Cang Lan Dao - Chapter 41.3

Chapter 41.3 

She’s Luo Wanqing 

Hearing this, Luo Wanqing had some regrets. However, not everything in life goes as one wishes. She smiled and respectfully said, “Yes.” 

Taking leave from Xie Heng to go down the mountain, Luo Wanqing went straight to the Guardian Temple. She entered the temple just before weishi (*), and from a distance, she saw a green-clothed woman shaking sticks and praying in front of the Buddha Hall. 

T/N: 1-3 pm

Luo Wanqing kneeled next to her, took out two scent bags, identity papers, a flare, and a bracelet from her sleeve, and put them together in front of the green-clothed woman. Then, she clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and said: “These two scent bags, the green one, are used to inhibit the smell of the red one. At xushi (*), you destroy the green one, and the people from the Inspection Department will come over by following the smell. Your room has a basement, so hide my family inside, and don’t let them be found.” 

T/N: 7-9 pm

Qing Lu calmly wrapped everything into her sleeve and shook the tub. The bamboo stick fell to the ground and made a clear sound. She picked it up and looked down, “What if the people from the Inspection Department check the basement?” 

“After they kill the people from the Feng Yu Pavilion until you can leave, set off a signal flare,” Luo Wanqing bowed her head, then got up, “I will immediately set off the most urgent signal flare from the Inspection Department, summoning them to the Fang Fei Pavilion. Their mission is not to save these trafficked commoners, and when they realize they’ve gone to the wrong place, they’ll at most leave one or two people to guard you. They’ll immediately rush to Fang Fei Pavilion so you can take the opportunity to take my family away. Wait for me at the ferry port five miles from Dongdu. I’ll arrange the destination.” 

Even if it was Qing Lu, she couldn’t be absolutely at ease. The final destination of her family could only be decided by her. 

“Okay.” Qing Lu knew Luo Wanqing’s intentions. 

Luo Wanqing added, “That bracelet has a sedative in it. Turn the snake head and hold your breath. After ten counts, it can fill a room. It’s enough to deal with ordinary Inspection Department staff. You can use it if you need it. But there is no need to kill anyone.” 

“I know.” Qing Lu looked at her and finally pursed her lips, “Is Jiuran okay?” 

“She’ll be fine when we get the mother parasite. God bless, she will meet us.” 

Qing Lu did not make a sound. She got up, took an umbrella from the side, and softly said, “God bless, you and I will meet again.” 

With that, Qing Lu walked out. 

Luo Wanqing looked up to the Buddha, thought for a long time, and bowed down piously. When she returned to the Inspection Department, it was drizzling on the road. She was walking down the street in the rain when she suddenly heard a soft call from Qin Jue: “Agent Liu.” 

Luo Wanqing looked surprised and saw Qin Jue standing in front of her with an umbrella. Puzzled, she asked, “Why are you here?” 

“Master Xie asked someone to notify me,” Qin Jue walked up to her, looking a little puzzled, frowning, “Saying that you didn’t bring an umbrella when you left the house and asked me to wait on this road and send one to you.” 

Luo Wanqing froze at these words. Looking at the road she had to travel back to the Inspection Department, she felt helpless. 

Xie Heng, this person, was pretty goodhearted. Even though he thought she was Zhang Jiuran, after all he had said, he still let her meet Qin Jue. She did not talk to Qin Jue about these twists and turns. She only asked about Zhang Jiuran’s condition and then went back to the Inspection Department. 

After going back, Xie Heng summoned someone to sort out the next day’s action procedure for the last time, and then, in the afternoon of the next day, Xie Heng found a make-up artist for Luo Wanqing.

Luo Wanqing was going to be the person that Xie Heng sold on Fang Fei Pavilion. Naturally, she would not wear the guard clothes. Thinking about the meeting with Li Guiyu, Luo Wanqing chose the most common dressing style in the past: a watery blue wide-sleeved dress, silver hairpin on a high bun with half of her hair hanging behind her and two strands in front of her body, which made her look gentle and soft. However, under the dress were full of concealed weapons, poisons, and sharp blades.

Luo Wanqing secretly took two more highest alert level flares and a packet of incense to restrain the Feng Xun Incense. 

After preparing everything, when it was nighttime, Luo Wanqing followed Zhu Si to exit the Inspection Department, got on the carriage, and followed Xie Heng’s carriage as it rattled out of Dongdu. 

Arriving at the lakeside of Dongdu, the carriage finally stopped. Luo Wanqing was about to get off when she saw someone suddenly pull open the curtain. Luo Wanqing froze and raised her eyes to meet Xie Heng’s icy eyes. 

“Wear this.” Xie Heng handed her a mask, and Luo Wanqing swept the surrounding area. There were many people at this port, but all of them were wearing masks. Some people with silver masks at the front of the ferry were verifying the invitations of the people who came. After ascertaining that there were no problems, they would let them go, and based on the level of the invitation, they would invite the other person to get on the boat and then sail off into the distance. 

Luo Wanqing put on the mask and raised her eyes to see Xie Heng’s hand stretched out in front of her. She put her hand on it, just as she had done in the past when she was holding Jiang Shaoyan. She borrowed Xie Heng’s hand to get out of the carriage. 

Walking down from the carriage, she intuited that someone was looking at them. Xie Heng was also keenly aware of it. She held Xie Heng’s hand, turned her head, and saw a pair of familiar eyes coldly sizing her up. The surrounding people had their masks, yet that person’s mask was the same as theirs. This was the mark that Li Guiyu and Xie Heng had agreed to recognize each other. 

Xie Heng nodded toward the other party, and Li Guiyu politely smiled. 

Xie Heng withdrew his gaze and backhanded over Luo Wanqing’s wrist, leading her straight to the port. He took out an invitation with a drawing of peonies. When the other party saw the invitation, he hurriedly saluted and guided the two of them onto a small boat alone. 

There was already a boatman on the boat. After they sat down, the boat traveled. Luo Wanqing glanced back to see Li Guiyu also brought a woman on the boat. The woman looked weak; she was obviously injured. Luo Wanqing quietly examined and heard Xie Heng say, “That’s Aunt Bai Li.” 

Not expecting Xie Heng to speak out, Luo Wanqing turned her eyes to look at him. Xie Heng calmly said, “I already spoke to Li Guiyu. You are an important witness in the case. Because of the Qin family’s case, he can’t kill you, but you are under his custody. But this is a stopgap measure. Your real mission is to protect the Crown Prince and stall Li Guiyu until the people from the Imperial Household come over.” 

Hearing these words, Luo Wanqing raised her eyes, “Imperial Household?” 

“The Imperial Household is the people serving His Majesty in the palace, the highest rank of eunuchs, and one of His Majesty’s most trusted people. The Inspection Department and the Imperial Household are His Majesty’s hands that check and balance each other. With the Imperial Household coming to look on, we won’t make His Majesty suspicious if we capture Li Guiyu. So you’d better expose the assassination of the Crown Prince by Li Guiyu to the Imperial Household.” 

“Young Master hasn’t truly wanted to exchange me with Bai Li?” Luo Wanqing was surprised at what she heard. 

Xie Heng lightly glanced at her, “You are guilty. You can die on the battlefield, on the sword, on the execution ground, but you should not die in Li Guiyu’s mansion.” 

“How can I get close to the Crown Prince?” Luo Wanqing frowned, “Directly barge in?” 

“The Crown Prince is lustful,” Xie Heng said of his plan, “Tonight, we’ll exchange the two of you by auctioning. Show your face when Li Guiyu auctions you off. Given the Crown Prince’s nature, he might grab you. When he argues with Li Guiyu, you’ll have a chance to get close to him.” 

“But I might be unable to slow down Li Guiyu alone.” Luo Wanqing thought of the last time she fought with Li Guiyu and frowned. 

“An expert beside the Crown Prince can hold Li Guiyu back. You only need to deal with the rest of his men.” 

Luo Wanqing understood what Xie Heng meant and nodded, “I will try my best. Please rest assured, Young Master.” 

“The time you need to stall won’t be too long,” Xie Heng’s voice was faint, “Zhu Que will rush to aid my side, and after capturing Xiang Sizi, we will reinforce you.” 

Unfortunately, this reinforcement will not arrive on time. 

Luo Wanqing listened to Xie Heng’s calculations and remembered the scented sachet in her bosom that she was using to suppress the Feng Xun Incense. After half an hour, Zhu Que would use the Feng Xun Incense to look for them, but with her scented sachet in place, he wouldn’t be able to find them. Instead, he would be attracted by Qing Lu’s scented sachet and go in the wrong direction. She had to wait until Qing Lu gave a signal before she told Zhu Que the correct location and waited for his arrival. At that time, Xie Heng might not bother coming to reinforce her, the traitor. But it didn’t matter. 

Luo Wanqing lowered her eyes. Xie Heng would not save her, but she would save Xie Heng. After all, she sets him up for her family, so she will try to protect him. Tonight, Zhu Que would not be able to reinforce in time, so she needed to use a way to stall the time so that Zhu Que would have enough time to turn back. The best way to do so was to use the Crown Prince to threaten the Feng Yu Pavilion.