Gu Zhu stood in front of the wardrobe, looking for clothes, while Gu Fu sat by the table, glancing around the brightly lit room.
The room was filled with various wood materials, blueprints, chisels, and hammers. The antique shelf held lacquered wooden items, including lifelike wooden flowers, palm-sized miniature buildings, and even weapons like crossbows and arrow cases. It looked more like a craftsman’s workshop than the bedroom of a young master from a wealthy family.
Just as Gu Fu was about to look away, she noticed three bows hanging on the inner wall.
Two of them she had seen before: a standard military longbow and a heavy bow used exclusively by the elite archery unit.
The longbow was relatively simple to make and could be mass-produced, whereas the heavy bow was rarer due to its complex materials and craftsmanship.
The third bow, however, was unfamiliar to Gu Fu. It had a strange shape, with crisscrossed strings and something resembling wheels attached. If it hadn’t been placed alongside the other two bows, Gu Fu would never have guessed it was a bow at all.
Gu Zhu came over, holding some clothes. Gu Fu asked him to confirm, “Is that a bow?”
He seemed unsure himself. “I think so…”
Gu Fu was puzzled. “Think so?”
Gu Zhu said, “I made it according to a book called ‘Records of Ingenious Work.’ The style and size are correct, but the materials are wrong. It needs gao stone and steel, but those things are only available from the Military Manufacturing Department…”
As Gu Zhu spoke, he kept his eyes downcast, not daring to look directly at Gu Fu. In fact, he didn’t dare to look directly at anyone and didn’t like interacting with others much. He preferred to lock himself in this room, engrossed in his interests.
Perhaps because of this, others found him hard to get along with, and no one at the academy wanted to approach him.
Gu Fu was taken aback. “Gao stone and steel? That bow would be too heavy.”
Speed is crucial in warfare; carrying such a heavy bow on the battlefield would be a death wish.
“Yes…” That’s why he wasn’t sure if this thing was truly a bow. However, “But according to the book, such a bow would save energy, have high accuracy, and a long range. A typical heavy bow with a sixty-pound draw can shoot up to a hundred steps. This bow, used with gunpowder arrows and two-stage propulsion, can shoot about a li… Second Sister?”
Gu Fu suddenly placed her hand on Gu Zhu’s shoulder. Not understanding why, Gu Zhu quickly glanced at Gu Fu’s expression. Seeing her somewhat dazed look, he started to feel uneasy, wondering if he had said something wrong.
The next moment, Gu Fu exclaimed, “A li???”
Her volume was so loud that Gu Zhu glanced back at the door in fear. Fortunately, the maids and servants in his courtyard knew he disliked being disturbed, so the night guards were far enough away that they didn’t hear Gu Fu’s voice.
Gu Fu was still in shock. A li! A whole li!
If this could be reported to the Military Manufacturing Department… Wait!
Gu Fu asked Gu Zhu, “Is that book ‘Records of Ingenious Work’ an ancient and rare manuscript?”
Gu Zhu shook his head. “It’s not a rare manuscript. Many bookstores sell it.”
It’s not a rare manuscript, so the Military Manufacturing Department has no reason to overlook such a powerful weapon, unless the actual product isn’t as effective as described in the book, or perhaps…
Gu Fu lowered her hand from Gu Zhu’s shoulder and sighed, “Do you know how wide Xi He Avenue is?”
Xi He Avenue is located on the central axis of the capital, stretching from Xi He Gate to the imperial palace. Ordinary citizens and officials are not allowed to use this road hence it’s also called the Imperial Road.
Gu Zhu replied, “Forty-five zhang.”
Gu Fu asked again, “How many li is that?”
Gu Zhu answered, “Less than half a li.”
Seeing his confusion, Gu Fu clarified, “Although ordinary bows and arrows can shoot a hundred steps, they can only effectively injure targets within twenty-one zhang. When the imperial carriage travels on Xi He Avenue, it is difficult for assassins to harm His Majesty from either side. But if there is a bow that can shoot a li…”
Assassinating on the Imperial Road would be as easy as reaching into a bag.
Gu Zhu broke out in a cold sweat.
If a bow with a one-li range could truly be made, the Military Manufacturing Department might have already produced it. However, since it is too heavy for military use and poses a significant threat to the emperor, they would likely keep it hidden.
Gu Fu took the men’s clothes Gu Zhu had found and went behind a screen to change.
Gu Zhu stood in a daze for a moment before hurriedly taking the bow down from the wall and putting it away in a cabinet.
After changing into the men’s clothes, Gu Fu left her own clothes with Gu Zhu, then jumped out of the window, ready to leave.
Before she left, she turned back and asked Gu Zhu, “Does that bow have a name?”
Gu Zhu, as if he were hiding something, whispered, “Sunset Bow.”
The name was quite ordinary.
Gu Fu leaped over the wall and effortlessly landed on the rooftop of the neighboring house, then ran along the eaves toward Fude Street in the east of the city.
Every rooftop was covered in snow, but Gu Fu moved as if walking on solid ground, quickly darting across several main streets.
Under the brilliant starry sky, the entire capital city resembled a giant, slumbering beast. Although many households still had their lights on, no one was outside. The streets were deserted, with only armored patrollers, night watchmen, and constables making their rounds.
The capital had a curfew—something Gu Fu remembered only after five years away from the city.
But since she was already here, it wouldn’t make sense to give up halfway.
So, Gu Fu avoided the patrolling guards and dashed through the night, eventually reaching the rooftop of the Xie family.
Fude Street was near Xuanyang Street, where high-ranking officials and noble relatives of the emperor resided, indicating that the Xie family was quite well-off. If Xie Zichen was indeed as promising as Gu Fu’s second uncle had said, the marriage wouldn’t be too bad.
But Gu Fu simply didn’t want to get married, didn’t want to be arranged and settled, and didn’t want everything regarding her life to go according to others’ plans.
Gu Fu hopped around on the Xie family rooftop, using her reconnaissance skills to locate Xie Zichen’s courtyard.
Gu Fu jumped down from the rooftop and hid by the window to observe in secret. Under the light, Xie Zichen, with a refined and handsome appearance, was holding a brush in one hand and rolling up his sleeves with the other. His bamboo-green long robe made him look particularly elegant and graceful.
Suddenly, the candlelight inside flickered. Gu Fu thought she had left the window open too wide, letting the wind in, and was about to close it when she realized it wasn’t her fault. Someone had opened the door.
Then she heard a very soft and gentle female voice: “Young Master, it’s so late already. Have some hot soup and take a break.”
It turned out to be a maid serving Xie Zichen, bringing him a late-night snack. Gu Fu, hiding outside the window, watched as the maid placed the hot soup on the table. Her delicate hands rested on Xie Zichen’s shoulders in a suggestive manner: “Young Master…”
Gu Fu: Oh, wow.
However, things did not go as Gu Fu had anticipated. Xie Zichen put down his brush, glanced coldly at the maid, and said, “Get out.”
Frightened by Xie Zichen’s attitude, the maid withdrew her hands, feeling very aggrieved. Before she could plead, Xie Zichen called in the servants from outside, had them cover the maid’s mouth, and dragged her out.
Gu Fu was troubled: How do you dissuade such a virtuous man?
As she was pondering this, Xie Zichen picked up the newly drawn painting from the table. Whether he was examining it or waiting for the ink to dry, he looked at it for a long time before rolling it up and placing it in a white porcelain painting cylinder by the table.
As Xie Zichen rolled up the painting, Gu Fu caught a glimpse of its content, and her heart leaped with joy—it wasn’t a landscape or a plant but a woman.
It must be his beloved.
After securing the painting, Xie Zichen went to sleep. Gu Fu waited outside the window for a while, ensuring there was no movement inside, then sneaked in quietly to check the painting cylinder and confirm she hadn’t seen wrong.
There were about seven or eight rolled-up paintings in the cylinder. Gu Fu thought she would have to search for a while, but the first painting she opened was indeed the portrait of a woman.
Feeling both lucky and uneasy, Gu Fu thought the painting she had just seen had a large area of blue, but the woman in this one was dressed in white. Could she have been mistaken?
Impossible, she thought. Before becoming a general, she had been a scout; her eyesight couldn’t be that poor.
Gu Fu opened another painting. As expected, it was the same woman, this time in a fresh green dress with a flowing skirt.
Unperturbed, Gu Fu opened the remaining paintings and almost burst out laughing: they all depicted the same woman. If this wasn’t Xie Zichen’s beloved, she would be willing to lose her head.
Elated, Gu Fu put the paintings back into the cylinder, intending to go home and sleep peacefully.
Unexpectedly, her joy turned to misfortune as she was discovered on her way back home.
Turning her head, she saw an arrow grazing her cheek, its fletching pulling away a few strands of her hair.
The missed arrow, with her hair, embedded itself into the ground just as a patrolling guard noticed. One of the guards immediately blew a whistle, its piercing sound disturbing the night.
Gu Fu ran, but the archer was relentless, continuously exposing her position to the guards and night watchmen with each arrow. This relentless pursuit left Gu Fu with no time to catch her breath.
When Gu Fu reached Ren’an Alley, another arrow came but lost its force, getting stuck in a tree branch.
The clouds drifting across the sky obscured the moonlight, darkening the surroundings and giving Gu Fu a chance to hide.
Seizing the moment, Gu Fu slipped into a courtyard, cursing while recalling the layout of the capital to find a way to shake off her pursuers and return home.
Most importantly, she had to stay out of the archer’s range.
Wait?
Gu Fu suddenly realized that from the beginning to now, it seemed like the same person had been shooting at her, and the direction of the arrows never changed, indicating that the person had been in the same place, chasing her from Fude Street to Ren’an Alley. This distance was at least fifty or sixty zhang (150-180 meters). What kind of place could give someone such a vantage point?
Gu Fu jumped back onto the rooftop and looked around, finally spotting the Qitian Tower on the edge of Xuanyang Street.
Xuanyang Street was closest to the royal city, home to high-ranking officials. The only tall building nearby was Qitian Tower, where the Imperial Preceptor of Dayong resided.
The straight-line distance between Qitian Tower and Ren’an Alley was less than a li (500 meters), but still around a hundred zhang (300 meters), far exceeding the range of ordinary bows and arrows.
Maybe it was because she had heard of the Sunset Bow before setting out, but Gu Fu couldn’t help thinking more. She went back to find the arrow that had just missed.
The guards had retrieved most of the arrows except for the last one stuck in the tree. Gu Fu touched the arrow shaft and felt a chill—it was clearly made of a mix of gao stone and iron.
Gu Fu was amazed: gao stone, which was scarce and only available to the military, was used to make these arrows.
If the arrows were this precious, imagine how sophisticated the bow must be. Who else could afford such extravagance but the Imperial Preceptor?
Looking at the tall Qitian Tower, Gu Fu wasn’t the least bit angry about being chased by arrows. Instead, she was excited.
If her guess was correct, the Sunset Bow, with its range of a li, was real!
But how to prove that the archer was in Qitian Tower?
Using herself as bait?
Fearless, Gu Fu tore a piece of cloth from her clothing, covered the lower half of her face, and ran towards Qitian Tower. She provocatively stood on the rooftop of a prince’s mansion, very close to Qitian Tower.
The thick clouds slowly moved across the night sky, finally revealing the long-hidden crescent moon.
The moonlight illuminated the surroundings, and Gu Fu spotted a silver-white figure on Qitian Tower.
The figure, with silver-white sleeves, long hair, and a cold face, looked as if descended from the heavens, untouchable and divine.
Most would feel awe at this sight, but with her rebellious nature, Gu Fu felt an itch to drag such a heavenly figure down to the mundane world and sully them with earthly grime.
Translator’s Notes
Gao stone: I believe this is onyx
Zhang: Traditional chinese unit of length, about 3.58 meters
Li: Traditional Chinese unit of distance, about half a kilometer
Imperial Preceptor: The emperor’s teacher, advisor, and chaplain. Roles included but were not confined to teaching, writing, translating, editing and religious rituals.
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