Takatsuji, his arm previously dislocated by Cui Xingzhou, had escaped and had it reset by his subordinates. However, the acupuncture points where silver needles had pierced still throbbed with pain. He boarded the ship at the dock, his face grim as he cradled his arm.
Looking back, mist-shrouded the distant shore, but Takatsuji could still hear the gentle voice of the woman he had encountered. Ever since catching a fleeting glimpse of her through his Western telescope on the hill, he had been obsessed, unable to forget her.
Finally, accompanied by several subordinates fluent in Chinese, he returned to land. By chance, they came across a medical tent in Cangwu County. When the woman alighted from her carriage, though veiled and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, her graceful figure and refined demeanor were unmistakable.
Takatsuji immediately rushed to join the queue. While waiting, he overheard local villagers’ gossip and learned that this heavenly beauty was none other than the wife of Da Yan’s commander-in-chief, the Prince of Huaiyang.
He found this unsurprising; such exquisite beauty could hardly be unattached. In his homeland of Japan, a woman of such caliber would never belong to just one man. Her beauty could topple nations, inspiring men to willingly risk their lives to possess her.
Takatsuji always pursued what he desired, and he was determined to have this married woman for himself. As he pondered this, his injured hand throbbed again, reminding him that this alluring flower was not only guarded by fierce dogs but also had thorns of her own.
It was natural for a military commander’s wife to have learned some martial arts from her husband, he reasoned. Mere parlor tricks, nothing to worry about. He had been caught off guard twice, bewitched by her beauty. Realizing this, Takatsuji felt frustrated.
Once he captured her and disemboweled her current husband before her eyes, she would understand who her new master truly was. The thought ignited a long-dormant competitive spirit in Takatsuji. “Cui Xingzhou,” he thought, “the North Sea will be your final resting place!”
Mian Tang remained unaware of the sinister intentions brewing on a lonely island across the sea.
After being unceremoniously carried to the carriage and then back to the manor by Cui Xingzhou, the Prince of Huaiyang declared, “You are forbidden from leaving the estate! Especially that medical tent – it’s far too crowded. Why expose yourself to the leering eyes of those mongrels?”
Mian Tang, cradling little Yi’er, cooed, “Look, Yi’er, your father is roaring like an old tiger. But we’re not scared, are we?” She then playfully nudged her husband’s stern face with their son’s chubby foot.
Cui Xingzhou’s authority crumbled beneath his son’s tiny, sweaty foot. He took the child and pinched his mischievous wife’s cheek. “Are you teaching our son to defy his father to avenge his mother?”
Mian Tang smiled, embracing both father and son. “You are the lord of Huaiyang Manor. How could I dare? If you wish me to stay, I shall. I can help my sister with the accounts.”
Reassured, Cui Xingzhou left when his subordinates arrived, unable to return home for the next few days as he patrolled the coastline.
Cui Fu, upon hearing that the Marquis of Zhennan would arrive the next day, realized the guest quarters lacked suitable furniture. She selected decent pieces from various rooms in her residence to furnish the Marquis’s chambers. She also instructed servants to fumigate the rooms with fragrant herbs to repel insects. After all, it wouldn’t do for their distinguished guest to be swatting cockroaches with his shoe.
Once prepared, the quarters looked presentable. Though far from the grandeur of the capital’s royal mansions, they would suffice. Everything was ready for the Marquis’s arrival.
Just two days prior, Cui Fu had married Mr. Li Guangcai in a simple ceremony. He had finally moved into her chambers with his belongings. Mian Tang remembered Cui Xingzhou’s words about Li Guangcai’s ability to win over Cui Fu.
Early the next morning, Mian Tang rose and opened the windows to eavesdrop on the courtyard. Cui Xingzhou teased her, likening her to the gossipy women of Lingquan North Street. She playfully kicked him, gesturing for silence so she could listen.
That day, Cui Fu and her new husband rose slightly late. Li Guangcai got up first, personally fetching hot water from the maids and bringing it into their room. After Cui Fu awoke, they breakfasted together before she saw him off to his duties at the military camp.
Throughout the day, whether embroidering or making shoe soles together, both Cui Fu and Mian Tang wore radiant smiles. Mian Tang once again acknowledged the wisdom of the North Street matrons – a marriage without passion is like porridge without heat.
As Cui Fu basked in newlywed bliss, word came from the relay station that the Marquis of Zhennan would arrive the following day, based on his travel schedule.
The next day, Mian Tang obediently refrained from visiting the medical tent. She inspected the Marquis’s quarters one last time before waiting to discuss the medical shortages affecting North Sea’s citizens with him.
However, from high noon until sunset, the Marquis failed to appear. Unable to wait any longer, Mian Tang returned to her residence. Cui Fu inquired about the Marquis, but Mian Tang shook her head, explaining he hadn’t arrived.
Cui Fu frowned with concern. “Why hasn’t he come? Could something have happened? With Xingzhou and Guangcai both away, we have no one to consult.”
Mama Li, overhearing, suggested, “The Marquis is known for his love of sightseeing. Perhaps he was delayed by some beautiful scenery. We should send out search parties.”
Agreeing with Mama Li’s reasoning, Mian Tang dispatched Fan Hu with a group of guards to search along the expected route.
That night, Mian Tang slept fitfully, her mind troubled. If something had indeed befallen the Marquis within the North Sea’s territory, not only would Cui Xingzhou be devastated at the loss of a dear friend, but they would also struggle to explain the tragedy to the Marquis’s widow and orphans.
As she fretted, the sound of galloping hooves broke the night’s silence. Several guards had returned urgently. Mian Tang hastily donned a robe and hurried to the gate, with Cui Fu close behind.
A maid raised a large lantern, revealing a blood-soaked figure slumped over a horse. The man was helped down before Mian Tang, where he collapsed to his knees.
“Quickly… save my lord… the Marquis… captured by the Japanese,” he gasped before losing consciousness. Mian Tang recognized him as one of the Marquis’s guards.
She immediately summoned a military physician and questioned the returned guards about where they had found the injured man. They explained that they had discovered him stumbling along the road about ten miles out, using his sword as a crutch.
The guard had managed to relay the details of the ambush during the journey back. The Marquis’s party had been attacked on a hillside five or six miles ahead. At midday, as they approached the hill, a volley of arrows felled their horses. A group of Japanese warriors then surrounded them.
The guards fought fiercely to protect the Marquis, retreating gradually but were overwhelmed. This particular guard had been struck multiple times and lost consciousness. When he awoke at nightfall, he found himself among the bodies of his comrades and fallen enemies, with the Marquis nowhere in sight. Realizing his lord must have been taken captive, he struggled to reach the Huaiyang Manor to raise the alarm.
Cui Fu was stunned. “We must send word to Xingzhou immediately! He needs to return and rescue the Marquis!”
Fan Hu hesitated. “My lady, the Prince, and his men have taken to sea. Searching for them would be like finding a needle in a haystack. I fear by the time the Prince returns, we may only be able to recover the Marquis’s remains.”
Cui Fu, who had grown up with Zhao Quan (the Marquis), began to weep at the thought of his death. “How… how will we explain this to the Dowager Marchioness?”
Mian Tang furrowed her brow and retreated to her chambers. She emerged shortly after, dressed in men’s clothing with her long hair neatly tied in a male-style topknot concealed beneath a headscarf. At a glance, she was indistinguishable from any other man in the North Sea.
She tucked a short sword at her back and hid two daggers in the wrappings around her legs. Addressing Fan Hu, she ordered, “Take a few guards and ride immediately to the military camp. Requisition our elite cavalry and head to the hillside where the Marquis was ambushed. I’ll lead Lu Zhong and the others to search for traces on the hill. If we move before the dew obscures the trail, we should be able to determine their general direction from the blood trails.”
Seeing the Princess Consort prepared to personally undertake this dangerous mission, Fan Hu protested anxiously. “Your Highness, please allow us to go in your stead. You mustn’t risk yourself!”
Lu Quan, standing nearby, chuckled. “You lot of wine sacks and rice bags, how could you possibly track those bandits? Today, their ancestral master takes the field. You’re about to learn your measure!”
When it came to kidnapping and ransoming, the Yingshan brothers were old hands, and their leader was the most experienced of all. Surely a few Japanese warriors couldn’t have mastered the art of abduction without a trace?
Lu Yi, however, agreed with Fan Hu, reluctant to see the boss personally venture out.
Mian Tang waved dismissively and strode forward. “Why are you all dithering? If we delay any longer, we’ll truly be escorting the Marquis’s coffin back to Zhenzhou!”