“Mister Zhong An.” From above, Mo Zi bent forward, both elbows resting on the windowsill, smiling and nodding. Not hiding, not avoiding, not flustered, not hurried—meeting his gaze directly and calmly. By now, there was no avoiding it. Better to let things take their natural course.
Hearing Zhong An call out “Brother Mo,” Xiao Wei looked up. His expressionless face changed when his gaze touched upon the man beside Mo Zi, his eyes becoming as cold and sharp as midwinter.
Yuan Cheng stood beside the window, gazing down mildly. Paired with Mo Zi’s charming smile, he appeared gentle and refined.
Shi Lei also knew Brother Mo’s true identity by now. Seeing the two of them together, he scratched his head and muttered in a low voice, “On the ship, they already seemed kindred spirits, like brothers. Looking at them now, they’re like a painting—truly a pair so good-looking it’s irritating to the eyes.”
Zhong An laughed heartily. “Stone, you’re not wrong. Setting aside the grudges between us and just looking at this scene, it’s quite pleasing to the eye.”
Having said this, he heard a cold snort from Xiao Wei beside him, and could sense inexplicable anger.
What kind of person was Zhong An? Though he appeared to be a romantic scholar, he was actually a fourth-rank proper General of Light Chariots and the naval base’s foremost military strategist. Xiao Bai Yu was extremely impulsive when facing Brother Mo, completely different from his usual calm and rational self—he’d found this strange for some time. Now looking more closely, his mind stirred, thinking silently: could Bai Yu have romantic feelings for Brother Mo? He suddenly showed an expression of dawning realization, his gaze taking on a more scrutinizing quality.
“Gentlemen, travel-worn and weary—it must have been a hard journey.” Yuan Cheng shifted his position slightly, coming to Mo Zi’s side. His sleeve brushed against her black hair, swaying gently together in the wind. “If you don’t mind, you could join us two at our table for a meal. Though the food and wine may not be exquisite, the riverside scenery is rather beautiful.”
Shi Lei’s face showed impatience. “Between us and you, we’d probably have nothing to say to each other—better not.”
Mo Zi laughed cheerfully. This stone didn’t know hypocrisy—wasn’t that rather good? “General Shi, after all this time apart, you’re still the same as before—you can’t hide what’s in your heart.”
Shi Lei had never particularly liked Brother Mo, though he was alright with Mo Zi. With the fact that Brother Mo was Mo Zi, he couldn’t decide his attitude. Finally he pursed his lips. “Miss Mo Zi, I, Old Shi, will give you a word of advice—some people aren’t ones you should associate with. What happened before is one thing, but now that your mistress has married into a good family, don’t implicate her.”
It seemed everyone who should know already knew. Mo Zi raised her eyebrows, withdrew her elbows, straightened up, and stood side by side with Yuan Cheng. “General Shi speaks incorrectly. You and Minister Yuan both serve as officials in the same court now. Though divided into civil and military, you’re both loyal ministers sharing His Majesty’s burdens. You yourself say what happened before doesn’t matter—then you really shouldn’t still harbor grudges against Minister Yuan. You should get along well.”
Shi Lei’s eyes widened. Damn it—asking him to get along well with the foremost corrupt official? He’d rather take a beating with military rods.
“Minister Yuan, it seems they don’t appreciate your kindness.” Mo Zi turned her head to address Yuan Cheng.
Hearing her tone, Xiao Wei detected not a trace of regret. His gaze couldn’t help but sharpen, and he spoke, startling both Shi Lei and Zhong An: “Since Minister Yuan extends the invitation, how could Xiao refuse? Then, many thanks.” He strode directly toward the wine house.
Shi Lei hurriedly asked Zhong An: “What does this mean? Are we really going to eat at the same table with that fellow?”
Zhong An looked up, seeing Yuan Cheng’s smile unchanged. Thinking what excellent composure, he pulled Shi Lei to follow Xiao Wei. “Brother Mo spoke well—serving officials in the same court, both sharing His Majesty’s burdens. Indeed, we should get along well.”
Seeing they were really coming up, Mo Zi finally restrained her smile, sat down, and complained in a low voice, “This meal is bound to choke me—Yuan Cheng, you’re making trouble for nothing.”
“You and Second Young Master Xiao live in the same mansion—cultivating good relations with him, wouldn’t that have benefits?” Yuan Cheng also sat down, holding his wine cup, taking small sips.
“Benefits?” Mo Zi snorted. “If he doesn’t make trouble for me, I should be thanking heaven and earth. To him, I’m Third Miss Qiu’s maid, part of her dowry—which means I belong to his mansion. If you were him, your own mansion’s maid constantly encountered outside, even daring to talk back to you, telling you to get lost—if someone treated you to a meal, would you feel comfortable? Let me tell you, this knot has been impossible to untie since he learned I was smuggling goods. However, at this point, being afraid is useless. The more afraid I am, the more energized he might become. Anyway, I’m working for his sister-in-law—if he traces it to the root, it would blacken the entire Xiao family’s name. As long as Xiao Er still cares about face, he won’t dare openly turn against me.”
“Speaking of it, it’s an internal conflict within the Xiao family.” Yuan Cheng nodded. “This reliance seems reasonable. Then perhaps you should treat this meal, showing more sincerity.”
Mo Zi immediately narrowed her eyes. “Minister Yuan forgets—you’re the one who invited them up, it has nothing to do with me. Moreover, even if we really wanted to cultivate relations, it should be Third Miss Qiu who comes forward—it’s not the place of a maid who follows orders to get worked up about it. Shortly, I’ll eat my meal. As for making small talk, I’ll trouble you with that.”
Yuan Cheng saw her lack of enthusiasm and found it amusing. “You’re wishfully thinking you can ignore people, but they may not let you have your wish—”
The people entered.
Undercurrents immediately surged.
“Brother Mo, or should I say Miss Mo Zi?” Among the three, only Zhong An played a harmonizing role.
“With her outfit today, neither male nor female, calling her Master Mo is most appropriate.” Yuan Cheng’s role: adding fuel to the fire.
“Neither male nor female—what kind of propriety is this?” Xiao Wei’s role: demolition expert.
Still thinking of eating a choking meal in silence? Sure enough, they wouldn’t let her have her wish. Gripping her chopsticks tight, the tofu crumbled, falling back down. Mo Zi remained composed. “Mister Zhong An, have the waters been peaceful lately?” Picking the easiest person to talk to, she started chatting.
“Very peaceful. We thought Da Qiu would be restless, but there’s been no movement at all. Seems we can have a stable New Year.” Such news didn’t count as military secrets.
“That’s hard to say. If I were the King of Da Qiu, I might choose New Year’s time for a surprise attack, catching everyone off guard.” That person was extremely skilled at employing schemes. Originally not the crown prince, he’d pretended to be sick and weak all along, secretly accumulating anti-crown prince forces, and in the end the throne smoothly fell into his hands. Objectively speaking, he perhaps possessed the ability to unify the realm—whether his persevering temperament or his skill at conspiracies and schemes, he was outstanding in both.
“You talk as if you understand the King of Da Qiu very well.” Shi Lei’s role: singing counterpoint. “You’re clearly just a little maid.”
Mo Zi smiled, lowering her eyes to continue picking up tofu, but each piece she picked crumbled.
“Not such a little maid anymore.” Yuan Cheng raised his chopsticks, gently picking up a square piece of tender tofu and placing it in Mo Zi’s bowl. “In an ordinary family, she’d have long since married and borne children.”
Xiao Wei stared coldly at Yuan Cheng’s action. “But she’s not an ordinary family’s daughter—her marriage is not for her to decide.”
Shi Lei quickly agreed. “Naturally her mistress decides—usually it’s to some capable steward or butler in the mansion. If she displeases her mistress, she might even be matched with some good-for-nothing servant.”
Zhong An desperately tried to extinguish the fire. “But Miss Mo Zi is different from other maids—she’s an assistant the mistress trusts greatly. I imagine her marriage will receive special consideration.”
She’d already been discussing national affairs—why did it immediately circle back to her, and the question of her marriage at that? Mo Zi swallowed the tofu in one gulp, speaking unclearly: “Whether or not I have a say, I don’t know. However, it certainly won’t be decided by you gentlemen.” Boring!
For a moment, no one spoke at the table.
Mo Zi mechanically shoveled down half a bowl of rice, truly choking unbearably. When no one was paying attention, she glared at Yuan Cheng, who was chewing slowly and deliberately, his manner leisurely.
Yuan Cheng happened to catch sight of her, couldn’t help smiling, his brow arching upward, suddenly breaking the silence. “Master Mo, do you want Yuan to pick up tofu for you again?”
Mo Zi reached up to stroke her forehead, almost groaning aloud. Under the varied gazes of the three across from her, she smiled stiffly. “If it’s not too much trouble for Minister Yuan. My hands are clumsy—I don’t know why, but this tofu seems to oppose me.”
“No trouble.” Yuan Cheng picked up another piece of tofu. “Since we agreed Yuan would treat, fulfilling the host’s duties is only proper. If Master Mo likes anything else that’s inconvenient to pick up, just tell Yuan.”
Shi Lei shuddered upon hearing this. “Since Minister Yuan is such a good host, why not pick up some steamed fish for me, Old Shi, too?” It sounded nice, but clearly these two had an ambiguous relationship.
Unexpectedly, Yuan Cheng really did turn to pick up fish for him, moving so fast the other party couldn’t react. “General Shi, please enjoy.”
Shi Lei threw down his chopsticks, rubbing his arms. “This is disgusting—I can’t eat this meal. Bai Yu, Zhong An, either we pick another restaurant or I’m leaving first.”
Zhong An looked at Xiao Wei’s immovable stance, then said to Shi Lei, “I don’t know what your problem is. Minister Yuan picked up food for you—didn’t you ask for it yourself? If you want to leave, then leave. Who’s stopping you?”
As straightforward as Shi Lei was, even he couldn’t say in front of Mo Zi and Yuan Cheng that seeing the two of them in cahoots disgusted him. He stood up and really did leave.
From five people to four, the atmosphere became even more peculiar.
“Old Brother Shi is fine—he’s just straightforward, hates all those twists and turns. Minister Yuan, please don’t take offense.” Zhong An continued harmonizing.
“I don’t blame General Shi for finding Yuan disagreeable. Originally we each served our own masters—who could have imagined that one day we’d serve as officials in the same court? This too is fate playing tricks.” Yuan Cheng smiled gently. “Thanks to Captain Wu’s care along the way, Yuan was able to reach the capital alive and demonstrate sincerity to His Majesty.”
At this moment, Xiao Wei was like a block of ice, completely devoid of warmth. “Demonstrate sincerity? Yuan Cheng, you and I both know perfectly well whether your sincerity is real or false. His Majesty is a benevolent and harmonious ruler—he trusts you. However, as they say, rivers and mountains may change but nature is hard to alter. Those things you’ve been doing lately, don’t think I don’t know. I’m warning you—don’t imagine you can bring Nande’s ways to Great Zhou. Nande’s emperor was incompetent, leading to treacherous officials running rampant, allowing people like you and the Grand Preceptor to do as you pleased. But my Great Zhou has far more loyal officials than petty men—no matter how much money you throw around, you won’t become a powerful minister. If you peacefully fulfill your duties as Imperial Academy Erudite, we can be civil and coexist peacefully. Otherwise, when the blade falls, it will be the head of a corrupt and lawbreaking wretch.”
Yuan Cheng’s expression remained as warm as spring breeze. “General Xiao’s words, Yuan will remember in his heart. More words are useless—just wait and see in the future. My heart toward Great Zhou can be witnessed by sun and moon.”
Xiao Wei snorted repeatedly, then looked at Mo Zi. “You…” Go back to the mansion with him—such words he really couldn’t say aloud.
But though he couldn’t say them, Zhong An could. “Miss Mo Zi, we’ve eaten most of this meal. Since you and Bai Yu live in the same mansion, do you want to return together?”
A seemingly casual invitation was actually giving Mo Zi an opportunity to return to the proper path.
However, the road Mo Zi walked had long since gone crooked.
Recently I haven’t been able to access the women’s fiction comment section at night, so I can’t reply to comments promptly, but I’ll ensure they’re highlighted.
Sorry about that.
Thanks everyone for actively participating in comments.
Hoping the network speed recovers soon.