Fish Meat – Chapter 180
by Little PandaThe Fourth Year of Zhao Wu
Double Silk Net (15)
The Divine Military Box remained the most popular item. This group of female students, who had just arrived in Runing, full of hope and ambition for official careers, had already begun analyzing the future battlefield applications of the Divine Military Box.
Ah Liao said that in these past days she had further improved the Divine Military Box, adding gravel to represent varying numbers of soldiers, allowing for troop deployment simulations on the mock battlefield. At these words, the female students’ eyes instantly radiated bright light, eagerly urging her to demonstrate quickly.
When Ah Liao displayed the Divine Military Box, its peculiar wooden landscape and gravel appeared before them. The students who had gathered from all corners of the realm, more than half from modest or even poor households, all crowded around to play the wooden board war game.
Everyone on the painted pleasure boat formed a circle around Ah Liao, except for two people.
Wei Tingxu and Zhen Wenjun stood at opposite ends of the painted boat, separated by a width of five or six people.
The painted boat set sail, cutting through the calm moat water slowly moving forward. On both banks, farmworkers were trimming overgrown tree branches and bushes, while a rare breeze carrying moisture and the fragrance of fresh grass blew toward them, naturally bringing forth a sense of leisure and pleasure.
It had been who knows how long since the last time such leisure was felt. Zhen Wenjun closed her eyes, hoping to let the gentle breeze blow away some of the heaviness that had weighed on her heart for days.
When she opened her eyes again, she found Wei Tingxu holding a wine cup extended in her direction.
Zhen Wenjun glanced at it but didn’t take it.
Wei Tingxu said: “Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned.”
Zhen Wenjun showed no fear, moved two steps and reached out her arm to retrieve the wine cup. Bringing it to her nose, she immediately recognized it as Aunt Ah Zhu’s home-brewed wine, exceptionally fragrant, her once-favorite dining wine. Having not tasted it for some time, the wine craving in her heart emerged upon smelling it, and she tilted her head back to drink it all in one go.
The wine’s essence rose up with a sweet aftertaste, and the uninhibited pleasure made Zhen Wenjun feel comfortable inside and out.
Wei Tingxu gazed at her profile for a long while, only withdrawing her gaze after Ah Liao put away the Divine Military Box and Ah Cang had distributed small tables with several plates of fresh fruit and poured tea for everyone.
The group began discussing the establishment of the Path of Ten Thousand Directions, chatting and laughing freely.
Ah Cang was born in Nanya, which was a crucial point along the Path of Ten Thousand Directions and also the southern gateway of Da Yu. After the Path of Ten Thousand Directions was established, all merchant caravans had to pass through there, and countless goods flooded the Nanya market, bringing many changes to this remote prefecture that had traditionally relied on grain farming as its main source of income, giving common people many more ways to earn money.
“The prosperity of Nanya should thank the Secretary Supervisor who oversees the Path of Ten Thousand Directions,” Ah Cang bowed to Wei Tingxu, “It was because the Secretary Supervisor reduced Nanya’s taxes, allowing people more resources to engage in commerce, that Nanya’s market has become the largest in Yunan. I have personally visited the market several times; the marketplace has expanded more than threefold compared to before. Just walking from one end of the horse market to the other takes more than a shichen. When trying to choose a horse there, the abundance of choices makes one’s eyes swim [ηΌθ±ηΌδΊ | yΗn huΔ liΓ‘o luΓ n | dazzled by too many choices].”
Commercial prosperity brought comprehensive changes to Nanya. Along with the influx of silver, more advanced and prosperous regions’ culture and ideas also permeated Nanya. The most obvious change was that this time when Ah Cang wanted to leave home to study, her family finally agreed.
“My father and mother saw how the two female officials could not only enter the central government, becoming implementers of the Haina Reforms, but also formed an admirable union. Previously, becoming an official was men’s business, but now as women we can also seek opportunities for advancement, and they also hope their daughter can achieve success. Despite high mountains and many obstacles, they now allow me to travel far for studies.”
Several female students discussed at length how the Path of Ten Thousand Directions and Haina Reforms affected their fates, while Wei Tingxu just listened quietly with a smile.
A slightly younger female student, appearing only thirteen or fourteen years old, stared at Zhen Wenjun with particular curiosity and shyness. Zhen Wenjun noticed her gaze and asked:
“Do you have a question you want to ask me?”
The young lady met Zhen Wenjun’s spirited eyes, her little heart pounding, her face blushing red, and spoke in a mosquito-like voice:
“General Zhen, I am Chen familyβs Ah Shan from Yun County. It is said that General Zhen has photographic memory, is well-versed in military classics and speaks eloquently. General Zhen’s talent is no less than former dynasty’s Grand Chancellor Heng Yan. Why did you choose to enter officialdom through military achievements?”
The other female students nearby, upon hearing these words, hurriedly nodded in agreement.
Ah Cang also said: “Indeed, I find the General far more interesting than our regular lecturers, so why risk your life to kill enemies in the Northern Frontier?”
Zhen Wenjun smiled and said: “Every common person bears responsibility for the nation’s rise and fall. When our people face hardship, every Da Yu citizen should protect our mountains and rivers without regard for their own life. Do you perhaps think women are inferior to men and unfit for the battlefield? Or do you think it’s undignified for women to fight and kill enemies?”
Ah Shan said: “It’s not that Ah Shan is prejudiced against women, but on the battlefield, gender differences create many limitations. Not to mention various inconveniences during military campaigns, just considering the natural strength disparity between men and women – how could women possibly match men in actual combat? Wouldn’t it be futile sacrifice?”
Zhen Wenjun patiently explained: “When the nation’s survival is at stake, on the battlefield it’s not just strong young men and women, but even elderly men and women, down to children just twelve years old, all wielding weapons and fighting bloody battles. When life itself can’t be guaranteed, what inconvenience or limitation matters? Camping in the wilderness, eating tree bark and roots when supplies run low, going months without bathing until people are so filthy you can’t tell men from women. You all come from various places, likely pampered at home, never even having held a knife to kill a chicken. Most women on the battlefield are of slave status, who do physical labor daily and have strength not much different from ordinary men. On a real battlefield, forget about women of the Shen Chu era, even men seeking advancement through military merit face nine deaths one life [δΉζ»δΈη | jiΗ sΗ yΔ« shΔng | life-threatening situations]. Ah Shan, you ask why I chose military merit, but you don’t know I was once of slave status, not privileged with opportunities like yours today, so you should truly cherish what you have.”
Ah Shan hadn’t expected Zhen Wenjun to be of slave origin, couldn’t help exclaiming “Ah!”, and said somewhat embarrassed and guilty:
“General Zhen fighting enemies for the country is truly a role model for Da Yu women, I was narrow-minded.”
Wei Tingxu said: “In this world, there’s actually nothing that you can do while I cannot, it comes down to four characters: act within one’s ability. For instance, you might not be as formidable as General Zhen in battle, but your future contributions to Da Yu and its people from within the central government may also be remembered for thousands of years. When everyone performs their duty and exhibits their talents, Da Yu can flourish. General Zhen is a martial arts prodigy, and though I wish I could gallop across battlefields like her, unfortunately I have the will but lack the strength.”
Wei Tingxu’s words made everyone nod their heads like pecking rice.
Ah Cang continued asking: “General Zhen, when facing so many deadly weapons on the battlefield, weren’t you afraid?”
Zhen Wenjun replied seriously: “Of course I was afraid at first. Although I had heard many battlefield tales from my mother since childhood, being there personally was a completely different feeling. When I first went to battle, I went as a private soldier, as women couldn’t become officials during the Shen Chu years, not even counted as regular soldiers.”
Zhen Wenjun spoke of her earliest scenes in the Northern Frontier, how upon reaching the front lines they encountered military rebellion, with the general having his throat cut while giving a speech to new recruits from atop a platform.
At this point, all the female students present were grimacing and frowning, rubbing their arms.
Zhen Wenjun said: “The front lines are indeed this brutal, you never know when a close friend might suddenly stab you, nor do you know when you might die, or where death will find you.”
Zhen Wenjun spoke about some matters concerning the Mengliang Battle, and was about to conclude, when a lady called Ah Ji kept asking questions nonstop about military campaign details.
Zhen Wenjun, seeing that Ah Ji was tall and robust, good material for martial arts training, realized her ambitions might not be limited to becoming a civil official: “If you’re interested in joining the army, come find me at the Zhuo Jun Mansion, we can talk through the night.”
Ah Ji happily agreed, while Wei Tingxu, leaning nearby, let her gaze drift between Zhen Wenjun and Ah Ji.
A female student called Ah Yu watched Zhen Wenjun and Wei Tingxu’s relationship that is zither and se in harmony [η΄ηε鳴 | qΓn sΓ¨ hΓ© mΓng | metaphor for marital harmony] and sighed, prompting Ah Cang to ask: “What are you sighing about?”
Ah Yu said: “I’m thinking, it’s fine for those like the Secretary Supervisor and General Zhen, a female-female marriage with one civil and one military official, truly well-matched. But I don’t prefer the female way, I’ll still seek a suitable husband. If I have the chance to become an official in the future, when pregnant, surely I can’t attend morning court with a big belly? This… not only breaks protocol, but I’ve seen how my sisters-in-law are after becoming pregnant, it’s really inconvenient for traveling back and forth.”
Ah Cang, seemingly imagining that scene, made a “puchi” sound and giggled behind her hand: “Moreover, if the child urgently wants to come out during morning court, wouldn’t you have to give birth in front of Her Majesty? That would be too chaotic, absolutely disrespectful!”
Zhen Wenjun’s face reddened at Ah Yu’s notion: “Her Majesty established female officials to elevate women’s status, everything must proceed step by step. Now you must first study at the Imperial Academy, and afterward there will surely be a series of policies tailored for you. If female officials become pregnant, there will certainly be leave periods established for childbirth, just like marriage leave. Giving birth in the great hall is absolutely impossible.”
The first few questions from the female students were serious issues that female officials might likely encounter. After chatting for a while, as the students became more familiar with this wife-wife pair, their questions gradually became more casual.
“General Zhen, when you lead troops to battle and leave Runing, you’re gone for quite a while, right?”
Zhen Wenjun nodded: “Last time suppressing the Lanwan Bandits took three months. Pacifying an uprising in three months is already considered very quick. Look at those hu barbarian tribes, fighting has continued since Emperor Ming, and after several decades they still haven’t been completely eliminated, continuing to harass Da Yu’s borders.”
“Does General Zhen have the ambition to completely eliminate the barbarian bandits?”
“If possible, naturally I want to catch them all in one net, restoring peace to Da Yu’s common people.”
“Are the General and Secretary Supervisor like ordinary couples? I have three brothers at home. My eldest brother and sister-in-law treat each other with utmost courtesy, always in harmony, never getting angry. My second brother greatly fears his wife, not daring to go west if she says east, completely obedient to her wishes. My third brother married just last year, constantly quarreling with his wife, often being sent to sleep in the study, yet in the next moment they’re extraordinarily affectionate. What are the Secretary Supervisor and General like in daily life? When General Zhen goes to battle for several months, what does the Secretary Supervisor do?”
Zhen Wenjun had been answering seriously, not expecting the topic to gradually shift in an uncontrollable, strange direction.
“Don’t you miss the Secretary Supervisor? You’ve just married, if General Zhen must go north to suppress the Chongjin, afraid you’ll be gone for years, how will you deal with the loneliness of not having your wife by your side?”
The female students maintained expressions as if discussing serious academic matters, but this made Zhen Wenjun pause for a moment, instinctively looking toward Wei Tingxu.
Wei Tingxu, receiving Zhen Wenjun’s glance, thought to herself: For such embarrassing questions, you can’t wait to throw them to me.
Wei Tingxu said with a smile: “When I’m not by General Zhen’s side, naturally she misses me dearly, sending letter after letter back to Runing. Before even reaching the battlefield, the love letters at home pile up into a small mountain.”
Zhen Wenjun: “I didn’t…”
“General Zhen is thin-skinned, usually reluctant to let me speak of such things. But missing family is human nature, what is there to be shy about?” Speaking thus, she knelt-sat beside Zhen Wenjun, tapping her head lightly.
Zhen Wenjun bit her lip, struggling to control herself from acting out in front of the female students: “…My wife speaks truly.”
“Knowing Wenjun is clingy, I miss her too. During the Mengliang Battle, I also went to the front lines to reunite with Wenjun.”
“The Secretary Supervisor went too? I heard the Secretary Supervisor’s health was poor, even using a four-wheeled chair a few years ago,” Ah Cang was very surprised, “To actually go to such dangerous northern frontlines for the General, truly inseparable as glue with profound spousal affection.”
Once someone started, those curious about their wife-wife relationship pressed forward with more questions. Everyone wanted to understand the story of this first same-sex married couple, asking questions within the bounds of propriety. They asked who was more domestic, who generally listened to whom more…
Zhen Wenjun’s previous talkativeness changed, becoming increasingly silent.
Just as Wei Tingxu wanted to end the topic, Ah Cang asked one final question:
“How envious of you two, having experienced so much life and death together. Speaking of which, how did you two meet? It’s said that General Zhen is the Secretary Supervisor’s life-saving benefactor.”
Ah Cang’s eyes sparkled as she waited for Zhen Wenjun to share a past that would make everyone envious, but unexpectedly, after a long silence, Zhen Wenjun said:
“That’s something from very, very long ago, I have already forgotten.”
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