Bab 62: A Night Journey (2)
When dinner is done, Prince Li has immediately left the room. TanTan wonders what makes him so rush but she is pretty sure Prince Li won't be here tonight. 'He seems to have important work? But working at night, isn't it dangerous for him? Will he be okay?
TanTan shocked for what she thought about, she shakes her head,
'Am I concerning him? No way...'
FangFang looks confusedly, she holds TanTan's hands.
"Are you okay, YangMu?"
TanTan realizes FangFang is observing so she tries to smile,
"I'm fine...let's back to our room..."
Both of them walk out of the dining room.
Arrived in TanTan's room, they met XiaoRue and QingQing at outside.
XiaoRue immediately reports what she got, that Prince Li and ManQi would be
"I know, XiaoRue..."
QingQing is realizing that FangFang follows TanTan, she is confused. She pulls TanTan away from FangFang for a while and talks secretly to TanTan,
"HuaMuTan, are you planning to bring that child along tonight?"
"No...of course not, but I can't neglect her either..." says TanTan, troubled.
XiaoRue is also worried, she approaches them also,
"XiaoJie,...maybe the plan needed to be delayed tonight" she suggests.
But QingQing also reminds TanTan,
"If you miss it tonight, you'll need to wait longer for the next one..."
TanTan doesn't want to wait, she keeps thinking, no matter what she wants to keep going with her plan tonight.
Fortunately for TanTan, FangFang looks tired and easily sleepy. TanTan purposely recites some boring literature to make FangFang sleepy. When FangFang has fallen asleep, she secretly gets up from the bed and changes a sneaking cloth. After checking again that FangFang has asleep, TanTan tries to go out from the room very quietly. At outside, QingQing and XiaoRue have waited for her.
"I thought you couldn't make it..." QingQing teased her,
"Is it too late?" TanTan worries, the time has passed very late now although TanTan is not sure about the time, there is no clock or watch to tell the time in this ancient day. But she guesses the time is around before midnight right now.
QingQing replies,
"I guess no, usually that kind of meeting will be started at midnight...they don't want to take any risk! Are you ready to go?"
XiaoRue watches them, she still worries for her XiaoJie. TanTan knows it by looking at her face,
"Don't worry, XiaoRue...I'll be fine...just please help me to watch over FangFang for me ok?"
"Yeah, I'll be with her also..." QingQing adds.
Without they realize, FangFang isn't fully asleep. She opens her eyes and notices that TanTan isn't there so she wakes and finds that TanTan and others are grouping outside of the room and her YangMu's cloth is weird, she is liked a young man.
She is overhearing that TanTan seems going to somewhere so she comes closer to them, and asks,
"Where will you go, YangMu?"
Being surprised that FangFang still awake and heard them, they become awkward and having troubled to respond FangFang, especially TanTan.
"FangFang!? I...Ah...eh..."
"It's a secret mission...!!!" QingQing sudden interrupts.
"Mission?"
FangFang, together with TanTan and XiaoRue too are looking at QingQing oddly,
QingQing continues,
"Yes, your father has a very difficult job tonight...and your YangMu with me want secretly help your father...so its a secret mission..."
"Is YiFu in danger?" FangFang becomes worried.
"No. FangFang..." TanTan said
"YES!" QingQing interrupts her immediately.
TanTan stares angrily to QingQing, but QingQing doesn't stop although she is quite scared with TanTan's look.
"But...but I and your YangMu will help your father so he won't be in danger anymore..."
FangFang seems thinking about what QingQing said, she turns to TanTan,
"Do..you need to go, YangMu?"
TanTan struggles. She doesn't want to lie to FangFang but maybe it's the way she can go.
"Well...FangEr...I have to go...to...to help your father...but don't worry, we'll save your YiFu, ok."
"But I want to go too...I want to save YiFu"
"Silly girl, The place is too dangerous for you...and I...need you to stay so you can protect the house while we aren't here..."
FangFang is an obedience girl, she believes what QingQing and TanTan said. She nods and TanTan feels glad, she pats FangFang's head.
"Be a good girl...and one more thing, let it be our secret okay...I want to make your YiFu surprise so don't tell him anything...Can you do that for me, FangFang?"
FangFang nods firmly, TanTan asks XiaoRue to guide FangFang to the room.
"Try to make her rest again, XiaoRue..."
"Ok, XiaoJie...FangFang, come...let me read a book for you while we're waiting..."
Although having a little hesitated but FangFang follows XiaoRue obediently.
After they enter the room, TanTan immediately be a focus on QingQing,
"Let's go..." and then with QingQing's guide, they manage to avoid all guards and get out from the Li Mansion successfully.
TanTan puts in her thought that QingQing's sneaking skill is really good, 'QingQing is really skillful like a ninja...even climbing over a wall is a piece of cake for her...is any independent woman in this era skillful like her?' TanTan wonders.
"Come, follow me..." QingQing shouts in a whisper. The street was so quiet and it's dark, TanTan barely can see anything with the help of moonlight. The night sky is actually very pretty with a half moon and twinkling stars.
"Don't just stare on the sky, you will lose the way later..." scolds QingQing as they keep walking to the remote road.
'Yeah, it's not the time to staring stars...' TanTan looks around, she notices that they are walking almost to outward town.
"Where are we going? Is it still far?" TanTan asks.
"Not too far...we're close...There! We arrive"
Turning her face to where QingQing aims, TanTan sees a huge ornament ship, full of lanterns which giving a red-yellowish radiant surrounding the ship.
"The black market is in the ship??!" It's a big surprise for TanTan,
"Yup...it seems like that ...here!" QingQing hands over a red mask for TanTan to wear and she herself is also wearing another same yellow mask.
Seeing the confusion on TanTan's face, QingQing explains,
"We need to wear it if you want to go into that ship, besides that, it also can hiding our identity...come, we need to go inside before it takes off."
TanTan looks to the ship again. It is still anchored and many people, mostly with eccentric clothes and all are covered by the mask are embarking the ship. So she wears the mask and then walks with QingQing, closer to the ship. When they go up into the ship. TanTan can see that everyone who enters the ship will be checked by two fierce guards, armed by a big sharp falchion for each. Everyone shows a wooden token to pass through, TanTan wonders if QingQing has it or not.
"QingQing..." TanTan whispers nervously.
She points to what she mentions with her gesture and QingQing understands it,
"It's okay. I have it...do you think I will come without any preparation?" QingQing's words calm TanTan although she wonders how QingQing could prepare it nicely,
'Maybe Lady FengHuang who gave the token' she thinks.
Without any difficulties, both TanTan and QingQing manage to embark to the ship smoothly. Inside the ship, TanTan feels she is in the luxury ancient Chinese's restaurant. There is a circular stage in the middle, surrounded by many seats, and balconies on each floor. It has three floors like a theatre, only the stage is a circle. TanTan assumes that those upper floors would be served for the VIP clients, seeing from their clothes which more splendid than people wears below.
But what takes TanTan's attention is the masked people around, she observes them one by one, hoping she can recognize one of them as the masked man she is looking for. So far she doesn't find any closer.
QingQing guides her into a table on the first floor, and then not too long, they can feel the ship has moved. They hear the bell, it's indicating that the ship has sailed.
TanTan wonders, now that they are trapped in this ship, can she meet the silver-masked man she looks for?
'Perhaps it can be a long night...' TanTan sighs.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone