The Crown Prince called someone over and said this: “Being able to have a small drink with Official Song today, this prince has thoroughly enjoyed himself. It’s getting late, and this prince will personally escort her back to the city. Prepare horses immediately.”
Mo Zi pressed her forehead. “Your Highness, Mo Zi has drunk too much. I’m dizzy and cannot ride a horse.”
“Then prepare a carriage, at once!” Send away the plague god. First send her away, then eliminate her.
When the carriage was ready, the Crown Prince appeared to support Mo Zi on the surface, quite warmly boarding the carriage together with her, but in reality he was being forced by the lethal weapon in Mo Zi’s palm.
“Your Highness, release General Xu and have them guard this carriage. Also, tell your men to follow from a distance, lest they disturb the elegant mood of our conversation.”
The Crown Prince’s life was now in her palm, so naturally he obeyed everything.
The master’s usual behavior was so outrageous that the attendants noticed nothing unusual. They followed the carriage from dozens of zhang away, heading toward the city.
Once inside the carriage, Mo Zi immediately shook off the Crown Prince. Her left hand extended, aimed at his neck, as she sat coldly across from him.
The Crown Prince’s face showed fear. “You don’t need to keep pointing the poison needle at this prince anymore, do you? Outside the carriage are all General Xu’s men.”
“Your Highness is truly good at coaxing. The moment I put down my poison needle, I imagine you’ll shout for help. On my side there are only twenty-some men, while your guards number over sixty.” Lifting the curtain for a look, Mo Zi moved her left hand closer to the Crown Prince’s neck. “And those Daqiu knights—every single one is escorting you. Your Highness, tell me, why are they following you into the city?”
The Daqiu men had already changed into the clothing of ordinary Great Zhou commoners, their weapons nowhere to be seen.
“This prince originally agreed to bring them into the city.” The Crown Prince looked at Mo Zi. “To tell you the truth, this prince truly has no intention whatsoever of colluding with Daqiu. I just accepted a large sum of benefits from those people to let them do some trading.”
“Your Highness says this as if you think I’ll believe it?” However, it did sound like something this lustful fool would do. “I don’t believe it, and His Majesty will believe it even less. Right now is an extraordinary period. A Prince Li has already been arrested. If the Crown Prince brings Daqiu people into the city as well, who knows if you’ll be designated as conspirators.”
The Crown Prince admitted she had a point. “But this prince truly isn’t lying. I only took them for businessmen wanting to trade some silk and tea leaves back.”
Hearing her cold laugh, he added, “And iron.”
“Your Highness is the future sovereign of Great Zhou, yet you actually allow an enemy nation to secretly buy resources from your own land. Have you never considered that this is feeding their ambitions and strength, that one day they might attack?” Calling him stupid was a compliment.
“They’re only a few dozen people. How much iron can they steal back? Besides, how many mines does our Great Zhou have? That tiny bit amounts to what?” The Crown Prince was quite reasonable. “If this prince doesn’t help them, someone else will.”
“You truly have promising prospects.” Mo Zi scoffed.
“Song Mo Zi, you’d better watch your words.” He would remember this.
The Crown Prince described these Daqiu cavalrymen as merchants. Perhaps he truly believed this, but Mo Zi saw them very clearly. They all wore iron armor. Now with outer garments added on top, they still appeared bulky and solid. Under their face coverings, their eyes were almost identical—domineering, fierce, and arrogant beyond measure.
“What kind of merchants are fully armed, wearing armor and face coverings?” she had to ask.
“Those are just guards protecting the merchant caravan, temporarily staying at my traveling lodge. Official Song, you’re thinking far too much. Before Daqiu declared war on Yuling, the capital was full of Daqiu merchants, warriors, and even scholars coming to study. This prince believes Father Emperor’s view of Daqiu as an enemy is somewhat biased. Yuling is but a tiny territory. If our Great Zhou had moved first, where would it have been Daqiu’s turn to get that piece of meat? Now, Great Zhou should befriend Daqiu. Driving Daqiu people out of Great Zhou is completely unwise. Daqiu’s soldiers are strong and their horses sturdy. What would happen if they truly attacked?” A trace of panic appeared on the Crown Prince’s face.
Mo Zi looked at him and sighed inwardly. Greedy for petty advantages, lustful and absurd, with a coward’s heart to boot, yet his brain capacity wasn’t very large either. With such a person inheriting Great Zhou, how delighted the Daqiu people must be. No need to rush into war—just let him be emperor for a few years, and soon Great Zhou would be as weak and powerless as Yuling. Then when they crossed the river to attack, it would require no effort at all.
She had nothing more to say.
But the Crown Prince clearly felt his life was secured and became somewhat talkative. “Why must Official Song be like this? This prince admires you greatly. If you went with the flow and pleased this prince, though I cannot give you the position of principal consort, side consort is just a matter of one sentence. When I ascend to the great throne, with your cleverness and talent, making you empress is also possible. Better than you showing your face in public, wielding axes and hammers as a tiny official no bigger than a sesame seed or mung bean.”
She didn’t speak. He took it as her being moved and continued quacking.
The carriage traveled very quickly, probably because Xu Yang knew it was urgent. Mo Zi glanced outside the carriage from time to time. Only when the city gate came into view did she decide to make the pig shut up.
“His Highness the Crown Prince admires Mo Zi so much—Mo Zi is overwhelmed by this favor. It’s just that people value self-awareness. Mo Zi doesn’t have the fate of great wealth and honor. It’s better to be proper.” Being the empress of pig-headed Crown Prince would be worse than becoming a nun. She put away the small crossbow in her palm.
Speaking of the Crown Prince being stupid, at this moment he understood quite well. Thinking that as a man he could surely beat a woman, he reached with both hands to strangle her neck while opening his mouth to shout. But the moment he moved, he was slammed against the carriage wall by a great force, and something extra appeared in his mouth.
“Swallow it.”
The moment he opened his eyes, his pupils crossed. The crossbow had been put away, but Mo Zi’s right hand held a sleeve sword aimed right at the space between his eyebrows. How would he dare say one more word? He swallowed that thing down. At the same time, he vowed that if he ever touched a woman again, he would definitely search them from head to toe.
Mo Zi released the Crown Prince and sat back down. The sword went into its sheath, inserted into her long boot, her expression calm and indifferent. “Your Highness had better not think about charging me with crimes once we enter the city. If there’s no antidote within a month, your bones and tendons will ache with numbness until you die. Moreover, even if you use severe torture, I won’t say where the antidote is. Dying with His Highness the Crown Prince as company would be worthwhile.”
“You!” The Crown Prince was so angry he wanted to kill someone.
“Didn’t Your Highness praise me for being clever? I wouldn’t think that putting away the poison needle and entering the city means everything is fine. Your Highness’s face writes it clearly—just you wait, there’s suffering ahead for you. Since you plan to make me suffer, I might as well make you suffer first.” Mo Zi arranged her sleeves properly and sat back in proper form.
“Song Mo Zi, you can delay for a month, but can you delay for a lifetime? Sooner or later you’ll fall into my hands.” Right now he wanted nothing more than to dismember her into eight pieces.
“Isn’t Your Highness afraid I won’t give the antidote, speaking such harsh words?” Mo Zi was unconcerned, because she had no plans to stay in the capital for a lifetime. Moreover, Zan Jin’s father was truly a genius. This medicine had no toxicity whatsoever but was extremely effective at bluffing.
“You dare? Calling you clever, you really take yourself seriously. There are countless methods in this world to make you tell the truth!” The Crown Prince’s face showed vicious cruelty.
In that instant, Mo Zi began to reconsider the effectiveness of the Numbing Tendon Pills. Though the Crown Prince was stupid and dull, he had some capable people under him. Otherwise, how could he have remained safely in the Crown Prince position until now?
Just as she couldn’t make up her mind, she heard Xu Yang say outside, “My lord, the North Gate is closed, and a squad of men and horses is galloping this way.”
The Crown Prince said oddly, “The sky is still quite bright—why have they lowered the city gate?”
Mo Zi was also very puzzled. If Xu Yang’s men had relayed the message about her leaving the city with the Crown Prince into the palace, or if Cen Er had learned of it and brought reinforcements, neither seemed to connect with closing the city gate.
“Who approaches?” But the information in Xu Yang’s last sentence was also very important.
Xu Yang seemed to be confirming, then replied, “It’s Young General Xiao.”
The Crown Prince’s tone was a bit sour. “Official Song has truly excellent connections. Not only are you valued by my Father Emperor, but the one coming to escort you is actually the renowned Second Master Xiao.” He thought the Emperor had sent him.
Mo Zi was too lazy to pay him attention, simultaneously feeling the carriage come to a stop.
“Is the carriage ahead His Highness the Crown Prince’s?” It was indeed Xiao Wei’s voice, steady as a mountain.
“Your Highness spoke incorrectly—he’s come to meet you.” Mo Zi laughed. “Please exit the carriage.”
The Crown Prince couldn’t wait to leave this godforsaken place. Not bothering with ceremony, he immediately pushed the curtain aside and emerged.
Mo Zi followed closely behind.
As soon as the two appeared, they became the focus of the entire scene. Men and women should not touch. The Crown Prince was unmarried, Mo Zi was unwed—a lone man and woman alone together in a carriage, and the Crown Prince was famously lustful. It was truly difficult for people not to have improper associations, even though these two were fully and properly dressed.
Mo Zi knew what people would think, but she didn’t care. She glanced once at Xiao Wei, then shifted her gaze to those Daqiu knights behind, staring fixedly at the Crown Prince. She didn’t care whether others misunderstood or not—she had to adopt corresponding exculpatory methods before the Crown Prince made any unusual moves. Nor did she expect Xiao Wei’s arrival to bring her any benefits.
Everyone saw Mo Zi looking at the Crown Prince “with tender affection,” further feeling the situation was full of ambiguity.
“Xiao Wei, did Father Emperor send you?” After his absurd actions, the Crown Prince felt some fear. He wasn’t like Mo Zi said, colluding with Daqiu to plot rebellion. He just coveted the beauties and treasures gifted by those merchants, thinking that bringing them into the city was merely a small effort, so he overruled his household ministers’ objections.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince.” Xiao Wei withdrew his gaze from Mo Zi. “His Majesty encountered assassins, possibly Daqiu people. This minister ordered the city gates closed. Hearing that Your Highness left the city this afternoon, I came specifically to wait here and receive you.”
Mo Zi immediately looked at Xiao Wei. “Is His Majesty unharmed?”
“Frightened, but unharmed.” Xiao Wei looked directly at her.
“The general says the assassins are Daqiu people?” Mo Zi glanced at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince’s complexion had already changed.
How keen was Xiao Wei? He immediately detected the abnormality in the Crown Prince’s expression.
The Crown Prince thought to himself that if those Daqiu merchants were truly assassins, then as Mo Zi said, this being an extraordinary time, Father Emperor would definitely think he was conspiring with Prince Li. No matter what, he couldn’t let Xiao Wei capture anyone. Usually he never had to use his brain, but now needing to save himself, glancing at Mo Zi, an idea popped into his head.
Create a diversion!
He’d drag Song Mo Zi into the water. Then Xiao Wei would have to deal with that matter first, and he could find an opportunity to get the merchants out of the capital. Moreover, he’d already had enough of this woman’s attitude. That poison—there must be a way to find it.
Mo Zi discovered the Crown Prince looking at her with increasingly sinister eyes and understood in her heart. If he was unkind, don’t blame her for being unrighteous. Hands tucked within her wide sleeves, she quickly walked to Xiao Wei’s side.
“General Xiao, forgive my boldness, but the Daqiu people were brought into the city by His Highness the Crown Prince. Dozens of zhang away, those people on horseback dressed as guards are all Daqiu knights. If you don’t believe me, you can certainly go forward and interrogate them, but be careful—they have iron armor under their clothes and conceal deadly weapons.” Want to pin crimes on her? First see if you have the brains for it.
Strike first to gain the advantage.