After the fifth day spring banquet, everyone anxiously anticipated that something momentous would happen, but days flowed by like water.
Song Muchuan was building ships, constructing towering structures from flat ground—such a massive undertaking wouldn’t show any obvious results in just a few short days. The Qi people searched the city day after day, yet still knew nothing about the whereabouts of Prince Ling’an and Xie Zhu.
Life at Wangxue Manor continued with its everyday family matters.
Xie Sui’an remained behind closed doors all day, using the excuse of recuperating from illness in her room, and in doing so, she seemed to take away all the vitality from the entire household.
Xie Queshan had also relented, ending Lu Jinxiu’s confinement and allowing her to accompany their daughter.
Madam Gantang managed all household affairs, looking every bit as if she intended to make Wangxue Manor her permanent residence. Finally, someone found this strange and asked when she would return to her husband’s family—or rather, when would the Marquis of Pingnan come to Li Du Mansion?
Only then did Madam Gantang speak words that were earth-shattering: “I’ve divorced the Marquis of Pingnan.”
Everyone was greatly shocked. Even the Grand Madam was so agitated that she pointed at Gantang’s face and scolded: “Such a monumental matter—how could you not tell us?!”
Feeling somewhat guilty after all, Madam Gantang replied: “Well, none of you asked me.”
It turned out that when Yucheng fell, the Marquis of Pingnan surrendered without a fight, and had even intended to present his own wife to the Qi army leader as a gesture of goodwill. That very night, Madam Gantang left behind a divorce letter, stole the Marquis’s military seal, and made her way to the army camp under cover of darkness.
That night, the army camp was brilliantly lit, bright as daylight itself. The soldiers were all restless and anxious, uncertain where their future would lie after this night passed. Until that figure, not particularly tall, walked through the torchlight and stood before all the troops. When the black hooded cloak was removed, it revealed a woman’s plain, clean face.
Holding up the military seal, she declared loudly to everyone: “Those unwilling to surrender, take up your weapons and follow me.”
And so, a woman who had lived deep within the inner quarters, the first time she ever stepped out of the household compound, took the tiger seal and led an army of several hundred men, crossing mountains and rivers to return to Li Du Mansion.
Of course, Madam Gantang naturally omitted this part of the story, only saying that she and the Marquis of Pingnan had fundamental disagreements and could not work together.
The old lady ultimately could only sigh deeply several times. With the war having reached such a state, there really wasn’t much point in discussing womanly virtue and face anymore—being alive was the greatest fortune. Since her granddaughter had returned and brought back her great-grandsons as well, this was family reunion.
Having experienced so many consecutive events, the old lady’s mindset had suddenly become peaceful, and she even didn’t find Xie Queshan quite so irritating anymore.
Now, the only thing weighing on her heart was Xie Zhu.
Xie Sui’an leaned against her grandmother’s knees, using thick layers of rouge and powder to conceal her swollen eyes from crying, comforting her: “Third Uncle will surely be safe.”
Under the sunlight, the old lady stared in a daze at the white flowers quietly pinned in Xie Sui’an’s hair at her temples, but in the end, she didn’t voice her question.
And so they passed peacefully until the day of the Lantern Festival.
During this time, Nanyi was either learning to read account books or studying literacy, maintaining peaceful coexistence with Xie Queshan. Having grown accustomed to living in constant anxiety, after several days of tranquil life, she kept feeling that things were too quiet—something wasn’t right. Would the Candle Bureau really keep Xie Zhu and Prince Ling’an hidden without making any moves? Would Madam Gantang not go to Tiger Kneel Mountain to see the Yucheng Army? Did the Qi people know… and if they did, why weren’t they searching?
These questions constantly circled in her mind, but reached no conclusions. In the remaining time when she wasn’t worrying, she ate when she should eat, drank when she should drink, slept full hours, and conserved her energy.
Until the Lantern Festival, when Xie Sui’an suddenly used the excuse of wanting fresh air to go out.
Before this, Nanyi hadn’t seen her for several days. Xie Sui’an appeared to have returned to normal, but with walls having ears and the surroundings not being suitable for conversation, she only mysteriously left Nanyi with one message.
“At dusk during the lantern festival, there will be a flower-lantern painted boat traveling the river departing from Li Du Mansion. At the third quarter of the shen hour, the painted boat will dock at Yongguiqiao. You must find a way to bring Sister Qiu and Third Aunt to the ferry dock at the bridge head to board the boat—someone will be there to receive you.”
Nanyi’s heart skipped a beat, thinking that it had finally come—the Candle Bureau must be preparing to transport Xie Zhu out of Li Du Mansion.
Then, inexplicably, she felt a wave of relief. She knew that finally there was something that could lift Xiaoliu’s spirits.
——
This painted boat belonged to Guilai Hall.
The painted boat was prepared for Wanyan Jun and those Qi people. On Lantern Festival night, the painted boat would cross the Quleng River. After the passengers on board finished watching the fireworks and rested for the night, they would wake the next day to find the painted boat had reached the Yangtze River, returning to Li Du Mansion in the afternoon.
To the Qi people, the Yangtze River represented a natural barrier, but they were already making preparations for naval warfare. Wanyan Jun was particularly obsessed with this, so he proposed borrowing the painted boat for pleasure cruising to first take in the scenery of the Yangtze River.
Such a luxurious painted boat would have been rare even in the former capital of Bianjing. Everything in sight consisted of precious and rare treasures, yet they weren’t the kind of gaudily glittering, vulgar objects.
This painted boat was Zhang Yuehui’s masterpiece, with decorations everywhere showcasing his refined taste.
On the boat was an enormous screen inlaid with colorful, translucent glass, said to be a craft technique from the Western lands. The flowing light from outside struck the glass, refracting into dazzling little spots.
At this moment, the painted boat had not yet begun boarding passengers and was completely empty. Zhang Yuehui sat behind the glass screen playing the qin, with colorful lights and shadows flowing over him. The qin’s sound was clear and resonant, distant and melancholy—he seemed isolated from this world, a lonely soul that neither gods nor ghosts could approach.
Away from the crowds and revelry that usually surrounded him, when he was alone, his face always carried a somewhat travel-worn loneliness.
Hearing approaching footsteps, he was in no hurry to lift his head. His fingers plucked the strings faster and faster, harmonizing with the approaching footsteps, building the piece to a magnificent climax.
Then his palm pressed down, stopping the strings’ vibration, and the music ended abruptly at its peak. He was just that kind of person who didn’t concern himself with conventional rules.
Looking up casually, he saw that Chang Yan had arrived.
“Master, Xie Liu came to see me. They’re arranging for Xie Zhu and Prince Ling’an to leave today.”
Zhang Yuehui’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
“What is your assigned task?”
“To escort Xie Zhu onto this painted boat.” With the urgent circumstances, Chang Yan had seized a moment to hurriedly report, speaking faster and faster with growing anxiety. “The Candle Bureau has actually infiltrated our Guilai Hall and replaced all the boat’s attendants with their own people. At the third quarter of the shen hour, the first boarding at Yongguiqiao ferry—Xie Zhu will board the boat. After they confirm the boat is safe, they’ll send a signal. At the sixth quarter of the shen hour, when the painted boat passes through the Sifang Bridge lock, Prince Ling’an will board from there. They plan to use the painted boat to enter the Yangtze River right under the Qi people’s noses.”
His index finger gently twisted and plucked, leisurely strumming the strings, producing several tuneless notes. Zhang Yuehui was deep in thought, and Chang Yan dared not interrupt him.
After a long while, he said: “Go back. Do whatever Xie Xiaoliu tells you to do, and don’t reveal any flaws.”
Chang Yan was greatly alarmed: “Master, aren’t you going to notify the Qi people to arrest them?”
His eyes remained languid: “The big fish comes later. What’s the point of catching just Xie Zhu? Let the Candle Bureau people busy themselves first. Once they’ve set up their plan and the Qi people become anxious, then we can demand a higher price.”
“…Yes.”
“Mm… tell the people below that during the first boarding at Yongguiqiao, don’t inspect too strictly. Also, remove all the valuable items from the painted boat and replace them with replicas. If the fighting gets fierce and the treasures on the boat get damaged, we’d suffer a real loss.”
“Yes.”
Although she was already accustomed to her master’s methods, Chang Yan still felt somewhat speechless. The enemy had already thrust their blade into your bedding, yet you were still worried about not tearing the brocade on the quilt.
But her master had a miraculous quality—when he made up his mind about something, he never miscalculated.
At least, not so far.
“Tonight, for this Lantern Festival painted boat, I’ll let the Candle Bureau put on their show. I suppose I’ll just have to humble myself and join the festivities at the lantern fair.”
Zhang Yuehui produced from somewhere a mask of a New Year picture doll. The mask seemed somewhat old, and judging by its craftsmanship, it wasn’t a valuable item—completely at odds with his usual refined taste. When he fastened it to his face, he looked the very picture of kindness and festive cheer.
With an air of elegant nonchalance, he swept his sleeves and departed.
——
Today, unfortunately, was particularly inconvenient—Sister Qiu and Third Aunt had gone early in the morning to burn incense at the Lady Temple in the western part of the city.
Xie Sui’an herself had a pile of matters to handle outside and hadn’t given them advance notice. She was also afraid that if they knew beforehand, they might show some abnormality, behave suspiciously, or pack valuables, which could be detected by others, making departure impossible.
But since this task was the one and only thing Xie Sui’an had entrusted to her, Nanyi absolutely had to get them onto the painted boat.
Before dusk had even arrived, the streets were already bustling with activity. The Qi people’s rule over Li Du Mansion was indeed a combination of firmness and flexibility. To ensure that the shipbuilding industry, which had just begun to show promise, wouldn’t be hindered, their benevolent treatment of the people naturally couldn’t stop, so they hadn’t prohibited this year’s Lantern Festival.
Not only had they not prohibited it, but to demonstrate the peaceful prosperity under Qi rule, they had made it even more lavish. Li Du Mansion hadn’t been this lively for a very long time.
The main avenue was already hung with continuous strings of flower lanterns. Due to the massive crowds, the authorities had banned carriages and horses on the main roads—anyone wanting to reach the Lady Temple could only go on foot.
No matter how prosperous and dazzling the bustling streets were, they couldn’t capture Nanyi’s attention at this moment. Like a mudfish, she kept her head down and pushed forward through the crowd, single-mindedly focused on quickly finding Sister Qiu and her group. But when passing a small mask stall, Nanyi’s steps still paused.
In the bronze mirror hanging from the small stall, she saw her own hurried reflection.
She looked far too furtive.
So she casually bought a fox mask and put it on her face, concealing all her expressions. No one could possibly recognize her now, allowing her to charge forward without restraint.
Suddenly, she collided with someone.
Looking up in panic, she saw a person wearing a New Year picture doll mask.
The man was quite tall, and the mask was truly festive, giving one the illusion that the face behind the mask must be equally kind.
This mask seemed somewhat familiar, though she couldn’t recall where she’d seen it before.
With her heart full of urgency and no time for detailed thought, Nanyi hurriedly bowed and apologized. The surrounding clamor of voices drowned out her words entirely.
Zhang Yuehui didn’t hear what she said clearly, thinking it was likely just a polite apology anyway, so he didn’t pay much attention. But the woman seemed to be in a hurry—she didn’t even wait for his response before rushing away.
Instinctively, he turned to look back, but she had already disappeared into the sea of people.