That night, deep into the darkness, Chen Jingui’s naval forces interrogated prisoners while continuing the pursuit, and by dawn had located several of the bandits’ lairs. In one of them, they rescued the kidnapped young lord, Lu Chun.
During his captivity, Lu Chun had never seen his kidnappers’ faces — he had simply been moved from place to place continuously. On the very night he was rescued, the bandits, apparently already aware their operation had failed, had been about to move him to yet another location, but happened to bring him to this particular lair, which the naval forces then stormed and from which they rescued him.
For the moment, that was as much as could be concluded — anything further would require thorough interrogation of the bandits. As far as Chen Jingui was concerned, he naturally wanted to stay and root out the entire affair from the ground up before departing, but he also had the duty of escorting the birthday tribute. He could certainly hold his ground under pressure and stay behind for Lu Chun’s sake, but if the matter was already essentially resolved and he still insisted on staying, it would look far too much like he was trying to claim all the credit and leave none for his colleagues — a grave taboo among officials. Setting the military and political aspects aside, the Secret Investigation Bureau had only advisory power in matters like this — a limitation stated openly. Removing the threat to the birthday tribute and Chen Jingui’s rewards weren’t even part of the same system to begin with. Of course, most people knew nothing of either Chen Jingui or the Secret Investigation Bureau; they simply saw that, the day after the great victory, amid the rain, half of Xuyi was decked out in festive lights as if for a holiday, and it seemed likely that word of this campaign against the bandits would soon be spreading widely from Xuyi to Huai’an and even further afield.
Ning Yi moved that day to the ship where Yun Zhu and Jin’er were staying, watching outside as a steady stream of people came to congratulate Chen Jingui and the others, firecrackers going off haphazardly under a makeshift shelter in the rain. The soldiers who had gone to hunt down the bandits at Hongze Lake were also gradually returning. Due to the pursuit continuing through the night, though the fighting had been almost entirely one-sided, casualties among the soldiers were higher than expected. The battle on the lake’s surface the previous afternoon had gone smoothly enough, but by the time they reached the bandits’ lair it was already night, and though they still held the advantage, there had still been considerable loss of life in the darkness. Still, having rescued the young lord and won such a great victory, the commanding officers had already forgotten about their own minor losses — after all, no matter what, this victory would bring generous rewards, and no one would be shortchanged.
The bandits captured the previous night had been interrogated through the night, but the information gathered over the full day still wasn’t enough to piece together the complete picture. That, however, no longer mattered much. Of the fleet’s original five ships, one had been destroyed, leaving four. That evening, Chen Jingui made the decision that the fleet would set off again by the next morning, to avoid wasting any more time in delivering the birthday tribute to the capital. As for all the remaining loose ends, those would be left to the rest of Xuyi county to handle, continuing to dig deeper into the kidnapping and root out everyone involved.
Everyone in Xuyi was overjoyed at this decision, practically ready to bang gongs in celebration. That night, though the rain had eased somewhat, a great banquet was naturally held again, with Chen Jingui and the various young nobles invited to attend. As a result, though the docks were still heavily guarded, they grew considerably quieter. After dinner, Zhou Pei came to find Ning Yi, sitting properly on a stool in the room, looking as pitiful as a little puppy.
“Just tell me what you actually want, Your Highness the Princess.”
“Master, you already know… Grandfather’s reply letter must have arrived by now…” Zhou Pei bit her lip. “I want to go to the capital…”
Ning Yi looked at her for a good while, then laughed and set a letter down in front of her. “I don’t know what that old man is thinking… I can certainly help you with this, but you’ll have to help me with something in return.”
“Yes, yes, whatever it is, Master, just tell me.” Zhou Pei excitedly picked up the letter to read, and after a while remarked, “See, see, my father really doesn’t care about me at all — he didn’t even say a word about me wanting to go to the capital. Hmph, he only picked a husband for me because he was afraid people would say he was too careless a father… Oh, Master, what exactly do you want me to do? Murder, arson, or deception — I’ll do whatever you say.”
“It’s more like using someone else’s authority to intimidate people,” Ning Yi said with a smile. “I need to do something that requires certain people not to hear my name. But there are too many people aboard the ships. Not long ago, Zhuo Yunfeng told his friends my name, and his friends told Li Shishi — that’s how Li Shishi came looking for me, but it should stop there. Before long, a man named Wang Xian will be coming aboard. I don’t want him hearing anyone mention the name ‘Ning Yi.’ As for Zhuo Yunfeng’s group, there’s no way for us to say anything to them directly, and it’s hard to prevent this some other way — I’d like you to handle it.”
Zhou Pei blinked, then said quietly, “Is there something off about that Wang Xian?”
“Possibly.” Ning Yi nodded. “But I don’t want to spook him. What you need to be careful of is this — if you warn Zhuo Yunfeng and his friends too pointedly, it might actually cause problems when they’re around Wang Xian. Exactly how you handle it, you’ll need to judge for yourself. Any problem with that?”
“None at all.” Zhou Pei smiled brilliantly. What she’d been raised on, essentially, was exactly this sort of maneuvering among people of standing, and she naturally had her own understanding of human nature and the art of managing others. When it came to dealing with people like Zhuo Yunfeng’s crowd, Ning Yi certainly wasn’t her equal, so there was no need for him to offer her any advice.
“Also, right now you have the highest standing among those aboard that ship. I’ll be arranging a bodyguard for you next — probably one of the three, Qi Xinyong and the others. Cooperate with him when the time comes. Aside from using the privy, he’ll be with you at all times, so don’t act up, and don’t fall for him. Best case, once you’re in the capital, find yourself some reliable young man from a good family — well-matched in status, mutually fond of each other, a proper match all around. That way, when I go back, I’ll have something to report.”
There was that implication woven into Kang Xian’s letter — since little Pei refused to find a husband in Jiangning, he might as well let her go to the capital for the birthday celebration and find some boy she liked on her own — this was her last chance. Zhou Pei’s face flushed as she heard this, then burst out laughing, though in the end she didn’t dare respond. She changed the subject instead. “Is that Wang Xian really that impressive? So who is he, then, and why would he come here?”
“I still don’t know,” Ning Yi shook his head. “But if he really is who I suspect… well, ha, I suppose you could call it fate.”
…
That word “fate” left Zhou Pei looking at him strangely for a while. After the little county princess left, Ning Yi looked out the window and saw that the rain had mostly stopped. Plenty of soldiers patrolled the docks, but without much noise or chatter, even with the lights burning bright, the scene still had a certain lonely quality, water dripping steadily from the eaves. He left his room and went to find Yun Zhu and Jin’er. In the lamplit room, Jin’er was nowhere to be found — only Yun Zhu sat by the window at a table, head bowed over a book.
Ning Yi stood in the doorway watching for a good while. Yun Zhu turned her head, a faint smile at the corners of her mouth as she gazed at him, the lamplight flickering gently, tinting the white headscarf she wore a warm gold, alternately bright and dim.
“Aren’t you coming in? Standing outside a woman’s door in the middle of the night — people will talk,” Yun Zhu said softly.
Ning Yi smiled, glancing to either side. “There aren’t many people on this ship.” But in the end, he still closed the door behind him and came in.
Along the way, the main ship naturally housed the relatives of the various high officials and nobles; the other vessels, besides carrying valuable cargo, mostly held maids and servants who didn’t need to be at their masters’ sides constantly, along with a few others traveling to the capital by whatever connections they had, some even bringing along entire families with children in tow. The ship where Yun Zhu and Jin’er stayed was relatively quiet by comparison. Ning Yi walked over and sat beside her; the atmosphere grew calm and peaceful, and Yun Zhu leaned her body against his shoulder.
“You’ve been busy lately, haven’t you?”
“There’s been a fair bit going on. Sorry I haven’t had time for you two.”
“It’s fine, I’ve had plenty to keep myself busy too.”
“Like what? Reading?”
“Listening to your stories.”
“Hm?”
“I… I hear about things that happen, and then I guess which parts you had a hand in, Liheng. Back in Jiangning, I always liked hearing what others said about you — what poetry gathering you’d attended, what verse you’d written, how everyone reacted. It’s the same now, and besides, I’m right beside you these days…”
Yun Zhu leaned against his shoulder, eyes closed, speaking softly of her own feelings. Amid the noisy, chaotic atmosphere of these past few days, she’d probably also been guessing at what Ning Yi had been doing behind the scenes, and on top of what Ning Yi “didn’t know” she knew, there was likely also whatever Xiao Chan had told her. With a woman like this by his side, Ning Yi’s heart never felt lonely, and he reached out to hold her close.
“I keep thinking back a year or two, to when you wanted to set up a pancake stall, and I’d jog past your house every morning, chatting a little. Back then I told you — if things ever get too complicated, think back to how simple it all started. These past couple of days, handling things, I’ve caught myself wondering whether I’m making things overly complicated again…”
“Does it tire you out, Liheng?”
Ning Yi shook his head. “I took the wrong path once before…” he said quietly, then continued, “Actually, in this world, some things never really change. It’s like being out in the wild — you can build a fire, put up a house, raise chickens, hunt wild boar, but sometimes you’ll run into a tiger, and if it wants to eat you, you have to kill it. It’s the same with people. This business with the Su family, Liangshan is the tiger. Reasoning with it does no good — complicated or simple, this is something I have to do. But… tomorrow, I’ll come spend the day with you.”
“Mm.” Yun Zhu nodded, and after a moment opened her eyes, asking a little hesitantly, “Um, so… what about your Xiao Chan?”
“She’ll have to know eventually.” Ning Yi thought it over and laughed. “You’ve met before — you saved Ning Xi, and she’s fond of you too. Well, I’ll just come here to read and write with you two, you and Yuanbao can chat and sing all you like, I won’t interrupt — I’ll just tell Xiao Chan that we’re… kindred spirits, that sort of thing. I’m the gifted scholar, you’re the beauty, mutual admiration but treating each other with utmost courtesy — you two might even become good friends.”
“Um…” Yun Zhu found herself momentarily at a loss for words, sensing a hint of teasing in his eyes. But privately, she and Xiao Chan already knew each other, so she could hardly voice any objection. After a moment of awkwardness, Ning Yi’s smile grew even more amused, and his hand had already slipped inside her robe. She knew perfectly well what he intended, and feeling his palm move across her body, she lowered her head, her skin growing hot, murmuring, “Liheng, this… you call this ‘utmost courtesy’?”
“Most of the time, yes…”
The lamp flickered, shadows shifting on the wall. After a moment, Ning Yi had laid Yun Zhu down on the bed and undone the ties of her robe, when a cheerful knock sounded at the door. The two of them froze for a moment — Yun Zhu’s body half-exposed, Ning Yi’s hand resting on her chest, her face flushed all over — but the knock was unmistakably Jin’er’s. After a moment’s pause, Yun Zhu propped herself up against Ning Yi’s chest with both hands and burst out laughing.
“This is too much…” Ning Yi rolled his eyes. Outside, Jin’er called through the door, “Sister Yun Zhu, Sister Yun Zhu, come open the door, I’m back…” humming a tune as if singing, then added, “Sister Yun Zhu, are you taking a bath?”
Yun Zhu answered, “Yes, wait a moment.” Jin’er answered with an “Oh” from outside, hopping about. Ning Yi rolled his eyes again, and once Yun Zhu had retied her undergarment and pulled her robe back on, he went over and opened the door. Jin’er, still bouncing about, let out an “Ah!” as she came face to face with him, then craned her neck to peer into the room, where she saw Yun Zhu, barefoot, sitting on the bed hugging her clothes and laughing. By this point there was no way she didn’t understand what had been happening, though she wasn’t sure what mood Ning Yi was in, and she blinked, bracing for him to lose his temper. Ning Yi merely shook his head and said, “This is too much…” and walked out. Only then did Jin’er brighten up, hopping into the room, sticking her tongue out and making a face before happily closing the door.
“Sister Yun Zhu, it’s a good thing I came back — otherwise that scoundrel would have taken advantage of you… Don’t do this again, you hear…”
Ning Yi, having walked some distance away, could still faintly hear Jin’er’s voice from behind, and couldn’t help shaking his head with a laugh.
…
This little episode certainly wasn’t enough to leave Ning Yi genuinely dejected — the wounded expression he put on was mostly just to give Yun Zhu and that little fool Yuanbao’er a bit more amusement. Of course, once a man’s desire had been stirred, it wasn’t so easy to cool down completely, and he stepped out onto the deck to look at the night scene along the docks, taking a few breaths of fresh air.
To celebrate this great victory, the banquets in the city were still going strong. Soldiers patrolled the docks, with few idle people about. Ning Yi stood at the ship’s railing for a while, watching as a few people came in through the gate, the guards checking travel permits and credentials, occasionally glancing appreciatively at the veiled but clearly beautiful and refined woman among them — none other than Li Shishi, accompanied by maids and attendants carrying some personal belongings. She hadn’t been invited to tonight’s banquet in the city, or perhaps had declined the invitation, and had come here before the others returned.
After a moment’s thought, Ning Yi went down from the ship and greeted Li Shishi as she finished the inspection and boarded the main ship. She was, after all, quite warm toward him, and they chatted for a few moments on the ship. She asked where he was staying, and Ning Yi pointed toward the ship beside them. A little while later, the two said their goodbyes and parted ways.
Back on his own ship, Ning Yi glanced over and saw that lights had already been lit in Li Shishi’s cabin on the other ship. This meeting had been simple, but what he’d hoped to accomplish had, for the most part, already been done.
Not long after, the banquet in the county town let out, and those staying aboard the ships that night gradually returned, among them the man named Wang Xian, who, given the regard the young nobles held for him, had been arranged quarters on the main ship as well.
Once the night passed, the next morning, as everyone gradually boarded, the fleet prepared once more to set sail. Over breakfast, chatting with the others, Li Shishi casually inquired about who generally lived on the ships nearby. Her own maid had naturally been arranged aboard the main ship, but attendants and the like could only be placed on the other vessels. As for the ship Ning Yi was staying on, in everyone’s eyes, it was for people with some connection but clearly not particularly high standing — the sort of place where secretaries, stewards, or accountants of some prominent household might be placed, if they needed to travel to the capital as well.
In her heart, she had long known Ning Yi bore the reputation of Jiangning’s foremost talent, and had assumed he would surely have been welcomed into these noble circles. But now it seemed something wasn’t quite right. Perhaps it was his status as a matrilocal son-in-law that held him back, or perhaps his temperament was somewhat too proud — she’d heard, back in Hangzhou, the joke about “a Taoist priest chanting two poems,” and a man like that surely wasn’t easy to warm to. She hadn’t lived long in Jiangning, so she couldn’t quite pin down how Ning Yi was actually regarded by others there.
She also recalled his expression the night before when she’d asked where he was staying — perhaps he minded, yet also seemed to carry himself with a certain aloofness. She’d seen plenty of people like that and could well imagine it — she was, after all, the one most skilled at managing social affairs and adjusting everyone’s moods. She had thought that, given the chance, she might bring up Jiangning’s talented scholars in conversation, mention “Green Jade Cup” or “When Will the Bright Moon Appear,” but now, thinking it over, she decided she’d better be cautious. If she brought up the name of Jiangning’s foremost talent in front of everyone, only for them to discover he was aboard that very ship, then given his proud temperament, what awaited him wouldn’t be the joy of recognition, but the humiliation of being looked down upon by everyone.
That morning, gazing at the scene aboard the trailing ship behind them, Li Shishi let out a soft sigh. At that same moment, Ning Yi was spending a morning that felt both a little unfamiliar and rather leisurely, in the company of Yun Zhu, Jin’er, and Xiao Chan…