Among those accompanying Qi Yuan on this trip was Liu Pingan, the son of Liuzhong.
Liu Pingan had been on edge the entire way. His father told him that when traveling with the young mistress, there was only one word to remember: obedience.
But the problem was, his father also said: anything could happen on a trip with the young mistress, and he must keep his eyes and ears wide open at all times.
So Liu Pingan kept thinking—what exactly did “eyes on all sides, ears to the ground” look like in practice?
Ever since they left the city, the young mistress hadn’t given them a single break. All she told them was: keep moving.
At night, they stayed at postal inns. At dawn, they continued on.
He was beginning to think maybe his father had exaggerated—after all, the young mistress was really very easy to serve.
That was until this day.
The weather was gloomy, thunder rolled constantly, and it looked like a storm was about to break.
He couldn’t help urging the two guards in front to go ahead and check whether there was an inn nearby.
If they got caught mid-journey in that kind of downpour, it could be dangerous.
Qi Yuan heard the commotion as well. She lifted the curtain of her carriage and glanced at the sky. The corners of her lips curled faintly, and she said in a low voice, “He’s here.”
Liu Pingan had been keeping a constant eye on the young mistress. The moment she lifted the curtain and said something, he rushed over eagerly and asked, “Miss, what do you mean, ‘he’s here’?”
The boy was only sixteen—not so young to be serving in the household anymore.
But Qi Yuan looked at him with a kind of indulgent tolerance, as though she were looking at a child. She smiled softly and said, “It’s nothing. Go look for a place to rest. Try to get us to the next postal inn as soon as possible. There’ll likely be a heavy rain tonight.”
Liu Pingan readily answered and soon came back excited: “Miss! I asked some villagers up ahead—they said there’s a postal inn just about ten li further!”
Qi Yuan nodded with a smile. “Good. Then let’s press on.”
They finally made it to an inn, meaning they had a place to stay the night. Otherwise, out here in the wilderness, who knew what they would’ve done? Liu Pingan breathed a sigh of relief and urged the carriage to speed up.
By the time they reached the inn, dusk had fallen. The sky was heavy with black clouds, massed like the gaping maw of a giant dragon.
Everyone relaxed as soon as they arrived.
Qi Yuan also stepped down from the carriage. She glanced at Liu Pingan and said: “Have them prepare two buckets of hot water and send them to my room. You’ve all had a long day—eat well tonight.”
She pulled out a pouch and tossed it to Liu Pingan. “It’s been a hard trip. Distribute the silver among everyone—consider it a reward.”
Liu Pingan hurried to catch it, bowing gratefully along with the other guards.
Qi Yuan waved them off and went upstairs.
Liu Pingan immediately handed the pouch to a nearby guard. “The young mistress’s reward—go ahead and split it among yourselves!”
The guards were delighted. As they scrambled to divide the money, they clustered around Liu Pingan: “Hey, brother, it’s raining hard tonight. No way we’re heading out early tomorrow. How about letting everyone have a drink tonight, huh?”
A group of men together—of course they wanted to drink.
But ever since they’d left with Qi Yuan, none of them had dared to relax.
Tonight, seeing her in a good mood and even handing out silver, they finally found the courage.
Liu Pingan, having picked up plenty of tact and social skills from his father, knew better than to be overly strict. After thinking it over, he agreed readily: “Alright, just a few cups! Don’t go overboard. Having such an easygoing mistress is a blessing—we’d better not push our luck, understand?!”
The men all agreed enthusiastically.
The inn was soon bustling with cheer.
Liu Pingan even slipped into the kitchen and gave some silver to the cook and the serving boys, asking them to prepare a few good dishes for Qi Yuan and bring them up to her room.
Only then did he return to the main hall to ask the innkeeper: “Is the inn full tonight?”
“Oh, come now!” The innkeeper laughed, stroking his beard. “This is just a little place, not a major post inn. We’re rarely full! Besides your group, only three other rooms are taken tonight.”
That reassured Liu Pingan.
By nightfall, rain was pouring. Lightning flashed so brightly it turned the sky to daylight. Feeling uneasy, Liu Pingan went to ask if someone should stand guard outside Qi Yuan’s door.
But the wind was howling. If someone stood outside all night, they’d be soaked for sure.
Qi Yuan shook her head. “No need. You’ve all been working hard for days. Let them rest tonight.”
She yawned. Her face looked tired. “Nothing’s going to happen.”
Liu Pingan quickly agreed.
As he headed downstairs, a flash of lightning lit up the sky again. He reflexively shielded his eyes and suddenly thought of that Daoist priest back in the capital who had been struck dead by lightning.
He pressed his palms together and prayed up to the heavens: “Please, Heaven, I’m not a bad person—don’t strike me, okay?”
The rain came down in torrents. As the night deepened, the lights in the inn began to go out, one by one.
Only the two red lanterns at the front gate still swayed in the wind, and the wind lamp at Qi Yuan’s door on the second floor still gave off its dim yellow glow.
The entire inn fell quiet.
After tallying the last account, the innkeeper stretched lazily and said, “Those folks from the Marquis’s residence sure live up to their name—so generous with rewards!”
Everyone from the innkeeper to the cooks and serving boys had received silver.
The cook wiped the sweat from his brow and chuckled. “Yeah, and not just them. Those two gentlemen who arrived before them were generous too!”
The innkeeper remembered the two men who arrived ahead of the group and smiled. “Today’s a lucky day. Alright, it’s getting late—go get some sleep.”
He dropped the door bar, shut the doors, and he and the cook each returned to their rooms.
Deep in the night, Li Changqing opened his eyes in the darkness and sat up.
His young disciple had been nodding off, but the noise snapped him awake. He jolted upright and called out nervously, “Master!”
His teeth were chattering.
Li Changqing hummed in response and turned to look at him. His voice was calm: “Stay in the room. I’ll come back for you after it’s done.”
The disciple’s eyes reddened. “Master… I… I’m scared.”
He couldn’t help it. They had been on the run for days.
Ten days ago, his master had followed the Marquis Yongping’s carriage to this location and checked into this very inn ahead of time.
He knew his master’s target was the young lady Qi.
She was just a marquis’s daughter… but for some reason, the young disciple felt a deep, growing unease.
Another flash of lightning split the sky.
