Nanyi leaned closer to listen, only hearing her unclear voice say: “The things Pang Yu didn’t finish… I’ll complete them for him…”
Even in her sleep-talk, it was filled with determination.
Her relationship with Xie Queshan was now beyond repair.
Though ultimately this had nothing to do with Nanyi, she still felt somewhat sad. Her attitude toward Xie Queshan was complicated. Sometimes she felt he wasn’t so bad, but everyone around her, including his own actions, constantly reminded her that he was definitely not a good person.
Stepping out of the room and looking up, the night sky beyond the eaves showed traces of milky white.
The long night had finally passed.
——
Outside the small thatched cottage in Jiangyue Lane, two Qi soldiers stood guard.
They were responsible for watching Song Muchuan until the government offices opened tomorrow, when they would escort him to take up his position at the Bureau of Ships.
The candlelight in the thatched cottage had burned most of the night, with the occasional rustling sound of turning pages. Scholars were truly pedantic—even when working for the Qi people, he showed not the slightest hint of being perfunctory.
As dawn approached, the candle finally went out. Song Muchuan tidied up, apparently preparing to sleep. The two guards glanced inside—the figure lay with his back to the window, the blanket bulging. They yawned drowsily and paid no further attention.
But at this moment, Song Muchuan had already escaped like a cicada shedding its shell, traveling through the secret passage connecting the house to the Bingzhu Bureau. The gentle scholar had transformed into the unfathomable leader of the Bingzhu Bureau.
A contact spy had long been waiting at the end of the passage, handing over a letter.
“Sir, this is the reply from the Grand Secretary.”
Song Muchuan had previously written to the Grand Secretary, reporting on his affairs after taking office and casually inquiring about… the identity of “Wild Goose.”
Only after reviewing all the Bingzhu Bureau spy files did he discover there was a mysterious agent codenamed “Wild Goose” whose actions weren’t controlled by anyone, and a special team within the bureau was dedicated solely to him.
But no one had seen who “Wild Goose” was. He had established methods for transmitting intelligence with the Bingzhu Bureau—only intelligence was seen, never the person.
It was this “Wild Goose” who, after Xie Hengzai’s death, had laid the plan to escort Prince Ling’an into the city and arranged for them to be hidden in the Xie family’s back mountain Buddhist hall.
To say he wasn’t curious would be false. In all of Li Du Mansion with its tens of thousands of people, anyone could be a spy hidden in plain sight.
But who exactly had such great capability? Song Muchuan had directly asked in his letter.
However, the Grand Secretary replied: The time is not yet right.
This wasn’t surprising either. If all these covert matters were laid out clearly, they wouldn’t be called spies anymore.
Song Muchuan knowingly burned the reply over the candle flame, then took out a paper from his sleeve and handed it to the contact. This was the list he had written by lamplight tonight.
“Have people purchase the items listed here from various places and transport them into the city.”
The spy glanced at the list and was shocked.
“Sir, this is…”
“Like ants moving house—multiple times, small quantities. Don’t alert anyone.”
“Yes.” The spy didn’t dare question further and accepted the task with cupped hands.
“The ships the Qi people want built will be their own graves.”
His voice was cold and resolute.