Qin Junyue stood before the wooden shelves, her fingers slowly turning the yellowed pages of a booklet.
The booklet was thick, and each page recorded the information of a ranked Martial Artist: name, age, place of origin, sect, martial arts technique, preferred weapon, and even a brief description of their appearance and past battle achievements.
Her gaze swept quickly over the names.
Lei Shiyun, Second-Rank, Mount Tai Sect, fierce sword technique, prefers using a heavy sword, 49 years old.
‘No,’ Qin Junyue instinctively thought, shaking her head. ‘The techniques used by that person last night were feminine and crafty, completely different from the Mount Tai Sect’s style.’
Zhao Hanshuang, Second-Rank, Kongtong Sect, exquisite palm techniques, excellent hand-to-hand combat skills.
‘Not this one either. That person used a sword, and their technique didn’t look like it belonged to the Kongtong Sect.’
…
She immediately excluded the Second-Rank Martial Artists she was familiar with: her colleagues from the Capital Camp, the masters enshrined at the Five City Wardens’ Office, and the retainers serving various major families.
She knew their martial arts well, and none matched the black-clad intruder from yesterday.
That person carried an air of evil, unlike the techniques of orthodox sects, yet they didn’t seem to belong to any of the heterodox sects she knew of, either.
She scanned page after page quickly, her brow furrowing slightly, the creases between her eyes deepening.
To her surprise, she couldn’t find a single suspect who highly overlapped with her observations.
Her finger stopped on a certain page, flipped past it, then flipped back, reading it repeatedly several times.
There was nothing. She knew most of the Second-Rank Martial Artists registered in the Capital City; even if she wasn’t close with them, she had heard their names.
But she had never seen or heard of the person from last night.
This shouldn’t be possible.
Control wasn’t as strict in other places. As the saying went, imperial power did not extend past the county level. Once outside the Capital City, every place had its own rules.
Especially with local sects, where the mountains were high and the Emperor was far away, no one cared whether a Martial Artist had Entered the Ranks or not.
But this was the Capital City, right at the foot of the Son of Heaven, the center of order and virtue.
If a ranked Martial Artist was found to be unregistered, there was only one outcome: death.
This was an iron rule established by the Taizu Emperor when he founded the nation, and it had never wavered for over 200 years.
Therefore, the first thing any Martial Artist did upon entering the Capital, regardless of their rank, was to register at the Five City Wardens’ Office to be added to the records.
Those who dared not to register faced the death penalty if caught. No one was willing to take that risk.
So, where did this person come from?
Qin Junyue narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly. ‘Could this person be from the Imperial Palace?’ As soon as this thought surfaced, her heart sank.
The only person in the Imperial Palace likely capable of secretly harboring an unregistered Second-Rank master was Wei Yang.
She had managed the inner palace for so many years that her people were everywhere — the Brocade-Clad Guard, the Eastern Depot, and the inner palace guards.
If she wanted to hide someone within the palace, it was true that no one would be able to find them.
‘I must find a way to protect Song Ning in the shadows,’ Qin Junyue planned silently. ‘I must not allow him to be harmed.’
She was already certain that the person last night was targeting the Wedding Chamber, specifically Song Ning and Qi Chuyao.
What about tonight? Or tomorrow night? Wei Yang would not give up easily. If she failed once, there would be a second attempt.
“Are you done yet?”
Du Qujing’s voice came from the doorway, carrying a hint of urgency.
She leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, her ridiculously long legs stretching out to block half the doorway.
“I told you, you aren’t allowed to copy these. Just browsing is fine,” she called out to Qin Junyue in a lazy tone.
Qin Junyue snapped out of her thoughts, closed the booklet, and returned it to its place.
She turned around, brushed the dust off her clothes, and walked slowly toward the door.
“Did you find the person?” Du Qujing tilted her head to look at her.
Qin Junyue walked up to her and shook her head with a smile. “I have a few clues. I’ll treat you to drinks later.”
Du Qujing snorted. It was unclear if she was snorting because Qin Junyue hadn’t found the person or at the mention of the drink.
She straightened up and walked side-by-side with Qin Junyue.
“Tsk, tsk, a great master indeed,” her voice held a bit of teasing. “Can you give me a hint? Will your next promotion be within the Capital Camp? Are you going to the Ministry of War or a post in the provinces?”
She was truly envious. Qin Junyue had reached the Second-Rank at such a young age, making her one of the very few in the entire Great Qian.
What made people even more jealous was that she had both the Qi Family and the Song Family backing her. With these two giants protecting her, she had a bright future, and a meteoric rise was only a matter of time.
“Speaking of which,” Du Qujing suddenly remembered something and rubbed her hands. “I heard that the eldest daughter of the Song Family was supposed to be transferred to our Five City Wardens’ Office.”
“I don’t know why, but she suddenly went to the Liaodong Frontier instead. How tragic.”
She sighed inwardly. The Capital City was so wonderful — prosperous, lively, and filled with plenty to eat and drink.
What kind of place was the Liaodong Frontier? It was a cold, desolate land where wars were fought every year and the winters were freezing.
For a noble young lady to give up a comfortable life in the Capital to suffer in such a place, Du Qujing couldn’t imagine what she was thinking.
“What about you?” she asked, glancing at Qin Junyue.
Qin Junyue was startled. She remembered that the Song Family’s eldest daughter going to Liaodong was Song Ning’s idea.
She squinted against the sunlight and murmured to herself, “I… I will listen to him too. I’ll go anywhere.”
“What?” Du Qujing didn’t hear her clearly and leaned in.
Qin Junyue shook her head and smiled, offering no explanation.
How could she explain it to someone else? She only hoped that Qi Chuyao would divorce Song Ning soon, so that she could…
……
The two women walked out of the Government Office together. Du Qujing was extremely tall, standing more than half a head taller than Qin Junyue.
Her legs were particularly long, seemingly making up her entire frame from the waist down.
Qin Junyue’s figure was already considered tall and elegant, standing out even among female generals, but standing next to Du Qujing, she still felt a bit short.
It was like a green pine standing next to a white poplar; both had their own grace, but there was a distinct difference in height.
Du Qujing reached out and slung an arm over Qin Junyue’s shoulder, shaking her slightly as she grumbled, “What were you saying? Whose orders will you listen to? Are you getting married too?”
Before Qin Junyue could answer, she continued on her own. “By the way, I wanted to ask you something. Can you introduce me to Master Qi? I really don’t want to work at the Five City Wardens’ Office anymore. It’s too busy. I can’t even get a decent night’s sleep.”
Qin Junyue smiled and pushed her hand away. “Fine, fine. I’ll put in a word for you another day.”
As they chatted, they walked out of the Government Office’s main gate.
Outside, the sunlight was perfect.
Qi Chuyao was standing below the steps, yawning and looking much more energetic.
She held a paper bag containing freshly steamed buns in one hand, while the other held a string of candied hawthorns. She had already bitten off two, and her cheeks were bulging as she chewed loudly.
Xia Ling stood beside her, wearing her pink dress. She held a cloth bag containing several strings of candied hawthorns. There had originally been three strings, but now only two remained.
She had been skipping along just a moment ago, holding her candied hawthorns high like a flag.
The moment she saw Qi Chuyao, her footsteps jerked to a halt. The candied hawthorns in her hand stopped swaying, and she transformed from a happy little bird into a startled sparrow.
She hadn’t expected to run into Qi Chuyao here.
Although she was a hundred times unwilling in her heart, this was her Young Master’s wife, which made her one of her masters.
She bit her lip, stepped forward, and gave a reluctant salute, her voice muffled. “Greetings, Madam. Good morning, Madam.”
Qi Chuyao arched an eyebrow and looked her up and down. “Why are you here? What are you doing? Reporting a crime?”
These were the two maids who often appeared by Song Ning’s side, so she naturally recognized them. One talked a lot, and the other was mute. The one in front of her was the talkative one.
“I heard Qin Junyue was here,” Xia Ling said in a low voice. “My Young Master wants to see her, so he sent me to get her.”
“See Junyue?” Qi Chuyao asked in surprise, her eyes widening. “For what?”
She reached into Xia Ling’s bag, pulled out a string of candied hawthorns, and unceremoniously stuffed it into her mouth. She bit one off, chewing with a crunch.
‘Honestly, he just got married, and instead of looking for his wife, he’s looking for Junyue? What for?’
Xia Ling stared with wide eyes as her candied hawthorns were taken away. Her mouth hung open as if she wanted to say something, but she felt it would be inappropriate.
She had specifically saved that string for herself, intending to eat it slowly back at the courtyard.
Now, look what happened. There was supposed to be one for her, one for Xia Shuang, and one for the Young Master. She would have been able to eat an extra one back at the house, but now she was short one.
‘Why is this person so annoying?’
She grumbled, “I don’t know. Anyway, my Young Master wants to see her.”
Qi Chuyao hummed an “oh” while chewing on the candied hawthorn, her gaze landing on Qin Junyue as she walked out of the Government Office.
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