The employer was a noble lady who deeply wanted to marry Pei Shuye, the Third Scholar. She heard from somewhere that Pei Shuye was already secretly married, and that his wife was on her way to Ningbo Prefecture. The noble lady planned to pay “Bei Luocha” to trick Pei Shuye’s wife into a bandit hideout and have her die there, so she could marry Pei Shuye as his second wife.
The employer was willing to pay ten thousand taels of silver.
Recently, all of Ningbo Prefecture seemed to have gone crazy. A wave of admiration for the Third Scholar swept through the city, and rumors about him were everywhere. From noble ladies of great families to singing girls in pleasure houses, almost every woman wanted some connection with Pei Shuye. It was not only because he had been promoted to a powerful position. People like stories of great rises and falls, and they love to watch such legends.
At first, Xu Miaoxue did not take it seriously and thought it was just a rumor. But the scholar, who loved to dig into gossip to find the truth, investigated it carefully and discovered that Pei Shuye really did have a wife that very few people knew about. The couple traveled separately, so almost no one knew of her.
Xu Miaoxue suddenly had an idea. Since Pei Shuye’s marriage was never announced to his parents, his wife must be a complete stranger in Ningbo Prefecture.
If they stopped the wife halfway, stole all her documents, and prevented her from entering Ningbo, Xu Miaoxue could take her place and enter the Ruyi Harbor banquet.
At the pearl banquet, men and women sat separately. Only at the final moment, when sea pearls were presented and hung on the Ruyi banners, would men and women meet. This was the most important “meeting” part of the banquet. But Xu Miaoxue’s real goal was the “sea treasure auction.” She planned to leave before the pearl presentation. As long as she avoided him on purpose, she would not meet Pei Shuye, the only person who could recognize his wife.
After hearing this plan, Ali was so scared she almost fainted. Her young lady had truly lost her mind. She dared to pretend to be the Third Scholar’s wife, in front of all the nobles of Ningbo Prefecture, at the grand Ruyi Harbor that looked like a palace in the sky.
Trembling, Ali tried to persuade her.
“Miss… didn’t you once praise the Third Scholar for his pure character and strong morals? Doing something like this using his wife… isn’t that wrong?”
Xu Miaoxue thought for a moment. Had she really said that?
A distant memory became clear.
Many years after the “Crying Sail Incident,” Pei Shuye passed the imperial exam, entered the Hanlin Academy, and also served as an official in the Ministry of Justice. By chance, he read old case files about the Crying Sail Incident. In the record sent by the Zhejiang Judicial Office, The Record of Merit in Suppressing Pirates, it said that Chen Sanfu was executed quickly after being captured alive. The documents were incomplete, the charges unclear, and the procedure had many problems.
The Third Scholar was new to office and stubbornly followed principles. In truth, destroying Chen Sanfu’s group along the eastern coast had pleased the emperor greatly. Chen Sanfu was dead—who cared how he died? It had been many years already. Ignoring such details would not hurt anyone. But Pei Shuye insisted on checking everything according to Ming law and even wrote a memorial called The Defense of Criminal Law to submit to the emperor.
This became a problem. Because his argument was too reasonable, it offended many powerful people who were waiting to receive rewards. Pei Shuye angered a large group of officials.
Before his memorial even reached the emperor, the Censorate attacked him with endless accusations. In the end, unable to defend himself, he was framed by political enemies and accused of being connected to Chen Sanfu. With one stroke, he was demoted and sent far away to Leizhou.
At that time, people in the streets laughed at the Third Scholar for causing trouble for himself and suffering for no reason. They said he even harmed his adoptive father, Lord Pei, who had raised him.
But Xu Miaoxue did not think that way. Chen Sanfu’s case should never have ended so carelessly. Those in power might not care about the suffering of ordinary people, since everyone has their fate. But right and wrong should always be judged fairly under heaven.
People said Chen Sanfu was a sea pirate, but he never robbed coastal areas. Which rule of Ming law allowed them to condemn him so easily? The Xu family was unlucky to be involved when Chen Sanfu fell—but still, what crime deserved such an end?
Thankfully, printing shops were now everywhere. The Third Scholar’s old memorial, The Defense of Criminal Law, was printed and spread among the people. Xu Miaoxue had read it.
“Now Chen Sanfu was beheaded by the sea, yet the case file is as thin as a cicada’s wing. There is no record of pirate badges, no testimony from neighbors. Even if he deserved death, killing him without clear proof is no different from slaughtering a dog.”
“In the past, Emperor Hongwu required three reviews before any death sentence, not out of mercy, but out of fear of abusing power. Chen Sanfu could be killed by storm, by accident, by fate—but he must not be killed where the light of Ming law does not reach.”
From ancient times to now, justice is easy to talk about but hard to carry out. Once practiced, it often costs a person their life. But—
“So what is it worth?” Xu Miaoxue tilted her head and spoke coldly. “He was demoted for so many years. No matter how great his ambition, he could not use it.”
Ali was left speechless.
Xu Miaoxue spread her hands.
“Since the Third Scholar is so noble, let him help this poor woman once.”
Xu Miaoxue was a born gambler. If she gambled, she would go all in, using every possible chance and pushing all her chips forward.
She believed she would win.
However, in a corner she could not see, someone was determined to make her lose.
On the same day Zhao Jin reported the fraud case, the courtesan Qingrong left Ningbo Prefecture. The fraud caused chaos in the city, and she had already shared the stolen money with “Bei Luocha.” Feeling guilty, she feared being dragged into trouble. She did not even dare bring her makeup box. She left the empty dressing case tilted in plain sight, to make others think she would return.
Just after her carriage passed the Cixi boundary stone, four men in gray blocked the road. A sack was thrown over her head.
“Miss Qingrong, our Sixth Master invites you for a visit.”
When she saw the light again, Qingrong was already on a boat. As she struggled out of the sack and prepared to curse loudly, she froze when she looked up.
What a handsome man.
Qingrong had lived among pleasure houses for many years and had seen all kinds of men, but this one held her gaze. He wore plain clothes and sat casually in the cabin. The old boat showed signs of daily life, yet he clearly did not belong there. He was like a sword in the emperor’s hand or a brush beneath the throne. His eyes were cold, like dark ice rising from the deep sea. After meeting his gaze for a moment, Qingrong felt afraid.
He held several banknotes—the ones taken from her.
“She cheated the money. You got a share,” he said calmly. He did not need to interrogate her. He simply stated his conclusion.
Qingrong did not know why, but though the man did nothing, he carried invisible pressure. If she were caught by officials, at least there were laws to decide life or death. But this Sixth Master—no one knew who he was. If she died without a body left behind, no one would ever know. Thinking of this, Qingrong trembled and dared not hide anything.
“Yes… but I really didn’t know her full plan. I didn’t know she planned to pretend to be an official’s wife. I only knew she was famous. Several local bullies had been fooled by her. She often came to Nongchao Alley, each time looking different. No one knew her real name. People called her ‘Bei Luocha.’ I only hired her to take revenge on Zhao Jin. But when she heard about it, she said she could cheat money and split it with me. I was scared at first. Zhao Jin is an old businessman—how could he be fooled so easily…”
“How did she convince you?” the Sixth Master asked.
“She said—” Qingrong remembered those careless eyes, full of confidence and contempt. “If someone has never been cheated, it’s only because they haven’t met the right scam.”
Bei Luocha. What a woman who truly understands human nature. Interesting.
The Sixth Master glanced at Qingrong and knew she was still hiding something.
“You thought a fifty-fifty split was not enough. That’s why you found people in Nongchao Alley to chase her, to take her share.”
His clue came from small details that night. When Bei Luocha entered the house, he heard hired thugs searching for someone but being stopped.
Exposed, Qingrong became angry.
“I gave her all the information about Zhao Jin! What’s wrong with wanting more?”
The Sixth Master slowly pulled out a wanted notice from his sleeve.
“Have you seen her face? How similar is she to the person in this picture?”
“She always wore a veil or covered her face. She’s careful and sly. I’ve never seen her real face,” Qingrong almost cried. “Sixth Master… why do you insist on finding her?”
The Sixth Master tilted his head and smiled, stunning and elegant.
“To marry her.”