The room fell silent, the only sound being Dongfang Rui flipping through the sheets of xuan paper.
Dongfang Rui glanced up at Wu Wei and said flatly, “Your handwriting needs some practice. It’s still lacking that finishing touch.”
Wu Wei’s breath caught, and she forced a wry smile, playing along as best she could.
She truly admired Dongfang Rui. What kind of timing was this? The auspicious item that Prince Yan’s fief in Taizhou Prefecture had offered as tribute to the Imperial Court had been stolen! Such a thing carried heavy divine connotations and was inextricably linked to the stability of imperial authority. No matter where it had gone missing, the matter would inevitably escalate to the imperial court, the Ministry of Justice, the Bright Mirror Division, the local yamen where it happened—and even drag in Taizhou Prefecture. If the auspicious item couldn’t be found, the Bright Mirror Division, the Emperor’s ace enforcers, wouldn’t have an easy time of it.
Wu Wei had written every word in the dossier with utmost care, striving to restore every detail, and the outlook was far from optimistic. How could Dongfang Rui remain so unflappable, even finding the leisure to tease someone else’s handwriting?
She really envied that iron heart of hers.
Once Dongfang Rui had finished reading everything, she rolled up the documents and tucked them into her sleeve. Turning to Gao Ningxue, she said, “You didn’t even realize you’d been drugged and abducted. How much of what you’ve learned at my side these past few years do you actually remember?”
A flush crept over Gao Ningxue’s face. She glanced at Wu Wei and the Embroider Maiden. After all, she was the exalted Pingjia County Princess and the deputy commander of the Bright Mirror Division. Being scolded by Dongfang Rui in front of outsiders made it impossible for her to save face.
Yet she lacked her usual fiery spirit for sparring verbally with Wu Wei. She lowered her head and murmured, “Master.”
Gao Ningxue felt deeply wronged. With outsiders present, how could she possibly explain herself?
Should she admit that she’d gone on a hunger strike for days to force her way out of Taizhou Prefecture, leaving her body weak at the time?
Should she confess that, thrilled at the prospect of finally returning to the capital and to her master’s side, she hadn’t slept soundly the entire journey?
Her mind exhausted, she’d naturally let her guard down. And besides… who could have imagined that she’d be kidnapped right under the protection of the Forbidden Army?
But Dongfang Rui had no intention of letting it drop there. In a calm tone that carried not a hint of blame, she continued, “If the corpse features described in the coroner’s handbook truly belong to Forbidden Army soldiers, it proves the enemy had planned this well in advance, with insiders aiding them. The Forbidden Army escorting the auspicious item back to the capital was small in number, but every one of them was a battle-hardened elite. That squad operated with perfect coordination and clear divisions of labor. No matter how many foes they faced… it’s impossible they could have been wiped out without the enemy paying any price—let alone taken down bloodlessly. You were in charge of this escort. Even if you couldn’t keep eyes and ears everywhere, the outcome shouldn’t have been like this.”
Gao Ningxue’s pearly teeth grazed her lower lip, her fingers twisting together. Only after a long moment did she squeeze out a single, “Yes.”
“As for you…” Dongfang Rui turned her gaze to Wu Wei, who tensed up involuntarily. There was something indefinable in Dongfang Rui’s presence—an aura that, when fully unleashed, dragged whoever faced her into a windowless interrogation chamber, strapped to an iron bench with massive chains on their wrists…
It was a sensation of having nowhere to hide.
“…Yes.”
“I saw you used a full page to reflect on your own mistakes. Being able to confront your inner self like that is commendable. But didn’t you overlook something?”
Wu Wei racked her brains for a while but couldn’t pinpoint what she might have missed. With a resigned sigh, she said earnestly, “Please advise me, my lord.”
“Since you’d already realized the Qinglu County Magistrate was suspicious, why did you go to the yamen to examine the bodies when Zhang Xing and Li Liu came for you? Hadn’t you seen through their ploy to sacrifice pawns to save the king?”
Wu Wei opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a word. Dongfang Rui’s words struck like an arrow through the chest.
She had no way to explain. What could she say? Admit that she’d grown up around “yamen” uncles and aunties and thus had a natural fondness for public officials? Confess that, coming from an era with a sound legal system, she instinctively trusted “the authorities,” especially yamen folk?
Or just come out and say she lacked the guts to refuse a government worker?
Dongfang Rui fixed her profound gaze on Wu Wei, as if peering straight through her, and pressed on. “Your vigilance is sharp enough, isn’t it? Back when you were alone and vulnerable, you still had the courage to demand that Zhang Wei and Zhang Meng show their Bright Mirror Division tokens. So why trust people you’d already suspected now? What… you don’t even have the guts to call their bluff to their faces? Even if every yamen runner in Qinglu County showed up, they couldn’t have dragged you away from those four people’s protection. If you’d detained those two runners on the spot, revealed your identity, and laid out the stakes, things might not have turned so passive. What exactly were you thinking? What were you afraid of?”
Wu Wei was left speechless by the reprimand, her face burning. But Dongfang Rui didn’t stop there. Compared to her proper disciple Gao Ningxue, she seemed even sterner with Wu Wei. “You hold no official post, nor any deed binding you. You could have flatly refused the yamen’s demand to examine the bodies. Instead, you turned the tables—swapping strength for weakness, walking alone into their territory to be slaughtered at their whim.”
“My lord is right. I’ve taken it to heart.”
Only at Wu Wei’s words did the sternness in Dongfang Rui’s eyes gradually fade. She seemed weary, leaning back against the wall and slowly closing her eyes. “Being moderate isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but excessive moderation will keep you from achieving great things or becoming someone truly capable. I’m tired. Resting my eyes for a bit. Could you prepare a meal for me?”
Her words barely finished when Wu Wei, the Embroider Maiden, and Gao Ningxue scattered like startled birds—some slipping on shoes, others bolting outright. In just a few breaths, Dongfang Rui was alone in the bedroom.
Wu Wei and Gao Ningxue resembled two children caught misbehaving, or perhaps sisters who had weathered hardship together. Seeing each other’s disheveled state, they couldn’t help but smile—though the expression was fleeting. No one could stay cheerful after enduring Dongfang Rui’s sharp critique.
The Embroider Maiden watched them both, silently committing Dongfang Rui’s words to memory. No one noticed the flicker of realization in her eyes as she recalled those nineteen years of meek endurance in the Liu Family… What she had once accepted as “only natural” now tasted different after Dongfang Rui’s words.
Even Dongfang Rui probably hadn’t realized it: her intent to discipline Wu Wei had made the Embroider Maiden the greatest beneficiary of the conversation.
“Weiwei, what should we make for Lord Dongfang?”
Before the words had fully landed, the sound of hoofbeats approached. Zhang Wei and Zhang Meng arrived, just as travel-worn as ever. Wu Wei said, “No need to bother. Let’s just order a spread from the Hundred Flavors Building.”
Gao Ningxue agreed wholeheartedly. Her master had grown thin, her face haggard. No sense feeding her coarse peasant fare.
Thus, with Gao Ningxue footing the bill and Zhang Wei doing the legwork, a lavish twelve-dish feast was procured.
After dinner, Dongfang Rui had rested enough. She took Gao Ningxue and the Zhang brothers back to their temporary residence in Qinglu County, showing not the slightest worry for Wu Wei and the Embroider Maiden’s safety.
That night, Wu Wei and the Embroider Maiden enjoyed a rare sound sleep.
As they chatted privately before bed, both remarked that Dongfang Rui’s arrival felt like a massive boulder lifted away—they could finally breathe. Though the thorny case showed no path to reversal, and even their protectors had withdrawn, Wu Wei and the Embroider Maiden inexplicably felt secure.
Wu Wei couldn’t help sighing over Dongfang Rui’s presence, like a sea-stabilizing needle. They were both women, and Dongfang Rui looked only a few years older than her. If only she had half that woman’s ability.
…
The next day, just after Wu Wei and the Embroider Maiden finished lunch, Dongfang Rui arrived with Zhang Wei and Zhang Meng.
After a quick greeting, Wu Wei and the Embroider Maiden followed her to the same open spot where she and Wu Wei had spoken before. Wu Wei asked, “Where’s… the County Princess? Is she safe alone in the county?”
“Back to the capital.”
Wu Wei was stunned. Even the Embroider Maiden could tell how much the County Princess—who never stopped mentioning The Jade-Faced Divine Strategist—relied on Dongfang Rui. Yesterday, she’d been overjoyed to ride off with her master. How had she returned to the capital already?
“…Oh.” Unable to hold back, Wu Wei asked, “By herself? Is that safe?”
Dongfang Rui gazed into the distance and said coolly, “Do you think she’d lack for protection?”
Wu Wei thought about it and realized: Right. Someone who emerged unscathed from a case where nearly everyone else perished? Protection wouldn’t be an issue.
Catching the implication in Dongfang Rui’s words, Wu Wei cut straight to the point. “Lord Dongfang, do you think this case… has any connection to Taizhou Prefecture?”
It was a suspicion Wu Wei had harbored for days, ever since she’d concluded the auspicious item had gone astray.
All the Forbidden Army soldiers dead, yet the commanding officer Gao Ningxue unscathed—and no ties to Taizhou Prefecture? Who would buy that?
But the problem was: The auspicious item was Taizhou Prefecture’s tribute to the court—a joyous affair for all. Gao Ningxue hailed from the Yan Prince’s Residence, so why would Taizhou Prefecture sabotage itself like this? Wasn’t it like lifting a rock only to smash their own foot?
The motive didn’t add up, but the suspicion was enormous.
“What do you think?” Dongfang Rui asked in return.
Wu Wei shared her thoughts honestly. Dongfang Rui listened quietly all the way through, neither affirming nor denying them. Then she said, “It doesn’t matter what you or I think. What truly matters is… how His Majesty, the Crown Prince, and the Imperial Court see it.”
“Milady speaks wisely.”
Dongfang Rui went on, “I’ve always believed that the more airtight a case seems on the surface, the faster it crumbles once the truth comes out. At its core, this case is nothing but a robbery gone wrong—a lawsuit tangled up in deaths. Figuring out the jurisdiction of the crime scene isn’t hard. Those two county magistrates and their grubby little schemes are just grandstanding for the crowd. The real challenge… is exactly what I just told you.”
“…Yes, the implications behind that auspicious sign carry immense weight.”
Dongfang Rui shook her head. “An auspicious sign is just a lifeless object… Sometimes solving a case isn’t merely about catching the culprit. I hope you grasp that truth soon. You’re cautious, calm, and self-controlled—a rare talent suited for stewardship. If you traded places with Xue’er, it wouldn’t be half bad. Such a shame.”
Wu Wei gazed at Dongfang Rui’s profile. This was the first time she had ever heard Dongfang Rui refer to Gao Ningxue not as “Ningxue” or “County Princess.”
