The night was deep and dark.
Taking advantage of the thick darkness, Shen Ying and her companions finally made their way back to the small courtyard.
Having just survived a life-or-death ordeal, everyone was exhausted. They ate a simple meal and then went straight to their rooms, falling into a deep sleep.
In the dead of night, the sound of a child’s crying rang out once again through the darkness.
Shen Ying jolted awake abruptly. She saw the young prince curled up tightly, his small face flushed bright red with fever, tears still clinging to his eyelashes, and his breathing coming in quick, shallow gasps.
Fear seized her so tightly it felt as though her heart might leap right out of her chest.
The door creaked open.
Chunya stepped inside and said, “When I was little, whenever children in the village fell ill, we would rub their bodies with wine to bring down the fever.”
It was a form of physical cooling.
Shen Ying nodded. She unwrapped the swaddling clothes around the young prince and began wiping his body over and over again.
But as time passed, nearly the time it would take to finish a cup of tea, the child’s body temperature showed no sign of dropping at all.
Holding the young prince’s small hand, Shen Ying felt tears welling up in her eyes. “Please, nothing must happen to you. If something does, how could I ever face Her Imperial Highness the Noble Consort?”
If not for the Noble Consort, she would have lost her life countless times in that ruthless imperial palace.
She never claimed to be a good person, but she always repaid kindness shown to her.
And she would never allow any harm to come to the young prince.
It was destined to be a sleepless night. Shen Ying and Chunya worked tirelessly, alternating between physical cooling methods and feeding medicine to the child. By the time the sky began to lighten, the young prince’s temperature had finally dropped slightly.
“Chunya, go and get some rest first.”
Seeing the young maid’s pale face, Shen Ying could not bear to keep her working.
But Chunya shook her head, her voice sounding hoarse and strained. “I don’t need rest. You stay here and look after the child. I’ll go prepare breakfast and also get some goat’s milk.”
The second young prince had originally been fed breast milk, but since they had been traveling day and night with no proper shelter or supplies along the way, they had had no choice but to feed him rice porridge instead.
For a child just over six months old, this diet was clearly far from sufficient in terms of nutrition.
As soon as they arrived in the county town, Shen Ying had immediately found a woman who had recently given birth and arranged to buy fresh milk from her every day.
But at this early hour, it was neither practical nor appropriate to disturb the woman, so they had to use goat’s milk as a substitute for the time being.
Chunya worked quickly and skillfully, and soon a steaming, fragrant breakfast was ready.
After eating, Shen Ying was overcome with drowsiness, yet she refused to sleep and continued to stay by the child’s side to watch over him.
At that moment, Tudou and Wei Jinhu walked into the room.
“Sister Ying, you go and rest first. The two of us will stay here and keep watch.”
They had also heard the child crying the previous night and had wanted to come and help, but Shen Ying had sent them both back to their rooms at the time.
Now that the child’s condition had improved significantly, it was the perfect time for them to take over the duty of care.
Shen Ying shook her head. “You two are men; you won’t know how to take proper care of a child. You’d better go back. Besides, there is still the matter of the bun shop owner that we need to resolve.”
Just then, the young prince lying on the bed let out a soft murmur and moved his small hands about restlessly under the covers, as if searching for something.
Shen Ying let out a long sigh of relief. “It seems our little Bao is feeling much better already.”
His bright, clear eyes had already regained their usual liveliness and energy.
……
A quarter of an hour later.
Wei Jinhu’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Sister Ying, when you say we should use strength against strength, do you mean we get the authorities to deal with those bandits for us?”
“Exactly,” Shen Ying replied with a nod. “Those displaced people have grouped together into gangs. They dare to rob ordinary commoners only because they know the people have no way of standing up to them or fighting back. But what if they offend someone powerful enough that they cannot afford to make an enemy of?”
Corrupt officials ran rampant everywhere at that time.
In the eyes of those in authority, they could not be bothered to intervene in most matters unless their own personal interests were at stake.
If that was how things stood, then they would only feel the pain when the blade cut into their own flesh and blood.
In the days since arriving in the county town, they had already investigated and understood the situation of the local government in great detail.
Shen Ying spread out a map and pointed to a spot on it. “Look here. The county magistrate’s mother lives in this alleyway. If her household were to be robbed, do you think the magistrate could possibly stand aside and act as if nothing had happened?”
The county magistrate was himself a corrupt official, but at least he still had a certain set of principles. He only took bribes or misappropriated funds from sources where it was expected or customary to do so, and he never took a single thing that belonged to ordinary people.
Very few people knew that the magistrate’s mother also lived in the county town, though she resided in the poorest part of the settlement.
The elderly woman was known for her stubborn and upright nature. She refused to live a life of luxury and comfort, wishing only to lead a simple, peaceful existence.
Shen Ying felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of using the old woman’s situation for their plans, but she knew there was no other choice available to them.
Wei Jinhu frowned with concern. “But what if the people hiding in the mountains are discovered?”
Shen Ying shook her head confidently. “You have nothing to worry about. The Embroidered Uniform Guards are known for operating in secret and striking without warning. When they choose to make their presence known, people will come forward to receive them. But if they simply disappear without a trace, no official or government body would ever dare to ask questions about their whereabouts or activities.”
The Embroidered Uniform Guards were the sharpest weapon at the emperor’s disposal.
Wherever they went, they represented the authority and will of the emperor himself.
Everyone also knew that their missions were always carried out in strict secrecy, and local authorities would never dare to interfere or launch investigations into their movements without explicit permission.
That was exactly why Shen Ying had dared to kill one of their enemies openly, dismember his body, and bury it in the hills behind the town. It would likely be several days before anyone even realized the man was missing.
And by that time, they would already have long since left the county town behind.
Moreover, since the man had come to the area in search of hidden treasure, even if his death was eventually discovered, suspicion would never fall on them. Instead, people would assume he had been killed by local bandits or by rival factions from the imperial capital.
After thinking it over carefully, Shen Ying added a word of warning. “But you must be absolutely sure not to take any lives, and above all, you must ensure no harm comes to the elderly mother.”
“You can rest easy, Sister Ying. I know exactly what needs to be done and how far to go. I will make all the necessary arrangements right away.”
They had already made full preparations for their departure, which was scheduled to take place in a few days’ time. Before they left, it was essential that every last matter was settled completely.
Watching Wei Jinhu and Tudou walk away, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Shen Ying’s lips. “Your brother may seem timid and easily frightened on the surface, but he is actually quite skilled in martial arts.”
She had originally thought that between the two siblings, Chunya was the brave and resourceful one who dared to take on any task, while Tudou would be best suited to simply following and looking after the young prince.
But the events that had unfolded in the hills behind the town had shown her that although Tudou was naturally cautious, he still had the courage to act decisively when the situation called for it, and he could be trained and developed further over time.
Tears welled up in Chunya’s eyes as she spoke. “There is something you do not know. The reason my brother is so timid is that when he was little, he was attacked and trampled by a pack of wolves. And in order to save his life, many people from our village lost their own lives. It was only after that tragedy that he became so fearful and cautious.”
As she spoke of those painful memories from the past, tears began to stream down Chunya’s cheeks.
Shen Ying looked at her with deep sympathy. “I had no idea it was because of something so terrible. In that case, there is no need to rush things. We will help him grow stronger and more confident, step by step.”
With their departure date drawing near, Shen Ying glanced once more at the sleeping young prince, then went with Chunya back into the kitchen to prepare food supplies for their journey ahead.
This time, they planned to make some dried meat to take with them.
Of course, they would wrap each piece thoroughly in wild vegetables, so that no one would be able to detect the smell of the meat.
While Shen Ying was busy working in the kitchen, Wei Jinhu and Tudou were carrying out their part of the plan with great success.
As the old saying goes, money can make even the gods work for you.
Using nothing more than a few pieces of candy, Tudou managed to lure several young children to the entrance of the narrow alleyway.
“Brother, let’s go and steal things from over there instead. That house looks old and run-down, but the old lady living there has a maid to wait on her, and they eat meat every single day.”
“Is that really true? You’d better not be lying to me.”
“Brother, why would I ever lie to you? I even saw the old woman eating meat buns early this morning.”