Chapter 46: Picking Mulberries (Part 3)
The brightly lit lantern tower illuminated the Yunxiang River, fireworks exploding in the night sky.
Ni Su, holding Xu He Xue’s sleeve, led him to a food stall under the Rainbow Bridge and ordered glutinous rice balls. The steam rising from the bowls quickly dissipated in the cold wind. Xu He Xue, lifting his veiled hat, clumsily took a bite.
The black sesame filling oozed out. He couldn’t remember if he had ever eaten this before.
“Did you see Prince Jia’s grand entrance today?” a scholar-looking young man in a straight robe asked his friend at a nearby table under an awning.
Xu He Xue’s fingers loosened, and the spoon clattered against the bowl.
“What’s wrong?” Ni Su asked, looking up at him.
Xu He Xue picked up the spoon, trying to appear nonchalant. “Nothing,” he said, shaking his head.
The young man’s voice continued to drift towards him. “So many imperial guards escorting his carriage, and they even used the Imperial Street…”
“It’s been fifteen or sixteen years. Surely the Emperor’s anger has subsided,” the other man said.
“It’s understandable that the Emperor was angry. Prince Jia pleading for his teacher was commendable, but that Xu He Xue? A traitor who abandoned the Great Qi and served the barbarians! If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have lost those cities north of Yongzhou! He deserved his fate!” the scholar said, slamming his hand on the table.
“Ni Su,” Xu He Xue suddenly stood up, putting down his bowl.
Ni Su, who hadn’t been listening to their conversation, had been watching the fireworks. Startled by his sudden movement, she asked, “Aren’t you eating anymore?”
The name “Xu He Xue” was tainted.
Even after sixteen years, the world hadn’t forgotten the accusations against him. Ni Su was only seventeen. When she was born, he had been on the battlefield, full of ambition, determined to reclaim the thirteen provinces lost to the barbarians.
By the time she was older, his name had been disgraced.
She might have heard his name spoken with disdain, perhaps even shared the same hatred.
He had a clear conscience, but he still didn’t want her to hear those words.
“No… I’m not hungry anymore…” he said, unable to stay there any longer amidst the festive atmosphere.
“Then let’s go to the entertainment district. We agreed to listen to pipa music there,” Ni Su said, paying for their food and pointing towards the brightly lit buildings.
Xu He Xue looked up, his vision blurred. The city lights and fireworks couldn’t illuminate his eyes. Only the lantern in his hand provided light.
The entertainment district was large and bustling. Storytellers captivated their audiences, musicians played melodies, and dancers twirled gracefully on a raised platform.
There were also small plays, puppet shows, and shadow plays.
Que County also had entertainment districts, but they couldn’t compare to Yun Jing’s. Ni Su and Xu He Xue went upstairs, where a waiter led them to a table. Behind a screen, a musician played the pipa, its notes like falling pearls.
The teacup was warm in his hand. Xu He Xue, peering through his veiled hat, observed his surroundings. Although he couldn’t remember much, he felt he had been here before.
More than once.
“Let’s listen to the pipa music for a while, then go listen to the storyteller,” Ni Su said. She had heard the storyteller’s captivating voice downstairs.
“Mmm,” Xu He Xue replied, his gaze sweeping over the staircase and landing on a group of men ascending.
The man in the center looked ordinary, but his build was larger than the others. Xu He Xue observed him closely, noticing his right hand repeatedly brush against his waist, where there was nothing, not even a jade ornament.
Something was amiss.
He watched as the group approached, their footsteps echoing behind him. He turned and saw the large man enter a private room, while the others dispersed into the crowd.
“Is that…?” Ni Su said, having been watching the activity below, noticing a familiar figure.
Xu He Xue followed her gaze.
It was Grand Commandant Miao.
Although dressed casually, his face was unmistakable. Xu He Xue watched him ascend the stairs, then glanced at the private room.
“Ni Su, stop Grand Commandant Miao and hide him,” he said urgently.
Ni Su, though puzzled, immediately stood up and intercepted the Grand Commandant on the stairs. “Grand Commandant,” she whispered.
Grand Commandant Miao looked up, surprised. “Miss Ni?”
“Grand Commandant, you can’t go there. Come with me,” she said, taking his arm and pulling him into a different private room.
Xu He Xue, seeing this, reached under the table and formed a sword from shimmering dust. He stood up and walked towards the private room.
Several pairs of eyes in the crowd followed him, but they didn’t move, watching as he opened the door.
Only the large man was inside. In the warm, yellow light, his face and neck were almost the same color. He looked at the white-robed young man, his eyes sharp and hawk-like. “Who are you?”
“Aren’t you waiting for me?” Xu He Xue asked, his face hidden beneath the veiled hat, his voice cold.
“I’m not waiting for a young man like you,” the man said, his hand instinctively going to his waist, then pausing, realizing there was nothing there.
“Perhaps I’m here on someone else’s behalf,” Xu He Xue said calmly, sitting down at the table. “Aren’t you waiting for Grand Commandant Miao?”
The man’s expression changed at the mention of the Grand Commandant’s name. His poorly disguised face betrayed his emotions.
“I’m waiting for Grand Commandant Miao,” he said, his eyes narrowed.
“Then tell me, what is your hand searching for?” Xu He Xue asked, placing the lantern on the table and looking up. “Your scimitar?”
“A barbarian scimitar,” he added.
The man’s face paled. He tried to stand, but the flash of the drawn sword blinded him. The blade pierced his hand, pinning it to the table.
“Aaargh!!!” he screamed in pain as blood spurted from the wound. The blade was withdrawn, then lightly sliced across his face, tearing the mask and revealing dark, rough skin beneath.
Several men outside the room heard the scream and rushed in, drawing their weapons and attacking the white-robed figure in the veiled hat.
Xu He Xue met their attack, his movements swift and precise, his sword piercing one man and disarming another.
A gust of wind briefly lifted his veiled hat, revealing his cold eyes.
The commotion in the private room was briefly drowned out by the noise in the entertainment district. Then, as someone passed by, the door burst open, and a body flew out, knocking him to the ground. People turned and saw the carnage inside, bodies lying in pools of blood.
Screams filled the air, and chaos erupted.
The incident quickly attracted the attention of the city patrol, who surrounded the building. The heavy thud of their boots echoed through the streets.
Ni Su had taken Grand Commandant Miao to a dressing room and offered him a set of loose, inconspicuous women’s clothes. “If you don’t want to be seen here tonight, you’ll have to wear these.”
Grand Commandant Miao, who had faced barbarian scimitars without flinching, now looked at the clothes with disgust.
“Hurry. The musicians are leaving. This is your chance to escape,” Ni Su urged.
Grand Commandant Miao felt a sense of dread, realizing he had walked into a trap. He took the clothes, thinking of the young man who had been with Ni Su. He looked familiar. “Is that young master your…?”
A knock interrupted him. He turned, his tense expression crumbling.
“Grand Commandant Miao?”
“Chief Censor Jiang?”
They spoke simultaneously, their gazes wary. Chief Censor Jiang looked at Ni Su and the Grand Commandant. “What brings you here tonight, Grand Commandant?”
Grand Commandant Miao forced a smile. “I should be asking you the same question, Chief Censor. You don’t seem like someone who enjoys such places.”
Jiang Xian Ming’s face stiffened, but he had no time for arguments. He didn’t know Ni Su and was wondering how to handle this situation when she spoke. “Chief Censor, are you also in trouble? Looking for a disguise?”
Jiang Xian Ming knew the Yin Ye Si would arrive soon. He couldn’t risk revealing his secrets, but he wouldn’t tell them to a stranger.
“I have another set of clothes here. They should fit you, Chief Censor,” Ni Su said, retrieving another set of women’s clothes from the cabinet.
Jiang Xian Ming, initially suspicious, saw Grand Commandant Miao standing there openly and assumed she was trustworthy. He took the clothes. “Thank you,” he said.
Unlike the hesitant Grand Commandant, he quickly changed. Grand Commandant Miao, scowling, followed him into the dressing room.
“Such ugly things…” Ni Su heard Grand Commandant Miao sneer from inside. He must be mocking Jiang Xian Ming’s appearance.
“Aren’t you an ugly thing yourself?” Jiang Xian Ming retorted.
Ni Su, worried about Xu Zi Ling, ignored their bickering and urged them to hurry. They emerged, dressed in women’s clothes.
Ni Su looked at their faces. “Perhaps… you should shave your beards?”
Their faces contorted in disgust.
Reluctantly, they shaved, styled their hair simply, and put on veiled hats. Jiang Xian Ming looked passable, but Grand Commandant Miao, much taller and broader, had to hunch over. They followed the musicians out the back door.
The Yin Ye Si hadn’t arrived yet. The musicians couldn’t leave the Jiaofang Si for too long. A city patrol officer questioned the women, then glanced at the two figures who clearly weren’t young women, feeling suspicious. Just as he was about to question them, a loud crash came from inside the building.
The musicians screamed and ran out. Jiang Xian Ming and Grand Commandant Miao, jostled by the crowd, followed them.
The officer, ignoring them, rushed inside and saw that a large bronze lamp had fallen, almost crashing through the stage below.
Ni Su searched the crowd for Xu Zi Ling, worried about his wounds.
“Ni Su,” a familiar voice said behind her.
She turned and saw the young man in white, standing there.
She sighed in relief, then heard someone call out from the entrance, “Commander Zhou!”
She turned and saw Zhou Ting entering. Panicked, she turned back, lifted Xu Zi Ling’s veiled hat, and hid her face against his chest.
He didn’t breathe, but she could feel his smooth, cold robe against her cheek, his faint scent of snow and spring flowers. Xu He Xue’s pale face registered surprise and alarm.
She was too close.
So close he could see every detail of her face, the fine hairs on her cheek.
“He can’t see us…” she whispered, embarrassed. She had just excused herself to write medical reports, and now she was here, at the entertainment district.
“Move back,” she tugged at his sleeve.
Xu He Xue, like a puppet, stiffly stepped back, pulling her with him, until they were hidden behind a half-drawn curtain.
Her breath against his face disrupted his thoughts. He turned his head slightly, avoiding her gaze, but the close proximity, hidden beneath the veiled hat, shattered his composure.
“Don’t move…” she whispered.
Seeing Zhou Ting approach the stairs, Xu He Xue quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her into a shadowed corner, shielding her with his body.
Zhou Ting, about to ascend the stairs, noticed a flash of white in his peripheral vision. He looked up and saw a figure in white robes, their back to him.
He suddenly remembered Chao Yi Song’s description of the snow satin. Was it like this?
He didn’t linger, hurrying upstairs.
Ni Su crouched beside a stand holding vases, her eyes welling up. Xu He Xue, lifting his veiled hat, noticed her distress. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she shook her head. “I crouched down too quickly. It pulled at my wounds.”
“Ni Su, without using my powers, it’s difficult to escape Zhou Ting’s notice,” Xu He Xue explained. “I’ll return it to you when we get back. Just light more candles for me.”
“You can disappear. If he sees me, then he sees me,” Ni Su said, frowning.
She wouldn’t let him harm himself to protect her from embarrassment. But then she noticed bloodstains on his sleeve and quickly lifted it, but his wrist was unblemished.
“This…” she looked up.
Xu He Xue turned away, his face hidden by the veiled hat again, his gaze fixed on the private room upstairs, now surrounded by Yin Ye Si officers. “It’s not my blood.”
“It’s barbarian blood.”
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