Waking Up to an Imperial Marriage with My Archenemy - Chapter 10

Qiao Wan and Yue Xiu took the non-stop wailing little beggar to a money changer to convert the gold bead into copper coins.

One gold bead exchanged for two strings of copper cash, weighing over ten pounds. Qiao Wan gave a portion of the money to a familiar tavern, instructing the shopkeeper to set aside a meal for the boy every day. The remaining small portion was handed over to the beggar in a secluded spot.

“Keep this safe and don’t let anyone see it. I’ve already arranged with the shopkeeper to cover your meals for the next six months. If you have any ambition, find a master to learn a craft during this time so you don’t have to beg on the streets anymore.”

Only then did the little beggar realize the young gentleman’s kind intentions. He carefully tucked the money away and left, offering a thousand thanks to Qiao Wan and Yue Xiu.

“You are still as soft-hearted as a Bodhisattva, Miss,” Yue Xiu said, finally able to speak freely with Qiao Wan once the boy was gone.

“I’ve known hard times too. Helping when I can is just a small gesture; whether it works depends on him.” Qiao Wan watched the boy’s retreating figure, a trace of melancholy in her heart as she recalled her own childhood.

Yue Xiu stroked her chin, glancing sideways at Qiao Wan. “Speaking of which, I’m still quite curious about your past. There’s nothing in this world I can’t dig up, except for you. All traces stop four years ago; before that, there’s nothing.

It’s as if you simply materialized out of thin air.”

This wasn’t the first time Yue Xiu had probed her. Qiao Wan ignored the bait, simply pinching her nose and stepping back as Yue Xiu leaned in too close. “What is that smell on you?”

Yue Xiu pulled at her collar and sniffed, laughing. “Sweat! If you spent a whole day in a gambling den, you’d smell like this too.”

“You’ve been in the gambling dens these past few days? Aren’t you afraid of losing your own trousers?”

“Well, after toiling for you all these years, I finally thought I was retired. Shouldn’t I celebrate? I’ve got a real knack for the dice; there’s no way I’d lose,” Yue Xiu stated confidently.

The game of Yao Tan was essentially a probability problem—summing three dice and dividing by four to see the remainder. Theoretically, the odds for each of the four squares were identical; there was no such thing as “skillful” betting patterns.

Qiao Wan rolled her eyes. “What ‘knack’? Colluding with the dealers to cheat?”

“Shhh, see the trick, but don’t tell the secret.”

There were hundreds of gambling dens in the capital, and Yue Xiu had visited almost all of them. Being able to coordinate with so many dealers was a talent in itself.

“Where are the others now?” Qiao Wan stopped the banter and turned to business.

Xiao Bai, her system, was the type that “charged for five minutes and ran for two hours” actually, more like ran for five minutes and rested for days. Qiao Wan wasn’t sure if she’d need its help again soon, so she didn’t dare overwork it.

She had only used it to find Yue Xiu; since Yue Xiu was well-informed, finding her was as good as finding everyone else.

“They’ve all left the capital. Only Luan Yu and I are still here. If you want the others, you’ll have to wait a while.” Yue Xiu indeed did not disappoint.

“The two of you will suffice.” Qiao Wan moved to pat Yue Xiu’s shoulder but, seeing that bearded face, reflexively pulled her hand back. “Take me to him. I have things to discuss with both of you.”

“Hmph, so you’re disgusted now? Let me tell you, to avoid exposure in the crowded gambling den, I even glued on leg hair! It took me half the night!” Excitedly, Yue Xiu hitched up her pant leg. “Look, look!”

Qiao Wan: “…”

I don’t want to look. My eyes are burning!

A short while later, Qiao Wan followed Yue Xiu to the entrance of the Moon-Sleeper Pavilion.

As the largest brothel in the capital, Qiao Wan stared at the sign in silence for a moment. “Are you sure he’s in there?”

Luan Yu was the most single-minded of her subordinates, completely uninterested in worldly affairs and devoted entirely to martial arts. Qiao Wan couldn’t fathom how he had suddenly changed his nature in just two days.

“When have I ever been wrong? You’ll never guess what he’s doing in there.” Yue Xiu smiled mysteriously and led the way inside.

It wasn’t dark yet, so the Pavilion wasn’t at peak capacity. Usually, it should have been relatively quiet, yet the moment they stepped through the door, Qiao Wan heard a commotion upstairs.

“The night before last I came for Lingxiang, and you said she was sick. Yesterday I came for Yurou, and she was sick too! What kind of ‘sickness’ is this? Don’t I know the truth? Someone just keeps booking them before I can! Today I came right as you opened, and yet all your girls are sick? You’re targeting me, aren’t you?”

At the corner of the second floor, a pudgy, greasy young lord was confronting the madam and several bouncers with his entourage, clearly intending to stay until he saw someone.

“Oh, they really are ill, Master Wang. Please head home for now; I’ll send word the moment they recover.” The madam maintained a polite smile, though the frustration in her eyes was palpable.

Yue Xiu stepped forward and showed the madam a token while her back was to the crowd. Upon seeing it, the madam’s gloom vanished instantly, and she joyfully welcomed Yue Xiu inside. Yue Xiu looked back at Qiao Wan, who nodded and followed.

Seeing the newcomers enter after he had been blocked for nearly an hour, Master Wang became even more indignant. “Why do they get to go in? Are you only stopping me?”

“They are physicians come to treat the ladies,” the madam improvised. “Master Wang, wait just a bit longer. Perhaps once they’ve finished their check-up, a few girls will suddenly feel better?”

“Do you take me for a fool?” Wang barked, gesturing for his servants to move in. But the bouncers of the Moon-Sleeper Pavilion were no pushovers, and the scene quickly dissolved into a brawl.

Yue Xiu and Qiao Wan didn’t linger. They headed down the hall, and after a few steps, the madam caught up with them. “Miss Yue, you’ve finally arrived! Please, take Great Master Luan away. Our establishment is small; we truly cannot afford to host this ‘Great Buddha’ any longer.”

“If your place is small, then no place is large,” Yue Xiu teased. “Isn’t that Master Wang just the son of a rice merchant? Surely you aren’t afraid of offending him?”

“He’s no trouble, otherwise I wouldn’t have blocked him. But what if someone truly untouchable shows up?”

As they spoke, the madam led them to a room. Yue Xiu pushed open the door to reveal over a dozen women sitting in a row, each holding an embroidery frame and working intently.

When the door opened, all of them looked up in unison—a rather spectacular sight. The women didn’t dare speak, their eyes practically pleading for rescue.

Facing them sat a man in his early twenties, legs crossed on a cushion. His back was ramrod straight, his expression solemn, and a sword lay flat across his lap.

“What is going on here?” Qiao Wan was bewildered.

“Do not speak. Feel it with your heart.” The man squinted, lightly stroking the blade.

Yue Xiu whispered to Qiao Wan, “He’s ‘meditating on the sword.’ He’s been here for days.”

“And what have you meditated on?” Qiao Wan asked Luan Yu.

“I feel a murderous aura.”

Qiao Wan couldn’t feel any aura, but Luan Yu’s grim tone certainly provided one. It startled one of the girls so much that her hand slipped, and she pricked her finger with the needle.

“See? Blood has been shed,” Luan Yu said, his expression unchanged, as if everything was according to plan.

Blood has been shed, my foot!

Qiao Wan smacked Luan Yu on the head and dragged him by the collar out of the room, panting from the effort. Before she could speak, Luan Yu stood up, cupped his hands, and asked respectfully, “What are the Master’s orders?”

Qiao Wan: “I told you not to call me ‘Master’.”

Though the term was common in this era, Qiao Wan still wasn’t used to it; it always felt like it implied something shameful.

“Understood, Great King,” Luan Yu corrected himself smoothly.

“Fine, let’s stick with Master.” Qiao Wan waved her hand wearily. “Master” might be a bit awkward, but “Great King” was either for bandit leaders or royalty; she’d be executed if the wrong person heard it.

The group relocated to a private residence. This was their old rendezvous point, which contained a secret passage leading to Qiao Wan’s manor. Fortunately, she hadn’t sold this house before she thought she was going to die, or they would be looking for a new secret base now.

“I have two tasks for the two of you.” Once inside with the doors locked, Qiao Wan explained her current situation to Yue Xiu and Luan Yu. “Yue Xiu, investigate Zheng Wei’s eight concubines. I need details—the more specific, the better. I need an inside contact within the Ning Duke’s Manor. Luan Yu, you are to tail Zhang Zihe. I want to know everything: where he goes, what he does, and who he meets.”

Both accepted immediately. These people all owed Qiao Wan their lives and had sworn to serve her; they had no complaints even after she had suddenly returned after supposedly leaving.

After giving her orders, Qiao Wan told Yue Xiu to select a few tight-lipped, reliable servants. Her manor was currently empty, and it wouldn’t do for palace visitors to see it in such a state.

Yue Xiu was efficient. Not long after Qiao Wan returned home, the servants arrived—three men and two women. They looked ordinary and answered Qiao Wan’s brief questions intelligently enough.

After dinner and a bath, Qiao Wan stood in the courtyard, debating whether she should actually go see Luo Fengxin.

“Of course you should! What’s the problem? Don’t forget to finish the mission early!” Xiao Bai was agitated by her hesitation.

“The mission is to put her on the throne, not to warm her bed. There’s no need to go over there in the middle of the night,” Qiao Wan countered.

“That makes a lot of sense.” Xiao Bai was momentarily convinced by her logic, but after a pause, it asked, “So are you going or not? The gates between the city wards will be locked soon.”

“That’s exactly why I’m hesitating. If I go now, I’ll arrive right as the curfew starts. I’ll be forced to spend the night.” Qiao Wan paced the courtyard gloomily until she spotted a small wildflower in the corner.

She plucked it and began pulling off the petals: “Go, don’t go, go, don’t go.”

As the last petal fell, she was on “don’t go.” She froze for a second, then quickly tossed the bare stem and flower head aside, forcing one extra count.

“Go!”

Dusting off her hands, she sighed. “Alas, it is the will of the heavens. Fate has decreed that I must go.”

She beckoned her servant, told him to prepare the carriage, and set off for the Princess’s Manor.