The Gold and Silver Bank.
After depositing her silver, Mo Zi turned around to see Uncle Yi Liang.
Yi Liang stood with hands at his sides, his expression solemn but his gaze gentle. “Third Young Master came very quickly.”
“Coming quickly still isn’t as quick as you all guessing.” Mo Zi smiled faintly. “I was thinking—last time when I left through the Jin Mansion’s main gate, the Eldest Young Master performed an empty fortress stratagem for me. Better to come directly to the bank—at least every time it’s him inviting me to meet. Looking at it this way, it’s truly this principle.”
Yi Liang gestured for Mo Zi to follow him. Entering the inner hall but not stopping, they went into the flower garden. Passing servants all respectfully addressed him as Steward. He nodded in response, passing through the winding corridors, walking into increasingly secluded areas until reaching a door. From his waist he untied a string of keys, opened the door lock, and pushed open the door.
Mo Zi saw distant green mountains—probably a side gate or such.
Outside the door stood a carriage. Yi Liang jumped up, grasped the reins and raised the whip, turning the carriage around, then looked at Mo Zi.
Zan Jin, who had been following Mo Zi all along, couldn’t help but ask him, “Uncle Yi Liang, where is this going?”
Yi Liang didn’t answer, his expression calm. Then his gray brows raised slightly as he shook the reins. The horse neighed lowly, about to leave, but he reined it in again.
Mo Zi pulled Zan Jin onto the carriage. “They say the cunning rabbit has three burrows. Young Master Jin has always been very cunning. Now that this matter has occurred, he’s gone into hiding leisurely. We just need to follow Uncle Yi Liang.”
Yi Liang smiled, wrinkling his aged face. “Truly can’t hide anything from Third Young Master. That’s right, this is just one of my young master’s residences. He only stays briefly when coming to handle bank matters.”
Mo Zi raised a pair of delicate eyebrows. “Then what good fortune have I encountered? I haven’t come many times, yet every time I run into Young Master Jin?”
Yi Liang heard the slightly lamenting tone about unfortunate fate in her voice and smiled again. He knew his young master’s two sworn brothers loved to speak in contradictory ways, but actually when something happened, the only ones who truly cared about the young master were these two. Just like when Young Master Yuan was captured and taken to the imperial palace, the young master mobilized many connections to inquire about his whereabouts and spent a fortune to bribe people in the heavenly prison and eunuchs beside the Emperor. Three people, each with different personalities, but only in how they handled their sworn brotherhood—like real brothers, they just did practical things without seeking credit.
The carriage circled out from the South City Gate. Just when Mo Zi thought Jin Yin’s other burrow was outside the city, unexpectedly the carriage entered through the South City Gate again. Returning to the Gold and Silver District, it drove into a deep alley opposite the Gold and Silver Bank. After several turns, it stopped before a large gate.
“So he lives right across from the bank? No wonder I run into him every time I come. One person spreads the word, and he can rush over.” Mo Zi laughed despite herself. Thinking again, this method was really good—it embodied that saying about the most dangerous place being the safest place. “But why go around in such circles?”
“As soon as we came out, someone was following us.” Zan Jin helped explain. “But after leaving the city gate, suddenly there was no trace. I think Third Young Master’s people cut off the tail.”
“It’s inconvenient to act in the city. Outside the city, just find some deserted grove—it’s a matter of moments.” Yi Liang interrupted their conversation. “Third Young Master, we’ve arrived.”
Mo Zi jumped down and looked—the gate had no plaque or decoration, deep brown wood, no different from an ordinary gentry household.
Yi Liang knocked on the door, called out a clever-looking servant, had him drive the carriage inside, then led Mo Zi through the gate.
Behind the gate was a Jiangnan-style garden, separated into progressive sections by corridors and arched gates. Houses with red tiles and white walls were faintly visible among them. Given Jin Yin’s wealth and love of showing off, such a place was truly very simple—so simple that Mo Zi thought she’d entered the wrong gate. No vulgar golden glitter, no crude magnificence—deep wood and fragrant incense, bamboo bridges and stone pavilions, giving a warm feeling that modest wealth is blessing. Though it was the depth of winter in the twelfth month, narcissus lined the white sand creek bridge, plum blossoms stood beside unusual rocks on idle ground—the decoration was remarkably moving.
“This garden doesn’t seem like Young Master Jin’s character.” Mo Zi thought of bean green.
“How does Third Brother think I should be?” Gray-blue brocade robe, neither bright nor flashy. Ten fingers jade-white, no gold or jewels. Black high topknot, a scholar’s plain cloth headband. Smiling eyes and brows, an extraordinarily handsome face—because of the plain and simple attire, he appeared even more imposingly noble.
At this moment, this person was not Jin Yin, but Chu Yu.
“Are you and Yuan Cheng real brothers?” One appeared in white robes before a spring tomb showing noble purity, the other in a deep residence also revealing his true colors—they were remarkably similar.
“Third Brother sees me but speaks of Yuan Cheng—aren’t you afraid I’ll be hurt and upset?” Though Jin Yin was dressed plainly, his speech still had that improper tone. He turned and walked into the garden.
“Hurt about what?” Mo Zi smiled. “Between you and me, who gets more long-winded talking about him?”
Jin Yin snorted, then retorted, “That long-windedness isn’t praising him.”
“Me saying you two are real brothers isn’t praising him either—just lamenting that you two have strikingly similar taste in clothes. One outfit before people, one outfit after. Mo Zi opened her mouth—second among the three brothers.
Before them was a courtyard. In a corner stood a pavilion house with paper windows pulled open. Incense burned on the table, adding a trace of warmth to the cold air. Beside the bronze tripod sat a palm-sized brazier brewing tea. The clay pot’s lid rose, making bubbling sounds. Jin Yin walked in, removed the teapot, and poured into six small cups arranged in a circle—instantly a pool of clear green.
Jin Yin picked up a cup, drank it down, his face thoughtful.
Mo Zi wasn’t polite, helping herself, drinking and then saying, “The tea is good, but I wonder if the tea brewer’s heart is calm?”
Jin Yin’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. “Third Brother might as well say directly my heart cannot be calm. This tea is no good—bitter.” He extended his hand and drank the remaining four cups in one breath. “Bitter tea I brewed myself, I can only drink it myself.”
Mo Zi took out a paper from her sleeve—precisely what Zan Jin had given her this morning. “Could Young Master Jin’s troubled heart be related to this? You still have leisure to brew tea, but I fear arriving a step late, I won’t see my younger sister.”
Jin Yin was stunned. “Even if there’s bad luck, it would be mine. Why wouldn’t you see Jiu Jiu?”
“Jiu Jiu?” Mo Zi’s cheeks puffed into hills. Secretly thinking it couldn’t be— “The nickname for Ninety Taels. What you say makes some sense, and truly calling a girl by that name is quite awkward—if you’re not careful and call too quickly, you might bite your tongue.” Jin Yin seemed quite helplessly to shake his head. “Also blame your sister—selling for sixty taels would be much better. Liu Liu, Liu Liu—sounds better than Jiu Jiu.”
“Liu Liu and Jiu Jiu both aren’t great.” Also Xiao Jiu Jiu, Liu Liu Da Shun too.
Though Mo Zi found it unbearable that this person kept changing her sister’s name to increasingly strange versions, urgent matters took priority. Slapping her hand on the paper, she asked directly without relaxing, “How does Young Master Jin plan to resolve this?”
A certain person surnamed Jin in the capital is a Yuling Imperial Prince. This was the single sentence on the paper.
People say, how is this deadly?
She says, how is this not deadly?
Jin Yin had severed relations with his Yuling father and brothers for many years, always moving about with a merchant’s identity. Changed name and surname, even his clothing and attire taking a completely opposite path from before—all to prevent people from recognizing him.
When Yuling fell, his father had died, his imperial brother became a hostage controlled by Great Qiu. As long as everyone thought Yuling’s imperial bloodline was just that one person, the so-called three-nation peace talks were negotiations on how to divide up Yuling.
But now with a free second imperial prince appearing, the situation was vastly different. The ancients placed utmost importance on imperial bloodline—even distant, distant, distant relatives who could trace some blood connection—raising this person’s banner made rebellion justified, waging war righteous.
Jin Yin’s identity exposed, Great Qiu as the invader would most likely want to kill him, while Great Zhou and Nande might also want to control him to gain advantage in the peace talks. Otherwise, if Yuling still had someone who could inherit the throne, how could three nations divide up Yuling? Not to mention Great Qiu’s reasons for sending troops were far-fetched—Great Zhou, since it always postured as the righteous mother nation, should support Jin Yin’s restoration.
“I haven’t figured it out yet.” Jin Yin picked up several papers from the bookshelf. “Add the one you brought—almost complete.”
Mo Zi took them one by one and read silently: A certain person surnamed Jin in the capital is a Yuling Imperial Prince. Yuling’s imperial bloodline still exists—how can they divide up the nation? The Second Imperial Prince issues orders—those surnamed Yuling must resist Great Qiu. Yuling’s national affairs should be decided by Yuling people themselves. Great Qiu clearly has the heart of a wolf—swallowing Yuling before pursuing the entire realm.
And so on.
Each paper bore one sentence—put together they formed a denunciation and plea for aid.
“What exactly happened?” One sentence was already frightening enough—who knew there was a whole series?
“It seems last night someone thought the snow wasn’t falling heavily enough and scattered these papers throughout the city like snowflakes.” Jin Yin smiled enchantingly. “I guess this morning’s scenery must have been magnificent—too bad I didn’t see it with my own eyes.”
“Who knows your true identity?” Mo Zi rushed to see Jin Yin immediately after reading the words on the paper. Perhaps, this sworn brotherhood thing—whether willing or unwilling, once it was on your shoulders, you carried more concerned responsibility than toward ordinary people.
“Can’t say many, can’t say few. I left Yuling for Great Qiu from childhood, did my duty as a good hostage, then went back, grabbed a fortune and ran. However, whether I lived or died, no one cared—probably even if the old man rose from the dead, he might not recognize me.” Mentioning that time, Jin Yin’s smile began to turn cold.
“Could it be—” Though unwilling to think it, Mo Zi still said it aloud. “Last time, that old general who wanted to kidnap you back to Yuling—they did this?”
“Exposing my identity, all three nations might want me dead—what benefit is there for them? I think perhaps it’s my good elder brother—he won’t live much longer himself, so naturally can’t stand seeing me well.” Speaking of this, Jin Yin’s eyes showed dark unfathomable green. “Might as well not wait for Great Qiu to finish using him—I’ll find someone to kill him first. What does Third Brother think?”
Mo Zi frowned at him. “Jin Yin, if you could bring yourself to do it, why wait until today? If you truly hated him to the bone, you should have stayed in the palace, waiting for the opportunity to push him down from the Crown Prince position, then obtain the imperial throne from your father emperor, take his life and seize his power. But you didn’t. You merely severed emotional ties with them and went far away. To put it unpleasantly, you fled. Fleeing means you couldn’t bear it. Since you couldn’t bear it then, you won’t bear it now either.”
Jin Yin pulled his mouth into a smile—his handsome face actually had an extremely ugly moment. “Third Brother had better not be so clever, otherwise how will you marry out?”
“Either way, it doesn’t have much to do with you. Someone whose life is in danger shouldn’t think too much.” A lightly rising and falling voice, seemingly cool yet warm.
Yuan Cheng had arrived.