Chapter 52: A Startled Cry

After a hearty meal, Wu Wei slung her bedding roll over her back and carried a food box out of Hundred Flavors Building. Inside were six packed dishes.

The two meals had cost only two taels of silver. She had bought bedding and ready-made clothes—the garments were ordinary ones, but Wu Wei had selected the finest fabric she could afford for the bedding. It all came to one tael and six hundred copper coins. She handed the waiter two taels, then headed to the market and bought a hefty slab of pork belly. Wu Wei thought to herself: After all, the County Princess was here now~ She certainly couldn’t skimp on the food~

Worried that Gao Ningxue might not endure life in this backwater, Wu Wei also stopped by a bookshop and picked up a few books.

Spending someone else’s money didn’t trouble Wu Wei in the slightest. And she had to admit, this silver went a long way. She felt like quite the local tycoon, rolling in luxury as she spent.

In the end, it had come to just a bit over six taels. Humming a little tune on the walk home, Wu Wei declared today a fine day indeed.

…

The waiter had taken the errand, but only after Wu Wei promised not to breathe a word of it. He clearly just wanted to pocket some easy coin and pass the actual legwork to someone else. Wu Wei agreed without hesitation. She didn’t care about the twists and turns, so long as the letter reached its destination swiftly.

Qinglu County lay more than ten days’ hard ride from the Capital. Beyond a swift horse and riding skill, one needed a migration permit with approvals stamped through layer after layer of checkpoints. That was precisely why Wu Wei hadn’t suggested Pingjia County Princess handle it herself—too many hoops, any one of which might harbor an enemy’s spy.

The waiters at Hundred Flavors Building made the trip to the Capital several times a year. Their paths through the checkpoints were surely greased already. Entrusting it to them saved hassle and drew less notice.

Even if they pried open the letter and read it, Wu Wei had no fear. She had written only seven words: “Come to Qinglu County at once, Wu Wei.”

Then, on the blank space, she had used ink paste to stamp one corner of her Bright Mirror command token. Its patterns were impossible to match without holding an identical token in hand.

Any outpost of the Bright Mirror Division receiving such a letter would pass it upward through the ranks. And throughout the entire Bright Mirror Division, only a handful knew who “Wu Wei” was.

If something had truly gone wrong with the auspicious omen, Dongfang Rui would have heard of Pingjia County Princess’s disappearance before the letter even reached her. At such a critical juncture, receiving this cryptic note—with her sharp mind—she would set out for Qinglu County to meet Wu Wei without delay.

Now only one issue remained: how to keep Pingjia County Princess safe until Dongfang Rui arrived?

A round trip would take a month. Ensuring the princess’s safety was paramount, and Wu Wei sensed something fishy about the whole affair…

From Gao Ningxue’s account, Wu Wei leaned toward the idea that someone was protecting her from the shadows. That being the case, so long as Gao Ningxue didn’t throw herself into mortal peril, she should hold out until Dongfang Rui came to the rescue.

With that realization, Wu Wei’s mood lightened a touch. There was no other choice. With the paltry fighting skills she and Embroider Maiden possessed, any pair of real experts could end all three of them. They couldn’t very well drag Gao Ningxue up into the mountains to hole up in an ice cave, could they?

…

Meanwhile, Gao Ningxue and Embroider Maiden had chatted endlessly. They covered common folk’s daily lives, how Embroider Maiden and Wu Wei had met—and naturally, Embroider Maiden dwelled longest on life after meeting Wu Wei.

In the midst of their talk, Embroider Maiden suddenly realized that her days had truly changed only after Wu Wei entered the picture. The previous nineteen years had been monotonously identical. Aside from a few upheavals, the rest could be summed up in a sentence or two: endless needlework, day after day of chores, every day blending into the next.

Yet when Gao Ningxue pressed about why she had split from her family, Embroider Maiden glossed over it. Gao Ningxue was no Wu Wei, and Embroider Maiden had no desire to broadcast her misfortunes to the world.

Besides, Embroider Maiden knew this County Princess before her differed from Wu Wei. The past was the past; she had no wish to stir waves in her quiet life.

Seeing Embroider Maiden so pure and guileless, Gao Ningxue shared glimpses of County Princess life. Embroider Maiden listened as if to a play script, wide-eyed with shock.

Gao Ningxue spoke most about happenings in the Bright Mirror Division and tales of Dongfang Rui. When her stories aligned with play scripts, Embroider Maiden could chime in with a line or two.

The two instantly clicked. If a play exaggerated, Gao Ningxue would laugh herself silly before revealing the truth. If it fell short, she would embellish vividly. Watching Gao Ningxue’s sparkling eyes and tireless narration, Embroider Maiden suddenly said, “Lady Xue’er truly admires Lord Dongfang.”

Gao Ningxue’s eyes curved in a grin. She lifted her chin proudly. “Do you know what inscription hangs above the main hall of our Bright Mirror Division offices?”

Embroider Maiden shook her head.

“‘Utmost Filial Piety and Righteousness!’ Your Majesty penned it himself back then, dipping the imperial brush in gold ink before bestowing it upon my master! It commemorates her first major unsolved case, the Snake Demon Life-Taking Case. That’s when the Bright Mirror Division was founded. His Majesty cherished talent, but the Imperial Court had no precedent for women officials in the outer court. So he created the agency specially. Countless people across the realm admire my master~! I hope to stay by her side forever. Someday I’ll become a ‘Seeing Through Like Fire, Enforcing Like Mountain’ divine sleuth myself, appearing alongside her in the plays for generations to revere!”

Gao Ningxue’s words inexplicably stirred Embroider Maiden’s heart, sparking a vague realization. But before she could dwell on it, Wu Wei’s voice shattered her thoughts.

“I’m back!”

Embroider Maiden slipped into her shoes in a flash and bolted to the door in two bounds, flinging it open.

“You’re back?” Embroider Maiden hurried out to greet her.

A flicker of surprise crossed Gao Ningxue’s eyes. This Miss Liu looked so slender and frail—yet her movements were startlingly nimble. Had she trained in martial arts?

As County Princess, Gao Ningxue naturally wouldn’t rise to welcome Wu Wei. But soon enough, Embroider Maiden and Wu Wei entered the room. Embroider Maiden took the pork belly, placed it in a basin, then lifted the pot lid to ladle washing water for Wu Wei.

Wu Wei headed into the bedroom and set the food box on the kang table. “The little one worried that you, the second-in-command, might not fancy plain fare, so fresh dishes from Hundred Flavors Building—six of them. If you like them, the little one can fetch some every day~”

Seeing Wu Wei in high spirits, Gao Ningxue asked, “Did everything go smoothly?”

Wu Wei replied, “We’ll talk about that later. Here—bedding and two outfits for you. Be a dear and change. And the leftover silver…”

“You keep it.”

“Hee hee.” Wu Wei hadn’t even pulled out the silver. She had banked on Gao Ningxue saying that—and after all, she still owed the waiter three taels in tip money. All told, she had earned a few hundred coppers’ worth of errand fee from Gao Ningxue. No fleecing there.

“Then change first. Embroider Maiden and I will step out.” With that, Wu Wei left the bedroom for the main room. She washed her face and hands, took the clean cloth Embroider Maiden offered, dried off, then pulled Embroider Maiden into the yard.

Qinglu County’s roads were all dirt tracks and mountain paths. Even the official post roads were merely broader, smoother stretches of earth. Winds kicked up dust everywhere this season; anyone returning from outside had to wash up.

Wu Wei led Embroider Maiden a good distance away before fishing out the remaining silver from her bosom. “These three full taels go out in a few days—you hold them for me. These coppers are errand money from the second-in-command. Ours now. Spend as you like.”

Embroider Maiden cradled the silver and coins. “Weiwei, is this really all right? Lady Xue’er has already given us plenty.”

Wu Wei sighed. “Hand her these coppers and, out of regard for you, she’ll take them grudgingly—maybe grumble about the weight, then ditch them around the first corner. These will let us do real good. Besides, I’m not pocketing anything extra. You heard her yourself—she doesn’t want it.”

Embroider Maiden nodded and drew the three gold leaves from her own bosom. “And these.”

“Stow them away quick. That’s our house-building fund. Once we send off the second-in-command, we’ll scout a fine spot, buy land, build a new home, grab a few acres of good fields, rent to tenants. Come harvest, we split the yield. No more fearing an empty larder. Good years, we could even sell surplus rice at the granary.”

Embroider Maiden’s eyes widened. “These three gold leaves are worth that much?”

Wu Wei held up three fingers. “Thirty taels of silver.”

Embroider Maiden’s hand trembled. The copper coins spilled across the ground with a clatter. The two crouched to gather them. Wu Wei stifled a chuckle at Embroider Maiden’s flustered look and said softly, “Our days will only get better. You convinced me to help her. You deserve this.”

Embroider Maiden gazed at Wu Wei with worry. “What if thieves strike? We haven’t even a spot to hide money at home.”

“Don’t worry, there’s no one at home who’d come snooping around. Just grab any old jar or pot, stuff the money inside, and stick it on the vegetable rack. No thief would target a dirt-poor family like ours—one look and it’s clear we’ve got nothing to our name.”

Reassured by Wu Wei’s comforting words and firm assurances, Embroider Maiden finally began to relax a little.

…

Clear River County, on the post road.

Though Clear River County bordered Qinglu County, the latter enjoyed the convenience of being near a prince’s fiefdom. Its markets and shops far outnumbered those in Clear River County, and its people lived far more prosperous lives.

The residents of Clear River County placed greater emphasis on self-sufficiency and rarely ventured out unless absolutely necessary.

On this day, a father and son from Clear River County set out after calculating the timing. They needed to attend a cousin’s wedding banquet in neighboring Qinglu County and had departed three days early to make it on time. With the spring mountain paths still muddy, the pair had chosen to take the official post road instead…

Suddenly, the father and son spotted two luxurious carriages halted right in the middle of the road from afar. The old man hurriedly pulled his son off to the roadside at a quick pace, lest they offend some important figures.

The pair waited by the edge of the road for what felt like half an hour, but the carriages showed no sign of moving. The young man took the initiative and spoke up. “Dad, I’ll circle around this way and check things out. If they’re just stopped to rest or make camp, we can slip past on the side.”

“Go ahead, but be careful. Don’t bump into them.”

“I know.”

The young man hurried off. After roughly the time it took to brew a cup of tea, a terrified scream echoed through the air.