” Old Lady Xiong isn’t that terrifying. Those human skins were taken from dead bodies. She has an enemy she can’t defeat, so she can only intimidate. With such a reputation, her enemy isn’t sure of her true capabilities and hasn’t dared to make a move. She lives in a cave up there. It’s quite pitiful – an old woman in her eighties or nineties, still having to roam graveyards at night,” Shen Che said.
“Can you please stop talking?” Ji Cheng’s palms were sweating from fear. This place was already pitch black, with the night pearl casting a silvery-white light like the phosphorescence of ghosts. Who knew when a head might suddenly pop out of the clear underground river? Ji Cheng had to exert great effort to resist covering Shen Che’s mouth.
“There are good things too. We should be reaching the underground black market soon. They only sell one thing there – lives. No matter whose life you want to buy, as long as you can afford it, someone will do it for you,” Shen Che said.
Ji Cheng suspected there was a hidden meaning in Shen Che’s words. Was he hinting at something?
“When Cousin Che has time, could you take me to see it?” Ji Cheng probed.
“Nan Gui knows how to get there,” Shen Che replied.
Ji Cheng lowered her eyelids and said no more. The small boat soon reached the shore. Shen Che tied the boat to an iron post on the bank. “Let’s go.”
There was a man-sized iron cage by the wall. Shen Che entered first and used the iron hammer hanging on the cage to knock three times slowly, three times quickly, then repeated the pattern nine times. The iron cage began to rise with a creaking sound.
Ji Cheng counted about nine stories high before the cage stopped in front of a cave opening. Shen Che stepped out, then turned and extended his hand to Ji Cheng.
After turning down a small path, a stone door opened, revealing a spacious secret chamber behind it. Along the wall stood a row of large rosewood wardrobes inlaid with precious materials, and a matching three-tiered dressing table.
“Change clothes before going up,” Shen Che said.
Shen Che had thought of every detail that might reveal Ji Cheng’s identity.
Ji Cheng pulled on the phoenix-headed copper ring in the wardrobe, which slowly opened. Inside were clothes of various colors, but all of the same style, differing only in hue.
They were all gold-threaded brocades embroidered with camellia flowers.
Ji Cheng suddenly turned around. “How did you know I would choose this mask?” The mask was tied at Ji Cheng’s waist – a black camellia.
The clothes in the wardrobe were chosen to match the mask.
“Intuition, I suppose,” Shen Che said.
Ji Cheng looked at Shen Che suspiciously. This intuition seemed far too accurate.
Ji Cheng went behind the screen to change. She put on a black dress with a stand-up collar embroidered with dark gold and silver intertwining camellia branches. Over it, she wore a black fox fur cape with the fur turned outward. On her face, she wore the black camellia mask, her lips a dark red. Looking at herself in the mirror, she felt she could pass for a young Old Lady Xiong.
Mysterious and terrifying.
“Wait,” Shen Che called out to Ji Cheng. He took out a brush from the stationery box, dipped it in frost-white paint, and added a teardrop mole under Ji Cheng’s right eye.
Ji Cheng belatedly realized, “Did you paint this mask?”
Shen Che nodded, “I didn’t expect you to like it at first sight.”
Ji Cheng thought to herself, “So I saved you a lot of trouble, sparing you the effort of enticing me to choose this mask, right?”
Above the stone chamber was a marketplace, bustling with people. A few unfamiliar faces wouldn’t attract any attention.
Ji Cheng sat on the upper floor of a wine shop, which had direct access from the secret chamber. It seemed this wine shop must also be an outpost for the Jingshi Army’s informants.
The sound of footsteps, “thump, thump, thump,” came up the stairs. The woman selling wine at the counter was still quite charming. Her good-for-nothing husband only knew how to drink and beat his wife, and when free, he even acted as a pimp, helping his wife take on some “business.” The neighbors were no longer surprised to see men going up to her house – it was just the flesh trade, after all.
Tong Xiang, Sun Rulong, and Pang Junxiong had received orders before coming to the Jixiang Wine Shop to unconditionally obey the arrangements of their new master.
However, these three never imagined that their new master would be a woman and a beauty at that. Although her face was hidden behind a mask, with the lower half concealed in the shadow of the black fox fur, her young and clear voice, her slender waist, and her graceful movements were enough to indicate she was a very beautiful woman.
Although there were women in the Jingshi Army, a woman with such a high status, wielding great power over a domain, was unique.
There were private rumors that she was the woman of some big shot. Women who climbed the ranks through bedroom affairs have never truly gained sincere obedience from ancient times to the present. Moreover, what kind of people were in the Jingshi Army?
People are capable of doing things unacceptable to society.
While Tong Xiang and the others were sizing up Ji Cheng, she was also observing the three of them. If all went well, these three would become her chief subordinates.
Tong Xiang was the youngest of the three, probably twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with high brows and deep-set eyes, likely of Hu ancestry. His eyes were full of defiance.
Sun Rulong had narrow, slit-like eyes that made him look somewhat cunning. He was a man in his thirties.
Pang Junxiong had a square face and a hanging gallbladder nose, with a very upright appearance that gave an impression of loyalty and bravery. He was the oldest of the three, about forty years old.
Ji Cheng said, “I’ve heard recommendations that you three are most knowledgeable about the situation in the Western Regions. I’ve invited you gentlemen here today to seek your advice on some matters.”
Ji Cheng sat properly on a cushion, speaking in a very formal manner. As soon as Tong Xiang heard her speak, he knew she was one of those so-called “scholars” – the most boring type.
However, one must bow one’s head under someone else’s roof. Tong Xiang and the other two had no choice but to pretend to sit properly as well, feeling very uncomfortable.
After the founding of the Great Qin Dynasty, Hu’s customs spread eastward. Hu beds and chairs entered the Central Plains and became widely popular. Only those families who were devoted to ancient ways or pretending to be refined would insist on the old-fashioned kneeling posture.
Ji Cheng was the latter. But she had no intention of changing. If she were to change her style just because Tong Xiang and the others were used to Hu beds, it would only give them the impression that their leader was easy to persuade and had an unstable stance.
Ji Cheng lightly clapped her hands, and an old woman brought in a sand table, placing it in the center. This sand table was specially made by Zhang the clay sculptor. The mountains were raised, the valleys were sunken, rivers were filled with blue pigment, and the main roads were finely detailed with yellow sand.
“This is just a preliminary model. Please take a look and, based on your experience, tell me if there’s anything incorrect in this topographic map,” Ji Cheng said.
It was the first time Tong Xiang and the others had seen such a “map.” The towering mountains, deep valleys, and rivers were all clear at a glance. Tong Xiang was a rough man who had always found hand-drawn complex maps difficult to understand, often getting a headache just looking at them. But this “map” before him was no longer a challenge even for a rough person like him.
Among the three, Pang Junxiong was the most familiar with the Western Regions. After careful observation, he pointed out several places that didn’t match reality. Ji Cheng nodded and quickly made notes.
Then Ji Cheng took small flags made of bamboo sticks and cloth from beside her and inserted them at the locations where she planned to build inns.
“I want to establish a caravan to transport goods between the Central Plains and the Western Regions. Besides our goods, we’ll also take on business from others. These flagged points are where we plan to build inns for resupply and transfer purposes.”
Ji Cheng then took three walnuts and placed them at Xi Zhou, Yan City, and Jingjue. These three places formed a triangle, and if one thought carefully, one could see Ji Cheng’s intention. With these three places as the axis, they could cover almost half of the Western Regions.
“I plan to build warehouses in these three places. When winter comes and the roads are blocked by ice and snow, all business usually has to stop. With these three warehouses, we can not only store goods but also provide large-scale resupply.” The three locations were carefully chosen by Ji Cheng. From these three warehouses, goods could reach any part of the Western Region within a month. Often, there would be no need to wait for orders before shipping from the Central Plains.
“May I ask how large these warehouses will be, Miss?” Pang Junxiong asked. “If the target is too big, it’s easy to be raided.” Pang Junxiong didn’t approve of Ji Cheng’s “wild ideas.”
Ji Cheng had considered this issue as well. The Western Regions were not like the Central Plains. Although the Western Region states nominally submitted to the Great Qin, there was no real enforcement or constraint. If not for the Great Qin’s strength and the constant internal strife among the Western Region states, these people would certainly rebel and invade eastward at any opportunity.
“We are merchants, only seeking profit. The guards for these warehouses will be hired locally in the Western Regions. We must let them know that this is their livelihood. No matter how the situation changes, our intention of seeking wealth amicably remains unchanged,” Ji Cheng said. “No one can monopolize all the wealth in the world. Before, when we transported goods there, we took all the profit, and the Hu people looked on with envy, naturally wanting to take action. This time it’s different. We only control the source of goods; everything else will be handled by local hires. This includes the merchant caravans we want to establish – they will all be staffed by locals.”
“But how much silver can we earn this way?” Sun Rulong interjected.
Ji Cheng replied, “We have more important things to do than just earning silver.”
Tong Xiang suddenly cut in, “Your inn location here is wrong. Although going through Yanxia Valley is the shortest route from Xi Zhou to Yan City, a group of mountain bandits gather there. Unless merchants hire high-level experts for large caravans, others would rather take a detour, spending three more days to go out through Heping Road.”
A shortcut that could save three days couldn’t be given up. Ji Cheng thought for a moment and said, “That’s perfect for establishing our authority. We’ll build an inn right there.”
Tong Xiang didn’t understand why Ji Cheng would speak with such confidence, but he said no more. After exchanging a glance with Pang Junxiong, neither of them spoke further.
Sun Rulong, however, pointed out a few more differences for Ji Cheng. For example, on a stretch of road near Jingjue City, due to extreme heat in summer and bitter cold in winter, caravans couldn’t travel more than a hundred li in a day. While Ji Cheng only needed to build one inn elsewhere, two inns would be necessary on this road because it would take caravans two days to complete this stretch.
Ji Cheng readily added another small flag, then discussed many more details with the three of them, continuing until dusk before concluding.
After leaving the Jixiang Tavern, though Tong Xiang and the other two departed separately, they ultimately reunited at a residence fifty li away.
As Pang Junxiong was the eldest, the three deferred to him, awaiting his opinion.
Sun Rulong spoke first, “I never imagined we’d end up working under a young woman. It’s truly humiliating. By rights, Brother Pang should have been in charge of the Western Region’s affairs. Now this girl appears out of nowhere – what can she do besides sleeping with men?”
“We shouldn’t speak like that,” Pang Junxiong waved his hand. “I see she does have some capability. Though she’s still green in the ways of our world, many of her words hit the mark. She’s experienced.” At the very least, Ji Cheng’s ability to set aside prejudices between the Central Plains and the Western Regions impressed Pang Junxiong as extraordinary.
Among the three of them, Tong Xiang already had Hu blood. Pang Junxiong’s wife was a Hu woman, and many of Sun Rulong’s concubines were Hu as well. Having traveled frequently in the Western Regions, they naturally didn’t share the Central Plains people’s arrogance in looking down on the Hu as inferior beings, like livestock.
Ji Cheng was clearly from the Central Plains. Judging by her manner of speech, she must have come from either a noble family or a scholarly household. For someone like her to treat Hu as equals was truly commendable.
Tong Xiang spoke up, “She has a higher vantage point and sees further than us. She’s not limited to immediate gains. I reckon her plans would require at least several million taels of silver to get started.”
Though Tong Xiang was headstrong, such people often possessed extraordinary abilities. Despite Pang Junxiong’s seniority, he couldn’t disregard Tong Xiang’s opinion.
“So what should our attitude be?” Sun Rulong asked. Should they wholeheartedly support her or just go through the motions? Sun Rulong knew the rules of the Jingshi Army. Those without the ability to hold a position would eventually be ousted. As long as they didn’t cooperate, a mere girl wouldn’t have the capability to secure her position.
“Let’s wait and see,” Pang Junxiong said. “She mentioned building an inn at Yanxia Valley. Let’s see if she can do it.”
As for Ji Cheng, after sending off Tong Xiang and the others, she let out a big sigh of relief, her palms sweating. These three were old hands, each more difficult to deal with than the last. Ji Cheng could see they didn’t submit to her willingly, so she had to be even more imposing. She knew she needed to establish her authority with one decisive move, otherwise it would be difficult to act in the future. If she couldn’t command her subordinates, Shen Che wasn’t exactly a merciful person.
Ji Cheng went to the back of the house where she had seen Shen Che enter earlier. He had said he would be watching her from behind, but when Ji Cheng entered, Shen Che was nowhere to be seen. Ji Cheng returned to the underground secret chamber and waited for a while before Shen Che finally appeared.
Shen Che had changed his clothes and his face was clean, clearly having been out on business.
“How did it go?” Shen Che asked.
Ji Cheng replied with a hint of complaint, “You seem to have a lot of faith in me.”
Shen Che retorted, “Isn’t it good that I trust you?”
Ji Cheng was stumped by Shen Che’s response. Of course, it was good that he trusted her, but Ji Cheng had spoken so confidently earlier because she mistakenly believed Shen Che was right behind her. Had she known Shen Che wasn’t there, her tone might not have been so firm.
On the return journey by boat, Ji Cheng told Shen Che about the Yanxia Valley matter. “I’ve already made a grand promise. If I can’t accomplish this, I’m afraid my credibility will be completely ruined. Cousin Che, do you think we can establish an inn in Yanxia Valley?”
Shen Che said, “I told you, I’ll fully support you. Leave the Yanxia Valley matter to me.”
Ji Cheng quite liked Shen Che’s decisiveness, as long as it wasn’t directed at her.
She then chattered on, telling Shen Che the results of her discussion with Tong Xiang and the other two. As she spoke, her eyes and eyebrows couldn’t hide her excitement and joy.
Ji Cheng was a woman, but her father wished she had been born a man. Ji Cheng herself often wondered why she wasn’t born male. If she were a man, there wouldn’t have been the Zhu Jijun incident. If she were a man, she could truly take the helm of the Ji family and do what she wanted.
As a woman, everything Ji Cheng now possessed was temporary. She understood her father’s intentions – to have her focus on nurturing the next generation, the sons of Ji Yuan and Ji Ze. When the younger generation could support the family, Ji Cheng, like a bow that had served its purpose, would be put away.
Ji Cheng could choose not to marry, but in her old age, her status would become awkward. One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers – she had once been at the helm of the Ji family, but when her nephews grew up, wouldn’t they be wary of her? Weren’t there plenty of examples of families torn apart by disputes over inheritance?
Moreover, even without conflicts, could Ji Cheng be content to fade into obscurity and become an insignificant aunt?
Because Ji Qing had given Ji Cheng an opportunity, it had directly fueled her ambition, or rather her “lofty aspirations.” She had things she wanted to do, like what she was doing now.
“No wonder people say traveling ten thousand miles is better than reading ten thousand books. If only I could go to the Western Regions myself,” Ji Cheng sighed. If she could marry He Cheng, she could oversee matters in the Western Province, and she was confident she could persuade He Cheng to act according to her wishes.
Shen Che looked at Ji Cheng’s eyes, bright enough to dazzle, like the brightest star in the night sky. Her whole being radiated a captivating brilliance from within, like a rainbow suddenly appearing in misty mountains, gorgeous and extraordinary.
“You’ll have the chance,” Shen Che said.
Ji Cheng immediately asked eagerly, “Really?” A complete plan quickly formed in her mind. Her intention to seek a marriage in the capital was already doomed. Ji Cheng pondered whether she should quickly return to Jin Bei, wondering if Brother Ziyun would still accept her.
Although Ji Cheng was reluctant to admit the benefits of her intimacy with Shen Che, he seemed to treat all the women he had been with well, from Fang Xuan to later Rui Yu, and even Wang Liniang in between. Shen Che had taken care of them all. Ji Cheng felt that if she ever needed to ask Shen Che for help in the future, he certainly wouldn’t stand idly by.
If that was the case, taking a step back might open up new possibilities. Ji Cheng could return to Jin Bei, and regardless of whether she could rekindle her relationship with Ling Ziyun, her father shouldn’t stop her from going to the Western Regions.
“So, can I return to Jin Bei soon and then go to the Western Regions?” Ji Cheng asked.
Shen Che replied, “Not yet. The matter of military equipment hasn’t been sorted out. You shouldn’t move now.”
Only then did Ji Cheng remember this issue. She had been too excited and overlooked it.
When they returned to the surface from underground, Ji Cheng felt as if she had entered a different world. She felt she was becoming increasingly drawn to the underground environment.
The ice on the Eryue River had melted, and Su Yun was preparing to travel south by boat with Old Madam Su to return to Suzhou to await her marriage. These past few days, Shen Yuan and the others had been busy saying their goodbyes to Su Yun. Ji Cheng hadn’t participated, and Shen Yuan and the others knew that Ji Cheng probably still harbored resentment toward Su Yun.
On the day they went to the dock to see off Su Yun and her party, Shen Yuan patted Ji Cheng’s hand and said, “I haven’t had the chance to talk to you these past days. Ah Ruan has already asked the Princess for a note to invite Imperial Physician Liu. Besides, your illness was contracted while saving young Master Hong. My mother is incredibly grateful to you. Don’t worry about the marriage matter. Who knows, it might be a case of ‘what you seek is hiding around the corner.’ Someone as good as you won’t be overlooked by heaven.”
Recently, due to Consort Wang’s pregnancy, Imperial Physician Liu had been on standby in the palace. He finally received permission to return home briefly, only to be summoned to the Shen residence by Princess An’he’s note.
Ji Cheng watched nervously as Imperial Physician Liu took her pulse, waiting for him to speak.
“The young lady’s pulse is strong and vigorous. Although you’ve been affected by cold and dampness, with proper care, you should recover fully within a year. Drink more ginger tea daily, keep warm in winter, and it shouldn’t affect your ability to bear children,” Imperial Physician Liu said.
Upon hearing this, not only did Ji Cheng let out a sigh of relief, but Shen Yuan and Shen Ruan, who were listening nearby, were also delighted for her.
Imperial Physician Liu was most skilled in women’s health. His words certainly carried more weight than those of the “amateur” doctor Shen Che.
“I knew that great fortune follows great misfortune. Sister Cheng’s health won’t be an issue,” Shen Ruan said joyfully. “It’s just a pity…”
It was a pity that Madam He had already arranged another marriage for He Cheng. When Madam He was looking for a daughter-in-law, Ji Cheng wasn’t the only candidate. But because she liked Ji Cheng the most, she wanted to seek her hand for He Cheng. Since Ji Cheng had such a health issue, and Madam He was eager to settle He Cheng’s marriage before returning to the Western Province, she quickly arranged for another girl.
Although Ji Cheng felt a slight regret, strangely, she didn’t feel much turmoil over this failed engagement. Instead, it was Shen Yuan and Shen Ruan who felt extremely guilty, as if Ji Cheng’s life depended on this marriage.
After leaving Ji Cheng’s small courtyard, Shen Ruan and Shen Yuan went to the Old Madam’s room. The Old Madam was also very concerned about Ji Cheng’s health.
Hearing Shen Ruan say that Ji Cheng could recover within a year, the Old Madam said “Amitabha,” and continued, “She’s still young and has a good foundation. If Imperial Physician Liu says so, then there must be no problem. She understands medicinal cuisine herself, but…”
However, with Ji Lan confined to the family temple and Concubine Fang now managing the affairs of the Third Branch, Ji Cheng, as Ji Lan’s niece, might not be well cared for in the Third Branch.
The Old Madam thought for a moment, “Let’s have Cheng move to the side room behind Ruiying Hall. I have a small kitchen there, and she can prepare whatever she likes. When it comes to health preservation methods, the older one is, the more experienced they become. She’s surrounded by young maids who might not understand the importance.”
Shen Yuan looked at the Old Madam in surprise, unsure why she suddenly cared so much about Ji Cheng.
The Old Madam stroked Shen Ruan’s hair and looked at Shen Yuan. She knew her granddaughter was perceptive and took this opportunity to teach them.