Zan Jin flew out through the window of Wuyou Pavilion’s finest private room, landing in the third-floor corridor. A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out in an arc, splattering onto the wooden floor and breaking into crimson beads.
Two young maids who had just come to serve dishes witnessed this scene and screamed in fright.
Quite a few guests in the main hall saw it too. Recognizing this large fellow as the one who had just knocked out Huo Ba, and having seen with their own eyes that Xu Jiu had invited him in, they thought to themselves that this Xu Jiu truly valued brotherhood—even if the other party was in the right, he’d beat them regardless. This mental activity quickly became words, and eventually reached the ears of the newly awakened Huo Ba, actually dispelling quite a bit of his suspicion.
Mo Zi and Stinky Fish rushed out, each supporting one of Zan Jin’s arms. Stinky Fish cursed and swore, saying straight out that Xu Jiu was no good, attacking his brother indiscriminately without distinguishing right from wrong, and that this grudge must be repaid. Mo Zi wore a face full of fury, telling Stinky Fish not to say more and to save the person first.
The three had entered without attracting any attention, but after making such a big scene, they exited through the main door under everyone’s watchful eyes—three injured, one more—once again proving that one couldn’t casually cause trouble in Wuyou Pavilion.
After helping Zan Jin onto the carriage, Stinky Fish jumped into the driver’s seat, shouted “Giddyup!” loudly, and the horse galloped with all four hooves toward Wangqiu Tower at the other end of Tongyu Street.
Mo Zi looked out from the rear window of the carriage, confirmed no one was following, turned back around, and grinned as she pushed the tightly-closed-eyed Zan Jin. “Alright, we’re far away now. Get up.”
Zan Jin scrambled up, grinning broadly. “Brother Mo, did I act convincingly? When I used lightness skill to crash through the window, I was still thinking—should I be face down or face up? But then I thought if I was face down, people wouldn’t see the blood, so I flipped over and deliberately used internal energy to make the blood spray three feet high. Oh, and I saved one mouthful to spray after hitting the floor—it bubbled red and splattered all over my face. Though it was sweet, made me want to swallow it.”
Mo Zi couldn’t stop laughing, but she still had to praise him—otherwise he’d have no motivation for similar jobs in the future. “You acted well, very thorough thinking. Zan Jin, you’re quite teachable.” Definitely has potential to become a lively fellow.
Zan Jin responded enthusiastically, full of motivation.
At this time, Yuan Cheng and the others had already changed to a different private room.
Lu Man, head of the Qing Gang, wasn’t actually an ambitious person. If the gang leader were healthy and strong, he’d be content to remain second-in-command forever. But now that the old gang leader had decided to step down, he who had been second-in-command for over ten years felt that by both sentiment and reason, the position of head should be his. His trusted subordinates urged him to compete, and thinking this made sense, he spoke with the old gang leader about it.
The old gang leader had a grandson who ranked tenth in the gang. His martial skills weren’t high, but his methods were ruthless. Half the faction with real power either submitted to him under duress or through alliances of mutual strength. Recently, he’d even heard this grandson had persuaded the leaders of two other gangs among the five great ship gangs. If the opponent had been upright and proper, he would have accepted it wholeheartedly, but the other party had repeatedly plotted against him and his family, which was truly unbearable.
He had once encountered great trouble in the Nande waters and sought help from Yuan Cheng at that time, spending money to eliminate what would have been a catastrophic disaster. Hearing that Yuan Cheng had suddenly appeared in the capital and become an official, he brought silver again to seek advice. Nande had countless corrupt officials who took the silver but did shoddy work. Only Yuan Cheng—once he accepted someone’s favor, he would definitely get things done, no matter how difficult, handling everything perfectly. Therefore, he trusted Yuan Cheng greatly.
Sure enough, within a few days of his visit, tonight’s dinner with Xu Jiu was arranged. Yuan Cheng had briefed him beforehand, saying he would bring in a powerful ally for him, requiring only that he provide Xu Jiu with equivalent support. However, he was somewhat puzzled—Xu Jiu ranked below Huo Ba, and Huo Ba was the sworn son of the old leader of the Leopard Gang. Wouldn’t the position of gang leader be extremely difficult for him as well? How could he help? But at the table, it wasn’t convenient to ask.
Unexpectedly, something happened midway—Huo Ba was knocked unconscious, and Xu Jiu wanted to avenge his brother. He then thought Yuan Cheng had made a mistake, that Xu Jiu had no intention of competing for gang leader. But that Brother Mo came in less than a quarter-hour later and directly stated the purpose of this banquet. Xu Jiu didn’t refute it; instead, he acknowledged it angrily. Only then did he realize it wasn’t that Yuan Cheng was wrong, but that Xu Jiu had concealed it well. What happened next greatly exceeded his expectations.
That Brother Mo said he was willing to lend Xu Jiu a hand. As he saw it, Brother Mo’s companion was an internal martial arts expert who could even withstand Xu Jiu’s attacks. Gaining such a person would certainly be powerful support. But later, when Brother Mo spoke again, he knew that gaining Brother Mo himself was the real assistance.
The first idea Brother Mo proposed was that they could stage a performance in public of brotherly love between Xu Jiu and Huo Ba, requiring only a watermelon. When the item arrived, Brother Mo actually mixed up a large bowl of juice as red as blood. Lu Man didn’t understand until Brother Mo finished explaining everything and had Zan Jin take a big mouthful before flying out himself—only then did he suddenly realize it was to fake spitting blood.
The second idea Brother Mo proposed targeted Huo Ba. He said the position of Leopard Gang leader depended entirely on the old gang leader’s wishes. And whom the old gang leader passed the position to depended on what the old gang leader feared most. He also said ship gangs formed their own faction and usually feared few people, but they feared officials using their rank to pressure them. If Huo Ba drew official attention, even if the old gang leader was biased, he’d have to reconsider for the benefit of the entire gang. Huo Ba’s biggest flaw was his lustfulness—even emperors who loved women brought ruin to their countries, let alone Huo Ba. As long as they set up a trap using this, making Huo Ba provoke a woman he shouldn’t, and the power behind her applied pressure, Huo Ba would become someone the authorities despised, and would have no chance at the gang leader position.
After Brother Mo finished speaking, he added that specifically how to set up this trap was very simple—they just needed to know people in official circles.
By sheer coincidence, Yuan Cheng was included in the calculation.
Xu Jiu’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, while Lu Man watched Yuan Cheng’s smile deepen, making him intuit that Brother Mo’s words pleased these two greatly. He could understand Xu Jiu’s happiness, but what made Yuan Cheng happy, he didn’t understand at all. He only knew that after Brother Mo left, he deeply regretted not asking whether this person also had solutions for his own matters.
Lu Man could see that Xu Jiu was very cautious in handling his brotherhood with Huo Ba, cautious to the point of being somewhat submissive. But Brother Mo said Huo Ba plotted against himself using Xu Jiu’s name, and if lives were lost, Xu Jiu would share the guilt for murder, showing Huo Ba didn’t consider brotherhood at all. Just this one statement changed Xu Jiu’s expression.
Such eloquence, such frightening persuasive power.
“Brother Lu, today’s gathering has yielded much.” With only the three of them left in the private room, when Xu Jiu said this, he was no longer as reserved and polite as in the first half. “I, Xu, am grateful you think so highly of me and are willing to form an alliance of friendship. If you and I succeed in great endeavors in the future, the Leopard Gang and Qing Gang will henceforth be brother gangs. What can the other four great ship gangs do to us then?”
The Qing Gang was the last of the five great ship gangs, and the Leopard Gang had been obscure in earlier years. Even now, in the eyes of those arrogant ship gang leaders, it was still considered a small, minor faction.
Lu Man was overjoyed beyond expectation. In recent years, Xu Jiu’s reputation had risen like a bird in the capital’s river territories. Leading the Leopard Gang to unite the small gangs of the capital’s two provinces, his martial prowess went without saying, and he had numerous capable subordinates—those who wanted literary talent had it, those who wanted martial ability had it. Quite a few among the five great ship gangs paid attention to him, with one faction saying to win him over and another saying to suppress him. Having now met this person with his own eyes, he sighed that the waves behind push the waves ahead in the Yangtze River. Suppression wouldn’t work; winning him over was the right strategy.
After the banquet ended, Lu Man, having gained a powerful ally, rushed back to the Qing Gang that very night, waiting quietly for further news.
Yuan Cheng mounted his carriage when he heard someone call for the lord to wait. Looking back, he saw Xu Jiu striding over with large steps.
“This time Xu Jiu has received the lord’s favor, for which I’m endlessly grateful. In the future, I hope the lord will continue to look after me. This small token, please accept it with a smile, my lord.” Xu Jiu made a gesture behind him, and a scholarly-looking young man presented a sapphire blue brocade box.
Yuan Cheng didn’t take it, but he also didn’t refuse it, so Ming Nian, who was very good at reading expressions, stepped forward to accept it.
“Master Jiu is too polite. I merely made a small effort. Today’s banquet truly suited my taste—fine wine and delicacies, one good show after another. Even if you didn’t give me a gift, I wouldn’t have eaten this meal for nothing.”
Xu Jiu didn’t know Yuan Cheng and Mo Zi had long been acquainted, so he was somewhat confused, but he responded readily. “The lord honors Xu Jiu. Wuyou Pavilion’s wine and food are indeed good, but the place reeks too heavily of women’s powder and rouge. The lord doesn’t favor such places, which makes Xu Jiu admire the lord’s character even more. In the future, let’s find an opportunity to gather again. We’ll find a quiet place with scenery, forsaking beauties in red and green—the wine and food will taste even better.”
“We must gather again. I’m grateful for Master Jiu’s hospitality. Today we part, but the future is long.” After Yuan Cheng finished speaking, he entered the carriage.
Xu Jiu stood outside Wuyou Pavilion, clasping his hands in farewell, watching until the carriage disappeared before turning to mount his own horse.
“Master Jiu, that official surnamed Yuan is merely a sixth-rank Grand Academy Academician. Why do you need to bow so low to him and give such an expensive gift?” one of Xu Jiu’s trusted followers asked.
The scholarly young man heard this and answered on Xu Jiu’s behalf. “This Official Yuan is not like ordinary people. He once served as Prime Minister of Nande, ranked among the Three Preceptors, and was the first power minister. Even when imprisoned, he could escape unharmed. Bearing the crime of treason, upon entering Great Zhou he not only escaped execution but became an official. Who in the current court has such ability? Who among us can afford to offend such a person? Master Jiu’s current association with him will surely bring benefits in the future.”
Xu Jiu said “Exactly,” then added, “Not just in the future—even soon there will be benefits. That Brother Mo was right about setting a trap for Huo Ba. If he and Yuan Cheng join forces, it would be ideal. I’ve heard this Official Yuan, once he accepts someone’s favor, will definitely accomplish their business. Since he didn’t refuse the gift I just gave, he’ll agree to help me. I need to find an opportunity to meet with him again soon.”
Suddenly hearing approaching hoofbeats, the scholar said, “Master Jiu, it’s the person you just sent out.”
Xu Jiu nodded. When the man reached his side, he asked, “Did you follow them?”
The man said, “Yes, Master Jiu. I saw that carriage enter the gate of the former Lin Mansion. No one has come out within an hour.”
The scholar immediately said, “Then it must be correct—they’re from Wangqiu Tower. The building opens in three days. Perhaps we should investigate further then?”
Xu Jiu didn’t speak for a long while, then cracked his horse whip and galloped away.
That confirmed it.
As for Yuan Cheng, after returning to the mansion and getting off the carriage, he didn’t even glance at the brocade box Ming Nian was holding. Ming Nian asked where to put it. He casually said the study, then went alone to stroll in the grass garden behind the east wing.
Before long, he saw that now very familiar figure, already changed into women’s clothing, sitting in the stone pavilion, chin propped on hand, sighing.
Probably the person who was supposed to bring her over the wall hadn’t come again.
Ming Nian had said it was cat calls. Yuan Cheng thought to himself that tonight he’d have the opportunity to hear it with his own ears.