QYT - 9

“Surround this place! Search carefully! Don’t miss an inch!”

Qing Wei rushed to the window and saw Zhang Luzhi pushing aside the servants at the small courtyard gate, stepping into the courtyard, with Wei Jue right behind him.

The situation was critical. She had no time to ponder why the Black Eagle Division had found this place. Taking advantage of the window being obscured by tree branches, she leaped onto the windowsill, simultaneously turning back to Xue Changxing and saying, “Follow me!”

Xue Changxing stuffed the wooden box into his embrace and followed Qing Wei out the window.

Before he even landed, a hand suddenly reached out from above, tightly grasping his wrist, leaving him dangling in mid-air—Qing Wei, having leaped out the window, had used her toes on the windowsill to push herself upwards by half a body. Now, with one hand clinging to the eaves and the other holding Xue Changxing, she gritted her teeth, silently moving inch by inch along the side of the building closest to the alley.

This was the dead corner of the small courtyard, with trees providing cover on both sides and a pond below.

Just as Qing Wei moved into position, Wei Jue’s voice came from inside the building: “Has anyone been here recently?”

Meiniang softly tried to play dumb: “Officer, look at what you’re saying. I run an open business; people coming and going is perfectly normal, isn’t it?”

Wei Jue “oh”ed, his voice cold: “Your guests here, do they all like to jump out of windows?”

Qing Wei’s heart sank. It must be that the Black Eagle Division arrived too quickly, and Meiniang didn’t have time to wipe away the footprints on the windowsill!

Xue Changxing, hanging below Qing Wei, looked up and whispered, “Heroine, what do we do now?”

Qing Wei glanced at him, seemingly saying something, but Xue Changxing didn’t hear clearly; he only felt that her expression seemed very pained.

Xue Changxing asked, “What did you say?”

“Let go...” Qing Wei repeated again. The veins on her hand clinging to the eaves and the one holding Xue Changxing’s back of the hand bulged. Large beads of sweat slid from her temples: “You’re... so heavy, my hand is going to... going to break...”

Upon hearing this, Xue Changxing quickly released Qing Wei’s hand.

But below him was the pond. If he fell in, it would definitely alert the Black Eagle Division.

At that moment, a gleam of green light emerged from the cloth pouch wrapped around Qing Wei’s wrist, like a jade whip, striking Xue Changxing directly on the back and sending him towards the edge of the pond.

The water in the pond rippled. At the same time, Qing Wei also leaped down. “Go!” she thought to herself, then gave Xue Changxing a pull from behind, and both of them vaulted over the wall simultaneously.

After escaping the dark alley and reaching the bustling street, the two finally stopped to catch their breath.

Qing Wei lowered her head, coiling the soft jade sword around her arm and carefully putting it back into the cloth pouch on her wrist.

Xue Changxing looked at her and hesitated, “Your soft sword...”

Qing Wei’s heart tensed when she heard that.

Her master, Yue Qiqi, was called “Jade Whip Qiqi” precisely because his weapon was very unusual: a soft sword that resembled a jade whip and was as tough as a coiled snake.

Over the years, Qing Wei had rarely used it to avoid exposing her identity during her travels.

She paused slightly, meeting Xue Changxing’s gaze: “What about this soft sword?”

“This soft sword... it’s too powerful!” Xue Changxing praised. “With such a powerful weapon, why didn’t you use it when you broke out of prison? If you had used it, what Inspection Department, what Black Eagle Division, how could they have caught you? You would have shaken them off by thousands of miles already!”

Qing Wei was about to speak when she suddenly heard a voice behind her: “The fugitive is in Liushui Alley! Quickly, block all intersections!”

The Black Eagle Division was pursuing them again.

Qing Wei knew it was bad. She turned back again and walked towards the intersection they had come from. After a few steps, she realized Xue Changxing hadn’t followed. She turned back and saw that he had taken another fork, heading towards Yanhe Street.

Yanhe Street was the main thoroughfare of Liushui Alley, leading directly to Donglaishun, the most popular restaurant there. At the end of it was a small fork that led to a dead end.

In other words, walking along Yanhe Street was walking towards a dead end.

Qing Wei caught up to Xue Changxing in a few strides and pulled him back: “What are you doing going this way?!”

Xue Changxing pointed to Donglaishun, “Isn’t this hiding in a crowded place?”

Qing Wei was too lazy to explain to him. Before they came, she had already said that the new head of the Black Eagle Division was hosting a banquet at Donglaishun tonight. He was still trying to hide in the enemy’s den; why not just directly run into the blade’s edge?

But they no longer had time to turn back, for in that instant of hesitation, the Black Eagle Division had already sent men to block off all the intersections behind them.

Just as Qing Wei was anxious, she suddenly heard a loud commotion from the direction of Donglaishun; it seemed the manager was seeing guests off.

She cast her gaze over, and saw a group of noble young masters, like stars circling the moon, escorting a man out of the restaurant. This man had half his face covered by a silver mask, wore a jade-white wide-sleeved official robe, carried a wine pot, and was so drunk that he staggered as he walked, still drinking and joking with people.

It was Jiang Cizhou, whom she had seen on the palace tower that night.

This Young Master Jiang was hosting a banquet at Donglaishun tonight to celebrate his promotion. It was one thing for Wei Jue, Zhang Luzhi, and the other Black Eagle Guards not to attend and offer congratulations, but they were also blocking roads and apprehending people nearby. This clearly showed their disregard for the new head.

As Qing Wei thought of this, a plan formed in her mind. She urgently said to Xue Changxing, “Find a way to blend into the crowd and follow the flow of people back to the Gao residence first.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll lead them away.” She didn’t have time to explain much, only saying, “Don’t worry, I have a way to escape. You just run.”

As Xue Changxing’s figure blended into the crowd, Qing Wei looked back and saw that Wei Jue and Zhang Luzhi’s subordinates had already noticed her.

Qing Wei clutched her cloak tightly. Before the Black Eagle Guards caught up, she lowered her head and walked swiftly forward, heading directly towards Jiang Cizhou. As if by accident, she bumped into him.

Jiang Cizhou was already drunk, and with her collision, he almost lost his footing. The hand holding the wine pot suddenly lost strength, and it shattered on the ground.

Wine splattered everywhere, and someone nearby immediately cursed, “Who’s that! Walking blindly, daring to bump into Young Master Jiang!”

Qing Wei bowed her head, apologizing, “My lord, I’m, I’m sorry.”

The surrounding clamor continued, but at the sound of her voice, Jiang Cizhou’s gaze shifted.

His brows and eyes were covered by the mask, so his expression couldn’t be seen, but his mouth curved into a smile, and he mumbled drunkenly, “Where did this young lady come from? Your voice... it’s lovely!”

Behind them, Wei Jue and his group had also arrived. They had dealt with Qing Wei several times already. Even though Qing Wei was wearing a cloak, being so close, they recognized her by her voice alone.

However, since Jiang Cizhou was present, Wei Jue led his men to bow to him: “My lord.”

Before Jiang Cizhou could respond, a short young man in a blue robe and a scholar’s cap beside him sneered, “What a coincidence, isn’t this Chief Wei? Today, your Marshal is hosting a banquet, and he clearly invited you, but Chief Wei declined, citing an important case. In my opinion, there’s no important case at all. Isn’t Chief Wei also enjoying himself in Liushui Alley? What, is Chief Wei too high and mighty to appreciate Donglaishun’s food and wine, or is there something else he looks down upon?”

Wei Jue ignored the man in the blue robe and cupped his hands to Jiang Cizhou: “My lord, please forgive me. It’s just that there was a clue in the case we’ve been investigating, and this subordinate tracked the culprit here and found traces of them.”

“Culprit?” The blue-robed man scoffed lightly. “Is the culprit Chief Wei refers to this young lady right here?”

Zhang Luzhi said, “She’s no ordinary young lady, she is—”

“This commoner does not know how she has offended my lord.” Before Zhang Luzhi could finish, Qing Wei directly interrupted. She paused, her gaze falling on the shattered wine pot on the ground, “If it is because this commoner knocked over my lord’s wine, this commoner will compensate my lord.”

As she spoke, she took out a purse from her sleeve, poured out all the copper coins inside, and presented them with both hands.

The blue-robed man scoffed again: “Young lady, do you know how much silver a bottle of Young Master Jiang’s ‘Autumn Dew White’ is worth? Your few copper coins probably aren’t even enough for a taste.”

Qing Wei said softly, “I naturally know the wine is precious, but these copper coins are all of this commoner’s money. I hope my lord will be lenient.”

Hearing this, Zhang Luzhi couldn’t help but say to Jiang Cizhou, “Lord Jiang, don’t let her confuse you—”

Jiang Cizhou raised his hand, stopping Zhang Luzhi’s words.

He stared at Qing Wei, took the fan from the blue-robed man’s hand, and walked swaggeringly in front of Qing Wei.

The hood of her cloak covered most of her face. He looked down and could only see her pale jaw and tightly pursed lips.

He took another step closer.

They were a man and a woman, and in broad daylight, being this close was already highly improper.

But Qing Wei didn’t move.

Jiang Cizhou then raised his fan, propped up the edge of her hood, and slowly lifted it.

What met his eyes was a high, delicate nose, dense, long eyelashes, downcast eyes, and... on her left eye, a horrifying, grotesque red mark.

Qing Wei had not looked up the entire time, yet she could feel the fan handle resting on the edge of her cloak pause slightly, then quickly withdraw.

The hood fell, once again covering the blemish on her face.

Jiang Cizhou tossed the fan back, allowed someone to support him, and then spoke drunkenly again, “A few copper coins aren’t worth much, but,” he teased, completely improper, “add that one glance, and it’s enough.”

He commanded, “Payment settled, release her.”

“My lord—”

Zhang Luzhi was about to interject again but saw Wei Jue shoot him a look, so he silenced himself.

The surrounding Black Eagle Guards, receiving the order, made way.

Qing Wei tightly clutched her robes, lowered her head, and hurried away.

Qing Wei returned to the Gao residence close to Hai Shi (9-11 PM). She scaled the wall into the abandoned courtyard, quickly crossed it, and pushed open the door to the side room. “You came to the capital not for some sweetheart at all; you came for the Xijintai case!”

“You didn’t accept the court’s thorough investigation results back then and have been investigating on your own all these years. Later, you must have found clues and risked your life to come to the capital to gather evidence, but unfortunately, you were discovered by imperial forces and were then imprisoned in the dark prison in the south of the city!”

Xue Changxing had been waiting in the side room for a while. Seeing Qing Wei return with a furious expression, he said, “Little girl, your mind is sharp. With just a slight hint, you’ve figured everything out. Don’t worry, sit down, and I’ll tell you in detail.”

Qing Wei didn’t sit. Her cold gaze was fixed on him: “You weren’t reunited with Meiniang tonight either. You saw her as soon as you arrived in the capital. Later, when you realized you were being watched by imperial forces, you even gave her the evidence you found to keep. You didn’t go to Liushui Alley tonight to see her, but to retrieve the clues you painstakingly found!”

Xue Changxing sighed, “That’s true, but I also...”

“But you didn’t tell me the truth!” Qing Wei exclaimed. “The dark prison in the south of the city was raided, and the Black Eagle Division has found nothing after a long investigation. Since they can’t find the perpetrators, they will inevitably trace the clues back to you. Finding Meiniang is only a matter of time; they were just waiting for the perfect opportunity. And today, with Jiang Cizhou’s promotion, the lifting of strict city gate checks, and his banquet at Donglaishun, for them, it was the best timing! They calculated that you would definitely go to see Meiniang today, and they had already sent people to secretly monitor Shifang Pavilion. As soon as Meiniang made any unusual move, they would trap you like a turtle in a jar! But you didn’t tell me any of this beforehand! If I had known you were so eager to court death, I would never have let you step a single pace out of this courtyard tonight!”

She was utterly enraged, panting, her chest rising and falling.

Xue Changxing, admitting he was in the wrong, remained silent while she raged. Only at the end did he say, “I didn’t intentionally hide tonight’s events from you. Since you know who I am and how I survived back then, you should know how my comrades and old friends died. I really can’t let go of the Xijintai case. If I don’t get a clear understanding, I won’t be able to rest in peace for the rest of my life. Life is precious, but some things, in my opinion, are far more important than one’s life.”

“The trouble tonight was caused by me, and I accept the blame. Don’t worry, what I said earlier about exposing you to the Black Eagle Division was just teasing. I, Xue Changxing, am a man of integrity. You risked your life to help me; even if I die, I won’t put you in a difficult position. You’re a capable young girl; I’m not worried about you. It’s just that I have an item that I have no one to entrust to right now...”

As he spoke, he reached into his embrace and took out the wooden box he had retrieved from Shifang Pavilion.

“Get up.” Qing Wei glanced at the wooden box but didn’t take it. “We’re leaving immediately.”

Xue Changxing was stunned.

Qing Wei stepped forward, smoothed out the hay bale, gathered the dust on the ground, and sprinkled it back, making it look as if no one had ever been there. She said, “It’s a fact that you showed yourself in Liushui Alley. After tomorrow morning, the city gates will definitely be sealed again, and by then, you won’t be able to escape even with wings. Fortunately, Wei Jue adheres to rules. Tonight, his master is drunk. It will take some time for his master to sober up and issue an order to close the city gates. You must leave the city now.”

Upon hearing this, Xue Changxing quickly scrambled to his feet. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to Qing Wei, but felt that anything he said would be too light. In the end, he only said, “Thank you.”

Qing Wei glanced at him, but didn’t respond.

Xue Changxing had already exposed his whereabouts. Even if he escaped the city, it wouldn’t be easy to get away. She had originally contacted Cao Kunda to ask him to send people to meet them beforehand, but now that the situation had changed suddenly, she could only try the emergency method Cao Kunda had taught her earlier.

She walked into the courtyard, pressed her lower lip against two fingers, and sharply blew three bird whistles.

Soon after, a falcon with black patterned feathers descended, circling in mid-air, and landed on Qing Wei’s raised arm.

Qing Wei tucked the pre-prepared note into the small bamboo tube tied to its leg, and lifted her arm: “Go quickly.”

The falcon soared into the night sky and soon disappeared.

Qing Wei pointed to the courtyard gate and said to Xue Changxing, “Go this way.”

The Black Eagle Division had been closely monitoring her. Tonight, with the heightened tension, who knew how many additional personnel had been deployed to the abandoned courtyard and dark alley. In contrast, the Black Eagle Division had fewer personnel deployed around the front gate to avoid alerting the Gao family.

The two avoided the mansion’s servants, passed through the covered walkway, and reached Qing Wei’s small courtyard. Qing Wei said to Xue Changxing, “You wait here.”

She returned to her room, took off the dress she had worn tonight, and quickly changed into a night-traveling outfit, putting on her cloak. Just as she was about to push the door open to leave, she looked down and suddenly froze—

The layer of ash she had meticulously spread under the door was scattered everywhere.

She had always been cautious. Every time she went out, to prevent anyone from prying into her movements after she left, she would always spread ash in front of the door.

That is to say, someone had come to her room to look for her while she was out tonight?

This matter could be big or small. The person looking for her could have been a maid or a nanny who left upon finding her absent; or, this person might not be so simple, having heard rumors from outside, connecting them to her movements over the past few days, suspecting her of being the robber, and even, little by little, uncovering her true identity.

Qing Wei emerged from the room, her brows still tightly furrowed.

Seeing her like this, Xue Changxing couldn’t help but ask, “What happened?”

Qing Wei shook her head.

Never mind, she couldn’t worry about that much now. The most urgent task was to get Xue Changxing out of the city.

“Let’s go.”