Yun Jiuqing didn’t speak, just stared at Wang Jingkang with a cool, detached gaze, and the latter inexplicably felt his bones begin to ache again.
“Alright, alright, disperse! It’s just a waterskin, nothing to make a fuss about. Seventh, go keep watch outside, Big Macaque stands guard! Everyone else, get some sleep while you can—we resume travel at mao hour tomorrow!”
With that, he turned and flopped down onto the straw nearby, looking utterly exhausted.
The other constables were dumbfounded!
Escorting exiled convicts was a thankless job, but it came with plenty of perks and freedom. This crew was used to the work—when had they ever not been swaggering and imposing? No matter how noble the exile had once been, within three days in their hands, they’d be reduced to meek little kittens, groveling for scraps. The very methods they used to break people down had been taught to them by Wang Jingkang himself. So what was going on this time?
The constables exchanged bewildered glances, and the guards of Prince Yan’s Residence were equally puzzled.
They knew exactly what kind of man Wang Jingkang was. When they’d fought him earlier, they’d already braced themselves for retaliation. Because they felt that enduring some bruises and a meal or two of hunger was worth keeping the soldiers of Nangu Ying safe. But now, the situation was nothing like what they’d expected.
“What are you standing around for? Go fetch water!”
Yun Jiuqing urged Xuan Lie without a second thought. “If there’s any wood out there, grab some for me too.”
“Don’t you have hands of your own? Why make someone else fetch water for you?”
Ning Ruobing had appeared at some point, watching Yun Jiuqing with a disapproving look. “A person should know their place. Since you’ve been exiled, you need to learn to fend for yourself. Xuan Lie and the others already have their hands full looking after my cousin—can’t you show a little consideration when you’re perfectly capable?”
She hadn’t come out when the commotion outside was at its worst, but now that things had quieted down, she emerged to play judge. Yun Jiuqing found it absurd.
Still, she figured she understood why this lady seemed to have it out for her. Knowing that no matter what she did, the woman would never speak to her civilly, she turned to Xuan Lie instead. “Would fetching water for me be too much trouble?”
“No, not at all.”
Xuan Lie denied it firmly.
Though he didn’t know what Yun Jiuqing had done to make Wang Jingkang back down, the fact that she’d saved them all from a beating and endless torment was enough. He’d fetch her water a hundred times over—hell, he’d even let her hit him if she wanted.
With that, he grabbed the kettle and dashed out, as if afraid Yun Jiuqing might find fault with him.
Yun Jiuqing flashed Ning Ruobing a grin. “Did you hear that, Third Miss? He said he’s not tired.”
Having successfully provoked a flustered, furious expression from Ning Ruobing, Yun Jiuqing pulled a sachet from her robes and walked over to Madam Wen. “I’d like to trouble you for a moment, Aunt.”
Madam Wen was the matriarch of the Ning family—gentle in temperament but sharp in skill and wit. Over the course of the day, she’d come to realize that this bride-wife of the Prince was someone dependable.
Hearing this, she carefully set Ning Yuan down on the straw nearby and asked in a low voice, “What does the Princess need me to do?”
“The Prince’s identity is sensitive, and the Ning family is deeply entangled as well. There are surely many eyes watching us. To avoid any trouble tonight, we should all stay linked to one another, so any movement can be heard.”
After tying the silk thread to Ning Yuan’s sash, she jingled the bell in her hand. “We’re all women with little means to protect ourselves. If we want to avoid misfortune, we need to bind together as one.”
Madam Wen’s eyes lit up. She quickly took the bell, threaded it onto the silk cord, tied a knot, and wrapped it around her wrist, leaving the bell dangling between her and Ning Yuan.
Yun Jiuqing saw through her private motive but said nothing.
Ning Yuan was still young, and Madam Wen wanting to sense her daughter’s safety at the first moment was entirely understandable.
“I’ll leave it to you, Aunt, to pass the word along. Those who wish to join may tie on a cord; those who don’t, I won’t force.”
With that, she turned and headed back to Xie Ciyuan’s side. But the moment she stepped inside, she saw Xuan Qing, Steward Mo, and several other guards gathered around Xie Ciyuan, all silent.
Clearly, they’d been discussing something before she entered and had fallen quiet at her arrival.
They were all people who lived with their lives on the line, so Yun Jiuqing hadn’t expected them to drop their guard just because she showed up.
Acting as though she hadn’t noticed their odd expressions, she spoke up on her own. “That little scene just now should be enough to placate the soldiers of Nangu Ying, shouldn’t it?”
Xuan Qing and the others had made plenty of noise, and she’d added a couple of shouts of her own while pretending to scold them. If the men of Nangu Ying still hadn’t caught on, they’d be fools.
Xuan Qing was quite approving of Yun Jiuqing’s plan. At her words, his expression softened considerably. “The brothers of Nangu Ying probably won’t act rashly anymore. Our only concern is that after we leave tomorrow, those people might stir up rumors to attack Nangu Ying. If that happens, even if Nangu Ying keeps its structure intact, it may lose the people’s support.”
For a military force not under the imperial banner, the people’s support was the very foundation of survival.
Their food, clothing, and even the routes they took during marches all depended on the common people.
Once they lost the people’s support and were deliberately targeted by the court, it would be even more terrifying than disbanding outright.
“If you want to spare Nangu Ying from the trouble of rumors, I have a way—it just depends on whether you trust me or not.”
Her gaze swept sharply across the guards before finally settling on Xie Ciyuan’s face. “So, what do you say—dare to take a gamble?”
Her method actually didn’t require anyone else’s consent or assistance at all, but she couldn’t guarantee that, even with the Space, she wouldn’t need Xie Ciyuan and the help of the people around him for the three-thousand-li journey from Chu Jing to Bei Huang.
That was why she had to seize every opportunity from now on to win the trust of Xie Ciyuan and those around him.
Xie Ciyuan, who had already learned of what she’d been doing outside, boldly took up the challenge. “Go on, tell me your plan. Whether it works or not, I’ll decide after hearing it.”
“I have something in my hands that can make the words they just said to the soldiers of Nangu Ying appear in written form anywhere you want them to be seen.
Anyone who sees those words won’t be able to doubt their authenticity.
But the consequence of doing this might make the new emperor even more wary of you, Prince, and bring you even greater danger.”
Though Xie Ciyuan was her ancestor, the premise of every move Yun Jiuqing made was ensuring her own safety.
Only when her own safety was secured could she consider anything more.
If helping Xie Ciyuan resulted in her being blamed or ostracized, then she might as well not help at all—after all, the fate of Nangu Ying and Xie Ciyuan had no bearing on her.
Fortunately, Xie Ciyuan had a sound mind; at least he understood the principle that every gain comes with a loss.
Upon hearing this, he decisively replied, “I already face no shortage of dangers, so I’m not afraid of adding one more. If you have a way, go ahead and use it. As long as I live, no matter how great the danger, I’ll keep you safe.”
Yun Jiuqing broke into a radiant smile. “In that case, everyone, please rest easy tonight. Before we leave tomorrow, you’ll see what you want.”
As she spoke, she walked over to Xie Ciyuan and hopped onto the only bed in the entire warehouse. “Sorry, there’s only this one bed here, so we’ll have to squeeze together.”
With that, she lay down beside Xie Ciyuan and calmly closed her eyes.