“You should go take a look quickly.” Although Mo Zi didn’t understand the whole story, she could sense it wasn’t good news.
“Come with me.” Yuan Cheng didn’t leave her behind.
Li Yan immediately nodded in agreement. He held Mo Zi in great respect and admiration, not only because of Yuan Cheng, but also because of her character and intelligence. As a woman whose wisdom was not inferior to men’s, she was neither ostentatious nor arrogant. Like water, she could be gentle or strong, yet never had ambitions to dominate alone. She was often seen smiling, and with an ordinary, calm, and kind heart, she inspired those around her to risk their lives protecting her.
Thus, Mo Zi walked alongside Yuan Cheng.
Entering the great hall, they saw three people standing brazenly. The leader had a lean, weasel-like face—slanted eyes, crooked mouth, and a collapsed nose with irregular features. His gaze was shifty. He first cast a disrespectful glance at Yuan Cheng and Li Yan, then stopped on Mo Zi’s face for a long time. His eyes narrowed to slits, his crooked mouth nearly reaching his earlobes, smiling with ill intent.
Mo Zi saw this and sneered inwardly, pretending not to notice.
“Who are you?” Yuan Cheng sat down.
“This humble one is Zhang Mu, military strategist under Tiger King’s command, ranked third. Might the host seated here be Yuan Zhizhou, the elusive dragon who shows his head but not his tail?” Zhang Mu raised his face, looking sideways with arrogance.
“Indeed, I am Yuan.” Yuan Cheng didn’t show a cold face because of the other’s attitude. His expression remained gentle and polite. “Master Zhang, please take the seat of honor.”
Zhang Mu wasn’t courteous. He walked to sit below Mo Zi’s position, his eyes constantly fixing on her face, but his words were disgusting. “Zhang has long heard of Chancellor Yuan’s reputation. Seeing you today, you truly have extraordinary bearing. No wonder the late Emperor called you the Beautiful Chancellor.” Praising someone’s handsomeness wasn’t wrong in itself, but he said it extremely ambiguously, causing unpleasant associations.
Bang—Zhang Zhen’s teacup hit the table heavily.
Yuan Cheng responded with a slight smile. “Master Zhang flatters me too much. I dare not accept such praise.”
“Speaking of which, Chancellor Yuan has been quite wronged. The late Emperor trusted you so much, yet when the new Emperor ascended, he sentenced you to severe punishment. Falling from such heights—that taste must not be pleasant.” Zhang Mu’s expression was cunning.
Mo Zi listened and thought to herself that this person was so self-satisfied and arrogantly rude in his behavior—it seemed that He Hu who sent him wasn’t anything good either.
“When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on someone, it must first test their will through suffering. Although I encountered great disaster, I’ve now recovered.” Far from being someone who would take a loss, Yuan Cheng counterattacked without showing emotion. “Master Zhang, I heard your lord also experienced misfortunes in the Nine Veins Mountain area in the past. It seems the saying ‘heroes aren’t judged by their origins’ truly has merit.”
Mo Zi saw his eyebrows slightly raise, as if inadvertently, but actually deliberately glancing at her. After thinking, she unashamedly asked, “What kind of place is Nine Veins Mountain?”
When she asked this, the strategists on Yuan Cheng’s side laughed out loud.
“Nine Veins Mountain is a famous bandit’s nest, with twenty or thirty mountain strongholds large and small.” Someone said loudly.
Zhang Mu hadn’t expected Yuan Cheng could actually investigate the background they’d carefully hidden. Both shocked and embarrassed, he said, “As Chancellor Yuan said, heroes aren’t judged by their origins. Those who leave their names in history and receive admiration from all—who among them doesn’t have their own past? Even Cao Mengde was born into a eunuch’s family.”
Yuan Cheng nodded with a slight smile. “Exactly so.”
Mo Zi lowered her eyes to drink tea, secretly amused at how this man surnamed Zhang could possibly be Yuan Cheng’s match.
Zhang Mu also realized this and quickly moved to the main topic. “Regarding the cooperation that Chancellor Yuan proposed to Tiger King, Tiger King has carefully considered it and already has an inclination. He specially sent Zhang here to discuss. We all hate court corruption and raise the banner of justice. Only by uniting together can we overthrow the dog Emperor and save the common people.”
“Correct.” Yuan Cheng spoke little, letting the talkative one speak.
“However, since we don’t know each other deeply, we still need the other party to show sincerity.” As Zhang Mu said this, he stared at Mo Zi again.
Mo Zi was annoyed by his staring and coldly stared back. “How can we demonstrate our sincerity?”
Zhang Mu was a petty person with narrow vision. He had already disapproved of Yuan Cheng bringing a woman into the guest hall. Just now when that woman asked an ignorant question, it suddenly put him at a disadvantage. Now she spoke up again, which angered him a bit. He didn’t answer her but questioned Yuan Cheng, “In Chancellor Yuan’s camp, women can also interfere in men’s affairs?”
Yuan Cheng didn’t even blink. “My wife can. Master Zhang need only answer her.”
“Wife?” Zhang Mu looked at Mo Zi’s long flowing black hair—clearly unmarried.
“Otherwise, what does Master Zhang think? Would I be so reckless as to casually bring a woman to meet such an important guest as you?” Yuan Cheng insisted on putting the married hat on himself.
Zhang Mu thought this kind of thing indeed shouldn’t be spoken of falsely, and secretly sighed with regret. “My apologies, my apologies. Chancellor Yuan has good fortune—not only obtaining a beautiful companion, but also a right-hand assistant.”
Yuan Cheng only smiled without speaking.
“This sincerity—?” Mo Zi was impatient.
“Tiger King knows that Chancellor Yuan has already absorbed five rebel armies, one hundred and ten thousand troops, occupying three provincial capitals with growing prestige. Yet our Cao Zi Army has only thirty thousand men, still fighting from the mountains. Now Chancellor Yuan invites us to jointly resist the enemy—we should feel honored. However—” Zhang Mu’s words took a turn. “Everyone knows the Cao Zi Army was the first force to dare kill corrupt officials. Tiger King has strong martial arts, both courage and strategy, clear distinction between good and evil, winning the hearts of Nande people. His command is filled with talented people, and his officers and soldiers are skilled in battle, able to fight one against a hundred. Therefore, the first requirement is to honor Tiger King as supreme, with the Yiyuan Army under our Cao Zi Army.”
At this, bang bang bang bang—over ten teacups slapped the table.
Yuan Cheng raised a hand, and the hall immediately quieted. “Master Zhang, please continue.”
Zhang Mu seemed to have anticipated this reaction, his expression unchanged. “Second, Chancellor Yuan’s three provinces are prosperous with grain and silver. If you truly wish to cooperate with Tiger King, bring back with me ten thousand taels of gold, ten thousand measures of grain, and one hundred beautiful women—”
Mo Zi laughed out loud.
With her laugh, Li Yan and Zhang Zhen also laughed, and the strategists all laughed too, their laughter growing louder and louder.
Zhang Mu still had some ability. He kept a straight face, not saying a word, watching them laugh until the laughter subsided before asking knowingly, “Why does Madam laugh?”
“I laugh because—” I’ve seen shameless people, but never anyone this shameless. Ten thousand taels of gold, ten thousand measures of grain, one hundred beautiful women? Truly from a bandit’s nest, not afraid of open robbery. Mo Zi’s autumn eyes flowed, captivating the soul, yet she said, “Tiger King is truly a heroic man, so straightforward. This woman admires him greatly. Master Zhang is also quite extraordinary. Speaking of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Kongming’s astounding Empty Fort Strategy—you can rival him.”
Ding Gou, sitting in the corner, spat out a mouthful of tea. He was now also a guest at Yuan Cheng’s table, muttering to himself, “To say such disgusting words—I have to hand it to her.”
Zhang Mu’s ears weren’t soft. “Madam need not speak sarcastically. Since Zhang dares to come make demands, naturally I have something to rely on. The dog Emperor’s one hundred thousand troops have been trying to suppress our Cao Zi for over half a year now—why haven’t they hurt our foundation, but instead let us kill over half of them?”
“Rumor has it Tiger King has divine arts, with heavenly troops descending miraculously, attacking unprepared several times, catching government troops off guard.” Yuan Cheng’s gaze swept over the now-proud Zhang Mu again. “However, I find such things hard to believe. Xin Province and Chen Province are water regions—rivers connect to canals, canals connect to alleys, and every alley has water. Presumably you come and go via waterways. The court’s troops have also been corrupt for a long time—dull weapons, lazy people. Their strength is inferior to the hard-working farmers tilling the land, much less comparable to you fighting locally with familiarity of the terrain, thus difficult to achieve victory.”
Zhang Mu snorted. “You only guessed half. You should know the navy has tightly sealed the river mouths. Without miraculous methods, how could we enter and exit at will?”
“Miraculous methods or secret waterways?” Mo Zi couldn’t be fooled.
Zhang Mu struggled to defend. “So what if you know it’s secret waterways? You and those government troops are the same—you’ll absolutely never find them. If you enter from mountain paths, once you enter the deep mountains, your vision goes dark, just waiting to be slaughtered by us.”
“One secret waterway and you expect people to obey your master?” Mo Zi found it laughable. “Generally speaking, such waterways are either dangerously turbulent or narrow and easily concealed—large ships can’t navigate them. Even if you come and go freely, with the rivers sealed, manpower, material resources, and supplies are difficult to replenish. You can only live off the mountain, and when winter comes, life will be hard. Your master understands this clearly, which is why he’s willing to unite. Right now, only if the Yiyuan Army attacks Xin Province and Chen Province from the front while the Cao Zi Army flanks from behind, with both armies attacking from two sides, can we drive out the court’s troops. Otherwise, the longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it becomes for you, until you can no longer resist. Without anyone entering the mountains to attack you, you’ll perish on your own.”
“A woman’s opinion, speaking nonsense.” Zhang Mu heard her sentence them all to death, his eyelids twitching rapidly. “I want silver and grain, which I can still understand. But what do you want beautiful women for?” Mo Zi continued speaking her piece. “Could it be you really plan for long-term warfare and want to cultivate the next generation in the mountains?”
Another roar of laughter, and this time even Yuan Cheng couldn’t help but be amused.
“You… you…” Zhang Mu was so angry he stuttered. Unable to out-argue her, he could only protest to her husband. “Chancellor Yuan, your wife speaks too outrageously. I came here with sincerity to discuss matters, not to be insulted by a woman. If you don’t control her, then Zhang will take his leave now. The Cao Zi Army will never again have any possibility of uniting with the Yiyuan Army.”
“Master Zhang, please calm down. My wife is straightforward and speaks her mind—she’s actually worried about the Cao Zi Army’s predicament.” Yuan Cheng still couldn’t let him leave.
“Chancellor Yuan should worry about your own predicament instead. Even if your esteemed wife is correct and we can’t hold out and get destroyed, the court’s next target will be you. If it weren’t for Tiger King holding back the government troops, how could you have absorbed this one and recruited that one, expanding so quickly?” This was why Zhang Mu was so arrogant and domineering. “Don’t treat Tiger King as a fool. Unite? Can you guarantee you have no intention of swallowing up Cao Zi? Without benefits, why would you help us? It goes both ways.”
“Master Zhang misunderstands. It’s precisely because we know the court will deal with us, and rather than let them defeat us one by one, that our Chancellor Yuan wants everyone to bind together tightly.” Li Yan had laughed enough and understood Yuan Cheng’s intention to keep the guest. “We also understand Tiger King’s requirements. This is no small matter—please allow us to discuss it. Master Zhang has traveled a long distance. I’ve already prepared the best rooms at the inn along with fine wine and delicacies to host you. Rest for the night, and hear our reply tomorrow—is that acceptable?”
Zhang Mu actually wouldn’t really leave either. “Now that’s more like it. We make demands and conditions—you can refuse to agree, but you shouldn’t be rude to me. Even if business doesn’t work out, benevolence remains. And don’t forget, your side still has twenty-some people being our guests.”
Watching Zhang Mu swagger away, Mo Zi wrinkled her nose. “Zhang Mu, Zhang Mu—weasel-faced and rat-eyed, relying on a dog’s head, using the tiger’s power to intimidate.”
Yuan Cheng laughed and praised her. “What a clever mind!”