With a swift stroke of the blade, Wang Jin ceased his struggles. The Golden-Masked Dragon Lord sheathed his sword and removed his mask, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. He knelt to bow before Xiao Yu, who was watching him, but was quickly stopped.
Though the man was heavily bearded, Xiao Yu recognized him at once and exclaimed in surprise, "General Dong?"
The Golden-Masked Dragon Lord was none other than Dong Chengmao, once a trusted subordinate of the Duke of Wei. A valiant warrior who had earned numerous merits, Dong Chengmao had been recommended by the Duke of Wei to the Tianxi Emperor before the Duke's death. During the reigns of both the Tianxi Emperor and the Young Emperor, Dong Chengmao held key positions. However, after the Young Emperor was rumored to have died unexpectedly and Prince Shun'an ascended the throne, Dong Chengmao was stripped of his rank on fabricated charges of treason. While being transported to the capital for trial, he was intercepted by his former subordinates and vanished without a trace.
Who could have imagined that the Golden-Masked Dragon Lord, who had dominated the southern seas these past years, was actually the once-renowned General Dong?
Dong Chengmao sighed deeply. After exchanging a few words, he said, "Your Majesty, I have been searching for you in secret all these years, but to no avail. Fortunately, the young master never gave up. His timely arrival and meticulous planning saved us—otherwise, I would be guilty beyond redemption!"
Recalling the perilous moment earlier, Dong Chengmao shuddered and attempted to apologize again, but Xiao Yu swiftly stopped him. Dong Chengmao then said, "Your Majesty, young master, please wait here. I will gather the men." With that, he turned and hurried off.
Xiao Yu turned to Pei You'an. "Grand Tutor, how did you know I was here?"
Pei You'an replied, "The Brocade-Clad Guards have exceptional intelligence networks. Monitoring them is akin to having eyes and ears of our own. However, they operate with extreme secrecy, and their hierarchy is rigid—information is tightly controlled. Unless superiors wish to share it, even insiders may not know the full details. When Wang Jin arrived in Quanzhou this time, why would he go through the trouble of publicly demanding merchant rosters to capture people? He could have simply rounded them all up directly. Moreover, his actions against the Jin family caused quite a stir, which was unlike his usual methods. I deduced he must have discovered something and was laying a trap. His move was a double-edged sword—while it did lure you out, it also exposed his intentions, giving me the opportunity to track him and find you."
Xiao Yu, still drenched from head to toe, shivered as a night breeze swept over him.
Pei You'an immediately removed his outer cloak.
"No, no, Grand Tutor, your health is more important. I'm not cold..." Xiao Yu protested, stepping back.
Pei You'an smiled faintly. "It's fine. I can withstand this breeze. You're wet—don't catch a chill." As he spoke, he draped the cloak over Xiao Yu's shoulders and fastened the ties.
The cloak was warm, as if still carrying Pei You'an's body heat. Xiao Yu gazed at him motionlessly, his eyes gradually glistening with unshed tears.
"...Thank you, Grand Tutor. I was foolish to fall for his trap..."
Pei You'an shook his head. "Your Majesty should not belittle yourself. Wang Jin has spent years perfecting his schemes—his cunning is beyond what you could imagine. Though young, Your Majesty possesses wisdom and integrity, maintaining a pure heart even in adversity. The late Emperor would surely be comforted knowing this."After comforting the youth, he continued, "Prince Shun'an is determined to eliminate the Third Prince, and His Highness is no ordinary man either. A battle is likely imminent, and with the complex situation, the outcome is unpredictable. You cannot reveal yourself yet, and Quanzhou is no longer safe. Go with Uncle Dong for now and await my message in the future. Is that acceptable?"
"I will follow the Young Tutor's arrangements in all matters," Xiao Yu replied immediately. After a pause, he added, "You will always be my Young Tutor, but I am no longer the emperor. Please do not address me as 'Your Majesty' anymore—just call me Yu'er. Whether I become emperor or not matters little to me now. Your unwavering loyalty to me over the years and your rescue today have already fulfilled your duty to my late father to the utmost. I would never wish for you to endanger yourself further on my behalf. Young Tutor, will you promise me this?"
Pei You'an gazed at the youth, who looked up at him with solemn and earnest eyes. Memories of the boy dozing off during lessons in the imperial study as a child warmed his heart, and he nodded with a faint smile.
Dong Chengmao soon returned in haste and said, "Your Majesty, Eldest Young Master, we must leave this place quickly—it is unsafe." Glancing at Wang Jin's corpse on the ground, he added, "Eldest Young Master, should we dispose of this first?"
"Uncle Dong, can you guarantee His Majesty's safe departure tonight?"
"Rest assured, Eldest Young Master. Everything is arranged—there will be no mishaps."
Pei You'an pondered briefly before saying, "If my guess is correct, there is likely another group in Quanzhou searching for His Majesty's whereabouts. If they catch wind of anything, it won't be easy to shake them off. Leave the bodies—no need to dispose of them."
His words were somewhat vague, and Dong Chengmao was momentarily puzzled before understanding dawned. He laughed heartily. "Eldest Young Master, your foresight is impeccable! Leaving these corpses to delay them for a few days should pose no problem."
Pei You'an smiled faintly and led Xiao Yu away.
After a few steps, Xiao Yu hesitated, then stopped and said softly, "Young Tutor, if not for the daughter of the Zhen family saving me back then, I would have died long ago. Now that Wang Jin is dead and I'm leaving like this, will she be in danger since he knew the Zhen family had sheltered me?"
Pei You'an was momentarily taken aback before replying, "Do not worry. There are two groups of Brocade-Clad Guards dispatched south. Wang Jin came to Quanzhou, while the other group, misled by false information, went elsewhere to capture you. Wang Jin and that man have always been at odds, each withholding information to claim sole credit. With Wang Jin dead and the two Jin family servants who threw you into the sea already executed during his secret interrogation, no one else will learn the truth."
Xiao Yu sighed in relief and finally smiled. "That's good. I was only afraid of bringing her harm."
Pei You'an turned to Dong Chengmao. "Uncle Dong, in the future, if the Zhen family's ships sail the seas, I would appreciate it if you could keep an eye on them."
Dong Chengmao replied, "Eldest Young Master, you needn't say it—I already know what to do."
Pei You'an cast a distant glance toward Quanzhou before striding away. The group's figures soon vanished into the vast darkness of the night.
Not long after they departed, Xiao Yintang arrived with a few men. Spotting the Brocade-Clad Guards' corpses on the ground, his eyes flashed with surprise. He stood aside as his attendants swiftly searched the bodies. Moments later, one of them rose and reported, "Heir Apparent, the bodies are clean—there's nothing on them!"Xiao Yintang was deep in thought when a strange commotion seemed to carry on the wind from afar. A lookout hurried over and reported, "Heir Apparent, government troops are coming!"
Xiao Yintang glanced toward the distant, shadowy figures holding torches that were now visible and frowned. "Scatter separately—make sure no one reveals their identity!"
...
Two days later was the Lantern Festival, which should have been a scene of revelry with lanterns and fireworks lighting up the night sky. However, this year's celebration was different. The authorities had not only banned the lantern fair and imposed a curfew but also strictly ordered inns and households not to shelter anyone without a travel permit. They had sealed off all city gates and ports leading to the open sea, subjecting every departing person, vehicle, and vessel to rigorous searches. The city was on edge, with whispers in the streets claiming that the Golden-Masked Dragon Lord's men had infiltrated the city. The government was conducting mass arrests of suspects, detaining anyone without proper household registration or a travel permit.
Jiafu had been on edge these past few days, and to make matters worse, there was trouble at home. It wasn’t anything major, just vexing. First, her grandmother had mentioned finding another marriage prospect for her grandson, but Zhen Yaoting refused, causing days of arguments. Additionally, according to plan, the Zhen family’s first major ship of the year was set to sail at the end of the first lunar month. Yaoting was determined to board it, but his grandmother and Madam Meng naturally forbade it. These two issues had kept the household unsettled since the New Year. Yesterday, Yaoting had gone to argue with his grandmother again, to no avail. Fearing he might sneak onto the ship, she ordered him locked in his room until after the vessel departed. Yet this morning, they discovered the window pried open—he had vanished unnoticed. The family immediately sent people to search for him, but those who left in the morning returned one after another, all empty-handed. With the city already uneasy, the gatekeeper reported seeing government troops patrolling nearby streets earlier. Both the grandmother and Madam Meng were alarmed, and Jiafu was deeply worried.
The gatekeepers at the front, back, and side gates all swore they hadn’t seen the young master leave, and every corner of the house had been searched without success. Wondering where he could have gone, Jiafu suddenly thought of a place and hurried there.
The Zhen residence was vast. In the northwest corner of the back garden stood a workshop once used by her father.
Jiafu’s father had loved woodworking since childhood, crafting model ships. Yaoting had inherited this trait, often following him to the workshop as a child. Later, as her father grew busier, he rarely visited, and the place gradually became Yaoting’s sanctuary. He, too, became skilled at woodworking, but after their father’s death, the workshop fell into disuse over the years, its doors usually shut, with even servants seldom passing by.
When Jiafu reached the workshop, she paused at the door, hearing the rhythmic scraping of a plane inside. Relieved, she peeked through the crack and saw her brother bent over an old sawhorse, vigorously planing a piece of wood. Despite the cold, he wore only a thin inner garment, his outer robe discarded carelessly nearby, his forehead glistening with sweat.
Jiafu signaled Tanxiang to quickly inform the others and ease their grandmother and mother’s worries, then pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Seeing his sister, Yaoting didn’t pause his work. "I know what you’re going to say, little sister. Go ahead—I’m listening. Just don’t interrupt my work!"Jiafu had been furious earlier, but now that she had actually found him here, watching him drenched in sweat, her heart gradually softened. She glanced around, sighed, took out a handkerchief, and wiped his sweat away. "Brother," she said, "I've been wondering—why are you so determined to go out to sea? Can you tell me?"
Zhen Yaoting didn’t respond, continuing to pant heavily as he planed the wood.
"Is it because you still believe Father isn’t really gone, that he’s just stranded somewhere he can’t return from, and you won’t rest until you’ve searched for him yourself? Is that it?"
Yaoting’s hands paused.
Jiafu sat down on a pile of old lumber nearby, hugging her knees and staring into space.
At first, Yaoting kept planing the wood, but gradually, his movements slowed until he finally stopped altogether, unmoving.
The workshop was dimly lit, the air faintly musty. After a moment of silence, Jiafu spoke again. "Brother, you secretly miss Father—so do I. I also wish he were safe, but that’s just not possible anymore. You can’t keep going on like this. There are things I’ve wanted to say to you for a long time, and since we’re alone now, I’ll say them all. If they sound harsh, it’s because I’m telling you the truth. Do you remember what happened when we passed Fuming Island on our way back last year? It wasn’t entirely your fault—that man was rude to Uncle Zhang first, and you stood up for him, which was right. But later, when the man had already left the ship, and the people behind him clearly looked like trouble, we were travelers—shouldn’t we have avoided conflict? What’s the harm in swallowing a little pride? But you couldn’t let it go and made a scene. Luckily, those men left on their own, or who knows what might have happened."
Yaoting snorted. "You’re wrong, little sister. That guy started it—he even threw me to the ground. Was I wrong to curse at him?"
Jiafu retorted, "Could you have beaten him? Do you know who those people were? Sure, cursing might’ve felt good, but what if we’d offended someone we couldn’t handle? What if it endangered the whole family? What then?"
Yaoting muttered, "What kind of background could they have? In Quanzhou, everyone gives our family face."
Jiafu laughed coldly. "You only know a place as big as Quanzhou. Didn’t you learn anything when we went to the capital last year? Even the lowest-ranking official makes us bow our heads. And those with a little power? If they wanted to crush us, it’d be as easy as squashing an ant. Brother, I didn’t say anything before because you were just trying to protect me. But that day, when you barged in and demanded to see the old madam, even saying such disrespectful things—if we hadn’t been lucky enough to meet someone as open-minded as her, if it had been anyone else, what then?"
Yaoting froze."First, we must stand on our own feet. Only when we are strong enough will others dare not, and cannot, move against us. A person must first establish themselves before they can stand before others. In Quanzhou, when you go out and people hear your name, they call you 'Master Zhen'—but that's out of respect for our grandfather and the legacy our father left behind, not for you. To put it bluntly, if something were to happen, who would take you seriously on your own merit? Let me just talk about Sister Yuzhu. You fancy her, but she's just a maid. What can you do, Brother? You can only sneak around to see her, counting yourself lucky if you manage to exchange a word or two. Forget whether Sister Yuzhu would even look at you—even if she did fancy you back, do you have the confidence to walk up openly and ask to take her away from there? You don’t!"
Zhen Yaoting's face slowly flushed red.
"If you can't excel in studies, fine. Grandmother and Mother aren’t forcing you anymore. But at the very least, Brother, shouldn’t you take up the responsibility of being the Zhen family’s only son? I still remember that day when Second Cousin came, and you rushed out saying that if your sister couldn’t marry, you’d support her for life! Brother, having you stand up for me like that is truly my blessing. But Father is gone now, and Grandmother is old. If you keep going like this, how can I ever rely on you?"
Moved by her own words, Jiafu’s eyes glistened with tears. "Brother, do you know why our family wanted to marry me off to their family before? Why Mother has been so careful to please them? It’s because Grandmother fears you won’t amount to anything, that you won’t be able to take over the Zhen family’s legacy, so she thought of using me to secure you a backer! But the waters there were too murky, and Mother couldn’t bear it, so she brought me back. Brother, if you truly want to protect me for life, then act like an elder brother should. Stop indulging in impractical fantasies, work hard, and establish yourself. Otherwise, even if Mother risks Grandmother’s displeasure to refuse this match for me this time, there will be others waiting. Because in our family, Grandmother has the final say. Brother, do you understand now?"
Zhen Yaoting was stunned.
When his sister mentioned Yuzhu earlier, it felt like a needle had pricked his heart. And now, hearing about the Pei family marriage arrangement was like a thunderclap to his head.
He had always thought his sister was lucky to marry into the Pei family, that she would rise in status. He never imagined there was such a hidden reason behind it.
Overwhelmed with shame, his head drooped lower and lower, wishing he could vanish into the ground. After a long silence, he finally looked up and gritted his teeth. "Sister, don’t say anymore! I know I’ve been a fool! To think of you as my bargaining chip—what kind of man does that make me? Don’t be upset. From now on, I swear I won’t let you suffer for my sake again!"
In the past, no matter how much the family scolded or pleaded with him, Yaoting would only pretend to agree before reverting to his old ways. But Jiafu had never seen him look so ashamed as he did now. She could tell—this time, his response was different.
The first step is always the hardest. Even if he couldn’t change completely overnight, as long as he was truly moved, it was a good start.
The weight that had pressed on her heart for days finally lightened a little. Jiafu glanced at the half-finished ship model beside him and said, "Finish this first, Brother, and give it to me."
Yaoting scratched his head. "It’s not as good as Father’s work. If you don’t mind, I’ll give it to you."
Jiafu smiled. "I’ll love anything you give me, Brother."Zhen Yaoting grinned and immediately resumed his vigorous digging, saying, "The parts are almost ready. Just wait a bit, little sister. It won’t take long to assemble."
Jiafu nodded, resting her chin on her hand with a smile as she watched him bustle about. After a while, Zhen Yaoting couldn’t find his ink marker. Jiafu stood up to help him look, scanning the area until she spotted it near a pile of lumber in the corner. As she bent to pick it up, she inadvertently noticed a man’s black-booted foot protruding slightly from behind the stack of wood.
Startled, Jiafu’s heart pounded. Steadying herself, she decided to pretend she hadn’t seen anything and retreat quietly. But just then, Zhen Yaoting approached and said, "It’s right there by your feet. Why aren’t you picking it up?"
Jiafu grabbed the ink marker, stood up, and seized his arm, pulling him toward the exit. "Brother, I just remembered—Mother was in a hurry earlier, and I’ve been out here looking for you for a while. Maybe we should head back first. You can finish the boat and give it to me later..."
She then squeezed his arm tightly and whispered urgently, "Don’t turn around. Don’t say a word. Just come with me!"
Zhen Yaoting was utterly confused, but seeing his sister’s tense expression and fixed gaze ahead, he shut his mouth without protest.
Just as they were about to exit the workshop, a voice called out from behind, "Stop!"
Jiafu’s scalp prickled. She yanked the bewildered Zhen Yaoting and broke into a run, opening her mouth to shout for help. But a figure suddenly blocked the doorway, and a gleaming sword was leveled at her.
Jiafu instantly recognized him—it was the man who had clashed with them that day on Fuming Island!
Zhen Yaoting froze momentarily before realization dawned. His eyes widened, but before he could utter a word, the man struck the back of his neck with a swift palm strike. Zhen Yaoting collapsed to the ground without a sound.
Footsteps approached from behind. Jiafu whirled around to see Xiao Yintang emerging from behind the lumber pile, advancing toward her with slow, deliberate steps.
His gaze was cold and pitiless, like a blade scraping against her skin, cutting deep into her flesh. Yet his thin lips curled into a gentle smile as he murmured, "Don’t be afraid, little lady. Though I am no saint, if you do as I say, I promise not a single hair on your head will be harmed."
OpenNovel