Yan Huaishi stumbled at those last words, and the groggy Helian Zheng collapsed beside him.

South Sea’s commoners exclaimed in surprise, and another whirlwind of noise passed through the docks.

The South Sea officials stood shocked, turning to numbly stare at their ghastly pale Commissioner.

Zhou Xizhong had come to display his power and embarrass the Imperial Envoys, but not only had he failed, the situation had been reversed. Now, with their ship sinking, they calmly sorted through food and invited Master Zhou to tend the fire!

He could not refuse — His Highness was setting the table, so why could he not tend the fire?

Moreover, the reasoning the Envoys had given was too righteous to be dismissed; ten thousand commoners were watching. The Envoys were saving food for the hungry! Why should Zhou Xizhong refused to tend the fire? If the Commissioner refused to board the sinking ship, the people would say the he did not love his people!

If that happened, Master Zhou would lose the heart of his people, and with it the power that he had taken over a decade to build.

Vicious! So vicious!

Zhou Xizhong’s face was pale; he had not anticipated any of this. He had planned so much, but in the end he was the one trapped; he had ordered people to damage the ship, but now he had to board it; if it sank, he would be embarrassed as well; and no matter what happened, he would be known as the fire tending Commissioner for the rest of his life.

Every Commissioner collected information on the Princes, but Zhou Xizhong had only known that Prince Chu was a talented playboy. Ning Yi had hidden behind the scenes in all the recent turmoil, and a Commissioner out of the loop in a far away province had not known to be wary. In Zhou Xizhong’s eyes, Wei Zhi had simply been a nobody minister who had somehow lucked his way into unearned reputation and favor. Because he belittled Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei, he had audaciously incited the people of South Sea, and now he reaped what he had sowed.

Gu Nanyi left no time for Zhou Xizhong to think, and he pointed at him while saying: “His Highness says, if Honored Zhou has finished reading Records of Oversea Countries, please immediately come abroad the ship and tend to the fire.”

Zhou Xizhong tossed his book onto his chair and his servants hurriedly pulled his book, chair, and umbrella away.

“Get me the ship repair team.” Zhou Xizhong called coldly to his Left and Right Advisors. “The ship will sink in fifteen minutes, so they need to get into the water and fix the hull before then. I don’t care how. They must make sure the ship does not sink for two hours. Whoever lets me fall into the water, I will have his head fall.”

“Yes!”

Snorting coldly, Zhou Xizhong smoothed out his robes before loudly calling back: “Zhou Xizhong, Commissioner of the South Sea, leads his South Sea Officials in paying our deepest respect to the Emperor and salute His Highness Prince Chu!”

The commoners made way and Zhou Xizhong approached the edge of the water, leading the officials around him as they fell to their knees and kowtowed.

Yan Huaishi hurriedly dodged away from the kowtow, sighing in relief. HIs eyes glistened with tears — he had really thought they would either suffer blow or water; he had never thought that Tyrant Zhou of the South Sea would finally kneel.

Ning Yi stood at the bow, his face calm as he held the railing, his moon-white silk robe quiet and elegant, the golden mandala on his black cape loud and alluring. As his cape rustled in the wind, he swept his cold, heavy gaze over the crowd and everyone felt the weight of his attention.

“This Minor Minister receives His Highness’s edification with fear and trembling.” Zhou Xizhong continued. “I have sinned. Your Highness, please allow this Minor Minister to bring all the fourth Rank and higher officials of South Sea aboard to tend the fire.”

Feng Zhiwei cocked a brow as she trimmed the vegetables.

It would be awkward tending a fire all by himself as so many people watched, but that could be eased if the other officials joined as well, and this would show the people that the Officials of South Sea were of one heart; this way, Zhou Xizhong could transform the awkward embarrassment into a decent show — quite the brilliant idea.

Did he hope to bring numbers to balance the playing field? Feng Zhiwei smiled.

No one refused the Commissioner and Ning Yi turned calmly away. Only Young Master Gu remained by the rail, waving a piece of firewood at Zhou Xizhong — come quick!

People set down a small fleet of sampans and the high ranking South Sea Officials rowed over. Aboard the ship, the Qing Ming students waited in two lines to welcome the officials on board, pride and derision in their eyes.

Several of the commoners by the shore had left, but many also chose to stay, glancing around and unsure what they were waiting for.

The officials boarded the ship, and each of them were handed a bundle of firewood by Ning Cheng.

“His Highness says you have already greeted him.” Ning Cheng informed them. “The dried fish is being steamed, but the flame is not strong enough. We must trouble the honorable gentleman to hurry.”

Zhou Xizhong grabbed a bundle of firewood, clearly understanding the deliberate humiliation but having no choice. His dark face swelled almost purple, and all his subordinates had to stifle their laughter as the solemn Commissioner got to work.

Yan Huaishi brought them to the kitchen on board. The ship was an official issue that the Yan Family had remodeled; a string of large cooking stoves thickens with mud and bounded by metal lined the room. Yan Huaishi happily bowed to Zhou Xizhong, gesturing to a stove as he cheerfully requested: “Please.”

Zhou Xizhong looked at the bare room and suppressed his anger while he asked: “Why are there no chairs.”

“Your Honor is misinformed.” Feng Zhiwei replied, smiling as she walked in, crab in hand. “I’ve heard that the Honorable Commissioner is from humble origins as well, and though ‘Gentleman stay far from the kitchen1’ and Your Honor now enjoys wealth and power, you should know that people cannot sit while tending fires.”

“Master Wei.” An advisor said, bowing. “Can you please find our Master a stool? The rest of us can squat.”

Feng Zhiwei replied straight-faced: “After the ship was damaged, all the stools were used to plug the hole, I really apologize.”

The South Sea Officials could only swallow their humiliation and indignation. After a moment, Zhou Xizhong hiked up his robes and squatted by a stove; behind him, a string of officials hurriedly squatted around the room.

They soon discovered that squatting while tending the fire was not the only annoyance as Zhou Xizhong labored over the tinder again and again without success. Young Master Gu had prepared half wet firewood, and even after the wood was lit, dense smoke filled the room, sending coughs through the officials and blackening their faces.

Just as the fire was finally table, Ning Cheng came down to check on them again and again, “The chopsticks are set... is the fish ready?”

“The bowls are ready... why aren’t the crabs on the table?”

“...”

1 君子遠庖廚: Mencius, King Hui of Liang: Part One