After about half an hour, Chunwu lifted the curtain warily. “Someone’s coming!”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a band of masked men in black, swords in hand, rushed forward. At their head was none other than Xing Muzheng, broken shackles dangling from his wrist.
Qian Jiaoniang peered past him—there were pursuers trailing at a distance. One stopped to draw his bow, loosing an arrow straight toward Xing Muzheng. Her heart leapt, but the arrow struck on his left side and was knocked away by Ah Da’s quick strike.
Dust billowed, footsteps pounded, horses neighed. The waiting carriages at once spurred forward, and Qin Shaoyuan drove theirs up to meet them. The group quickly converged with the carriages. Xing Muzheng leapt nimbly into Qian Jiaoniang’s, the chain clattering loudly. Ah Da followed right after. At last, Qian Jiaoniang’s heart eased halfway.
The carriages scattered in all directions, leaving only clouds of dust behind. The bailiffs of Wuzhou yamen together with Xu Hongzu’s men chased some distance, but already dazzled and confused, they could no longer tell where the prisoner had gone. One of Xu Hongzu’s confidants stamped his foot fiercely. “Quickly report to Commander Xu!”
Once they had shaken off pursuit, Xing Muzheng told Chunwu and Qin Shaoyuan to go to the carriage driven by Li Qingquan behind them, leaving only Ah Da to drive this one toward the place agreed with Zhang Zize.
Chunwu did not say a word, just left the carriage together with Qin Shaoyuan. As soon as they were gone, Xing Muzheng cupped Qian Jiaoniang’s face and kissed her red lips fiercely. Qian Jiaoniang felt as though she had narrowly escaped with her life. She wrapped her arms around Xing Muzheng’s waist and kissed him back. Yet when she thought of the uncertain road ahead, she could not help but feel desolate, fearing that even Chou’er would be dragged down with them.
“Jiaoniang—” After kissing her for a long while, Xing Muzheng still could not bear to let go. He brushed her lips with light pecks. “In my belt there is something… take it out.”
Qian Jiaoniang, dazed from his kisses, almost did not know where she was. Half in a blur she did as he said: the fair hand that had been resting on his broad back slid down to his waist, felt out a hard square object, and drew it out. Xing Muzheng was still kissing her face. When Qian Jiaoniang finally managed to glance down, she saw in her palm a jade plaque about the size of her hand, carved with twin dragons playing with a pearl.
“What is this?”
Xing Muzheng’s face brushed down along her cheek to her ear. He lightly bit her earlobe and whispered low: “This is an imperial token. Whoever holds it is as if the Emperor himself is present.”
Qian Jiaoniang was silent for one heartbeat, two. Then she lifted that object bestowed by the throne and struck Xing Muzheng’s shoulder hard with it, eyes blazing with a fire that nearly burned. “Xing! Mu! Zheng!” He dared deceive her to such a degree!
She might never have received anything directly from the Emperor, but she had at least heard of the Sword of Imperial Authority. This jade plaque, with its power of “as if the Emperor himself were present,” could not be far different. If he carried such a thing on him, how could he possibly have ended up in prison? Plainly, it was all deliberate! Qian Jiaoniang did not know his exact reasons, but not to speak a single word to her, letting her worry herself sick—!
So from the very start, when he said there was danger, in fact there ought not have been any at all? Then from that moment on, he had been lying to her deliberately? On purpose making her rush anxiously to Wuzhou? Fine, truly fine!
Xing Muzheng hissed in pain from her blows, but still it could not stir her heart to pity. Seeing that pretending weakness was useless, he chuckled lowly and swept her into his arms. Qian Jiaoniang struggled in his embrace, and he only held her tighter.
“Let me go!” Qian Jiaoniang growled.
“I won’t.” At this moment, with his wife in his arms, Xing Muzheng felt he had all he needed. However fierce she was toward him, he did not flinch. “Whatever you say, I won’t let go.”
Qian Jiaoniang was so furious she wanted to bite him, and truly sank her teeth into his neck, unable to vent otherwise.
Now with his skin grown thicker than ever, Xing Muzheng only treated it as a love bite. He tilted her chin back and bit at her red lips, not gently at all. Qian Jiaoniang bit him back. The two, both loving and angry, gnawed at each other for a while before Xing Muzheng finally held her close and whispered the truth into her ear.
It turned out everything was Xing Muzheng’s plan. Emperor Taikang had secretly conspired with him, ordering him to ferret out the leaders of the former dynasty’s rebel faction and eliminate them.
From the beginning, Xing Muzheng had known the Black Chrysanthemum Sect was colluding with the Yue royal clan. He had approached Zhang Zize not for martial secrets, nor for past investigations, but simply to appear before them and wait for them to take the bait. Back when the Black Chrysanthemum Sect tried to assassinate him, it was because the rebels regarded him as their greatest threat and wanted him dead at once. After Xing Muzheng took over this task, he had an undercover agent—planted in Zhang Zize’s retinue as a guest retainer—offer them a scheme to draw him in. Zhang Zize’s father had once been a shadow guard loyal to the Bai imperial line, utterly devoted. Afterward Zhang Zize inherited his resolve, becoming a general of the restoration. He accepted the retainer’s plan and reported it to his master, which led to the present affair.
Xing Muzheng had intended from the outset to meet all changes with calm. He had even guessed that Zhang Zize might force him into a desperate corner. Xu Hongzu’s “cooperation” was also within his calculations. The Third Prince, compared to him, was still too green. Of all this, only the prefect of Wuzhou had been informed, and even he had been asked to use a bit of self-wounding ruse. As for today’s prison-break, Xing Muzheng had told him as well—just kill a few rebels and withdraw. If Xu Hongzu’s men wanted to pursue, then let them pursue.
Everything now was under Xing Muzheng’s control, though the plan was not yet complete. Once the rebel stronghold was eradicated, the task would be done. To Xing Muzheng, it was merely another campaign, nothing to take joy in. The greatest joy of this journey was the cherished wife in his arms.
Before departing, Xing Muzheng had heard Qian Jiaoniang pushing him away with cold distance. It had left him angry and heartsore. The more he loved her, the more he thought for her. He had originally sworn never to let her go. But he feared she would not be able to find peace by his side, that for Chou’er’s sake she might feel obliged to put up with him. He knew that letting her leave would cut his heart like knives, yet still he had thought: if she could be safe and well, he would accept a lonely life.
But after all, human hearts are made of flesh; the pain of carving out one’s heart and liver was unbearable. Xing Muzheng decided to gamble one last time. If she truly felt nothing at all for him, he would give up and let her go. But if there was even a trace of unwillingness in her, he would beg her to turn back.
And she had more than just a trace of unwillingness—she was even willing to give up everything for him, even to bear a child for a man branded a traitor. Xing Muzheng’s heart, since last night, had been burning hot.
This was the most glorious victory of his life.
“Xing Muzheng, you’re nothing but a dog-thief!” Qian Jiaoniang spat at him, feeling all her endless worries of this journey had been thrown to the dogs.
For the first time in his life, Xing Muzheng was called a dog-thief—yet he grinned like a fool. Lowering his head, he licked her face as though it were smeared with honey, thereby making the insult come true. “Good wife, I wanted to tell you yesterday. But walls have ears, and Zhang Zize is cunning. I feared he might harm you, so I kept it from you. Forgive your husband this once. Go back to Yuzhou and wait obediently for my return. In less than a month, I will be back.”
Qian Jiaoniang’s face was wet from his licking; she had anger but nowhere to vent it. Xing Muzheng whispered in her ear: “When you return, tell only Ah Da and the others. The Minghu Army will not dare attack Yuzhou without an imperial edict. If they truly come, then let Peng Shi take the field to meet them.”
After giving these instructions, he patted the carriage board. Ah Da at once halted the carriage. Xing Muzheng jumped down, ordering Ah Da to escort Qian Jiaoniang safely back to Yuzhou. Ah Da, though anxious, did not dare disobey the command. Li Qingquan’s carriage soon caught up. Xing Muzheng told Li Qingquan to remain, while Chunwu and Qin Shaoyuan climbed back onto Qian Jiaoniang’s carriage.
Zhang Zize’s carriage came from another fork in the road. A servant lifted the curtain, and inside, Zhang Zize knelt, holding Xing Muzheng’s treasured sword in both hands. Xing Muzheng gave a cold snort and glanced at Qian Jiaoniang.
“Be careful!” Qian Jiaoniang hadn’t meant to speak to him, but in the end, she couldn’t help it.
Xing Muzheng waved his hand at her, then strode over and climbed into Zhang Zize’s carriage. Li Qingquan swiftly followed, leaping onto the driver’s board to sit beside the coachman.
Seeing Qian Jiaoniang’s carriage still standing motionless, Zhang Zize asked: “Will the Marchioness not be joining us?”
Xing Muzheng reclaimed his sword and replied: “What use is there in a woman following along?”
Zhang Zize sighed: “Your wife’s devotion to General Xing is truly admirable—this humble one deeply respects it.”
At these words, Xing Muzheng was greatly pleased. He said with a laugh: “To insist on trailing me through life and death—that’s nothing but foolishness.”
