Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi wanted to persuade her further, but Qin Yining’s attitude was resolute. They knew that the young man called Sakurako had died to save Qin Yining, and had died at the hands of his own people no less – so wrongfully, so tragically. This had become a thorn in Qin Yining’s heart.

With Qin Yining’s nature of valuing loyalty and righteousness so deeply, if she couldn’t resolve this matter, she would never be at peace for the rest of her life.

So the two men stopped trying to persuade her and only said: “Since the Princess Consort has made up her mind, this time we should still bring sufficient manpower for landing.”

“Naturally.” Qin Yining turned back with a smile: “Both gentlemen are resourceful and good at assessing situations, so please remain on the ship to provide support. I’ll transfer to a smaller tower ship shortly and bring adequate guards. You gentlemen should take the remaining warships farther away – don’t approach, and wait for my signal.”

Qin Yining took out a special flare used by the Azure Sky Alliance for sending signals.

Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi immediately understood Qin Yining’s meaning and nodded: “Princess Consort, please be at ease.”

Qin Yining nodded and immediately ordered preparations to be made. She herself returned to the cabin, where Ji Yun served her as she changed into a luxurious honey-colored brocade jacket with a yangfei-colored wide-sleeved cloak over it. Her long hair was arranged in a flying immortal topknot, adorned with a complete set of gemstone hair ornaments, and even the collar clasps and jade pieces on her skirt were of the finest quality.

It was rare for Qin Yining to dress so elaborately after many days, and she was naturally radiant and captivating.

Ji Yun also changed into bright maid’s attire and supported Qin Yining, saying: “Princess Consort, when we go ashore later, please don’t leave this servant’s side.”

Qin Yining smiled and nodded in agreement, then instructed Liao Zhibing, Jingzhe and the others accompanying her: “Later we’ll claim to be merchants from Southern Yan. You are all my assistants, so don’t make mistakes in how you address me. Since we have people among us who can speak the Japanese language, we can’t guarantee the Japanese don’t have people fluent in Great Zhou speech, so we mustn’t expose ourselves.”

“Yes.” Everyone agreed without question.

Seeing that Qin Yining had arranged everything so thoroughly, even changing their place of origin to avoid exposing their identity, Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi felt very reassured and remained peacefully on the ship to wait for the signal.

Qin Yining transferred to the smallest tower ship in the fleet and slowly approached the port of Mizusawa Domain.

At the harbor’s edge, quite a few people were gathered around bonfires drinking and roasting meat. Perhaps it was rare to see such a magnificent large ship approaching, for when someone spotted Qin Yining’s tower ship sailing toward them, everyone became very panicked.

From the deck, Qin Yining could hear those Japanese people shouting frantically. Wearing sleeveless jackets and wielding long spears pointed at the tower ship, some wore straw sandals and ran off to report the news.

Qin Yining asked Gao Delai: “What are they saying?”

Gao Delai replied: “They’re asking who we are and forbidding us from approaching the port, threatening to kill us if we do.”

Qin Yining smiled: “Tell them we’re merchants from Southern Yan and mean no harm.”

Gao Delai nodded and stood on the deck, loudly speaking these words in Japanese.

However, upon hearing this, the other side didn’t lower their guard. Each one remained as if facing a great enemy, pointing their spears at the tower ship.

“Madam, should we still dock?” Jingzhe asked.

“Dock. Don’t mind them. We’ll go ashore and wait for their person in charge to come. I see someone has already gone to report.”

The tower ship furled its sails and slowly entered the port. Those Japanese people couldn’t help but retreat in panic, their shouting becoming even more intense.

When the tower ship lowered its gangplank and Qin Yining and Ji Yun disembarked under the protection of their guards, the Japanese voices suddenly quieted.

Qin Yining took several deep breaths and smiled: “After all these days, finally solid ground under our feet.”

Ji Yun also smiled: “To be honest, following Madam out these days, this servant’s seasickness has been forcibly cured.”

Liao Zhibing, Jingzhe, Ji Dashun and the others all laughed.

Seeing the group only standing on the wharf chatting and laughing, carrying no weapons and showing no intention of approaching, and that the most magnificently dressed leader of their party was an unspeakably beautiful woman, the Japanese soldiers relaxed their guard somewhat.

Merchants? They didn’t look like merchants, but rather like nobles.

After waiting a moment, Qin Yining saw a group of people escorting a man in long robes approaching quickly.

This man was different from the others wearing straw sandals – his sleeves were wide, he wore wooden clogs, appeared to be over forty, had a composed bearing, and walked very steadily with each step. From his appearance, he seemed to be a steady and resourceful person.

The man approached and stopped ten paces from Qin Yining, looking her up and down with undisguised amazement in his eyes. When he spoke, it was surprisingly in the Southern Yan language.

“Young lady, this is Mizusawa Domain. May I ask where you have come from? What brings you to our Mizusawa Domain?”

Though Great Zhou and Great Yan shared the same written language, their accents were naturally different between north and south. This Japanese man spoke in Southern Yan dialect. Though his pronunciation wasn’t accurate, one could tell he had personally visited the Yan Dynasty.

When northerners heard Yan speech, they had to exert some effort to understand it, let alone this Japanese man with his awkward pronunciation.

People like Ji Dashun, who were native to Great Zhou, were momentarily confused and became wary.

Fortunately, Qin Yining was a native southerner, and those around her like Liao Zhibing and Jingzhe were born in the Yan Dynasty and very familiar with Yan speech and various dialects.

Qin Yining smiled brilliantly, stepped forward and curtsied in greeting, speaking in authentic Southern Yan dialect: “Greetings, sir. This humble woman is a merchant. This voyage is for traveling and trade. I’ve heard that Mizusawa Domain is the most prosperous place in your honorable country, and that the Daimyo is hospitable while the people are kind and wealthy. Therefore, I’ve come specifically to impose upon your hospitality. I hope this gentleman can accommodate us.”

Qin Yining’s voice was naturally gentle, and speaking in the soft language of Jiangnan, combined with her stunning appearance and beautiful smile, had a lethality comparable to swords for any man.

And coincidentally, this man who had come to greet them was someone who greatly appreciated beautiful women.

The amazement in his eyes couldn’t be hidden, and his voice became several degrees warmer.

“I am Adachi Manyo, the Daimyo’s first samurai. May I ask how to address the young lady?”

“This humble woman’s maiden name is Sun, and my husband’s family name is Yao.” She immediately gave the surnames of hers and Pang Xiao’s maternal families.

“So Miss Sun is already married. Then I should address you as Madam Yao.”

Adachi Manyo’s tone naturally carried the intention of showing off his knowledge of Southern Yan.

Qin Yining went along with the conversation: “Has Master Adachi been to Southern Yan before?”

“I went there a few years ago and lived in Yan for two years. Later, your region was always at war, so I returned home.”

“I see.” Qin Yining nodded, though inwardly she scoffed – compared to your place fighting every three to five days, ours is already a peaceful and prosperous era.

Softening her tone, Qin Yining continued: “I wonder if Master Adachi could accommodate us and allow us to come ashore for trade?”