Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Xue Wei's small courtyard had only three rooms in a row. The middle room was the guest room, and there was a room on each side. One room was a bedroom, and the other was a study. In fact, he didn't have a single book.

Xue Wei thoroughly washed his body and hair with lemon juice, and the smell of the corpse on his body was indeed reduced a lot. Although it was not completely removed, at least he knew that lemons were effective. He would look for more lemons later; there should be more than one merchant selling lemons in Luoyang.

At dusk, in the study where there wasn't a single book, Xue Wei took out all the contents of the box and neatly arranged them on the floor.

Two swords, a knife, a bow, a quiver of arrows, a leather bag containing five throwing knives, a polo mallet and two polo balls, and finally, a quiver of arrows.

This is the complete set of equipment for the Three Absolutes Young Master. Originally, he also had a suit of armor, but Hu Ping told him that he used to be a Qianniu Beishen (a high-ranking military officer) and was qualified to wear armor. However, he was dismissed from his post a year ago, and he would be punished if he still possessed armor, so the armor was removed.

Xue Wei's greatest skill was with the sword, and he picked up the two swords to examine them closely.

The black sharkskin scabbard is very understated.

Xue Wei weighed the two swords in his hands; both weighed over eight jin (approximately 4 catties) and felt quite good. He slowly drew the swords and placed them on the table for comparison. Both were made of extremely dense wrought iron with special patterns on them. Each sword gleamed coldly and was exceptionally sharp.

Hu Ping told him that one of the swords was made by Sun Lin, the chief swordsmith of the Military Equipment Bureau's sword workshop, and could be used as a regular sword, while the other was a hidden sword for collection.

That sword was unique; it was the sword of Cheng Yaojin, a famous general of the Tang Dynasty. There were two raised characters in small seal script on the hilt, which he vaguely recognized: "Zhi Jie" (meaning "knowing integrity").

Cheng Yaojin's courtesy name was Zhijie, so this sword is called the Zhijie Sword.

I learned from Hu Ping that this was Cheng Yaojin's sword, which he had carried for thirty years. Three years ago, Cheng Yaojin's youngest son, Cheng Jun, lost the sword to Xue Wei in a horsemanship and archery contest.

Xue Wei put down his sword and picked up the small leather pouch, which could be worn on his belt. Inside were five neatly arranged willow-leaf throwing knives, made of high-quality steel.

Xue Wei of the Tang Dynasty actually knew how to use throwing knives. Xue Wei was also eager to try it out. Just as he drew out a throwing knife, there was a sudden, urgent knocking sound from the courtyard.

Xue Wei was taken aback. He instinctively grabbed his sword, strode out of the courtyard, and looked around. Apart from the knocking, there were no unusual sounds from the front or back of the house.

The knocking continued, and a young woman's voice came from outside, "Young Master Xue, it's me, open the door quickly!"

The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it.

Xue Wei drew his sword, pried open the door latch, and took a few steps back.

The door opened, and a soaking wet girl rushed in, then slammed the door shut behind her. Leaning against the door, she stared at Xue Wei with a terrified expression.

Xue Wei narrowed his eyes. He saw a round face like an apple. He had seen this round face twice yesterday, once at a noodle shop and once at a casino. It was she who led him into the trap of beauty. Her name seemed to be A Ping.

"What are you doing here?" Xue Wei slowly tightened his grip on the sword hilt.

"Young Master Xue, I'd like to make a deal with you!"

Ah Ping spoke so quickly and urgently, as if she would be kidnapped if she hesitated even for a second.

"A deal?" Xue Wei sneered. "Do you think I'd still believe you?"

"You must believe me. I know all of Zhou Yinfeng's secrets. You went to the casino today, and when she found out you weren't dead, she tried to kill me to silence me."

"Didn't she go to Chang'an?"

"That's just an excuse. She's still in Luoyang, and I protected you."

How will you protect me?

Xue Wei stared into her eyes, trying to find deception and lies within them.

"I know where you live, but I didn't tell her. I also know you haven't cashed out your winnings yet, but I didn't tell her that either, otherwise she would definitely be lying in wait for you at the casino."

Xue Wei sneered, "You're adding more leverage to your deal."

"No, I just want you to believe me."

Xue Wei found no deception or concealment in her eyes, only terror and fear.

Xue Wei sheathed his sword. "Come in and talk!"

He turned and went into the living room, sat down on a bench, and pointed to another bench opposite him.

"Since there's no water to offer, let's get straight to the point: why didn't she successfully silence you?"

"Because I knew she was going to kill me to silence me, I jumped off the boat the instant she drew her sword."

"Where are you going by boat?"

A-Ping stared at Xue Wei, her eyes unblinking. "I know all her secrets, and I can tell you everything, but I need your money."

Xue Wei spread his hands, "I have no money, I have nothing."

"You do have it. You won 1,165 taels of silver last night, and you went to the casino this afternoon to withdraw 1,165 taels."

Xue Wei suddenly realized that he had underestimated this maid; she was very shrewd, not just ordinary shrewd.

"You want to take all the money I have?"

"I can tell you everything about you and her!"

Xue Wei got up and took four silver ingots from his bedroom, placing them on the table. "I only have one hundred taels of silver left. I'll use the remaining sixty-five taels to buy this sword!"

Aping swallowed hard. She knew Xue Wei still had a counter ticket for a thousand taels of silver, but she didn't have time to cash it. She had to leave Luoyang before the city gates closed.

She gritted her teeth and said, "It's a deal! One hundred and fifty taels, and you can write an IOU for the other fifty taels."

"I promise to give you another fifty taels of silver later, but I won't write an IOU. If you don't agree, that's fine. I don't actually want to know her secret."

"You must be wondering, because you don't know why the Plum Blossom Guards found Li Chongrun's letter in your study?"

"Did she do it?"

A-Ping nodded. "Although she's been with you for three years, she had a mission from the very beginning when she approached you."

"Wait a minute!"

Xue Wei interrupted A Ping, "Who exactly is Zhou Yinfeng?"

"She is one of the thirty Jade Guards trained by the Jade Guard Bureau. Her best skill is her beauty. Everyone thinks she is very young, but she is actually twenty-five years old. She has been carrying out various missions for ten years. You are just one of her many missions. In fact, she carried out many other missions while she was with you, at least ten times."

She failed in her assassination attempt on you last night and was sent back to the Jade Guard by Shangguan Wan'er. She's very frustrated because her most cherished career as a courtesan has come to an end.

"Shangguan Wan'er?" Xue Wei grasped the key point.

"The Jade Guard Bureau was established by the Empress, and it is the Plum Blossom Jade Guard among the Five Plum Blossom Guards, controlled by Shangguan Wan'er."

"So, framing me and sending me to prison was actually orchestrated by Shangguan Wan'er?"

"I don't know the specifics, but Zhou Yinfeng does only accept Shangguan Wan'er's orders."

Xue Wei nodded. "Is there anything else I don't know?"

"Also, Shangguan Wan'er won't kill you for the time being. It seems she and your mother had some kind of agreement."

Xue Wei suddenly remembered something and asked, "I heard that my woman was taken by Wu Sansi's son. Are you referring to her?"

"It's her. Everyone in Luoyang knows that she's the woman you kept for three years. You spent tens of thousands of strings of cash on her. After you went to prison, she turned around and threw herself into Wu Chonglie's arms. Recently, she's also been getting very close to Wu Liankun."

"Also, I was rescued last night by a veiled woman. She was also at the casino. Do you know who she is?"

A-Ping shook her head. "I've been by Zhou Yin-Feng's side the whole time. I don't know what's going on outside."

Xue Wei tossed her a cloth bag containing a hundred taels of silver, saying, "I still owe you fifty taels. Now you can leave!"

A-Ping clutched her purse tightly and left without hesitation. She had to escape Luoyang before the city gates closed. She wasn't afraid of Zhou Yinfeng; she was afraid of Shangguan Wan'er.

Xue Wei was still pondering the information provided by his maid A Ping in the hall when the fog before his eyes gradually lifted a little.

Zhou Yinfeng and his predecessor had been together for three years, which means that someone had been planning this for four years. It could have been Shangguan Wan'er, Wu Sansi, or perhaps the two of them working together.

The maid said Shangguan Wan'er wouldn't kill him anymore, but what about the Wu family? Would Wu Sansi let him go? And what about the Zhang brothers, the mission he hadn't started yet, the criminal record he hadn't cleared at Dali Temple, and that hellish Blackwater Prison still waiting for him to return with its jaws wide open.

How can he break through the enigma shrouded in mystery?