Ge Lian crawled on the yellow sand ground. She had to crawl quickly to intercept the Floating Water National Uncle’s procession, but couldn’t injure her face. This face had to be stained with tears yet not appear dirty. When she raised her face it had to look pitifully helpless, but couldn’t have snot that would soil a nobleman’s hands.
Jing Hengbo demanded she perform well, so she had to perform well. At this time she couldn’t oppose Jing Hengbo—it concerned whether Jing Hengbo could succeed and whether she could be rescued. As long as she could be rescued first, there would be plenty of opportunities to take revenge on those who had brutalized her.
Jing Hengbo watched with a smile from behind, not worried about Ge Lian’s poor performance. Cooperating with clever villains was easier than cooperating with stupid good people, because clever villains better knew when to do what, without letting momentary emotions dominate.
The woman’s mournful cries for help carried far on the early morning dirt road, ethereally thin yet somehow soul-stirring.
Jing Hengbo’s group rode slowly to encircle, wearing fierce grins. Qisha performed especially enthusiastically, laughing strangely: “Run! Run! You’ve reached Floating Water’s royal city—where else can you run?”
In the thin morning mist, a carriage quietly approached, its curtains swaying slightly as curious gazes swept over.
Seeing that procession almost upon them, Tian Qi spurred his horse forward two steps and deftly flicked his long whip, lifting Ge Lian’s chin to face her toward the carriage’s direction, smiling: “Your Highness, things have come to this—why struggle uselessly? Please return to our country with us quickly!”
His whip nimbly coiled around Ge Lian’s neck. Ge Lian raised her face, revealing just the right amount of pitiful pain. In the morning mist her face was pale as a pear blossom beaten by frost.
Suddenly someone said: “Wait.”
This was exactly what they were waiting for, but Tian Qi didn’t stop, turning to smile at the carriage: “Sir, we’re executing our own national official business. Allowing you to watch from the side for so long already shows respect for you Floating Water hosts. As for other words, best to say fewer.”
The person in the carriage chuckled: “I heard that ‘Your Highness’ and am quite curious. How could a dignified princess fall to such a state?”
“Naturally she has her path to death,” Pei Shu said coldly. “Usurping power, massacring ministers, causing chaos in the capital, attempting to assassinate the great king. Such crimes—presumably in Floating Water, she couldn’t live another day either.”
The carriage occupant’s voice carried more surprise: “Really? How could such a delicate woman stir up a nation’s turmoil?”
Tian Qi and others all smiled mysteriously without speaking, wearing expressions of ‘this is our national secret, can’t reveal it.’ That person waited, seemingly finally unable to contain curiosity: “I heard Falling Cloud’s princess rebelled and infiltrated our national borders, being pursued by Falling Cloud elite forces. Transit documents were already sent to our great king. Could this be that very person?”
“Since you know, you must be a Floating Water high minister,” Tian Qi smiled broadly. “In that case, no need to hide from you.” He took out the series of prepared documents and seals: “We captured the chief rebel traitor and should return home. But having chased all the way to Floating Water’s capital, we must file with the capital’s governor and get return passage permits. If possible, we also hope to have audience with the great king—our king has secret correspondence for us to present. Meeting you on the road, may I ask your official position and whether you could report this?”
The carriage curtain stirred as a servant came to receive those documents. After a moment, the person in the carriage laughed: “So you’re Falling Cloud’s royal elite forces, and this is that Princess Ge Lian who as a woman killed ministers, invaded the capital and seized the throne!”
Then a man stepped down from the carriage—quite a figure, over thirty, with handsome features. Probably due to health cultivation, his skin was crystal clear and radiant, inspiring goodwill at first sight.
After alighting, he first glanced at the main road. With still nearly an hour before the city gates opened, the road was naturally empty without a soul in sight.
Jing Hengbo had deliberately chosen a bend in the road to avoid being seen from a distance.
This romantic figure, confirming no one was around, his eyes flashed before scanning over Jing Hengbo’s group, examining them carefully. Only then did he smile at Tian Qi who deliberately stood in the lead position: “You must be the Falling Cloud expert.”
Tian Qi smiled coyly: “I dare not, I dare not. May I ask who you are…”
Since following Jing Hengbo, Tian Qi had lost all self-restraint about gender boundaries. Often exposed to Jing Hengbo’s women’s businesses, over time he inevitably became somewhat effeminate. Jing Hengbo deliberately had him take the lead because she’d heard both Falling Cloud and Floating Water had customs of using eunuchs to manage palace guard experts. The great king’s personal eunuchs were often experts who carried out secret royal missions. Now with Tian Qi’s soft voice and half-male, half-female manner, he perfectly fit their fabricated identity. Sure enough, that National Uncle naturally assumed Tian Qi was the lead eunuch.
“I am Floating Water’s Shunping Marquis Cao Zhi, holding the position of Ritual Department Vice Minister. Your request for royal audience falls within my jurisdiction,” Cao Zhi smiled very amiably, though his eyes kept sliding toward Ge Lian. Ge Lian didn’t meet his gaze, keeping her head slightly lowered. Through scattered long hair, half her face showed refined features, but her eyes remained defiant.
Tian Qi smiled happily, immediately stepping forward to greet and chat, but didn’t introduce the others. Jing Hengbo’s group also stood aside like clay sculptures, not making a sound. This behavior, in the eyes of royal relatives like Cao Zhi, naturally had reasonable explanation. Royal experts and death warriors throughout history remained loyal only to their royal families, with strict rules and strange temperaments. Not socializing with other nations’ officials was normal.
After a few exchanges, Cao Zhi casually asked Tian Qi how many people were in the pursuit team that entered Floating Water, whether everyone was present. Hearing Tian Qi say everyone was here, satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
Seeing this expression, Jing Hengbo knew the fish had taken the bait.
They’d heard this National Uncle, relying on his sister’s favor, had always been quite bold.
Sure enough, after a few more words, when Tian Qi expressed wanting to bring Ge Lian into the city to find imprisonment facilities and then have audience with the great king, Cao Zhi readily agreed but didn’t immediately take them into the city. Instead, he warmly invited everyone to go to Lushan, to his villa for tea and spring viewing.
“You’ve traveled far and worked hard, covered in travel dust. You should properly cleanse yourselves at Lushan’s clear springs and refresh your spirits to present yourselves properly before my lord.” Cao Zhi’s expression was very sincere, quietly telling Tian Qi their great king was extremely fastidious and most detested unclean clothing.
Jing Hengbo secretly sneered—he wanted to silence them permanently. Currently no one had seen Cao Zhi with this group. Taking them to his villa and disposing of them in the deep mountains would be done without heaven or earth knowing. With one Ge Lian remaining as his prize, as long as she was well hidden, who in the world would know such a group had ever appeared?
Following her prior instructions, Tian Qi politely declined Cao Zhi’s villa rest invitation, only stating that pursuing Ge Lian had a deadline that couldn’t be delayed. They must immediately enter the city, and after seeing the great king would return to Falling Cloud.
Cao Zhi’s expression showed obvious hesitation. Once inside the royal city with many eyes watching, killing so many people over one woman would inevitably fall under observant eyes. If discovered, it would be a major incident shocking both nations that he couldn’t bear responsibility for.
Thinking it over and feeling unworthy, he was about to give up when he suddenly saw Ge Lian secretly give him a meaningful look.
Cao Zhi’s heart stirred, suddenly recalling legends about Falling Cloud and Floating Water cooperation he’d heard before. Thinking this woman could actually commit regicide and usurpation, she must have extraordinary means and might be useful to keep.
Just then Tian Qi said wearily that after pursuing and killing all of Ge Lian’s guards, his own people were also exhausted with some injured, asking the marquis for assistance.
Hearing this, Cao Zhi was immediately delighted, quickly ordering his people to prepare three large carriages. When going to Lushan for health cultivation, he always brought large carriages with barrels inside to bring back famous spring water for daily drinking. Now he ordered subordinates to unload the barrels and let Tian Qi’s group board to rest.
Once people were in carriages, he needn’t fear being seen. Cao Zhi was pleased, inviting Tian Qi to share his carriage back to the city. Tian Qi apologetically glanced at Jing Hengbo, feeling bad she had to squeeze into a large carriage with smelly men. Jing Hengbo smiled and winked at him, boarding the carriage first while Pei Shu and Yi Qi quickly claimed positions on her left and right.
As the carriage procession returned, the gate guards who had just opened the doors were naturally somewhat surprised. Marquis household guards explained that the marquis suddenly felt unwell and would go up the mountain another day. The guards didn’t ask further, immediately opening the city gates.
As the gates rumbled open, Jing Hengbo lifted the carriage curtain, looking at the dusty yellow earth on the road behind, smiling slightly.
This dust in their faces would eventually sweep over these high walls and thick doors, across jade steps and vermillion stairs, staining the sky blood-red and burying golden halls and royal cities.
…
Floating Water’s city gates were very strictly guarded. When Cao Zhi re-entered the city, the gate guards didn’t simply leave the gates open because opening time was approaching, but took the trouble to close the gates again and apply three winch ropes. Jing Hengbo noticed the number of patrol soldiers on the walls was also double that of ordinary royal cities.
After entering the city, the carriage procession indeed never stopped again, nor opened the carriage doors.
Cao Zhi’s guards firmly controlled the three carriages, not even allowing people to lift the curtains. With early morning and markets not yet opened, only scattered pedestrians walked the streets. Seeing the marquis household procession, they all avoided it from afar without paying attention.
The royal city was very quiet in the early morning, but every time they passed main roads, they could always see patrol soldiers with hurried steps and tense expressions. The entire city seemed shrouded in a cold, tense atmosphere.
She glanced at Dong Chi sitting opposite her, who nodded slightly.
Jing Hengbo noticed this procession might have taken a detour, winding through streets and alleys with many turns. The marquis household couldn’t possibly be located in poor alleys—obviously Cao Zhi had ordered them to take less-traveled small roads, trying to avoid being seen.
The more he hid the procession, the stronger his desire to kill everyone for silence became.
Sure enough, he was very interested in Ge Lian, willing to completely bury Jing Hengbo’s team in Floating Water for her sake.
Jing Hengbo smiled lightly.
The carriage finally entered the Cao mansion, stopping at the main gate. When everyone alighted, Jing Hengbo noticed both sides of the mansion’s alley entrance had guards blocking all possible sight lines toward the Cao residence.
Cao Zhi had his steward arrange courtyards for them, then said he would go to the Ritual Department to report this matter and possibly inform the great king, asking guests to rest themselves before hurriedly departing.
He ran quickly—when killing people, one always needed to avoid suspicion.
Hearing the wind outside the courtyard, Jing Hengbo sneered and asked Tian Qi: “How was it? Did you learn anything from him?”
“Nothing,” Tian Qi said, raising his pinky finger effeminately. “I found out the Heavenly Net Army is stationed at the Inner Palace Department west of the royal city, but after completing missions, the Heavenly Net Army has its own procedures. Prisoners or detainees are handled by Palace Grand Eunuch Li Lele. The Heavenly Net Army station doesn’t keep any outsiders, so to learn their news, we still need to enter the palace first.”
“Is there possibility of immediately killing captured people?” Jing Hengbo asked with some difficulty.
“The Heavenly Net Army either kills on the spot or has reasons not to kill if they bring people back. Generally after returning to the royal city, Li Lele handles disposition, or the Floating Water Great King personally handles it.”
Jing Hengbo spread out white paper, asking Dong Chi and Noble Consort Yun to come over and mark important routes inside and outside Floating Water’s royal city, high ministers’ residences, palace locations, key strategic points, and the complex relationships between various ministers’ households.
This had already been studied on the road. Dong Chi and Noble Consort Yun had left Floating Water four years ago, so their information was naturally not entirely accurate. Noble Consort Yun indicated palace personnel changes were even faster and hearts unreliable—she didn’t know where her once-loyal servant girls had ended up and could only take things step by step after entering the palace.
But Dong Chi still had a group of loyal subordinates. When he had his incident, these people left the royal city. After Dong Chi entered Floating Water, he left markers along the way, and these people gradually assembled on the road. Jing Hengbo then assigned them tasks—these people were now in the royal city.
If she hadn’t guessed wrong, Floating Water royal city’s somewhat strange atmosphere was also related to these people. Dong Chi had given them orders according to her requirements—no matter what methods they used, they should create disturbances in the royal city. Only with chaos could Jing Hengbo begin her subsequent plans and have opportunities to fish in troubled waters.
However, Jing Hengbo also had some small doubts. She’d seen Dong Chi’s old subordinates—they were indeed loyal and fierce men, but their martial abilities might not be particularly high, and their numbers weren’t many. Having been squeezed out over the years for being Dong Chi’s men, they naturally didn’t have many followers either. Such a small group could protect one or two people without problem, but to create an atmosphere of universal danger in this royal city seemed to lack some substance.
These people hadn’t even accurately located the Heavenly Net Army’s station—could they really make Floating Water royal city as tense and vigilant as now?
Were there other incidents in Floating Water royal city?
Jing Hengbo looked at the time—it was still early, so she simply ordered everyone to sleep. Cao Zhi wouldn’t act now—things like silencing witnesses were generally more convenient to do at night.
Perfect, she also planned to work at night.
Dark windy night—time for murder and arson.