From the wooden building built against the mountain where Hu Shanwei lived, standing at the corner tower looking at clusters of bonfires in the Eastern Waters stronghold, a small stone fell from above, hitting her skirt.
It was Mu Chun again.
Hu Shanwei looked up to see Mu Chun with a rope tied around his waist, holding another in his hand, like a forest ape descending the cliff. In moments he landed on the corner tower roof, untied the rope, then slid down hugging a pillar.
“Why so sneaky? Why not take the stairs?” Hu Shanwei’s heart rippled like the Yazhihe River waters, though her face remained calm as moonlight.
“Ji Gang is guarding the front of the building – inconvenient.” Mu Chun stretched his neck to peer closer. “The journey was tiring – you’ve lost weight, barely any flesh on your face. You look like when I first saw you at the Hu family bookshop.”
Mu Chun leaned too close, his breathing audible. Hu Shanwei’s face heated and heart raced. She instinctively stepped back two paces, her lower back hitting the corner tower railing. “You seem… to have gained weight.”
Mu Chun moved even closer: “Stationed in the rear, daily feasting and drinking, toasting constantly. Besides sword dancing for entertainment, I don’t even touch weapons normally. Not gaining weight would be strange.”
Seeing a wall of flesh pressing forward, Hu Shanwei dodged left.
But Mu Chun suddenly reached out, blocking her path. Nearly brushing Hu Shanwei’s cheek, his palm slapped against the round pillar with a sharp crack.
Hu Shanwei felt her face grow even hotter, silently chanting “Amitabha” to calm her violently beating heart while scolding: “You’re being presumptuous!”
Mu Chun withdrew his hand, waving his palm, calmly retreating: “Don’t misunderstand. I just saw a mosquito about to bite you, so I slapped it dead.”
Mu Chun’s lies were always simple. He was certain Sister Shanwei wouldn’t expose his falsehood, testing boundaries while being playful and coquettish.
Like a cunning cat – today sweeping your teacup with a divine dragon tail whip, tomorrow leaving inky plum blossom pawprints on your unfinished manuscript. Seeing you don’t kick it away, the day after tomorrow it dares climb into bed at midnight, curling up beside your pillow – with its rear end facing your face.
Mu Chun was currently in the second stage. The third stage he only dared realize in dreams.
As Mu Chun released his grip, Hu Shanwei pointed to the corner tower’s round table: “Sit down.”
A table between them was safer.
Mu Chun sat opposite. The table could block his body but not his stream of flirtatious words: “Sister Shanwei, I think we’re especially fated. Last time in Zhouzhi County, hearing someone recite ‘the heartless young master must be charming,’ I knew you were in that bandit den. Today, thousands of miles away, while sword dancing I saw you dirty as a spotted cat, yet still recognized you instantly. Isn’t this fate?”
Hu Shanwei said: “These repeated coincidences are probably because you’re a Great Ming military officer and I’m a Great Ming court official.”
Sister Shanwei wouldn’t take the bait… Mu Chun immediately pointed skyward: “Look at this moon – so big and round, such beautiful moonlight.”
Hu Shanwei: “Because today is the fourteenth of the sixth month.”
Mu Chun said: “I see your seal hall glowing, joy upon your brows – good fortune should come soon.”
Hu Shanwei: “I see your seal hall darkened, probably from daily indulgence in wine and pleasure.”
Mu Chun was secretly delighted – good, developing toward flirtatious banter. He swore to heaven: “I drink wine daily but haven’t touched any women. Ask Chen Xuan and the others if you don’t believe me.”
Just as he finished speaking, a thunderous roar erupted. The southwest corner of the Eastern Waters stronghold blazed with fire reaching the sky. By the clear white moonlight, they could see a watchtower in the southwest direction had completely collapsed, building and mountain stones together.
Ji Gang quickly ran upstairs, shouting loudly: “Lord Mu’s house has been bombed and collapsed! Buried inside, he’s probably in grave danger. Suspect Ma Ye discovered our plan and is desperately lashing out. We must quickly relocate – who goes there!”
“It’s me… the one in grave danger.” Mu Chun said, his gaze sharpening. “You only need to protect Siyan Hu, don’t mind anything else. I’ll go find Lady Liu.”
Mu Chun had no time for stairs, directly tying a rope to the railing and swinging down, light as an ape.
As Mu Chun’s figure disappeared into the moonlight, Ji Gang finally reacted: “How did Mu Chun get here? When did he arrive? How did I not see him?”
Hu Shanwei couldn’t say Mu Chun had rock-climbed for a secret meeting, vaguely saying: “A lapse in tight security, Lord Ji. Mu Chun was testing whether the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s protection was thorough, rappelling down from the mountain.”
Ji Gang felt quite ashamed: “Lord Mu troubled himself unnecessarily.”
Hu Shanwei somewhat pitied Ji Gang: “Fortunately Mu Chun troubled himself, otherwise he’d be buried now while sleeping. Your security lapse saved Mu Chun.”
Ji Gang thought about it and found this quite reasonable. The two canceled each other out – he wasn’t derelict in duty.
From her elevated position, after the explosion, Hu Shanwei saw tree houses outside the Eastern Waters stronghold light up like scattered stars in the forest, with men taking up weapons to assemble.
Mu Chun met Liu Shuzhen halfway as she rushed over. Liu Shuzhen was overjoyed and about to call out when Mu Chun winked at her to stay silent:
“The Eastern Waters Family’s wooden buildings are built against the mountain – so many buildings, yet only mine collapsed. Clearly they’re targeting me specifically. Could be assassins sent by the Northern Yuan Prince of Liang, or Ma Ye’s people. If Ma Ye arrives with troops within half an hour, he’s probably the culprit. Since he’s determined to kill me, even if I appear alive, he’ll call a deer a horse, claiming I’m fake, and shoot me dead with an arrow. So I can’t appear now. Act like you never saw me and continue sending people to dig through the rubble.”
Liu Shuzhen nodded, then asked: “If Ma Ye brings troops to the Eastern Waters stronghold demanding people, how do we respond? Now circumstances have changed – Ma Ye struck early. Our Torch Festival Hongmen Banquet plan to close the gates and corner him is no longer realistic. We need Siyan Hu to announce Empress Ma’s edict early.”
Mu Chun said: “Yes, circumstances change with time. We need to do this…”
Mu Chun whispered a few words, changing the plan.
Half an hour later, a dragon-like line of lights came speeding from outside the mountains, forming ranks at the stronghold gates – Ma Ye leading the Guizhou Guard.
Black cannon muzzles aimed at the stronghold gates, while the Eastern Waters stronghold’s weapons were mostly traditional swords, spears, and bows.
Commander Ma Ye shouted loudly: “You Eastern Waters Family have such audacity, daring to murder a court official! Lord Mu is a first-rank military officer, legitimate eldest son of Marquis Xiping. Today I will definitely level the Eastern Waters Family to avenge Lord Mu!”
Eastern Waters Family leader Liu Shuzhen stood on the gate tower in military attire: “Northern Yuan Prince of Liang spies infiltrated our stronghold, taking advantage of the deep night to bury explosives under Lord Mu’s wooden building. Fortunately, Lord Mu couldn’t sleep tonight and went out for a walk, escaping disaster. We’re now searching the entire stronghold to capture the criminals!”
Ma Ye spat: “Thief crying thief! How do you know they’re Prince of Liang spies? Where is Mu Chun? If he’s still alive, why won’t you let me see him? If you don’t open the gates, I’ll blast them open!”
“The assassins targeted Lord Mu specifically, so he temporarily cannot show himself. Also—” Liu Shuzhen loudly protested innocence:
“Lord Ma, our Eastern Waters Family has always had good relations with the Guizhou Guard. I’ve been unwell recently, recuperating in the stronghold. Every time Lord Mu came to play, though I couldn’t personally accompany him, I still ordered people to warmly receive him. Moreover, recently we had disputes with the Western Waters Family over a silver mine, and Lord Mu spoke righteously, awarding the mine to us. What reason would we have to harm Lord Mu? Lord Ma, please don’t be hasty. Once we find the spies, we’ll definitely bind and deliver them to Lord Ma for disposal. When the crisis is resolved, Lord Mu can naturally show himself.”
Ma Ye had also wanted to wait for the right moment to kill Mu Chun, using it as pretext to send troops for genocide. He never expected someone would kill Mu Chun early.
But Liu Shuzhen had no motive for action. The Western Waters Family’s Lady She Xiang should be most likely to strike, yet Mu Chun had an accident at the Eastern Waters Family.
Could Western Waters people have infiltrated to bomb Mu Chun to death, framing the increasingly tense Eastern Waters Family?
Ma Ye was also completely confused. He asked his advisor: “Are you certain Mu Chun is dead?”
The advisor said: “Certain. I have an informant in the Eastern Waters Family who told me. He also said Liu Shuzhen is deliberately concealing the truth, keeping the death secret to buy time.”
Ma Ye said: “But the Eastern Waters Family has no reason to kill Mu Chun. I always feel something’s not right.”
The advisor said: “If someone hangs themselves from a beam, is the beam the murderer? Master, ordinary people know to avoid suspicion like melons and plums. I guess it’s probably Lady She Xiang of the Western Waters Family, dissatisfied with Mu Chun’s greedy bribery demands and reneging on returns. With deeper grudges over taxation and mine ownership against the Eastern Waters Family, she committed murder and framing. Master, though current circumstances are unexpected with Mu Chun dying early, this is also an opportunity – don’t let it slip away.”
The advisor’s reasoning aligned with Ma Ye’s own thoughts. Moreover, with Mu Chun already dead and the arrow on the string, it had to be released. Mu Chun couldn’t die twice.
Ma Ye steeled his heart, raising his sword: “Light the fires! Blast the gates!”
“Report!” A scout rode up: “Lord Ma! Lady She Xiang has led Western Waters troops across the Yazhihe River and arrived here, surrounding us from behind! Our army faces enemies front and rear.”
The advisor sneered: “Lord Ma, our Guizhou Guard has a hundred thousand elite troops. Do we fear one Lady She Xiang leading barbarians? They don’t even have firearms or cannons – coming to die. Since that’s the case, why doesn’t Lord Ma oblige them?”
But Ma Ye frowned deeply: “You’re a scholar who’s never fought wars. As they say, timing is less important than terrain. It’s summer now, tonight’s wind blows southeast, unfavorable to our army. If She Xiang launches fire attacks, our army is in danger.”
“Report!”
Another scout arrived: “Lord Ma! Lady She Xiang has voluntarily disarmed, waving white flags, riding alone to our formation, requesting to see Lord Ma.”
With two armies facing off, the commander surrenders without fighting? Indeed, women are women – timid and fearful, seeking only safety.
The advisor urged: “Lord Ma, beware of trickery. That woman She Xiang is extremely wicked – who knows what schemes she has.”
Ma Ye said: “Do I still fear one unarmed woman? Summon Lady She Xiang.”
With Lady She Xiang in hand, the Western Waters army wouldn’t dare attack, otherwise I’ll kill this barbarian woman with one sword. Without their leader, the rabble will scatter like sand.
Lady She Xiang rode over with a white flag on her back. Seeing Ma Ye, she immediately dismounted and saluted: “Please don’t misunderstand, Lord Ma. Hearing in shock that Lord Mu was murdered at the Eastern Waters Family, our Western Waters Family sent troops across the river to help you capture the culprits – we’re friends, not enemies.”