The magistrate’s wife’s face suddenly turned ashen. “Xianquan Ward? Then… my husband is…” Her thoughts raced to the Northern King and the Right Minister’s son.
A flash of white light crossed her vision. She stood up to look, only to collapse back down, her mind in chaos, unable to speak for a long moment.
The performance on the stage halted. The people on the pleasure boat chattered, waiting for the magistrate’s wife to make a decision:
“Heavens! This wind could set all the boats ablaze!”
“It’s Xianquan Ward! Mother, what should we do? Father is still there!”
“Madam, should we send people to fight the fire?”
“With such a large blaze, surely the fire brigade has been dispatched?”
The ladies on the pleasure boat spoke over each other. Some secretly relished the drama, thinking: This fire is well-timed. It might cleanse those seductive foxes in the boats, who always play the victim and keep men from their homes!
The magistrate’s wife had never faced such a situation. Accustomed to a life of luxury in the inner quarters, she typically only managed trivial matters among the women of the household. Now, with all eyes on her for direction, her mind went blank.
At that moment, Ming Tan suppressed her rising panic and calmly spoke, “Madam, please immediately dispatch someone to notify the fire brigade and the city guard. Have them go to fight the fire. It would be best to send all available troops from the magistrate’s office as well!”
The magistrate’s wife, lacking direction, heard Ming Tan’s words and regained some composure. She nodded hastily, “Yes, yes, the Princess Consort is right. Quickly, do as she says!”
The servants exchanged glances. Notifying the fire brigade was simple enough; they were likely already on their way. But the city guard and the magistrate’s troops? That was beyond their authority to mobilize, and neither the magistrate’s wife nor the Princess Consort had such power.
The magistrate’s wife, still flustered, hadn’t considered this. Seeing their hesitation, she frantically ordered, “Go, quickly!”
One servant, looking troubled, said, “Madam, without the magistrate’s official order, the city guard and office troops won’t heed our message.”
Hearing this, Ming Tan immediately countered, “The magistrate is trapped on a boat. How could he issue an order? Go and tell them it’s by my command as Princess Consort!” She removed her jade tablet from her waist. “If they refuse, inform them that if anything happens to the Prince or Young Master Shu in Quancheng tonight, no one in the city guard or magistrate’s office will escape punishment!”
She knew a Princess Consort’s decree couldn’t mobilize city troops, but she had no choice now. She coldly threatened, “My words carry weight with the Emperor.”
At this, the servants broke into a cold sweat. They hurriedly accepted the jade tablet, no longer daring to refuse.
As expected, the fire brigade had already rushed to the boats. The city guard and magistrate’s office initially refused to act without an official order, but when presented with the Princess Consort’s jade tablet and her words, their leaders began to waver.
In emergencies, rules can be bent. With a royal prince, the Right Minister’s son, and the magistrate all at risk, relying solely on the fire brigade seemed inadequate. If something went wrong and the Emperor’s wrath fell upon them, even the Shu family might not be able to protect them.
With this in mind, both the city guard and the magistrate’s office agreed and quickly dispatched men.
The pleasure boat had docked, and everyone stood on the shore waiting for news. Ming Tan kept her eyes fixed on the area where the flames rose highest.
Seeing her tension, Yun Yi softly reassured her, “Princess, please don’t worry. With the Master’s skills, he couldn’t possibly be trapped by mere flames. He also has his guards with him. There’s no need for concern.”
Yun Yi’s words were quite conservative. In her view, the Master was not only unlikely to be trapped by fire but would be remarkable if he hadn’t started it himself.
Yet Ming Tan couldn’t be at ease. She knew her husband’s exceptional skills, but this was unfamiliar territory. If the fire was meant to target her husband, with ambushes set in advance, who could predict the current situation?
With the fire brigade, city guard, and magistrate’s office all mobilized, news quickly came back from the boats.
“Reporting to the Princess Consort and Madam: The fire started in Xianquan Ward and is spreading rapidly due to wind on the river. We haven’t yet located the Prince’s party!”
The magistrate’s wife, pale-faced and trembling, said, “Why are you reporting back without finding them? Go back and keep searching!”
“Don’t forget to search underwater as well,” Ming Tan calmly instructed.
“Yes, Princess!”
As this messenger left, another came running, shouting, “The magistrate has been found!”
Ming Tan stepped forward urgently, “The magistrate has been found? What about the Prince and Young Master Shu?”
Panting, the man replied haltingly, “Princess, we… we only found the magistrate underwater. The Prince and Young Master Shu are still missing.”
The magistrate’s wife rushed over, asking, “How is my husband? Where is he?”
“The magistrate is unconscious from inhaling water. We don’t know if he’s injured, but his life seems out of danger. The office troops are preparing to take him back to the compound.”
Having been in shock, the magistrate’s wife now heard that her husband’s life was safe. She clutched her chest, muttering, “He’s safe, that’s good, that’s good.” But in the next moment, her strength failed, and she collapsed backward.
“Mother!”
“Madam!”
Everyone scrambled to catch the fainting magistrate’s wife.
Ming Tan pursed her lips, thinking of the still-missing Jiang Xu. Her hands, hidden in her wide sleeves, were clenched so tightly that her fingertips turned white.
Rationally, she knew that no news was the best news. If the magistrate was safe, how could the battle-hardened war god be in danger? But she couldn’t help worrying. What if someone had targeted her husband with a rare poison or drug, intending to cover it up with the fire?
Countless thoughts raced through her mind. She even wondered if this was a trap that the magistrate’s wife was aware of, designed to lure her out and use her against her husband.
These chaotic thoughts all reminded her that she should trust her husband would be safe, that she should stay put and wait for good news, and that she should protect herself and not act rashly. She was the Northern King’s consort, and any ill-considered decision could have irreversible consequences.
Despite her attempts to remain calm, the mere thought of her husband potentially being trapped in a sea of flames due to some plot made it unbearable for Ming Tan to stand idly by, passively waiting for news.
Finally, she made a decision.
“Take the magistrate’s wife home to rest. Everyone else may disperse. I’ll handle things here,” Ming Tan suddenly commanded.
With their father found and their mother unconscious, the magistrate’s daughters were eager to leave. They excused themselves and hurried to take their mother home. The remaining ladies, seeing this and realizing it didn’t concern them, quickly scattered.
Once everyone had left, Ming Tan turned to Yun Yi with a determined gaze. “Yun Yi, I’m going over there.”
Yun Yi was taken aback. “Over there?” Fearing she had misunderstood, she glanced towards the burning Xianquan Ward. “My lady… it’s dangerous. You can’t do much by going, and the Master will be fine.”
“I must go and see for myself.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t obey. The Master said—”
“If my husband assigned you to protect me, then you’re my subordinate,” Ming Tan interrupted. “I remember my husband saying the Jingyun Guard serves only one master. So who is your master now? Whose orders will you follow?”
Yun Yi was bewildered, sensing something was amiss but unable to articulate it.
Ming Tan looked around and raised her voice, “Aren’t there two more guards? Where are they? If something happens to the Prince, what use is protecting me?!”
Silence fell, broken only by the gentle lapping of water.
While Yun Yi was still confused by Ming Tan’s words, the Princess Consort seized the moment. She lifted her skirts and stepped onto a small boat moored at the shore.
Biting her lip, she forcefully untied the rope and picked up an oar, as if prepared to row across herself.
Seeing this, Yun Yi quickly leaped onto the boat and wrested the oar from Ming Tan’s hands.
Ming Tan, knowing she couldn’t row across alone, had planned to lure Yun Yi onto the boat.
With Yun Yi aboard, her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears, her voice softening. “Please, Yun Yi, just take me over there. Nothing will happen, I promise I’ll be safe.”
Yun Yi was stunned. This was the first time she had seen her mistress so anxious. Though outwardly composed, inside she seemed like a child denied candy, on the verge of tears.
She remembered how, even when framed at the Pingguo Mansion, the Princess had remained calm and rational, not forgetting to check her belongings even after escaping danger.
For some reason, ripples seemed to form in the depths of her usually calm heart.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly whistled. The hidden guards finally appeared, silently alighting on the small boat.
Yun Yi instructed, “My lady, you must not approach the pleasure boats. Stay on this boat.”
Now that Yun Yi had agreed to take her, Ming Tan was willing to comply with anything. She nodded obediently, promising, “I’ll stay on the boat. I won’t put myself in danger.”
Soon, the small boat reached the middle of the river.
Nearby, the fire had spread to other pleasure boats, while the blaze in Xianquan Ward had mostly subsided. Some boats had sunk or collapsed, with charred beams and bodies floating on the surface.
The fire brigade, city guard, and magistrate’s troops were searching the smoldering wrecks, carrying charred bodies to shore as they found them.
“Go and search quickly,” Ming Tan urged the two shadowy figures at the stern, their faces completely concealed.
The shadows obeyed without question, skimming across the water to the ruined boats.
The pleasure boats of Xianquan Ward were spacious and ornate, with even the lowest having two levels and the tallest nearly five. Despite many having burned and sunk, searching the remaining boats was still a considerable task.
After half an hour with no news, Ming Tan grew impatient. The rumors about the Shu family loomed large in her mind, intertwining with memories of her time with her husband.
She turned to Yun Yi, pleading, “The fire in Xianquan Ward is almost out. Let’s go search too.”
“My lady, you promised not to leave the boat or put yourself in danger.”
“The fire is nearly extinguished. It’s not dangerous,” Ming Tan argued. Seeing they were close to Xianquan Ward, she added, “If you won’t let me go, I’ll swim there myself.”
Yun Yi was at a loss. With Ming Tan so insistent, she had no choice but to allow her onto the pleasure boat.
Though the fire was out, thick smoke still choked the air. Ming Tan covered her mouth and nose with a damp handkerchief, searching and calling out on boats others hadn’t yet reached: “Your Highness! My lord!” Whether from the smoke or anxiety, tears formed in the corners of her eyes.
Yun Yi stayed close, accompanying her in the search.
These boats not only had several levels above but also held cabins below. Ming Tan felt that if anyone had been accidentally trapped, they were most likely to be in the lower cabins. So after searching above, she insisted on checking the cabins below.
The lower cabins were like steam rooms, scorchingly hot. After climbing up and down, Ming Tan was in a disheveled state.
Although they didn’t find Jiang Xu or Shu Jingran, they unexpectedly discovered a woman bound tightly and barely alive in one of the cabins. Ming Tan and Yun Yi worked together to rescue her.
“Not found?” Jiang Xu, standing in the reeds on the shore, suddenly asked an arriving messenger.
The messenger shook his head. “No, Zhuiying has gone to check the female corpses.”
Jiang Xu grunted, ready to move on, when another figure suddenly appeared, bowing and reporting softly, “Your Highness, the Princess Consort is in Xianquan Ward.”
“What did you say?” Jiang Xu was momentarily stunned.
“The Princess Consort boarded a boat in Xianquan Ward to search for you.”
He felt a sudden pang in his heart.
In the thick darkness, no one could discern Jiang Xu’s expression. After a strange silence, he suddenly moved forward.
After rescuing the bound woman from the lower cabin, Ming Tan was even more determined to search other boat cabins. However, her weak constitution was taking its toll. After all the exertion, her hair was in disarray, she was drenched in sweat, her face covered in grime, and she was utterly exhausted.
She didn’t know what she was holding on to. Logically, she knew that if he hadn’t been found by now, with the fire out, someone of his capabilities would have surely escaped. But without word from him, she couldn’t be at ease.
She wanted to search the remaining boats.
Narrow plank bridges connected the boats. As Ming Tan was about to cross one, Yun Yi quickly set down the rescued woman and moved to follow.
“Crack—”
The bridge appeared intact at first glance, but the far end had been burned through. Ming Tan had only taken two steps when the opposite side began to collapse. She panicked momentarily, losing her balance and seeming about to fall forward.
Just as Yun Yi reached out to steady her, someone flew through the air, beating her to it. Strong arms encircled Ming Tan’s slender waist, spinning once in midair before alighting gracefully on the boat.
Seeing who it was, Ming Tan was stunned. “My… my lord?” Her voice was hoarse from the smoke.
“Running here like this, have you lost your mind?” Jiang Xu asked softly, ruffling her hair.
Ming Tan had so much she wanted to say, but she couldn’t bear to blink, her eyes tracing every detail of his face.
After a long moment, the weight that had been lodged in her throat finally eased. “I’m so glad you’re safe, my lord. So glad.”
As she spoke, she felt the tension in her mind release completely. She felt light-headed, her vision blurring.
Before losing consciousness, her last thought was how embarrassing it was to faint over such a small matter, just like the magistrate’s wife…