Not long after she closed the letter, Luyi came in. She had been very happy staying in Jinzhong. Upon this sudden reunion with relatives she hadn’t seen in a long time, they were all as good to her as could be. When she wasn’t on duty, they took her around Jinzhong to see the sights. Her small trunk could barely contain all the various gifts and jewelry her relatives had bought for her. Though none of the items were particularly valuable, to Luyi they were still precious. Therefore, she now wore a smile from morning to night. Even now as she entered, though she was speaking about Luo Gui, she still wore a smile. “Miss, Luo Gui says he’s discovered some things and wants to see you.”
When Song Chuyi said she would make a move against the Fan family, she wasn’t just talking. She had never been a good person. In her previous life when she ended up so miserable, by the end her entire being was filled with hatred. But this hatred was mostly directed at herself. She believed that Shen Qingrang hadn’t wronged her that much either—it had been her one-sided infatuation to begin with. Who wouldn’t want benefits delivered to their doorstep? Who wouldn’t want to pick up for free a wife who came with her own dowry? She herself had lowered her stance so much, regarded her dignity so lightly—it was only natural that others would look down on her and humiliate her. This was also why she had let Shen Qingrang off the hook in this lifetime.
But there was one kind of hatred she could never forgive—first, those who wanted her dead, and second, those who wanted to harm people close to her. These two types rarely came to good ends. For example, Yuanhui. For example, the Chen family currently in dire straits. And for example, the Fan family who hadn’t yet met with disaster.
She had sent Luo Gui to Fujian. Counting now, it had been about three or four months—he should be back. She nodded, dressed properly again, and took Luyi to the flower hall. She wasn’t at the Song family residence now, and going out was truly too troublesome. Moreover, after the incident on the road from Yangquan, Old Madam Cui and the Cui family maintained extreme vigilance about her going out, so she could only compromise.
Luo Gui looked rather travel-worn. Though it was obvious he had already tidied himself up, he still couldn’t hide the weathering on his person. He first bowed to Song Chuyi, called out “Sixth Miss,” then sat down at Song Chuyi’s gesture.
Over these years, having handled many matters for Song Chuyi, his conduct had become smooth and worldly-wise. Yet this worldliness wasn’t annoying—it was the kind that made people comfortable. To be honed to this degree in just a few short years showed that he was capable of great responsibility. Song Chuyi was very satisfied with his tactfulness. He always knew what should be asked and what shouldn’t. Every task assigned to him was completed excellently, and he never gossiped. Any one of these qualities alone was already rare, yet he managed to do them all.
Song Chuyi didn’t first ask him about Fujian. Instead, after thinking for a moment, she asked, “After you returned, did you send a letter home?”
Luo Gui was Qing Tao’s cousin. In the second year after he started working for her, Song Chuyi had found a way to arrange a marriage for him—supposedly, at first many people looked down on Qing Tao’s poor family, and no one was willing to marry Luo Gui. The maids throughout the residence all avoided their family.
It was precisely because of this that Luo Gui had become determined to earn a livelihood for his family. After working for Song Chuyi for just a year or two, he already had his own private property. Song Chuyi was always willing to invest capital in these people. Not only had he married a wife and settled his parents comfortably, he also had considerable face when going about. He knew that Song Chuyi had given him all of this, so he became even more loyal. Now hearing Song Chuyi ask about his wife, the smile on his face couldn’t be contained. “As soon as I returned, I received a letter saying a son was born. My mother is overjoyed beyond measure. She said red eggs have already been boiled and sent to relatives and friends. The full-month celebration is being held off until I return home to pick an auspicious date to hold it properly. I also wrote back that very night.”
Song Chuyi nodded, a smile appearing in her eyes. Qing Tao must be delighted to have gained a little nephew—she had made several sets of small clothes for him. After the pleasantries, they began discussing serious matters. Song Chuyi slightly restrained the smile on her face and asked him, “How are things in Fujian?”
The coastal area had always suffered severely from Japanese pirate troubles. Though Guo Huaiying had been stationed there these years, even he couldn’t completely eliminate them. The Ninth Princess’s marriage alliance had little effect either. The daimyo who had married the Ninth Princess had been quiet for a while, but while he was quiet, those pirates wouldn’t let the borders remain peaceful. They still needed to conduct maritime business, so they stubbornly took up arms and recruited some wandering Japanese warriors to gather together, forming a force. Now when they escorted cargo, it was as if they had Japanese military escorts. They seemed more like Japanese feudal lords and daimyo themselves.
“The situation isn’t very good.” Luo Gui honestly shook his head. “After the Ninth Princess married over, that daimyo stopped causing trouble. He sends letters to the Governor every day, wanting the Governor to send him troops to help him unify Japan. But the other feudal lords aren’t pushovers either. They first united to beat the Satsuma daimyo that the Ninth Princess married until he had no power to fight back and could only retreat to a corner. Now the biggest hidden danger on the sea isn’t actually the Japanese pirates, but rather those pirates. Those pirates are no longer simple pirates now. Wang Lun is now more powerful and influential in Japan than those daimyo. All those daimyo rely on him to obtain weapons and military supplies, so they have to curry favor with this foreign pirate. Wang Lun himself has at least thirty to forty thousand Japanese under his command as hired muscle. His ships at sea all have specialized military escorts equipped with cannons, firearms, and weapons. Even Governor Guo can do nothing about him.”
Wang Lun—this name sounded familiar. Song Chuyi thought for a long time before recalling that this was an opponent who had given Cui Shaoting headaches for over a decade in her previous life. He was even harder to deal with than ordinary Japanese pirates, always bringing people to the coast to burn, kill, and plunder, then selling these things at high prices to the Japanese. When Cui Shaoting clashed with him, he actually lost more often than he won. Because of him, Cui Shaoting had been stripped of his official position more than once or twice. This was an extremely troublesome figure.
And now what Song Chuyi was more concerned about was his adopted son. She turned to Luo Gui and asked softly, “I heard Han Zhi took refuge with him?”
Luo Gui nodded. “Yes. Now he’s taken the alias Han Zheng and follows at Wang Lun’s side. He’s one of Wang Lun’s eleven adopted sons. His methods are ruthless, his mind works well. After he raided Cixi once, his reputation soared and Wang Lun valued him highly. Now he’s already Wang Lun’s number one man. Wang Lun thinks highly of him and even married his biological daughter to him.”
The precious heir apparent of the Jinxiang Marquis Estate, after committing a crime, actually ran off to take refuge with pirates—this was tremendous leverage. However, Song Chuyi didn’t plan to use this leverage yet. Besides, using it wouldn’t mean much for Han Zhi. He was already a pirate himself, coming and going without a trace on the sea. Even if his identity were exposed, only the Jinxiang Marquis Estate would suffer.