The great ship split through the curtain of rain, cutting through the waves, and turned into a tributary at the river mouth ahead.
There were no lanterns, no starlight. The ones responsible for sailing the ship were, as it happened, the elite Liangshan navy men led by Zhang Shun, called “White Streak in the Waves.” Even in such pitch darkness and rain, the great ship still found its course unerringly. The downpour hammered on, and shadows of trees loomed thick along both banks of the river. On the deck of the great ship, figures in straw rain-capes stood in the darkness.
“Looks like this rain will let up soon.”
“The strategist really has it all figured out—not only does he plan things out perfectly, he can even read the sky. Might as well be Zhuge Liang himself, ha ha…”
“This is a fine ship. Shame we can’t sail it back to Liangshan.”
“Can’t be done. It’s too big. Better to just burn it once we reach the spot.”
“Burning it in the middle of the night—afraid people won’t see it?”
“What about the people on board?”
“If you ask me, why not just kill them all?”
In the darkness, some were bursting with excitement, others smug with satisfaction.
The operation to seize the birthday tribute gifts, orchestrated by the “Divine Strategist” Zhu Wu, had gone off, on the whole, flawlessly. Their inside man, Yan Qing, had thoroughly scouted the fleet’s arrangement and disposition, and pinpointed exactly which ship carried the birthday gifts. Meanwhile Zhu Wu and the others had kept a close watch on the court’s movements, seizing the army’s official seals and other items a step ahead of time. The timing had been exact down to the moment—neither side had reacted before it was too late—and then they had run into this small dock and this storm besides. In the end, they had made off cleanly with the ship. Even Zhu Wu himself couldn’t hide the excitement in his heart.
Setting out all the way from Xuyi, the fleet had consisted of only four large ships. As for the noble and highborn passengers on the main ship, if it came to actually moving against them, there was real hesitation. The Liangshan uprising had come at just the right moment, seizing the chance while the imperial court, busy fighting wars north and south, had no strength left to deal with Liangshan—but if they harmed a commandery princess or a young lord, the influence of that princely estate and the wealth it could mobilize alone might well be enough to start a full-scale war. If they truly killed such people, their reputation would soar, but afterward they would likely find themselves fighting for their lives with no way out.
Fortunately, they had never intended to touch these highborn dignitaries in the first place. Chen Jingui, for his part, had no wish to see them targeted by bandits with eyes on the birthday gifts, and so he simply had the gifts transferred to another ship. This ship had originally housed servants and stored a fair amount of supplies; once the birthday tribute was moved aboard, some elite men were quietly assigned to guard it. That night, because Yan Qing had already accurately gathered intelligence on the changing of the watch beforehand, and had cultivated a relationship with the officer in charge, they had drugged the men’s food before making their move. Though the drug wasn’t especially strong, by the time the Liangshan men struck, most of the soldiers were already deeply asleep, and the small pocket of resistance that remained failed to raise much of an alarm. In the end, they were rounded up entirely.
Now aboard this ship, besides the birthday tribute, there were several dozen captured soldiers and a handful of servants and attendants. When someone asked about them, Zhu Wu thought it over. “These soldiers can still fight. I was thinking, since they’ve lost the birthday gifts, going back means a serious crime for them—might as well stir them up and have them join us at Liangshan. But on the road back, with the tribute in tow, we can’t risk complications, so we’ll have to kill them. As for the servants, find a place to lock them up. If others find them, that’s their good luck; if not, at least we won’t have massacred the innocent for nothing… But don’t act yet. We’re not far enough from the officers and soldiers—if there’s any chance of being caught up to, they can serve as hostages. Not likely, but better to plan ahead.”
Having just masterminded such a successful scheme, the others naturally deferred to him and agreed at once. A short while later the downpour finally eased, and as the clouds parted, the moon shone down with a cool, clear light. At last the great ship pulled up beside a small dock, where, on the grass not far off, a dozen or so carts and men bearing blades and spears were already waiting. The men on the ship disembarked and went to meet the tall, broad-shouldered man leading the group. “Brother Lu, thank you for coming to meet us.”
“Squire Lu, hope we haven’t kept you waiting too long…”
The man surnamed Lu, a heavy spear slung across his back, was already laughing. “For a feat like this that all you brothers pulled off today, what’s a little wait?… Oh, has Little Yi managed to slip away?”
He cupped his hands and looked around the group but found no sign of Yan Qing. Only then did Zhu Wu speak up. “Brother Little Yi hasn’t been exposed yet. He’s still over there—said he wanted to scout the situation a bit more. Once everyone’s safe, he’ll catch up on his own…”
…
While the Liangshan men were meeting up with Lu Junyi at the dock, the small dock where the fleet had been moored on the Bian River was still in chaos. Lanterns burned bright, lighting the area, but the figures moving about were panicked and disordered. The knockout drug slipped into the various dishes that night hadn’t been in large doses, mainly for fear of arousing too much suspicion, so that after eating, most people had done little more than grow drowsy. Now, jolted awake by the commotion, they realized the birthday tribute, along with one of the large ships, had already been carried off.
Everyone on the main ship couldn’t help but feel a chill of belated fear. Search parties had already been sent out, but there was no telling when word would come back; amid the chaos, occasionally a rider would return, seeking someone out to report.
In the midst of the disorder, Ning Yi and Wenren Bu’er found each other and were discussing matters while waiting at the dock for news.
“It happened so fast, all things considered…”
“Will the troops near Xuzhou make it in time?”
“We more or less forced them to send troops this time—the connections we called in go well beyond the Secret Investigation Bureau…”
“What matters is whether we’ve got a bite…”
“Fortunately Steward He can still help on that front…”
After all, in an age like this, news simply took time to arrive. After exchanging a few words with Wenren Bu’er, Ning Yi saw Yun Zhu looking down at him from the ship’s railing. He gave a few instructions, then turned and boarded, bringing Yun Zhu back to their room. Jin’er was by the window looking out, and the moment she saw Ning Yi come in, her expression immediately turned strange.
Ning Yi had no time to explain anything to her just then, and simply told the two of them, “Tonight’s business has gotten a little complicated. Stay in the room. It should be fine around the dock now, but it’s best to be careful all the same… Get some sleep early.”
Yun Zhu tugged at his hand. “You won’t be in any danger either, will you?”
“No, everything’s been arranged.” He glanced at Jin’er and pointed at her. “Take good care of your Sister Yun Zhu. We’ll settle accounts when I get back.”
Jin’er lifted her chin. “No need to tell me that!” Then she added, “Don’t get yourself hurt.”
Ning Yi smiled, kissed Yun Zhu on the lips, and went out, closing the door behind him.
He made his way down from the ship, exchanging a greeting with Wenren Bu’er, talking as they walked toward the main ship. The cabins of the main ship were noisy and chaotic, with many people of prominent standing arguing loudly, looking for all the world like a Western banquet interrupted halfway through by the sudden death of the host. Chen Jingui, as the host, was issuing orders while conversing with a few young noblemen of relatively high standing, his face already gone pale.
Ning Yi and Wenren Bu’er looked around and exchanged a few words with Qi Xinhan, who came over—the Secret Investigation Bureau’s best men had all been placed on the main ship, precisely out of fear that something might happen to these highborn guests. Scanning the crowd, he saw Wang Xian among them as well, pressing a cloth to his head, looking utterly listless, clearly still feeling the lingering effects of the knockout drug. Nearby, Zhou Pei was walking over with Qi Xinyong in tow, and just then Chen Jingui spotted them too and pushed through the crowd, all but running over.
At that moment he was clearly the sort of presence that drew every eye around him, and Ning Yi instinctively stepped a little out of the way as Chen Jingui exchanged a few low words with Wenren Bu’er. His expression shifted—urgent one moment, furious the next.
What could be discussed at a time like this was, naturally, the matter of the birthday tribute. But the people around them had no idea who Wenren Bu’er really was; even those who had met him before mostly took him for some kind of steward. In the crowd nearby, Wang Xian was walking this way, and happened to cross paths with Li Shishi, who approached with a furrowed brow.
She was somewhat curious as to why Ning Yi had turned up in the main ship’s cabin just then, though mostly she simply thought it wouldn’t hurt to come over and say hello. Wang Xian smiled and nodded to her. “Ah, isn’t this the young master I met before…”
By then he had drawn close, and Ning Yi had already noticed the two of them approaching. Li Shishi had originally been looking at Ning Yi; now she glanced between Ning Yi and Wang Xian and, after a moment’s hesitation, could only manage a faint smile as she made the introduction. “This is Wang Xian, Young Master Wang. Young Master Wang, this is Ning Liheng, known as the foremost talent of Jiangning…”
The moment the name “Ning Liheng” left her mouth, Ning Yi’s gaze had already locked onto the man before him. Wang Xian cupped his hands. “Ah, so this is Young Master Ning. I’ve long heard of you…” But in his eyes there flickered a complicated look of recollection; for a moment, nothing more could be read from him.
Meanwhile the gazes of Wenren Bu’er, Qi Xinyong, and Qi Xinhan all turned this way at almost the same instant.
Time seemed to hold still for a beat.
Until now, Ning Yi had never wanted his name to reach this man’s ears, because he had no way of knowing to what extent Xi Junyu had spread word of him among the Liangshan ranks. Even if the man before him was indeed from Liangshan, there were two possibilities—either he had heard of Ning Yi, or he had no clear idea what was going on. At this moment, no one could tell what chemical reaction might be occurring in the man’s mind—whether he was recalling Xi Junyu, or simply pondering the meaning of the title “foremost talent of Jiangning.”
He kept his head lowered, a smile still on his face, but in the next instant, perhaps sensing the subtle shift in the air, his gaze was about to sweep toward Qi Xinyong and the others. It was at that very moment that Ning Yi turned his head and said a single sentence.
“Who did we catch? Lu Junyi? Kill him.”
Wang Xian’s head snapped up on the other side, and then he met Ning Yi’s waiting, smiling gaze.
Something clicked into place with an audible snap.
Wang Xian’s body, almost by reflex, shifted a step toward Li Shishi and the young commandery princess Zhou Pei.
At that moment the cabin was still awash in noisy clamor, with everyone airing their opinions over this sudden turn of events—none of them prepared to hear the sound that suddenly erupted from that direction, like an explosion, along with a flash of fire. They heard someone shout right in their ears: “Kill—”
The atmosphere clenched around every heart in an instant. Blades and spears were drawn! Steel horse and golden lance clashed together—