Bai Shiqi felt a chill in her heart. After interacting with him for a long-time, she definitely understood the ice-cold cruelty of power and law, so she decided to avoid his question and talked about the more trivial things: “Your Highness, if you really want to investigate the salt road case, shouldn’t it go from the top to the bottom? If it wasn’t for the officials extorting outrageous taxes from the common people, would the country be overflowed by private salt? Common people need salt to eat. Even if you manage to eradicate 10 salt groups, more people will still take the risk. In the end you will only be curing the symptoms but not the root cause.”
It was rare for Zhao Wujiu to see her serious appearance. He felt an itch in his heart, and put on a mask of impartiality: “The salt road case happened because the officials are corrupt. But does that allow the salt groups to act as they wish and distribute private salt? Then what are the laws and decrees of the country for?”
Bai Shiqi laughed exaggeratedly: “Big Brother, if you don’t eat salt for a long time, how can the country be rich and the people be strong?” She had long been traveling here and there, and survival was number one priority. Naturally her viewpoint differed from a prince who was high up in the clouds, therefore, their conclusions also differed.
If the person in front of her was not a prince with military achievements, or if only he was still half-crippled, she would have slapped him earlier, or thrown him into the river to wake him up.
Perhaps it was her eyes that clearly expressed this. Which made Zhao Wujiu’s wheelchair roll back a few steps, widening the distance between them, before he said as if begging for mercy: “But for your face, if the salt group is not colluding with the pirates, I will ignore the illegal distribution of private salt.”
[T/N: The face here is not appearance, more like ‘dignity’ or ‘reputation’.]
His words were far from his usual ‘strictly impartial and incorruptible’ image, but Bai Shiqi was not prepared to accept this change so easily: “I’m the young leader of the shipping group, what does the life and death of the salt group have to do with me?”
Zhao Wujiu smiled a little: “Salt group’s Leader Wen and shipping group’s Leader Bai are old friends, so this matter has a lot to do with me. In the future, I will have to call Leader Wen ‘Uncle Wen’, how can I be so ruthless?”
She didn’t know if it was his scorching gaze that made her uncomfortable, but Bai Shiqi blurted out, “Isn’t it a little early to call him ‘Uncle’?”She suddenly realized her slip of tongue.
Zhao Wujiu had already caught the loophole in her words: “So when can I call him ‘Uncle’?”
One did not know where Zhao Ziheng came from. He asked excitedly: “Who is going to be called ‘Uncle’?”
Bai Shiqi didn’t feel like debating with these two brothers and immediately strode back: “Nobody. I’ll pack up now and go to Yancheng with you.”
Zhao Ziheng saw that one had run away, so he dragged the other one without letting go, gossiping: “Cousin, who do you want to call ‘Uncle’?” He had never seen a courtier with different surnames who dared to talk with the imperial family as brothers.
Zhao Wujiu looked at him with a headache. When this cousin hadn’t started following him, he used to be a noble and pampered lad, so why did he look like a stray dog now?
He was wearing clothes made of rough fabric, his hair was tied with a cloth strip at will, and his fair skin had darkened a lot. The whole person exuded the atmosphere of a simple worker.
He frowned and criticized Zhao Ziheng: “Have you taken a look at yourself? A child of the dignified clan can’t pay attention to dress etiquette?”
Zhao Ziheng looked down at his clothes. He was no different from the soldiers in the Gaoyou Guard Station who had to train to death. Everyone spent too much time in the water every day, and only after they finished training could they enjoy warmth in the dining hall to ward off the cold, where a bitter herbal soup that removes dampness was waiting for them. A bowl for each person.
He hadn’t gone out to listen to music for a long time, nor had he gone to enjoy the scenes of springtime.
[T/N: It’s a wordplay here. Scenes of springtime can be understood literally because it is mentioned once that it is currently early spring, or “spring” as in love affairs. For Ziheng I supposed it means the latter, but—]
When Zhao Wujiu pushed the wheelchair away, Zhao Ziheng muttered: “Why don’t you ask who made me look like this? Do you think it’s because I don’t want to pay attention to etiquette? Why don’t you let Bai Shiqi be more merciful to me!?” He was indignant at the mention of this.
If it wasn’t because the soldiers of the guard station that were all assembling and preparing to go to Yancheng, could he have come here to chat and gossip!?
***
Bai Shiqi had said that she would follow Zhao Wujiu to Yancheng. When the team set off, she packed a small package and boarded the ship.
Zhao Wujiu was going to the salt group headquarters. Luo Dajue and Bai Shiqi would accompany him, so they ordered Zhao Ziheng to stay behind and guard the station.
Zhao Ziheng had never done anything serious since young, this was the first time he had been entrusted with a responsibility of this magnitude. He chased after Zhao Wujiu and asked endlessly: “Cousin, what should I do? What if the bandits come after you leave?”
There were one-third of the soldiers left at the station. The one who could command them was Luo Dajue’s assistant, Xue Shizhong, and the one with the highest identity was Zhao Ziheng.
Zhao Wujiu said emphatically, “After I leave, you don’t have to train!”
Zhao Ziheng jumped three feet high with joy: “It’s still my cousin who loves me!”
Zhao Wujiu: “Waking up late every day, going out to find a restaurant for meals, then going to the street and watching cockfights and during the night, going to brothels and listening to music.”
Zhao Ziheng’s smile immediately collapsed: “I knew it!”
Zhao Wujiu: “When I’m gone, you will have the highest status. None would dare to restrict you, surely you will play as you please, won’t you!?”
Having said that, one did not know whether it was because it had become a habit to practice hard in the water all day, or if he suspected that his cousin had left some eyes and ears (spies) secretly… The first morning after Zhao Wujiu and team left, the sky was bright. Zhao Ziheng woke up from his deep sleep. Thinking it was almost time for training, he wore his clothes with his eyes still closed, and when he was washing, he remembered: Didn’t my cousin leave?
He then fell back on the bed, pulled the quilt to cover his face, and laid there for some time until he felt uncomfortable.
First of all, he felt his heart was empty, and thought it was not good.
Secondly, when he heard the footsteps of others outside, he felt even more uneasy.
He comforted himself: Cousin is gone, and no one is forcing me to practice. Why did I get up so early?
Sure enough, when the people who were walking outside reached his door, they deliberately eased their steps, as if they were afraid of waking him up.
Zhao Ziheng violently lifted the quilt, wishing to vent: “It’s so weird!” In the past, he only wished that he could sleep to death in bed, and stealing an extra shichen to sleep was a huge boon he would die for. But when no one rushed him to wake up today, he felt out of place.
He jumped up from the bed and went out to see that everyone was already gathering. He trotted over and stood at the back of the line, and the group of people soon jumped down into the river like ducks.
Zhao Ziheng, who had long wanted to be lazy: …
Did the river water get into my head!?
There are times when one’s life is dominated by one’s habit, and sometimes such a thing is not bad.
Zhao Ziheng, who used to spend a lot of time in drinking and pleasure, practiced hard for a period of time and exercised obediently without supervision. When he sat in the dining hall at night to grab food with a group of soldiers from the guard station, he actually felt extra relieved and satisfied, even more so compared to drinking, listening to music, and seeking for pleasure outside.
He slumped on the bed. Thinking about the next time he could chase down the pirates side by side with his good brother, he couldn’t help grinning. He was also worried about their well-being, not knowing whether there would be conflict with the salt group. This made him toss and turn in his sleep for a shichen before he fell into a deep sleep.
On the other side, Zhao Wujiu and Bai Shiqi, whom Zhao Ziheng was worried about, had a peaceful journey on ship to Yancheng. However, since the ship they boarded was the official ship of Gaoyou Guard Station, the other guards along the shore were alarmed, and a lot of people came to inquire about the situation.
Prince Zhou stayed in the cabin, while Luo Dajue stepped forward to deal with them.
Luo Dajue was someone who did not like small talk. At first, Bai Shiqi followed only to support him, but later on, entertaining the ‘guests’ was gradually handed over to Bai Shiqi.
Bai Shiqi had always been slick. She had her own way of dealing with officials. Even Shu Changfeng had to admire her ability.
[T/N: The word ability here refers to money and power. I take it that she either utilizes money or takes advantage of the Gaoyou Guard’s identity to shut the people up]
When the ship arrived at Yancheng’s pier, Wen Tao got the news.
“Bai Shiqi brought officers and soldiers to Yancheng?”
His subordinate didn’t dare to hide: “It is indeed the shipping group’s Young Leader Bai. Should we inform Leader?”
Wen Tao’s mouth split into a smile, revealing his white teeth: “I’m afraid my old man must have known about it long ago.”
The salt group had been rooted in Yancheng for many generations. When it was passed to Wen Bao, he also worked hard to manage it for half his life. Any troubles concerning the salt group in Jiangnan would be passed to his ears, not to mention the officials and guards coming to Yancheng.
The news was authentic. Wen Tao got up and said: “I haven’t seen her for a long time. Let’s go meet Young Leader Bai!”
[T/N: He knows Bai Shiqi is a girl, or at least suspects. He said ‘her’ here. But ‘he/she/they/it’ in Chinese all sound the same, so the partner of conversation understood it as ‘he’]
[E/N: ‘he/she/they/it’ is read as ‘ta/ta/ta/ta’ :D]
He took his subordinates to welcome the official ship at the dock. The group of people stood in front of the ship and shouted: “Young Leader Bai! Young Leader Bai! Young Leader Bai!”
Luo Dajue had never seen this kind of situation before. He secretly suspected that Bai Shiqi had connections with the salt group, so he stood quietly beside Zhao Wujiu.
When Bai Shiqi heard the thunderous shouts on the pier, she knew that it was Wen Tao‘s trick. She had come for the Wen family this time. She waved her hand enthusiastically: “Young Leader Wen, how have you been?”
The two had always clashed with each other all the time. When she suddenly became enthusiastic, Wen Tao didn’t dare to respond, and asked the people around him suspiciously: “What is this with this unfitting atmosphere?” Why did he feel that Bai Shiqi was smiling with a sneaky, acrimonious smile?
The people around him were busy boot-licking, saying things like “Young Leader is so handsome and exuding so much confidence, elegant like jade, we are not as good as you…”, etc. There was also a subordinate who adopted a very original approach: “If I were a little lady, I’d certainly be attracted to the Young Leader. Even if you shoo me away, I will not leave!” Hearing this, Wen Tao only said shamelessly: “It’d be better if Bai Shiqi thought the same way.”
Although it could be said that Bai Shiqi was similar to a monkey, who could turn even the heavens upside down… Whether it was the inside or the outside of the group, she could handle everything appropriately. There was only one thing where he had not yet been enlightened, and that was the matter of men and women.
Bai Shiqi felt a chill in her heart. After interacting with him for a long-time, she definitely understood the ice-cold cruelty of power and law, so she decided to avoid his question and talked about the more trivial things: “Your Highness, if you really want to investigate the salt road case, shouldn’t it go from the top to the bottom? If it wasn’t for the officials extorting outrageous taxes from the common people, would the country be overflowed by private salt? Common people need salt to eat. Even if you manage to eradicate 10 salt groups, more people will still take the risk. In the end you will only be curing the symptoms but not the root cause.”
It was rare for Zhao Wujiu to see her serious appearance. He felt an itch in his heart, and put on a mask of impartiality: “The salt road case happened because the officials are corrupt. But does that allow the salt groups to act as they wish and distribute private salt? Then what are the laws and decrees of the country for?”
Bai Shiqi laughed exaggeratedly: “Big Brother, if you don’t eat salt for a long time, how can the country be rich and the people be strong?” She had long been traveling here and there, and survival was number one priority. Naturally her viewpoint differed from a prince who was high up in the clouds, therefore, their conclusions also differed.
If the person in front of her was not a prince with military achievements, or if only he was still half-crippled, she would have slapped him earlier, or thrown him into the river to wake him up.
Perhaps it was her eyes that clearly expressed this. Which made Zhao Wujiu’s wheelchair roll back a few steps, widening the distance between them, before he said as if begging for mercy: “But for your face, if the salt group is not colluding with the pirates, I will ignore the illegal distribution of private salt.”
[T/N: The face here is not appearance, more like ‘dignity’ or ‘reputation’.]
His words were far from his usual ‘strictly impartial and incorruptible’ image, but Bai Shiqi was not prepared to accept this change so easily: “I’m the young leader of the shipping group, what does the life and death of the salt group have to do with me?”
Zhao Wujiu smiled a little: “Salt group’s Leader Wen and shipping group’s Leader Bai are old friends, so this matter has a lot to do with me. In the future, I will have to call Leader Wen ‘Uncle Wen’, how can I be so ruthless?”
She didn’t know if it was his scorching gaze that made her uncomfortable, but Bai Shiqi blurted out, “Isn’t it a little early to call him ‘Uncle’?”She suddenly realized her slip of tongue.
Zhao Wujiu had already caught the loophole in her words: “So when can I call him ‘Uncle’?”
One did not know where Zhao Ziheng came from. He asked excitedly: “Who is going to be called ‘Uncle’?”
Bai Shiqi didn’t feel like debating with these two brothers and immediately strode back: “Nobody. I’ll pack up now and go to Yancheng with you.”
Zhao Ziheng saw that one had run away, so he dragged the other one without letting go, gossiping: “Cousin, who do you want to call ‘Uncle’?” He had never seen a courtier with different surnames who dared to talk with the imperial family as brothers.
Zhao Wujiu looked at him with a headache. When this cousin hadn’t started following him, he used to be a noble and pampered lad, so why did he look like a stray dog now?
He was wearing clothes made of rough fabric, his hair was tied with a cloth strip at will, and his fair skin had darkened a lot. The whole person exuded the atmosphere of a simple worker.
He frowned and criticized Zhao Ziheng: “Have you taken a look at yourself? A child of the dignified clan can’t pay attention to dress etiquette?”
Zhao Ziheng looked down at his clothes. He was no different from the soldiers in the Gaoyou Guard Station who had to train to death. Everyone spent too much time in the water every day, and only after they finished training could they enjoy warmth in the dining hall to ward off the cold, where a bitter herbal soup that removes dampness was waiting for them. A bowl for each person.
He hadn’t gone out to listen to music for a long time, nor had he gone to enjoy the scenes of springtime.
[T/N: It’s a wordplay here. Scenes of springtime can be understood literally because it is mentioned once that it is currently early spring, or “spring” as in love affairs. For Ziheng I supposed it means the latter, but—]
When Zhao Wujiu pushed the wheelchair away, Zhao Ziheng muttered: “Why don’t you ask who made me look like this? Do you think it’s because I don’t want to pay attention to etiquette? Why don’t you let Bai Shiqi be more merciful to me!?” He was indignant at the mention of this.
If it wasn’t because the soldiers of the guard station that were all assembling and preparing to go to Yancheng, could he have come here to chat and gossip!?
***
Bai Shiqi had said that she would follow Zhao Wujiu to Yancheng. When the team set off, she packed a small package and boarded the ship.
Zhao Wujiu was going to the salt group headquarters. Luo Dajue and Bai Shiqi would accompany him, so they ordered Zhao Ziheng to stay behind and guard the station.
Zhao Ziheng had never done anything serious since young, this was the first time he had been entrusted with a responsibility of this magnitude. He chased after Zhao Wujiu and asked endlessly: “Cousin, what should I do? What if the bandits come after you leave?”
There were one-third of the soldiers left at the station. The one who could command them was Luo Dajue’s assistant, Xue Shizhong, and the one with the highest identity was Zhao Ziheng.
Zhao Wujiu said emphatically, “After I leave, you don’t have to train!”
Zhao Ziheng jumped three feet high with joy: “It’s still my cousin who loves me!”
Zhao Wujiu: “Waking up late every day, going out to find a restaurant for meals, then going to the street and watching cockfights and during the night, going to brothels and listening to music.”
Zhao Ziheng’s smile immediately collapsed: “I knew it!”
Zhao Wujiu: “When I’m gone, you will have the highest status. None would dare to restrict you, surely you will play as you please, won’t you!?”
Having said that, one did not know whether it was because it had become a habit to practice hard in the water all day, or if he suspected that his cousin had left some eyes and ears (spies) secretly… The first morning after Zhao Wujiu and team left, the sky was bright. Zhao Ziheng woke up from his deep sleep. Thinking it was almost time for training, he wore his clothes with his eyes still closed, and when he was washing, he remembered: Didn’t my cousin leave?
He then fell back on the bed, pulled the quilt to cover his face, and laid there for some time until he felt uncomfortable.
First of all, he felt his heart was empty, and thought it was not good.
Secondly, when he heard the footsteps of others outside, he felt even more uneasy.
He comforted himself: Cousin is gone, and no one is forcing me to practice. Why did I get up so early?
Sure enough, when the people who were walking outside reached his door, they deliberately eased their steps, as if they were afraid of waking him up.
Zhao Ziheng violently lifted the quilt, wishing to vent: “It’s so weird!” In the past, he only wished that he could sleep to death in bed, and stealing an extra shichen to sleep was a huge boon he would die for. But when no one rushed him to wake up today, he felt out of place.
He jumped up from the bed and went out to see that everyone was already gathering. He trotted over and stood at the back of the line, and the group of people soon jumped down into the river like ducks.
Zhao Ziheng, who had long wanted to be lazy: …
Did the river water get into my head!?
There are times when one’s life is dominated by one’s habit, and sometimes such a thing is not bad.
Zhao Ziheng, who used to spend a lot of time in drinking and pleasure, practiced hard for a period of time and exercised obediently without supervision. When he sat in the dining hall at night to grab food with a group of soldiers from the guard station, he actually felt extra relieved and satisfied, even more so compared to drinking, listening to music, and seeking for pleasure outside.
He slumped on the bed. Thinking about the next time he could chase down the pirates side by side with his good brother, he couldn’t help grinning. He was also worried about their well-being, not knowing whether there would be conflict with the salt group. This made him toss and turn in his sleep for a shichen before he fell into a deep sleep.
On the other side, Zhao Wujiu and Bai Shiqi, whom Zhao Ziheng was worried about, had a peaceful journey on ship to Yancheng. However, since the ship they boarded was the official ship of Gaoyou Guard Station, the other guards along the shore were alarmed, and a lot of people came to inquire about the situation.
Prince Zhou stayed in the cabin, while Luo Dajue stepped forward to deal with them.
Luo Dajue was someone who did not like small talk. At first, Bai Shiqi followed only to support him, but later on, entertaining the ‘guests’ was gradually handed over to Bai Shiqi.
Bai Shiqi had always been slick. She had her own way of dealing with officials. Even Shu Changfeng had to admire her ability.
[T/N: The word ability here refers to money and power. I take it that she either utilizes money or takes advantage of the Gaoyou Guard’s identity to shut the people up]
When the ship arrived at Yancheng’s pier, Wen Tao got the news.
“Bai Shiqi brought officers and soldiers to Yancheng?”
His subordinate didn’t dare to hide: “It is indeed the shipping group’s Young Leader Bai. Should we inform Leader?”
Wen Tao’s mouth split into a smile, revealing his white teeth: “I’m afraid my old man must have known about it long ago.”
The salt group had been rooted in Yancheng for many generations. When it was passed to Wen Bao, he also worked hard to manage it for half his life. Any troubles concerning the salt group in Jiangnan would be passed to his ears, not to mention the officials and guards coming to Yancheng.
The news was authentic. Wen Tao got up and said: “I haven’t seen her for a long time. Let’s go meet Young Leader Bai!”
[T/N: He knows Bai Shiqi is a girl, or at least suspects. He said ‘her’ here. But ‘he/she/they/it’ in Chinese all sound the same, so the partner of conversation understood it as ‘he’]
[E/N: ‘he/she/they/it’ is read as ‘ta/ta/ta/ta’ :D]
He took his subordinates to welcome the official ship at the dock. The group of people stood in front of the ship and shouted: “Young Leader Bai! Young Leader Bai! Young Leader Bai!”
Luo Dajue had never seen this kind of situation before. He secretly suspected that Bai Shiqi had connections with the salt group, so he stood quietly beside Zhao Wujiu.
When Bai Shiqi heard the thunderous shouts on the pier, she knew that it was Wen Tao‘s trick. She had come for the Wen family this time. She waved her hand enthusiastically: “Young Leader Wen, how have you been?”
The two had always clashed with each other all the time. When she suddenly became enthusiastic, Wen Tao didn’t dare to respond, and asked the people around him suspiciously: “What is this with this unfitting atmosphere?” Why did he feel that Bai Shiqi was smiling with a sneaky, acrimonious smile?
The people around him were busy boot-licking, saying things like “Young Leader is so handsome and exuding so much confidence, elegant like jade, we are not as good as you…”, etc. There was also a subordinate who adopted a very original approach: “If I were a little lady, I’d certainly be attracted to the Young Leader. Even if you shoo me away, I will not leave!” Hearing this, Wen Tao only said shamelessly: “It’d be better if Bai Shiqi thought the same way.”
Although it could be said that Bai Shiqi was similar to a monkey, who could turn even the heavens upside down… Whether it was the inside or the outside of the group, she could handle everything appropriately. There was only one thing where he had not yet been enlightened, and that was the matter of men and women.
