“Didn’t I give you a room to stay in? Why are you running to my room to sleep?” Recently, she’d increasingly discovered he possessed the qualities of a corrupt official. Long sleeves skilled at dancing. Countless social engagements, feasting and revelry every night—matters that should be handled were invisibly resolved through eating and drinking. Skin thick as a wall. When he insisted on doing something, he absolutely wouldn’t listen to others. Until he achieved his goal, he’d never give up.
The person didn’t move.
These were two other major qualities. Playing dumb. Having schemes in his belly.
“Yuan—Cheng!” This person had expressed his feelings to her but didn’t wait for her answer before starting to cling.
Because she needed to supervise ship construction, she lived at the shipyard most of the time. He said to himself he’d come too, and moreover, brazenly had people move his luggage into her courtyard, into her room. Whether by coincidence or deliberately, it happened to be exactly when the shipwrights were getting off work, before众目睽睽. According to his explanation, he didn’t know which room to stay in, so his luggage was temporarily placed in her room. Later, she naturally chased him to another room, but her timing was off—no one saw it.
Auntie Ding privately asked her if Yuan Cheng had gotten engaged to her, also saying the two were well-matched. Niu Gao, this devotee of Yuan Cheng, happened to overhear. With his booming voice shouting it out, the entire site assumed she was spoken for. Those veteran craftsmen and overseers she was familiar with even clamored to hold a celebratory feast. Most of them came from humble backgrounds and weren’t as particular about propriety as great households. When two people were mutually attracted, with matchmakers and witnesses, a few tables of banquet meant they were married.
Mo Zi very solemnly clarified matters, but only achieved the effect of making them half-believing and half-doubting. Inadvertently, she could still see their secretly scrutinizing gazes.
The person on the bed finally moved, but only drew his legs up, lying quietly for quite a while.
Once again proving that distance creates beauty, while proximity creates reality.
Mo Zi impatiently stepped forward and lifted the bed curtain. She saw he’d found the most comfortable leaning position, his face crystal white, hair spread out, covering most of the mat and quilt, eyes squinting as he looked at her.
This was the look of someone who’d been drinking all night again.
Mo Zi sighed. “Whose banquet was it this time?”
“Vice Minister Huang of the Ministry of Justice celebrating his first grandson.” His voice was slightly hoarse. “Originally I was going to come back after the banquet ended, but Elder Li suggested boating on the lake to view flowers, so we went to Baihua Garden. The peonies were blooming quite beautifully.”
“Are you secretly eating ginseng without telling people? Going several nights without sleep yet still in such good spirits?” She wanted to say his skin was still so good too, but feared he’d become conceited.
This was the third day. Ever since the spring flowers opened their first blooms, the official and gentry families of the capital had gotten busy—either this one hosting or that one inviting, viewing flowers, spring outings, watching swallows return, climbing mountains, all sorts of activities. Even she, a Shipping Bureau official, received a stack of invitations, let alone Yuan Cheng. The conservative faction obviously saw him as the next generation’s successor, with intentions of cultivating him as a mainstay—so while she declined the social engagements one by one, he attended almost every single one without fail, answering every summons.
Yuan Cheng’s chest rose and fell. His laughter rumbled low. He opened his eyes—there were bloodshot lines in them, proving he was mortal. “I do take the great tonic pills Physician Hua prepared. One pill sustains me through one meal, and no matter how much I drink, I don’t get drunk.”
“You’re drunk and confused—talking nonsense. Just the other day, didn’t Physician Hua come and say my health wasn’t bad, but told you to socialize in moderation and not drain your fundamental energy?” Mo Zi had already asked this divine physician to prepare some tonic medicine—though it hadn’t been delivered yet.
“I don’t drink much. I just sleep too little, so I want to make up for it during the day. But you’re quite noisy.” Originally he’d been sleeping quite soundly. His eyelids grew heavy again. He closed his eyes.
“If you’re making up sleep, why run to my room?” Mo Zi still tried to chase him out. “Go sleep in your own room—I need to change clothes.”
Hearing this, Yuan Cheng’s eyes immediately widened—he even sat up straight. “Go ahead and change—it’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”
Back then when she had no feelings for him, she’d actually been quite casual. But now with him eyeing her like a tiger watching its prey, and having proposed to her, she couldn’t change in front of him. Very spineless of her—she grabbed her clothes planning to change elsewhere.
“I’m leaving for Yunzhou tonight.” He suddenly said.
Mo Zi instantly turned to look at him, remembering. “You’re departing today?”
Yuan Cheng pressed his brow, drowsiness slightly diminishing. “His Majesty chose this time to leave the palace for the heaven worship ceremony, a month earlier than usual, and at Yunzhou. Do you know his intention?”
“Is it to divert the officials’ attention so we can smoothly carry out our mission without arousing suspicion?” A logical guess.
Yuan Cheng nodded. “That’s one reason. The second is, he wants me to quickly find that madam from Xiliu Garden in Yunzhou. To learn the secret of the flute sound without alarming the other party—this may be the only avenue.”
“Mo Zi, I really want to ask—although the Emperor had the idea first to send you to the dangerous territory of Daqiu, I didn’t oppose it. I even hoped for it. Are you angry with me?” Otherwise, going to Yunzhou, his mind wouldn’t be at peace.
Mo Zi found this strange. “Why do you ask? Wasn’t it because you knew I wanted to go, so you helped me? I was worrying about what excuse to use to go to Daqiu to rescue Doulü when His Majesty issued the secret decree, even selecting helpers for me. Could there be anything better? I cannot not rescue my younger sister. I made an appointment with Wu Yan to meet at Qingming—I cannot not keep that promise. If you hadn’t arranged things for me, I might have recklessly resigned my post, even though you said I needed a position that others wouldn’t dare humiliate.”
“I know. But—I don’t want you to go.” This was his true feelings.
“Yuan Cheng, I must go. Although you’re not going, which makes me a bit less confident. However, Zan Jin, Ding Gou, Chouyu—they’ll all help me. Thinking of it this way, I feel much more at ease. They’re all brothers who’ve been through many difficulties together—our coordination is one hundred percent.”
Yuan Cheng laughed softly. “Why aren’t you confident because I’m not going? Think about it—there haven’t been many things I’ve done together with you. You broke through the Three Passes yourself. You led the team that won the bell-shooting. You earned the title of Master Craftsman through your own abilities. What I could do was merely find physicians for you.” She didn’t need anyone—she could shine brilliantly on her own. This was her most unique quality, most attractive.
Mo Zi thought about it. “It’s not just finding physicians.” He had his matters, she had hers, yet they intersected from time to time. These seemingly unimportant points of intersection gave her courage and support. He could do nothing at all—just knowing he was nearby gave her complete confidence. “When you depart, I can’t see you off personally, but I have a few things to tell you. From time to time, take them out and think about them. If they prove useful, it’ll count as my contribution.” Yuan Cheng hadn’t truly come to monopolize her bed. “Xiao Wei is this operation’s decision-maker. Though he’s quite proud and somewhat subjective in his actions, he’s upright in character, highly skilled in martial arts, and a trustworthy person. Moreover, he’s handled secret missions for the Emperor many times and has the ability to respond with quick wit. You have preconceived notions—actually, you’re hard-mouthed but soft-hearted. If it doesn’t affect life-and-death matters, don’t stubbornly argue verbally. Discuss everything properly. I think he can still listen to reason. As for Wei Jia, he’s more flexible in handling matters than Xiao Wei and has fewer prejudices against women. If you can’t get through to Xiao Wei, you can talk to him. You understand best the importance of coordination. Regardless of the past, this time, your position is the same as theirs.”
Mo Zi hummed in agreement.
“Also, don’t force yourself, don’t be stubborn. No matter what, you must first ensure your own safe retreat. Remember not to be soft-hearted casually. Everything else can be considered in the long term. After you read this paper, memorize it and destroy it. It lists my covert connections in Daqiu. If you need them, just go find them. When I hired you as an overseer, I gave you a token. Use it to make contact with them. They’ll definitely help you with all their strength. You needn’t worry about whether they’ll be exposed. Raising soldiers for a thousand days to use them for one moment—these people will arrange their own escape routes.” Yuan Cheng handed her a piece of paper, then pulled out a stack from his robe. “Here are fifty thousand taels in banknotes, redeemable at Daqiu’s Baifu Tong Bank. It has many branches, making it easy to cash.”
“We don’t need that much silver, do we? Didn’t His Majesty give us enough?” Fifty thousand taels—what would she use it for? “Besides, I have my own money.”
“When away from home, you can never have too much silver. You never know when you’ll need it. If it’s not in your pocket, when you really need it, who knows if others will be willing to take it out. As for your forty thousand taels of private savings, keep that for building ships.” Yuan Cheng stuffed the banknotes into her hand.
He truly knew everything. Mo Zi tightly gripped that stack of banknotes, warmth filling her heart.
“One last thing.” Yuan Cheng reached out and pulled her to sit beside him. Before she could think crooked thoughts, he whispered something in her ear.
Mo Zi immediately stood up. “Yuan Cheng, what did you say?”
At this moment, Yuan Cheng’s face held not a trace of a smile, showing an extremely rare seriousness. “Mo Zi, I’m not forcing you. This matter is significant. I only hope you can think it through yourself.”
Mo Zi bit her lip. “I—I don’t know. I can’t—I can’t promise now—”
“It’s fine. I said I’m not forcing you.” After Yuan Cheng finished speaking, he smiled, as if to ease the strange tense atmosphere between them. “We’ll be separated for quite a while. Just let me borrow your bed to catch up on sleep. The bed in my room is cold and hard, very uncomfortable.”
“Suit yourself.” Mo Zi didn’t even change clothes and walked out. He’d explained everything clearly, yet left her not knowing what to do. How could she still care where he wanted to sleep?
That evening, the official port set off fireworks. Yuan Cheng accompanied the Emperor to Yunzhou for the heaven worship ceremony. Traveling with them were the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress, princes and nobles, and more than half the close ministers—a magnificent procession of over ten great river ships. The capital was left under the Crown Prince’s regency, with the Grand Secretariat overseeing general affairs and all six ministry ministers remaining.
Amid the fireworks, Yuan Cheng could spot her at a glance—face like snow, eyes like ink, her expression brilliant and radiant. As the clues became increasingly clear, the Emperor wanted him to uncover the truth quickly, so he couldn’t secure the rescue mission. He didn’t want her to go. Though he didn’t want it, he still had to arrange everything for her. Therefore, his mind was restless, unable to sleep well. However, she stood among that mass of dark-robed officials, her bearing uniquely elevated, as if standing on wave crests, still confident and smiling. Seeing this, he could set his worries aside. When worries left, longing grew—helpless, he could only miss her.
Mo Zi found Yuan Cheng in a place quite far from the Emperor. He was actually low-key as an official. Though the Emperor recently listened to and followed his advice, he always remained in the shadows. He’d left after waking from sleep—she didn’t even have a chance to wish him well. Now she could only gaze from afar. She’d never imagined she would like someone whose personality was so completely different from her own. His occasionally deplorable qualities toward her were infuriatingly unavoidable, but truly—ten million people have ten million paths of love. Never mind that others couldn’t fathom it—she herself couldn’t fathom it. Once emotions surged like tides, she chose to follow her heart.
The sails raised, the ships departed, the people vanished into the distance.
The spring waters flowed endlessly.