Fang Xiong, half-dazed by Qian Jiaoniang’s spell, was startled out of his wits by Guihua’s shrill voice. Qian Jiaoniang gave him a shove, and he stood up at once.
“So what if there are ships? What’s the yelling for!”
Guihua had seen them entangled just now, and she was seething with jealousy. She stomped her foot hard. “Would I cry wolf over ordinary boats? I heard the signal from up ahead—looks like a fleet of warships!”
At that, Fang Xiong’s face darkened. He rushed out of the cabin and, borrowing the light of the moon, gazed ahead. Sure enough, a formation of ships, all of the same size, each lit by only a single lantern, with faint banners fluttering, was approaching at a steady pace. Though the darkness obscured details, the overwhelming aura they carried was unmistakable. Fang Xiong immediately thought of the Minghu navy.
Could this be the reinforcements XIng Muzheng had sent Bao Li to request? But Minghu was far from Jiangzi. Even if they had received the plea, there’d still be debate and deployment—it should not be possible for them to arrive so quickly. Perhaps they were simply passing by on another mission.
The night wind picked up, whipping the trees on both banks till they wailed like ghosts. Somewhere, hawks cried into the dark, making the air even more chilling. The wind agitated Fang Xiong, and he gave himself a shake, growling, “Nothing to worry about! Nothing to do with us. Keep playing your tunes, keep drinking and gambling—make it look real! Tell the other boats to be on guard!”
At that same moment, Zhen Hao, who had come down with the Minghu navy, was also studying Fang Xiong’s pleasure-barge. He himself was a rake used to drifting among courtesans, so a reveling barge at night didn’t surprise him. What struck him as strange was how many other boats—of all sizes, some looking like fishing boats, some like cargo carriers—hovered near it, moving with it. That was unusual.
In his experience, no boats ever lingered near a pleasure-barge. First, because they knew such barges belonged to the wealthy and were best avoided; second, because they were noisy and a nuisance. People normally steered far away, or waited till the barge had gone before moving on.
But now, even from a distance, Zhen Hao could hear the laughter and music. Why then were so many boats clustered around it?
Though he seemed carefree, Zhen Hao had fought for years at XIng Muzheng’s side as his sworn brother, and was sharper than most. His instincts told him something was wrong. Suddenly, a hawk’s cry split the sky. His gaze hardened, and he said to Vice Commander Liu at his side:
“Lord Liu, pass the order—have the fleet form a line. Search that pleasure-barge.”
Vice Commander Liu didn’t know what Zhen Hao had in mind. He only knew that the Admiral had sent them down from Minghu on urgent orders from Marquis Xing and the county magistrate of Jiangzi. He’d thought Zhen Hao was pushing the ships to hurry because of a major crisis—so why stop now to inspect passing barges?
“Does Lord Zhen suspect something unusual about it?”
As their fleet drew closer, Zhen Hao only said, “Just a suspicion. We’ll take a quick look—it won’t delay us.”
Vice Commander Liu obeyed and had the drums beaten to signal.
Back in the barge, Fang Xiong, who had returned to the cabin, stiffened at the sound of war drums. His gut told him trouble was near. He flung open the curtain again. Ahead, the massive warships were gliding into a line, blocking their path.
“This is bad, Chief—they really are coming for us!” Niu Dan shouted, panicked.
“What are you panicking for!” Fang Xiong barked. “We’re law-abiding folk—who’d come after us? If there’s trouble, it’ll be Old Six’s cargo ship. Tell them to be careful, and hide the stuff!”
Niu Dan at once blew several sharp whistles.
No way news could have traveled this fast—it had to be coincidence. Fang Xiong told himself so, though he still returned cautiously to the cabin. He pulled on a dark-blue outer robe, then tossed a peach-red dress to Qian Jiaoniang, ordering her to put it on, along with a white silk veil to cover her face.
“Woman, if soldiers do come aboard, you best play along. If I die, I’ll drag you with me. Better we live together than die together.”
