Chapter 64

Seeking Survival

On the surface, everyone in the Lidu City was going about their duties without issue. The death of a traitorous governor didn’t disrupt the normal operation of the city; after all, whoever sat in that position was merely a puppet.

Song Muchuan had been in charge of the Maritime Department for half a month. Under Wanyan Jun’s heavy pressure, he had finally completed the design for the dragon-bone ships. Next, the grand construction was about to begin. One main ship and ten auxiliary ships needed to be completed within three months.

Wanyan Jun had little caution regarding this weak scholar and didn’t regard him as much of a threat. After all, when they had taken Bianjing, countless such scholars had perished, their bones trampled beneath the feet of the iron cavalry, their status as high officials worthless.

Gusa and Wanyan Jun had very different personalities, but they shared one thing in common—they were both extremely arrogant.

This arrogance stemmed from their smooth conquest of the capital, easily crushing the former imperial capital under their iron hooves, reducing once-high-ranking royal family members and nobles to prisoners. Anyone who experienced such success would inevitably become proud.

This complacency gave Song Muchuan the opportunity to grow rapidly. He was now keenly aware of everything happening around him, gathering information from all directions. The plan to send Xie Zhu out of the city was executed flawlessly.

But in the days following the Lantern Festival, he began to feel uneasy. While Xie Zhu was traveling down the river and occasionally sending news, Nan Yi’s whereabouts had become a complete mystery.

Xie Queshan’s disappearance was also unexpected.

Then there was Chang Yan’s death… Song Muchuan had initially planned to leave the Lidu City by boat and deal with Chang Yan afterward, to avoid alarming anyone. However, Chang Yan was already dead before he could act. Who had killed her, he didn’t know.

He even felt a lingering sense of unease. Using the fake Chang Yan to set a trap was a risky move, and he hadn’t left any room for contingencies. Clearly, something had gone wrong that night, but it remained a complete mystery to him.

He had to admit that while timing was important, every action carried real risks. Not every move could be entirely controlled, and moving forward, every plan would have to be flawless.

After the Lantern Festival, Song Muchuan carefully observed the situation.

On the Qimen side, Gusa had temporarily lost control of the army, and Wanyan Jun was now in charge of military affairs. So far, nothing seemed unusual.

But the absence of anything unusual was itself the most suspicious thing. Wanyan Jun had taken control of the military at this crucial moment, and he must be planning something.

The situation was, for a moment, shrouded in mystery.

—Until just now, when Wanyan Jun brought the Emperor’s consort to the Maritime Department.

Every detail of the shipbuilding process—from blueprints, ledgers, the division of labor among the craftsmen, to the materials required for each component and the forging timeline—Wanyan Jun may not have fully understood, but he made sure to learn every detail. As a result, he spent half of each day at the Maritime Department.

However, today was different. Xu Koyue was following behind him. Even into the noisy workshop, Wanyan Jun brought her along.

As the imperial consort, everyone had to bow when they saw her. And with her meekly following Wanyan Jun, there was an unspoken pressure being applied to the workers in the Maritime Department.

The workshop was chaotic. Xu Koyue stumbled and fell. Song Muchuan quickly reached out to help her. As soon as Wanyan Jun saw this, his face darkened. He immediately pulled Xu Koyue into his arms.

His action was forceful, and in the process, he tugged her robes, revealing a strip of her white shoulder.

In that instant, Song Muchuan and Xu Koyue exchanged a quick glance. Song Muchuan paused for a moment, and then, almost without hesitation, anger flared on his face.

“Lord Wanyan, is this amusing to you? I have been diligently working to help you build the warships, yet you continue to humiliate me again and again!”

Wanyan Jun was stunned, quickly adjusting Xu Koyue’s clothing. He hadn’t meant it, of course. Such a trivial matter…

But on the surface, he kept his politeness. Song Muchuan was his guest after all, so Wanyan Jun smiled and tried to smooth things over. “Ah, Master Song, you misunderstand. I was just concerned for the consort.”

Song Muchuan, with righteous indignation, spoke plainly: “Lord Wanyan, you bring the consort out time and time again, but you don’t give her the respect she deserves. Isn’t it just to assert dominance over us Han people and insult us?”

Xu Koyue meekly spoke up, “Master Song, it’s fine… there’s no need to speak up for me…”

Her words only fueled the fire, making Song Muchuan’s anger grow. With a flick of his sleeve, he said, “Since Lord Wanyan doesn’t trust me, then find someone you think is loyal. I’ll excuse myself today and return home.”

Without another word, Song Muchuan turned and began walking away.

Wanyan Jun felt a bit guilty but, in front of everyone, his pride was wounded, and his anger flared. The guards, who were from the Qimen army, waited for his command. If he ordered it, they would stop Song Muchuan.

Just as he was about to speak, he glanced down at the construction blueprints in his hand, noticing how detailed and meticulous they were. Immediately, he lost his temper and thought, “Forget it, let him vent; he’s been doing a good job.”

“Scholars always make a fuss over trivial matters…” Wanyan Jun said, raising his chin to signal two Qimen soldiers. “Go protect Master Song. He looks frail; don’t let anything happen to him on the way.”

Song Muchuan walked toward the main door of the Maritime Department, his back to everyone. He secretly opened his palm, revealing a small piece of paper—just now, Xu Koyue had pretended to fall and slipped the paper into his hand.

The fact that Xu Koyue had risked doing this meant the message was important. Whatever it said, he couldn’t afford to stay at the Maritime Department any longer. So, he had exaggerated his anger to make a reasonable exit in front of Wanyan Jun.

But then, he heard footsteps behind him, and a Qimen soldier was shadowing him closely. Song Muchuan knew that although Wanyan Jun didn’t see him as a threat, he would still have him under surveillance.

He quickly unwrapped the piece of paper, glancing at it. It read: “Yucheng Army exposed, Lady Gantang in danger.”

He needed to return to the Candlelight Department quickly and send out his spies to track the movements of the Qimen army. His steps involuntarily quickened—just then, someone patted his shoulder from behind.

He was tense and momentarily startled, but quickly masked his unease and turned around casually.

It was a middle-aged man, dressed as an ordinary boatman, holding a large cloak in his arms.

“Master Song, you left your outer robe in the workshop,” the man said.

The man handed over the robe, and Song Muchuan thanked him, taking it without showing any surprise. He casually glanced at the Qimen soldiers following him. They seemed to be waiting and didn’t show any suspicion over this minor incident.

Song Muchuan frowned. But this wasn’t his outer robe.

However, the man seemed to know who he was, and Song Muchuan was the only one with the name “Song” in the Maritime Department. The boatman bowed and walked away, acting like an ordinary person.

Song Muchuan, though puzzled, didn’t make a fuss. He draped the robe loosely over his arm and went to a nearby food stall to buy a couple of buns. The stall was run by a husband and wife, and Song Muchuan made eye contact with them in a seemingly casual manner. But in that glance, there was a subtle exchange of intent.

The husband and wife were spies placed by the Candlelight Department near the Maritime Department, ready to communicate with Song Muchuan at any time. He gave a discreet signal to the boatman’s direction, and they would know it was time to investigate him.

There was no time to discuss further while under the watchful eyes of the Qimen soldiers, so Song Muchuan quickly returned home, entering the Candlelight Department through a secret passage.

A multitude of things needed to be processed, but they would be dealt with slowly.

The agents he had sent out now had clear instructions, and many pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. Not long after, he received word that a group of Qimen soldiers had secretly crossed the river and entered Tiger Kneel Mountain an hour ago.

The operation to eliminate the Yucheng Army was happening today.

Song Muchuan was alarmed. At this moment, Wanyan Jun was likely still calmly inspecting the shipbuilding process at the Maritime Department.

Wanyan Jun was far more cunning than Gusa. Such a large operation, with no trace of movement, was being carefully planned from behind the scenes, like a strategy winning from miles away.

Though Song Muchuan wanted to save the Yucheng Army, he was already a step too late.

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In Tiger Kneel Mountain, at the Yucheng Army camp.

A staggering figure rushed into the camp, immediately surrounded by a circle of soldiers with long spears.

At first glance, one might have thought it was a refugee or beggar, but as the person raised her head, they saw it was a young, graceful woman.

She was wrapped in tattered, gray clothing, but her expression was calm and composed. Even surrounded by so many men, she showed no fear.

Before they could question her, she introduced herself: “I am the eldest daughter-in-law of the Xie family.”

The crowd exchanged uncertain glances, taking a moment to understand. The eldest daughter-in-law of the Xie family—wasn’t that Lady Gantang’s sister-in-law?

This little beggar?

Some people started to sneer.

“You’ve been exposed to the Qimen soldiers. Staying here means certain death.”

Nan Yi spoke with righteousness, but her appearance was so pitiful and frail that her words were hard to take seriously.

The camp’s commandant, Ying Huai, was alerted and walked out of the main camp. He was a soldier through and through, with an air of integrity and authority in his eyes.

He sized Nan Yi up from head to toe. Though her robe was ragged, it was made from expensive brocade, indicating that she was likely from a wealthy family in the city, though how she ended up in such a condition was unclear.

“How do you know this?” Ying Huai asked, his tone wary.

It was a guess.

But Nan Yi couldn’t exactly say that, could she?

Xie Que Shan’s actions had completely shattered her understanding of him. He was a thoroughly evil person! She had been careless, revealing the Yucheng Army’s location to him, which had put them all in danger.

This was her mistake, so she rushed here first, hoping to warn them to evacuate. She wanted to use whatever little power she had left to help, at least not let anyone die because of her. But she also knew that persuading the entire army with her alone was no easy feat.

Nan Yi suddenly removed her outer robe in front of everyone, tearing open an inch of her collar, rolling up her sleeves. The crowd was stunned, watching her every move in utter silence.

What was she doing?