Chapter Thirty: Covert Arrangements

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After bidding the two of them farewell, Uncle Qian led his men aboard the merchant vessels.

At last, under the watchful eyes of Madam Wu and Qin Song, the five merchant ships slowly departed from the harbor.

Once Uncle Qian had left, Qin Song and Madam Wu took a carriage away from the harbor.

In the distance, more than a dozen warships sailed out in succession from the naval garrison at Yuezhou Harbor.

“Mother, what is wrong?”

Inside the carriage, Qin Song naturally guessed what was troubling his mother when he saw her eyes brimming with tears.

“Song’er, let Old Hu go alone this time. You stay home with your mother and wait for news in peace!”

Deeply worried about her son’s safety, Madam Wu was once again having second thoughts.

Qin Song’s heart warmed at her words. Taking both her hands in his, he said gently, “Mother, I have grown up.”

“But… but…”

Madam Wu instantly became flustered, no longer resembling her usual composed self. Great tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to speak, yet could not find the words.

“Mother, Uncle was stripped of his official post by the Emperor. The people outside are all hoping to see the Qin family destroyed, and they are all waiting to seize their share of the spoils!”

“They have already bullied us to our doorstep. If we do not strike back now, how will the Qin family continue to stand in Yuezhou?”

“As long as we wipe out these river bandits and find evidence that Lin You colluded with them, not only can we make Lin You pay the price he deserves and restore the Qin family’s standing, we can also help Uncle, who is far away in the capital!”

Throughout the journey, Qin Song continued offering words of reassurance. Only after comforting Madam Wu at length did he manage to temporarily ease her worries.

Night soon fell. Led by Zhang Pengyuan, more than a hundred naval soldiers rowed small boats to the three merchant ships belonging to the Qin family. With Hu Shangdong there to receive them, they boarded the ships and hid safely inside the cabins.

After settling the naval soldiers, Hu Shangdong hurried home through the night and relayed the news to Qin Song.

“Song’er, I…”

Ever since returning to the Qin residence, Madam Wu had been dazed and distracted. She had not eaten a bite at dinner and had yet to sleep. Seeing the light still burning in the study, she could not resist coming to see her son again.

“Mother, everything is fine!”

Qin Song quickly rose and helped her sit down. Then he moved closer and said, “Uncle Hu just came to report that all three of our ships are packed with naval soldiers in their cabins!”

“No matter how formidable the river bandits are, they are no match for the navy!”

Seeing that Madam Wu still looked worried, Qin Song deliberately put on a stern expression. “Mother, if you keep looking like this, you need not come to the harbor to see me off tomorrow morning! With that expression, you will certainly give everything away!”

“I am going!”

Madam Wu immediately grew anxious at his words and hurriedly agreed.

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“It is all right, Mother. Go and rest early, then come to the harbor tomorrow morning as usual to see me off.”

“I will be back in just a few days.”

“By then, the Qin family will still be the same Qin family as before.”

After another round of persuasion and reassurance from Qin Song, Madam Wu, though still uneasy, finally returned to her room to rest.

Once he had finished his arrangements, Qin Song had barely stepped out of the study when a tall woman blocked his path.

“Where are you going tomorrow?”

The woman was Jiang Yue, who had been staying at the Qin residence to recover from her injuries. In only a few days, she had already recovered nearly completely.

“Tomorrow morning, I will travel north with the family fleet and escort the Xiangyun brocade to the capital.”

How could Qin Song possibly reveal such a secret to a female bandit chieftain?

“No. You are lying!”

Jiang Yue stared intently at him. “The Qin family’s steward took the fleet south. The people in the residence said he went south to purchase materials, yet tomorrow you are taking people north by ship.”

“More importantly, Madam has been acting strangely ever since she returned. Just now, she was even crying when she went to see you in the study.”

“You must be hiding something from me!”

“Who do you think you are looking down on?”

Confronted by Jiang Yue’s unwavering stare, Qin Song defended himself. “My mother came to see me because this is my first time leaving home, and she was worried about me.”

Jiang Yue clearly did not believe his explanation. She asked directly, “When you transport the Xiangyun brocade this time, will you encounter Wang Long again?”

Although Qin Song had concealed the truth well, Jiang Yue had still caught the flaw. In an instant, she understood everything.

“Have you been preparing for this all along? Are you even planning to destroy Wang Long?”

After hearing her words, Qin Song felt a dull ache in his teeth. This woman was impossible to fool, as though nothing in the world could escape her notice.

“Hmph!”

Seeing that she had guessed correctly, Jiang Yue could not help looking pleased. “You have been visiting the naval garrison every day these past few days. You must be preparing to join forces with the navy against Wang Long!”

“I should have sent you out of the residence immediately after saving you.”

Qin Song was greatly vexed by her words.

He had been so busy lately that he had practically forgotten about this female bandit chieftain, learning about her only occasionally through Green Bamboo.

In just a few short days, Jiang Yue, who had been recovering at the residence, had become familiar with everyone there. She had even won the deep affection of Madam Wu.

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As time passed, Jiang Yue naturally came to understand nearly everything that had recently happened in the residence.

“Hmph!”

Feeling particularly pleased with herself, Jiang Yue raised her brows. “I am going tomorrow too!”

“You?”

Qin Song looked at her suspiciously. Jiang Yue’s expression instantly turned cold.

“What? Would you like to test my skills?”

“Even ten of you together would not be my match!”

Qin Song was furious when he heard this, but he had no way to refute her.

“If I go, I can protect you.”

“And when the time comes, I will kill Wang Long with my own hands and avenge my fellow disciples!”

At those words, Jiang Yue’s face turned icy, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

“Fine, then. Stay by my side tomorrow.”

After thinking it over, Qin Song decided that she did indeed have a point.

With her protection on this journey, it would be even less likely that the river bandits could harm him.

Though Jiang Yue was a woman and only a few years older than him, her skills were extraordinary.

A few days earlier, Hu Shangdong had told Qin Song that he had tested her abilities with several men. The result had left them utterly astonished: even four or five guards from the household working together had been unable to defeat her.

Even Hu Shangdong, the most skilled fighter among them, had personally tested her and still could do nothing against her.

“Good!”

Jiang Yue looked pleased when Qin Song agreed.

Patting him on the shoulder, she said playfully, “When we encounter the river bandits, stay obediently behind Big Sister and watch how I protect you!”

After teasing Qin Song to her heart’s content, Jiang Yue turned and went off to rest.

“One of these days, I will show you what I am capable of!”

A grown man like him had actually been teased by a woman. Watching Jiang Yue walk away, Qin Song could not help muttering resentfully to himself.