The wooden plank bed in the farmhouse creaked and trembled, startling Grandma awake. In the darkness, she called out, “Second Miss?”
“…It’s nothing, just a bad dream.” Nan Yang slowly calmed her breathing.
So, the lavishly dressed nobleman who was heavily drunk by the Mulberry Grove in spring and the one who nearly drowned by the water were the same person?
The half-dead man she slapped unconscious in the water and dragged ashore like a sack was none other than the Huaiyang Marquis himself?!
With a creak, Nan Yang lay back down on the wooden plank bed.
Well, at least he didn’t die. Doctor Huang must have saved him.
But thinking it over, she felt uneasy again. The person she saved turned out to be the Huaiyang Marquis.
Once he caught his breath, the Huaiyang Marquis began a large-scale search across the entire town for “young women aged fifteen to twenty-five.”
“…Could he be looking for me to take revenge for that slap?”
Nan Yang shuddered, overwhelmed by the terrifying thoughts flooding her mind.
This just goes to show how much a bad reputation can affect a person.
Logically, she knew there was no solid evidence for the rumors about the Huaiyang Marquis eating people.
But in the dead of night, her mind kept flashing images of a bubbling cauldron, meat stewing inside, and human bones scattered all over the ground…
Nan Yang murmured to the dark thatched roof, “Thank goodness we escaped.”
…
The Yang family coachman clearly thought the same.
Starting the next day, to make up for the time lost resting overnight, the carriage sped northward like a runaway mad dog, whipping the horses into a frenzy.
Grandma and Nan Yang were jolted until they were dizzy and disoriented, with Grandma nearly vomiting up all her bile.
“Let’s take a break.” Nan Yang weakly called out to the Yang family coachman. “Grandma can’t stop vomiting.”
During the half-hour rest stop, the coachman fidgeted restlessly, frequently jumping back onto the carriage to look back the way they had come.
“This desolate wilderness is the perfect place for an ambush. What if the Huaiyang Marquis sends people after us…”
Nan Yang thought it unlikely. “We’ve been out of town for two days. If they were going to chase us, they would have caught up by now.”
Having narrowly escaped death from the Huaiyang Marquis’s grasp once, the coachman was like a startled bird, growing more fearful the more he thought about it:
“Maybe something delayed them? Once the Huaiyang Marquis finishes whatever he’s doing, he might remember us again. Just as we let our guard down and slow our pace, his men could suddenly catch up and strike back!”
Nan Yang: “Well…”
Grandma grew extremely anxious upon hearing this and was the first to climb back into the carriage. “You’re right, we should keep going… ugh!”
“Let’s rest a bit longer.” Nan Yang supported Grandma, who was still retching. “If we rush any faster, we might not even make it to the capital alive.”
“Don’t worry about this old woman, keep going… ugh!”
“Where is Doctor Huang from the town’s medical clinic?”
Late at night, eight glazed lamps shone brightly, illuminating the makeshift pavilion by the water.
Every young woman in town aged fifteen to twenty-five had been carefully screened, but none matched the description.
Xiao Chengyan pondered, bringing up the nearly forgotten minor character, Doctor Huang.
“Not long after she left, Doctor Huang rowed over to find me, hoping to seek fortune once more. Doctor Huang had met her.”
“Doctor Huang was driven out of town that very day.” Ming Wenhuan sat opposite, sighing as he fanned himself with a large palm-leaf fan.
“He and his young apprentice were both forbidden from docking their boat. Doctor Huang drifted downstream, weeping and wailing, and now he’s nowhere to be found.”
Xiao Chengyan listened expressionlessly, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the wooden armrest.
Ming Wenhuan soothed, “Marquis Xiao, please remain calm. As long as the young lady is still in town, repeated screenings will eventually uncover her—”
“Is she playing hard to get?” Xiao Chengyan interrupted.
Mr. Ming was taken aback. “Well…”
“I have announced throughout the town, seeking a mulberry-picking or lotus-picking girl I met by the water, and even increased the reward. She must know I am looking for her, yet she deliberately delays her appearance. After much thought, the only possibility is that she is playing hard to get.” Xiao Chengyan’s tone grew indifferent.
“A box of jewels isn’t enough to satisfy her appetite; she wants more.”
“Mr. Ming, tell me, do people in this world truly exist who show kindness without expecting anything in return? Those who leave quietly after their deed, hiding their merits and fame, like the recluses of ancient times?”
Xiao Chengyan’s lips curved into a smile, but there was no warmth in his eyes.
“Or did she know my identity from the start, deliberately schemed to capture my attention, aiming for more?”
Ming Wenhuan hastily rose to his feet. “Marquis Xiao, there is no need to overanalyze people’s intentions! Although those who show kindness without expecting reward are rare in this world, it cannot be said that none exist—”
“And I just happened to encounter one?”
The flickering light of the Glazed Lamp danced in patches, reflecting in his eyes. Xiao Chengyan’s gaze glowed faintly in the darkness.
“My luck has never been particularly good. And I have never quite believed in the notion of ‘a savior descending from heaven.'”
“If she does not show herself soon, she need never appear again. What’s the rush? I will take my time searching for her.”
The latest notices were plastered in every corner of Ping An Town.
The reward was doubled, offering a hefty sum for a young lady in town. Her family picks mulberries in spring and lotuses in summer, and she once encountered the Huaiyang Marquis by the water.
If the young lady comes forward herself, she will receive the generous reward;
Neighbors or acquaintances with information will also be rewarded for reporting.
The final two lines of the notice carried an implicit threat.
【This notice will be posted for three days.
After the deadline, the search will continue, regardless of life or death.】
By the river outside Ping An Town.
Xiao Chengyan sat on the high slope of the riverbank, his long legs dangling over the steep cliff edge as he looked down.
He himself had once fallen from this spot, horse and all, tumbling down the grassy slope and leaving a long, terrifying trail.
More than half a month later, the gash on his forehead had healed well, and the dizziness had subsided considerably.
Ming Wenhuan stood beside his lord, carefully removing layers of gauze to reveal the smooth forehead beneath.
“The notices are posted all over Ping An Town. Three days have passed, dozens have come forward for the reward, but the actual person has yet to be found.”
Xiao Chengyan spoke slowly, “Now you are telling me that perhaps she is not in the town at all?”
Di Rong stood behind his lord, sword at his side, feeling uneasy.
The population of Ping An Town was not large. If a living person could not be found even after turning the town upside down, the most likely explanation was that she was not in the town.
But this answer was clearly not what his lord wanted to hear.
Ming Wenhuan also felt uneasy.
He tried to phrase his words as tactfully as possible.
“A young lady who comes to Ping An Town to pick mulberries and lotuses must live nearby. Even if she is not a local of Ping An Town, perhaps, ahem, she lives in the nearby mountains?”
Every household had been questioned. The boat the young lady used to pick lotus seedpods that day was rented for ten coins.
The woman who rented out the boat vividly described the young lady as not very old, likely of marriageable age but definitely not over twenty. She had an oval face, large eyes, fair skin, and was not tall.
Not only the woman who rented the boat, but also several curious onlookers at the Huang family clinic that day had seen the young lady.
The women spoke in unison, saying the young lady looked unfamiliar and definitely wasn’t from the town. In a small town where everyone knows each other, how could they not remember such a strikingly beautiful young lady?
Ming Wenhuan took out a portrait and placed it before his lord.
“This portrait was drawn based on the women’s descriptions. Should we post it throughout the town?”
Xiao Chengyan took it in hand but didn’t even glance at it.
He casually crumpled it into a ball, then released his hand, letting the portrait drift away with the mountain breeze.
“The three-day deadline has passed.”
Xiao Chengyan said, “What’s the rush? There are plenty of ways to find her.”
“Mr. Ming said she might not be in Ping An Town, but hiding in the nearby mountains?”
Xiao Chengyan’s gaze shifted from the perilous cliffs to the lush, expansive forests lining both riverbanks:
“Set fire to the mountains—burn a perimeter to force anyone hiding in the hills out…”
Ming Wenhuan’s heart skipped a beat.
Set fire to the mountains!
Burning the mountains was indeed the fastest way to flush people out of the woods. But fire was merciless—who could guarantee they’d find her alive?
Di Rong, however, showed little reaction. Whatever his lord said, he believed was right.
Ming Wenhuan felt a chill run down his spine.
Marquis Xiao, unable to find the person he sought, had grown obsessive.
He would stop at nothing, even burning the mountains. If they managed to force the young lady who had saved him out of the hills, that would be one thing—but what if… what if she didn’t escape in time?
In an instant, cold sweat broke out on Ming Wenhuan’s forehead.
He racked his brains, trying to figure out how to steer the conversation away from this dangerously extreme idea, to protect these mountains and ensure the young lady who had saved his lord remained unharmed.
But Xiao Chengyan murmured to himself, “Burning this entire stretch of mountains and searching the perimeter would take at least three to five days.”
Di Rong, unconcerned with his lord’s intent to burn the mountains, straightforwardly calculated the timeline:
“More than that. To prevent trapping woodcutters or hunters inside, we’d need to seal off the mountains at least five days in advance. If you want to burn this entire area, it would take at least three to five days of burning. To keep the fire from spreading to the riverside town, we’d need another three to five days of defensive preparations. Then we’d have to search everywhere for the young lady who fled down the mountain. All in all—”
Di Rong tallied it up: “At least half a month!”
Xiao Chengyan’s displeased gaze withdrew from the distant forests: “Can’t wait that long. Not feasible.”
His thoughts jumped erratically, leaving his two advisors—one civil, one military—struggling to keep up.
Xiao Chengyan said, “There’s been some trouble in the capital.”
Ming Wenhuan was startled again. “What trouble? Is it serious?”
Xiao Chengyan spoke lightly, but his two advisors felt as if the sky were falling.
“Word from the capital garrison is that the Son of Heaven has fallen ill. Court has been suspended for ten consecutive days, and no civil or military officials have been able to see him. Perhaps… the Son of Heaven is gravely ill?”
Di Rong: “…”
Ming Wenhuan: “…”
Xiao Chengyan took out a rolled-up yellow silk edict from his robe and unfurled it in the wind.
This was the so-called “secret decree from the capital” that several officials in Shanyang Commandery had received.
The secret decree addressed to Shanyang Commandery was stern and urgent, explicitly ordering the interception and assassination of Huaiyang Marquis, with heavy rewards for those who succeeded.
“Either this secret decree is forged. Someone is taking advantage of the Son of Heaven’s illness to deliberately plot against me.”
“Or, this secret decree is genuine. The gravely ill Son of Heaven doesn’t trust me… paving the way for his successor, he issued this secret decree to have me executed in Shanyang Commandery.”
Xiao Chengyan smiled ambiguously. “Which possibility do you think is more likely?”
“…” Di Rong cursed under his breath.
Ming Wenhuan’s face paled.
“We’re not going to the fief.”
Xiao Chengyan said, “We must clarify the matter of the secret decree as soon as possible.”
“Unfortunately, there are still two matters at hand that remain unresolved.” He stood up, regretfully surveying the surrounding mountains.
“First, that young lady has yet to be found. We could set fire to the entire mountain and wait for her to come down. Waiting three to five days is manageable, but half a month is not.”
“Can’t wait!” Ming Wenhuan stumbled in shock.
“The Son of Heaven is gravely ill, the situation is unclear, and the secret decree poses a great danger! Marquis Xiao, stop thinking about burning the mountain. Return to the capital immediately to investigate and take control of the situation.”
“What’s the rush?” Xiao Chengyan said calmly. “There’s no need to hurry at this moment.”
“The second matter is that we were careless with Wei Er Niang from the Wei Family.”
Wei Er Niang, who had escaped from the Wei Family, was not seen clearly in the dark carriage at the time, but her voice was crisp and bright, ringing in his ears until his head buzzed. She had even taken advantage of the darkness to stomp on his feet twice.
At the time, he hadn’t paid it much mind. A young woman from the inner chambers was likely less dangerous than a caterpillar falling from a tree.
But in hindsight, letting her escape was a careless mistake.
“How many days has it been since Wei Er Niang escaped?”
Xiao Chengyan stood with his arms crossed in the mountain breeze, lost in thought. “Do you think… if we turn back now, we could still catch up to her?”