Chapter 17: Many Calculations To Win A Battle[1]

In the two weeks that followed the Moon Festival, Fu Wanxi visited Prince Jing's Mansion almost every single day. What started as an invitation from the junzhu to sample new snacks from the South together became an invitation to visit the royal family's vacation home in Fanzhou City. Enticed by the junzhu's promises of the city's famous barbecued marinated meat skewers, pomegranate juice, and the royal family's exclusively-owned hot springs, Fu Wanxi decisively agreed to her new best friend's invitation without hesitation.

Of course, we had already expected such a scenario to play out.

"Miss Fang, are you satisfied with the horse carriage?" The master carpenter waiting outside the carriage asked expectantly.

Although I was on tenterhooks preparing for the fated crash, the special design and good workmanship offered some level of mental relief. Before we entered the book, members of the Library Association had engaged professionals to design and build the carriage with materials that would be crash-proof to protect any passengers. Multiple trials were also conducted at the crash site as part of a due diligence exercise.

I took a final look at the unique interior of the customised horse carriage before ending my inspection. Jumping off the carriage, I dusted my hands and nodded approvingly. "Yes, it does look sturdy. But is what kind of seatbelt is that?"

The carpenter who was actually a member of the Library Association replied with a sense of pride in his team's work. "That's a vest harness, like an over-the-shoulder-restraint. It's what you will find on roller coasters. It's very safe."

"I see. I don't ride roller coasters so I didn't know."

He walked over to the entrance of the carriage and lifted up the curtains. Pointing at the black harness, he further explained, "you put your head through the hole, then strap the harness over your shoulder and body, then you connect the buckle clip on the harness to the buckle clip attached to the straps on the chair. Remember to take the seat on the right side—facing the horse—when you are setting off tomorrow. That will you will be suspended in the air instead of falling onto your back. That could be quite dangerous."

Feeling the blood draining from my face, I gulped as dread twisted in my gut. "I really hate roller coasters."

"The carriage is designed to only have two openings, the entrance and the window at the back. We have also padded the walls and the seats with memory foam which will help to absorb any impact. Finally, we have prepared two helmets for you. To help make all these blend in with the setting in the world, we have especially made them look like they are made from more primitive materials."

The Library Association uncle suddenly pulled out two safety helmets before handing one to me. At the sight of this familiar modern innovation making its grand appearance in the ancient world, my mental state crumbled. As he droned on about how to go about wearing it, I was struggling to produce explanations which I would have to give to Fu Wanxi as regards these strange inventions.

"So you're saying that I wouldn't even suffer a single bruise from the supposedly minor accident?" I was still very much unconvinced. There was a constant feeling of uneasiness that had dwelled within me ever since I read that part of the novel. Maybe it was fiction logic that Fu Wanxi managed to escape the overturned carriage unscathed—but I was not a fictional character.

Was I being overly paranoid or was my feelings of anxiousness valid?

"Before coming here, I did some research online on horse-drawn carriage accidents. Even an overturned carriage as a result of a spooked horse had resulted in fractures and open wounds, not to mention a carriage that rolls down a hill! In one such incident, the passenger actually suffered a waist injury." Massaging my temples with my index finger and thumb, I continued while gritting my teeth. "Is there any way that I can avoid this scene?"

He threw me a look of sympathy and shook his head slowly, but did not say anything more than what he had previously repeated: "Don't worry. You can trust in our technology."

***

The night dragged by heavily even though I was exhausted from making preparations for the trip to Fanzhou City during the day. Staring up at the dancing shadows on the ceiling, I felt as if I was a soldier going to battle the next day. It was not only the overturning of the carriage that caused me to lay sleepless in a haze of fear; but it was also the dangerous setting in the book that I was uncertain about.

In this arc of the book, Liu Mengjie received news from Gao Zhanpeng that a young man who resembled Sheng Yi was spotted in Fanzhou City. Under the pretext of going for a vacation, she invited Fu Wanxi along with her on the trip. Fanzhou City was located close to the border separating the kingdoms of Bei Yue and Da Jin, and was at least a two-day journey by horse from the capital. Evidently, Liu Mengjie's personal belief that Sheng Yi was still alive was so strong that she would travel the distance to look for him.

However, when Liu Mengjie and Fu Wanxi were nearing Fanzhou City, they encountered an ambush by unknown attackers. With Gao Zhanpeng to protect Liu Mengjie, she was naturally unharmed. However, the horse that was pulling Fu Wanxi's carriage was startled and began galloping mindlessly and aimlessly. The carriage came to a stop eventually when it overturned and slid down a slope. Fu Wanxi and her maidservant found themselves in the middle of the wilderness. Attempting to find their way to Fanzhou City to reunite with the others, Fu Wanxi ended up wandering her way into Da Jin Kingdom, was captured by Sheng Yi (in disguise as Yi Yan) and brought to his military camp, and she eventually got caught up in the war between the two countries that was ravaging the countryside.

A dark silhouette appeared outside my window and across the stillness of the night came a soft whisper. "Yuhan."

Jolting out of my reverie, I scrambled to get up to check out the uninvited visitor. "Yes?"

Ruijie stood at my doorway with a solemn expression on his face. "Sorry to come at this hour, but at least I can give you the last of my guidance before you depart tomorrow."

"It's fine. I'm not able to fall asleep anyway."

He smiled compassionately as he brought out a candle from behind him. Barging into my room before I could protest, he lit up the candle and placed it on my bedside table. "This is a lavender-scented candle. Hopefully this will help to calm your nerves and help you to fall asleep. You need to rest as you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

Sitting myself down at the table, I stared forlornly at my packed luggage. "Thank you. You know, half of me does not want tomorrow to arrive, but the other half of me hope that the whole thing ends sooner," I said with a laugh that sounded like both a sigh and a cry.

"Don't worry too much. I think that you are capable enough to carry out your mission on your own. Have more confidence in yourself!"

"Why can't you come along?" I raised my despairing eyes to look at Ruijie before sniffling a little. "I can't bear to be apart from my beloved brother. I'll miss you very much."

"Ha—miss me?" He echoed my words with a loud scoff. "Don't kid me. You've been gadding about the past few days to explore the city, leaving your dear brother alone in the residence to do the chores, and I never heard you lamenting about being apart from me?"

"So you can't wait for me to be gone?" I lowered my head and stared at the floor, pretending to dab away at my tears. "I shouldn't have agreed to do this in the first place... Now, no one cares if I live or die in this book."

"What are you saying—! Such inauspicious words!" Ruijie exclaimed in a chiding tone, hastily sitting down at the table opposite me. "You are going to do just fine, Yuhan. You've been doing so well and I have nothing left to guide you on. It's time for me to commence on my mission—so I have to leave the book before returning again by Sheng Yi's side. We're going to meet again."

"Oh—we are?"

"Hey! What's with that sudden look of disdain?"

Back in university, I once took a general elective course offered by the Department of Psychology and as part of the grading requirements, I had to be a participant in a Master's student's experiment for her thesis paper on the psychology of mindfulness and its uses to relieve stress in college students. As part of the experiment, I was tasked to watch a video where I was instructed to perform basic relaxation techniques in the pursuit of mindfulness. It was so effective that I caught myself nodding off at one point of the video.

While the mandatory requirement to be a lab rat was a waste of time for some students, the mindfulness techniques that I had garnered from the short experiment was very useful. When I found myself tossing and turning in bed during those times when my brain refuses to shut off, I would breathe in and out slowly and let my senses roam free. By using my sense of touch, I would feel my bed beneath my body and the pressure of my limbs as they sink into the bed. Gradually, I would drift off into a deep sleep.

Using this method, coupled with the soft scent of lavender which permeated the room, I managed to overcome the first hurdle in my journey to complete the mission alone. When I opened my eyes again, grey morning light was streaming into the room. The lavender-scented candle was still burning, the melted wax pooling near the flickering flame. The large pillar candle had barely melted.

After washing up, I left my room with my bag which contained some money, food, water, medicine, a first aid kit, a small dagger and most importantly, the book The Eighth Verse.

When I got to the courtyard, everyone was already gathered at the entrance of the residence to send us off. Uncle Guan and Ruijie were loading Fu Wanxi's luggage and belongings onto the carriage, while Du-mama was giving Fu Wanxi a food box made of wood and coated with enamel. Fu Wanxi struggled to carry the heavy food box which had several layers containing food and drinks.

Upon seeing my appearance, she waved at me with a bright smile while lugging the food box. "Shijie, Du-mama prepared snacks and drinks for us to eat during our trip!"

Despite the mixed feelings in my heart, I returned Du-mama's kind gesture with a beam while expressing my thanks.

"Xiaoyu, come over here!" Ruijie suddenly called for me as he stood beside the carriage.

As I trudged forward, he pulled out a brown envelop from inside his lapels and held it in front of me. I stared at him blankly until he pushed the envelop into my hands. Feeling around the edges of the envelop, it seemed that there was only a thin piece of paper within. "What is it?" I said, my fingers moving to open the envelop.

"Don't open it yet," Ruijie exclaimed quickly in a hushed tone. "As I am unable to go along with you, this letter contains instructions that can help you when you face a crisis. If you are able to resolve a problem on your own, then don't open it yet. Only open it when it is a life and death situation." Seeing that colour drained from my face upon the mention of 'life and death situation', he swiftly added, "but I'm hoping that you will never need to open it up. Anyway, it will only be useful for you when you get to Guizhong City in Da Jin Kingdom."

"Alright, thank you." I folded the envelop and tucked it securely inside my clothing. Taking one final glance at Ruijie, I said before whirling around and climbing onto the carriage: "I'll be going now."

"Mm." he nodded with a wave. "We'll meet again soon."

Lifting the dark blue silk curtains at the entryway of the carriage, I crouched over slightly before stepping into the wooden box. Recalling what the Library Association member had instructed the previous day, I immediately sat myself down on the right side of the carriage. Placing my bag by my feet, I studied the seatbelt once more while waiting for Fu Wanxi.

As Fu Wanxi clamoured her way into the carriage, her eyes widened and her jaws dropped at the sight of the peculiar interior. Pointing at the seatbelt attached to the back of her seat, she stammered incoherently, "wh-what—this? Y-you—doing?"

I ran a hand through my long hair before tossing it back with a short laugh. "Don't look so shocked, little shimei. This is a pretty common feature in the horse carriages from my hometown. You may find it a little uncomfortable at first, but once you get used to it, you'll see that it has many benefits. Let me show you how to put it on."

After putting on the seatbelts for both of us, I shouted to the carter that we are ready to set off. The carter gave a command to the horse and the carriage started moving with a jerk. Wanting to bid goodbye to the others, Fu Wanxi searched around for a window and finally realised that there was only one window at the back of the carriage. After the carriage had moved some distance, she raised up the curtains covering the window and frantically waved to the figures standing by the residence which gradually grew smaller and smaller. Only when they were out of sight did she finally release the curtains which had been creased by her grip.

"I'm so excited that we are finally going on an adventure!" Fu Wanxi leaned back against her seat and giggled. "It's so nice of Liu-jiejie to invite us along."

"Mm." Displaying a half-smile on my face, I nodded in agreement but mentally shrugged my shoulders. Although she was genuinely a good person, this Liu-jiejie of yours is only making use of you.

"We're going to meet Liu-jiejie at the East Gate at the start of sishi right?" The start of sishi was approximately 9 a.m. in modern time.

"Mm." I nodded again. "But I think that we are going to be slightly early."

"That's alright. I've been looking forward to this day for such a long time now that waiting for a few more minutes would not make a difference. I was so excited that I couldn't even sleep last night!" Fu Wanxi beamed as she reached for the food box. She removed the cover to reveal and assortment of cakes and fruits before picking up a piece of white cake sprinkled with osmanthus flowers. "Have some, shijie."

"It's fine. I'll eat later." I gently waved my hands to reject her offer with a rigid smile plastered on my face.

Staring at Fu Wanxi blissfully munching on the snack, I crossed my arms and exhaled through my nose. Both of us had trouble sleeping last night, but one of us woke up looking as radiant as ever while the other woke up with dark eye circles and a heavy heart, and with dark thunderclouds looming over her head threatening to unleash storm any time soon.

But enjoy eating your cake while it lasts, Fu Wanxi. Very soon, you would not even have the luxury of being able to shed any tears.

***

Author's Note: Mid-week update! Being a test subject in one of those psychology studies is a true story. We had to do it in order to earn credits to satisfy the requirements of the course ;__; But some paid us at the end of the experiment hehe

[1]: Sun Tzu, Chapter 1 (Laying Plans): "Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose."