TPGA - 37

“Maybe.” Jiang Caiping agreed, then continued, “When I went to the kitchen earlier, I heard Auntie Li say that Eldest Master hung Shen Moping in the front courtyard. He’s been beaten so badly that he’s barely alive. Though he tried to assassinate the governor and deserves it, it’s still somewhat pitiful to think about.”

“Why did Eldest Master do that?” Mei Xue’s voice sounded faint and distant under the dim candlelight.

“I heard he’s trying to lure Yunyi out.” Jiang Caiping leaned closer, whispering conspiratorially, “Auntie Li said Eldest Master has stationed many men nearby. As soon as Yunyi shows up, she’ll be captured immediately.”

Li Jiancheng! Mei Xue’s hand tightened imperceptibly at her side, and an icy chill flashed through her eyes.

Jiang Caiping sighed. “Honestly, I can’t understand why anyone would want to kill such a good person as the governor. When the governor left Yingyang and Loufan provinces, many people cried by the roadside, unwilling to see him go. In my opinion, if anyone deserves punishment, it should be the one sitting in the imperial palace in Luoyang!”

Before her words had even faded, Mei Xue’s expression darkened, and she coldly snapped, “How dare you!”

Jiang Caiping had never seen her look so terrifying before and was momentarily stunned, too frightened to move. After a long while, she finally stammered with a trembling voice, “Sister, I... did I say something wrong?”

Mei Xue also realized she had been too harsh and softened her tone slightly. “How dare you ask me that? Do you think those words you just said could be spoken without consequences? If someone overheard you, your head would surely roll!”

“But there’s no one else here,” Jiang Caiping muttered defensively. “Besides, I didn’t say anything wrong. Over the years, the Emperor has waged war after war, building palaces and digging canals, squandering the people’s wealth and causing countless deaths. Our lives have become harder and harder. That’s why we’ve fought so hard to secure positions in the governor’s mansion. Everyone in Honghua Prefecture criticizes the Emperor’s extravagance and indulgence.”

“For us, we only need to worry about our own families, and perhaps our close friends and relatives at most. But the Emperor is different. He bears the responsibility of caring for all the people under heaven, ensuring their livelihoods. The weight of his duties and responsibilities is beyond our comprehension. Likewise, his thoughts and considerations are far beyond what we can imagine. You shouldn’t judge him based on superficial hearsay and assume he’s a bad ruler.”

Jiang Caiping stared at Mei Xue in astonishment. “Sister, didn’t you also criticize the Emperor for his moral failings before? Why are you defending him now?”

Mei Xue turned her head slightly and replied, “I’m not defending the Emperor. I’m simply stating the truth.” Then, with great seriousness, she added, “For your own sake, never speak such words again, lest you bring disaster upon yourself. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” Jiang Caiping replied softly.

“It’s late. Let’s get some rest,” Mei Xue said.

Jiang Caiping looked at her, lips trembling as if she wanted to say something more, but ultimately remained silent. After blowing out the candle on the table, she climbed into bed and lay down, her mind still preoccupied with what had just happened.

That sharp rebuke of “How dare you!” had truly terrified her, as had Mei Xue’s piercing gaze. For a moment, it felt as though she wasn’t facing Mei Xue at all but rather a haughty princess!

Thinking about this, she couldn’t help but smile faintly, then quickly covered her mouth, afraid of waking Mei Xue. She chided herself for letting her imagination run wild—how could Mei Xue possibly be a princess?

Still, wouldn’t it be wonderful if Mei Xue really were a princess? Then she, Jiang Caiping, might benefit from the connection, no longer having to work as a dancer in the governor’s mansion. Perhaps she could even marry into a good family and live a peaceful life, free from worries about daily necessities.

Lost in these fanciful thoughts, drowsiness crept over her. Jiang Caiping yawned, her eyelids growing heavier by the second. Before long, she drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

In the darkness, Mei Xue lay awake, staring up at the canopy above her bed, unable to fall asleep. After an indeterminate amount of time, faint sounds of a night watchman echoed from outside. Following two sharp knocks—”Bang! Bang!”—came the watchman’s voice: “The air is dry; beware of fire.”

This warning was repeated three times before gradually fading into the distance. Once silence returned, Mei Xue turned her head and softly called out, “Caiping? Caiping?”

After calling several times without receiving a response, Mei Xue knew Jiang Caiping must be fast asleep. Carefully, she slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the cabinet in the corner of the room.

Taking a deep breath, Mei Xue pushed the heavy cabinet with all her strength. Had Jiang Caiping been awake, she would have been astonished—this cabinet was so heavy that it usually required both of them to budge it even slightly. Yet now, Mei Xue managed to move it alone.

As the cabinet slowly shifted, Mei Xue grimaced in pain, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead. Despite the agony, she gritted her teeth and continued pushing. After moving it roughly the width of a person, a thud sounded from behind the cabinet.

Hearing the noise, Mei Xue stopped and slumped against the cabinet, gasping for breath. Her left shoulder bore a spreading red stain, and the pain was so intense she could barely lift her arm.

After catching her breath, she moved around to the back of the cabinet and, with great effort, dragged out what lay hidden there. Anyone who saw it would have been horrified—the thing concealed behind the cabinet was not just a person, but a corpse. And what made it even more unbelievable was that the face of this corpse was identical to Mei Xue’s.

Mei Xue opened the door, glanced around to ensure no one was nearby, and then, biting her lip, carried the body to an open area behind the house. There, she found an abandoned hoe and painstakingly dug a hole. Once the grave was ready, she carefully placed the body inside.

Gazing at the face that mirrored her own, Mei Xue reached out with a complicated expression and gently closed the corpse’s wide-open eyes. Softly, she whispered, “Rest in peace. I will avenge your death at Chun Xiu’s hands. Consider it... payment for borrowing your identity.”

In truth, Mei Xue had died the moment Chun Xiu shoved her into the sharp corner of the cabinet. From that point onward, the person who appeared before Jiang Caiping, Chun Xiu, and the others was no longer Mei Xue—but rather Yunyi.

At the time, Yunyi had been hiding inside the cabinet. After Chun Xiu fled in panic, Yunyi emerged and discovered that Mei Xue had already perished. It was then that she conceived the idea of assuming Mei Xue’s identity to evade capture. Since they looked exactly alike, as long as she was careful with her words and actions, no one would suspect a thing.

Thus, while the room was empty, Yunyi hid Mei Xue’s body behind the cabinet and wiped away the bloodstains from the floor. She then waited calmly for Jiang Caiping to return, pretending nothing was amiss.

She knew Chun Xiu and Ji Rong harbored suspicions about her, but no matter how hard they racked their brains, they could never guess the truth. They would never imagine that Shen Yunyi and Wu Meixue shared the exact same face.

From now on, she would be Wu Meixue, the dancer in the governor’s mansion. The next time she encountered Li Yuan, she vowed not to fail again.