“‘Has left but no right, has money but no wine.'” Xiao Wei followed Mo Zi up to the pavilion platform. “What does it mean?”
“This person is called Zuo You. If we say all merchants are treacherous, he’s probably the ultimate example. He was originally a poor youth who wanted to do business but had no capital. It so happened that his maternal uncle had just remarried, and his uncle’s new wife was stunningly beautiful, so he set his sights on her. He tricked his uncle into going out, then found some marketplace thugs he usually hung around with to imprison him for half a month. He lied to his aunt that her husband was dead, then instigated his mother to sell the aunt as a concubine to a wealthy household, obtaining several hundred taels of silver. Precisely because he was so unscrupulous, over these decades his wealth has only increased, never decreased, making him one of Yuling’s top merchants.” Leaning on the railing and gazing far, mountains rose in layers, the sound of waves flowing and turning.
“Yuling suffered the disaster of war, yet it seems to have had no impact on him.” Xiao Wei had no mind to view the scenery. “Such a person who would sell his own aunt could become a great merchant. Do Yuling merchants have no conscience at all?”
“This is what being profit-driven means.” Mo Zi was unconcerned. “As long as he brings benefits to other merchants, who cares about his old family matters? Do you know that his uncle had broken off relations with him, yet now he’s the honored uncle in his household? With a bevy of wives and concubines, fine clothes and rich food, carriages for outings, servants in clusters—where would he still care about the wife-selling matter? It’s said that on the day uncle and nephew reconciled, it just so happened Zuo You was hosting distinguished officials and nobles to a golden banquet. As if the whole thing had been staged as a play, everyone was moved to tears. The Emperor even said family affection was precious and rewarded the Zuo family with many treasures. Isn’t it ridiculous?”
“The Yuling Emperor is so incompetent, no wonder Daqiu broke the country in one stroke.” Xiao Wei sighed.
“Prosperity and peace have lasted too long, naturally breeding corruption. When something reaches its peak it must decline—isn’t that the principle?” Mo Zi sighed long and deep. “Time sometimes truly makes me detest it. No matter how shocking the events that occurred, ten or twenty years later, as long as one has the intention, white can become black, black can become white, and no one will care about the truth of the past. Those two lines were originally ‘has Zuo but no You, has money but no uncle.’ Change two characters, and the face is completely different.”
“But you remember the truth.” Xiao Wei didn’t know he could also comfort people. “Only after one shocking event passes can we welcome a second shocking event. After emotions calm, surging and swelling again—this is how we can always maintain hope.”
Mo Zi turned her head to look at him. Her bright black eyes showed surprise. “I didn’t expect you could say such meaningful words. I thought you always spoke very directly.”
“Regarding the ship matter, I was indeed too impatient.” Xiao Wei had examined himself. “I’ve followed my father in battle since childhood. My competitive spirit is strong—I always want the best weapons, the best armor, the best troops. Although I don’t understand why you’re so insistent, I’ll try to respect you.”
This man’s manner at this moment could indeed captivate women. Mo Zi thought it through with just a smile. “Since I built this ship, I actually was prepared for it to eventually be revealed. However, I haven’t yet decided which side to stand on. I’ve been to all four countries—Great Zhou, Daqiu, Yuling, Nande—but where is home? It’s the same thing I said—I need to wait.”
Xiao Wei’s heart sank. Forgetting he shouldn’t be impatient, he asked, “You’re already a Great Zhou person.”
Mo Zi laughed out loud, light and airy in the river wind. “Xiao Wei, this is where you and I differ. You’re loyal to your sovereign and love your country, willing to die for them. But I won’t. I’m only loyal to myself. What I feel is right or must be done, I do. The Emperor’s words—I’ll listen if I should listen, not listen if I shouldn’t. To put it another way, I’m not responsible to the Emperor. At this moment, you and I serve in the same court. The next moment, you and I might meet on the battlefield. To you, this is incomprehensible. To me, it’s just being myself. No matter how harsh the environment, even as a girl, the self will not be extinguished.”
Xiao Wei had never seen Mo Zi’s inner self so truthfully revealed. He wanted to say her thinking was dangerous, but when he met her gaze, he couldn’t say a single word. Even in the night, her eyes were shining, containing the stars of the entire sky. He had known all along—whether as a peddler or a girl, whether as a steward or court official, it was precisely that inextinguishable self that made her different from others.
The self?
Did he have one?
At home, parents came first. At court, the Emperor came first. When it came down to it, the most self-oriented person in his family was actually his third brother. Wanting to divorce his wife, he divorced her. Wanting to split the household, he split it. When the Emperor demoted Third Brother, he remained at ease. When their parents showed stern faces, Third Brother was still at ease.
“A great man… the state and nation inevitably… need to bear responsibility.” He spoke with some difficulty.
“Mm, I understand. I’m not negating you. I’m just saying you and I are different. Originally I was quite averse to these things, but thinking again, don’t state affairs rely on people like you to handle them? Otherwise everything would be in chaos.” Raising her eyebrows, pursing her lips, Mo Zi smiled. “Each person is born into this world with a different mission. So let’s try to understand each other. Just like now, I never imagined I’d still have the opportunity to speak my heart to you.”
She and he were different. Even though she spoke of mutual understanding, even though she was rarely so candid, his heart didn’t feel any better. Was this what it meant to be visible but unreachable?
“Different people can also be in the same boat together.” He deliberately tried to draw a connection, even if it was forced. “You and Stinky Fish and the others are also different, but you can be utterly devoted to each other.”
Mo Zi shook her head. “No. He and I are the same—unrestrained, yearning for freedom. If I were timid and hesitant, they probably would have run off long ago.”
Feeling the topic had strayed too far, she brought it back. “Su Lan mentioning Zuo You gave me an idea about what to do next. Zuo You is a salt merchant—his ships will definitely go to Daqiu. If we follow him, we won’t need to worry about what happens along the way.”
“Will it be that easy to get him to take us?” Xiao Wei’s heart held five flavors, one he couldn’t speak of.
“There’s always a way.” Mo Zi was very optimistic. After saying this and bidding farewell, she returned to her cabin.
Xiao Wei stood on the pavilion platform for a long time, until Zhong An came to find him.
“I wanted to ask you how to deal with those two Daqiu people, yet you actually ran up here to admire the scenery.”
Xiao Wei turned his head, his gaze falling behind Zhong An. “I forgot to ask—how does she know about Zuo You selling his aunt?”
Zhong An made a sound of confusion, completely baffled. “What did you and Mo Zi talk about? I thought you followed her up to reprimand her for letting her three sworn brothers seek private revenge.”
“I was originally going to say that.” But he forgot.
“Bai Yu, it looks like you’ve fallen in.” Zhong An laughed heartily, waving open his feather fan. “You, General Xiao, have always said whatever you wanted to say. When have you ever had words at your lips but not spoken? Back then with her, you were point against point, and I had to play peacemaker. Every time you two talked, Stone and I were terrified. Hasn’t he complained to you?”
“You all can see it?” Lu Bi, Zhong An—they all knew his heart had moved.
“Even Stone can see it. He says you’re very polite to her, and your fierceness is just an act. Bai Yu, if you like her, hurry up and tell her. She’s now Great Zhou’s first female official—those wanting to marry her form a long line. Just based on that imperial decree comparing her wedding to a princess’s, her dowry will be bestowed by the Emperor.” Zhong An joked.
“Tell her?” He wanted to as well.
“Yes, tell her. At least position yourself closer than others. Moreover, if you seek to marry her, I can’t think of any reason she’d refuse. You’re the second young master of Prince Jing’s Mansion, the Emperor’s brother-in-law, and furthermore a mighty and imposing general—the best son-in-law material, beyond reproach.” Saying this, Zhong An’s eyes widened. “Bai Yu, you’re not timid, are you?”
Him, timid?
Yes, he was timid.
The way she looked at him was too clear, without the affection he could feel in Lu Bi and the others’ gazes. She had no feelings for him. If he spoke, wouldn’t that be asking for humiliation? Moreover, his interactions with her weren’t even harmonious. She retreated, he yielded—they’d only just managed to speak some words from the heart. But if he didn’t speak, Yuan Cheng’s face would float before his eyes, making him involuntarily flustered.
“Let’s not talk about this first. Those Daqiu guests don’t seem to be lying, but we can’t easily trust them either. If there’s no other way, we can only silence them. This mission cannot have the slightest mistake, let alone that they’ve seen everything that happened before.” Though Mo Zi’s ship was formidable, if the other side prepared in advance, its power would be halved.
“What a pity. I think that master-servant pair don’t seem like Daqiu barbarians.” Zhong An sighed, but he couldn’t object.
Mo Zi, however, didn’t go to sleep. On a whim, she went again to the guest cabin where the Daqiu people were.
“Why are you here again? We’ve already told you everything.” Su Pei nervously protected his master.
“I’ve come to give you a chance to survive.” Mo Zi wasn’t smiling.
“You’re going to kill us?” Su Pei was shocked. “But we really are just ordinary Daqiu common people.”
“Because we saw things we shouldn’t have seen.” Su Lan pulled down Su Pei. “Uncle Pei, don’t be afraid. Don’t forget, when we came out this time, we already had the resolve to die in a foreign land.”
“But… but Young Master, what about the Madam and Young Miss? You’re the Su family’s only heir.” Su Pei sat dejectedly on the ground.
“You’re quite clever.” Mo Zi ignored Su Pei’s dejection. “Young Master Su, I said there’s still a chance to survive.”
“Please speak, Miss. Although Su Lan doesn’t fear death, if there’s a chance to live, I won’t easily abandon it.” Su Lan’s expression was calm.
“Tell me how you got Zuo You to come forward as your middleman. As far as I know, this person has no particular hobbies and is both greedy for wealth yet cautious and careful.” Mo Zi needed a way to approach Zuo You.
“Miss wants to find him?” Su Lan was good at making connections.
Mo Zi neither confirmed nor denied. “You only need to answer me.”
“There’s only one chance to state my terms—I dare not waste it. Moreover, can Miss’s words count? From what I see, Miss’s older brother is the one who makes decisions.” Su Lan wanted to grasp the initiative.
Mo Zi appreciated his shrewdness. “Young Master Su, on this ship, I’m in charge. Let me put it this way—if I decide you can live, as long as you’re on this ship, you and I are bound by one life.”
“Doesn’t that mean we have to stay on the ship for life?” Su Pei, this servant, talked quite a lot.
“Living a lifetime on the ship is better than having no life.” Mo Zi smiled. “Young Master Su, consider it. I’ll come hear your answer tomorrow morning.”
“No need. I can tell you now. Zuo You is a filial son. I went through his mother to get him to write a letter to Yu Zhong.” Su Lan decided to trust her.
“Didn’t Zuo You’s mother die long ago?” Mo Zi found this strange.