Princess Yu extended a warm invitation, so Wei Caiwei stayed for dinner in Li Jiubao’s room. Despite the Yu Wang residence’s financial struggles, they managed to prepare ten dishes, two soups, and a hot pot with sliced beef, mutton, vegetables, and mushrooms.
Of course, in terms of culinary extravagance, it couldn’t compare to the Lu residence, where small cucumbers grown in greenhouses were still available in late autumn. The Yu Wang residence only had cabbage and yellow chives cultivated in the cellar. Yet Wei Caiwei understood that this was the best Princess Yu could offer. Ordinary households in the capital could only afford cabbage.
Princess Yu typically limited her meals to no more than five dishes.
Wei Caiwei only touched the hot pot and two other dishes with her chopsticks, leaving the chicken, duck, fish, and meat untouched. After the quiet meal, Li Jiubao offered to escort Wei Caiwei out, but she declined, saying, "It’s cold and windy outside. Your menstrual cycle is approaching, so you should keep warm."
After Wei Caiwei left, Li Jiubao packed the untouched dishes into a food box and had a maid deliver them to the eight other selected attendants who had once shared the courtyard, so they could all enjoy a better meal.
Wei Caiwei put on her eye veil, fastened her face covering (mask), and donned a wide-brimmed hat with a veil that reached her ankles, enveloping her entire body to shield against the wind and dust. She left the inner courtyard, boarded the carriage, and then removed the layers one by one.
Inside the carriage, the consultation fee from Princess Yu was already laid out: five taels of silver and a bolt of Songjiang three-shuttle cloth. Compared to the wealthy noblewomen she had treated, this was the lowest payment. However, given that the Yu Wang residence was so impoverished that hosting a banquet for the nine selected attendants required Princess Yu to secretly pawn her jewelry to maintain appearances, this fee was likely not easy to provide.
Wei Caiwei handed the five taels of silver to the leader of the Lu residence guards assigned to protect her. "You’ve worked hard today. Take this and have a drink with your brothers."
Living under someone else’s roof, Wei Caiwei knew she had to be generous to avoid causing resentment, especially when venturing out on such a dusty day without being a formal member of the Lu household—compensation was necessary.
The guard accepted the silver, and the carriage departed from the Yu Wang residence, traveling along Fuchengmen Street. The Lu residence carriage was luxurious, with glass windows. Wei Caiwei leaned against the window, watching the sand and dust sweep across the glass.
The hustle and bustle of city life persisted. No matter how harsh the weather, people still had to earn their keep. Shops along the street remained open, with only one door left accessible, hung with thick padded curtains for customers to come and go.
There were fewer pedestrians than usual, but the flow never ceased. Everyone wore eye veils, covered their noses and mouths, hunched their backs, and hurried along, busy making a living.
As they passed by the White Deer Temple, a vendor was stationed at the temple entrance with a wheelbarrow, displaying a banner that read "Eye Veils." The vendor, dressed in a black cotton coat with a gray headscarf, wore a black eye veil and covered his face, his hands tucked into his sleeves as he crouched beside the banner, waiting for customers.
Though the vendor’s attire made him resemble a lump of black coal, his face hidden, Wei Caiwei found him strangely familiar. She leaned closer to the glass window for a better look, and the coal-like vendor also turned his head, as if gazing at the carriage.
But the carriage moved swiftly, and soon the crouching figure by the wheelbarrow grew smaller and smaller, vanishing into the swirling dust.
The coal-like vendor was none other than Wang Daxia. The Lu residence guards, bearing the Lu family banner, cleared the way at a rapid pace. Though the guards all wore eye veils and covered their faces, Wang Daxia could tell they were from the Lu family—he just didn’t know that Wei Caiwei was inside the carriage.Wang Daxia was staking out White Deer Temple today. This temple was a Taoist monastery funded by Prince Jing. The Jiajing Emperor revered Taoism and had neglected court affairs for over thirty years, holed up in the Western Garden cultivating immortality and refining elixirs, even bestowing upon himself the title "Transcendent of Soaring Primordial." He was deeply superstitious about various auspicious signs.
To curry favor, Prince Jing sent people everywhere to search for auspicious creatures like white turtles and white deer to present to the Jiajing Emperor, hoping to win his father's affection.
When Prince Jing managed to find a rare white deer, the Jiajing Emperor was overjoyed. He kept the white deer in the Western Garden, considering this son both filial and thoughtful, and bestowed numerous rewards upon him.
Prince Yu, in contrast, never engaged in such sycophantic behavior. His temperament was as unyielding as a stone in a latrine—ugly and hard.
Unfortunately, the white deer died within a year. The Jiajing Emperor was deeply saddened, but Prince Jing flattered him by claiming the deer had attained enlightenment after listening to Taoist scriptures recited by the emperor daily in the Western Garden, transforming into an immortal rather than dying.
This struck a chord with the Jiajing Emperor, whose dream was to achieve immortality through cultivation. Delighted once more, Prince Jing seized the opportunity to propose a grand funeral for the ascended white deer. He enclosed a plot of land around the deer’s tomb and built a Taoist temple there, naming it White Deer Temple.
To please his father, Prince Jing frequently visited White Deer Temple to conduct Taoist ceremonies. The temple was Prince Jing’s private property, a personal monastery that only entertained his household, friends, and relatives—ordinary commoners were not permitted entry.
Now that Prince Jin had fallen out of favor and his entire family had been sent to Anlu in Hubei, White Deer Temple remained, still supported by Prince Jing’s household. Thus, Wang Daxia listed the temple as a surveillance target.
It was bitterly cold, and Wang Daxia shivered uncontrollably. Suddenly, through his face covering, he caught a whiff of fragrance. Turning his head, he spotted a vendor across the alley pushing a large stove with a big pot on top, filled with chestnuts roasted in coarse sand.
Wang Daxia wasn’t hungry, but he was freezing. He walked over and bought two large packets of hot chestnuts, stuffing them inside his cotton-padded jacket. Ah! The warmth was pure bliss!
No longer needing to hunch over for warmth, Wang Daxia’s chest, now padded with two packets of hot chestnuts, revived his frozen body as if fully restored. He returned to his stall.
A Taoist priest wearing an eye veil rode into White Deer Temple on horseback. Noticing a vendor selling eye veils at the entrance, he dismounted to examine the goods. Seeing a potential customer, Wang Daxia quickly rose from his crouched position, straightening his chest.
On such a windy, dusty day, everyone covered their heads and faces and wore thick cotton-padded jackets and trousers, making it hard to distinguish gender. The priest’s gaze fell on Wang Daxia’s chest. "Madam... how much for the eye veils?"
Wang Daxia had stuffed two packets of hot chestnuts inside his jacket for warmth, causing his chest to bulge prominently, resembling two large mounds.
With his youthful, athletic build—honed through daily martial arts practice—his waist was slender and devoid of excess fat. Inside his black cotton-padded jacket, the two packets of hot chestnuts created prominent peaks, accentuating his narrow waist and delicate back, giving him the appearance of a curvaceous, married young mother. Hence, the priest addressed him as "Madam."
Wang Daxia stared awkwardly at the two "peaks" on his chest, caught between amusement and exasperation. He withdrew his hands from his tucked sleeves and pulled out several eye veils in subdued colors like black, gray, and blue from his box. "Twenty-three coins each, or five for one hundred coins."
His voice, muffled by the face covering and naturally clear and pleasant due to his youth, still led the priest to perceive him as a buxom young woman.
His hands were pale and slender with distinct knuckles, his nails neatly trimmed and impeccably clean.The Taoist's heart stirred, his gaze fixed intently on the buxom young woman whose face and eyes were veiled. As he took the eye veil from her, his fingers subtly traced a circle in her palm.
Wang Daxia felt a tingling sensation shoot from her palm all the way to her toes. Oh, this one's a seasoned flirt, quick to tease anyone he meets.
Stay calm! I'm here lying in wait, not to pick a fight!
A little impatience spoils great plans, Wang Daxia repeatedly reminded herself, suppressing the urge to punch the lecherous Taoist. Instead, she feigned shyness, swaying her hips slightly and pitching her voice higher, "Please try it on, sir. My eye veils are made of fine silk—they block wind and dust while still allowing clear vision."
A chaste woman of strong character would have blushed and fled when teased in such a manner, but this buxom young woman not only stood her ground but continued conducting business in a coquettish tone. Clearly, she was well-versed in the ways of romance.
The Taoist's lust flared. Deliberately pretending to adjust the eye veil tied behind his head, he instead tied a tight knot and let it hang loose. Testing her further, he said, "I've accidentally tied a stubborn knot and can't undo it. Perhaps you could help me, madam?"
With that, he turned around, presenting the back of his head to Wang Daxia.
I sell eye veils, not my body!
Wang Daxia itched to punch a hole through the back of his skull. Lacking the patience to untie the knot, she grabbed the straps and yanked the entire eye veil off over his head.
The Taoist turned back and handed her a new black eye veil. "Would you mind putting this on for me? If it works well, I'll buy five."
Wang Daxia caught a glimpse of half his face—the lower part, from the nose down, was still covered by a black face veil that draped to his chest, protecting against dust.
His eyes and forehead looked familiar—similar to the wanted poster of the carriage driver who had kidnapped Wei Caiwei. His left eye had a single eyelid, the right a double lid, giving them a slightly uneven appearance. His thick, short eyebrows were dark and coarse, and his forehead was high and square. His facial features suggested an upright, kind-hearted man, nothing like a criminal.
Wang Daxia's excitement surged. Eager to see if the lower half of his face matched the description, she pitched her voice again, "Sir, your face veil looks worn. Besides eye veils, I also sell face veils, all made of fine fabric."
She enthusiastically produced two face veils, one black and one white. "Let me help you put on both the eye veil and the face veil."
Seeing the buxom young woman so proactive, the Taoist was more than willing. "If they work well, I'll buy five of each."
Wang Daxia untied the Taoist's face veil, revealing his full face.
A high nose, broad mouth, and prominent cheekbones—at least seventy percent similar to the portrait of the carriage driver!
As the wind outside kicked up dust, the Taoist squinted slightly. Wang Daxia first secured the eye veil, then draped the face veil over him. "How does that feel, sir?"
While adjusting the veils, she deliberately pressed her chest forward, letting her two warm "chestnuts" brush against the Taoist's back.
The Taoist felt two soft mounds rubbing against his back, a tingling warmth spreading through his entire body. Trembling, he murmured, "Excellent. I'll take them all."
Wang Daxia said, "Five eye veils cost one hundred coins, five face veils one hundred fifty coins—two hundred fifty coins in total."
The Taoist pulled out a silver ingot weighing about three taels from his purse and handed it to the buxom young woman.Wang Daxia refused to accept it, "I run a small business and don't have change."
The foul Taoist forcibly shoved the silver into Wang Daxia's hand, taking the opportunity to brush the back of his hand against the towering peaks. He whispered, "I'll take all your goods. No need for change. Come to my meditation room—I want to personally inspect the 'merchandise.'"
Author's note: After twists and turns, Wang Daxia still relies on feminine wiles to deceive the enemy.
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