Chapter Two: A Rescue That Came Too Late

Several miners clung tightly to him, and Li Leqi struggled, his graying hair tangled against his face, stripped of all the dignity he once possessed.

"Steward Li! Please calm yourself!" a miner, his face smeared with blood, shouted, "Digging now will only trigger a second landslide!"

Li Leqi fell silent. He lifted his head, rainwater coursing through the furrows of his wrinkles, but his gaze gradually cleared. He called for his deputy steward, Li Qingyao, who was also his nephew.

"Go," he rasped, his voice hoarse and terrifying, "go to the Xijing military camp and seek General Wei. Tell him... tell him the Princess is in danger, her fate uncertain."

He staggered to his feet, wiped his face, and suddenly pulled a gilded token from his breast. "Take this token and have Magistrate Huang Bai of Xijing send rescue teams at once. Remember, speed is crucial! Xijing Prefecture is closest—Huang must send help first! Then go to General Wei."

Li Qingyao took the token, his expression tinged with confusion, but seeing Li Leqi unwilling to elaborate, he swallowed his questions, vaulted onto his horse, and vanished into the curtain of rain.

Li Leqi turned to the remaining miners, his voice low but unwavering. "From now on, everyone follows my orders. First, confirm casualties. Next, clear the drainage channels to prevent further disaster..."

His gaze swept over the crowd and finally settled on the mudslide that had swallowed more than twenty lives, his eyes dark and inscrutable.

"They must be found, living or dead."

The storm raged on, as if it would never cease. The rain fell thick as a wall; beyond three steps, the path was obscured. Li Qingyao could only ride by memory, lightning occasionally illuminating the shattered mountain road ahead.

By the time the walls of Xijing finally appeared, his legs had grown numb. He tightened the reins, preparing to enter the city, only to see Magistrate Huang Bai leading a procession out, grand and imposing.

"Magistrate Huang, there’s been a landslide on Tianmeng Mountain, blocking the mine entrance. The Princess and a group of miners are trapped below. Please, send rescue teams immediately."

"Utter nonsense!" Huang Bai snapped angrily. "How could you let the Princess, of all people, descend into the mine? Now that disaster has struck, everyone at the mine will have to pay with their lives!"

---

"Magistrate Huang, we must rescue the Princess before assigning blame. The sooner we act, the greater her chances." Li Qingyao clutched the token in his breast; he was too far from Huang Bai, and the rain too heavy, so even if he revealed the token, it would be impossible for the other to see. "Magistrate, may we speak in private?"

Huang Bai waved dismissively, bitterness on his lips. Fate had brought him exactly what he feared.

"We were headed for the silver mine anyway. Lead the way, quickly—don't waste any more time!"

Li Qingyao still needed to reach the Xijing military camp and offered an excuse. "Magistrate, I must purchase rescue equipment. Several places on the road to the mine have collapsed—horses can't pass, we must walk. The rest of the route is fine. This is a matter of life and death, please hurry."

Once Huang Bai and his party disappeared into the rain, Li Qingyao mounted his horse and sped toward the military camp.

Huang Bai had always been slow and deliberate, but now he dared not delay. The mountain had collapsed, the Princess was entombed below; though this wasn't directly his fault, the Xijing silver mine lay within his jurisdiction. Mine disasters rarely spared anyone, and the Princess was the Emperor's granddaughter; if he were accused of ineffective rescue, he’d be ruined.

Thinking of this, Huang Bai pressed his mount harder, wishing he could sprout wings and fly to the mine.

"Why the rush, Magistrate Huang?" called Mr. Liu, riding alongside. Somehow, despite the torrential rain, he rode with perfect composure, not a hair out of place.

"Mr. Liu, the Princess’s fate is unknown—how can I not hurry? If something happens to her in my jurisdiction, I might lose my official cap." Huang Bai smiled wryly, gesturing at his hat. Damn this accursed rain! No, it wasn't just the rain—it was the Princess herself. She refused her privileged life and insisted on coming to the silver mine, causing him endless trouble for a whole month. Now, her misfortune threatened to drag him down as well.

Mr. Liu was unaware of Huang Bai’s inner complaints. He drew closer and whispered in Huang Bai's ear, "In your opinion, is it possible to refine silver in three months?"

Huang Bai's eyes widened. To refine silver in three months? Impossible! It was nothing but a pipe dream. When he first heard the news, he was baffled—the Princess was shrewd and capable, so why would she agree to such a foolish undertaking?

"This Xijing silver mine is a legacy of the previous dynasty. According to the Ministry of Works, the mineral vein beneath Tianmeng Mountain 'resembles a dragon's spine, with gold and silver intertwined.' It’s the largest silver deposit in our realm."

Mr. Liu's face showed pride—he hailed from a family of builders and knew the mine's history intimately. "When the geomancers discovered it, the court swiftly dispatched workers. But just as they began, dynasties changed, and it became ours. So, though it’s been mined for two dynasties, not even the surface has been scratched. Never mind the many steps needed to refine silver—just extracting valuable ore takes at least a year or more."

---

Huang Bai stood frozen, the rain obscuring his view, yet sharpening his awareness. This silver mine was a trap—whoever took it on would be destroyed.

Three months to produce silver? Nonsense, utterly delusional! But why did the Princess accept? And sign a life-and-death contract? Did she rely on the Emperor's favor to act so boldly?

Mr. Liu sneered coldly. "So, the Princess's misfortune in the mine isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Better to die quickly and be reborn than to be executed for failing to produce silver in time."

"But she is the Emperor’s granddaughter, precious as gold and jade. If we let her die without saving her, and the Emperor blames us, none of us could bear it!"

Huang Bai now understood—Mr. Liu wasn’t here to rescue, but to add insult to injury. The Ministry of Works had always opposed opening mining rights to civilians, but imperial decree was absolute. Thus, they bore deep resentment toward the Princess, wishing her dead in the disaster.

But what of the Emperor? Why send her, knowing the task was impossible?

Never mind, never mind—this was not his concern. He only wished to remain Magistrate of Xijing in peace. Whether the Princess lived or died, so long as he wasn't implicated, the rest was as distant and irrelevant as the raging storm.

"Don’t misunderstand, Magistrate Huang. Of course we’ll rescue her. I’m merely giving you a heads-up, so you’re prepared."

The rain continued relentlessly as Huang Bai and Mr. Liu made their way toward the mine. The path was treacherous, slowing their pace considerably.

Below ground, after the earth’s terrifying tremors, calm finally returned. Shen Jifeng and Skinny Monkey struggled up together. Fallen rocks had struck Shen Jifeng’s forehead; she rubbed it with the back of her hand—thankfully, not much blood.

Drip, drip. Water seeped everywhere in the mine shaft. The old miner’s warning had been true—the shaft was now a giant bubble, ready to flood at any moment.

Skinny Monkey, raised in the mines and acutely aware of danger, said, “Princess, the entrance is blocked. We can’t get out.”