Chapter 65 And tonight, Heisou's head will be...
On the eaves, unnoticed by anyone, Hengbo darted about like a nimble cat, its form blending perfectly with the night.
Her face remained calm, but in her heart she was pondering Kazama Noko's betrayal.
Yes, it was betrayal.
When Shen Guitang promised that she wouldn't implicate innocent people, Kazama Noko had already pledged her allegiance to him. Her ability to go out and operate was also due to some kind of agreement reached with Shen Guitang.
But now, she has defected...
Without a doubt, she must have learned that Chen Yu had been taken away by Li Jian's men, and that Li Jian was now under the control of Ping Cangjie. Therefore, all she needed to do was find Ping Cangjie.
When Kazama Noko claimed that Ishikawa Ichiro had not left her any evidence of his conspiracy with the late emperor when he was dying, Shen Guitang remained silent. He clearly did not believe her, but he also knew that pressuring someone like Kazama Noko was the most useless method.
As for Yokomami, she simply wanted to give Kazama Noko a chance, a chance to make that sensible child suffer less. Therefore, she needed to hurry!
After all, she was alone this time.
Half an hour ago.
After Heifeng reported to Shen Guitang that Kazama Noko had disappeared, Shen Guitang was not in a hurry at all, and could even be described as indifferent.
"Let her be."
Black Wind looked somewhat bewildered. "She just got away like that?"
Shen Guitang sneered: "Ping Cangjie wants what she has simply to incite unrest in the court and create an opportunity for himself. Since we're going to publicize this anyway, what's wrong with letting him do it?"
"As for Kazama Noko?" he sneered, "Even if she wants to die, we can't stop her." With that, he returned to his room, intending to completely abandon her...
Let's return to the present.
The most dangerous place is the safest place. Yokobo guessed that Hirasawa was still in the prefectural city at the moment, but he would not stay here for long.
Therefore, the ferry crossing is the most likely place he is at that moment.
At the ferry crossing lined with boats, a man and a woman sat facing each other inside a two-story passenger ship that blended in inconspicuously among them.
The man in the blue robe rinsed his mouth with tea, then picked up a delicate pastry and savored it. He was a man of refined appearance and exceptional temperament, not inferior to any scholar of the Great Jin Dynasty. Yet, who would have thought that this was none other than Taira Sosuke, the current leader of the Japanese pirates?
Kazama Noko, sitting opposite him, said thoughtfully, "No wonder General Ishikawa lost to you."
Hirai Sōsuke smiled calmly: "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. That's why I never hesitate to learn from the Jin people. However," he glanced at Kazama Noko, "Noko, you can no longer be seen as a Japanese at all."
Kazama Noko felt a mix of emotions upon hearing this. These two Japanese people were meeting, yet they were eating Jin food, learning Jin etiquette, and even communicating in the Jin language.
She said softly, "Perhaps you haven't realized it yet, but we've already lost."
Ping Cangjie did not grasp her deeper meaning, only thinking that she was referring to the fact that Ji Heng had destroyed the Li Jian line. "It's just Li Jian. How could our years of planning in Quzhou be destroyed so easily?"
“Besides, Yezi,” Ping Cangjie said with an air of confidence, “what you have is enough to shake the foundations of the Great Jin. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us.”
Kazama Noko's eyes were full of indifference. "Kazama Noko died more than ten years ago. The person in front of you now is just a country bumpkin named Chen Xiuqin."
Ping Cangjie sighed, his tone gentle as if he were thinking of her wholeheartedly: "I know you have more concerns now that you are a mother, so I sent someone to bring your child here temporarily. That way, you can rest assured."
Kazama Noko's fingers, which were hanging by her sides, suddenly curled up. Sure enough...
At that time, she was completing the first task given to her by Shen Guitang when a Japanese man suddenly told her as he passed by that Ping Cangjie was waiting for her at the ferry, and that she would regret it for the rest of her life if she did not go.
Then, considering that Guixiang hadn't returned for a long time, what else could she not understand?
Therefore, upon hearing his words, which were tantamount to a threat, Kazama Noko felt nothing but a sense of powerlessness, as if the dust had settled.
"I need to see him first." Kazama Noko's words were a tacit admission that the item was indeed in her possession.
Hirai Sōsuke's breathing quickened. He had only tricked her before, and now that he had received a definite answer, he was inevitably a little excited.
However, he quickly suppressed his surprise. "Of course, you and your son must miss each other terribly after not seeing each other for a few days. But," he said in a low voice, "children are fragile. If you don't want to see him die in front of you, it's best not to do anything rash."
A dark glint flashed in Kazama Noko's eyes. "Don't worry, to me, nothing in this world is more precious than his life."
Inside the ship's cabin, Chen Yu huddled alone in a storage room filled with the salty smell of seawater. This was the second time he had been captured by the Japanese, so apart from the initial panic, he had gradually become accustomed to this unfamiliar place.
He was half asleep when he vaguely heard footsteps coming from above. He had gotten used to people walking over his head from time to time over the past few days, so he didn't think much of it, turned over, and went back to sleep.
However, this time was different from the past. Just after he rolled over, the wooden plank above his head was pulled open, and someone climbed down the wooden ladder.
It wasn't mealtime, and Chen Yu instantly woke up, staring intently at the group of people carrying a lamp as they approached him.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid; after all, he was still just a naive child, naturally fearful of death. But when he saw the face of the woman walking at the front, his unease and fear vanished instantly like the receding tide.
He stood up and took two steps forward, shouting, "Mother!"
When Kazama Noko saw Chen Yu huddled in a corner wrapped in a tattered rag, she felt as if a thousand needles were pricking her heart. However, in front of his bright, affectionate eyes, she tried to suppress the bitterness rising in her heart, and said in a hoarse but strong voice, "Yu'er, don't be afraid, Mother has come to find you."
However, this touching reunion between mother and child was quickly broken by the person behind Kazama Noko. Hira Sosuke stepped out from behind Kazama Noko and gave Chen Yu a wicked smile, "What? Didn't you say you didn't know her?"
Chen Yu's pupils dilated, and he unconsciously took two steps back. "I...I mistook her for someone else," he said, turning his head away to avoid Kazama Noko's gaze. "She's not my mother. I've never seen her before."
Seeing Chen Yu's reaction, Kazama Noko felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. She subconsciously stepped forward to pull Chen Yu's sleeve, but he dodged her as if avoiding a snake. "Yu'er!"
Chen Yu lowered his eyes, refusing to look at her, "My mother wouldn't be a Japanese pirate."
Kazama Noko's hand, which was suspended in mid-air, began to tremble uncontrollably, and her shoulders also shrugged.
She had been wielding a knife since childhood, and this was the most unsteady she had ever been in her life.
Hirai Sosuke found everything quite interesting, but he had more important things to do and lost the patience to watch any longer. "Now that you've seen the person, you can hand over the things to me."
Kazama Noko glared at him angrily, "What exactly did you say to him?"
Hirai Sosuke twitched the corner of his mouth, but before he could say anything, Chen Yu grabbed Kazama Noko's sleeve first, "Don't give it to him!"
Hirai Sosuke's face instantly turned extremely ugly. "Shut up if you want to live."
Chen Yu ignored him, her neck stiff, and instead looked directly at Kazama Noko, her eyes filled with determination and pleading: "I am not your son, go away, don't come to save me."
He knew the man had kidnapped him to threaten his mother into doing bad things for him, and he also knew the man would kill him if he didn't get what he wanted. But he didn't want to be a burden to her anymore; his mother was clearly trying very hard to be a good person.
He would rather die than let her be a bad person.
Chen Yu raised her face, tears falling onto Kazama Noko's heart. "My mother's name is Chen Xiuqin, not Kazama Noko. She would never collude with the Japanese. She is the most beautiful, capable, and kindest person in our village."
"She is a wonderful person."
"I beg you," Chen Yu sobbed intermittently, "don't be Kazama Noko, be Chen Xiuqin."
Kazama Noko was stunned. She had previously thought that his unwillingness to acknowledge her meant he saw her as a stain on his life. But it turned out that he didn't want her life to be stained with new stains.
However, Kazama Noko's nails dug deeply into her flesh, her expression a mixture of laughter and tears: "You're not begging me, you're forcing me."
If she still wanted him to acknowledge her as his mother, she would have to give up his life.
But he didn't know that any mother could watch her child die in front of her.
Before Chen Yu's wide eyes, Kazama Noko delivered a chop to his neck, and then he fell into a state of chaos.
Kazama Noko looked at the unconscious child in her arms and said, "In that case, I will no longer be your mother."
After saying that, she walked towards Hirasawa Sōsuke. "I can give you the things," she said, taking out a letter from her bosom and showing him the seal inside. "But you have to release my child first."
Hirai Sōsuke instinctively reached out to grab it, but Kazama Noko nimbly dodged him. She made a tearing motion, saying, "I also advise you not to act rashly. This piece of paper is more fragile than a child."
Hirai Sosuke stared at her for a moment, then finally relented, "We'll do as you say."
...
On another small boat next to the two-story passenger ship, Keika, who had finally been released, took the child from Kazama Noko's arms. "Noko, what about you?"
Kazama Noko shook her head. "I've been a burden to you for many years. After you hand him over to my husband, go live your own life."
Gui Xiang was her maid in Japan. After coming to Da Jin with her, she always put her first. After the battle with Zhennan, she was purged by Ping Cangjie. The two were separated for a short time, but after they met again by chance, Gui Xiang helped her a lot.
However, her promise to "take her back to Japan" will probably never come true.
Guixiang, mindful of Ping Cangjie beside them, hesitated to speak and turned back to climb into the boat.
Kazama Noko watched the small boat drift away until it disappeared completely, and finally felt relieved. She turned to look at Hira Sosuke beside her and said, "It's windy at the ferry crossing, why don't we go back to the boat?"
For Hirai Sosuke, the ship was full of his own people, which made him feel safer. So he didn't refuse, saying, "Of course, but you shouldn't make any futile struggles."
Kazama Noko smiled and said no more.
Back in her room, Kazama Noko opened the window. "Quzhou is still so lively after just experiencing floods."
Ping Cangjie frowned, assuming he was stalling for time, and casually said, "Quzhou has a convenient geographical location. If we can take it in one fell swoop, it will be a natural progression to use it as a base to penetrate deeper into the Central Plains."
After saying that, he stepped forward, closed the window, and urged, "Alright, now you can put the things..."
His gaze inadvertently fell on the scenery outside the window, and what he saw before him made him look horrified. He realized that his large ship had been surrounded and blockaded by several other large ships that had approached at some unknown time, and on those ships, countless lit torches shone brightly in the night sky.
He turned around abruptly, only to see Kazama Noko grinning at him: "Hira Sosuke, I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Finding Ping Cangjie was originally Shen Guitang's task for her. And tonight, the head of this man before her is her pledge of allegiance.
Meanwhile, inside the prefect's residence.
Black Wind came to report: "Young Master, the Princess has already left the manor."
Shen Guitang nodded, indicating that he understood.
Black Wind hesitated and did not immediately retreat: "Young Master, the Princess will surely discover that we have concealed this from her."
Shen Guitang sighed, "She will understand my intentions."
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