Though she already knew Xie Wuling had no filter when he spoke, hearing those blunt words still made Shen Yujiao’s face flush hot in an instant.
“From the fifteenth of the eighth month till now, it’s been nearly two months. Day and night, I’ve thought of you—so much that I nearly lost my mind.”
Especially those few times he ran into Pei Shouzhen—after that, even the osmanthus sachet he wore didn’t smell sweet anymore. The man even flaunted it, hanging it from his belt, and it was infuriating.
“Stop talking.”
Shen Yujiao tried to suppress the heat rising to her cheeks and forced the topic back to the point. “How did you actually find me here?”
Chang’an was vast and full of winding streets—him finding her in half a day was almost unbelievable.
Seeing her ask in earnest, Xie Wuling didn’t hide it and recounted everything that had happened since the afternoon.
“After you and that young lady went into the dress shop, I was at the teahouse across the street. I was planning to wait until you came out and then ‘run into you by chance.’”
He had even thought up his lines in advance: ‘Madam, what a coincidence! You’re at the East Market too. I happened to buy some new tea—too much of it, really—why don’t you take some home for Brother Shouzhen?’
For that “coincidence,” he’d even changed into a brand-new red robe before leaving the house, with a new coronet for his hair as well.
People say women dress up for the ones they like—but men do the same. He only wanted to show his best self before the one he admired.
But before he could see Shen Yujiao come out, he saw a maid from the Pei residence run out in a panic, calling for the guard captain. A moment later, several of them rushed back into the shop.
Xie Wuling immediately sensed something was wrong. He tossed down his teacup and followed them inside.
“When I got there, I learned you’d gone missing. That Madam Pei who came with you was so pale with fright, and your maid was crying that she was going to report to the authorities. I stopped her first…”
As he spoke of the real matter, Xie Wuling’s expression turned grim. “They put soft bone powder in your tea. That drug’s usually used on women…”
Having grown up around all kinds of rogues and ruffians, he was familiar with every sort of vile concoction.
Soft bone powder was a staple in brothels—given in heavy doses, it could make a person lose consciousness; in lighter doses, it left them awake but too weak to move. Perfect for madams training headstrong girls into submission.
When Xie Wuling discovered soft bone powder had been added to the tea, he immediately guessed where Shen Yujiao might have been taken.
In situations like this, even if one reported it to the authorities and the person was found, their reputation would still be ruined.
“I had your maid put on a new dress and wear a veiled hat, pretending to be you returning home. Then I told the guards to report to the authorities that your maid had gone missing…”
Before the constables arrived, he found a rope hanging behind the private room.
“The people who took you were skilled. I asked the residents in the back alley—around noon, a carriage was parked there. It left around the hour of Shen (roughly 3 to 5 p.m.).”
At this, Xie Wuling fell silent for a moment, uncertain whether to tell Shen Yujiao the rest.
In the underworld, gambling, brothels, and drugs went hand in hand. Just like in Jinling City, where the local gangs were ruled by the Chang, Bao, and Xu families, Chang’an too had its share of shadowy figures. The biggest among them was a man known as Uncle Tai.
As for who backed Uncle Tai, Xie Wuling didn’t know—but when he was once working for the Third Prince, he’d dealt with one of Uncle Tai’s underlings. Since they both moved in the same circles, they’d built a decent rapport.
After asking around, he learned that the one running the human trafficking business in Chang’an was called Qiu Po.
Few people had ever seen her in person, but her trade was extensive. Every so often, she would send a shipment of “little sparrows” (young women) out of town—or buy new ones from elsewhere and secretly deliver them to the hidden brothels across Chang’an.
“I asked some contacts and heard that a carriage headed toward Weinan Prefecture today, so I gathered some men and gave chase.”
He didn’t want to dirty her ears with all the filth of that world, so he only said gently, “Don’t worry. When we return to Chang’an tomorrow, no one will know you were ever missing.”
From his words, Shen Yujiao already guessed the rest.
Her brows knit slightly. “There were five other young women taken with me. Did you see any of them?”
“I found one. I sent Guard Liu to escort her back the way she came, and had Chen An and Xu Hu look for the others.”
Just as he finished speaking, a bright flare burst open in the distant sky.
Xie Wuling lifted his gaze. “Another one’s been found—southwest.”
Shen Yujiao said, “I promised them—if I escaped, I’d find a way to save them too.”
“Of course,” Xie Wuling replied.
But then, lowering his head, he noticed the complicated look on her face and paused. When he realized what she was thinking, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Why are you looking at me like that? Do I look like the kind of man who’d watch others die without helping?”
Shen Yujiao’s eyes flickered.
Since meeting Xie Wuling, she had seen his bluntness, his honesty, and his loyalty—but she had also seen the fierce, ruthless side of him when fighting. She knew his hands were stained with blood and that he’d done his share of unsavory deeds.
Even if it was all because life had forced him into it, his world and the one she had come from were utterly different.
She didn’t doubt his kindness toward her—but as for others, she wasn’t so sure.
If it were Pei Xia standing here, she believed that with his upright nature, he would have saved all the women without hesitation.
But Xie Wuling…
“If we save them all and ruin Qiu Po’s business, won’t those people come after you?”
“Maybe.”
Xie Wuling raised an eyebrow at her. “So what—should we not save them?”
Shen Yujiao’s eyes widened, her answer firm and immediate. “Of course not!”
Xie Wuling said, “Then if we do save them all and she loses money and sends someone to beat me up—what then?”
Shen Yujiao bit her lip, anger flashing in her face. “After committing such crimes, they still dare act so brazenly? What do they take the law of the land for?”
“Who knows?”
Xie Wuling shrugged. “But the law is the law. If they beat me in secret, the law can’t protect me. Jiaojiao, could you bear that?”
He blinked at her, feigning grievance.
Shen Yujiao was silent for a moment before saying, “My household guards will be here soon. I’ll have them escort those girls back and take those two d*mned traffickers to the magistrate. You stay out of it. Tomorrow morning, return to your own residence. If those people come seeking trouble, they can come to my manor. I take full responsibility for my actions. I don’t believe that under this bright sun and open sky, such evil-doers can twist truth into lies and run rampant as they please!”
Her voice rang with righteous fury, every word sharp and clear.
Xie Wuling looked at her round, blazing eyes and her tightly clenched fists, and couldn’t help lifting his hand to ruffle her hair.
Shen Yujiao: “…?”
Xie Wuling smiled, eyes curving. “Why are you so adorable?”
She was talking about serious matters, and he still couldn’t keep his hands to himself.
Shen Yujiao slapped his hand away. “Xie Wuling!”
“All right, all right, I’ll stop teasing you.”
He withdrew his hand, the smile in his peach-blossom eyes fading slightly as his tone turned serious. “I may not be a good man, and these hands of mine aren’t clean—but the thing I hate most in this life is the trafficking of innocent women. Those b*stards dared to set their sights on my woman—unless I flay them alive, I’ll never get this anger out of my heart.”
Shen Yujiao froze for a second, then glared at him. “Who’s your woman?”
“I don’t care. In my heart, you’re already my wife.”
Xie Wuling said it with all the shameless confidence in the world.
Shen Yujiao was speechless. She simply stopped arguing and pushed herself up against the rock to stand.
Seeing her struggling, Xie Wuling slipped his arms under her armpits and effortlessly lifted her up.
Shen Yujiao: “……”
Xie Wuling clapped his hands. “Don’t mention it.”
Who was being polite with him anyway—this brute.
Swallowing down her irritation, still dizzy and lightheaded, she asked, “Do you have anything to eat?”
She was so hungry.
If she didn’t eat something soon, she really might faint.
Xie Wuling then realized that her weakness was entirely from hunger.
“I left in a rush, only brought a pouch of water,” he said awkwardly. “Otherwise I can look around nearby, see if I can find some wild fruit?”
“It’s pitch dark—forget it.”
Shen Yujiao shook her head, then suddenly remembered something. “Right, those two kidnappers should have food on them. When they were cooking earlier, I smelled meat…”
“Tsk, look how hungry they’ve made my wife.”
Xie Wuling sighed, bent down, and scooped her up in his arms. “Come on, I’ll take you to eat all their meat!”
Shen Yujiao was startled and struggled. “Y-you… put me down.”
“Don’t push yourself.”
Xie Wuling adjusted his grip and strode toward the horse. “You can barely stand, what if you take a few steps and faint?”
“I won’t.”
“How would you know?”
He looked down at her, lips curling lazily. “If you really pass out, I can’t guarantee I won’t do something to you. So best stay awake.”
Shen Yujiao’s face flushed red again. “…”
This scoundrel!
No matter how she protested, she still ended up being carried onto the horse.
He sat behind her, arms loosely encircling her, his voice low and amused. “Sit tight.”
She shifted as far forward as she could, keeping some distance, and softly answered, “Okay.”
But once the horse started galloping, jolting up and down, their bodies inevitably drew closer.
She leaned forward over the horse, her thin shoulders pressing against his chest. With each bump, the breath by her ear grew heavier.
Shen Yujiao didn’t dare turn around. Her body stiffened as she forced herself to think of anything else.
Xie Wuling hadn’t meant to think about anything improper—until the body in his arms pressed closer and closer, her loosened hair carrying a faint fragrance that drifted straight into his nose.
He had never been a man of restraint, and this woman in his arms was the one he loved.
When you like someone, you’re drawn to them—instinctively wanting to be near, closer, closer still.
Heaven knew how much he wanted to hold her tight, to touch her freely and without guilt.
But he couldn’t.
Jiaojiao would be angry.
And without a proper name or title between them, that would be fornication—adultery.
The softer and sweeter she felt in his arms, the more Xie Wuling resented Pei Xia.
Heat burned in his belly, jealousy surged in his chest.
If that d*mned Pei Shouzhen hadn’t stolen Jiaojiao away, he would have been the one holding her on their wedding night last year. Then no one could have said a word even if he hugged her, kissed her face, or tasted her lips!
But now, all those good things belonged to Pei Shouzhen, and he could only dream of Jiaojiao in secret, indulge himself in fantasies night after night.
That detestable pretty boy!
Grinding his back teeth, Xie Wuling spurred the horse onward, torn between wanting to keep holding Shen Yujiao forever and wanting to end this torturous sweetness—
Because otherwise, he feared he might lose control and become a beast.
In the darkness ahead, two signal arrows flared in succession.
Shen Yujiao looked up. “What does that mean?”
Xie Wuling’s voice was hoarse. “They’ve found two more young ladies.”
“Xie Wuling, your voice—”
Shen Yujiao started to turn her head.
His hand pinched her waist, voice lower and rougher. “Don’t turn around.”
“…?”
Her brows knit. The next jolt of the horse sent her falling slightly back into his arms—
That heat, that unmistakable hardness, made her mind go blank, her body rigid.
Neither spoke again for the rest of the ride.
When they finally regrouped by the carriage, Xie Wuling dismounted and set her down. His face was tight, and his gait awkward.
“Madam!”
“Miss Shen!”
“Waaah, Miss Shen, thank goodness you’re safe!”
The young women ran to her, wiping tears from their eyes.
Seeing their relieved faces, Shen Yujiao’s own expression softened with a faint smile. “I’m glad you’re all unharmed.”
Then, glancing toward the kneeling guards of the Pei household, she lifted a hand lightly. “All of you, rise.”
The guard captain bowed his head, ashamed. “We failed in our duty, Madam. Please punish us.”
“Blame the villains’ cunning, not yourselves.”
When they still hesitated on their knees, Shen Yujiao pressed her lips together and said, “Stand. When your master returns, you may receive punishment from him.”
Only then did the guards get up.
While Shen Yujiao exchanged words with the rescued women, Xie Wuling strode to the two tied-up traffickers and kicked one squarely in the chest. “Where’s the food?”
The men blinked. “…?”
Too slow to answer—another brutal kick. “I asked you where the h*ll the food is!”
The chubby one, wheezing and near tears, stammered, “I-it’s… in the bundle at the front of the cart—half a bag of dried meat and a pound of flatbread!”
Xie Wuling turned and went off to find food, then, with practiced ease, built a fire and started boiling soup and noodles.
The nearby guards looked at one another in confusion. “Young Master Xie, you’re…?”
Why was he suddenly cooking?
“The young ladies haven’t had supper,” he said casually, hands never stopping their work. “Let them eat something to settle their nerves. Besides, at this hour, even if we rushed back, the city gates would still be closed. What’s the hurry?”
The guards were at a loss for words—he had a point.
The rescued girls, seeing Xie Wuling arrive together with Shen Yujiao, and then noticing how someone so rough could also be so thoughtful—realizing they were hungry before anyone said so—couldn’t help sneaking a few extra glances at him.
Ah Nian leaned close to Shen Yujiao and whispered, “Sister Shen, your husband is really wonderful—not only handsome but also so considerate.”
The other young women chimed in one after another: “Yes, truly! If it weren’t for you and your husband today, we wouldn’t have known what to do.”
Shen Yujiao’s expression grew a little awkward. She had meant to explain that Xie Wuling was not her husband, but then thought—these girls were just chance acquaintances, so there was no need to explain.
While waiting for the food, she walked over to the two tied-up traffickers and asked sternly, “Speak—who was it that sent me onto your carriage?”
The scar-faced man stayed silent.
Seeing him hold his tongue, the fat one also refused to speak.
Shen Yujiao frowned, just about to press further when a lazy voice drifted over: “That’s not how you interrogate someone.”
She looked up to see Xie Wuling waving for the guard captain to watch the pot. Grinning as he walked over, he drew the long knife from his waist. “Interrogating filth like this? Leave it to me. They’re not worthy of speaking to you.”
Shen Yujiao knew such people always bullied the weak and feared the strong—likely they took her lightly because she was a woman.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded toward him. “Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Xie Wuling’s lips curved into a roguish smile. “As you command, my lady.”
A moment ago he was still smiling lazily; the next, his blade flashed—swish—and one of Scarface’s fingers was severed clean off. He didn’t even blink. “My lady asked you a question. Who delivered her to you?”
Blood gushed from the man’s hand.
The fat one went pale with fright. Seeing how smoothly Xie Wuling questioned them—clearly someone who’d lived rough—he immediately broke. “Mercy, sir, mercy! The contact’s Liu Mazi from Changle Ward—he works for Qiu Po! We don’t know anything else, truly! We just deliver the goods, we don’t ask questions!”
Xie Wuling gave a faint “Oh,” then asked, “Where’s the ledger?”
The fat man blinked. “What ledger?”
Xie Wuling frowned. “Don’t play dumb. You deliver people without a ledger? Who are you delivering to, ghosts?”
He raised his knife again. “Or do I have to draw more blood before you’ll talk?”
“Sir! Mercy, sir!” The fat one cowered the instant he saw the blade glint. “You mean the name list, right? It’s with Wang Liu! Wang Liu, where’d you hide the name list? Quick, give it to the gentleman!”
Xie Wuling rubbed his nose and muttered, “So that’s what you people call it in this region.”
Without waiting for further explanation, he simply started rifling through Scarface’s clothes—utterly unrestrained, like a true bandit.
Shen Yujiao stood watching, dumbfounded—but sure enough, he found the so-called name list.
On it were written the physical features of every abducted girl, and where each was to be sent.
Their group of six was divided into three destinations. Shen Yujiao and Ah Nian were marked for “transport by ship,” while the other four were assigned to two brothels in Weinan Prefecture, their prices neatly noted—
Twenty taels, thirty taels.
On Shen Yujiao’s page, no price was listed. Instead, it said: “Sold to a low-grade private den.”
Even brothels had ranks—and those private dens were the filthiest kind.
No payment, and such a deliberate humiliation—it showed just how malicious the mastermind was.
Xie Wuling’s face darkened instantly. The veins on his hand bulged as he gripped the list. He seized Scarface by the collar and barked coldly, “Did Liu Mazi take the lady directly from Qiu Po’s hand?”
Scarface’s face was white with pain, one finger already gone. “I—I’m not sure. But when Liu Mazi loaded your lady onto the carriage, he told us to deliver her to the dock tomorrow morning—to be sent off on a southbound ship.”
Shen Yujiao’s eyes sharpened. “A southbound ship? What kind of ship? Is it used just to sell people?”
Scarface hesitated. Xie Wuling’s expression sank. He swung the knife and sliced off another finger. “Speak!”
“Ahhh!” The man screamed, curling in agony. “Y-yes! That ship carries abducted girls from all over—to be sent together to the Jiangnan region!”
“How many people per ship?” Shen Yujiao demanded urgently.
“One trip a month—about a hundred or so each time… depends on how many they catch that month, no fixed number.”
“A hundred?!”
Shen Yujiao gasped. These beasts had kidnapped so many innocent women!
Xie Wuling’s brows furrowed deeply. A hundred per ship, every month—that meant over a thousand a year, not even counting those sold locally or trafficked northward from the south…
What kind of backing did this “Qiu Po” have, to run such a brazen operation?
“Where does the southbound ship dock? When does it depart?” Shen Yujiao asked grimly.
Scarface shot her a sullen glare. “Madam, I advise you not to meddle. If you ruin Qiu Po’s business, she’ll never spare you.”
Shen Yujiao froze for a second—was this man threatening her?
Xie Wuling immediately slapped him across the face. “Watch your mouth when you speak to my lady. You got a death wish?”
Scarface was instantly punched in the face, blood spurting from his nose. Though fear flickered in his eyes, he still rasped out, “You’ve offended Qiu Po—no one gets out alive!”
Xie Wuling sneered. “Qiu Po, Qiu Po—once I find out who she really is, I’ll chop her up into Qiu-season grasshopper paste!”
Scarface stayed silent.
“Madam, Young Master Xie, the noodle soup is ready.”
The captain of the guards approached and, upon seeing the two bloody fingers on the ground, couldn’t help but think this Xie fellow really had no scruples. How could he do something so gory right in front of the lady?
If he wanted to interrogate them, he could at least have dragged them somewhere else before bringing out the knife.
“Jiaojiao, go have something to eat first,” said Xie Wuling.
“But…” Shen Yujiao hesitated.
“I know.”
Xie Wuling nodded slightly to her, his brows and gaze firm. “Whatever you want to know, I’ll get the answers for you.”
Meeting the man’s deep, steady eyes, Shen Yujiao’s heart trembled slightly.
He understood her.
And she trusted him.
“Alright.” She nodded, turned away from the bloodstains on the ground, and joined the young maids to share the noodles.
The guard captain exchanged a look with Xie Wuling; with perfect tacit understanding, they hauled the two captives farther away—so the interrogation wouldn’t ruin the ladies’ appetite.
A quarter of an hour later.
Scarface had lost an arm and too much blood, lying unconscious.
The fat man’s face was pale as paper, trembling like a sieve, a suspicious wet patch spreading at his crotch.
Xie Wuling calmly wiped the blood from his knife, then walked toward Shen Yujiao with a faint smile. “Have you eaten your fill?”
Shen Yujiao hummed in reply, then hurriedly asked, “Did you get the information?”
“All that could be asked, I asked. They’re just delivery men—they don’t know much. We’ll have to return to Chang’an and find that Liu Mazi.”
“Xie Wuling.”
Shen Yujiao looked at him. “I have an idea.”
He lifted his eyelids slightly. “Mm, go on.”
“Since we’ve come this far, why not turn their plot against them?”
Shen Yujiao took a deep breath. In the flickering firelight, her gentle features shone with a fierce, desperate resolve. “I still don’t know what connection there is between the one who harmed me and this Qiu Po. But if I can stir up this muddy water and make her lose her peace, then all my suffering won’t have been for nothing.”
“Xie Wuling, will you lend me your strength?”
“Of course.”
Meeting her bright gaze, Xie Wuling’s lips curved slightly. “Whatever my lady commands.”
—
Three hours earlier, a hundred li away, at the Lishan hunting grounds.
Bonfires blazed. A golden banner embroidered with dragons fluttered in the night wind.
During the day’s hunt, Pei Xia had brought down an excellent white fox.
He thought it would make a fine scarf for Shen Yujiao—her skin was so fair that the pure, unblemished fur would surely make her look even more radiant.
But during the evening banquet, Princess Shouan suddenly requested the white fox pelt. “Might Scholar Pei part with it for me?”
Pei Xia rarely loathed anyone as deeply as he loathed her.
Princess Shouan was one of the few.
He couldn’t understand how someone could be so shameless—having harmed his wife and child, yet still had the gall to ask him for gifts.
But this was a royal banquet, with the emperor and the Nanzhao prince both present. He could not show personal displeasure. His tone remained mild:
“I trust Your Highness knows that in Nanzhao, the seasons are ever springlike, and such furs are hardly needed. Moreover, before departing, I promised my wife to bring her some pelts for a winter coat. It would not do to break my word. I beg Your Highness’s pardon.”
Though she had expected refusal, being rejected outright before everyone made Princess Shouan’s smile freeze.
She thought darkly—ever springlike or not, the brothel women of Nanzhao certainly wouldn’t need such fine fur either.
“So Scholar Pei and his wife had already agreed, then I was being presumptuous.”
Rising, she lifted her cup, feigning guilt. “Allow me to drink a toast in apology.”
She drained the cup in one go. Pei Xia frowned slightly.
When she put her cup down and saw he had not raised his, she pursed her lips in wounded reproach. “Does Scholar Pei refuse to accept my apology?”
“I would not dare.” Pei Xia rose and bowed politely. “I simply have poor tolerance for wine. I beg Your Highness’s understanding.”
“Can’t even handle a single cup?”
“…”
Her petty trick was laughably shallow.
Pei Xia guessed at once the wine was tampered with, but with the emperor and nobles watching, to refuse the cup outright would seem disrespectful.
Just as he prepared to “accidentally” spill it, his peripheral vision caught sight of Jinglin outside the tent, being stopped by the imperial guards, visibly anxious.
Pei Xia’s eyes darkened.
He raised the cup, drank it in one motion, and said evenly, “Please, Your Highness, be seated.”
Princess Shouan, satisfied now that he had drunk it, said nothing further.
But a quarter-hour later, Pei Xia, who had briefly stepped out, hurried back into the tent to announce that an urgent matter had arisen at his residence. Before she could even speak, Emperor Zhaoning nodded his permission. Pei Xia promptly excused himself and left Lishan that very night.
