Datong. Wei Caiwei had mysteriously vanished, and Lu Ying was nearly frantic with worry!
She had thought keeping Wei Caiwei inside the fortress would ensure her safety, yet the woman had disappeared right under Lu Ying’s nose.
Recently, Lu Ying had been busy resettling over twenty thousand followers of the White Lotus Sect who had fled back. Their food, shelter, and daily needs all fell under her responsibility, keeping her constantly on her feet. When she learned that Wei Caiwei had not returned by nightfall, Lu Ying borrowed troops from Qi Jiguang and combed the city as meticulously as a fine-toothed comb. Eventually, she discovered that Wei Caiwei had been summoned to assist with a childbirth at a pregnant woman’s home.
By the time Lu Ying traced the location, it was already the early hours of the following day. Having stayed up all night, she dragged the landlord out for questioning. The landlord revealed that the house had been rented out just a few days prior, and the tenant had abruptly terminated the lease the previous day, claiming urgent matters back home. During the move, several carts had been loaded with trunks and cases, suggesting a wealthy household.
At the mention of "trunks," Lu Ying’s heart sank. Wei Caiwei must have been stuffed into a chest and kidnapped!
What was she to do? How could she face Ding Wu and Wang Daxia?
For a moment, Lu Ying felt as though she would rather present her own head to the two men than deliver such news.
At the Rouge and Powder Shop, Wang Daxia received Lu Ying’s pigeon post. Instantly, his heart grew colder than the ice and snow outside, plunging him into the same terror he had felt four years earlier, just before his wedding, upon learning that his father had gone missing on the Yangtze River. He could not bear the pain of a loved one vanishing again.
Wang Daxia immediately entrusted the shop to the manager, strapped on his sword, mounted his horse, and raced toward Datong. In that moment, nothing else mattered.
Once beyond Fengcheng, the vast expanse of ice and snow mirrored the desolation in his heart. "All I want is to live a peaceful life with my wife," he lamented inwardly. "Why is it so difficult? I waited seven years to marry her, and now she’s gone missing. I must find her—I’ll never let her go again."
"Wait for me, my love," he whispered under his breath, not daring to pause the mantra. For if he did, terrifying thoughts would seize the opportunity to assail his confidence and devour his soul.
During the first year of his father’s disappearance, he had ventured alone to the southeastern coast in pursuit of the culprits. Surrounded by daily slaughter and brutality, he had become fiercer than the Japanese pirates themselves, losing count of the lives he had taken.
Yet vengeance did not heal the wound. The gash in his heart remained raw, refusing to close. Only love could truly mend such pain.
And now, the very person who had healed him was missing.
Cursing the heavens as a bastard, Wang Daxia spotted an eagle soaring overhead, tracking his path. He drew his bow and shot an arrow, but the fierce northern wind blew it off course.
A swift, pale golden steed—an Akhal-Teke horse—raced toward him, following the eagle’s trajectory. Wang Daxia aimed his bow at the rider, but the man pulled down his snow mask and shouted, "Brother-in-law! Stop!"
It was none other than his brother-in-law, Ding Wu. Riding a horse akin to Lu Bing’s prized Akhal-Teke, Ding Wu had caught up to him. The eagle descended and perched on Ding Wu’s shoulder.
Ding Wu produced a cosmetics list. "We’ve found Banxia. She’s renowned in Datong as a Gynecological Master and was kidnapped by Anda Khan’s men to the Khanate Court to assist San Niangzi with her delivery. Under the guise of procuring supplies, she managed to send a message to the rouge shop. I’ve already inquired at the Khanate Court—there is indeed a He Daifu from Datong there. I’ll find a way to get her out. Don’t panic."
Wang Daxia snatched the list, nearly tearing it in two. There, unmistakably, was the hidden seal imprint of the character "He" from Wei Caiwei’s ring.With a weight lifted from his heart, Wang Daxia turned his horse around and headed back to Fengcheng, asking, "Did they mistreat her? Did they discover my wife's true identity? San Niangzi has met my wife—they must not see each other."
He then glanced at Ding Wu’s mount and remarked, "When did you acquire such a valuable horse? An Akhal-Teke Horse is worth a city."
Ding Wu replied, "I borrowed it from San Niangzi, of course. How else could I catch up with you? Now, the capital is buzzing with rumors that we had a falling out, and you stormed off in anger. San Niangzi, playing the matchmaker, lent me her beloved horse to chase after you through the icy snow and bring you back. If I fail to bring you home this time, I truly won’t know how to explain myself."
To prevent Wang Daxia from making a futile trip, Ding Wu had sacrificed his reputation, tacitly accepting the gossip about him and the flamboyant female proprietor of the Rouge and Powder Shop.
As Ding Wu rode the Akhal-Teke Horse back to the city, Wang Daxia followed behind, his face concealed by a large red veil with only his eyes visible. The entire city witnessed Ding Wu successfully retrieving the temperamental female shop owner and escorting her home, leaving everyone satisfied that the lovers were finally reunited.
In truth, they had long been relatives—brother-in-law and sister-in-law.
At the Rouge and Powder Shop, Ding Wu and Wang Daxia discussed how to rescue Wei Caiwei. Ding Wu explained, "Anda Khan places immense importance on San Niangzi’s safety. This time, over a dozen gynecological experts, both from our tribe and Han Chinese, were either invited or taken by force. They are all treated as honored guests at the Khanate Court but are forbidden to leave. The court is heavily guarded; a direct assault is impossible. We must rely on wit."
Agitated, Wang Daxia removed his red veil and said, "Just tell me what to do. My mind is in chaos—I can’t think of anything except charging in to save her."
Faced with the sudden crisis, Ding Wu’s mind raced. "I have a plan, but I need your cooperation. Pretend to be unwell and spread the word. I’ll go to the Khanate Court and ask San Niangzi to lend us a Gynecological Master to treat you. Once Caiwei leaves the court, we’ll stage a fake escape and provide a plausible excuse. With over a dozen physicians there, her absence won’t attract much attention."
Hearing the seamless plan, Wang Daxia was so thrilled that he hugged Ding Wu tightly. "Brother-in-law! You’re truly the reincarnation of Zhuge Liang! What would I do without you? They say nephews take after their uncles—if our future child is even half as clever as you, we’ll have nothing to worry about their future."
Thus, Ding Wu’s "first embrace" was stolen by his brother-in-law—I haven’t even hugged Lu Ying yet, for heaven’s sake!
Ding Wu stood rigid, unmoving, and did not return the hug. "From now on, you’re sick. When you’re sick, you shouldn’t be so full of energy."
Wang Daxia immediately adopted a pained expression, clutching his chest and collapsing onto the couch. "Oh, my stomach hurts! Fetch a doctor, quick!"
To maintain the act, Wang Daxia deliberately summoned a quack doctor for a consultation.
He painted his face as pale as a whitewashed wall, with faint lips, feigning severe illness. Fearful of revealing his Adam’s apple, he never removed his fox fur scarf. He lay bedridden, the room filled with the smell of medicine overpowering the fragrance of cosmetics.
The quack doctor took his pulse but found nothing unusual and asked, "Where does it hurt, Boss Ximen?"
Wang Daxia rubbed his forehead band embroidered with Four Seasons Brocade and pointed randomly at his abdomen. "My stomach hurts."
The doctor inquired, "What kind of pain is it?"Wang Daxia recalled the days each month when his wife felt unwell and described the symptoms by imitation: "It's... a dragging pain, as if someone inside is tugging at my intestines."
The quack doctor initially suspected it was premenstrual discomfort: "May I ask, when was Boss Ximen's last Monthly Tidings?"
"Ah?" Wang Daxia was taken aback and casually mentioned Wei Caiwei's cycle, "The third day of the month before last."
He remembered clearly—it was the night before Wei Caiwei left Fengcheng. Hoping to showcase his progress and ease the longing of their separation, he had prepared a nourishing claypot of stewed lamb ribs with yam for dinner. But when they retired early and he was ready to let Wang Xiaxia demonstrate his prowess, Wei Caiwei suddenly pushed him away, fetched a cloth from Chen Mama, and went to the adjacent room.
Left with no choice, Wang Daxia, after many years, once again sought solace with his old flame—his right hand—to placate Wang Xiaxia.
Counting the days, it's been almost two months since we last met. How long must we endure this cowherd-and-weaver-girl separation!
The quack asked, "What about last month?"
Wang Daxia replied, "Last month? Nothing." He hadn't seen his wife last month.
Could it be pregnancy? The quack took the pulse again but failed to detect the slippery, bead-like pulse characteristic of pregnancy. His limited skills left him uncertain whether the patient was pregnant or suffering from irregular menstruation.
If pregnant, she would need Fetus-Protecting Pills. If it was irregular menstruation, he should prescribe blood-activating medicines like Safflower Sweep-All-Away to regulate her cycle. The two treatments were opposites. A mistake could lead to severe consequences, possibly even a riot at his clinic.
This female proprietor was said to be unmarried but had a powerful lover—a high-ranking official with connections at the Khanate Court. Yet, it was inappropriate to directly ask the patient about her sexual history.
Being a physician is hard; being a gynecologist is even harder.
The quack could only prescribe a harmless tonic that treated nothing, collected his fee, and left.
The Rouge and Powder Shop was permeated with the smell of medicine for days. Within a short time, several physicians had visited, and the pile of discarded herbal dregs at the entrance had grown into a small hill.
Ding Yuanpan from the Privy Council visited the female proprietor daily, his sword-like eyebrows furrowed in obvious distress.
A few days earlier, the female proprietor had suddenly left Fengcheng, riding off in a cloud of dust with a red veil covering her face. Soon after, Ding Wu chased after her on his prized Akhal-Teke Horse, accompanied by his trained Gyrfalcon, and managed to bring her back within half a day.
Rumors spread that the lovers had quarreled for unknown reasons but later reconciled. However, the female proprietor fell ill upon her return and no longer received customers at the counter.
The gossipmongers of Fengcheng were no less avid than those in Beijing's northern district. Whispers abounded: some claimed the female proprietor was pregnant but Ding Yuanpan, disdainful of her lowly and flirtatious background, refused to marry her, causing her to flee in anger.
Others said the horseback journey during her flight had allowed cold to enter her body, leading to a miscarriage that forced her to rest in bed.
Yet another version insisted she hadn't miscarried but was undergoing bed rest to protect the pregnancy, with the herbal dregs at her door being nourishing tonics.
Even San Niangzi at the Khanate Court heard tales of Ding Wu and the female proprietor's tumultuous romance—a tragic ballad of fleeting cruelty in mistreating his lover and the blazing effort to win her back.San Niangzi was just about to seek out Ding Wu for an explanation when Ding Wu took the initiative to come to the Khanate Court. He said, "Your humble servant wishes to ask the Hatun for a favor. I have a friend... who has fallen ill. We've consulted several excellent physicians and tried over a dozen prescriptions, but nothing has worked. The illness has left them bedridden. I've heard the Khanate Court has gathered world-renowned Gynecological Masters, and I would like to request one to examine this friend."
San Niangzi laughed, "This friend you speak of must be Boss Ximen from the Rouge and Powder Shop. The same person you borrowed my Akhal-Teke horse to chase last time."
Ding Wu showed a flustered expression, "That's correct."
Author's Note: Wang Daxia, wherever he goes becomes the top influencer of that place, an internet celebrity who wildly attracts traffic through hype and CP marketing. Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated with nutrient solution between 2020-10-18 03:22:44~2020-10-18 16:44:18~
Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: Wang Yan, Yun Sheng. 1 each;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solution: Ya 70 bottles; Crucian Carp Soup with Tofu 20 bottles; Zjeva 10 bottles; Cat's Wife 7 bottles; Huashao, Dew Waiting for Sunrise, Blunt Knife 1 bottle each;
Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
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