Chapter 40

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Chapter 40: "When… are you leaving?"

Jiang Wu said Du Yinsui probably wouldn’t leave so soon, but deep down, he wasn’t sure at all. What he spoke was just a hopeful wish. As the sky slowly darkened, the other firewood-gathering teams led by guards returned one after another. At first, Jiang Wu and Qin Chongli weren’t too worried. After all, Du Yinsui often found wild animals, so her group taking longer than others was normal.

But when night fell completely and only the group led by Zheng Yi remained missing, Jiang Wu and Qin Chongli grew anxious. Even Tan Wang felt restless, though his unease held a secret hope rather than pure concern.

Ever since finding a ginseng plant at Li Village under the Deposed Crown Princess’s guidance, Tan Wang always sent his confidant Zheng Yi or went himself with Du Yinsui for evening wood-gathering. After leaving Li Village, the Deposed Crown Princess had mostly recovered and was no longer a burden needing the Deposed Crown Prince to push her on a cart. Without this burden, the Deposed Crown Prince became stronger, so they watched him more closely. But because of the ginseng, Tan Wang couldn’t stop them from exploring, hoping the Deposed Crown Princess might remember more.

For over thirty days after Li Village, Tan Wang was disappointed. He started wondering if he had treated the Deposed Crown Prince and Qin family too well, making Du Yinsui "forget" other things.

Just as Tan Wang considered pressuring Du Yinsui like he did with the Kong family, this day arrived. After dark, he waited a while longer. When it seemed later than usual for hunting, he couldn’t wait. He gathered men and was about to leave when Zheng Yi’s group emerged from the woods.

By the firelight, Tan Wang and Jiang Wu, who had watched the direction Zheng Yi left, ran toward the dusty figures. One person took the basket from Zheng Yi, while another rushed to Du Yinsui, supported by Chu Xiulan.

"Why so late?"

"Are you all right?"

They spoke together. Tan Wang paused, looking at Jiang Wu and then Du Yinsui behind Zheng Yi.

"I’m fine, just a small cut on my leg. I could walk alone, but Sister Chu insisted on helping," Du Yinsui said, pushing Chu Xiulan away and shaking her leg to prove it.

But as Chu Xiulan stepped back, Jiang Wu took over, gripping Du Yinsui’s arm tightly, his hand trembling.

"Really, I’m fine…" Du Yinsui smiled weakly.

Before she could reassure the shaken Jiang Wu, Tan Wang saw the basket’s contents in the firelight a few steps away.

"Ironwood Dendrobium!" Tan Wang exclaimed.

"Yeah, we found it by the cliff and it took time," Zheng Yi said, nodding at Du Yinsui. "Du girl climbed down to get it."

"Is that why you wanted a rope today?" Tan Wang asked after checking the basket, his gaze turning complex toward Du Yinsui.

Du Yinsui shook her head. "No. When we caught deer before, carrying them was hard. I thought a rope might help with big finds. We just happened upon these."

Her explanation made sense, but Tan Wang suspected it stemmed from her "five-year-old memory." Since Du Yinsui denied it, he couldn’t press her.

Instead, he spoke more politely: "Ironwood Dendrobium is a medicinal herb…"

"Yes, the old doctor said it’s as precious as gold, worth an inch of gold for an inch of herb," Du Yinsui cut in before he could mislead.

She wasn’t joking. Back in Li Village, she had asked the old doctor about valuable herbs she recalled. After learning their worth, she took the risk. She wouldn’t demand that price, but knew the difference between offering a discount and being tricked.

Tan Wang was speechless. He pulled the rope from the basket and tossed it aside, then weighed the rest. Though bulky, the Ironwood Dendrobium felt about four pounds.

Ironwood Dendrobium was another herb Tan Wang often needed to buy. These fresh branches weighing over four pounds would shrink to about one pound after drying. "The saying ‘an inch of dendrobium costs an inch of gold’ refers to the dried price. This batch won’t yield more than a pound dried," Tan Wang said, watching Du Yinsui’s unchanged expression. Satisfied she understood the pricing, he added, "One pound of gold equals sixteen taels, meaning one hundred sixty taels of silver…"

Du Yinsui knew Ironwood Dendrobium, though precious, paled compared to Li Village’s ginseng. Yet she couldn’t keep weaving lies—fabricating a childhood journey from the Northern lands to the Capital would only invite scrutiny. Relying on "five-year-old memories" was too risky; better to gather resources opportunistically.

Compared to ginseng, this dendrobium was still valuable. Crucially, it was among the herbs the Wei family girl mentioned Tan Wang purchasing during travels.

"Take the herbs. Give me sixty taels," Du Yinsui stated bluntly, cutting through Tan Wang’s haggling.

Tan Wang paused. "You… want silver?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"Done." His hesitation hadn’t stemmed from the price—sixty taels from one hundred sixty was fair—but surprise at her requesting cash. After securing food and shelter during the ginseng trade, she now needed settlement silver for Linzhou.

"I can scrape together sixty taels in loose silver. Prefer that, or small-denomination silver notes tomorrow? Loose silver spends easily; notes carry well. Your choice." His tone turned light. "Cliff-foraged dendrobium is riskier than digging ginseng, yet far less valuable. That injury was a poor trade."

"Any earnings en route count as profit. Thank you for your consideration, Lord Tan. I’ll take both loose silver and notes." She knew he still coveted ginseng. Fortunately, she wouldn’t lead them to more—being seen as a golden goose would ruin her plans.

Seizing the moment, she tugged her blood-speckled torn pants. "Since we enter the city tomorrow, might we visit a physician? I’d also examine the clinic’s herbs. I recognized this dendrobium by chance—missing others would be a pity."

Tan Wang: "…"

Inconvenient, but feasible. While the Deposed Crown Princess had a gift for spotting game, he didn’t expect continuous herb discoveries. Yet a clinic visit cost nothing. Perhaps his kindness would yield returns—another ginseng, ideally.

"Tomorrow’s plans wait. I’ll send medicine powder shortly." He hefted the basket. "Twenty taels in loose silver now; the rest exchanged tomorrow."

No refusal meant opportunity. Du Yinsui agreed, awaiting the next day.

The groups parted—one toward the guards, the other toward prisoners.

Basket in hand, Tan Wang eyed silent Zheng Yi. "Descending that cliff was reckless…"

"These specimens surpass what you bought," Zheng Yi said, smirking. "Who else would take such risks? She volunteered."

"You could’ve returned for more ropes." Tan Wang valued the Deposed Crown Princess—her ginseng find and modest demands made her more useful than at Sanqiao Post Station.

Zheng Yi shook his head. "I suggested it. She refused."

"Why?"

After a long pause, Zheng Yi replied, "Unclear. Perhaps she feared the Deposed Crown Prince stopping her… or him taking her place."

"So his absence today wasn’t coincidence? She knew about the dendrobium beforehand?"

"Hard to say." Another headshake.

Though uncertain, Tan Wang decided: he’d take her to the clinic. Ginseng first, now dendrobium—what next?

Unaware of Tan Wang’s thoughts, Du Yinsui saw Jiang Wu’s stormy expression.

"Truly, it’s nothing." Without guards present, she hitched her pants, revealing her leg. "A small scratch—already scabbing. Sixty taels made it worthwhile."

Her sudden stop nearly made Chu Xiulan collide with her. Seeing the exposed leg, Chu Xiulan hastily pulled Wei Huiqing aside.

Left alone with Jiang Wu, Du Yinsui glared at the retreating pair. "Traitors."

Jiang Wu knelt, inspecting the cleaned, scabbed wound—shallow and short, unlike the injury before Sanqiao Post Station.

But!

Rage simmered in him—at her recklessness, and his own helplessness. Had he been capable, she wouldn’t risk cliffs for coin…

Only after applying Tan Wang’s medicine powder at the donkey cart did Jiang Wu’s expression soften slightly. Yet frustration festered, leaving him restless that night.

Having won the night-watch duty, Du Yinsui yawned, poking Jiang Wu’s blanket with a stick. "If you’re sleepless, take the watch. Don’t waste the bedding."

Jiang Wu threw off his blanket and sat beside her at the fire.

"Why exclude me from wood gathering today?" His whisper held resentment. "Doubt my tree-climbing? Fear I’d fail at cliffs?"

*Ah… he noticed.* Du Yinsui considered deflecting, but his earnest stare stifled evasion.

"Am I a prophet? I told you to dry the clothes." She sidestepped.

Her avoidance invited a harder question.

"When…" Jiang Wu’s voice dropped, fists clenched. "…will you leave?"