Guangzhou Bay – this was a world of sailors. Men just returned from the sea, still carrying the briny smell, their beards unkempt, would dive headfirst into the bay’s taverns. Without needing to order, the servers would bring out large plates of vegetables and various fruits, and rice wine in wooden barrels would be fetched and placed on the table.
These men who should have been drinking from large bowls and eating meat in big bites still drank from large bowls, but what accompanied their drinks now were various vegetables. Raw radishes were most popular, cucumbers came second, and as for the two-foot-long water celery, as long as it was clean, they would hold it in their hands and crunch away at it endlessly like eating sugarcane.
At this time, even if the proprietress twisted her slender waist into a pretzel, no one would spare her a second glance. The desire for food and drink had to be satisfied first before anything else could take its turn. Only after truly savoring the five flavors of the dishes and releasing two thunderous farts with great satisfaction – only then was it truly the best time for complete bodily comfort.
“Damn it, life at sea has become impossible. The Yun Family of Yongzhou, the Feng Family of Guangzhou, and that Hou Family of the remote island – those three families are now the masters of the sea. The best spice islands? We brothers get no share. The best natives? We get no share of them either. We brothers can only search the mountains and fields for wild fruits to eat.”
This was something sailors would inevitably say after coming ashore. Whenever someone said this, someone else would invariably respond sarcastically: “If it’s so hard to get by, why don’t you damn well go ashore? The land the court gave you, you damn well leave it barren. Not only does it produce not a single grain, every year you still have to pay fines to the officials. What’s the point!”
These two exchanges were actually just used to open the conversation. For anyone at sea, cursing these three families had become routine. As for going ashore to grow grain, that little profit wasn’t even enough to cover the fines. Across the bay in Annan, there was more grain than could be eaten – plenty rotted in the fields. In previous years, the court still used fleet after fleet to transport grain northward, but in recent years grain ships were no longer seen. Now anyone who transported grain would definitely be called a fool by everyone.
“Have you found the treasure of the Bearded Stranger? I heard it’s in the Devil’s Sea. Boss Cui, didn’t you go to the outer seas? Didn’t you go in to search? If you found it, you’d be rich.”
“Don’t even mention it – when I passed by the Devil’s Sea, this grandpa really did want to go in and investigate. But after seeing the currents and reefs there, this grandpa obediently took the strait route instead. Damn it, the tax for passing through the strait once makes my heart ache for half a year. The general there is also a rigid fellow. Let him sleep with the Hu girl on my ship, thinking it would reduce the fee by a bit. Who knew that bastard, after eating his fill and wiping clean, pulled up his pants and still had that same deadpan face. Old Zhou, next time you go, don’t fall for this kind of trick – you won’t get any benefit.”
Just as the sea merchants were boasting about their various experiences, a middle-aged man stood up and interjected: “Esteemed ship captains, this younger brother is from within the passes. This time I want to visit relatives on the remote island. I wonder which captain will be passing by the remote island? This younger brother will certainly reward you handsomely.”
The tavern suddenly fell quiet. After quite a while, a ship captain surnamed Zhou finally said: “We know you’re a court spy. You’re going to the remote island for nothing more than wanting to investigate and gather information there. Actually, you don’t need to go to such trouble. Take out your official badge, go find a Yun Family ship, or find the Feng Family or Hou Family – any will do. They’ll definitely invite you aboard like you’re some great lord. Ride the ship for eight months and you’ll reach the remote island. If you find traveling by ship too arduous, go to the bookshop diagonally across and find a book called ‘Remote Island.’ It has everything you want to know.”
“If I were you, I’d send that book to the court, saying it’s what I saw on the remote island myself. Then find a brothel to your liking and hole up there for two years. Then tell the court the situation on the remote island matches what the book says. You’ll get promoted when you return – damn, that would be too wonderful.”
The middle-aged man’s expression didn’t change. A spy from the Directorate of Waterways had at least this much composure. But having his identity casually exposed by a ship captain still gave him the feeling of standing naked.
“How did this elder brother know that I’m a spy? Does it say ‘spy’ written on this younger brother’s face?”
Another burly man cackled: “If you were going to Annan or places like that, we’d believe you’re looking for relatives, because Annan is now full of disgraced officials, all exiled there from the Central Plains. But the remote island? Forget it. That place is where people’s ancestral temples are maintained. Everyone who goes there was sent by their families to guard the ancestral temple incense fires. The families there all have names and surnames. If you want to go to the remote island, people will only choose these three families’ ships. Someone sneaking around wanting to go to the remote island like you – what else could you be but a court spy? Old Zhou was right just now. Find a brothel to squat in for two years, then take that book to report your mission. If even one thing in that book is inaccurate, come back and chop off my head.”
“At first I also wanted to move my family to the remote island. I’ve been there – it’s exactly the same as described in the book. But it’s just too far, so I gave up on the idea.”
Leaving the tavern, the middle-aged man chose several other taverns, trying to hitch a ride to the remote island. The result was mockery from everyone. The remote island people don’t even conceal or hide anything – what are you, a spy with ulterior motives, trying to conceal? The greatest taboo among people at sea is having someone on their ship who isn’t of one heart with them. A ship is a single entity – whether the sails or the people, they’re all part of that ship. A problem in one place could very well doom everyone’s lives.
Standing at the harbor watching mast and sail like mountains entering port, an excessively large ship slowly sailed into the harbor under escort by numerous warships. Could this be the legendary Emperor, the king of the seas?
Hearing the spy unconsciously call out the name Emperor, the men around him all subconsciously moved away from him. This was clearly a country bumpkin – to mistake a Shark-class warship for the Sea Kun-class Emperor was truly extraordinarily foolish.
From others’ expressions, the clever spy knew he’d probably embarrassed himself and felt so ashamed he wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
“Guest from the Central Plains, you’re someone who makes your living on land. There’s no need to feel ashamed for not recognizing a Sea Shark. If you asked these killers to distinguish between horses and camels, they’d make the same kind of fool of themselves. I heard you want to go to the remote island. Come with me. Tomorrow there’s a ship going to the remote island – you can go along with it. Being able to tell the court what you see of the remote island is also a beneficial deed.”
Upon hearing these words, sweat immediately gushed from every pore of Huang Feng’s body. In an instant, his clothes were soaked through. His mission was to investigate the remote island.
Since he was a secret agent, naturally the more secret the better. Completing the mission without anyone knowing would be ideal. After arriving in Guangzhou, he discovered that the three people traveling with him had no way of achieving this. As the spy with the lowest status, he had no choice but to risk being discovered and go out onto the streets to investigate, hoping to find a way to reach the remote island. And now, his identity had been exposed by the very subjects he was supposed to investigate.
“You needn’t panic. This is Great Tang territory. You’re a Great Tang official. What do you have to fear here? Although the remote island hasn’t yet been brought under Great Tang’s jurisdiction, most of the people there are still our Great Tang people. The only reason the authorities can’t manage that place is that it’s too far – so far that the court has almost forgotten about it. Now that you’ve come, go there and take a look.”
A white-haired old man stood there, speaking to Huang Feng with a smile.
“This old fellow is the steward managing the Yun Estate’s affairs in Guangzhou. You can report this matter to Chang’an and ask your superiors to make the decision. However, the seasonal winds wait for no one. If you miss this wind season, you’ll have to wait until next year.”
“I’ll go!” Huang Feng’s answer was very resolute.
“Hehe, a very correct choice. Look, my family’s eldest young master is disembarking. That Sea Shark just now is my family’s ship. You can’t make a living at sea without ships.”
Huang Feng turned to look and saw a young man in blue robes walk from the gangplank onto land. His body swayed slightly for a moment before he quickly steadied himself – a symptom from long-distance sailing.
Seeing the old man from afar, Li Rong quickened his steps two paces and said with a smile: “Grandfather Liu, why did you come in person? The wind is strong at the seaside – you shouldn’t be exposed to it.”
Steward Liu looked at the young man before him with indulgence, his heart full of joy. He had followed to serve since this child was still in his mother’s womb. In the blink of an eye, he’d grown into a strapping young man.
“When one grows old, most duties have been handed over. With nothing to do, I like to stroll around the docks. The young master returns home today – it was perfect timing to come take a look.”
“Grandfather Liu, you’re still robust and healthy. Next year when little Rong turns eighteen, he can marry. I’m still counting on you to continue looking after this youngster. You can’t talk about being old at this time.”
Li Rong chatted and laughed with Steward Liu. Seeing Huang Feng standing to the side with hands down, he wanted to ask about him. The Yun Family never used outsiders – whether servers or stewards, they were all family. Having never seen Huang Feng before, he found it somewhat strange.
Seeing Li Rong seeking his opinion, Steward Liu told Li Rong about Huang Feng’s background.
“Imperial Grandfather is really something. I submitted a memorial inviting the old gentleman to come to Guangzhou to see the ocean, but the edict I received always put it off. Now it’s good – spies have been sent. Tomorrow the Sea Fish sets sail. You’ll go along with them. If you don’t see it with your own eyes, Imperial Grandfather won’t feel at ease either.”
After Li Rong finished speaking, he supported Steward Liu and walked off directly. Huang Feng vaguely overheard Li Rong commenting on the Emperor’s pettiness. There weren’t many officials in this country who dared comment on the Emperor this way, unless they were fellows extremely doted upon by the Emperor. Among these younger generation members, Li Rong counted as outstanding. Intimacy brooks no estrangement – this was the logic of officialdom. What was there left to hide? He’d already met the principal figure. If he still thought about secretly going to the remote island, it was simply impossible.
The remote island was too far. Huang Feng only gained a new understanding of its remoteness after arriving in Guangzhou. It turned out that large ships couldn’t travel in straight lines at sea – they needed to sail along the winding coastline. Looking at a straight line, it didn’t seem too far, but after making a huge detour, the distance became terrifyingly vast.