Several days later, catching sight of Yang City, Mo Zi felt as if a lifetime had passed.

Yuan Cheng received the news and came up to the deck. Seeing her lost in thought, he asked, “Didn’t expect to return?”

“No.” Mo Zi was somewhat emotional. “Back then, I ran the ships preparing to complete one final transaction, thinking I would settle down in Shangdu. Do you still remember that pedal-powered boat? After you and Xiao Wei boarded the Yongfu, I had Fei Xia and the others dismantle the ship. Had I known we’d return, I should have kept it—who knows, it might be useful someday.”

“I didn’t tell you the truth about Prince Su’s rebellion. Are you angry with me?” These past days, Mo Zi hadn’t mentioned that night’s events at all, as if she’d forgotten them completely. He thought she would be angry, but on the surface he really couldn’t tell.

Mo Zi shook her head. “You did tell me—I just didn’t get special treatment, that’s all. Besides, knowing such shocking secrets early shortens one’s life. I’m not interested at all. However, I truly admire you immensely. Since Prince Su was behind everything, were your family and my parents both harmed by him?”

“Yes.” He and her family members had been sacrificed to Prince Su’s conspiracy.

“The enemy appears, yet we leave—aren’t we letting him off too easy?” Mo Zi narrowed her eyes.

“Revenge doesn’t necessarily require doing it yourself.” Yuan Cheng didn’t have that terrible obsession. “As long as the other party doesn’t die peacefully, that’s enough to comfort the departed spirits.”

Mo Zi was pleased with his attitude. Her own thoughts aligned with his. “But speaking of which, why aren’t we going to Yuling to meet with Jin Yin, but coming to Nande instead? You’re a wanted criminal in Nande—surely you don’t want to walk into a trap?” Let bygones be bygones—wait for events to unfold and focus on what’s before them.

“Nande has uprisings everywhere. The court has sent out all available troops to suppress them in various places, yet still struggles to resolve this predicament. If they’re still thinking about me, they’re probably not far from losing their kingdom.” Yuan Cheng gazed at that vast land upon the waters. Compared to his birthplace, he actually had more affection for these mountains and waters. “Great Zhou is also in chaos. Even if the Emperor can keep his throne, losing three princes equals losing three major border supports. Military morale will scatter, all kinds of petty troublemakers will become restless—those hidden dangers planted long ago will be fully exposed through this upheaval. The four kingdoms originally looked to Great Zhou as their leader, but now I’m afraid no one will think so anymore. Moreover, Yuling is small with strong enemies. If Daqiu turns its spearhead to deploy heavy defenses, and Great Zhou’s support cannot be counted on, Jin Yin’s restoration would be a delusion.”

Mo Zi understood thus: “Could it be you want to help the Nande Emperor resolve his predicament and quell the uprisings, then exchange this for aid to Yuling?” In that case, Great Zhou and Nande would become dual insurance for Yuling’s restoration. However, Nande’s rulers didn’t seem to be good people. When the new Emperor ascended and the Empress Dowager took power, the first thing they did was target Yuan Cheng, fearing damage to their own interests—clearly narrow-minded and short-sighted.

Yuan Cheng’s laughter was deep. “You can be slow-witted too. Great Zhou’s Prince Su is the murderer who destroyed my entire family, while Nande’s Emperor and Empress Dowager are the ones who nearly took my life. Both are my mortal enemies—how could I help them? You’re right about one thing—I came to Nande indeed to help Yuling obtain aid, but not from that already rotten court. Rather, I’ll seek it from the common people who are suffering deeply.”

Mo Zi’s thoughts hadn’t caught up yet when she heard Chou Yu shout loudly, “A warship is departing from the water port outside the city, heading straight for us.”

“Since when has there been a garrison outside Yang City?” Mo Zi was startled. “Oh no, could the news have leaked?” The three ships had entered Nande waters under the pretext of trading grain and rice, but Yang City was already on the inland river. She had been here several times and had never seen warships.

“It’s fine, they’re our own people.” Yuan Cheng tugged her hand. “Look at that ship’s flag.”

Mo Zi looked carefully—a black background with gold embroidery, with a large character in the center—Yuan.

“Yuan?!” She was shocked.

Yuan Cheng smiled bitterly. “It has nothing to do with me. Although they asked my opinion, I rejected it at the time. Who knew they ultimately still didn’t listen.”

“You…” Mo Zi understood, her tone extremely astonished. “You’re not helping the Nande Emperor stabilize the political situation, but rather conforming to the people’s wishes and raising the banner of rebellion!” This man had become part of the mob—he was rebelling!

“Only by following Heaven’s will can things be accomplished. Nande is riddled with problems—it just needs one heavy blow. Although resistance sentiment is high and the rebel army numbers grow, there are over thirty large and small units. The leaders vary greatly in ability and character—some even believed the court’s offer of amnesty and turned to aid tyranny.” From when Jin Yin decided to embark on the road to restoration, and he decided to assist, Nande was included in the plan. So Li Yan went first, followed closely by Yi Dan, with the Thunder Gate as backup, recruiting soldiers and horses to raise an army.

“Yang City is already ours.” Yuan Cheng said it so casually.

The pointed iron prow cleaved snow-white water sprays.激waves flew like pearls as the warship drew near. Standing at the bow was the white-bearded old man Li Yan, excitedly grinning. Beside him, not tall but with piercing eyes, was Yi Dan, who hadn’t appeared in a long time. He wore soft armor and a gray-blue war robe, having transformed from a martial artist into a general.

Mo Zi murmured, “Yuan Cheng, do you know? When I followed Qiu Sanniang, I only sought to be a manager, to gain freedom and have food and clothing without worry.”

“A manager can manage a household’s affairs, a region’s affairs, a nation’s affairs, or the world’s affairs.” Yuan Cheng’s proper interpretation of manager. “I know you don’t seek glory and wealth, only to find one person to spend quiet days with.” Saying this, he squeezed Mo Zi’s hand.

Mo Zi laughed softly. “Don’t be nervous—I’m not complaining. You promised Jin Yin, and haven’t I also promised? To help him restore his kingdom, naturally we must do extraordinary things. I’m just momentarily emotional—life is truly unpredictable.”

“I never anticipated today either.” Previously, he only wanted to do evil things to Great Zhou for revenge, never even thinking about life after revenge was complete.

“If you overthrow the Nande Emperor, do you want to wear the dragon robe?” This possibility didn’t please her. Once a person reaches that position and everything is overturned again, accepting power and beauty would mostly become involuntary.

“I don’t.” This wasn’t just to please Mo Zi. Yuan Cheng had served as a close minister to two emperors thus far—not counting Nande’s new Emperor—and he understood imperial power more clearly than anyone. By nature cool and indifferent, caring about nothing, revenge was his duty, Mo Zi was his beloved—only these were exceptions. That dragon throne held too many emotions of love and hate, joy and anger, sorrow and separation—it wasn’t suitable for him.

Mo Zi breathed a sigh of relief.

Yuan Cheng saw this and smiled. “Mo Zi, I don’t want to be Emperor at all, but I desperately long to be your husband.”

Mo Zi arched her brows and pursed her lips. Speaking, she looked at the large ship opposite. “Elder Li, Senior Yi Dan, have you been well?”

Thinking this time would again be fruitless, Yuan Cheng was just preparing to greet Li Yan when he heard a dreamlike phrase in his ear—

“You choose the date, you decide how to do it—I’ll just be responsible for showing up.”

He’d never been foolish before, but now he was foolish. He’d never been at a loss before, but now his hands and heart trembled. He’d never been overjoyed before, but now he was so happy his eyes moistened. People speak of floating like an immortal—he seemed to have clouds beneath his feet, and a gust of wind would send him flying high into the sky. How much must he care about this woman to become like a fool the instant she agreed?

“Mo Zi!” The voice called out involuntarily, causing people on both ships to look over.

Mo Zi hadn’t expected him to be so loud. Looking around, trying to cover it up with her face reddening, she told the onlookers it was nothing.

“She’s going to marry me!” The first shout was uncontrollable emotion. The second shout was to prevent her from backing out. The third shout was simply showing off. “Mo Zi is going to marry me, Yuan Cheng.”

“You… you should maintain your gentle composure.” Could it be that her own troublemaking had lasted too long, turning a perfectly calm and composed piece of gentle jade into a pot of boiling water?

Unable to conceal his joyful feelings, they overflowed from Yuan Cheng’s bright, dark eyes, from the corners of his mouth that couldn’t stay straight but curved upward, and from his flowing sleeves that, though separated by some distance, opened toward Mo Zi.

Watching, watching, Mo Zi sighed and reached out to grasp his extended hand, instantly warming her heart. The feelings for Yuan Cheng that she thought were fine and warm threads actually also had a rich fragrance that shook her heart and spirit. Her agreement seemed casual, but her racing heart, flushed face, slight annoyance, even pre-wedding jitters—every symptom was present.

On her side, Chou Yu immediately slid down the pole with a swoosh, then swooshed into the lower cabin to act as a megaphone. Old Guan laughed heartily, loudly congratulating them. Fei Xia clasped his hands, his plump face full of blessing. Before long, led by Luo Ying, a group of people rushed onto the deck.

On the other side, Li Yan was so excited he pulled his beard, turning to shout for Zhang Zhen and Wei An. Uncle Yi Dan was practical, saying Master had studied matching the eight characters and choosing auspicious dates, telling the two to quickly write down their birth dates and times.

After lively exchanges of auspicious words, the ships entered port. People went ashore and entered the former Regional Inspector’s mansion, now the “War Command Center”—the Yiyuan Mansion.

“We chose the surname of Chancellor Yuan, placing it among the rebel army as the Yiyuan Army. The Yiyuan Army has integrated uprising forces from three provinces, plus those who came to join us. We now have one hundred and ten thousand people and have consolidated the three-province riverfront defense line. The common people’s lives have returned to stability, daily commerce is frequent, and it’s a bumper harvest year, so military provisions are assured.” Li Yan was actually explaining this to Mo Zi. Yuan Cheng was the one who secretly planned all this, so naturally he knew the situation here better than anyone.

“Which three provinces?” War matters were more important than wedding matters. Mo Zi asked.

“Yang, Tong, and Ying provinces,” Li Yan answered.

“Only two provinces separate us from Yuling’s border.” Mo Zi’s eyes sparkled as she voiced her own thoughts. “Why not first conquer these two provinces? Then we could coordinate with Jin Yin’s troops.”

Yuan Cheng agreed. “That’s exactly what I was thinking, but it’s somewhat difficult. Those two provinces are occupied by the rebel army that rose up in Cao Zi County back then. Their leader is called He Hu—born with divine strength, upright in character, from a peasant slave family. However, his personality is extremely proud. He doesn’t like uniting with other rebel armies. The Nande forces have already launched three suppression campaigns, with heavy losses on both sides. The Nande forces currently hold the advantageous position, occupying farmland and towns with grain and iron. But He Hu’s troops are mostly in the mountains—low on grain and without sophisticated weapons, relying entirely on terrain advantages for concealment. We proposed providing aid, but he flatly refused and warned us not to enter his territory, or he’d treat us as enemies like the Nande forces.”

“If he doesn’t need rescue, then we’ll attack the Nande forces first. Once we drive off the Nande forces, we’ll resolve He Hu’s issue. Although we both oppose corrupt officials, our ultimate goals differ, and we don’t necessarily need to force a union. We just need to advance in our own direction.” For the first time, Mo Zi displayed a strategic offensive side.

Because what she was in was a true battlefield.