Adorning Flowers by Night - Chapter 18
Chapter 18
When Pei Yu awoke, Lu Ruzhuo was no longer in the room.
Morning light filtered through the paper window; dawn had already passed.
She seemed to have had a dream, one that was both a nightmare and a sweet dream, but she couldn't recall the details, only an unusual fatigue.
Pei Yu pressed her faintly aching temples and pushed herself up on her elbows. Looking over, she saw Lu Ruzhuo's bed was neatly made, the bedding cold to the touch. She didn't know how long she had been up.
Pei Yu got up, folded her bedding, and put it away in the wardrobe. Just as she closed the doors, she heard footsteps outside.
Pei Yu hurried to the mirror to straighten her appearance.
Lu Ruzhuo pushed the door open and entered. Pei Yu stood in the center of the room, dressed in pale yellow nightclothes that made her look all the more delicate and radiant.
Lu Ruzhuo sighed softly in her heart.
"Good morning, Aunt," the beautiful young woman said with a bright smile.
"Good morning." Lu Ruzhuo closed the door with her hands behind her back and looked at her gently. "You haven't washed up yet?"
"I was just about to. When did you get up, Aunt?"
"Only a quarter of an hour before you." Lu Ruzhuo walked to the washstand, soaked a cloth, wrung it dry, and handed it to her. "Wash your face."
Pei Yu took it with both hands. The cloth was still warm, which surprised her slightly.
She glanced again at Lu Ruzhuo's neat bed. A flicker of doubt arose, only to be suppressed.
After washing up, Pei Yu began to put on her clothes, layer by layer. Lu Ruzhuo sat to the side, sipping tea and glancing at her from time to time.
Pei Yu had been a "golden branch and jade leaf" since childhood and had always enjoyed the best of everything, from food to fine, luxurious clothes. But since leaving the capital, Lu Ruzhuo had dressed plainly, looking utterly unremarkable. Pei Yu decided to follow her example and also adopted a simpler style.
At an age of budding romance, "simpler" only meant using plainer fabrics; no less thought went into her appearance.
A frost-white, curved-hem robe with a cloud pattern, with a sash made from two strands of vermilion silk cord twisted together.
Lu Ruzhuo set down her teacup, walked over, and took the vermilion silk cord from her hand. She reached around the young woman's back and began to wind the sash around her waist, circle by circle.
"A-Aunt..." Pei Yu stared at the translucent curve of Lu Ruzhuo's ear, her breath catching.
"Hm?" Lu Ruzhuo's hands were gathered at her slender waist as she looked down, focused on tying the knot.
"It's nothing." Pei Yu held her breath and tried to empty her mind.
"There." Lu Ruzhuo released her and took a step back.
Just as Pei Yu could breathe freely again, Lu Ruzhuo met her eyes and said softly, "Very beautiful."
"..."
Pei Yu felt the urge to go practice her swordplay again.
Right, thinking of sword practice forcibly steered her thoughts to serious matters. She composed her expression and asked, "Have the authorities discovered the murder case in the west of the city?"
Lu Ruzhuo shook her head. "It's still early. The county yamen probably won't react until after breakfast."
Pei Yu let out an "ah." The topic was over, and her mind became a jumble again.
Aunt said she was very beautiful.
Ha.
Pei Yu coughed softly a couple of times, trying to hide her sudden burst of happiness.
Lu Ruzhuo looked down, picked up the red silk cord hanging at her waist, and cradled the smooth, warm jade pendant in her palm. "You should just dress as you usually do. This takes so much effort..."
"But didn't you say it looked good, Aunt?" Pei Yu had wanted to say she was doing it to match Lu Ruzhuo, but the words changed as they left her lips.
"You look good no matter what you wear."
"Aunt." Pei Yu looked at her.
"Mm."
Pei Yu reached out and gently hugged her, resting her cheek on the woman's shoulder.
"It's nothing. Just calling you."
In a private booth by the window on the second floor of the inn.
Pei Yu and Lu Ruzhuo were having breakfast.
A group of blue-clothed constables suddenly rushed past on the street below, hurrying toward the west side of the city.
Pei Yu paused her chopsticks. "Aunt, the murder has been discovered."
Lu Ruzhuo took a small sip of her congee and hummed in acknowledgment.
Yiyong was a small city. In the time it took to eat breakfast, news of the murders in the west had spread throughout the city.
"It was the family of Master Yuan, the carpenter in the west of the city. I don't know what sins they committed to have their entire family wiped out."
"I heard the scene was incredibly bloody. The first neighbor who saw it fainted on the spot. It was the second neighbor who came out after hearing something and ran to the yamen to report it, their legs as soft as noodles."
"Some notorious outlaw must have come to our Yiyong to rob and kill, right? To be so cruel."
"How terrifying. I wonder if the bandit has left yet. I hope the authorities can solve the case soon."
The small city was gripped with fear over this bizarre murder case, and the patrons in the inn were all on edge. No one noticed two guests walk out the main door and head in the direction of the county yamen.
Yiyong was about a hundred miles from the capital, a small city situated between two major passes, and had always enjoyed good public order.
Usually, the most they had to deal with was catching a petty thief or two; even robbers were rare. They had never seen a situation like this.
This was the annihilation of a whole family. What kind of vicious, monstrous criminal could do such a thing!
The case was immense. The bodies, covered in white cloths, had already been carried to the county yamen.
Magistrate Wang was in the autopsy room with the coroner, wearing a cloth mask as she watched him turn over the deceased's body.
A yamen runner reported from outside the door.
"My Lord."
"What is it?" Magistrate Wang's expression was focused as she stared at the chest of one of the corpses.
"Someone is here to see you, My Lord."
"This official has no time right now. Tell them to come back later."
"My Lord, you should go see them. They said they can provide clues about the murder case."
"I'll be right out."
Magistrate Wang gave a few instructions to the coroner, then hurried out, straightening her official robes as she strode toward the main hall of the yamen.
From a distance, Magistrate Wang saw two graceful figures from behind in the hall. She asked the yamen runner, "Is it those two?"
The runner confirmed it was.
Magistrate Wang lifted the hem of her robes and stepped inside.
"You two are...?"
The two women turned around in unison. One was a young girl, while the other was older, perhaps twenty-seven or twenty-eight. The girl in white carried a sword; she was beautiful, with a sharp aura.
But Magistrate Wang's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the woman in the gray top and bamboo-green skirt. She stood with her hands behind her back, and her presence had a naturally calming effect. When Magistrate Wang was a child, her tutor had spoken of being "as profound as a deep pool and as lofty as a great mountain," but he had always used it to describe men. It turned out a woman could be like that, too.
The girl in white shifted her feet slightly, subtly positioning herself in front of the older woman.
"Magistrate."
Magistrate Wang withdrew her gaze and bowed with clasped hands. "This official was rude. May I ask your name?"
"My surname is Pei."
Magistrate Wang got straight to the point. "Miss Pei, I hear you have clues about the murder in the west of the city. This is a matter of life and death. Please, inform this official at once."
"Wang Rao, step forward."
Magistrate Wang was surprised that the girl addressed her by her full name, but she did not get angry. Instead, she stepped forward as requested.
Magistrate Wang saw her pull a token from her robes. She leaned closer and saw the words "Jinyiwei Battalion Commander" inscribed on it. Her heart skipped a beat.
"This subordinate official..."
Pei Yu caught her arm, stopping her from bowing, and said in a low voice, "This official's trip is confidential. Do not make it public."
Beside them, the corners of Lu Ruzhuo's mouth curved up slightly.
Magistrate Wang's expression remained unchanged, but she raised her voice. "The case is urgent. Please, come inside to speak."
She made a gesture of invitation.
They went all the way to the back hall of the yamen. Magistrate Wang dismissed her attendants, closed the door, and only then bent to bow. "This subordinate official, Wang Rao, Magistrate of Yiyong, greets Lord Battalion Commander."
Her gaze then turned to Lu Ruzhuo with even greater respect. "And may I ask who this lord is...?"
Lu Ruzhuo said coolly, "I am a commoner. There is no need for such ceremony, Magistrate."
She personally helped Magistrate Wang to her feet.
Magistrate Wang thanked her and said no more, turning her attention back to Pei Yu. "My Lord, you said you have clues about the murder. Is it true?"
"That is correct."
Pei Yu nodded and recounted how she had gone out the previous night, encountered the masked man, and exchanged blows with him.
Magistrate Wang's expression grew increasingly solemn.
The Jianghu has its unwritten rules: do not kill commoners who know no martial arts, and do not cross the Imperial Court. But "vigilantes violate the law with martial arts." These rules were not laws that could truly govern the martial world. Thus, whenever a case involved people from the martial world, it became exceedingly difficult. Prefectures and counties had limited manpower; they couldn't pursue someone for hundreds of miles, and even if they caught up, facing those experts would be a suicide mission.
With little hope, Magistrate Wang asked, "Lord Battalion Commander, I wonder if you could dispatch some personnel to my humble county."
If there was anyone in the Imperial Court who could deal with these martial arts masters, it had to be the Jinyiwei.
Her attitude was deferential. If this case had occurred in the capital, Pei Yu could have simply submitted a request and it would be done. Unfortunately...
Pei Yu sighed. "This official is traveling on private business."
Magistrate Wang gave a bow.
"This subordinate official has overstepped."
"Magistrate, I have already heard in the city that you love your people as if they were your own children. It is no matter."
Magistrate Wang thought for a moment, then said, "This subordinate official has an impertinent request."
"Please speak freely."
"It is unknown if the murderer has left Yiyong. He might strike again tonight. The yamen's forces are insufficient. Might I ask Lord Pei to stay one more night?"
"Well..." Pei Yu looked at Lu Ruzhuo.
Lu Ruzhuo said, "Do as you wish. We are in no hurry."
So Pei Yu agreed.
Magistrate Wang's expression showed her relief.
"However," Pei Yu reminded her, "I fought with that person last night. His martial arts are far inferior to mine. I fear he will not come again tonight, and perhaps will never come back."
"Then the people of Yiyong can finally rest easy." Magistrate Wang sighed, her eyes slightly moist.
Pei Yu and Lu Ruzhuo exchanged a glance, a hint of gratification in their eyes.
After politely declining Magistrate Wang's invitation to a meal, they started back. On the way, Pei Yu walked beside Lu Ruzhuo, cradling her sword in both arms. "Magistrate Wang is a good official. When I was leaving, I heard a bailiff say that when she went to the Yuan family's courtyard and saw the tragic scene, she held the young child's body and wept bitterly, as if she had lost her own son."
"If the top beam is straight, the lower ones won't be crooked." Lu Ruzhuo smiled. "If I add this to my letter to Her Majesty, she will probably be so pleased she'll eat several extra bowls of rice."
Pei Yu raised the corners of her lips into a smile, but it was somewhat forced.
She changed the subject. "Aunt, do you think that person will come back?"
Lu Ruzhuo shook her head. "Not unless he has a death wish."
"Then why did you agree to stay?"
"If we didn't stay one more night, wouldn't you keep worrying about it? If there were another murder tonight, wouldn't you regret having left so soon?"
"Yes. I just often feel that you are too good to me, Aunt."
Lu Ruzhuo stopped in her tracks.
Caught unawares, Pei Yu walked a dozen more steps before turning back, puzzled. "Aunt?"
Lu Ruzhuo was backlit by the sun, her face somewhat obscured, but her voice was as gentle as water. "Then why do you think I treat you so well?"
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