Chapter 130: Hello Chang’an
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Chapter 130: This Fish is Not That Fish
The scorching sunlight pouring down from above made Yu Xue feel that everything around her was unreal, even making it hard for her to tell if she was in a dream.
Her steps were slow as she walked forward, looking at the familiar but long-forgotten scenery outside the mansion, her eyes somewhat dazed.
The Princess's residence was situated in an excellent location, quiet yet conveniently near the Western Canal, which flowed behind the mansion, making it easy to access water. At this moment, the sunlight glistened on the surface of the river, the shimmering waves gently moving with the breeze.
As Yu Xue walked, the woman who had not left her house for more than a decade nervously clutched the edges of her sleeves, mumbling to herself, "Shuiyun Pavilion... Shuiyun Pavilion is to the north, to the north..."
She seemed confused for a moment, unable to tell which direction was north. Standing still, she tried to make sense of her surroundings.
In that moment, a fleeting sense of clarity appeared in her eyes, and this newfound clarity only made her more uneasy, prompting a renewed desire to retreat.
No…
Perhaps she shouldn’t have come out after all!
Someone was trying to kill her… surely, someone was trying to kill her!
But she had seen her Highness's signal… she needed to go to Shuiyun Pavilion to find the answers!
Yu Xue stood there, feeling as if the world were spinning around her. Her eyes flickered with indecision as she wasn’t aware that a pair of cold eyes had already fixed on her from the shadows.
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This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com
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Not far away, under a nearly 100-year-old camphor tree, its dense green canopy casting a large, cool shadow, a man was silently setting up a crossbow. Unlike a regular arrow, this one had a steel needle that gleamed coldly.
This needle was coated with a potent poison. Once it entered a person’s body, the victim would quickly lose the ability to move.
If the woman, who had just exited the Princess’s residence and appeared disoriented, were to fall there in the scorching afternoon heat, she would die quietly without even a scream.
Such a silent death would leave no trace, and even if anyone investigated later, they would be unable to trace it back to its true perpetrator.
Now, the man only had to aim at the disoriented woman and release the crossbow, thus completing this long task that had been ongoing for twelve years.
This seemingly ordinary summer afternoon would no longer be ordinary because this woman had chosen to leave the Princess’s mansion.
The man gently adjusted the crossbow, preparing to take aim at his target.
Chang Suining returned to her residence and first inquired if Ah Che and Ah Zhi had returned today.
The maid in the courtyard shook her head. "Miss, we haven’t seen Ah Zhi return yet."
Chang Suining glanced at the setting sun as she walked inside and instructed Xi'er, "Lately, Ah Zhi and Ah Che have been enduring hardships watching from the outside. Have the kitchen make some cooling drinks for them to take."
Yu Xue had not appeared for a day, and they needed to keep watching according to their plan. There was no better solution at the moment.
She didn’t just need Yu Xue to leave the Princess’s residence. She also had to prevent the person who might be secretly watching Yu Xue and preparing to silence her from carrying out their plan—someone who might try to take Yu Xue’s life.
But the enemy was still in the shadows, and she couldn’t afford to reveal herself prematurely.
In other words, she was trying to "snatch" Yu Xue from the enemy’s hands. To do this without raising suspicion and causing complications later, she couldn’t make a direct move.
Although she already had a detailed plan that she had shared with Ah Zhi and Ah Che the day before, this was clearly not going to be an easy task.
The only advantage was that if there truly was someone lurking in the shadows planning to silence Yu Xue, they wouldn’t dare reveal themselves or make any noise—because, more than anyone else, the one who feared attracting suspicion from the authorities and others was the person who had poisoned her years ago.
Thus, even if the enemy took action, they would be more restrained than her. In the face of an emergency, their movements would be hindered.
Her plan was to use this "emergency" to seize Yu Xue.
For now, she only hoped that Yu Xue would come out of the Princess’s residence soon, or that the summer heat would pass quickly.
Otherwise, if she continued to wait outside in this heat, her conscience would weigh heavily on her.
If Chang Ren had known her thoughts, he would likely have been moved to tears.
The night before, the general had brought the ten of them to the lady and instructed them to acknowledge her as their master, from then on to follow her orders in all matters.
Their master was a lady, but what was captivating about her was her obsessive nature in using martial prowess to command others. It was clear that being by her side would provide them with ample opportunities to showcase their skills. Their martial training wouldn’t be wasted.
Indeed, just the previous day, the lady had sought him out, saying there was an important task she needed him to carry out.
Chang Ren did not dare to take it lightly, silently deciding that he must handle this first task excellently, to prove his ability to the lady.
As he stood prepared, he heard the lady say to him—“Uncle Ren, I want to eat fish.”
Chang Ren: “?”
He could only reply, “Then… should I go buy some?”
“No, I want fresh ones, the kind caught right now.”
Chang Ren: “…”
Fish, caught right now—hadn’t she had enough of that at the Imperial Academy?
He could only ask, “Then… should I go fishing?”
The lady nodded.
She then added, “I want fish from the Western Canal. My third uncle says the water there is the sweetest, and the fish are the freshest and most delicious.”
Chang Ren: “…”
It was no wonder she was a good student under Master Qiao.
And so, now he sat at the bow of a small, shabby boat docked by the reeds along the river, obediently fishing.
Under the blazing sun, he wore a straw hat for shade, sitting cross-legged at the boat’s bow, watching the fishing rod intently.
Surely, to the few passersby who happened to be near, he seemed even more obsessed with fishing than Master Qiao.
But the frustrating part was…
It had been an entire day, and he hadn’t caught a single fish.
The fish in this Western Canal were utterly uncooperative!
Chang Ren, who appeared calm and indifferent, couldn’t help but glance at the empty fish basket beside him, feeling increasingly anxious. He almost wanted to dive into the river and catch a few fish by hand, maybe even cool off while he was at it.
But there was still Ah Zhi in the boat—was the lady worried that he would simply buy a couple of fish and take them back to deceive her? She had even sent a maid to supervise him?
Did she have no trust in him at all? Though, admittedly, he had considered this option.
Though he was frustrated by the lady's indulgent nature, he focused more on his increasing anxiety and despair. If he returned empty-handed today, and the lady used this as an excuse to send him away, how would he face the General and his brothers?
Damn it! There were so many fish in this river—couldn’t one of them just bite his hook? Would it really kill them?
Oh, wait… it probably would...
Chang Ren looked up in despair, noticing the evening was drawing near and his time was running out.
At the same moment, what seemed like a long and drawn-out series of events occurred all at once. The figure hidden in the camphor tree had already aimed the crossbow at the blue-clad woman.
The silent killing intent was already hovering around Yu Xue.
And she seemed to sense some danger, or perhaps she was backing out again—there was still a long way to Shuiyun Pavilion, and every step of that journey made her hesitate.
As she suddenly turned around, the person in the tree realized there was no more time to wait. The timid woman might not leave the house again anytime soon…
So, he was about to pull the trigger.
But he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t afford to wait. At that moment, a dusty figure suddenly entered his line of sight.
It was a young beggar, no older than twelve or thirteen.
He ran up and knelt in front of Yu Xue, blocking her path, holding out a broken bowl: “Please, lady, I haven’t eaten in several days!”
Yu Xue, startled by the sudden appearance of the beggar, instinctively took a step back.
At that moment, two more beggars appeared from an alley not far away.
“That’s the lady who came from the Princess's residence!”
Seeing an opportunity, they rushed over, eager to beg for food.
“Lady, please, have mercy…”
“Please, lady, give us something to eat!”
The beggars were filthy, their clothes and bodies covered in dirt, with the smell of sweat and grime overwhelming the air. Each of their faces was urgent, their voices pleading, which left Yu Xue at a loss for what to do.
"I..." After being isolated for so long, she struggled to find the right words, speaking hesitantly, "I don't have anything to give you..."
Despite her words, the three beggars continued to surround her, and one of them even reached out to grab her sleeve.
This action triggered something in Yu Xue. She suddenly raised her hand and swatted the dirty hand away. "Go away!"
But at that moment, more beggars, attracted by the noise, came rushing over.
These were the regular beggars who hung around the alleys nearby, all aware of the generosity of the female attendants from the Long Princess's residence. Seeing the commotion, they surrounded her.
These beggars were older than the previous three, some holding bowls in one hand and leaning on sticks with the other. Their presence only made Yu Xue more flustered and nervous.
The man in the tree frowned as he watched the scene unfold.
He couldn’t reveal himself and take action with so many people around, so he could only hope the beggars would disperse soon.
Regardless of whether they managed to beg for anything, they would eventually leave… he just had to wait patiently…
However, things only got worse.
As the beggars closed in, Yu Xue, in her panic, stepped back and lost her footing. She suddenly fell into the river.
"Ah!" She screamed in alarm.
The man in the tree’s expression changed.
With the summer rains, the river’s current was a bit stronger, and the blue figure struggled in the water, her voice breaking as she cried, "Help...!"
"How did she fall into the river?"
"Did you push her...?"
"I didn’t! She fell in on her own!"
"What should we do?"
"This is a person from the Princess’s residence… if this gets traced back to us, none of us will get away with it!"
"Quick, while no one’s around… let's run!"
The beggars scattered in panic and quickly left the area.
The man watched as the blue figure struggled and was carried away by the current, making sure no one was around before quickly leaping from the tree and running toward the riverbank.
Yu Xue could swim, but in her panic, she was flailing and struggling in the water, carried by the current.
Chang Ren, hearing the noise, looked up and saw someone had fallen into the water. He was about to speak when he suddenly felt the boat shift, almost throwing him off balance.
Ah Zhi had raised the oar and was rowing the boat forward.
Chang Ren quickly reeled in the fishing line.
The small boat quickly approached the struggling figure, and Ah Zhi knelt down, extending the oar toward her. "Grab on!"
Seeing that it was a woman offering help, and with her life at risk, Yu Xue didn’t hesitate. She quickly grabbed the end of the oar.
Ah Zhi, with great strength, pulled her aboard.
Yu Xue collapsed on the boat, coughing up river water.
"Are you done coughing?" Ah Zhi asked, supporting her partially.
Hearing her concerned voice, Yu Xue struggled to lift her head to speak, but before she could say anything, Ah Zhi knocked her unconscious with a swift chop to the neck.
Chang Ren, witnessing this: "?!"
"Quick, move the boat out of the city!" Ah Zhi urged in a hurry, dragging Yu Xue into the cabin. "This is the lady's instruction!"
Hearing this, Chang Ren's expression changed, and he quickly grabbed the oar, casting one last glance at the woman being pulled into the cabin.
The fishing that the lady mentioned… It surely wasn't this kind of fish!
But could the lady really be doing something like this under the broad daylight?
Right now, there was no time to think about it. His moment to prove himself had arrived!
Chang Ren exerted himself to row the boat, the oar cutting through the water in swift, powerful strokes.
When Ah Zhi had rescued her, Yu Xue had already been carried away a distance by the current. Moreover, the riverbank here was covered by reeds, so their actions went unnoticed.
When the man reached the riverbank, he only saw a small boat drifting away. No matter whether the boat seemed suspicious or not, he could only continue following the river, keeping an eye on the marks along both banks.
This river flows westward and merges with the moat, which leads outside the city.
But Chang Ren soon began to worry about something.
Although they were using a boat to leave the city, it was likely they would encounter a checkpoint near the exit.
The curfew had been lifted for the Dragon Boat Festival, but tonight would be the third and final day, after which the curfew would be reinstated. It was already getting late, and whether they could leave the city was uncertain!
If they were lucky, the guards might be lenient, but if they encountered ones who refused to let them through and discovered the mysterious woman on board, that would be a huge problem.
And Ah Zhi’s constant urging for him to hurry suggested that they were being pursued!
With no way forward and no way back...
"How about we dock here?" Chang Ren suggested.
They could land and quickly hide her somewhere—though he still didn’t fully understand why they had to do this!
"No," Ah Zhi said seriously. "The lady ordered us to leave the city immediately once we have her. Delaying would cause trouble. We must leave now."
Though Ah Zhi didn’t know the full details, she had been with the lady long enough to understand that if the lady had given such an order, there was a pressing reason behind it.
Chang Ren was not one to argue. The Chang family ran on strict military discipline, and those trusted by the master had obedience ingrained in their bones.
So, Chang Ren braced himself and continued rowing.
As he had expected, as they neared the city exit, guards blocked their boat.
The drawbridges near the city gates were manned, and two soldiers armed with spears immediately stopped them.
"This section of the river is no longer navigable," one of the guards called out. "Since the Dragon Boat Festival is just over, we’ll overlook your ignorance this time. The city gates are closed. Turn back immediately!"
Just as Chang Ren was about to speak, he felt a tug on his robe from behind.
He turned around to see Ah Zhi press something into his hand.
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(End of Chapter)
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