By the time XieRong and FeiHong had made it to the capital, the sun was at its peak above their heads.
XieRong made her way to the ChuanLi restaurant and ordered lunch.
She knew people wouldn"t recognise her and she would rather keep it that way, even asking FeiHong to keep her spatial ring inside her own.
"FeiHong," XieRong whispered to her sister,"we have to look and behave like complete outsiders. If someone asks you if I"ve come here before, you must say no, understand? "
FeiHong nodded her head.
"FeiHong understands."
"Good," she said patting her sister"s head as she listened to the gossips from the nearby tables.
With her hearing improved she could hear the entire conversations than just join bits and pieces of information like she did before.
"Did you know that the second prince is returning today from the north?"
"Yes, and the crown prince is going to go greet him."
"The sickly crown prince? Wasn"t he too ill too even get out of bed?"
"He was, but from what I"ve heard recently, he has been getting better as of late."
XieRong smiled.
She already knew the second prince would be returning today and she had big plans in store for him.
"Jie, the second prince is returning today," FeiHong whispered to her sister,"The intruders are also returning today. Is it a coincidence?"
XieRong looked startled. She hadn"t expected FeiHong to join the dots, but perhaps she had underestimated her little sister.
"Shh, FeiHong. It"s no coincidence, but there are too many ears here. I"ll tell you somewhere else okay?"
XieRong felt proud that her sister was growing smarter by the day. XieRong had to start training her sister more seriously.
"FeiHong, from now on you"ll follow me wherever I go."
FeiHong nodded happily.
Soon the waitress had arrived with her food.
"Young miss reminds me of someone who came here a few days ago," He Ting commented, as she served the food.
"Actually, I came to the capital on someone"s recommendation."
"Oh, young miss is new?"
"Yes, it"s my first time here. My cousin told me that there was a waitress here who made out that she was an outsider just from her ordering a dumpling stick from this place. She said that she liked that waitress a lot because she was very helpful and kind. Are you by chance that waitress?"
"Yes! That young miss looked lost so I wanted to help her."
"Hm, HeTing, I think she said your name was. Am I right?"
"Yes, miss!" HeTing exclaimed, happy that someone had remembered the name of a insignificant waitress like her.
"So, tell me HeTing," XieRong said, waving her closer,"is there any place where I could get information?"
XieRong saw HeTing"s grip on her empty tray grow tight.
"What kind of information, miss?"
"I"m leaving for the West Province with my sister. I"m looking for someone with a good reputation and guards to take me there. Is there anywhere where I could find information like this?"
XieRong noticed HeTing relax. She found it odd that HeTing would tense over a matter like this.
Suspicion began to take root in XieRong"s mind.
"Young miss, there is the Fa store which sells information, but," He Ting bent down to XieRong"s ear and whispered,"they aren"t very reliable and do business with selected customers only. If you go to the lane behind the Fa and Bai Jewellery store. There is a very small street connected to it. Go down that alley and knock on the third door. When someone asks you for a pa.s.sword, say "Jin" and they will open the door for you. You can ask for information there."
"How will I know which narrow alley?"
"There is only one in that lane. Young miss can"t get it wrong."
XieRong smiled gratefully and thanked the young waitress as she scurried off to take orders.
XieRong laughed in her heart.
So HeTing had been one of the crown prince"s people all along.
"Oh, second prince," she thought,"how greatly you"ve underestimated your opponents."
She paid her bill and headed to the location she had planned on visiting all along. It had been the main purpose of her trip to the capital besides getting provisions.
XieRong quickly made her way to the shop, asking for some directions on the way, so that if someone were following her, they"d think that she was indeed an outsider just looking for some information.
Once again, XieRong stood in front of the familiar door.
She knocked on it thrice.
"Pa.s.sword?"
"Jin."
The door clicked open and Chanming greeted her, a slightly surprised look in his eyes which he masked well.
"Come in, young miss."
"I was directed here by someone. They told me I could get the information I wanted here."
"What kind of information is young miss looking for?"
"I want to know if someone powerful with a good reputation, who is allowing people to travel with them, is leaving for the West Province today. I"d like to be dropped off as near to Qianhe city as possible."
"Young miss, there are two such people who"re leaving for the West Province today; The first young lord Bai and the fourth prince, both of whom are travelling to Qianhe city."
XieRong felt FeiHong"s grip on her fingers tighten painfully.
"FeiHong, is something wrong?" she asked, confused at the sudden change in her sister"s demeanour.
"No, Jie, it"s nothing," FeiHong said, loosening her grip.
XieRong turned to face the shopkeeper again.
"How can I inform them that I want to travel with them?"
"Leave it to me young miss. I"ll deliver young miss" note on young miss" behalf."
XieRong quickly wrote a short, polite note on the paper that the shopkeeper gave her and handed it to him.
"Then I"ll trouble mister to deliver this for me."
The shopkeeper folded the note after he was satisfied with its content.
"When will the first young lord be leaving?"
"First young lord will be leaving when the hour of the monkey (15.00 – 17.00) begins."
"Perfect", XieRong thought, as she took a seat at the counter with FeiHong taking one next to her. She had more than one Shi Chen left to buy her provisions.
"Young miss, is there anything else I can help young miss with?"
"Does mister know any place where I can trade jewellery for money?"
"Young miss, as a matter of fact, not only does our shop trade information, but jewellery, and other treasures as well. If young miss would put the jewellery on the counter and state the price then we can bargain the price."
XieRong saw FeiHong taking out the last of her mother"s jewellery and place it on the counter. With the exception of a blue jade hairpin and a silver pink pearl hairpin they had decided to sell everything.
"I want 800 silver taels for these. They are made of pure silver with real stones in them."
"Miss, the price you offer is too high. I"ll give you 50 taels for each. How does that sound?"
"750 silver taels...Alright I"ll take it."
After the shopkeeper had left to get the amount, XieRong whispered to FeiHong,"FeiHong give my spatial ring to me."
XieRong quickly withdrew the jade tablet and handed both the ring and the tablet to her sister.
"Jie, this..."
"FeiHong, believe in sister. Keep these both in your spatial ring and hand over the jade to me when I ask, okay?"
FeiHong nodded and did as XieRong told her to.
"Here, miss," Chanming said, putting the pouches of money on the table.
After FeiHong had put the money away in her spatial ring, XieRong said,
"Mister, my cousin had come here a few days before to sell jewellery."
"Ah, no one wonder I thought you two resembled someone. What of it?"
"My cousin said she would like to repay the debt she owed the master of this establishment, so she sent me here with a gift and some valuable information that could help your master immensely."
The shopkeeper tensed.
"Oh, and what is this gift and information you speak of?"
"First, I would like a doc.u.ment which states that your master will in no way inquire or investigate after me, my sister, or my cousin"s origins, whereabouts or as to how she obtained the information. Second, I would like a doc.u.ment stating that the debt my cousin owed your master has been repaid with his seal. You and my sister will serve as witnesses to both these doc.u.ments. Do you agree mister?"
"How valuable is this information?"
"My cousin owed this shop"s master a life debt, how valuable does mister think my information is if I"ve come here to pay the debt? Mister can ask his master if he"s interested, if mister has a blood bond with him."
The shopkeeper thought about it.
"Fine, I agree to your conditions young miss. Tell me your, your sister, and cousin"s names."
" BaiHua, FeiHong, and XieRong."
"Wait a moment, young miss."
The shop keeper disappeared inside for a quarter Shi Chen. When he returned, he carried two doc.u.ments with him, a seal and his blood thumbprint on each of them.
XieRong went over the doc.u.ments and after finding no fault with them she gave them to FeiHong.
"FeiHong, I need you to p.r.i.c.k your thumb and put your thumbprints here and here," XieRong said, handing her knife to FeiHong and pointing to the places where she had to put her thumbprint.
After FeiHong was done, XieRong asked her to store the doc.u.ments in her spatial ring.
"FeiHong, give me the jade."
FeiHong quickly handed it to her sister.
"Here shopkeeper. I think you recognise this," XieRong said, handing over the jade tablet to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper"s mouth opened in surprise.
"How did that young miss-"
"Find the second prince"s royal tablet? Mister, had just signed the contract. How can mister go back on his words so soon?"
The shopkeeper closed his mouth.
"My cousin said that the second prince with five other people went to the Shen Mountain range before returning to the capital. Use this information as mister wishes."
XieRong got off the stool and paid the shopkeeper for the information.
She helped FeiHong get off hers and moved to the door.
"Mister, I trust you will deliver my note to the first young lord Bai."
She opened the door.
"I hope mister"s master is a man of his word. He stands more to lose than this young miss does, if word gets out on the street that the crown prince was just pretending to be sickly in order to strengthen his power in secret all along.
"This isn"t a threat, mister. Don"t look so alarmed. It"s an offer of alliance. This young miss has a personal grudge with some of the people you"re working against. I hope you deliver my offer to him," XieRong said, as she left the shop with her sister, closing the door behind her.
The shopkeeper stared at the door for the longest time.
"Little girls these days are scary," he thought as he set off to deliver both the messages.