“Who’s there?”

In the hollow cavern, the torch in Ye Mingyu’s hand reflected on the stone walls, stretching and swaying into two flat shadows. The echoing voice made everything seem especially eerie.

He shielded Jiang Li at his side and cautiously walked forward two steps, raising the torch in his hand higher. Suddenly his gaze fixed.

He saw two people sitting against the stone wall. At first glance, he couldn’t tell these were two people, because they were truly too wretched. Their clothes were torn and ragged, their entire bodies filthy and foul-smelling, covered all over their hands and bodies with bloody marks—they looked more like prisoners.

Seeing Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu, neither of these two people moved, as if they were corpses. Only when their eyes shifted slightly could one tell these were two living people.

While Ye Mingyu was still in a daze, Jiang Li had already seized the torch from his hand and walked to squat before the two men herself. She wasn’t afraid at all, gazing calmly at them. But her heart felt as if it had been weighted with lead, sinking continuously downward.

Although she knew Feng Yutang would do his utmost to torment Xue Huaiyuan’s former subordinates, actually seeing this scene before her eyes, Jiang Li still realized she had underestimated Feng Yutang’s cruelty.

These two were clearly about to die, looking on the verge of death. Perhaps the guards outside didn’t know, or perhaps they knew but watched coldly, hoping these people would starve to death inside. If Jiang Li hadn’t come today, these two wouldn’t survive past tonight.

Seeing Jiang Li squatting before them, those two men’s eyeballs shifted slightly again, yet remained deathly still, unmoving.

Jiang Li carefully examined their features and finally recognized them—these were Gu Da and Gu Er, who used to follow Father. Gu Da and Gu Er were twin brothers. After their parents died, seeing their excellent martial skills, Xue Huaiyuan had them become yamen runners. In her memory, Gu Da and Gu Er always walked about energetically. Their beautiful swordwork once made Xue Zhao extremely envious, and he pestered them to teach him swordsmanship.

Who would have thought they’d be so wretched now?

Jiang Li said softly, “Gu Da, Gu Er, I’m Jiang Li. I’ve come to take you out.”

Gu Da’s eyeballs moved slightly, as if only now recognizing where Jiang Li stood. He moved his lips, but Jiang Li didn’t hear any sound from him and didn’t know what he was saying.

“His throat is hoarse from shouting. He hasn’t had water for two days and can’t speak.” A hoarse voice suddenly came from behind. Although hoarse, it was at least audible.

Jiang Li turned to look and saw two more people standing behind the stone wall, though she didn’t know when they’d appeared. One was in somewhat better condition, looking much more spirited than the Gu brothers, with very alert eyes watching Jiang Li warily. The other had a slender frame—whether from Feng Yutang’s torment or not—so thin it seemed a gust of wind could snap him in half.

The speaker was the more robust one.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Ye Mingyu could hardly believe these were former yamen runners. They were more miserable than exiled officials who had committed grave crimes, more pitiful than refugees. They seemed to be barely hanging on by a single breath—with just one breath, these people could immediately collapse.

Jiang Li looked at the man who spoke, her eyes nearly moistening. After a pause, she said, “You must be Peng Xiao.”

The man, Peng Xiao, looked at Jiang Li and asked, “Who are you?”

“I’ve come to take you away from here,” Jiang Li said. “I’m going to overturn County Magistrate Xue’s case.”

At these words, a glimmer of light burst forth in the eyes of Peng Xiao, the person beside him, and the dying Gu Da and Gu Er.

Jiang Li looked at Peng Xiao, her heart filled with an indescribable bittersweet feeling.

In this cavern, the four people who appeared were all her former acquaintances, as close as family. Gu Da and Gu Er often discussed swordwork with Xue Zhao. Peng Xiao was the leader among Father’s yamen runners. Jiang Li still remembered that although he was the head runner, he usually treated people warmly. When he smiled, he showed a mouthful of white teeth, warm as winter sunlight. She and Xue Zhao both treated him like a big brother. That thin man, who looked like he might be blown over by the wind, was called He Jun. Among all the runners, he was the only literate one. He often consulted Xue Fangfei with questions—he was someone eager to learn. Xue Zhao once joked that He Jun must not want to be a runner but harbored dreams of becoming a top scholar. He might as well cultivate a good relationship with Shen Yurun—if Shen Yurun achieved high honors someday, he could promote He Jun to a position like book compiler.

When one person succeeds, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven—but this saying hadn’t proven true for the Xue family. Shen Yurun did succeed, but by climbing over the Xue family’s blood. And the studious He Jun was now trapped in this mine, thin to the bone.

“Who are you? Why do you want to overturn the magistrate’s case?” He Jun asked.

At this moment, his mind was still clear enough to question Jiang Li.

“My name is Jiang Li.” Jiang Li spoke so candidly that even Ye Mingyu was surprised. She said, “I’m the legitimate daughter of the current Chief Minister Jiang Yuanbai. This time I’ve come to Tongxiang at the request of County Magistrate Xue’s daughter, Xue Fangfei, to overturn the Xue family’s case.”

“Jiang Yuanbai?” All of them showed momentary confusion. To them, Yanjing was too distant. The Chief Minister in Yanjing City was an existence they had never even seen. Peng Xiao stared at her and said, “Miss Xue is already dead.”

Jiang Li’s heart sighed. Even Peng Xiao and the others knew this, which meant Xue Huaiyuan knew it even better. This made sense—to torment Xue Huaiyuan, Princess Yongning would naturally keep telling him one piece of terrible news after another, making Xue Huaiyuan wish for death and slowly break down.

“Miss Xue is dead, but her death was not simple,” Jiang Li said. “Xue Fangfei and I were old acquaintances. This time, I’ve come to clear the entire Xue family’s name.”

Not only Peng Xiao and the others, but Ye Mingyu was also stunned listening. He never knew Jiang Li had any connection to this Xue Fangfei person. So when the Xue family met with disaster, it wasn’t just Xue Huaiyuan alone—the Xue family’s children also suffered. This was a catastrophe for the entire family. What kind of deep hatred would cause such a thing? Ye Mingyu sensed the complexity of this matter.

“How do you plan to overturn the Xue family’s case? Why should we believe what you say?” He Jun asked.

Jiang Li stood up and looked into He Jun’s eyes. “I plan to use you as witness testimony and the case file loopholes as physical evidence. I’ll gather Tongxiang’s common people, collect evidence of Feng Yutang’s crimes, and go to the capital to overturn the case, announcing it to the world. If the Court of Judicial Review can’t sort it out, I’ll petition the Emperor directly. Feng Yutang isn’t the mastermind behind this—there’s someone else. This person is important enough that even the Emperor will take notice, so I’m not afraid of failing to file an imperial petition.”

“As for why you should believe what I say—right now Feng Yutang controls all of Tongxiang. The common people have reached the point where they don’t even dare speak of the Xue family. The Xue family is like this, and so are you. In truth, aside from me, no one is standing up to vindicate the Xue family. I have no need to deceive you. You now have nothing but your lives, and even those lives are only half remaining. If I wanted your lives, I wouldn’t need to go to such trouble—I could obtain them easily.”

Peng Xiao and the others fell silent.

Jiang Li was right. The four of them were now physically weak, sick and disabled. Even just that tall man behind Jiang Li could probably take down all four of them alone. If Jiang Li truly wanted to harm them, she wouldn’t need to fabricate lies.

“Now, I only ask you—are you willing to come out with me and clear your Magistrate Xue’s name?” Jiang Li asked.

Her gaze was resolute and fearless, yet inexplicably made others feel resolute too.

Peng Xiao raised his head first to look at her, saying word by word, “I’ll go out with you.”

“Me too!” He Jun said. “We’ve all been in this mine for so long—fifteen brothers, fifteen brothers tortured to death until only five of us remain! Why don’t we want to die? Why have we been clinging to that last breath to survive until now? Is it because we fear death? No! We’ve been hoping for the day we could get out and overturn the magistrate’s case. Such a good person was framed—this is the world’s joke! Since you, Miss, are willing to overturn the Xue family’s case, we five brothers are willing to follow!”

In the corner, Gu Da and Gu Er supported each other to stand. They were probably desperately weak—their voices so hoarse that Jiang Li couldn’t hear them speak. But she could see their lips moving, saying “willing.”

“But wait, something’s not right.” Ye Mingyu smacked his lips. “This is at most four people. Didn’t you say five people survived? Where’s the other person?”

Peng Xiao glanced at Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu, turned and walked forward, saying, “Follow me.”

Rounding a chamber, another person lay on the ground against the stone wall. At first glance, one would think this person was already dead. Only when approaching and squatting down could one see faint breathing from his nostrils, but it was extremely fragile—like a candle burning with a spark that could be extinguished with a single breath.

Xiao Hei? Jiang Li recognized the man’s face.

“Xiao Hei has been sick for ten days or half a month. We guess he won’t live more than a few days.” He Jun said hatefully, “Feng Yutang’s people won’t get us a doctor. Our other ten brothers all died from such torment.” As he spoke, he tremblingly unbuttoned Xiao Hei’s back garment.

On that back, the clothing and flesh had already become one piece, a bloody mess emitting waves of foul odor. It was truly hard to imagine this was the flesh of a living person. The whip marks on it—each lash had embedded into the flesh, with not a single piece of intact skin.

“The whips they used to beat us all had barbs on them.” He Jun looked at Xiao Hei and said, “Xiao Hei is young, yet he held out until the end. Now he’s almost gone too.”

Jiang Li knew Xiao Hei—the youngest among Father’s subordinates, about the same age as Xue Zhao. He had a tender, childlike face and looked like someone’s mischievous young son. Every time she saw Xiao Hei, it was like seeing Xue Zhao. Seeing Xiao Hei lying there motionless caused waves of wrenching pain in Jiang Li’s heart.

The people around her—she had lost so many of them one by one.

“We’ll take them out immediately and find him a doctor. He cannot die.” Time was of the essence. Jiang Li made a decisive decision and said to Ye Mingyu, “Uncle Mingyu, help carry Xiao Hei. I’ll support the Gu brothers. Let’s leave here as quickly as possible. Once the people outside arrive, we’ll send them to the secret chamber and find a doctor. Xiao Hei can’t be delayed.”

“But how do we get out?” He Jun couldn’t help asking. “Although we’ve been in the mine tunnels for several months, all the tunnels inside are interconnected. We’ve eaten and slept in the tunnels and have never walked outside them.”

“Don’t worry,” Jiang Li said. “I know the way.”

Before the question “How do you know the way?” could be asked, Jiang Li was already helping Ye Mingyu carry Xiao Hei. He Jun could only swallow his many questions and follow Jiang Li forward.

The group walked toward the mine tunnel exit.

Jiang Li supported Gu Da and Gu Er. Although she wore men’s servant clothing, her face was clear and delicate, her skin white as jade—obviously a young lady raised in a wealthy household. Peng Xiao hadn’t forgotten what Jiang Li said when introducing herself—she was the legitimate daughter of the current Chief Minister. Such a highborn lady, supporting these filthy people, these people who were almost like ants in her eyes, yet her gaze was very gentle without the slightest trace of disgust.

Peng Xiao felt somewhat dazed. The way the girl pressed her lips together, gentle yet resolute, reminded him of the magistrate’s daughter, Miss Xue. Miss Xue was also Tongxiang’s pride, existing like moonlight in their hearts, not to be insulted by anyone. Miss Xue was breathtakingly beautiful and extremely intelligent, yet had no airs whatsoever. They had watched her grow up. Later, when they learned Miss Xue had met with disaster under such an unbearable charge, none of them could believe it.

The magistrate didn’t believe it either, but instead of waiting for the truth, they waited for the magistrate’s imprisonment and became prisoners themselves.

Fortunately… Peng Xiao looked at Jiang Li. She supported Gu Da and Gu Er while accommodating their pace, walking steadfastly forward. In the pitch-black mine tunnels where one couldn’t see their hand before their face, she seemed to know which direction held light—as if by persisting forward, they would find the exit.

Fortunately… if they kept walking forward, they would see hope. Peng Xiao thought this in his heart, and as if suddenly infused with infinite strength, his spirits lifted as he followed forward.

…

When they reached the exit, it had actually taken less than half the time to burn an incense stick, yet Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu both felt the time had been exceptionally long.

Ye Mingyu’s men were waiting outside. Seeing them emerge, they eagerly welcomed them in. Jiang Li let Xiao Hei, Gu Da, and Gu Er use the carriage—their bodies were too weak to walk. Ye Mingyu was still wondering what to do about Jiang Li when he saw her unhesitatingly mount a horse, the movement so beautiful it made his eyes light up.

“Let’s go, Uncle,” Jiang Li said. “Time is of the essence. We need to hurry to the next place and hide them first.”

Feng Yutang’s people would soon discover the runners in the mine tunnels had been abducted and would undoubtedly search everywhere for them. Getting them to the secret chamber before Feng Yutang began a citywide search would be safer.

Ye Mingyu agreed completely and rode alongside Jiang Li’s horse, traveling with the convoy while asking, “How do we get a doctor to see them? If Feng Yutang’s people follow the doctor, they’ll discover us. Even if they don’t discover us, those common people fear Feng Yutang’s official authority—how would they dare help voluntarily?”

“Find a doctor with a wife and child, bring his wife to the secret chamber together, and have all the medicinal materials prepared.” Jiang Li said in a low voice. “There’s no other way—the situation is special, so we can only use threats. Then promise sufficient silver and guarantee to send them out of Tongxiang. They’ll agree.” Jiang Li thought for a moment more. “Let’s find Doctor Zhong from Baohe Hall. He’s very suitable.”

Here it was again, Ye Mingyu thought. Jiang Li was too familiar with Tongxiang’s affairs, as if she knew every detail of Tongxiang casually. But how could this be? Ye Mingyu didn’t ask further questions. Even though he had ten thousand uncertainties in his heart, he respected Jiang Li’s right to have her own secrets.

Tsk, they were people of the martial world—temperament above all, never forcing others’ hands.

…

The matter of Jiang Li abducting people from East Mountain hadn’t yet reached Feng Yutang’s ears.

In Feng Yutang’s residence, in his study, Feng Yutang was pacing back and forth. His beautiful concubine knelt on the floor, gently massaging his legs. Working for Princess Yongning, he had gained many benefits—not only could he build such a magnificent residence in Tongxiang, but he could also have a houseful of beautiful concubines. His study was for show, filled with many precious ancient texts, but he only fooled around here.

Today, however, was a rare serious occasion for him. Even his lovely concubines couldn’t arouse his interest.

After some unknown time, suddenly someone’s voice came. A young servant rushed in from outside. Feng Yutang immediately dismissed his concubines and let the servant enter. Closing the door, the servant pulled out a letter from his chest and handed it to Feng Yutang. Feng Yutang grabbed the letter, quickly tore it open, and read through it rapidly before slumping in his chair.

“Master?” Seeing his terrible expression, the servant asked softly.

Feng Yutang didn’t speak, but the hand holding the letter trembled slightly. With one careless moment, the letter fluttered to the ground. The servant quickly glanced at it. He couldn’t see the rest clearly, but he saw a shocking character for “kill” that stood out prominently.

Feng Yutang’s heart pounded wildly.

Carrier pigeon messages had special routes, and Princess Yongning’s letter returned especially quickly. Feng Yutang had long known Princess Yongning was arrogant, domineering, and lawless—this could be seen from how she dealt with the Xue family. But Xue Huaiyuan was ultimately just a minor official. In Princess Yongning’s eyes, not taking a minor official seriously didn’t seem like anything worth mentioning.

Feng Yutang never expected that Princess Yongning’s arrogance and dominance would show no restraint even when facing the current Chief Minister’s family. In her letter, she wrote without hesitation that if Jiang Li was investigating the Xue family case and planned to overturn Xue Huaiyuan’s case, in Tongxiang, Feng Yutang must strike a deadly blow and make Jiang Li meet her doom!

Feng Yutang couldn’t believe his eyes.

He wrote to Princess Yongning hoping she could tell him what to do next, but Feng Yutang hadn’t expected Princess Yongning’s method to be this kind of method. Murdering the current Chief Minister’s daughter—thinking of this made Feng Yutang’s heart race with fear. He didn’t dare!

This wasn’t an ordinary person’s daughter—this was the daughter of the Emperor’s tutor, the Chief Grand Secretary, the current Chief Minister Jiang Yuanbai! Jiang Yuanbai’s students were everywhere. If he murdered his daughter, this matter would be no small thing. They would certainly send people to investigate. Once they discovered it was his doing, his life wouldn’t be spared!

If he had known this would be the result, he shouldn’t have hastily written to Princess Yongning. Now things were fine—Princess Yongning had given a direct order in her letter for him to kill Jiang Li. Having done so many things for Princess Yongning, Feng Yutang understood her temperament somewhat—those who obeyed her prospered, those who opposed her perished. Princess Yongning’s orders couldn’t be left undone. If he didn’t do it, he would also face death!

What should he do?

Feng Yutang felt his forehead covered in sweat, dripping down continuously. He didn’t dare look at the letter fallen on the ground, as if the black characters on it had become crimson death warrants.

Going forward meant death, going back also meant death—what should he do?

The servant prostrated respectfully on the floor, not daring to breathe too loudly. After some unknown time, Feng Yutang’s voice came from above, light and floating as he asked, “What do you think about disobeying the master’s orders?”

“That absolutely won’t do.” The servant was startled. “Master, you know this master’s temperament. If that happens… even your life won’t be spared!”

Even the servant knew Princess Yongning’s murderous nature, let alone him. Feng Yutang walked irritably around the room twice, then suddenly slapped the table and said, “Do it! Better a wretched life than a good death. Killing her might mean death, but not killing her means immediate death. Kill!”

He had figured it out. Even if he killed Jiang Li, the people Jiang Yuanbai sent to investigate would take some time to reach Tongxiang. At worst, he would take this opportunity to flee. Anyway, the silver he had accumulated in Tongxiang was enough to live without worry. Moreover, he was doing this for Princess Yongning—she would have to protect him somewhat. Even if Princess Yongning, as a princess of noble birth, didn’t worry or fret over a minor figure like him, surely the silver rewards wouldn’t be small. But if he didn’t do this, Princess Yongning could immediately send someone to take his life.

Since that was the case, he might as well secure his immediate safety and plan for the future later.

“How many people are in Jiang Li’s group?” Feng Yutang asked.

The servant answered, “Eight people in total—six guards, one tall man, and Jiang Li.”

“Eight people…” Feng Yutang pondered for a moment, then said, “Not many. The master left several assassins. Go invite them now—it’s time for them to make their move. Our manpower isn’t enough.”

Just as he was speaking, someone suddenly rushed in hurriedly from outside, saying, “This is bad, Master, this is bad!”

Feng Yutang had just made up his mind and his nerves were unsettled. Suddenly hearing this, he felt even more irritated and angrily said, “What are you shouting about? What’s so bad?!”

“Master,” that servant didn’t dare say more, only saying, “Those people in the East Mountain mine tunnels have been abducted by someone!”

“What?” Feng Yutang flew into a rage. “What were those watchmen doing? How could people be abducted right under their noses? Take them away! Did they see clearly who did it?”

The servant shook his head.

“Hmph, I don’t need to ask to know.” Feng Yutang sneered coldly. “Right now, the only people in Tongxiang who openly dare bring up the Xue family case are that group. Those runners are practically useless—who would care about them ordinarily? This was clearly Jiang Li’s doing!”

“But the terrain inside the mine tunnels is complex—how did they find the exit?” the servant asked.

“Who knows?” Feng Yutang snorted, gradually feeling uneasy in his heart. Jiang Li should clearly be just a young lady who knew nothing, yet she seemed very familiar with everything in Tongxiang. Precisely because of this familiarity, many things came easily to her, putting Feng Yutang’s side at a disadvantage instead.

“They abducted those runners to overturn Xue Huaiyuan’s case.” Feng Yutang’s expression was dark. “Search! Send out all the county office personnel. Dig three feet into the ground if necessary, but find those runners for me. I don’t believe so many people can just vanish into thin air!”

The servant hastily took his orders and left. Feng Yutang felt somewhat stifled in his heart. He couldn’t say why, but he always felt something was happening beyond his control.

But no matter what, there was one thing he still had to do—assassinate Jiang Li.

In any case, the source of all unease was Jiang Li. As long as Jiang Li died, those runners would quickly be found. Without a leader, what kind of waves could they stir up?

“This Second Miss Jiang is quite capable.” A trace of viciousness flashed through Feng Yutang’s eyes. “However, this is as far as she goes.”

…

In the Tongxiang tavern, the place was completely empty without anyone.

After Lu Ji handed over an extremely large banknote, the innkeeper disappeared and never appeared again. Ji Heng thus inexplicably gained ownership of a tavern in Tongxiang, though he didn’t particularly care.

“Those are Feng Yutang’s men, aren’t they?” By the window, Lu Ji’s gaze followed the group below. Yamen runners continuously emerged from the county office—it seemed something important had happened.

“They’re going to East Mountain.” Lu Ji smiled. “Second Miss Jiang’s actions are quite swift.” The more he watched what Jiang Li did, the more he marveled at this girl. In an unfamiliar place like the East Mountain mine tunnels, she could still so quickly extract Xue Huaiyuan’s subordinates. For others, just successfully finding the mine tunnel exit without getting lost and trapped inside would be enough to make them frantic.

So Second Miss Jiang was truly capable.

“Going now is too late.” Ji Heng glanced downstairs. “The people have all been sent to the secret chamber. What will they find?”

“How did Second Miss Jiang discover the secret chamber here?” Lu Ji wondered. “She’s never been to Tongxiang before and hasn’t met anyone. How could she discover even such hidden secret chambers?”

“Don’t you think she’s like someone who grew up in Tongxiang?” Ji Heng said with a half-smile.

“What do you mean?” Lu Ji didn’t understand.

“Nothing.”

Lu Ji paused for a moment, then said, “Princess Yongning’s letter should have already been delivered to Feng Yutang. Sir, what do you think Princess Yongning will have Feng Yutang do?”

“She has a vicious heart, unlike me who cherishes beauty. She’ll naturally want to eliminate the roots completely.” Ji Heng toyed with his folding fan, his tone relaxed.

“Will Feng Yutang really do it?”

“Yes.”

Lu Ji fell silent again for a moment before asking tentatively, “Second Miss Jiang has always been both intelligent and brave. She shouldn’t meet with trouble, right?”

For some reason, watching Jiang Li like this—originally as an outsider watching the excitement—but after Lu Ji watched for so long, it was like raising a child himself. He was unwilling for this child he’d raised halfway to suddenly stop. At least not now.

“Not necessarily,” Ji Heng said.

Lu Ji: “Will you intervene, Sir?”

Ji Heng: “No.”