According to Quan Ning, the main headquarters of Feixian Tower was rooted in Southern Zhao, with its influence spread across three countries. The businesses they operated included, but were not limited to, assassination, escort services, protection, as well as brothels, taverns, and teahouses. In short, it was one of the top organizations in the Jianghu world.
In his description, the Jianghu people that Wang Dian had imagined as living free and seeking vengeance with swords were merely ordinary folks making a living by the blade. Everyone was busy hustling, ultimately just trying to survive.
As the old saying went, fortune favors the bold. As long as the price was right, there would always be people willing to snatch someone even from the emperor’s hands.
Wang Dian watched as Cong Yingqiu directed her subordinates to swiftly and skillfully set up simple tents, methodically start fires for cooking, send out scouts, post lookouts, and even set up a “bed” for him. Though rudimentary, it lacked nothing essential.
“We’re on the run after all, so please forgive the inconvenience, young master,” Cong Yingqiu said. “Emperor Liang’s secret guards react quickly. I’m afraid those we left behind won’t be able to hold them off for more than a few hours. We can only keep things simple. After we eat and rest for two hours, we’ll have to set off again.”
Indeed, it was best to leave professional matters to professionals. Even on such an urgent escape route, they could still afford to spare two hours for eating and sleeping. Wang Dian felt the money was well spent.
For the first time in days, Wang Dian had a hot meal. He instantly felt half-alive again. He ate an entire grilled fish, full of color, aroma, and flavor, drank two bowls of soup, and lay on that makeshift bed for an hour and a half. He didn’t know how long he had slept before being woken up to continue the journey.
He stretched lazily, feeling refreshed, and then met Quan Ning’s resentful gaze. The latter’s colorful clothes looked as if they had been rolled in a bloody soup. Thick bandages were wrapped around his shoulders and thighs, and a small piece of his mask had been broken off, making him look quite miserable.
“This is…” Wang Dian began, but hesitated.
“It was close,” Quan Ning drew his hand sharply across his throat, complaining, “How could Emperor Liang, raised in the depths of the palace, have such high martial arts skills?”
He had known that Liang Ye’s martial arts were decent, but he hadn’t expected him to be so formidable, with such strange techniques completely different from those practiced by martial artists like themselves. If Liang Ye hadn’t been disgusted by insects, he would probably have died by his sword.
“Well,” Wang Dian said modestly, “He practices very diligently. He’s not bad.”
“…I wasn’t complimenting him,” Quan Ning gritted his teeth audibly. “It would be best if he doesn’t fall into my hands.”
Hearing him speak so vengefully, Wang Dian said seriously, “I’m truly sorry. He always acts without rhyme or reason. I provoked him, so ultimately, I’m to blame for your condition. If you want to—”
Quan Ning waved his hand, interrupting him. “I understand your meaning. I was just venting my anger for a moment. We take people’s money to solve their problems. This is the life-threatening work we do. Life and death are up to fate. You don’t need to take it seriously.”
Wang Dian smiled, “When we reach Southern Zhao, I will certainly express my gratitude properly to you and Tower Master Cong.”
“Young Master Wang is too kind,” Cong Yingqiu entered the tent from outside, smiling. “We should set off now.”
Wang Dian smiled back, ultimately swallowing the questions he wanted to ask about Liang Ye.
No matter how much money was paid, some questions shouldn’t be asked openly. Otherwise, it would make business difficult.
The rest of the journey became much easier. The people Cong Yingqiu brought were not only professional but also numerous. They worked in an orderly manner with clear divisions of labor. Whenever Liang Ye’s secret guards were about to catch up, they always managed to shake them off at the right time.
On the seventh day, they reached Guangyuan County in Hexi Prefecture.
Throughout their escape, Liang Ye had not deployed official troops, nor had he set up checkpoints or issued wanted notices in the cities. Quan Ning and Cong Yingqiu had wondered about this, knowing that if Liang Ye had used official troops and the army, they certainly wouldn’t have been able to escape so quickly and easily.
Wang Dian claimed not to know why, but in his heart, he understood well – this was a private matter between him and Liang Ye. No matter how intense the anger and resentment, even if Liang Ye wanted to stop him at all costs, he wouldn’t mobilize a single soldier or make this matter known throughout the country. At most, he would personally lead his secret guards in pursuit.
Deploying official troops would burden the people and drain resources, causing a stir throughout the city and spawning countless complications. Having witnessed much displacement and hardship among the people during their journey, Wang Dian knew Liang Ye wouldn’t do that.
No matter how mad he was, Liang Ye knew he was the emperor.
The group hurried along, stopping at the city gate of Guangyuan County.
“Well, this is the first time I’ve seen a county distributing porridge at the city gate,” Quan Ning remarked while on horseback. “It seems there are still good officials in your Northern Liang.”
The harvest had been poor this year, and the winter extremely cold. Before winter set in, he and Liang Ye had discussed this issue. However, regardless of their discussions, the fact remained that there wasn’t enough silver or grain in the national treasury. The grain and silver had to be prioritized for the frontier troops. Even though Liang Ye had confiscated quite a bit through household raids, filling one gap only opened another urgent need. Within a few days, they had hit bottom, truly struggling to spare any extra grain for disaster relief. As for the businesses and industries he had set up, they needed a transition period and required increased investment in the early stages. At the earliest, they would only be able to help next year.
This vast Liang country was like a house leaking from all sides, with water and grain exhausted, tottering on the brink of collapse. After seizing it, how to repair it was the most difficult problem.
Unfortunately, what he could do probably ended here.
Wang Dian watched the refugees queuing at the city gate waiting for porridge, suppressing the complex emotions and bitterness in his heart, and said, “The magistrate of Guangyuan County is Baili Cheng’an.”
Sure enough, when Baili Cheng’an’s name was mentioned, everyone, including Quan Ning, showed expressions of sudden realization.
Guangyuan County was nestled between mountains and waters, adjacent to Yunshui. After entering the city, they saw orderly roads and well-arranged houses. The patrolling soldiers were well-trained, presenting a scene of peace and stability.
Wang Dian led his horse, noticing a crowd gathered not far ahead. As they passed by, he took a glance and saw two students wearing academy uniforms teaching several children to write large characters in the sand. They were teaching with great enthusiasm, attracting many onlookers.
“…When Baili Daren lectured at the academy, he said we should do our utmost to ensure every child in Guangyuan County learns to read…”
“Don’t we have free schools? Why not go there?”
“Some children still have to work, you know.”
“Well, I sent my family’s rowdy daughters and sons there. And guess what? The other day, my third girl came back saying she could write our names! She used a fire stick to scribble on the ground for me and her mother. Her mother was so happy she cried!”
” Baili Daren’s free schools are really great!”
“I’ve heard it’s the idea of a big official in the capital!”
“What big official!” a student laughed. “It’s Bian Cang Daren’s proposal. Now Guangyuan County is trying… what’s the word again?”
“Pilot program!” another student said. “It means Guangyuan County is implementing it to see the results. In the future, every county in our Great Liang will have such free schools. Poor families’ children can also study. Whether they can pass the imperial examinations is another matter, but at least they’ll be literate. I heard that in the future, they’ll also teach arithmetic, tailoring, carpentry, and such for free. There will be more job opportunities…”
“That’s great! If my boy could read and do accounts, he might even become an accountant someday!”
“That’s nothing! Have you heard about that powerful Hexi merchant group recently? Yes, that’s right, the Wang family merchant group from Hexi that opened a trading company. Their Hexi fleet is recruiting now! They’re looking for 14-15 year old kids. Not only do they teach reading and writing, but also how to do business!”
“Well, although doing business makes money, it’s still not as respectable as studying. Once you’ve been a merchant, how can you take the imperial examinations? It’s over…”
“No, no, I heard the capital is about to issue a decree, saying they’ll relax the standards. We don’t know exactly how they’ll relax them…”
“Well, at least there’s some hope. In these times, whether you’re in business, studying, farming, or blacksmithing, being able to fill your stomach is the most important thing.”
Wang Dian slowly led his horse forward, listening to people discussing these matters by the roadside. Suddenly, he had a strange feeling. Those not-quite-mature ideas constructed in the halls of power were slowly seeping into reality, bit by bit. This was how it felt. He suddenly felt that when he had proposed those ideas in the palace before, he had been too hasty and too idealistic. He even felt a bit guilty.
A casual sentence in official documents, a single character written in vermilion ink on paper, could affect countless lives. Those points of contention and mutual insistence between him, Bian Cang, Wen Zong, and even Liang Ye, or the decisions reached through compromise, all concerned the future of millions of common people.
No matter how cautious he was, what he thought could be applied to this era was too radical for Great Liang. At his core, he was a merchant, with too many immature areas in matters of governance and too much to learn.
Perhaps his departure might not be a bad thing for the Liang country.
Wang Dian thought somewhat pessimistically.
“Please, three days from now, deliver this letter to Yu Lang, the manager of the fleet under the Hexi Wang family trading company,” Wang Dian handed the envelope to the messenger, then paused and took out another letter.
The messenger pinched one corner, but Wang Dian didn’t let go.
“Young master?” the messenger looked at him somewhat puzzled.
Wang Dian stared at the four characters “To Zi Yu” on the envelope, feeling a sour ache spreading from deep in his chest. He hadn’t felt much when Liang Ye was relentlessly pursuing him, but now that he was truly leaving Northern Liang, he began to feel sad.
Even though this era was backward and unfamiliar to him, even though Liang Ye was a terrible lover and Great Liang a troubled country, they all gave him a sense of “leaving home.”
Even though everything was a mess, the thought of never seeing it again left him feeling lost.
The cold wind whistled, pale mountains stretched endlessly, and the gloomy, cold white sky pressed heavily overhead. A few winter crows cawed as they flew by. The sound of the wind filling the sails was heavy and harsh. The boatman’s loud calls and the noisy chatter of passengers intertwined, creating a clamorous yet desolate loneliness.
Wang Dian stood at the bow of the ship, wearing a heavy cloak and tucking his sleeves. The bustling crowd behind him seemed muted, as the ship moved farther and farther from the shore.
Two days ago, Loufan and Eastern Chen had declared war. By then, Liang Ye and his secret guards were still entangled in the northernmost part of Hexi Prefecture, soon losing their trail.
These past few days, fewer people had been pursuing them.
They must have gone back.
Wang Dian tightened his grip on the letter in his sleeve that he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to send, and smiled satisfactorily in the cold wind.
This was the Liang Ye he liked, so decisive and cold.
He took out the letter and casually threw it into the water, watching as the envelope became soaked. He dusted off his hands and turned away nonchalantly.
“Hya!”
The urgent sound of hoofbeats approached from afar. The large ship had already left the shore quite a distance behind.
“Wang Dian!” An urgent and angry roar rang out from the shore. In his haste, the voice used inner force, piercing clearly and powerfully through the silent, biting surface of the water.
Wang Dian’s steps faltered, then he smiled mockingly. Even his auditory hallucinations were so realistic, he must truly be unwell.
He suppressed the sudden surge of secret anticipation and joy in his heart, thinking he should have more self-respect.
Just as he was about to lift his foot, he inexplicably turned his body.
Then he unexpectedly met the gaze of Liang Ye, who sat astride his horse on the shore.
Liang Ye wore a dusty, tight-fitting outfit, with half his face splattered with blood. He sat straight-backed on his horse, his bloodshot eyes fixed intently on the person who had turned to look back at the bow of the ship.
Then that person’s face broke into a brilliant smile.
“Wang Dian—” Liang Ye’s eyes were bloodshot, his expression grim and terrifying. His voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth as he crushed the hilt of his sword in his grip.
Yet he could only watch helplessly as Wang Dian slowly drifted further and further away from him.
Wang Dian casually rested both arms on the railing, his gaze focused and his face smiling as he watched Liang Ye’s figure become increasingly blurry. He raised his hand, pressing two fingers to his lips, and blew a flippant, casual kiss in Liang Ye’s direction.
Then he turned away gracefully, disappearing from Liang Ye’s sight.
On the shore, fallen leaves drifted down in the whistling wind, swirling as they fell onto the water’s surface.
The tumultuous affair ended abruptly.
