Lin Wu leaned against the plank wall until the afternoon meal. Her eyes were half-closed, one hand resting over her abdomen, and she still looked unwell.
She ate very little, swallowing half a flatbread slowly with half a bowl of warm water.
The young wife in the adjoining section glanced at her several times. Seeing that Lin Wu had spent most of the day sitting in the partitioned space with her child, she could not help saying, “Sister-in-law, you still don’t look quite right. Our boat will be stopping at Hetan County the day after tomorrow for about an hour or two. There should be clinics or apothecary shops in town. If you’re truly feeling unwell, why not get off then and see a doctor?”
Lin Wu slowly shook her head, her smile somewhat weary. “Thank you for your concern, Sister-in-law. It’s only that my head feels a little heavy and dizzy, and my eyelids are so heavy I keep wanting to lie down and close my eyes. I brought some herbal medicine for emergencies. If I really can’t bear it, I can borrow a fire in the galley and brew a dose. I can endure it for now. A night’s rest should be enough to make me feel better.”
Lin Jing sat pressed against her side, his little face drawn tight with worry. Lin Wu took his small hand and gently squeezed it, then turned her head and smiled at him. “Don’t be afraid. Mother is fine.”
Lin Jing seemed to understand only vaguely, but his instincts told him that Lin Wu really was all right. He nodded lightly, and the tension in his shoulders eased considerably.
Lin Wu turned back to the woman and said softly, “Sister-in-law, let’s talk. Listening to you speak about something else might keep me from dwelling on this little discomfort. Perhaps I’ll even feel better.”
She thought for a moment before continuing, “I heard you mention Hetan County just now. What kind of place is it?”
The woman was clearly not one to let her mouth rest. Seeing that Lin Wu was willing to chat, she eagerly took up the conversation. “Hetan County? It’s a place where the waterways and land routes meet. It isn’t as prosperous as Lingzhou or Chunzhou, but merchants and travelers from all directions gather there, so it’s still quite lively—especially around the docks. Quite a few men who can’t find work in Lingzhou head to Hetan County to try their luck. I hear they’re building new granaries there and are desperately short of laborers.
“Many of the young men in the forward cabin are getting off at Hetan County. They’ve already arranged to look for work there.”
“I see.” Lin Wu listened attentively. Her face remained weary, but her thoughts were gradually becoming clear.
The furtive figure she had seen loitering in the passage that night was most likely a thief scouting the place. Their targets should be the wealthy passengers in the private cabins on the upper level, people like Zhao Sheng.
Once the thieves succeeded in stealing from them, they would get off when the boat docked at Hetan County the next day and vanish into the crowd. On this vast stretch of river, once a person left the boat, they would be as impossible to find as a buffalo sinking into the sea. The travel documents they carried might not even be genuine.
If they intended to disembark at Hetan County the day after tomorrow, then the time they would make their move…
Lin Wu closed her eyes and calculated silently.
It should be tomorrow night.
She leaned against the plank wall and waited for nightfall.
The light in the cabin gradually faded. The din quieted, while the snores grew louder.
The night was indeed peaceful. She heard no suspicious noises again. It seemed those people were afraid of alerting their prey.
Only after the night had deepened and the footsteps of the watchman had faded into the distance did Lin Wu quietly rise.
She did not pull open the cabin door directly. The door was old, and the slightest movement made it creak. Instead, she bent down and crawled through the gap beneath it. Fortunately, she was slender. After removing her thick coat and keeping her body low, she was able to press herself against the cold floorboards and slip through with relative ease.
The passage was narrow. Space on the boat was precious, and every place one could stand had been filled with people and belongings. Only this end, near the wooden stairs leading to the upper cabins, was somewhat tidy. Some spare ropes and hemp cloth had been piled at the far end, while two oil lamps hung on the plank wall.
She watched silently for a while before retreating to the partitioned cabin.
The night passed.
Zhao Sheng remained in the upper cabin the entire time and never came downstairs.
That allowed Lin Wu to relax somewhat. If they could continue to leave each other alone and make it safely to Chunzhou, that would be the best possible outcome.
Around noon, the boat began to slow.
The water ahead widened, and a gray, weathered lock gate rose in the middle of the river.
They had reached the river lock.
Several lockmen in black uniforms boarded by way of a gangplank. As usual, they began counting the passengers and inspecting their travel documents.
The lockmen started with the deck cabin. Before long, the sound of harsh scolding and shoving rang out.
“What are you hiding from? Got a guilty conscience? Don’t tell me this travel document was drawn up by some roadside scribbler!” The old lockmaster was foul-tempered and rough-voiced. As he rifled through the papers, he continued cursing without pause.
Before long, they reached the passenger cabin where Lin Wu and the others were staying.
Lin Wu removed Lin Jing’s headscarf. If the old lockmaster shouted at him, it might only draw more attention.
“Don’t be afraid.” Lin Wu still looked weak as she patted Lin Jing on the shoulder. “Stay with Mother later, and don’t look around.”
The lockmen checked the travel documents one by one, then ordered all the passengers out of their cabins to wait in the passage. They entered the partitioned spaces themselves to inspect them, making sure no unauthorized people or goods were being concealed.
Lin Wu held Lin Jing’s hand and moved with the crowd into the passageway. The already narrow corridor was instantly packed.
The old lockmaster glanced at the boat’s owner, who was standing to one side. “Is there anyone upstairs?”
Sweat beaded on the boat owner’s brow as he answered with an ingratiating smile, “Yes, yes, there’s one person—a distinguished guest from the capital. His travel documents are all in order. There’s absolutely no problem. You know I’ve always been a man who follows the rules…”
As he spoke, he stepped closer and lowered his voice. “He’s from the palace.”
The old lockmaster merely snorted. He took half a step back and looked the boat owner up and down. “Well, well, look at you. You’ve managed to get acquainted with someone from the palace?”
The corner of his mouth twisted in disbelief. “If there were an official from the capital passing through this lock, would I not have received the proper notice? Don’t tell me he’s just some nobody pretending to be important. I’ve seen plenty of that sort.”
With that, he lifted his foot and started up the wooden stairs. But halfway up, a young servant came down and blocked the entrance, lifting his chin as he snapped, “Who is making such a racket? You’re disturbing my master’s peace!”
The old lockmaster’s expression darkened. He reached out and shoved the servant aside. “What an impressive airs! Today, I’m going to see for myself what kind of immortal is sitting up there!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhao Sheng sauntered down at an unhurried pace, as though he had been waiting for him to say precisely that.
He stood on the higher steps, looking down at the old lockmaster with a frown. “Then let me, Zhao, see what sort of creature you are!”
With that, he waved toward the young servant.
The servant took a document from inside his robe and handed it over.
The old lockmaster accepted it and glanced at the first two lines. His face turned livid, but he merely stiffened his neck and said, “This old man is only carrying out his orders! Even if the prime minister himself came, he would still have to be inspected.”
Zhao Sheng gave a derisive laugh. “What a fine ‘carrying out of orders.’ A mere river-lock functionary, and you dare speak to me of rules?”
As the two faced off, the lockmen inside the passenger cabin finished their inspection and came out.
Seeing the crowd blocking the foot of the stairs and gawking at the spectacle, one of the lockmen impatiently shoved the person in front of him. “Move! What are you all crammed together here for?”
The person at the front staggered from the push, but failed to notice the small figure directly in front of his legs.
Lin Jing was knocked off balance and fell to the floor.
Zhao Sheng stood above them, looking down with a crooked, mocking smile. “You’ve certainly opened my eyes today. You lock keepers may not have much in the way of real ability, but when it comes to bullying women and children, you’re remarkably practiced.”
With that, his gaze shifted from the old lockmaster’s ashen face to the child who had been knocked down.
Although Lin Wu had quickly bent down to help Lin Jing up and pulled him tightly into her arms, Zhao Sheng had still seen him.
Frowning, he hurried down the wooden steps and came straight to Lin Wu. He even reached out as though to steady Lin Jing by the arm, putting on a concerned expression. “Is the child hurt?”
There was nowhere for Lin Jing to hide. Zhao Sheng saw his face clearly.
He jerked his arm away from Zhao Sheng’s hand, then abruptly turned around and buried his face against Lin Wu’s thigh. His little hands clenched her clothes, trembling faintly.
Lin Wu lowered her eyes and gently gathered the child against her. Her fingertips were cold, but her expression remained composed. She merely replied in a low voice, “He’s fine. Thank you for your concern, sir.”
Zhao Sheng, however, was in turmoil. He stared at the back of Lin Jing’s head for a moment, but in the end said nothing more. Turning around, he swept away with a flick of his sleeve.
Back in the private cabin on the upper deck, he shut the door and sat down at the desk. His knuckles tapped against the tabletop at irregular intervals—once, then again and again.
After a long while, he suddenly called out toward the corridor, “Bring the shipmaster here.”
Before long, the shipmaster pushed open the door, a smile still plastered across his face. “What can I do for you, Master Zhao?”
“That woman in the passage just now, and the boy she was holding,” Zhao Sheng said in an even tone. “What’s their background?”
The shipmaster’s eyes darted about. Assuming that Zhao Sheng had taken a fancy to the young woman’s looks, he hurried to answer ingratiatingly, “They appear to be mother and son. They boarded at Lingzhou and said they were heading to Chunzhou…”
“Mother and son?” Zhao Sheng interrupted, his voice rising slightly.
“Yes, yes. They’re surely mother and son. I don’t think I could have remembered incorrectly.” The shipmaster thought carefully. There were so many passengers aboard that he could hardly remember every one of them clearly. Still, a mother traveling with her son was conspicuous enough, and he did have some impression of them.
Seeing Zhao Sheng’s darkening expression, he hastily added, “If you wish, I can go ask her for her travel papers, inspect them properly, and report back to you.”
Zhao Sheng gave no reply.
Taking that as permission, the shipmaster hurried away. He stopped outside Lin Wu’s cabin and called through the door, “Madam, might I borrow your travel papers for a look?”
Lin Wu froze at his words and replied uneasily, “Shipmaster, sir, what happened?”
As she spoke, she pulled Lin Jing closer to her. Her voice grew choked with emotion. “I’m sorry. I didn’t keep a close enough eye on my child, and he nearly offended the gentlemen…”
The shipmaster waved a hand, his tone gentling. “It’s nothing, nothing at all. The esteemed guest above merely wishes to learn a little more about the situation. It’s just a routine inspection, so please don’t panic.”
“Oh, I see.” Lin Wu relaxed somewhat. She lowered her head, rummaged through her bundle for a moment, then took out her travel papers and handed them over.
The shipmaster accepted them, glanced over the contents, and promptly returned to the upper deck.
“She’s a young widow, twenty-two years old, traveling with a six-year-old boy to her family home in Huzhou to seek shelter with relatives. She’s behaved herself throughout the journey, and she seems rather meek by nature…”
“Six years old,” Zhao Sheng murmured. He waved a hand, cutting him off. “That will do. Get out.”
After the shipmaster left, Lin Wu seemed even more uneasy. In a soft, mournful voice, she said to the young woman in the neighboring cabin, “Sister-in-law, I don’t know what kind of bad luck I’ve run into. First I fell ill, then my child nearly collided with the lockmaster, and now even the honored guest upstairs…”
She let out a sigh.
“Don’t frighten yourself,” the young woman consoled her. “They were all just unfortunate coincidences. They’re over now.”
“Perhaps I set out in too much of a hurry and forgot to make an offering to the River God. That must be why everything has gone so poorly.” Lin Wu seemed to think of something and murmured, “I’ll buy some incense from one of the deckhands and go offer it on the forward deck. It would at least put my mind at ease. Sister-in-law, do you think that would be all right?”
In those days, people who traveled far from home customarily made an offering to the gods before setting out, praying for a safe journey.
The young woman thought it sounded sensible. She herself had not properly made an offering before leaving, and after seeing how many mishaps Lin Wu had suffered over the past few days, she nodded. “You ought to. I’ll go with you.”
Before long, they returned with several sticks of incense purchased from one of the deckhands.
Lin Wu took two flat cakes and a flint pouch from her cloth bundle. Then she went with the young woman to the forward deck.
The passengers in the deck cabin were accustomed to such things. They merely cast a glance in their direction before returning to their own business.
Lin Wu’s gaze swept casually across the deck. She spotted the several young men whose faces seemed familiar. They were sitting on the floor nearby, drinking and laughing with one of the ship’s deckhands.
Without changing expression, she walked over and crouched down in an empty spot beside them.
She set out the flat cakes, lit the incense, clasped her hands together, and bowed repeatedly toward the vast waters of the river before her.
Thin coils of smoke drifted upward. The two women had to remain there until the incense had burned out, since open flames were forbidden aboard the ship and even sticks of incense had to be watched carefully.
“River God, please protect me and my child. Let us travel in peace and arrive safely in Chunzhou,” Lin Wu prayed softly.
After reciting a string of prayers, she began chatting with the young woman to pass the time while they waited for the incense to burn down.
Lowering her voice, Lin Wu asked, “Sister-in-law, what do you suppose the gentleman upstairs is? His presence is truly frightening.”
“Isn’t it? Even the lockmaster is afraid of him. He must have a powerful background.”
“From the way he carries himself, he doesn’t seem like an ordinary wealthy man. Could he be an official?”
“Most likely. Otherwise, why would the old lockmaster be so afraid of him?”
Lin Wu lowered her head and dabbed at her tears, but her eyes stole a glance at the bundle beside one of the young men. The cloth was thin, and the bundle sagged loosely, yet the outline of a long, rigid object was faintly visible within. It seemed that once they had passed the lock inspection, the men had not even bothered to conceal their weapons anymore.
The men were tall and powerfully built, with a vicious edge to their features. They made no effort to hide their faces, and were now openly drinking and joking with a deckhand. They did not act like cautious petty thieves. They looked more like river bandits.
Lin Wu thought for a moment before raising her head. “May the River God protect us. I only hope that gentleman won’t take an interest in the two of us. Who would have thought that in just a few days, we would somehow offend a person of such importance?”
The young woman sighed along with her. “You really did suffer for no reason. But that gentleman even reached out to steady your child when it happened. He didn’t look angry with you. In my opinion, he was merely using the incident to reprimand the lockmaster.”
Lin Wu shook her head, her unease deepening. “That was what I thought at first as well. He looked kind enough. But you saw it yourself just now—he specifically sent the shipmaster to inspect my travel papers. I don’t know what exactly he wanted to see. Perhaps people like him simply need to have every little thing made perfectly clear.”
She paused, and her voice tightened. “Or perhaps he intends to use me as an excuse to punish the lockmaster later. When powerful people fight among themselves, ordinary folk like us must be careful not to get caught in the middle.”
The young woman grew tense as well. “When you put it that way, it is rather frightening.”
Lin Wu’s voice was tinged with fear. “I don’t dare ask for anything anymore. All I hope for is to reach Chunzhou safely. We can’t afford to offend someone like him. If he truly holds a grudge against someone, he could track them down even at the ends of the earth. The lockmaster has left for now, but who knows what he’ll do later…”
The two of them spoke in low voices until the incense stick had burned down. They gathered up the spent incense and said no more, returning to the passenger cabin one after the other.
The rest of the afternoon passed peacefully enough. Zhao Sheng did not show himself again, nor did he send anyone to ask them so much as a question.
Lin Wu’s mind, on the other hand, gradually settled. Panicking would do no good. They were on this boat, surrounded on all sides by water—where could they possibly escape to?
She sat inside the partitioned section, running two thin hemp cords through her fingers.
Lin Jing had pulled them from a mooring rope while playing in the passageway. He had also found several stones of different sizes somewhere.
A child could only stay cooped up on a boat for so long before seeking something to do. It was nothing unusual.
After nightfall, the passenger boat slowly moored at a secluded rural ferry crossing.
Boats did not travel at night; that was the rule on the water. Once night fell, the helmsman was as good as blind, unable to see the hidden reefs or read the currents. Besides, bandits and river pirates were more active after dark.
Tonight, theirs was the only passenger boat moored at the crossing.
As the night deepened, snores gradually rose throughout the cabin.
Lin Wu quietly opened her eyes. Her gaze was clear and utterly alert.
She lifted the quilt. Lin Jing seemed to sense the movement and, still groggy, rubbed his eyes with his little hands. His eyelids rose halfway as he stared at her in confusion.
Lin Wu gently raised a finger to her lips and silently mouthed, “Shh.” Then she tucked the quilt around him and patted the bundle behind his back twice in a soothing gesture.
It seemed that Lin Jing understood. He obediently crawled back under the quilt, though his little hands clutched its edge tightly.
Lin Wu slipped off her cloth shoes and crept out of the partition, crouching low as she eased herself through the gap beneath the cabin door. Her movements were practiced, and she did not make the slightest sound.
Once in the passageway, she pressed herself against the wooden wall and stepped onto the stairs, climbing upward one step at a time.
The upper deck was quiet as well.
She stopped outside Zhao Sheng’s private cabin. It was easy enough to identify—the largest room was his, and there were only three cabins in all.
Lin Wu peered through the small window, which had been left ajar. Sure enough, Zhao Sheng was lying on the bed. The heavy trunk sat beside it.
She withdrew her gaze and took out a length of hemp cord. Reaching up, she felt along the upper part of the cabin door. The boat had been repaired countless times, and the wooden door was full of bumps and dents.
She found a protrusion and tied one end of the cord firmly around it. The other end was fastened to the cap of a firestarter. Thus, whenever the door was pulled open, the cord would tug the cap off the firestarter. It was an old firestarter, with very little nitrated paper and tinder inside. Even if it caught, the flame would be weak and would go out after only a few moments.
Next, she rose onto her tiptoes and reached toward the ceiling above the lintel. That surface was rough and uneven as well. She tied another hemp cord there. This cord had been soaked through with water and felt damp and icy cold. Only a section in the middle, no longer than a fingernail, was dry. A stone half the size of her fist hung from its dangling end, barely balanced on one corner of the door. In the darkness, it would be difficult to notice unless one looked closely.
Once everything was in place, she returned to the partition just as silently as she had left.
She leaned against the wooden wall and closed her eyes.
For the plan to succeed, every link had to hold. It would be no easy feat. The thieves had to pry the door open without noticing the hemp cords or the stone. Opening the door had to pull off the firestarter’s cap. The night breeze had to ignite it in time. The flame had to catch the rope, the rope had to snap, and the stone had to fall, waking Zhao Sheng. Then the thief had to raise his blade…
If any one part went wrong, tonight would be nothing more than an ordinary night.
Lin Wu slowly opened her eyes, her gaze calm. It didn’t matter. If this plan failed, there was always tomorrow. As long as they remained on the boat, there would still be another chance.
She focused on the sounds around her. The rush of water, the wind, the snoring, the faint rustle of passengers turning over in the neighboring cabins—all of them were magnified in the darkness, clear and distinct.
Time seemed to pass at a crawl, until…
The sound of footsteps came, light and deliberately slowed.
They were here.
Lin Wu’s eyelids lifted slightly. Through the gap beneath the cabin door, she saw several shadows crouching as they silently crept toward the stairs leading to the upper deck.
One, two, three—there were still three of them.
She waited patiently.
The shadows vanished completely, and the footsteps faded from hearing.
Time passed.
Suddenly, there was a soft but distinct thud.
Lin Wu’s heart jolted. The stone had fallen.
The footsteps sounded again, noticeably more hurried this time. But immediately afterward, the noise cut off. A scuffle followed, along with muffled curses and whispered reprimands.
Zhao Sheng had been awakened. A confrontation had begun.
Yet soon, everything fell silent once more.
Was it over? Was Zhao Sheng dead or alive?
Lin Wu continued to wait patiently until another burst of disorderly footsteps rang out. They grew fainter and fainter before finally disappearing, leaving no further sound behind.
Had the thieves succeeded? Had her plan gone perfectly?
Lin Wu gripped a pair of scissors, left the partition, and hurried up the stairs.
The upper cabin was deathly quiet. The doors to the two innermost rooms were shut tight. Only the cabin nearest the stairs stood wide open.
She did not approach at once. Instead, she stopped at the foot of the stairs and watched in silence for a moment. No one emerged, and there was no other movement. Only then did she tiptoe over and peer inside.
Zhao Sheng lay on the floor, his eyes tightly shut. His hands had been pulled behind his back and bound securely with coarse hemp rope, while a wad of torn cloth had been stuffed into his mouth. It seemed the thieves had taken precautions against him waking and raising the alarm.
Lin Wu tightened her grip on the scissors.
The plan had gone awry. The little thieves were more timid than she had anticipated. They had only dared to knock him unconscious and tie him up; they had not dared to kill him.
So be it.
At least he was tied securely, saving her some trouble.
She would handle the rest herself.
Crouching down, she first held a finger beneath Zhao Sheng’s nose. He was still breathing. Then she carefully examined the knots. They had been tied quite tightly, but the technique was crude, and the rope ends had been left long. She pulled the knots tighter and tucked the excess rope firmly into the dead knot.
Then she shoved Zhao Sheng’s shoulder.
His entire body trembled, and his eyelids struggled open. At first, his gaze was unfocused. But when he realized that his hands were bound and he could not speak, he immediately began to make muffled noises, writhing as well.
“Keep your voice down. If you attract the thieves, we’ll both die here.” Lin Wu kept her voice low.
As she spoke, she helped him partially upright and settle against the wooden wall.
The cabin was dim, and Zhao Sheng’s vision was blurred. For a moment, he could not make out the features of the person before him. But his instinct for survival made him nod frantically, and his struggles gradually subsided.
“Don’t move around. The knots around your hands are cinched tight. If you fight them, they’ll only get tighter.” Lin Wu waved the scissors before his eyes. “It’s brighter outside under the moonlight. I’ll cut them loose for you. Don’t make a sound. Follow me.”
Zhao Sheng’s dazed mind could barely process her words. He only caught the phrases “cut them loose” and “moonlight.” Then he glanced at the scissors in her hand and nodded again.
Lin Wu struggled to help him to his feet. The blow to Zhao Sheng’s head had been quite severe. He was still dizzy, his legs weak beneath him, and most of his weight pressed heavily against her.
She supported Zhao Sheng step by step to the railing beside the wooden ladder. Here, the moonlight poured down unobstructed, and the view was wide open. Below, the river flowed slowly, dark and heavy.
“This will do. It’s bright enough to see clearly,” Lin Wu said, suddenly releasing her hold on him.
Caught off guard, Zhao Sheng staggered before barely managing to steady himself. He impatiently struggled to move his bound hands toward her, making muffled sounds of encouragement in his throat.
Standing at his side, Lin Wu held the pair of scissors but made no move. Slowly, she lifted her eyes and gazed calmly at his face.
The moonlight clearly illuminated her features—and Zhao Sheng’s face, slick with anxious sweat.
It was the woman who had been holding that child during the day.
A chill shot from Zhao Sheng’s feet to the crown of his head. He wanted to retreat, to stomp his feet and make some noise, to call for help, but his head was still heavy and muddled from the blow, and his whole body was weak.
Lin Wu reached toward his back, preparing to act.
Suddenly, a footstep sounded from the other end of the upper deck.
Lin Wu’s heart dropped. Without time to think, and no longer sparing a thought for Zhao Sheng, she yanked her hand back and hurried down the stairway, slipping back into her cabin.
With her back against the cold wooden wall, she pressed a hand to her racing heart and drew a deep breath.
It’s fine. It’s fine.
Even if someone saw her, she could say she had been trying to rescue him.
If it was the thief returning, then hiding here might have just saved her life.
The faint sound of Zhao Sheng’s muffled cries drifted over, nearly drowned out by the river.
The footsteps drew closer, and his whimpering grew increasingly frantic and desperate.
Suddenly, a curse, spoken in a low voice, floated over. “Damn it! You still managed to wake up? You sure are hard to kill!”
The moment the words fell, there was a dull splash.
The sound of someone falling into the water was swallowed by the current.
Immediately afterward, a jumble of footsteps rang out again, accompanied by the rhythmic splashing of oars against the side of the boat. The sounds faded into the distance and eventually disappeared.
Perhaps the commotion had disturbed some light sleepers. Rustling footsteps and indistinct muttering arose throughout the cabins, but no one sounded particularly alarmed.
The night wind was strong on the river, rocking the boat. Things occasionally fell over; it was hardly unusual.
Lin Wu did not wait any longer.
She quickly slipped out and hurried to the end of the passageway, where she took down the oil lamp hanging on the wooden wall. There was still a little less than half a lampful of oil remaining. She smashed the lamp into the spare mooring ropes and hemp cloth piled in the corner.
With a light crack, the oil splashed out and quickly spread across the dry hemp cloth, leaving a broad stain.
Lin Wu took a fire starter from inside her robe and extended it without hesitation toward the oil-soaked cloth.
Flames leaped up at once, dancing in her eyes with startling brightness.
She did not linger. Turning immediately, she slipped into her own cabin, gathered Lin Jing into her arms, and pulled the quilt over them.
Almost at the same moment, a cry rang out in the passageway beyond.
“Fire! Fire!”
Shouts echoed throughout the passenger boat.
The passengers who had been awakened by the splash were now rushing to put out the fire, and no one had any attention left for other sounds.
Clutching Lin Jing, Lin Wu was jolted awake by the cries, her face wearing the same panic as everyone else’s. The young couple in the next cabin had also scrambled to their feet and were shouting to her, “Hurry! The smoke’s coming this way!”
“Don’t push! Watch out for the child!” Lin Wu cried as she shielded Lin Jing, hurriedly rolling up the bedding and gathering the bundle before being swept along with the crowd out of the cabin.
Their cabin was closest to the source of the fire, so instead of following most of the passengers toward the deck, Lin Wu carried Lin Jing upstairs and took shelter in the upper passenger cabins.
The upper deck was empty at that moment. Everyone had been drawn below by the fire.
Lin Wu hurried to Zhao Sheng’s private cabin and retrieved the hemp rope, stone, and fire starter she had used earlier, stuffing them into her bundle. Then she gently pulled the door nearly shut, leaving it slightly ajar.
The flames had risen fiercely, but fortunately the boat was moored at the ferry crossing, surrounded by water on all sides, and the fire had been discovered relatively early. After everyone struggled for a quarter of an hour, they managed to extinguish it. The passageway was left blackened, with a sharp smell of smoke hanging in the air.
The boat owner’s face was livid as he seized the deckhand who had been on watch that night and berated him harshly. The man’s clothes were disheveled, and he reeked of alcohol. Clearly, he had been sleeping off somewhere instead of doing his duty. Now he merely hunched his shoulders and trembled like a leaf.
“I’m terribly sorry, truly sorry!” The boat owner turned to the shaken passengers and bowed repeatedly. “That oil lamp must have been blown down by the night wind, and then it ignited the clutter. Thankfully, we put it out in time, before it could become a disaster. It was all due to my failure to keep my men properly supervised. I will punish this good-for-nothing severely! I apologize for disturbing everyone’s sleep. Please return to your cabins and rest. It’s all right now. Everything’s fine.”
Though he tried to reassure the passengers, cold sweat continued to bead on his forehead. Once the crowd had begun to disperse, he wiped his face roughly and steeled himself to go upstairs.
The door to Zhao Sheng’s cabin was still slightly ajar. There was no light inside, nor any sign of movement. The boat owner stood at the entrance, hesitated for a moment, and raised his hand to knock—only to lower it again.
Just then, Zhao Sheng’s servant emerged from the neighboring cabin, his expression displeased.
The boat owner hurried over and bent deeply at the waist. “Young sir, I’m terribly sorry. It was the negligence of one of my men that caused this disturbance and interrupted Master Zhao’s sleep. I wonder if Master Zhao was frightened? I’ll go in and kneel to apologize at once…”
The servant frowned and glanced at the closed door. After a moment’s hesitation, he lowered his voice and said, “You know my master’s temper. He hates having his sleep disturbed. Since the fire didn’t spread up here, there’s no need to make such a fuss. It’s the middle of the night, so let things settle down.”
After a pause, he stepped aside. “If you insist on going in to apologize, you can do it yourself.” He had no desire to invite trouble, much less accompany the boat owner.
“Yes, yes, of course,” the boat owner said, nodding repeatedly. “Then I won’t disturb Master Zhao’s rest. You should get some sleep as well.”
He backed away with his body bent low and descended the stairs as quietly as possible.
The crowd gradually dispersed. Only a few deckhands remained on deck, clearing away the charred debris.
Lin Wu stood by the railing, looking down.
The surface of the river was black as ink, still and unruffled.
Her eyes reflected that darkness. They were just as black and calm, like two bottomless pools that revealed nothing.
The night wind brushed past, carrying a faint chill.
She gazed silently for a while, then withdrew her eyes, picked up her scattered luggage, and turned back to her cabin.
The next morning, daylight spread across the sky.
Zhao Sheng’s servant had kept watch outside the door for a long time. He waited and waited, but Zhao Sheng never emerged. Unease mounting in his heart, he finally worked up the courage to knock.
“Master? Are you awake?”
There was no answer.
He called out twice more, but the cabin remained utterly silent. After hesitating for a long while, he reached out and gave the door a gentle push. It was not bolted. With a creak, it opened a crack.
The servant cautiously peered inside. At the first glance, his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the floor.
Every trunk and chest had been thrown open. All the valuables inside had been stolen, leaving only a few rumpled old garments scattered across the floor.
And Zhao Sheng was nowhere to be seen.
The servant crawled and stumbled all the way to the boat owner, his voice trembling.
“Master Zhao—Master Zhao is gone! His cabin has been completely ransacked!”
The boat owner’s heart gave a violent thump. So the little thief hadn’t merely robbed him—he had robbed Zhao Sheng as well. Of course. He must have been after Zhao Sheng all along. With such an ostentatious carriage and clothing, not to mention those heavy chests, who else would the thief target?
Compared with his own paltry losses, what did they matter now? Zhao Sheng’s disappearance was the real catastrophe.
Following the servant, he hurried to Zhao Sheng’s private cabin, taking three steps for every two. One glance was enough to make his heart sink.
Lost valuables could still be recovered, but where was the man? Where had Zhao Sheng gone?!
Forcing himself to remain calm, he ordered the crew to immediately count everyone aboard.
When the count was finished, they found that three people were indeed missing from the ship. The crewman who had stood watch the previous night had gone deathly pale. Only then did he stammer out that those people had pulled him into drinking with them the night before.
The boat owner’s vision went black. He was even more terrified than the crewman. Lost belongings could still be concealed, but a missing person—especially someone sent by an imperial consort from the palace—could cost him not only his boat, but his very head.
He immediately ordered the sailors to search the waters all around the passenger vessel. Then he personally led men in turning the ship upside down, searching every inch from top to bottom and inside out. Yet they still found no trace of Zhao Sheng.
Could it be that the thieves had not only stolen their valuables, but abducted someone as well?
With matters having come to this, the boat owner could do nothing but steel himself and order the boatman in charge to continue sailing toward Hetan County, planning to report the matter to the authorities the moment they reached the dock.
