A month ago… San Huang County is on the edge of Chu Province. Such strict checks – are they looking for someone, or trying to intercept someone?
These past few days, we’ve been deep in the mountains and forests, not noticing if there were checkpoints on the main roads too.
Whatever they’re looking for, it’s certainly not me… Am I overthinking? I can’t rule out the possibility that I’ve been recently added to some “blacklist”.
In any case, whether they’re looking for one person or two, they’re still searching.
Xu Qi An tapped his fingers on the table, analyzing while setting short-term goals:
“I’ll set out for Xi Kou Prefecture tomorrow. If there is a problem there, it’s likely to be the site of the ‘Blood Slaughter for Three Thousand Li’. This could be dangerous. Should I bring the Princess Consort along?”
“Hmm, when we get close to Xi Kou Prefecture, I can leave her at a safe inn nearby. The Princess Consort is a useful chess piece if played well, perhaps she could save my life. I can’t discard her.”
Seeing Xu Qi An lost in thought, Cai Er sat obediently to the side without speaking.
Time passed minute by minute. Finally, Xu Qi An emerged from his contemplation and instructed, “Help me brew some tea.”
Cai Er’s heart leaped with joy, and she happily complied. This meant Xu Yin Luo would be staying the night.
Sure enough, after she brewed the tea, she heard Xu Yin Luo instruct again, “Change the sheets and bedding.”
Cai Er was so excited her body went weak, but her hands and feet moved quickly to change the sheets and bedding.
After finishing a pot of tea, the night had deepened. Xu Qi An soaked his feet with Cai Er’s assistance, then lay down on the bed, stretching comfortably.
He had been sleeping in the wilderness for days, with a terrible sleep experience. It had been a long time since he’d enjoyed a soft bed.
“Master Xu, let this servant attend to you,” Cai Er said, her face blooming with joy as she sat on the edge of the bed, starting to undress.
“Cai Er,” Xu Qi An lay on the bed looking at her and suddenly said, “Don’t you find your bed too soft? It’s not very comfortable to sleep on.”
“Master Xu makes a good point. I’ve heard sleeping on a hard bed is better for the body. When the bed is too soft, people tire easily,” Cai Er smiled, thinking to herself that they were already discussing bedding – Master Xu was indeed a romantic man.
Xu Qi An nodded and said with a serious expression, “So, for the sake of your health, tonight you’ll sleep on the floor, and I’ll sleep on the bed.”
Cai Er: “???”
…
The next day, at the crack of dawn, Xu Qi An finished washing up and left Ya Yin Lou under Cai Er’s resentful gaze.
It was now late spring, and the weather was warm. It would even be a bit hot at noon. Otherwise, one might see the scene of patrons shivering in the cold wind.
Xu Qi An strolled along the main street towards the inn.
Suddenly, a column of armored soldiers appeared ahead, led not by an armored general, but by a man wrapped in a black robe and wearing a mask.
Xu Qi An’s gaze lingered on the black-robed man for only a few seconds before he calmly averted his eyes and passed by.
“Wait!”
The voice of the black-robed man came from behind, along with the sound of reining in a horse.
So sharp? Xu Qi An turned around, his face naturally showing a mix of wariness and respect. He bowed and said, “Sir, were you calling me?”
The black-robed man turned his horse around and looked down at Xu Qi An, asking, “Where are you from? Do you have travel documents?”
“I do.”
Xu Qi An recited his false identity.
The black-robed man asked again, “Have you practiced martial arts?”
Xu Qi An, with a submissive demeanor, replied, “This humble one has exceptional talent in martial arts. At nineteen, I had already reached the peak of Refining Essence. However, the Qi Condensation realm is truly difficult, and with the allure of women and being of marriageable age, well…”
He appropriately displayed a hint of pride, yet also disappointment.
The black-robed man looked at his face for a moment, said nothing, then turned his horse around and continued with his troops.
“Phew…”
Watching the troops gradually disappear into the distance, Xu Qi An relaxed and withdrew the energy he had been gathering for the “Heaven and Earth Single Blade Strike”, which allowed him to collapse and contract his aura inward.
“Hehe, as the saying goes, there are no useless skills, only useless people. I’ve perfectly solved the weakness of martial artists being unable to conceal themselves. The downside is, being all charged up and then not being able to release it is particularly uncomfortable…”
All men understand this kind of discomfort.
“This guy’s dressed strangely. He must be one of the Garrison North King’s spies mentioned in the reports. The Garrison North King’s spies appearing in San Huang County, huh…”
They are indeed looking for someone. It could be me, or it could be someone else.
The night watchmen are also spies, the Emperor’s spies, which is why they have official positions and receive government salaries. The Garrison North King’s spies, on the other hand, are his “private army”.
Outside the northern border, they are nothing. But here, even imperial envoys must give them some respect.
Because they represent the Garrison North King.
“As a confidant of the Garrison North King, he must know many inside stories. Why should I fumble around on my own? This case is different from the Yun Province case and the Sang Bo case. There’s no need to unravel it thread by thread. There’s a clear objective: to uncover the truth behind the ‘Blood Slaughter for Three Thousand Li’.”
“Such a large-scale massacre can’t be hidden. This means I don’t need to search for clues bit by bit like in previous cases. I can just capture him and use severe interrogation. If he turns out to be a villain, I’ll kill him and summon his spirit…”
Returning to the inn, early-rising guests were already eating breakfast in the ground floor hall, while those who didn’t want to come down had instructed the attendants to bring breakfast to their rooms.
This, of course, didn’t include the timid Princess Consort. Before Xu Qi An returned, she wouldn’t let any man into the room, nor would she go out.
After so many days together, Xu Qi An could be certain of this.
She was a woman with very little sense of security, probably due to her experiences in the first half of her life.
Xu Qi An instructed the attendant to bring breakfast up in a quarter of an hour, then climbed the stairs to the Princess Consort’s room door. His ears twitched, catching the faint sound of breathing from inside the room.
Still asleep… He placed his palm against the door, using his qi to manipulate the latch and open the door.
On the bed, the Princess Consort lay on her side, her sleeping posture dignified, her face peaceful.
At this moment, she truly had the bearing of a Princess Consort.
Xu Qi An opened the window, letting fresh air rush into the room. He sat at the dressing table, reviewing the case in his mind.
[Blood Slaughter for Three Thousand Li Case]
Location: Xi Kou Prefecture (suspected).
Perpetrator: Unknown.
Motive: Unknown.
[Princess Consort Attack Case]
Location: On the way north.
Perpetrators: Northern barbarians, northern demons.
Motive: To prevent the Garrison North King from advancing to second rank, and to covet the Princess Consort’s body (spiritual essence).
“At present, these two cases don’t have a substantial connection. Perhaps the barbarians, knowing the Garrison North King was about to advance to the second rank, took the opportunity to cause disturbances, attract attention, prevent the Garrison North King from leaving Chu Province at will, and then secretly send people to ambush and capture the Princess Consort.”
“The Garrison North King is the Commander-in-Chief of Chu Province, holding military authority over the entire province. He can’t return to the capital without being summoned. However, Emperor Yuan Jing seems to approve of his blood brother’s advancement to second rank, so summoning him back to the capital wouldn’t be difficult. Therefore, the barbarians’ motive for invading the border can be explained.”
“Was the ‘Blood Slaughter for Three Thousand Li’ case committed at the same time? But the four fourth-rank experts, the tribal chiefs, didn’t know about it. More interestingly, even Deputy General Chu Xianglong didn’t know about it.”
“Hmm, it’s possible that a powerful barbarian did it but didn’t let it leak out. The mysterious sorcerer is also involved. What is he planning?”
As he was thinking, he saw through the bronze mirror that the Princess Consort was rubbing her eyes and sitting up.
“Awake?” Xu Qi An smiled.
The Princess Consort yawned, ignoring him. She fetched her washing utensils and squatted by the bed to wash her face and brush her teeth.
After washing up, she said with a look of disgust, “It stinks in here. The smell of cosmetics is everywhere. Some people are bound to die in women’s arms sooner or later.”
As Xu Qi An internally mused, “You look like a resentful wife who can’t control her husband’s visits to brothels…” Of course, this was just his inner sarcasm.
The Princess Consort certainly didn’t care if he visited brothels or not. What she cared about was that he had left her alone at the inn last night, making her worry and fear for a long time.
“Do you want to sleep a bit more?” Xu Qi An suggested, “We’ll set out in an hour, heading west to Xi Kou Prefecture.”
“You’re not going to continue your investigation?” The Princess Consort was surprised.
“I finished all my business at the brothel,” Xu Qi An said with a mischievous smile.
The night watchmen’s undercover agents were a secret that couldn’t be revealed, even to the harmless Princess Consort. To do so would be disrespectful to the agents. However, because the Princess Consort was harmless, he wasn’t afraid to reveal these small details, thinking that with her shallow cunning, she wouldn’t be able to infer the truth.
Pah… The Princess Consort blushed and spat.
…
In the capital, at the Imperial Music Bureau.
Fu Xiang lazily got out of bed. After washing up and changing clothes with the help of her maid, and doing her makeup in front of the mirror, she suddenly pressed her hand to her chest, frowning slightly.
A moment later, her expression returned to normal, and she said softly, “You can go out now. I want to sleep a bit more.”
Her maid found it a bit strange but didn’t say anything, obediently leaving the room.
After the maid had gone far enough, Fu Xiang took out a fox-head incense burner from under the bed and a stick of black incense. She cut off a lock of her hair, wound it around the black incense, then lit it and placed it on the burner.
Fu Xiang respectfully placed the incense burner on the table, knelt, and began to mutter to herself.
The black incense burned out at an extremely fast rate. The ashes fell lightly on the table, gathering themselves into a short line of small characters:
“Northern border matter settled. You may return to the clan.”
Looking at these words, Fu Xiang’s face showed an inexplicable excitement, a joy of having endured hard times to the end. But in her eyes, there was a hint of attachment and reluctance.
…
Chu Province City.
After three days of travel, the delegation, escorted by a force of five hundred soldiers sent by the Garrison North King, arrived at Chu Province City.
Among the thirteen provinces of Da Feng, the core provincial cities were usually located in the center of their regions. Chu Province was the exception, being close to the border, and directly facing the northern barbarians and demons.
The people of the northern border often said that it was because the Garrison North King was stationed in Chu Province City that it had been able to stand firm against the northern barbarians’ harassment for decades.
Historically, Chu Province City had fallen twice, suffering two bloody massacres.
But in the Garrison North King’s generation, the area around Chu Province City enjoyed good weather and harvests. Barbarian cavalry didn’t dare to harass within a hundred li of Chu Province City, because the most elite troops of the northern border were stationed in this area.
The Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicature lifted the curtain of the carriage and gazed at the towering city walls. He saw that the walls were covered with complex and strange array patterns, spread across every corner.
On the battlements were mounted powerful magical weapons like cannons and crossbows developed by the Bureau of Astronomy.
“The ‘Da Feng Geographic Chronicle: Chu Province’ says that the walls of Chu Province City are covered in arrays, making them extremely sturdy and able to withstand attacks from third-rank experts. Seeing is indeed believing,” the Deputy Minister remarked.
The major border cities of Da Feng all had similar arrays carved to strengthen their defenses. Every hundred years, the Bureau of Astronomy would gather all the sorcerers to repair and supplement the arrays.
“With the Garrison North King stationed here as well, Chu Province City is as solid as a rock,” Inspector Liu agreed.
As the delegation reached the city gate, they saw more than a dozen officials already waiting. The leader was a man wearing a crimson robe, with a long beard reaching his chest. His face was lean, exuding both the elegance of a scholar and the sharpness of a frontier official.
It was Zheng Xinghuai, the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Chu Province.
“Commissioner Zheng, it’s been three years since we parted in the capital,” Inspector Liu laughed as he stepped forward, seeming quite familiar with Zheng Xinghuai.
Commissioner Zheng nodded slightly, squeezing out a bit of a smile on his usually stern face. After exchanging pleasantries, he led everyone to the largest posting station in Chu Province.
After settling in, Yang Yan and the others sat with Commissioner Zheng in the hall to discuss matters.
“Commissioner Zheng, His Majesty, and the ministers were shocked and angered to hear about the ‘Blood Slaughter for Three Thousand Li’ case in Chu Province. They dispatched us to investigate this matter, hoping for your full assistance,” Inspector Liu said, cupping his hands.
Zheng Xinghuai, who was already aware of this, nodded slightly and asked, “How do you gentlemen wish for me to assist?”
Yang Yan got straight to the point: “We need the camp departure records of Chu Province’s border troops, as well as the official correspondence between various yamen in Chu Province.”
The Provincial Commissioner didn’t answer immediately. He looked around at everyone and casually said, “I heard that the lead investigator, Constable Xu, returned to the capital due to injury?”
Inspector Liu sighed, “He was ambushed on the way…”
Commissioner Zheng frowned slightly, speaking in an official tone:
“Without the lead investigator, the authority to act at discretion… Of course, I can let you gentlemen view the official correspondence between various yamen. However, regarding the camp departure records of the border troops, I’m afraid only the lead investigator has the authority to inquire about that. I will report to Prince Huai, but I can’t guarantee that he will be accommodating.”
Liu and the others weren’t angered, smiling and saying, “Thank you, Commissioner Zheng, thank you.”
After the discussion, Commissioner Zheng excused himself, citing busy official duties.
The Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicature looked at Inspector Liu and shook his head: “It’s a pity. The two Inspectors are still just Inspectors. If only you were Circuit Intendants, tsk tsk…”
An Inspector in the capital was just an Inspector. But once dispatched to inspect local areas, they became Circuit Intendants.
The power of a Circuit Intendant was so great that it surpassed the three highest local officials: the Regional Commander, the Provincial Administration Commissioner, and the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner.
But it was precisely because of the great power of Circuit Intendants that Xu Qi An was appointed as the lead investigator. Emperor Yuan Jing’s attitude was clear: he didn’t want the delegation to counterbalance Prince Huai.
Yang Yan asked calmly, “How is this Commissioner Zheng as an official?”
Inspector Liu quickly said, “I have some acquaintance with him. He is an honest official with an excellent reputation.”
…
San Huang County.
Outside the city, in a pavilion by the official road, the plain-looking Princess Consort and the handsome Xu Qi An sat at a table, drinking poor-quality tea.
This place was not far from the city gate. A pot of tea cost two wen, very cheap. The location was well-chosen, under a big banyan tree, cool and comfortable when the wind blew. Travelers entering or leaving the city often stopped here to rest and drink tea.
Xu Qi An held his teacup, thinking about his “interception” plan.
To extract information from the Garrison North King’s spies, he definitely couldn’t do it in the city. Not only would it involve innocent civilians, but he might also be counterattacked.
The best way was to wait for them to leave the city.
Since they were searching for someone, they wouldn’t linger too long in a small county town. There were countless counties in the northern border region, and it was impossible to have people stationed in every city and town.
Therefore, the spies must be mobile.
All he had to do was wait patiently.
At this moment, he noticed that several men at the next table were behaving strangely.