Wei Caiwei used the key Chen Jingji gave her to open Wang Daxia’s lock, then used her own key to open the other lock before pushing open the door and returning home.

Exhausted from the day, Wei Caiwei was too lazy to open her trunk and organize her luggage. She bathed, feeling refreshed all over, lit mosquito incense in the courtyard, loosened her damp hair, and enjoyed the evening breeze.

Outside, a peddler pushed a wheelbarrow selling watermelons. Wei Caiwei bought one, cut it in half, and ate it with a spoon for dinner.

After eating half the watermelon, with moonlight cool as water gently spilling onto the stone table in the courtyard, she noticed carved marks on the table. Holding up a lantern to look, she saw a turtle, and beside it a line of chicken-scratch characters: “Wang Daxia was here.”

No need to guess—this was definitely her dead eunuch husband’s “masterpiece.” He fancied himself a hero but was actually just a privileged young master.

Wei Caiwei’s lips curved into a smile as her fingertip traced the rough carved lines. Suddenly, a muffled sound came from the path behind the rear courtyard, as if something had fallen.

Having just killed two enemies last night, Wei Caiwei was alert. She grabbed the watermelon knife and climbed the wooden ladder on the courtyard wall. Standing on the ladder looking down, she saw a dark figure struggling at the base of the neighboring Wang mansion’s maple-vine-covered wall, supporting himself against the wall to stand up. “Ouch! That really hurt.”

Though she couldn’t see the person’s face clearly, the voice was familiar—it was her dead eunuch husband from her previous life, Wang Daxia.

It appeared Wang Daxia couldn’t bear being confined and had climbed over the courtyard wall to escape.

Indeed, clamorous voices arose from within the high walls: “I saw Second Young Master climbing a tree and escaping over the courtyard wall from the tree!”

“Chase him! Go through the side gate!”

Wang Daxia seemed injured, limping while supporting himself against the courtyard wall, unable to run fast.

Without time to think, Wei Caiwei immediately climbed down the ladder, ran to open the rear courtyard’s small gate, and beckoned to Wang Daxia at the base of the wall: “Quick, come in!”

Seeing a beautiful woman in white with loose hair beckoning to him in the night, Wang Daxia was startled, his legs went weak, and he nearly fell again.

Supporting himself against the wall to look carefully—oh, wasn’t this that pretty young widow!

The Wang mansion’s side gate had already opened, with a group of servants carrying lanterns running over to catch him. Like a stray dog, Wang Daxia slipped through Wei Caiwei’s rear courtyard gate.

Wei Caiwei closed the gate and made a shushing gesture to Wang Daxia.

Wang Daxia silently retreated to the courtyard, saw half a watermelon on the stone table, and licked his lips—after exerting so much effort to escape, he was both tired and thirsty.

Wei Caiwei stood at the rear gate listening to the pursuers outside. Seeing his longing expression, she handed him the knife in her hand, pointed at the watermelon, made eating gestures, telling him to help himself.

Wang Daxia nodded knowingly, took the knife, and went to cut watermelon.

The Wang mansion’s servants saw weak lamplight through the cracks of the neighboring courtyard gate, knowing someone was home, so they knocked: “May we ask, neighbor, did you perhaps see our Second Young Master just now?”

Wang Daxia held up watermelon while frantically shaking his head.

Wei Caiwei said: “I’m a widow—it’s inconvenient to open the gate to speak at night. Please forgive me. When I was cooling myself in the courtyard just now, I dimly heard someone running eastward.”

The servant said: “Thank you!”

The clamorous voices went eastward, the courtyard returned to quiet, and by this time Wang Daxia had already devoured a quarter of the melon in one breath, still wanting more.

Wei Caiwei said: “Eat it all—it’ll spoil by tomorrow anyway.”

Wang Daxia was like Marshal Tianpeng reincarnated at Gao Village, nearly gnawing even the rind.

Wei Caiwei asked: “Doesn’t your family feed you?”

Wang Daxia nodded: “I refused to stay home, so Father said he’d starve me for a day to see if I still have strength to run.”

Wei Caiwei felt increasingly sympathetic toward Wang Daxia. This Wang Qianhu really didn’t know how to educate his son—either indulging and spoiling him, or threatening violence and withholding food.

Wei Caiwei brought out a packet of brown sugar fried cakes from the house: “I just moved in and haven’t started cooking yet. Make do with these.”

Wang Daxia ate ravenously: “This is great! I love it!”

Half-grown boys eat their fathers into poverty.

Now it was a half-grown husband eating up his wife’s snacks.

After eating a packet of fried cakes, Wang Daxia was finally full: “Thank you, Doctor Wei.”

Wei Caiwei saw he was covered in dust and had nothing with him, asking: “Where were you planning to go to avoid Wang Qianhu? How come you don’t even have luggage? Leaving with nothing but the clothes on your back?”

Wang Daxia sighed: “I originally took several sets of clothes and gold and silver valuables, but when climbing the tree to scale the wall, there was moss on the tree. My foot slipped and I fell straight from the tree over the courtyard wall. My bundle is still hanging on the tree branch.”

Wang Daxia’s eyes turned, staring at the wooden ladder in the courtyard: “Could I borrow the ladder? I’ll climb up to the courtyard wall and get my bundle back.”

Wei Caiwei said: “Your family is a prestigious household—our small household’s ladder only reaches half your courtyard wall. You can’t climb over.”

“By tomorrow daylight, the bundle will be discovered by family members, and all my saved private money will be gone.” Wang Daxia’s mind was nimble: “No matter, I’ll take a bamboo pole, climb on the ladder, and hook the bundle down from the tree branch.”

You really are a talent at sneaky schemes!

Wei Caiwei’s house had no ready-made bamboo pole, but there was a bamboo grove in the courtyard. Wang Daxia took the watermelon knife and cut one fresh, trimming off the branches. At this time, the night watch drum sounded outside—it was already the third point of the first watch.

Wei Caiwei said: “Stop trimming. Hurry up—in two more points it’ll be the second watch with curfew beginning. The Northern District Military Commission’s night patrol—you won’t be able to escape even with wings. If caught and taken back, you’ll be beaten and starved again.”

Wei Caiwei felt sorry for her dead eunuch husband—unloved by father and mother, look what they’d starved her husband into! Eating brown sugar fried cakes like they were heavenly delicacies.

Wang Daxia quickly shouldered the ladder and went out, climbed to the ladder’s top, pressed against the maple-vine-covered high wall, and raised the bamboo pole to hook the bundle on the tree branch.

Wang Daxia held up the bamboo pole, gradually threading the bundle through the tree branch forks, pulling it outward.

By the end, Wang Daxia’s arms ached as if soaked in vinegar. With a final effort, the bundle dropped onto the path with a thud. Wang Daxia joyfully descended the ladder, but extreme joy led to sorrow—his last step missed, and he fell leftward.

Seeing his face about to hit the ground and injure his handsome features, Wang Daxia despairingly closed his eyes. Suddenly two forces supported his waist and head respectively, and only his feet touched the ground.

Wang Daxia opened his eyes to find himself in Doctor Wei’s arms, with her hand around his waist and the other supporting his neck.

The two gazed into each other’s eyes.

How embarrassing—actually being princess-carried by a widow.

Fortunately it was dark and his blush couldn’t be seen. Wang Daxia quickly stood up from the widow’s embrace, ran to pick up his bundle, and prepared to leave immediately to avoid further awkwardness: “Thank you for Doctor Wei’s assistance. I’ll leave now.”

But suddenly horse hooves sounded from the lane entrance, and torch lights like stars could be seen in the distance!

The Northern District Military Commission had begun night patrol early!

“Quick, get inside!” Seeing the Northern District Military Commission, Wang Daxia was like a mouse seeing a cat, shouldering the ladder and running while Wei Caiwei closed the courtyard gate.

Mu Baihu’s voice came from outside: “Chen Qianhu and his son died mysteriously—everyone in the capital feels endangered. Our Wang Qianhu has also offended some people over the years. Open attacks are easy to dodge, hidden arrows hard to defend against. To protect the Wang household—you ten men, two per group, guard the south wall, take turns patrolling. Each group guards for one watch, resting in rotation. Don’t be careless.”

“Yes!”

“The rest follow me to the north wall!”

The torches and patrolling footsteps outside would continue all night.

Just then the second watch drum sounded—curfew officially began. Wang Daxia was completely unable to leave. Even if he left, he’d quickly be caught by his father’s subordinates.

All schemes proved too clever—in the end, busy for nothing.

“I… I should go home and surrender myself.” Wang Daxia picked up his bundle and walked toward the gate.

“Wait.” Wei Caiwei said: “You can’t leave.”

“Ah?” Wang Daxia thought he’d misheard: “A man and woman alone together in a room at night… this is—”

“If you don’t speak and I don’t speak, who would know? But if you go out now—” Wei Caiwei pointed at the gate, “the night patrol outside will see you leaving my house, and your family servants will also know I lied just now. In that case, even jumping in the Yellow River won’t wash us clean.”

Wang Daxia was shocked, but actually felt some secret joy: “Doctor Wei means—”

“Sleep here tonight.” Wei Caiwei said: “Wait until morning when the night patrol disperses, then you can leave.”

Wang Daxia was wildly delighted: Such good fortune exists!