Jiang Song held a string of dried fish and cupped his hands in greeting outside the fence:
“Lady Shi, we brothers have come as agreed.”
Shi Yin kicked away the stone keeping the door shut, opened half of the fence, and reached out to take the dried fish. “Thank you, thank you. Please come in,” she greeted. “It is just that the humble house has only been cleaned up and lacks tables and chairs, so excuse my lack of hospitality.”
After exchanging pleasantries, everyone entered the house.
Jiang Lou looked around. The house was now fit for people to enter. Remembering Sun Da, his expression darkened slightly.
Chengzhou led Rong’er to count oyster shells in the courtyard again. The firewood hatchet behind his back had been replaced with a crossbow, and his eyes kept track of his mother’s position at all times.
Shi Yin did not waste time with further polite talk and went straight to the point: “What was your relationship with the master of this house?”
“We belonged to the same gang, but we weren’t real brothers,” Jiang Song answered frankly.
“The head of the house was called Sun Da, and the other two were Zhou Zhe and Gunzi. In the early years, we fought before becoming friends, so we joined the same gang and called each other brothers just to protect ourselves.
The gang from last night was named Zhou. They arrived on this island earlier than us. Relying on the two bows and arrows in their hands, they acted as tyrant kings on the island. Later, when their arrows ran out and only the bow was left, we were able to contend with them.”
Having said this, he laughed: “However, after last night, Zhou the Skinflint’s gang is completely gone. You wiped out their nest, leaving not a single one behind.”
“How many groups like yours, bound together for mutual support, are left on the island now?” Shi Yin pressed on.
“In the early years, there were numerous exiles on the island, with tens of small and large groups. Over these years of hardship, countless people died of illness, internal strife, hunger, and cold. The imperial court’s exiled convicts also decreased year by year, so the power faded further.
By last year, only two forces remained on the island: the Jiang family and the Zhou family. But from today onward, Black Mountain Island belongs only to our Jiang family.”
Jiang Song spoke with a hint of a smile in his voice.
Shi Yin nodded and said, “One last question: will my killing these three men bring enemies seeking revenge?”
Shi Yin’s eyes swiftly swept across the three men behind him.
Jiang Song’s expression turned stern: “All three of them were bachelors without families, so there are no vengeful foes. As for our Jiang family…”
He looked around at his younger brothers behind him, his tone turning heavier:
“Yesterday, if you had killed a member of my Jiang family, I would have fought to the death to hold you accountable no matter where you fled. As for Sun Da and his men, no one will avenge such irrelevant people.”
Having received his assurance, Shi Yin then nodded and said, “Good, I have no more questions. If you have anything to ask, I will tell you everything I know.”
Jiang Song asked solemnly, “After my brother returned last night, he also said that shipping would stop next month. Is this information confirmed?”
Shi Yin nodded: “Currently, the court is in turmoil and constant internal strife. Goguryeo’s ambition grows daily, while Baekje’s national strength is declining, leaving it utterly powerless to resist. When winter arrives this year, Goguryeo is very likely to dispatch troops to annex Baekje. By the time spring comes, eight or nine times out of ten, the entire sea route in the eastern sea will be completely sealed off, with no vessels traveling back and forth.”
Jiang Song had heard these words three times, yet a sliver of luck had always lingered in his heart.
But now, with Shi Yin’s detailed explanation, that final trace of doubt vanished like smoke.
A moment later, he raised his head and asked again, “What exactly is the business Lady Shi mentioned yesterday?”
Finally, they had reached the key point.
Shi Yin raised her eyes and carefully sized up the four Jiang brothers.
The leader, Jiang Song, was built squarish and burly, with deep, restrained eyes. At a single glance, he was clearly a figure of both courage and resourcefulness.
The second brother, Jiang Ting, was tall and lean, with lively eyes that betrayed a degree of shrewdness.
The third brother, Jiang Lou, was also sturdy, but bore the look of a rash, hot-headed man.
The fourth brother, Jiang Xie, had an elegant name, but possessed an honest and simple appearance.
Shi Yin withdrew her gaze and spoke indifferently: “Before this, I first need to know why your Jiang family was convicted and exiled to this Black Mountain Island.”
The exiles on Black Mountain Island had always been divided into two categories.
Those escorted here alone were mostly local vicious criminals—guilty of crimes yet not deserving of death, so they were dispatched to deserted islands or border guards for punishment.
Meanwhile, those who were exiled with their entire clan were mostly fallen royals, nobles, and dignitaries who had lost power and fallen into crime.
The four Jiang brothers exchanged glances. Jiang Song was candid, concealing nothing:
“In the fifth year of Yuankang, a great flood struck Yanzhou. The imperial court opened granaries for relief and specially commissioned Imperial Censor Jiang Rong to transport grain for disaster relief. When the grain was distributed, it was discovered that more than half was wheat bran mixed with sand. The infuriated victims lost control and surrounded and killed Jiang Rong, who was overseeing the grain, on the spot, triggering a riot.
Empress Jia was furious. To appease the rebellion, she allocated grain and forage once more to pacify the victims.
Since my father was already dead, there was no one left to defend his honor. In the end, the whole Jiang family was exiled to Black Mountain Island, and the case was closed in such a hasty manner.”
The fifth year of Yuankang was nineteen years ago.
It was precisely during the reign of Emperor Hui of Jin, Sima Zhong, the famous foolish emperor in history. Empress Jia held the reins of state power, and the regime was already teetering in the wind and rain.
Shi Yin knew that Jiang Rong was merely a scapegoat. The corrupt officials behind him concealed the truth layer by layer, and it was likely that only this tough nut was pushed out to take the blame.
Shi Yin pondered for a moment and decided to trust these four brothers. After all, she needed helpers on this island.
“I have a way to leave the island.”
“What?!”
As soon as these words landed, the four Jiang brothers gasped in shock together.
Black Mountain Island was far from the mainland. Even for a three-masted official vessel to travel from here to Changfeng Pier, it required three days and nights of continuous sailing.
Furthermore, hardwood was scarce on the island; the pines, cypresses, and strange willows growing here were utterly incapable of building boats. How could she, a single woman, possess a way to leave the island?
Leaving the island—did this woman know what those three words represented?!
After panting for a moment, Jiang Song forcibly suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and asked in a deep voice:
“Is Lady Shi joking?”
“I never joke,” Shi Yin shook her head and responded solemnly.
Deep within the eyes of the four Jiang brothers, storm-like waves churned, but after a moment, they finally calmed down.
“Lady Shi, can you take people off the island?” Jiang Song asked carefully.
Shi Yin nodded: “It is somewhat troublesome, but taking one person at a time is achievable. However…”
She paused, turning her gaze toward the children playing in the courtyard. Wangshan, whom Chengxuan had mentioned yesterday, had arrived at an unknown time, and the three of them were playing happily.
She then slowly spoke: “Even if we leave the island smoothly, where can we go?
In the vast Qingzhou, only the Changfeng area is slightly stable, while the rest of the lands are already littered with the bodies of those who starved to death. Traveling all the way from Chang’an, I saw devastation everywhere along the road; one cannot find a place to settle down at all.”
“The Great Jin is almost done for.”
The brows of the Jiang brothers knitted tightly together. If these words were spread on the mainland, it would be punished as high treason.
Shi Yin, however, did not care in the slightest:
“Leaving the island is not something accomplished overnight; it must be prepared slowly.
March to April next year is when the sea breeze is strongest. By then, I will have a way to leave the island, but I can only take one person at a time.
Whether to leave, to stay, or to engage in the private salt trade, we will discuss further when the time comes.”
“Private salt trade?”
Shock after shock struck them, shaking the minds of the four Jiang brothers so violently that they were unable to recover their composure for a while.
“Right now, the imperial court cannot even take care of itself, entangled in both internal strife and external troubles. Where would it find the spare energy to control private salt?
At present, along the coastal shores, people are already secretly selling coarse salt in private. Black Mountain Island enjoys uniquely favorable conditions and lacks only a way to come and go. Now that we have a way, wouldn’t the private salt trade be ours to dictate?”
In truth, deep inside her heart, Shi Yin harbored an even deeper calculation: once the Western Jin collapsed completely, snatching that official vessel wasn’t out of the question either!
Once they gained control over the sea vessel and enjoyed total freedom of movement, this sea island would transform from a maritime cage into a sturdy maritime fortress.
It would become the most secure city in a chaotic world.