Jade Pillow: 1-2 A Familiar Figure

< Previous

Jade Pillow

Next >

Xie Cheng follows Du Lingwen's trail to a well-known haunted manor in Chang'an. He's feeling lost when a woman's figure appears before him.

Info

Style: No dress-up component Rewards: 3,000 , 600 , 1 , 1 , 1

Dialogue Choices

(What about her needs beyond lodging? Where else would she need to go?)

• Eatery
  • Story effect only
• Stable
  • Story effect only

Transcript

Expand for script.

• It's almost past mid-spring. The Double Third Festival is right around the corner.
• It's the liveliest time of the year at Qujiang Pool, located southeast of Chang'an.
• Some families are playing by the pool. They toss boiled eggs and red dates in the water, and tell the children to find them downstream.
• The usually quiet fields are now filled with song and laughter.
• Despite the joyous atmosphere, Xie Cheng and the guard with him both sigh.
• Royal Guard: We have to arrange more manpower for this year's Double Third Festival.

• To the Royal Guards who keep Chang'an safe, the annual Double Third Festival is always a challenge.
• From theft, fights, and fires to people falling in the pool or choking on eggs, they have to deal with all kinds of emergencies.
• Although many of the emergencies will be handled by the public safety officials and festival staffs, Xie Cheng gets a headache just thinking about the coordination involved.
• Xie Cheng: Let's focus on the task at hand first.

• Xie Cheng takes out Du Lingwen's portrait, examines it, then looks around.
• Xie Cheng: According to the Du family's housekeeper, Lady Lingwen went missing around here.

• Royal Guard: Yes. She was surrounded by guards and servants at the time. When they passed by here, she suddenly wanted to take a break.

• Royal Guard: The guards quickly erected a tent for Lady Lingwen. She entered...

• Xie Cheng: And was never seen again.

• Xie Cheng: She came prepared...

• It's obvious to Xie Cheng that Lady Lingwen planned her disappearance.
• Xie Cheng: If she was planning to leave, she would have dressed in a way that allowed her to move around easily and unnoticed.

• Xie Cheng: And if she pawned the jewelry she was wearing, she'd have obtained enough money to last her for a while.

• Royal Guard: But, sir, would a young noblewoman be aware of market prices?

• Xie Cheng: ...

• Xie Cheng turns away, thinking hard. Then he looks to the southeast again.
• The guard follows his gaze.
• Royal Guard: Fanchuan is in the south. That's also where the Du residence is located.

• Xie Cheng: If they set off to Leyou Plateau from there, they'd likely enter the city through Yanxing Gate.

• Royal Guard: To reach Yanxing Gate, they'd have to pass by Qujiang Pool.

• Both of them look from south to north, plotting out Du Lingwen's escape route along Qujiang Pool.
• Xie Cheng: Few people live south of Qujiang Pool. The trees and grass there are lush, and would make for an easy place to hide.

• Royal Guard: So Lady Lingwen pretended to go to Leyou Plateau, but her intention was to shake off her attendants at Qujiang Pool?

• Xie Cheng and the guard follow the route they've deduced, paying close attention to their surroundings for clues.
• The wild grass is so overgrown that it's half the height of the average man, making it a suitable place to hide during an escape.
• Xie Cheng: She definitely shook them off and used the grass for cover.

• Royal Guard: But where did she go after that? She must have had a destination in mind.

• Xie Cheng remembers what she wrote in her notebook.
• Xie Cheng: "My heart belongs not in Luoyang"... She's set on leaving home.

• The guard rolls his eyes. It's clear that he thinks the young noblewoman is being dramatic.
• Royal Guard: Even if she's gone because she wanted to leave home, the Du family won't just let her be.

• Xie Cheng: Whatever her next move is, she has to make certain to avoid the Du family's range of influence.

• Royal Guard: The Du family's clan is in Fanchuan. She'll definitely avoid that place.

• Xie Cheng: The Du family has a large clan. If she wants to be out of their reach, she has to leave Chang'an and Luoyang.

• Royal Guard: Then... has she left Chang'an already? That will make finding her even more difficult...

• Xie Cheng: She escaped alone with no food, water, or transport. She will not have gotten far.

• Xie Cheng: If she's smart, she'll enter the city first, and find a way to get what she needs using the things of value on her.

• Royal Guard: If she's smart, then why did she leave home?

• Xie Cheng arches an eyebrow at the guard.
• Xie Cheng: The question remains, how did she enter the city?

• Xie Cheng and the guard stop in their tracks. The towering walls of Chang'an loom before them.
• Royal Guard: The two gates closest to Qujiang Pool are the eastern Yanxing Gate, and the southern Qixia Gate.

• Xie Cheng: The guard at Yanxing Gate is one of the Dus, so Lady Lingwen won't have gone there.

• Xie Cheng: Even so, after the Du family discovered her disappearance, Yanxing Gate was the first place they searched.

• Xie Cheng: Lady Lingwen is intentionally avoiding her family.

• There's no need for Xie Cheng to expressly state what he's thinking about which direction Du Lingwen went.
• He exchanges a look with the guard, and they make a beeline for Qixia Gate.

• Coincidentally, the guard on duty at Qixia Gate is the same person who helped Xie Cheng three years ago with a case concerning Mingzhu, a young demon.
• After looking at Du Lingwen's portrait, the gate guard confirms that she recently entered the city, just as Xie Cheng expected.
• City Gate Guard: Yes, yes. I remember this lady.

• City Gate Guard: Her clothes were rather fancy, but she had no attendants with her. I found it suspicious, so I asked her a few questions.

• City Gate Guard: I couldn't find anything wrong with her answers, so I let her into the city.

• City Gate Guard: She's probably some lady from a rich family who sneaked out to play.

• Xie Cheng: Hmm...

• Xie Cheng: (He'd be shocked to learn it's Lady Lingwen of Jingzhao's Du family.)

• Since the Du family wants to keep things quiet, Xie Cheng doesn't reveal Du Lingwen's identity to the gate guard.
• Royal Guard: Did she mention where she'd be staying in the city?

• City Gate Guard: No.

• Xie Cheng: ...

• Xie Cheng glares sternly at the gate guard. The Royal Guard at Xie Cheng's side puts on a poker face.
• Royal Guard: You let someone without proper identification into the city, and you didn't even ask about their lodging.

• City Gate Guard: She had proper identification.

• Xie Cheng: What?

• City Gate Guard: I'd be punished if I let someone in without proper identification. It's not my first day on the job, Commander Xie. I wouldn't do something like that.

• City Gate Guard: I followed proper procedure with the lady. I only found it strange that she was well-dressed and alone, so I questioned her.

• Xie Cheng: ...

• Royal Guard: The lady is smarter than we gave her credit for.

• Royal Guard: She thought to prepare her papers before entering the city. What other strategic steps will she have taken?

• Xie Cheng agrees, but remains silent.
• City Gate Guard: Are you looking for this lady, Commander Xie? Has she gone to hunt demons like your friend Miss Pei?

• Xie Cheng: ...

• Xie Cheng's stern silence makes the gate guard shrink back.
• Xie Cheng: Thank you for your time. We must be going now.

• Xie Cheng bids the gate guard farewell and leaves with Du Lingwen's portrait.

• Despite having confirmed that Lady Lingwen is in Chang'an, Xie Cheng isn't relieved.
• Royal Guard: There are almost a million people in the city, Commander Xie. Finding her will be akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

• Royal Guard: Luckily, she has proper identification, which means she could be staying at an inn. Shall I start checking the records at the inns?

• Xie Cheng: No...

• Xie Cheng: If she went to an inn, she would be easy to locate.

• Xie Cheng: It is unlikely she would do that, given that she does not want to be found.

• The guard shakes his head in disagreement.
• Royal Guard: If she chose not to stay at an inn, her only other options would not be what she's accustomed to.

• Royal Guard: She may be a clever noblewoman, but I don't think she'd be willing to sleep in an stranger's woodshed.

• Xie Cheng: Hmm...

• As one of the Marquis' sons, Xie Cheng understands the level of comfort Du Lingwen is accustomed to. He cannot refute the guard's speculation.
• The guard coughs awkwardly at having contradicted his superior's reasoning.
• Royal Guard: T-then I'll follow this clue, sir. I'll report back if I find anything!

• The guard has barely finished his sentence before he turns and runs off.
• Xie Cheng: Where are you, Lady Lingwen...

• Xie Cheng considers Du Lingwen's whereabouts.
• They'll find her sooner if she checked into an inn, but what if she chose to stay elsewhere?
• Xie Cheng: (What about her needs beyond lodging? Where else would she need to go?)

Eatery

• Everyone needs food to survive. No matter what Du Lingwen's goal is, she'll have to eat.
• Xie Cheng: (But there are so many eateries in Chang'an. There isn't time to search them all.)

• Xie Cheng: (Eateries have more visitors than inns too. The owners may not remember each and every customer.)

Stable

• Du Lingwen is alone. If she wants to travel far, she'll need a means of transport.
• Xie Cheng: (Then again, what if she doesn't need to leave the city?)

• Xie Cheng: (If her goal is to hide in a certain ward in Chang'an, transport is completely unnecessary.)

• Xie Cheng: I am overthinking this.

• Xie Cheng realizes he's not looking for a drifter, but a noblewoman who's run away from home.
• He expects she knows her noblewoman's clothing would make her easy to spot.
• Xie Cheng: Instead of staying at an inn, she could have disguised herself, and begged for someone to let her stay the night.

• Xie Cheng: If that's the case, then she won't be wearing extravagant clothing.

• It seems likely that Du Lingwen will have sought a way to replace her noblewoman's clothing.
• Xie Cheng decides to search the nearby tailor shops.
• After going through a few tailor shops near Qixia Gate, Xie Cheng manages to find a clue when he shows Du Lingwen's portrait to a child loitering outside a shop.
• Child: Oh, yes! This is the lady who gave me sweets!

• Child: She even let me bring home the ones I couldn't finish!

• Xie Cheng: Was she dressed in unusual clothing? Perhaps disguised as a maid or a man?

• Child: That's right! She was dressed like a man. How did you know, Lord Xie Cheng?

• A hint of a smile pulls at the corner of Xie Cheng's lips.
• He was right to suspect that Du Lingwen used clothing to hide her identity.
• Xie Cheng: She asked for your help with something..

• Xie Cheng: Didn't she?

• Child: ...

• The child blinks, utterly surprised at the all-knowing Xie Cheng.
• Xie Cheng: Can you tell me what the lady asked you? Be good and tell me the truth.

• Child: The lady asked... if there's a haunted manor nearby...

• Xie Cheng: A haunted manor?

• Child: Yes. She was looking for a manor haunted by demons!

• Xie Cheng: What did you tell her?

• Child: I-I told her there is a manor with demons. Mother doesn't let us play there...

• Xie Cheng: Do you know where the manor is?

• Child: It's in Tongshan Ward... I'm not lying, Lord Xie Cheng! I've been good.

• Xie Cheng: I know. You're a good kid.

• Xie Cheng stands up and ruffles the child's hair.
• Xie Cheng: Now hurry home.

• After watching the child return safely to the ward, Xie Cheng ponders their conversation.

• Xie Cheng knows about the haunted manor in Tongshan Ward.
• It's an old residence that's been neglected for decades. It's said to have once housed a famous monk.
• But the monk offended important people. And after the house was vacated, nobody dared to move in. Hence, rumors began that it was haunted.
• Xie Cheng wonders why Du Lingwen is interested in it.
• He considers the possibility that she intends to hunt a demon there, and sets off for the manor at once.

• Xie Cheng: There aren't any demons or ghosts here.

• Xie Cheng stands in a bedroom of the haunted manor in Tongshan Ward. He looks around, frowning.
• The moon rises outside the window.
• A foreboding silence descends over the manor.
• Xie Cheng: Is... anyone here?

• Although the manor looks dilapidated from the outside, the bedroom remains in good condition.
• It's decorated with sophisticated furnishings, though everything is covered in a thick layer of dust.
• Xie Cheng detects the scent of cosmetic powders in the dusty air.
• Xie Cheng: ...

• Through deduction, he guesses that Du Lingwen may be temporarily staying here.
• It's a location that will allow her to stay in the city without being found.
• Xie Cheng: What a bold and meticulous lady.

• Xie Cheng still has many questions.
• If Du Lingwen is truly staying here, he wonders, where is she now? What is her goal?
• Xie Cheng considers the manor... It's hardly a suitable place for a noblewoman to stay.
• He wonders if she really came here to hunt a demon. Or could there be another reason Du Lingwen was drawn to this location?
• Something creaks behind Xie Cheng.
• Xie Cheng: Who's there?!

• He whips around with his hand on the hilt of his saber.
• He hears whispery, feminine laughter that makes him tense.
• There's no one in the room, but Xie Cheng is sure of what he heard.
• He walks out of the bedroom to investigate.

• Under the moon, a woman's shadowy figure appears, flickering slightly.
• Xie Cheng: How...?

• Xie Cheng is rendered speechless by what he sees.
• The woman says nothing to the flabbergasted Xie Cheng. She only smiles as she holds out her hand.
• Her presence in the cold moonlight is surreal. Xie Cheng can hardly believe what he's seeing.