Exclusively for the Marchioness – CH 034

Chapter 34

…Your Lordship’s help, both before and after, has deeply moved Du Lingjing.

…We dare not trouble Your Lordship with our own affairs any further.

…If I am stranded on the way and unable to return, the land deeds for both the central and western sections of the Du family estate in Chengqing District are with the Marquis. I hope the Marquis will accept this.

Upon seeing it, Lu Shenru inexplicably laughed.

It turned out he was just a stranger who had helped her. Even if he had already married her, shared a bed with her, and been intimate with her in bed, he was still just an outsider. An outsider who needed to constantly distinguish relationships.

The biting wind blowing down from the palace gates, without encountering a single drop of water, made one’s feet feel as if they were frozen solid.

No wonder she didn’t call him “husband” and even refused to let the servants of the Du family in Chengqing District address him as “Son-in-law.”

The man remained silent.

Chong-An noticed that although the Marquis’s smile seemed gentle, there was an indescribable bitterness subtly etched in his eyes and brows. Chong-An dared not speak until he heard the Marquis’s voice, hoarse from past injuries, speak in a low, hoarse tone.

“Are there any guards accompanying her?” the Marquis asked.

Before Chong-An could answer, the Marquis seemed to realize something. “Madam did not even bring the Marquis’s guards?”

Chong-An was so embarrassed that he could hardly speak. “Yes, Madam left behind the four guards the Marquis sent.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the man laugh again.

“Alright.”

Upon hearing this, Chong-An thought the Marquis was about to erupt in anger, but instead, the Marquis simply closed his eyes tightly after speaking.

Chong-An did not understand the Marquis’s meaning. The wind howled within the palace walls. Seeing the Marquis close his eyes for a long while, he spoke.

“I will go and ask the Emperor for leave. Also, tell your brother not to return yet.” Before the words were finished, the man suddenly opened his eyes, his deep gaze gleaming with a stern light. “Take stock of the troops. I will personally go to Baoding.”

*

In the mountains bordering Baoding and Zhengding.

Du Lingjing and her party traveled south, recruiting soldiers. Upon reaching this mountainous area, they found a diverse and mingled crowd. The matter alarmed the government, forcing them to dispatch even more troops; the mountains were filled with people searching.

The missing persons never reappeared. Some said they were still in hiding, others that they had perished in the dense forests of the mountains. Of course, there were also rumors that they had actually been found and taken away, but for some reason, secretly hidden away.

As for who took them, it could be the Shao family, the government’s Imperial Guards, or even the Marquis of Yongding, Lu Shenru.

However, Du Lingjing felt that the people were still hiding in the mountains. She had Jiang Fengchuan lead the way and personally went to the old hiding place where everyone had previously been.

This place, now exposed, had been searched countless times. While Chong-Ping had previously found a knotted rope left by Hu Tingjun, now there was nothing there.

Fortunately, there were no signs of struggle or dragging, so they probably had not been captured by the Shao brothers’ men. Du Lingjing also discovered that their men were still searching. As long as they had not fallen into the hands of the Shao brothers, there was still a chance of recovery.

Upon closer inspection, they overheard the earlier search party’s words: a considerable amount of food and supplies had been left behind, suggesting a hasty departure.

If this were the case, the Flicking Faction members should have left some coded messages—sending Sixth Young Master to the capital to report, then inexplicably leaving in a hurry to change locations.

Jiang Fengchuan also considered this. “At least Uncle Hui would have left a mark; we cannot let ourselves come up empty-handed.”

Du Lingjing thought the Hu siblings might have, so she ordered a thorough search of the area.

However, the area had already been searched many times, and finding hidden traces would not be quick. Even as the sun began to set, they only found vague, indistinct objects.

But as darkness fell, fog easily rose in the mountains, and most dared not search further, fearing trouble.

Jiang Fengchuan also advised Du Lingjing to descend the mountain first, saying, “Even without fog, snakes, insects, tigers, and wolves are no joke.”

Du Lingjing understood the gravity of the situation, but she didn’t want to encounter the two searchers when she came down the hill. They were hit by a wild boar that suddenly appeared, and they fell down the hillside. The people traveling with her quickly helped the two men in the mountain to seek medical help in the town below.

Du Lingjing glanced at the injured men a few more times, frowned, and turned to give Chang-Pu a few instructions.

…

In the town.

Chong-Ping’s hand was also cut by a broken branch.

He hastily bandaged it and went to check on the two guards who had just been carried down the mountain.

Compared to the losses suffered by other search teams, the Marquis’s secret guards had been unharmed these past few days. These two were incredibly unlucky today. Despite their precautions, a wild boar suddenly leaped out from behind, knocking them off the mountainside. Fortunately, they were not killed, but suffered multiple bruises and bleeding all over their bodies.

Chong-Ping asked, “Is the medicine you brought enough?”

The servant replied that it was, but before he could finish speaking, a guard came to report that someone had delivered two large bags of medicine, all for stopping bleeding and healing wounds.

Chong-Ping thought to himself that perhaps it was other searchers, such as students from the academy, helping each other out.

He went out himself, intending to thank them, but found that the person who delivered the medicine was already gone.

Darkness fell, and only the lights from the houses lining the roadside illuminated the town.

He looked at the person who delivered the medicine, and his gaze fell upon Chang-Pu, the servant boy beside the Madam.

But looking further into the distance, he saw someone sitting inside a carriage at the crossroads. Seeing him looking over, the person nodded to him. Then the carriage turned to the other side, and the figure disappeared beneath the curtain.

Chong-Ping thought he was seeing things.

How could it be the Madam?

He could not believe it, but he immediately sent men after her. Unfortunately, they were too late; they could not catch up, and the people in the carriage showed no intention of stopping to speak with him. But how could Chong-Ping dare to be negligent? No one knew better than he how important the Madam was to the Marquis. He quickly sent men to inquire again.

After much thought, he vaguely guessed what was going on.

Before the men he sent returned, Chong-Ping went to the courtyard where they were staying to check on the two men’s injuries. Although they had plenty of medicine, the medicine the Madam had sent was also appropriate. His men asked him if he wanted to use the medicine. Chong-Ping did not respond immediately, pondering for a while.

Just then, a gatekeeper rushed in with news: “The Marquis has arrived!”

Chong-Ping had already seen his wife in the darkness and was startled. Hearing that the Marquis had also come and that they had split up was not unexpected.

However, he could not ask about this, so he hurried to the Marquis.

As soon as he arrived, he saw his younger brother, Chong-An, blinking rapidly at him. Seeing the Marquis’s calm expression, he first asked about the situation.

Chong-Ping had not found the person yet, but he was certain the person was currently in the mountains.

However, a letter had come from Master Yu earlier, mentioning the Earl of Rongchang’s residence, saying that Shao Zun and the Earl’s family believed the person was already in the Marquis’s hands. Therefore, Chong-Ping had also spread some misleading information, making those with ulterior motives believe that the Flicking Faction members were indeed in the Marquis’s possession.

Chong-Ping told them the truth, and Lu Shenru nodded.

The Earl of Rongchang’s Mansion and Shao Zun likely assumed he had come specifically to take away the Flicking Faction members and evidence. Stabilizing those two sides for the time being should not be a problem.

But Lu Shenru thought of another person. What about her?

She seemed not to suspect he had deceived her; she had simply spent money to hire people and personally drove here, all to clear him of these things.

The man’s eyelids lowered.

If she believed Sixth Young Master Jiang’s words, suspecting he had tricked her, exchanging her people for Shao’s captives to protect the Earl of Rongchang’s Mansion, then he…

He did not want to think further. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, then called Chong-Ping.

“Instruct men to keep an eye on Madam’s whereabouts. If she is seen, especially in the mountains, bring her back no matter what.”

The deep mountains were not a noble mansion.

Unexpectedly, after he finished speaking, Chong-Ping said, “My Lord, I saw Madam half an hour ago.”

Lu Shenru was slightly surprised. He thought that she would not have interacted with the guards of the Marquis’s Mansion during this visit.

“What did she say?”

Chong-Ping shook his head, “Madam did not speak to me; she just nodded to me from afar and left.”

Nodded from afar…

The man did not speak for a moment, but then Chong-Ping had someone fetch the two packets of medicine that Du Lingjing had just delivered.

“Madam must have seen that one of the Marquis’s guards was injured, so she specially sent Chang-Pu to deliver the medicine.”

After Chong-Ping finished speaking, Chong-An quickly stepped forward, took the medicine, and brought it to him.

“My Lord, the medicine Madam sent is all top-quality wound medicine.”

He wanted to say that the medicine was not cheap, and even though Madam came looking for someone herself, she still cared about the Marquis, hence the medicine.

“My Lord, please do not be angry. All the way south, I rode straight here, my face as cold as ice.” Chong-An kindly said a few words, but before he could finish, his brother gave him a “shut up” look. Chong-An was puzzled. Had he said something wrong?

The man looked at the high-quality wound medicine and chuckled.

“Is the Marquis’s Mansion out of medicine? Does Madam need to spend money to buy it?”

She simply wanted to settle things with him again.

After saying those two sentences, the man turned and walked away.

Chong-An then realized he had really said the wrong thing and tried to follow the Marquis, but Chong-Ping pulled him back.

Chong-Ping had no choice but to follow himself. “Master, Madam, she…”

But before he could finish speaking, the man interrupted him. He did not turn around, only saying:

“No one in the Marquis’s Mansion is allowed to use Madam’s things, not even a single blade of grass.”

She was not allowed to settle things with him.

*

The next day, before dawn, Du Lingjing got up and went into the mountains.

A thin mist hung in the mountains. She told her men to be careful, lest they fall down the slope and get injured like the Marquis’s guards.

Thinking of this, she could not help but wonder about the two guards. If the medicine she sent was appropriate, it should help them recover quickly.

She and Sixth Young Master split up, each searching for any marks left by the Flicking Faction members.

They searched in the mountains until late afternoon, when Ai-Ye suddenly called out to her, “Madam, look quickly! There are traces of branches and leaves being woven!”

Du Lingjing went to investigate and indeed found a leaf with its leaf blade removed, the remaining veins finely woven into a knot. The knot looked remarkably similar to the one Chong-Ping had found.

Was it a mark left by Tingjun?

She immediately ordered people to search in all directions, following the pattern of the leaf vein knot. She herself also carefully examined the surroundings.

However, the mountains were chaotic, and after a while, her eyes felt tired and burning. She subconsciously reached out to press the acupoints around her eyes, her fingertips pausing on the Qingming acupoint. She thought of that man, who, since their marriage, had often massaged her acupoints around her eyes and who would snatch her book away if she read for too long…

Has he seen the letter by now?

She did not know how he had decided regarding the Earl of Rongchang’s affair, but she guessed that after she left voluntarily, he was no longer bound by her and must have breathed a sigh of relief.

These thoughts flashed through her mind, her gaze casually drifting across the mountains.

Unexpectedly, just as her gaze swept across the road on the other side of the mountainside, her eyes directly met someone’s gaze.

Lu Shenru, standing by the roadside, also paused.

The brisk mountain wind could not dispel their unexpected encounter; an inexplicable silence fell over the surroundings.

Du Lingjing’s eyes widened involuntarily.

Why did he come in person? Was it Shao Zun’s insistence on the exchange and the family of the Earl of Rongchang’s impatience that prompted his personal visit?

She could not help but feel a little nervous, her hands clenching slightly.

“My Lord.”

She did not shout or raise her voice, just like that day downstairs at Guilin Tower.

He was upstairs, she was downstairs, and she had also called him “My Lord” then.

They were far apart, each speaking as usual, their voices unable to travel, yet they could both understand each other’s lip movements.

Now, he responded to her, just as he had that day.

But unlike last time, when he gently said, “Come up.”

She saw his brows furrow, his eyes fixed on her.

“Come here.”

This voice seemed extremely deep, impossible to carry across a vast, deep mountain ravine, yet she felt as if she heard it herself.

But Du Lingjing was increasingly surprised. Was he… displeased? Du Lingjing did not understand the meaning behind his anger and shook her head.

Her purpose in finding him was probably different now; a detailed discussion now would only create awkwardness. The most important thing now was for her to find the missing people first and bring them out safely.

She said softly, “I have other matters to attend to, please proceed, Your Lordship.”

The swirling mountain wind could not carry her words, but the man could clearly see every word she uttered. She would not come, and even if she saw him, she would not talk to him at length, not even a few words.

Did she also want to nod at him from afar and leave, just like she did with Chong-Ping?

His gaze grew even more somber.

“Then I will come over.” He said each word slowly and deliberately.

Du Lingjing’s heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

He was coming over?

She vaguely sensed that he might not have come for the Earl of Rongchang’s Mansion, but for… something else?

Her feet faltered for a moment.

Just then, Ai-Ye, who was scouting ahead, suddenly cried out, followed by the sound of something sliding down the hillside.

Du Lingjing did not care about anything else; she turned and told someone to rush over.

In the blink of an eye, her figure disappeared behind the mountainside.

The man was also startled. “Quan Quan!”

But she had completely vanished.

The mountain wind howled across the path beside the mountainside, and the man’s lips tightened.

…

Ai-Ye had not completely slid down the hillside; she was stopped by a thick tree root. Chang-Pu rushed over and hurriedly pulled her younger sister up.

Du Lingjing quickly asked if she was hurt, but Ai-Ye only shook her head, rubbed her waist, and then reached out to Du Lingjing’s face.

She opened her soiled fingers, and Du Lingjing saw a knot made of leaf veins.

She pointed down the slope. “I found it on the slope; it seems to be pointing towards that dense forest below!”

Du Lingjing quickly summoned men who went to the forest and found two more knots outside.

They had barely settled when Jiang Fengchuan arrived. Seeing Du Lingjing, he said, “Sister-in-law, the mark Uncle Hui left for me points here.”

Du Lingjing felt a sense of relief.

“This should be it.”

She quickly ordered her men to disperse. There were too many powerful and unpredictable forces in the mountains; they did not want to attract attention. However, the forest was dense, with many green and yellow leaves blocking out the sun even in autumn and winter, and connected to the cliffs, making the situation very complicated.

Jiang Fengchuan led his men in twice but failed to find a way in and retreated for fear of getting too trapped.

Du Lingjing also walked along the edge of the forest, finding only fallen leaves and weeds, but also unable to find a path deeper.

She gazed at the dense forest in silent contemplation, while Jiang Fengchuan spoke up.

“This forest is impossible to penetrate; perhaps it’s been set up with an array.”

Upon hearing this, Du Lingjing nodded in agreement.

The forest was not entirely naturally formed; upon closer inspection, faint traces of human activity could be seen.

However, Jiang Fengchuan’s knowledge of array formations was limited. The martial arts instructor that his third brother had hired for him was a Taoist priest from the temple. He had learned divination from his master, but the Five Elements Array, which his master specialized in, was not something a scholar like himself could easily learn.

He said he could not solve it, “If it’s a formation set up by the gentlemen of the Flicking Faction, it’s probably not simple either.”

After the Flicking Faction members gradually left the court, some taught to make a living, while others returned to their hometowns to farm. With more free time, they devoted themselves to various studies, whether it was astronomy, divination, geology, or ancient formations.

If they could not get inside, how could they inform the people inside that they had found it?

Everyone was somewhat at a loss. Ruan Gong simply said, “It’s getting late. Madam, why not go down the mountain first? There’s a Taoist temple in town; perhaps we can invite a Taoist priest to come and guide us tomorrow.”

Everyone nodded upon hearing this and then looked at Du Lingjing.

Among them, only Master Jiang possessed some knowledge of Taoist arts, and he could not solve the formation. What could the others do?

They looked at her, waiting for her to speak, suggesting they return today and explore again tomorrow.

Unexpectedly, she stared fixedly into the depths of the dense forest.

“Waiting one more night means one more night of longing in your dream.”

With those words, she stepped inside.

“Perhaps I can try again.”

She had never studied under a Taoist master, but she remembered that two years ago, she had repaired an ancient book.

This book was not a Song Dynasty edition, but rather written by a remarkable person during the reign of Emperor Taizu. The techniques and Five Elements recorded in the book had been lost. His descendants could not understand what was written in the book, so they simply sold the ancestral heirloom to Mian Tower.

When Du Lingjing received it, she saw that the book was damaged, but the contents were novel and unfamiliar to her.

By chance, a wandering Taoist priest passed by and, seeing the book, said to her, “If you can repair this book, Young Lady, you will surely gain good fortune.”

She was not asking for any good fortune; she was simply saddened that the contents of the book had been lost, and in a few years, no one would know about it anymore.

The life of a book collector and repairer was precisely about striving to save their treasured books, was it not?

She offered to repair the book, and the two wandering Taoist priests, upon hearing this, bowed to her, expressing their willingness to help in any way they could. Thus, they spent half a year repairing the book. Once it was finished, mindful of the effort involved, she thought that even if she did not make money, she would have the Steward Zhao from the Publishing House take it and have some printed and distributed.

Unexpectedly, quite a few copies were sold.

Later, the two Taoist priests continued their travels, and she never saw them again. She had not seen the book for a long time.

But now, Du Lingjing stepped into the dense forest, her feet crunching on layers of fallen leaves. The ancient Taoist book she had repaired years ago, every word on every page, every illustration, seemed to have awakened.

From the deepest recesses of her memory, it slowly surfaced before her eyes.

Ruan Gong and Sixth Young Master immediately divided their forces: some remained outside to defend, while others followed behind her, step by step, deeper into the forest.

Du Lingjing initially could not quite place whether this was the formation described in the book, but as she groped her way forward, the chaotic forest gradually became clearer in her eyes.

The ground was still covered with withered branches and fallen leaves, but as she pushed aside a patch of thorns and moved a broken branch, the chaotic path became increasingly clear before her.

It seemed to be the formation depicted on the first page of the book.

She continued forward, trying her best to recall what was written in the book, pausing to discern the path ahead. Those behind her followed her, turning left and right. The others, puzzled and confused, were suddenly struck by her newfound direction, taking a few steps forward and touching a cliff face.

She felt her way along the side of the mountain wall, probing as she went, and whispered, “This is passable.”

The mountain wall stretched out before her, with only a low passage at its base.

Ordinary people would never walk on such a low, animal-burrow-like path.

But Du Lingjing bent down.

Jiang Fengchuan called to her, “Should I scout ahead?”

What if it were an unknown cave? There might be danger.

Du Lingjing shook her head.

“No need, I will do it myself.”

She bent down and walked straight ahead.

She walked for a dozen steps, until even she herself was somewhat unsure, when suddenly the mountain wall disappeared. She straightened up, and in front of her grew a patch of evergreen leaves, still green even at this time of year.

She took a deep breath, pushed aside the leaves, and stepped forward.

In an instant, the view opened up before her.

In a spacious mountain cave, a few rays of sunlight illuminated everyone clearly.

“Brother Hu, Master Liao, Master Hong, Young Master Feng…”

Everyone looked at her, their faces showing signs of weakness, yet all wore the gentlest smiles.

They all looked at her, nodding to her, and someone spoke up.

“I knew it,” said one of them. “Jing-niang revised and published the book herself; she must remember.”

Before Du Lingjing could see who was speaking, someone suddenly leaped in front of her.

She reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Jing-niang, I knew you’d come! You’d come to rescue us!”

It was Tingjun.

Her sworn sister.