Volume One, Chapter 12: Guilty as Both Buyer and Seller

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As Song Yun brewed the tea, Zhu Xiaozhi’s voice accompanied the ebb and flow of the water, gentle and calm, soothing to the ears and comforting to the heart.

“The convoy will leave the city at dawn. It’s best for you to wait in advance at the city gate and blend in with the women in the middle of the group.”

“Although General Ning Dehai never stays overnight at the villa, it’s still wise to hide a packet of knockout powder under your pillow for emergencies. Do you have a trusted purchasing servant in the residence? I’ll sneak it to you among the cosmetics.”

“You also need to observe the guard shifts carefully and avoid conflicts with them to prevent unnecessary trouble.”

“Shopkeeper, is this item valuable?”

While nagging Song Yun with every detail through auditory empathy, like a fussy housekeeper, Zhu Xiaozhi handed a jade bracelet of pure green hue to the wrinkled pawnshop owner.

This was one of the few possessions she had left. She had sold nearly all the jewelry given by Lü Yuan, keeping only a few pieces to maintain appearances and avoid suspicion.

Previously, the original owner’s private collection had been sold off in exchange for small, lightweight daggers suitable for a woman’s self-defense. But with over twenty people at the general’s villa, five weapons were clearly insufficient, so she had to sell more jewelry for silver.

Zhu Xiaozhi looked at the makeup box gradually emptying with a pang of regret but felt secretly relieved; after all, life was paramount, and money could be saved again.

The shopkeeper squinted his aged eyes to examine the bracelet closely. After a long moment, he hastily pushed the cloth wrapping the jade back to her, as if it were a hot potato.

“This jade bracelet is no ordinary item. I only deal in modest trades here. I wouldn’t dare accept a jade bracelet from a noble family of the capital.”

Zhu Xiaozhi took back the bracelet helplessly, inspecting it from all angles. It appeared to be just an ordinary green bangle—if it were placed in modern times, people might even say it looked fake.

“Take another look. Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?”

The shopkeeper pointed to the inscription inside the bracelet, looking at her suspiciously.

“This engraving should be an authentic piece from the Lü family of Chang’an. Don’t you know where this bracelet came from?”

By the heavens, this young girl looked kind and gentle—could she really be a petty thief? He certainly didn’t have the courage to handle stolen goods for her.

“As the legitimate daughter of the Empress Dowager’s palace, it’s understandable for the princess to possess a jade bracelet from the noble Lü family. But why would the princess have to pawn such a precious item in this remote little shop?”

A familiar slick voice rang from behind. It was Liu, the wealthy merchant whose arm Zhu Xiaozhi had severed that night, accompanied by two servants. All three stood outside the shop, hiding their one-armed backs.

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Zhu Xiaozhi shook her head and sighed.

“I’ve already lost an arm. Why do you still bring bad luck upon me?”

Liu’s face still wore a smile twisted by flesh, but his eyes seemed frozen with ice and snow, dark and gloomy.

“Your Highness may think everything is done in secret, but we’ve noticed your frequent visits to the blacksmith lately, and today you’ve been to the pharmacy and the pawnshop one after another.”

“If you’re just going to Chang’an, there’s no need for so many weapons and medicines, is there? Not to mention now you’re even pawning the Empress’s ancestral jade bracelet.”

Zhu Xiaozhi tucked the bracelet away and slowly walked out of the cramped pawnshop, leaving the keeper behind, who pressed his frail fingers to the doorframe, trying hard to catch a clear glimpse of this noble lady of the Tian family.

“By the heavens, my little shop has actually received a visit from the princess of the Empress Dowager’s palace...”

“Ah, quickly make a new signboard—‘Treasure of the Shop: The Ancestral Jade Bracelet of the Lü Family of Chang’an, Belonging to the Princess of the Empress Dowager’s Palace’. And remember to make a similar green bracelet replica!”

Zhu Xiaozhi strolled along the street, glancing around.

“I have my reasons for what I do. I don’t owe you an explanation.”

Liu’s eyes rolled suspiciously as he sized her up from head to toe, inwardly lamenting. Though her beauty was stunning, her heart was cruel. If not for General Ning’s orders, he would have kept far away.

“But General Ning cares deeply for the little princess and instructed us to take good care of you.”

Arriving at a narrow alley, Zhu Xiaozhi stepped boldly into the shadows. When she saw them follow, she stopped and asked,

“Do you think General Ning inquires about every trivial detail of where and when I go?”

Liu showed no sign of discomfort and continued speaking condescendingly,

“General Ning certainly isn’t concerned with such trifles. But if the little princess behaves abnormally like today, we must report it back to him. So, do you have a reasonable explanation?”

“Yes, come closer, and I’ll show you.”

Once the three were fully inside the shadows, the girl smiled slyly. With a graceful arc of her wide sleeves, a choking powder filled their nostrils. Before they could cough, one by one they collapsed unconscious to the ground.

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“Now, please go explain to Lord Pei why you were following and spying on a lone woman—oh, I almost forgot, the knockout powder also contained some muting agent. You’ll be coughing incessantly these days and unable to speak. This is your retribution.”

The original owner had likely been drugged and killed by the same powder. Thinking of this, Zhu Xiaozhi regretted not adding a bit more to the mix.

“As for General Ning, since no report has been sent, it means nothing unusual occurred.”

She covered her mouth and nose, dispersing the remaining powder until the air was clear. Then she clapped her hands, signaling the hidden guards to appear.

“Just a few days ago at the Liu residence, General Ning’s gaze made acting difficult. You may bind these three and deliver them to Lord Pei for questioning. They can’t speak, but they can still write and seal documents, even with one arm.”

She kicked Liu’s exposed one-armed side to clear her path.

“Fools, learn from your mistakes. I won’t be traveling alone anymore.”

She had long sensed something was amiss around her and had pleaded with Pei Zai to send several undercover guards for protection.

What a coincidence—just as she was worried about reclaiming justice from Liu, they came right to her doorstep.

“Make sure to interrogate them thoroughly about which girls they bought from traffickers. No details should be missed. They must sign and seal the statements, then be sent back to the capital and reported to the Chang’an authorities.”

Watching the three tightly bound like sausages, Zhu Xiaozhi finally clapped her hands in satisfaction and reconnected with Song Yun.

“Ah Yun, do you have any jewelry you can sell? I’m really short on funds right now, but I promise to pay you back once we return to Chang’an.”

“Your Highness is selling jewelry to save us? It’s unnecessary. I have some hidden reserves accumulated over the years. Everything is at your disposal.”

Thus, small sums of money were secretly delivered in the basket of the purchasing servant to Zhu Xiaozhi. Similarly, the medicines and weapons she procured were passed on to Song Yun in the same way.

The officials busied themselves with preparations for the journey to the capital, paying no attention to Zhu Xiaozhi’s unusual behavior. Only Zhu Shiyue found it odd that her sister’s pillow and bed would occasionally puff up and then quickly flatten again.

Since being rescued, Xiaozhi’s character and actions had changed greatly. She dismissed it as a strange malady brought on by trauma and gave it no further thought.