Zhao Chu closed the book but still didn't let go.

He looked up at Fang Lingyuan.

A drunk person's gaze is indeed somewhat dull; when it landed on his face, it couldn't move away. The once shrewd old fox vaguely appeared like a wistful puppy.

Fang Lingyuan couldn't help but laugh and asked, "How many cups did you drink today to get this drunk?"

He didn't expect Zhao Chu to respond, and sighed, answering himself, "It can't be that you just clinked glasses and got drunk like this, right? That would be impressive..."

"Who got drunk?"

Just then, he suddenly heard Zhao Chu's voice.

Fang Lingyuan was startled.

Zhao Chu's expression was still indifferent, except for his eyes fixed on Fang Lingyuan, maintaining the usual cold demeanour.

Wasn't it said that he wouldn't speak when drunk?

Fang Lingyuan didn't doubt what Juan Su and the others said; he just thought Zhao Chu was sober: "You're awake? How are you feeling now? Is there anything uncomfortable?"

Zhao Chu shook his head.

But as soon as he shook his head, it seemed he got dizzy from it, leaning to the side and raising his hand to press on his temple for support.

From this, it seemed he hadn’t sobered up yet.

Fang Lingyuan patiently waited beside him, planning to talk to him once he recovered.

He saw Zhao Chu holding his forehead, furrowing his brows as if recalling something. His other hand pressed on the table beside him, and he seemed ready to get up.

Fang Lingyuan quickly reached out to support him: "What are you doing?"

" Wu Xinghai is in serious trouble, and he will face consequences."

His voice was icy, laced with a chilling intensity that startled Fang Lingyuan into holding him down: "What did he do that you want to punish him?"

"He said I..."

Just those three words, and he slowly stopped, as if he finally realized the warmth on his wrist.

He turned his gaze to the hand that Fang Lingyuan had pressed on his wrist.

Zhao Chu paused again.

This was a level of drunkenness where one couldn’t distinguish east from west!

Like a snake demon that had drunk realgar wine, usually fierce and formidable, it now revealed its true form, showing its primal nature.

(NT: Realgar wine, or "xionghuang jiu," traditional Chinese alcoholic beverage made by infusing rice wine with realgar (arsenic sulfide). It is believed to have medicinal properties and protective qualities.)

He saw the gradually appearing snake scales, and the great demon looked down, hissing in the direction of Fang Lingyuan's hand, focused yet seemingly wandering, not knowing what it was thinking.

After a moment, Fang Lingyuan heard Zhao Chu's low voice, almost as if talking to himself: "It seems he didn't say anything wrong..."

Fang Lingyuan didn’t hear what Zhao Chu said next.

Juan Su quickly returned, bringing several plates of dishes and snacks, along with porridge from the kitchen.

Once a third person entered the room, Zhao Chu became mute again. Though he casually ate and drank the porridge, he truly hadn't spoken a single word since.

Fang Lingyuan was genuinely surprised.

Who would have thought? It turned out Zhao Chu's drunken symptoms showed up only in front of others.

He didn’t think too much about it. Seeing Zhao Chu eating well, he stopped worrying. Meanwhile, Juan Su had delivered the fabrics to the treasury, and when she sent someone to inquire about Fang Lingyuan, he noticed Zhao Chu's silence and sent a message for Juan Su to head back.

Just while they were talking, Zhao Chu kept staring at him.

After the meal, as night fell, Fang Lingyuan said goodbye to Juan Su and left.

The next morning, recalling Zhao Chu’s drunken state, Fang Lingyuan stopped by Huaiyu Pavilion before heading to the garrison office.

He thought Zhao Chu should be sober by now, right?

Not wanting to take up too much time, he didn’t go inside but listened to the maid on the corridor say that Zhao Chu was having breakfast in the hall. He quickly walked up the steps and reached the wide-open window on the corridor.

Zhao Chu was inside, his profile facing him, drinking porridge with lowered eyes.

“Hey!” Fang Lingyuan greeted him from outside.

The spring colours had almost faded; Huaiyu Pavilion was now lush with greenery, the abundant branches and leaves illuminated by the bright morning light, appearing vibrant and translucent. Only behind Fang Lingyuan stood a flourishing Western crabapple tree (NT: Malus fusca), its branches swaying, scattering soft red petals that drifted into Fang Lingyuan’s hair.

Zhao Chu looked up and saw this scene.

The young general wore a crisp outfit and held a sheathed sword in one hand, leaning against the flowered window frame, smiling brightly and exuberantly.

The dense green leaves and fluttering crabapple petals behind him formed a blurry, dreamlike background.

Zhao Chu paused slightly with his chopsticks, and though his mouth was clearly empty, yet he swallowed softly.

He couldn’t quite recall the events of the previous night’s drunkenness; everything felt both real and illusory. Besides being careful to leave no trace behind, all that remained was Fang Lingyuan.

Fang Lingyuan was smiling at him, and although he couldn’t remember what was said, he distinctly recalled seeing Fang Lingyuan’s face throughout the night.

During that time, he had tightly clenched his teeth, repeatedly reminding himself not to say anything to him.

What could he possibly say?

He didn’t know himself, only aware that his heart, hidden in his chest, was pounding fiercely, as if trying to burst out of his body and dive into Fang Lingyuan.

He almost couldn’t hold back.

Even on that wintry day, when he first drunkenly met Zhao Jin, he had managed to restrain himself.

The cold wind howled, and the pond water was icy. Zhao Jin had pushed him into the pond, his hands gripping the mud tightly, so much so that blood seeped from his palms into the dirt.

He stared at the withered lotus leaves in the pond, suppressing the urge to kill Zhao Jin.

Even then, the pond water was so cold, the mud at the bottom thick and viscous, like a demon from hell ready to wrap him in despair.

If only he stood up, reached out, and pushed Zhao Jin’s head down, he would be as silent as the withered lotus stems before him.

But that day, he managed to restrain his hands, which were struggling to kill. Yesterday, however, he had involuntarily spoken.

Fortunately, the words surging in his heart were all concealed within his accusations against Wu Xinghai.

It wasn’t due to his self-control or instinct; at the moment his eyes met Fang Lingyuan’s, he felt fear.

He was afraid of being abrupt, of startling the only bird that had landed on his endless, dark, and murky wilderness.

For a moment, Zhao Chu was lost in Fang Lingyuan’s beaming eyes until Fang Lingyuan spoke, snapping him back to reality.

“Are you doing okay?” Fang Lingyuan asked meaningfully, his hand hanging over the furniture’s edge swaying leisurely and happily.

Zhao Chu paused and nodded.

For some reason, the moment Fang Lingyuan looked at him like that, he felt a tightness in his throat and couldn’t utter a word.

It felt like thirst, a tingling sensation, as if a delicate cat was climbing him, yet also like a lurking wolf spider, its eerie green eyes watching him intently.

He recalled Wu Xinghai’s words from yesterday.

Something about love…

Clearly an illusion that didn’t exist in the world, yet it sprouted tender shoots from his filthy heart.

This feeling was fervent and dark, making him feel anxious and inferior, afraid to let the other person notice even a trace of it.

After a moment, the turbulent emotions suppressed within him cautiously and awkwardly revealed hints of gentle wind and drizzle.

“Today I made your favourite red bean and rice porridge,” he said, looking at Fang Lingyuan.

He felt foolish, having struggled to say a single sentence, merely inviting the other to breakfast.

But Fang Lingyuan was oblivious; upon hearing about the good porridge, he stretched his neck to peer through the flowered window toward Zhao Chu’s table, his eyes bright and clear like the shimmering surface of the sea under the morning sun.

“Ah, and there’s sugar pastry, and almond Buddha’s hand pastry?” Fang Lingyuan's eyes lit up. “What filling is in the dumplings?”

(NT: Buddha’s hand - Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis - is a citrus fruit with finger-like segments that resemble a hand.)

Zhao Chu, still lost in thought and tasteless from the meal, had no idea what the dumplings tasted like.

He paused and looked at the bowl of dumplings.

Zhao Chu saw Fang Lingyuan outside the window, who had just taken two sharp inhales through his nose and said, “Hmm, it’s shrimp and winter melon.”

Zhao Chu looked at him again.

For a moment, his eyes resembled a dog pulled by a leash, aimlessly running back and forth, eager yet amusing.

Fang Lingyuan then smiled and said, “I won’t have time to eat; I’ll miss my duty shift. What are we having for dinner? I saw Eunuch Wang bring back live fish just now. Are there fish slices in milk sauce?”

“Do you want to eat it?” Zhao Chu asked him.

At this, Fang Lingyuan showed a hint of embarrassment, leaning on the window and chuckling, “Eunuch Wang's dish is truly the best in the world.”

Zhao Chu’s eyes, however, were focused solely on Fang Lingyuan’s smiling face, and instinctively he nodded, replying, “Let’s make it for dinner.”

But all he could hear was the warm, soft breeze that reached him after blowing around Fang Lingyuan.

He was no longer able to distinguish whether Fang Lingyuan desired the ethereal dragons in the sky or the flesh and bones of Zhao Chu himself.

He simply nodded.

Then, Fang Lingyuan laughed and said, “Then I’ll come back tonight!”

After saying this, he waved goodbye to Zhao Chu through the window and, lifting the sword he carried, turned to leave.

Zhao Chu finally managed to gather his thoughts and regain some control over his soul and body.

He should have felt relaxed; after all, he had always despised the disoriented feeling that came from losing control.

Yet, he felt a chill, perhaps because the wind blowing through the window had turned cooler.

Or maybe it wasn't just the wind; something seemed to have suddenly vanished.

The next moment, the rustling of fabric gently broke the silence.

Zhao Chu looked up and saw Fang Lingyuan back at the window, somewhat bashful as he scratched his head.

“—Can you get me that sugar pastry?” he asked.

Another warm, soft breeze flowed in through the window.

*

Fang Lingyuan happily took the sugar pastry that Zhao Chu handed him and headed to the government office.

He got to eat the fish slices in milk sauce he wanted, but after that, he was so busy that he didn’t have a chance to return home for meals.

Just as Lin Zizhuo had said, within a couple of days, people in the court began to be arrested.

The investigations by the Brocade Guard and Dali Temple quickly yielded results. The Dongchang gathered too much information from Feng Hanxue and others; within just a few days, several officials were implicated and taken into the imperial prison.

The laws regarding officials’ corruption in the Daxuan dynasty were notoriously severe; if officials on trial were to be punished, more than half of those would face confiscation of property and exile.

Among them, there were also those guilty of crimes punishable by beheading and extermination of their families.

On the night of the fifteenth of May, one official caught wind of the impending arrest before the edict was issued and fled with his family and children.

He escaped from the western part of the city; it was unclear whether he took the waterway or the land route. After about an hour, the Brocade Guard received the news.

Lin Zizhuo immediately sent an urgent message to Fang Lingyuan.

His subordinates in the rocade Guard had divided into several groups, pursuing from the various routes out of the city. However, lacking manpower at that moment and fearing the official might flee by water, he asked Fang Lingyuan to lead sixteen guards to chase after the fleeing official by boat on the canal.

Upon receiving the news, Fang Lingyuan didn’t hesitate for a moment. He immediately took the Brocade member who had come to report along with a team of sixteen elite guards and boarded the government ship at the western dock.

Lin Zizhuo had already prepared the ship for him. The Brocade Guard’s boats were fast in the water, designed for pursuing enemies and capturing criminals.

Fang Lingyuan led his men onto the ship, dividing the sixteen guards and accompanying Brocade Guards into four boats, and then promptly ordered to sail.

The night was exceptionally clear, and it was the fifteenth day of the month; a full moon hung high in the sky, casting reflections on the canal that sparkled like broken gold.

Fang Lingyuan had defended the border for many years and was familiar with waterway dispatching; capturing a fleeing civilian boat was not a challenge for him.

Under his command, the four official ships entered the water. He opened the intelligence report from Lin Zizhuo, organizing the suspicious vessels as described and methodically manoeuvring into the canal.

Following his formation, five men were stationed on each ship to keep watch. Any sound on the canal would catch their attention, allowing for an immediate response.

Fang Lingyuan stood on the ship with the widest view. The canal, spanning dozens of yards, was broad and calm at night, with merchant ships quietly moored along both sides.

Only a few brightly lit pleasure boats dotted the river, resembling sparse stars in the night sky, with faint singing audible from afar.

As the boats set sail, the lights on the banks gradually faded. Fang Lingyuan stood at the bow, scanning the expansive river with the Jinyiwei who were watching from their respective ships.

According to Lin Zizhuo's report, only seven or eight people had escaped, likely using an inconspicuous small boat. Under the cover of night, they wouldn’t light any lamps, making it necessary to be extremely vigilant to detect their tracks on the broad river.

Fang Lingyuan remained silent at the bow, and before long, Li Cheng'an stepped beside him, peering forward.

“This river is pitch black; what can you see?” he asked.

Without glancing at him, Fang Lingyuan replied, “Boat shadow.”

Li Cheng'an followed his gaze but could see nothing on the vast river, which was filled with shadows and murky water.

“How can I not see anything?” he questioned.

…… What a stupid thing to ask.

Fang Lingyuan, unfazed, kicked him lightly. “That’s why we’re searching.”

“Ouch!” Li Cheng'an stumbled back, nearly falling into the water.

“General, are you serious?” He steadied himself against the mast, turning to Fang Lingyuan. “I can’t swim! What if you kick me in and I drown?”

Fang Lingyuan remained impassive. “You’re noisy. If you keep shouting, I’ll kick you again; you’ll definitely end up in the water.”

Li Cheng'an quickly fell silent.

Although clever and often chatty, he usually made Fang Lingyuan's head hurt. The roar of the waves drowned out any other noise, and Fang Lingyuan needed to focus, so he didn’t bother with him.

Fortunately, Li Cheng'an knew how to read the room.

After Fang Lingyuan spoke, he promptly closed his mouth and mimicked Fang Lingyuan’s posture, looking around.

All that remained was the sound of the official boats cutting through the waves and the distant music from the pleasure boats.

At that moment, a faint shadow caught Fang Lingyuan’s eye.

It appeared to be the silhouette of a small boat, but he couldn’t make it out clearly.

In that instant, he noticed the shadow, initially moving forward, suddenly turned and began approaching the western side of the canal.

Fang Lingyuan’s pupils contracted, and he quickly blew a short note on the ship’s copper whistle.

A single shadow didn’t seem suspicious, but its direction clearly indicated it had spotted them and was trying to blend in with the moored boats.

On such a night, there were hardly any boats on the river; travelling like this, it was highly likely they were fugitives!

The crew on the boats served the Brocade Guard and were entirely different from ordinary boatmen. Upon hearing Fang Lingyuan's whistle, they immediately increased their speed.

“Attention teams A and B on the west side of the river!” Fang Lingyuan ordered loudly.

Teams A and B were the two boats on the west side. The river's current flowed north and south, so the boats moving across would slow down significantly. They could easily catch up to the fleeing boat before it reached the riverbank.

Sure enough, moments later, a short whistle sounded from the westernmost boat.

That indicated they found the target.

Fang Lingyuan also saw it.

The boat was larger than he had anticipated, a single-deck black canopy boat that was now hurriedly heading towards the western bank of the canal.

Seeing them chase, the boat clumsily turned around, attempting to escape again by accelerating forward.

This kind of desperate escape indicated they had committed crimes punishable by annihilation.

However, these hastily fleeing civilian boats could not compare to the well-trained vessels of the Brocade Guard.

Fang Lingyuan scanned the river and noticed that aside from a pleasure boat not far away, there were no other vessels.

He immediately blew the whistle and ordered the boats to pursue at full speed.

The Brocade Guard's official boats surged forward, the sound of oars splashing against the water instantly rising dramatically.

Fang Lingyuan kept his eyes fixed on that boat.

The distance between the sixteen guards and that boat rapidly closed, gradually surrounding it from both the east and west.

At that moment, a faint cry for help came from the pleasure boat.

Fang Lingyuan frowned slightly and turned to see a brightly dressed woman suddenly push open the door and stumble out from the pleasure boat.

She quickly reached the ship’s railing and waved her scarf vigorously towards the official boats.

It seemed she had chosen her moment well, rushing out when she saw other boats approaching. The people inside the boat reacted late, only realizing what was happening after she dashed out, following her in a rush.

The woman cried out for help.

But the foremost official boat obeyed Fang Lingyuan’s orders and swiftly passed by the pleasure boat.

The people in the pleasure boat saw her escape and began cursing loudly, some even brandishing ropes in a hunting stance.

The woman glanced back once.

Then, as if determined, she leapt over the railing and jumped into the river.

The rushing water quickly engulfed her, leaving only a glimpse of her bright scarf on the dark surface.

Nearby, Li Cheng'an gasped, “She’s dead!”

Fang Lingyuan was also startled.

He turned to see that the civilian boat had been cornered by the two official boats ahead, and the sixteen guards were already readying ropes to capture them.

That bright scarf was only three zhang away from Fang Lingyuan.

The river flowed relentlessly under the night sky.

Fang Lingyuan clenched his teeth, quickly confirming that the capture ahead would proceed smoothly, then turned to Li Cheng'an and commanded, “Take people to catch those on the boat. If you let one slip, I’ll hold you responsible!”

Before Li Cheng'an could respond, he saw Fang Lingyuan draw his sword and leap into the rushing river.

*

The water in the canal was freezing cold.

In the darkness, even with his eyes open, Fang Lingyuan could only see the vague shape ahead by the light from the boat.

The river surged beneath him, but he didn't pause for even a moment, swimming straight ahead.

He simply couldn’t ignore someone in need.

When he was mischievous at the border years ago, his father ordered him to study, but he secretly sneaked to the river to catch fish. The river at the border was turbulent and muddy, and each time he was caught and brought back, he would receive a thorough scolding from his father.

However, playing there since childhood had given him excellent swimming skills.

As the bright figure in the water struggled and sank, Fang Lingyuan swiftly approached her like a darting fish.

At the moment she was about to disappear, he grabbed the bright scarf.

Fortunately, the woman had a strong will to survive; she held tightly onto the scarf, and when Fang Lingyuan pulled up, he caught her arm.

Holding her arm with one hand, Fang Lingyuan led her toward the surface.

When they reached the surface, he pushed her up to allow her to breathe.

She immediately began to cough.

The water was dark, with only sporadic lights. Fang Lingyuan surfaced and, without looking at the person he had rescued, raised his head to look ahead.

The Brocade Guard and the sixteen guards had successfully surrounded the fleeing boat.

This was troublesome.

The Brocade Guard's boats were too far away, and with a person in his hand, Fang Lingyuan couldn’t swim quickly; he could only adjust his breath to keep both of them afloat.

The capture on the other side was still ongoing, and with the turbulent water, Fang Lingyuan worried they wouldn’t be able to last long.

He quickly scanned the area and spotted the pleasure boat not far away, which was timidly fleeing.

Fang Lingyuan gritted his teeth, steadied his breath, and shouted, “The Brocade Guard is here conducting an investigation! Who are you? Return at once!”

The people on the pleasure boat were startled but only paused momentarily before fleeing even faster.

Fang Lingyuan clenched his jaw.

These guys! Once he reached the shore, he would dig three feet into the ground to capture them!

It seemed he could only find a way to swim back.

As Fang Lingyuan turned around, holding the woman, he was about to gauge the distance to the shores when bright lights shone from behind him.

Turning back, he saw a large, three-story merchant ship approaching them swiftly.

Nearby, several shadows, like ospreys under the night sky, quickly boarded the fleeing pleasure boat.

The people on the pleasure boat were immediately subdued.

Who were they?

Fang Lingyuan turned back and clearly saw the merchant ship.

Prominently carved on the front of the ship was a clear totem of the character “楚 (NT: Chu), which stood out vividly in the flickering light.

It was a vessel from the Chu Merchant Company.

 

--

The author has something to say:

Zhao Chu: (looks displeased, sizing up) (on guard) (pretends not to care) (drinking vinegar)

Fang Lingyuan: Hehe! Good deed +1!

 

Translator : DarNan