Chasing Jade (Zhu Yu)

When the Jizhou Prefecture soldiers who had their horses stolen caught up, they saw a man wearing a blue devil mask standing by the official road, holding a long spear as he gazed at the churning river below.

Mu Shi had injured his leg when he fell from his horse and was now lying amidst the gravel by the roadside, weeping and shouting toward the river: "Young Master!"

The Jizhou soldiers, unsure of the situation, raised their weapons warily at the masked man. Suddenly, he turned around, giving them a cold glance before saying, "The fugitive escaped into the river. He won’t swim far with his waist injury. You can search downstream."

With that, he mounted his horse and rode off, leaving the soldiers too intimidated to stop him.

Only one sharp-eyed soldier recognized the warhorse Xie Zheng was riding and whispered, "That’s Captain Xu’s horse."

Captain Xu was the young officer whose horse Xie Zheng had earlier seized.

The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances, none daring to speak up. After a moment, their leader ordered them to restrain the injured Mu Shi, sending some downstream to search for Sui Yuanqing while others escorted Mu Shi back for questioning.

At the gates of Qingping County, the rebellious villagers had been subdued.

When He Jingyuan led his troops into the city, the county magistrate, smearing blood on his face, rushed forward wailing: "Lord He, thank heavens you’ve arrived! Had you not come, this humble official would have had to throw his bones upon the city walls to stop the rebels!"

Seated on horseback, He Jingyuan observed the blood-covered magistrate. Though he hadn’t held a favorable impression of him before, his expression softened slightly. "Magistrate Liu, the safety of Qingping’s people owes much to your efforts."

Magistrate Liu, sensing a potential promotion, wept even more dramatically: "In my three years here, my achievements have been modest. Just as my transfer neared, the military’s grain requisition incited rebellion. In desperation, I ordered the county constables to bar the gates and detained the grain-collecting officers to quell the unrest—until your reinforcements arrived. I beg your forgiveness for any impropriety."

He Jingyuan, already aware from the masked man’s account that the unrest had been instigated by Changxin Wang’s heir, grew suspicious upon hearing about the grain officers. "Explain the grain requisition in detail," he demanded.

Magistrate Liu recounted how days earlier, officers had arrived demanding one shi of grain per person.

He Jingyuan exclaimed, "Preposterous! Jizhou Prefecture would never issue such an order!"

Sweating profusely, the magistrate stammered, "They claimed it was Military Governor Wei’s decree. How could I refuse? They even confined me! When I learned the peasants were rebelling, I feared disaster and had my men arrest them."

Eager to claim credit, Magistrate Liu omitted Head Constable Wang and Fan Changyu’s roles, summarizing events vaguely.

He Jingyuan fell silent, his grim expression unsettling the magistrate.

From the magistrate’s account, He Jingyuan pieced together the truth: Changxin Wang’s heir had ambushed the grain officers, forged a requisition order, and likely orchestrated the Ma Village massacre—all to incite rebellion in Qingping County.However, the magistrate of Qingping County still had no idea about the true identities of those soldiers. How did the masked man recognize Sui Yuanqing then?

Could it be that the masked man already knew Sui Yuanqing?

He Jingyuan’s gaze grew increasingly complex as he recalled his earlier suspicions.

He asked the magistrate, “Earlier, I noticed a man in black wearing a blue devil mask on the city wall, fighting fiercely against the enemy. Do you know who he was?”

After waiting for so long only to be asked this question, Magistrate Liu grew uneasy and shook his head. “This… I don’t know either. Perhaps he was a righteous man from the city.”

Just then, the soldiers who had been pursuing Sui Yuanqing and his group returned to the city.

The leader of the soldiers dismounted as soon as he entered the gate and cupped his fists toward He Jingyuan. “Sir, the leader of the bandits escaped by fleeing into the river. I’ve already sent men to search downstream, but first, I’ve brought back this captive to report to you.”

He Jingyuan glanced at the tightly bound Mu Shi and asked, “Did you see a man wearing a blue devil mask?”

The subordinate cupped his fists and bowed his head. “This man was captured by that very warrior. When we arrived, he told us the bandit leader had fled into the river and then headed downstream himself. It seemed he was also searching for the bandit leader.”

The young officer whose horse had been taken couldn’t help but mutter, “Then where’s my damn horse?”

He Jingyuan shot him a look, and he immediately shut his mouth.

He Jingyuan turned to Mu Shi. “Lock him up first and keep a close watch on him. Make sure he doesn’t take his own life.”

The subordinate acknowledged the order.

He Jingyuan then pointed at the young officer who had just spoken. “Lieutenant Xu, take a squad and search along the river as well. Try to capture the bandit alive if possible.”

The young officer quickly straightened his expression and cupped his fists. “Understood!”

After escorting Head Constable Wang to the physician, Fan Changyu noticed that it was almost dark and Xie Zheng still hadn’t returned. Worry crept into her heart, so after informing Head Constable Wang, she prepared to leave the city to search for Xie Zheng.

By now, the city gates were guarded by soldiers from Jizhou Prefecture, clad in armor and armed to the teeth, an imposing sight that kept ordinary citizens at a distance.

Fearing that accomplices of the bandits might still be hiding in the city, entry and exit had become extremely strict. Some villagers who usually came to trade were temporarily detained.

After a brief hesitation, Fan Changyu decided to approach the guards to explain her situation and ask if they had seen Yan Zheng during the pursuit. After all, Yan Zheng had been wearing a blue devil mask—he should have been easy to recognize.

Just as she was about to step forward, the sound of unhurried hoofbeats came from outside the gate. The soldiers guarding the entrance peered out and saw a chestnut horse returning alone.

At the same time, a large hand suddenly grabbed Fan Changyu’s wrist from the side, pulling her back several steps.

The soldiers who had gathered around the gate looked outside but saw no rider. Puzzled, one of them said, “Lieutenant Xu’s horse came back by itself?”

A few steps away, Fan Changyu was startled—then overjoyed—to see the man in dark robes standing before her, the blue devil mask now removed. As he led her away, she was so preoccupied with her chatter that she didn’t even notice he was still holding her hand. “Why were you gone so long? The soldiers already came back with their captives. I thought something had happened to you…”

Xie Zheng listened to her rambling, his grip on her wrist unwavering. “I was chasing the bandit leader. He fled far.”

Fan Changyu immediately realized he must have been pursuing that cunning officer. “Did you catch him?”Xie Zheng shook his head.

He had searched over ten miles along the river but hadn't caught sight of Sui Yuanqing. The man had escaped into the river wearing that suit of armor, with a wound on his waist from Xie Zheng's spear. Even if he were an excellent swimmer, his chances of survival were slim.

If Sui Yuanqing truly managed to escape death, it could only be said that fate wasn't ready to claim him yet.

Hearing that Sui Yuanqing hadn't been caught, Fan Changyu was also disappointed but quickly added, "They say turtles live for a thousand years and tortoises for ten thousand. If that little bastard didn't die, it must be because he's just like them."

Noticing that Fan Changyu never had a kind word to say about Sui Yuanqing, Xie Zheng's eyes darkened as he recalled the taunting words Sui Yuanqing had thrown at him before diving into the river. He asked, "Do you have a grudge against him?"

Fan Changyu replied, "There wasn't one at first. After you told me the magistrate was being controlled, I wanted to drag him out and reinstate Head Constable Wang to his position so he could do his job more easily. Who knew that little bastard was staying at the magistrate's residence? I had no choice but to go after him, and that's how the grudge started."

Xie Zheng lowered his gaze, concealing the emotions in his eyes. "His martial skills are decent. How did you capture him?"

At this, Fan Changyu looked a little embarrassed, feeling her method wasn't entirely honorable. But being straightforward by nature, she recounted truthfully, "There were too many of them, and I was afraid I couldn't take them all. I originally planned to drug them, but the magistrate's residence didn't have any sedatives. So I disguised myself as a maid and served that little bastard a bowl of silver ear soup laced with croton beans."

She was still wearing the maid's outfit, her fair wrist partially exposed where Xie Zheng held it.

Xie Zheng looked down at her, thinking of how she had worn this same outfit to serve Sui Yuanqing the soup. Unconsciously, his grip tightened.

The pain in her hand finally reminded Fan Changyu that he was still holding her wrist. She patted his hand and hissed, "Ease up a bit. That bastard bullied me on the city wall when I didn't have a proper weapon—he swung a ring-pommeled saber at me while I only had a boning knife. Later, when he dragged me off the wall, he injured this wrist too. It still hurts."

Xie Zheng released her hand and noticed a ring of bruised fingerprints on her pale wrist—clearly not from him—and a split in the webbing between her thumb and forefinger, the dried blood still visible.

A flash of fury crossed his eyes.

Seeing his silence, Fan Changyu realized her earlier words might have sounded like complaining, which felt overly sentimental. She quickly added, "But I got my revenge. I stabbed him several times, and before he ran off, I even kicked him in the face!"

Xie Zheng remained silent as she spoke, his gaze cold and heavy.

Fan Changyu noticed he had been unusually quiet the whole way and guessed he might be frustrated about failing to catch that bastard. She tried to comfort him with a few more words.

Before returning to town, Fan Changyu first went to reassure Head Constable Wang, so he wouldn’t worry about Yan Zheng not coming back.

Upon learning they planned to return to town, Head Constable Wang said, "It's already dark, and the snow is heavy. After today's events, bandits will surely take advantage of the chaos. Traveling in the dark isn't safe. I have spare rooms at home—you two can stay here for the night and leave tomorrow."

Fan Changyu considered it. Both she and Yan Zheng were exhausted after the day's events, so she thanked him and agreed.

Yu Bao'er, seeing Fan Changyu arrive, toddled over and asked, "Auntie Changyu, when is my mother coming to get me?"Fan Changyu then remembered Yu Qianqian's situation and looked up at Xie Zheng: "Is Shopkeeper Yu still in jail now?"

Xie Zheng leaned against the moon gate with his arms crossed, shaking his head faintly. His idle gaze lingered on Yu Bao'er, carrying a trace of complexity before he averted his eyes and said, "The murder case at Overflowing Fragrance Pavilion hasn't been closed yet. It's unclear how the authorities will handle it. Since she entrusted this little one to you, just take care of him until the case is resolved."

Fan Changyu thought that Yu Qianqian had always treated her well, so helping to look after Yu Bao'er for a while was the least she could do.

She and Yu Qianqian had previously speculated that the county magistrate wanted to seize Yu Qianqian's property to pledge allegiance to the Rebel King, but now it seemed that wasn't the case.

If the authorities handled the case fairly and cleared Yu Qianqian's name, then all would be well.

But if the magistrate had any ulterior motives, she now had evidence of his corruption and wouldn’t let him bully Yu Qianqian.

Fan Changyu patted Yu Bao'er on the back of the head and said, "Your mother has run into a little trouble. Once she sorts it out, she’ll come get you. For now, come with me to town and play with Ning Niang for a few days, alright?"

In the past, when Yu Qianqian was busy with the shop, she would leave Yu Bao'er with the maids at home. Sometimes, he wouldn’t see his mother for days.

Though young, he was already quite composed. Hearing this, he nodded obediently and asked curiously, "Aunt Changyu, do you know how to butcher pigs?"

Fan Changyu thought for a moment and said, "Maybe."

The day's events had left the entire county in turmoil. It was uncertain whether the market would even open in the next few days. It would probably take some time before things returned to normal.

Yu Bao'er completely ignored the word "maybe." Satisfied with Fan Changyu's answer, he happily let the maid take him to wash up and sleep.

From the moment Fan Changyu arrived at Overflowing Fragrance Pavilion early in the morning to deliver meat to Yu Qianqian until now, she hadn’t even had a sip of water.

Wang Furen knew she must be starving and had the maids prepare a meal.

Fan Changyu hadn’t even thought about hunger all afternoon, but the moment she smelled the food, she realized she was famished.

She had been doing physical labor all day and was completely empty. She wolfed down three bowls of rice and was about to reach for a fourth when Xie Zheng pressed down on her spoon.

He said, "Don’t overeat after starving for so long. It’ll hurt your stomach."

Grudgingly, Fan Changyu set down her chopsticks.

After the meal, Xie Zheng went out for a while. Head Constable Wang often got injured while working cases, so his home was stocked with wound medicine.

Xie Zheng asked Wang Furen for some bruise ointment and a bottle of травма medicine.

When he returned to the room, Fan Changyu had just finished washing up.

He saw her wringing out a cloth in the basin and frowned. "Has no one ever told you to keep wounds away from water?"

Fan Changyu glanced at the cuts on her hand and said dismissively, "These little scratches? No big deal."

Then she noticed the medicine in Xie Zheng’s hand and exclaimed, "Oh, you went to get medicine for me?"

Xie Zheng lowered his eyes slightly and said flatly, "Wang Furen gave it to me."

Fan Changyu didn’t doubt him. "Auntie is so thoughtful, noticing even these small injuries."

Xie Zheng didn’t respond. Leaning against the doorframe, he asked, "Are you going to apply it or not?"

Fan Changyu thought to herself that this man’s temper was so unpredictable. But remembering how he had saved her several times on the city wall, she decided not to argue. Tilting her head up, she said, "Of course I’ll apply it. This is medicine Auntie gave me—it’s the thought that counts."Upon hearing the words "feelings," Xie Zheng glanced up at her briefly before averting his gaze again.

Fan Changyu first sprinkled травма medicine on her palm. Seeing her struggle to tie the gauze with one end clenched between her teeth, Xie Zheng stepped forward to help her wrap and secure it.

However, when it came to applying the ointment to her wrist, Fan Changyu realized she had made a foolish mistake.

She should have applied the ointment to her wrist first. The salve was oily and needed to be gently spread and massaged into the skin. Now, with both hands wrapped in gauze, she could only scoop a little with her fingertips and slowly rub it in with her fingers, which was quite troublesome.

Moreover, the oily salve was extremely slippery, making it difficult to work into the skin with just her fingertips.

Fan Changyu haphazardly rubbed it in and was about to close the ointment box when her wrist was suddenly intercepted by a large hand.

Xie Zheng’s calloused palm spread the still-wet salve over her wrist, his tone far from polite: "Do you always do everything so carelessly?"

Fan Changyu, once again on the receiving end of his sharp words, couldn’t help retorting, "It’s not like my hands are free right now!"

Xie Zheng seemed momentarily taken aback. After that, he focused solely on massaging the ointment into her wrist without saying another word.

Her pale skin took on a warm, jade-like hue under the candlelight, while the ring of blue fingerprints around her wrist stood out starkly, looking almost shocking.

Suddenly, Xie Zheng recalled the provocative smirk Sui Yuanqing had thrown his way after breaking through the crowd earlier.

An inexplicable anger surged in his chest, and his lips pressed into a tight line.

His palm was separated from her wrist by a layer of ointment. While the salve was still wet, the rubbing felt slippery, but as it absorbed into her skin, the sensation of his fingers kneading her wrist became unmistakable.

Perhaps from prolonged contact, his palm grew scorching hot, like a branding iron.

Fan Changyu frowned, about to say it was enough, but he withdrew his hand before she could speak.

The words on her lips had to be swallowed back.

Xie Zheng put away the ointment box and went to wash his hands at the nearby washstand.

Fan Changyu looked down at her reddened wrist, feeling it burn and itch intensely. She scrunched her face, resisting the urge to rub it against her clothes.

She thought to herself that if she had known the ointment would make her whole hand numb and itchy, she wouldn’t have bothered applying it. She might as well have waited to use medicinal wine when she got home.

Xie Zheng turned and saw her conflicted expression. "What’s wrong?" he asked.

Fan Changyu shook her wrist. "The medicine’s taking effect. It feels strange."

Outside, the night watchman’s clappers sounded—it was already midnight, and the entire Wang household was silent.

Without needing further explanation from Fan Changyu, Xie Zheng went to check the wardrobe but found no extra bedding.

Fan Changyu, still seated at the table, noticed this as well.

At this hour, it was hardly appropriate to wake Wang Furen just to ask for a quilt to sleep on the floor.

After a moment, Xie Zheng turned back and said, "I’m not tired yet. You should rest."

Fan Changyu thought to herself that this was nonsense—he hadn’t slept well for several nights in a row, and this morning, he had barely managed to help her sell pork.

Besides, in the dead of winter, spending the night without a charcoal brazier was practically freezing. Did he plan to sit in the room all night?

Glancing at the single thick quilt left on the bed, Fan Changyu offered, "How about… we share the bed for tonight?"

Xie Zheng’s heart skipped a beat. When he turned to her with a frown, Fan Changyu misunderstood his hesitation and quickly raised her gauze-wrapped hands in assurance. "Don’t worry, I won’t have any improper thoughts about you!"