Compared to the mess on one side, Artisan Number One’s worktable was orderly. Compared to the floor covered with wooden boards and wood shavings on one side, Artisan Number One’s floor had only a patch of wood dust beneath the table. Compared to the wood shavings covering someone from head to toe on one side, Artisan Number One remained as clean and presentable as when he had first taken the stage.
If this weren’t a competition of craftsmanship, people would unhesitatingly choose Number One to win. Even now, most people already believed he had won for certain.
Look at the bird beside him—if you weren’t careful, you’d mistake it for a real golden-tailed pheasant, head held high, chest thrust out, golden eyes and iron claws, with each brilliant tail feather seeming ready to rise with a crow, breaking through ten thousand lengths of morning light.
To be able to make such a lifelike wooden object in just two hours—he was truly an outstanding artisan. For someone like this to become a Grand Master Artisan should be well-deserved. He really shouldn’t be eliminated by Female Official Song.
Looking at Female Official Song by contrast—aside from the chaotic platform surface, tabletop, and herself, one couldn’t see the wooden bird she’d made. Or to put it this way: within sight, there wasn’t a single wooden block that could be called bird-shaped.
Ming Nian muttered beside Yuan Cheng, “Great Minister, the roasted meat we gave her was eaten for nothing. Just looking at that person’s golden pheasant, I want to put it over a fire and roast it.”
Yuan Cheng only looked at Mo Zi’s eyes—seeing no panic, but rather a smile—and said, “Ming Nian, your desire to help one of our own by destroying another’s creation, this feeling on her behalf—I’ll convey it for you.”
Ming Nian was stunned. He wanted to say that wasn’t what he meant, but rather that he genuinely felt the chicken looked so real that it made him want to roast and eat it. But when he opened his mouth to explain, Yuan Cheng had already returned to his tent.
Ming Nian gulped. “Gods and Buddhas protect us, may the Bodhisattva show her power and let Miss Mo Zi win for certain, or else the great minister will really have me go burn that chicken. Poor me with only one arm—if I fail at stealing the chicken and lose my life… Great mercy and compassion…”
The eunuchs went up to clear the stage. When they were about to move the tables, Mo Zi held her bird model in her hands. It turned out it had been covered by a pile of paper scraps, which was why everyone couldn’t find it.
Artisan Number One had still harbored some unease, but now seeing it clearly, the small stone in his heart landed. He couldn’t help but laugh out loud, so thoroughly delighted and proud that his voice was rather loud.
When he laughed, laughter spread from many tents beneath. The laughter of the noble ladies on Qiu Sanniang’s side was particularly grating, led by Old Madam Xiao, with a tendency to collapse from side to side with laughter.
No one in the Emperor’s tent laughed, or at least no one laughed so obviously. Even if mouths opened, they immediately closed in an instant. Because the Emperor’s face was dark—who dared go against him?
“Liu Ning, what kind of bird do you see in that girl’s hands?” The Emperor deceived himself and others, thinking his own vision was too harsh.
Liu Ning squinted his eyes narrowly. After a long while he answered, “Could it be a flying wild goose? The parts extending on both sides look like wings.”
The Emperor asked a palace maid again.
The palace maid also looked for a long time, not very certain, saying it was a white heron with spread wings.
People said, what on earth had Mo Zi made that made it impossible for people to say precisely?
Where the bird’s body should be was constructed with several wooden rods and boards, uncolored. Where the bird’s head should be—well, there was no bird head, just a strange pole. Where the bird’s tail should be was still wooden boards. Where the bird’s wings should be was probably the part most resembling a bird, but flattened, two boards above and below. In short, it was something put together from various sized wooden boards. It had the shadow of a bird, but from lifelike it was as distant as the sky’s edge.
“Father Emperor, in your son’s opinion, the victor of this competition has already been decided.” The Crown Prince entered the tent.
The Empress had given birth to three princesses, and other consorts also had mostly daughters. The Great Zhou Emperor had only two sons. One was the Crown Prince, the other was still only five years old. The Crown Prince’s birth mother was of humble status, so he was adopted by the Empress to raise.
The Emperor didn’t like this son of mediocre quality, but he had no choice. And hearing the Crown Prince come in and interject horizontally made the Emperor even more displeased. Though what he said was also what the Emperor himself was thinking, he still held hope for Mo Zi. This girl often won unexpectedly. Perhaps this time would be the same.
Who knew that once the Crown Prince spoke, other princes and ministers also nodded and discussed one after another, indicating that Artisan Number One had obviously won.
Just as the Emperor was in a dilemma, he heard Mo Zi’s voice.
“Please, Your Majesty, release the eagle!” she said.
The Emperor lowered his head and sighed. “Release what eagle? Is there even any need to release an eagle? It’s plainly obvious whose looks more like a bird.”
“Please, Your Majesty, release the eagle!” Mo Zi naturally couldn’t hear what the Emperor was muttering alone. “In this competition, Your Majesty said it would be judged by the eagle, not by people. Your Majesty—golden words from the imperial mouth—”
The Emperor raised his eyes and had Eunuch Liu release the hunting eagle. “Fine. Golden words from the imperial mouth. An eagle’s eyes are sharper than human eyes—but could it possibly see your board-bird as better eating than a person’s golden pheasant?”
The various princes and marquises heard this and laughed secretly. The Emperor had lost face this time.
Artisan Number One had eunuchs bring over a wooden stake, carefully fixing the wooden golden pheasant on top, then stood aside. Seeing that thing in Mo Zi’s hands, he really couldn’t help mocking a few lines.
“Female Official Song, it’s not that sticking a few feathers on boards and drawing a head makes it like a real bird.”
It turned out that on the upper board, exquisite feather colors and a bird head were painted, and a layer of bird feathers was densely spread. When the wind blew, the feathers lifted upward.
Mo Zi smiled without speaking, her gaze tightly fixed on the eagle flying toward the sky. When it began circling at high altitude, suddenly she moved.
When she moved, the bird in her hands also moved.
Whoosh—that bird-shaped thing actually flew upward.
Everyone thought it would immediately fall, but it didn’t. It flew up—very steadily, very gracefully, just like a real bird. People watching it even forgot to breathe or blink.
Now, Artisan Number One’s mockery froze on his face, as if it would instantly transform into a mournful expression.
The eagle came like lightning, its glossy black claw tips fiercely splitting the air, seizing Mo Zi’s bird model. After grabbing it, it let out a long cry and flew directly toward its trainer, throwing the bird model on the ground, perching on its accustomed shoulder, waiting for a reward.
But the reward was delayed in coming.
The eagle grew somewhat impatient and lightly pecked the trainer’s face. The trainer still paid no attention. So it flew again to the prey it had just caught and began pecking at it steadily.
Every eye watched this scene, every voice was held in throats, every expression contained elements of disbelief.
The eagle got a mouthful of feathers but found it couldn’t peck out meat, so it flipped the bird’s belly over—it was a strange thing never seen before. Very dissatisfied, it cried out. At this moment, the trainer finally came to his senses and threw a piece of meat to the eagle. The eagle immediately released the strange creature under its claws and turned to enjoy the delicacy.
The golden pheasant stood forlornly on the wooden stake, completely motionless.
Mo Zi silently withdrew her gaze, bending down to place her modified crossbow into the tool bag. She acknowledged that Artisan Number One’s skill was very high, the golden pheasant very realistic, but it was dead. Eagles like to capture living creatures.
Only at this point was victory and defeat truly clearly decided.
“Your Majesty.” She had been on this stage all day—she wanted to go down.
“Your Majesty, this commoner is unconvinced. She—” Artisan Number One dropped to his knees again with a thud. “She used real feathers to attract the hunting eagle. It can’t count.” The rules didn’t say it couldn’t fly—he could only seize upon this error.
“…Mo Zi.” The Emperor’s heart very much wanted to have someone drag that master artisan out, but what he said made sense. “Real feathers cannot be used.”
“Your Majesty, these are false feathers, which Mo Zi made from wood shavings.” How could she possibly use real feathers?
Now everyone was truly thoroughly shocked. At first when that thing took to the sky, one could only see the strange underside. Later when the eagle grabbed it and threw it on the ground, they discovered a wild goose with spread wings was painted on top, also covered with feathers. Those feathers—no one had thought they were fake, because they were too real, real enough to see missing feathers and fine down curling outward.
“Mo Zi, you say those were made from wood shavings?” Even the Emperor didn’t believe it—there was still a small tuft of feathers in the eagle’s beak.
“Your Majesty will know at a glance. Mo Zi wouldn’t dare deceive the monarch in front of so many people.” The simplest airplane model, combined with the dexterity of her left hand—what she had created was a flat, painted flying bird specifically for eagle eyes to see.
Eunuch Liu quickly had someone retrieve the fake wild goose.
The Emperor looked but couldn’t tell. He touched it but wasn’t quite certain.
Only when he tore it open with his hands did he confirm it was wooden.
“Good girl. No, from now on I won’t call you ‘girl’ anymore. Secretariat Drafter Yuan Cheng, draft an edict on my behalf—” His mood was extremely good, and moreover Mo Zi made it impossible for him not to reward her—he had to reward her.
Yuan Cheng walked in.
Someone naturally spread yellow silk and ground ink.
“Song Mo Zi, her craftsmanship is extraordinary, absolutely unique under heaven. Her character is noble and her heart pure, modest and unassuming—truly rare and precious. Now bestow upon her the title of Wild Goose Feather Grand Master Artisan, promoted to fourth rank. Because her specialty is shipbuilding, further appoint her as Grand Director of the Ship Bureau, commanding all officials and artisans of the Ship Bureau and shipyards, managing daily affairs. Grant one Grand Director’s Manor, reward one thousand taels of gold.” The Emperor thought briefly, his words becoming golden pronouncements.
Yuan Cheng finished writing, waited for it to dry, then transferred it to Liu Ning to announce on stage.
Mo Zi knelt down, thrice called out long live, and received it with both hands.
After a long while, someone finally thought to object. Just saying “this subject has a memorial,” they were coldly rejected by the Emperor.
“Song Mo Zi was already a fifth-rank official. If you wanted to object, you ministers should have objected early on. Now she’s merely been promoted one grade—no need to say more.” From fifth rank to fourth rank was one grade, but several steps. The Emperor deliberately made light of it.
Those opposing officials regretted it in their hearts. Had they known it would come to this, they should have opposed to the end from the start, firmly requesting His Majesty rescind the appointment. They had clearly intended to use this matter to impeach the Song woman, but it had instead become a ladder for her to climb upward. Truly, who could have expected it!
The Ship Bureau Director, hearing that Mo Zi had become Grand Director and thus his superior, immediately slumped dejectedly in his chair. The other officials all wore worried expressions, no longer daring to say half a word against Mo Zi, and worried about their futures.
However, Qiu Sanniang leisurely enjoyed watching the various noble ladies’ mixture of jealousy and envy. As for her mother-in-law’s old lady’s expression of being choked with anger, it made her inexplicably pleased. Looking again at the figure already standing on stage—lips curved in a smile, eyes crystal bright, stunningly beautiful.
This was the true Mo Zi!
She had always had a feeling, but only today did she witness it with her own eyes.
“Her wings have completely spread open.” She gazed at Mo Zi and, because of that radiance, squinted slightly. “One flight covers a thousand miles. My little cleverness, my belief that I had trapped her—actually she was just being lazy, temporarily sheltering with me.”
“Mo Zi said we’re all born able to fly. Because our wings have been bound for too long, we’ve forgotten how to fly. She said that following Xiao Ji, at least we can flutter.” Xiao Yi believed that since Mo Zi was free now, many things could now be said.
In the deep cold wind, birds fly high, their voices carrying far, heard in all four directions.