Song Chuyi’s low fever finally completely cleared up two days before arriving at Qiyuan Town. Cui Huayi sat beside her, holding her arm and smiling at her: “You’re just like I was when I came to the capital—sickly without a bit of energy. Did you eat the candied hawthorn skewers that the shoppers brought back the other day?”
Young ladies from wealthy households rarely had opportunities to eat such common foods, so Cui Huayi was quite happy to share this as a boastful experience: “I always heard Sister Li say they were delicious. I tried them, and they really are good… There’s also braised tofu, and spicy tofu pudding. These flavors can never be made at home—they have such a unique taste.”
Song Chuyi knew they were trying to cheer her up, so she smiled and appeared quite enthusiastic: “If that’s the case, tomorrow I’ll have the shoppers bring some for me too. I’ll try them as well.”
When Madam Yu came in and heard this, she was both annoyed and amused. She pointed at Cui Huayi and Cui Huaying and scolded them: “You two are being wild yourselves, yet you’re dragging your sister into it! I think you’re really too idle!” She turned her words toward Cui Huaying: “Have you finished embroidering all those small items like shoes, socks, and sachets for that side? Yet you have time to accompany Huayi in her nonsense—”
Cui Huaying’s face flushed completely red with embarrassment. Unable to say a word, she grabbed Cui Huayi and turned to run outside. The closer the wedding date approached, the more frightened she actually felt in her heart. This was why she clung to Cui Huayi in everything—when the two of them were together, and with Cui Huayi being so spirited, her inner anxiety could be greatly reduced.
Only after seeing them scurry out like mice encountering a cat did Madam Yu breathe a sigh of relief. She sat beside Song Chuyi and first reached out to feel the temperature of her forehead. Seeing it was no longer hot, her expression improved considerably: “It’s finally gone down. Buddha be praised—if the fever hadn’t broken, we would have had to tell Doctor Yan to hurry faster.”
Doctor Yan had previously left ahead with Ma Changjiang and Ma Wangkun. Now he was in Qiyuan Town ahead of them, both gathering information and waiting for them. This was also Song Chuyi’s intention. With Ma Changjiang’s group there, it would be much more convenient for her to act. Moreover, having reached this halfway point, bringing along another group of people wouldn’t seem conspicuous. If anything really happened, they could just claim they were all from the escort agency.
Nanny Xu was fetching a hand warmer for Song Chuyi to hold. Hearing Madam Yu’s words, she chimed in agreement: “Exactly! She’s never been on a boat before, and this first time on a boat she caught the wind and suffered like this while still having to worry about so much… When we see Doctor Yan, we must have him prescribe several tonics for the young lady. Otherwise, at this rate, who knows how much thinner she’ll become.”
Bringing up Ma Changjiang and Ma Wangkun caused another layer of worry to appear on Madam Yu’s brow. She couldn’t help asking Song Chuyi: “Do they really have a way to investigate the river bandits’ hideout? Don’t let them get trapped there. I’ve heard this entire area involves collusion between civilians and bandits. Those common people receive silver and rice from the river bandits, so they’re very protective of them. This is why the authorities have never been able to completely eradicate these river bandits.”
Song Chuyi had deliberately written to keep Ma Changjiang and Ma Wangkun and all their men in Qiyuan Town precisely to have them display their greatest skills—they had originally been bandits themselves, so they naturally carried an air of the grasslands about them. This made it easy for them to give those river bandits a sense of kinship. Moreover, these men all had meticulous minds and had been on the battlefield. Some had served as scouts, others as vanguards—they had all sorts of skills at their fingertips. It wasn’t entirely impossible for them to approach those bandits and gather information.
She had always had sufficient confidence in Ma Changjiang and his men. These people had almost never held her back, so she smiled and held Madam Yu’s hand to comfort her: “Aunt, don’t worry. If they can accomplish this, it will be icing on the cake. If they can’t, it won’t affect us doing other things.”
Song Chuyi said this with good reason, and Madam Yu soon understood why she was so confident. Sitting beside Song Chuyi, she watched in stunned amazement as Qing Zhuo climbed in through the window like a ghost and handed a letter to Song Chuyi. She was so shocked she almost couldn’t help asking Song Chuyi on the spot why capable people from beside His Highness the Grand Prince were under her command.
Qing Zhuo still carried dampness on his person, but his spirits were excellent. After handing the letter to Song Chuyi, he told her: “Sixth Miss, please rest assured. Your grandfather’s letter has been delivered to the hands of the naval commander forty li away. He has old ties with your uncle and was personally promoted by your grandfather. He agreed to this favor without hesitation and will definitely appear in Qiyuan Town on time.”
So she really had made preparations early on. Although Madam Yu had heard Song Chuyi say before boarding that she had already considered various possibilities, she hadn’t expected Song Chuyi to arrange things in such meticulous detail. For a moment she couldn’t quite figure out what Song Chuyi was trying to accomplish. After a long while, she looked at Song Chuyi and asked with some hesitation: “Xiaoyi, you’re not thinking of completely wiping out this group of river bandits, are you?” No wonder she would think this way—the scale of Song Chuyi’s arrangements seemed a bit too grand. It didn’t look at all like someone who would be satisfied with just traveling safely. Clearly she was aiming to eliminate this group of bandits thoroughly and completely.
Song Chuyi nodded and smiled at Madam Yu, looking as if it were perfectly natural: “Ridding the people of harm, of course. This group of river bandits has been rampant for so many years—it’s time for them to pay the price.”
Madam Yu didn’t say she was having flights of fancy. Song Chuyi had even mobilized Naval Commander Huang Yiping, and people from beside the Grand Prince were all under her command listening to her orders. Clearly she truly intended to exterminate this group of river bandits. It was just that this girl’s boldness was perhaps a bit too great…
Qing Zhuo was somewhat eager to try: “Now the number of people on the ship has increased to eight, and that Blind Eye still sends out a message every two days. When do we make our move?”
Having followed Song Chuyi for a long time, Qing Zhuo increasingly felt that Song Chuyi was very much like his own Highness—their styles of conducting affairs were quite similar. Moreover, Song Chuyi had an additional touch of ruthlessness compared to His Highness the Grand Prince. She showed no mercy to opponents, finishing them with a single stroke. This style of handling matters really suited his temperament perfectly. Every day he was full of energy, feeling that his days had something to look forward to.
Song Chuyi curled her fingers and leisurely tapped the tabletop lightly. After a long moment, she revealed a smile: “Don’t rush. It’ll be two more days before we reach Qiyuan Town, and three more days before we reach Swallow Valley. Tonight there should also be news coming back from A’Yan’s side. Once Commander Zhou who’s leading the troops in Qiyuan Town has sent back his reply, and news has also come from Ma Changjiang and Ma Wangkun’s side, it will be about time to make our move.”
This time, she was going to kill this entire group completely and thoroughly, leaving not a single one alive.