While the enemies were shocked, they all looked toward Mo Zi. She was the head on the ship—they had to listen to her.
Once Mo Zi boarded a ship, her decisions were swift and accurate. She ordered all rudders to turn to avoid the floating ice and had a small team of shipyard workers lower the rescue boat. She instructed the temporarily appointed team leader, Fei Xia, to pursue following the direction of the ice flow, first check whether the person on it was alive, retrieve them if possible, but abandon the effort if the difficulty was too great—the safety of Hongyu’s people took priority. The large ship would escort the small boat, and emergency measures were prepared on board.
Seeing her issue orders in one smooth flow, Master Min Yu couldn’t help but nod approvingly to himself. This woman had a sense of chivalry yet could also calmly weigh priorities. She did her utmost without being blind or reckless—her resolve was firm, her boldness truly not inferior to outstanding young men.
After a series of orderly operations, the person was brought back to the main ship. Fei Xia’s first words were that this person still had breath. However, though he said there was breath, it was barely there. His body had been slashed no fewer than five or six times. His cotton clothing was soaked dark red, and as soon as he was placed on the deck, a layer of glaring bloody water spread beneath him. On top of that, having drifted on the floating ice, he was frozen with a bluish complexion. The blood covering his face was overlaid with pale frost. He had no consciousness and looked no different from a dead person.
“Brother Mo, this person seems to have internal injuries. Every blade struck bone—he’s lost too much blood to save. I checked his pulse—he probably can’t hold on much longer.” After Fei Xia finished shaking his head, he discovered Mo Zi was staring at the man in a daze. “Brother Mo?”
Mo Zi had actually heard him. As if muttering to herself, she gave instructions: “Fei Xia, carry him into the guest cabin. Warm him up and cover him with quilts. Feed him medicine and pour soup into him. Do everything in your power to restore his consciousness. If he wakes, summon me immediately.”
Fei Xia didn’t ask unnecessary questions and immediately led people to carry out the task.
Master Min’s brow furrowed at the man’s terrible condition. “Injured so severely and laid on floating ice—could he have encountered river bandits? But the waters around the capital have always been peaceful. I’ve never heard of bandits so brazen as to dare kill people in broad daylight. Moreover, with naval patrol ships recently traveling back and forth on the water, how could such a thing happen?”
Mo Zi wanted to say that the naval base didn’t take patrolling seriously at all, sending some green recruits to the prosperous capital to gain experience and broaden their horizons, but in the end she just smiled and let it pass.
“Old Master, we should have sailed to the shallow waters to test the ship, but now we can only return to port. I’ve made you come for nothing.” Mo Zi was somewhat apologetic.
“Human life is paramount—naturally we must hurry ashore to find a physician.” Master Min stroked his white beard. “Brother Mo need not feel apologetic. I came uninvited, relying on my old age to presume you wouldn’t chase me away. However, let me say now—next time you test a ship, I’m still coming.”
Mo Zi clasped her fists saying she would obey. She had originally intended to have the shipyard workers sail back to Hongyu, but after thinking it over, changed her mind and decided to go directly to the Eastern Suburb riverside dock—it would be more convenient to find a physician there.
The sand ship had a shallow draft. Going with the current, it was as if wings had been added. Though the hull was large, it was not at all cumbersome. It overtook quite a few river vessels, making those boatmen envious—the straightforward ones even called out.
When the Eastern Suburb dock appeared far off in Mo Zi’s field of vision, Fei Xia called her into the guest cabin.
The cabin was very hot, the bloody smell intense. It made her feel as if blood mist floated in the air, entering and exiting her lungs with each breath, so viscous she wanted to vomit.
“Has he awakened?” The reason Mo Zi had been in a daze over this person was because she had seen him before. He was the old general from Yuling who had tried to forcibly take Jin Si and Yin Hui back to his country many months ago. Though she had thought they might meet again, she never expected it would be under these circumstances.
Fei Xia shook his head. “I’m sorry, Brother Mo. The medicinal soup won’t go in. His breath is like a gossamer thread—he won’t last much longer. I had hoped to at least ask who attacked him—what a pity.” At least they could report a complete account to Jin Si and Yin Hui.
“Brother Mo, my father taught me an acupressure technique to stimulate energy flow. It can make a dying person’s consciousness clear for a moment, but after that moment, the person will certainly die.” Zan Jin stepped forward to observe the old general’s expression. “His energy is getting weaker and weaker. Even using this technique, I have no confidence he’ll be able to speak clearly. However, we can try. After all, isn’t he clinging to this breath precisely to reveal who harmed him?”
Mo Zi hesitated. What if he could still be saved?
“Brother Mo, I dare assert that his life is beyond even an immortal’s ability to save.” Fei Xia had been with Mo Zi for quite some time and knew what she was hesitating about. “Why not use Brother Zan’s method? It’s better than letting him die like this.”
“Brother Mo, this old man is a man of iron. We can’t let him die confused and unclear.” Zan Jin also remembered him. “Even if we can’t avenge him, we must at least inform the Second Young Master.”
Mo Zi steeled her heart. “Zan Jin, try it.”
Zan Jin moved extremely quickly, pressing several points on the old general’s body, then using his large palm to support his back, closing his eyes to channel his energy.
On the bloodstained face, the old general’s eyes suddenly opened wide. He began gasping urgently, his throat making gurgling sounds, his mouth flowing with thick red blood.
“Brother Mo, if you have anything to ask, ask quickly.” Seeing Mo Zi’s reluctant expression, Fei Xia could only remind her aloud.
Mo Zi sat on the edge of the bed. She wanted to hold the old general’s hand but feared affecting Zan Jin’s energy channeling, so in the end she clenched her fist. “Old General, I am Chu Yu’s sworn brother. Do you have words for me to convey?”
The old general’s pupils had originally been unfocused. Hearing Mo Zi’s words, he forced his gaze to focus on her. At first somewhat uncertain, then he reached out and tightly gripped her wrist.
“That day the Second Prince’s…” His mouth full of blood bubbled up, bursting onto Mo Zi’s hands and clothes.
“That’s right.” Mo Zi forcibly suppressed her grief. “Old General, who injured you like this?”
“Tell… the Second… Prince, Yuling is waiting… for him. He will be a wise ruler. General An has always known…” His head tilted to one side. He had breathed his last. Eyes open, unable to rest even in death.
His final words were not about the murderer, but an entrustment. Though Yuling’s crown prince was unrighteous, his subjects still had such loyal and upright people—one couldn’t help but sigh with emotion that justice endures forever in this world, that there are always those who truly think of the common people.
Zan Jin moved to close the old general’s eyes, but Mo Zi blocked his hand. “Leave them for Jin Si and Yin Hui. Only they can allow the general to rest in peace.”
Zan Jin nodded and carefully laid the old general’s body flat, covering him with a quilt. “At least he’s not in pain now. I could see the white bone on his arm, yet when he woke he didn’t even groan—truly a man of iron.”
At this moment, Chou Yu ran in. “Brother Mo, the naval boats at the dock are blocking us from entering. They say the advance envoy ship from Great Qiu is about to enter port—civilian ships must wait half a day. How about we row a small boat ashore and find a physician for him first?”
Fei Xia looked at his younger brother. “No need to fetch a physician—the man is already dead.”
Mo Zi told them the old general’s identity. After all, following the massive publicity campaign with handbills several days ago, those who knew Jin Si and Yin Hui were well aware, and for those who didn’t know them, it was very easy to inquire.
Chou Yu slapped his thigh. “Damn it, who did this? To be able to hack a nation’s old general to death—definitely not someone simple.” A hot-blooded man, he didn’t wallow in sorrow but was filled with righteous indignation.
Who would attack someone from Yuling so viciously? Mo Zi’s speculation was confirmed by the news Chou Yu had brought in.
The Great Qiu envoy delegation had arrived! And they had come by waterway!
The advance envoy ship was the vanguard, generally arriving several days ahead of the main force to prepare for their reception.
On one side, the envoy ship was about to reach the dock; on the other, the general from Yuling’s remnant forces appeared on floating ice—it couldn’t be a coincidence. However, what exactly had happened? For the moment, it was hard to say.
“Brother Mo, where should the ship go?” Fei Xia asked.
Mo Zi didn’t want to come face to face with Great Qiu’s ships. The old general was already dead, so there was no longer any need to enter the dock. Hongyu was her own territory—moving a corpse there would be most reassuring.
“Return to Hongyu.” As Mo Zi gave the order, she walked out of the cabin and saw Master Min Yu and the others standing at the bow looking toward the dock.
When she looked herself, the civilian ships at the Eastern Suburb dock had been divided to both sides, leaving a large expanse of water surface in the middle. Seven or eight naval ships were lined up in a row, and a tower ship warship was stopped in front. The Great Zhou banners flew—beyond the Xiao character, there was also the prince-general flag, representing direct troops of the Wu imperial clan.
“The Xiao banner and prince-general flag side by side—it shows how uniquely favored Prince Jing’s household is. I’ve heard that for this entry into the capital to escort the envoy, the emperor only allowed the Xiao family army to enter.” Master Min spoke to Mo Zi and Min Song.
“The struggle between the old and new factions in court grows ever more intense. Now they’re promoting cooperation between official and civilian shipyards—we’re picking up a ready-made advantage.” Mo Zi knew officials like Yuan Cheng and Jiang Tao, so her information wasn’t slow either.
Master Min nodded in approval. “Brother Mo concerns herself with national affairs, her vision far-reaching and not narrow—much better than my grandnephew.” He was indirectly referring to Min Song’s lack of concern for current events.
“Building carriages behind closed doors produces unusable carriages. The same principle applies to building ships.” Mo Zi naturally caught the subtext in the old master’s words and winked at Min Song. “Old Master, you must properly instruct your grandnephew. If he’s stubbornly obtuse, use bamboo strips to strike his palms—it hurts without causing injury.”
Min Song glared at her.
She shrugged, indicating she had done nothing wrong. She told the two that the ship couldn’t enter the dock and they’d have to return to Hongyu. The old master asked what to do about the injured person. She shook her head, saying there was no longer any need to fetch a physician.
Everyone understood what this meant. They each sighed but didn’t mention it further.
The ship turned around and retraced its path. Against the current and wind, yet because of Mo Zi’s design of multiple masts, multiple sails, and triple rudders, it moved as if on level ground. The wind on the river was cold as a knife. After arranging for Master Min to rest in the cabin, she stood high on the cabin platform, directing the workers.
The ship was good, but the people manning it also had to work as one. Chou Yu loved to shout work songs. Braving the bitter cold, he bellowed, leading everyone to join in forcefully and enthusiastically.
For a time, hot sweat dispelled the icy chill—the river water seemed like warm soup.
Mo Zi was after all a woman, and women always have some sentimentality. She had originally been brooding over the old general’s death, but in the work songs of the crowd, her melancholy completely dispersed on the wind and flowed away seeking the sea.
Her hair scattered, her long robe rustling—yet her heart no longer felt cold. The old general’s bloodstains on her hands gradually grew hot, fueling her high spirits. The body may die, but the spirit lives on forever—why be sorrowful!
There weren’t many boats on the river—ordinary passenger and cargo vessels that didn’t catch Mo Zi’s attention. Until directly ahead, a black dot appeared. In a moment, the ship’s outline became visible. In another moment, the bow could be seen clearly—white waves churning, advancing with a murderous speed that made her stare intently.
Chou Yu shouted down: “Brother Mo, that ship is really fast. Though it’s much smaller than our ship, it doesn’t seem inclined to yield to us. Should we yield?” When the ship drew closer, he cried out: “Triangular large sail, square bow and flat bottom, two-level cabin, long oars beating the water—it’s like they’ve cobbled together all those features from Brother Mo’s designs, making some mongrel hybrid.”
Mo Zi watched with cold eyes. She wanted to say: Don’t yield. If they have the ability, let them crash into us. Let’s see whether the original is more formidable or the pirated version.
But the wind cooled her down, and she heard herself say:
“Yield to it.”