I followed behind Ming De, walking slowly along the gravel paths of the Imperial Garden.
Looking at his back, I suddenly felt that his silhouette had acquired firmer, harder lines than before. This realization startled me slightly. Where had I seen his back like this? It must have been that night he took me to the Pavilion of Dreams, when I followed him into the inner study just like this.
A man like him was destined to have everyone follow in his wake; even his partner would likely be unable to escape such a fate. This made me involuntarily think of Yi Kai and Qing Rong riding side by side. It seemed this world did have a different kind of royalty after all...
"What are you thinking about?" Ming De asked, his voice gentle.
I collected my thoughts. "I was thinking... about Su Fengjun. It is against the rules for Your Majesty to send a high-ranking attendant like her to look after my daily life. If word gets out, it will reflect poorly on Your Majesty."
"Oh?" he responded flatly. "Is that what you think?"
I remained silent. From his tone, it seemed he was at least considering my opinion.
The spring night breeze had grown warm, carrying a medley of fragrances that brushed against my cheeks with a soft, almost tangible texture. As we rounded the octagonal pavilion at the highest point of the Imperial Garden, a familiar sweet scent wafted toward us.
The slopes under the moonlight were covered in Pink Bell trees. Clusters of pink blossoms caught the soft lunar glow, looking like shimmering little bells from a fairy tale, as if they might chime with a crisp, melodious sound at any moment.
I had never seen such a sea of Pink Bell flowers. For a moment, my heart felt intoxicated.
"Do you like them?" Ming De turned around, asking with a slight smile.
My gaze lingered on the blossoms as I nodded, mesmerized.
Ming De’s voice suddenly became exceptionally soft. "As long as you like them, that is enough."
I blinked in surprise. He had already turned and continued walking. I hadn't been paying close attention to his words, and he had spoken quietly, but that unusual tone suddenly made me feel a flicker of unease.
Before I could dwell on it, a palace illuminated by flickering lanterns appeared ahead. Ming De said calmly, "This is Grand Dowager Consort Tong’s residence. Go and see your sister."
He did not have the attendants announce us. When we entered, the room was quiet. The air was filled with a relaxing, faint fragrance. As we moved further inside, I suddenly heard Wu Xiu’s voice sighing.
"Even if I do not pursue the matter, Her Majesty the Empress will surely ask. Tell me yourselves—when the time comes, how am I supposed to hide this for you?"
Ming De’s footsteps paused briefly before he reached out and lifted the gauze curtain.
In the bedroom, Wu Xiu was reclining on a soft couch, her brow furrowed in worry. Three palace maids in identical attire knelt on the floor before her, their heads bowed in silence.
Ming De said coolly, "What matter is so grave that a Noble Consort must hide it for her servants?"
Wu Xiu started, struggling to rise. The maids on the floor hurriedly turned to prostrate themselves, their heads hanging even lower.
Wu Xiu’s figure had begun to grow heavy with pregnancy. When she saw Ming De, her eyes filled with a mix of surprise and joy. She moved to salute, but he stopped her. Ming De pulled her back down to sit on the couch, saying warmly, "Your body is burdened; there is no need for such ceremony."
I quickly knelt and performed my salutations. "Xi Xia greets Noble Consort Chen."
Wu Xiu said with a bright smile, "Rise. There are no outsiders here. Ying Xia is in the small kitchen stewing supplements; she’ll be thrilled to know you’re back—that girl was just worrying about you the other day."
I looked up to observe her closely. Though she appeared fuller, her face was strangely pale, as if she wasn't resting well. She looked me up and down, her expression turning into one of disapproval. She frowned and shook her head slightly. "You seem to have grown taller again, and you’ve tanned quite a bit. If you keep going like this..."
I quickly bared my teeth in a silly grin, successfully cutting off the rest of her sentence. Since entering the palace, her aesthetic sense had changed drastically. she was constantly nagging me about how improper it was for a woman to always wear trousers and long boots. In truth, with my height, wearing a skirt would probably be even more awkward.
Because I had practiced martial arts since childhood, I was taller than most women my age. My current height was somewhere between five-foot-six and five-foot-eight. Standing next to the petite Wu Xiu, the contrast was striking.
Seeing her "hopeless case" expression, I squeezed out a fawning smile. Turning my head, I saw Ming De also smiling as he observed me alongside Wu Xiu. I immediately reined in my impudent expression and stood obediently with my hands at my sides.
"There is nothing wrong with being tall," he said. "The women of Yantian are mostly of the petite type; Xi Xia’s heroic and spirited aura is quite refreshing."
I was debating whether to offer a polite "thank you for the praise, Your Majesty," when his voice suddenly turned sharp and cold. "What exactly happened here?"
Wu Xiu sighed. "It is nothing major. A jade hairpin bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress has gone missing. These three have always been in charge of my jewelry and clothing, so I called them in to question them..."
Hearing her helpless tone, I was somehow reminded of Jia Yingchun from *Dream of the Red Chamber*—likewise too gentle in character, resulting in servants climbing over her head.
Ming De pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Xi Xia, how do you think this should be handled?"
I looked at the three maids. One of them looked up at me, her eyes full of panic, before quickly lowering her head again. I let out a deliberate, cold laugh and said with murderous intent, "I ask that Your Majesty set up a large steamer in the square before Rentai Hall. Have all the servants of the inner palace come to witness the execution, and steam these three lawless wretches alive."
With a *clink*, the teacup in Wu Xiu’s hand hit the floor and shattered into pieces. She didn't even notice the tea soaking her skirt; she just stared at me, dumbfounded, never expecting me to say something so bloodthirsty.
I turned to look at Ming De. His eyes, like dark jade, watched me quietly. Then, a faint smile flashed quickly through the depths of his eyes, though his tone remained as flat as ever. "Then let it be so. Men!"
At his call, the three terrified maids began to shake violently.
Eunuch Wang hurried in. Ming De gave the cold command: "Set up a fire in the square before Rentai Hall and bring the largest steamer. I want these lawless servants in the palace to see whether they can run wild over their masters just because I am busy with state affairs." He finished with a meaningful look at Eunuch Wang.
Eunuch Wang blinked, then caught the hint. He acknowledged the order and hurried away.
Ming De turned to the three pale-faced maids. "If the three of you conspired together, then you shall all pay for the crime. If any of you are innocent, blame the culprit. Theft is one crime, but endangering the lives of others is unpardonable. Such a person is destined to have their soul taken by King A-Luo to serve as a ghost slave, never to be reincarnated. Consider this vengeance for the rest of you..."
Before he could finish, the maid who had peeked at me earlier let out a loud wail. Sobbing, she crawled on her knees to Wu Xiu’s side, clutching her hem and wailing, "Your Grace, have mercy! Spare my life!"
Wu Xiu’s expression shifted unpredictably; she seemed not to have recovered from the shock. She let the girl pull at her, unable to say a word.
Ming De barked, "Her Grace is with child; how can you be allowed to pull at her? Men, drag this servant out immediately!"
The maid hurriedly let go and prostrated herself, weeping loudly. "Your Majesty, spare me! Hong'er did not mean to offend Her Grace; I was truly forced..."
Ming De asked coldly, "Where is the item?"
Hong'er cried, "The item... has already been sent back to the Central Palace."
My brain gave a loud *thrum*. Despite all my caution, I had still ended up learning these palace secrets—I wondered if it was too late to withdraw. I glanced at Ming De; as expected, his face had turned pale with rage.
Beside him, Wu Xiu seemed to snap out of it. She quickly pressed her hand onto his arm and advised softly, "Your Majesty, please do not listen to one-sided stories. If Her Majesty the Empress truly wished to harm me, why would she bother with such trivial matters?"
Hong'er knocked her head against the floor repeatedly. "Hong'er dares not hide the truth."
Ming De asked gloomily, "Which palace did you originally come from?"
Hong'er’s forehead was already bruised, and her voice grew weaker. "Hong'er has been a maid in the Han Manor since childhood. I entered the palace with Her Majesty when she married. It was Her Majesty who sent Hong'er to serve the Noble Consort."
Ming De closed his eyes, a vein throbbing in his temple. Wu Xiu’s face turned white; she seemed at a loss as to how to handle this situation. The atmosphere in the bedroom suddenly became oppressive, punctuated only by Hong'er’s intermittent sobbing.
"Xi Xia," Ming De suddenly called my name. "In your view, what should be done?" He looked exhausted, yet his eyes remained as calm as ever.
"According to the penal code, the lightest punishment for theft is a flogging. The heaviest includes flogging followed by being sent to the army as a slave, never to return to the interior. However, Hong'er is only an accomplice, and the matter is of great consequence with no way to verify the evidence..." I carefully tossed the difficult problem back to him. Such things were easy to handle among commoners, but in the palace...
Ming De clapped his hands twice, and two guards immediately entered. Ming De commanded expressionlessly, "Take Hong'er to the Punishment Bureau to receive thirty strokes of the cane." As he spoke, he made a strange gesture to the two guards.
My heart sank. Though I didn't understand the gesture, I instinctively grasped its intent. A shiver slowly crawled up my spine.
"If the Empress asks about this item in the future, tell her it is with me." Having said this, he turned and left the palace. I hesitated for a second or two before helplessly following him. When we had walked quite a distance, I looked back to see Wu Xiu still standing dazed on the steps of her palace, gazing in our direction. Behind her, a very familiar figure was draping a cloak over her shoulders—it seemed to be Ying Xia.
The sweet scent of Pink Bells still drifted in the night air, but the breeze hitting my face had turned chilly. Ming De seemed to be brooding, walking ahead without a word.
My mind was full of what had just happened. Losing an item bestowed by the Empress wasn't a particularly grave offense; even if it came to light, no substantial punishment could be inflicted on Wu Xiu. Why would the Empress do something so unintelligent? If it wasn't the Empress’s doing, then only Wu Xiu herself was suspicious. If she did it, it could only be to deepen the misunderstanding between Ming De and the Empress...
I was suddenly startled. Was I actually doubting my own sister?!
The thought frightened me. I tried to push it out of my mind, repeatedly reassuring myself: Wu Xiu had been gentle and kind since childhood. Even after entering the palace, she would never become a devious woman. Besides, the favor she enjoyed already surpassed that of the Empress...
"What are you thinking about?" Ming De sat down in the octagonal pavilion, looking up to gaze at me quietly.
I shook my head. These matters that could neither be spoken of nor investigated were his private family affairs; it was best to leave him to handle them.
"I was wondering when Your Majesty might allow me to return to the Ministry of Justice?" I answered his question cautiously. From my lowered perspective, I could see his hand slowly clenching into a fist in the shadows at his side.
"You are unwilling to stay by my side?" He stood up and took two steps toward me, his tone seemingly suppressing rage.
I didn't know how to answer. What did "staying by his side" even mean? However, seeing the fire in his eyes, I feared that silence would only provoke a greater fury. After a moment’s hesitation, I gave a dry reply: "I once told Your Majesty that my ideal is to be a constable. I... do not wish to be a guard. I ask Your Majesty to grant this."
Ming De’s dark pupils stared at me without blinking.
"In your dreams!" he spat out viciously before sweeping away.
Eunuch Wang and the others hurried to catch up. As the plump old man passed me, he stared at me with a complex expression, looking as if he wanted to say something but ultimately only left behind a deep sigh.
I stood in the pavilion watching their retreating backs, asking myself helplessly: *Is my request really that excessive?!*
***
In my original world, Special Forces or SWAT belonged to the elite units of the police, specifically responsible for high-risk missions: rescuing hostages, besieging terrorists, or dealing with heavily armed criminals.
They usually underwent rigorous semi-military training and used equipment far superior to ordinary police: body armor, armored vehicles, light machine guns, submachine guns, high-powered sniper rifles, tear gas, smoke grenades, flashbangs, and so on.
Of course, none of that equipment existed here. Aside from hidden projectiles, we had no weapons suitable for long-range combat. And hidden weapons were unreliable, as their effectiveness varied wildly depending on the user's internal power. In encounters with dangerous elements, horses weren't absolutely reliable either; improving the team's physical fitness and tactical coordination remained the most important goals.
However, in this era, the importance of horses in combat went without saying—equestrian training naturally became one of the most vital components. I delegated the horse training to Shen Pei, as I wasn't particularly skilled at it. (My specialty was high-speed driving; I loved the hum of an engine at its limit. Especially during a pursuit, the surge of speed could instantly ignite all the passion in my heart.)
Thinking of this, I felt a slight pang of regret. Ever since getting my big black horse, I felt its speed had compensated for some of the gaps in my memory, but upon closer reflection, it was still different.
If I looked at it through my old perspective, I was now essentially involved in police training—I suppose I was using my "surplus heat" for the profession I loved.
Even though I had gone over the training plan repeatedly with Shen Pei, when I walked onto the drill grounds and saw thirty burly young men, each with their own hidden thoughts, staring at me in unison, my head still throbbed slightly. After a moment of dizziness, I remembered that today’s agenda was to discuss the training plan and my requirements for them.
I steeled myself and walked over to face them, quietly observing these elites of the Imperial Guard one by one. They were all physically strong, with fierce and alert expressions. From a professional standpoint, however, they clearly needed more specialized training.
The leaders were a pair of biological brothers: the broad-shouldered one was the younger brother, Zhu Bao, and the tall one was the elder, Zhu Mo. These two had been in the Imperial Guard for two years. According to Shen Pei’s introduction, both were somewhat arrogant but exceptionally gifted. Behind them was a man with a scar on his temple named Shi Yun, who was said to be excellent with hidden weapons.
I mimicked the stance of my old instructors, standing before them with my hands behind my back. I had just said, "From today on, I am your captain..."
...when Zhu Bao, standing in front of me, interrupted in a booming voice that could be heard by the whole world: "We are the Imperial Guard! We don't need a woman as our captain!"
The drill ground fell into a sudden, dead silence.
I looked up at the sky. Although the sun had only just peeked over the horizon with a sliver of dawn, it was clear it would be a beautiful, cloudless day.
I took a deep breath. The cool air was mixed with the scent of flowers—a fragrance unique to spring.
I retracted my gaze and stared at him quietly. "Then tell me, what kind of captain do you need?"
Zhu Bao’s expression flickered with surprise; my calmness likely caught him off guard. His reaction was almost funny: what did he expect? For me to burst into tears? Or run away in a huff?
"We want a captain who can defeat us." He paused for a moment, his face regaining its fierce look.
I nodded with an understanding smile. "Nothing else?"
He blinked again.
I said, "Then let’s begin. All of you, come at me together."
The young men looked at each other.
Before they could react, I blurred toward Zhu Bao, who was closest to me. I grabbed his collar, yanked him downward with force, and swung him around, dragging him so that he collided with the second man. While he was dazed from the impact, I swiftly pulled out his waist sash to bind his arms, then used a trip-and-pull motion. He immediately lost his balance and tumbled onto the men behind him, throwing the thirty-man formation into instant chaos.
Aside from using a blade, my greatest skill was apprehending people. Their disorganized attack naturally gave me plenty of openings. Furthermore, while these thirty men knew some martial arts, they weren't true masters. Though they were many, they had just been pulled from various different units and had no sense of unspoken coordination. They didn't know how to work together, and more importantly, in their chauvinistic minds, fighting a woman was a shameful affair—and they were unarmed to boot.
Fifteen minutes later, I stood composed under the shade of a tree.
At my feet, thirty soldiers were piled together in a tangled mess, their hands and feet bound by their own sashes or outer tunics. Naturally, none of them looked particularly happy.
I looked down at this group of stubborn "kids" whose pride had been severely wounded and said calmly, "Today we have two lessons. First: anything on your person or your opponent's person can be used as a weapon. Second: coordination. I require all thirty of you to remember that you are a single entity. Look at the people around you—they are your other hand."
They were surprisingly teachable; they began to clumsily grope around to untie each other.
I said, "The thirty of you will be temporarily divided into two squads. Zhu Bao and Zhu Mo will serve as acting squad leaders. Each will lead fifteen men in twenty laps around the drill ground for morning PT. After that, we will have group sparring. The losing side will do two hundred push-ups."
The looks they gave me were still full of resentment, but no one stepped forward to challenge me again. Zhu Bao and Zhu Mo obediently began to form the lines.
I guessed their attitude toward me had shifted from total rejection to skeptical curiosity.
I thought with a sigh: *They are men after all; at least they didn't prepare tomatoes and eggs in secret—this start is already better than I expected.*
***
### Glossary
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
粉钟树 | Pink Bell Tree | A fictional or specific flowering tree described as having bell-shaped pink blossoms.
佟太妃 | Grand Dowager Consort Tong | A high-ranking consort of the previous emperor.
宸贵妃 | Noble Consort Chen | The title given to Wu Xiu, the protagonist's sister.
仁泰殿 | Rentai Hall | A specific hall within the Imperial Palace.
阿罗王 | King A-Luo | A deity associated with the underworld or hell in the novel's lore.
中宫 | Central Palace | A metonym for the Empress or her residence.
韩府 | Han Manor/Family | The family of the Empress.
司刑处 | Punishment Bureau | The office within the palace responsible for corporal punishment.
竹保 | Zhu Bao | A member of the new elite squad, younger brother of Zhu Mo.
竹默 | Zhu Mo | A member of the new elite squad, elder brother of Zhu Bao.
石云 | Shi Yun | A member of the new elite squad, skilled in hidden weapons.
