The Great Tang’s Chang’an possessed two External Education Wards, with performers of pipa, qin, and se instruments being located in the Western External Education Ward, situated within Guangzhai Ward, truly not far from Prince Kui’s residence in Yongjia Ward.

When Huang Zixia hurriedly ran to the Education Ward, because it was where musicians and dancers gathered together, there still remained an old woman sitting at the entrance cracking melon seeds, and upon seeing her approach, immediately raised her hand to stop her: “Young eunuch sir, whom might you be seeking?”

Huang Zixia hastily bowed in greeting to her, saying: “My apologies, grandmother, I must go inside to find Jin Nu.”

“Oh my, what a coincidence today, one person searching for Jin Nu, and now another seeking Jin Nu.” The old woman spoke while patting the melon seed shells from her clothes as she stood up, asking, “You wouldn’t also happen to be someone who lent something to Jin Nu, and now hearing she’s run off with someone, have come to retrieve it?”

Huang Zixia let out a surprised “Oh?” sound, asking: “Someone else came before me?”

“Indeed so, a heavenly beauty of a young lady, in all my years as an old woman I’ve never seen another like her.” The old woman was advanced in age, rambling on endlessly, “Those eyebrows and eyes, that figure, even if a lady stepped right out of a painting to compare with her, she would still lack that same radiant vitality.”

“Grandmother, might you know that lady’s family name?” Huang Zixia quickly inquired.

“Don’t know, but unlike you coming empty-handed little eunuch, that person brought letters Jin Nu had written to her in years past. This old woman can read characters!”

Seeing the old woman had no intention of letting her enter, Huang Zixia could only smile apologetically while taking out part of her funds from her money pouch for the old woman: “Grandmother, you see… I’ve come here on orders. Our Prince gave something extremely important to Miss Jin Nu, and now knowing she’s run away, he’s quite angry. If I can’t retrieve the item this trip, won’t the Prince just have me thrown out of the mansion?”

“Oh dear, that simply won’t do, this old woman has always been kindhearted, and can’t bear to see anyone suffer.” With a small silver ingot in her possession, the old woman’s face immediately brightened with joy, “Come, come, I’ll point out Jin Nu’s room to you—it’s the third room from the east end of the second row, our side will be locking up in less than an hour, so hurry and search quickly.”

Huang Zixia kept smiling and nodding in agreement, hastily seeking out the third room from the east end of the second row. Upon arriving there, she saw that Jin Nu’s room door was standing wide open, with two young maids talking at the entrance.

Huang Zixia hurriedly went up to them, asking: “You two, please tell me, where is that goddess-like young lady from just now?”

Those two maids turned their heads to look at her once, examining her eunuch attire, then asked with smiles: “Oh my, where are you from? The Internal Education Ward? Or are you a eunuch from one of the princes’ mansions?”

“Well isn’t it just that my Prince had left something at Miss Jin Nu’s place, and now that she’s disappeared, the Prince has sent me to find that thing he had given to Miss Jin Nu, though the item isn’t precious, it was still cherished by the Prince in past times…” Huang Zixia earnestly explained, “I heard an extremely beautiful young lady came earlier?”

“That’s right, Jin Nu herself was quite pretty too, but who knew she had such a beautiful younger sister.” The maid on the left spoke, then looked inside again, pouting as she said, “Didn’t she say she was going next door to buy some small items? Why hasn’t she returned yet?”

“Yes, I’m still eagerly waiting to see that painting of hers,” the other maid frowned and said.

Huang Zixia asked in surprise: “What painting?”

“You know, that famous one of the Six Ladies, they say several musical performers in Yangzhou understood the principles of music and dance from studying it and eventually became legendary.”

Huang Zixia couldn’t help but laugh: “The Six Ladies of Yunshao?”

“Yes, yes, you know it too? But you’re just a little eunuch, are you also wanting to look at that painting to understand its principles? You don’t even study music and dance.”

“…” Huang Zixia was speechless, not knowing where such strange rumors had originated. She thought to herself that the beauty who brought the painting must certainly be Cheng Xuese, and privately found it strange why Chen Niangniang hadn’t immediately come with her to find herself.

Those two maids waited for a while, and seeing the person still hadn’t returned, began clamoring about leaving. Huang Zixia asked them: “May I enter Jin Nu’s room?”

“Of course you can, when she left, anything valuable and important she probably took with her, and what wasn’t taken has been claimed by people in the ward, each saying such nice words about keeping things for Jin Nu, but haven’t they all just kept them for themselves? I reckon inside there, there’s probably nothing much left anymore.”

“Even so, might as well try my luck.” Huang Zixia said this, bid them farewell, and walked inside, looking all around.

Jin Nu’s room was extremely elegant, with rose-red thin silk paper covering the flower-patterned windows, and a hanging pearl curtain separated the inner chamber from the outer hall. Entering through the main door led to a small hall, where light filtered through the flower windows – it turned out lanterns had already been lit in the ward.

Below the window was arranged a small table and couch, with several small ornaments displayed on the table, two pomegranate branches placed in a white porcelain vase, now already withered, scattering petals and leaves across the entire table.

She sat down in a small chair at the side, while considering this case and waiting for Cheng Xuese.

The sky grew increasingly dark, and the lanterns outside the window appeared increasingly bright. Cheng Xuese still had not returned.

Huang Zixia finally couldn’t wait any longer, deciding to first examine the room. She stood up, first walked to the cabinet’s edge, and taking advantage of the light from outside the window, opened it to look inside.

Indeed as those two young maids had said, the good items inside seemed to have all been taken away by others, leaving only several pieces of clothing turned completely upside down in disorder. After also examining the tables, chairs, bed, and couch, there were no discoveries. That young lady who everyone just said had walked in, seemed to have taken the items and left again.

She pondered while walking about the room, her gaze sweeping across every corner, finally spotting in the corner a tiny point of brightness, reflecting a point of brilliant light under the illumination from the window outside.

She lay prone on the ground, reaching her hand beneath the flower stand in the corner, and retrieved that reflective object.

Half a silver ingot.

It was about the same size as the half obtained from Yongchun Hall, with the cut surface and luster indicating this half silver ingot should be able to match perfectly with that half silver ingot to form a complete silver ingot.

She tucked the silver ingot into her clothes, then carefully searched the room once more, confirming there were no oversights, before closing the door.

Rushing out just before the Education Ward closed its gates, Huang Zixia stood alone in front of Guangzhai Ward looking in all directions – Chang’an City was about to impose its night curfew, and now everywhere was silent, with no carriages for hire to be found.

She helplessly sighed, raising her feet to walk back toward Prince Kui’s mansion.

Chang’an’s ten thousand households lay silent, hearing only the curfew drums from the drum tower echoing through the early night. She quickened her pace running through the capital’s streets and alleys – Guangzhai Ward was in the north of the city, close to Daming Palace and Taiji Palace, yet not bustling, she could almost hear the echo of her footsteps resounding through the streets.

From behind came a questioning shout: “Who goes there? Why are you still here so late at night?”

Huang Zixia turned her head to see the capital’s patrol catching up, and explained saying: “I am a eunuch from Prince Kui’s mansion, because I was delayed by some matters, that’s why I’m hurriedly rushing back.”

Hearing it was someone from Prince Kui’s mansion, their attitude clearly improved somewhat, asking: “Do you have any official documents or similar papers?”

“No need for papers now, I recognize him, he is Yang Chonggu, a eunuch from Prince Kui’s mansion,” someone said from behind.

Hearing this voice, Huang Zixia couldn’t help but secretly sigh in her heart, turning to bow respectfully to him: “Commander Wang.”

Capital Defense Bureau Right Commander Wang Yun was dutifully patrolling here today.

Wang Yun sat mounted on his horse, looking down at her from above, yet not displaying any arrogance, but rather showing a gentle expression, speaking softly: “Master Yang, this afternoon I still saw you idly watching the sky at the mansion gate, how did you end up busy until now so late?”

“Hmm… incorrectly estimated my own walking pace, still thought I could make it back before curfew.” It seems she had stayed in Jin Nu’s room for far too long.

Wang Yun nodded his head, gesturing for the other patrol guards to continue their predetermined route patrolling other streets and alleys, then raised his hand to pat his horse’s rump, saying: “Come up here, I’ll escort you back to the mansion.”

“Ah… this really isn’t necessary, you’re busy with official duties, how could I dare trouble you to escort me.” She stiffly smiled, gave a bow and quickly strode forward.

Behind her came the soft sound of hooves, as Wang Yun’s horse followed up again.

She turned her head to look at him, he gazed ahead, speaking gently: “Recently the capital is not very peaceful, I’ll accompany you walking together.”

“Many thanks… Commander Wang.” She painfully squeezed out these few words, then spoke no more.

The long street was without sound, the lanterns at the corners of each ward glowed quietly in the night. When the wind occasionally came, the candlelight trembled slightly, all of Chang’an’s lights seemed to flow with the wind, brightening and dimming, rippling like water following the wind’s direction, enveloping the entire Chang’an City.

They walked toward Prince Kui’s mansion, Wang Yun riding his horse, Huang Zixia walking along the street edge, his horse well-trained and also gentle-natured, stepping neither fast nor slow, maintaining a parallel rhythm with Huang Zixia throughout.

They stepped through the wavelike lamplight, passing through Chang’an’s straight and broad streets. This most prosperous city in the world, its thousand towers and myriad chambers were illuminated bright as day by the lamplight.

Yongjia Ward was where nobles gathered, occasionally there would be several households making music with strings and song, carried faintly to their ears on the wind, the songstress’s throat sounds soft and alluring, floating indistinctly through the night—

Outside the pearl curtain, parasol tree shadows cast,

As autumn frost approaches, hands sense it first to pass.

Huang Zixia was walking while absent-mindedly lost in thought when suddenly she heard Wang Yun say with a smile: “Summer hasn’t even arrived yet, how can autumn frost come first.”

Huang Zixia froze for a moment, before realizing he was speaking of the song that woman was singing.

She said: “If the meaning fits well, external things originally aren’t important.”

He turned his face to look at her once, saying: “Mm, it was I who was too fixated on external things.”

Since Huang Zixia had already opened her mouth, she then asked: “Miss Wang’s coffin will soon be sent back to Langya, the Commander should be very busy these days, how is it you still came to stand night duty today?”

“With so many people in the household above and below, as long as things are properly arranged, naturally there are people to handle matters, no need to watch everything personally.” He said this, then raised his eyes to gaze at the night before them, saying, “Moreover, I enjoy Chang’an’s night scene, compared to daytime, it appears more tranquil and profound, each building illuminated like jade palaces, yet what scenes lie within, no matter what one simply cannot glimpse the full picture.”

“When in the midst of it, naturally one becomes lost within it, better to withdraw oneself from it.”

He looked at her with a slight smile: “Master Yang speaks correctly, an observer naturally sees clearly.”

The near and far lanterns were hazy and indistinct, illuminating his smile, seeming to contain other meanings she did not understand.

Huang Zixia felt her teeth ache somewhat. This Wang Yun, treating her, as a mere little eunuch, in this way, was not normal.

But, had he already recognized her identity, or was he maintaining a suspicious attitude? If speaking of needing to guard against him in the future, from where should she begin?

She lowered her head, not daring to look at his expression anymore, only saying: “I’m almost there, Commander Wang please return.”

“Mm, next time don’t forget about time like this, staying outside too long.”

He reined his horse to a stop in the middle of the street, watching as she departed.

Huang Zixia quickly walked to the northwest corner side entrance of Prince Kui’s mansion, knocked to open the door, and went inside. When closing the door she turned back to look at Wang Yun.

He still sat mounted watching her, under the night sky and lamplight, his facial expression as gentle as the spring breeze.

Also not knowing how long he stopped his horse and lingered, behind him another person rode up slowly on horseback, asking: “Yunner, when are you returning home? There are still many household matters.”

“Going back right now.” Wang Yun turned his horse around, following behind him to return home, asking, “Father, why did you personally come out today?”

Wang Lin sighed once, saying: “The Empress urgently summoned, how could I not go?”

Wang Yun silently nodded his head, the two men on two horses, slowly riding home together.

“The matter I instructed you to handle, is it finished?”

“Resolved,” he calmly said, “Used medicine to eliminate some flesh and blood, there should be no one able to recognize it anymore.”

“Did it personally?”

“Of course not, found a reliable person.”

“Reliable?” Wang Lin coldly said, “In this world, only dead people can truly be called most reliable.”

“Yes, I will find an opportunity later.”