Fish Meat – Chapter 119
by Little PandaThe Eleventh Year of Shenchu
The Lamp Behind the Curtain, the Sword in its Case (9)
Xie Fuchen was truly on the verge of death, and Zhen Wenjun could sense that his thoughts and words in this final moment were genuine and heartfelt. This former Grand Marshal, who had once led an army of 100,000 to besiege the Forbidden Garden, seemed to have many things he wanted to tell her. Although she had come at his invitation, Xie Fuchen, for some reason, didn’t express all his thoughts. He was holding back.
Zhen Wenjun was puzzled by Xie Fuchen’s strange attitude and the discrepancies in their accounts of her mother’s death.
Deep in her heart, some hidden details were struggling to surface. As the first ray of golden light fell on Runing City, she ran all the way to the top of Liaoxishan Mountain. After searching for a while, she finally found the two cypress trees Xie Fuchen had mentioned. Between the trees, there was indeed a solitary small mound with an inscription: The Tomb of the Late Ah Qiong.
Ah Qiong?
Zhen Wenjun approached the tomb. The tombstone was newly erected, with only six characters inscribed on the bluish-green stone in a “leaving square, returning round” (离ζΉιε, an idiom meaning to depart from worldly affairs) style.
She crouched down, leaning against her mother’s tombstone, gently caressing it: “Mother⦔
Although she had already accepted in her heart that her mother was no longer in this world, seeing her mother’s tombstone still filled her with grief. Her mother was here in Runing, so close to her, yet she hadn’t been able to visit even once. A thousand words were stuck in her throat, unable to be spoken.
That day they were forced to part, and today they meet again separated by the realms of the living and the dead.
Zhen Wenjun hugged her mother’s tombstone and cried for a long time. After fully expressing her grief without reservation, she wiped the tears from her face. She carefully examined the six characters “The Tomb of the Late Ah Qiong” and pondered silently.
Was “Ah Qiong” her mother’s pet name? How did Xie Fuchen know it? Most women in Da Yu didn’t have formal names and were usually addressed by their surnames, like Wei family’s Ah Shi, Xie family’s Ah Shi, and so on. If parents were fond of their children, they would give them pet names, like Ah Xin, Ah Liao, which were used by close relatives. A woman’s pet name was generally not casually revealed to strangers, let alone having a distant person engrave it on a tombstone.
As for “Alai,” it was a name given by the Xie family of Suichuan for convenience, and her mother had simply accepted it without thinking of giving her a proper name. Even though her mother was well-read, coming up with a good name wouldn’t have been difficult for her. Her mother had always wanted to keep her safely by her side and didn’t want her to stand out, even being wary of the people in the Xie household. Back then, when Alai was young, she didn’t understand many things and just obediently followed instructions. But looking back now, her mother had always been on guard, guarding against who might steal her hidden “treasure.” So she had to keep a low profile, yet she went to great lengths to cultivate a successor to protect this secret, and this successor was her daughter.
Thinking back to Xie Fuchen’s attitude in the prison earlier, it seemed he had known her mother for a long time. If so, his strange behavior could be explained. What entanglements did the two have in the past? Why was her mother in the Xie family of Suichuan? Could it be that her mother did it intentionally? She didn’t want to be discovered by Xie Fuchen, yet for some special reason, she had to stay close to the Xie family, so she chose the Xie family of Suichuan as a cover. She had intended to lie low, but unexpectedly, Xie Taixing, with his beastly nature hidden behind a human face, violated her, resulting in the birth of a daughter?
Is that how it was?
Zhen Wenjun sat in front of the tomb, staring at the two characters “Ah Qiong.”
Zhen Wenjun had always known that her mother’s identity concealed a secret. To Alai of those years, mother was just mother, and if mother wanted to hide any secrets, she wouldn’t ask. She just never expected that her mother’s background would be related to Xie Fuchen. “Xiaoshi” was very likely a false name, a pseudonym used to hide her identity, and her real name was “Ah Qiong.”
Zhen Wenjun felt as if she was walking through a fog, a fog from over a decade ago. She tried to find the right path through this fog, a path laid out with secrets about her mother and the mystery of her own origins. There were some blurry outlines in the fog, but every time she tried to run up and capture them in her hands, they would dissipateβ¦
Zhen Wenjun wasn’t willing to give up. She felt that she had once touched the core, but just couldn’t remember it for the moment.
What exactly was itβ¦
Zhen Wenjun covered her face, going through every detail of when she was forced to become a spy, to see if she had missed any crucial clues.
Lord Yunmeng.
Lord Yunmeng?
Zhen Wenjun lifted her head, she thought of Lord Yunmeng.
Every time there was a major turning point in events, this Lord Yunmeng was always present. The first time was when Xie Taixing cut off three of her mother’s fingers to threaten her to impersonate Zhen Wenjun. The second time was even more incredible, after she had disguised herself and entered the Xie family, Lord Yunmeng somehow informed her of her mother’s death without knowing her identity. It all seemed like unexpected gains she encountered on her proactive journey, so she never doubted it, but what if Lord Yunmeng had known her identity all along?
Realizing this, Zhen Wenjun stood up abruptly, her face pale.
That’s right, this Lord Yunmeng was very suspicious.
Zhen Wenjun paced back and forth on the top of Liaoxishan Mountain, anxiously recalling everything Lord Yunmeng had done.
From Zhen Wenjun’s current perspective, Lord Yunmeng’s strategic thinking was superior to Xie Taixing’s. Xie Taixing was a coward who would run at the first sign of trouble from the refugees; his virtue didn’t warrant having a strategist like Yunmeng. In terms of official rank, which ambitious strategist would be willing to be a retainer or advisor to a mere local official of Suichuan? How did Xie Taixing, who was inferior in both power and character, face her mother having three fingers cut off on the Cold River? He didn’t even dare to look directly.
She suddenly remembered a scene she had accidentally witnessed in the Xie family of Suichuan:
Her mother said, “Alright, I agree to your terms.”
“Oh?” Lord Yunmeng seemed a bit surprised by her answer.
“However, in exchange, you must also agree to one thing for me.”
What did Lord Yunmeng and her mother agree on that day? Zhen Wenjun didn’t know. Her mother was gone, and now the only one who could give her answers was Lord Yunmeng himself.
Xie Taixing lacked both courage and strategy; such a major event as assassinating Wei Tingxu couldn’t possibly have been orchestrated by him alone. Xie Taixing was just a pawn, a puppet manipulated by someone else.
Could it be that the one hiding behind the scenes, instigating and bewitching him, was none other than Lord Yunmeng?
Lord Yunmeng didn’t seem to be the real mastermind either. Like Yan Ye, he was just an arm, a knife. Who was his master? Was it Xie Fuchen? If it was Xie Fuchen, why did he take her mother away halfway? Couldn’t he have controlled her mother from the beginning? Moreover, Xie Fuchen said he had never met her mother due to being busy, and he seemed to regret this very much. This point was reasonable; Xie Fuchen’s opponents were Wei Lun and Li Yanyi, and among the vast enemy camp, he had planted hundreds, if not thousands, of spies. Zhen Wenjun was just one of them, and her mother was an even smaller pawn. There was no reason for Xie Fuchen to personally inquire about it. The matter of contact was handled entirely by Yan Ye from start to finish. Yan Ye seemed to be loyally devoted to Xie Fuchen, even dying for him, and there didn’t seem to be any suspicious aspects to his behavior.
All the key points fell on Lord Yunmeng. In fact, Zhen Wenjun had always been keeping an eye on this person. To her, Lord Yunmeng was the biggest accomplice, and this person must be killed. However, when the Xie Mansion was searched, the old scoundrel Yunmeng had already slipped away, and they couldn’t catch him!
Zhen Wenjun angrily kicked a stone at her feet, sending it flying. She must drag this old scoundrel out.
And he was very likely the greatest enemy of Xie Fuchen β Li Yanyi’s man.
Everything was just speculation, without any evidence. Zhen Wenjun calmed herself, not wanting to jump to conclusions based on momentary deductions.
“A dying man’s words are good” (δΊΊδΉε°ζ»ε Άθ¨δΉε, a proverb meaning people tend to speak the truth when facing death), but Xie Fuchen was still Xie Fuchen after all. Perhaps calling her to this place before his death was to sow discord between her and the emperor, between Wei Tingxu and the emperor, hoping to plant the seeds of internal strife among his enemies before he died. It seemed too easy to make her suspect Li Yanyi with just a few words and a fake tombstone. Moreover, whether it was really her mother in this grave was still uncertain.
Zhen Wenjun stared at the tombstone for a long time, feeling an impulse in her heart.
Wouldn’t she know if she just dug up the small mound and looked for herself? If it really was her mother who had been burned to death inside, it would prove that Xie Fuchen hadn’t lied about this point β even if her mother’s face was completely disfigured by the fire, she was confident she could recognize her. If it was just an empty grave, it must be Xie Fuchen’s trick.
Zhen Wenjun stood in front of the grave for a long time, thinking it over, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She was afraid that if she opened the grave, she would really see her mother’s disfigured face, and even more afraid of disturbing her mother who had already been laid to rest. That would be the greatest disrespect.
She couldn’t do that.
“Mother, your child is unfilial. Until now, I still don’t know who harmed you, or even if you are really here. But your child swears, I will unravel all the mysteries and let you rest in peace.” Zhen Wenjun kowtowed heavily several times, her heart filled with a sense of tragic heroism.
She knew that while in this fog, she couldn’t grasp at straws. She had to find the end of this path and see the root of everything clearly to find answers.
The root of all this was: who exactly was her mother?
Was she Xiaoshi or Ah Qiong? Why did she choose to hide her identity in the Xie family of Suichuan? Once she unraveled all of this, the truth would reveal itself.
The Dark Bird totem was her only clue now.
The Dark Bird totem made of straw that she had accidentally discovered in Xie Fuchen’s study was familiar to her, which meant she must have seen it unintentionally before. Xie Fuchen knew her mother, so this totem was likely related to her mother. Zhen Wenjun guessed that she must have seen it once when she was little, though the impression wasn’t very deep. The totem might be able to unlock the truth about her mother’s real identity.
After bidding farewell to her mother’s tomb, Zhen Wenjun quickly returned to the Wei Mansion and called for Bu Jie.
Bu Jie had been staying in an inn in the city. After following her and making great contributions in defeating Mengliang, Zhen Wenjun wanted to make good use of him. She asked Wei Tingxu for permission to have Bu Jie come to the Wei Mansion as an advisor to serve the Wei family. Wei Tingxu had heard of Bu Jie’s excellent performance in the water attack on Mengliang and gladly accepted. So Bu Jie moved into the Wei family. Her former comrade Ah Xi had returned to her own home and occasionally sent letters to Zhen Wenjun, while Zuo Kunda had been appointed as a lieutenant and was now a subordinate of Wei Jing’an.
Zhen Wenjun naturally called for Bu Jie in the Wei Mansion. Although other people in the Wei family could also be used by her, she couldn’t trust them. She only trusted Bu Jie and recognized him as her own person.
She drew the Dark Bird totem on a piece of sheepskin and handed it to Bu Jie.
“Help me find the origin of this totem. It’s very likely to be from a nomadic tribe.” Zhen Wenjun also gave him a large bag of silver. “This money is for your expenses. You must find the secret of the Dark Bird totem as quickly as possible. After you get the information, there’s no need to send a letter, just come back and tell me directly. Remember⦔
Bu Jie cupped his hands and said, “My lady, rest assured. Wen Sheng will not tell anyone. I will set out tonight!”
Zhen Wenjun sighed, “Ah, you just came back from a life-and-death situation in Mengliang, and now I’m sending you out again.”
“My lady, don’t say such things. Bu Jie will never forget the kindness and recognition you’ve shown me.”
“Good, good! Meeting you is also my good fortune. I’ll wait for your return. Be careful on your journey.”
Bu Jie left the Wei Mansion under the pretext of visiting relatives. No one would pay attention to the departure of this small strategist.
Zhen Wenjun tried her best to keep a calm mindset, not being impatient, waiting for Bu Jie’s return.
After the last autumn hunt, they had brought back a pile of meat that hadn’t been fully processed, and now the house was filled with another mountain of food and wine.
Wei Lun had been promoted to Grand Marshal and Minister of the Department of State Affairs, and was also enfeoffed as a marquis, becoming second to none in glory for the moment. There were also rumors that his second son was about to enter the palace as a noble consort, and if he could help the empress give birth to a prince in the future, he would become the γHusband of the Nationγ. Those who had once distanced themselves from him to avoid trouble all came back, blocking the gates of the Wei Mansion when Wei Lun returned from searching for his son, piling up carts of New Year’s gifts just to see him once. Even more excessively, when they heard that the Wei family’s youngest daughter, Wei Tingxu, was not yet married, matchmakers wore out the threshold of the Wei family. Two matchmakers even got into a big fight at the door over who could go in first, and were finally all driven away by the Wei family’s guards.
“Drive them all away, return all the New Year’s gifts. It’s ridiculous to be thinking about New Year’s gifts at this time.” Wei Lun couldn’t find his son, and there was a pile of matters in the court waiting for him to handle, so he couldn’t stay out for long. He had to return home feeling irritated. Unexpectedly, before he could reach his own door, he was blocked by numerous carriages stopped on the road, and had to proceed on foot. If it weren’t for his quick-witted attendants protecting Wei Lun with all their might, the Grand Marshal Wei might still be stuck outside the mansion unable to move.
Wei Lun was irritated and returned all the gifts sent by flatterers he didn’t know. However, there were still many gifts from acquaintances and colleagues congratulating the Wei family, now known as Zhu Chongzi, on their first-rank official position. These colleagues’ congratulations naturally carried some elements of flattery, but Wei Lun had no choice but to accept them. Li Yanyi urgently needed to establish her own central government, and selecting and appointing people was a headache. Wei Lun had to quickly win over talented individuals from the noble families.
Wei Lun knew that the entire Xie clan had been executed in the market, and he had personally confirmed Xie Fuchen’s death. With Xie Fuchen’s death, all those who had relied on him couldn’t be allowed to live. Although Xie Fuchen’s disciples and former officials were everywhere, and some had quickly distanced themselves from him after his downfall, Li Yanyi didn’t intend to let them live.
Li Yanyi had early on instructed Wei Lun and Zhangsun Yao to write the names of all members of the Xie party in the γBook of Anti-Rebellion Crimesγ, to be dealt with as traitors. Wei Lun and Zhangsun Yao naturally didn’t dare to be lenient, writing down over two thousand names. However, if these people were all killed, the list of central government officials would be empty. Wei Lun and Zhangsun Yao submitted a memorial, advising Li Yanyi not to be so hasty in eradicating everyone, as it might provoke public anger. Instead, they suggested first killing a batch of those closest to Xie Fuchen as a warning to others, while those who were willing to swear allegiance could be demoted but kept, never to be promoted again. There were many miscellaneous tasks below the sixth rank that couldn’t go unattended for a day, so these people could fill those positions. If they performed well in the future and showed no signs of rebellion, that would be best. If they still harbored rebellious intentions, they would have no power to carry out a coup. Other loyal officials needed to be promoted, but not arbitrarily; all positions must be filled based on merit and ability.
Li Yanyi agreed with their proposal and instructed Wei Lun to recommend talents. Next year, an imperial examination would be held to select talents for ministerial and general positions from across the country.
With Wei Lun holding the power of recommendation, there were countless people who wanted to enter official service or get promoted. From then on, the Wei Mansion was surrounded so tightly that it became extremely difficult for the Wei family members to come and go.
Wei Tingxu simply decided not to go out.
She didn’t leave the house, just stayed at home appreciating flowers, roasting meat, and drinking wine, which was quite enjoyable.
Wei Tingxu invited Zhen Wenjun to appreciate the moon that night. Zhen Wenjun got ready simply and prepared to keep the appointment. She walked out a few steps, then hesitated and turned back, standing in front of the open wooden box, undecided.
The courtyard where Wei Tingxu lived was called Zhu Yuan (Bamboo Garden), named after the slender bamboos that once filled it. Now the whole courtyard was lit up with lanterns. After an autumn rain, the stubborn lingering flowers had come back to life, tended by Xiao Hua to be even more gorgeous.
No matter how gorgeous they were, it was probably their last month. When winter truly arrived, all that awaited them was decay.
In the deep autumn night where the summer heat could no longer be felt, Xiaohua had already prepared fur blankets for Wei Tingxu. A small stove was simmering yellow wine, and two plump lamb legs were hanging over the red-hot charcoal fire. Halfway through roasting, the melted fat dripped onto the charcoal, sizzling loudly.
Xiaohua was carefully brushing marinade onto the lamb legs, while Wei Tingxu, who had spent many years in a temple recovering from injuries as a child, living, sleeping, and eating with the temple residents, had no particular desire for meat and greasy food. She just looked at the flowers in the courtyard, waiting for Zhen Wenjun to arrive.
These two lamb legs were prepared for Zhen Wenjun.
By the time the marinade was brushed on for the third time, Zhen Wenjun finally arrived, fashionably late.
Wei Tingxu lifted the blanket and personally got up to welcome her.
Zhen Wenjun was wearing the new clothes that Wei Tingxu had made for her back in Nanya. Her long hair was simply tied into a ponytail reaching her waist, and she looked somewhat awkward and embarrassed. Since Lingbi left, no one had combed her hair for her. Although Wei Tingxu said she would assign another person to serve her closely, Zhen Wenjun had refused. She had always been self-reliant and didn’t need others to serve her. Instead, she wanted to quickly learn various skills to serve Wei Tingxu. Before coming out tonight, she had combed her own hair, fussing in front of the bronze mirror for a long time, tying and untying, always feeling it wasn’t right, until it finally looked somewhat presentable. Only then did she shyly come out to let Wei Tingxu see.
Wei Tingxu sat there without saying whether it was good or not, her gaze glued to Zhen Wenjun, examining her carefully, as if savoring the fruits of her own cultivation.
Zhen Wenjun had grown taller and more upright. Since returning from the great battle at Mengliang, she seemed to have matured overnight. Her gaze was more determined, and her once slightly round face now had distinct features, completely looking like an adult. Wei Tingxu especially liked her pair of long eyebrows, full of heroic spirit.
As Xiaohua was slicing the freshly roasted lamb, she suddenly heard Wei Tingxu ask from behind:
“Do you remember before leaving Runing for Mengliang, you said there was something you wanted to tell me⦔ Wei Tingxu suddenly brought up this matter, “I said to wait until you came back to tell me. Now that you’re back, so, what was it that you wanted to say back then?”
Zhen Wenjun had almost forgotten about this, and was stunned by Wei Tingxu’s sudden question, not knowing where to put her hands and feet.
“Was there such a thing?” Zhen Wenjun sat down, poured some wine, and was about to drink.
Xiaohua hurriedly served the sliced meat, along with a fruit platter, and quickly excused herself to leave, completely leaving the courtyard to the two of them. The young lady always unexpectedly launched her attacks, leaving Xiaohua no time to retreat.
“Trying to pretend to be drunk to avoid answering?” Wei Tingxu pressed down Zhen Wenjun’s hand holding the wine cup, squinting her eyes and smiling at her, “Answer my question first.”
Xiaohua walked out of Zhu Yuan feeling relieved, thankful that she had prepared all the food and wine before coming out. Otherwise, it would have been awkward to stand there like a wooden person at such an intimate moment.
Just as Xiaohua stepped out of the garden gate, she heard a familiar voice drifting over.
“Oh? Since when did Tingxu have such a tender beauty by her side? I’ve never seen you before!” Ah Liao and her sisters were chatting and laughing as they walked towards Zhu Yuan, running into Xiaohua. Ah Liao was immediately attracted by Xiaohua’s beauty and looked up at her, “This lady is so robust! It’s rare to see beauty and health coexist like this! I am Zhangsun Ran, a person from Dongchun, known as the Dongchun Flower Connoisseur. What I love most is appreciating beautiful flowers like you, my lady. May I ask your name?”
Ah Liao almost pressed up against Xiaohua, asking eagerly. Xiaohua kept a cold face and replied, “Xiaohua.”
Ah Liao’s smile almost collapsed in an instant. She immediately retreated three steps and changed her tone, respectfully saying, “It’s my mistakeβ¦ So it’s the valiant Xiaohua. I heard you’ve been detoxifying recently and your appearance has changed. I didn’t expect it to be soβ¦ ahem, so different. It’s truly astonishing.”
“What are you doing here?” Xiaohua asked.
“I’ve come to see Tingxu and sister Wenjun. I just arrived in Runing and had a pile of things to deal with, so I didn’t have a chance to visit the mansion. Now that I’ve finally found an opportunity, I’m here.” Ah Liao explained.
As she spoke, elder sister Ah Ran and Zhangsun Wu also appeared, and a large group of people grandly walked into Zhu Yuan. Xiaohua wanted to stop them at first, but after thinking for a moment, she gave up and walked in with them.
Inside Zhu Yuan, Wei Tingxu kept teasing Zhen Wenjun, just wanting her to say those words that they both knew in their hearts. Zhen Wenjun refused to say it, enjoying the back-and-forth between them.
“Still not saying it⦔ Wei Tingxu leaned in, intending to tap Zhen Wenjun’s nose, but she tripped over the low table full of wine and meat at her feet and fell into Zhen Wenjun’s arms.
Zhen Wenjun exclaimed “Be careful!” and held her steady.
Wei Tingxu was originally leaning in her arms, in a somewhat awkward position, but Zhen Wenjun helped her up, changing it to a position where Wei Tingxu was sitting on Zhen Wenjun’s lap, face to face.
In this position, there seemed to be no other possibility but to kiss, and they didn’t even want to say anything more.
Zhen Wenjun was intoxicated by Wei Tingxu’s fragrance and flawless beauty. She held Wei Tingxu’s chin, not letting her leave, and leaned in to kiss her. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps and laughter erupted, startling Zhen Wenjun, who almost threw the person in her arms away.
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