Chapter Eighty-Seven: A Century-Old Establishment, Fair Dealing for Young and Old

The flower hall soon came alive again. Miss Red Sleeve returned to the center of the room to dance, though the celebrated courtesan was, for once, somewhat absent-minded.

The dandies in the hall were not paying much attention to her now, and so none of them noticed that her performance had grown a little lackluster.

These young men still had their own way of doing things, especially in the presence of a person as exalted as the little prince.

Though they were considerate enough to spare Chang Tingluo his dignity, laughing and bantering with the little prince for a few rounds before dropping the matter, the young master surnamed Chang, who had hosted the evening, remained gloomy and downcast.

A handsome youth with neat handwriting sat at the long table and copied out the piece left behind by Zhao Hengyi. Halfway through, he cried out in shock.

"This is a song for a thousand autumns! This... today is for celebrating the Imperial Consort's birthday..."

At last, the truth had been discovered. Such a thing could never have been hidden for long anyway.

The man copying the poem could not finish what he was saying. The expressions around the room varied, and everyone’s thoughts turned in different directions, but all were keenly aware of one thing: after tonight, that Zhao Hengyi, the moneyed patron, would likely never again find anyone in Jiangling who dared make trouble for him.

Even though the prefect had on several occasions previously shown displeasure toward Zhao Hengyi and Ninefold Flower Dew in different settings, after tonight he would certainly do everything in his power to protect that wealthy Zhao.

As for whether the matter had overstepped propriety, no one cared.

Had the prefect not also once been publicly censured by imperial decree? Yet the thunder had roared loud and the rain had fallen softly; and now, was Jiangling not still decked with lanterns and banners, full of smiling faces?

Besides, everyone here was well informed. For these young gentlemen, it was no secret that after being reprimanded for his fine governance of the people, the prefect had immediately received imperial favor and reward.

How wonderful it would have been if this Thousand Autumns piece had been one’s own composition!

With a little maneuvering, one could rise to great heights in no time.

This Lantern Festival poem Zhao Hengyi had copied from memory matched Jiangling on this night surprisingly well. Merely changing the original title from Moon Eve to Thousand Autumns had already placed Zhao Hengyi beyond defeat.

As for Zhao Hengyi, who had just made Young Master Chang Tingluo lose face, his mind was not on poetry at all.

He and Wang Erhu had borrowed a carriage from the Hengtong Trading Company and parked it in a back alley behind Moon-Viewing Tower, like a private cab driver waiting for work in some later age.

Though it was already late spring and the weather was growing steadily warmer, the night wind remained somewhat chilly. Zhao Hengyi and Wang Erhu sat on the carriage frame, bored, watching the horse snort white breaths into the dark.

"Boss, do you really think we can wait her out?"

"Of course we can. The attendants and manager at Moon-Viewing Tower have already discovered traces of the intruder. Their refusal to make a scene is nothing more than a merchant’s instinct. Once the banquet guests have all gone, they’ll certainly investigate on their own."

So long as he had enough patience, Zhao Hengyi was seventy percent sure he could wait for that woman in black.

Just as he said, the people of Moon-Viewing Tower had already discovered that a thief had slipped inside. When the men of the Ningwu Army came asking questions and Moon-Viewing Tower chose not to raise the alarm, that in itself showed their attitude.

The moment the woman in black revealed herself within Moon-Viewing Tower, she would inevitably draw a large force of officials and constables.

As one of the finest inns in Jiangling, let alone the question of whether anyone could actually be caught, merely disturbing the guests would be enough to ruin Moon-Viewing Tower’s reputation.

What was more, once the officials and constables came knocking, even if Moon-Viewing Tower had no connection at all to the thief, being extorted for a sum was almost unavoidable.

The people of Moon-Viewing Tower would certainly hope the intruder would leave of her own accord. If she did not understand the hint, then once the guests had all gone, they would have to organize a full security inspection.

Of course, Moon-Viewing Tower had absolutely no intention of helping the officials and constables apprehend a thief. Everything they did was merely to scare away the person hiding in the inn.

In short, merchants hated getting mixed up in this sort of trouble.

As the night deepened further, and the cold dew even dampened Zhao Hengyi and Wang Erhu’s clothes, a gaunt figure suddenly appeared atop the wall surrounding Moon-Viewing Tower.

Seeing that the alley, which should have been empty, actually held a carriage, the figure hesitated. But the injuries on her body no longer allowed her to wait, and behind her, the inn’s attendants were holding oil lamps and searching everywhere, claiming that a rat had gotten in.

Left with nowhere to advance or retreat, the figure at last leaped down from the wall into the alley.

Thud.

The landing was dull and heavy, utterly unlike the nimble agility she had shown while fighting the Ningwu Army earlier on the main street.

"Miss, care for a carriage? It’s only thirty taels to get you out of the city."

From the darkness, the man who had seemed to be sleeping on the carriage frame suddenly spoke, and the taut figure immediately drew the short sword hidden on her back.

Wang Erhu carefully lifted the already cocked hand crossbow. That same prickling sensation rose again along the back of his neck!

"Miss, no need to be nervous. We’re just carters, doing honest business for money. We guarantee we’ll get you safely out of Jiangling."

"Really only thirty taels?"

"An old firm of a hundred years, fair dealing for young and old alike!"

"Fine. Take me out of the city."

As soon as the gaunt figure finished speaking, she slumped sideways against the wall and slid weakly down.

Wang Erhu approached with the hand crossbow still held high, heart in his throat, only to find that the woman had already fainted.

The master and servant exchanged a glance. Neither said a word as they swiftly lifted the woman, still wearing the clothes of a maid from Moon-Viewing Tower, into the carriage.

As property of the County Princess of Xiang, and as a trading house thriving in Jiangling, Hengtong naturally did not obey the rules too dutifully. The carriage had a hidden compartment large enough to conceal a person.

Once they had confirmed that no blood was dripping outside the secret compartment, Zhao Hengyi sat in the carriage while Wang Erhu took the reins.

Most of the common folk who had taken part in tonight’s grand, distant celebration of the Imperial Consort’s birthday had already dispersed. Along the sparsely populated main streets, the Ningwu Army had set up checkpoints at the intersections.

The Ningwu soldiers stationed there wore official military dress, while those men in blue continued searching all over the city.

By this hour, the carriages still moving through the streets mostly belonged to respectable households. Hengtong Trading Company’s identity was just right: neither ostentatious nor likely to arouse suspicion, yet sufficient to pass the checkpoint smoothly.

Even if someone opened the carriage to look inside, they would see only Zhao Hengyi reclining on the brocade seat, reeking strongly of alcohol, and the Ningwu Army would not go so far as to inspect him inch by inch.

Once the carriage left the bustling districts, Wang Erhu sped up and drove it all the way to the courtyard they had rented at the inn.

By now Wang Erhu understood the importance of the woman in black, but her audacity in attempting to assassinate the Jiangling prefect still left the youth uneasy.

The guards had already returned. Everyone surrounded the carriage tightly, and they even carefully barred the courtyard gate shut before Zhao Hengyi finally lit the oil lamp inside the carriage and opened the hidden compartment.

A short sword still warm from a body emerged from within and pressed against the throat of Zhao Hengyi, whose expression remained calm...