Chapter 22

There were still matters to deal with in the capital, so Meng Zhou could not simply run away. But he could prepare his traveling expenses now. If something urgent happened later and he had no time to get his money, he would be in trouble.

He packed silver and disguise supplies into a bundle, entered a clothing shop at its busiest hour, and picked out a dark gray, front-opening shirt.

He went in as a handsome judicial officer of the Court of Judicial Review and came out as a decrepit old man with a hunched back.

He limped around several corners, then immediately set off for the outskirts with nimble steps.

It had rained just last night. The soft red earth beneath the trees gave off the smell of humus, and rotting leaves concealed rustling insects.

Pretending to be a traveler relieving himself, Meng Zhou strayed from the main road and found a secluded spot. He looked left and right. No one.

The seventh poplar. Time to dig.

Without a hoe, Meng Zhou broke off a branch and laboriously dug a hole as deep as his forearm. He solemnly placed a packet of silver inside, feeling like a kitten hiding its beloved dried fish in a hole.

No, no, no. It couldn't be dried fish. The story about the kitten planting fish ended in a total loss.

"I'm not a cat..." Meng Zhou quickly switched to another folktale in his head. Once upon a time, a hired farmhand feeding a landlord's pigs discovered that the food in their trough never ran out. It turned out to be a treasure basin. Tsk, if I had one too, wouldn't I be able to dig up an endless supply of silver ingots after a while...

When the farmhand went home, he asked the landlord for the trough. Because it was too heavy, he buried it on a mountainside along the way and stuck a birch branch into the ground as a marker. When he brought fellow villagers back to help carry it, the once-barren mountain was covered in birch trees. The farmhand could no longer tell which tree had been his original marker.

Meng Zhou stopped digging and counted on his fingers from beginning to end three times. There was no mistake. It was the seventh poplar.

"I'm not a farmhand either," Meng Zhou muttered.

Who was it who still owed Chu Huaiyin seven thousand taels, anyway? He was worse off than the lowliest farmhand at Prince Huai's Residence.

As he filled in the hole, Meng Zhou remembered the warning against putting all his eggs in one basket. He took half the money out and dug two more holes in different places in one go.

Perhaps his overwhelming guilty conscience was to blame, but Meng Zhou had not thought of anything good throughout this trip. Once he finally finished, he stood and let out a breath.

His fingers trembled several times before touching his belly, gradually tightening against the rough fabric.

Preparing his traveling expenses meant taking a crucial step. For the first time in days, Meng Zhou faced the fact that he was pregnant. At first, he had not even dared look at his lower abdomen while bathing, hurriedly wiping himself clean before burrowing into bed like a quail.

Once he truly started making plans, it did not seem so difficult. At last, someone would be with him, wouldn't they?

He had shouldered the Jiang Clan's blood feud from the moment he arrived. Adding the responsibility of parenthood on top of that-however bitter or exhausting it became, he would bear it all on both shoulders.

Meng Zhou had always been grateful for Chu Huaiyin's presence. He had shared so many of his burdens.

But in a world that generally treated people like him as tools for bearing children, whether it was selfishness or obedience to Jiang Yao's dying wish that he "take no concubines and marry into no powerful household," some things could not be gambled on.

Meng Zhou washed his hands by the water and changed back into his original clothes. Returning to the city by the same route, he saw that the gates were under lockdown and hesitated. He did not know which faction was responsible. Running into the Liu Family's people would be no fun.

Ji Yang had stationed men at all four gates. A figure flashed before his eyes, unmistakably looking like Meng Zhou, then vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Brother Ji." Someone called him from behind.

Hearing Meng Zhou's voice, Ji Yang nearly wept with relief. Another couple of these massive searches might take ten years off his life.

"What's going on?" Meng Zhou asked quietly.

"His Highness couldn't find you. He's worried." Ji Yang decided to improve his master's standing. Even he had found it hard to watch how frantic his master had been.

"He feared you'd been captured by the Liu Family and ordered a thorough search of the capital. This is the first time I've seen him change his plans over one person."

"Why?" Meng Zhou opened his mouth. He had been gone for less than four hours altogether. How had they imagined so much?

Ji Yang choked, unable to answer. He could hardly say outright that the hidden guards had lost him. If Chu Huaiyin had not told Meng Zhou about something, he had all the more reason to keep his mouth shut.

Meng Zhou did not press him. He rubbed his hands sheepishly. "Where is Prince Huai now?"

Ji Yang sent someone to report to Chu Huaiyin and personally escorted Meng Zhou to wait at a teahouse.

Chu Huaiyin had taken men to the clothing shop, but Meng Zhou had covered his tracks flawlessly and left no clues. Having found nothing, he was about to lead troops to turn the Liu Residence upside down. He did not even need another pretext; the charge of secretly stockpiling weapons was enough.

Just then, Ji Yang's messenger arrived to say Meng Zhou had been found, completely unharmed.

Chu Huaiyin breathed a sigh of relief. As a tension he had not felt in years ebbed away, an inexplicable anger surged up instead-why couldn't Meng Zhou just stay home?

It was exceedingly overbearing and utterly unreasonable.

So when he saw the red mud on Meng Zhou's soles, found only outside the city, his words carried an anger that surprised even himself, along with a concealed sense of foreboding. "Where did you just go?"

Meng Zhou sat upright in his chair, holding a steaming teacup in both hands and carefully blowing on it. Hearing Chu Huaiyin, he obediently set the untouched tea back on the table and even pushed it farther in, afraid it might get caught in Prince Huai's anger.

Honestly, weighing having his pregnancy discovered against lying and getting scolded, Meng Zhou decisively chose the latter.

"I saw a suspicious group of outsiders near the Liu Residence. They were all strong and dark-skinned, very much like escort guards who traveled far and wide. There was red mud on their shoes, so I guessed they had a base outside the city and disguised myself..." This part was not a lie. Meng Zhou really had seen them, but had not yet had time to investigate.

"What did you find?" Chu Huaiyin held his cup, looking down at the faint ripples in his tea, his mood unreadable.

Meng Zhou lowered his head, exposing a stretch of pale, vulnerable nape.

"Nothing."

"Didn't I tell you not to put yourself in danger!" Chu Huaiyin slammed his cup onto the table with a bang. Even Ji Yang, who had served him for years and seen plenty, flinched.

The blue-green tea spilled everywhere, and the delicate, beautiful cup was crushed into sharp fragments in his grip.

Near the Liu Residence, strong men... Put those phrases together, and how was that any different from a dragon's pool or a tiger's den?

"What about the oath you swore at the Liu Residence! Have I treated you so well that you think you can let everything I say go in one ear and out the other?"

Meng Zhou stared in astonishment. He had thought today would be like before: a great fuss that came to nothing. He would swear it would never happen again, and the matter would be over. He wanted to say something to soothe Chu Huaiyin's anger, but a sudden wave of nausea hit him. "Urgh..."

Before the sound escaped, he covered his mouth, sprang up, and crouched against the wall, pinching his own thigh hard.

No, this reaction was too suspicious... He couldn't throw up. Chu Huaiyin was so clever...

Meng Zhou fought desperately to hold it back, until tears and mucus ran together. His eyes reddened in an instant and swiftly filled with tears. His stomach churned relentlessly, and he slid down the wall in misery.

The nausea came in waves. Holding it back was practically beyond human ability. Meng Zhou bit the back of his hand, his teeth sinking into the flesh, and tears streamed down from the pain.

Meng Zhou actually could not tell whether pregnancy or something else was causing it, but at this critical point in his escape plans, he could allow no mistakes.

Chu Huaiyin was a step too late and saw only Meng Zhou biting his hand, his face covered in tears as he cried so hard he could barely breathe.

He had cried from being scolded.

Chu Huaiyin instantly panicked.

"Meng Zhou, Meng Zhou..." He patted the utterly aggrieved kitten's back with one hand and tried to move Meng Zhou's paw with the other, stopping him from biting himself. "Where does it hurt?"

Meng Zhou shook his head wildly. Several tears landed on Chu Huaiyin's hand like drops of scalding oil, burning blisters onto the tip of his heart.

"Would I really do anything to you? I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper... What are you crying about..." Chu Huaiyin clasped both his hands together and wrapped an arm around his upper body to stop him from hurting himself.

Chu Huaiyin had only once seen the kitten crying so pitifully. The kitten should always be spirited and full of life. Immense guilt welled up in him. He had never meant to make Meng Zhou cry; he could scarcely pamper him enough.

"I promise there won't be a next time." Chu Huaiyin coaxed the kitten gently, wiping away strings of tears with his thumb. "Don't cry. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you as an apology. All right?"

Prince Huai even removed the thumb ring representing the Northern Frontier's three armies. "Here, you can play with this."

Ji Yang looked as though he had seen a ghost.

Could someone tell him whether Battlefield Yama had been possessed? What had happened to the last person Prince Huai frightened into tears? Surely he had not held them in his arms and coaxed them?

And with such a childish trick!

"Here, you can play with this." Did he think he was three?

Yet Meng Zhou had forced out his tears through self-abuse and acting. Once the nausea subsided, he immediately stopped crying, leaving only reddened eyes. By sheer coincidence, he had been successfully "coaxed."

Ji Yang: ...I'll buy a thumb ring tomorrow too. A solid gold one, for coaxing my wife someday.

Having dried his tears, Meng Zhou felt rather embarrassed.

How humiliating.

To anyone else, he was someone who dared act but refused to face the consequences, crying after a few harsh words.

But those tears had come at exactly the right time, both letting him escape disaster and concealing what might have been morning sickness.

Meng Zhou had been ruthless with himself. A vivid ring of tooth marks on his hand was swollen and bleeding, and his thigh was bruised. Chu Huaiyin scooped out ointment to apply to the wound. Meng Zhou held out his hand between tearful hiccups, quietly concealing the bruise on his leg.

Meng Zhou's fingers were long, smooth, and lustrous, with few calluses, but as a martial artist, he was not delicate.

Chu Huaiyin said helplessly, "There's no shame in crying aloud. Why bite your hand like it's a chicken drumstick?"

Meng Zhou had no way to explain that.

Hic.

As it turned out, Prince Huai had plenty of ways to coax someone. He took out another... hairpin.

It matched the hairpin Meng Zhou's mother had left him for his future wife. It had previously fallen into the hands of the gambling den owner's lover at a brothel, and Chu Huaiyin had retrieved it.

"This..." Meng Zhou took it dazedly. How did Chu Huaiyin know it belonged to Jiang Yao?

Chu Huaiyin touched his nose. "Last time at the Meng Residence, I saw a hairpin beneath your bedding. Yesterday, while searching the gambling den, I happened to see this during questioning. I thought they must originally have been a pair, and your mother had pawned it."

Their activities in bed had been rather... intense. It was hardly surprising that Chu Huaiyin had seen the hairpin beneath the bedboards as they rolled around.

Even the bedboards had flipped over. Calling it bedding was already tactful of Chu Huaiyin.

Meng Zhou reddened from the roots of his ears down to his neck. Even the skin beneath his clothes faintly burned.

He stroked the green jade hairpin, carved into a half-open, tilted lotus. The thumb ring that had accompanied Prince Huai through life and death still lay in his palm. He clenched his hand and loosened it, the ancient, intricate dark patterns pressing into his palm and intertwining with his lifeline.

The corners of his mouth unconsciously curved slightly, and a fanciful thought suddenly arose in his heart.

Ji Yang watched, dumbfounded. His master was formidable after all. He had to remember this quickly; it would be tremendously useful someday.

Putting the ring back on Prince Huai, Meng Zhou said, "I, I..."

A commotion suddenly broke out below the teahouse. A group of servants chased a handsome young gentleman in white, shouting, "Stop him!" while remaining quite respectful in their movements.

Ji Yang craned his neck for a look and reported to Prince Huai with a headache, "He's from Hanlin Academician Ji's household." We may both be surnamed Ji, but we have absolutely no connection. After all, the sight of the Four Books and Five Classics made him sleepy.

Hanlin Academician Ji and Guan Jiasheng had placed first in the imperial examinations in the same year. He had bright eyes, handsome features, an imposing bearing, and a quietly wicked streak.

Chu Huaiyin recalled the man. His apparent disinterest in court affairs actually stemmed from pride, but he was no pedantic scholar and could trap people without blinking.

Ji Yang clapped his hands. "Right, I heard a few days ago that the young gentleman in Hanlin Academician Ji's household is pregnant." Running around with a child in his belly-that troublesome behavior felt somewhat familiar.

A young gentleman?

Meng Zhou's ears immediately pricked up. Like him? He squeezed beside Ji Yang and looked with wide eyes. Sure enough, the young gentleman darting about had a slightly rounded lower abdomen. The servants surrounded him at a careful distance, looking as though they wished they could tie him up and take him home.

"Why are they catching him?" Meng Zhou felt rather dispirited. What was wrong with taking a few steps down the street?

"Naturally, someone pregnant should stay home and rest properly," Ji Yang replied casually. It's been so chaotic outside these days. Who would feel safe letting him wander around? Just look at how anxious Master became when you disappeared for a little while.

Considering Meng Zhou had just cried over this very matter, Ji Yang tactfully left that unsaid.

"Is Hanlin Academician Ji away?" Chu Huaiyin turned his thumb ring and lifted his chin at Ji Yang.

Go take him home.

He had heard something of Hanlin Academician Ji and that young gentleman. He was one of the few in Great Wei who dared openly marry a man as his wife. Though their relationship was harmonious, his wife ran away every few days, and no one but Hanlin Academician Ji himself could persuade him home. Ordinarily, it could be treated as a lovers' game. But the capital had been unsettled lately. Soldiers were searching everywhere for weapons, uncovering piles of gleaming broadswords at any moment. If the criminals resisted, armed fighting broke out in the streets. It was terrifying.

He valued Hanlin Academician Ji's talent. By offering goodwill today, he would naturally receive a response if the man was interested.

"Yes." Ji Yang leaped down from the teahouse and darted in front of the young gentleman in white. "This humble Ji asks that you return home, young master."

The young gentleman stamped his foot. "I finally got that man surnamed Ji out of the house, and now another Ji turns up." He followed the servants home indignantly. Though seemingly forced, his steps were quite unhurried.

A chill settled in Meng Zhou's heart, and he did not want to watch any longer. Thus, he missed a troop of cavalry roaring past after the young gentleman left, their sharp blades bearing the exclusive insignia of the Second Prince's Residence. They brandished them sideways with blatant arrogance, utterly unconcerned about injuring civilians.

Whatever worried the heart grew larger before the eyes. At that moment, Meng Zhou could not notice the young gentleman's composure. He saw only his reluctance and lack of freedom.

He had only come out briefly before being sent back. When the servants could not manage it, Prince Huai interfered, while passersby turned to watch the spectacle.

He had thought Chu Huaiyin might be different from those people. He was confident and powerful enough not to need to suppress a particular kind of person to secure his position.

As it turned out, when their collective interests were involved, even Prince Huai was no exception.

"What were you going to say?"

"Nothing... I wanted to ask what day of the month it is."

"The tenth."

The brothel thug who had spent a night with Meng Huaihan was named Wang Dafu. He would bring betrothal gifts to the Meng Residence on the twelfth. Meng Zhou reckoned the Meng Clan would move against him soon. After all, dead men did not need to marry.

Meng Zhou had learned his lesson this time. He raised his hand and asked Chu Huaiyin whether he could visit Wang Dafu's home.

I'll only look.

I won't do anything.

Traces of tears still lingered on the kitten's cheeks, his damp lashes clinging pitifully together as he made his request in a hoarse voice. Who would dare refuse?

The invincible Prince Huai did not dare.

Chu Huaiyin went with him.

Before they reached Wang Dafu's door, Chu Huaiyin suddenly picked Meng Zhou up and flew into a tree. Startled, Meng Zhou tried to pry the hand around his waist away as soon as he found his footing.

"Don't move. Someone's here."

A servant slipped furtively into Wang Dafu's home and left shortly afterward. About to marry a beautiful bride, Wang Dafu had been boasting everywhere that he would become related to the Left Chancellor and drinking himself senseless every day. He pushed open his door and picked up a kettle to pour water, not noticing the white powder beneath his feet.

"Good timing."

Chu Huaiyin produced a hidden weapon and knocked the kettle from his hand. Wang Dafu snapped alert. A few days earlier, he had nearly been pushed into a river and drowned, leaving him wary. Lately, although he appeared thoroughly drunk, he had actually retained a measure of sobriety.

He went outside and looked around. Just as he was about to reach Meng Zhou's tree, Chu Huaiyin used a hidden weapon to make a noise elsewhere and lure him away.

"Make a cat sound," Chu Huaiyin whispered against Meng Zhou's ear.

They were too close. Meng Zhou's ear tickled, and he glared angrily at Chu Huaiyin. Why should I!

"Then we can leave." Chu Huaiyin could come and go freely even from powerful ministers' residences. In truth, he simply wanted to tease him.

Kitten Meng had been caught by his weak spot. His mind was full of whether Chu Huaiyin would feel something wrong with his belly, leaving him rather slow-witted, so he gave a humiliated cry.

"Meow."

A soft rustle followed, like a cat darting through a tree, and man and cat vanished together.

The Meng Clan was now in complete chaos.

Meng Fushan was responsible for investigating the weapons. Naturally, he had not become Left Chancellor on his looks alone. In just one day, his investigation had led to his own father-in-law.

His father-in-law was even staying in his house.

Meng Fushan looked after his own interests and nearly went mad with anger upon learning this. He had the matter temporarily suppressed and summoned Lady Zhou, Meng Huaihan, and Zhou Hancai together.

"I, Meng Fushan, have always acted uprightly. Though I cannot sacrifice family for justice, neither will I associate with rebels." Meng Fushan placed a divorce letter on the table. "From today onward, the Meng Clan and Zhou Family will go their separate ways."

Lady Zhou trembled as she finished reading the divorce letter, then seized Meng Fushan's collar like a madwoman. "The Zhou Family paid for your education and your journey to the capital for the examinations. I bore your children and managed your household. How have I ever wronged you! Meng Fushan, if you dare drive me out today, we'll die together!"

Meng Huaihan went pale at this sudden turn. She tugged Zhou Hancai's arm. "Grandfather, this..."

Zhou Hancai had sensed it from Meng Fushan's very first words. This coward who betrayed his benefactors, chased profit, and avoided danger had not changed in twenty years!

Meng Fushan shook Lady Zhou off and straightened his cuffs. "You lack a wife's virtue, avenge the slightest grievance, mistreat your stepson, and have failed to raise your daughter properly. You indirectly caused the death of Jiang Yao, my lawfully wedded wife, and nearly killed Zhou as well. Those reasons alone are sufficient for me to divorce you."

Lady Zhou laughed bitterly. "Fine! If you knew everything, why didn't you stop it! You're the one who killed Jiang Yao! Would I have treated her that way if you hadn't allowed it? Meng Fushan, you're inhuman! I refuse this divorce. We're grasshoppers tied to the same rope. None of us can escape!" Lady Zhou covered her face and sobbed. She remembered when they had first married, before Meng Fushan revealed his heartlessness. Like Jiang Yao, she had failed to see through him and thought she had found someone to rely on for the rest of her life. Hadn't she once been a pampered, innocent young girl? Meng Fushan had made her this way!

"You'll accept it whether you like it or not." Meng Fushan sneered. "His Majesty's word is law. He bestowed the marriage between Jiang Yao and me. What are you? Guards, escort Miss Zhou and Old Master Zhou out."

Meng Fushan had come prepared. A line of guards stood outside the door, watching menacingly.

Zhou Hancai kicked over a table in fury, sending the teapot and vase shattering across the floor. Before leaving, he stared hard at Meng Fushan and gave a sinister laugh. "The situation in the capital remains uncertain, yet Minister Meng certainly knows how to throw his weight around. I shall see who wins in the end."

Meng Fushan raised his teacup, unmoving. "Safe travels."

Over the past two days, he had taken the opportunity to investigate the capital's factions and discovered with alarm that Prince Huai was far more powerful than he had imagined. The Second Prince's faction probably did not yet realize they were already turtles in a jar.

Lady Zhou told Meng Huaihan to leave with her. Meng Huaihan hesitated, earning a furious scolding from Lady Zhou for being an ungrateful wretch, but ultimately chose to stay.

Still shaken, she then heard a servant report that Wang Dafu had come to propose marriage. Panic crossed her face. Why wasn't he dead yet? Had her grandfather failed?

Meng Fushan did not even lift his eyelids. He casually sent the steward to accept the betrothal gifts, so indifferent that he hardly resembled a father whose youngest daughter was about to marry.

Meng Huaihan nearly ground her teeth to pieces.

Her father was unreliable, her maternal grandfather was unreliable, and her mother was gone. From the looks of things, staying would only make her Meng Zhou's concubine-born younger sister.

She wanted nothing more than to crush Meng Zhou's bones and suck out his marrow. She stood there with clenched fists for a full hour, then, whatever ideas she had been holding in, went back to her room to gather the private savings she had accumulated over the years.

Fine, she would marry. There was plenty of time ahead. With money, what did she have to fear!

Meng Fushan was a master of maneuvering. After divorcing his wife, he went straight to Emperor Tianyuan to humbly beg forgiveness, confessing the Zhou Family's deeds and his own failure to notice them. He made no mention whatsoever of the competition between the princes, merely giving an objective report on the weapons searches in the capital. It sounded as though the Zhou Family alone had masterminded everything.

He was very clever. Knowing that this account would certainly earn him punishment before Prince Huai, he cleared himself through Emperor Tianyuan before Chu Huaiyin openly took power.

He had always presented himself as an upright, untainted scholar, forming no factions or cliques and pledging loyalty only to Emperor Tianyuan. The emperor was very pleased with him and waved a hand, saying that ignorance was no crime. The Zhou Family would be tried for treason, while his dear minister's merits and faults canceled each other out. Three years' salary would be docked as a warning to others.

Meanwhile, Meng Fushan cooperated fully with Chu Huaiyin in arresting the rebels in the capital, hoping to earn some favor with him.

A few days later, a poisoning scandal erupted in the palace.

The eunuch who personally attended Emperor Tianyuan had actually been acting on the empress's orders, adding slow-acting poison to his calming soup for five or six years.

By that reckoning, the empress and the second prince had begun plotting against Emperor Tianyuan's life when Chu Huaiyin left the capital for war. Unfortunately for them, Emperor Tianyuan had been lucky. Dragging along his sickly imperial body, he had survived all these years. Even by the time Chu Huaiyin returned to the capital, the scenario of "His Majesty suddenly passes away, and the second prince handles state affairs and takes the throne while he is at it" had never materialized.

This time, driven into a corner, the second prince had tried to poison Emperor Tianyuan outright and forge an edict passing him the throne.

After narrowly escaping death, Emperor Tianyuan finally experienced the fury Chu Huaiyin had felt when his military funds were embezzled and he nearly died in battle. He threw the empress and the second prince straight into the imperial prison and named Chu Huaiyin crown prince.

The Liu Residence was confiscated, Liu Hongbao admitted his guilt, and his advisers were all imprisoned. According to the others' statements, however, his most trusted adviser was not among them. The court issued a nationwide arrest warrant, plastering wanted portraits at every checkpoint and relay station and offering a hefty reward.

Meng Zhou felt some regret that Meng Fushan had emerged unscathed.

But Great Wei had no law against bigamy.

Following Meng Zhou's instructions, Jiang Xin had dealt with several properties belonging to the general's estate. They were very small and dilapidated, but at least they brought in some income. Jiang Xin went outside the city to inspect them and was exceptionally excited to collect rent for the first time.

On his way back, he encountered a Taoist priest, blind in one eye, telling fortunes and selling talismans.

Jiang Xin: A great immortal, obviously!

And so the silver he had only just received, before he could even warm it in his hands, went straight into the priest's pocket. Beaming, Jiang Xin held the protection talisman, tucked it into a little pouch, and presented it to Meng Zhou like a treasure.

Jiang Xin gazed at his nephew with stars in his eyes. Praise me.

Meng Zhou tucked the little pouch into his sleeve pocket. It was sweet of Jiang Xin to keep thinking of him; the child was growing sensible. Warmth stirred in his chest. He asked casually, "Did you go to a temple?"

"No, I met a Taoist priest on the road and bought it for twenty taels."

"..."

Meng Zhou smiled. "Go kneel in the ancestral hall overnight."

"Why, Nephew... Nephew, I'm not going..."

After Chu Huaiyin was named crown prince, the balance of power in the capital changed drastically. The second prince's forces were completely purged, and countless people wanted to cling to Chu Huaiyin's thigh. Even Meng Zhou received a little more respect.

For the seventeenth time, Meng Zhou saw off a wealthy merchant who had come to strike up a conversation. The merchant wore a silk robe glittering with gold thread and a thick gold chain. Standing before the utterly destitute Meng Zhou, he created a bewildering sense that their positions had been reversed.

The merchant's clothes were dazzling, but he was actually quite practical. His servants carried two large chests of nuts, candies, and cakes. Meng Zhou swallowed his saliva as he refused. I really can't introduce you to the crown prince.

Besides, I'm about to run away. There's no future in this.

West of the capital lay Qianyang Lake, its clear blue waters shimmering amid scenery of exceptional beauty. Painted pleasure boats and sightseeing vessels bustled from morning until night. It was the favorite haunt of the capital's second generation.

Today was the flower boat festival. Many large vessels were moored along Qianyang Lake, their owners all renowned nobles, princes, generals, and ministers. Boat races would begin at noon. The eastern city was deserted, while the western city teemed with people. All the street stalls had relocated, lining the lakeshore in a row.

Hearing that Chu Huaiyin would come today, young ladies secretly in love with him and officials of every rank hoping to curry favor with the crown prince all crowded together to join the excitement.

Painted pleasure boats and such were ideal for love at first sight.

Intent on developing water transport, Chu Huaiyin had arranged to meet a renowned fleet in Great Wei, using the occasion to discuss shipbuilding.

The fleet showed considerable sincerity, bringing out a three-deck cargo ship for Chu Huaiyin to inspect.

Following behind Chu Huaiyin, Meng Zhou felt like a secretary accompanying a CEO to business negotiations-and the sort about to abscond with the money, at that.

He sneezed several times in succession as soon as he boarded. The smell aboard was rather pungent. After walking around, he discovered that the ship was new, freshly painted, and had never carried cargo.

The fleet's owner was far too sincere.

Meng Zhou rubbed his nose. Chu Huaiyin actually wanted to see an old ship, which would make its performance in various respects easier to judge.

The cargo ship headed toward the center of the lake. Wine, dishes, and dried fruit had been laid out on deck. Shipbuilding was one matter, but today's main purpose was to let Meng Zhou relax. Chu Huaiyin felt that a hint of worry had lingered between his brows lately and guessed that the affairs of the Liu Family and the second prince might have left him overly tense.

"I have some good news to-"

Meng Zhou sneezed.

Chu Huaiyin took out a handkerchief for him. "This paint smells too strong. Ji Yang, switch to another boat."

Meng Zhou covered his nose. "No, no need. It's fine outside. Isn't the performance about to begin?"

He glanced toward the boats lined up neatly by the shore, ready to depart. "It's a new ship. It can't be helped." As he withdrew his gaze, his eyes suddenly widened. Wait, why is a new ship sitting so low in the water?

Meng Zhou turned and fixed the fleet's owner with a sharp look. "Is there any cargo aboard?"

A crazed smile gradually filled the fleet owner's eyes. Instead of answering Meng Zhou, he said only, "The wind's picking up."

The fleet was a trap.

"Protect the crown prince!"

Chu Huaiyin immediately drew Meng Zhou behind him, overturned the table, and kicked it away along with the fleet's owner. Ji Yang and the guards drew their long blades and formed a circle around them.

A fierce gust swept across the lake, dispersing the smell of paint. The scent of sulfur and saltpeter began seeping out. There were explosives aboard!

Coughing blood, the fleet's owner let out a strange, chattering laugh, his face twisted and crazed. "You never imagined there was another level beneath the hold, did you? Hahahaha! It's all explosives! Chu Huaiyin, so what if you've become crown prince! You're still going to join the Liu Family in death!"

Because the crown prince was aboard the cargo ship, it was the only vessel in this part of the lake. Chu Huaiyin made an instant decision. "Jump!"

Amid the succession of upheavals, all Meng Zhou heard was Chu Huaiyin's voice through the wind: "Don't be afraid. Hold on tight."

In two strides, Chu Huaiyin carried him onto the roof of the ship, then kicked off the mast with all the strength in his right leg, shooting away like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Weightlessness struck. Meng Zhou thought Chu Huaiyin's leg might cramp from that kick. In midair, he shouted, "Let go of me once we're in the water!" The end of his sentence vanished beneath the cargo ship's deafening explosion.

Flames shot into the sky. The weather changed abruptly, heavy black clouds pressing down and splitting the heavens into half red and half black. Great waves surged across the lake. Almost as soon as they hit the water, a wave knocked them under.

Meng Zhou had never imagined his luck could be this catastrophically bad. He and Chu Huaiyin had landed right in an undertow.

The rapidly spinning whirlpool was unfathomably deep, as though it led to the underworld, dragging them into endless darkness. The current tore at their clothes. Even in such peril, Chu Huaiyin clung desperately to Meng Zhou and fought to reach the surface.

Meng Zhou choked on several mouthfuls of water. The waves battered them relentlessly, wrenching them apart, until all Chu Huaiyin could hold on to was Meng Zhou's belt.

The sky was dark, rain poured down, and the wind and waves raged. They were too far from shore. Whether they swam back themselves or waited for rescue, it would be a prolonged struggle. Chu Huaiyin had greater stamina and martial skill than he did; bringing Meng Zhou along was clearly a burden now.

Unable to speak underwater, Meng Zhou could only pat the hand gripping his belt, signaling for Chu Huaiyin to let go. His stamina might be poor, but he could swim.

Chu Huaiyin gripped him even tighter.

In the murky lake water, Meng Zhou could not make out Chu Huaiyin's expression, but the strength transmitted through his hand was firm and warm.

He had not chosen the wrong man to follow.

Meng Zhou gave Chu Huaiyin a long look, drew the dagger from his boot, and sliced straight through his belt.

The instant the belt came loose, a great wave swept them several yards apart. Meng Zhou thought he saw fury and disbelief in Chu Huaiyin's eyes.

Sorry. I've put myself in danger again.

Fierce cursing and fighting rang out from a painted pleasure boat near the shore, punctuated by the crash of tables and chairs falling over.

A waterlogged, pallid arm reached over the side like the thin limb of a water ghost. Grabbing hold of something and refusing to let go for dear life, its owner scrambled up swiftly and frantically.

Meng Zhou lay sprawled on the deck, gasping for breath.

So oaths really did come true. There were fucking crocodiles in the water!

The pond at the Liu Residence connected to Qianyang Lake. Some bastard had removed the iron grating over its outlet, and the crocodiles had followed the current straight into the lake.

One had even chased him, trying to bite his ass! Luckily, the crocodile he had encountered was injured and could not swim as fast as he could.

Meng Zhou clutched his backside in lingering fear. Why had he sworn an oath to a bunch of crocodiles back then?!

It was also thanks to that crocodile chasing him that every shred of his will to survive had been roused. Otherwise, the churning lake might have worn away his strength and consciousness until he drowned in its vast waters.

People seemed to be arguing inside the boat, and no one noticed him. Meng Zhou lay on the deck like a dead dog for a long time before slowly crawling up. He seemed to have stumbled into a cabin with one side fully open to the lake and partitions on the other three. A small door on the left stood ajar. He guessed it was a viewing area specifically for watching the boat races.

There were a table and chairs, as well as a small chaise longue. Meng Zhou's clothes were practically in shreds. Seeing a complete outfit on the chaise, he hurriedly changed into it. He turned his boots upside down, and a piece of silver fell out. He placed it on the table. Mm, consider it payment to the owner for these clothes.

A forced transaction, utterly unreasonable.

He pushed open the door, hoping to leave without anyone noticing, only to hear Wang Junyang's voice.

Hadn't he been exiled with his father ages ago?

Meng Zhou listened for a while. It turned out that Wang Junyang had been unable to endure the wind and sun on the journey and had secretly run back to ask his fair-weather friends for help. But they were called fair-weather friends for a reason. The young masters who had once bowed and scraped before Right Chancellor Wang's second son had all changed their tune. Not only did they refuse to help, they mocked and insulted him, threatening to turn him over to the authorities.

How could Wang Junyang bear such a reversal? A disagreement had immediately turned into a fight.

One against three.

Finding it rather uninteresting, Meng Zhou slipped away.

He returned to shore on the verge of collapse. Large numbers of Imperial Guards were being hurriedly deployed, and guards tied to long ropes plunged into the water one after another. Chaos reigned everywhere. Soldiers had practically surrounded Qianyang Lake.

Meng Zhou's heart tightened. Has Chu Huaiyin still not made it out? Impossible. The waves pushed us in opposite directions. Chu Huaiyin was clearly closer to shore.

He hurriedly rose on tiptoe to look around. Only when he spotted Chu Huaiyin standing at the other end of Qianyang Lake, with Ji Yang holding an umbrella over him, did he relax. Only then did he register that the chaotic shouting was all cries of "Lord Meng!"

The step he had begun to take suddenly stopped.

The original owner of this body could not swim.

Once Chu Huaiyin let go, he was certain to die.

No one knew that the present Meng Zhou could swim.

Meng Zhou realized-this was his best chance to leave the capital.

Chu Huaiyin was drenched, dripping from head to toe. In his hand, he tightly clenched a strip of blue cloth that a sharp dagger had sliced in two.

"Your Highness, please change your clothes," Ji Yang urged weakly.

His eyes bloodshot, Chu Huaiyin stared stubbornly at the turbulent lake.

How had he let Meng Zhou slip from his grasp!

He had watched helplessly as the torrent swept him away!

He himself had barely reached shore alive. He did not dare imagine what Meng Zhou might encounter!

His fingers nearly crushed the cloth. His voice hoarse, boundless self-reproach mingling with a despair he dared not contemplate, Chu Huaiyin said, "Find Meng Zhou first."

In the distance, Meng Zhou wore a straw rain cape and hat, his appearance entirely unrecognizable. Watching Chu Huaiyin from afar, he said softly, "Until we meet again."

"Let's go," Meng Zhou told the driver.

He remembered that aboard the cargo ship, Chu Huaiyin had said he had some good news for him, only for his interruption to make them forget.

What could it have been?

Meng Zhou was a worldly man. All he could think of was promotion and riches.

However low the sky hangs, however mist-shrouded the earth, this realm is beautiful, and in the end it will belong to you.

Chu Huaiyin, may we meet again among the mountains and waters.