Fish Meat – Chapter 177
by Little PandaThe Fourth Year of Zhao Wu
Double Silk Net (12)
“Haven’t seen you in many years. When did you return? You didn’t even come to visit my residence.” Wei Tingxu and Bu Jie were chatting casually on the side, speaking at an unhurried pace. Bu Jie, caught off guard by the question, gave a dry laugh and said:
“There were some issues at home in Nanya, so I had to return to take care of them. Now that everything’s settled, I naturally came back to await Lady Zhen’s orders.”
“Wensheng is learned and resourceful in strategy. Having such a strategist as Wensheng is truly Lady Wenjun’s good fortune.”
Zhen Wenjun stood straight, still not turning around.
Bu Jie had intended to keep the conversation brief, but Wei Tingxu wouldn’t let him go, continuing with endless small talk. Zhen Wenjun had planned to leave directly, but Zuo Kunda, who had been waiting for some time, came up to inquire, saying he hadn’t seen Wei Tingxu for a long while and wondered where she had been.
“I’ve been at the Wei residence all along, just that I was injured and couldn’t go out.”
Wei Tingxu spoke these words very naturally. Zhen Wenjun felt the back of her head growing warm, as if someone’s gaze had fallen there, though it might have been her imagination.
“Injured? Could it be from that incident on your wedding day?” Zuo Kunda asked softly. “That day I had intended to come congratulate both ladies on your happy union, but military orders prevented me from getting away, so I only sent gifts. Later I heard that on the wedding day, an intruder broke into the Wei residence and was killed by Lady Zhen. Was that when you were injured?”
Zhen Wenjun’s eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head. This Zuo Kunda… so clever and nimble when probing enemy intelligence, yet such a fool in daily life! She had thought to promote him to an important position, but now she was having doubts.
Wei Tingxu smiled and said: “That’s right, I was injured that day. Fortunately, Wenjun appeared in time and killed the villain, or I might have lost my life. Oh right, Jiyong, a few days ago I visited Ah Liao’s residence, and Miss Ah Xi mentioned you.”
“What? Miss Ah Xi?” Zuo Kunda’s heart began pounding, “What did she say?”
“Miss Ah Xi was making spring clothes for the Qingluan sisters, but the fabric she bought was too stiff and the colors seemed more suitable for men’s wear, so she thought she might as well make a set of men’s spring clothes. Ah Liao usually likes brighter colors, and Ah Xi thought of you. That day I saw Ah Xi had already finished making the clothes and wanted to send them to you, but worried about giving you false hopes, she felt hesitant.”
Zuo Kunda’s face flushed red from his ears to his neck, as if Wei Tingxu’s words were boiling water that had scalded him thoroughly.
“Miss Ah Xi has already rejected me, what right do I have to indulge in wild thoughts? It’s already fortunate that she still remembers someone like me… if possible, I can go collect them myself! Please assure Miss Ah Xi that I understand she has no feelings for me, and I won’t force anything or act inappropriately. I only hope to have one more confidant to talk to in this heartless world.”
Never before had anyone noticed that Zuo Kunda was so thin-skinned and sentimental, so easily read by others.
At the Maritime Affairs Bureau, Zhen Wenjun neither spoke a word to Wei Tingxu nor looked at her once, and Wei Tingxu didn’t initiate any conversation either, only chatting casually with others around her. From her voice, one could tell she had recovered well, with strong qi; from her shadow, one could judge that her movements were nimble, leaving no lasting ailments.
That sword strike wouldn’t have taken her life, but it wouldn’t have let her off easily either, enough to cause her pain for over a month.
That strike, delivered with anger at being fooled, had indeed been rather harsh, though now thinking about it seemed somewhat amusing.
When Zhen Wenjun left the Maritime Affairs Bureau, it was approaching You Hour [ι ζ | you shi | 5-7 PM], nearly time to leave work, yet there were still many officials coming to witness the magnificence of the Divine Military Box.
“That divine box is truly miraculous,” During dinner time, Bu Jie and Zuo Kunda came to the Ji Xue Manor to dine together. Bu Jie, holding his rice bowl, couldn’t stop praising the divine box. Several times he forgot to put the meat he had picked up into his mouth.
Since Li Yanyi ascended to the throne, she had advocated for eliminating gender segregation. By the fourth year of Zhao Wu, places like Runing, Pingcang, and Dongchun had gradually developed the custom of men and women dining together. Now Bu Jie and Zuo Kunda sat at the table, while Zhen Wenjun, Xiao Xiao, and Ah Qiong also sat without hesitation, holding their bowls and chopsticks. The chef’s skills were exquisite, preparing a table full of delicacies, and even Ah Xi, who had been grumbling all day, was drawn in by the aroma of the food.
As the weather gradually warmed up, dining locations moved from indoors to more spacious outdoor areas. The Ji Xue Manor mostly used high chairs and tall-legged tables common among the Hu people, changing from kneeling to sitting while eating, allowing legs to stretch out more comfortably.
Ah Xi took a cushion and placed it on the wooden chair, trying to sit down with extreme care and difficulty. As her bottom barely touched the cushion, she grimaced in pain, taking quite some time to adjust to the discomfort before quickly grabbing a bowl and heaping it full of rice. She attacked the minced meat with fried green beans in front of her, her chopsticks moving with such speed they created whistling sounds.
Zhen Wenjun sat across from her, unable to bear watching her eat as if she hadn’t seen food in three lifetimes: “Ah Xi, slow down, no one’s going to fight you for it.”
After wolfing down two bowls of rice, Ah Xi finally felt somewhat satisfied. While filling her third bowl, she slowed her eating pace and asked Bu Jie:
“What were you saying earlier? Something about a divine box being miraculous?”
Bu Jie then told Ah Xi about what he had witnessed at the Maritime Affairs Bureau. Ah Xi nearly dropped her bowl and chopsticks upon hearing it:
“What? A wooden ball the size of a palm can be thrown on the ground and transform into a three-dimensional city model two bu [ζ₯ | ~1.5m] wide? And not just one city, but all the major strongholds within Da Yu can be displayed from a single ball?”
“That’s right. Besides cities, it can also show several military routes and mountain ranges.”
“Wait… I don’t understand. How can a single wooden ball create so many different patterns?”
“There are six mechanism buttons the size of mung beans,” Zuo Kunda said, “Pressing different combinations of buttons creates different formations, all transforming on the ball itself.”
“A single wooden ball can contain so much?”
“Indeed, I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes,” Bu Jie said. “The wooden blocks rise and fall, transforming into completely different appearances. The Maritime and Terrain Commander said that the Maritime Affairs Bureau has gathered a group of elite surveyors. Once they collect all the geographical data from their explorations, she can incorporate the entire terrain of Da Yu and even the surrounding Hu territories into the Divine Military Box. For future military campaigns, carrying just this one ball would suffice, much easier than lugging around piles of leather scrolls or cloth maps.”
“So the Maritime and Terrain Commander position is already filled, and by such an extraordinary person?” Ah Xi wasn’t angry, but rather showed unusual admiration.
The group chatted enthusiastically, constantly discussing Ah Liao’s new invention.
Zhen Wenjun: “If you’re not going to eat, I’ll finish it all.”
No matter how severe her injuries, Ah Xi’s appetite only ranged from good to better. Xiao Xiao was in her growing phase, and her appetite was equally astounding. The two of them shared an entire charcoal-roasted suckling pig. The group continued eating and drinking until late into the night before dispersing to sleep.
Zhen Wenjun asked Bu Jie about Zhu Maosan’s situation. Bu Jie said that Zhu Maosan was a grateful person who had always wanted to return to Runing, but never had the opportunity. Last year he even wrote a letter to Bu Jie’s wife in Nanya to pass on to him, asking about Zhen Wenjun’s situation in the capital, probably still not having given up.
Zhen Wenjun nodded and asked Bu Jie to help find someone in Yanxing County. She whispered something in his ear, and Bu Jie revealed a mysterious smile:
“I’ll depart tonight!”
The next day was the celebration banquet for Zhen Wenjun’s elimination of the Zhuxie Cult, held in the imperial garden, Yi Jing Garden.
It was the season when Yi Jing Garden’s sea of flowers was in full bloom. As soon as Zhen Wenjun entered the garden, she was greeted by overwhelming floral fragrances, with apricot rain and pear clouds, like a paradise on earth. Many people were already in the garden, gathered in small groups of two or three, chatting. Upon seeing Zhen Wenjun’s arrival, they came forward to offer congratulations on her promotion to Fourth-Rank Bandit-Quelling General.
Zhen Wenjun knew that the “Bandit-Quelling General” was a nominal position, having the title of general without real power. Although Li Yanyi wanted to use her, she also needed to guard against her, making immediate further promotion impossible. The most important outcome of this battle wasn’t just increasing her influence in the central government and military, but rather her reputation among the common people.
Zhen Wenjun wasn’t in any hurry.
The Emperor arrived, and the relaxed atmosphere in Yi Jing Garden instantly became solemn. The court officials knelt at their designated positions, forming two rows, heads bowed in respect. Li Yanyi, wearing a rather casual long robe, passed through the middle, followed by the imposing Zhuiyue Army, moving like a gust of wind.
Wei Tingxu followed closely behind. As soon as Li Yanyi arrived, Wei Tingxu took her seat from another side.
The gazes of the three intersected in the air. Wei Tingxu was the first to smile, bowing to Li Yanyi. Li Yanyi’s lips twitched slightly as she took the seat facing east. The Imperial Censor and Minister of Works Zhangsun Yao and the Head of the Imperial Secretariat Zuo Yun sat on the other side as the banquet gradually unfolded among the sea of flowers.
Zhen Wenjun was supposed to sit at a lower position beside Li Yanyi. Just as she sat down, Wei Tingxu came over and took a seat shoulder to shoulder with her.
Zhen Wenjun wanted to stand and leave, but Wei Tingxu grabbed her hand.
“I know you don’t want to deal with me, but today is a special occasion, please bear with it.” Wei Tingxu gazed at Zhen Wenjun with spring-like warmth in her eyes, pretending to whisper sweet nothings that only they could hear. “Today isn’t just about your celebration banquet. I’m sure Her Majesty has told you, she has recruited the first batch of noble women to study at the Imperial Academy. Those present at today’s banquet are representatives. Look, the one sitting diagonally across from us with the flying immortal hairstyle [ι£ε€©ι«» | feitian ji | elaborate traditional hairstyle] smiling at you, her lips as red as if she’s just eaten someone.”
Wei Tingxu’s description was extremely precise, and Zhen Wenjun immediately recognized the lady she mentioned. The lady clearly rarely appeared in such crowded occasions, especially with so many unfamiliar men present. She appeared nervous and anxious, her hands tightly clasped together, her neck held perfectly straight like a bowstring drawn to its limit, as if it might snap with any more tension.
Zhen Wenjun could imagine how much courage it took to step out from the inner chambers into the outside world. She certainly couldn’t disappoint them at such a crucial moment. More importantly, both Wei Tingxu and Li Yanyi cared deeply about the advancement of women’s status, which was closely related to her. She, Zhen Wenjun, couldn’t destroy this great undertaking.
She stayed, settling firmly in her seat.
Guang Shaoling held the imperial edict, reading Zhen Wenjun’s achievements word by word. After he finished, a wave of approval rose. Li Yanyi highly praised Zhen Wenjun’s youthful valor and brilliant strategies, declaring her courage and achievements extraordinary. She rewarded her with ten thousand taels of gold, two thousand bolts of silk, one hundred servants, and a pair of precious horses.
From the Emperor’s rewards, one could tell how poor the Yu Dynasty currently was. Zhen Wenjun didn’t mind the amount of the rewards and first expressed her gratitude.
Li Yanyi used the bandit-suppression matter to praise the competence of female officials, taking the opportunity to bring up the Imperial Academy’s recruitment of its first batch of female students.
Although the Geng family had become more subdued since the last assassination attempt, other clans and royal relatives were still closely watching the Haina Reforms. They understood all too well what female students entering the Imperial Academy meant. Many were observing them, especially after Wei Tingxu and Zhen Wenjun’s marriage, as these two had become the most prominent figures in the Da Yu court. While Zhen Wenjun hadn’t felt much pressure while suppressing bandits outside the capital, Wei Tingxu was constantly under countless watchful eyes wherever she went, all trying to find even the slightest flaw to use against female officials and oppose any of the Empress’s policies that threatened or might threaten their interests.
Li Yanyi spoke confidently, enumerating Zhen Wenjun and Wei Tingxu’s contributions to Da Yu one by one. When she finally mentioned their loving marriage and mutual respect, Wei Tingxu pushed her luck by grasping Zhen Wenjun’s hand.
Zhen Wenjun: “…”
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for arranging this marriage, allowing me to have such a worthy wife. Although we’ve spent little time together since our marriage, state affairs are as weighty as mountains, and I naturally must support them.” Wei Tingxu stroked Zhen Wenjun’s hand back and forth, speaking at length about their loving marriage and how much she missed her wife during military campaigns. She continued stroking as long as she spoke, appearing quite pleased with herself.
Just as she finished, when everyone’s attention shifted from her to Zhen Wenjun, waiting to see if the other protagonist of this same-sex marriage would say something even more grandiose, Zhen Wenjun quickly put on a smile and grabbed Wei Tingxu’s hand in return, squeezing hard. Wei Tingxu sensed the danger and tried to withdraw her hand but wasn’t quick enough. Zhen Wenjun held it firmly, forcefully pulling it toward herself.
Zhen Wenjun pressed her face close to Wei Tingxu’s while vigorously kneading her hand, “My wife is elegant, quiet, virtuous, and bright. For Your Majesty to bestow such a fine wife upon me, I truly laugh even in my dreams.”
Wei Tingxu was in pain from the kneading, tears almost falling, as she wiped her eyes with gratification: “Yes indeed, what a fine wife.”
Truly made for each other both are cunning in their own ways.