Chapter 23

In a capital so vast, there were few things worth worrying about.

Jiang Xin was gradually growing more sensible, and Chu Huaiyin would not mistreat the Jiang Clan. After everything that had happened, if Meng Zhou still could not see that Chu Huaiyin took extra care with anything concerning the Jiang Clan, he would truly have lived his life in vain.

Faking his death was rather cruel to Chu Huaiyin. Having received his care for so long, Meng Zhou was not heartless; he felt guilty. But all he could do was find comfort amid the misery: Chu Huaiyin was accustomed to men dying on the battlefield and returning wrapped in horsehide. His heart held the vast realm and its people. Surely the tiny corner belonging to Meng Zhou would gradually be crowded out.

Looking back, he saw the towering city gates and the endless stream of merchants and travelers passing through. He could only accompany Chu Huaiyin this far. There was some regret in that.

But soon, Meng Zhou had no time to feel melancholy. Using the excuse of relieving himself, he had the driver stop before the poplar grove. His entire fortune was buried there.

He had left so abruptly today, on the spur of the moment, without a penny to his name. Had his clothes not made him look either wealthy or noble, he probably would not have found a driver willing to take him.

He hurried forward a few steps, only to find a freshly dug hole staring him in the face!

Who dared touch his silver?

The silver he had scrimped and saved, refusing even to buy himself new clothes!

The freshly turned red earth smelled of dog urine. Stray dogs' paw prints and a trail of shoe prints lay scattered around it. It looked as though a stray dog had urinated and dug here, uncovering the silver, which a passerby who had also come to relieve himself had picked up.

With the utmost reverence, Meng Zhou went to check the other two places where he had buried silver, barely daring to breathe. Fortunately, both were still there.

But he had lost the bulk of it. Only five hundred taels remained.

Hiring a carriage in the capital was extremely expensive. Meng Zhou had intended to splurge and hire one all the way to Jiangnan. He had been born in Jiangnan in his previous life and was more accustomed to its climate.

Now... Meng Zhou said sheepishly to the driver, "Sir, just drop me off at the town ahead."

He decided to buy a simple carriage and drive himself, taking things as they came and stopping wherever he found somewhere suitable.

He had even planned how to make a living once he settled down-writing storybooks. He had memorized so many scripts in his previous life: fantasy, supernatural tales, period dramas, mysteries, everything one could want. He could even hire a page, dictate aloud, and have the page transcribe it. Perfect.

Becoming a storyteller would work too. He could tell an upgraded version of his love-hate relationship with the current crown prince-no, their great friendship.

At any rate, he would not starve.

Meanwhile, aboard the pleasure boat Meng Zhou had left, Wang Junyang had finally been beaten to the floor after taking on three men alone.

One of them had once accidentally bumped into Wang Junyang's carriage, only to be made to serve as his horse and paraded through the streets for three days. His father was a minor official newly transferred from the provinces, with little standing or influence, and he had hidden indoors for three months, afraid to go out. He was not the only one. The other two had also suffered varying degrees of humiliation and had been forced to become Wang Junyang's lackeys, swallowing their pride to wait on him. Now they could settle their scores. Seeing Wang Junyang lying helpless on the floor, they kicked his head hard into the corner of a table.

"Hahahaha! Never thought you'd see this day, did you?"

"Isn't the right chancellor's son supposed to be so impressive? Huh? You even dared steal my fiancée!"

The three took turns kicking him to vent their anger. Once their hatred surged up, they no longer cared whether he lived or died. The blood running from Wang Junyang's forehead was a horrifying sight. These wastrels of the capital, regardless of their fathers' rank, had developed no empathy under the torment of those more powerful than themselves. Instead, each had become twisted from holding it all in. Only this way could they fit in with the others. Yan Xiang's son had always been the bookworm they mocked.

"Wait, he's stopped moving!" One stopped the other two. They must not beat him to death; they still had to hand him over to the authorities later.

"He's not dead, is he?" At those words, all three panicked. With the situation in the capital shifting, their fathers had issued strict orders not to cause trouble, terrified of drawing Chu Huaiyin's attention. Everyone knew that His Highness the Crown Prince was impartial, showed no favoritism, and loathed wastrels above all.

One crouched down to check Wang Junyang's breathing, then collapsed onto the floor. "He's... he's not breathing..."

"It wasn't me! I only kicked his thighs!"

"It wasn't me either! I never touched him!"

The three shifted the blame onto one another and backed away, the blood on their shoes leaving several crimson streaks across the wooden floor.

The sounds of soldiers searching outside drew closer. All three were deathly pale. One dressed in white seemed to have more brains than the others. He gritted his teeth and said, "We've gone this far. We might as well finish it. Sink him in the lake. The waves are so rough out there, who knows where he'll wash up tomorrow?"

"Yes, yes, that makes sense."

Together, they moved Wang Junyang to the stretch of railing where Meng Zhou had climbed aboard. Just as they were about to throw him over, the man in white suggested, "Wait, change his clothes. This fabric is too fine. If the body is discovered and the authorities open a case, they might trace it back to us."

Before setting out, he had treated Wang Junyang well to deceive him, giving him new clothes and shoes before bringing him out to meet the other two. The point was to make him experience that reversal in fortune and remember it for the rest of his life.

He looked around and spotted a pile of shabby, wet clothes. Assuming the servant who had fallen into the water earlier had left them behind, he stripped Wang Junyang and began dressing him in them.

In ordinary clothes, with no name, no identity, and not a penny to his name, he would probably just be wrapped in a straw mat and tossed into a paupers' burial ground by the authorities.

Meng Zhou's clothes were cheap and torn. The man in white had to tie several tight knots just to keep them on.

With a muffled splash, the body hit the water.

The crocodile that had chased Meng Zhou had not swum far. Catching the spreading scent of blood, its two dark, lantern-like eyes slowly turned.

Just then, the Imperial Guard knocked on the door to clear the boat.

"By order of the crown prince, all uninvolved persons must leave Qianyang Lake immediately! By order of the crown prince, whoever finds Meng Zhou will receive ten thousand taels of gold, promotion, and a noble title! By-"

The three still had no idea what had happened outside. Even during the explosion, they had been occupied with fighting. "We're leaving right now, right now..."

"Ah! A monster! There's a monster... It's... it's a crocodile!" A guard searching underwater suddenly screamed. His companions onshore reacted instantly, hauling him back together by the rope around his waist.

The guard sprawled on the bank, his face white with terror. He had grown up beside Qianyang Lake and had never heard of crocodiles living there.

The instant he cried out, Chu Huaiyin drew a long saber. Narrowing his eyes, he aimed at the half of the crocodile's head that had surfaced and hurled it. The blade drove straight in, leaving only the hilt exposed.

"Haul it up."

The guards rowing a small boat immediately retrieved the carcass and brought it ashore.

"How could there be crocodiles... Ji Yang, go to the Liu Family at once and take a look."

Looking at the crocodile the guards had brought back, Chu Huaiyin felt a terrible premonition rise within him. When he saw the scraps of blue cloth between the enormous creature's teeth, that dread magnified ten thousandfold. The explosion aboard the cargo ship seemed to erupt in his mind again, burning all living things to nothing.

He staggered forward a step, gripped the hilt, and channeled his internal energy into turning the blade, slicing its belly open in an instant.

A nauseating stench of blood rose. Chu Huaiyin closed his eyes briefly, not daring to look.

For the first time, he was a coward.

"What's there?"

The hidden guard carefully examined the remains in the crocodile's stomach. There was nothing but partially digested fish and shrimp.

Knowing what his master wanted to know, he answered fearfully, "Nothing."

That answer brought him no relief. His soul had already fallen into the abyss. Nothing could stir it again unless Meng Zhou stood before him now, alive.

"Keep searching. Everyone entering the water must carry medicinal powder. Send another squad to eliminate all the crocodiles."

The massive search continued for seven days.

On the eighth day, whether Chu Huaiyin had given up or for some other reason, he no longer kept watch at Qianyang Lake day and night as before.

But the search continued, gradually spreading downstream. Qianyang Lake was sealed off, and unauthorized persons were forbidden to approach. Anyone whose livelihood was affected could collect compensation from Prince Huai's Residence, without a penny withheld.

Prince Huai's Residence.

Ji Yang reported to Chu Huaiyin on the progress of the investigation into the release of the Liu Family's crocodiles. "There was indeed a traitor among our people. He is now in the imperial prison awaiting punishment. The cargo ship's owner was killed in the explosion, but according to his workers, he had a younger brother. From their description, he bore some resemblance to the adviser who escaped from the Liu Family."

"It seems this adviser was the true mastermind. He was a trusted confidant of the Liu Family, which gave him access to imperial power, and even the Five-City Military Command. Looking further back, the Liu Family once commanded the northern army. Meanwhile, his elder brother's fleet traveled the inland waterways throughout Great Wei. My imperial younger brother and Liu Hongbao were both inferior to him."

"Your Highness means..." Ji Yang dared not speculate further. Ever since Meng Zhou's disappearance, his master had become even more inscrutable, revealing neither joy nor anger. Now he finally understood how important Meng Zhou's presence had been. He could make people laugh and had a good head on his shoulders. With him around, even his master had seemed a little more human.

Ji Yang even felt that approaching Chu Huaiyin's study rivaled following him onto the battlefield back then.

"Keep him on the wanted list. Have someone investigate this fleet thoroughly. If nothing can be uncovered, disband it outright. Do not leave a single thing or person that might have anything to do with maintaining contact."

"Yes."

Ji Yang hesitated for a while. There was another piece of news, but he did not know whether he could mention it. He no longer dared bring up anything connected to Meng Zhou before Chu Huaiyin.

"Speak." Chu Huaiyin's face was expressionless.

"Jiang Yi has submitted a memorial requesting permission to escort the old general's coffin back to the capital." Ji Yang lowered his voice.

Jiang Yi was Meng Zhou's uncle. Everyone knew he had died in battle eighteen years ago.

The memorial in Chu Huaiyin's hand fell onto the desk with a tap.

Jiang Yi...

That was the good news he had wanted to tell Meng Zhou that day.

But he had never heard it.

"Draft an edict naming Jiang Yi Nation-Guarding General and posthumously conferring the title of Duke Who Protects the Nation upon Jiang Zhanyu. Send it to the palace for Father's review."

Emperor Tianyuan's health had been deteriorating lately, and Chu Huaiyin was handling affairs of state in his stead. Seeing that his eldest son seemed in no hurry to become emperor, paid his respects and asked after his medicine daily, and reported important matters to him, even if only as a formality, he gradually came to terms with it. Great Wei had a worthy successor. He would meet a peaceful end, and once below, he might even earn praise from his ancestors.

When the imperial edict was issued, the whole nation was astonished.

The Jiang Clan and Meng Zhou were now the most discussed subjects in Great Wei.

Such were timing and fortune.

Meng Zhou's maternal grandfather had died in battle just as he was born, and Lady Zhou had bullied him and his mother mercilessly. Yet after his death, his uncle from the Jiang Clan had miraculously returned to life and even been honored as Nation-Guarding Grand General. With four hundred thousand cavalry under his command, he would soon return to the capital to receive his title, the future emperor's foremost favorite.

Born into good fortune, but without the life to enjoy it.

At first, people merely sighed over it. But as the story spread, somehow it became distorted. They said Meng Zhou had been the Jiang Clan's jinx, and Heaven had finally been unable to stand it any longer and taken him away.

Within just three days, some superstitious and ignorant people could not help joining in the abuse. "Good thing he died. Otherwise, he might have affected the nation's fortune."

When the news reached Chu Huaiyin's ears, Ji Yang finally saw his master fly into a rage again for the first time in half a month.