Wei Caiwei lied: “Oh, this morning when I went to Machang Alley to find Broker Chen, a passerby asked me about Li Wei’s whereabouts. First, I didn’t know Li Wei was your father, and second, seeing this person had shifty eyes and wasn’t a good person, I said I didn’t know and had never heard of such a person.”

Empress Dowager Li’s father Li Wei was notoriously addicted to gambling, so Wei Caiwei invented a passerby out of thin air to cover her lie.

Li Jiubao listened without suspicion, her face changing: “It must be someone from the gambling house coming to collect debts.”

Broker Chen said: “Your father and brother are still at Sanli Village. I’m afraid the gambling house people will block your door demanding payment again. It’s not safe for a young lady to live alone. Stay at my house tonight and sleep with my grandmother. I’ll borrow lodging at neighbor Wang Er’Gou’s house.”

Li Jiubao said quietly: “I’m troubling you again.”

It seemed the Li family being blocked by gambling house debt collectors was a frequent occurrence, and the neighbors helping provide cover wasn’t a first or second time either.

Broker Chen said: “We’re all neighbors—we should look out for each other.”

While the two were talking, Wei Caiwei quickly cut up the large watermelon Broker Chen had brought last night, grabbed some dried fruits to arrange on plates, and invited them to sit and eat: “Thank you both for your hard work today. I practice medicine outside and hurried home without even having hot tea prepared. Fortunately it’s summer, so please have some fruit to cool off.”

This was the future Empress Dowager Li! Wei Caiwei brought out her best stored foods, entertaining enthusiastically, afraid of slighting her.

With the melon already cut, Li Jiubao couldn’t refuse. She thanked her and sat down to eat.

Wei Caiwei picked up a plump hazelnut, used iron nutcracker pliers to break the shell, extracted the fruit meat, rubbed off the brown skin with her palm, and placed it on a plate for Li Jiubao: “Try this—it’s a local specialty from my hometown.”

Though the Li family was poor, Li Jiubao was gracious and ate it: “Crispy and fragrant, delicious.”

Broker Chen said: “Beijing dry goods shops also have hazelnuts, but not this large. Where is Doctor Wei’s hometown?”

Wei Caiwei cracked hazelnuts while saying: “I come from Tieling. These are hazelnuts from Elephant Mountain in Tieling, along with various dried mushrooms—flavors you can’t find in Beijing. I’ll package some for you to take home. Soak them in hot water and stew with chicken—most delicious.”

Li Jiubao quickly said: “Doctor Wei’s generous hospitality overwhelms us with kindness difficult to repay.”

Wei Caiwei pointed to the kitchen in the back courtyard and laughed: “The kitchen hasn’t been used yet. When I return from practicing medicine outside, I just want to lie down and not move. I eat all three meals outside and have no time to cook. Now it’s hot and humid—the dried mushrooms might spoil at home. Rather than let these delicacies brought from thousands of li away go bad, better to give them to you to add dishes.”

Before Li Jiubao could refuse, Wei Caiwei rummaged through boxes and packed two bundles of dried goods for Li Jiubao and Broker Chen.

Broker Chen laughed awkwardly: “Eating and taking things—quite embarrassing.”

Wei Caiwei said: “I’m new here and don’t understand anything, with no friends. They say distant relatives aren’t as good as close neighbors, but my neighbors are officials—a commoner like me shouldn’t associate with such high-ranking households. Though you and Miss Li live across the street in small alleys, I feel compatible with you. From now on, you’re my neighbors. Between neighbors, why be so polite?”

With words spoken to this extent, the two accepted the gifts.

When taking leave, Wei Caiwei saw them to the alley entrance before returning.

Back home, Wei Caiwei sighed with relief: Today’s etiquette was thorough, forming good karma. I should have left a good first impression with the future Empress Dowager Li.

In her previous life, Wei Caiwei had met the emperor’s later favored consort, Consort Shou, when she was still humble.

Li Jiubao was originally selected as a palace maid in the same group as them, but on her first day in the palace, Li Jiubao was sent by the managing eunuch to serve at Prince Yu’s mansion, so Wei Caiwei didn’t know Li Jiubao.

Later, Shang became the favored consort of the harem after naively laughing at Emperor Jiajing for striking the wrong chime, rising from palace maid to Consort Shou. Wei Caiwei rose with her, becoming a powerful figure in the harem, pursued by many eunuchs. Wei Caiwei chose Wang Daxia, forming a eating-partnership marriage. Consort Shou recommended Wang Daxia to the emperor, and from then he rose rapidly.

When Shang was made consort, a lowly palace maid at Prince Yu’s mansion gave birth to an imperial grandson. As stepmother, Consort Shou prepared gifts for Wei Caiwei to deliver to Prince Yu’s mansion.

This was Wei Caiwei’s first meeting with Li Jiubao.

Due to Emperor Jiajing’s years of cultivating immortality, refining pills, and taking medicine, he had difficulty producing heirs. The imperial concubines bore eight sons and five daughters total, but only two sons and two princesses survived to adulthood.

The two adult sons, Prince Yu and Prince Jing—Prince Yu had two sons and two daughters, all died young. Prince Jing’s mansion never even heard baby cries, having no sons or daughters.

When the Ming imperial family faced extinction crisis, Li Jiubao’s imperial grandson was precious beyond measure.

Emperor Jiajing was already old. To pamper Consort Shou, he often took aphrodisiac medicines. Wei Caiwei judged the old emperor’s days were numbered. Though Prince Yu wasn’t favored by the emperor, he was the elder son—especially since Prince Jing never reproduced, and though Prince Yu’s four children all died young, at least he had produced them, right? Moreover, Li Jiubao had just given birth to an imperial grandson.

Wei Caiwei, positioned in the harem, didn’t understand court politics, but she knew the importance of heirs, so she bet on Prince Yu, planning for future prospects.

Wei Caiwei understood medicine, especially gynecology. She helped Li Jiubao recover after childbirth and eliminated the pregnancy spots on Li Jiubao’s face, allowing Li Jiubao to quickly regain favor and bear another imperial grandson!

Following her husband’s lead, Wang Daxia also secretly became Prince Yu’s man. After experiencing dangerous and brutal palace struggles for succession, Prince Jing died suddenly, Emperor Jiajing died, Prince Yu inherited the throne, and Li Jiubao, as the crown prince’s birth mother, was made Noble Consort Li.

During the succession struggle, Wei Caiwei fell into danger. Wang Daxia blocked a poisoned arrow for her. Wei Caiwei treated her husband with everything she had, turning crisis to safety, but he suffered lasting damage and died of illness at forty-seven…

Seeing Empress Dowager Li in her humble period today, Wei Caiwei couldn’t help remembering her dead husband’s good qualities.

Sigh, deep feelings don’t last long.

Reborn before his self-castration, seeing his other side, she wanted to beat his dog head every time, but he was only fourteen, young and ignorant…

She still had to forgive him—what was the point of arguing with a half-grown child!

Help him walk the right path, let the prodigal son return, help the Wang family avoid future disasters.

In this life, I must protect him, can’t let him be forced onto the path of self-castration again.

Don’t argue, don’t get angry, don’t beat him—consider it repayment for the poisoned arrow he took for me in the previous life.

She could only think of it as repayment, because Wei Caiwei really couldn’t love the fourteen-year-old Young Master Wang, even repeatedly wanting to personally castrate him!

Meanwhile, at a gravesite by West Sanli River outside the city.

Wang Daxia, observing the grave digging, sneezed three times in a row: “Hmm, who’s thinking of me?”

Lu Ying said coldly: “Who else could it be? Must be your female confidant Miss Yingying.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Imperial Guards digging called out: “We’ve hit the coffin!”

Lu Ying ordered: “Coroner, while it’s not raining yet, quickly open the coffin and examine the corpse.”

Next they needed to pry open the coffin. Wang Daxia shouted: “Wait!”

Everyone thought he’d made some new discovery, but saw him return from the carriage carrying a handful of amulets tied with red strings!

Wang Daxia said: “These are protective amulets I requested this morning at Tian’an Temple where we stayed. Everyone wear one—no ghosts can harm you.”

Last night’s lightning strike killing the book boy was too ominous. Everyone, following the principle of “better to believe than not,” accepted the amulets.

Only Lu Ying refused: “I don’t want it. Lord Lu said once you become an Imperial Guard, don’t believe in ghosts and spirits.”

Wang Daxia pointed at everyone: “They’re also Imperial Guards. Why can they have amulets?”

Lu Ying said: “Rules used to constrain yourself shouldn’t be used to constrain others.”

Wang Daxia simply hung two amulets around his neck: “If you don’t want it, fine. I’ll wear two for extra insurance.”

Lu Ying remembered something and asked: “Your private money is with Lord Lu. Where did you get money to buy these amulets?”

Wang Daxia was confused: “Do you Imperial Guards need to pay money when requisitioning things?”

Lu Ying was speechless: “Imperial Guards are court officials, not bandits! You’re openly robbing!”

Wang Daxia looked innocent: “I didn’t rob. I told that big monk the Imperial Guards needed to requisition the temple’s protective amulets, and the monk gave me a whole handful—there are more in the carriage.”

Lu Ying retorted: “You used the Imperial Guard name—could that monk refuse you?”

Wang Daxia spread his hands: “I’m assisting Imperial Guards with a case, penniless. You want the horse to run but won’t let it eat grass—you’re being unreasonable!”

“You—” Lu Ying raised his whip, wanting to strike him a hundred times.

Wang Daxia jumped back, deflecting the conflict by pointing at the grave: “The coffin’s open. Go look quickly.”

Lu Ying put away his whip and went to look.

Ten years had passed—only white bones remained. The coroner went down to examine the bones and fill out the corpse record, saying: “Commander Lu, there are indeed infant remains in the deceased’s lower abdomen.”

The coroner cleared out the bones from the coffin piece by piece, arranging them in formation—one large, one small, two complete sets of remains.

The Imperial Guards lit a fire around the bones. The coroner opened a red umbrella to shade the remains, examining the bones from top to bottom.

This was the corpse examination method written by famous Song Dynasty coroner Song Ci in “The Washing Away of Wrongs”—this method could reveal whether bones showed fracture traces, which would indicate violent assault before death.

The coroner examined both large and small sets of remains and said: “No traces of injury.”

Lu Ying’s hands gradually clenched: “The book boy didn’t lie. Miss He died from difficult labor caused by Wang Pozi—one body, two lives, the fetus died in the womb.”

Then the Imperial Guards dug up another coffin. This coffin was very small, only half the size of Miss He’s. Opening it revealed an empty coffin indeed!

Lu Ying contemplated the empty coffin, hand to chin: “Second Miss He escaped. She was seven that year. If she’s still alive, she’d be seventeen now. Qianhu Chen and his son, plus Wang Pozi, were very likely killed by her.”

The coroner said: “This subordinate examined Wang Pozi’s corpse this morning. Her abdomen was swollen with water, and there was mud and sand under her fingernails. The cause of death was indeed drowning, but we can’t rule out someone holding her underwater.”

Lu Ying asked: “Wang Daxia, what do you think?”

No response. Lu Ying turned back: Where is he?

A subordinate pointed at the carriage: “When Commander Lu went to see the coffin opening, Young Master Wang had already hidden in the carriage.”

Really greedy for life, afraid of death, and afraid of ghosts. Lu Ying walked to the carriage, lifted the door curtain—Wang Daxia was curled in the corner, eyes tightly shut, hands clasping a bronze Buddha, muttering: “Buddha protect me, may all ghosts retreat according to this command!”

Good grief! Buddhism and Taoism mixed together.

Lu Ying was torn between laughter and tears, his gaze falling on the bronze Buddha: “You little rascal stole the bronze Buddha from Tian’an Temple!”

“Requisitioned! It’s requisitioning!” Hearing Lu Ying’s voice and confirming it wasn’t a ghost, Wang Daxia opened his eyes: “Requisitioning can’t be called stealing… requisitioning!… Imperial Guard business—can that be called stealing?” (Note 1)

Author’s Note: Note 1: This pays homage to “Kong Yiji”—Kong Yiji’s face flushed red, the veins on his forehead bulging as he argued: “Stealing books can’t be called stealing… stealing books!… Scholar’s business—can that be called stealing?”

Fourteen-year-old Wang Daxia—flirty, slutty, cheap, chuuni, rogue, shameless, unreasonable, and very afraid of ghosts! But after meeting Wei Caiwei, he’s like joining a reality transformation show.