Chapter 88 – Old Emperor, Here I Come

Elder Li’s eyes lit up the moment he saw the Jinyiwei. He hurriedly ran up to the leading guard officer and exclaimed,

“Sir, sir, it’s them! They ruined our business and even injured our people! Look at my hand, this was done by that wretched girl! Please, capture her and sentence her to public execution as a warning to others!”

Deputy Commander Ji glanced at his hand and said mildly, “That does look rather serious.”

Enduring the pain, Elder Li growled, “Sir, they’ve committed such heinous acts. You must not let them go unpunished!”

“Don’t worry,” Deputy Commander Ji replied, his tone calm. “I’ll handle this fairly.”

After lowering the man’s hand, he turned to Elder Wu, giving his shoulder a friendly pat. “Lord Wei and Lord Pang have missed the two of you greatly. They’ve invited you both to the Commandant’s Residence for tea. If you’re free today, why not come along with us?”

“Invite us for tea?” Elder Wu looked both shocked and confused.

Although they had dealings with the Commandant’s Office, Lord Wei and Lord Pang had never invited them over. In fact, they preferred to keep their relationship secret. So why today, of all days?

Elder Li’s eyes brightened. “Let me get a doctor to wrap my hand, and I’ll head over to see Lord Wei at once.”

“But they want to see you now,” Deputy Commander Ji said pleasantly. Then, in the next second, his smile vanished. “Men! Arrest them.”

“Yes, sir!”

Four captains of a hundred moved swiftly, seizing Elders Wu and Li by the arms.

Both elders were stunned.

Even Jiang Laoda and his men were dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.

Elder Li shouted angrily, “Sir, why are you arresting us?”

Deputy Commander Ji sneered. “Because you’ve been kidnapping and selling people, colluding with corrupt officials, and bribing court ministers. Do you understand now why you’re being arrested?”

Elder Wu frowned deeply. “But you already knew all this. You even took our silver!”

Elder Li shouted in protest, “You can’t just take our money and then kick us aside like this!”

“The ones who took your money,” Deputy Commander Ji said coolly, “were Lord Wei and Lord Pang. They’re already in prison, waiting for you.”

Only then did the two elders realize what was going on. The two officials who had taken their bribes had been caught, and these Jinyiwei were here to bring them down as well.

Elder Wu and Elder Li exchanged a look, then glanced toward the door.

Elder Li made a sudden move, twisting his body in an attempt to break free, but his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

“You… you cowards! You drugged me!”

Elder Wu, who had tried to flee as well, suddenly felt his strength drain away, and his inner energy dispersed completely. Glaring furiously at Deputy Commander Ji, he roared, “It was you! You drugged us, didn’t you?”

Deputy Commander Ji calmly pulled out a silk cloth and wiped his hands. “When facing opponents stronger than yourself, some methods are necessary. Take them away. Let them ‘reunite’ with Lords Wei and Pang.”

“Yes, sir!”

The four officers dragged the two elders away like dead pigs.

Deputy Commander Ji strode quickly toward Kan Chaoyan. “Sir, are you all right?”

Kan Chaoyan smiled faintly. “With such timely reinforcements, what could possibly happen to me?”

“You’re… an imperial official?” Old Fisherman stared at Kan Chaoyan in disbelief. “We’re doomed.”

“We’re saved!” cried the rescued girls, gripping each other’s hands with joy.

Deputy Commander Ji turned his gaze to Mu Nanjin.

Mu Nanjin looked right back at him and spat out two words. “So despicable…”

Deputy Commander Ji: “…”

Kan Chaoyan: “…”

【That’s a brilliant move. I should do that too if I ever lose a fight.】

【But there’s one problem. I can’t smile as warmly and kindly as he does.】

【Guess keeping a cold face all the time isn’t always a good thing.】

The Jinyiwei collectively: “…”

Letting everyone hear your inner thoughts isn’t exactly a good thing either, you know?

【Maybe I should practice smiling more often?】

Mu Nanjin tried to pull up the corners of her mouth.

Kan Chaoyan sighed, patting her on the shoulder. “Stop. You look like you’re having a spasm.”

Mu Nanjin: “…”

【Huh!?】

【Old Kan actually noticed I was smiling. Does that mean I’ve taken my first step to success?】

Kan Chaoyan: “…”

Sorry. If it weren’t for hearing your thoughts, I’d never have guessed you were smiling.

【But why did he say I look like I’m having a spasm!?】

Mu Nanjin touched the corner of her mouth gloomily.

Kan Chaoyan turned to Deputy Commander Ji. “Where’s Captain Liu? Why isn’t he with you?”

Deputy Commander Ji replied, “The Commander took him and the others to wipe out the Haixing Gang.”

At the mention of that, Jiang Laoda’s legs gave out, and he slumped to the floor.

“They’re done for,” he muttered.

Kan Chaoyan asked, “How many men did you bring here?”

“One hundred,” Deputy Commander Ji replied.

“So few?”

Deputy Commander Ji gave a sideways glance at Mu Nanjin, who was still examining her lips. “The Commander said someone is already guarding this place, so there was no need to bring more.”

Kan Chaoyan frowned. “But I wanted to capture all the slavers outside too.”

“No need,” Deputy Commander Ji said. “Once they saw those two dragged away, they’ll scatter on their own.”

And indeed, the once-bustling street was now deserted, save for the prison wagons filled with captives.

The rescued people knelt and thanked them tearfully. “Thank you, my lords! Thank you!”

The young women cried, their eyes red. “My lords, we’re not from Licheng. Please help us return home.”

Kan Chaoyan nodded. “We’ll send escorts with you. But you must be prepared. After being gone so long, some may gossip when you return home. Be ready for that.”

The girls froze.

Many of them looked terrified.

For women in this age, “gossip” could mean ruin. Some would be hastily married off. Others might be beaten to death.

Mu Nanjin looked at their faces and sighed inwardly. It’s hard being a woman in this era.

“If you have nowhere to go,” she said, “you can come with me to the capital. And if you return home only to find you’re no longer welcome, you can still find me there.”

“Thank you, Miss Mu!” they cried, kneeling again in gratitude.

Kan Chaoyan leaned closer, whispering, “You’re not planning to bring them to your brothel to earn money for you, are you? From one pit to another?”

Mu Nanjin shot him a glare. “Do I look like that kind of person?”

Kan Chaoyan chuckled. “No. But you’re too kindhearted.”

“I’m just giving them a way to survive,” she said calmly. “The rest of their lives is up to them.”

After all, saving them earned her merit points. It was a fair trade.

A woman in a pale blue dress stepped forward and bowed gracefully. “Miss Mu, may I come with you to the capital?”

Mu Nanjin noticed her fine attire and composed demeanor. “What’s your name?”

“Si Yuhuan.”

At once, Mu Nanjin’s mind filled in her background. Si Yuhuan was the illegitimate daughter of Yancheng’s wealthiest family. Neglected by her family, she was given to the local magistrate as a concubine. Unwilling to let others control her fate, she ran away, only to fall into the hands of traffickers.

“All right,” Mu Nanjin said. “You’ll come with us.”

Over the next few days, eight more young women asked to join them, and Mu Nanjin agreed to all.

The rest who wished to return home were placed under Kan Chaoyan’s care.

The Commander and his troops remained in Licheng for seven days to finish rounding up the Haixing Gang and the traffickers. Only after everything was settled did they escort Lords Wei and Pang back to the capital.

The return trip took ten days, longer than before.

The rescued women gazed wide-eyed at the bustling capital, whispering in awe, while Si Yuhuan sat quietly by the window. Only when they passed the Imperial Academy and saw elegantly dressed young ladies leaving class did her eyes light up.

“The girls in the capital are so refined,” someone murmured.

“That was the Imperial Academy, every scholar’s dream.”

“I’ve heard the Emperor even opened schools for women and lets them sit for the civil exams. So it’s true after all!”

“If only I could serve in court, people wouldn’t look down on me anymore.”

“Ha, dream on. I can’t even read. Just having a roof over my head thanks to Miss Mu is good enough.”

Si Yuhuan remained silent, watching the streets roll by. When they arrived at the Mu Residence, she stopped Mu Nanjin.

“Miss Mu.”

Mu Nanjin turned. “What is it?”

Si Yuhuan hesitated. “I’d like to borrow some silver from you to start a business.”

The other girls gasped.

“You want to start a business?”

“A woman doing business is difficult…”

“People will look down on you.”

Nervously clutching her sleeves, Si Yuhuan waited for Mu Nanjin’s reaction.

But Mu Nanjin simply asked, “You just arrived in the capital and already want to borrow money? It sounds like you’ve had this planned. Tell me, what kind of business?”

Encouraged, Si Yuhuan said quickly, “When we passed the Imperial Academy, I saw a teahouse opposite it. Only men are allowed in. I want to open one that welcomes both men and women. My tea skills and pastries will draw in customers, especially young noblewomen.”

Even the other girls thought it was a great idea.

One of them, Lin Zishu, immediately said, “Si Yuhuan, if you open your teahouse, can I help out? I can read and write a bit.”

Others followed, volunteering eagerly.

Si Yuhuan agreed to all of them, then turned back to Mu Nanjin.

Mu Nanjin nodded. “A teahouse, hm? Count me in as an investor. Find Steward Xu for the silver.”

“Thank you, Miss Mu.” Si Yuhuan beamed. “Tomorrow I’ll start scouting locations and visit bookstores to find books that will attract scholars.”

Lin Zishu laughed. “You really are a merchant’s daughter, born with a knack for business.”

Si Yuhuan smiled modestly. “You flatter me. I just picked up a few tricks from my family.”

A young girl named Xia Yan piped up, “What kind of books are you looking for, Sister Si? I can help you find them.”

“The rarer, the better,” Si said. “The more unique, the more appealing. But such books are hard to find.”

“You mean unique manuscripts?”

“Yes. If I could get my hands on one, that would be perfect, but they’re nearly impossible to find. Most are kept by scholars or officials.”

“Unique manuscripts…” Mu Nanjin murmured.

She remembered that the old Emperor loved collecting those.

Where did he keep them again?

The Imperial Study?

Maybe she should check tonight.

Night fell.

A shadow darted silently over the palace walls, moving faster than the wind, and slipped into the Imperial Study.

The intruder began rummaging through the bookshelves.

【Unique manuscript… where are you?】

Outside, the commander of the Imperial Guards froze mid-step.

That voice sounded like Mu Nanjin.

But wasn’t she supposed to be in Licheng?

Had she already returned?

“Commander Meng,” a guard asked, “did someone sneak into the palace?”

Commander Meng shook his head. “No. It’s nothing.”

If it really was Mu Nanjin, just hearing her voice was not enough reason to arrest anyone.

【Where are you, unique manuscript?】

Commander Meng stiffened again. Yes, definitely her voice.

What was she doing in the palace, searching for books?

【Come out, unique manuscript!】

Inside the study, Mu Nanjin fumbled around in the dark.

【Damn it, I don’t even know which ones are the rare ones. How am I supposed to find them?】

【Should I just take them all?】

She stared at the ten towering bookshelves.

【Ugh, that’s a massive job… and I don’t have a bag big enough.】

【If only the books could talk, I’d just ask which one’s the unique manuscript!】

【What if I can’t find any? Maybe I’ll just grab a few at random…】

【Yes, grab a few, then check the Emperor’s bedchamber. He might keep some by his pillow.】

Stuffing a few books into her robe, Mu Nanjin slipped out of the study.

Commander Meng no longer heard her voice. She must have moved to the Emperor’s chambers.

Should he raise the alarm?

Then again, the Emperor could hear her thoughts too. Even without him saying a word, someone was bound to notice.

And indeed,

Just as the Emperor closed his eyes, about to sleep, a voice rang in his mind:

【Old Emperor, here I come.】

The Emperor nearly had a heart attack.