Chapter 7:- “The Flower Thief”

At noon the next day, Jiang Rao was still thinking about how to find a proper excuse to leave the Marquisate when Xiaotao suddenly came rushing in, breathless from running, her face flushed bright red.

Seeing her, Chunxing scolded sharply, “How improper, barging before the young lady like this! What’s happened that has you so flustered?”

Still panting, Xiaotao stammered out, “Miss, there was a thief in the Marquisate last night!”

Jiang Rao’s heart tightened. “Was anyone hurt?” she asked quickly.

“No one was injured, but I heard from the people in the young master’s courtyard that the thief was outrageously bold, he actually sneaked into Rui’an Pavilion and stole a piece of calligraphy that the heir had personally copied. Apparently, that thief had come once before, but that night the heir was drunk, so when he noticed the missing scroll, he thought he’d misplaced it himself. Only this morning, when he discovered it happened again, did he realize the Marquisate really had been robbed.”

Chunxing followed up, “Was any silver or property stolen?”

“They didn’t say. I suppose nothing valuable was taken. But the heir won’t let it go, he’s determined to catch that thief and bring him to justice.”

Though no lives were lost and no fortune taken, this was far from a trivial matter. The thief’s actions were clearly an insult to the dignity of a Grand General of the nation. That someone could come and go freely through such a well-guarded residence, what a disgrace!

Rui’an Pavilion was Jiang Ming’s own residence, and his study was where he handled official military affairs. If this incident spread, others would laugh him into scorn, then how could he command respect in the army?

Jiang Rao mused aloud, “What a strange thief. He stole nothing else, only my brother’s calligraphy. My second brother is a man of arms, not a famed scholar. His writing is hardly that valuable. So why would the thief target it?”

Chunxing frowned in confusion. “Whatever his reason, we must all be cautious these next few days. Last night he entered the heir’s study, who knows where he might go next?”

It wasn’t just about property loss but there were two unmarried young ladies in the household. Such a matter could not be taken lightly.

Xiaotao nodded hurriedly. “That’s what the heir said too. He’s already ordered extra soldiers from the camp to guard the estate. Especially our Qiongju Pavilion and the eldest young lady’s Wanyan Pavilion both have added many guards. Together with our own household troops, if that thief dares come again, he’ll never get out alive.”

Jiang Rao relaxed a little. “Second Brother always handles things properly.”

—-

Before dusk, Jiang Ming rode home early that day, deliberately so.

Usually, even on less busy days, he wouldn’t return until the hour of the Dog (around 7–9 p.m.).

At dinner, he brought the matter up again, cautioning his two sisters, “Elder Sister, Younger Sister, these next few nights, don’t leave your rooms. That thief has been sneaking into my study more than once. He must be after something specific. I expect he’ll return soon. I’ve already laid an ambush in Rui’an Pavilion and just waiting for him to walk into it.”

Jiang Rao set down her chopsticks. “Second Brother, how do you know which night he’ll come?”

“He’s been here more than once. Once I happened to be drunk, otherwise, I’d have caught him already. Judging by the interval between each visit, it should be tonight or tomorrow.”

Jiang Yuan, the elder sister, looked worried. “Ming’er, don’t act rashly. Only give the order to capture him if you’re certain. Promise me you won’t risk getting hurt.”

“Don’t worry, Sister. It’s only a petty thief,” Jiang Ming said confidently, clearly not taking the intruder seriously.

But Jiang Rao had her doubts. For someone to slip in and out of the Marquisate unseen and even evade her brother’s personal guards then the thief’s skills could not be ordinary.

That night, Jiang Rao couldn’t sleep. The thought of catching a thief kept her restless. In the Wanyan Pavilion, Jiang Yuan also lay awake the entire night.

The entire household stayed on guard, but after a whole night of waiting, not even the thief’s shadow appeared. Jiang Ming was furious to have wasted his efforts, but since he still had to attend the morning court, he had no choice but to lift the lockdown for now.

Seeing her brother’s stern face, Jiang Rao walked him to the gate and tried to soothe him. “Second Brother, don’t worry too much. Maybe the thief’s clever; he might’ve caught wind of something and won’t dare come again.”

“He’d better not. If I ever catch him, I’ll drag him to the military camp and let him experience some of our methods there.”

Jiang Rao smiled and nodded as he mounted his horse and rode off, thinking how serious he was about everything he did.

Being the only son of the family and raised in the army with their parents, he’d always been strictly disciplined and obedient to military code. Over time, it had shaped him into this upright, serious man, though also a bit rigid and overly proper.

Still, her brother was handsome and accomplished in battle; a hero of youth. Though overly serious and lacking in humor, he had surely captured the hearts of many young noble ladies in the capital.

Jiang Rao couldn’t help but laugh quietly then quickly hid her smile.

What a pity that in her previous life, her brother’s path in marriage had been so ill-fated. Though he had twice been engaged to noblewomen, one had been caught secretly meeting her cousin after the betrothal, and the other had drowned accidentally during a spring outing.

Both engagements came to nothing.

Afterward, her brother came to believe his fate was cursed, deciding to postpone marriage indefinitely. One delay led to another, and by the time Mu Ling turned against the Jiang family and accused the Marquisate of rebellion, leading to their execution, Jiang Ming had still been unmarried and alone.

Jiang Rao didn’t believe in curses or ill fate but she dreaded seeing her brother suffer heartbreak again in this life.

As she brooded, she suddenly felt a pair of eyes watching her. She snapped out of her thoughts and quickly looked toward the gate. Outside, a few passersby went by but nothing unusual.

Still, that scrutinizing gaze just now had been too distinct. Was she merely imagining it, from being overly tense?

Unable to spot anyone, Jiang Rao let it go. After the guards closed the Marquisate gates, she returned alone to Qiongju Pavilion.

Chunxing and Xiaotao hadn’t slept well the night before either, so once given leave; they went to catch up on rest. Everyone thought the same thing, no matter how brazen the thief, he wouldn’t dare sneak into the Marquisate in broad daylight.

But everyone was wrong.

As soon as Jiang Rao entered her room, she caught a strange scent in the air. The fragrance was strong and overpoweringly so. After just one breath, her legs weakened. Realizing something was wrong, she hurriedly covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve.

But it was already too late. Someone suddenly appeared behind her. Before she could turn to see who it was, her vision blurred and she collapsed unconscious.

Jiang Rao fell limp onto the carpet. Standing beside her was a woman dressed in red. Arms crossed over her chest, the woman bent down, studying Jiang Rao’s face closely then curled her lip in disdain.

With a cold, spiteful snort, she muttered, “Pretty as a little fox spirit, no wonder he was flirting with you at the gate. Let’s see if I don’t teach you a lesson.”

Jiang Rao remained unconscious, completely unaware of what was happening. When she finally woke, her head throbbed terribly. She tried to raise her hand to rub her temple but to her horror, she couldn’t move at all.

Her clothes had been stripped off, leaving only her inner garments, and she had been tied to a chair. Looking around, she saw that she was still inside the Marquisate. Just as she was about to cry out for help, she realized she didn’t even have the strength to make a sound.

Could it be, the intruder who had entered the Marquisate in recent days wasn’t an ordinary thief, but a flower thief? (A euphemism for a lecher who preys on women.) The break-ins at her brother’s study had only been a cover; the true target was the young women of the house.

Jiang Rao felt like crying without tears. She struggled desperately to free herself, but all in vain. It’s over, she thought in despair. I haven’t even had the chance to cling to Chen Lian’s thigh yet, and I’m already going to die here!

“You’re awake?”

It was a woman’s voice!

Jiang Rao froze for a moment, suddenly regaining some calm. A woman’s voice meant there was still hope for survival.

She lifted her eyes and saw a strikingly pretty woman in red lounging lazily against her chair, holding one of Jiang Rao’s apples from the fruit tray, eating it leisurely.

The woman gave her a cool, sidelong glance, and then snapped sharply, “Do you know who I am?”

Jiang Rao shook her head.

“I,” the woman said haughtily, “am the future mistress of this household.”

The mistress?

Jiang Rao’s heart jumped. She couldn’t make sense of what the woman meant.

The other woman gave a cold snort. “The Madam of this house personally acknowledged me as her future daughter-in-law. I’ll be marrying her son. Just now, I saw you flirting with my man at the gate. I came to warn you so that you give up while you can.”

After speaking, she raised an eyebrow in challenge and strode forward. With one sharp motion, she pressed a finger against the acupoint on Jiang Rao’s chest, unlocking her voice.

“My mother?” Jiang Rao blurted in confusion, her fear fading into bafflement.

“What mother?”

The woman in red frowned, stepped closer, and hooked a finger under Jiang Rao’s chin. She already had a bold, commanding air, and this gesture made her presence even more forceful. Looking down at Jiang Rao, she said, “So you’re already calling her ‘Mother’? So things between you two have gone that far? How could the Madam deceive me? She clearly said her son wasn’t engaged to anyone!”

By now, Jiang Rao roughly understood. So this was about her second brother’s romantic entanglement and she herself had been mistaken for the rival woman.

“This young lady,” Jiang Rao said hastily, “you must be mistaken.”

She quickly stated her identity. “I am Jiang Rao, the Third Young Lady of this Marquisate. The man you mentioned should be my second brother. I was merely seeing him off this morning, there was no ‘flirting’ at all.”

…

The other woman fell silent ….an awkwardly long silence. Her aggressive demeanor faded, and a flush spread visibly across her face, soon reaching the tips of her ears.

With her crimson clothing, the deepening blush made her look almost comically vivid but Jiang Rao didn’t dare laugh. After all, she was still tied up.

The woman turned away abruptly, seemingly embarrassed. After a moment of composure, she came back and began untying Jiang Rao’s ropes.

Handing the rope to Jiang Rao, she said seriously, “I’ll let you tie me up once, then we’ll be even.”

Jiang Rao had never met such a straightforward, impulsive woman. Intrigued, she couldn’t help teasing, “How can we call it even? You also stripped off my clothes.”

The woman paused, clearly waging an internal battle, and then nodded solemnly. “Fair enough. Go ahead and strip me if you like.”

Jiang Rao could only stare for a moment before setting the rope aside. “Was it you,” she asked instead, “who entered my brother’s study a few nights ago?”

The woman didn’t bother to deny it. “Yes. I wanted to see what kind of man he was. I often watched him secretly writing, but I can’t read, so I took some of his calligraphy out for others to read it to me.”

So that was the reason. Jiang Rao suddenly found the woman rather simple-hearted and oddly endearing.

But if she could “secretly watch” from within such a heavily guarded estate, then her martial skills must be exceptional indeed.

“What’s your name?”

“Ge Ruyan.”

Ruyan….“like smoke.” The name fit her perfectly: free-spirited and untamed.

Jiang Rao stood, put her outer robe back on, and after tidying herself, asked, “Why didn’t you consider that the woman you saw could have been his sister or his aunt?”

The woman answered with disarming honesty, “I did think of that. But when I saw you standing so close to him and looking like you do, I got suspicious right away.”

“Like what?” Jiang Rao’s mouth twitched.

Ge Ruyan grinned mischievously. “I’ve never read much, so I don’t know fancy words but the term fox spirit comes to mind. Feels like it suits you.”

“…”

Thankfully, Jiang Rao could tell the woman meant no real insult, or she might have been angry.

“You’re really not angry?” Ge Ruyan asked again.

“I’m not and I won’t tell my brother what happened today, either.”

Ge Ruyan nodded solemnly. “Then I owe you a favor.”

Jiang Rao stepped closer and gently took Ge Ruyan’s hand. “There is something I’d like to ask of you but it’s not a threat, nor in exchange for today. Whether you agree or not, I’ll keep my word and never breathe a word of what happened.”

Ge Ruyan nodded readily. “Go ahead, what is it?”

“I can tell your martial arts are superb,” Jiang Rao said sincerely. “You move in and out of the Marquisate so easily. So, I want to ask if you could secretly take me out, just once.”

She emphasized secretly, making clear that the matter must stay hidden.

“That’s easy,” Ge Ruyan said without hesitation, completely unconcerned with the propriety of helping a noble young lady sneak out. “Where do you want to go?”

Jiang Rao replied earnestly, “To the Yunhua Riding Grounds, east of the capital.”