After receiving the message last night, Cen Huan had been busy until late into the night. Though exhausted half to death, somehow he slept restlessly. In a daze, he only fell asleep near daybreak.
“Father, are you up yet?” Second Young Master Cen asked outside the door.
Being older, it was hard to sleep deeply. Cen Huan immediately opened his eyes and saw the room full of light, tree shadows thick as paint splashed on the window paper. When had it already become late morning?
“Father?” This time Second Young Master Cen’s voice was louder.
“Oh.” Cen Huan put on his clothes and got up, looking at the cold, empty half of the bed and sighing twice. Companions in youth become companions in old age, but his companion had departed early. Opening the door and seeing his second son waiting right beside it, his mood improved somewhat. “Has Brother Mo arrived?”
“Not yet. However, judging by her pace, she should be here soon.” Second Young Master Cen summoned a servant to bring water for his father to wash his face.
“Then quickly get everyone onto the carts. As soon as Brother Mo arrives, we leave immediately.” Cen Huan took the water cloth the servant handed over and covered his entire face with it. The ice-cold well water completely woke him up.
“Do you need to tell me? I’d already arranged everything before coming to call you. Why don’t you go check again to see if anything’s been overlooked?” Second Young Master Cen closely resembled Cen Huan—shrewd and quick-witted.
“Since you’ve already arranged everything, what would I check? Besides, when Brother Mo comes, she’ll check it over too. After passing through you two pairs of eyes, my old eyes can rest.” As Cen Huan spoke, his brow furrowed. He rubbed his eye with his hand, then blinked for a while, his whole face wrinkling up.
“What’s wrong?” Second Young Master Cen found this strange.
“My right eye suddenly won’t stop twitching—not very auspicious.” Cen Huan believed in such things. When it came to doing business, relying on brains alone wasn’t enough—sometimes you had to trust your instincts.
“Left eye for disaster, right eye for wealth. How is that inauspicious? It’s clearly very auspicious.” Second Young Master Cen was startled, then immediately said the opposite. After finishing, he consoled, “Father, you’re overthinking. We’ve been doing this business with the employer for two years and haven’t had any mishaps yet. Besides, because it’s the last trip, we specifically found all old clients—absolutely trustworthy.”
“I personally wrote the list—how would I not know? It’s just—I didn’t sleep very steadily last night, my dreams weren’t good either, and now my heart feels flustered and panicked. No, when Brother Mo arrives, I’ll discuss it with her. Best to change the departure date.” From running errands as a youth to becoming head steward, Cen Huan’s success was half luck, half effort.
“Father, you absolutely mustn’t say that. The employer’s marriage is settled, and her future husband’s family is none other than Prince Jing’s mansion. One’s a mouse, one’s a cat—how can we not hurry and finish this business? Didn’t you yourself say this business seems to earn silver easily, but we’re actually gambling with our lives, and the sooner we close up shop the better?” Second Young Master Cen’s description of Qiu Sanniang and Third Young Master Xiao as mouse and cat naturally referred only to the smuggling trade.
Cen Huan stroked his beard, thinking it made sense. If Qiu Sanniang brought this business into her husband’s family, the day Prince Jing’s mansion discovered it, they’d struggle over whether to righteously destroy their own kin. After all, smuggling was a crime that could cost you your head at its most serious. But he didn’t immediately agree with his son. Hands behind his back, he anxiously crossed the threshold. Though he certainly had to appease Qiu Sanniang when she lost her temper, compared to his son’s life and death, he dared offend even gods and buddhas. Fortunately, though Qiu Sanniang’s temperament was hard to fathom, Mo Zi was very steady—a trustworthy person. Thinking this, his heart settled somewhat. When he saw Mo Zi, he’d voice his worries and listen to her opinion.
Mo Zi had already arrived at Wangqiu Tower, but before she could find the Cen father and son, someone intercepted her midway.
“You gentlemen truly won’t give up until you reach the Yellow River. I already told you, didn’t I? The employer is a proper merchant, completely unrelated to the path you’re seeking. Your persistent pestering is utterly useless.” Looking at the three people before her, under that family’s second young master’s sharp gaze that penetrated hearts, she unnaturally cleared her throat. Terrible, terrible—she’d completely forgotten they were coming today to wait for an answer. Had she known, she should have circled around to the back garden entrance of Wangqiu Tower.
“Is this young brother taking a long journey?” Zhong An smiled, looking at the peculiarly shaped bundle on her back.
This was the third time—this young brother’s clothing was always that half-old, half-new blue color. He’d thought a servant deeply trusted by their master would dress more respectably than ordinary servants, unless they didn’t want to attract attention and deliberately appeared shabby. Their speech and behavior were clearly intelligent and composed, well-mannered, rather like a scholar who’d read the classics. Could such a person really be smuggling? He glanced at the second young master, not knowing where this person beside him got his evidence. But the second young master’s eyes had always been eagle-sharp, rarely mistaken, so he couldn’t disbelieve.
But strangely enough, putting that unremarkable Brother Mo together with the second young master, he actually felt they were evenly matched. If Shi Lei knew this, he’d probably curse. A heaven’s favored noble and a common marketplace fellow neck and neck—had his perception gone wrong?
“Young brother…” Seeing no answer, Zhong An asked again.
Mo Zi hesitated for a moment.
Just that one moment, and the family’s second young master’s eyes flashed with brilliance again. “Where are you going?”
Not only Zhong An, even the rough fellow Shi Lei cast a surprised look. Though they’d met this young brother several times by now, they were still strangers who hadn’t introduced themselves to each other. Asking so directly where the other was going was extremely abrupt.
“Why should I tell you where I’m going?” Sure enough, Mo Zi showed a mocking expression of “who are you people?”
“You won’t say—so you’re going to smuggle goods then?” The second young master seemed not to notice the surprise of the two beside him, also ignoring the other’s mockery, as if talking to himself.
“On the employer’s orders…” Where was she going? Mo Zi made something up on the spot. “Going to Yun Zhou to collect debts and purchase goods.”
“Which He family to collect debts from, and which family to purchase goods from?” But the second young master didn’t easily believe her. The corner of his mouth curved slightly—the prey had already entered the trap.
“Going to…” Mo Zi suddenly narrowed her eyes. “You ask so specifically, but even if I told you, what would you do?”
“That’s easy. I have acquaintances in Yun Zhou. Based on the families you name, I’ll ask around whether you really went to collect debts and purchase goods.” Lying might work with others, but with him it was difficult.
“…” Mo Zi’s expression turned cold. How was this person so difficult to deal with? Did he think that just because he said he’d investigate, she’d be afraid?
“A name.” The man was serious.
“…” Mo Zi glared at him viciously. If he wanted to investigate, she’d create a long list for him to slowly check!
“Before fabricating lies, you’d better think clearly about this—the monk may flee but the temple cannot. Even if you can run, your master cannot.” Tap—tap—the man’s fingers drummed on the table edge. No one was leading this conversation—it was all in the palm of his hand.
That hand was large and strong. Not a hand for holding a brush, but a hand for holding a sword.
Her master? Qiu Sanniang couldn’t run? Though she’d been careless for a moment, letting him press her into speechlessness, using Qiu Sanniang to threaten her—he was making a big mistake. Perhaps using Bai He and the others would be more difficult. The idea of smuggling was Qiu Sanniang’s. Since she dared to do it, naturally she had to dare take responsibility.
“You overestimate me. Before being loyal to my master, I have to look after myself first, don’t I?” With a crooked face and twisted mouth, Mo Zi put on a slippery old fox’s tone.
“Well said. If you agree to help me, these two hundred taels of silver go into your pocket, not your master’s pocket. I only need one location or one person’s name—it’s that simple.” The second young master suddenly smiled.
In the trap, the prey had fallen in.