543 Going Into the Sea

As soon as Yuan Lin finished speaking, the few people in the cabin who were nervous suddenly quieted down and stared at the short cabin door unanimously.
Su Qingqiao blinked her eyes and gestured to Yuan Lin, "Who? How many people?"
Yuan Lin had already unloaded his weapons before boarding the ship. Now he held a hook with a half-meter rope attached. After understanding Su Qingqiao's question, he shook his head and leaned closer to the small cabin door.
The footsteps outside were somewhat disorderly, some were from outside the ship, and some were from the cramped little hold. It was daytime outside, and the disciples of Tianya Pavilion on the ship were making noise and having fun.
Yuanlin held his breath and focused. After a while, someone knocked on the small cabin door from outside, and the sound was muffled with the dampness of being at sea all year round.
Boom——
"Young brothers, it's me. Open the door." It was the voice of the kitchen girl.
Yuan Lin turned and glanced at Rong Ge, and Rong Ge, seemingly casual, played with two silver needles with her fingertips, indicating, "Open and take a look."
Yuanlin stood with a straight posture, pulled open the door latch, and opened a small slit, revealing half of a cook's face and a hint of seafood's fishy smell.
"Are the little brothers all here?" The cook, slightly older in age and ordinary in appearance, spoke with a heavy local accent and intentionally lowered her voice. "I'm afraid you are getting bored, so I came to ask if you want to eat something."
Grandma took too much money from Han Yining, which made her feel guilty so she came to ask more questions.
Afraid of being noticed by people passing by the door, Yuanlin moved aside a bit and said, "Come in."
The cook happily wiped her hands on her apron as she entered, her head lowered. She glanced inside and the youngest girl smiled at her. Although the girl had freckles on her face and was not particularly attractive, her eyes were shining brightly, making people inexplicably hesitant to look at her.
另外两人背过身做自己的事，头也懒得回一下。
“那个……你们要是想吃点热乎的，我一会给你们端点过来，”厨娘说：“放心，我们是船上的老人了，没人在意，不会被发现的。”
With her sleeve covering the silver needle that was used to seal the throat with blood, Rongge was kind and said, "Thank you, Madam."
The cook shook her head repeatedly and said, "No need to thank me. I have also secretly smuggled people on the ship before, but none of you have been so generous. The people on this ship only care about money."
Rong Ge still smiled and raised an eyebrow. Yuan Lin understood and immediately took out some money and handed it over. The kitchen maid happily stuffed it into her pocket.
"What's happening outside? It sounds quite lively," Rong Ge pretended to ask nonchalantly, "The noisy atmosphere is scaring me from going out to get some fresh air. I feel suffocated."
The cook pouted and said, "Singing and dancing, indeed quite lively. Once the ship moved away from the shore, these folks with their belongings relaxed. The only two or three girls on the ship were called to dance, and the captain instructed the kitchen to prepare a fish feast. I've been busy for over an hour."
"So that's how it is."
Rong Ge sighed and said thoughtfully, "The sea is rough, yet they still have the mood to sing and dance? Aren't they afraid of danger?"
"You don't understand," the cook said. "Our captain is capable, and as long as he guarantees no mishaps, we won't encounter any. Besides, those people outside are obviously skilled, so why fear the waves? It's just a bit rocky these two days, but the weather will be better later, and we'll be able to safely reach the shore."
Rongge seemed very ignorant and asked, "Auntie, how many days do we have until we reach the shore, do you know?"
The cook thought for a moment, "Less than ten days, anyway, it will pass in the blink of an eye."
The maid said she was afraid someone would come looking for her and hurriedly left, reminding them to send food later.
Yuan Lin saw her off at the exit, but Rong Ge suddenly called out to her, "Auntie, can I go out and help? I can assist in the kitchen with serving the dishes, and with all the chaos outside, no one should notice, right?"
Chuniang is unwilling to take risks, but Han Yining cannot resist and hands her a gold leaf. Chuniang's eyes light up and she says to Rongge, "Then you have to be careful. Miss, follow me, it won't be a problem for you to help out at the back. Just say you are my daughter."
The smiling Rongge nodded innocently and said, "Okay."
——
At this moment, it was daytime outside, with people coming and going on the deck. Tianya Ge has obtained a lot of fine wine and jade dew over the years, and they were all being moved into the cabin. Unfortunately, a few barrels were accidentally overturned, and the smell of wine immediately filled the air.
Rong Ge couldn't see the scene in the cabin clearly. Inside, there was a clamor for food. She lowered her head and carried a plate to go inside. With a rough glance, there were indeed seven or eight barbarians, who had even changed into their own clothes and were talking to the people from Tianya Pavilion.
The barbarian on the far right became red-faced for some reason and immediately grabbed the back collar of the nearby man from the Great Zhou Dynasty, shouting in anger, "How dare you deceive me? I'll throw you into the sea and feed you to the fish!"
The person was strangled and struggling to breathe, begging for mercy in a low voice. Rongge glanced over and thought gloomily, Isn't that chick who is being held up Li Hui?
She deliberately walked two tables closer, placing the plate down.
"Why is everyone coming in to drink? Let someone watch the back cabin!"
Rong Ge suddenly listened to this and calmly stepped back.
The person next to them replied, "Everyone on the ship is on the same team, just leave two people to watch the back cabin. This is on the sea, within a hundred miles there isn't even a ghost present, it's very safe."
"Then let two people stay here and watch, don't let anything happen."
Yungo stepped back and felt someone's gaze on him before leaving. She turned her head halfway and exchanged a nervous glance with Li Hui, who was at the innermost part. Yungo's expression saddened slightly, while Li Hui lowered his head first.
Troublesome.
Rongge took advantage of her petite figure and walked around the ship, getting a clear idea of the positions of each cabin before slipping back later.
Su Qingqiao, with a trendy appearance, asked, "How is it?"
Rongge took a sip of water and said, "It's not much different from what we expected. At this point, the Tatars should have developed a conflict with Rong Jian. Until the Tatar king sees the effect of this batch of Tatar-proof powder, he won't believe Rong Jian's sweet words anymore. That's why Li Hui was sent to negotiate on the way, to ensure that the Tatars launch a fatal attack on the northern desert."
"With Li Hui's cowardly appearance, do you think he can talk his way out of it?" Han Yini sneered, "Let Rong Jian send him to his death."
"I saw them bringing alcohol, they'll probably have to drink for several days. Who knows, they might get drunk later. We'll split up and add something to their drinks," Rong Ge said.
Shu Qingqiao: "What is it?"
"Something good." Rong Ge gave a sinister smile.
Kitchen made good on their promise and made them a hot meal. Rong Ge didn't have much of an appetite, so she ate a few bites casually. Once the cook left, four figures sneaked out of the cabin as night fell.
Rong Ge stretched and yawned, following Su Qingqiao to the rear cabin. Su Qingqiao looked up at the dimly lit sky filled with stars and poked Rong Ge, saying, "Do you want them to taste the poisonous powder? Will it not be discovered?"
Rongge couldn't see his expression clearly and lowered his voice, saying, "Don't worry, just mix a small amount into it. When they drink it for a few days and it's too late to notice, it's the perfect opportunity for me to study its medicinal properties."
"The boat is faster than expected," Su Qingqiao climbed onto the railing and watched for a while, then walked back with small steps, frowning and saying, "It won't take ten days, maybe seven or eight days to reach the destination. How can we send a message to the King of Zhenbei? If we are discovered, the Mo Beijun will come in time."
Otherwise, with just the four of them, they will definitely be done for.
"I saw that the barbarians have eagles, a breed I'm unfamiliar with. They must be sending messages to the Tatars. Let's come up with a plan to steal it. I'll give the eagle some medicine to make it deviate from its course and deliver the message to the military camp in the Gobi Desert."
Shu Qingqiao was stunned for a moment and drew a cold breath after a while. "Is this feasible? The hawks of the barbarians are the ones who deliver messages at the end. There are specialized falconers watching over them. Can they be stolen?"
"There's always a way if you want to get something done," Rongge said as she walked, turning a corner and seeing the guard in the back cabin. She took a step back and signaled to Su Qingqiao.
The two of them discreetly hid in the shadow, and Su Qingqiao whispered, "Take him down all at once?"
"It's easy to be noticed when we knock them out," Rong Ge pondered and said, "It will be more troublesome when they wake up later."
Su Qingqiao asked, "What should we do then?"
Rong Ge hesitated for a moment, asking Su Qingqiao to wait, turned around and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Su Qingqiao sighed softly and could only anxiously wait in place, listening to the two guards in the rear cabin snoring, feeling a pain in her stomach. Rong Ge finally came back.
"What were you doing?" Su Qingqiao lowered her head and saw Rong Ge carrying a food box with a steaming aroma coming out of it. She exclaimed, "Where did you get that?"
Rong Ge blinked her eyes and said, "Money can make the devil push the mill."
It sounds like it was bought from the chef's side.
Rongge whispered, "I will go to deliver it, you sneak in and steal the package of poisoned powder."
Before Susu Qingqiao could argue, Rongge slipped out. She deliberately lowered her voice, and with her unassuming face, she even appeared somewhat clever and cute.
"Brothers."
The guard in the rear cabin looked at her, his gaze not showing much alertness. There were several girls on the ship, and they didn't all recognize her.
"The hot food is all in the front. The cook asked me to bring some over to you," Rong Ge said with a smile as she walked over and opened the food box. "It's windy at night, can't let you go hungry and feel the cold wind."
She looked around and moved the food box to the side, heading towards a corner where there were two chairs to sit on.
The guards glanced at each other and joked, "Is the cook on this black ship this kind-hearted?"
Rong Ge busily arranged the dishes and smiled, saying, "It's not easy for everyone when away from home."
"Who are you, chef? How come I don't remember you?" a guard came over and asked, "You were on the ship all along?"
Rongge's heart slightly shuddered, but her expression remained unchanged as she said, "I help out in the kitchen. The chef is my mother. I've always been here, just not often seen."
The guard exhaled a long "oh."
The sea breeze blew refreshingly, and the sound of singing was captivating. The two of them had long been itching to eat, and fortunately, someone brought food. They decided to sit down and start eating.
Rongge blocked their view from the side, while Su Qingqiao skillfully picked the lock and sneaked inside like a ghost. After a short while, they came out.
Rong Ge deliberately shivered and said with folded arms, "It's too cold, so you guys take your time eating."
Vaguely agreed, Rong Ge left.
He met Su Qingqiao and Su Qingqiao touched his chest, saying seriously, "There is quite a lot of poison powder inside, sealed in the box. I opened it and took some, so it shouldn't be discovered for a while."
"Give me some," the two of them squatted in the corner, wrapped some in a handkerchief. Rong Ge said, "I'll go back first, you go to Han Yining and Yuan Lin, be careful, all three of you."
"Understood."
In the lower cabin, there was no one all the time, afraid of being discovered by the chef, after all, the chef is now extraordinarily enthusiastic.
As Rongge walked back, about to get off the boat, she heard vomiting sounds from behind, and they were quite close.
Rongge turned around and saw that it was Li Hui, who looked like he had drunk too much, leaning against the railing and vomiting, with the bones on his back trembling strangely, looking inexplicably miserable.
Rongge doesn't plan to bother, and turns around to leave, but suddenly Li Hui starts coughing violently.
He is still in a vomiting position but says intermittently, "Tomorrow night, cough... the falcon that sends messages will be released. There won't be any chance to send messages until it reaches the shore."
Rong Ge glanced over.
But Li Hui's voice had drifted away. A brash man approached, sneering, "Why is Lord Li hiding here? The matter hasn't been settled yet. Go back and continue, will you?"
Li Hui waved his hand and was pushed away by someone.
Rong Ge almost thought she had heard wrongly. Who was Li Hui talking to?
Her?