Chapter 66

After staying cooped up in the mansion for several days, Daili couldn't stand it any longer. Her son had been attending classes at Nalan Zhi's place recently, while she went to the small lake in the back garden every day for a stroll. She had already fished up two buckets of fish and was thoroughly tired of it.

With nothing to do and her foot injury fully healed, Daili thought of going out to the market.

"Madam wishes to leave the mansion? This servant will help you dress and do your hair right now." Nianxia perked up.

Madam was usually very casual inside the mansion, sometimes not even bothering to put up her hair, and she absolutely refused to wear makeup. She said the lead-based powder was poisonous and prolonged exposure was bad for the skin.

Well, although Nianxia didn't understand why the expensive lead powder favored by noblewomen was toxic, Madam must have her reasons. She only lamented that her own eighteen skills in hairstyling and makeup had no place to shine.

While Nianxia was putting up her hair, Daili looked at Bipo beside her. "Bipo, go and inform the mansion guards and the kitchen. Tell them I'm going out to the market and they needn't prepare lunch for me."

Bipo accepted the order and left.

...

In the study.

Upon hearing from the guard that Daili wanted to leave the mansion, Qin Shaozong smiled. "Let her go. She's been cooped up for days, long enough. She truly can't stay still the moment her legs are better."

The Yanzhou soldiers in the city had now been completely cleared out, with soldiers from the Northern Territories and Qingzhou taking over all city defense and patrol duties. In a sense, Baizhou City had completed a preliminary transfer of power.

The guard was about to leave to relay the order when he heard Qin Shaozong add, "Take a message to the Madam for me. Tell her to return to the mansion before sunset, and not to have her evening meal outside either."

A whole day out wandering was plenty. It wouldn't do for her to not be home by dark.

Jin Duole, standing to the side, secretly lowered his eyes, inwardly drawing a sharp breath. He thought to himself that the Lord Marquis seemed to be getting serious. It looked like the funds earmarked for renovating the Marquis's residence would have to be spent after all.

...

By the time Bipo returned, Daili was properly dressed.

The carriage was waiting at the moon gate of the main courtyard. As Daili boarded, she saw Hu Bao and several guards, knowing they were to accompany her.

The carriage left the mansion, first heading to the food market in the southern district where Daili had lunch, then proceeding to the northern market.

The northern market sold fabrics and jewelry.

Daili actually loved collecting jewelry. In her previous life, her home had a walk-in closet with two whole walls and several cabinets dedicated solely to her accessories.

She didn't necessarily have to wear everything, but if she saw something she liked, she wanted to own it. Just looking at them made her happy.

After arriving in this era, Daili's interest in jewelry hadn't diminished. Back in Nankang Prefecture, when she went on that massive shopping spree, eighty percent was an act, but twenty percent was her genuinely wanting to indulge.

Later, when Qin Shaozong sent jewelry to her rooms, she didn't refuse. On one hand, collecting jewelry that could be easily converted to silver was practical; on the other hand, she genuinely liked it.

Everyone has hobbies. What's wrong with women loving jewelry? Men like drinking wine!

Moreover, the craftsmanship of this ancient era was astonishing. Despite being entirely handmade, they could still produce all sorts of exquisite accessories. Like filigree gold hairpins, twisted gold wire hair clasps, and spiral-patterned earrings—they looked particularly interesting.

Daili only visited jewelry shops with clean storefronts and a large scale that suggested they were well-established.

The mistress and her two maids alighted together.

Hu Bao had several guards stay at the shop entrance while he followed Daili inside.

This jewelry shop had two floors. The prices on the second floor were far higher than the first, specifically catering to wealthy guests from affluent families. Daili didn't go directly upstairs but browsed slowly from the first floor up.

The accessories on the first floor were mostly made of silver, bronze, and various woods. Among them, a pair of earrings adorned with colorful bird feathers caught Daili's eye. She bought them without hesitation.

After browsing the first floor, Daili went up to the second.

Hu Bao also wanted to follow, but was stopped by a young shop attendant.

The attendant looked apologetic, extremely humble. "Honored Sir, there are some young, unmarried ladies upstairs. The young ladies are shy and do not like to meet unfamiliar gentlemen. Might I trouble you to remain here?"

Hu Bao looked at Daili.

Daili said, "Captain Hu, wait on the first floor."

Daili didn't think it was a big deal. The first and second floors were only separated by a staircase. If one spoke slightly louder upstairs, it could be heard downstairs.

Hu Bao thus remained on the first floor.

Daili and the two maids ascended the stairs.

Upon reaching the second floor, it was indeed as the attendant said—there were other customers looking at jewelry, all of them women. Two of them were very young, their faces tender and fresh, reminding Daili of flower buds just beginning to bloom on a branch, probably only fourteen or fifteen.

The layout of the second floor was no different from other jewelry shops: everything was categorized, with one area for earrings, another for hair clasps, another for hairpins, and necklaces elsewhere.

From a macro perspective, the entire second floor was somewhat like a library, except the wooden shelves held jewelry instead of books.

Moreover, the design of these shelves was clever. They were latticed, but due to the angle of the latticework, they were somewhat like modern blinds. From inside, one couldn't see outside, but the reverse was possible.

The northern corner of the second floor had a curtained resting area. If one was tired and didn't want to be disturbed by others' gazes, one could draw the curtains on both sides to form a semi-transparent private space.

The western side had a row of bronze mirrors, each as tall as a woman, for customers to use.

The jewelry on the second floor was much more exquisite than on the first.

While Daili was halfway through looking, a maid carrying a tray approached. "Madam, this is honey tea provided free by the shop. It is not only sweet in taste but also has beautifying and skin-nourishing effects. Please try it. If you find it good, you can purchase it at the South Bamboo Tea House in the eastern part of the city."

Hearing her spiel, for a moment Daili felt like she was facing a modern salesperson. So this was a cross-promotion!

The exquisite wooden tray held three small teacups, just enough for the mistress and her two maids.

As the maid approached with the tray, Daili noticed several other maids also carrying tea trays, heading towards the young ladies further inside.

It seemed everyone got a share.

Both Nianxia and Bipo seemed tempted upon hearing this, but if Daili didn't take one, how could they, as maids, reach out? So they both looked at her eagerly.

Daili smiled, first taking a teacup and taking a small sip, just wetting her lips.

With her leading the way, Nianxia and Bipo also reached out. Compared to Daili's sip, the two maids drank their honey tea clean.

The tray-carrying maid collected the teacups and withdrew.

A moment later, another maid came up with a tray of snacks, extremely enthusiastic.

Daili saw the two young ladies not far away receiving the same treatment. The two of them had smiles on their faces, their mood visibly cheerful.

And after having the snacks, the young ladies picked out several pieces of jewelry, clearly having been put in a good mood.

"I'm not hungry, you two have them," Daili said before continuing to look at the jewelry.

Following the earlier precedent, Nianxia and Bipo were no longer reserved and each took snacks to eat.

Daili took a fancy to a bracelet. It was gold, with a circle of differently colored teardrop-shaped tourmalines hanging from the edge. The tourmalines were small, each one very clear and clean.

Daili held it up to the sunlight; the tourmalines refracted a clear, brilliant light.

So pretty. She'd take it.

"Madam..."

Daili turned at the sound of the voice and saw Nianxia looking awkward. "Madam, I have an urgent need to use the privy."

Daili: "Mm, go ahead."

Nianxia found a shop attendant to ask, who said the privy was on the first floor and gave detailed directions.

Nianxia hurried downstairs.

Hu Bao, who was downstairs, saw her come down and asked where she was going and if she needed any help. Nianxia told him truthfully.

Hu Bao understood and watched her head towards the privy.

...

Upstairs.

The young ladies from the two families who had arrived earlier had already selected their jewelry and, followed by their maids, went downstairs to settle the bill. They clattered down the stairs, and the second floor instantly became emptier with the departure of that group of mistresses and servants.

Hu Bao, standing by the stairwell, watched the crowd leave and looked up. He happened to catch a glimpse of a woman's dress hem — a delicate pale yellow, a color much favored by young women.

Hu Bao averted his gaze and continued guarding the stairwell without going up.

Not long after, a figure in cyan/green came up the stairs.

"Bipo, come here for a moment." It was Nianxia's voice.

Bipo, who had been following Daili all along, turned her head, but the latticed wooden shutter blocked her view, so she couldn't see the other person. "What is Nianxia up to, acting so mysterious?"

Despite saying this, Bipo still walked out, passing through the layers of display shelves.

Daili didn't pay much attention at first, until she faintly heard a muffled grunt from that direction.

The tone sounded very much like Bipo's.

But the distance from there to the stairwell wasn't that close. Daili wasn't sure if she had misheard, so she called out, "Bipo?"

"Madam, what are your instructions?" came the reply, still in Bipo's voice, with a normal tone.

"Nothing." Daili suspected she had imagined the sound earlier.

Daili was standing in the middle of the bracelet section, with shelves both in front and behind her.

She heard footsteps from both her left and her right. Daili first glanced to the left and saw Nianxia and Bipo wearing cyan (greenish-blue) clothes. The two women were backlit, their faces somewhat more blurred than usual, so she turned to look to the right.

On the right was the shop attendant holding the tray.

Daili naturally turned sideways, facing the attendant and turning her back to her own maids. "What is it?"

The shop attendant smiled. "Madam, I would like to invite you to a place."

Daili looked puzzled.

Almost as soon as her words fell, the two women who had already arrived behind Daili acted simultaneously. Their coordination was seamless; one, holding a handkerchief, pressed it over Daili's mouth and nose with both hands, while the other grabbed her hands.

This series of actions was completed almost in an instant. Daili was greatly alarmed and was about to resist when the attendant in front also put down the tray and stepped forward.

From the cloth, Daili smelled a very strange odor, like some kind of plant, or perhaps a mixture. She couldn't quite place it, only knowing that after inhaling twice, she began to feel dizzy and lightheaded.

Her struggling strength gradually weakened.

The noise in her ears slowly faded away; the scene before her eyes blurred into layers of double images that gathered and dispersed. After this happened several times, darkness fell before Daili's eyes.

The attendant in front of her caught her limp body.

Two stood behind Daili, one in front; the three of them sandwiched Daili.

"Bipo" cautiously kept the cloth in place for a few more moments before removing it.

The attendant who had been holding the tray earlier was similar in stature to Daili. She picked Daili up and headed west to a bronze mirror, then gave the mirror a light kick with her foot.

Then, this heavy bronze mirror actually slid open from right to left, revealing a passageway with a row of small lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The passage slanted downward, connecting to the rear of the first floor.

There was a person behind the bronze mirror, holding a petite figure; it was this person who had pushed the mirror open.

The young lady he had abducted wore cyan-green clothes, with two carved silver hairpins in her hair and a pair of jade pearl earrings—simple but not plain, the attire of a maid from a wealthy household.

And this young lady, who else could it be but Nianxia, who had gone downstairs to the privy earlier?

The two met and exchanged their burdens deftly, without a word.

The man carried Daili downstairs. The attendant took Nianxia, turned, and headed straight north, arriving at the rest area, where she and another "Nianxia" positioned her in front of a low table.

This scene was quite eerie, as if a strand of Nianxia's soul had left her body and was attempting to usurp and harm the main host — a case of the guest usurping the host.

Someone approached from over there—two people.

There was a face eighty percent similar, the same height, the same clothing and hair ornaments, except one Bipo was unconscious, while the other had keen, alert eyes, looking spirited.

The three of them worked together to arrange the unconscious Nianxia and Bipo properly, fed each of them a few pills, and then let down the curtain.

Immediately, "Nianxia" and "Bipo" walked to the stairs. One went down, and halfway, said to Hu Bao guarding the stairwell: "Sergeant Hu, the shop is promoting tea beverages. Madam tried some and found it quite good. Could you trouble someone to go to the South Bamboo Tea House in the east of the city to buy a few jars of honey tea?"

It was Nianxia speaking. Hu Bao was about to agree when he heard Bipo's voice from above.

"Madam says to buy ten jars."

"Oh, then buy ten jars. My apologies for the trouble." Nianxia amended.

Upon hearing this, Hu Bao called over a soldier from outside and sent him on the errand. He was unaware that at that very moment, behind this jewelry shop, a donkey cart was waiting.

A young lady in white waited by the cart. Seeing the man bring Daili down, she hurriedly opened the cargo box on the donkey cart.

The man placed Daili inside the box, then stood motionless beside the cart, gazing at the person in the box.

"Madam Dai truly has remarkable beauty, like a fairy from the heavens. Such bearing is perfect for entering our Green Lotus Sect." The woman in white couldn't help but reach out and stroke Daili's face. Then she took out a small porcelain vial, poured out a black pill, and fed it to Daili.

No need to swallow; the pill slowly dissolved upon entering her mouth.

After completing this, the two spread the pre-prepared straw over Daili. Once the straw was laid, they covered it with a layer of burlap.

The donkey cart slowly drove out of this alley, heading east.

The guard, ordered to buy honey tea, was walking along the bustling street when he suddenly heard a donkey braying behind him.

It was common for carts to come and go on the main street. When he heard the sound, the soldier edged a little further inward. A donkey cart overtook him, its hooves clip-clopping toward the east city gate.

At all four city gates—east, south, west, and north—guards inspected those entering and leaving. The military guards were jointly composed of soldiers from the Northern Region and from Qingzhou, each side providing half the force.

This donkey cart reached the east gate, queuing to await a simple inspection.

Two soldiers stepped forward then. They exchanged a glance with the man driving the cart, their eyes holding an undisclosed fanaticism. The woman in white sitting in the back compartment got down and let one of the soldiers search the box.

That man only went through the motions.

Inspection passed, clearance granted.

After exiting the city, the donkey cart traveled about half a li before meeting up with a horse team stopped by the side of the official road.

In these times, horses were precious. Merchants traveling to various places for business mostly rode donkeys; the wealthier ones might keep horses. But even if they kept them, they were horses of very ordinary quality. Horses were a strategic resource, and fine-bred horses were, in a sense, not in circulation.

However, this merchant caravan was equipped with tall, sturdy horses, each one glossy and well-fed, with bright, spirited eyes—clearly fine steeds bred for speed.

The donkey cart halted. The woman in white alighted swiftly and lifted Dalì from the back compartment. "We must be quick. They can't hold out much longer over there."

Soon, the merchant caravan changed direction and headed north.

North, towards the Jin River.

Inside the city, at the Jinfengyu Jewelry Store.

The guards sent to the east city to buy honeyed tea had been back for over half an hour, yet Hu Bao still didn't see anyone come downstairs.

Lady Dai rarely lingered in one place for so long...

After some thought, Hu Bao decided to go up. But before he could finish climbing the stairs, a figure appeared at the top.

"Captain Hu, the weather is getting warmer. The lady suffers in the summer heat and fancies some sweet melon." It was Nianxia.

Then, a familiar figure stepped out beside Nianxia. "The lady says she saw an old man selling melons at the north street entrance on the way here. His melons looked quite good. She wants his. Could you trouble Captain Hu to send someone?" said Bipo.

Before Hu Bao could respond, as if musing to herself, he heard Bipo whisper to Nianxia:

"This shop is truly nice, even having a resting area. I reckon the lady will visit often from now on."

Finally, Bipo smiled and said, "Captain Hu, we entrust this to you."

Hu Bao retreated. "It's nothing, just my duty."

A guard was dispatched on the order, and Hu Bao continued to wait.

Perhaps it was Hu Bao's imagination, but the trip seemed to take longer than he expected. A round trip to the north street entrance should take at most half an hour, yet it felt like the guard was gone for ages.

It wasn't until the guard returned, panting and out of breath, that Hu Bao knew it wasn't just his imagination.

It wasn't half an hour. It was a full hour.

According to the guard, the old man selling sweet melons at the north street entrance had already packed up his stall. Left with no choice, he had to search for melons elsewhere.

But, oddly enough, sweet melons, usually not hard to find, were nowhere to be seen that day. He visited several large markets and came back empty-handed each time. In the end, he only managed to buy a few from a peasant woman.

Hu Bao strode out of the shop and looked up at the sky.

It was already the end of the Shen hour.

Soon, it would be the You hour, when the sun sets.

The end of the Shen hour. Perhaps because Lady Dai had left at the end of the Shen hour last time, Hu Bao felt an inexplicable aversion to this particular time.

Just then, two young maidens, accompanied by formidable-looking servants, entered the store together. They were clearly from wealthy families. They bypassed the first floor entirely and went straight upstairs.

"Eh? Why isn't there a single shop assistant on the second floor? Where did everyone go?" A voice tinged with surprise drifted down.

Hu Bao felt as if he had been struck on the head.

There were supposed to be shop assistants upstairs; otherwise, Nianxia wouldn't have mentioned the shop serving promotional tea. So why were there none now?

Immediately, Hu Bao disregarded all else and bounded up the stairs two or three steps at a time.

His first action upon reaching the top was to search for Dalì.

When he spotted the familiar silhouette behind the curtained-off resting area, his heart settled, but he soon realized something was wrong—

There seemed to be only two figures inside the curtain.

"Lady Dai," Hu Bao called.

There was no response from within.

"Lady Dai, I beg your pardon." His heart pounding wildly, Hu Bao swiftly drew aside the curtain. The sight before him made his vision darken.

There were only Nianxia and Bipo, both with their eyes closed. Lady Dai was nowhere to be found.