Chapter Thirty-Five: Wang Long’s Death

"Lin You, that beast, that ingrate!"

Upon hearing this, Madame Wu burst into a fit of rage, but she quickly regained her composure. "Then tomorrow..."

Before she could finish her sentence, their carriage happened to pass the naval garrison. The commotion coming from the base instinctively diverted her attention. In the distance, within the Yuezhou Port naval garrison, over a dozen warships were sailing out of the harbor in sequence.

"Commander Chu of the Navy is personally leading the fleet south on patrol!"

"But tonight, the navy will rendezvous with Father's fleet. Once they take charge of our ships, they will turn around and head north!"

"Then tomorrow..."

Realizing the implication, Madame Wu’s expression went blank, and her voice trembled.

"Tonight, the naval soldiers will board our merchant ships. After the Xiangyun brocade is loaded tomorrow, they will accompany our fleet all the way north!"

"Qin Yuanhuai, you bastard!"

Madame Wu, having fully grasped the situation, cursed in a rage, her entire being radiating a murderous aura.

"Achoo!"

On the river not far away, Qin Yuanhuai, standing at the bow of his ship, couldn't help but sneeze. For some reason, despite the bright, sunny day, he felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

"No, I won't allow you to go!"

After cursing her husband, Madame Wu’s eyes reddened visibly. Seeing this, Qin Song felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He took her hands in his and said softly, "Mother, I have already grown up!"

"But... but..."

Her expression shattered, losing all its usual composure. Large tears streamed down her face as she tried to speak, but she found herself at a loss for words.

"Mother, my uncle has been stripped of his office by the Emperor. Everyone out there wants the Qin family to perish; they all want to take this opportunity to seize a piece of our fortune!"

"They are bullying us to our very doorstep. If we don't fight back now, how can the Qin family ever hope to stand firm in Yuezhou?"

"If we can eliminate this band of river pirates and find evidence of Lin You's collusion with them, not only will Lin You pay the price he deserves and allow the Qin family to make a comeback, but it will also help my uncle who is far away in the capital!"

Sitting in the carriage, Qin Song spent the entire journey offering words of comfort before he finally managed to sway Madame Wu.

By nightfall, over a hundred naval soldiers led by Zhang Pengyuan arrived at the Qin family's three merchant ships in small boats. With Hu Shangdong’s assistance, they boarded and were successfully hidden within the holds. Having secured the soldiers, Hu Shangdong returned home that night to relay the news to Qin Song.

"Song'er, I..."

Ever since returning to the Qin estate, Madame Wu had been in a daze. She hadn't touched her dinner and still hadn't slept. Seeing the light on in the study, she couldn't help but come to see her son again.

"Mother, it's alright!"

Qin Song hurriedly stood up to offer his mother a seat, then leaned in close to her ear. "Uncle Hu just came to report—the holds of our three ships are packed with naval soldiers!"

"No matter how formidable the river pirates are, they are no match for the navy!"

Seeing that Madame Wu still looked worried, Qin Song put on a stern face. "Mother, if you keep this up, there's no need for you to come to the port to see me off tomorrow morning! If you go out with that look on your face, you'll surely give us away!"

"Mother wants to go!" Madame Wu replied anxiously.

"It's fine, Mother. Just go get some rest, and tomorrow morning, come to the port as usual to send me off!"

"It won't be many days before Father and I return!"

"By then, the Qin family will be just as it was before!"

After more persuasion from Qin Song, the anxious Madame Wu finally went to rest. Just as Qin Song finished his work and stepped out of the study, he was blocked by a tall woman.

"Where are you going tomorrow?"

The woman was Jiang Yue, who was staying at the Qin estate to recover from her injuries. In just a few days, she had almost fully healed.

"Tomorrow morning, I will be heading north with our family's fleet to deliver the Xiangyun brocade to the capital!"

Qin Song would never reveal such a confidential matter to a female bandit leader, not even to his own mother.

"Wrong, you're lying!" Jiang Yue said, her eyes locked on him. "Old Master Qin took the fleet south yesterday. The household staff said he went south to procure materials!"

"With such an important shipment of Xiangyun brocade, would the Old Master really leave it to you while he goes off to buy materials?"

"The Madam has also been acting very strangely since she returned, even going to the study to cry earlier!"

"Who are you looking down on!" Facing Jiang Yue’s piercing gaze, Qin Song defended himself, "This is my first time traveling alone; my mother is just worried about me!"

But Jiang Yue clearly didn't believe him and asked directly, "Will we encounter Wang Long again on this shipment?"

"Are you already prepared? Are you even planning to wipe out Wang Long?"

Hearing this, Qin Song felt a dull ache in his teeth. This woman was impossible to fool; it was as if nothing could be hidden from her.

"Hmph!"

Seeing she had guessed correctly, Jiang Yue looked quite smug. "You’ve been frequenting the naval garrison every day lately. You must be planning to join forces with them to deal with Wang Long!"

"I should have kicked you out of the estate the moment I saved you!" Qin Song said, feeling a massive headache coming on.

Qin Song had been so busy lately that he had nearly forgotten about this female bandit, hearing only occasional updates about her from his maid, Lüzhu. In just a few days, Jiang Yue had become quite familiar with everyone in the household, even winning the favor of his mother, Madame Wu. Through these interactions, she had managed to piece together most of what was happening.

"Hmph!" Jiang Yue raised an eyebrow, looking quite pleased with herself. "I'm going too!"

"You?" Seeing Qin Song looking at her with suspicion, Jiang Yue’s expression turned cold. "What, want to test my skills?"

"Ten of you put together wouldn't be a match for me!"

Qin Song felt furious but helpless. A couple of days ago, Jiang Yue had sparred with Hu Shangdong, the strongest man in the Qin household, and hadn't shown the slightest sign of losing.

"If I go, not only can I protect you!"

"But I also intend to kill Wang Long with my own hands to avenge my fellow disciples!"

As she said this, Jiang Yue’s face was covered in frost, her eyes filled with killing intent.

"Fine, then. You'll stick by my side tomorrow!"

Qin Song thought about it and realized it made sense; with her protection, the river pirates would have even less chance of harming him.

"Good!" Jiang Yue looked satisfied.

She patted Qin Song on the shoulder and said playfully, "When we meet the pirates, just stay obediently behind your big sister and watch how I protect you!"

After teasing him, a content Jiang Yue turned and headed off to rest.

"One day, I'll make you see what I'm truly capable of!"

A grown man, teased by a woman—watching her retreating back, a frustrated Qin Song couldn't help but mutter to himself.