Chapter 80: A Change of Heart

Under the moonlight, the ship rose and fell gently with the waves. Old Wang merely snorted at Guoyuan’s words. “What’s the point of telling me all this? You’d best hope my young master is willing to spare your life.”

Suddenly, a small boat appeared in the distance. A man dressed as a fisherman boarded and walked up to Old Wang, murmuring quietly, “Young Master Han sent word—Tian Chang is preparing to search the area with his men. We should lie low for a while.”

Old Wang glanced back at Guoyuan, frowned slightly, then issued a few terse orders. The large ship began to move forward slowly.

Watching the ship’s movements, Guoyuan guessed something was amiss and asked, “Has Tian Chang made a move?”

But Old Wang ignored him and went straight into the cabin.

In the city of Langya, Liuxia Tuo entered the room. “Master, the message has been sent. What should we do next?”

Meng Di stood by the window, gazing at the night outside with a meaningful smile. “Since we’re here, we might as well settle in. I need to find a way to get Tian Chang to talk and uncover the truth behind my father-in-law’s death.”

Beside him, Su’er looked uneasy. “Husband, if you risk everyone’s lives for my father’s sake, I truly cannot bear it.”

Hearing this, Meng Di gently patted her hand. “You needn’t worry about that. But there is something I must ask you—if your father’s death really is tied to the Tian clan, what do you wish me to do?”

Su’er’s expression changed subtly. For days, she had pondered her father’s dying wish—that she flee Qi in secret and never return. Now, thinking back, she realized there was something suspicious; her father must have known exactly who was after him, hence his warning.

Tian Rangju’s refusal to reveal the truth even at the cost of his own life was clear enough. He simply did not want to plunge the Tian clan into chaos.

Now, confronted with Meng Di’s question, she hesitated for a moment before replying, “If it truly was the Tian clan, then I sever all ties with them. Whatever you decide, I will accept.”

This answer came as no surprise. If Tian Rangju were ignorant, he would not have urged his daughter to escape Qi. It was clear Su’er understood his intentions as well.

Meng Di weighed the pros and cons. The Tian clan’s fief was in Gaotang, not far from Yan. If he wanted to secure the trade route from the Tian family, cooperation was necessary.

Yet, with Su’er by his side, he did not wish to deceive her. After careful thought, he said, “The Tian clan is powerful in Qi. To secure the route to Yan, I must cooperate with them—for now, our strength is too meager and we must compromise. But in the future, I will give you closure.”

Su’er was not ignorant. She had traveled the long road from Gumei to Mengyi, arriving amid the turmoil of a city’s fall—naturally, this left its mark on her. She understood that for Meng Di to secure his place, he must grow ever stronger.

His promise moved her deeply. “Husband, do what you must. Don’t worry about my feelings. These are chaotic times—the most important thing is to find a place where we can survive.”

Seeing Su’er’s understanding, Meng Di squeezed her hand tightly.

Then Su’er frowned and asked, “But what about our current predicament? We’re trapped in Langya. Will Tian Chang move against us?”

“Even if Tian Chang has such thoughts, I’ll make him reconsider. Men like him are driven by profit. He’s smart—he won’t take reckless risks,” Meng Di replied with confidence.

The Tian clan’s power in Qi was considerable, hindered only by the Guo and Gao clans’ grip on the court. Meng Di could already guess Tian Chang’s intentions—he simply wanted to advance his family’s interests.

Yet, Meng Di felt that offering the Sima’s Tactics as a gift to the Gao clan was not wise. After meeting with Tian Chang, he had been pondering this and now had a plan.

He would wait for Tian Chang’s choice. Then his own opportunity would come. Meng Di was almost certain now that Tian Rangju’s death was linked to the Tian family, so he needed enough leverage to continue working with them.

His goal was warhorses, and his only option was Yan. But Lu did not border Yan; to open the trade route, he had no choice but to cooperate with the Tian clan.

Moreover, Mengyi’s location mattered. Historically, Qi and Lu were allied by marriage, but later Lu supported Prince Jiu and Prince Xiao Bai in the struggle for the throne of Qi, leading to the devastating war at Qianshi, where Duke Zhuang of Lu was defeated.

Prince Xiao Bai then ascended as the renowned Duke Huan of Qi, after which came the Battle of Changshao. There, Duke Zhuang, heeding the counsel of Cao Gui, waited patiently as Qi beat the war drums twice; only upon the third did he lead his troops to victory, routed the Qi army, slew Duke Huan’s son Prince Yong, and captured vast amounts of armor, money, and grain.

Unwilling to accept defeat, Duke Huan allied with Song and attacked Lu again, only to lose at Chengqiu. After that, Qi and Lu enjoyed a period of relative peace, during which Lu even sent troops to help Duke Huan in his quest for hegemony.

Later, when Duke Qing of Qi attacked Lu, Lu sought aid from Jin, and at An, the Qi army was again defeated, nearly costing Duke Qing his life.

Though major wars did not erupt again between Qi and Lu, skirmishes were frequent, and Qi never managed a decisive victory over Lu.

The outcomes of those wars were largely due to Qi’s overconfidence, which allowed Lu to seize the advantage. In terms of strength, however, Qi far surpassed Lu.

For his own safety, Meng Di felt it wise to maintain good relations with Qi, at least long enough to buy time to build his own power.

Now, the Three Huan clans within Lu had declined, leaving only Meng’s clan head, Zhong Sun Heji, to hold the line. Yang Hu had become uncontrollably powerful, and with Gongshan Buyou dead, there was no one left to restrain him. Lu was beset by troubles within and without.

If another major war broke out now between Qi and Lu, the outcome would be hard to predict.

Given all this, Meng Di had to do everything he could to maintain friendly ties with Qi and minimize Mengyi’s losses.

Meanwhile, Tian Chang was pacing his room. During the banquet, Meng Di’s proposal had left him undecided, and now he needed time to weigh his options.