The Imperial Guard Office was located in Jiangmi Alley in the southern part of the city, a long journey spanning from the North Third Ring Road to the South Third Ring Road.
Wei Caiwei walked out of Sweetwater Alley and arrived at West Drum Tower Street, intending to hire a carriage from a livery stable. Now that she had money, she was no longer an itinerant doctor struggling to make a living by wandering the streets with her Tiger Crutch. She didn’t need to worry about expenses—comfort was all that mattered.
Just as she stepped out of the alley, an empty carriage passed by, the driver calling out to attract customers.
It was like a pillow appearing just when one was about to fall asleep.
Wei Caiwei stopped the carriage and negotiated a price of half a string of coins to take her to the Imperial Guard Office.
She boarded the carriage, which was clean and odorless. The seats were cushioned with woolen pads, and a small table fixed to the carriage floor held a teapot and cups. Touching the teapot, she found it still warm—a thoughtful detail.
However, Wei Caiwei, being a doctor, was somewhat fastidious and would not drink the tea provided in the carriage. The carriage swayed as it moved, and after tidying up the house all morning, she felt tired. Lulled by the rocking motion, she dozed off on the soft seat.
Her mind preoccupied with Wang Daxia, Wei Caiwei did not fall into a deep sleep. Drifting in and out of consciousness, she alternated between memories of Eunuch Wang from her past life and thoughts of the present-day Wang Daxia. As she sensed they were nearing the Imperial Guard Office, she sat up to open the carriage window and look outside.
But when she opened her eyes, everything was pitch black. The window had been tightly shut at some point.
Wei Caiwei groped around and found the window, but no matter how hard she pushed, it wouldn’t open.
Thinking the window might be stuck, she tried pushing the carriage door, but it wouldn’t budge either, seemingly locked from the outside.
Disaster! This was a trap!
Wei Caiwei snapped awake from her drowsiness.
She pulled a fire starter from her pocket and lit it. In the faint glow, she first kicked at the doors, windows, and walls, producing dull thuds. She realized the carriage was made of double-layered wooden planks with cotton padding in between, likely for insulation and soundproofing.
Judging by the distance traveled, they should still be in the bustling areas of the capital. The carriage raced along the streets, its wheels rumbling over the uneven stone pavement. No matter how loudly Wei Caiwei shouted, her cries were drowned out by the noise of the wheels and the clamor of the streets.
Heaven would not answer her cries, and earth would offer no refuge.
Realizing that making a commotion was futile, Wei Caiwei quieted down and began searching for another way to escape.
The carriage was likely still within the capital. If it reached the uninhabited outskirts, she would be trapped like a turtle in a jar, completely at the mercy of others.
She had to escape while still in the city.
But how?
By the faint light of the fire starter, her gaze fell on the warm teapot on the table, and an idea came to her.
The table was nailed to the floor to prevent slipping. Wei Caiwei took out her dagger, which she carried for self-defense, and pried the nails from the table legs one by one.
After removing the nails, a small, dark hole was exposed. Using her dagger, she continued digging downward through the hole, carving out wood shavings and eventually creating a narrow slit in the outer layer of the plank.
It was only a slit as thin as a sheet of paper, but it was enough to save herself.
Wei Caiwei rolled up her sleeve, revealing her jade-like arm. She opened the still-warm teapot, poured out half the tea, and positioned her arm over the teapot. With her dagger, she made a cut on her arm, letting her blood flow out.
As the blood filled the half-empty teapot, Wei Caiwei sprinkled hemostatic powder on the wound and wrapped it tightly with a handkerchief. Then, she lifted the teapot and slowly poured the warm blood through the gaps in the carriage floor.Blood dripped from the seams like a crimson thread, tracing an endless red line along the dusty, loess-covered street as the carriage raced forward—strikingly conspicuous.
The red line emitted a metallic scent of blood, unmistakably distinct from vermilion or other dyes.
Passersby outside couldn’t hear the commotion inside the carriage, but they could see blood seeping from the bottom of the compartment.
A concerned pedestrian began shouting from the roadside, "Stop! Someone in the carriage is bleeding!"
Chaoyang Gate was just ahead. The coachman initially tried to bluff his way through, pretending not to hear and not only refusing to stop but urging the horse to go faster.
But luck wasn’t on his side today. Coincidentally, he encountered Commander Wu of the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen patrolling the streets.
Seeing the clear trail of blood on the road, Commander Wu immediately spurred his horse in pursuit, finally forcing the carriage to halt just before Chaoyang Gate.
"Stop! What are you carrying? Are you deaf? I’ve been calling out to you!" Commander Wu blocked the path on horseback.
The coachman feigned sudden awareness. "Oh, it’s a freshly slaughtered pig. The owner is in a hurry, and I was rushing to deliver it, so I didn’t hear you, sir."
Commander Wu, seasoned in handling all sorts of crimes, wasn’t easily convinced. "If you’re just transporting a pig, why are the doors and windows shut tight and even locked?"
The coachman explained, "Sir, you might not know, but there’s no escort today—it’s just me. I was worried someone might climb in from behind and steal some meat. I can’t keep an eye on my back while driving, and I can’t afford to compensate for losses, so I locked the door from the outside."
Commander Wu pointed at the windows. "No one can crawl through the windows. Why lock them too?"
The coachman replied, "I was afraid mischievous kids might throw filth through the windows and dirty the pork. Then I’d really be in trouble."
Meanwhile, Wei Caiwei felt the carriage stop vibrating—it must have been discovered by passersby and forced to stop. Though she couldn’t hear the conversation outside, she kicked desperately at the wooden walls inside and screamed, "Help!"
Despite the double-layered, cotton-padded walls meant for soundproofing, some vibrations still reached Commander Wu’s ears once the carriage halted.
Dismounting, Commander Wu pressed his ear against the wall. He couldn’t make out cries for help, but he could feel the tremors from Wei Caiwei’s frantic kicking.
Convinced there was a living being inside—not a slaughtered pig, unless the dead could come back to life—he ordered the coachman, "Get down and open the door."
Realizing he couldn’t deceive his way out, the coachman leaped from the carriage shaft onto Commander Wu’s horse, spurring it into a gallop and darting into a nearby alley.
"After him!" Commander Wu directed his constables to chase the coachman. Meanwhile, he borrowed a heavy firewood axe from a nearby restaurant, spat twice into his palms for grip, and swung the axe fiercely at the copper lock.
Clang!
The copper lock was split in two by the axe, falling to the ground. Commander Wu swung open the door, thick as a wall.
Sudden blinding light flooded in, forcing Wei Caiwei to shut her eyes. Commander Wu caught a whiff of blood and then recognized a familiar face—wasn’t this the rumored lover of Commander Lu and Young Master Wang, Doctor Wei!Confined space, a beauty, and blood... Commander Wu had seen his share of the world and understood the gravity of the situation. He immediately closed the carriage door again, blocking the view of onlookers, then smashed the window from the outside. He leaped into the carriage to protect Wei Caiwei closely, ordering his constables to drive the carriage to the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen while sending someone to inform the Imperial Guard Office.
A subordinate asked, "Who should we notify?"
Commander Wu recalled the rumors circulating in the northern part of the city and said, "Notify both Commander Lu and Young Master Wang." The new flame and the old love—neither could be neglected. As a mere commander, he couldn’t afford to offend either.
Wei Caiwei gradually adjusted to the light from the broken window and said, "Thank you for saving me, Commander Wu."
Commander Wu observed the blood seeping through the white handkerchief on Wei Caiwei’s arm, the chiseled gap in the floor, and the traces of blood left in the teapot, instantly grasping what had transpired inside the carriage.
Doctor Wei truly lived up to her reputation—she was no ordinary person. No wonder she had captivated both Commander Lu and Young Master Wang.
Commander Wu asked, "Who tried to kidnap Doctor Wei?"
Wei Caiwei shook her head in confusion. "I don’t know. It happened too suddenly."
Wei Caiwei pondered carefully: If it were about enemies, she had plenty—from Yan Shifan and Vice Minister Yan at the top, to Old Woman Wang, whom she had already dealt with, and even the White Lotus Sect.
However, her most recent conflict was with Eunuch Wei from Prince Jing’s residence. On Qionghua Island, she had argued with him to protect the selected maidens. Could they be targeting her for that?
As for her feigning an imperial decree to protect Wang Daxia—aside from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, all of Prince Jing’s guards had been silenced by Lu Ying and the others. Prince Jin and Eunuch Wei likely remained unaware...
She couldn’t disclose any of this to Commander Wu, so Wei Caiwei simply pretended to be too frightened to speak.
Commander Wu said, "It’s alright. You’re safe now. It’s too dangerous outside, with unknown people watching you. Let’s head to the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen first."
Wei Caiwei sat quietly, carefully considering her enemies. Commander Wu, driven by professional habit, searched around meticulously—even lifting the sheepskin cushion on the seat to inspect it closely, sniffing it as well. "This sheepskin cushion is new and still carries a gamey smell. It must have been purchased recently."
Commander Wu sliced open the back of the sheepskin to check for hidden items and discovered a sunflower-patterned mark inside. He immediately handed the cushion to his subordinate. "Take this to the fur shops and ask which merchant sold it."
After examining the cushion, Commander Wu moved to the seat, tapping it with his hand. A hollow sound echoed from within.
"Please move aside, Doctor Wei." Commander Wu raised an axe and, with just two strikes, split the seat in half. Inside, hidden objects were revealed—rolls of books.
Commander Wu pulled out one volume. The cover read "Complete Tang Poems," but upon opening it, he found scriptures inside, with text that read: "In the beginning, there was no heavenly enemy, no existence at all—no mountains or rivers, no human relations, only chaotic emptiness. The ancient Primordial Chaos established the world, creating the high and low, setting the three powers, dividing the four forms—"
As he read, Commander Wu grew agitated. "This is a White Lotus Sect’s Precious Scroll, a sinister tool used to bewitch minds and recruit followers."Wei Caiwei opened it for a look. Although she didn't know what was written in the White Lotus Sect's Precious Scrolls, the phrase "there is nothing at all" gave it away. Before the Great Ming Dynasty, "originally" was originally written as "originally". The founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang felt that "Yuanlai" implied the resurgence of the Yuan Dynasty, which was inauspicious, so he changed "Yuanlai" to "Yuanlai".
It had been over a hundred years since the Ming Dynasty's establishment. Newly published books had all changed "元" to "原", with only century-old texts retaining the original character. Yet judging by the fresh ink scent of this book, it was newly printed. Only rebellious organizations like the White Lotus Sect would persist in using the character "Yuan".
Commander Wu said, "Based on this evidence, it was the White Lotus Sect who took action."
Wei Caiwei thought to herself: If the White Lotus Sect intended to kill me, Ding Wu would have surely warned me in advance. Could it be that Ding Wu was unaware of this matter?
At the Imperial Guard Office, ever since performing the act of intimate lovers in front of Eunuch Wei, Wang Daxia had been safe. Though his wounds hadn't fully healed, the workaholic Lu Ying dragged him back to the office to resume duty. Wang Daxia leaned weakly over the desk piled with documents, moaning and groaning like a delicate beauty, "I can't go on. This subordinate hasn't recovered from serious injuries yet. I beg Commander Lu to grant me one day of sick leave."
But while Lu Ying readily signed reimbursement forms, approving sick leave was harder than reaching heaven. "The doctor already said these are just superficial wounds. I'm not asking you to go on field assignments - just process these official documents."
Wang Daxia tremblingly picked up a writing brush. "Commander Lu, please see - this subordinate's hand shakes even while writing. I'm truly useless now."
Just then, Commander Wu's subordinate came to report, "Something terrible has happened! Doctor Wei is in trouble!"
Wang Daxia immediately abandoned his brush for arms, grabbing his Embroidered Spring Blade. He flipped over the desk, transforming from a delicate beauty into a formidable warrior. "What happened? Where is she?"
Author's Note: Banxia: When I get ruthless, I'll even cut myself.
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