White Deer Temple was actually a covert training ground for Prince Jing's death warriors, a sharp blade for his future bid for the throne. Located on Fuchengmen Street, which ended at Xi'an Gate of the Forbidden City, it offered strategic proximity to seize the imperial seat. Under the guise of a Taoist temple, the death warriors presented themselves as monks in daily life.
After Prince Jing left for his fiefdom, they remained in the capital and received a top-secret mission: assassinate Prince Yu and frame the White Lotus Sect.
Additionally, Eunuch Wei from Prince Jing's residence assigned them a minor task: kill Wei Caiwei.
First, Wei Caiwei had publicly refuted him on Qionghua Island, preventing the search of maid candidates and humiliating Eunuch Wei.
Second, Wei Caiwei seemed to have gained favor with the newly favored Imperial Concubine Shang. Since the conflict during the mountain search had already created enmity between Prince Jing's residence and Wei Caiwei, it would be troublesome if she leveraged Concubine Shang's influence to oppose them in the future. It was better to eliminate this threat promptly and pin it on the White Lotus Sect to settle the matter once and for all.
Third, Wei Caiwei's former lover and protector, Wang Daxia, had already taken up with Lu Ying—Eunuch Wei had witnessed this himself at the Lu residence. Thus, killing Wei Caiwei would not provoke any investigation or retaliation from Wang Daxia.
Moreover, targeting Wei Caiwei first would allow the death warriors to warm up.
Initially, their plan proceeded smoothly: they privately printed White Lotus Sect Treasure Scrolls with covers labeled "Complete Tang Poems," hid them under the carriage seat, and tricked Wei Caiwei into boarding the carriage, intending to transport her to the outskirts for execution.
But unexpectedly, Wei Caiwei devised a plan to drill through the floorboards and use blood to signal for help. The kidnapping failed, and the coachman's face was exposed, leading to a city-wide manhunt.
After the coachman's failure, his wanted posters were everywhere in the capital. He hid in White Deer Temple, not daring to leave for fear of discovery.
After over a month in hiding, the coachman was nearly driven mad with boredom. Recently, during sandstorm weather, pedestrians wore eye veils and face coverings, obscuring their features so much that even face-to-face, recognition was impossible.
The other death warriors from White Deer Temple were out tracking Prince Yu, planning the assassination, leaving no one to supervise the coachman.
Believing it safe and unsupervised, the coachman seized the chance to go out. He hadn't been with a woman in nearly two months and wanted to find a prostitute for a night before returning to the temple. In such sandy conditions, he could simply wear an eye veil the whole time; after all, prostitutes only cared about money, not appearances, and had no interest in what clients looked like.
As soon as he stepped out, his eye veil was covered in dust. Spotting a stall selling eye veils at the temple entrance, he went to buy a new one.
Unexpectedly, he and the stall owner hit it off.
After such prolonged abstinence, even a sow would look appealing, let alone a boss's wife who was exactly his type: buxom, with a seductive voice, and versed in the arts of love.
So, the coachman offered three taels of silver to entice the eye veil stall owner to sleep with him.
Based on his experience, three taels was an exorbitant price for a clandestine prostitute, and the proprietress had no reason to refuse, especially since they had just flirted openly on the street, showing mutual interest.
This stinky Taoist wants to sleep with me for three taels. Wang Daxia was, of course, inwardly rejecting the idea, but this person bore a striking resemblance to the wanted poster and, coincidentally, was from the Jin Prince's residence. This lead couldn't be broken.
Sleeping with Wang Daxia wasn't entirely out of the question; sacrificing a bit of charm for the sake of the investigation was no big deal—after all, his chest was just two packs of hot chestnuts bought for ten coins.He was a natural, as comfortable as a fish in water—a true expert. But now the wretched Taoist wanted him to undress for an "inspection," and that was troublesome.
Even just removing his eye veil and face covering to reveal his true appearance would be risky. If the Taoist saw his Adam's apple, he'd know he was actually a man.
Following the Taoist inside for the "inspection" would expose his male identity. But refusing might arouse suspicion—after all, he'd been so proactive during their encounter, creating a contradiction.
What to do?
As the Taoist's hand moved toward his chest again, Wang Daxia gently swatted it away and cooed, "You impatient devil! What if your fellow disciples see me going into the temple with you? I'm a married woman. Let's go outside the city another day and find an inn—I'll serve you properly then."
How could the Taoist let such ripe prey escape? "My brothers all happen to be out today," he said. "I'm alone in the temple. They probably won't return until curfew—plenty of time for us to finish our business."
The Taoist felt this buxom young matron was heaven-sent. Women usually required seeking out, yet here one had delivered herself to his doorstep. This opportunity was too rare to miss.
Wang Daxia thought: All of them are out? Where would they go? White Deer Temple was Prince Jing's private Taoist temple. Even Prince Jing had gone to Hubei's Anlu—so whose household rites were these Taoists performing?
His mind swirled with doubts, but the persistent Taoist kept urging him inside for the inspection. Suddenly inspired, Wang Daxia said, "But it's almost dark—I need to pack up my stall and hurry home to cook my husband's dinner. If I'm late, I'll get scolded at best, beaten at worst. I'll definitely come back tomorrow."
The Taoist blocked his path. "That won't do! You've already taken the money. Come inside—I'll be quick. It won't delay your cooking."
"My home is far, and the walk is long." Wang Daxia returned the three taels of silver. "Don't worry, Taoist—just for the chance to earn some private savings, I'll surely come tomorrow."
Still unwilling to give up, the Taoist pressed, "Where do you live? I have a carriage. After we're done, I'll take you home. You won't be late."
Wang Daxia demurred, "For a fleeting affair, best not ask origins. If my jealous husband found out and came shouting to White Deer Temple to kill the adulterer, the neighbors would gossip, and your reputation would be tarnished."
The Taoist also worried that an affair with a married woman—if discovered by her husband—might expose his status as a wanted criminal and implicate his brothers. No matter how strong his lust, he had to restrain himself. He stuffed a string of coins into Wang Daxia's hand and said:
"Buy yourself some rouge and powder. Don't come here tomorrow—my brothers will likely be around. Follow this street west to the Three Thoroughfares Inn. Buy a pot of tea and wait for me there. We'll act like strangers. I'll get a room, and after I have the key, follow at a distance. Knock after I enter."
Wang Daxia took the money and thrust out his chest. "Understood. Tomorrow, after I send my husband off to work with breakfast, I'll meet you at Three Thoroughfares Inn."
He glanced at the Taoist's purse and added bluntly, "Let's be clear—I want both you and your silver. Three taels each time, not a coin less. I'm not some foolish girl cheated of body and heart. Sentiment can't fill my stomach or clothe my back. I'll only undress when I see the silver."The foul Taoist said, "Naturally, I also fear trouble. Doing business is more reliable."
With that, he reached out to grab Wang Daxia's chest, hoping to take some liberties. With that grab and pinch, the paper bag filled with hot chestnuts was likely to tear, spilling chestnuts all over the ground from under the hem of his clothes.
Wang Daxia, agile and quick, sidestepped the advance and whispered, "Haste makes waste. Tomorrow at the Three Thoroughfares Inn, you can have your fill."
Wang Daxia pushed the wheelbarrow away, deliberately swaying his slender waist until his figure vanished into the swirling dust. Only then did the foul Taoist withdraw his gaze and return to the White Deer Temple. He no longer sought out other women, his mind wholly occupied with the next day's rendezvous with the buxom young woman.
He wondered what kind of alluringly seductive face lay above those ample breasts.
Wang Daxia pushed the wheelbarrow, moving faster and faster until he reached the Embroidered Uniform Guard's hidden stakeout. There, he changed his clothes, donned an eye veil, and returned to the Lu residence. Without even washing the dust from his face and hair, he went straight to report to Lu Ying and arrange the next day's plan.
When Wang Daxia arrived at the Lu residence, Lu Ying, who had just returned from his official duties, was speaking with Wei Caiwei. Wei Caiwei recounted her observations that day at Prince Yu's residence, the difficulties Princess Yu faced in making ends meet with limited resources, and Li Jiubao's predicament. "...Vice Minister Yan from the Ministry of Revenue has been withholding Prince Yu's stipend. Is there really no way to recover the silver?"
Lu Ying, coming from a noble family and serving in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was privy to some secrets. "Yan Shifan is on good terms with Prince Jing, so he naturally wants to create obstacles for Prince Yu. Ever since Prince Yu married, established his own residence, and moved out of the Forbidden City, his annual stipend has either been delayed or withheld under various pretexts. The longest period was three consecutive years without a single payment."
"At that time, the late Princess Yu, the young princess, and the young prince were still alive. As a husband and father, Prince Yu could not stand by and watch his wife and children suffer or live in hardship. So, he scraped together fifteen hundred taels of silver to bribe Yan Shifan and even humbled himself with many soft-spoken pleas."
"Yan Shifan accepted the silver and ordered the Ministry of Revenue to make up all three years of Prince Yu's stipend. He even boasted arrogantly, 'Even the son of the emperor has to send me silver. Let’s see who dares not to bribe me from now on.'"
"What?" Wei Caiwei was astounded. "So, you mean Prince Yu had to gather money to bribe Yan Shifan first, just to receive the stipend that was rightfully his?"
Lu Ying replied, "That’s how it used to be. But now, with his wife and children all dead, Prince Yu has become disheartened, suffering from melancholy. He merely drifts through life, relying on his savings, and has grown apathetic and world-weary, with no intention of gathering funds to bribe Yan Shifan again. Thus, in the two years since Princess Yu married into the household, the Ministry of Revenue hasn’t issued a single payment—withholding it for a full two years. That’s why the prince’s residence has fallen into such decline."
Wei Caiwei suddenly understood: If Prince Yu were to swallow his pride and gather the money to bribe Yan Shifan, the problem could be resolved. But the current Princess Yu is like a widow in all but name. Prince Yu pays no heed to any matters and feels no affection for his new wife, forcing Princess Yu to pawn her jewelry just to maintain appearances.
Wei Caiwei said, "It seems I can’t help with this matter. It takes the one who tied the bell to untie it. Only Prince Yu himself can resolve this."
Lu Ying added, "But the current Prince Yu won’t even humble himself before the emperor, let alone Yan Shifan. After all, the Ministry of Revenue can’t actually starve a prince to death—it’s just that those around him must endure hardship and tighten their belts to get by."So this problem was essentially unsolvable.
Wei Caiwei thought for a moment and asked, "If Princess Yu managed to gather silver to bribe Yan Shifan, would he release the withheld salaries from the past two years?"
Just as Lu Ying was about to speak, Wang Daxia burst in with a grimy face, dusty hair, and two prominent bulges on his chest that turned out to be chestnuts. He exclaimed:
"I waited like a fool at a tree stump and finally found the coachman from the wanted poster! A Taoist from White Deer Temple looks seventy percent like him. The guy's also a lecher—he thought I was a loose woman and offered three taels of silver to drag me into the temple to sleep with him. I made an excuse to refuse and arranged to meet him tomorrow at Three Thoroughfares Inn instead—Doctor Wei? What are you doing here?"
Wei Caiwei stood up curiously, walked over to Wang Daxia, and poked one of the bulges on his chest with her slender finger.
How are these twice as big as mine? What in the world is this?
The oiled paper wrapping could no longer hold, and the chestnuts inside spilled out with a clatter, raining down on the floor and Wang Daxia's feet like large and small pearls falling on a jade plate, scattering and rolling everywhere.
Wei Caiwei and Lu Ying exchanged a glance: Damn, he's a genius who, lacking natural charm, creates charm and still manages to gather intelligence by selling his looks!
Wang Daxia hurriedly said, "It's not what you think! Let me explain!"
Author's note: Caiwei: He hasn't even succeeded yet but already seems to be cheating. While they're still warm, pick up the chestnuts and eat them.
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