QYT - 17

The main gate of the inner yamen was located within the yamen compound, separated from the outer yamen by an inner alley.

The inner alley was wide, roughly equivalent to a courtyard.

Qing Wei walked casually towards it, but before she reached the inner alley, she was stopped by a Black Eagle Guard at the inner yamen gate: “This is a heavily guarded area of the Black Eagle Division; unauthorized entry is forbidden!”

The inner yamen gate was open. From Qing Wei’s vantage point, a Black Eagle Guard in armor and carrying weapons stood at regular intervals in the courtyard. At every corner and inner gate, there were as many as four Black Eagle Guards stationed.

This was only the first gate of the inner yamen, and the copper vault was located within the third gate. This meant that to see Meiniang, she would have to pass through three such heavily guarded areas of the yamen.

What Cao Kunda had said earlier was absolutely true: the Black Eagle Division was now an impenetrable fortress. Let alone her, not even a fly could get in.

Qing Wei secretly regretted it. She had been too impulsive and had overestimated herself.

Currently, the only case the Black Eagle Division was handling was Meiniang’s. Jiang Cizhou had mentioned an urgent task, and she, worried that the situation might change, had rushed to deliver the food box. On second thought, she and Jiang Cizhou had only been married for three days, and they weren’t very familiar with each other. Would such sudden thoughtfulness not arouse suspicion?

For an ordinary person, it might be fine, but Jiang Cizhou... She had a hunch that this person was not as simple as he seemed.

If she had known this, she should have planned more carefully.

Qing Wei was very remorseful. She regretted having tipped off the snake, but now that the grass was disturbed, she could only try her best to appease the snake at home.

Qing Wei walked back calmly when she suddenly saw a line of Black Eagle Guards approaching, numbering some thirty to fifty men. Their Black Eagle robes were brand new, just like Qi Ming’s. They marched straight ahead, not looking sideways. Upon reaching the inner yamen gate, the leading Black Eagle Guard, wearing a feathered helmet, presented a token: “By order of the Marshal, we are rotating shifts with the Owl Division today.”

The inner yamen guards were stunned and said, “This is a heavily guarded area of the inner yamen. There is an order in the Black Eagle records that no one is to leave their post without authorization, and no one is to enter without permission. No temporary shift changes are allowed unless three transfer orders are presented.”

The so-called three transfer orders referred to the orders from the three principal officers of the Black Eagle Division: the Commander, the Marshal, and the Inspector. However, at present, the Black Eagle Division was short on talent, and above the Marshal, there were only Wei Jue and Zhang Lu.

The feathered helmet guard at the front nodded and presented two more tokens: “These are from Marshal Wei and Captain Zhang.”

The guard took them, verified them himself, and then handed them to others nearby for inspection. After a moment, he returned the tokens to the feathered helmet guard and cupped his hands, saying, “May I ask one more question, why does the Marshal suddenly want a shift change?”

The feathered helmet guard smiled faintly: “The Marshal is newly wed and wants to treat everyone to wine. As a new official, everyone should show him some respect.”

The guards still hesitated, but since Wei Jue and Zhang Lu had agreed, how could they refuse? So they said to the feathered helmet guard: “Your men can go in first, and then I’ll have the Owl Division men withdraw.”

Qing Wei watched for a while, and seeing the Black Eagle Guards swapping personnel, she returned to the outer yamen with Qi Ming.

After sitting quietly in the meditation room for a moment, Qing Wei came out and handed the food box to Qi Ming, saying, “As a woman, it’s not proper for me to disturb things here for too long. Since the Marshal is still in discussion, little brother, please help me deliver the food box to him.”

Qi Ming assented. He originally intended to escort Qing Wei to the palace gate, but Qing Wei merely said she knew the way and asked him to stop at the yamen gate, then walked off by herself.

Qing Wei left the Black Eagle Division, walking faster and faster.

She had carefully observed just now: although she couldn’t enter the inner yamen, there was a lightwell on the east side of the alley between the inner and outer yamens that connected to an adjacent yamen building, forming a blind spot. Lying on the eaves there, she could both conceal herself and observe the movements in the inner alley.

She had a hunch that the sudden shift change in the Black Eagle Division wasn’t so simple, and the Black Eagle Guards who requested the shift change today wore brand new robes, meaning they were very likely new recruits.

Qing Wei had always been in contact with Cao Kunda before. Cao Kunda would tell her about any subtle changes in the Black Eagle Division. Until Xue Changxing plunged off the cliff, no new recruits had been transferred to the Black Eagle Division. Therefore, these new recruits must have just arrived at the Black Eagle Division in the past few days, likely personnel assigned by the Emperor, worried that Jiang Cizhou couldn’t manage alone. But none of this was important. What was important was that, being new, they might not be familiar with the situation in the inner yamen. Furthermore, they might not have even seen Meiniang and the other courtesans!

The Black Eagle Division had been kept secret for five years, and the first case after five years was related to Xue Changxing. This abnormality suggested something sinister. Qing Wei had no wild ideas of breaking into the inner yamen right under their noses, but she had to go and see again.

She was in a hurry and hadn’t made full preparations. Reaching an uninhabited wall, she placed two fingers against her lips and whistled three sharp bird calls.

A falcon flew into the air. She was worried about alarming others, so she didn’t receive it. The falcon didn’t descend but circled for a moment and then flew back.

Qing Wei didn’t know if Cao Kunda would help her when he saw the falcon return. She had no time to think more. With a push off the wall with her toes, she instantly leaped onto the eaves.

Although the yamen compound was not as heavily guarded as the Forbidden City, there were still patrolling guards. In broad daylight, Qing Wei, dressed in blue, was quite conspicuous. She crouched on the tiled roof, almost crawling, not daring to make a sound.

As expected, these new Black Eagle Guards were indeed behaving unusually.

Qing Wei had just reached the blind spot in the lightwell when the Black Eagle Division had already completed the shift change. As soon as Wei Jue’s men withdrew, the leading feathered helmet guard ordered, “Close the door.”

With a “bang,” the door connecting the outer yamen to the inner yamen was closed. The feathered helmet guard immediately looked at the few people below: “Hurry.”

The few nodded and rushed into the inner yamen.

After another moment, a hurried and noisy sound of footsteps was heard, occasionally accompanied by hushed urges: “Walk faster!”

Dozens of women dressed in silk and satin emerged one after another, they were the courtesans from Shifang Pavilion!

They had been confined for several days and were somewhat dirty, but most of them seemed unharmed, likely taken incidentally during Meiniang’s arrest. Meiniang came out last, having been tortured, with several bloody whip marks on her body and walking with a limp. She was someone who had experienced many hardships; despite this, she didn’t let anyone help her and walked calmly into the inner alley, squatting down with the other courtesans at the Black Eagle Guard’s command.

The feathered helmet guard then ordered, “You all stay here and guard them. I’ll go see if the person has arrived.” Saying that, he exited through the small door on the west side of the inner alley.

Qing Wei was secretly stunned. From the looks of it, they intended to send the people away?

However, that feathered helmet guard, being merely a Black Eagle Division captain, surely wouldn’t dare to do such a thing without orders. So, it must be by Jiang Cizhou’s command?

Where were they going to send these people? Qing Wei couldn’t help but think that Xue Changxing had disappeared, leaving her only a wooden box. She wanted to investigate the truth behind Xijintai, but besides a jade hairpin, there were no other clues. Cao Kunda was ultimately unreliable. Meiniang was her biggest chance; she couldn’t afford to gamble.

What if Meiniang was killed on this trip? She had to act now.

Qing Wei forced herself to calm down.

When these courtesans came out, the feathered helmet guard didn’t count them, indicating he wasn’t familiar with them; these Black Eagle Guards acted in haste, with anxious expressions, indicating that their business was secret and couldn’t bear the light of day; the feathered helmet guard didn’t call out all the Black Eagle Guards from the inner yamen to guard the courtesans, indicating he didn’t want to cause a stir or commotion.

Therefore, among these courtesans, what difference would it make if there was one more or one less, as long as it wasn’t discovered?

Qing Wei looked at her clothes. Today, she also wore silk gauze, somewhat similar to the courtesans. After lying on the tiled roof for a long time, she had accumulated dust, making her look just like them. The only difference was the birthmark on her eye, which was simply too conspicuous.

Qing Wei made a swift decision. She took off her veiled hat, hid it in a blind spot under the eaves, took a small white porcelain bottle from her waist pouch, poured some powder into her hand, warmed it with her palm, and applied it over her left eye.

The skin around her left eye was slightly numb and cool, but soon, the coolness faded, replaced by a warmth. Qing Wei then wiped it with her hand.

She picked up three small pebbles from the tiled roof and threw them skillfully. The pebbles flew with force, striking the threshold of the west door.

Taking advantage of the inattentiveness of the few Black Eagle Guards in the inner alley, Qing Wei silently leaped down from the eaves and quickly blended in with the courtesans at the back.

Her movements were so light that almost none of the courtesans noticed her. Moving beside Meiniang, Qing Wei whispered, “Meiniang.”

Meiniang shifted her gaze and then froze.

She had been a courtesan for decades and was the madam of Shifang Pavilion. What kind of beauty hadn’t she seen?

But how to describe the young woman before her? At first glance, one would simply think she was beautiful, with fair, translucent skin and graceful charm. But with just one more look, one would be unconsciously drawn to her.

She was too unique. The lines of her features were very clean, with eyes that slanted upwards, a delicate nose, and two playful moles on her cheeks, like perfectly blooming peach blossoms in spring, yet carrying the coolness of autumn frost and the snow of harsh winter.

Meiniang was sure she wasn’t from Shifang Pavilion.

But she knew that the girl could appear here silently, so close, without harming her, so she shouldn’t be an enemy.

Qing Wei realized Meiniang hadn’t recognized her. To avoid alarming others, she mouthed: “Xue Changxing.”

Meiniang was startled, then understood. So, this young woman was the highly skilled woman in the black cloak from that night.

Time was short, and Qing Wei didn’t delay. She was about to take out the Shuangfeiyan jade hairpin from her sleeve to show Meiniang. Just then, the feathered helmet guard who had gone to rendezvous returned. He looked around at the courtesans in the inner alley, found nothing unusual, and instructed his men, “The people have arrived; take them away.”

At these words, all the courtesans showed fright in their eyes.

They had been confined for too long, and no one dared to ask where they were going now. They didn’t even know if this trip was to their deaths. To fall into such a life was already a cruel fate, and now, with their lives hanging by a thread in precarious times, some had already begun to whimper softly.

The Black Eagle Guard nearby grew impatient and scolded, “What are you crying about? Keep it down, all of you, follow along!”

The courtesans, one after another, stepped out through the small side door on the west side of the inner alley. Qing Wei was among the last few, looking ahead. It was past noon, and the western sun shone through the small door. Life began, death and injury startled. She didn’t know if crossing this door would bring good fortune or ill, but there was no turning back now.

Qing Wei stayed behind Meiniang, following the group of courtesans towards the small door.

Qi Ming waited outside Jiang Cizhou’s office until shenshi (3-5 PM) before he saw Wei Jue and Zhang Lu leave.

Qi Ming quickly cupped his hands in greeting: “Marshal Wei, Captain Zhang.”

Wei Jue hummed in response, but Zhang Lu’s face was filled with anger.

Actually, Qi Ming understood why their expressions were so grim. When Jiang Cizhou had summoned them for a meeting that morning, Qi Ming had been present.

It was called a meeting, but Jiang Cizhou had only given two instructions: first, to change shifts in the inner yamen, and second, to release Meiniang.

Zhang Lu was indignant and asked, “May I ask why the Marshal wishes to release Meiniang?”

Jiang Cizhou brushed him off with a phrase, “To do someone a favor.” He then kept Wei and Zhang confined until Wu Zeng had completely released the people.

Not long after, Jiang Cizhou also emerged from his office. He seemed to have something to attend to and didn’t notice Qi Ming nearby, walking directly towards the inner yamen. Qi Ming quickly followed, saying, “Marshal, the madam visited a while ago.”

Jiang Cizhou paused: “Who visited?”

“The madam,” Qi Ming said. “The madam said that since the Marshal is on leave at the yamen, she was worried the yamen wouldn’t provide meals, so she specially brought some.”

Jiang Cizhou was stunned for a moment, then asked again: “She came to bring me food?”

Qi Ming said, “Yes, and a pot of wine. Your subordinate has already taken the wine and food box to the kitchen to warm them up. They’ll be brought to you as soon as you finish your business.”

Jiang Cizhou had been going to the inner yamen merely to personally ask Wu Zeng if Meiniang had been sent away, but now he was no longer in a hurry.

He said, “No need. Go fetch the food box, and have Wu Zeng come see me.”

Qi Ming assented and quickly delivered the food box and wine to Jiang Cizhou’s office.

Jiang Cizhou sat in silence for a while, then lifted the lid of the food box. The food inside was what was usually prepared at his home; there was nothing special about it. The wine was Luofu Spring from Guning Wine Shop, which she must have remembered from his urging Chaotian to buy some yesterday when he passed by.

Jiang Cizhou looked at the food and wine on the desk but didn’t pick up his chopsticks. He just sat there, lost in thought. His mask concealed his face, hiding his expressions, but sunlight streamed through the window, falling upon his shifting gaze.

A knock sounded from outside. Jiang Cizhou returned to his senses.

He closed the lid of the food box and said, “Come in.”

Wu Zeng was the Black Eagle Guard wearing a feathered helmet whom Qing Wei had seen earlier in the inner alley. Upon reaching the desk, Wu Zeng bowed with cupped hands: “Marshal, the people have been safely sent away. Just now, your subordinate went out to investigate, and Master He’s men arrived in time; these courtesans were not discovered.”

Jiang Cizhou hummed in response.

Wu Zeng’s gaze fell on the food box on his desk, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Is the Marshal not returning yet?”

“Still have some matters,” Jiang Cizhou looked up at him. “Why?”

Wu Zeng smiled, “Nothing, just thinking that the Marshal is newly wed and shouldn’t spend good time in the yamen. Just now, your humble servant came back from scouting, passing by the palace gate, and saw the Jiang mansion’s servants waiting by the carriage. I thought the Marshal was returning.”

“My mansion’s servants?”

He was usually picked up by Derong for his commutes, and Wu Zeng recognized Derong. Today, He Hongyun was hosting a banquet at his estate, and Chaotian had been sent there to familiarize himself with the place. So why would there be servants from his mansion coming to pick him up?

Jiang Cizhou’s gaze fell on the food box, and he paused for a moment before calling out, “Qi Ming.”

Qi Ming pushed the door open: “Marshal.”

“Qing... my wife, when did she leave?”

“She left almost two hours ago.”

Jiang Cizhou turned to Wu Zeng: “The courtesans from Shifang Pavilion left an hour ago?”

“Exactly,” Wu Zeng said, seeing Jiang Cizhou standing still. He called out, “Marshal?”

Jiang Cizhou grabbed a thin cloak and walked out, his voice no longer lighthearted as usual, but deep and cold, “Find someone who knows He Hongyun’s estate, and come with me immediately.”