“Princess, you need not enter the Tang military camp. This time, let this servant go instead.” A maid who resembled High Mountain Yangtze held a comb, gently brushing her hair while quietly suggesting to the princess lying on the bed.
“It won’t fool him. Lu Chengqing is such a sex-starved ghost that he’ll see at one glance that you’re not a virgin. That will invite the most terrifying retaliation. I, as an Empress, am still a virgin—this has already become a joke at Tang noble banquets. It cannot be concealed. Xiumei, these past years, if you hadn’t helped me, I couldn’t have preserved my virginity until now.”
“Speaking of which, it truly is a joke. I don’t care about these things in the slightest, yet I’ve ended up becoming a chaste and virtuous woman. The man I fancy won’t even look at me properly, while the men I detest are like flies that won’t go away.”
“A woman’s body is a weapon and also a price tag. It needs to obtain the maximum benefit. To this day, I haven’t found any benefit equivalent to my body. Now perhaps there is one. The Lingnan Navy is worth this price. I only want to know whether Yun Ye will be so angry he vomits blood when he learns this news, considering it’s his life’s work.”
As High Mountain Yangtze spoke, she beckoned to Xiumei. Xiumei obediently lay face-up on her knees. The clothing just gathered up slipped down again, exposing a pair of voluptuous breasts under the dim candlelight, beautiful to the point of breathlessness.
“When I was young, I met a woman who liked women. She had a pair of breasts just like these. At the time, I didn’t understand why she would like women. When she caressed me, I felt like my heart would leap out, because I could feel how strong her desire for possession was when she touched me.”
High Mountain Yangtze’s henna-painted fingernails gently circled on Xiumei’s chest. Finally, she used one finger to lift Xiumei’s chin, laughing softly and saying: “Only now have I discovered that a woman’s body is truly beautiful.” After speaking, she bent down and lightly pecked Xiumei’s lips.
After a moment of pleasure, Xiumei dressed High Mountain Yangtze while naked. The fleet was now drifting at the periphery of Quanzhou harbor. At dusk, Lu Chengqing had issued an order: it was already late, all vessels were forbidden from entering port, and all handover matters needed to wait until the next morning to proceed.
“Princess, once we enter the harbor, nothing will be under our control. This trip is truly very dangerous for you.”
“What’s so terrible about it? Won’t they just disarm us and then scatter us onto different ships? Xiumei, this is precisely what I need. Without being scattered onto ships, our people have no opportunity to get close to those Tang warships.”
At Quanzhou harbor’s port, more than twenty Lingnan Navy warships had not entered port. The siege drills gleamed with cold light. The fuse cords on the arrow shafts had already been drawn out. As long as High Mountain Yangtze made any unusual movement, what would greet them would be an overwhelming strike. The warships inside the harbor were also ready to weigh anchor at any moment. Lu Chengqing still somewhat remembered Li Er’s admonitions.
High Mountain Yangtze remained sleepless all night, deducing various changes over and over. Not until dawn broke did she confidently believe there were no flaws, that it was seamless. Only then did she rearrange her makeup, put on her most magnificent garments, suppressed her heroic nature, and replaced it with a pitiable demeanor. A night without sleep made her appear especially haggard.
Lu Chengqing’s arrogant deputy general boarded High Mountain Yangtze’s flagship. Boldly opening the documents in his hands, he proclaimed the appointment for High Mountain Yangtze. A set of Lady of Imperial Mandate’s crown and sash lightly stripped away all of High Mountain Yangtze’s pride.
Rainbow robe, rosy cape, and swaying crown—jeweled pendants piled layer upon layer, jade ornaments clinking melodiously. A long colored ribbon, each rosy cape three cun and two fen wide, five chi and seven cun long. When worn, it passed around the neck, draped over the chest, with gold or jade pendants hanging from the lower end. After High Mountain Yangtze donned this attire, she appeared even more radiantly beautiful, beyond compare.
The deputy general couldn’t help but call out in praise. This woman matched with these garments truly complemented each other perfectly. Being originally from royalty, her bearing was absolutely incomparable to ordinary women.
High Mountain Yangtze looked at the pheasants embroidered on her clothes and sneered coldly in her heart. Her proper regalia should have been the Empress crown and sash with nine dragons and four phoenixes. Now wearing this pheasant outfit was the greatest humiliation to her. She wondered whether Gao Jianwu and Yuan Gaesu Wen had similar thoughts when they changed clothes.
“The general has worked hard. High Mountain Yangtze is deeply grateful. Someone, bring up the gifts. I have heard that messenger officials who bring good news never return empty-handed. This small gift is but a token of respect. Please accept it, General.”
The deputy general was also very pleased. Indeed so—messenger officials who brought news always received red envelopes, even palace eunuch messengers were no exception. This pirate woman had suddenly obtained a fourth-rank Lady of Imperial Mandate title and must be beside herself with joy. Accepting some gifts was proper and fitting. When he saw the chest carried up by two strong men, he was still startled. The small chest was actually filled with gold dust.
“General, you also know that this concubine has surrendered with the intention of going ashore to Chang’an, to cook with my own hands and no longer deal with these military affairs. However, over these years, I was able to traverse the seas thanks to these loyal brothers under my command. I ask for nothing else, only that the General show mercy and arrange things a bit better for these brothers. They are all good men who have roamed the seas for years and will surely be useful to the General. The maritime saying goes: three years of wind and waves produces one qualified sailor. They are all useful talents. I hope they will not be humiliated at the hands of slaves.”
The deputy general nodded with a smile. High Mountain Yangtze was still sensible and tactful. She knew it was impossible to let them separately form a new military unit, so she only entreated him to give these surrendering pirates a bit of care. This made him feel very comfortable. These were all matters within his palm. Loosening his fingers a bit would suffice—it wasn’t a major matter. Right now, the urgent priority was to disarm them. Only after disarming them would they become meat on the chopping block for his disposal.
Without him even asking, those pirates consciously threw their weapons at the feet of the Lingnan Navy soldiers. Watching their reluctant expressions, the deputy general also felt sorrowful. They were all warriors, so naturally he knew what it felt like to discard one’s tools of the trade. Seeing that those people even wanted to throw away the hand picks essential for sea life, he couldn’t help saying: “Keep the hand picks. You’ll always need them when eating. At sea, you can’t do without these things.”
High Mountain Yangtze’s tears rolled down like pearls. Each time a pirate walked past her, she nodded in acknowledgment. The pirates also followed the Lingnan Navy soldiers with reddened eyes, being dispersed and assigned to other ships. Each ship received at most five people, and those military officers specifically picked the strong ones. Those with disabilities, too old or too young were all left where they were. The Lingnan Navy never intended to receive all the pirates. Doing so would be an enormous burden.
Lu Chengqing did not appear in person. After hearing the deputy general’s report and seeing that High Mountain Yangtze was so obedient, he magnanimously left High Mountain Yangtze thirty ships. Those pirates who wanted to make a living could not do without ships under any circumstances.
High Mountain Yangtze stubbornly stayed with those old, weak, sick, and disabled subordinates under her command, keeping only a very small portion of wealth for herself. Lu Chengqing was not envious of that wealth. He never did things absolutely.
Looking at the dazzling array of treasures before him, he took a deep breath. These pirates were too wealthy! Just these treasures alone were equivalent to ten Lu family estates. If they hadn’t reached a life-or-death juncture where parting with wealth was difficult, getting them to hand these over would certainly be very difficult. Ha ha, Yun Ye planted the tree and he himself enjoyed the shade. This truly brought satisfaction.
“Great General, these must all be submitted to the state treasury. This subordinate hasn’t yet had time to register and catalog them. If the Great General wishes to admire them, it can only be today. Tomorrow, the Recording Participant Officer and the Five Li Commandants will inquire. If you want to see them again, it will be extremely difficult.”
Lu Chengqing chuckled. He was someone who knew goods. He casually pointed at ivory, rhinoceros horn, and a chest of gemstones. Looking at those pearls, he thought for a moment and shook his head. He tapped twice on two large pieces of tortoiseshell, and that counted as finishing his viewing. The deputy general’s hand beckoned, and immediately personal guards came over to carry these several chests of treasures into Lu Chengqing’s room.
“I, Lu Chengqing, am not a petty person. Since I have mine, everyone will certainly have theirs. Zhongfang, separate out ten percent of these treasures, go to Quanzhou to sell them, then distribute the gold and silver to the soldiers. You few may take more. Traveling a thousand li to be an official is only for wealth. Moreover, we’ve come to this place ten thousand li away—everyone relax a bit. I’m not like that petty Yun Ye. Having wealth means everyone prospering—that’s the long-term plan.”
Seeing that Lu Chengqing had taken first without any concealment, the military officers naturally wouldn’t worry about the commander using this against them. Everyone’s spirits immediately rose high. Lu Chengqing listened to the endless flattery, from time to time laughing heartily twice to show his magnanimity. The military thrived on this approach. A great general finding money for everyone was benefiting all. Even if someone later opposed everyone, they absolutely wouldn’t use this matter as a weapon, because doing so would make them a public enemy, and a public enemy’s days absolutely wouldn’t be pleasant anywhere.
Lu Chengqing was waiting for the court’s Pacification Commissioner. As long as the Pacification Commissioner had completed pacification, those despised pirates would be dispersed into various prefectures and counties to register as residents. High Mountain Yangtze’s power would thoroughly vanish into smoke.
After a busy whole day, it was sunset time again. The entire Lingnan Navy from top to bottom was filled with joy. Except for the women and those old, weak, sick, and disabled, all of High Mountain Yangtze’s people had been completely divided up. With new brothers arriving, naturally there was some celebration. Surface formalities still had to be observed. Lu Chengqing ordered that those pirates not be discriminated against, but ever since those pirates boarded the ships, the most exhausting and filthy work on the ships was all reserved for them. The Lingnan Navy had battled High Mountain Yangtze for many years. Inevitably, military brothers had died at these pirates’ hands. Now that the pirates had fallen into their control, how could they give them good days?
From High Mountain Yangtze’s flagship came the faint sound of singing. They sang nothing else, just repeatedly cycling through one line: “May heaven protect my suffering men.” This lyric that Yun Ye had sung was rendered by High Mountain Yangtze gracefully and emotionally, yet utterly tragic. The voice rose to its highest, almost breaking through the clouds in the sky.
Those pirates wearing ragged clothes and kneeling on the deck scrubbing it lowered their heads even further, lest those proud soldiers discover the hatred in their eyes.