Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"You young lady..."

Liu Xiniang turned back with a pained expression. "Are you truly not afraid of death?"

Luo Wanqing met her gaze with a resolute determination. "I am not."

Liu Xiniang raised her hand to her forehead, exasperated. She feared this kind of ignorant and impulsive young lady the most. Once they set their minds on something, nothing could deter them.

"You might not fully understand the workings of the Inspectorate," Liu Xiniang tried to reason with Luo Wanqing, seeing that her words fell on deaf ears. "I'm just a lowly lackey, running errands at the bottom of the hierarchy. Even if you report me, you won't get to see Xie Heng. If it were that simple to meet him, our Chief would have long sacrificed his subordinates for an assassination attempt on Xie Heng. It wouldn't have been your turn."

"I know," Luo Wanqing remained steadfast. "But I want to try."

"Try using my life?!" Liu Xiniang placed her hand over her heart, stunned by the suggestion.

Luo Wanqing nodded, her face showing sincere yet unwavering regret. "I apologize, but unless you help me find another way, this is the only option I have."

Liu Xiniang was left speechless.

Contemplating for a moment, she placed her hands on her hips and paced back and forth in the courtyard, muttering to herself, "What kind of fate have I to encounter a precious gem like you? If I could let you meet Xie Heng so easily, would I be in this situation? Ultimately," Liu Xiniang came to a realization and turned to Luo Wanqing, "Why do you want to see Xie Heng?"

"I want to file a complaint."

Luo Wanqing spoke honestly. Liu Xiniang was taken aback but then recalled Luo Wanqing's outburst earlier. Her eyes rolled as she understood, "You think your family has been wronged, and you want to save them, right?"

"Yes."

"Then you don't necessarily have to seek Xie Heng for help," Liu Xiniang sighed in relief, "In cases of injustice, the Censorate can handle it. I can assist you in finding others..."

"My Luo family was framed by an alliance between an imperial prince and the Minister of Justice," Luo Wanqing lifted her gaze, causing Liu Xiniang's smile to freeze. Luo Wanqing asked calmly, "Aside from Xie Heng, can anyone else intervene?"

Liu Xiniang was at a loss for words. After a long while, she awkwardly said, "You... How did your family provoke such a prominent figure?"

"Jiang Shaoyan is an imperial prince who wandered among the common folk five years ago."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiniang didn't need further explanation to piece together the general picture.

Five years ago, the northern nomadic tribe, Beirong, sought peace. Third Prince Li Guiyu offered himself as a hostage to Beirong. However, after the alliance treaty was signed and the Summer Kingdom began to withdraw its troops, Beirong launched a surprise attack. The sixteen-year-old Li Guiyu vanished amidst the chaos. His childhood sweetheart, the Zheng family's legitimate daughter, searched for him, and their story became known throughout the land.

Yet, who could have foreseen that after five years, this renowned prince would return and, as his first act, imprison his benefactor to pave the way for his marriage to Miss Zheng?

Indeed, not just anyone could intervene in such a case.

Liu Xiniang pondered for a moment, realizing that Luo Wanqing's decision was her only feasible option and the most cost-effective one at that.

If Luo Wanqing could find a way to meet with Xie Heng, and he took action, the Luo family might have a chance at a better life. If he didn't, her situation couldn't get much worse. Any other approach would merely be a desperate attempt to survive.

Understanding Luo Wanqing's intentions, she knew she couldn't change her mind.

Amidst the chaos outside, clearly indicating that the Rain and Wind Pavilion had begun their operation, Liu Xiniang grew more serious. After a moment of contemplation, she calmly said, "It's not that I don't want to help you, but my capabilities are limited. Neither of us can go tonight; doing so would mean signing our own death warrants. You're seeking a lifeline for your family, not a path to self-destruction. The chances of success in filing a complaint were slim to begin with, and you shouldn't risk everything. At the very least, preserve your life and plan for alternatives."

Luo Wanqing listened, knowing that she had convinced Liu Xiniang. Her clear eyes gazed intently at Liu Xiniang, who understood that she wanted her to do something. Scratching her head, Liu Xiniang said, "Meeting Xie Heng is too difficult. Why not suggest something within my reach?"

Luo Wanqing didn't respond immediately, acknowledging the truth in Liu Xiniang's words.

If it were easy to meet Xie Heng, he would have likely died a thousand deaths already.

Lowering her head, she thought for a long while before finally asking, "Who is the person you intend to kill this time?"

"Even you are concerned about this?" Liu Xiniang was surprised.

Luo Wanqing furrowed her brow. "Can't I mention it?"

"Not really, it's not part of my mission anyway. But you probably don't know him. His name is Qin Jue, the son of an official."

Upon hearing this name, Luo Wanqing froze.

In her dream, he had been the second head of the Censorate, the one who had dragged Jiang Shaoyan into the prison.

She hadn't expected him to be in Yangzhou at this time.

"Why do you want to kill him?"

"I'm not sure," Liu Xiniang shook her head. "It's not my mission. I was just asked to lend a hand. But I know that the order given for him is a Heavenly Order. A Heavenly Order means death – if the first attempt fails, there will be a second, and so on, until the target is dead. The order won't be canceled until then. There have only been two Heavenly Orders since the founding of the Rain and Wind Pavilion," Liu Xiniang held up two fingers, "Xie Heng was the first, and Qin Jue is the second."

Listening to this, Luo Wanqing's mind raced as she connected all the pieces of information. She realized the depth of the connection between Qin Jue and Xie Heng.

If this person were so significant, there was no way Xie Heng would entrust the case to someone else. He would undoubtedly interrogate those uncaught assassins personally.

"Wan Qing, do you have a layout of the prison?"

Upon this realization, Luo Wanqing promptly spoke up. Liu Xiniang gave a hollow laugh. "I don't have that kind of..."

"Then go and get one."

"I do!"

At the mention of additional responsibilities, Liu Xiniang hastily fished a handkerchief from her bosom and passed it to Luo Wanqing with a serious expression. "This is a map our Rain and Wind Pavilion obtained through our spies who spent months within the prison. There isn't a more detailed one out there."

Luo Wanqing ignored her self-praise and took the map, studying it intently.

The map was meticulously drawn, clearly marking the function and size of each room.

"How many people are with you this time?"

With all the interrogation rooms located on the map, Luo Wanqing asked Liu Xiniang.

Liu Xiniang hesitated for a moment before vaguely responding, "Quite a few."

"More than thirty?"

"Probably... yes..."

Liu Xiniang didn't dare to give a precise answer, and Luo Wanqing didn't pursue the question.

More than thirty people.

From the cells to the interrogation rooms, prisoners were usually held nearby, so small and insufficient interrogation rooms located too close to the cells wouldn't be used.

These were assassins; their detention location had to be isolated from ordinary people. Thus, interrogation rooms with too many surrounding inhabitants would not be utilized.

Xie Heng, coming from an influential family, was surely fastidious about cleanliness. Whether it was for washing or torture, he would have high demands for water. The jailers, being lazy, wouldn't arrange a place too far from a water source...

After weighing the options, Luo Wanqing's gaze fell on an interrogation room in the northwest corner.

Seeing that she had a target in mind, Liu Xiniang secretly observed her before leaning closer and hurriedly asking, "What's wrong? Have you thought of a way?"

"It's highly likely that Xie Heng will personally interrogate the captured assassin."

"Liu Xiniang gasped in astonishment. "You want me to be the bait?!"

Luo Wanqing choked for a moment before she replied, "That's not what I meant. What I'm saying is that this road," Luo Wanqing pointed at the map, "if he chooses this interrogation chamber, then it's the path he must take. If we can wait along this road, we might just catch him."

Upon hearing her words, Liu Xiniang's face revealed surprise. She quickly grabbed the map and studied it for a long while before asking, "How do you know he'll choose this interrogation chamber?"

"A calculated risk," Luo Wanqing said without elaborating.

Liu Xiniang skipped over the reason and didn't ask further. Instead, she pondered, "This place is quite far from our cell block. There are watchtowers at each corner of the prison. Any activity in the open would be seen. Tonight, the Hall Master had his men eliminate the guards on the watchtowers before giving us the signal. With only the two of us, how do you plan to get there? And once you're there, how will you remain hidden?"

"Here," Luo Wanqing pointed to a path across from the mandatory route. "This is the water dungeon. Ten paces away is the path that Xie Heng will definitely take. If we can enter the water dungeon, we could create a hole in the wall above it, allowing us to wait for Xie Heng there."

"I understand now."

Liu Xiniang clapped her hands together but then spoke with regret, "But you don't know martial arts, and my skills are weak. Just the two of us ambushing Xie Heng might end up like throwing meat buns to a pack of dogs – no return."

"I'm here to lodge a complaint," Luo Wanqing stuffed the map back into Liu Xiniang's arms, reminding the clueless assassin before her, "not to assassinate Xie Heng. If you really kill him, I'll have to save him."

"Relax," Liu Xiniang said helplessly, tucking the map away and soothing her, "I can't kill him anyway. I'll just join in the fun with you."

"You have two tasks: take me to the water dungeon and create an opening in the wall," Luo Wanqing sorted out her thoughts, looking at her with some concern, "can you do that?"

"Trivial," Liu Xiniang patted her chest confidently, "don't worry. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to the water dungeon and dig a hole – this is right up my alley!"

"As long as I meet Xie Heng, I'll keep your secret to the grave."

Luo Wanqing pursed her lips, feeling a little embarrassed. She looked up at Liu Xiniang and said earnestly, "I swear I won't betray you."

"Sisters through and through." Liu Xiniang placed a hand on her shoulder, her eyes brimming with emotion. Then she asked, "In this cell, who do you find the most unbearable?"

Luo Wanqing was taken aback. After a long hesitation, she replied softly, "Wang Qiniang, I suppose..."

In recent times, Wang Qiniang had caused them the most trouble.

She was a notorious troublemaker who had bullied her way through the streets for years. Along with a few of her fellow ruffians, they had been caught fighting and thrown into jail. Back when the Luo family was still influential, she had dared to cause trouble with her gang. Now that their power had waned, she would surely be even more brazen.

In that dream, it was Wang Qiniang who led a group to bully the female members of the Luo family. Her mother, fearing a conflict, had endured the humiliation, only to be seen as weak and vulnerable, allowing anyone to trample on them.

Though the nightmare had yet to unfold, Wang Qiniang's recent sarcastic remarks and actions were more than enough to provoke Luo Wanqing's disdain.

Wondering why Liu Xiniang suddenly brought this up, she frowned and asked, "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing much, just wait for my news tomorrow," Liu Xiniang blinked. "Try your best to meet Xie Heng!"

Luo Wanqing looked at her friend blankly, but Liu Xiniang didn't elaborate. She turned around and said, "Let's go."

As she turned away, Liu Xiniang's expression softened. Lowering her gaze, she rubbed her fingers together, seemingly lost in thought.

After a moment, she chuckled softly to herself.

Meeting Xie Heng...

With their plan set, they quietly returned to their quarters one after another.

When they got back, everyone else was still sound asleep. Luo Wanqing sat down, and Yao Zelan stirred, opening her bleary eyes. "Wan Qing?"

"No worries," Luo Wanqing reassured her mother, patting her shoulder gently. "I just went to the restroom."

Yao Zelan, upon hearing this, nodded without giving it much thought and leaned against her daughter to continue dozing off.

Luo Wanqing adjusted Yao Zelan's coat, ensuring it covered her mother, then drew her closer into her embrace.

Lowering her head, she examined the strands of silver in her mother's hair. Only then did she finally relax, gradually detaching herself from the rollercoaster of emotions experienced that day. Leaning against the wall, she drifted off to sleep, her consciousness fading into a hazy slumber.

In her semi-conscious state, she seemed to drift into a dream.

In her dream, it was as if she was back on the night she first met Jiang Shaoyan, when she was fourteen and still living in the Eastern Capital.

On that day, she accompanied her mother to offer incense, but they encountered bandits. She was abducted by the bandits and fled to a bamboo hut. As the bandits intended to commit an indecent act, a short arrow pierced through the screen from behind it, causing the bandit to fall with a cry. She widened her eyes in shock, and a hoarse young voice echoed from behind the screen, "Do not turn around."

She froze, and the figure, coughing, warned her, "If it's not meant for your eyes, look away. Leave when the rain stops. I'll take care of the body."

She dared not move, her dream-self enveloped by a sense of dread. Her body stiffened as she strained to rein in her tumultuous emotions, trembling as she leaned against the screen, too fearful to make a sound.

The person behind the screen seemed to sense her fear, and after a long moment of contemplation, gently pushed a grasshopper through the screen.

His voice held a hint of weariness as he comforted her, "I'll give you this grasshopper. Go to sleep, everything will be alright."

It was a grasshopper made from bamboo leaves, unlike any she had seen before. With a gentle pull on its hind legs, its head would move.

She clutched the grasshopper and suddenly began to weep.

She didn't understand why her dream self was behaving that way.

But upon reflection, it made sense.

In her dreams, she was filled with regret and resentment.

If she hadn't accepted that grasshopper years ago, she would have died in that bamboo house. She wouldn't owe Jiang Shaoyan her life, wouldn't have revisited the bamboo house on the day she left East Capital with her family, wouldn't have seen the bloodied Jiang Shaoyan, and wouldn't have saved him. Her Lu family wouldn't be where they were today, and her father wouldn't have died.

It was all her fault. In reality, she couldn't speak up, so she could only hold onto the grasshopper in her dreams and cry bitterly.

After a long slumber, she was roused by the commotion. When she awoke, she realized her face was wet with tears.

Lying on the ground, she took a moment to recompose herself before noticing the surrounding cacophony. A vaguely familiar female voice echoed through the room, accompanied by sounds of fierce pursuit and combat. The voice declared sharply, "Wang Qiniang, you shameless old hag! Do you really think I'm dead? How dare you steal my steamed buns! Just you wait, I'll beat you senseless today, you old scoundrel!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Wanqing immediately grasped the situation. She hastily sat up to find the detention cell already surrounded by a circle of people. Yao Zelan was standing nearby, patting Luo Wenshui, who was still sleeping with her eyes barely open. Seeing Luo Wanqing awake, Yao Zelan explained, "Another fight broke out. You should rest and not bother with them."

"I'll take a look."

Disregarding Yao Zelan's words, Luo Wanqing stood up, surprising Yao Zelan, and hurriedly pushed her way through the crowd. Reaching the front row, she saw Liu Xiniang grappling with several middle-aged women.

Liu Xiniang didn't use any inner strength or techniques; she simply punched and clawed at her opponents in the most straightforward manner, rolling on the ground with the other women.

Amidst the curses and scuffles, Luo Wanqing watched in shock as Liu Xiniang tussled with the women over their hair accessories.

Noticing Luo Wanqing's presence, Liu Xiniang, with one foot on an elder woman and one hand pulling another's hair while her own hair was entangled by another, turned to roar at Luo Wanqing, "A hero, save me!"

Only then did Luo Wanqing understand Liu Xiniang's intention.

One entered the water prison only for committing offenses. In the cell, what could be easier to land oneself there than fighting?

Liu Xiniang's plan was to provoke others into a brawl with her.

Having lived nineteen years without ever resorting to violence, Luo Wanqing was now being thrown into a mass fight by Liu Xiniang!

What does it mean to work hard for Xie Heng? Is this something that requires effort?

This was clearly asking her to risk her life!

Regardless, Liu Xiniang had already jumped in, and she couldn't let Liu Xiniang suffer the blows.

Swallowing her saliva, her heart raced as she gazed at the thrashing crowd, unsure whether to pull someone out first or kick someone away. Finally, deciding that action was better than hesitation, she dashed forward!

Resolving herself, she put aside all further thoughts and, amidst the stunned gazes of the onlookers, accelerated abruptly, charging head-on into Wang Qiniang!

Wang Qiniang stumbled forward from the impact, losing her balance and falling forward.

Seeing her fall, Liu Xiniang swiftly caught and pulled her behind her, kicking away a charging auntie. Then, she gave a thumbs up to Xiniang.

Liu Xiniang beamed and sincerely praised, "Heroine, wonderful move! A perfect collision!"

The Author Has Something to Say:

"Mini-drama"

Liu Xiniang asked, "Have you ever risked everything for someone?"

Luo Wanqing replied, "Thank you. From today on, I can say that I have."

Xie Heng expressed, "I'm touched, truly, deeply moved."