Chapter 53
Serpent of the Day, Fox of the Night
At the Liang Palace, a prince in his flashy red robe walks back and forth on the palace's beautiful veranda, gazing at the flowers and the magnificent Chinese garden. It is truly a breathtaking sight.
However, the prince cannot appreciate its beauty. He is too preoccupied with thoughts of breaking some palace rules today and venturing into the streets in disguise once again.
The last time he did this, he almost lost his life.
Thanks to Chu Qiao and Sun Di, he was brought back alive, even though he had been gravely wounded by deadly arrows.
The servants and eunuchs are already exhausted from fanning the crown prince to keep him cool in the summer heat. They follow him wherever he goes, under strict orders from Emperor Tang. If the prince slips from their sight, heads will roll, and there will be no pardon.
Prince Xiao Ce has been confined to the palace for a long time, unable to evade his heavy guards, no matter how much he threatens or tries to trick them. His father, the emperor, has decreed that he remain grounded.
Suddenly, he goes inside his room and writes a letter. A sly smile spreads across his face as he orders, "Deliver this to Kong Sang Mountain. A friend must see me."
The guard servant nods and replies, "Yes, Your Highness."
After sending the letter, Xiao Ce begins planning his escape for the day.
He calls in his servants and arranges it so that they appear too busy to follow or guard him. Yesterday, he had already prepared items to use in his disguise for walking the streets.
But this time, he won't be alone. It's been a long time since he spoke with this friend. Although his friend still views him as royalty, Xiao Ce considers him one of the few people he would call a true friend, due to the loyal, unchanging character he had admired since they both served their original master.
His friend is also highly skilled in various areas: sword fighting, spying, demolition work, you name it, he can do it, as his impressive past record shows.
Meanwhile, Yuwen Yue returns to the lodge and sees his beloved still sleeping. He can't help but feel joy as he gazes at her lovely, peaceful face.
He prepares a hearty breakfast, and while waiting for her to wake up, he begins his carpentry work. Yuwen Yue is precise, measuring every inch of the sword's dimensions. He doesn't even need to look at the sword; he has memorized every detail.
Having been raised in a noble family of Mohists, with his grandfather Yuwen Gao and foster father Yuwen Hao, the original masters who designed the stratagems around Merlin, Castle Peak, Red and Green Hills Courtyard, and their empire's famous repository and intelligence center, the Eyes of God, Yuwen Yue has learned much about traps, lures, and other secret skills known only to the Yuwen heirs.
This carpentry task is easy for him, though it will take some time to complete this artistic work.
Yuwen Yue is crafting not one, but two sword holders.
The catch is that he's adding a unique design that only he and perhaps Chu Qiao would understand how to use.
He also plans to include special features, deadly add-ons to make the sword holder worthy of the Canhong and Poe Yue Jian swords. He carves their names into the wood, making it personalized and one of a kind.
Chu Qiao wakes up and notices the sword. She thought she had hidden it under their bed, so why is it standing beside the wall now?
Did her husband see the sword?
Whatever the case, she hopes he didn't notice.
She quickly hides the sword elsewhere.
Yuwen Yue is just washing his hands when Chu Qiao finds him, and he gives her a cold glance.
Chu Qiao remains calm as she observes her husband, who appears as serene as the sea, as though he has no worries in the world. She asks him, "Do you have any parcels to deliver today?"
Yuwen Yue approaches her, looks her in the eye, and says, "I'm on vacation today."
Chu Qiao responds, "Well, that's good news."
Yuwen Yue, though cold in appearance, reveals happiness in his eyes as he says, "Come, let's have our late breakfast or should I say lunch?"
Chu Qiao is still searching for signs that her husband may have seen the Canhong sword, but Yuwen Yue doesn't mention anything.
Likewise, Yuwen Yue has hidden the sword holder after sensing his wife's awakening, so before she could notice, he had already placed it somewhere she wouldn't find.
He doesn't plan to let her see it until the day he presents the final test.
Both sense an unspoken tension in the air. Chu Qiao squints her eyes, certain someone has touched the Canhong sword, but her husband remains silent.
As Yuwen Yue heads toward the dining table, a roof tile suddenly comes loose. Chu Qiao pushes her husband aside and catches the tile with her hands.
Yuwen Yue remains unshaken by Chu Qiao's actions, but Chu Qiao isn't feeling good about the situation.
Yuwen Yue quietly returns to the dining table and invites his wife to eat.
Chu Qiao puts the roof tile down and notices a ray of sunshine piercing through to their dining table. Yuwen Yue calmly says, "Will you join your husband for breakfast?"
Chu Qiao, still wary of her husband's indifferent behavior, takes a seat at the table and studies him. Yuwen Yue smiles and says, "Wife, the roof is not your concern. I'll fix it later. Let's eat."
Chu Qiao, unconvinced by her husband's calm stance, starts eating her cold noodles with chopsticks. Yuwen Yue does the same, and silence lingers between them.
Suddenly, Chu Qiao stands up and says, "Fine! Ask me!"
Yuwen Yue looked at her calmly and did not utter a word to his wife.
Chu Qiao, feeling irritated by Yuwen Yue's coldness and calmness, knowing full well her husband had something to say, asked, "Is there something I need to explain?"
Yuwen Yue, enjoying the sight of his beautiful wife's annoyed face, finding her even more attractive, replied, "Is there anything we need to talk about, my pretty wife?"
Chu Qiao blushed, but with a slightly angry voice, she said, "Maybe?"
In his calm voice, Yuwen Yue asked, "What did I say last time? Do you remember?"
Chu Qiao thought for a moment, then answered, "The walls have ears? Illegal channels?"
Yuwen Yue stopped eating, put down his chopsticks, and looked at her. "There, you said it yourself."
Wanting to test her husband further, Chu Qiao pointed her index finger at him and snapped, aiming for his neck. But Yuwen Yue, with his eyes closed, caught her delicate hand. Their faces were close, and neither of them moved.
Chu Qiao couldn't move, as Yuwen Yue had pressed on the nerves in her fingers. Then, in a rush, he kissed her lips. Surprised, Chu Qiao instinctively pulled back slightly, but Yuwen Yue, already holding her nape, kissed her again, unable to control himself. This time, Chu Qiao did not hesitate.
Yuwen Yue, lost in the moment, found it hard to stop. He suddenly snapped back to reality and gently moved his hands away from Chu Qiao's face. The warm air between them seemed to turn colder. Chu Qiao opened her eyes and saw her husband's calm face, though he wasn't looking at her. Yuwen Yue picked up his chopsticks. Chu Qiao, wanting the kiss to continue but feeling embarrassed, moved away slightly, her cheeks flushed. She could sense that Yuwen Yue knew she wanted the kiss to last longer.
Both remained silent, avoiding eye contact, as they continued eating. The attraction between them was strong, and Yuwen Yue feared that if he lost control, it would ruin his plans.
Suddenly here comes a man disguised as a eunuch arrived at Liang Palace under Prince Xiao Ce's orders.
Xiao Ce, with his back turned, saw the man and smiled. With his sly eyes and fragrant presence in a red-purple robe, the man bowed and greeted him, "Your Highness, what can I do for you?"
Xiao Ce stepped closer and whispered in his ear, "Yue Qi, I want you to stay in the palace and act as my temporary royal guard."
Yue Qi nodded and replied, "Yes, Your Highness."
With a sly smile, Xiao Ce whispered again, "I want to stroll through the streets today. Will you come with me?"
Yue Qi raised an eyebrow, understanding what the crown prince meant, and whispered back, "Your Highness, what time do you wish to go?"
Later in the afternoon, Chu Qiao was doing laundry. She hadn't practiced her martial arts that day, as Yuwen Yue was at home, chopping wood for their firewood supply.
He had learned this humble task during his time in the Woolong Mountains, where he had spent a few months after the frozen lake tragedy. There, he had stayed in a temple, learning wisdom, martial arts, and tribal warfare from the Far Eastern empires.
This was the same master who had taught Zhong Yu and Wudao Ya the Datong Way, which had shaped the Chu Jing Kingdom. Even now, its influence continued to shape Yanbei's government, under Wudao Ya's guidance.
Though the couple went about their usual chores, they were secretly careful not to reveal each other's secrets.
Xiao Ce, still feeling some pain in his healed wound on the back of his right chest, successfully slipped past the royal Liang guards with Yue Qi. They landed on a cushion of green grass outside the palace walls, smiling at their success. Only a serpent could crawl and climb such fortified walls undetected.
Faking its stomachache, Xiao Ce had used the royal toilet window to escape with Yue Qi's help. Yue Qi, disguised as a royal utility servant, had swept the palace corridors with a long-handled broom, then jumped sideways and used a rope to scale the walls. He waited on top for Xiao Ce.
After a few minutes, Xiao Ce, disguised like Yue Qi and carrying a backpack, climbed the wall with Yue Qi's assistance.
The two men then moved to a nearby gigantic tree, where they changed into noble attire, complete with noble hats, shoes, and hidden cold weapons in their Hanfu robes.
It was Yue Qi's first time strolling outside in two years, having spent that time recovering from multiple wounds. Now, he was back in the world, eager to see what fate had in store for him.
As night approached, the Liang crown prince, longing for some good company, asked Yue Qi if they could visit Zao Baocung's shop to gather information.
The two disguised men arrived at the shop. Xiao Ce found Zao Baocung asleep inside, while Yue Qi closed the curtains and locked the doors. Xiao Ce smiled, blinked his eyes, and pinched Zao's ear, startling the old man awake.
Groaning in pain, Zao grumbled, "Go away if you don't have enough Liang gold. I'm not selling anything today."
Xiao Ce chuckled and coughed. "I don't have any gold with me, but I came in secret to visit an old servant."
Zao, now half-awake, opened his eyes and saw the disguised crown prince. He immediately straightened up and bowed. "Your Highness, such a surprise visit! Is there anything I can do for you today?" Zao's eyes widened when he saw Yue Qi. "How could an old man forget a dead man who came back to life?"
Yue Qi stood silently in the corner, alert and waiting for Xiao Ce's orders.
Xiao Ce didn't waste time and said, "I'm not here to waste time, but I've heard from a reliable source that a jewelry shop was recently bought by a wealthy trader from the East. They had a priceless engagement ring with a unique policy. The shop was raided, and all the goons were killed, except for their leader, who is part of Zhan Ziyu's afterlife spy league. What do you know about this?"
Zao knew the details well. He had helped Yuwen Yue, the true owner of the jewelry shop.
At the time, the shop was on the brink of closure due to heavy debts. Yuwen Yue had paid off the debts on the condition that the shop be sold to him. His reason was simple: he needed a place to store the precious ring of Xinger, a keepsake of his love for the lowly maidservant who had shaken his world. Despite the cold-blooded empire they lived in and the inequality of their statuses, she had made him believe in love. Even in the face of painful death, their story had an ugly ending but a beautiful beginning, as Yuwen Yue was able to start anew.
Though Zao had assisted Yuwen Yue, he had no idea what his ultimate goal was. He knew Yuwen Yue wanted to trade secretly in Liang and learn about their economic growth, so he could offer Qinghai financial advice.
Zao didn't even know that Yuwen Yue had married. He was also unaware that Yuwen Yue had taken the ring from the shop. Zuo Zong had spun a convincing story that led the Liang authorities to believe the jewelry manager had conspired with goons, who then stole the ring.
With his quick wit and sharp tongue, Zao had suggested that Yuwen Yue use Zuo Zong as a dummy owner, to avoid exposing himself to the public and revealing that he was still alive. Yuwen Yue was too well-known as a high-ranking official from the West, and his reappearance would shock the world.
Lately, Southern Liang's crown prince, Xiao Ce, was also quite fond of him.
Xiao Ce waited for an answer from the old man while Yue Qi remained vigilant and silent in the shop.
Zao, trying to misinform him, replied, "Your Highness, the ring isn't of much value. It's just an ordinary ring, not even gold. But what makes it intriguing is the policy behind it."
Xiao Ce asked, "And what is the policy about?"
Zao explained, "It can be loaned for a certain time, but to release it from the jewelry shop, one has to buy a far-off kingdom."
Xiao Ce repeated, "Buy a far-off kingdom? Now that is really strange. For a ring of no value, one has to buy a kingdom?" He scoffed and laughed loudly, and Zao Baocung grinned as well.
Xiao Ce walked around, occasionally stroking his chin, and said, "Such an idiotic yet smart policy. And has someone already bought it? A couple in peasant clothes?"
Zao Baocung, continuing his deception, replied, "No, it was stolen. They say the owner of the jewelry shop was taken hostage, and as a ransom, he gave the ring to the jewelry manager. Anyway, he thought it was just a worthless piece of metal. As for the couple, they were mere victims of the rampage."
Xiao Ce laughed again, saying, "What a foolish owner. There must be a bigger picture behind this policy. Otherwise, heads wouldn't have rolled for it that day, just to end up in the hands of a 'finder's keeper.'"
Yue Qi, hearing the crown prince's words, couldn't help but chuckle slightly. But when Xiao Ce gave him a stern look, Yue Qi immediately returned to his vigilant and serious face.
Zao Baocung then offered some advice to the young crown prince. "Your Highness, may I say something? You didn't come here just to chat about a ring, did you?"
Xiao Ce, with a playful smile and foxy eyes, replied, "Smart old man! How did you know?" He then added, "I also wanted to ask for information about Chu Qiao."
Zao grinned and responded, "I heard she became the Wei crown princess, but not much news has come out about her since then."
Xiao Ce secretly laughed to himself, pleased that his Pandora's box was still sitting in the Wei Empire. He revealed to Zao, "Haven't you read the classics? The Trojan Horse of Troy? Different in style, but the principle remains the same."
Zao finally shared more information, saying, "I met her once when she was still a lowly maidservant in the Yuwen household. Our paths crossed when I helped her complete her revenge against the Yuwen family."
Xiao Ce knew this was vital information.
Zao continued, "Then, the gossip among my customers claimed that after the ice lake tragedy, the Prince of Yanbei hid her in the Xiuli Mountains. There, she became known as the Xiuli Lady General." He paused.
Xiao Ce, eager for more, asked, "Why did you stop?"
Zao, cautious about speaking too much to a royal, especially the King of Yanbei's brother-in-law, hesitated but continued, "They say Yan Xun built her a palace in the Xiu Xiu Mountains."
Xiao Ce had heard this before but dismissed it as a joke, not based on evidence.
Zao went on, "After being held in Xiuli, she escaped from Meilin, and rumors spread that she became engaged to the 13th Prince of Wei and is now married to him."
Xiao Ce enjoyed how Zao Baocung told the story, noting that Zao didn't mention Xia Chong, the woman who had replaced Chu Qiao that night when he lost her.
Flashback on Xiao Ce's Pandora's box
During his journey to his sister's wedding, Xiao Ce had managed to sneak out and head to the Wei borders, disguised as a spy. There, he waited for the love of his life, alone and trusting no one. He was filled with excitement, convinced his sleepless nights would soon be over. But as dawn broke, there was no sign of Chu Qiao. Heartbroken, the disguised crown prince of Liang left Wei and returned to attend his sister's wedding in Yanbei.
His plan to surprise everyone failed, and after some time, he returned to his nightly drinking sessions, hopping from one of Liang's famous bachelor nightclubs to another. That was how he coped until one fateful night, when he met two women who expressed interest in a blind date.
For the first time in his life, Xiao Ce used his gold handkerchief to bid for a blind date, unsure why he even joined. To his shock, the woman he ended up meeting was none other than Chu Qiao.
He had set the stage, wooing her grandly, convinced he had expressed his feelings enough for the girl of his dreams. They even spent the night together, but nothing happened between them. Chu Qiao had simply passed out from drinking and slept in his bed by accident.
The most beautiful yet painful moment came when he witnessed her reunite with her sister, Xiao Ba. Before he knew it, he was gasping for breath, hit by an arrow in the back.
After Chu Qiao's visit, Xiao Ce had felt a glimmer of hope and love in the early spring air. But that hope was dashed when he learned she had a secret suitor who visited their Kowloon house frequently and had eventually married him. All this while Xiao Ce was detained in the golden prison of his JinWu Palace.
When Xiao Ce received the spy's report, he was shocked. He fell into deep thought, wondering who this man could be someone who had managed to bypass the defenses he had set up to nurture the love of his dreams. No matter what he did, Chu Qiao seemed to keep slipping out of his grasp.
Now, back in the conversation with Zao, Xiao Ce, with sadness in his eyes and letting his guard down for a moment, said, "To see is to believe. But I wish, when I see her, that it isn't true, that she hasn't really married."
Zao felt the pain in the crown prince's words and offered some unsolicited advice. "She's a beautiful disaster right now, but who knows? Fate may still turn the tides in your favor someday."
Xiao Ce smiled at Zao Baocung's words and turned to Yue Qi, asking, "Hey buddy, did you hear that?"
Yue Qi, ever calm and assertive, replied, "I didn't hear anything, Your Highness, if you don't want me to."
Yue Qi knew Chu Qiao well, and from what he had heard, he could only believe one thing: somewhere in his barren land of hope, there was a spring of belief that his master, Yuwen Yue, was still alive, and Chu Qiao couldn't possibly be with anyone else.
In Yue Qi's mind, he thought,Who else could the Star child be with, except for Fourth Young Master Yuwen Yue? This isn't a land of dreams, but it is a world where anything can happen under the heavens.
As night fell, the summer moon rose in the southern skies. The two disguised men trailed the walls of the Liang Daming Palace and returned to their base. Another sleepless night awaited the crown prince, but this time he carried with him sound wisdom. He repeated Zao's words to himself, "She's a beautiful disaster."
Despite everything, he couldn't stop himself from pursuing the girl of his dreams. Xiao Ce removed his mask once again, putting on a spy disguise to try and cancel Chu Qiao's engagement, while pretending to be busy with his sister's wedding preparations. No one could complain about his actions.
He was the master of masks, a secret player and a secret thief of Chu Qiao's affections. His evil charm but good heart was difficult to resist.
His royal companion, back in his eunuch disguise, sealed off the day with hopes for better days ahead.
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