That day, the Seventeenth Prince received intelligence early in the morning and immediately notified the Thirteenth Prince.
"A ship has secretly left the island..." Seventeenth Master's tone was filled with excitement, as if he had been waiting for this day for a long time.
Thirteenth Master paced back and forth in the room with his arms crossed. Seventeenth Master said excitedly, "Thirteenth Brother, what are we waiting for? They only come out once a month. If we miss it, we'll have to wait another month!"
Thirteenth Master thought for a moment, then looked at Seventeenth Master and said, "It's not that I don't want to take action, it's just that they are very vigilant. If we don't have a foolproof plan, we might alert them..."
Seventeenth Master said confidently, "Thirteenth Brother, I've already found out. Although they've always been very careful and never buy from the same place twice, they always go to the same grain shop. So we can start with that grain shop..."
The Thirteenth Master murmured, "A grain shop?"
Seventeenth Master stepped forward and explained, "The island has a large population, and the monthly demand for food and fodder is enormous. So once a shop is chosen, it's difficult to change it. This weakness can be used to our advantage..." He paused, then hesitated, "But... but they're very cunning... they always use their own people..."
Thirteenth Master sat down, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked, "So how are the provisions transported to the island each time?"
The Seventeenth Master composed himself and said, "It seems the grain shop had an agreement with them. Each time, they would only transport the grain to a hidden port and then leave. They would send people to the port to transport it themselves, so there was no chance of them meeting... We only managed to find out this time because the grain shop was experiencing a shortage of supplies recently and wanted to source grain from other places. I found it strange that such a small place as Songjiang Prefecture would have such a large demand, so I investigated secretly and found out..."
The Thirteenth Prince smiled and nodded, encouragingly saying, "You did a great job!"
Seventeenth Master smiled, then said regretfully, "Although the route has been planned, we just can't coordinate with them..."
Thirteenth Master pondered for a moment, then stood up and said with determination, "I have a plan! I'll disguise myself as a grain merchant and meet these people. I'll improvise and see if I can sneak onto the island."
Seventeenth Master was shocked and immediately refused: "No! This is far too dangerous... They are highly skilled in martial arts. If you infiltrate alone, it's like throwing an egg against a rock. If you are discovered, it's all over..."
Thirteenth Master dismissed it, saying, "It's alright. Don't you know how capable your thirteenth brother is? He can fool everyone with just a few petty tricks! Besides, they're just young women, nothing to worry about..."
Seventeenth Master hesitated for a moment, but still disagreed: "They will never meet with the grain merchants. Your rash action will only arouse suspicion. I will not allow you to joke with your life!"
Thirteenth Prince patted Seventeenth Prince on the shoulder: "You don't need to worry about that, I have my own way!" Thirteenth Prince paused and said softly, "I have other purposes. If I can get to the island and see Fourteenth Brother, I want to persuade him first. Fourth Brother doesn't really want to deal with him, he just hopes that he can put aside his prejudices and live a good life. After all, we are brothers, it's never good for us to fight each other..."
Seventeenth Master remained silent, looking at Thirteenth Master with worry. Thirteenth Master chuckled and said, "Don't look at me like I'm facing death. It's not like I'm sending you to your death. Don't worry! Everything will be fine... Just wait here for my good news!"
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