocking disdain. “My wish is for my enemies to die, and every one of them holds high positions and great power…”

“Silence!” Yi Sang’a broke out in a cold sweat, glancing left and right before urgently cutting off Su Zixuan.

“Yi Sang’a, oh Yi Sang’a! I once thought that kings, marquises, generals, and ministers were not born to their stations, so I looked favorably upon you, hoping you could soar to great heights. Who would have thought that in the end, you’re still just a dog seeking a master – you were never worthy of a phoenix!”

Yi Sang’a didn’t want to engage in pointless verbal disputes with her. He said curtly: “Stop talking about the past. Out of consideration for old feelings, I can let you die comfortably.”

“You mean suicide? Hmph! My father could have committed suicide back then, but he preferred to die by his enemies’ blades, leaving this hatred behind. You think letting me commit suicide will make you feel better, but I won’t grant your wish. If you’re a real man, kill me with your own hands.”

Yi Sang’a gritted his teeth: “You said it yourself.” With that, he adjusted his sword hilt and stepped toward the stairs.

“Wait.” Su Zixuan sighed softly. “This room houses my late father’s memorial tablet. Let me first light an incense stick before his spirit, then go down to accompany the old man.”

Yi Sang’a hesitated. Su Zixuan’s tone became less harsh than before: “The old gentleman treated you well in the past. With my death, his lineage will be extinct. Won’t you even allow him this final blood sacrifice?”

“Very well, just the time it takes for one incense stick.” Yi Sang’a waited outside the door. Before long, he caught a whiff of a strange fragrance, like musk and orchid combined. Being a frequent visitor to the Prince’s mansion now, his experience was incomparable to the past. He recognized this as the rare agarwood incense tribute presented by India during Emperor Qianlong’s eightieth birthday. It was said to contain one hundred and eight different fragrances. Not only had the production method been lost, but some of the ingredients had become extinct. Each stick burned meant one less remained. Even the imperial palace used it only during grand sacrificial ceremonies to Heaven. He hadn’t expected Su Zixuan to possess such a thing.

After a while, the evening breeze blew, the fragrance faded and did not return. Yi Sang’a knew the time had come. He slowly climbed the three steps and reached out to push open the door. Just then, an ominous premonition suddenly flashed through his mind. Once, when suppressing horse bandits in Gannan, a crossbow bolt had pierced through his shoulder, nearly taking his life. Just before that moment, he had felt this same sensation.

He suddenly turned around, walked a few steps to the center of the courtyard, and said to one of his personal guards: “Go in and kill anyone you see!”

“Yes!” Orders must be obeyed. The guard acknowledged the command, hefted his blade, and strode to the door. He kicked it open heavily, half-leaping inside. Yi Sang’a tensely clenched his fists, staring at the now-open door.

“Commander, there’s no one in this room…” The guard apparently looked around carefully after entering, then raised his voice to shout. But before he could finish this sentence, there was a thunderous “BOOM!” that shook heaven and earth. Fire flashed, thick smoke rose, doors and windows shattered and scattered everywhere. Half the roof of the building was blown off. The guard had long since been blown to pieces, his limbs severed, a section of intestine hanging from the window sill. The soldiers in the courtyard all suffered injuries of varying severity. Yi Sang’a, standing farthest away, also had his face slashed by flying roof tiles, nearly blinding his eyes. Blood flowed down his face, and his ears rang with a buzzing sound.

“Commander, you’re injured.” After the initial panic, an observant guard rushed over to inquire about his condition.

But Yi Sang’a couldn’t care about much else. He grabbed the guard by his jacket collar, his blood-covered face filled with malice as he asked: “What did he say at the end? What did he say?”

“He seemed to say… this room has no… no one?” the guard answered hesitantly.

Yi Sang’a let go of the guard in defeat, staring deadly at the scattered ruins of the building, suddenly letting out a roar of extreme anger and frustration.

At the same time, in an inconspicuous courtyard house just one street away, two people were looking at the black smoke rising in the distance.

Su Zixuan, knowing she was in a dangerous situation, had long ago dug a tunnel leading directly to this small courtyard as an escape route. Now that the explosives had detonated, the tunnel naturally collapsed. To dig through and find this place would take at least a day or two, giving the master and servant pair ample time to escape leisurely.

“Miss, that Yi Sang’a is truly an ungrateful wolf! I saw with my own eyes how he obeyed your every word in the past, worshipping you like Guanyin Bodhisattva. Now he bares his fangs and claws like a man-eater. It would serve him right if the explosion killed him!” Sixi said angrily.

Su Zixuan said nothing. Yi Sang’a was no longer worth caring about. She was thinking about what came next.

“Making such a commotion, we can no longer stay in the capital. In recent days, I lost my composure and took the risk of trying to kill Empress Dowager Cixi. Looking back now, it was too unwise. To kill a tiger, one must first break its claws and pull out its sharp teeth. Now, with claws and fangs still intact, I rashly fought the tiger. I never thought I could have such a foolish day.”

“Miss…” Sixi blinked repeatedly, clearly not understanding the meaning of her words.

“Currently, the court is using troops against the Taiping rebels. If not for relying on two people, they would have long ago lost their grip on the empire.”

“These two people are the court’s claws and teeth?” Sixi rolled her eyes. “Miss, you mean we’re going to eliminate these two people.”

“Eliminate…” Su Zixuan pondered for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, eliminate them, but one will be sent to hell, while the other will be sent to heaven.”

“Ah?” This time Sixi was completely confused.

“Just take good care of it.” Su Zixuan patted the book chest beside her. “For the two tasks we must now accomplish, one of them will certainly require what’s inside here.”

After hearing this, Sixi quietly stuck out her tongue, her expression becoming tense. She had secretly prayed that the contents of the book chest would never see the light of day, but now Su Zixuan was still setting her sights on these things. When Sixi thought about the consequences they would face, her whole body turned half cold.

“Little brother, Brother Gu, wake up! Your older brother arrived late and let you suffer. Please wake up!” Gu Pingyuan slowly awakened from unconsciousness. Just as he gained some clarity, he felt his body burning with pain as if roasted by fire oil, making him want to fall unconscious again to escape the suffering. However, a familiar voice kept calling his name, with sobs mixed in the calls. Gu Pingyuan half-opened his eyes and glanced beside him.

“Brother Hao? Brother Hao?” Gu Pingyuan’s vision was blurry, seeing only shadowy figures before him.

“It’s me! You’re awake? Oh my, Brother Gu, Heaven and Bodhisattva protect you, Heaven has eyes, Heaven has eyes!” The person before him was indeed Secretary Hao. Seeing Gu Pingyuan open his eyes and speak, he was so excited he kept exclaiming in praise.

“Where am I – the capital or Huizhou?”

“What capital or Huizhou? You’re still beyond the pass. Come, come, quickly bring water.” Secretary Hao had a servant bring a bowl of water to give to Gu Pingyuan.

“That won’t do. After receiving caning punishment, when one’s mouth is dry and tongue parched, one must endure and not drink water. Only this way will the injuries heal quickly.” Someone nearby offered a warning.

Secretary Hao quickly spilled the water and reached out to help Gu Pingyuan sit up halfway. Only then did Gu Pingyuan see that he was still at the execution ground, surrounded by the same group of exiled criminals, while Commander Xu stood nearby with a dark expression.

Seeing Gu Pingyuan’s confusion, Secretary Hao couldn’t be bothered with detailed explanations. He took out an official document from his breast pocket: “Little brother, press your handprint on this document, and from now on Shangyang Fort will have nothing to do with you.”

In his dazed state, Gu Pingyuan felt Secretary Hao press his hand into ink pad, then move it toward the document. He struggled slightly: “Let me look at it.”

“Hey, what’s there to look at? This is a document pardoning you. Quickly press your handprint.” Secretary Hao was eager to help Gu Pingyuan press down his handprint.

Commander Xu spoke sarcastically from the side: “Surname Gu, who would have thought that after your foray into the interior, you’ve made great progress, even managing to curry favor with those in the palace. Heh heh, now using a woman’s life to exchange for your own – you businessman really know how to make a profitable deal.”

Gu Pingyuan listened in bewilderment, grabbing Secretary Hao’s arm: “Brother Hao, what is he saying? What about using a woman’s life to exchange for mine?”

“This…” Secretary Hao glared angrily at Commander Xu, then looked with difficulty at the document in his hand.

Gu Pingyuan saw something was wrong. He grabbed a corner of the document and took it to read. After he managed to open his eyes wide and read through it, he suddenly cried out: “No! This absolutely cannot be done!” This shout affected his injuries all over his body, making him convulse with pain.

Before Secretary Hao could speak, Commander Xu’s eyes lit up. He turned and knelt on one knee: “General, you heard it all. This exile refuses to obey the imperial edict. In this case, the Ministry of Justice’s pardon is invalid. Please allow your subordinate to imprison him again.”

“Don’t… don’t…” Secretary Hao became anxious. “Let me persuade him.”

He spoke to Gu Pingyuan in a low voice: “Little brother, don’t be stubborn. This Xu clearly wants you dead. Even though I brought the Ministry of Justice document, I couldn’t stop him. If I hadn’t thought ahead and requested the Shengjing General from the main camp, today’s matter really couldn’t have been handled.”

Gu Pingyuan had no time to wonder how Secretary Hao, a ninth-rank official, could summon the Shengjing General at will. He just kept shaking his head: “Absolutely not, definitely not!” He pointed at Commander Xu before him. “If he wants to kill me, let him kill me. I’d rather give up this life than do such a thing!”

“Aiya!” Seeing Gu Pingyuan getting as excited as if he’d gone mad, Secretary Hao stamped his feet anxiously, at a loss for what to do. After thinking for a long time, he finally made up his mind, bent down, and whispered a few words to Gu Pingyuan.

After hearing this, Gu Pingyuan suddenly became quiet, staring at Secretary Hao as if he didn’t recognize him. After a long time, he squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: “You’re lying to me. You just want me to press my handprint on the document, isn’t that right?!”

Secretary Hao remained silent with a gray face. Gu Pingyuan, forgetting the pain in his body, grabbed Secretary Hao’s robe collar and shook him continuously.

“Speak! Speak!”

“I’m not lying to you.” Secretary Hao said with a heavy tone. “Brother Gu, I had no choice. Under those circumstances, I couldn’t consult with your family members. Besides, based on my understanding of your family, your mother and younger siblings would all agree with my approach.”

“But I don’t agree!” Gu Pingyuan’s eyes turned red, roaring furiously: “What right do you have to involve my family members? I’d rather die myself than implicate those around me, but now you… now…” Gu Pingyuan painfully held his head. He truly wished Commander Xu had beaten him to death earlier – that would have been better.

Seeing him like this, Secretary Hao also felt uncomfortable. After a moment of silence, he said: “Brother Gu, your older brother has indeed given you a difficult problem, but trust me just this once. As long as a person is alive, everything can be remedied. Are you really going to accept your fate? This isn’t the Gu Pingyuan I know!”

This reproach struck Gu Pingyuan like a whip to the heart. He raised his head and looked at Secretary Hao in bewilderment.

“Imperial edicts are imperial edicts, but you still have to carry out the actual work. With your intelligence and wisdom, can’t you think of a way to achieve both goals?”

As Gu Pingyuan listened, his eyes gradually brightened, clearly having moved from thoughts of “death” to other considerations. Seeing this, Secretary Hao dared not delay and quickly handed over the document. Gu Pingyuan hesitated for a moment, then finally pressed down both his thumb prints with trembling hands.

Commander Xu watched unblinkingly from the side. Seeing Gu Pingyuan escape death from his hands, he smiled coldly: “Earlier when you were being beaten, you didn’t make a sound, and I thought you were something special. In the end, you still have to rely on betraying a woman to save your life. What a coward!”

Gu Pingyuan suddenly raised his head, the fury blazing in his eyes making even Secretary Hao’s heart tremble. Gu Pingyuan was full of rage with nowhere to vent, and when Commander Xu showed his face, he had found his target. Gu Pingyuan thought to himself: Xu, you bastard! If it weren’t for you interfering, running from beyond the pass to Beijing to arrest me, by now I would have returned to Huizhou in glory with the “World’s First Tea” plaque, and how happy my mother would have been! Instead, you ruined everything. I nearly lost my life at Shangyang Fort, and moreover, having escaped danger now, do you know what conditions I’ve agreed to? Do you know what perilous situation my family has fallen into because of this? Now that the Shengjing General is here, excellent! I must deal with you thoroughly to eliminate future troubles and let you know that Gu is not a soft persimmon that can be squeezed at will!

“Brother Hao, do you have paper and brush?” Gu Pingyuan forced himself to calm down, glaring fiercely at Commander Xu while addressing Secretary Hao.

“Oh, you want paper and brush? Yes, yes, I have them.” Secretary Hao was a secretary by profession – secretaries always kept paper and brush at hand, carrying ink in a water bottle to avoid even grinding ink.

Using a chair as a table, sitting on the ground, Gu Pingyuan wrote in tiny characters with his brush. In a short time, he had densely filled a large sheet. Everyone present watched him, curious about what he was writing at such a crucial moment.

After finishing the last character, Gu Pingyuan shook the paper with its still-wet ink and indicated for Secretary Hao to show it to the Shengjing General.

“For the General?” Secretary Hao’s eyebrows and nose scrunched together. He looked at Gu Pingyuan and saw that although his body was weak and injured, his eyes were bright and his mind clear, so he mustered the courage to pass the paper up. A guard immediately took it and handed it to the secretary beside the General.

“General! You have seen for yourself that this Commander Xu is determined to put me to death. But why?” Gu Pingyuan struggled to support his body, looking around at the surrounding exiles. “The reason I had to flee beyond the pass in the first place was also because if I hadn’t left, I would certainly have died at Commander Xu’s hands. Don’t you want to know why?”

These words further aroused people’s interest. The exiles exchanged glances and crowded closer, and even the seated Shengjing General did not interrupt him.

“Everyone may know that since the clerk position at Shangyang Fort became vacant, I, Gu, temporarily filled the role because I could read and write, serving for over two years. All the detailed accounts of the camp for these two years were recorded by me. The reason Commander Xu wants to kill me is to silence me and cover up his crime of embezzling military funds!”

Corruption by commanders was known to all, but everyone lacked evidence, only spreading rumors by word of mouth. No one dared take it seriously, and for someone like Gu Pingyuan to make accusations to the Shengjing General in his status as an exile was unprecedented.

Commander Xu immediately became agitated. If not for the General’s presence, he could have drawn his sword and chopped Gu Pingyuan down: “You’re talking nonsense! Damn it, you dare slander me with false accusations. General, this criminal is clearly seeking revenge from personal grudges. Please order his execution!”

“Execute me? Heh heh…” Gu Pingyuan laughed, with a sense of vengeful satisfaction. “Have you forgotten that in the eleventh year of Xianfeng, the camp sent you to supervise ginseng digging at Black Pine Ridge, where you privately withheld ten catties of fine ginseng – that alone was worth over three thousand taels of silver. When the camp procured military horses, you passed off inferior ones as quality stock, profiting from the scheme. In the summer of Xianfeng’s tenth year and autumn of the eleventh year, you did this twice, embezzling over ten thousand taels. And there was the matter of purchasing foreign guns from the Russians – you colluded with them to inflate prices deliberately, betraying your own people and making the camp pay an extra five thousand taels. In the end, wasn’t it I who helped you cover up all these accounts?” The more Commander Xu listened, the paler his face became. Some of these matters had become blurred even in his own memory due to the passage of time, yet Gu Pingyuan remembered them as clearly as if they had happened yesterday.

Gu Pingyuan kowtowed upward: “General, please see clearly – this humble citizen is merely an exile, my life held in Commander Xu’s hands. Whatever he ordered me to do, I could only obediently comply. But I kept all these matters in my heart. Even his embezzlement of hundreds or dozens of taels, I remember it all. Everything is written on that paper. You need only find a skilled accountant to locate the old records and check them one by one – he won’t be able to deny it!”

It was truly fortunate that Gu Pingyuan had such a good memory. This single strike on the spot rendered Commander Xu speechless, cold sweat trickling down his brow bone, his body involuntarily trembling slightly.

Although a commander’s embezzlement would not be a capital offense as long as the money was returned in full, this was still satisfying enough for revenge. The exiles present first listened quietly, but as they heard more, they became increasingly delighted, unable to help but cheer loudly.

Commander Xu’s face had initially flushed red like pig’s liver, but now all color had drained from it. Though his back was to the Shengjing General, he could feel a pair of sharp eyes staring at him. “Damn it, if you won’t let me live well, I’ll drag you down with me!” Commander Xu’s evil rose from his heart. He pressed the spring mechanism and drew his waist saber with a “clang,” taking an arrow-swift step toward Gu Pingyuan.

At this moment, Gu Pingyuan had no strength to fight back, not even enough to lift a hand in defense. Secretary Hao was a scholar who wielded a brush, not a sword. Watching Commander Xu charge over like a demon, there truly was no one nearby who could help. If Liu Heita had been at his side, that would have been useful, but Secretary Hao had sent him to Beijing to watch over the goods – a thousand li away, he couldn’t help in this emergency.

Seeing disaster about to strike, Secretary Hao’s heart turned cold.

In the blink of an eye, Commander Xu had reached them, raising his blade to strike downward, but suddenly his wrist was seized. Not only was his wrist grabbed, but his ankle was also caught, someone embraced him around the waist from the front, and someone locked his neck from behind. Commander Xu was no Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu. In this predicament, he could neither break free nor shake loose, roaring continuously as he was lifted up.

Only then did Gu and Secretary Hao understand – the watching prisoners had rushed forward and captured this domineering commander on the spot.

Gu Pingyuan had sustained himself to this point with one breath, but could support himself no longer. Feeling the world spinning, he tried to steady himself by grasping a chair to stand, but his legs gave out and he fell to the ground, knowing nothing more.

When he awakened again, he was lying on a large kang, with an extremely soft mattress beneath him and a fragrant embroidered quilt covering him. The entire room was filled with the pervasive scent of medicinal herbs.

Gu Pingyuan tried to move, his muscles and bones aching as if torn apart. Gritting his teeth, he attempted to sit up halfway. The door curtain lifted, and Fourth Sister Tian entered carrying a bowl of medicine. Seeing Gu Pingyuan awake, she joyfully called toward the door: “Master Hao, come quickly! Brother Gu is awake!”

Secretary Hao was just outside. Hearing this, he quickly walked in, also wearing a broad smile. He first said to Fourth Sister Tian: “It’s all because these past two days you’ve been giving Brother Gu the finest ginseng to nourish him. I’ve never seen anyone recover from injuries so quickly.” He paused, then continued: “Miss Tian, I’d like to speak privately with Brother Gu.”

“Mm, then speak.” Fourth Sister Tian nodded.

“Well…” Fourth Sister Tian was a straightforward person who had never spoken behind anyone’s back in her life. She didn’t understand what Secretary Hao meant at all, leaving him somewhat stunned.

Seeing this, Gu Pingyuan said: “Fourth Miss, I think Brother Hao has something to say to me alone.”

“Oh, so that’s it. You should just say so directly instead of being so roundabout.” Fourth Sister Tian complained, placed the ginseng soup on the table, instructed Gu Pingyuan to drink it while it was hot, then left the room.

After she left, Secretary Hao didn’t speak either, pacing back and forth on the ground. Gu Pingyuan waited anxiously and spoke first: “Brother Hao, where is this place? Are we still at Shangyang Fort?”

“No, this is Panshan Post Station, the back hall of Tianzhuang Medicine Shop.”

“Eh, how do you know people from Tianzhuang?”

“While you were unconscious, you kept calling Chang Yu’er’s name, saying something about finding her at Tianzhuang. So I inquired all the way and found the place. Fortunately, it’s not far from Shangyang Fort. This Miss Tian treats you very well indeed. When she saw you so severely injured, she immediately burst into tears. She said the finest medicinal materials were all at Panshan Post Station, and rather than traveling back and forth for medicine, it would be better to bring you here by cart to recuperate. So I came along.”

“Where’s Yu’er? She’s here too, right?”

This should have been natural, but Secretary Hao’s expression changed slightly. He evasively nodded vaguely and changed the subject.

“Brother Gu, I know all about your current difficulties, but you haven’t fully understood them yourself. When you’re feeling better in a day or two, I’ll explain everything in detail.”

“No, I’m fine now. Brother Hao, just tell me everything straight out. I have a bellyful of questions I want to ask you.”

Secretary Hao knew that keeping these doubts bottled up inside, causing constant anxiety, would not benefit Gu Pingyuan’s recovery. He nodded: “Ask away. I’ll have to tell you sooner or later anyway.”

“Was the matter of Bai Yimei your idea?”

Secretary Hao shook his head: “It was Master Qiao’s idea, but I strongly agreed. To tell the truth, this was a brilliant move from a desperate position – we really didn’t know how else to save you.”

“But how can I do such a thing! Master Qiao and you both know what happened. Teacher Bai died to save me, and now I’m going to harm his daughter in return – am I not worse than a beast? Besides, Bai Yimei and I, and I…”

“I know, I know it all.” Secretary Hao nodded slowly, constantly trying to persuade him. “Bai Yimei was your childhood sweetheart, Teacher Bai’s kindness to you was as heavy as a mountain. This is an emergency measure – you’re such a clever person, why are you being so inflexible?”

“How am I being inflexible? The Ministry of Justice document you brought clearly states that I must return to Huizhou to lure and capture Bai Yimei, then use her as bait to catch Chen Yucheng. What kind of people are they? They’re rebels and rebel associates. If caught, they face death by a thousand cuts. How can I do such a thing! If I cause Bai Yimei’s death, I… I won’t be able to face my teacher in the afterlife.”

Seeing Gu Pingyuan becoming agitated and incoherent again, Secretary Hao quickly stopped him: “Brother, calm down and listen to me.”

“No!” Gu Pingyuan wasn’t finished yet. His voice grew louder and his words faster: “You also told me that I must agree whether I want to or not, because once my old acquaintance with the Ying Prince’s consort was reported to the Ministry of Justice, they immediately issued documents to Huizhou. Now my mother and younger siblings have all been detained at the Provincial Governor’s office. Brother Hao, you’re making me an unfilial rebellious son! How could you implicate my mother in my affairs? If anything happens to them, I could die a hundred deaths and still not atone!”

“This matter was also within Master Qiao’s expectations. The court needs some leverage, doesn’t it? They can’t just release you without holding anything that could control you. What if you ran away? Who could be at ease?”

“According to what you’re saying, either Bai Yimei dies, or my mother, my mother… Sigh, in any case, someone won’t end well. Let me tell you, whichever of these two things happens, I can only apologize with death. You and Master Qiao’s rescue of me would be in vain.”

“Brother Gu, come, come, drink the ginseng soup first.” Secretary Hao sat down across from Gu Pingyuan. “As they say, ‘Those not involved remain clear while those concerned become confused’ – you’re just caught in a mental trap.” He pointed at Gu Pingyuan. “Master Qiao has a letter that explains the reasoning very clearly. I came in such haste that I didn’t bring the letter, but I remember his words: ‘The court speaks of capture, but the court is a thousand li away; what I call surrender, the timing of action should be decided by the heart.’ These are Master Qiao’s exact words – you might ponder them.”

“Capture? Surrender?” Gu Pingyuan repeated blankly.

“Exactly!” Secretary Hao smiled with satisfaction. “Master Qiao’s meaning is for you to change luring and capturing into recruiting surrender. Ah, this makes all the difference! Chen Yucheng is a great Taiping general. Right now Hong the rebel depends entirely on him and Li Xiucheng. If he surrenders to the court, hehe, the Taipings would lose half their strength. Do you think the court would treat him poorly? Of course he can’t be made a prince, but a garrison general at the very least is certain. And Bai Yimei would be a first-rank lady! Isn’t this a good outcome?”

Seeing Gu Pingyuan still in a daze, he continued: “I know you’ve always had a knot in your heart about this childhood sweetheart. Now you have such a good opportunity – you can help her under the court’s banner. If successful, she’ll achieve proper status, and you’ll escape your exile identity. Wouldn’t that kill two birds with one stone?”

Gu Pingyuan smiled bitterly to himself. With someone else, this might actually be possible, but he had personally met Ying Prince Chen Yucheng and spent time with him. If this man could surrender, the sun could truly rise from the west.

But regardless, Secretary Hao’s words at least let him see a glimmer of hope in his death-bound state of mind. “Things depend on human effort. For my family, for Bai Yimei, I must make this work no matter what!” With this determination in his heart, Gu Pingyuan immediately looked different. Where before his face had been ashen with defeat, now it showed vitality.

Secretary Hao had sharp eyes and immediately saw that Gu Pingyuan had come around. He nodded with relief: “Since you’re no longer troubled by this matter, I have something else to tell you. Lanxue Tea now has three shareholders.”

“Three?” Originally in the capital, Gu Pingyuan had agreed with Old Master Hu that his family’s Lanxue Tea would henceforth be sold through the Hu family’s “Tailai” tea house. This arrangement allowed him to focus on managing the tea plantation while the Hu family had established business channels, saving him from having to seek buyers himself. This was equivalent to Lanxue Tea becoming a shareholder in the Hu family’s tea business. Though Second Master Hou was extremely reluctant, business matters were decided by Old Master Hu as long as he was alive. Thus Lanxue Tea had two shareholders, with profits split seventy-thirty – seventy percent for the Gu family, thirty percent for the Hu family. How had a third shareholder appeared?

“The additional one is An Dehai.” Secretary Hao told Gu Pingyuan about everything that had happened during this period. To save Gu Pingyuan, relying solely on Master Qiao’s plan wasn’t enough. The official document he had issued with the county office seal could at most prove that Gu Pingyuan had close ties with the Ying Prince’s consort, but to use this as grounds for the Ministry of Justice to pardon Gu Pingyuan back to Huizhou still required a Ministry document.

Though Secretary Hao knew several people in the capital, his influence wasn’t sufficient for this matter. After much thought, he considered An Dehai.

Gu Pingyuan had originally met An Dehai through Kou Liancai, and Kou Liancai had gained An Dehai’s favor by introducing him to such a “god of wealth,” receiving An Dehai’s care in the palace. When Gu Pingyuan’s incident occurred, the whole of Beijing knew about it. Eunuchs love to spread news, so Kou Liancai quickly learned of it in the palace and became extremely anxious, sending people to the inn every few days to inquire about news. Thus Secretary Hao naturally became acquainted with this old friend of Gu Pingyuan who served in the palace.

Therefore, Secretary Hao contacted An Dehai through Kou Liancai, hoping he could use his position as Deputy Chief Eunuch in the palace to mediate and make this happen.

“That boy An Dehai is quite ruthless. At first it was absolutely no, one hundred times no. He said Empress Dowager Cixi was furious upon learning that her personally appointed ‘Tea King’ turned out to be a fugitive exile, feeling she had lost face. Anyone who touched this matter at this juncture would be unlucky. But from what I could see, he just wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. In the end, didn’t he still name a high price?”

“We don’t have much silver left. Don’t tell me he took it all?” Eunuchs were notoriously greedy, so though Gu Pingyuan had initially spent ten thousand taels on An Dehai, hearing that he was extorting them again didn’t surprise him at all.

“What he wanted was more than silver. He wanted to split Lanxue Tea’s profits with you fifty-fifty!”

“Oh!” That was truly opening his mouth like a lion. Gu Pingyuan didn’t believe Secretary Hao would have agreed to such terms.

“Of course that was impossible. I fought and fought, and finally gave him a twenty percent dry share. But let me be clear – this includes the Hu family’s shares.” Though this was the case, there was no reason to make the Hu family suffer, so the Hu family’s shareholding remained unchanged. It became: Gu family fifty percent, Hu family thirty percent, An Dehai twenty percent.

Though the cost was enormous, when human life was at stake, requesting someone like An Dehai to handle affairs required such unavoidable expenses. Gu Pingyuan naturally had nothing to say.

An Dehai approached a director at the Ministry of Justice. Whether he was using false authority or Empress Dowager Cixi had also received benefits, the deal was made. But all this back-and-forth took considerable time. Secretary Hao, clutching the Ministry of Justice document he’d obtained, hurried beyond the pass to save him.

“Before leaving, An Dehai taught me what to say. It turns out Empress Dowager Cixi’s late father once served as an official in Anhui. Many court nobles know this. He told me to use this banner everywhere, making people think you, as a Huizhou local, were old acquaintances with the Empress Dowager’s family. This would make things more convenient. I followed his plan, and when I vaguely mentioned this at the main camp, even the Shengjing General was intimidated. If he hadn’t personally come to the execution ground, I think that Commander Xu wouldn’t even have honored the Ministry of Justice document.”

So that was it. Gu Pingyuan finally understood the whole cause and effect. He looked up thoughtfully for a while, then said: “Brother Hao, I was too hasty earlier and spoke offensively. Please don’t blame me.”

“Hey, we’re brothers – why talk about such things? This time was truly dangerous. If I’d arrived a step later, tsk tsk, your life would have been finished.”

“Yes.” Gu Pingyuan also sighed in reflection. “By the way, Yu’er must be so worried. She… is she still at Tianzhuang, didn’t she come to Panshan Post Station?” This was really unreasonable. If Chang Yu’er were here, she would have flown over the moment Gu Pingyuan awakened. No, she would have stayed by Gu Pingyuan’s side constantly. Yet after Gu and Secretary Hao had talked for so long, Chang Yu’er was nowhere to be seen. Gu Pingyuan felt something wasn’t quite right.

“Where did Yu’er go?”

“Miss Tian, Miss Tian!” Instead of answering, Secretary Hao called out twice. When Fourth Sister Tian entered the room, he said: “My brother is asking where his wife is. Miss Tian, you’ll have to tell him.”

“What?” Gu Pingyuan asked in alarm.

Fourth Sister Tian’s face showed both guilt and regret: “Brother Gu, I’m truly sorry. I didn’t keep watch over sister-in-law properly.”

“What happened to her?” Gu Pingyuan was startled and asked urgently.

“I don’t know either. Originally everything was arranged well – she would stay temporarily at Tianzhuang for a few days while I sent people to the camp to gather information. If Brother Gu you really… really… then I would personally escort sister-in-law back to Huizhou. If there was a turn for the better, we would act accordingly.”

But the next day, Chang Yu’er was gone. This drove Fourth Sister Tian nearly mad. She sent out everyone in Tianzhuang who could move to search for her, inquiring at all the villages large and small within a hundred li radius, but found no trace. Fourth Sister Tian thought Chang Yu’er had secretly gone to Shangyang Fort, so she sent people there to search, but they found nothing either. Then Master Hao arrived with Gu Pingyuan, so she had to tend to this first, though she didn’t neglect the search for Chang Yu’er, sending out other people. But there was still no news.

Fourth Sister Tian spoke rapidly, saying a great deal in a short time, but it all amounted to one sentence: “Chang Yu’er is missing.”

Truly one wave had not settled before another arose. How could Gu Pingyuan not be anxious? He was so worried he immediately tried to get up to search for her personally, but Secretary Hao and Fourth Sister Tian managed to persuade him not to.

Secretary Hao said: “Brother, don’t be anxious. I estimate your wife might have returned to the capital to find her older brother. We might have passed by each other, and with my severe nearsightedness, I wouldn’t have seen her. Don’t worry, I’ve already sent a servant on horseback back to the capital to inquire. Once we have news, he’ll return to report. It’s just a matter of two or three days. You should focus on healing. Don’t let your wife be found while your injuries flare up from worry – that would be counterproductive. Don’t forget, you still have important business to handle when you return to Huizhou. How can you manage with injuries?”

Secretary Hao spoke golden words of wisdom, but Gu Pingyuan was preoccupied with Chang Yu’er and couldn’t listen to a single sentence. Since his injuries prevented him from getting up, he had to force himself to lie in bed. His mind was turbulent and he couldn’t sleep at night. Later, unable to lie still, he propped himself against the wall, looking out the window and listening to the sounds in the courtyard, hoping Chang Yu’er’s voice would suddenly ring out. Winter was approaching, and every household was pasting window paper. Secretary Hao had never seen the northeastern oddity of “pasting window paper on the outside,” and Fourth Sister Tian’s habit of “a grown girl smoking a big pipe” amazed him even more.

In these few days, Fourth Sister Tian had become familiar with him. Both had easygoing personalities, and they usually lit each other’s tobacco. When Fourth Sister Tian said he was making a fuss over nothing, Secretary Hao wasn’t annoyed. Instead, he composed a humorous poem that made Fourth Sister Tian laugh heartily. Actually, Secretary Hao was intentionally trying to cheer up Gu Pingyuan, but Gu Pingyuan was full of worries and couldn’t smile at all.

When Fourth Sister Tian brought the ginseng soup, Gu Pingyuan thanked her and said: “Fourth Miss, I’ve heard these past few days that your shop is very busy. You’re the head manager – you shouldn’t personally do things like serving tea and water. Go tend to your business.”

Fourth Sister Tian glared at him: “If not for you, how would Tianzhuang have this business? If you keep being so formal, I’ll get angry.”

“Fine, I won’t be formal. Since that’s the case, I have something to say about this shop’s business.” Gu Pingyuan’s head ached from thinking about where Chang Yu’er had gone, so he tried to think about other things to ease his worries. Being someone who couldn’t sit idle, as soon as his injuries improved slightly, he involuntarily turned his attention to business matters again.

The deceased Master Tian, Fourth Sister Tian’s father, had once wholeheartedly wanted to recruit Gu Pingyuan as the head manager of his medicine shop. Gu Pingyuan, grateful for this recognition, felt responsible for Tianzhuang’s medicine shop. In the past day or two, listening to Fourth Sister Tian discuss business in the courtyard, he felt this girl had excellent management skills – decisive and clear in rewards and punishments – but she wasn’t skilled in business matters. At the very least, there was a great opportunity for the medicine shop to make a fortune right before her eyes, yet she hadn’t seen it.

Some days ago, when Gu Pingyuan passed through Panshan Post Station and found Tianzhuang Medicine Shop, asking a clerk to inform Fourth Sister Tian, he had arranged everything properly. Ordinarily, anyone else in this situation wouldn’t have the mind for other matters, but this was Gu Pingyuan’s exceptional quality – he paid attention to everything. Just by looking at the medicine shop’s counter and the price list posted behind it, he discovered a major problem.

“Fourth Miss, as the saying goes, ‘Those by mountains live off mountains, those by water live off water.’ Tianzhuang is situated by the white mountains and black waters, with abundant medicinal materials, so you can operate such a large medicine shop, selling local medicinal materials and old ginseng dug from Changbai Mountain to the south. As you said, since Niuzhuang opened its port, foreign ships and steamers shuttle back and forth, making this business even better. You must have made a lot of money, right?”

“To be honest with Brother Gu, as for money, how much is considered a lot? There’s no fixed measure. But right now, all the herb farmers in Tianzhuang depend on this shop to sell their goods.”

Gu Pingyuan nodded: “Direct production and sales is indeed good business. Then let me ask you – have you ever considered buying southern specialty medicinal materials and supplying them in large quantities to northern medicine merchants in your shop?”

“This… I really haven’t thought of that. Isn’t southern medicine northern transport always done at the Anguo medicine market in Zhili?” Fourth Sister Tian knew something about this.

“Yes, but who decreed it must be done at Anguo?” Gu Pingyuan counted on his fingers to calculate this detailed account for Fourth Sister Tian. “Previously, southern medicine merchants could only do business with Anguo medicine market. If they traveled the great distance beyond Shanhai Pass to transport southern medicines to Fengtian, the travel expenses and losses would be unbearable. But now with the foreigners’ steamers, things are different. Anguo medicine market can no longer monopolize southern medicinal materials so easily. Currently, medicine merchants west of the capital must go to Fengtian for northern medicines and to Zhili for southern medicines. Purchasing medicines twice a year means making two round trips, hiring clerks, carts, horses, and bodyguards – the expenses are considerable. If Tianzhuang Medicine Shop could purchase southern medicines in large quantities and sell both northern and southern medicinal materials together, medicine merchants could save one unnecessary round trip per year, saving a large sum of money. Even if your medicinal materials cost more, they’d still come here to buy – it saves time, effort, and money. Who wouldn’t be happy?”

Fourth Sister Tian listened with her mouth slightly agape, turning her eyes thoughtfully for a long time before slowly breaking into a smile: “Brother Gu, this idea is truly excellent! How did I never think of it before? If we do this, forget my father’s wish of opening the largest medicine shop in southern Liaoning – even if all the medicine shops in Zhili, Rehe, and Fengtian were put together, their business wouldn’t be bigger than Tianzhuang Medicine Shop’s.”

“There are two additional benefits to this. First, Panshan Post Station’s location is truly excellent – going north, you can also do business with Mongolians and Russians, who also need large quantities of southern medicines and could purchase from you in the future. Second, southern medicine merchants also need northern medicines. You wouldn’t need cash – you could barter goods for goods, lowering procurement costs and increasing profits.” Gu Pingyuan spoke unhurriedly while Fourth Sister Tian grew increasingly excited as she listened.

“Oh my, Brother Gu, if we do business this way, it would be incredibly enormous.”

“In the future, Tianzhuang Medicine Shop will certainly have many branch stores. I might even see one in Huizhou.” Gu Pingyuan said with a laugh.

“When that time comes, I’ll really worry about not having enough manpower, especially lacking talented people who can serve as head managers.” Fourth Sister Tian glanced at Gu Pingyuan. “If I had followed my father’s wishes back then, there would be no such worries.”

Gu Pingyuan understood the meaning in Fourth Sister Tian’s words – she still wanted him to help her with the medicine business. This business was indeed excellent. If done well, within a few years, Panshan Post Station could replace Anguo and become the transshipment point for northern and southern medicinal materials, earning gold by the bushel without problem. But he had no mind for this now. Having offered the idea showed his good intentions, but as for the business itself, he truly couldn’t help. He could only smile apologetically at Fourth Sister Tian.

“Brother Gu, what are you thinking about?” Fourth Sister Tian saw him lost in thought and asked.

“Oh, I was thinking that since foreign merchants entered China, many things have become different from before. Take the Anguo medicine market – it’s been there for hundreds of years since the founding of the dynasty, but now it faces crises on all sides and may be difficult to sustain.”

“That’s because they don’t have capable people like Brother Gu there. Otherwise, they could think of solutions too.”

Gu Pingyuan smiled: “Human effort can indeed overcome circumstances, but in today’s world, doing business is increasingly difficult. There are many opportunities, but also many crises. Fourth Miss, I’ll give you six words – I hope you’ll keep them in your heart.”

“Tell me.”

“Stay alert, stay vigilant, show mercy.”

Fourth Sister Tian silently repeated these twice in her mind, then looked up at Gu Pingyuan.

“Staying alert means there are business opportunities everywhere, but not everywhere has perceptive people. If you can think one step ahead of others, the opportunities for profit will naturally be yours. Staying vigilant means the opposite – business involves calculation. You calculate against others, and others calculate against you, so naturally you must be vigilant in everything.”

“What about showing mercy?”

Gu Pingyuan pondered for a moment and said: “Showing mercy means don’t push things to extremes. When there’s food, everyone should eat together. Even if you could take away the entire pot, you should show mercy and at least leave people a bowl to eat from. Otherwise, there will be endless troubles.” This was approaching the realm of “Tao.” As Gu Pingyuan spoke, he glanced at Fourth Sister Tian and said softly: “You certainly haven’t forgotten the name Luo Siju.”

Fourth Sister Tian’s heart trembled. After pondering several times, she said resolutely: “I understand what you mean. I won’t repeat my enemy’s mistakes. Even if I gain the upper hand in the future, I’ll never drive people to desperation. I’ll only plant flowers, not thorns, and won’t monopolize the medicinal materials business.”

“Good.” This was exactly what Gu Pingyuan wanted to say. Now that Fourth Sister Tian understood, he felt greatly relieved. Just as he was about to discuss more about operating southern medicines with her, suddenly there was a great commotion in the courtyard – it sounded like someone had barged in.

“Where’s my sister? Where’s my brother-in-law?” This person’s loud voice was more resonant than a bronze gong. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he shouted loudly. Shop assistants rushed to stop him, but he pushed them around like bowling pins.

Fourth Sister Tian saw through the half-closed window, her eyebrows raised as she prepared to go out. Gu Pingyuan also saw and quickly called out: “Brother Heita, I’m here.”

Hearing this, the man strode directly into the room. Regardless of there being a lady present, seeing Gu Pingyuan, he grinned with joy: “Hey, brother-in-law, finally found you! I was so anxious – gnawing steamed buns with cold water, didn’t dismount once the whole journey.”

The newcomer was naturally Liu Heita. Fourth Sister Tian was confused. Hearing this big black man call Gu Pingyuan “brother-in-law” while Gu Pingyuan called him “brother” – how was this relationship figured?

She didn’t know the inside story. After the marriage agreement was made, Liu Heita changed to calling Gu Pingyuan “brother-in-law.” Gu Pingyuan naturally should have changed to calling him “elder brother,” but Liu Heita stopped him, saying: “Brother-in-law, there aren’t many people in the world I respect, but for you, I’m completely convinced. I call you ‘brother-in-law’ based on my sister’s relationship, but I don’t want you calling me ‘elder brother.’ I just want to be your brother. Anyway, I’m father’s adopted son, so calling it this way doesn’t violate propriety.”

No one expected this rough man Liu Heita could speak such profound reasoning. Gu Pingyuan felt embarrassed and called him “elder brother” several times, but Liu Heita never acknowledged it. Having no choice, he changed back to calling him “Brother Heita,” and only then did he respond.

Of course, there was no need to explain these details to Fourth Sister Tian. Gu Pingyuan’s first question was: “Where’s Yu’er? Did she return to Beijing?”

Almost simultaneously, Liu Heita also asked: “Did you find my sister?”

After both spoke, they were both stunned. Liu Heita paused, then this time his grin turned to tears. He cried woefully: “It’s over, my sister is lost! Oh no, my sister is lost! How can I explain this to father…”

As he cried, he suddenly jumped up with a “whoosh,” his eyes bulging as he looked left and right, seemingly planning to find someone to vent his anger on. In the room, there was Gu Pingyuan recovering from injuries in bed and Fourth Sister Tian who was a woman. Fortunately, Secretary Hao entered, and Liu Heita finally caught someone, grabbing him by the collar: “You came beyond the pass to save someone – how did you save one but lose another? You owe me my sister!”

Secretary Hao was startled by the sudden grab, then found it both funny and exasperating: “When I arrived here, your sister was already missing. What does that have to do with me?”

“Then… then who should I look for?” Liu Heita said through his tears.

Fourth Sister Tian most detested seeing men cry and wail. She glared: “Why are you crying, you big oaf? Think of solutions when there are problems – what use is crying!”

“You!” Liu Heita raised his vinegar-bowl-sized fist to strike, but seeing the speaker was a woman, he froze there.

“Brother Heita, calm down first.” Gu Pingyuan’s heart was also like a hundred claws scratching. After all, this was his wife – a delicate woman alone in the wilderness. This frontier was not like the interior; bandits and brigands were everywhere. If anything happened… Gu Pingyuan dared not think further.

“Since Yu’er didn’t return to the capital, where could she have gone?” This question stumped everyone.

“Shanxi! She went back to her hometown in Shanxi!” Liu Heita slapped his forehead.

“No, back in Beijing, Miss Chang was clear: she lived as a member of the Gu family and would die as a ghost of the Gu family. If you ask me, she might have gone to Huizhou alone. Could she be planning to care for your mother and younger siblings, fulfilling filial duties in your place?” Secretary Hao said to Gu Pingyuan.

Fourth Sister Tian had a sudden realization: “I think Master Hao makes sense. Sister-in-law is that kind of person – she may not speak much, but she has firm resolve in her heart.”

Everyone had different opinions, but Gu Pingyuan remained silent. Secretary Hao’s analysis seemed reasonable, but Gu Pingyuan had a vague feeling it wasn’t right. He still remembered that before the incident at Tianzhuang, Chang Yu’er seemed to harbor deep fear about returning to Huizhou.

Not in the capital, not in Shanxi, and if Huizhou wasn’t where she wanted to go either, where could Chang Yu’er have gone? Unless… Gu Pingyuan exclaimed “Ah!” and his face changed color.

“Little brother, did you think of something?” Secretary Hao asked urgently, while the others all looked over attentively.

Gu Pingyuan gritted his teeth and propped himself up, saying to Fourth Sister Tian: “Fourth Miss, please have someone harness a cart. I’m going to find Yu’er right now.”

“Your injuries aren’t healed yet. You figured out where sister-in-law is? Tell me quickly, I’ll go find her for you.”

“Yes, I’ll go. Brother-in-law, you rest.” Liu Heita also eagerly offered.

“No, no. If you go, she still won’t come back. She must think I’m dead and won’t believe you. I must go myself.”

Secretary Hao asked puzzledly: “You’d better explain clearly – where exactly did Miss Chang go?”

Gu Pingyuan waved his hand: “Even if I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. Just come with me.”

Unable to dissuade him, everyone had to comply. Money truly made things easy. Tianzhuang being such a large business, the back courtyard’s stables had several ready carts. With Fourth Sister Tian’s command, two of the finest horse carts were immediately brought over, lined with thick bedding, and supplied with dried food and water. Fourth Sister Tian was worried and insisted on going along. Several people got into the carts and hurriedly left Panshan Post Station.

When they reached the main road and Gu Pingyuan indicated the direction, everyone was dumbfounded. They weren’t heading to Shanxi or Huizhou, but toward the northern mountains.

“This is impossible. Miss Chang is alone with no relatives or friends locally. How could she go toward the Greater Khingan Mountains?” Fourth Sister Tian found it incredible.

“Sigh, this is all my fault.” Gu Pingyuan sighed. “Originally I told her that if Heaven opened its eyes and I didn’t die this time, we’d go to the Evenk settlements in the Greater Khingan Mountains, build a small house there, and hunt and farm with the Evenks.”

“That was just casual talk. She wouldn’t really go live in the deep mountains for a lifetime over one sentence, would she?” Indeed, when spoken aloud, all three didn’t believe it.

Gu Pingyuan frowned. Though he didn’t argue, he seemed convinced that Chang Yu’er was in the Greater Khingan Mountains. Since Gu Pingyuan was Chang Yu’er’s husband and he said to search there, the others could only follow. If they didn’t find her, they’d discuss it then – after all, there were no other leads at present.

The large cart followed the only road leading to the Greater Khingan Mountains, traveling for two days and nights. The further they went, the worse the road became – so bumpy it nearly shook their bones apart. Gu Pingyuan’s injuries weren’t fully healed, and the cart’s jolting was like torture for him, yet he gritted his teeth and endured silently. Finally, on the third morning, they reached the edge of a great mountain where the road ended, and beyond were mountain paths impassable for carts.

“Wow, what a huge mountain!” Liu Heita jumped down from the cart and cried out at the sight. Before them stretched a dark mountain range across the horizon, as if separating the earth. The mountain was covered with lush vegetation – red pine, white birch, and ash trees. Occasionally a few deer emerged from the forest, but seeing people from afar, they immediately ran back.

“These deer are so afraid of people – there must be Evenk hunters living nearby. Let’s go ask around.” Gu Pingyuan said with certainty. If Chang Yu’er had really come here, she certainly wouldn’t have gone too deep into the mountains. Following the path, she might be nearby.

They drove toward where they saw smoke rising and indeed encountered an Evenk village. Among them, only Gu Pingyuan had dealt with Evenks during his time at the camp and could speak a few words of their language. The others could only stare blankly and listen.

Soon Gu Pingyuan returned, his expression both joyful and worried.

“Brother-in-law, did you find out anything?”

Gu Pingyuan didn’t speak, but determined his bearings and started walking.

“They said a few days ago, a Han woman came here wanting to stay. They didn’t want to live together with Han people and tried to drive her away.”

“What happened then?” Liu Heita was most concerned.

“The woman wept bitterly and begged not to leave. The Evenks had no choice but to give her an abandoned wooden cabin in a nearby mountain hollow, along with some farming tools and drinking water. Several days have passed now, and they don’t know how the woman is doing.”

These few words left everyone stunned. Liu Heita stammered “That… that…” for a long time without saying a complete sentence. Secretary Hao and Fourth Sister Tian also looked at each other speechlessly. Only Gu Pingyuan, having mentally prepared himself, was worried but simply quickened his pace.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too far. They spent half an hour crossing a mountain ridge, then walked down into the hollow. Soon they could see the brown roof of the wooden cabin. At this moment, a long wolf howl echoed from the distant mountains. Liu Heita, usually bold and unafraid of wolf howls or even tiger roars, felt his heart tighten this time. He muttered: “It’s been several days now, and there are so many wild beasts in the mountains. I hope nothing happened to my sister.”

Secretary Hao, heavy-bodied, was already panting after walking less than an hour. Hearing Liu Heita’s words, he said irritably: “Stop saying unlucky things.”

Fourth Sister Tian saw Gu Pingyuan not watching his steps, his gaze fixed on the small wooden cabin. She advised: “Things have come to this – don’t be too anxious. Watch your step – falling here would be serious.”

Before she finished speaking, Gu Pingyuan suddenly grabbed Liu Heita, his voice extremely tense: “Look quickly!”

Everyone stopped and looked together. Liu Heita, having the best eyesight, jumped up after looking twice: “Hey, that’s a person!”

Secretary Hao, being nearsighted, couldn’t see clearly not just the distant cabin but even the path under his feet. Hearing this, he asked urgently: “Is it Miss Chang?”

“Can’t see clearly. Hurry, hurry!” Now Liu Heita was energized, running on the mountain path while Gu Pingyuan also quickened his pace, leaving Fourth Sister Tian and Secretary Hao following behind.

Getting closer and closer, Liu Heita could see clearly – it was a woman. Two more steps and he could see even more clearly – it was indeed Chang Yu’er. He saw her holding a winnowing basket, sitting on a piece of dead wood, sorting through something.

Liu Heita hadn’t expected that Gu Pingyuan would be right – his sister had indeed run alone into the mountains. Caring for nothing else, he ran and shouted: “Sister! Your big brother is here! Don’t be afraid – it’s me!”

Echoes resounded through the mountain hollow – how could she not hear? Chang Yu’er looked up in surprise, first seeing Liu Heita running toward her like the wind, which was enough to amaze her. Looking further back, Chang Yu’er stood up as if bewitched, the contents of her winnowing basket scattered on the ground.

“Brother Gu!”

“Yu’er!”

The two walked closer and closer. Chang Yu’er threw herself into Gu Pingyuan’s arms and wailed loudly. Gu Pingyuan stroked her hair, his eyes also involuntarily moistening. Liu Heita watched from the side, quietly wiping away tears.

“There, there. All the clouds have cleared away – everything’s fine now.” Secretary Hao and Fourth Sister Tian, who had caught up, offered kind words of comfort, finally getting Chang Yu’er to stop crying.

Liu Heita approached with red eyes, touching his head and saying dissatisfiedly: “Sister, I was clearly walking in front, but you acted like you didn’t see me and went right past me. So you only have eyes for brother-in-law?”

Chang Yu’er became embarrassed: “Big brother, I’m sorry. I… I…”

“Forget it, forget it.” Liu Heita waved his hand. “As the old saying goes, a married daughter is like spilled water.”

This remark made everyone laugh.

Chang Yu’er invited everyone into the wooden cabin to rest. Secretary Hao, parched from walking, immediately sat down and asked for water to drink, but said in surprise: “This is honey water. You dared to collect wild honey?”

“It’s not honey. There’s a wild fruit tree nearby. I boiled the fruits until soft and mixed them with water – it tastes like honey.”

Liu Heita asked urgently: “Sister, we were all going crazy with worry. What were you thinking, running alone into the mountains?”

Except for Gu Pingyuan, everyone wanted to ask this question. They all waited quietly for Chang Yu’er’s answer.

She hung her head silently, then after a long while looked up at Gu Pingyuan: “I didn’t want to stay at Tianzhuang. I didn’t want to hear that… that terrible news with my own ears. I’d rather come here – this is the place Brother Gu mentioned, his and my place. I’m willing to stay here for a lifetime. Brother Gu is with me anyway – he’s just gone hunting in the mountains or digging ginseng far away, so I can’t see him.”

The room fell silent. These words would make even stones weep. Looking around the room, everyone noticed that indeed, the bowls and chopsticks were arranged in pairs. Gu Pingyuan had actually guessed Chang Yu’er’s thoughts long ago, but hearing her say it aloud still shook him deeply. He felt both grateful and pitiful, and thinking that if he had really died at the camp, Chang Yu’er would truly have spent her entire life in this desolate, uninhabited place, he felt another wave of fear.

Fourth Sister Tian embraced Chang Yu’er, comforting her with great tenderness, and told her everything that had happened during this time. Finally, she said: “You two decide about future matters. We outsiders won’t interfere.” She stood up, and while Liu Heita was still confused, Secretary Hao gave him a hard tug, pulling him outside.

“We’re going back to Huizhou.” Chang Yu’er opened with this sentence, which greatly surprised Gu Pingyuan. He looked carefully at his wife and could still detect the hidden fear in her eyes.

“Yu’er, are you worried about something? Can you tell me?”

“No.” Chang Yu’er was startled, then immediately smiled. “I’m overjoyed that you escaped death. Besides, given the current situation, the whole family is waiting for you to return and save them. The sooner we get to Huizhou, the better.”

Gu Pingyuan could see this smile was also forced. But since Chang Yu’er didn’t want to say, he couldn’t press further. As the two emerged from the room, Fourth Sister Tian held what had been scattered from the winnowing basket, showing it in her palm: “Sister-in-law, these are ginseng seeds. You wanted to plant ginseng?”

“Just trying it out. I also planned to catch two roe deer to raise. Didn’t you say you just need to tap on tree trunks to lure them over, then cover their eyes with cloth and they’ll follow you?” These were all things Gu Pingyuan had mentioned before. Chang Yu’er remembered every single word.

After this ordeal, Gu Pingyuan found that moving around actually helped his injuries heal. Moreover, eager to return home, he proposed using these two carts to go directly to the capital without returning to Panshan Post Station, then after a brief stop to dispose of that batch of Lanxue tea, head straight to Huizhou.

“Oh…” Liu Heita grinned. “I forgot to mention this. Old Master Hu also returned to Huizhou and took all that tea with him when he left.”

“Took it with him? All the tea merchants in the world are in the capital – why didn’t he sell the tea there?” Gu Pingyuan asked puzzledly.

Liu Heita scratched his head: “I don’t know either. I just watched over the tea. All the buying and selling was handled by Old Master Hu negotiating with merchants from various places – I wasn’t interested enough to ask. Anyway, I know the Hu family now has shares in this tea, so when they said they wanted to take it away, maybe there was a better buyer in the south. In any case, I didn’t ask for details.”

Gu Pingyuan looked carefully at Liu Heita’s expression. He didn’t seem to be hiding anything – perhaps there really was a big buyer in the south offering a good price. Anyway, Gu Pingyuan trusted Old Master Hu and didn’t think further about it.

This being the case, there was actually no need to go to the capital. Fourth Master Chang’s coffin had already been entrusted to someone to transport back to Shanxi and was temporarily placed in Wubian Temple, to be buried together when the time came. This matter was neither urgent nor pressing – it was Huizhou that truly required their swift return.

According to Fourth Sister Tian’s wishes, she wanted Gu Pingyuan and his party to take a steamship back to Huizhou, but now with two additional people, the fare would be quite expensive. Moreover, Gu Pingyuan now had the Ministry of Justice document and could pass freely through Shanhai Pass without fear of being captured, so there was no need to let the foreign devils earn their money.

Fourth Sister Tian had no choice but to send Gu Pingyuan and his party off with the finest horse cart. Not knowing when they would meet again after this parting, she wept bitterly at the farewell, and Gu Pingyuan also shed tears as they parted.