“Wu the Chubby Sea” was the nickname Mo Zi had given Wu Yanle. It was unique—no one else called him this. Besides Mo Zi, no one else dared call the little prince of Daqu “Chubby Sea.”
It was strange too. When Wu Yanle was young, he was a hot-tempered little fatty who most hated people bringing up his weight. Yet he had no way to deal with Mo Zi at all. She called him Chubby Sea, Chubby Sea, and he still loved following behind Mo Zi all day long. He and Doulü were like little followers.
In all conscience, among the Daqu people who had deceived and oppressed her, Wu Yanle shouldn’t be counted among them. This Daqu royal family member she had known earliest had inherited the straightforwardness of the grasslands—his temper was fierce, but his heart was good. His mouth was foul, but he never held others’ faults in his mind. Wu Yanle truly treated her as a friend, practically with complete sincerity. But he was later sent to Dazhou to study and missed many things. At first they still exchanged letters, but they often didn’t match up—the more they talked, the more distant they became, so she stopped writing. Calculating now, it had been nearly four years since she’d seen his face.
“When Chubby Sea little brother returns from his studies, remember to bring me the best piece of wood from Dazhou.” Sometimes Mo Zi would think that having such a good memory was also helpless, but the friendship of youth was vivid before her eyes, preventing her from turning her face away from this person and refusing to acknowledge him—at least not immediately. Moreover, from the moment Ye’er discovered her, she understood that she couldn’t avoid everything from the past—she might as well be forthright about it.
Wu Yanle’s handsome face changed from surprise to delight. “Mo Zi?”
“Yanle, did you keep your word?” Mo Zi still had a sincere smile for him.
Wu Yanle almost rushed over, only applying the brakes urgently when he reached Mo Zi. Though he had already grown from a boy into a man, he still retained a childlike heart.
“Mo Zi, all these years without seeing you—why do you still love dressing as a man?” He looked her up and down, grinning—that was the true joy of reunion.
When he called out “Mo Zi,” two of the three masked men knelt on one knee. They removed their face coverings along with him, respectfully calling out “Miss Zi.” Those two were the veterans who had complained about Wu Yanle on the boat at Jingyu Shoals back then—their martial skills were extremely high.
“Yes, old habits are hard to break.” Mo Zi calmly stepped back. “Yanle has now grown tall and strapping, quite a handsome fellow. It seems I can’t call you Chubby Sea anymore.”
“Call me whatever you want—between us, there’s no need to be so particular.” Wu Yanle didn’t notice Mo Zi deliberately distancing herself. “However, your appearance is somewhat different from before—even more beautiful. If Ye’er hadn’t recognized you, I would have nearly made a terrible mistake.”
Ye’er was the woman disguised as a Ge Qiu. She wore heavy makeup and deliberately lowered her head to appear sickly, trying to deceive those who came, but unexpectedly it was Mo Zi who arrived.
Mo Zi hadn’t recognized her at first, then had her suspicions, but only confirmed it when she called out “Yanle.”
“Yanle, what are you doing in Dazhou?” Relations between Dazhou and Daqu were currently tense—a time of extreme vigilance.
“Third Brother sent me to—” Wu Yanle was just about to say.
“You can’t say!” Ye’er cried out sharply. Seeing Mo Zi’s cold smile, she stammered to cover it up. “Yanle, this isn’t a place to talk. Outside we’re surrounded, and the Capital Guard will search here soon.”
“Really, seeing you, I completely forgot my current situation.” Wu Yanle slapped his forehead and reached out his hand. “Mo Zi, let’s go back. Third Brother will definitely be overjoyed to know you’re safe.”
This child she had watched grow up, three years younger than herself, still hadn’t figured out that she could never go back.
“Yanle, there are soldiers outside. How will you leave?” She stepped back again.
“It would be best to avoid their search. If not, we’ll jump the wall and kill our way out. Mo Zi, you don’t know—my martial skills now are quite extraordinary.” In Dazhou, he hadn’t only studied the Four Books and Five Classics.
“How confident are you of breaking out without losing your life?” Mo Zi stepped back again.
Now Wu Yanle noticed something was off. “Mo Zi, why are you backing away so much?”
Ye’er looked back and saw the firelight drawing closer. “Miss, please help us hide.”
“That’s right, Mo Zi! I just saw that steward listening to you. Could this establishment be your place? If so, quickly find a hidden spot for us to hide.” Wu Yanle still trusted her as he had before, telling her everything.
However, he saw Mo Zi shake her head.
“No place to hide? Such a large garden—isn’t there even a cellar?” His heart vaguely felt something was wrong, but he didn’t want to think the worst.
“There are places, but I don’t want to harbor Daqu spies. Yanle, take your people and jump the wall. Otherwise, attacked from front and back, you won’t have any chance at all.” Wu Yanle’s group only had five people. Adding that the two veterans’ martial skills were among the best in Daqu, escaping danger wouldn’t be difficult.
Wu Yanle’s eyes bulged. He simply couldn’t believe his ears. “What did you say?”
“I said I can’t hide you. Run quickly.” She didn’t mind repeating it, her attitude very serious and sincere. “Yanle, your Third Brother and I are already estranged like strangers on the road. Didn’t you know? The letters of my father and brothers secretly communicating with Daqu were presented to the Yuling Emperor—they’ve already been beheaded. Didn’t you know? Doulü and I are being hunted by both Yuling and Daqu. Didn’t you know?”
“I…” didn’t know. He only heard Third Brother say he had a falling out with Mo Zi over pride. Then he heard Third Brother say he sent troops to Yuling to save the Song family. Then he heard Third Brother say he’d sent many people everywhere searching for the whereabouts of the Song family sisters.
“You didn’t know, right? Because your Third Brother never tells you what’s in his heart. Only you’re foolish—just like me, both of us with one-sided wishful thinking.” Mo Zi glanced back. Zhao Liang had finished looking inside with two people and was walking out. “Leave quickly. Help me pass along a message to him. As long as he leaves me alone from now on, I won’t become a force obstructing his ambitions. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless and merciless. Those broken-down Daqu ships—I’ll make them vanish into thin air. He knows my abilities, and he should also know that no matter how much he steals and imitates, he’ll only produce things that look good but are useless.”
Wu Yanle’s whole person was stunned, standing dazed, not knowing how to digest this speech. Under Ye’er’s repeated urgings, he still didn’t move. Finally he said, “Mo Zi, are you angry that Third Brother took someone else as a consort? He’s a prince—three palaces and six courtyards is normal. Even if he didn’t want to marry, those nobles wouldn’t agree. Marriage alliances are a Daqu royal tradition. But the position beside him can only be sat in by you alone. I know you don’t like Third Brother having other women, but rest assured—I’ll always help you. When I return this time, I’ll be the Nation-Stabilizing General, commanding Daqu’s several hundred thousand troops. What woman relying on family power could bully you? Even if she touches one of your fingers, I’ll make her head fall.” He would definitely protect her. So what if she was a craftsman’s daughter? So what if her birth was humble? She had saved his life—he had to guard her with his own life.
Mo Zi’s eyes moistened from his sincerity, but she wasn’t good at crying. The tears that welled up dried at the corners of her eyes, her gaze still completely clear. She had already taken a different path. If she dragged this out, she might harm him and also harm herself.
A silver flash—a piece of fabric appeared in her hand. It was a corner of her long robe.
The dagger was new, its blade sharpened just two days ago. Zan Jin said it was for her self-defense. She hadn’t expected its first use would be for severing ties.
Wu Yanle was greatly shocked. He had studied Han culture and understood very clearly the meaning of severing the robe to break ties.
“I once saved your life. Now I personally sever all gratitude and obligation between you and me. From now on, we’re strangers on the road. Even if we meet again, there will be no affection. If your Third Brother persists with his obsession, you and I will be enemies. I absolutely won’t sit and wait for death.” Yesterday’s events are like all kinds of death.
“You…” He was too shocked, his chest aching unbearably. He viewed her as family—how had it come to this? During the years he left Daqu, what exactly had happened?
Mo Zi turned to look at the kneeling tall and short veterans, saying in a heavy voice, “Why aren’t you taking Wu Yanle away quickly? I’m going to shout.”
Wu Yanle suddenly said, “I don’t believe you. Shout—only then will I be satisfied.”
Mo Zi looked at him. That chubby childhood face could still vaguely be seen. She smiled slightly, opened her mouth, and shouted loudly, “Someone come! There are spies! Someone come quickly!”
Wu Yanle’s whole body shook, his eyes turning ice cold.
At this moment, he looked extremely like his elder brother.
Torches rapidly closed in.
Ye’er cried out urgently.
The tall and short veterans each grabbed one of Wu Yanle’s arms and rushed to the wall corner. With a step and a kick, they vaulted out. Another masked person took Ye’er over the wall as well. From the figure, the martial skills were also not weak.
A figure darted past Mo Zi—it was Zan Jin.
“Zan Jin!” Mo Zi quickly called to stop him. “Don’t chase!”
Zan Jin listened to Mo Zi very well and stopped urgently, saying to her, “Yilang and I saw soldiers searching for spies on the main street. Worried something might happen at the establishment, we rushed back. Just now at the front I saw Cen Er. Hearing you had come, I came to find you. Didn’t you say those people were spies? Why won’t you let me chase them?”
“This kind of thing is the soldiers’ business. What does it have to do with us common people?” Mo Zi had just finished speaking when a batch of Capital Guard soldiers surged through the gate.
The leader wore blue-silver soft armor, a majestic general’s hat on his head, sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, an imposing aura like a rainbow. His hand rested on the sword hilt at his waist as if ready to unsheath it at any moment.
The sword was Yinyue, which had pointed at Mo Zi’s neck twice before. The person was Xiao Er, who was arrogant every time they met.
Mo Zi thought, Dazhou has no one—even a small matter like searching requires a general to lead. She didn’t know that though Xiao Erlang was a young general, he was deeply valued by the Emperor. Important tasks were assigned to him—not necessarily just leading troops into battle.
Xiao Erlang saw Mo Zi in men’s clothing and instinctively snorted, but it didn’t delay official business. “Who shouted about spies? Where are they?”
Before Mo Zi could speak, they heard someone outside the wall shouting about capturing Daqu spies alive, with firelight moving chaotically.
Xiao Erlang waved his hand. “Leave a few people to watch these individuals—I’ll question them later. Everyone else, follow me over the wall. We absolutely cannot let them escape. Remember—you must not harm their lives!”
A dozen people formed a base at the wall, and in moments dozens had flipped over.
By daybreak, this wall would probably be covered with shoe prints. Mo Zi, being held under watch, was still thinking about asking Xiao Er for compensation for damages.