Wang Daxia instantly transformed from a sickly beauty into a furious hero for his beloved.
The yamen runners from Shuntian Prefecture watched fearfully and said, "Our Commander Wu noticed something suspicious and saved Doctor Wei. They're currently at the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen."
Lu Ying immediately drew her sword and waved her hand, commanding her trusted subordinates, "Let's go."
When the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen attempted to capture the fleeing coachman, they also alerted the Central City Military Patrol Division—the area around Chaoyang Gate fell under their jurisdiction. However, despite the joint efforts of Shuntian Prefecture and the Central City Military Patrol Division, the coachman ultimately escaped, disappearing into the bustling streets and vanishing within the massive crowd, leaving them empty-handed.
As Lu Ying, Wang Daxia, and others rushed to the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen, the Shuntian Prefecture Governor Wang Niqiu personally greeted them at the entrance. "Commander Lu, Hundred-Household Commander Wang, long time no see."
In reality, it had only been five months since their last meeting. The previous time Wang Daxia came to the Shuntian Prefecture Yamen was during the investigation of Thousand Household Chen and his son's murder case, when Wang Daxia was pursued here by the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Zhou Xiaoqi and others. At that time, Wang Daxia was just a commoner and had to kneel on a cushion to answer questions during the trial.
Now that Wang Daxia had become a Hundred-Household Commander, Wang Niqiu naturally treated him with due respect.
Wang Daxia paid no mind to such formalities. After returning the courtesy, he asked, "Where is Doctor Wei?"
Wang Niqiu replied, "Doctor Wei is not seriously injured, but she lost a lot of blood. I sent Wei Caiwei brown sugar water, red dates, and longan—all blood-nourishing supplements."
Wang Daxia rushed off to find Wei Caiwei, while Lu Ying bowed to Wang Niqiu and said, "May I trouble Your Excellency to take this official to see the carriage used in Doctor Wei's kidnapping?"
To signal for help, Wei Caiwei had cut her arm, losing about the equivalent of six menstrual cycles' worth of blood. The blood loss had weakened her body, leaving her pale with faint lips and recurring chills. Though the brown sugar water sent by Wang Niqiu warmed her stomach, it couldn't warm her body. She clutched the teacup with both hands for warmth.
When Wang Daxia burst in, the guards nearby—all familiar with the Four Pests of the North City and the rumors about Young Master Wang and Doctor Wei—tactfully made themselves scarce.
With no outsiders present, Wang Daxia grew bolder. He sat beside her and held her hands. "How dare Wang Niqiu claim you're fine? Your hands are freezing!"
"It's nothing. I'll recover in a month," Wei Caiwei examined him. "Your injuries haven't healed yet. Don't run around recklessly like this."
Youth allowed for quick recovery. In just three days, Wang Daxia had regained his vitality. "I'm fine. I'm tough and resilient. But you... using blood to signal for help—how did you even come up with that?"
Having lived two lifetimes and weathered countless hardships, Wei Caiwei knew how to find solutions in crises. "This was the best outcome—just some blood loss. If the carriage had left the city and taken remote paths, the consequences would have been unthinkable."
Wang Daxia said, "Someone must have been watching you all along. Otherwise, they wouldn't have coincidentally kidnapped you just when you hired a carriage. Was it a summons from the palace? You just left the palace this morning—did Consort Shang call you back?"
"It wasn't the consort," Wei Caiwei replied. "I was planning to go to the Imperial Guard Office to check on your injuries."
Hearing this, a warm yet bittersweet feeling surged in Wang Daxia's heart. "I'm sorry. Despite all our precautions in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, we still dragged you into this conflict with the White Lotus Sect. It seems their Death Warriors are targeting you."Wei Caiwei furrowed her brow and said, "Something doesn't feel right. When you previously destroyed two White Lotus Sect lairs in succession, did you ever find any of their scripture Precious Scrolls?"
Wang Daxia thought for a moment and shook his head, "No. The Red Sleeve Brothel was completely blown up and burned to the ground—nothing was recovered. And despite searching multiple warehouses at the Myriad Goods Trading Company, including the residence of sect leader Zhao Quan, no Precious Scrolls were found."
Wei Caiwei said, "I've never heard Ding Wu mention discovering any Precious Scrolls either, which has always made me suspicious. The White Lotus Sect operates with extreme secrecy—otherwise, the Embroidered Uniform Guard wouldn't have failed to detect these two malignant tumors for ten years. Written evidence is the easiest way to incriminate oneself. According to Ding Wu, when the White Lotus Sect spreads Precious Scrolls to deceive followers outside, they mostly rely on oral transmission, passing teachings by word of mouth. This method is both easier to disseminate and suitable since most White Lotus followers are illiterate commoners."
"So why would my kidnappers take such a huge risk to carry Precious Scrolls? If they had failed, wouldn't they have lost both the person and the scrolls? This completely contradicts the White Lotus Sect's usual cautious approach. I suspect the cart driver who kidnapped me wasn't from the White Lotus Sect."
Wang Daxia pondered, "After the Gengxu Rebellion, countless Beijing citizens lost family members. The White Lotus Sect is now like rats in the sewers—universally despised with the worst reputation. If it wasn't the White Lotus Sect who kidnapped you, then someone must be deliberately framing them. This way, even if the kidnapping failed and was exposed, they'd have a scapegoat, preventing the Embroidered Uniform Guard from suspecting them."
Wei Caiwei ate a fresh crisp jujube, "Whether it was the White Lotus Sect's doing can be determined by having Ding Wu investigate at their Main Altar in Fengcheng. Recently, the only person I've offended with the capability to execute such a meticulous kidnapping would be Eunuch Wei from Prince Jing's residence. Could it be him?"
Wang Daxia said, "Prince Jing already moved his entire household to Anlu, Hubei yesterday. Eunuch Wei, as the managing eunuch of Prince Jing's residence, naturally accompanied them. They're no longer in the capital."
Prince Jing had fallen out of favor, and the Jiajing Emperor hadn't even permitted him a farewell audience at the palace, so Wei Caiwei didn't know he had already departed for Anlu.
Having ruled out both the White Lotus Sect and Prince Jing, Wei Caiwei asked, "Thousand Household Chen's family line has ended. Do they have any powerful relatives or friends left?"
Wang Daxia said, "When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. The Chen family is no longer a force to be reckoned with."
Wei Caiwei glanced around and whispered, "Could it be retaliation from survivors after I forged the imperial decree to save you that day?"
Wang Daxia said, "Given mine and Lu Ying's skills, it's impossible we left any survivors. Those who insisted on hunting me down paid the price. Even if seeking revenge, they'd come for me first—why target you?"
That made sense. Wei Caiwei said, "Then it must be Yan Shifan."
Wang Daxia said, "If Vice Minister Yan wanted to move against you, he would have done so earlier. His target is still me—didn't he already have my father removed from office?"
It wasn't any of them. After thinking further, Wei Caiwei asked, "Could it be Lu Renjia, Bu Yaolian, and Wu Lianchi who I humiliated at Taotie Restaurant?"
Wang Daxia slammed the table and stood up, "How dare they!" However, all three men had their scholarly honors revoked and were banned from examinations for life, destroying their futures. Could they have become desperate enough to seek revenge against Wei Caiwei?
Wang Daxia immediately went out and ordered Wu Xiaoqi to take men to investigate the recent movements of these three individuals.Wei Caiwei picked up her brush and wrote down the White Lotus Sect, Eunuch Wei and Prince Jing, Yan Shifan, and the sleazy trio on paper. "I believe the culprit is among these four factions. The White Lotus Sect might have deliberately left clues to make us think they were being used. The same logic applies to Eunuch Wei and Prince Jing—I was attacked the day after they left, making them seem above suspicion. But who knows how many death warriors Prince Jing's estate has been nurturing all these years? What if some remained in the capital?"
"Yan Shifan, thinking we were close, kidnapped me to threaten you—"
"No, he wouldn’t think that way now," Wang Daxia suddenly interrupted.
"Why?" Wei Caiwei asked.
"Well—" Wang Daxia hung his head like a child who had done something wrong. "Lu Ying proposed a deal with me..."
He explained how Lu Ying, being a woman, was doing everything possible to remain in the Embroidered Uniform Guard to protect Ding Wu, who was deep undercover in the White Lotus Sect.
"...We each have our own needs—it’s just an act. But even the Emperor misunderstood my relationship with Lu Ying, so Yan Shifan would naturally think the same. Now that I’m considered Lord Lu’s future son-in-law, Yan Shifan wouldn’t risk displeasing him over someone like me. He won’t target me anymore, let alone use you to threaten me, because I’m now seen as Lu Ying’s man."
"Ah?" Wei Caiwei was utterly astonished. She had only stayed in the palace three extra days, yet outside, such dramatic changes had unfolded—a tangled love story of "she loves me, I love her, I miscarried and broke up with her, he loves me, I love him, he left me for her family’s influence, she loves him, he loves her, they end up together, and I’m left alone."
Wang Daxia said, "Of course, we have a three-year agreement. It depends on your decision."
"I agree to this marriage," Wei Caiwei replied immediately. "Lu Ying is acting for the greater good. I don’t have her breadth of vision—I just want to protect Ding Wu. But I’m not that narrow-minded either. You and Lu Ying can act as you please. You only need to—"
She glanced at Wang Xiaoxia. "A man working outside should protect himself well. My demand is simple: just keep your virginity intact. Beyond that, I won’t mind anything else."
Wei Caiwei agreed gladly because this arrangement could not only protect Ding Wu and Wang Daxia but also prevent Lu Ying from marrying Sun Xiang, the youngest son of the prominent Yuyao Sun family in Jiangnan, thus avoiding her fate of youthful widowhood and a life of solitude with Buddhist prayers.
Three birds with one stone—what a fortunate turn of events!
Wang Daxia hadn’t expected Wei Caiwei to be so blunt, agreeing outright and even reminding him to guard his chastity. His handsome face flushed instantly. "I... you... how can you say such things? You’re not married yet... You should be more reserved."
Seeing Wang Daxia’s flushed, innocent expression, Wei Caiwei felt a surge of affection. In this second chance at life, if Wang Daxia, Ding Wu, and Lu Ying could all fare better than in their previous lives, then no matter how arduous or perilous the path of rebirth, it would be worth it.
Wei Caiwei said, "If I were a reserved person, how could I have written the Marriage Certificate and set a three-year agreement?"
Wang Daxia scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "But you... you still shouldn’t talk so directly about virginity."
Wei Caiwei teased, "Can you not manage it?"Wang Daxia immediately raised his hand to swear, "Of course I can do it. I'd rather die than submit to Lu Ying. I still see her as a brother-in-arms and superior officer—how could I possibly sleep with my commanding officer? Besides, Lu Ying wouldn't even look at me. You have to believe me!"
"I believe you," Wei Caiwei said. "Come closer. I still have something to tell you."
Wang Daxia leaned his face closer.
Wei Caiwei said, "Closer."
Wang Daxia stretched his neck forward like a turtle craning from its shell.
Wei Caiwei: "A little closer."
Wang Daxia stretched his neck again—this was the limit, with only a paper-thin distance remaining between them.
Ah, just like in their previous life, he still couldn't understand her hints.
Wei Caiwei bridged that paper-thin distance herself, just as she had in their past life, and pressed her lips to his.
The moment he was kissed, Wang Daxia turned into a stone statue.
Her lips were so sweet!
Well, she had just drunk a cup of brown sugar water—of course they were sweet.
By the time Wang Dxia snapped out of it and tried to pounce back for a reciprocal kiss, Wei Caiwei had already ended the kiss as lightly as a dragonfly skimming water. "There," she said, "your first kiss belongs to me now. You can confidently act with Lu Ying without worries."
Author's note: Omega Daxia has been marked by Alpha Banxia.
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