The puppet act finished, and the crowd watching dissipated. The five moved to sit shoulder to shoulder by the river, watching the colorful lights on the other bank. The lanterns winked in and out like a scene from a dream, to the point of seeming unreal. As they watched, Sun Ce hugged one knee, his foot placed on the rocks by the water. To Zhou Yu, this revealed the man’s trepidation—he was afraid of something going wrong.
When the lights of the lanterns faded away and the market was cleaned up, Zhao Yun took the two little children to buy some fried snacks. After that, Zhou Yu said, from his position at the entrance to the market, “Let’s go.”
“I haven’t said goodbye to Zhen-jie yet,” Cao Pi said.
“You can’t go back,” Zhou Yu replied, frowning. “There will be more chances in the future for you two to see each other.”
Cao Pi considered Zhou Yu’s words. Though he was reluctant, he could not afford to slow everyone down at this point, so he could only go along.
✦ ✦ ✦
The carriage came to a stop at the mouth of the alley, and Sun Ce climbed in. Madame Sun was sitting in the carriage, but to their surprise, Zhen Mi was also there. She greeted the group before climbing down to talk with Cao Pi in the alley.
Cao Pi’s eyes reddened, and after talking with her for a while, he took Zhen Mi’s hand in his. She wiped the tears from his eyes before pulling out a tortoiseshell-patterned ring and giving it to Cao Pi.
“Everyone,” Zhen Mi said gently, “we shall meet again someday.”
“Madame Yuan, take good care of yourself,” Zhao Yun said, cupping his hands.
As Zhen Mi left, the rest of them climbed into the carriage. Cao Pi was still dazed, so Zhao Yun reassured him, “You will see each other again in the future.”
Sun Ce smirked. “She’s already married. Are you really set on her?”
Cao Pi glared at him.
His promise to Zhen Mi had eased some of Zhou Yu’s anxiety, even going so far as to tickle him into amusement. The group laughed for a bit before the Lady of Wu wiped the two children’s hands clean. When they passed the backyard of the general’s estate, Zhao Yun led a horse out, escorting the group toward the exit of the city.
The gates to Shouchun would remain open until midnight as a result of the Shangyuan lantern markets. Sun Ce brought them to the city gates, where he bade farewell to Sun Quan and his mother before turning and heading back.
Zhou Yu’s heart did not stop pounding. When he handed over his waist tally, the officer glanced at the carriage’s occupants a few times. Clearly, he’d already received the news Zhou Yu was leaving the city that night, and how their party would be three people in total, with one elder and one child. All their identities matched. A man from under the general’s estate standing next to the officer also checked the entire carriage to make sure no one else was hidden within.
Zhou Yu recognized the civil officer as one of Yang Hong’s subordinates. However, technically, he shouldn’t know how many waist tallies Zhou Yu held. The official finished his check, and as he was about to let them go, the city guard stopped him.
“The three of you,” the officer of the city guard pointed out, “only have one waist tally between you. What’s going on here?”
“How should I know?” Zhou Yu exclaimed. “Why don’t you send someone to ask Yang-daren?! The citizens in the city have all left, yet you won’t let us on official business leave?! This is my decree as an Officer of the Records, and if you dare delay me, you can’t blame me for being impolite!” Zhou Yu looked toward the civil official. “Isn’t that right?”
The civil official wasn’t sure what to do. Many people wanted to leave the city tonight, most of whom had traveled from the regions surrounding Shouchun to celebrate the Shangyuan Festival. Right now the rush of the crowd was like the tide, and Zhou Yu’s horse carriage blocked the city gates, clogging up the opening everyone was funneling out of. The city guard was only aware there would be some people from the general’s estate leaving the city tonight. Not even the subordinate Yang Hong sent could clarify the matter, and so he could only let them through to prevent them from holding things up—he didn’t wish to be punished.
After all, they expected three people, and that was what they found. He couldn’t be bothered caring about the rest.
Zhou Yu climbed onto the driver’s seat, and with a lash of his long whip, the carriage finally exited the city. When he turned back to look, the number of citizens near the gate was growing, and he could no longer find Zhao Yun.
✦ ✦ ✦
Zhao Yun lead the horse with one hand, the other leading Cao Pi.
“Stop,” the officer said. “Identify yourself. I haven’t seen you before.”
Cao Pi pulled out the waist tally. “This is from the general’s estate, see?”
The officer cast them a dubious look.
With the practiced accent of a Hebei officer, Zhao Yun barked arrogantly, “This individual is the nephew of Lord Yuan Benchu, and after celebrating the Shangyuan Festival, he is heading back to Ji Province. What squad are you from? What is your title? What insolence!”
Zhao Yun stood at the city gates, handsome and imposing, like a tree grown from jade. The bright clothing he wore, a set of luxurious martial robes complete with a bodyguard’s sword belted at his side, hung naturally, as if he’d been born in them. Cao Pi, on the other hand, with his thick brows and large eyes, was emanating a scholar’s aura. On his finger, he wore the tortoiseshell ring Zhen Mi gave him, and he flaunted it to the city guard.
“Do you recognize this?” Cao Pi asked.
The city guard stepped aside and let the two of them pass.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Quickly.”
Zhou Yu and his group met up with Cao Pi and Zhao Yun. Zhao Yun lifted Cao Pi into the horse carriage, while he swiftly changed his clothing, donning the guise of a cart driver. He took Zhou Yu’s spot on the driver’s seat, while Zhou Yu mounted Zhao Yun’s horse.
“Where are your attendants?” Zhao Yun asked.
“I arranged for them to be at the inn,” Zhou Yu said. “We’ll travel under the cover of darkness tonight, and tomorrow night when we arrive at our lodgings, you’ll take Cao Pi and make your way first. Leave the rest of them to me.”
“How many men are there?” Zhao Yun asked.
Zhou Yu gestured that there were about twenty.
“You, me, and Bofu are more than enough to deal with twenty men,” Zhao Yun boasted.
“We cannot act recklessly,” Zhou Yu replied. “Madame Sun and the two children are here, and they might fall into enemy hands.”
A quiet discussion between them followed as they watched the city gates in the distance.
Zhao Yun said, “Bofu told me to pass this message on to you: ‘If I do not appear in the time it takes to steep a pot of tea, leave.’”
“Let’s wait a little longer,” Zhou Yu said earnestly. “It takes quite a bit of time to return to the estate, change, and leave the city gates.”
To avoid rousing Yuan Shu’s suspicion, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu agreed beforehand that after the lantern markets of the Shangyuan Festival concluded, Sun Ce would return to the general’s estate. Then, he would figure out a way to escape. But this was very dangerous—if Shouchun shut the city gates, then Sun Ce would be locked within.
At the same time, if the soldiers who swore their lives to this cause did not see Zhou Yu appear in the inn on the outskirts of the city, they would grow suspicious. As soon as they reported back to Yuan Shu, their entire group would be in danger.
Upon seeing the citizens cleared away, the guards of Shouchun slowly closed the city gates. With a rumble, they began to separate the lamplight inside from the darkness outside.
“Damn,” said Zhao Yun.
That word sent Zhou Yu into the depths of the abyss. He looked toward Zhao Yun to assure himself, who said, “Stay calm. Do not panic. If leaving the city was not an option, did you and Bofu agree on your next move?”
“If we leave him behind, we wait until tomorrow,” Zhou Yu said anxiously. “But Yuan Shu might be planning to kill him tonight…”
“Go first,” Zhao Yun said decisively. “Trust him. Jia!”
Zhou Yu turned back and focused once more on Shouchun. He sucked in a deep breath, praying silently that Sun Ce would catch up to them tomorrow.
Without knowing the outcome, Zhou Yu felt his heart sink in his chest. Just as Zhao Yun was about to get the carriage moving, Zhou Yu begged, “Wait a little longer—just fifteen minutes more.”