Jiangnan Gaiden

Kapitel 65

The guesthouse was small and run-down, but it was also quiet and safe.

At least for us right now, this is the safest option.

I gently covered Young Master Shang with the blanket, then turned to Xiao Lü and whispered, "Young Master Shang... is he alright...?"

Xiao Lü glanced at me, then at Shang Shaochang lying on the bed, fast asleep, and shook her head, saying, "Brother Shaochang, he..."

My heart skipped a beat, and I grabbed Little Green's sleeve, saying, "What?!"

Xiao Lü put her index finger to her lips and waved it lightly at me a few times. Suddenly, her right hand shot out, and a thin, long gold needle trembled as it pierced Shang Shaochang's body. I exclaimed, "You—," pointing at Xiao Lü, speechless for a moment.

Xiao Lü's face was solemn as she slowly said, "Sister Bai, don't worry, I just made sure Brother Shao Chang slept soundly so he couldn't hear us talking." Xiao Lü had completely changed from her innocent and childlike self in Yanliang Valley. Her face was ashen, as if she had become a different person. She said, word by word, "Brother Shao Chang is more than ten years older than me. He practiced martial arts with his father when he was young, and then traveled all over the world to hone his skills. I wouldn't say that his martial arts are truly as the saying goes, 'There is no seniority but only seniority,' but he is still hard to beat. Today, I've never seen him so exhausted and depleted of his energy... Sister Bai, did Brother Shao Chang give you half of his inner strength?"

My body jolted, a heavy feeling settling over me. I slowly nodded. Don't say Little Green's medical skills are unparalleled; with just a touch of her finger, what couldn't she diagnose? It's an undeniable fact that I possess half of Young Master Shang's internal energy. I slowly said, "That's right… but… he… he gave his internal energy to someone as useless as me, harming him… harming him…" My brows furrowed, and seeing Young Master Shang's pale and weak face, my heart trembled again, and I couldn't continue.

Xiao Lü gently hugged me and whispered, "Sister in white, don't be sad. Brother Shao Chang isn't seriously injured. Look how weak he is; he's just exhausted from the fierce battle. As long as he comes back to Yanliang Valley with me and recuperates for three months, I promise I'll give you back a perfectly healthy Brother Shao Chang!" Xiao Lü stuck out her tongue and laughed, "Sister in white, calling you 'sister' is so boring—" She then chuckled softly in my arms and said, "When will you become Xiao Lü's sister-in-law…"

“You…” My face flushed involuntarily. I wanted to say something to refute Xiao Lü’s words, but I couldn’t say anything. Instead, I glanced back at Shang Shaozhang and slowly lowered my head.

Little Green chuckled, "Oh, this is the first time I've seen Sister in White blush. Does that mean she's agreed?"

My face flushed again, but I said, "Now is not the time to think about those things. That woman named Lan Ye is determined to get rid of me. I don't know if I've escaped her control yet. Being hunted down is really unpleasant. We need to think of a way."

Xiao Lü sighed and said, "We'll escape as long as we can. The only thing we can do now is wait until Brother Shaochang is feeling better. I brought some self-defense powder with me, and I hope it will come in handy. We're only a few dozen miles from here to Jiangzhou. Jiangzhou City isn't far from Yanliang Valley. Once we get to Yanliang Valley, we'll be safer."

I nodded, but couldn't think of a better solution at the moment. Xiao Lü and I spread out our bedding on the floor and rested. To say that two young women and a man sleeping in the same room was extremely indecent, but Xiao Lü had given the shopkeeper a large sum of money as hush money, and also mentioned that one of the three was weak and frail, another couldn't protect himself, and only one was a martial arts "expert." Sleeping together was much safer. Xiao Lü and I lay down fully clothed, listening to the incessant chirping of insects outside the window, and being utterly exhausted, we soon fell into a deep sleep.

Before I knew it, we had been staying at this inn for seven or eight days. Young Master Shang woke up on the second day, his spirits somewhat restored, but he spoke very little, barely a few words a day, and remained silent with me as well. When Xiao Lü performed acupuncture on him, she wouldn't let me watch, a stark contrast to his usual self. I was greatly surprised and questioned Xiao Lü, but she either stammered and dodged the question or simply claimed to know nothing. Completely bewildered, I was at a loss, but knowing that Young Master Shang was recovering quickly, my anxious heart gradually calmed down.

I sighed. Xiao Lü had gone out to buy things. When she came back, I had to ask her when she was leaving this little inn so we could return to Yanliang Valley as soon as possible. This place was not a place to stay for long. If Lan Ye's assassins found out, it wouldn't be a good thing.

As I was deep in thought, I suddenly heard a commotion downstairs, the cause of which I couldn't quite place. Suddenly, a loud crash followed as someone kicked over a table, shattering cups and plates with a crash. A thunderous voice boomed, "Prince Ning has come all this way to personally search for wanted criminals! How dare you, you unruly commoners, disturb him? Don't you want your heads?!"

My face turned as white as a sheet, and the teacup I was playing with fell to the ground with a "bang" and shattered into pieces!

Prince Ning!

Prince Ning, Zhao Sheng!

(This chapter is complete)

The title of this chapter has been changed to "Carrying the Beautiful Crow Out of its Cage." This is a line from a poem in Yuan Yuan's Song.

I'm so sorry about yesterday. I was supposed to update, but Xiao Lü dragged me away to write a book review... over a thousand words... Please forgive me...

Some netizens asked: Why did Bai Yi have to learn martial arts? Personally, I don't think the story made Bai Yi a martial arts master; her skills were probably barely mediocre. The only purpose was self-protection. Shang Shaochang couldn't be her all-powerful bodyguard. You'll notice that Bai Yi only used martial arts when Shang Shaochang couldn't save her. In situations facing martial arts masters, someone who doesn't know martial arts, no matter how clever, probably wouldn't be very effective. Therefore, to protect herself, Bai Yi needed to know at least some martial arts. That's the purpose of having her learn. Bai Yi's personality has always been quite independent, so that's probably another reason she wanted to learn.

Furthermore, some netizens have commented that Bai Yi is already twenty-five or twenty-six years old; can she still master martial arts? I think firstly, Shang Shaozhang gave Bai Yi half of his internal energy, which foreshadowed her future potential. Secondly, the amount Bai Yi learned... well... it's actually very little, and she hasn't even had to exchange blows with anyone. Learning Ju Xue's style is mainly about understanding the inner essence, not just the techniques. So... it's still possible for her to master it.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Deception

What's going on with Prince Ning here?!

The noise and commotion outside seemed to vanish instantly, and my thoughts drifted back to a year ago, when I was assisting Yun Yiyang in rebuilding Guiyun Manor. Back then, I was dressed in black, masked, and brimming with confidence; my reputation as the "White-Robed Prime Minister" had spread throughout Jiangnan and Jiangbei. Guiyun Manor, located in Shanxi, was not only a vital transportation hub but also a strategically important military stronghold, and its commerce was already thriving at the time. Prince Ning, Zhao Sheng, guarded Shanxi. Although he was of royal birth, he loved associating with scholars and literati from all walks of life. His conduct was completely free of ostentation, and his reputation for generosity and sociability was known throughout Shanxi. Because Guiyun Manor had risen so quickly, and because I was always rumored to be mysterious and unpredictable, I had become a guest of Prince Ning within just a few months. Because I was determined to conceal my true identity as a woman, I had to remove my veil before Prince Ning, painting my face in a grotesque manner to escape punishment. At the time, this matter seemed insignificant to me, but after Shang Shaozhang slashed off my veil, the news that I was a woman spread throughout the land in an instant. If I had only deceived the world, that would have been one thing, but I had actually fooled Prince Ning to his face!

Prince Ning is not an ordinary commoner; he is a noble prince!

But I committed the grave crime of deceiving others!

If I hadn't been so sharp and ambitious back then, if I had come to the Song Dynasty and lived as an ordinary woman, if I had declined the Prince of Ning's summons... if I hadn't met Shang Shaochang back then—would everything be different now?

A series of thumping footsteps approached the door, accompanied by heavy kicking and shouting, interspersed with questions like, "Have you seen this person before?" jolting me from my reverie. Xiao Lü had gone out to buy food and hadn't returned; only Shang Shaozhang and I remained in the room. I rushed to Shang Shaozhang's bedside, urgently saying, "Shang Shaozhang, I don't know what wanted criminal Prince Ning is investigating, but we—we—" My face flushed, and I couldn't finish the sentence. We weren't even husband and wife; a man and a woman alone in a room together—it could easily be considered indecent, or we could be summoned to the authorities. What I feared most was that Prince Ning might discover my true identity.

Although Prince Ning has only seen my true face once, and even then, only in a very unsightly state, the chances of him recognizing me are almost nonexistent. I still need to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

Seeing that I remained silent, Shang Shaozhang nodded slightly and said, "Okay, I know." After saying that, he got up and walked to the window. He had been resting and recuperating here, and his complexion had recovered quite a bit. He stepped onto the windowsill, intending to climb onto the roof through the window, but then turned back and said, "You, be careful."

I smiled gently, noticing the undisguised concern in his words. I waved and said, "Don't worry." I watched as Shang Shaochang vanished before my eyes in a flash. I turned and walked towards the door, glancing outside—I pushed it open, and my expression instantly changed!

The man before me, dressed in a plain brocade robe and wearing a purple-gold crown, is none other than Prince Ning.

Prince Ning's face was ashen, a far cry from the refined and elegant demeanor I had first met him. He exuded an oppressive aura! His sharp eyes scrutinized me from head to toe, but he remained silent, as if trying to discern something from me. I suppressed the pounding in my chest, striving to maintain a natural expression, and stepped forward to offer a respectful greeting:

"This humble woman, Yi Bai, kowtows to Your Highness, Prince Ning! May you live a thousand years!"

After I finished speaking those two short sentences, my heart was in my throat. To avoid revealing my whereabouts, I used the name "Yi Bai" when staying at the inn, simply reversing the order of the characters in my given name, "Bai Yi." Although I didn't know who the Prince of Ning was personally investigating the wanted criminal, meeting him here was already a huge surprise!

Prince Ning gave a light snort, his eyes scanning me for a moment before he spoke, "Oh... I didn't expect that a mere woman would actually know me."

I was greatly shocked! Since I met Prince Ning, I had never realized he was so shrewd! I had made a big mistake in my own words—since I am just a commoner named Yi Bai, how could I possibly know who Prince Ning is!

I quickly bowed again and said, "I am guilty! I am just a commoner, how could I know Your Highness? I only heard outside the door that Your Highness had come to arrest the criminals. I also saw Your Highness's majestic appearance, which is not comparable to that of an ordinary commoner. That is why I dared to address you as Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will forgive my sin of speaking recklessly."

Prince Ning said calmly, "What crime have you committed... It's quite rare for an ordinary woman like you to be so clear-headed..." He then glanced at me and said, "Do you know why I personally came to arrest this wanted criminal?"

I carefully replied, "Your Highness's whereabouts are as elusive as a dragon; how could a common woman like me possibly know them?"

Prince Ning said, word by word, "It's because the person I want to capture is a woman as intelligent as you—" Prince Ning ran three fingers along his beard, gently stroking it, and slowly said, "I've been completely open with this woman, sharing everything with her, but I never expected her to become arrogant and deceive me! How can I let her go?"

My face involuntarily turned from red to white, then from white to red! Prince Ning's words just now were quite profound—could it be…could it be…? Suddenly, Prince Ning slammed his right hand heavily on the table and shouted:

"White Robe! How dare you deceive me, the King! How dare you!"

With a loud "bang," it sounded like a thunderclap to my ears! My legs went weak, and I slowly sat down on the ground.

Prince Ning—he actually recognized me?!

No! Absolutely not! He has never seen me in my female form!

I opened my mouth and stammered, "Your...Your Highness...you might be...you might be..." I opened my mouth several times, but the words "mistaken identity" just wouldn't come out. Seeing Prince Ning slowly walk to my side, bend down, and lift my face, he said slowly, "So, the famous steward of Guiyun Manor, right here in Jiangnan and Jiangbei, known as the White-Robed Minister, is this very woman who fooled me so easily...Do you think I'm a three-year-old child?!" Prince Ning suddenly tightened his grip, almost pulling me up from the ground, and shouted, "You dare to argue! If someone hadn't informed me, I still wouldn't have found you. Do you know how serious a crime it is to deceive me! Now, you'll come with me." With that, he released my grip and threw me back to the ground.