When passing through the naval garrison, because it was a Left family vessel, they didn’t even open the cargo hold for inspection and simply let them through. Left You hosted a banquet for the garrison general, with Wei Jia attending as a representative. Upon returning, he reported that Left You had lodged a complaint with the naval garrison personnel, and the general planned to dispatch a hundred warships to suppress the bandits.
As soon as he finished speaking, the naval garrison sprang into action. Horns blew and flags unfurled, sails were raised amid shouts, their imposing presence shaking the heavens.
Seeing those hundred warships—with their pointed olive-shaped hulls at both ends, large and small triangular sails, iron-plated bows and sterns, large stern rudders, observation platforms, wing-like speed enhancement devices on both sides, and arrow ports—Mo Zi couldn’t help but sneer. They’ve learned quite a bit, haven’t they?
“If I hadn’t seen our ships before, I’d be amazed at the strange and peculiar forms of Daqiu’s military vessels right now,” Xiao Wei stepped forward, his gaze at Mo Zi quite complex. “Did you learn from them, or did they learn from you?”
“After resting only half a day, you can already get out of bed and walk around. Truly worthy of a military general,” Mo Zi didn’t answer his question, merely glancing at him before continuing to watch those warships move through the water. Ship speed, draft depth, sail movement—her eyes worked ceaselessly, converting all the images into data.
“Mo Zi, you—” Just who are you? Xiao Wei wanted to ask directly.
“Shh!” Mo Zi silenced him. Fast, but still not as fast as she’d envisioned. Clearly there were no oars or rudders underwater—they probably couldn’t overcome the water-sealing technology. The speed enhancement wings were being misused; did they think they could be retracted whenever there was wind? As for the sails, she had already improved her own design; theirs were the old style. Regarding weapons, besides arrow ports, she had never designed anything else. Perhaps Xiang’er was clever enough to innovate on her own. That would be interesting—she’d very much like to see it.
“Song Mo Zi—” Xiao Wei felt she was going a bit too far.
“Don’t make noise!” She reached out and pushed Xiao Wei away. “Sick people shouldn’t be exposed to wind. Go back and lie down!”
Xiao Wei laughed in exasperation. Was she finding him burdensome, or was this her roundabout way of showing concern? If the latter, he was quite pleased. He suddenly grabbed Mo Zi’s elbow, intending to pull her before him.
But Ding Gou seized Mo Zi’s other arm, his gaze cold as frost. “Let go.”
Xiao Wei furrowed his brow tightly. “You let go.” Each of her subordinates had no sense of hierarchy—he was a second-rank general, after all.
Ding Gou sneered. “You two aren’t real siblings… men and women should maintain proper distance. General, could it be you harbor improper intentions?”
“Then what are you supposed to be?” Xiao Wei grew angry, his shoulder wound splitting open, though he paid it no mind.
“Me?” Ding Gou showed him the whites of his eyes. “I can give my life for her. Except when she uses the privy, I’ve even seen her snore in her sleep—I’m practically inseparable from her. Grabbing her elbow… protecting her from harassment by lechers falls within my duties. You tell me, who should let go?”
“Both of you let go! I can’t even observe the enemy in peace!” Mo Zi used a skillful technique to reverse both their grips, shook them off, and jumped down from the bow, adding, “Xiao Wei, your wound is bleeding. From now on, you’re confined to quarters… stay in your cabin and don’t come out. Stop causing trouble!”
“Ding Gou, escort him back,” she instructed with a turn of her head.
Stinky Fish slapped the barrel from above, cackling strangely.
Ding Gou’s eyebrows flew up in triumph as he walked before the red-faced Xiao Wei. “Young—Master, let’s go. I’ll escort you.”
Unbelievable! Such obvious favoritism toward her people! And confined to quarters? Xiao Wei stood rooted to the spot, his chest heaving.
“You’d better not think her confining you to quarters means she cares about you,” Evil Dog exhaled. “To her, you’re just dead weight right now. Understand? Also, you couldn’t even tell she was studying their ships—you just thought she was ignoring you. Young Master… I think you’ve been high and mighty for too long. Actually, someone like you, if you want to find a wife, should choose a delicate young lady from a noble family. Mo Zi is not someone you can measure up to. She’ll fly very high, so high that all you can do is watch from below—”
Xiao Wei truly became enraged—his fist shot out fiercely.
Ding Gou met it with his own fist, but withdrew midway, merely dodging nimbly. “It’s not that I fear you—I fear her nagging.”
But Xiao Wei had already been provoked to extreme fury and, disregarding the intense pain in his shoulder, swung a second punch.
Stinky Fish cried out, then quickly covered his mouth for fear of attracting Mo Zi. His eyes gleamed as he watched the spectacle unfold.
The boatmen were Huayi’s people and on this journey followed only Mo Zi’s orders, so they stopped their work but no one stepped forward to intervene.
After dodging the second punch, seeing that Xiao Wei wouldn’t give up, Ding Gou grew irritated as well. “I’m not fighting back, but don’t think I fear you. If your shoulder becomes useless, don’t blame me.” He leaped up, palm swift as wind, holding back to only thirty percent strength.
Xiao Wei avoided using his right shoulder, his left hand formed into a blade, chopping viciously toward Ding Gou’s wrist.
Just as the two hands were about to clash decisively, a black shadow, swift as lightning, inserted itself between the two men.
The space before Xiao Wei suddenly emptied. He looked around and saw that shadow had grabbed Ding Gou and flown up to the mast, hanging the man on the pole, then in a flash returned before him.
It was Zan Jin!
And Ding Gou, who had been hung by Zan Jin, only a step slower, jumped back to his original position.
So… fast! Xiao Wei’s heart shook violently—he hadn’t known there were two world-class masters among Mo Zi’s companions.
Ding Gou’s nose and eyes went askew with anger as he struck out with a palm carrying internal energy. “Zan Jin, are you looking for a beating?”
“Young Master, please return to your cabin.” Zan Jin let the palm land on him, not moving an inch. Only his black robe billowed as if catching wind, then settled completely still in moments.
Ding Gou made a sound of disgust and scurried into the observation barrel to bicker with Stinky Fish.
With the instigator gone, Xiao Wei had no outlet for his anger and headed toward the cabin quarters. Zan Jin walked behind him.
“You don’t need to follow.” Why did he feel like a prisoner?
“Brother Mo’s orders.” If Ding Gou wouldn’t execute them, he would.
“Don’t tell me your life also belongs to her.” Xiao Wei’s mind was in chaos. Just what method did that woman use to gather this group of lawless talented individuals?
But Zan Jin said nothing—he had long known when to remain silent.
At the cabin door, they encountered Zhong An coming to check on Xiao Wei. Seeing Xiao Wei covered in cold sweat from head to face, he asked in alarm what had happened.
Zan Jin’s explanation was brief: “The shoulder wound split open. Please call for Physician Ji.” He didn’t explain the cause, his expression remaining calm as he left.
Zhong An hurriedly called someone to fetch the physician and followed Xiao Wei into the cabin. “What were you doing running outside?”
Xiao Wei collapsed onto the bed without a word.
The woman he had feelings for—was she beyond his reach? His heart had been moved, but was he not worthy of her? He laughed bitterly at how absurd it was.
Zhong An found his laughter unsettling. “Brother Bai Yu?”
“Zhong An, I want to marry Song Mo Zi.” His laughter rumbled, his mind made up.
“Well, that’s rare—admitting it yourself.” Zhong An wore an expression suggesting this should have happened long ago.
“I told His Majesty before that only a woman I care for would become my wife. Now, I’ll need to ask him to intervene.” When one person who chooses their own marriage meets another who chooses their own marriage, His Majesty will surely have to grant one of them.
“But you need to make your intentions clear to Mo Zi first.” Hearing that he intended to request an imperial marriage decree, Zhong An was surprised by his haste.
“She’s surrounded by men, calling them brothers—she probably doesn’t understand matters between men and women. And those brothers seem to resent me getting close to her. If I reveal my feelings, the obstacles ahead will be numerous.” With an imperial marriage decree, she would have no way to avoid it. Within the inner quarters, those men wouldn’t be able to stay so close, and she would naturally come to understand his feelings.
Zhong An couldn’t quite articulate it, but felt something wasn’t right. “Bai Yu, you…”
At that moment, Physician Ji entered.
The two men said no more.
The matter of Xiao Wei and Ding Gou nearly coming to blows was something both sides, by tacit agreement, didn’t mention before Mo Zi. However, when Physician Ji said Xiao Wei’s shoulder wound had split quite badly, she felt somewhat guilty, thinking she had used too much force when reversing their grips.
After nearly a month of sailing, Mo Zi set foot on the soil of Daqiu’s royal capital. Gazing at everything both familiar and strange, her thoughts were simply: Finally here again. This capital she had once never wanted to enter again, yet always knew she would return to—would it become her grave, or her foundation? Hard to say. Her appointment with Wu Yan was set for the Qingming Festival, still seven or eight days away, giving her time to predict her own future with more accuracy.
Left You introduced a cloth merchant to her, and she sold her goods without much hagaining. Then, using Xiao Wei’s need for recuperation as an excuse and agreeing on a departure date for the return journey, she broke away from Left’s fleet and sought out a secluded small port on the city’s outskirts to dock. She rented a garden residence in the city on a short-term lease and, taking advantage of Xiao Wei’s convalescence while he couldn’t supervise her, urgently began inquiring about Dou Lü and Jin Yin’s whereabouts.
As for her three yet-unacknowledged cousins, they first departed casually before Left You, then boarded the ship after Xiao Wei and his party disembarked, joining Stinky Fish and the others in maintaining and improving various parts of the vessel. The youngest, Min Gui, exclaimed he’d entered a great treasure trove. Min Feng exercised an older brother’s prerogative, repeatedly reminding her to always carry his poison needles. Min Zhen simply ignored her—she gave him a blueprint and told him to construct it as quickly as possible, and he became completely immersed in it.
After a day of inquiries that left her feeling like a headless fly, Mo Zi calmed down from her anxiety and thought of a place to go.
“The flower market?” Ding Gou looked at the bustling street. “What information can we gather here?”
“Dou Lü loves flowers. Wu Yan is most likely just keeping her under house arrest and wouldn’t refuse her requests to grow flowers. To grow flowers, one needs flower seeds and seedlings. There are several nurseries here that supply flowers to the palace—perhaps we can find clues.” Especially since Dou Lü was clever, she might use this to leave hints.
The Green Peony Garden was Daqiu’s most prosperous nursery. Daqiu had strong sandstorms and a dry, cold climate, making famous flowers difficult to cultivate. The more difficult it was, the more wealthy families sought them. The finest peonies could fetch ten thousand gold. This garden had many peony varieties and even had a contract with the palace, reserving the best for the palace to view first.
Mo Zi, Zan Jin, and Ding Gou wandered inside for quite a while. Of course they had no interest in buying flowers, but listened carefully to the shop assistants talking to customers. Their luck was good—indeed, they made a discovery.
A customer asked an assistant: “Where are the Yao Huang seedlings? When I came a few days ago, I saw seven or eight plants.”
The assistant replied: “Someone from the palace came and bought them all. Not just Yao Huang, but also Dou Lü, Ge Jin, Mo Zi, Jiang Zhu—several of each variety. The boss was so happy his eyes became slits.”
The customer said in wonder: “In previous years the palace never wanted so many peonies. Could they have gotten a good gardener? Besides, I heard Consort Xiangfei doesn’t like peony flowers.”
The assistant replied again: “Though it was a palace order, they weren’t sent into the palace.”
Hearing this, Ding Gou’s eyes lit up. “Mo Zi, you guessed right. We just need to find a way to get information from the assistant’s mouth, and we’ll likely know where she is.”
Mo Zi had only taken one step forward when someone grabbed her sleeve.