Fish Meat – Chapter 121
by Little PandaThe First Year of Zhao Wu
The Lamp Behind the Curtain, the Sword in its Case (11)
After the winter solstice, the new year’s beginning approaches. Shenchu is finally ending, and Zhao Wu is about to arrive.
As the cycle renews, all things are refreshed. The beginning of the first year of Zhao Wu unfolds amidst a fine, velvety snow.
Finally, after years of continuous warfare, the people of Da Yu catch their breath in an illusion of peace, temporarily forgetting the pain brought by the Hu bandits. They celebrate surviving another year, reveling through the night.
Zhen Wenjun takes Wei Tingxu to the market to enjoy the festivities, struggling to walk through the streets crowded with people, described as a colorful and lively scene. Zhen Wenjun, worried about Wei Tingxu getting hurt in the crowd, keeps trying to protect her. Wei Tingxu says it’s not a problem and holds Zhen Wenjun’s hand, saying:
“In the past, when my legs were not well, Xiaohua couldn’t push the four-wheeled cart through the busy markets, so I didn’t like going out during festivals. It’s rare that I can walk this year, so let me fully experience the New Year’s atmosphere. The crowding is part of the festive spirit.”
“Alright, alright, then let’s keep going. But you must stay close to me. If you get lost here, I won’t know where to find you.”
“The Sixteen Shadow Guards are watching us from above. How could I get lost?”
Zhen Wenjun is left speechless by her response. Wei Tingxu has always been exceptionally rational, sometimes able to see through attempts at sweet talk immediately. One might wonder, which couple doesn’t engage in sweet talk? The point of sweet talk is to express affection, not to be impenetrable.
Zhen Wenjun shakes her head and shrugs, accepting the situation. Not only are the Shadow Guards present, but even Xiaohua is following three steps behind. While it appears they’ve come out alone to shop for some favorite items, in reality, more than a dozen pairs of eyes are watching them.
Perhaps only the wine cellar and Wei Tingxu’s boudoir are free from interruption.
Zhen Wenjun holds her hand as they navigate through the bustling market.
Zhen Wenjun notices that Wei Tingxu’s head only reaches her eyebrows, and since she herself is only eighteen after the New Year, she still has a chance to grow taller. Wei Tingxu, already twenty-two, has no hope of growing any taller. Zhen Wenjun feels particularly proud, walking tall beside her.
Wei Tingxu’s gaze lingers on some novel trinkets, but she only glances casually without approaching to buy. She walks and looks, mostly with a fleeting glance before moving on.
“Don’t you want anything?” Zhen Wenjun asks, weighing the money pouch at her waist. “I’ve brought all my private savings. Tingxu, don’t worry about the cost. Whatever you want, I’ll buy it for you.”
Wei Tingxu smiles and shakes her head, not revealing her thoughts. Zhen Wenjun used to think she concealed her likes and dislikes to avoid being easily read or manipulated, but now that they’ve become as intimate as “climbing Wu Mountain together” (ε·«ε±±, a euphemism for sexual intimacy), and are the closest of companions in the world, Wei Tingxu remains the same. It must be her nature.
Zhen Wenjun stops asking and secretly observes the objects that catch Wei Tingxu’s eye for more than a moment, making mental notes of them all.
After walking a full circle through the most prosperous East Market of the capital, Wei Tingxu’s expression grows increasingly gloomy.
“What’s wrong? Is the ‘star bridge and fire trees, red spreading and exploding’ (ζζ©η«ζ¨ΉεΌ΅η΄ ηη, a poetic description of festive decorations and fireworks) bothering you?” Zhen Wenjun notices her growing worry and feels concerned.
“It’s different now,” Wei Tingxu says, looking at the boisterous crowds on the street and the painted boats floating on the city moat. Whether on the road or on the water, everyone is indulging in hedonistic pleasures. “When I was little, whether in Runing or Pingcang, the most important thing during the New Year was to ward off disasters and remove impurities. On New Year’s morning, my mother would prepare pepper and cypress wine and tusu wine for everyone to drink. I was still a child then and couldn’t drink alcohol, so I only had peach soup. Every time I drank peach soup, I could hear my eldest brother and second brother setting off firecrackers in the courtyard. That was my favorite scene of the year. After the firecrackers, we would visit relatives and friends to pay New Year’s respects. After that, there would be rounds and rounds of demon-expelling and evil-warding, continuing until after the first month of the lunar year. Now, it seems people don’t care about these things anymore.”
Zhen Wenjun says, “Perhaps it’s because after so many years of constant warfare and turmoil in the central government, people are living day to day. Now that they have a chance to catch their breath, everyone just wants to seize the moment and enjoy themselves.”
Wei Tingxu coldly smiles: “That’s why there are so many shocking incidents.”
On the most luxurious painted boat on the river, there are more than twenty young men and women. The man standing in the center has a jade crown hanging crookedly on his head, a red silk ribbon covering his eyes, and shockingly, he’s bare-chested in the first month of the year, making people’s skin crawl. Undoubtedly, this person must have just consumed Furong Powder.
This man is seen groping around with outstretched arms, while the surrounding group of men and women all wear ghost-face masks. Wherever his hands sweep, it elicits a chorus of screams. After groping for a long time without success, the man becomes agitated and suddenly turns around, pouncing backward. He grabs a young woman, and they both fall into the river with a loud cry.
“Do you know who that person is?” Wei Tingxu asks Zhen Wenjun, looking at the man who has pulled off the red silk ribbon in the water and is now laughing loudly while embracing the young woman.
Zhen Wenjun’s expression tells her “I don’t know.”
“This man’s surname is Lin, given name Daoyuan, courtesy name Zilin. He’s a member of the clan of the late former Minister of Finance, Lin Quanzong. He’s considered quite a genius in the current era.”
“Him?” Zhen Wenjun thought she had misheard. How could someone causing such a scene in the water, refusing to let go of the young woman and drawing a crowd of onlookers on the shore, be considered renowned?
“Yes, it’s him. A few days ago, I attended a ‘qingtan’ (ζΈ θ«, a form of intellectual discourse) with Her Majesty, both of us in disguise. There have always been officials criticizing qingtan for harming the country, saying that hosting one now requires hundreds or thousands of fresh vegetables and fruits, and a hundred carts of grain, which is very extravagant. Some self-proclaimed ‘masters’ try to emulate the spirit of their ancestors and rebel against conventions to attract attention, doing increasingly distasteful things. Her Majesty hasn’t attended a qingtan for quite some time, so she took me along, disguised as children of noble families, to the Lin residence. The qingtan at the Lin residence is quite something, hosted by the current Minister of the Imperial Household, Lin Peng. It’s the largest qingtan venue in Runing. This Lin Daoyuan is the legitimate son of Minister Lin. Do you know what Her Majesty and I saw when we were there?”
“What?”
“This Lin Daoyuan came in wearing a long robe, sat with his legs apart, facing everyone.”
Zhen Wenjun couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
In Da Yu, regardless of gender, unless wearing the tight trousers of the Hu people, everyone wears long robes with nothing underneath. Therefore, people always kneel in front of low tables, and when their knees get tired, they can sit back on their heels to relieve the numbness. What does it mean to sit with legs apart facing everyone? The exposed parts would likely offend everyone’s eyes.
Zhen Wenjun felt nauseous: “Soβ¦ so you and Her Majesty sawβ¦?”
“Not only did we see it, Her Majesty wanted to chop him up on the spot. We left, disgusted, without hearing anything.”
Zhen Wenjun could completely understand. Anyone would have the same impulse in that situation: “Why did he do such a thing?”
“This is the current trend, rebelling against conventions for the sake of rebelling, treating shamelessness as integrity,” Wei Tingxu laughed. “I wonder what the deceased sages and wise men would think if they saw the chaos of today’s world. Some things have rotted from the root.”
What was meant to be a lively outing to soak in the New Year’s festive atmosphere ended up bringing back a load of worries.
As soon as they returned to the Wei Mansion, Zhen Wenjun disappeared in the blink of an eye. Wei Tingxu asked Xiaohua where she had gone, and Xiaohua said she saw her ride off on Yunzhong Feixue as soon as they got back, without saying where she was going.
Wei Tingxu wasn’t anxious, knowing that the little monkey must be up to some mischief again.
Sure enough, half an hour later, Zhen Wenjun returned, riding Xiaoxue with a carriage following behind.
“What’s this?” Xiaohua asked, standing at the door.
“Gifts for Tingxu,” Zhen Wenjun said excitedly as she dismounted, instructing the carriage driver to carefully unload the items inside.
“Tingxu⦔ The form of address made Xiaohua momentarily dazed.
Ice-crackle pattern bowls and plates that held an entire winter’s snow night, candied apples that both children and Wei Tingxu lingered over, golden branch copper lamps that could illuminate half the night sky with just one litβ¦ These were all items that Wei Tingxu had glanced at twice earlier. Zhen Wenjun had secretly noted them down, went back to buy them, and brought back a whole carriage full.
The carriage driver and Xiaohua arranged them one by one in the Bamboo Courtyard, displaying them before Wei Tingxu.
Wei Tingxu looked at them, neither expressing like nor dislike, only sighing: “Our Wenjun has grown up, knowing how to scheme with these little tricks now.”
“It’s not some little trick⦔ Zhen Wenjun protested, “I spent all my money to buy you these New Year’s gifts. How can you call it a little trick?”
“All your money? I remember you had several hundred thousand taels.”
“I spent all my pocket money. The several hundred thousand taels are too precious to spend carelessly.”
“Oh? What do you plan to do with it?”
“Naturally, to make money grow. Whether it’s gold or silver, keeping it at home only takes up space, and even if exchanged for a stack of sheepskin banknotes, it won’t increase in value. Of course, this money should be used in the right place, to make money breed money.”
More interested in her money-making ideas than the carriage of trinkets, Wei Tingxu invited her inside to discuss in detail.
Xiaohua hesitated a bit. In the past, she would have prepared tea or wine according to the guest’s preference, along with some exquisite snacks, and served them in the bedroom while attending to them, pouring tea and wine.
Now, “discussing in detail inside” seemed to have taken on a different meaning. Xiaohua wasn’t quite sure if the “detailed discussion” her mistress spoke of was really just talking, and whether she should go to serve them or not.
Standing in place, unable to decide, Wei Tingxu walked a few steps and noticed Xiaohua hadn’t followed, so she turned back and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Only then did Xiaohua confirm that her mistress really wanted to discuss business this time, rather than make her lips swollen.
“This servant will prepare and come shortly.”
As Xiaohua went to prepare snacks and tea, Zhen Wenjun and Wei Tingxu went inside first.
“Originally, Her Majesty wanted to hold a selection examination this year to recruit new officials into the court and inject fresh blood. The focus of the selection is not only on allowing children of both commoner and noble families to participate together but also to allow women and men to be evaluated on the same stage. Concerned about opposition, she deliberately leaked some information first. This information wasn’t about men and women being evaluated together, but about fair selection for commoners and nobles. As expected, a group of people submitted memorials to my father, strongly opposing it, hoping Her Majesty would reconsider.”
Zhen Wenjun didn’t quite understand: “Now that it’s already the first year of Zhao Wu, Her Majesty has ascended the throne, and Xie Fuchen and his faction have been eliminated. Aren’t the remaining people all supporters of Her Majesty? Why would there be so many people opposing?”
“Precisely because they are supporters, they worry that Her Majesty’s methods are too harsh and forceful, rushing to turn the horse’s head that has been galloping for hundreds of years in an instant, fearing the risk of the carriage being destroyed and people dying. It’s said that ‘all under heaven belongs to the emperor,’ and in the eyes of common people, the Son of Heaven’s word is absolute and no one dares to defy her. But they don’t know that to move such a massive country steadily forward requires all one’s heart and blood, and even deciding on small matters requires careful consideration. Her Majesty can be willful, like Li Ju, who wanted to lead troops personally and did so. If Her Majesty insists on implementing the new selection method now, it’s not impossible, but in the end, it would only lead to the same fate as Li Ju.”
Wei Tingxu continued, “Why are the important officials in Da Yu’s central government all from great clans? This isn’t a structure formed in a day. Since the founding emperor established the country, all the important officials he appointed were famous generals who fought alongside him. These generals were enfeoffed as dukes and marquises, their clans multiplying and prospering generation after generation, their clan power continuously growing stronger. Today, the noble clans are still the pillars of Da Yu. Wanting to let commoner families share their power, naturally, they won’t agree. Once the nobles’ reverse scales are touched, their united rebellion would not be on the level of the yellow earth rebels and those locusts randomly gnawing. They have numerous retainers and strategists in their hands, talented people in abundance. Once they rebel, the central government would be in danger.”
“If that’s the case, why support the commoners?” Zhen Wenjun asked.
“This is the most contradictory and headache-inducing part for Her Majesty. Supporting the commoners is opposed by the noble families, but if we don’t support them and don’t allow this fresh blood to be injected into the central government, people like Lin Daoyuan from noble families will continue to occupy high positions in Da Yu. Many of these noble sons born with golden keys don’t strive for progress. They don’t need to study or understand the big picture, yet they can still easily ascend to high positions riding on the high platforms built by their ancestors. Why should they work hard? Why should they break through tens of thousands of books? Allowing commoners to participate equally in the selection not only can gather more talents but also create a sense of crisis among the nobles, thus motivating them to strive upwards. Without competition, it’s just stagnant water everywhere.”
Zhen Wenjun nodded heavily: “So both sides have pros and cons, making it difficult for Her Majesty to decide.”
“The new selection system is just paving the way for women to enter officialdom. Nobles are to men what commoners are to women. As long as the conflict between nobles and commoners can be reconciled, the matter of women becoming officials can mostly follow the same approach. Her Majesty plans to withstand the pressure and support the commoners. As long as a low-ranking commoner official achieves a great merit, she can be justifiably promoted. Once this precedent is set, everything else can be resolved easily afterwards. The most important thing is that this must be accepted wholeheartedly by everyone, so that exceptional promotions can be made.”
Zhen Wenjun understood: “So the current urgent task is to create an opportunity for this low-ranking commoner official to achieve merit. Now that there’s peace on all fronts and no war, the most satisfying thing for everyone would be to grow a money tree on barren land and fill the national treasury. If this can be accomplished, it would silence everyone, allowing for exceptional promotions and pushing forward the selection reform. This is what you want me to do, right?”
Only at this point did Wei Tingxu’s brow relax, revealing a faint smile: “One who knows me, it’s Wenjun indeed. Does Wenjun have any good ideas? I know you have several hundred thousand, but several hundred thousand isn’t even enough for one day’s food for the people of Runing. We need to use it to create mountains of gold and silver.”
“Mountains of gold and silver⦔ Zhen Wenjun slumped down, kneeling behind the low table, headache-stricken, “Your Wenjun here can play some small tricks, but to really create mountains of gold and silver for you, I’m truly at a loss.”
“Is that so?” Wei Tingxu said, “Is my Wei Zizhuo’s person only capable of this much?”
Zhen Wenjun stood up with a “whoosh”: “What did you say?”
“I said,” Wei Tingxu repeated slowly, “My person is only capable of this much, it’s truly disappointing.”
Zhen Wenjun stepped forward, grabbed her wrist, and pressed her down onto the bed. Wei Tingxu let out a muffled sound, and when she opened her eyes again, Zhen Wenjun was already in front of her.
She propped her hands on either side of Wei Tingxu’s face, her eyes full of dangerous intent: “You’re provoking me, don’t regret it.”
“Oh?” Wei Tingxu appeared calm on the surface, but her heart was stirred by Zhen Wenjun’s forceful actions, “What do you want to do to me?”
“I want to let Zizhuo know⦔ Zhen Wenjun slowly lowered her body, getting close to her ear. Wei Tingxu held her breath, immobilized by her dominance.
“Your person is more capable than anyone else in the world.”
Zhen Wenjun actually called her by her courtesy name “Zizhuo,” which affected Wei Tingxu even more than being called “Tingxu.”
“You like me calling you this way.” Zhen Wenjun saw through her, flicking her face with two fingers, “Your face is even red.”
“I do,” Wei Tingxu admitted frankly, very straightforwardly, “I like strong people. However, if it’s just empty words, it would be very disappointing.”
“Of course it’s not empty words.” Faced with Wei Tingxu’s words, Zhen Wenjun felt no pressure. She stood up to open the door, “I’ve already thought of a way.”
As the door opened, Xiaohua, holding a tea tray and fruit platter, shuddered.
Xiaohua had been standing outside for a long time, originally intending to enter. Just as she was about to knock, she heard the sound of the bed creaking inside, and she abruptly pulled herself back.
Almost wanting to plug her ears with cotton to avoid hearing the noises inside, Xiaohua was hesitating whether to take a couple of turns in the corridor before coming back when Zhen Wenjun opened the door.
“Thank you, I’ll take it from here.” Zhen Wenjun took the tea tray and fruit platter and closed the door. Xiaohua wanted to say something, but the door was already shut.
“What have you thought of?” Wei Tingxu sat up, looking at Zhen Wenjun with interest.
Whether it was the previous 20,000 tael test or the grain collection in Sudu, Zhen Wenjun always managed to bring more surprises while excellently completing the task. She loved Zhen Wenjun’s animated expressions when analyzing events, and even more so her confident radiance when inspiration struck.
This time, Zhen Wenjun didn’t disappoint her either.
“When fighting in the Northern Frontier, I heard a comrade say that during the previous dynasty, there was a trade route between the Central Plains and Sudu, known as the γRoad of Ten Thousand Directionsγ. This road started from Pingcang in the north, passed through Sudu, and extended all the way south to the Kingdom of Liuhuo. At that time, the country was peaceful and prosperous, and the previous dynasty’s Emperor Gaozong fully expanded the trade territory, transporting Central Plains’ porcelain, silk, and tea to the Kingdom of Liuhuo via the Road of Ten Thousand Directions. This trade route brought enormous wealth to Gaozong, but unfortunately, it was later cut off due to wars. Now that the Hu tribe’s rebellion has temporarily retreated, if we can take this opportunity to reopen the Road of Ten Thousand Directions, forget about mountains of gold and silver, what would flow into Her Majesty’s hands would definitely be seas of gold and silver.”
The Road of Ten Thousand Directions was actually recorded in ancient texts, not something a comrade told her, but something her mother had told her. Her mother said this road was opened by Liu Huo of the previous dynasty, taking ten arduous years to complete. Afterwards, countless merchant caravans from small southern countries arrived in the Central Plains along this road, creating a prosperous era of “ten thousand countries coming to pay tribute.”
Of course, every dynasty experiences rise and decline. Later, when the previous dynasty’s emperor became incompetent, Da Yu’s founding emperor rose up to overthrow him, and the Road of Ten Thousand Directions was cut off for two hundred years.
Emperor Wen once thought about reopening the Road of Ten Thousand Directions, but unfortunately, the Guchang tribe was already very restless at that time, killing all the road-opening envoys sent by Emperor Wen, wanting to completely cut off contact with Da Yu.
“I think, at that time, the Guchang tribe people were violent because the Da Yu Empire had just been established, and their military strength was not much different from theirs, so they dared to kill the envoys. But now it’s different. Sudu has already been subdued by Da Yu and become a vassal state. Crossing Sudu to reach the Kingdom of Liuhuo is no longer difficult. If possible, we can continue further south, selling Da Yu’s goods to even more distant places,” Zhen Wenjun felt exhilarated just thinking about it. “This matter would be an achievement for the ages. At that time, whatever official position Her Majesty wants to bestow, no one would dare say a word. Moreover, once this road is opened, I’ll have more opportunities to make money. Not only will the national treasury be enriched, but our Wei family’s coffers will also be bursting.”
Zhen Wenjun’s words were beyond Wei Tingxu’s expectations. She had thought Zhen Wenjun would come up with a way to make money, but not necessarily enough to fill the national treasury. She didn’t expect Zhen Wenjun to think of reopening the Road of Ten Thousand Directions.
This is a person with extremely great ambition.
Wei Tingxu looked at Zhen Wenjun’s already eager face, delighted.
If these words had come from someone else, Wei Tingxu would have dismissed them as idle talk. But this was Zhen Wenjun speaking. Even if it was just proposing an idea, Wei Tingxu could already smell the scent of success and see the picture of a prosperous era approaching.
Wei Tingxu said, “If this can be accomplished, it would indeed kill two birds with one stone. Not only would it quickly restore the country’s strength, but it would also reform the selection system.”
But Zhen Wenjun wasn’t satisfied: “Why not kill three birds with one stone? Why should this benefit someone else? If I handle this matter, the credit will solidly fall on your head, Zizhuo. Then Her Majesty can appoint you as a female official. Money, selection reform, female officials – we’ll have it all.”
Zhen Wenjun’s stream of ingenious thoughts once again subverted Wei Tingxu’s expectations.
This is a strong person. This is the strong person she had been waiting for, who excited her beyond measure.
Wei Tingxu stood up and walked in front of her, face to face.
Zhen Wenjun looked up at her: “Hmm?”
“You want to go personally?” Wei Tingxu straddled her legs, sitting on her thighs.
The sudden intimacy made Zhen Wenjun dizzy with desire. She held Wei Tingxu’s waist with one hand and pinched her chin with the other: “Of course I’ll go personally. I can’t entrust such an important matter to others. If it’s messed up, it would just be a waste of time. And⦔
“I’ll go with you.”
Zhen Wenjun, who had buried her face in her chest, suddenly became clear-headed upon hearing this and raised her head again.
“What did you say?”
“I said, I want to go with you,” Wei Tingxu repeated, letting her know she hadn’t misheard.
“But Zizhuo, this matter is really too dangerous! There are thieves as numerous as cattle in the southern barbarian lands. Even though Sudu is now a vassal state, the thieving nature of its people is hard to change! Not to mention the Kingdom of Liuhuo. The Central Plains and Liuhuo have been cut off for hundreds of years, no one knows what it’s like there now. What if they’re like the Chongjin, eating raw meat and drinking blood?”
“Say no more,” Wei Tingxu said. “I once said I didn’t want you to do dangerous things anymore, but I didn’t expect to go back on my word. But I won’t let you face danger alone again. Wenjun, I won’t be a burden to you. Take me with you.”
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