As soon as they boarded the ship, Mo Zi asked Xiao Wei to speak with her privately.
“Why did you lie? Don’t you know this is deceiving the Emperor?” He didn’t care about playing husband and wife or siblings, but he had to establish his authority as team leader.
“A general in the field need not accept all orders from the sovereign. If you want me to speak truthfully, His Majesty having us pretend to be married couples or siblings is meaningless in itself. As long as we can rescue the people, what does it matter what identities or relationships we use to carry out the mission?” She had asked Yuan Cheng this question.
Yuan Cheng had actually replied that the Emperor seemed to enjoy matchmaking, especially for ministers he favored. Whether siblings or spouses, both were pairings that easily generated feelings. Though indeed, two men and two women traveling together this way would arouse less suspicion.
“This is an imperial edict—how can you change it at will? ‘A general in the field need not accept all orders from the sovereign’ refers to critical moments when one cannot lightly disobey.” Xiao Wei frowned at her cavalier bold statement.
Mo Zi naturally bore no ill will toward the Emperor, but she also lacked any so-called loyalty consciousness. Her thoughts and speech were relatively free, and she didn’t refrain from speaking just because someone found it unpalatable.
“I still believe this journey’s main purpose is rescue—everything else can be flexible without rigid adherence to the edict. Today we pretend to be siblings and spouses; tomorrow we might play father and daughter or mother and son, depending on the specific situation.” Suddenly recalling Yuan Cheng’s words, her tone softened. “General Xiao, when you followed His Majesty’s secret orders to Nande and cooperated with me, a smuggler, wasn’t that also breaking convention? Someone told me the General has the ability to respond to emergencies, and that I should discuss things properly with you since we now share the same position. Just now I was too hasty—please be magnanimous, General. Mo Zi is also assessing the situation, hoping everything will go smoothly and everyone will return safely. If such matters arise again in the future, I’ll definitely consult with you first, General.”
She just couldn’t hold her tongue, and the more forceful the other party was, the more forceful she became—an incorrigible flaw.
Xiao Wei didn’t need to ask to know who had spoken to her. He’d never liked dealing with Yuan Cheng, yet unexpectedly this person had a favorable opinion of him… though he felt no gratitude for it.
He’d said his piece, but as Mo Zi turned to leave the cabin, he added one more question: “Mo Zi, am I really that disagreeable?”
Mo Zi froze—where had that come from? After a moment’s thought, she answered, “No. It’s just that General Xiao achieved success at a young age, so inevitably you’re somewhat proud and haughty. Thinking back now, you and I got off on the wrong foot at our first meeting, then had conflict after conflict, unable to develop goodwill. But to be fair, neither of us was really at fault. That day in the book pavilion when it rained… I merely mentioned it, and you had Hong Luo deliver books. Mo Zi knew then that the General isn’t actually bad. It’s as if our positions were always opposed, making it difficult for me to be pleasant and amiable. This time, we’re truly in the same boat—literally. If we can respect and trust each other, establishing a spirit of team cooperation shouldn’t be difficult.”
“Spirit of team cooperation?” Such odd phrasing. It had been like that before too. Every word was understandable, but together they were fresh and colloquial. Xiao Wei couldn’t help but smile.
Mo Zi smiled too. “That’s much better. With that stern face, who wouldn’t fear you? General Xiao—”
“You should call me Big Brother.” Xiao Wei maintained his smile, though faint, his facial lines were much softer. “There’s still some distance to Yuling… but it’s best to practice now… to avoid slipping up in front of others. Wei Jia and Miss Yang too. Use these few days to get familiar with the forms of address.”
“Big Brother.” He was right… she’d listen. Walking out, she said, “I’ll go tell Yang Qiao and Wei Jia.”
Xiao Wei stood by the window, watching her pull those two aside to whisper. The slight smile never left his face. Getting along with her—might things gradually improve from here?
Ten days later, they reached Mian City in Hua Zhou, the largest city in Hua Zhou and also the prefecture capital.
The ship entered a large port, needing to purchase food and daily necessities. And this place was their last stop in Great Zhou. Hua Zhou was closest to Yuling. Luzhen, which Mo Zi had passed through before on Qiu Sanniang’s bridal ship, belonged to Hua Zhou—separated by only three rivers and five mountains, just two days’ journey by boat to reach Yuling waters.
Wei Jia looked down at the bustling wharf from the top deck, finally setting aside his sightseeing mood to care about business. “When do we enter Yuling?”
“First let’s inquire around the city to see if there’s any possibility of entering Yuling directly. If not, we’ll have to think of other methods.” Xiao Wei planned to use the same approach as his last trip to Nande to capture someone—if the direct approach didn’t work, go covertly.
“Rumor has it that Daqiu warships have blockaded the river sections where the two countries meet, as well as various towns along the shore. If that’s true, we’re in big trouble.” Zhong An interjected. He believed entering Nande and entering Yuling were completely different. Nande had good relations with Great Zhou, with loopholes at the border to exploit. But Yuling now essentially belonged to Daqiu’s territory and would certainly guard strictly against Great Zhou.
“Cats have cat paths, mice have mouse routes.” Mo Zi came in with Chou Yu. “The river’s so wide, I don’t believe we can’t find an entry point. Besides, Yuling suffered war and lacks domestic resources, while Daqiu’s agriculture is poor and mineral resources limited. Add to that the winter just passed and spring plowing just beginning—their national treasury won’t have surplus either, making it hard to provide support. Not all of Yuling’s wealthy people could have fled. If they want to live well, they’ll definitely rely on smuggled goods. The market right now is both fat and huge—any smuggler with some courage and experience won’t pass up the chance to profit from this war.”
Xiao Wei nodded in agreement. “Exactly, as long as we find the right path. No need to rush about when to depart. Wait until everything’s ready, and naturally things will fall into place.”
“Big Brother, I’d like to take some of the brothers out to a restaurant. These past days, to make good time, we’ve never stayed overnight in port and have been stuck on the ship—it’s gotten rather tedious. They’ve heard Mian City is lively and are all clamoring for good wine and good food. Seems we’ll be staying a few days, so why not let them enjoy themselves tonight—what do you think?” Over these ten days, cooperation with Xiao Wei had gone quite well. Ship matters were all her call—like where to dock, which rivers to take, how fast to sail. She’d notify Xiao Wei, and he’d simply acknowledge without even asking. But for matters off the ship, she had to ask him, couldn’t just take people wandering on her own say-so.
Wei Jia’s eyes lit up. “Great, great, let’s all go. Truth be told, the food our ship’s cook makes is truly hard to swallow. After just these few days, everyone looks sallow.” The cook couldn’t be changed, nor could anyone else on the ship. All were carefully selected people executing secret orders. The cook’s culinary skills were hastily learned, but his skill with a blade was exemplary.
“Not everyone can disembark—we’ll have to go in shifts.” As Xiao Wei was thinking about how to organize the shifts, Zhong An had already offered him a suggestion.
He said, “Young Master and Young Mistress can stay with half the crew and attendants for now. We others will go down first. Tomorrow, Young Master can disembark while we stand guard. How’s that?”
Wei Jia had a carefree personality and understood reason. Since there were important matters requiring tight security on the ship, he agreed readily without complaint, only asking Xiao Wei and Zhong An to bring back some good food when they returned.
Thus, half the people were selected to disembark for free time. Mo Zi brought Zan Jin, Ding Gou, and the three Chou Yu brothers. Xiao Wei and Zhong An plus four guards disguised as servants—a dozen people in all—went strolling into the city. They appeared to be browsing leisurely, but weren’t really just browsing. When drinking tea, they’d definitely have the tea master and shop owner inquire about peace in the city. When buying things, they’d certainly chat with shop assistants and managers about movements across the river. However, they were searching with purpose but encountering the purposeless—wasting effort. Either people knew nothing at all, or they spouted nonsense. After half a day, they’d obtained no useful intelligence.
When Zhong An pointed to yet another grand-looking large restaurant and suggested going in for tea, Mo Zi firmly objected. “All morning we’ve been in and out of large shops and grand restaurants, drinking tea till we’re full, buying three or four antiques, yet getting no valuable information—clearly we’re inquiring in the wrong direction.”
“How is it wrong?” It was nearly the same group that had gone to Nande. Zhong An spoke frankly, “Back then, didn’t we find you, the smuggler, at Wangqiu Tower, that grand restaurant?”
Ding Gou tugged Zan Jin, glancing at Mo Zi obliquely, whispering, “She used to do that trade?”
Zan Jin made an affirmative sound, also replying quietly, “If Brother Mo hadn’t been smuggling when I happened to meet him, I wouldn’t have had the silver to bury my father.”
Hearing these old stories, Ding Gou found them fresh and pulled Zan Jin to the back to ask more.
Mo Zi answered Zhong An, “Sir, how many like me do you think can be found in grand restaurants? And how many like Big Brother could I encounter? That time should be called a fortuitous coincidence, not deliberate. The rabbit hit the tree just that once for the farmer to find it.” The famous story of ‘waiting by the stump for rabbits’ illustrated: having one doesn’t mean there’ll be a second.
Xiao Wei then asked her, “You say we’re inquiring in the wrong direction?”
“Though smugglers pursue huge profits, they’re often of humble origins, daring to take risks. Since their status isn’t high and what they do can’t see the light, even if they have silver, they can’t spend it openly and grandly. The places they frequent aren’t necessarily these high-profile, high-class establishments.” Mo Zi pointed to an establishment down a side street next to the grand restaurant. It was a medium-sized tavern with a somewhat worn sign, but packed with guests, from which came bursts of laughter. “That one looks right to me, if I were one of those people. Inconspicuous, clearly an old establishment—the wine won’t be bad.”
Chou Yu was straightforward, directly stepping toward it. “If it were me, I’d go there too.”
Now they had no choice but to go.
The waiter, seeing a group of apparently wealthy customers arrive, hurried out with a smile. “Guests come at a good time—there’s exactly one large table for twelve available.”
Xiao Wei looked inside. The establishment was small but business was quite brisk. Most customers wore plain cloth or coarse clothing, the wine vessels and bowls and dishes were crude—a very ordinary tavern.
Mo Zi had already nodded to enter, then realizing she hadn’t consulted the leader, quickly withdrew her step and turned to Xiao Wei. “What do you think?”
Zhong An watched from the side with amusement, putting on the cunning face of an accountant. “Young Miss has been obedient and clever lately, consulting Young Master on everything—she’s grown more sensible after all.”
Mo Zi ignored Zhong An, only looking at Xiao Wei. “Big Brother?”
Suddenly, someone rushed out from the tavern, gripping Fei Xia’s sturdy arm.
“Xia Da?” Then looking excitedly at Shui She and Chou Yu, “Si Er? Yu San? You’re not dead!”
Mo Zi immediately looked toward the three Chou Yu brothers. Cold expressions, flickering eyes, rigid bodies—it seemed things had gotten quite complicated.
Sorry for the late return home, keeping everyone waiting!