Chapter 11: Hidden in Plain Sight

Shunyin immediately stepped aside to let him out. Only when she saw the bamboo curtain fall and heard Zhang Junfeng speaking to him outside did she breathe a sigh of relief, her hand rising unconsciously to touch her lips.

The sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, as if the guards were departing. She lifted the window curtain and peered out, seeing that they were indeed heading towards the post station.

Not far away, Mu Changzhou did not ride but walked at a leisurely pace in front, with Zhang Junfeng and the guards following at a respectful distance behind. He was tall with a broad stride, clutching her letter in his hand. Soon he turned toward the side of the city and disappeared from sight.

Shengyu was already urging the carriage to start outside. Shunyin lowered the curtain, thinking with relief that it must have been sent.

Then she remembered what they had said in the carriage earlier, and she frowned. He was indeed no longer the Mu Changzhou of the past...

She barely paid attention to how she got back. Even in the evening, Shunyin was still thinking about the letter and the bandits, sitting in her room pretending to read a book, the pages unturned.

Just then, Shengyu called out to her from outside the door, came in with hot water for washing and bathing, and lit the candles for her.

Shunyin thought for a moment, put down her book, and tentatively asked, "How serious is the banditry here?"

Shengyu stood respectfully to her right and said in a measured tone, "Madam, you need not worry. The earliest bandits were indeed murderers and arsonists, but they were wiped out by the military commander long ago. These are just some petty thieves who have emerged in recent years, nothing serious. They just keep appearing near the trade routes and are quite formidable. If you encounter them for the first time, it will certainly be quite frightening, and it has also frightened you, Madam. We have tried to clear them out several times in the past without success. Now, the military commander has intervened on Madam's behalf and asked the general manager to dispatch a large force. They will surely be wiped out."

Shunyin heard that her tone had not changed, so it must be the truth. She felt a little relieved. No wonder Hu Bo'er could laugh and say it was a small matter when he encountered the bandits.

Mu Changzhou had clearly controlled the situation well. After all, the trade route was a vital source of income for Liangzhou. He wanted to keep this group of bandits around so that they wouldn't threaten trade, while also providing a pretext for military action at any time.

Seven years had passed; people had changed, and their thoughts had deepened...

"Madam?" Shengyu thought she had something else to ask.

Shunyin snapped out of her reverie. She had wanted to mention that she should keep an eye out for the reply, but then realized it was unlikely Shengyu would notice, and shook her head. "Nothing, I'm going to sleep."

Shengyu bowed and left.

As soon as she went out, she saw the figure of a military officer entering the backyard. Shengyu immediately bowed her head in greeting from the corridor.

Mu Changzhou didn't walk down the corridor but walked along the outside of the corridor in the backyard. Just as he was about to pass the door of the east room, he stopped and turned to look.

The room was lit, and the figure reflected on the window paper was faint and gentle, sitting motionless, still as a painting.

He glanced at her twice and asked in a low voice, "How was Madam after she returned?"

Shengyu replied, "Madam is fine as usual, only worried about the bandit suppression, and asked a few questions."

Mu Changzhou nodded without saying anything.

Shengyu understood and left quietly.

Mu Changzhou glanced at the window again, thinking that his words in the carriage earlier that day had frightened her, but it seemed that wasn't the case. Thinking back carefully, when he was young at the Feng family, he didn't seem to have seen her afraid of anything—no wonder she showed no fear even when encountering spies.

And she was too clever. He tapped his finger at his side, and in his gaze, the figure inside the room moved, got up and took a few steps away, gently raised her hand, removed her outer garment, revealing the graceful curves of a woman's figure, and then the figure completely disappeared from the window.

Mu Changzhou's gaze lingered there for a moment, then slowly turned away and went to the main room.

---

It's inevitable to have trouble sleeping when you have something on your mind. Shunyin didn't sleep well all night. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the curtains above her head were tinged with a bluish-white by the sunlight streaming in from the window.

It was only just dawn.

"Madam! Madam!" Shengyu called out loudly from outside.

Shunyin sat up. "What is it?"

Shengyu said urgently, "The military commander requests that you prepare, Madam."

She realized what he meant. "Going out today?"

"Yes."

Shunyin felt a little surprised—the time was much earlier than usual—but she still got up immediately.

When she was all ready and walked out of the mansion gate, a line of archers were already waiting on horseback.

Mu Changzhou reined in his horse in front, wearing a dark blue robe with a leather belt tightly around his waist, but without a sword. His bow was in the hands of the archers behind him, looking like he was going on a casual outing.

Shunyin put on her veil, walked to his side and mounted her horse. She wanted to ask where they were going, but thinking of his words yesterday, she simply said nothing.

Mu Changzhou glanced at her, as if he had seen through her thoughts, and cooperated by remaining silent. He flicked the reins and rode ahead.

Today, they didn't take the quiet and quick road, but instead went through the main street of the city.

It was still early, and no civilians were out in the city, but city guards were already patrolling.

Several soldiers came from the end of the main street and immediately saluted Mu Changzhou upon seeing them. The leading guard said, "Bandits are being suppressed outside the city. If you are going to the east gate, please be careful."

Mu Changzhou replied gently, "Today I'm just accompanying my wife to enjoy the scenery outside the south gate."

Shunyin couldn't help but glance at him.

The guard stepped aside and politely invited him to go first.

Mu Changzhou rode off, heading south.

Shunyin followed behind him on the left, glancing at his back several times.

Only after they had exited the south gate, and she had scanned the city walls, turned back, and rode alongside him, did she say, "Second Brother Mu, you're using me as a cover again."

Mu Changzhou looked at her. "I thought Yinniang wasn't planning to speak today."

Shunyin pursed her lips and remained silent.

He continued, "Didn't we talk about this in the carriage yesterday? We're husband and wife, why shouldn't we use it?"

Shunyin's eyes flickered at his words. She glanced at him through her veil, wondering how he could speak so confidently. She then said, "Then can I use Second Brother Mu's name too?"

Mu Changzhou suddenly laughed. "Yinniang's letter has already been sent. The fastest horse was used; isn't that because of my name?"

"..." Shunyin was speechless. He had been waiting for her here, but hearing that the letter had been sent, she relaxed considerably. Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense all night, finally settled down. A slight twitch appeared on her lips behind her veil.

The procession continued eastward along the desolate path outside the city.

Shunyin didn't ask anything more, but kept observing her surroundings.

The sky was overcast and windy. The surroundings were desolate, with undulating hills and deep valleys, making visibility limited. It would be difficult for outsiders to spot them.

Not long after, Mu Changzhou reined in his horse.

Shunyin stopped as well. Soon, she heard the sound of horses' hooves approaching from afar. She turned her head and looked around, only to find that several horses were coming from the east, with Hu Bo'er at the front.

As soon as he approached, he announced in a gruff voice, "Military Commander, the Shanzhou troops' bandit suppression has failed!" He chuckled. "Tch, after a whole day, that Commander-in-Chief hasn't caught a single person. He's furious and is currently gathering his troops to search haphazardly everywhere! The Assistant Commander has already led men to provide support."

Shunyin thought to herself—no wonder she hadn't seen the two of them today; they were busy monitoring the bandit suppression. The failure was expected, and he reported it with an air of knowing it all along.

Hu Bo'er wanted to say something more, but first glanced at Shunyin with his round eyes.

Mu Changzhou also turned to look at Shunyin. "It's alright, no need to be shy, Madam is not an outsider."

Shunyin couldn't help but look away; hearing him say such things always made her uncomfortable.

Hu Bo'er couldn't help but glance at Shunyin again, then at Mu Changzhou, grinning twice, and leaning closer to him. "The scouts have returned."

Mu Changzhou nodded, tugged at the reins, and said, "Let's continue."

Shunyin spurred her horse to follow, vaguely understanding what he had come for.

Until they left this place, their horses' hooves pounded on a patch of gravel, and another fast horse galloped towards them, heading straight for Mu Changzhou.

Mu Changzhou reined in his horse.

The scout who arrived greeted them and, seeing Mu Changzhou nod, reported, "Reporting to the military commander, not all the troops in the Shanzhou camp have been deployed, but the number of men left behind remains unknown."

Mu Changzhou suddenly raised his hand, signaling him to stop. He seemed to listen to his surroundings, then turned to Shunyin, spurred his horse to her right, and pointed to the way they had come. "Go back the way we came, straight to the South Gate. If you encounter any soldiers, regardless of which side you face, just say you're lost. I'll meet you later. Remember, we only explored the area around the South Gate today; we didn't go anywhere else." He paused briefly, then added, "It's best not to be encountered."

He took the longbow and quiver from the archer, and with a wave of his hand, the archer immediately approached Shunyin.

Shunyin frowned, pulled on the reins, and turned to leave.

The sound of hooves followed her quickly. By the time she glanced back, Mu Changzhou had already led Hu Bo'er and the scout away.

She understood now. Military scouts only revealed information to their commanders, which was why they spoke to him. He had clearly been spying on the Shanzhou army.

Yet, she was forced to pretend ignorance and return immediately as he instructed.

Thinking this, she spurred her horse forward, her lips pursed in frustration. He had used her as a pretext and demanded her cooperation…

"Madam!" a guard beside her suddenly approached, saying, "There seem to be patrols on the left."

Shunyin hadn't heard any noise, but through the veil, she could indeed see two tiny black dots. Fortunately, they were too far away to make out anything.

The Liangzhou camp was on the right, close to the city gate and far from here, so it was highly likely that these two were patrols sent from the Shanzhou camp. Their camp should have been outside the east gate, yet they had sent men to patrol so far outwards. No wonder Mu Changzhou had told her to return immediately; he must have been trying to avoid encountering them.

Suddenly remembering his words that it was best not to run into them, Shunyin pulled on the reins and galloped towards the right.

---

A steep, rocky slope, with jagged cliffs on both sides, narrowed to a gap. Looking down from the middle, one could see the Shanzhou military camp in the distance.

Mu Changzhou turned and descended the slope, saying to those behind him, "Everyone retreat. No need to scout anymore. Wait for the handover."

Hu Bo'er rubbed his hands together and chuckled, following him. Then, thinking of Shunyin, he sighed, "That old codger Yu is quite vigilant. He even sent people to patrol this far. We've probably already been spotted. If someone like Madam encounters them, although we can claim we got lost, they'll inevitably suspect the military commander was here."

Mu Changzhou sneered, said nothing, mounted his horse, and immediately turned back.

Hu Bo'er had no choice but to shut up and lead the scouts and the others eastward.

Mu Changzhou rode halfway when he saw half-blown hoofprints on the ground, coming from the direction of the Shanzhou military camp. They had actually patrolled all the way here. He turned and scanned the area, but didn't see Shunyin.

He spurred his horse forward again. A line of archers blocked his path, seemingly having been there for some time.

Mu Changzhou approached and looked around. "Have you encountered any patrols?"

The first archer raised his hand and said, "They just left. They were soldiers from Shanzhou. Madam realized she couldn't avoid them, so she had us block their way here. When we saw them, we told them that the military commander and Madam had been enjoying the view from the south gate and didn't want to be disturbed. She specifically ordered us to come here to protect them. They looked around once and then left."

Mu Changzhou glanced around again. "Where is Madam?"

The archer replied, "Madam said she wanted to pretend to be at the south gate and not be seen. She went to the right alone."

Mu Changzhou spurred his horse to the right. The road ahead was open and flat, with an unobstructed view. There was nowhere suitable to hide.

Suddenly, he remembered something, spurred his horse forward, quickly dismounted, stepped over a slope, and went straight down into a depression.

This place was still some distance from the south gate, but very close to the camp outside the city. This depression was actually a ditch dug near the camp, with deep holes dug into the walls, supported by wood. It was used for defense and to hide military equipment, and was rarely used in peacetime, so it was now overgrown with weeds.

Mu Changzhou, holding his bow, took a few steps in the ditch, listening carefully to the sounds. His eyes were fixed on a hole, and he stopped about ten steps away, drawing an arrow from behind him.

He didn't speak, because he wasn't sure if it was Shunyin. He drew his bow towards the hole, looked for a long time, and then suddenly released the arrow.

Shunyin, holding her veil, sat in the hole, frowning as she calculated how much time had passed. Suddenly, she heard a soft "whoosh" from the overgrown hole, and an arrow shot through. She was startled, and then heard Mu Changzhou's voice: "Come out."

She immediately looked out of the hole. He was calling her in this way? To prevent him from shooting again, she could only throw her veil out.

Mu Changzhou's voice came from outside again, slightly amused, repeating, "Come out."

Shunyin pursed her lips, leaned out, and a hand reached out, grabbing her wrist and pulling her out of the cave.

"It really is you." Mu Changzhou scrutinized her, his gaze deepening. "How did Yinniang think of hiding here?"

Shunyin said coldly, "Didn't Second Brother Mu say it was best not to be encountered?"

Mu Changzhou said, "I'm asking, how did Yinniang know this was a place to hide?"

Shunyin's eyes flickered. Of course, she had seen it at the camp outside the East Gate and even calculated the distance. If it was there, it must be here too.

More than her eyesight, what she was most proud of was her memory. What she remembered with her heart, she would never forget. Even the location of Shili Pavilion, which she had only seen once in a travelogue many years ago, she could remember, let alone such a military deployment. All the contents recorded in the report were also from memory, which she would write down from memory when she returned.

But she simply replied, "I saw it by chance when I ran here."

As she moved, she realized her hand was still being held by him; she could feel the strength in his hand even through her sleeve, and a warm ring around her wrist. She tried to pull her wrist away.

Mu Changzhou glanced at her hand and released her fingers.

Shunyin, still angry, picked up her veil and turned to walk upstairs.

A few steps from the moat, a guard rode up, leading Shunyin's chestnut horse, and quickly reported, "Commander, there are still patrols from Shanzhou. Should we continue to stop them?"

Mu Changzhou knew Shunyin's path up the moat intimately, his eyes fixed on her. "Stop them. Please mount your horse, Madam."

The guard led the horse to Shunyin and quickly rode back to stop them.

Shunyin brushed the dust off her clothes, put on her veil, her face still indifferent behind the veil. "Second Brother Mu has used me enough today. Now that you're back, you can handle it yourself. I'm going to enjoy the scenery."

Just as she was about to walk away, her shoulder was pressed down. She turned around and saw Mu Changzhou looking at her with a smile. "We agreed to come out to enjoy the scenery together. How can we not go together?" He suddenly reached out his arm.

Shunyin's waist tightened as he pulled her into his arms, lifting her lightly as he placed her onto the horse. She grabbed the reins and looked back at him in astonishment.

Mu Changzhou withdrew his hand, mounted his own horse, grabbed her reins, and pulled her horse to his side. He leaned down, his voice close to her right ear, and said, "Yinniang is even smarter than I thought."

"..." Shunyin's heart skipped a beat. She tugged at the reins in his hand, but couldn't budge them. She could only sit upright beside him on the horse, secretly taking a deep breath.

The horse moved, and he spurred it forward, still holding her horse by the reins, showing no intention of letting go.

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