Sure enough, after putting back the string onto his wrist, Xie Heng strode over in Mu Wan’s direction. “How did you end up here?”
By now, Mu Wan understood why they had kept her captive—they likely suspected she was a spy or assassin from the enemy’s faction. Racking her brain, she quickly replied, “Sir, this commoner girl originally had an appointment at the Qingfeng Pavilion, but midway, my carriage was intercepted by Lord Wu. Panicked, we fled into the mountains. After getting separated from my servant girl and coachman, I accidentally stumbled upon this place.”
Xie Heng raised an eyebrow. “Just a coincidence?”
Mu Wan nodded vigorously, trying to appeal her innocence—‘Yes, yes. I’m not a spy, let alone an assassin! It’s all just a coincidence, a very unfortunate timing!’
“My lord,” the young man in skin-tight clothes handed Xie Heng a sleeve arrow1, “the tip is poisoned.”
It was taken off her arms when they tied her up just now.
Xie Heng took the arrow, scrutinizing its tip, and narrowed his eyes, repeating, “Just a coincidence?”
Mu Wan argued, “A weak girl must always have some means of self-defense.”
The young man checked her travel bag next, pouring all its contents to the ground—a bundle of sleeve arrows, several packs of spices, a variety of porcelain bottles with antidotes and poisons, and even a set of wooden bowls and dishes.
Xie Heng’s eyes squinted slightly.
Mu Wan offered a feeble explanation, “Well… one must be prepared for any situation, no?” ‘Who said you couldn’t run away in comfort?’
“If you were in my place, would you believe this?” Xie Heng asked. He was still smiling, but that smile looked increasingly sinister.
“Of course!” Mu Wan nodded vigorously. “See? This is not the way a spy would act!”
Xie Heng didn’t respond, his gaze drifting back to the assortment of poisons and arrows. He chuckled, “Ordinary girls don’t usually carry these things, either.”
Mu Wan was in despair—who could have imagined that her over-preparedness would one day lead her to such peril?
Seeing Xie Heng’s hand moving toward the blade at his waist—the one he had just used to get rid of his former subordinate—Mu Wan quickly cried out, “The Ox and Horse Token!”
Xie Heng paused, “What?”
Mu Wan swallowed, nervously grasping for the last straw, “The Ox and Horse Token. My mother once delivered provisions to the northern frontier and was granted this token by the Duke of Zhenguo.”
No matter what age, merchants who sought to expand their business needed powerful backers. For Xu Qinglan, her backer was the late Duke of Zhenguo, Xie Heng’s father. She had long provided grain and supplies to the frontier army and further distinguished herself from other merchants by rediscovering the ancient lost designs of the wooden ox and flowing horse2. The Duke had awarded her the Ox and Horse Token for this feat, which granted three requests—reasonable ones, of course—whenever she needed them.
After Xu Qinglan’s passing, the token was passed down to her daughter, Mu Wan.
“Who was your mother?”
“Lady Xu, Xu Qinglan,” Mu Wan replied. “Perhaps Lord Marquis could fulfill Duke Zhenguo’s promise on his behalf?”
Xie Heng suddenly let out a chuckle, “It’s true that my father’s token comes with a promise to fulfill reasonable requests. But you’ve trespassed on the secrets involving the imperial family and the court, which are punishable by death. Do you think sparing your life would be a ‘reasonable’ request?”
Mu Wan swallowed back a curse. ‘Who was it who tied me up here after I asked to wait outside, huh?! And now you have the audacity to accuse me of prying into state secrets?!’
‘Besides, what state secret is this? Clearly, it’s a certain someone’s conspiracy against the throne!’
However, remembering how she had just witnessed this man mercilessly killing someone with her two eyes, Mu Wan swallowed her grievances and meekly tried to defend herself, “Sir, how could it be considered prying into state secrets? A mere commoner girl like me couldn’t possibly understand any imperial secrets. Even if my tongue got loose, people would think I’d gone mad.”
Xie Heng stared at her, “So you’re saying you’d speak of it?”
Mu Wan: “…” ‘Can’t we just have a normal conversation, please?’
“I can have your life spared.”
The unexpected turn of events lifted Mu Wan’s spirits. “Of course! Just tell this commoner girl your terms, sir; I’ll agree to anything.” She quickly added, cautiously, “As long as they’re reasonable.”
Xie Heng played with the prayer beads on his wrist and said nonchalantly, “It’s easy—just have your tongue cut.”
Mu Wan: “…”
‘I should have known better than to trust this man!’
“Well, just cutting off your tongue doesn’t seem enough. You’re literate and have hands, so they must be cut too.” Xie Heng paused thoughtfully, “Oh, and your eyes can convey signals—we shall have them gouged.”
Seeing her silence, Xie Heng asked, “What’s the matter? Are these terms unreasonable?”
‘Reasonable, your ass!’
“My Lord,” a towering man, nearly two meters tall, appeared nearby and reported, “There are people coming up the mountain, confirmed to be Lord Wu’s guards. Quite a few of them have been stung by insects.”
Xie Heng gave a nod, “Xie Tian, Xie Di.”
Mu Wan was momentarily puzzled—‘Why is he thanking Heaven (Xie Tian) and thanking Earth (Xie Di)? What is this crazy guy up to now?’ 3
‘Does he need to perform some sort of ritual before killing someone?’ Mu Wan thought silently. Considering he carved a prayer bead for every life he took, adding a ritual wouldn’t be surprising. As Mu Wan braced herself for the inevitable, she heard two similar-looking burly men beside her respond in unison, “Yes, My Lord.”
“…” Mu Wan was speechless—‘Such an auspicious choice for a name!’
Xie Heng ordered, “Clean up.”
The two men nodded and went to deal with the bodies. Seeing Mu Wan’s dumbfounded expression, Xie Heng seemed in much better spirits. “You really should be thanking Heaven and Earth.”
With that, he pulled out a dagger and, before Mu Wan could react, cut the ropes binding her.
Relieved, she carefully looked at him. “Thank you, my lord.”
“No need,” Xie Heng replied. “Those two are rather clumsy, and an extra corpse would be troublesome to handle. So, kindly make your own way down the mountain.”
“…” Mu Wan swallowed back her sarcastic remark: ‘Oh, I thank you ever so much!’
Xie Heng suddenly chuckled.
Noting the cold glint in his eyes, Mu Wan more or less understood that he truly had no intention of killing her. Whether he’d decided this from the beginning or only after learning about the Ox and Horse Token, she wasn’t sure, but there was no need to dwell on it. Stumbling, she followed them down a different path off the mountain.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Xie Heng instructed the young man in the skin-tight, “Xiao Liu4, go fetch the Mu family’s carriage.”
Mu Wan quickly expressed her gratitude, “Thank you, My Lord.” Although she could have managed on her own, things would be much simpler with Xie Heng’s presence. Even if Lord Wu tried causing trouble at the Mu Manor, it would no longer be an issue.
Just as she was thinking that the shock she had experienced today was not for nothing, Xie Heng flashed her a remarkably gentle smile. “No need to thank me. After all, as the future mistress of my marquis manor, how could I allow anyone to disrespect you?”
Mu Wan: “…”
‘What a hateful man! Also, how did he know so much? This is a violation of privacy!’
Then it struck her—‘Right, isn’t the Mingjing Bureau specifically designed for prying into others’ privacy?’
‘Damn this wretched imperial society!’
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Author’s Note:
Xie Heng: “Xie Tian and Xie Di are quite clumsy.”
The brothers: “We are feeling aggrieved, but dare not to express it.”
When Marquis Zhenbei’s in a foul mood, his tongue targets everyone.
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- Sleeve arrow: A hidden weapon in the form of a mechanism that could launch an arrow with a push of a button. Usually hidden within one’s sleeve, hence the name. It cannot shoot a long distance but is very handy to catch the target off guard.
- Wooden ox and flowing horse (木牛流马) are special carts designed by the famed strategist Zhuge Liang, said to be able to carry one year’s grain (about 200 kilograms) on a long journey and was even equipped with a mechanism to prevent enemies from seizing them.
- There are some expressions that are hard or impossible to translate, and this is one of them. The surname Xie (谢) literally means ‘to thank,’ and Xie Heng has two subordinates whose names are Xie Tian (谢天) and Xie Di (谢地). With Tian means heaven/sky and Di means earth, their names, when spoken together, mean ‘Thank Heaven and Earth,’ which is an expression of greatest gratitude. For additional information, it is sometimes common for hereditary servants to be bestowed their master’s surname as a token of appreciation.
- Xiao Liu (小六): A name, either nickname or code name, that means Little Six. The term Xiao (小), when used in a name, may be a term of endearment, but can also be used to indicate that the individual is the youngest or one with a low standing.
The ml is genuinely off-putting. I don’t like it when smart badass fl’s have to pander to the whims of a man to survive.