When the Jizhou soldiers whose horses had been stolen finally caught up, they saw a man wearing a green ghost mask standing by the official road. He held a long spear behind his back as he gazed at the surging river below.

Mu Shi had injured one leg when he fell from his horse. Lying amid the gravel by the roadside, he looked toward the river and cried out through tears, “Your Highness!”

The Jizhou soldiers had no idea what was happening. Holding their weapons, they remained wary of the masked man. Suddenly, he turned around and cast them a casual glance.

“The bandit escaped into the river,” he said calmly. “He has a wound at his waist and won’t be able to swim far. You can search for him downstream.”

After saying that, he mounted his horse and rode away with a crack of the whip. None of the soldiers dared stop him.

Only one sharp-eyed soldier recognized the warhorse beneath Xie Zheng.

“That’s Lieutenant Xu’s horse,” he whispered.

Lieutenant Xu was the young officer whose horse Xie Zheng had stolen earlier.

The soldiers exchanged looks, but none dared say anything. After a moment, their commander ordered Mu Shi, who was already injured, to be tied up. Part of the force was sent downstream to search for Sui Yuanqing, while the rest escorted Mu Shi back to report.

—

At the gates of Qingping County, the rebellious townspeople had already been brought under control.

When He Jingyuan led his troops into the city, the county magistrate smeared blood across his face and rushed forward crying dramatically.

“Lord He! Thank heavens you’ve arrived! Otherwise, even if I had buried my bones atop the city walls, I still wouldn’t have been able to stop the rebels from entering the city!”

Seated atop his horse, He Jingyuan looked at the magistrate, who was covered in blood from head to toe. His impression of the man had never been particularly good, but seeing him like this softened his expression somewhat.

“The people of Qingping County were spared disaster thanks largely to Magistrate Liu’s efforts.”

The moment Magistrate Liu heard that, he immediately felt that a promotion might be within reach. His tears flowed even more fiercely.

“I have served in Qingping County for three years with only mediocre achievements. Just as I was about to be transferred elsewhere, the grain requisition ordered by the military caused the villagers to revolt. I was terrified. Before the mob could enter the city, I led the yamen constables to block the gates. I even committed the offense of restraining my superiors by arresting the soldiers overseeing the grain collection in order to calm public anger. Only then was I able to hold out until your arrival. I hope Your Lordship will not blame me.”

Earlier, the masked man had already informed He Jingyuan that the unrest had been deliberately stirred up by the Heir of Prince Changxin. Now, hearing Magistrate Liu mention the grain-collecting soldiers, He Jingyuan immediately realized there was likely more to the matter.

He glanced at Magistrate Liu.

“What exactly happened with those grain requisition troops? Explain everything in detail.”

Magistrate Liu promptly recounted how several days earlier a group of soldiers had arrived in the county and demanded grain according to a quota of one shi per person.

He Jingyuan immediately barked, “Absurd! How could the Jizhou Prefecture possibly issue an order demanding one shi of grain from every person?”

Cold sweat poured down Magistrate Liu’s face.

“Those soldiers claimed they were acting under the orders of Military Commissioner Wei. I… I didn’t dare stop them. Later, they even placed me under house arrest. When I learned that the farmers in the countryside had been driven to rebellion, I feared a catastrophe would occur, so I ordered my men to arrest those soldiers.”

Afraid of losing credit for his actions, Magistrate Liu deliberately omitted any mention of Constable Wang and Fan Changyu, only giving a vague summary of events.

He Jingyuan remained silent, his expression dark.

The silence made Magistrate Liu’s heart climb back into his throat.

From the magistrate’s account, He Jingyuan had already pieced together most of the truth.

The Heir of Prince Changxin and his men had ambushed and killed the genuine soldiers sent to Qingping County to collect grain. Then they disguised themselves as prefectural troops and brought a forged requisition order. Even the massacre of the villagers from Majia Village had likely been part of their scheme. Their goal was to incite the people of Qingping County into rebellion.

Yet one thing puzzled him.

The county magistrate still had no idea who those soldiers really were. So how had the masked man recognized Sui Yuanqing?

Could it be that the masked man had known Sui Yuanqing all along?

Thinking back to his earlier suspicions, He Jingyuan’s gaze became even more complicated.

He asked the magistrate, “Earlier, I saw a black-clothed man wearing a green ghost mask atop the city walls. His martial skills were exceptional. Do you know who he is?”

After waiting anxiously for so long, Magistrate Liu had not expected such a question.

“This… this official does not know either,” he replied. “Perhaps he is simply a righteous hero from the city.”

At that moment, the soldiers who had pursued Sui Yuanqing’s group returned.

The commander dismounted as soon as he entered the city gates and cupped his fists toward He Jingyuan.

“My lord, the leader of the bandits escaped into the river. I have already dispatched men to continue searching downstream. I brought this captive back first to report to you.”

He Jingyuan glanced at the tightly bound Mu Shi.

“Did you happen to see a man wearing a green ghost mask?”

The commander lowered his head respectfully.

“This prisoner was captured by that hero. When we arrived, he informed us that the bandit leader had escaped into the river. Then he headed downstream himself. It appeared he was also searching for the fugitive.”

The young officer whose horse had been stolen could not help muttering, “Then what about my horse?”

He Jingyuan shot him a glance.

The officer immediately shut his mouth.

He Jingyuan looked toward Mu Shi.

“Throw him into custody and keep him under strict guard. Under no circumstances is he to be allowed to take his own life.”

“Yes, sir.”

He Jingyuan then pointed at the young officer.

“Lieutenant Xu, take a squad of men and search along the river as well. Do your best to capture the fugitive alive.”

Lieutenant Xu instantly straightened.

“This subordinate obeys!”

—

After escorting Constable Wang to the physician, Fan Changyu noticed that dusk was approaching and Xie Zheng still had not returned.

Worry gradually crept into her heart.

After informing Constable Wang, she prepared to leave the city and search for him.

The city gates were now guarded by soldiers from Jizhou Prefecture. Clad in armor and carrying weapons, they looked imposing, and ordinary citizens stayed well away from them.

Fearing that accomplices of the rebels might still be hiding in the city, entry and exit procedures had become extremely strict. Even some villagers who regularly came to trade in town had been temporarily detained.

After a moment’s hesitation, Fan Changyu decided to go forward and explain her situation. She also wanted to ask whether they had seen Yan Zheng while pursuing the enemy. After all, with that green ghost mask on his face, he should have been easy to identify.

Just as she stepped forward, the sound of steady hoofbeats came from outside the city.

The guards peered out and discovered that a chestnut-red horse had returned by itself.

At the same moment, a large hand suddenly reached out from the side and grabbed Fan Changyu’s wrist, pulling her back several steps.

The soldiers gathered around the horse looked outside the gate but saw no rider.

“How strange,” one remarked. “Lieutenant Xu’s horse came back on its own?”

Several steps away, Fan Changyu looked up and saw a familiar figure standing before her.

The green ghost mask was gone, revealing Xie Zheng’s face beneath his black robes.

Her initial shock immediately turned into delight.

He led her away, and she was so busy talking that she completely forgot he was still holding her wrist.

“Why were you gone for so long? Those soldiers already came back with prisoners. I thought something might have happened to you…”

As he listened to her constant chatter, Xie Zheng never loosened his grip on her wrist.

“I went after the fugitive,” he said. “The chase carried me farther than expected.”

Fan Changyu immediately realized he meant that crafty officer.

“Did you catch him?”

Xie Zheng shook his head.

He had searched more than a dozen li along the river without finding any trace of Sui Yuanqing. The man had leaped into the river wearing heavy armor and had also suffered a wound at the waist. No matter how skilled a swimmer he was, his chances of survival were slim.

If Sui Yuanqing truly managed to survive, it could only mean fate wasn’t ready to take his life yet.

Fan Changyu looked disappointed when she heard the news.

Then she snorted.

“They say turtles live for a thousand years and tortoises for ten thousand. If that little bastard didn’t die, I guess the saying really is true.”

Xie Zheng noticed that she never had a single kind word for Sui Yuanqing.

Remembering the taunt Sui Yuanqing had thrown at him before escaping into the river, his eyes darkened.

“Do you have a grudge against him?”

“Not originally,” Fan Changyu replied. “When I heard from you that the magistrate had been controlled, I planned to drag him out and restore Uncle Wang to his position as constable so he’d have an easier time handling matters. Who would’ve thought that little bastard was staying at the magistrate’s residence? Since I was already there, I figured I might as well catch the turtle. That’s how we became enemies.”

Xie Zheng lowered his gaze, concealing the emotions in his eyes.

“His martial skills are quite good. How did you capture him?”

Fan Changyu felt a little embarrassed.

It wasn’t exactly an honorable victory.

Still, she was far too honest to hide it.

“There were too many of them, and I wasn’t sure I could beat them all. I originally wanted to drug them unconscious, but the magistrate’s residence didn’t have any sleeping powder. So I disguised myself as a maid and delivered a bowl of white fungus soup mixed with croton seeds to that little bastard.”

She was still wearing the maid’s outfit.

Her fair wrist protruded from the sleeve and remained enclosed within Xie Zheng’s hand.

Xie Zheng looked down at her.

Thinking about how she had worn these clothes while serving soup to Sui Yuanqing, his grip unconsciously tightened.

The sudden pain finally reminded Fan Changyu that he was still holding her wrist.

She patted his hand and sucked in a breath.

“Easy! That bastard bullied me on the city wall because I didn’t have a proper weapon. He was swinging a ring-handled saber while I only had a boning knife. Then he dragged me off the wall with him and injured this wrist. It still hurts.”

Xie Zheng released her hand.

Looking down, he noticed a circle of bruised fingerprints around her pale wrist. They clearly weren’t his. The web of her thumb was also split open, and the blood had already dried.

A flash of murderous intent passed through his eyes.

Seeing his silence, Fan Changyu suddenly realized that what she had said sounded suspiciously like complaining.

Feeling awkward, she quickly added, “But I got my revenge! I stabbed him several times. Before that bastard ran away, I even kicked him in the face!”

Xie Zheng remained silent.

His eyes stayed cold and dark.

Fan Changyu felt that he had been unusually quiet throughout the journey.

Assuming he was frustrated about failing to catch Sui Yuanqing, she even tried to comfort him several times.

Before returning to town, she first went to reassure Constable Wang so he wouldn’t continue worrying about Yan Zheng’s absence.

After learning they planned to return to town, Constable Wang said, “It’s already dark, and the snow is falling heavily. After today’s events, there are bound to be bandits looking to take advantage of the chaos. Traveling at night isn’t safe. We have spare rooms in the house. Why don’t you stay here tonight and leave tomorrow?”

After some thought, Fan Changyu agreed.

Both she and Yan Zheng were utterly exhausted after the day’s events.

After thanking him, she accepted the offer.

When Yu Bao’er saw Fan Changyu arrive, he ran over on his little legs.

“Auntie Changyu, when is my mother coming to pick me up?”

Only then did Fan Changyu remember Yu Qianqian’s situation.

She looked at Xie Zheng.

“Is Shopkeeper Yu still in prison?”

Leaning against the ornamental gate with his arms crossed, Xie Zheng casually shook his head.

His gaze rested on Yu Bao’er for a moment, carrying a trace of complexity, before shifting away.

“The murder case at Yixiang Tower hasn’t been concluded yet. I don’t know how the authorities will handle it. Since she entrusted this little brat to you, you can take care of him until the case is settled.”

Fan Changyu thought of how well Yu Qianqian had always treated her.

Helping look after Yu Bao’er for a while was only natural.

Previously, she and Yu Qianqian had suspected that the magistrate wanted to seize her wealth and use it to support the rebel prince. Now it seemed that wasn’t the case.

If the authorities handled the matter fairly and cleared Yu Qianqian’s name, everyone would be happy.

If the magistrate had any hidden schemes, Fan Changyu now possessed evidence of his greed for merit and wasn’t afraid of him causing trouble for Yu Qianqian.

Patting Yu Bao’er’s head, she said, “Your mother ran into a small problem. Once she solves it, she’ll come pick you up. For now, come back to town with me and play with Ning Niang for a few days, alright?”

When business at Yu Qianqian’s restaurant became busy in the past, she often left Yu Bao’er in the care of servants. Sometimes he wouldn’t see his mother for several days.

Although young, he was already remarkably mature.

He obediently nodded.

“Auntie Changyu, do you know how to slaughter pigs?”

Fan Changyu thought about it.

“Probably.”

The entire county had been thrown into panic by the day’s events. No one even knew whether the market would reopen in the next few days. It would likely take some time before things returned to normal.

Yu Bao’er completely ignored the word “probably.” Satisfied with her answer, he happily allowed the servants to take him away to wash up and sleep.

From the moment Fan Changyu had arrived at Yixiang Tower with pork that morning until now, she hadn’t even had a sip of water.

Madam Wang knew she must be starving and ordered the household servants to prepare food.

Fan Changyu had been so busy all afternoon that she never had time to think about hunger.

Only when the aroma of food reached her nose did she realize that she was starving.

She had spent the entire day doing physical labor. Her stomach was completely empty.

She devoured three bowls of rice in succession.

When she reached for a fourth bowl, Xie Zheng pressed down on the rice ladle.

“If you’ve been hungry for too long, don’t eat too much all at once. It’ll damage your stomach.”

Fan Changyu reluctantly set down her chopsticks.

After dinner, Xie Zheng went out briefly.

Because Constable Wang frequently suffered bumps and injuries while handling cases, his household kept a supply of medicinal ointments.

Xie Zheng obtained some bruise ointment and a bottle of wound medicine from Madam Wang.

When he returned to the room, Fan Changyu had already finished washing.

He immediately frowned upon seeing her wringing out a cloth over a basin.

“No one ever told you that wounds shouldn’t come into contact with water?”

Fan Changyu glanced at the injuries on her hands.

“It’s only a minor wound. It’s nothing.”

Then she noticed the medicine in his hand.

“Oh? You went and got medicine for me?”

Xie Zheng lowered his eyes.

“Madam Wang gave it to me.”

Fan Changyu accepted the explanation without question.

“Auntie Wang is really thoughtful. She even noticed such a small injury.”

Xie Zheng said nothing.

Leaning against the doorframe, he asked, “Are you going to use it or not?”

Fan Changyu secretly wondered why his temper swung between good and bad so unpredictably. Still, remembering how many times he had saved her atop the city wall, she didn’t argue.

“Of course I’m using it. Auntie Wang gave it to me. It’s her kindness, after all.”

Upon hearing the words “her kindness,” Xie Zheng glanced at her before looking away again.

Fan Changyu sprinkled the wound medicine onto the split skin between her thumb and forefinger.

Watching her struggle to tie the bandage while holding one end in her teeth, Xie Zheng stepped forward and finished wrapping it for her.

However, when it came time to apply medicine to her wrist, she realized she had done something foolish.

She should have treated her wrist first.

The ointment was oily and needed to be massaged gradually into the skin. But now both hands were wrapped in bandages. She could only scoop out tiny amounts with her fingertips and rub them in little by little.

The ointment was also extremely slippery, making it difficult to work into the flesh.

After a perfunctory effort, she was about to close the medicine container when a large hand intercepted her wrist.

Xie Zheng’s calloused palm spread the remaining medicinal oil across her skin.

His tone was far from gentle.

“Do you do everything this carelessly?”

Fan Changyu immediately retorted.

“My hands aren’t exactly convenient right now, are they?”

Xie Zheng seemed momentarily stunned.

After that, he simply focused on massaging the medicine into her wrist and didn’t say another word.

Under the candlelight, her pale skin took on the warm luster of jade.

The dark bruised fingerprints around her wrist became even more conspicuous, almost shocking to look at.

Suddenly, Xie Zheng recalled the provocative smile Sui Yuanqing had thrown him after breaking through the crowd.

An inexplicable anger rose in his chest.

His lips pressed into a thin line.

At first, the layer of medicinal oil between his palm and her skin made everything feel slick.

But as the oil gradually absorbed into her skin, every sensation became startlingly clear.

Perhaps because he had been massaging her wrist for too long, his palm grew hot.

Burningly hot.

Fan Changyu frowned and was about to tell him that it was enough.

Yet before she could speak, he withdrew his hand first.

The words stuck in her throat.

Xie Zheng put away the ointment and went to wash his hands at the basin stand.

Fan Changyu looked down at her reddened wrist.

The entire area felt hot and itchy.

She had to make several strange faces to suppress the urge to rub it against her clothing.

She secretly regretted applying the medicine.

If she had known it would make her whole hand numb and itchy, she would have waited until she got home and used medicinal wine instead.

When Xie Zheng turned around, he saw her conflicted expression.

“What is it?”

Fan Changyu shook her wrist.

“The medicine’s taking effect. I’m not used to it.”

Outside, the night watchman struck his wooden clapper.

It was already midnight.

The entire Wang household lay silent.

Without waiting for Fan Changyu to say anything, Xie Zheng opened the room’s wardrobe.

There were no extra quilts inside.

Fan Changyu, sitting at the table, noticed as well.

At this hour, they couldn’t very well wake Madam Wang and ask for bedding to make a bed on the floor.

After a moment, Xie Zheng turned back.

“I’m not sleepy yet. You should rest.”

Fan Changyu inwardly scoffed.

Who was he trying to fool?

He had barely slept for several nights in a row. This morning he had practically forced himself awake just to help her sell pork.

Besides, it was the dead of winter. Without a brazier, a person could freeze to death overnight.

Was he really planning to sit up all night?

Her gaze landed on the bed, which had only one thick quilt remaining.

After a brief hesitation, she said, “How about… we just share the bed for one night?”

Xie Zheng’s heart skipped a beat.

He frowned and looked at her.

Unfortunately, Fan Changyu completely misunderstood his expression.

She quickly raised her bandaged hands and promised solemnly,

“Don’t worry. I absolutely won’t have any improper thoughts about you!”