With the Hu bread still in his mouth, Li Yuangui suddenly stood up and strode to the doorway in two steps, asking the restaurant worker Aqi who had come to fetch bread:
“Three customers came to your shop? Was it two men and one woman? Is the woman a Hu girl?”
“Uh…” Seeing his imposing manner, the worker stepped back half a pace, “That woman… she’s wearing a veil, I haven’t… haven’t seen her face, but she should be quite… quite beautiful…”
“Achen!” Li Yuangui turned his head and called out. The nimble servant darted out, one hand still holding the basket of Hu bread, the other tossing a few copper coins into the money basket on the counter. The two bid farewell and followed the restaurant worker.
The restaurant they were heading to was on the same street, just past two intersections. Before even entering, Li Yuangui heard a familiar loud voice:
“…No meat? What kind of bird shop are you running? Do you dare hang a sign saying ‘Ready for Banquets’? Your idea of a banquet is just yellow porridge and pickled vegetables?…”
The young prince sighed and followed the voice into the establishment, which had numerous dining tables, walking straight toward his imperial guard. The restaurant owner surnamed He had his back to him and was still apologetically explaining:
“…Please don’t be angry, it’s unfortunate timing today—we had many lunch customers and sold out all our meat dishes. All the butcher shops in the Xianyang Ferry market follow the same rule: no slaughtering of pigs or sheep afternoon. At this hour, we can’t even buy fresh meat anymore, right? If the young master wants meat for strength, we still have preserved fish and dried meat in the kitchen, equally delicious…”
As Yang Xinzhi was about to stamp his feet in frustration, the veiled Hu girl sitting beside him was sharp-eyed and spotted Li Yuangui first, quickly pulling Yang to stand up. Another servant from Prince Wu’s mansion who had come tracking with them also hurriedly stood up calling “Fourteenth Young Master,” though they couldn’t properly bow in the restaurant, all understanding the situation.
“Serve whatever you have, as long as it’s edible, and the faster the better,” Li Yuangui ordered the restaurant owner. The latter, no longer young and experienced from years of running the establishment, could read faces well and responded affirmatively while retreating to the kitchen.
With no outsiders around, Li Yuangui lowered his voice to scold Yang Xinzhi:
“I sent you to search for someone—a matter of life and death—and you’re just focused on eating! Where’s Seventeenth Miss? You’ve been wandering all day, have you found anything?”
They were still moving as a group of three, with two leashed hounds nearby fighting over leftover bones, clearly having failed to find the kidnapped Seventeenth Princess. Yang Xinzhi gave his master an awkward smile:
“Don’t be anxious, Fourteenth Young Master. We haven’t had a proper meal all day either, we’re starving… But it wasn’t a complete waste—we’ve made some progress, and found some leads!”
“Then speak quickly!” Li Yuangui urged.
While waiting for the restaurant to serve food, Yang Xinzhi and the Hu girl Fendu took turns explaining. They had caught a boatman in the hut at the private ferry dock on the Wei River’s south bank and forced him to ferry the three people and two dogs across. They reached the north bank safely, but the hounds lost the scent after crossing. The three could only keep asking around about “any Hu merchants seen traveling with a young Han girl,” with little success. Someone directed them saying “Most Hu merchants in this area gather at Xianyang Ferry’s Little West Market.” After discussion, they reasoned that An Yenna, with the Seventeenth Princess in tow, would need both a hidden place to stay and provisions for the young lady’s food and comfort. The likelihood of seeking help from familiar tribesmen was high, so they headed to Xianyang Ferry.
Entering Little West Market, they continued inquiring door to door. The Han people were one thing, but Hu merchants were very wary of Yang Xinzhi, this tall Han man, and unwilling to talk much. Fortunately, having Fendu along helped—the beautiful young woman’s gentle words and fluid speech proved advantageous. Finally, they found a jewelry shop that mentioned “taking an order for accessories from a middle-aged man with a young girl,” to be collected before the market close today.
“Ordering jewelry?” Li Yuangui was puzzled. How could An Yenna have such good intentions—no, spare attention—to buy jewelry for his seventeenth sister?
“It’s the jewelry shop next door.” Yang Xinzhi pointed toward the east wall. “We also thought it seemed odd, but… after searching all day, it’s the only lead that seems to fit. No other choice but to check it out, and we were starving…”
Achen had already distributed the Hu bread brought from that shop among the three, and the hungry wolves devoured it instantly. Fortunately, this restaurant quickly brought out some porridge, bread, and dishes. Li Yuangui ate while constantly scanning the street.
The restaurant’s south side facing the street had no wall, just a row of wooden pillars supporting the roof, making the interior bright and better for attracting passersby to enter and eat. Li Yuangui’s seat was close to the east wall, and he deliberately listened for activity from the jewelry shop on the other side. Before long, he heard a young, delicate female voice coming through.
This voice probably wasn’t his seventeenth sister, but… never mind, better check it out first.
Pushing against the table, Li Yuangui jumped directly from his seat out onto the street. Striding quickly to the front of the neighboring jewelry shop, he indeed saw a broad-shouldered man and a slender young woman walking out.
Li Yuangui halted, considering how to approach and inquire, when Achen, who had followed him out, recklessly shouted: “Seventeenth Miss!”
Master and servants blocked the jewelry shop’s exit, forcing the pair to stop and turn to face them. Now seeing more clearly, not only was it not An Yenna and the Seventeenth Princess, but the man wasn’t even Hu.
The stout man had sparse facial hair and appeared to be in his thirties, with clear features that somehow looked familiar. The woman was completely wrapped in a black veil, her face unclear, but she was half a head taller than the Seventeenth Princess and seemed older.
Seeing four or five people in black clothes with swords at their waists, furrowing their brows, and blocking their path, the veiled woman gave a startled cry and hid her brocade pouch behind her back. A small maid following her out of the shop also cried out in fear, dropping the wooden box she was carrying with a clatter.
The man in his thirties maintained more composure, stepping across to shield the woman, and spoke:
“In broad daylight, right under the Son of Heaven’s feet, do you gentlemen intend to rob my sister and me?”