As Li Guangcai noticed Cui Fu’s arrival, he quickly descended from the ship, attentively inquiring about her well-being.
At that moment, the Prince of Huaiyang Cui Xingzhou approached. Displeased with how Zhao Quan held the parasol for Mian Tang, allowing some sunlight through, he took the large umbrella himself and carefully shielded Mian Tang completely.
Mian Tang smiled sweetly at him. Noticing his sun-reddened cheekbones, she felt concerned. She took out a small porcelain jar from her bosom and applied some ointment to his face with her fingertip. “Last time I saw you in the sun, your shoulders were sunburnt. I had Li Mama refine goose fat and mix it with snow lotus powder to make this salve. It can soothe the burning sensation. Don’t forget to apply it yourself.”
After days of recovery, Zhao Quan had finally calmed the lingering fear from that terrifying night. However, seeing Mian Tang’s attentive and virtuous demeanor, he still felt a disconnect with the fierce woman he had encountered before. This admirable beauty before him didn’t match the female warrior from that day.
Recently, his most frequent advice to close friends had been: “Don’t sleep too soundly at night. No matter how good a couple’s relationship is, it can’t last forever.” Usually, couples might argue behind closed doors, at worst resulting in some scratches from the wife. But the Prince of Huaiyang’s wife, if truly angered, might chop off heads.
The Prince of Huaiyang, however, seemed unconcerned and said with a half-smile, “Wouldn’t that be better? Then brother Jiayu could fulfill his wish.”
But Zhao Jiayu shook his head vigorously. Only now did he understand why Cui Xingzhou hadn’t truly been angered by his offensive words during his bewitched state. The Prince had known all along that the woman he married wasn’t someone just anyone could handle.
So now, looking at this seemingly divine couple, Zhao Quan felt less jealousy and more genuine admiration.
Meanwhile, hidden in the concealed forest, Takatsuji watched this scene through a Western telescope, his heart churning. He had only heard that Liu Mian Tang was the Prince of Huaiyang’s wife, but seeing the couple’s affection firsthand, watching that delicate figure embraced by another man, caused him great distress.
As the group walked deeper into the camp and out of sight, he stubbornly kept his telescope trained on the carriage the princess had arrived in, his eyes betraying a hint of darkness.
A Japanese subordinate asked quietly, “General, we’ve been observing outside the naval camp for some time. The others have already contacted black market merchants to load food onto the ships. Shouldn’t we leave now?”
Takatsuji lowered his telescope and said, “No hurry. Let the grain ships return first; we’ll stay here. The Prince of Huaiyang is building warships at such a rapid pace. If he succeeds, it will be greatly disadvantageous to us. It’s more important to investigate his next move and gather information about the new warships.”
After a pause, he added, “Let’s find a place to rest for now. We’ll infiltrate the camp tonight. We must locate the new warships and damage them as much as possible!”
With that, he led his men to a deserted hillside. They ate the rice balls they had brought and lay down fully clothed, waiting for nightfall.
As night fell, Takatsuji led his men into the water from a distance, swimming to the outskirts of the camp. The dark, starless night favored their infiltration.
The camp’s walls extended to the riverbed, making it impossible to pass above or below water.
However, Takatsuji had brought experienced pirates. The Japanese men took turns diving underwater, using specialized short blades to cut a suitable-sized hole in the wooden palisade. They successfully entered the naval camp.
Takatsuji cautiously poked his head out, orienting himself. He had carefully observed during the day, noting potential shipbuilding locations. Recognizing the direction, he swam toward those areas.
His luck held. At the second location, he discovered an enormous shipyard – the site for building new warships. The yard was brightly lit, and from afar, three massive ship frames stood tall. Countless figures bustled about, laying planks and assembling keels.
These warships weren’t entirely new. They were ships requisitioned from Jiangzhe and modified for sea battles based on existing designs.
Seeing the extended decks on the three enormous ship frames, Takatsuji’s Japanese subordinates gasped.
The sheer size of the frames hinted at the immensity of the modified warships, capable of withstanding fierce storms and waves.
If these three main battleships were completed, even the land troops of Zhenzhou, inexperienced in naval warfare, could cross the strait and land on the pirate island.
In close-quarters combat with swords and blades, their ragtag band of ronin would be no match for Cui Xingzhou’s troops!
Realizing this, Takatsuji knew they absolutely couldn’t allow the warships to be completed.
Though the shipyard was large, it was also heavily guarded. Guards stood every five steps, sentries every ten, with several groups of soldiers patrolling. With their small number, neither stealth nor force would get them inside the shipyard.
Thus, Takatsuji’s original plan to set fire to the ships using vegetable oil was foiled.
He carefully examined other parts of the shipyard, noting the massive ram glinting in the lamplight, catapults taller than the highest pavilions in the Dayen capital, and thick iron armor protecting the hull-like city walls. His heart raced involuntarily.
It is the fighting spirit that ignites ambitious hearts when faced with a formidable opponent.
Suddenly, he saw several carpenters walk onto the deck where they were hiding. They lit their pipes, puffing away to relieve fatigue while talking.
Takatsuji had a subordinate fluent in Chinese sink down and swim beneath their feet to eavesdrop. One carpenter said, “The current rudder won’t do. With such a massive hull, the rudder will bear too much force and break after a few days. How should we explain this to the foreman tomorrow?” Another replied, “Whether it works or not doesn’t matter now. Master Xie will solve it.”
A third asked, “Master Xie? I’ve been hearing about him these past few days, but I don’t know who he is.”
“You were off work that day, visiting your wife! This Master Xie is a shipbuilding expert, reportedly invited by the Prince of Huaiyang from Jiangzhe. The prince personally brought him to inspect that day. As expected of a master, he just walked around once, and most of our previous work was scrapped. They say we’ll rebuild once Master Xie finishes the new designs.”
Hearing this, another man spat into the water and cursed, “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I’ve been racking my brains, wondering how to explain to the foreman!”
The man continued, “Anyway, take it easy with the work these couple of days. It’ll be a wasted effort otherwise. I heard Master Xie is unwell from the change in environment. After inspecting the warships that day, he fell ill. It’ll probably be a few days before we see the new designs!”
For the remaining time, the two men envied the treatment the Prince of Huaiyang gave Master Xie, finished their pipes, and returned to work.
From their idle chat, Takatsuji learned that Master Xie must be the expert hired by the Prince of Huaiyang to modify the warships. Due to his illness, he was arranged to rest in a large mansion near the river.
Hearing this, Takatsuji’s eyes lit up. He quietly ordered his men to swim away from the shipyard.
In two months, it would be the season of continuous typhoons in the North Sea. If they could delay the ships from setting up masts on their frames, these half-finished structures would be shattered in the typhoons.
According to Shi Yikuan’s secret letter, the court was displeased with Cui Xingzhou’s frequent requests for funds to build warships. They believed he should focus on defending the North Sea land and not engage in naval battles.
If his warship construction didn’t go smoothly, wasting military funds, those court officials would give the prince a hard time!
Takatsuji decided to assassinate Master Xie.
Without this shipbuilding expert’s guidance, the Prince of Huaiyang’s new warships would fail midway, or at least be delayed. Even if the prince was lucky enough to avoid the typhoons, Takatsuji would have time to deal with him and his warships.
So, Takatsuji led the Japanese men back along their original route, swimming to the palisade and crawling out through the underwater hole.
The Japanese had long terrorized the area, naturally bribing local ruffians and idlers as their informants.
So, knowing Master Xie’s lodging place, finding his temporary residence was easy.
Master Xie came from a distinguished background. Those who could usually engage his services were no ordinary people, so his requirements for lodging were far more exacting than the Prince of Huaiyang’s.
Official Su had run himself ragged and talked himself hoarse before finally persuading a local noble family to temporarily lend a suitable house and courtyard for Master Xie and his apprentices.
Unfortunately, due to eating some spoiled fruit during the journey, Master Xie had been suffering from diarrhea for three days. Initially, they thought a few doses of anti-diarrheal medicine would suffice, but unexpectedly, his condition worsened.
At this point, Cui Xingzhou couldn’t risk losing the expert he had worked so hard to invite, so he sent Zhao Quan personally to check his pulse.
Today, the Prince of Huaiyang had originally planned to come as well, but envoys from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War arrived to audit the accounts for his shipbuilding project.
Unable to get away, Cui Xingzhou had his wife, Liu Mian Tang, take his place in visiting Master Xie with some tonics to show the prince’s attentiveness.
As she dismounted from the carriage, Liu Mian Tang surveyed the surroundings and frowned. She addressed the captain of the guards assigned by the prince to protect Master Xie: “Who chose this residence? It’s surrounded by water on three sides, with channels everywhere. If someone were to sneak in through the water, we’d have no time to react.”
The captain also wore a bitter expression as he replied, “In response to the princess, it was Master Xie himself who chose this place. I initially told him this residence was unsuitable and suggested finding another. But Official Su and Master Xie both snapped at me. Official Su had already looked at several places, and Master Xie wasn’t satisfied. Now that he finally found one he liked, if we insisted on changing, they might have torn me apart and eaten me with sauce…”
Zhao Quan joked from the side, “What’s the matter? Has the princess been studying feng shui recently? Have you discovered this is an unlucky house?”
It was Liu Mian Tang who had “calculated” that Marquis Zhao’s return journey wouldn’t be smooth, leading to his extended stay in the North Sea. Could it be that the former bandit leader was planning to use the same trick to keep Master Xie here as well?