Lu Chang woke up very early. When he opened his eyes, Ming Shu was still asleep. She was sleeping sweetly, her head resting on his arm, her soft long hair scattered across the pillow, her breathing gentle and steady. He carefully lifted her neck, withdrew his hand from beneath it, and slipped a pillow under her head. His arm, having been pressed all night, felt both sore and numb, quite uncomfortable. Lu Chang sat up, shaking his arm, and gazed at her steadily in the dim dawn light.
Something crossed his mind, and a smile bloomed on his lips. He quickly bent down to plant a light kiss on her lips before putting on his clothes and getting out of bed.
In truth, Ming Shu had awakened when he moved her head, but she pretended to sleep—although they had shared a bed for several days, they hadn’t consummated their marriage. They merely slept under the same covers, unable to see anything with the lights out at night. Meeting each other’s eyes in the early morning still brought inevitable awkwardness, so it was best not to wake up simultaneously to avoid embarrassment.
Sounds came from outside the bed. Despite his attempts to be quiet, the house’s acoustics carried the noises. Ming Shu couldn’t fall back asleep and lay on her side, watching beyond the bed. The early morning was too quiet; the sounds of water, fire burning, and pot-lifting… all came through clearly. Lu Chang wore only a half-worn light blue robe, his everyday home attire, moving in and out busily with his hair loose. Ming Shu watched for a long while, thoroughly enjoying this moment, this scene.
Half an hour passed this way, and the sky grew brighter. The aroma of pancakes wafted from the kitchen, and warm water had been prepared in the wooden basin on the rack. Only then did Lu Chang return to the bedside, and Ming Shu hurriedly closed her eyes.
Lu Chang stood by the bed, looked twice, and chuckled: “Still pretending? Aren’t you tired of lying there for so long?”
Ming Shu finally opened her eyes, showing lazy contentment in her gaze, her cheeks flushed.
“Since you could tell, why didn’t you…” She was about to reproach him but suddenly remembered something, her face growing hot, and cursed, “Shameless!”
Taking advantage of the situation!
“If you’re done lounging in bed, get up,” Lu Chang extended his hand to her. “The water’s ready, you should wash up.”
She grudgingly took his hand, using his strength to pull herself up, then looked around the room and said, “To think that I, a common woman, would have the honor of being served by the Top Scholar. What a sin, what a sin indeed.”
Lu Chang watched her. While her mouth spoke of “sin,” her hands stretched lazily, her face showing not the slightest trace of feeling sinful, accepting it all with ease—this commanding presence was characteristic of the former Jian Ming Shu.
In his care, she was gradually recovering her former spirit. Whether through coaxing, pampering, doting, or loving, he was willing to give everything.
“If Elder Sister feels sorry for me, then hurry up… if the water gets cold, I’ll have to heat it again,” Lu Chang said.
Ming Shu had just wet her face when she heard this and made a surprised sound, turning her wet face to squint at him: “Are you, Lu Chang? You’re not some demon or ghost-wearing human skin, are you?”
Is that previously so serious, dignified poor scholar saying such things? A year ago, she would have thought she was seeing ghosts.
Lu Chang very seriously asked, “Would you like to check?” As he spoke, he tugged at his clothes.
Ming Shu hastily wiped her face and walked to his side, patting his shoulder while speaking earnestly: “Lu Chang, I prefer your usual manner, just lift your head a bit higher, make your gaze colder, don’t smile… yes, yes, just like that, like Song Qing Zhao…”
Lu Chang had been playing along until that last comment when his expression immediately darkened.
“Jian Ming Shu!”
How did it become him resembling Song Qing Zhao? She had mistaken Song Qing Zhao for him in her dreams.
Ming Shu burst into giggles, a laugh not heard for a long time that once again softened Lu Chang’s brow.
“Lu Chang, thank you,” Ming Shu said gently after finishing her laughter.
Her mood had indeed improved considerably.
By the time they finished breakfast, it was already Chen Hour (7-9 AM).
Ming Shu had arranged to meet Jiao Chun Lu at Si Hour and a half (10:30 AM) and was about to leave.
“The whistling arrow, fragrant pills, lime powder… have you hidden them all well?” Before leaving, Lu Chang checked the emergency items.
Besides that dagger, Lu Chang had prepared some emergency items for her to carry close: a whistling arrow for calling help, fragrant pills for treating fainting, and lime powder which, though crude in the martial arts world, was quite effective, among other things.
“All hidden,” Ming Shu nodded.
“You know how to use the whistling arrow?” he asked again.
Ming Shu nodded again: “I do.”
“I’ll be nearby. If you encounter danger, just release the whistling arrow, and I’ll arrive quickly,” Lu Chang instructed.
“I know, you’ve said it many times.” Ming Shu cupped Lu Chang’s face in her hands. “I’m just discussing the Cao family’s birthday banquet with Jiao Chun Lu, not going to battle with them. Top Scholar, you should relax a bit. I haven’t seen you this nervous even when entering the Golden Phoenix Hall.”
“Who knows if they might suddenly change their minds? Being careful never hurts.”
As he spoke, Lu Chang tightened the cloak around her body and helped her put up the hood before finally letting her leave.
The meeting place Ming Shu arranged with Jiao Chun Lu was in a secluded grove not far from the village.
Dead leaves had already formed a thick layer on the ground, making crisp “crunch” sounds with each step. Jiao Chun Lu was already waiting in the grove with only four people beside him, though more figures could be vaguely seen in the distance. The location was chosen by Jiao Chun Lu; this small wasteland grove had been searched thoroughly by them and confirmed safe before being selected.
Among them, besides Jiao Chun Lu, others were not wanted by the government but couldn’t let their whereabouts be discovered.
Ming Shu lifted her hood, approached Jiao Chun Lu with a cold expression, gave a greeting, and said “Master Lu.”
Jiao Chun Lu sat on a dead tree trunk, his remaining eye coldly appraising her. That sunken eye socket with its protruding eyeball resembled a fierce crocodile.
Ming Shu before him was like a rabbit awaiting slaughter.
He found it hard to believe that a rabbit would dare walk alone into a den of crocodiles and wolves.
“Girl, you’re not trying to deceive me, are you?” he asked again.
He had also taken part in the massacre of the Jian family. If it was about revenge, how could Jian Ming Shu let him off? He worried that after all this effort, they would end up doing someone else’s bidding. Cao Hai was no good person; he knew very well what consequences would follow the annihilation of his entire family.
“I’m just a lone woman, what could I possibly deceive Master Lu about? I want revenge, but my enemy is too powerful, so I have no choice but to take this gamble. Whoever can help me get revenge, I’ll give them those Ten Thousand Taels of gold. I came to you because I see that you’re like me, also having a grudge against Cao Hai. If you’re worried, we don’t have to do this business. I don’t believe that with these Thirty Thousand Taels of gold, I can’t find someone else to help me take revenge.” Ming Shu said indifferently.
As a merchant, she understood best that profit and risk always went hand in hand. For those who lived by the blade, they would sell their lives if the price was right.
Jiao Chun Lu lowered his eyes and flicked his knife. When his brother had excitedly told him about finding a patron who would give them better days ahead, he hadn’t imagined they would end up as homeless dogs. Taking such a huge risk to rob the Jian family’s wealth, yet not getting even a soup bowl’s worth, his brother died mysteriously, and his subordinate brothers were either killed or maimed, all completely wiped out. He wanted revenge, true, but his life was also important. Compared to vengeance, the temptation of these Thirty Thousand Taels of gold was greater.
“Tell me, what’s your plan?”
“On September Tenth, it’s Old Madam Cao’s birthday, and they’ll be holding a three-day feast,” Ming Shu said, repeating what she had discussed with Cao Hai’s wife Madam He, then continued, “Master Lu should find two people to pose as cooks to go with me to the Cao Manor. We’ll take charge of this feast, and then we can secretly bring people into the Cao Manor.”
After a pause, she added: “Cao Hai has sent word to Madam He that he’ll depart on September Eighteenth. Jiangning and Lin’an are close, it takes two days to travel between them, so he should arrive in Lin’an no earlier than September Nineteenth. We must act before he returns to Lin’an. The feast preparations need to start five days in advance, so our window of opportunity will be September Seventeenth.”
On the eve of the formal birthday celebration, the Cao family should be busy with preparations, making it the perfect time to strike.
“Cao Hai will leave Jiangning on the Eighteenth, and after we strike on the Seventeenth, we’ll have already returned to Jiangning, perfectly missing him. There’s a three-day time difference between his departure and arrival, enough time for you, Master Lu, to help me find the Thirty Thousand Taels of gold and flee far from Jiangning. What do you think, Master Lu?” Ming Shu said.
Jiao Chun Lu continued to lower his head and lightly tap his blade, seeming not to listen to Ming Shu’s words, yet also appearing to be pondering the feasibility of this plan.
“Oh, right. The Cao Manor should have hidden quite a lot of stolen goods. Even if you doubt my Thirty Thousand Taels of gold, finding the stolen goods in the Cao Manor would be enough for you all to live freely,” Ming Shu suddenly smiled. “Master Lu, when you were at my home then, you must have seen those antiques, jade items, and jewels that were robbed from my family?”
At these words, Jiao Chun Lu’s eyes lit up. After that batch of jewels was carried out of the Jian family treasury, he hadn’t even gotten to touch them before they were moved elsewhere.
“Consider those as your deposit, Master Lu,” Ming Shu said generously.
Eighty Thousand Taels in silver wasn’t worth as much as that batch of antiques and jewels.
All those things Lu Chang had prepared for Ming Shu went unused.
Of course, this was a good thing.
After noon, Ming Shu took the two subordinates with cooking backgrounds that Jiao Chun Lu had selected and went to the Cao Manor. Madam He received them personally. After they presented their fabricated identities and backgrounds, thanks to Ming Shu’s connection, Madam He didn’t raise any suspicions. She only carefully asked many questions about the feast, discussed the menu with those people, and arranged for a food tasting the next day.
Coming and going, time passed quickly.
When Ming Shu returned home, it was already dark.
Lu Chang had followed her all day, entering the house almost simultaneously with her, though one used the front door while the other climbed through the window at the back of the house.
“Anyone who didn’t know better would think we had a thief in the house,” Ming Shu laughed when she entered the room and caught Lu Chang climbing through the window.
The heart that had been tense all day finally relaxed at this moment.
The window was specially left open for Lu Chang’s use. After entering, he closed it tight, dusted himself off, and stood there naturally, as if he hadn’t just climbed through a window.
Starting the fire and cooking, it was another ordinary evening. Lu Chang stood at the stove handling the cooking, while Ming Shu crouched by the furnace, throwing in split firewood.
The fire grew stronger, making her face flush red.
“Lu Chang, Jiao Chun Lu’s people will strike on September Seventeenth,” she said while throwing another piece of wood into the furnace, listening to the crackling sound from inside.
Lu Chang threw a fish into the pot, merely responding with an “Oh.”
There were still thirteen days until September Seventeenth.