A’Luo drove the carriage racing out through the city gate, but slowed down as she stepped onto the pontoon bridge. She reached back into the carriage for a jar of oil and carefully poured it along the edge of the bridge as she crossed. After crossing, she raced onward again, following the official road for about an hour, as the mountains on either side grew increasingly tall and precipitous. Only then did she drive the carriage deep into the woods beside the road. She unhitched one horse, removed its saddle, and gave it a hard whip, sending it galloping off in pain.
A’Luo, not even pausing to catch her breath, tied a small bundle to her body and deliberately scattered and disturbed the remaining clothes in the carriage, sprinkling a few drops of blood over them and scattering some on the ground too. She staged the scene to look like a robbery—it didn’t matter if it wasn’t perfectly convincing; it would leave enough room for imagination and confuse the trail, buying some time. She carefully tied the jars of oil and blood to the other horse, wrapped its hooves in cloth, and mounted up, riding back toward Feng City. Once she estimated she’d traveled about a quarter hour from where she’d abandoned the carriage, she smashed the jars and threw them far away. Checking the sky again and calculating the time—around the sixth quarter of the hour of Chen—she urged her horse into a swift gallop back toward Feng City.
At the first quarter of the hour of Chen, Chancellor Li learned that Tang Garden stood empty. Chancellor Li went there in person. The courtyard’s begonia branches swayed gracefully, and Tang Garden sat in silence. Chancellor Li kicked open the door to the Seventh Wife’s room—the bedding was neatly arranged, not a single garment missing from the trunks. Chancellor Li stared blankly at the empty courtyard, muttering to himself: “Very good, Yutang, what a fine daughter you’ve raised! A’Luo, well done indeed! Not only hiding her talents, but hiding an escape plan too! How did they even get out of the residence!”
The household attendant beside him was startled by Chancellor Li’s sudden roar and looked fearfully toward the First Wife. The First Wife said venomously, “The household staff discovered while searching that piles of rocks had been built up against the wall in the back bamboo grove, allowing someone to climb over! Looking at the moss on the stones, it’s clearly been there for quite some time! That brothel trash, teaching her such underhanded tricks to sneak out of the residence!”
If the three women had appeared before him at that moment, Chancellor Li couldn’t be certain he wouldn’t kill them on the spot, regardless of the marriage alliance with Prince Anqing’s household.
Before long, the entire residence had learned of this shocking event. The six wives and Qingfei all gathered in the main hall, their expressions uneasy as they looked at Chancellor Li.
Chancellor Li’s face was ashen, seated in the master’s chair, his heaving chest and trembling beard betraying that he was nearly furious to death. Throughout the household, everything spoke of celebration—red silk, lanterns, flowers—all proclaiming that this was Chancellor Li’s day to marry off his daughter. Yet no one’s face showed the slightest joy. Qingfei’s face was pale, unsure whether her father might cancel the wedding out of rage. The First Wife carefully broke the silence: “My lord, hurry and send people to pursue them!”
“Pursue what!” Chancellor Li slammed the table and roared. “Do you want the whole of Feng City to know that the Seventh Wife and Third Miss have fled the Chancellor’s residence? Do you want everyone to laugh at us!”
“But then, are we just going to let them get away like this? How will we explain this to Prince Anqing’s household?” the First Wife sighed.
The Sixth Wife spoke up: “My lord, Prince Anqing’s household will find out sooner or later. I think we shouldn’t delay—better to inform the young lord immediately. Perhaps with the household’s resources, they could still catch them. If we wait, and they get too far away, the household will only blame us more!”
Chancellor Li sighed deeply: “Very well, quickly send someone to inform the household! Say that the Seventh Wife and Third Miss went missing overnight without explanation. A’Luo was already promised to the household—if she can’t be found, it will be a great loss of face for them too. With both households’ combined strength, how far could three women get?”
The family exchanged uneasy glances. The Fourth Wife forced a smile: “My lord, then today…”
Chancellor Li slowly composed himself: “Today the banquet proceeds as planned, the wedding proceeds as planned, and it must be a joyous, lively affair! Qingfei, dress yourself beautifully. Play the part of the bride properly. Once today is over, I will report to the authorities that the Seventh Wife and Third Miss have suddenly disappeared, that there are signs of struggle in their quarters, and if we cannot conceal it, we will simply issue a bounty for their capture. Whoever leaks even a hint of this—don’t blame this old man for being ruthless. Wife, go summon the household stewards to the study—I have matters to arrange.”
Chancellor Li returned to his study and carefully wrote out over a dozen letters, handing them to his guards: “Deliver these personally to each of the prefectural governors, without fail! Use my personal seal and ride swiftly.” Chancellor Li reasoned that A’Luo could only have gone west or south. The western plains offered little distance to travel; the south was most likely. He was confident the three women couldn’t get far before being intercepted. The prefectural governors receiving these letters were all his former proteges and subordinates. With an open bounty and covert searching combined, how far could the three women really get? What occupied Chancellor Li’s mind now was how to explain this to Prince Anqing’s household and how to punish the three once recaptured.
When Liu Jue received the urgent report from the Chancellor’s residence, he trembled with fury. What did “disappeared without explanation” and “signs of struggle in the room” even mean? Recalling A’Luo’s words and behavior, he was one hundred percent certain this girl had planned this in advance—she had run away!
He had treated her with complete sincerity, never imagining she had already arranged, while her sister was getting married, to flee with her mother. And here he’d thought he was growing closer to her, coming to understand her, hoping she would slowly fall in love with him. A’Luo had fled the marriage—she didn’t want to marry him! This thought crashed over Liu Jue’s heart like waves, again and again. He felt wave after wave of pain, fury, resentment, disappointment, and heartbreak swirling through him. In this moment, he deeply regretted withdrawing the watchers he’d assigned to follow her, all because he’d wanted to accommodate her.
All those smiles and pleasant words toward him had been mere pretense! All that warmth when she leaned close to him had been fake! Liu Jue recalled A’Luo asking what he would do if she ever betrayed him someday. Liu Jue thought through gritted teeth—once I catch you, you’ll find out! His grip tightened so hard that the corner of his desk cracked under his hand.
Liu Ying looked at him, his own expression grave: “My lord, the three squadrons of the Black-Clad Riders are ready and standing by.”
Liu Jue said coldly: “Red Corps west, Shadow Corps east, Dark Corps with me south. Liu Ying, personally go secure the three city gates with the Feng City magistrate, and search the entire city thoroughly! Pigeon Corps, send word to covert watchposts across every city in Ning Guo!”
The gates of the residence swung wide open, and the Black-Clad Riders sped off in every direction. When Liu Jue reached the south city gate, he heard, with a grim expression, the soldiers stammering that early that morning, just as the gate opened, a white-clad young man had raced a carriage out. Liu Jue barked, “Pursue!”
At that moment, Qingluo had just reached the pontoon bridge. She lit it. The oil, meeting flame, ignited instantly, and driven by the wind, quickly became a wall of fire stretching across the river’s surface.
Liu Jue, from a distance, glimpsed A’Luo’s slight figure flash across the far bank of the river. Seeing a horse gradually heading south, his heart burned, and disregarding the flames, he urged his horse onto the bridge. He hadn’t gone more than a few steps before the wind-driven fire forced him back. Furious, he slammed a fist into the bridge railing, shattering a stone lion’s head to pieces. The Dark Corps death soldiers watched with a chill of fear—this was the first time they had witnessed the true force of Liu Jue’s fist. A palpable killing intent radiated from their master, the surrounding air thick and oppressive. Liu Jue’s whole body seemed to emanate an aura that whipped his robes about, his face pale with fury.
The Dark Corps soldiers dropped to their knees before Liu Jue with a swift motion: “My lord, we know she’s heading south—she won’t escape. Pursuing along the route would be the same.”
Liu Jue felt only heartache and humiliation, his fingers trembling; despite his overwhelming rage, he found himself letting out a light, bitter laugh. The Black-Clad Riders exchanged glances, silently thinking that the Chancellor’s Third Miss was finished.
Liu Jue sat on his horse, staring across the river, his eyes hardened into a sheet of cold ice. He murmured to himself, “A’Luo! You’d better hope I don’t find you!” Then he turned and commanded loudly: “Get boats ready at once, rebuild the bridge!”
The south city gate was packed with a dense crowd, everyone staring wide-eyed at this dragon of fire blazing across the river’s surface.
A’Luo, using the smoke drifting over the river as cover, had already quietly slipped into the water. While everyone was busy fighting the fire and rebuilding the bridge, she approached the pontoon bridge, using a bamboo tube to breathe as she slowly swam toward the boat docks on the far bank. She was grateful her swimming skills weren’t bad. She waited quietly for the boats in the dock to row out. After the first square-hulled boat rowed out, she swam slowly against the current from beneath the hull toward the boat dock. By the time the tenth boat rowed out, she had made her way inside the dock. Through the gaps in the water between the moored boats, she quietly poked her head above the surface.
Sure enough, everyone had gone off to build the new pontoon bridge. A’Luo quickly surfaced. She untied the bundle from her back, retrieved oil-cloth-wrapped clothes, and changed into them, mussing up her hair and smearing dirt on her face and hands. She looked every bit a young beggar. Then, through the dock’s personnel entrance, she quietly slipped into the city.
Zili had also quickly learned of the situation once the Black-Clad Riders mobilized in force. Sishi had taken advantage of a lull in the household to personally rush over and inform him. He smiled—he didn’t believe for a moment that anyone could have silently entered the Chancellor’s residence and abducted three people without a trace. A’Luo would never have gone so quietly into a marriage—of course she had her own methods and plans. He seemed to understand now why A’Luo had been so fond of money. He slowly unrolled the scroll in his hand, gazing at those eyes, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile: “Sishi, you did well. This prince didn’t even know his princess consort’s eyes weren’t actually like that.”
Sishi prostrated herself on the ground: “Sishi only didn’t understand why the young lord would want a new painting made, and suspected the original had something suspicious about it, so I took the risk of switching them.”
Zili sighed: “He must have found it hard to part with those eyes. Where’s the new painting?”
“I watched the young lord paint it himself—it looked identical to the princess consort’s actual portrait, so I thought it had no use. Carrying it during the switch was inconvenient, so it was destroyed.”
“You did well. This prince should reward you handsomely.”
“Sishi doesn’t seek reward, only wishes to remain by my lord’s side.”
“Oh? You’re truly willing, for my sake?”
“Yes, even to die for my lord would be worthwhile.”
Zili turned to look at Sishi—she truly was a young and beautiful girl. Zili sighed, gently raising his hand and striking her chest, severing her heart meridian. Sishi collapsed in terror. Her lips trembled, as though asking why.
Zili said softly: “You cleverly switched the paintings on your own, without letting me know—that’s one. This led me, without meaning to, to reveal to Liu Jue that I had planted a spy within his household—that’s two.” Sorrow flickered in Zili’s eyes: “You brought me the original painting, which has left this prince tormented day and night, heartsick beyond bearing—that’s three. Go now. I will see to it that you are buried properly.”
Zili gently closed Sishi’s eyes and gazed at the painting for a long moment, lost in thought. He rolled it up carefully and put it away, then instructed: “Bury her well. Notify all covert watchposts everywhere—she must be found before Liu Jue does, at the Chancellor’s third daughter’s location. Be careful, don’t let her come to harm.”
A’Luo made her way carefully back to the house. She took out a flute and played a few notes. Xiao Yu eagerly opened the door without delay. A’Luo, exhausted, her grimy face breaking into a smile: “It worked. As long as we can lie low for half a year before leaving, we’ll be fine.”