After the Nth failed cat call, Mo Zi picked a good spot to wait for dawn. The night was very hot, without a trace of wind. The weeds stood perfectly straight, and grasshoppers and crickets climbed upward, calling out pleasantly from time to time.
She had no complaints about Xiao Yi whatsoever. Moreover, if there was a first time, there’d be a second, and if a second, a third—preparation for long-term resistance was necessary. Fortunately, there were too many desolate areas in the Yuan Mansion. If she were to do wilderness survival training, she could probably hide for a month or so without the enemy discovering her. Good thing it was summer—she could sleep with heaven as blanket and earth as mat. As for food, she planned to catch rabbits to eat when extremely hungry.
Survival was most important, the cuteness of rabbits secondary.
The reason for sighing was that rescuing Lin Zhenniang had dragged her deeper and deeper into murky waters. She hadn’t revealed a single word to either Xu Jiu or Lu Man, but when Xu Jiu accepted her suggestion to have Zan Jin fake being beaten and spitting blood, his ambition became crystal clear to her. Between Xu Jiu and Huo Ba, she chose to side with Xu Jiu—the reasons need not be elaborated. Huo Ba was corrupted by lust, couldn’t distinguish right from wrong, and couldn’t accomplish great things. Even if she didn’t give Xu Jiu any ideas, his ascension to gang leader was only a matter of time—might as well do him this effortless favor. If the Leopard Gang weren’t a ship gang, there would be room to offend them. But it was the boss of this waterway territory. She didn’t need to fawn and flatter, but she couldn’t be too “wild” either. After all, she was about to make her living from the water.
Mo Zi had originally only wanted to quietly earn money. The money hadn’t even started coming in, yet one dinner had made her so conspicuous—how could she not sigh?
Sitting in this half-collapsed pavilion for an hour and a half, she was terribly hungry. Thinking she could eat good food, she’d deliberately eaten less at lunch. Who would have thought Wuyou Pavilion would be so stingy—not a single good dish eaten, only half a mouthful of tea drunk, and such mental effort expended. Nearly midnight now, she stared blankly at the grass, wondering if tonight she should go on a killing spree and roast a rabbit leg to fill her stomach.
Tonight was a full moon, the ground covered in silvery frost. When a dark shadow covered the silver frost, Mo Zi had already sensed someone approaching. Looking up, she saw Yuan Cheng. Seeing him at Wuyou Pavilion wasn’t surprising, but seeing him at his own home was somewhat surprising.
“Lord Yuan returns quite early.” Wasn’t Wuyou Pavilion a place that kept men overnight?
“The wine that should be drunk has been drunk, the words that should be said have been said—naturally I should return. Besides, the moon is at its zenith, the night is already deep. Miss Mo Zi sighs here alone—what troubles you? Could it be you took a shortcut to buy things, lost track of time on the road playing, and returned too late?” Since Mo Zi wouldn’t admit she was Brother Mo, Yuan Cheng naturally treated her as a maid from the neighboring Prince Jing’s mansion.
Mo Zi discovered his skills were ultimately deeper than hers. When she said he returned quite early, it was continuing the conversation from Wuyou Pavilion. Fortunately, she’d spoken ambiguously enough to get by. It was just that this person had already recognized her but insisted she admit it herself, arousing her competitive spirit. Fine, no matter what, she would hold out past this month’s deadline.
So she deliberately furrowed her brow, playing unfamiliar along with Yuan Cheng. “Lord Yuan, it’s not that Mo Zi was playing around. I just encountered a strange matter on the road today that delayed my return.”
“Oh?” Yuan Cheng remembered the story about the scorpion crossing the river she’d told before, wondering if she was going to make up another story.
“There’s no harm in telling it, only Mo Zi has been out half a day and hasn’t eaten yet. If my lord wishes to hear this strange matter, I wonder if you could first treat Mo Zi to a good meal? I know my lord is hospitable, holding banquets from night to day with kitchen smoke never stopping—feeding me one meal shouldn’t be difficult.” Her hunger left her without pride, begging for a meal. Thinking back, when she was a soldier she ate one compressed biscuit a day. Now, though in a maid’s body, with meals provided at every turn, missing one meal made her panic. Sigh—comfortable environments make people degenerate.
Yuan Cheng said to the seemingly empty space behind him, “Who’s following?”
A black-clothed figure appeared silently, bowing respectfully. “What are my lord’s orders?”
It wasn’t Huayi.
“Have the kitchen prepare some good food and dishes.” Yuan Cheng was indeed “hospitable.”
Mo Zi called out to the black-clothed figure. “If there’s extremely fragrant good wine, please also bring up a jar.”
Seeing Yuan Cheng looking at her, she smiled. “My lord has already been extremely generous to Mo Zi—you wouldn’t be unwilling to part with just one jar of wine, would you?”
Yuan Cheng smiled faintly. “Since Miss Mo Zi praises me so, if I don’t give it, wouldn’t I seem petty? Not just one jar of wine—if the young lady enjoys drinking, bringing several more jars would be fine.”
The black-clothed figure departed with orders.
“My lord has expert masters like clouds around him, with people secretly protecting you wherever you go. I heard from Ming Nian that my lord is newly appointed as Grand Academy Academician. As it happens, His Majesty thirsts for worthy talent—I imagine my lord’s talent reaches to the heavens, unmatched in the current court, which is why you have such grand arrangements.” With food and dishes not yet arrived, she made casual conversation, more than half of it praising a certain academician.
“Yuan was rather arrogant in the past and offended too many people. I can’t claim my talent reaches the heavens, but this one life is quite valuable. Whoever cares naturally must take pains to protect it—Yuan has no reason to refuse, does he?” It wasn’t that he feared death, but that someone feared his death.
Mo Zi, being who she was, naturally understood immediately. She thought Yuan Cheng was Nande’s highest official, holding so many of Nande’s secrets—if she were the Great Zhou Emperor, she would certainly first win him over rather than rush to kill him. The general amnesty, giving him an official position—probably all meant to win him over. However, this emperor had quite the bold hand. To pardon him alone, pardon the whole realm? Give a sixth-rank position with Qianniu Guard attendants?
“My lord has numerous enemies. Now holding office so conspicuously—wouldn’t that make it easy for them to find you?” The abduction of Nande’s prime minister was originally an extremely secret matter. Great Zhou suddenly making such a big commotion—when Nande found out they’d be furious. Considering the two countries had always been harmonious, this would affect friendly diplomatic relations.
“The great hermit hides in the court. How many people surnamed Yuan are there in the world? Yuan is merely a Grand Academy Academician, not a close minister, favorite, or power minister of the Son of Heaven. If Yuan has no intention, enemies wanting to find Yuan would actually not be easy.” If he had intention, there were people like Lu Man coming to his door.
What a fine “great hermit hides in the court.” Only someone like Yuan Cheng would dare use such a tactic.
“My lord is truly decisive. This humble woman admires you.” Idle talk finished, seeing two lanterns approaching in the distance with four child servants, Mo Zi’s eyes lit up. “After I eat, I’ll tell my lord about the strange matter I encountered on the road. My lord, please be patient.”
Yuan Cheng, with the intention of hearing cat calls, was naturally extremely patient, sitting on the broken remnant wall outside the pavilion, several zhang away from Mo Zi.
After wine, dishes, and rice were laid out on a table, Mo Zi first opened the wine jar, took a bowl and scooped three times, spilling the wine on the ground. While spilling, she voluntarily explained to people, “Every time I pass through my lord’s garden, I always feel spiritual energy pressing in. Receiving such good wine from my lord, I dare not enjoy it alone—I invite heaven, earth, spirits, ghosts, and supernatural beings to taste it together.”
Yuan Cheng’s brow moved. What was wrong? Brother Mo wasn’t such a superstitious person! But watching her finish the so-called sacrifice to heaven, earth, spirits, and ghosts, then eat ravenously, this did match that frank, straightforward, adaptable nature. Perhaps he was overthinking?
Facts later proved his intuition hadn’t been wrong—it was that the person he encountered was truly formidable.
“Miss Mo Zi’s eating manner is truly—honest.” Yuan Cheng watched her take big bites, not using chopsticks but using a white porcelain small spoon to scoop and eat. Clearly he should find it crude and unbearable, but somehow he didn’t—instead he felt a bit hungry himself.
“It’s that my lord’s mansion’s cook has good skills.” The eight-treasure sauce duck leg tasted first-rate. After the chopsticks and spoon offensive failed, she resorted to using her hands.
“Cook—you say?” Yuan Cheng found this fresh.
Mo Zi was eating happily and didn’t remember there was no word “cook” in ancient language, immediately improvising an explanation. “Confucius said, when three walk together, there must be my teacher. Tonight my lord dines with me, the head cook prepares my food—both are my teachers.”
She never disappointed him, this woman. Yuan Cheng lowered his eyes and smiled softly.
Before that smile faded, he suddenly heard Mo Zi call out loudly to someone. “Xiao Yi, don’t leave! Your senior brother isn’t here tonight. This jar of good wine was given to me by Lord Yuan—I’m giving it to you. Quickly, take me across.”
Yuan Cheng looked back and saw the girl who had bounced away upon seeing Huayi last time leap down from the wall. Like a gust of wind, she swept past him, entered the pavilion to embrace the wine jar, asking Mo Zi if she was really giving her this jar of wine.
Both laughable and exasperating. So it wasn’t sacrificing to spirits and ghosts, but luring an alcohol lover. These cat calls seemed they wouldn’t be heard, but there was a story to listen to—not in vain to treat her to good wine and food.
However, when he saw Mo Zi walking toward the wall with that lightness-skill-capable girl, he blurted out, “Miss Mo Zi, you’re leaving?”
“My lord, the night dew is cool—better to rest early.” Mo Zi’s matter-of-fact tone, as if she’d completely forgotten what she’d just promised.
Yuan Cheng furrowed his brow slightly.
Tonight, this was the second time he frowned because of her.
Mo Zi saw this and grabbed Xiao Yi who was about to jump the wall.
“Does my lord think Mo Zi doesn’t keep her word, that her words don’t count?” Under the full moon, her eyes were like a clear shallow stream, reflecting two pools of night sky’s bright radiance.
“…” Wasn’t that the case?
As if she could hear Yuan Cheng’s inner thoughts, she smiled and shook her head. “Of course not. I didn’t speak because I was too embarrassed to speak. However, if my lord truly wishes to hear, Mo Zi will speak now.”
“…” At this point, not speaking would be inappropriate.
“Today Mo Zi saw a tree on the road. On the tree was a crow with a large piece of fresh meat in its beak. The crow was just thinking it could have a fine meal when a fox saw it. The fox was hungry, so under the tree it said, ‘Brother Crow, your voice is so beautiful—sing me a song to feast my ears.’ The crow loved flattery, so it opened its mouth to sing. My lord, what do you think happened?” She’d told it—don’t blame her.
When telling him stories, she always seemed to like making him guess the ending. Not difficult though. “When the crow opened its mouth, the meat fell into the fox’s mouth—” Wait, the moral of this story was—
“I actually didn’t encounter any strange matter. What my lord said at first was correct—Mo Zi played and forgot the time to return. But if I didn’t say that, didn’t flatter my lord, I feared my lord wouldn’t give me that free fine meal.” Mo Zi smiled, showing her pearly white teeth, gleaming silver in neat rows. Yuan Cheng was the crow, and she, Mo Zi, was the fox!
Yuan Cheng was speechless.
Mo Zi turned around, told Xiao Yi she could jump, then thought of something and turned back. “My lord says you hide in the court, but as Mo Zi sees it, my lord is more like fishing bait—the kind that willingly serves as live bait. Better be careful.”
No wind seen, the person already beyond the wall.
Xiao Yi suddenly said, “Why is that person laughing so loudly?”
Mo Zi hadn’t heard, shrugged, said who knows, she was exhausted and wanted to sleep soundly.