Chapter 389: Thin Mist

A grain transport ship rocked gently on the Lihé. The vessel sailed slowly along the Lihé, the earliest section of the Grand Canal — the Hangou, built by Yue Wang, connecting Yangzhou to the Great River. Departing Yangzhou, they sailed with the current. The boatmen had hoisted the sails; this stretch of the journey was very relaxed.

Inside the cabin, Mo Qiyun lowered the bamboo blind over the window and went to lean against Jiang Shou. "Once we cross the river today, we'll be in Jinling."

"Can't bear to leave Yangzhou again?"

Mo Qiyun took Jiang Shou's hand and pouted. "No. I'll be with Jiang Jiejie my whole life. In a few years we'll both have children — won't that be lively. If Jiang Jiejie has one first, I'll help you raise it, and when I have mine, Jiejie can help me."

"Just crossed the threshold and already thinking about having children."

Mo Qiyun recalled crossing the threshold yesterday, and the corners of her mouth lifted involuntarily. That lively scene seemed still before her eyes.

The men who came to Yangzhou to buy Slender Horses were almost all from out of town, with no local friends or family. But they still wanted to hold some kind of celebration. The fake mothers nominally considered it marrying off a daughter, so a bit of ceremony felt better. Demand bred a market, and many troupes specializing in Slender Horse wedding rites appeared in Yangzhou, maintaining long-term strategic partnerships with the various families who raised Slender Horses.

After Young Master Jiang chose the two of them, a troupe leader he knew got word immediately and came to the inns to arrange the business. As long as the husband's family paid the silver, within a quarter-hour they could have ritual coins, cakes and fruits, torch-bearers, flower lanterns, torches, recluse, master of ceremonies, and Paper Candles all fully prepared. They summoned a large troupe and, following Yangzhou's rites for receiving a concubine, carried the two to the inns in flower sedan chairs amid clamorous Gong and Drum. They held a lively wedding ceremony with bows to heaven and earth, and once it was done and they'd collected their reward money, they immediately went on to the next house. The same troupe could deliver brides for several families in a single day — assembly-line work, extremely professional, even more bustling than a regular family's wedding.

Jiang Shou was more concerned with the present. She leaned close to Mo Qiyun's ear. "Then tell me, after he brought us back yesterday, why didn't our husband have us attend him in bed?"

Mo Qiyun returned from memory to reality and blinked. "Our husband's home is in Jinling. It's not far. There's no reason to consummate the marriage at an inns."

"Mother said those men who come to take concubines are all desperately impatient."

Mo Qiyun gave a little snort. "My husband is a refined man from a great household. How could those merchants compare? Look at the dock when we boarded today — so many people seeing us off and receiving us. This boat carries no other passengers either. It must be a very great family estate."

"A very great family estate," Jiang Shou said after a moment of Strategic Patience. "Then why is there not a single Maid following? And those household servants — not one of them speaks. The ones who met us at the dock all looked terribly fierce."

Mo Qiyun hesitated slightly. "Perhaps great households are simply like this?"

"We've seen so many customers come, and the servants they bring aren't like this. When people from great households go out, many bring Maids. Why does our husband bring only men? We can't even find a Maid to ask. We've crossed the threshold and still don't know if our husband's parents are well, or if there's a principal wife." Jiang Shou looked at Mo Qiyun. "Our husband likes that you're bold. Go ask him."

"Me?" Mo Qiyun pointed at herself, then shook her head. "I'm scared."

"Just go ask. Otherwise my heart will keep feeling this hollow unease." As she spoke, Jiang Shou grabbed for Mo Qiyun's Waist.

Mo Qiyun blocked with both hands, laughing. "Alright, alright, I'll go ask. What's there to be afraid of with my own husband? Give me the face veil."

Jiang Shou quickly rummaged out the face veil and handed it to Mo Qiyun. Once Mo Qiyun had put it on, she came to the door, pouted to steel her Courage, and pushed the cabin door open.

The river Wind rushed at her face. The spring Wind carried warmth. In her field of vision, a thin mist lay over the vast river surface. Young Master Jiang was on the deck, speaking with a household servant about something. Hearing the door open, he turned his head, stopped talking at once, and looked calmly at Mo Qiyun.

Mo Qiyun stepped carefully out of the cabin and raised her head to look at Young Master Jiang. She saw him standing on the deck, his whole figure as if inlaid into the vast white mist behind him.

Mo Qiyun lowered her head, both hands clutching her skirt as she asked nervously, "I — Jiang Jiejie told me to ask our husband. We're about to cross the river, and we still don't know what elders and sisters are in the household. We're afraid we won't know how to address them when we arrive."

Young Master Jiang nodded to the household servant, who immediately withdrew several steps. Young Master Jiang then beckoned to Mo Qiyun, signaling her to come closer to talk. Mo Qiyun kept her head down. The boat rocked a little, and she Staggered, hurriedly grabbing a nearby halyard for hoisting the sail to steady herself.

After she steadied herself, Young Master Jiang said, "Though I reside in Nanjing, I am not from there, nor will you be going to Jinling. So you need not worry about forms of address. I dislike beating around the bush, so I will tell you both plainly. I am the Gang Leader of the Anqing Canal Gang. I bought you two not to take concubines."

Those two simple sentences left Mo Qiyun stunned on the spot. She had never imagined that the marriage she had looked forward to would be like this. The Anqing Canal Gang had a ferocious and terrifying reputation in Yangzhou lately. Every day she heard of how many people had been killed, where another body had been dumped — all brought by the Anqing Canal Gang. No matter what, she could not connect it to the refined husband before her eyes. And he said it was not to take concubines. The hope she had cherished of serving her husband and raising children instantly fled into the distance. Her heart full of expectation shattered completely.

The grain transport ship sailed into that mist on the river surface. Everything around grew somewhat blurry, and ahead was a vast, indistinct expanse.

Mo Qiyun's face was pale. Summoning her Courage, she asked, "Then — then where are the two of us to go?"

"There is another Destination. You will know when you arrive. But do not worry — it will certainly not be a place like the Pearl Market Brothel." Jiang Fan's gaze flicked toward the cabin door. "If you two wish to go back on this, you may speak frankly, and I can send you back to Yangzhou."

There were a few boatmen working on the deck, but there was one man on each side of the deck. Mo Qiyun suddenly sensed that Young Master Jiang and these two men were all paying close attention to her reaction. Before she learned Jiang Fan's Identity, Mo Qiyun had never felt afraid seeing them, but now her heart pounded wildly.

The boat was now at the confluence of the Lihé and the Great River. Ahead, misty waves stretched boundlessly; to left and right, there was nothing but rolling river water. Thin wisps of mist streamed past them. On the deck were strangers of unknown origin. She instinctively felt that if she went back on this, it would absolutely not be as easy as her husband said to return to Yangzhou. Not to mention that the fake mother would never refund the silver. Failing to back out would only offend this Canal Gang Gang Leader for nothing, making life even harder from then on.

Mo Qiyun made her decision swiftly. She gritted her teeth and said, "We are our husband's people. Wherever our husband sends us, we will follow our husband's arrangements."

A hint of appreciation showed in Jiang Fan's eyes. He nodded. "That is best. When you reach that place, you will first learn some things. Afterward, I have other arrangements. Ahead is where we enter the river. If there is nothing else, you may return to the cabin and rest, so the Wind and waves do not frighten you."

Mo Qiyun dared not ask more. She made a respectful curtsy toward Jiang Fan, lifted her skirt, and Turned Around to re-enter the cabin. Jiang Shou was right by the door; she had also heard the conversation on the deck. Seeing Mo Qiyun come in, she quickly shut the cabin door.

Mo Qiyun threw her arms around Jiang Shou and wept in a low voice. "How can it be the Anqing Canal Gang? What kind of man is he really? And he said we're not to be concubines. Who knows where he's actually sending us? Jiejie, what are we going to do?"

Jiang Shou patted her back. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Jiejie is here with you."

"He specifically said it's not a Brothel. Could it actually be exactly that?"

Jiang Shou shook her head. "It won't be. For a Brothel, you can just buy any girls at the Eastern Market. Why spend extra silver to buy us? He mentioned learning something — learn what exactly?"

Mo Qiyun had no heart to think about learning anything. She cried for a while, then pressed her face to Jiang Shou's neck. "It's all my fault for dragging Jiejie into this. Otherwise Jiejie could have gone to a good family."

"How can this be blamed on you?" Jiang Shou placed her hand on Mo Qiyun's head and stroked it gently. "Going somewhere else might not have been better either. You've heard the old women in the courtyard talk — some who went to great households were bullied by the principal wife, even beaten to death. Some whose families fell into decline were sold by the husband's family to a Brothel. It's hard to say which place is good and which is bad. We are Slender Horses, born to this Fate. We can't control it, and we can't blame anyone else. No matter what, we sisters will stay together."

Mo Qiyun gave a sound of assent but could not help starting to cry again.

From outside came a great shout: "Crossing the river!"

The boat shuddered. The two quickly braced themselves against the cabin wall. The sound of rushing, splashing waves poured into the cabin from outside. The boat began to rock violently. Mo Qiyun had never been out on the river before and could not help clinging tightly to Jiang Shou.

After a good while, it gradually steadied. Jiang Shou gently pulled aside the bamboo blind. In the white-mist-filled view, Yangzhou was no longer visible. The North Bank of the Great River was receding farther and farther into the distance.

……

On Zhengzhong Street in Nanjing city, in the Shopkeeper's Direct Office on the third floor of the Great River Silver Bank, Liu Ruogu set down a sheet of paper with complex patterns. He laid it on the table and said, "More refined than the last one. I've examined it carefully three times and found no hidden marks in the patterns."

Zhou Yueru handed over a magnifying glass. "This is a magnifying glass sent from the Anqing workshops. With this, you can see them. There are five hidden pattern marks and three hidden color marks in total. With this magnifying glass behind the counter, one can do an initial authenticity check."

"Every Wharf must settle accounts at the Silver Bank. Not every transaction is a large deal, but the small transactions number in the tens of thousands. The mid-value Banknote is prepared precisely for such transactions. Using the patterns for an initial check is fairly reliable. How is the Shuima coming along?"

Zhou Yueru looked slightly embarrassed. "Because the paper stock hasn't been decided, the Shuima hasn't been made yet."

"What other anti-counterfeiting Methods are there?"

"Within the amount figure at the top, there are two Jiaoyanshu."

Liu Ruogu looked at the numbers in the upper middle section of the Banknote, then raised his head to look at Zhou Yueru. "What does Jiaoyanshu mean?"

"It's newly instituted by Sir Pang. The other numbers, when put through two separate formulas, each yield a number. Both must match two specific numbers on the ticket face for it to be genuine."

Liu Ruogu laughed in spite of himself. "How did Sir Pang think of that? The fewer people who know the formulas, the better — at most one person per Silver Bank."

"The workshops are working on a device. They say using it, one can calculate it without the user knowing the formulas. That way it's easy to print and easy to calculate. They say there's already some progress."

Liu Ruogu pondered for a moment, then nodded. "A device is more reliable than a person. Just inspect it and lock it up each day. Sir Pang thinks of everything." Having said this, Liu Ruogu rubbed the paper with his hand. "It's just that the paper quality still resembles ordinary Petition Paper. Every Wharf along the river will need to conduct settlements. The use of this Banknote differs from a Silver Note. The Banknote has a clear face value, carries its own interest, and has no Secret Phrase. This makes it convenient for transactions. The holder will naturally wait until maturity to redeem the silver. Sir Pang hopes they will circulate on the river for a longer time. The paper needs to be slightly thicker, more resistant to water and damp than ordinary paper. The ink must be durable. The ticket face must be exquisite, and it must feel distinctly different to the touch."

"We searched all of Nanjing and couldn't find any. If we place a custom order, it should be possible, but then others could naturally buy the exact same paper later. There can be not the slightest error or omission with this Banknote. This humble one feels it's still best to buy only the Chu Liao and make it ourselves in Anqing."

"That is the most secure approach. I will make the decision on this matter first. Have the Anqing workshops prepare a space and place a recruitment notice in the Times. Recruit paper craftsmen in Anqing, Nanjing, and Jiujiang — three locations." Liu Ruogu looked up at Zhou Yueru. "Miss Zhou, you've worked hard. This version is much improved from before. However, as you said, the Banknote allows not the slightest negligence. We must still strive for perfection."

"It is this subordinate's duty." Zhou Yueru hesitated a moment, then asked, "Is Sir Pang's Bandit Suppression campaign in Huguang going smoothly?"

Liu Ruogu looked at her in surprise. "Sir Pang exchanges letters with you. Has he not mentioned it?"

Zhou Yueru shook her head. "He only spoke of the Banknote and Silver Coins matters."

Liu Ruogu said with a faint smile, "The bandit hordes in Huguang are inclined to accept pacification and are now awaiting the court's approval. Lord Pang has never engaged them in battle, so Zhou Guniang need not worry."

Zhou Yueru's face flushed, but she offered no defense. Liu Ruogu looked at the Banknote again and said, "In every letter Lord Pang sends, he writes the words 'time will not wait for me.' The Suzhou Silver Bank is already open, and branch offices will soon be established along the Grand Canal. Plans are also underway in the Capital, and we are only waiting for Jiang Fan to have a free moment. This Banknote is truly a critical link, so I must ask Zhou Guniang to endure a little more hardship."

"This subordinate understands. If Liu Shopkeeper is writing a letter to the lord, please tell the lord… to take good care of himself."

Having said this, Zhou Yueru performed a respectful curtsy and slowly withdrew from the Direct Office. Liu Ruogu shook his head, then picked up the Banknote before him and gazed at it for a long while. "That single staff strike from your father truly beat a divine talent into being."