The Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review left the room and came down the stairs to the hall. Constable Chen, the two Imperial Censors, and Yang Yan were sitting at the table, silently drinking tea.
Brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were laid out on the table.
The Deputy Minister, in his early forties and still considered vigorous in the officialdom, sat down at the table without a word. He picked up the brush and wrote on the paper:
“Not a mage!”
There was already a line on the paper, written by Constable Chen: “Right hand hiding something.”
Next, the two Imperial Censors went into the room to talk with the female spy. When they came out, one wrote “Didn’t ask about the case,” while the other wrote, “Extremely interested in Silver Constable Xu.”
Yang Yan crumpled the paper into a ball and with a gentle exertion, turned it into powder.
He casually scattered it and went upstairs expressionlessly. He arrived at the room door and pushed it open without knocking.
“The Princess Consort is missing. You night watchmen bear the main responsibility,” the female spy said gravely.
Yang Yan sat at the table, his features as if carved from stone, lacking lively changes. In response to the female spy’s accusation, he answered coldly:
“Get to the point.”
“Very well!” The female spy nodded and spoke slowly: “I’ll be straightforward with you. Where is the Princess Consort?”
“What are you holding in your right hand?” Yang Yan countered, his gaze falling on the female spy’s right shoulder.
“As expected of a Gold Badge. You saw through my little trick at a glance.” The female spy raised her hand hidden under the table and opened her palm. A small octagonal bronze plate lay quietly there.
“A tool of the Astronomical Bureau, capable of distinguishing lies from truth.” She pushed the octagonal bronze plate aside and said calmly, “However, it’s ineffective against you, at the peak of the fourth rank. To determine if you’re lying would require a sixth-rank mage.”
Yang Yan didn’t look at the octagonal bronze plate and answered her earlier question: “I don’t know where the Princess Consort is.”
The female spy’s second question followed immediately: “Where is Xu Qi An? Did he return to the capital injured?”
Yang Yan raised his hand slightly and said, “You ask one question, I ask one question.”
…Under the cloak, behind the mask, those deep eyes stared at him for a moment before slowly saying, “Ask your question.”
“Why are the barbarians targeting the Princess Consort?” Yang Yan’s question went straight to the core.
The female spy didn’t answer.
Yang Yan nodded, “I’ll ask a different question. Did Chu Xiaolong insist on taking the water route that day because he was waiting to rendezvous with you?”
“Yes.”
The female spy gave an affirmative answer and asked, “Where is Xu Qi An?”
Yang Yan shook his head: “I don’t know. Why didn’t the spies return to the capital to escort secretly, instead of meeting at the border of Chu Prefecture?”
He doesn’t know… which means Xu Qi An didn’t return to the capital severely injured. The female spy said gravely, “We have our enemies. Does Minister Wei know about the Princess Consort’s journey north?”
Can’t spare the manpower… Yang Yan’s gaze flickered slightly as he said, “He knows.”
…
The female spy left the relay station. She didn’t leave the city with Colonel Li but went alone to the Wan Prefecture garrison. She rested in a tent, and at night, she suddenly opened her eyes to see someone lifting the tent flap and entering.
The newcomer was also wrapped in a black robe, wearing a mask that only revealed the chin. A circle of light blue stubble surrounded his mouth, and his voice was hoarse and deep:
“I just rushed back from Jiang Prefecture. I found two locations, one where an intense battle took place, and another without obvious signs of combat but with spider silk left by the Golden Wood Feather Spider… What about your end?”
The female spy responded in an equally low voice:
“It matches the intelligence I gathered from the envoy. The northern demons and barbarians sent out four fourth-rank experts: the snake demon Hong Ling, Tangshan Jun of the Flood Dragon Clan, and Zhar Mukha of the Black Water Clan, but not the Golden Wood Clan leader Tianwolf.
“Chu Xiaolong took advantage of the three fourth-ranks being entangled with Xu Qi An and Yang Yan to have the guards evacuate with the Princess Consort and her maids. Also, the envoy’s people don’t know about the Princess Consort’s special nature, and Yang Yan doesn’t know her whereabouts.”
The male spy grunted in acknowledgment: “It seems Tianwolf was lying in wait. Chu Xiaolong is likely in grave danger. As for the Princess Consort…”
The atmosphere in the tent grew heavy.
“Wait, you just said Chu Xiaolong had the guards escape with the maids and the Princess Consort?” the male spy suddenly asked.
“To be precise, he escaped with the Princess Consort, while the guards escaped with the maids,” the female spy said.
“Heh, he’s not one to be soft-hearted.” The male spy said with a mix of mockery and sarcasm, then continued:
“It’s obvious. The Princess Consort he took with him was a decoy, and the real one was mixed in with the maids. A clever yet foolish move. Clever in that he confused their vision, foolish in that such an action could never fool Tianwolf and the others.
“Escaping with maids in a moment of crisis is just telling them that the real Princess Consort is among the maids. Hmm, he either extremely distrusted the envoy, or in Chu Xiaolong’s view, the envoy was certain to be completely wiped out at that time.”
The female spy nodded and said: “The one who intercepted Tangshan Jun and Zhar Mukha was Xu Qi An, and his true cultivation level is probably sixth rank…”
She recounted Xu Qi An’s recent exploits and said, “According to the Head Constable of the Ministry of Justice, Xu Qi An’s ability to defeat outstanding disciples of the Heaven and Human sects relied on Confucian spell books. Chu Xiaolong probably didn’t expect him to still have some in stock.”
The hoarse-voiced male spy said: “Not only that, external aids always run out eventually, and fourth-rank warriors are too difficult to kill. The outcome would still be Xu Qi An running out of resources, so Chu Xiaolong chose to abandon them.”
“Reasonable.”
The female spy sighed and said with worry: “What should we do now? With the Princess Consort in the hands of the northern barbarians, I fear the worst.”
The male spy chuckled lightly: “It’s not that bad. Mobilizing four leaders and having them jointly ambush the Princess Consort means the barbarians must know about her special nature.
“So, who wants the Princess Consort the most?”
The female spy suddenly realized: “That leader of the Qingyan Clan.”
The man’s head, hidden under the hood, moved slightly as if nodding and said: “Therefore, they will first take the Princess Consort back north, either to divide her spiritual essence or because they’ve been promised great benefits. In any case, the Princess Consort is safe until that Qingyan Clan leader gets involved.”
The female spy agreed with his view and tentatively said: “So now, we only need to inform Prince Huai, seal the northern border, and fully search for Tangshan Jun and the other three within Jiang and Chu Prefectures to reclaim the Princess Consort?”
The man neither nodded nor objected, saying: “Is there anything else to add?”
“Yes! The case’s lead investigator, Xu Qi An, didn’t return to the capital but secretly went north. As for where he went, Yang Yan claims not to know, but I feel they must have a special means of communication.”
“What makes you say that?” the male spy asked.
“Xu Qi An was ordered to investigate the Blood Massacre of Three Thousand Li case. He fears offending Prince Huai and being monitored even more, so using the envoy as a cover while investigating in secret is the correct choice. For a genius who solves cases like a god and has meticulous thoughts, such a response is normal; otherwise, it would be unreasonable.”
The female spy continued: “Moreover, the relationships within the envoy are strained. The officials from the Three Departments and the night watchmen don’t get along. The envoy is actually of little use to him and staying might even subject him to the constraints of the Three Departments’ officials.”
The man stroked his light blue chin, his fingertips touching the hard short beard, and pondered: “Don’t underestimate these civil officials; they might be acting.”
“But if you knew that Xu Qi An once stopped the civil and military officials outside the Meridian Gate and mocked them with a poem, you wouldn’t think so,” the female spy said.
After a pause, she added: “Wei Yuan knows about the Princess Consort’s northern journey. Could the barbarian matter be related to him?”
The man snorted: “Don’t ask me. We can’t fathom Wei Qingyi’s thoughts. But we can’t be cautious. Hmm, spread Xu Qi An’s portrait around. Once discovered, keep him under close surveillance. For the envoy, focus on monitoring Yang Yan’s actions. As for the Three Departments’ civil officials, use your judgment.”
…
The next morning, the Princess Consort, covered by Xu Qi An’s robe, woke up in the cliff cave to see Xu Qi An squatting at the entrance, holding a copper basin that had appeared from somewhere, with his entire face immersed in it.
The Princess Consort, still angry, hugged her knees and watched him act strangely for a full quarter-hour.
Then, this man turned his back and quietly kneaded his face for a long while before turning back.
“Ah!”
The Princess Consort screamed, curling back like a startled rabbit, her lively eyes wide open, pointing at him and stammering: “Y-y-you… Second Young Master Xu?”
Is this a ghost?
She had seen this man before; he was indeed Xu Qi An’s cousin, the Second Young Master Xu. But how could Xu’s second brother appear here?
“What’s the big fuss…” Xu Qi An hummed proudly: “This is my face-changing masterpiece. Even warriors with higher cultivation couldn’t see through my disguise.”
As he spoke, he poured out the medicinal water from the copper basin.
“Why did you change into your cousin?” Hearing the familiar voice, the Princess Consort felt at ease and looked at him suspiciously.
This woman doesn’t have much of a brain, probably because she’s used to throwing her weight around in Prince Huai’s mansion with no one to engage in household politics with her, just like Auntie… Xu Qi An said impatiently:
“Are you stupid? Can I enter the city with Xu Qi An’s face? This is the most basic anti-reconnaissance awareness.”
Anti-what? The Princess Consort didn’t understand either, pouting: “I’m hungry.”
“The porridge is ready. There’s a pheasant I just caught outside. Go clean and prepare it, then roast it,” Xu Qi An instructed.
“Oh!” The Princess Consort obediently went out.
During this time, she had learned to prepare a game and roast it, a whole process that was, of course, required by Xu Qi An. The Princess Consort had also gotten used to being bullied by him, after all, when you’re under someone’s roof, you have to bow your head.
Of course, the Princess Consort was also a slyly wicked woman. She never confronted Xu Qi An directly, often taking revenge in private.
For instance, hiding his clothes while he was bathing, leaving him raging impotently in the water.
Or smearing bird droppings from leaves onto the game before roasting it for him to eat.
Recently, she was considering spitting on the roasted game.
Each time, the price she paid was being forced to listen to his ghost stories at night, too scared to sleep, almost crying. Or having nothing to eat for a whole day while trekking long distances.
At night, as she slept, drool would flow from her mouth.
After a good while, the chicken was roasted. The Princess Consort, who had been spitting for quite some time, smiled wickedly, set the roasted chicken aside, and called back towards the cliff cave:
“The chicken is ready, I’ll have the porridge.”
Xu Qi An would eat meat, while the Princess Consort would drink porridge. This was a tacit understanding they had developed recently, or more accurately, an aftereffect of mutual harm.
Xu Qi An was angry, so he wasn’t happy to let her eat meat. The Princess Consort wasn’t happy that he wouldn’t let her eat meat, so she revenged hard.
A vicious cycle.
Xu Qi An, wearing Xu Er’lang’s face, walked out of the cliff cave and sat by the campfire, saying: “We’ll reach Three Yellow County by dusk today.”
The Princess Consort’s face lit up with joy, meaning the arduous journey was finally ending.
Xu Qi An glanced at her and said calmly: “This chicken was caught for you.”
The Princess Consort’s expression suddenly froze.
“What’s wrong, you don’t want to eat? Or did you smear bird droppings on the chicken again?” Xu Qi An narrowed his eyes and questioned.
“You, you shouldn’t judge a gentleman’s belly with a petty person’s heart,” the Princess Consort grabbed the chicken and brought it close to his face, saying fiercely but inwardly timid: “See for yourself, where are the bird droppings?”
“Then you eat it,” Xu Qi An nodded.
“…” The Princess Consort opened her mouth, then weakly said: “I, I don’t have an appetite, I don’t want to eat meat.”
“Then eat quickly, don’t waste food, or I’ll get angry,” Xu Qi An said with a smile.
“…” Her plain face immediately scrunched up.
At this moment, Xu Qi An felt a stirring in his heart. After many days, someone had finally sent a message to the Earth Book chat group.
He picked up the porridge and stood up to return to the cliff cave, saying as he walked: “Hurry up and finish eating. If you don’t finish, I’ll leave you here to feed the tigers.”
The Princess Consort made a face at his back.
Xu Qi An sat down leaning against the cliff wall, his eyes fixed on the Earth Book fragment. He took a sip of porridge as the jade stone mirror revealed a line of small text:
[Two: Taoist Gold Lotus, please shield me from the others.]
After a few breaths, Li Miaozhen’s message came again: [Xu Qi An, have you reached the northern border?]
Xu Qi An put down the bowl and used his finger as a pen to input the message: [I’ll reach the northern border today. Have you found any information?]