Chapter 53: Setting Fires in the Night

Deep in the midnight mine, faint human voices and the sound of excavation could still be heard echoing from underground. A dark figure lurked beneath the mine's fence, using the surrounding weeds and dwarf trees for concealment.

Just as a patrol team passed by, the figure slipped through the loose fence into the mine compound, slinking along the wall with a bowed back until he reached the stack of timber in the northwest corner.

This timber was specifically kept to shore up the mining tunnels.

Trembling, the figure pulled a flint lighter from his robes and gave it a gentle puff. The spark flared with a soft hiss, illuminating a pair of cold, sinister eyes.

"Burn these, and let's see how you'll keep digging..." The figure muttered with a chilling sneer, tossing the lighter onto an oil-soaked burlap sack. Tongues of flame instantly leapt up, greedily devouring the dry wood.

As the figure turned to flee, the night watchman in the high tower spotted the fire first. Three resounding beats of the gong jolted everyone in the mine awake.

"Fire! There's a fire!"

Panic-stricken, the figure bolted, but the patrol team, armed with buckets and weapons, converged from all directions. Realizing the danger, the intruder fled blindly, only to trip over a dirt mound. Before he could scramble to his feet, the mine guards pinned him firmly to the ground.

The fire grew fiercer, billowing thick smoke into the air. Li Leqi rushed over in disheveled clothing, shouting, "Quick! Put out the fire!"

Less than thirty paces from the burning timber stack lay the mine's storage shed, which housed the glutinous rice and lead materials that Shen Jifeng had recently procured.

The quiet mine was instantly thrown into chaos. Workers who had just woken up and members of the patrol team joined forces, forming a bucket brigade and shoveling dirt around the blazing pile to contain the inferno.

With many hands making light work, the blaze was soon brought under control and completely extinguished within the hour.

"Who on earth are you, daring to commit arson at the mine!" Li Leqi was shaking with rage. If not for the early discovery, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

The dark figure gritted his teeth and remained silent. A miner cursed, "Trying to burn us to death, you son of a bitch!" and ripped the mask from the man's face.

An uproar rippled through the crowd—it was Old Third Qian, the lame miner who had been expelled from the mine just days ago.

"Old Third Qian! You plotted against the Princess underground, and sparing your life was already an act of immense leniency. How dare you return for revenge?" Veins bulged on Li Leqi's forehead; scoundrels like this should never have been let go.

Old Third Qian gave a grim, ghastly smile, "You drove me away and cut off my livelihood, so I'll make sure none of you survive either!"

"Tie him up and hand him over to the Princess tomorrow!" At a wave of Li Leqi's hand, several men tightly bound Old Third Qian and tossed him into the woodshed.

***

The next morning, the moment Shen Jifeng stepped into the mine, she saw the charred, half-burned stack of timber.

The loss of the timber wasn't a tragedy—at worst, they could just send men back into the mountains to fell more. However, Old Third Qian's malicious act served as a stark reminder. With nearly two hundred people working at the mine, it took all sorts to make a world, and one could never tell whether a human face concealed a human soul or a demon's heart.

Her second uncle had clearly set his sights on the silver mine. With enough money to make ghosts push grindstones, bribing a miner to cause sabotage was child's play, yet for her, it was impossible to guard against every single threat.

The miners needed closer supervision, and the mine's security had to be tightened. If a lame old miner could easily slip in unnoticed, it was clear how lax the guard truly was.

Shen Jifeng summoned Dongyang.

"The security at the mine is still not tight enough, which is how someone found an opportunity. I thought you handled things very well last time; if manpower is lacking, we can have more guards transferred over from the estate."

Dongyang finally seized the opportunity to lavish praise on Wei Xiao. "My Princess, the reforms to the mine's security a while back were all devised by Ma Yao. That lad is truly a talent. Although he's a hunter, he has exceptional martial arts and high alertness, making him born for security work. Look at how long he's been gone—he must have finished all his family matters by now. Can we have him back?"

Shen Jifeng pressed her lips together to stifle a smile. It wasn't his fault for not knowing that Ma Yao was actually Wei Xiao; when Wei Xiao came to rescue people at the mine, Dongyang had still been locked up in the Xijing prefectural prison pretending to be a miner.

"Want him back, do you?"

"This subordinate is primarily thinking of recruiting talent for the Princess," Dongyang said with utmost seriousness, claiming everything was for the grand enterprise of the mine's operation, while his own tiny selfish motives could be entirely ignored.

Wanting the current commander of the Xijing Grand Camp to serve as a guard for the mine—Shen Jifeng couldn't help giving Dongyang a mental thumbs-up. The idea was wonderful, but he'd better not harbor such thoughts ever again.

"When you heard about the mining disaster, who was it that came to the rescue?"

Dongyang didn't understand why the Princess suddenly shifted the topic to an irrelevant subject. "I heard it was General Wei."

"This General Wei is truly a good person for stepping up to help voluntarily. Our Prince Qi's estate has certainly lucked out with a good neighbor."

Never mind; looking at Dongyang's clueless expression, Shen Jifeng didn't have the heart to tell him the truth.

"Well, the task of writing to Ma Yao will be left to you. The gates of my silver mine are always open to him."

Granted permission, Dongyang happily trotted off to write his letter. Shen Jifeng was left speechless—could it be that those two had actually left behind a way to contact each other?

As the setting sun dipped lower, the final brushstrokes of twilight stained the mountain ridges of the mine a deep crimson. Shen Jifeng was discussing plans with Li Leqi regarding tomorrow's timber procurement when the rapid thud of approaching hooves echoed from afar.

***

"It's General Wei!" Li Leqi exclaimed, unable to conceal his joy.

Shen Jifeng's heart skipped a beat as she turned to look. She saw Wei Xiao riding hard in dark, rugged attire, kicking up clouds of dust. Against the backdrop of the deepening dusk, his posture was remarkably straight, the sword at his waist swaying slightly with the rhythm of the horse's gallop.

"Whoa—" Wei Xiao reined in his mount right in front of Shen Jifeng.

"Princess," Wei Xiao saluted with a fist cupped in his palm, his brow still carrying a trace of travel fatigue.

Shen Jifeng noticed fresh mud splatters on his boots and a few bits of grass clinging to the hem of his robe, clearly indicating that the moment he received the news, he had ridden at top speed to get here. A warmth bloomed in her chest. Recalling Dongyang's letter "inviting Ma Yao," she couldn't help curving her lips into a smile. "General Wei certainly receives news very quickly."

Wei Xiao's gaze swept over the distant charred timber pile. "It seems the damage wasn't severe?"

"Fortunately, it was discovered early," Li Leqi interjected. "The arsonist was an old miner who had been expelled from the site. We've locked him up and will escort him to the Xijing prefectural office tomorrow to be dealt with according to the law."

Wei Xiao nodded, then suddenly turned to Shen Jifeng. "Does the Princess have a moment? This subordinate has some... suggestions regarding the mine's security."

These words struck a chord with Shen Jifeng. Knowing that the current security measures at the mine were all crafted by him, she had been hoping to have him vet her plans anyway.

Shen Jifeng turned to Li Leqi. " Uncle Li, why don't you go ahead and arrange the roster for tomorrow's logging crew."

Once Li Leqi had departed, she lowered her voice and smiled, "Is General Wei planning to return as 'Ma Yao' to serve as a guard?"

A flicker of amusement crossed Wei Xiao's eyes as he pulled a letter from his robe. "Dongyang's letter was only delivered to the camp at noon."

He unfolded the paper, which bore clumsy, crooked brushstrokes: *Brother Ma Yao, return quickly. The Princess says the mine gates are forever open to you.*

Shen Jifeng couldn't help laughing out loud. "He is certainly sincere toward you."

Wei Xiao put the letter away, his expression turning serious once more. "Was last night's incident merely a coincidence? Have you interrogated that miner?"