Chapter 338 Night Shadow Tracking
The moonlight from Shufangzhai shone like crumpled silver, casting a cold gleam on the bluestone slabs. The wormwood at the base of the west wall rustled in the night wind. Where the dark shadow had vanished, a half-piece of muddy black cloth remained—the very piece Yongqi had held in his hand, now kicked by someone beneath the rose bushes.
Xiaoyanzi stood in the corridor, holding Mianxin, the silver hairpin in her hair gleaming in the moonlight. The hairpin had been specially polished by Xiao Jian, its tail quenched with anesthetic, its tip three times sharper than a needle's. Her fingertips caressed the cool shaft, her eyes never leaving the west wall. "Yongqi, where that shadow came from, is there a brick missing from the wall?"
Yongqi had just ordered Xiao Zhuozi to fetch the rope when he turned back to take a closer look. Sure enough, a brick in the middle of the west wall was half an inch shallower than the rest, its edges still stained with fresh dirt. "Someone must have tampered with it," he said, frowning even more. He took the hemp rope from Xiao Zhuozi and wrapped it around his waist. "Xiao Dengzi, go call out the secret guards from Shufangzhai and have them surround the area from the outside. Xiao Chongzi, take the princess and the children to the inner room and bolt the doors and windows."
"I won't go in." Xiaoyanzi stuffed Mianxin to the wet nurse and spat into her palm. "Back in the slum, Liu Qing and I caught ten times more thieves than this! Have you forgotten that my martial arts skills are better than yours?" As she spoke, she had already rushed to the base of the wall, and with her fingertips she dug twice in the cracks between the bricks. She actually dug out the loose blue brick, revealing a hole the size of a bowl at the back.
"Wow, boom! Is this wall papered?" The little bug came over with a lantern, and the flame illuminated the hole brightly. "It looks like something is stuffed in there!"
Xiaoyanzi reached out and pulled out an oilcloth bag. She opened it and found half a piece of leftover osmanthus cake, with teeth marks still on it. "It's a snack from the mansion." She recognized the style of the osmanthus cake—it was a craft from the small kitchen in Prince Rong's mansion, and Zhihua loved having the servants make it for tea.
Yongqi's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. He swung the hemp rope over the wall, and the end of the rope slammed into the wormwood outside. "Xiao Zhuozi, come with me to climb over the wall. Xiao Dengzi, guard the yard. If anyone breaks in, we'll just use our weapons."
"I'll go with you." Xiaoyanzi grabbed his sleeve, the silver bracelet on his wrist making her dizzy. "Have you forgotten who kicked that guy from behind when we caught the assassin in the Imperial Garden last time?" As she spoke, she caught a glimpse of the wet nurse holding Mian Xin and retreating. The child in her arms had woken up at some point and was looking at her with his black eyes open. His little hands were still grabbing the wet nurse's clothes and stuffing them into his mouth.
"Be obedient." Yongqi pressed her shoulders, the warmth of his palms radiating through the fabric of her clothes. "The children can't be left unattended." He leaped onto the wall, his boots clattering against the bricks. "I'll be back soon."
Little Swallow watched his figure disappear in the darkness outside the wall, and suddenly she grabbed Mian Xin from her wet nurse's arms and handed her to Little Dengzi: "Take good care of her!" Before she finished her words, she had already flown onto the roof like a swallow, and the tiles creaked under her feet.
"Princess!" Little Dengzi stamped his feet anxiously, but Mianxin in his arms giggled and patted his face with her little hands.
Beyond the wall lay a wasteland, dotted with graves nestled amidst the half-man-high wormwood. The moonlight shone on the mounds, resembling bulging steamed buns. As Yongqi landed, he heard the sound of wind overhead. Looking up, he saw Xiaoyanzi crouching on the wall, smiling at him, the silver hairpin in her hair gleaming. "I told you to wait in the yard," he said, a mixture of anger and laughter, reaching out to pull her down.
"What do you care about me?" Little Swallow brushed off the grass debris on the corner of her skirt and moved her ears. "Go east, there are footsteps."
The two men chased eastward, following the sound. The weeds scraped against their trouser legs, making a rustling sound. After running about half a mile, they suddenly saw a dilapidated temple. The door was ajar, and a faint light shone from within. Yongqi gestured to Xiaoyanzi to hide behind a tree, while he drew the dagger from his waist and quietly approached.
The temple door creaked open, and the flickering candlelight inside revealed a man in nightgown, munching on a steamed bun with his back to the door. "Damn it, Concubine Chen is so stingy! She only gave me this little money, and she still asked me to steal from Prince Rong's mansion..."
"What are you stealing?" Yongqi's voice suddenly rang out, and the man shuddered with fear, dropping his steamed bun. He turned and drew his sword, the blade flashing in the candlelight, but Yongqi kicked him in the wrist, and the short sword fell to the ground with a clang.
"It's you!" The man saw Yongqi's face clearly, his eyes filled with fear. "Fifth...Fifth Prince?"
Xiaoyanzi came out from behind the tree and stepped on his back: "Tell me! What did Zhihua ask you to steal?" Her silver hairpin was against his neck, and the tip had pierced his skin.
The man grimaced in pain, "I... I don't know either! They told me to find a red cloth bag in Shufangzhai, saying that it contained a concubine's heirloom, which was brought to Shufangzhai by the princess a few days ago..."
"A red cloth bag?" Xiaoyanzi was stunned for a moment, and suddenly remembered that when she packed her luggage a few days ago, she did bring a red cloth bag from the palace. Inside it were Mianrui's fetal hair and Mianxin's umbilical cord. She wanted to find a box to put them in, so she casually put them in the drawer of the dressing table.
"What does she want that thing for?" Yongqi's voice was as cold as ice.
"No... I don't know!" The man said with a sad face, "She said that as long as she gets that package, she can make you, Your Highness... you dislike the Princess..."
Xiaoyanzi's anger flared up, and she raised her foot to kick him, but Yongqi held her back. "Take him back to the mansion first." He glanced at the candlelight in the dilapidated temple. Next to the candlestick was an empty wine jar with the words "Prince Rong's Mansion" printed on its rim. "We've got all the witnesses and evidence."
When they returned to Shufangzhai, Ziwei and Erkang were anxiously pacing around the courtyard. Ziwei saw them coming back and wrinkled the handkerchief in her hand. "How are you? Are you okay?" Her eyes fell on Yongqi's bloodied cuffs, and her eyes suddenly turned red. "Call the doctor!"
"It's okay." Yongqi waved his hand and asked Xiao Zhuozi to tie up the man. "Erkang, please have someone send this guy to Shuntian Prefecture and say... a thief who climbed over the wall was caught in Prince Rong's Mansion." He deliberately emphasized the four words "Prince Rong's Mansion".
Erkang understood immediately: "Don't worry, I'll do it myself." He glanced at the man, then at the oilcloth bag in Xiaoyanzi's hand, and frowned, "Is Zhihua crazy?"
"She's mad with jealousy." Xiaoyanzi threw the oilcloth bag onto the stone table, and the sweet-scented osmanthus cake fell out and rolled all over the floor. "She even wants to steal the baby's hair. What does she want? Make a doll to curse us?"
Mianxin had been brought in at some point, and was being held and played with by Little Bug. Seeing Little Swallow's anger, she suddenly burst into tears. Little Swallow quickly walked over to take her daughter, gently patting her back: "Xin'er, be good, Mommy is here." The child's cry was like a needle, piercing her heart and making her feel sore and tender.
Yongqi looked at the mother and daughter and suddenly said to everyone, "Pack your things and return to the palace at dawn." His voice was soft, but it was filled with unquestionable determination. "This Shufangzhai is not a place to stay for long."
Ziwei nodded and took Xiaoyanzi's hand: "I'll go back with you, and Dong'er can also keep Rui'er company." Her hand was very warm, and she gently covered the back of Xiaoyanzi's hand, "Don't worry, we are here."
As the night deepened, the candles in Shufangzhai burned brightly all night. Little Dengzi and Little Zhuozi were packing their belongings, Ziwei was helping change Mianxin's diaper, Erkang had gone to Shuntian Mansion, and Yongqi was sitting in the porch sharpening his dagger, the blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
The wormwood outside the wall rustled again in the wind, but this time no one paid any attention. Because everyone knew that this storm had just begun—the mess at Prince Rong's mansion was unavoidable.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
