Outside the cabin door, Xiao Xueya, who had been gripping the railing as if listening to the wind by the sea, walked away expressionlessly.

He had come to report on the follow-up matters of clearing out the Sea-Riding Gang, and incidentally to observe what kind of interaction this mysteriously-originated Young Master Mu had with the Crown Princess.

As for why he would report back in the dead of night, it was naturally because he never let official business carry over to the next day.

As for why he would come to observe the Crown Princess’s private interactions with others—something he wouldn’t normally concern himself with—it was naturally because he was currently responsible for escorting the Crown Princess, so he should pay closer attention to those around her.

He touched his chest, where several letters sent by the Xiao family lay stiff and unyielding.

The letters contained weeping, pleas for help, angry reproaches, and what seemed to be the most concrete depiction of the grand vision that filled his heart, his lifelong ambitions.

In the cabin, Murong Yi suddenly laughed loudly: “Shiba, don’t be like this! Oh my, you’re really too enthusiastic!”

In the adjacent room, Tie Ci, who was sitting far away supervising his studies while doing needlework, paused her hand, looked up at him expressionlessly, and her needle took a sharp turn.

Boring drama queen!

Outside the door, Xiao Xueya paused, then continued walking down, his snow-white robes sweeping past the railing.

Murong Yi continued his loud conversation: “Shiba, don’t you think that Xiao Xueya has some problems?”

Tie Ci glared at him. Murong Yi smiled, leaned against the window to wink at her, then gestured toward the outside with his mouth.

Tie Ci smiled: “Not as many problems as you have.”

“Hey, how can you compare me to him?”

“You naturally can’t compare to him.”

Xiao Xueya stopped in his tracks.

“He is a pillar minister.” Tie Ci paused, meeting Murong Yi’s eager, expectant gaze, and said helplessly, “You are the person in my heart.”

Outside the door, Xiao Xueya’s lips pressed into a tight, straight, rigid line.

Murong Yi smiled as if a ten-thousand-petaled lotus flower had bloomed in the dim cabin: “Pillar minister? But this person belongs to the Xiao family. Your Highness, what are you thinking!”

“I only think of the vast territory and the common people.” Tie Ci said calmly, “If his thoughts align with mine, I will respect him, regardless of anything else.”

Outside the door, Xiao Xueya’s hand rested on the railing. His face was quiet and solemn, his eyes black and cold, and in their depths reflected a thousand acres of river water and the bright moon spanning ten thousand li.

“If he’s also like the other members of the Xiao clan, only calculating the three feet in front of him and the gold and jade in his hall, then sooner or later the people of the world will abandon him, or he will first abandon himself—abandon his loyal filial heart, his ambition to save the world, his lifelong obsession, his three-foot green blade.”

Xiao Xueya pressed his hand to his heart. The cold letters felt like a burning knife stabbing there, unable to be extracted or removed.

He slowly walked down the stairs. Behind him, the moonlight was bright as a flying mirror, illuminating the green mountains on both shores and the eternal flow of the river.

Inside the room, having finished their theatrical performance, Tie Ci shook her head and completed her final stitch: “Done.”

Murong Yi excitedly took the gift he had waited all evening for and unfolded it. It was a square piece with ties on both sides—a very simple thing, though it had some embroidery added.

The embroidery depicted…

A lump of cow dung with a fresh flower stuck in it.

Tie Ci made a gesture as if putting on a mask: “Beauty, wrapping cloth around your face is uncomfortable and doesn’t look good. Wear this instead.”

“Um, I’d like to ask what exactly is embroidered on this?”

“My embroidery isn’t like Dan Shuang’s level, but it shouldn’t be so bad that you can’t tell what it is, right?”

Murong Yi muttered: “I want to understand clearly—between the two of us, who is the cow dung and who is the fresh flower?”

“What do you think?” Tie Ci asked with curved eyes, gentle and amiable.

She had originally planned to embroider a flower pattern, but who told him to be so pretentious—so cow dung it was.

Survival instinct absolutely prevented Murong Yi from calling Tie Ci the cow dung.

Tie Ci reached out to snatch it: “If you don’t want to wear it, don’t wear it. If you’re not wearing it, give it back to me.”

Murong Yi quickly put it on. The cow dung was positioned right at his mouth, glaringly bright, while the fresh flower was positioned on the bridge of his nose. Murong Yi kept unconsciously looking at the flower, making him cross-eyed.

Tie Ci laughed herself to death.

She fell asleep while laughing. Moonlight streamed through the porthole and fell across her brow.

Murong Yi didn’t go to sleep. He watched her through the window like he was looking at the most precious treasure in the world.

Unlike before when she would always frown slightly in her sleep, Tie Ci now had relaxed brows and a smile at the corners of her mouth, as if she was having a good dream.

Facing her, Murong Yi pulled up the cow dung and fresh flower mask a bit.

Maybe she could even dream of it in her dreams.

Then she could smile even more happily.

What did it matter if he was cow dung? As long as she was happy, that was good.

…

The ships sailed on the river, clearing out the Sea-Riding Gang as they went.

The Sea-Riding Gang branch halls they encountered later were basically smaller in scale, and Xiao Xueya dealt with them even more thoroughly, like plowing through courtyards and sweeping caves. Later, when the Sea-Riding Gang heard the news and fled, not daring to engage in battle, Xiao Xueya didn’t let them off either, directly setting fire to their water fortresses.

Along the way, whenever water pirates were captured, Xiao Xueya didn’t even ask Tie Ci for instructions—he executed them all, erecting tall poles on the shore and hanging the water pirates’ corpses on the poles. Anyone who came to collect the bodies would be shot on sight.

Wherever his treasure ship passed, tall poles were erected in rows with countless corpses swaying in the wind.

He also ordered the local government to issue proclamations to the people, encouraging them to report clues. Anyone who reported water pirates would be rewarded. Anyone who harbored water pirates would be subject to collective punishment.

Initially, Tie Ci didn’t oppose governing disorder with strict laws and harsh punishments, but after Xiao Xueya ordered rewards for reporting, she raised objections.

Such reporting, if exploited by those with ulterior motives, could easily lead to personal vendettas under the guise of public duty, destroying conscience and corrupting social customs.

However, Xiao Xueya insisted on his position. With water pirates running rampant, if they didn’t use strict laws and harsh punishments to eradicate them completely, they would inevitably return after he left. If this implicated a small number of innocent people, it was still better than the vast majority suffering harm.

He even criticized Tie Ci for being too soft-hearted like a woman, and simply stopped reporting to Tie Ci altogether.

Some of Tie Ci’s people also supported Xiao Xueya. Wan Ji Buqing and others felt that one general’s success required ten thousand bones, and compared to the safety of most people, the innocent sacrifice of a small number was justified.

Tie Ci understood in her heart that this ideological conflict fundamentally stemmed from her master’s teachings that differed from this era, relating to what her master called fundamental issues of human rights, law, and even institutional systems. This cross-era debate was destined to be inconclusive.

On this day, the ship reached Huang Zhou. After another day or two of water travel, they could abandon the ships and go ashore, pass through southwestern Qian Zhou, cross the Wansheng Pass that stood majestically on the border between Qian Zhou and Yannan, and officially enter Yannan.

Huang Zhou was one of the top three large cities under Qian Zhou’s Provincial Administration Commissioner, with gentle terrain and relative prosperity. Early that morning, as soon as the ship reached the ferry, Tie Ci sent someone to the treasure ship to invite Xiao Xueya, asking if he would be willing to accompany her for a stroll around Huang Zhou city.

Dan Shuang, who went to deliver the message, looked puzzled. She felt this proposal would definitely be rejected by the iceberg.

But contrary to her expectations, after a moment of silence, Xiao Xueya actually came to Tie Ci’s ship.

Tie Ci was already standing on deck waiting for him. She wore a vermillion long robe with a jade brush hanging at her waist, her long black hair simply bound up. Standing at the bow in the morning sun, she was so radiant she seemed to merge with the sunlight. Hearing footsteps, she turned back with a smile: “Morning.”

Xiao Xueya gazed at her, remembering when he first saw her in Ziyang. That day the sunlight was obscured by dust, and she looked back in the rolling smoke and dust, making the sky seem several degrees clearer.

As if finding the sunlight dazzling, his pupils contracted slightly, and he gave her a light formal bow.

Having just argued with her two days ago, his expression was somewhat dark.

But Tie Ci acted as if nothing had happened, smiling warmly: “Thank you, General Manager, for being willing to accompany this humble one to see the sights of Huang Zhou… Big Brother Xiao, what do you think of little brother’s outfit today?”

When she said the latter sentence, she lightly spread her arms and spun around, her robe hem spinning open like gentle waves in the sunlight. Her tone also changed to the light, cheerful voice of a young man.

Xiao Xueya’s gaze fell on her waist, which still appeared somewhat slender despite being padded with several layers of cloth, then he looked away: “It is this minister’s duty.”

He didn’t even answer the latter question. Tie Ci didn’t mind, cupped her hands toward him in a gesture, and motioned for him as the “big brother” to go first.

Xiao Xueya’s treasure ship and warship fleet were anchored in a somewhat distant harbor, not at the ferry where they would attract attention.

As the two disembarked here, a sinisterly beautiful face appeared at the cabin entrance over there.

Dan Shuang caught sight of it and her heart tightened.

This was bad! Her Highness invited Xiao Xueya to go sightseeing but couldn’t bring Murong Yi. Wouldn’t this jealous king go crazy?

Tie Ci also saw him and calmly waved toward that direction: “I’ll bring back delicious food for you!”

Murong Yi said nothing, watching those two disembark together—one white, one red, bright and eye-catching. From their backs, you could tell they were a pair of beautiful people.

In the past, others used to look at his and Tie Ci’s backs this way.

Now his woman was paired with someone else like this.

Mu Si kept his head tilted, constantly observing his master’s changing expressions, wanting to see if he would go crazy or make others go crazy.

Would he bang his head against the wall? Would he hang himself? Would he streak naked?

After a moment, Murong Yi’s gaze turned to him: “Si, don’t you think Xiao Xueya’s subordinates look too detestable?”

“I don’t think so.”

Mu Si’s life motto: Do the opposite of whatever the master asks or hints at, and you’ll be right. Go along with him and there’s bound to be trouble.

Murong Yi nodded: “Yes, they’re too detestable. So you take the men and go challenge them.”

Murong Yi’s life motto: Don’t worry about Mu Si’s reaction, just continue, and you’ll be right.

“Challenge them at what? Swimming? Can we northerners compete with professional naval forces at swimming? Are we looking for death?” Mu Si rolled his eyes: “You’re sexually frustrated and can’t take it out on us!”

“Naval forces aren’t only good at swimming. Compete at holding breath underwater, cold resistance, underwater combat… Have you forgotten our thousand-plus days and nights of training in the snowy plains?”

Mu Si snorted. Who cares about you.

The water today was quite cold too.

He turned to leave, but Murong Yi said leisurely behind him: “Fine, I can’t command you anymore. Then I’ll get someone who can. I’ll write to the Great King right now and have you and Zhao San switch places.”

Mu Si stopped in his tracks. After a long while, he whistled. Hearing the whistle, the sailor guards all emerged from various inconspicuous corners.

Murong Yi smiled with satisfaction.

Before Mu Si led people to the treasure ship to provoke—no, to compete—he specifically climbed up the mast, looked ahead, and shouted loudly: “Oh my, Her Highness is feeding Xiao Xueya candy!”

Then he slid down the mast like lightning and left.

Let that jealous king who could see but not touch crash into the walls in his cabin!

…

Of course, Tie Ci wasn’t feeding candy to Xiao Xueya.

But Xiao Xueya was feeding her poison.

Walking beside her at a distance sufficient for two more people, he used his contemptuous and cold tone that sounded uncomfortable no matter how you heard it: “Your Highness, as such a person, should not casually associate with frivolous young men…”

Tie Ci: “…Want some dragon beard candy?”

Xiao Xueya: “Your Highness!”

Tie Ci turned to look at him and blinked: “Frivolous young men? General Manager, don’t always look down on people with slanted eyes from a high position. Be careful that one day a frivolous young man slaps your face.”

Xiao Xueya’s lips twitched, too lazy even to argue.

Tie Ci didn’t say more to him either. She understood Murong Yi’s good qualities, and that was enough.

Those who showed off in front of Murong Yi would sooner or later be struck by lightning.

Huang Zhou’s city gate was right ahead, quite broad and magnificent with impressive grandeur. Both had travel permits already prepared by their subordinates and entered the city smoothly.

Upon entering the city, they saw that the roads were clean, the buildings neat and orderly, and there were quite a few people in the marketplace. Although the passersby weren’t dressed particularly well, they were neat and clean. Xiao Xueya was unmoved by this, his gaze sweeping over the street surface, looking for shops that might interest Tie Ci.

He was naturally extremely disciplined and uninterested in play. Born into the Xiao family, he had seen the most precious things in the world. He didn’t understand what was interesting about this ordinary marketplace. In the past, he would never waste time on such boring activities, but at this moment, he didn’t know how he had come along.

Probably because imperial commands were hard to disobey.

But contrary to his expectations, Tie Ci passed through street after street and marketplace after marketplace without ever stopping.

Far behind in the crowd, a person in a bamboo hat walked unhurriedly, occasionally glancing at the two people ahead.

The two ahead were very eye-catching and not hard to follow, because there were always groups of women passing by, giggling and pointing at those two backs.

The local customs were open, not prohibiting women from going out on the streets. There were even young women who blocked the two people’s path to sing songs. The local people were good at singing, and some ethnic groups liked to court with love songs.

But encountering these two, even a nightingale wouldn’t work. Xiao Xueya’s expressionless face and emotionless eyes froze the girls’ voices with just one look.

Tie Ci was gentle as spring breeze and rain. When people sang, she listened, and after listening, she took out her small purse to give money. This angered the girls, who threw the money back at her. She just smiled and shook her head, picked up the money, and distributed it to the little beggars nearby.

The person in the bamboo hat following behind saw which little beggar tried to snatch a companion’s money and would snatch it back, tossing it into his own sleeve.

Seeing Tie Ci walking farther and farther off course, farther and farther away, as what was originally decent scenery gradually gave way to desolation and decay, Xiao Xueya couldn’t help but stop and ask: “Where does Your Highness wish to go?”

Tie Ci pointed ahead to a large area of broken-down houses by a river. Most were thatched, with mottled and crumbling earthen walls, crooked and collapsing, some barely qualifying as grass huts: “Generally the south side of the city is the slums. That should be about right.”

Xiao Xueya had heard of slums but had never seen them with his own eyes. In his leisure time, he either read or practiced martial arts. Aside from visiting a few lantern festivals in childhood, he had basically grown up in military camps.

His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the muddy ground beneath his feet, mixed with disgusting filth and various debris, at the extremely dense, crowded house layout, and watched Tie Ci walk unhesitatingly into that mud where one could barely set foot. He had no choice but to follow.

With fewer people going toward the slums, the person in the bamboo hat couldn’t follow closely. Watching that place from afar, roughly understanding what Tie Ci was taking Xiao Xueya to do, he immediately smiled with pleasure, leaped onto a nearby rooftop, and lay down contentedly with his hands behind his head.

There was a lazy cat sunbathing on the roof ridge. Seeing him occupy its spot, it meowed in dissatisfaction.

The person in the bamboo hat covered his face with the hat and also meowed.

The cat meowed again.

The person in the bamboo hat said: “Meow, so what if I’m blocking your sun? Can’t you move somewhere else?”

Cat: “Meow!”

The person in the bamboo hat: “Meow, me? I’m not moving. From this angle I can see the entire slum. I want to watch them in case Xiao Wuchang gets too stimulated later and ends up crying on Shiba’s shoulder.”

The cat angrily got up, stepped on his bamboo hat, and left.

The person in the bamboo hat stretched, glanced at the stiffly postured Xiao Xueya in the distance, and laughed.

After just a few steps, Xiao Xueya’s snow-white robe hem was splattered with red and yellow stains, and his snow-satin boots were in a terrible state.

He looked at Tie Ci. She wore a pair of unattractive but sturdy waterproof leather boots with very high tops, and she had already bound her robe at her waist before entering.

The appearance of these two in the poorest part of the south city should have caused a sensation, but wherever they passed, people were tired, numb, aged, and dark. When they saw someone coming, they only lazily lifted their eyelids for a glance.

Looking closer, Xiao Xueya could see that those houses were all very narrow and small, with no courtyards. You could reach the neighbor’s eaves with one stretch of your hand. These so-called houses had broken tiles and shabby walls, with large holes in the wall surfaces growing damp moss. The door panels were all broken wooden boards that creaked and swayed in the wind. Looking inside through the barely covered doorways, aside from being dark, dirty, and foul-smelling, a nauseating odor rushed out, making it hard to believe people could actually live inside.

Xiao Xueya was about to criticize the prefect of this city when he heard Tie Ci say: “These are the better houses. Let me take you to see the shacks and find a place to eat.”

Xiao Xueya was stunned.

This place was already miserable enough, and she wanted to find even worse houses?

Had he offended her, and she was getting revenge on him?