Chapter 52: Dragon Boat Festival

Life in the Military Virtue Department was, for Li Xubai, nothing short of walking on thin ice.

For the better part of the month, not only had he failed to catch even a glimpse of the Investigative Division's Commander, but the various vice-commanders and lieutenants had also completely failed to show their faces.

What was even more pathetic was that the number of ordinary operatives dwindled day by day. From initially having enough men to make up two tables of mahjong, they dropped to one table, then down to just enough for a game of Landlord, until finally, as of yesterday, Li Xubai was left as the sole, utterly wretched soul remaining in the Investigative Division of the Military Virtue Department.

He, the newly appointed Vice-Commander of the Investigative Division personally bestowed by the Emperor, had become a literal commander of a bare army with no subordinates.

He had no idea how much longer this solitary existence would last.

Yet, he had finally come to understand one thing.

Wishing to peacefully act as a sixth-rank salted fish without any dreams, a reckless imperial relative, was apparently not such an easy task.

Fortunately, however, the stagnant, foul-water-like situation showed signs of coming to an end before the Dragon Boat Festival arrived.

On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, the entire city of Bianliang was in festive celebration. Zhao Yizhen and the two Empress Dowagers naturally wished to share the joy with the common people, and their entire day's itinerary was packed to the brim.

As the emperor's trusted confidants, the Military Virtue Department naturally could not afford to sit idly by. They had to mobilize in full force—first, to protect the Emperor's safety, and second, to monitor the situation in the capital.

In other words, whether they had intentionally avoided showing or had been forced by circumstances to stay away, all members of the Investigative Division were compelled to gather in one place on this day of the Dragon Boat Festival.

Li Xubai had also received the imperial decree.

As a freshly baked, highly sought-after imperial relative, he was required to first enter the palace on the day of the Festival to pay his respects to the Emperor, subsequently accompany the Emperor to watch the dragon boat races, and, once the races concluded, enter the palace once more to attend the festive banquet.

"No, that's not how you walk. Like this—yes, right here." Song Shiyu sat on the edge of the brick bed, holding a slender rattan cane in her hand. Whenever she spotted the slightest flaw in Li Yunnaan's posture, down came a swift and merciless lash of the cane, crisp and unsparing.

Li Yunnaan balanced a bowl filled to the brim with water on her head, her body standing rigidly straight. She looked utterly stiff as she walked, not even daring to sway the slightest bit.

Having taken several strikes from Song Shiyu's cane, she grimaced in pain, tears welling up in her eyes.

Li Xubai felt a pang of deep heartache and pleaded from the side, "Sister-in-law, Yunnaan is still young. Isn't this a bit too inhumane? Let her rest for a moment."

"Inhumane?" Song Shiyu widened her eyes. "Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. Yunnaan is coming into the palace with me to pay respects to the Empress Dowager and attend the banquet. The Li family are nouveau riche, and countless pairs of eyes are watching us. If she makes even the slightest mistake, becoming a laughingstock is a minor matter, but bringing ruin upon the entire family is what will cost us our lives!"

"Surely not? It's just bowing a few times and eating a meal, it can't be that serious," Li Xubai muttered.

Song Shiyu let out a cold snort. "Have you forgotten the trap Empress Dowager Wen dug for you?"

"..." Having his old wound reopened, Li Xubai said unfeelingly, "Practice! Keep practicing! And you, Third Lad, come over here and practice with her!"

"..." Li Xuzhang wore a bitter expression as he balanced a bowl and stepped forward.

Only then was Song Shiyu satisfied. She made the two of them practice for another half-hour, and seeing that they were truly exhausted to the bone with their calves trembling, she finally showed mercy and let them step outside to rest.

"How are Gu Shiyan and the others doing at the estate?" Li Xubai closed the door and lowered his voice to ask.

Although Li Xubai had rejected the residence bestowed upon him by Zhao Yizhen, the very next day Zhao Yizhen had instead granted him a country estate. Though it was still within Bianliang City, it sat not far from the western gate, making coming and going quite convenient.

On the third day after the estate was granted, Li Xubai had used the excuse of inspecting the property to bring several members of the Li household there, quietly leaving Gu Shiyan and Gu Aman behind.

Li Xubai's target was too prominent, and he feared attracting the scrutiny of interested parties. Since that day, he had never returned to the estate himself; only Song Shiyu and Li Yunnaan visited every few days under the guise of staying for a short while, though in truth, they were merely delivering food and provisions to the pair.

Song Shiyu nodded and said, "Everything is well with them. The tenant farmers only tend to the mountain forests and fields outside the estate and have never stepped inside. To this day, they have no idea anyone is living on the grounds."

"Have their luggage and travelling funds been packed?" Li Xubai asked again.

He and Song Shiyu had already agreed that on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, outsiders would flood into Bianliang City to watch the dragon boat races, while all imperial guards and Military Virtue Department operatives would be deployed to maintain order and security in the capital, leaving them completely occupied with no time to spare for the city gates. They would take advantage of this exact window to send Gu Shiyan and Gu Aman out of the city.

Even though the imperial guards were no longer conducting widespread searches, every extra day the pair remained in Bianliang City added another layer of danger.

Leaving sooner meant being safer.

"Everything is packed," Song Shiyu replied. "What about you? Have you put the household registration documents back?"

Li Xubai had spent a harrowing half-month in the Military Virtue Department, but it had not been entirely without gain.

He had discovered the household registration records of every member of the Gu family in the department's archive repository. Gritting his teeth and acting on a sudden impulse, he had secretly smuggled Gu Shiyan and Gu Aman's portion out of the Military Virtue Department.

That audacious move had nearly frightened Song Shiyu into fainting.

Following her initial shock, Song Shiyu had pondered over those two thin sheets of paper for a long time, eventually employing some unknown method to forge two identical household registration documents.

Aside from altering the names and native places, even the anti-counterfeiting background patterns on the documents and the signatures of the Bianliang officials who originally issued them were exact matches.

They were virtually indistinguishable from the real things.

With these two household registration documents in hand, Gu Shiyan and Gu Aman would be able to travel much more securely.

"They're back where they belong. I guarantee no one will discover it." Li Xubai still felt a lingering chill of fear over his own rashness.

If anyone had found out, it would have been a crime punishable by the execution of nine familial generations!

He had barely warmed his seat as an imperial relative; he certainly didn't want to die just yet.

"Still, once they leave Bianliang City, where can they even go?" Li Xubai asked with lingering worry.

Song Shiyu seemed to recall something, her expression momentarily drifting. "On the way to Lingnan, one passes through Lechang City. The local customs there are honest and simple, and they are quite tolerant toward exiled criminals and unknown wanderers. I set their household registrations there; if they are willing, they can settle down and make a home."

Hearing this, Li Xubai raised an eyebrow slightly.

"You seem very familiar with Lechang, and rather nostalgic, too," he probed.

Song Shiyu snapped back to her senses and gave a half-smile. "What, does Second Lad want to ask me when natural and man-made disasters will strike, or when you can make a sudden fortune?"

Li Xubai chuckled. "Since you've been reborn, you can't have come back for nothing—you have to make an impact. Come, come, hurry up and rack your brains to remember more."

Song Shiyu genuinely furrowed her brow in deep thought for a long moment before her face suddenly darkened, and she let out a gasp of surprise. "Now that you mention it, I actually *do* recall one thing."

"What is it?" Li Xubai was startled by her expression.

Song Shiyu frowned and said, "In my past life, on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, we happened to be passing through Dengzhou. At that time, my grandfather was still alive, and Cao Heyong had been demoted to serve as the Vice-Prefect of Dengzhou. He invited my grandfather and us to spend the Dragon Boat Festival together. During the banquet, an official runner rushed in with an urgent report, claiming that during the Dragon Boat Festival races that very day, Empress Dowager Yang had been assassinated and had narrowly escaped death."