Chapter 59

When Xiao Wanling opened the letter and saw the words “Shen Qing imprisoned,” her hands trembled and the letter nearly slipped from her grasp.

It had been barely a month since Shen Qing left, and there had yet to be news of the Prince of Jin’s victory. Xiao Wanling forced down the anxiety rising in her chest.

She called for a carriage; she needed to go to Jin City and find out what had happened.

Seeing her face pale as paper, Cheng Qiao’er rushed to steady her. “You mustn’t collapse!”

This wasn’t the right time to speak frankly, but there were certainly people waiting for her to fail—or just waiting to snatch her recipes.

Xiao Wanling steadied herself against the table and sat down. “I’m fine. Madam Zhang invited me to see the flowers; I’ll be gone for just two days.”

That line was spoken loudly enough for nearby eavesdroppers to hear.

Calming herself, she packed food, warm clothes, dried provisions, water, and even pest-repelling medicine—sulfur, lime, anything she thought Shen Qing might need for protection in prison.

She arrived at the Prince of Jin’s residence. The doorkeeper looked her up and down. “Who are you?”

He was just about to drive her off when Xiao Wanling pulled out a black token and held it up in front of him.

The guard didn’t recognize the token, but the workmanship was exquisite, so he didn’t dare offend someone with such status and quickly went to fetch the steward.

When Steward Zhu saw Xiao Wanling, he immediately welcomed her inside. Before she could say a word, he said, “His Highness has already rushed to the capital on General Shen’s behalf. Madam Xiao, you need only wait for good news.”

Still uneasy, Xiao Wanling insisted, “I want to see Shen Qing. Please help me.”

After some thought, Steward Zhu nodded.

That night, he quietly led Xiao Wanling to the prison. She carried a bundle, and the house guards from the Prince of Jin’s residence brought a food box. The jailers, upon seeing the prince’s token, let them through without a word.

A chill wind blew from all directions, damp and musty with a faint stench of mold and blood.

The jailer stopped at one cell, took out a key, and unlocked it before turning and leaving.

Steward Zhu and the others stood guard some distance away.

Xiao Wanling opened the food box and took out a still-warm bowl of chicken soup.

Spoon by spoon, she fed Shen Qing. He opened his mouth obediently, drinking the soup and eating the meat. The chains on his wrists and ankles clinked softly. The soup had been deboned in advance. After finishing, Shen Qing glanced at the Sachima (crispy egg pastry) inside the box.

Xiao Wanling picked one up and held it to his lips, catching the crumbs with her hand.

He bit off half and smiled at her. “I’m fine. I even won the battle against the Prince of Qi!”

That was exactly why he’d ended up imprisoned. Xiao Wanling poured him warm tea from a kettle and asked him to squat so she could apply medicine to his bruises. Then, she asked him for the full story.

Shen Qing recalled what had happened: That day, with the military book tucked in his coat, the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Qi’s armies faced off.

Standing at the front lines, Shen Qing shouted insults, “Prince of Qi! When the barbarians came from the east, you hid like a turtle! And now you dare to show your face?”

“Ah—!”

The Prince of Qi recognized the voice. It was the man who had kidnapped him previously. Furious, he charged forward on horseback to give chase.

Shen Qing intentionally led him into the forest, spurring his horse further. The Prince of Qi, thinking the Prince of Jin was too scared to act, followed with increasing arrogance.

In the deep forest, Shen Qing was surrounded.

Prince of Qi looked at him smugly, like a hunter eyeing his prey. “Tie him up! I want him alive.”

Shen Qing laughed. “This is what you call ‘catching a turtle in a jar.’”

Prince of Qi, wary of his confidence, still ordered his men to bind him.

Shen Qing blocked their way. “Too late. Your camp’s already burning. This is ‘luring the tiger from its den.’”

Having waited too long without a response from the Prince of Jin’s army, the Prince of Qi scoffed. “Nonsense! What do you brutes know of strategy?”

Shen Qing raised his chin. “I have a strategist.”

Provoked, the Prince of Qi ordered his guards to hold Shen Qing. “Don’t let him escape. I’ll handle him personally.”

As Prince of Qi approached, Shen Qing grabbed him, yanked him off his horse, and slammed him into the ground.

Infuriated, the prince lunged at him, and they wrestled.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Jin had set fire to the enemy’s camp and now arrived with reinforcements.

Still fuming, the Prince of Qi saw his army’s flag trampled underfoot.

He couldn’t accept that he actually lost to a reckless man; he turned his head and rushed towards Shen Qing. Shen Qing drew his sword to resist, only to run straight into the Prince of Qi’s chest.

Everyone froze.

The Prince of Qi collapsed, lifeless.

His followers screamed, “You killed the Prince of Qi!”

To give the emperor an explanation, the Prince of Jin suppressed the Prince of Qi’s forces and had Shen Qing imprisoned.

Grinning, Shen Qing concluded, “That’s what happened.”

Xiao Wanling carefully applied medicine and wrapped his wounds. “You remembered your tactics well.”

She untied the pouch from her waist and handed it to him. “For bugs and rats.”

Glancing around at the dirty straw floor, she took a thin blanket from her bundle and spread it for him.

Steward Zhu came by again. It was time to go.

Xiao Wanling stood and gave Shen Qing one last look before turning away.

The jailer came and locked the cell behind her. Shen Qing sat cross-legged on the blanket, food box on his lap. Inside were his favorite walnut crisps and thick rice cakes topped with candied fruits.

He ate slowly, drank licorice tea, and closed his eyes, replaying military strategies in his mind.

It was dead silent until footsteps approached.

A jailer appeared behind him and suddenly tried to strangle him with a rope.

But Shen Qing opened his eyes just in time. With a flick of his hand, he flung powder behind him, grabbed the rope with both hands, and broke it.

He snapped the chains around his wrists and ankles, rushed to the cell door, and ripped the wooden bars apart with his bare hands.

The jailer, face covered in lime powder, stumbled back in shock and ran for his life.

Outside, Lu Dahai, Yan Sheng, and others were waiting for him.

Shen Qing took his sword and led them to defend Jin City.

Meanwhile, Qishan Village enjoyed calm and sunny days.

Xiao Wanling checked daily to see if the corn had changed color, planning to use it as leverage to clear Shen Qing’s name.

Jiang Ting returned in an oxcart, pale and exhausted. After drinking a whole bamboo flask of water, she finally managed to speak.

“The Prince of Zheng and Yong tried to take Jin City while the Prince of Jin was away, but General Shen drove them off!”

Chancellor Fu stepped from the crowd. “Did they retreat, or were they beaten back?”

“They fled for now,” Jiang Ting said.

Chancellor Fu stroked his beard and spat, “Cowards!”

He despised those two princes for never showing up when enemies invaded, only to swoop in now to snatch credit.

“These endless wars—how much food and manpower do they cost? Can the common people even survive?”

He huffed and turned toward the teahouse. “Prepare food and tea. I’ll deliver it personally.”

Xiao Wanling replied, “Of course.”

She made mantou buns and braised meat, chopped the meat and stuffed it into the buns, and then packed them into wooden trays.

At the gates of Jin City, Shen Qing sat with his troops, biting into a meat bun. “This is my wife’s cooking.”

Chancellor Fu nodded. “Then guard it well!”

He had a premonition; things were about to change.

Shen Qing looked at him. “Did my wife ask you to bring a message?”

“Ah, yes!” Chancellor Fu lied smoothly. “She said she’s waiting for you. Don’t let her down.”

Those words filled Shen Qing with renewed strength. After eating his fill, he led a small force to snatch weapons and supplies and returned victorious.

The Prince of Zheng and Yong cursed Shen Qing as a brute and the Prince of Jin as cunning. They thought they could plunder a wealthy city but instead got a nasty surprise. Shen Qing alone could flip war chariots—they suffered a huge loss and retreated to their fiefs.

Shen Qing resisted the urge to return to Qishan Village and instead marched on to support the Prince of Jin.

Not long after, Emperor Zhu abdicated and passed the throne to the Prince of Jin, and the Prince of Jin was crowned new emperor.

He ordered the capital to be moved to Jin City. The court had no choice but to follow.

Suddenly, everyone realized—Chancellor Fu and Master Zhi had long ago bought land in Qishan Village. They’d been recruited by the new emperor from the start!

When the news reached the village, Fu’s family had just finished moving in.

Madam Fu was puzzled. “Why buy a home here? You’ll have to travel dozens of miles to attend court!”

Chancellor Fu folded his hands behind his back and looked out proudly. “Look at this scenery—half autumn colors, half spring bloom. Where else can you find such a sight?”

Qishan Village sat in a flat valley surrounded by mountains, shielded from the wind and snow. In the distance, the mulberry hills were blanketed in white; to the left, red maples blazed; the tea hills were lush and green.

The Fu family dismounted in awe. The old matron stepped down from the carriage with her granddaughter and was stunned. She rubbed her eyes and turned to the bustling market, wondering if this was all a dream.

At the teahouse, oxcarts were being loaded. Women with headscarves and padded jackets hauled buckets, jars, baskets, and sacks onto carts, chatting and riding cheerfully toward the mountains.

The market had been expanded, with new shops and a stone road leading up into the hills. The sound of hooves and wheels echoed through the air.

Master Zhi’s carriage came from the opposite direction. He pulled back the curtain and called out, “Old friend! You beat me here!”

Chancellor Fu snorted. “The new emperor’s moving the capital to Jin City. If you don’t act fast, you won’t get a house!”

Xiao Wanling stood at the teahouse doorway, hanging a sign for sour plum tea.

Hearing this, she turned to the white-haired elder. Qishan Village seemed unchanged, but the dynasty had already shifted. The Prince of Jin was now Emperor?

She climbed to the highest point in the market and looked into the distance. Carriages lined the mountain road. People were flooding into the village asking who had homes or land for sale.

The village head’s house was surrounded.

People were everywhere, a dark sea of heads. Three supervisors and patrol guards tried to maintain order.

The villagers were dumbfounded. The Lantern Festival had only just passed, and now nobles in fine robes were offering to buy homes and farmland. It felt like they were walking on clouds.

Chen Gui sold his rammed-earth house in Qishan for twenty taels—he still had property in Dayan Village.

Some households split their large homes in half to sell and become neighbors with officials; surely their ancestors were smiling on them now.

Xiao Wanling was puzzled. Have they really run out of homes in Jin City?

Chancellor Fu walked past her and stopped, nodding with a satisfied air. “Madam Xiao! You have a good vision!”

Those three shop deeds? She’d receive them, just not too generously.

Shen Qing galloped nonstop, finally arriving to see the market filled with people.

He spotted Xiao Wanling standing on the steps, hands cradling her belly. He panicked.

Leaping off his horse, he ran toward her.

Stopping in front of her, Shen Qing’s broad shoulders blocked the crowd from view as he pulled her into his arms.

Xiao Wanling looked up at the disheveled man. “Shen Qing?”