The oil lamp went out, and the guards returned to their posts. After a brief commotion, the long night slowly settled into peace. The shadows merging into the trees on the high walls also disappeared after a slight movement. Ji Yuluo scanned her surroundings, lowered her eyes, and looked at the taller shadow on the path.
He walked half a step behind her, but his shadow was still much longer than hers.
If she had really wanted to leave the Huo residence amidst the chaos just now, she probably wouldn’t be able to stroll leisurely back to the main courtyard now. During those few short steps from the main courtyard to the west courtyard, he had already anticipated and blocked her way.
Thinking of this, Ji Yuluo instinctively glanced at him.
She caught Huo Xian looking at her openly from behind. Their gazes met, and Ji Yuluo was momentarily stunned. She quickly found something to say, “I think Yiniang Sheng was quite frightened. Husband should spend more time with her tonight.”
Huo Xian brushed off the dew on her fox fur and said, “It’s hard to walk at night. I’m afraid the lady might get lost again.”
Ji Yuluo turned her head back. “How could that happen? Husband, you worry too much.”
“Who knows,” Huo Xian said slowly from behind, “After all, you are very brave.”
Ji Yuluo held her breath and said nothing. In the brief silence, Huo Xian did not stop. He chuckled and said, “What, are you scared? I’m talking about you sneaking into the pine forest at night. What were you thinking?”
With a creak, Ji Yuluo stepped on a dead branch and stopped.
She turned sideways, mimicking Huo Xian’s earlier action, and brushed the dew off his cloak. “I was thinking that the night is cold and damp. Husband should speak less to avoid catching a cold.”
With that, Ji Yuluo was about to withdraw her hand.
But Huo Xian grabbed her wrist, pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve pocket, and slowly wiped the dew from her palm. His gaze fell on her face. “Sharp-tongued. I heard the eldest daughter of the Ji family was obedient and quiet. Why do you seem different?”
Ji Yuluo tilted her head, looked up at him innocently, and said, “Am I not obedient and quiet? Ask the servants in the residence, which one doesn’t praise me for being easy-going?”
Huo Xian said nothing more. He simply used his height to look down at her face. After a moment, he let go of her hand and walked straight ahead. Ji Yuluo did not move immediately. She stood still and breathed a sigh of relief.
Nanny Liu rekindled the charcoal fire in the room.
Ji Yuluo couldn’t sleep the whole night. Huo Xian pulled the bedding to the outside, and they switched positions. He had no habit of leaving an escape route for others, especially since she was still a stranger. But Ji Yuluo also had no habit of sharing a bed with anyone, especially someone who could stab her at any moment.
The whole night was mutual torture.
Ji Yuluo could only close her eyes to rest. She heard the shallow breathing of the person beside her, but it didn’t mean he had fallen asleep. Before dawn, as soon as the rooster crowed, Huo Xian opened his eyes and got up.
Ji Yuluo could feel his gaze on her from the bedside. She didn’t move, but she heard him lift the curtain, put on his shoes, and take the long robe draped over the clothes rack. Then he spoke:
“If you’re not asleep, stop pretending and get up to help me dress.”
“……”
Ji Yuluo opened her eyes and stared at the canopy above.
Pretending to be asleep was not wise. Under Huo Xian’s watchful eye, she got up and took his long robe. Ji Yuluo was not good at dressing others. She moved slowly and even tied the belt wrong, wasting a lot of time. But Huo Xian did not rush her. He just watched her with mild indifference.
Ji Yuluo pretended not to notice and carefully rolled up his sleeves, like a newlywed wife serving her husband.
When it came to tying his hair, Huo Xian no longer let her handle it and called a maidservant inside.
Since there was nothing more for her to do, Ji Yuluo turned to return to the bed. With Huo Xian leaving, she could finally catch up on some sleep. She had spent the entire night guarding against him, which was truly exhausting.
But after taking only a few steps, she heard a slow voice from the other side of the screen say, “Go help the lady wash up.”
Ji Yuluo paused. Seeing the maidservant holding clothes, she said, “You can leave for now. I’m not in a hurry.”
“You are in a hurry,” Huo Xian said as he put on his headpiece and walked past. “Today you will accompany me to work. I’ve been delayed in the palace for several days, and there are many troublesome matters piling up at the Zhenfu Division. Time is tight, so you need to be quick.”
—
While dusk still hung over the city and the streets were empty, Huo Xian rode a single horse, not caring about the person in front of him as he galloped towards the Zhenfu Division. Ji Yuluo had experienced his riding before and felt as if her insides were about to be shaken out. The cold wind was cutting, like a knife scraping across her face.
She only got a chance to catch her breath when night patrol soldiers stopped them.
Two soldiers, reeking of alcohol, had probably spent the night in a brothel. They were almost hit by Huo Xian’s fast horse as soon as they stepped out. Still shocked, they vaguely saw a woman sitting in front of the horse. One of them, holding a wine jug, cursed, “Damn it! Having fun on horseback, are we? How dare you gallop through the city under the Emperor’s nose! Do you know how many lashes that earns?”
The other, even more drunk, reached out to touch Ji Yuluo’s clothes, laughing, “Such tender skin, little lady. You can’t handle lashes. Have a drink with me, and we’ll forget this—ow!”
With a sharp crack, Huo Xian’s long whip lashed through the air, leaving a bloody mark on the man’s face.
Blood dripped down in a way that was both absurd and eerie.
The two soldiers instantly sobered up, their hands moving to their swords, but the man on the horse said in a deep voice, “Tired of living? Get out of the way!”
“Commander, sir…!”
With a clatter, the steel swords fell to the ground. The two men widened their eyes in fear and quickly stepped aside, kneeling down. “We deserve to die! We deserve to die! We didn’t recognize you, please forgive us, sir!”
It wasn’t uncommon for the imperial guards to frequent brothels during their night patrols. The capital was chaotic under the surface, with these men wearing uniforms and carrying swords, the common folk could only avoid them. But now, as dawn approached, they ran into Huo Xian.
Ji Yuluo even caught a whiff of urine. She glanced to the side while calming her breath, but just as she steadied herself, Huo Xian unexpectedly raised his whip again, leaving their trembling pleas behind.
He didn’t care if he hit them or not.
After all, he and these men were cut from the same cloth.
By the time they reached the Zhenfu Division, the sky was lightening.
Early in the morning, Jinyiwei Guards were bustling about with steamed buns in their mouths. Huo Xian led Ji Yuluo through the compound towards his office.
Preferring peace and quiet, his office was situated at the far end. As they walked past the various duty rooms, many buns fell from gaping mouths. Huo Xian swiftly caught one and stuffed it back into the person’s mouth, saying, “Eat properly. Don’t waste food.”
The person frantically nodded while his eyes couldn’t help but dart towards Ji Yuluo.
Seeing Huo Xian enter his office with her and close the door, the entire Zhenfu Division erupted in gossip. Many had seen the eldest daughter of the Ji family during the wedding, so news of the commander bringing his wife to work quickly spread.
Even Liyang couldn’t help but pull Nanyue aside and ask, “What’s going on?”
Nanyue replied, “The master wants to keep her under his nose to see if she reveals any flaws.”
Huo Xian’s office was a fully equipped small residence. Although it couldn’t compare to the main courtyard of the Huo mansion, it was quite spacious.
Surrounded by lush, verdant trees, the front hall led to the office rooms. On either side were side rooms, one of which was a bedroom equipped with a bed and bedding, while the other was a bathing room with a change of clothes.
It was clear that he often stayed here.
Ji Yuluo was assigned to his bedroom. A Jinyiwei Guard came in to add tea, and Ji Yuluo gave him a gentle smile, “Thank you.”
The man scratched his head and smiled, “You’re welcome, sister-in-law. The Lord is working in the front. If you need anything, just call on us!”
After he left, Ji Yuluo’s smile faded immediately.
She frowned slightly and, upon looking up, saw that Huo Xian was looking directly at her. This spot was just opposite his desk, so if the door wasn’t closed, they would be facing each other whenever they looked up. Ji Yuluo paused and then simply turned her face away.
Being watched by him like this made it hard to move, but she wasn’t quite sure what Huo Xian was trying to test.
The light through the window paper gradually brightened. Ji Yuluo sat idly, contemplating various matters.
It wasn’t until noon, with the sun high in the sky, that Huo Xian called her over.
Ji Yuluo walked over.
Huo Xian pressed his temples and leaned back against the chair, saying, “Pour some tea.”
Ji Yuluo paused slightly, but without changing her expression, she poured him a cup of tea.
Huo Xian glanced at her, “Can you grind ink?”
Ji Yuluo nodded, “Yes.”
She then took the inkstone and stood by.
No matter what Huo Xian asked her to do, she remained gentle and polite. When he looked at her, she would smile faintly at him, though it looked rather insincere.
A pile of documents was stacked beside Huo Xian as he reviewed them.
Ji Yuluo glanced around casually but noticed something when he removed the top two documents. Underneath was a file on the assassination case at the Yunyang prefectural office from three years ago.
She instinctively narrowed her eyes.
Why was he investigating a three-year-old case?
Ji Yuluo quickly glanced at the other documents. They were all dated three to five years ago. Was the Jinyiwei Guard suddenly reopening old cases?
Uncertain if this was intentional, Ji Yuluo averted her gaze.
She heard Huo Xian say tiredly, “The most troublesome thing is these old cases. They often end up unresolved.”
He looked at her hand grinding the ink, relaxing with one hand behind his head, “Madam, have you heard of the assassination case at the Yunyang prefectural office three years ago?—I suppose not. You should have been too young and didn’t go out much back then.”
Ji Yuluo’s voice remained steady, “I haven’t heard of it.”
Huo Xian responded with a simple “Hmm” and continued flipping through a few more pages.
In truth, he couldn’t be certain that the person in front of him was the assassin from that day, nor could he be sure that the assassin had any connection to the bloody case from three years ago. After all, the whereabouts of the eldest daughter of the Ji family, Ji Yuyao, had been traceable for the past seventeen or eighteen years. He found no suspicious traces under her name.
But she was indeed unusual.
Huo Xian wouldn’t give up any potential leads.
He remarked with a sigh, “It’s not easy being an official these days. It’s easy to court disaster. The prefect of Yunyang was truly unfortunate. He had been diligent and clear-headed in his judgments for many years without making any mistakes, yet he met such a tragic end, with his entire family wiped out. One can only wonder what kind of vicious enemy he had offended. It’s truly pitiful, don’t you think, madam?”
Ji Yuluo’s expression remained unchanged. Meeting his gaze, she simply agreed, “Yes, the world is in chaos.”
Huo Xian nodded. Her hand grinding the ink was still steady, but a tiny drop of ink splashed onto the edge of the inkstone.
A very small drop, which spread out on the clean rice paper.
Huo Xian silently watched it and said nothing more.
