QYT - 1

Thunder rumbled, and rain poured down.

In the mountains near the capital’s suburbs, a column of soldiers rode through the rainy night.

Suddenly, from the forest beside them, there was a slight rustle, like startled birds flapping their wings.

“Whoa—”

The leading officer reined in his horse, his eagle-like eyes scanning the woods. “Go check it out.”

“Yes, sir.”

Well-disciplined guards lit their torches and quickly spread out into the mountains.

These were tarpaulin-wrapped torches, unextinguished by the rain, illuminating the area as bright as day. With the light, one could even discern the subtle eagle纹 (patterns) embroidered on the hems of the officers’ clothes. They moved as swiftly as shuttles, silently spreading out like a net across the wilderness, determined to leave no hidden bird, beast, snake, or insect a place to hide.

Cui Zhiyun shivered, seeing this scene from her hiding place in a small cave. She desperately clamped her lips shut, trying to suppress her whimpers—Qing Wei had warned her not to act rashly when she left earlier.

However, anyone with a bit of knowledge would know that this squad of soldiers searching the mountains was not ordinary government constables, but the Emperor’s personal guards, the Xuan Ying Division (Black Eagle Division), who only answered to the Emperor.

It was already early autumn in the third year of Jianing. Since the new Emperor ascended the throne, this infamous personal guard unit had not been deployed for a long time. Their sudden appearance in the capital’s suburbs today hinted at a major case.

A moment later, faint footsteps sounded outside the small cave.

Cui Zhiyun looked up. The branches in front of the cave were gently pushed aside, and a woman cloaked in a cape slipped inside.

Her hood was pulled low, covering most of her face. At first glance, one could only see her pale chin.

“Qing Wei.” Cui Zhiyun immediately gripped her hand. “We... why have we alarmed the Xuan Ying Division?”

“Perhaps I disturbed them when I was scouting ahead just now.”

“Then can we... still escape?”

Qing Wei shook her head. “No, we can’t escape. Their hearing is extremely sharp; they’ve probably already sensed something unusual about this small cave.”

The reason they weren’t searching now was probably to prevent any escapees, wanting to first ensnare the entire mountain in their large net.

“What do we do?” Cui Zhiyun’s face turned pale, and she collapsed weakly onto the ground. “Is death the only way out?”

She looked out of the small cave at the fine, broken threads of rain. The raindrops seemed like a spider’s web, trapping them to die in this dim cave, and also like a water clock, each drop urging their demise.

Cui Zhiyun couldn’t understand why, overnight, she had transformed from a young lady of means into a murderer.

She was born in Lingchuan; her father was a wealthy local merchant. Later, guided by a high-ranking official, they moved to Yuezhou to do business, enjoying great success in both official and commercial circles.

She had grown up pampered, living a life of luxury. Until now, apart from her marriage, she could say she had encountered no hardships.

Her marriage was arranged from childhood, with a family named Jiang from the capital. Due to the distance between their locations, contact gradually ceased. She had thought this engagement would also fade away, but last winter, a letter suddenly arrived from the Jiang family. She heard it was even penned by her fiancé himself, stating that the betrothal gifts were ready, just waiting to marry Cui Zhiyun as his wife.

At that time, Cui’s father held the letter and sighed repeatedly.

He knew Zhiyun already had someone she truly loved, and said to her, “If you really don’t want to marry, your father will find an excuse and write a letter to decline for you.”

The letter hadn’t been written yet when trouble befell their family.

Officials arrived overnight, taking her father and the entire household, old and young, without even giving a reason. Later, Cui Zhiyun learned bits and pieces from neighbors and townsfolk.

“I heard it’s an old case your father committed years ago when he was doing business; the case is quite serious.”

“The one who took your father wasn’t the prefect, but a high official from the capital!”

Some even spoke sarcastically, “How is it that the whole family is being interrogated, but only you and your little sister are safe and sound?”

Their tone was mocking, implying that she had probably relied on her beauty to do some unspeakable, dirty deeds.

It was true that her family was implicated, and it was true that her relatives were being interrogated day and night in prison. Even the wet nurse who had cared for her since childhood was arrested.

Cui Zhiyun still remembered when the officers came to their door, her father pointed at her, pleading with the purple-robed official from the capital: “Your Excellency, this humble commoner is meager in descendants, with only this one daughter. I beg your excellency to spare her life. My daughter... my daughter is already betrothed to the Jiang family in the capital, with a letter to prove it!”

After the purple-robed official verified the letter, her father then pointed at Qing Wei and said, “She is my elder brother’s daughter, fostered under my care. She knows nothing, Your Excellency can investigate fully.”

When her father was dragged away, he didn’t even cry out “Injustice,” but only pleaded with Qing Wei: “You must safely escort Zhiyun to the capital.”

Qing Wei was only a year older than Zhiyun. Even if she had wandered outside as a child and knew some rudimentary martial arts, she was still a weakling. To go to the capital, with mountains and rivers separating them, Cui Zhiyun didn’t know why her father would entrust such a difficult task to her. Only later did she understand that perhaps among their relatives and neighbors, there was no one left to trust.

Her father’s former friends and relatives, fearing implication, all closed their doors to her. Those who were slightly kinder would add, “Anyway, Young Master Yuan likes you, why be so reserved?”

Some, thinking they were giving unpleasant but sincere advice, said, “To go to the capital, hundreds of miles away, how can two women travel? Besides, your fiancé in the capital is notorious. If you marry him, wouldn’t you be stepping out of one mire only to fall into another? It’s better to follow Young Master Yuan.”

“What if you have relatives in the capital? Your father committed a great crime; those relatives might not take you in.”

“I heard Young Master Yuan has invited a matchmaker to propose to you. If you follow him, you’ll have a place. Even if you don’t think for yourself, you should think for your little sister. She’s had a hard life; if you follow Young Master Yuan, she’ll at least have a roof over her head from now on.”

Cui Zhiyun listened to these “heartfelt words” word for word, but not a single one registered.

Yes, her fiancé was notorious, but was that Yuan Wenguang a good person?

He was a genuine tyrant, bullying men and women, full of evil deeds!

After her father’s incident, if it weren’t for the government constables still patrolling outside the Cui residence, Yuan Wenguang would have probably already led people to storm their home.

Cui Zhiyun pondered repeatedly and finally decided to go to the capital.

Not to get married, but for her father. Even if she couldn’t clear his name, at least she wanted to know why he was accused. If she couldn’t get answers about her father’s case in Yuezhou, then she would go to the capital.

The two women set off under the cover of night, stopping, starting, hiding, and concealing themselves to shake off Yuan Wenguang’s tail.

Upon reaching the inn near the capital’s outskirts, Qing Wei borrowed horses from the innkeeper to purchase supplies at the nearby market.

They thought they had completely shaken off Yuan Wenguang, but who knew that just for the better half of the day Qing Wei was gone, Yuan Wenguang also arrived at the inn to rest.

He had followed them all the way, but ended up losing the beauty. In his frustration, he asked the innkeeper for strong liquor and drank excessively. While thoroughly intoxicated, he unexpectedly encountered the beauty drawing water by the well.

With Qing Wei not by her side, Cui Zhiyun’s first reaction upon seeing Yuan Wenguang was to flee.

This was the countryside, with only endless barren weeds nearby. In her panic, she lost her sense of direction, only remembering that the surrounding grass grew deeper and denser.

And Young Master Yuan seemed quite pleased with this chase. His earlier embarrassment of not finding her was swept away. He was like a beast, playfully watching his prey lose strength in her escape. He longed for her struggle, preferably struggling beneath him, as that would add more pleasure when he “devoured” her.

He instructed the accompanying servants, “You wait here.” Then, step by step, he approached his prey.

Cui Zhiyun didn’t remember how long she ran, only the sickening smell of his alcohol breath mixed with the nearby pond’s moss. He panted heavily, leaning close to her ear, saying, “Beauty, no other girl has ever made me yearn for her day and night like you.”

“Beauty, from the first time I saw you, I started lusting after you. After all these years, we can finally be lovers united.”

“Yunyun, stop running. Your father committed a serious crime; he won’t be coming back. From now on, I’m your home.”

She looked up, gazing at the low-hanging clouds in the sky.

The sound of tearing silk seemed to rip open a wound in her heart, severing her from her past life of luxury and carefree living. Suddenly, all the suppressed resentment, grievances, and indignation of these past days welled up in her heart, transforming into a burgeoning rage.

What “father won’t be coming back”? Wasn’t it he who bribed the officials, making sure her father would never return? If it weren’t for him, her journey to the capital wouldn’t have been so difficult!

Under the surge of anger and resentment, Cui Zhiyun surprisingly calmed down. She quietly withdrew her struggling hand and found a dagger hidden at her lower back.

Every time Qing Wei left, she would leave this dagger with her.

She repeatedly cautioned her: “Unless you encounter an insurmountable situation, this dagger should not be drawn lightly.”

What situation could be more difficult than this?

Cui Zhiyun quietly took out the dagger, pried open its sheath, and at Yuan Wenguang’s most unsuspecting moment, plunged it fiercely into his abdomen.

Unexpectedly, she met little resistance. The dagger entered as if unimpeded, completely embedding itself in his abdomen before Yuan Wenguang could even react.

Cui Zhiyun froze.

She was a woman raised in the inner chambers since childhood, with no strength to tie a chicken. That she could easily injure someone with a dagger was mostly due to the dagger itself.

This dagger could cut through iron and gold; its blade’s sharpness was probably unparalleled in the world.

The blood splattering from Yuan Wenguang’s abdomen stained Cui Zhiyun all over. In her horror, she even remembered to pull up some weeds to stuff Yuan Wenguang’s mouth, to prevent him from crying out and attracting the distant servants.

Then she fled for her life. She didn’t know where she was going, the fear of almost being violated mixed with the terror of killing someone tangled into a chaotic mess in her heart. She stumbled frantically through the overgrown grass until she was completely exhausted and fainted.

Cui Zhiyun was woken up by someone.

Fortunately, it was not the servants or the soldiers who found her first, but Qing Wei.

She opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was the familiar black cloak and the hood covering half a face.

Cui Zhiyun’s eyes immediately welled up with tears. She said in a panicked voice, “Qing Wei, I think... I killed someone. I killed Young Master Yuan.”

Qing Wei, seeing the blood all over her, already understood everything. She said, “Zhiyun, remember this: you did not kill anyone. Today, we were together the entire time and never separated. You also never saw Yuan Wenguang, understand?”

Cui Zhiyun nodded, seemingly understanding yet not fully.

She looked at Qing Wei.

She always wore a wide black cloak, but beneath it, her body was slender and frail. This fragility, hidden beneath the black clothes, was now her sole source of strength.

Cui Zhiyun suddenly threw herself into Qing Wei’s arms, tears streaming down her face, “Sister, why did you take so long to come back—”

They had worn veiled hats all the way, so the innkeeper, carriage drivers, and shopkeepers might not have seen their true faces. Additionally, to shake off Yuan Wenguang, they hadn’t exclusively used the official roads, so people they encountered along the way might not have known their whereabouts. Therefore, even if Yuan’s servants reported them to the authorities afterward, as long as the two of them insisted they were always together and had never seen any Young Master Yuan, with both sides having their own story, it would be difficult for the authorities to make a judgment.

No one saw her kill.

No, she had to believe she never killed anyone.

However, man proposes, God disposes. They had intended to avoid the limelight temporarily, bypass the mountain, and return to the official road, pretending to be on their way to the capital. But unexpectedly, after just one day, they had alarmed the Xuan Ying Division.

...

The footsteps of the search party outside the small cave grew closer. The Xuan Ying Division had probably sealed off the entire mountain and was now approaching their location.

Cui Zhiyun was trembling all over.

Qing Wei peered out through a gap in the branches; the torchlight had already extended to within three zhang (about 10 meters).

“We can’t hide anymore.” She grabbed Cui Zhiyun’s wrist. “Let’s go out first.”

“No, no...” Cui Zhiyun, terrified, clutched her hand back. “If we go out, we’ll lose our lives.”

The rain was still falling. A booming clap of thunder exploded, and Cui Zhiyun, utterly horrified, stammered her words through chattering teeth: “It must be... it must be that innkeeper, or the carriage driver, who remembered our figures and reported us to the authorities. These Xuan Ying guards are definitely here to catch us. There are too many flaws, Qing Wei, we can’t hide it. If we go out, I’ll only face death...”

Qing Wei said, “Only one day has passed. Even if it’s the Xuan Ying Division, they might not have investigated this quickly. Besides, Yuan Wenguang only took one stab; he might not be dead yet.”

“Might not... be dead?” Cui Zhiyun stared blankly at Qing Wei.

She was still afraid. Maybe not dead, but maybe not alive either. With his mouth gagged, left in this wilderness, by the time he was found, he might have bled dry.

Qing Wei’s lips moved, but she said no more, for the footsteps outside the cave were now right by their ears.

The branches in front of the cave were suddenly pushed aside, and the torchlight instantly filled the entire small cave.

“Who’s there? Come out!”