Chapter 91: Tao, He

"Who is it?!" a woman's voice sounded from the house. Though the voice was very low, the sound was loud and clear, and Jiang Changbai and Song Juguang could hear how little confidence was in this seemingly-harsh voice.

Hearing the voice, they wanted to leave; after all, their original intent was only to furtively come here, and they hadn't intended to startle anyone. Who could have imagined that the motions of the woman in the residence were quicker than theirs, and before they'd managed to mount their horses, the doors were pushed open.

The three of them looked at each other, their figures all filled with indescribable embarrassment. It was Jiang Changbai who responded most quickly, and she said, "The two of us were late in entering the capital, and didn't manage to make it to the next town before nightfall. We remembered when we'd passed through here before, and stayed a night in an old woman's home. That's why we came, but it seems now that we probably came to the wrong place."

That torch-carrying woman blinked, looking at Jiang Changbai, and then looking at Song Juguang. "If you really do want to enter the capital, then how is it that to me, it looks like your manner is no different from the nobles of the capital?"

Song Juguang, hidden behind Jiang Changbai, smiled furtively. As it was said, the bearing of a noble was evident in their motions; having been Emperor so long, even if Jiang Changbai wore simple clothes, the aura around her was far unlike that of the average person.

But though she'd been seen through, Jiang Changbai wasn't the slightest bit panicked, and only cupped her hands, smiling. "Flattery, flatter."

Before she finished speaking, the door behind that torch-bearing woman was pushed open once more, and a grey-clad, round-faced woman emerged from within.

"Who are you, and why are you still here so late at night?" the round-faced woman asked before she'd even come to a stop.

But this time, without waiting for Jiang Changbai to speak, the torch-bearing woman explained for her first. "These two are passing travellers, who wish to stay a night."

"Ah, so that's it!" The round-faced woman assessed the two of them carefully by the light of the torch, and then said, "Then you'd best come in—having travelled so long, you must be thirsty. Though we don't have any fine drink or food here, we do have a cup of water."

This round-faced woman really wasn't guarded at all, and warmly invited Jiang Changbai and Song Juguang inside to sit down. The torch-bearing woman, hearing these words, didn't have the inclination to be as cautious as she had been before, and turned, about to gesture the two inside.

Jiang Changbai and Song Juguang looked at each other, not declining, and walked inside.

But once they made it to the doorway, they were halted by the torch-bearing woman. "Your horses are still outside; if you don't tie them up, then they'll run off in a bit, and that'll be no good."

These tone of hers was quite loud, loud enough that the round-faced woman inside could hear it clearly. In a flash, Jiang Changbai understood the implications in her words, and purposefully tugged Song Juguang outside.

"My name is Tao Li," Tao Li, standing outside the fence, said, her gaze fixed on Jiang Changbai. Immediately after, she pointed inside the house, and added, "she's He Miao. From what you said before, you knew the previous resident of this place?"

Jiang Changbai looked at her, not replying, and only asked in return, "What's the relationship between the two of you, and how did you come to live here?"

Tao Li had originally not wanted to say too much about her and He Miao's matters, but perhaps because of a lack of confidence, or perhaps because Jiang Changbai radiated a sense of oppression that made one unable to resist, she hesitated for a moment, sighed, and finally explained.

As it turned out, Tao Li's family had been poor, and from childhood, they'd relied on He Miao's family's assistance. Later, when they'd grown a bit older, Tao Li's mother and father had both died, and she went to work in He Miao's family's home in exchange for some money and food. The two of them were of an age, and could play together, and so these years, Tao Li had passed well.

But lately, as their ages had gradually increased, He Miao's family had selected a husband for her, wanting to marry her off, saying something about how it counted as a predestined marriage of a sort. But how could He Miao be willing; she knew that, now, women could enter the government as officials, and naturally wasn't willing to marry as husband and wife with someone she didn't know, and waste an entire lifetime.

He Miao wanted to run away, to run to the capital, to be able to participate in the future imperial exams.

In all matters, Tao Li placed He Miao first, and hearing her idea, naturally supported her. So, the two had conspired in secret, He Miao pretending to agree to the marriage, and after receiving the betrothal gift, Tao Li exchanged it for banknotes. The two had taken advantage of the dark and stormy night to flee, asking as they went, until they made it to the outskirts of the capital. Only then did they learn that the capital wasn't such a good place to set down roots in; what had previously been a massive sum of money to them, in the capital was barely enough to rent a room.

It was only at that that they helplessly left the capital, and while passing by here, discovered this dilapidated residence. At the time, the windows had all been broken by the wind, and they could only barely hang onto the wall. They observed for a number of days, and only after ascertaining that no one lived there did they dare to move in.

And even further after, no one came, and so they relaxed and dared to live confidently here, seeing this place as their own home. But with someone coming to call so late in this night after so long, and bringing up the previous resident so often, Tao Li couldn't help but grow suspicious, and so had stopped Jiang Changbai and Song Juguang outside the fence to question them.

But after hearing Tao Li's explanation, Jiang Changbai laughed softly, still not speaking the truth. She only said, "We only met that old woman once, and I fear we can't answer your question."

Tao Li wanted to press further, but He Miao stuck her head out from inside. "Does it take so long to tie up horses? Hurry and come in. Staying outside, in a bit, you'll be eaten by mosquitoes!"

"We're coming now!" Tao Li replied in a loud voice. After that, she looked at Jiang Changbai again, her tone lacking the previous guardedness. "No matter what the two of you came here for, please, why don't you come in and drink some water and rest."

Song Juguang crossed her arms. "You're not afraid we're bad people?"

Jiang Changbai elbowed Song Juguang, but before she could speak, she heard Tao Li say, "If you really were bad people, then I probably wouldn't have remained alive until now, right? Though I feel like you're not entirely honest, looking at your features, you aren't people with malicious intent."

Having finished speaking, Tao Li turned, and gestured the two inside.

Only on entering did Jiang Changbai and Song Juguang realise that inside was entirely different from before. The last time, though it had been tidy, the furniture had been dilapidated, and the entire house had been barren. But now, the furniture had all been replaced with new items, and small items were laid on the shelves, far more lived in than before.

He Miao had long since wiped the table down. "What are you going to the capital for?"

Jiang Changbai, turning her head, saw He Miao's round eyes staring intently at her, and finding her adorable, smiled, and replied, "Ah, that's right, we have to hurry back in a bit."

"So urgent?"

"En," Jiang Changbai nodded, "there's still a lot to be done."

He Miao thought a moment, and then asked again, "Then you must be very impressive, right?"

Jiang Changbai said, "How come you say that?"

He Miao said, unexpectedly boastfully, "Ah, because you're so busy, and have so many important matters to deal with, so that's why you're travelling so late, right? People like me, we're asleep this late. It must be that some matter can't be handled without you, and so you're travelling with such hardship, right?"

Jiang Changbai smiled, not speaking, but took stock of this room out of the indistinct corner of her eye. She suddenly thought of the story the old woman had told them, and recalled that hunter who remained eternally on Mount Tongshan; in her youth, had she been as pure as He Miao?

But before she could think about it carefully, He Miao rambled on. "If I could live in the capital too, that'd be great; perhaps I could run into the Emperor mingling with the people in secret. I really want to see what the Emperor is like—"

"Miaomiao!"

Before He Miao had finished speaking, Tao Li stopped her loudly. Immediately, she pulled Jiang Changbai and Song Juguang to the side, and said in a low tone, "We grew up in a remote place—He Miao was never discouraged, and tends to speak without thinking; she's said some things she ought not to have—please, treat it as a joke, and don't take it to heart."

Now, Tao Li was even more certain that these two had identities as wealthy nobility, and she feared that He Miao had said something that would cause the two of them to remember, and attract disaster.

"No matter," Jiang Changbai said, waving a hand. "I really want to hear her keep talking."

These words really were true; Jiang Changbai had resided in the depths of the Imperial Palace for long, and it was quite hard for the remarks of the common people to reach her ears. More than that, even getting rid of the suffering of the people, as the Emperor, Jiang Changbai really wanted to know how the people thought of her.

But in the end, she wasn't able to hear it all. Because the next moment, Song Juguang's face darkened, and she coughed softly. "Master, it's far too later; we ought to leave."

It wasn't that Song Juguang didn't know what Jiang Changbai wanted to listen to, but more than that, she needed to ensure her safety. He Miao and Tao Li were people of unknown origin, yet they could precisely guess at their social statuses, and could accurately raise the two character of "the Emperor" before Jiang Changbai.

Too many coincidences weren't coincidence, and more than that, it was a place that was so close to Mount Tongshan.

Jiang Changbai wanted to insist, but after turning to see Song Juguang's expression, she swallowed back the words at her lips. She knew she couldn't convince Song Juguang; her usual freedom was only because Song Juguang allowed it, and now that she was intent, even if she wanted to stay here even more, the end result was still that she'd be taken back to the Palace by her.

So, Jiang Changbai nodded. "Ah, that's right, we need to leave."

It was just that, when they left the house, she still made a few steps' detour to the corner where the old woman had been buried. The grave mound that had originally been there unexpectedly had left no trace, and who knew where the piece of wood that had served as a gravestone had disappeared to.

Tao Li asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"

Jiang Changbai shifted her gaze to look at her, but in those eyes, she only saw clearness. Ah, well—not knowing was good, too.

So, Jiang Changbai waved a hand, and as she spoke, she took the wine she'd brought off of the horse's back. "It's nothing; I'll gift this jar of wine to you, to act as repayment for the two cups of water."

"That's—" Tao Li looked at the wine that had suddenly appeared in her hands somewhat at a loss, but before she could reject it, Jiang Changbai and Song Juguang had already raced off to a distance.

And at this moment, in the Imperial Prison, Yang Zhuofei was dazedly watching the ants creeping by.

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