Fish Meat – Chapter 187

The Fourth Year of Zhao Wu

Secrets in the Sleeve (7)

With a slightly fishy smell from the pool water on her body, Zhen Wenjun returned to her room to get clothes, planning to take a good bath in the pool.

            

On the way to the bathing pool, Zhen Wenjun pondered about the “three hundred thousand troops” Wei Tingxu had mentioned earlier.

The grain in her possession actually couldn’t support three hundred thousand – in short-term warfare, two hundred thousand would be the absolute maximum, and it would only last two months at most. She had exaggerated earlier, but judging from Wei Tingxu’s attitude, it seemed true that she had three hundred thousand troops in her control.

Three hundred thousand…

            

She knew the Wei family was secretly recruiting soldiers, but didn’t know they had taken so many!

If true, where did Wei Tingxu hide them all? Were they dispersed among civilians or hidden outside of Da Yu? If outside the borders, once war breaks out, long-distance mobilization would waste time and supplies – not a good strategy. However, Wei Tingxu was heavily armed, and deciphering her strategies was extremely difficult; one couldn’t just look at the surface.

Three hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, where did Wei Tingxu get so many soldiers? Or had she been stockpiling troops since ten years ago when she planned to usurp the throne?

            

Zhen Wenjun’s mind was full of Wei Tingxu, she didn’t even notice when she had removed her clothes and was already soaking in the pool.

The water temperature in the pool was suitable, and she had brought clean clothes, but after swimming around once she couldn’t find the soap pods and the box containing wood ash anywhere. Zhen Wenjun was dumbfounded – while she wasn’t in the mansion, who knows what Xiao Xiao had been doing in the pool, why were all the bathing items gone.

Zhen Wenjun swam another lap but still couldn’t find them, her hair all let down and wet…

            

Helplessly, she had to rise from the comfortable hot spring.

Just as she was about to get out, the bamboo grove separating Zhuo Jun Mansion and Secretary Supervisor’s mansion began rustling, seeming like someone was coming. The completely bare Zhen Wenjun startled, quickly sliding back into the pool.

Sure enough, someone was moving behind the bamboo grove, even carrying a gauze lantern as if afraid of not seeing clearly in the night.

            

The lantern light flashed through the bamboo grove, and Zhen Wenjun asked loudly: “Who.”

The light stopped at her question.

“Oh, it’s furen [夫人 | fūrén | madam] taking a bath, what a coincidence.”

            

Hearing Wei Tingxu’s voice, even with her entire body submerged in water, Zhen Wenjun still felt embarrassed.

“What coincidence? Li Yanyi’s eyes and ears aren’t here, no need to put on an act anymore.”

“Hmm?” Wei Tingxu asked back as if not understanding.

            

Zhen Wenjun felt a breath stuck in her chest, and said irritably: “Appearing when someone is bathing, isn’t that a bit inappropriate, Secretary Supervisor?”

“So you find me a nuisance. In that case, I’ll leave.”

Zhen Wenjun was puzzled, why was Wei Tingxu so agreeable today, saying she’d leave and actually leaving? Not like her style.

            

Sure enough, after a pause she said: “Xiao Xiao was playing in the pool and took away the soap pods that were thrown over to my side.”

“…wait a moment.”

“Is there anything else, General?”

            

Zhen Wenjun’s head ached, she swam to the edge of the bamboo grove, thought for a moment and said: “Can you give me the soap pods? I have nothing to use now.”

“Alright, I’ll come over and give them to you.” As she spoke, she was about to push aside the troublesome bamboo grove and come through, but was stopped by Zhen Wenjun’s shout.

“What’s wrong?” Wei Tingxu dared to ask.

            

Zhen Wenjun of course knew she was doing this on purpose, only hating that she wasn’t as thick-skinned as her.

“Put them in the bamboo grove, I’ll go get them myself.”

“Isn’t it a bit far, can you reach them?”

            

“…I’ll be able to reach them once you leave!”

After a moment, a soft laugh from Wei Tingxu came from behind the bamboo grove.

“I’ll stop teasing you.” The bamboo grove parted slightly, and Wei Tingxu’s hand reached through, tossing the soap pods to her.

            

Zhen Wenjun raised her hand to catch them, glaring back.

“Regarding the Chong Jin army’s southward advance this time, do you have any countermeasures?”

After throwing the soap pods, she thought Wei Tingxu would leave, but unexpectedly she not only stayed but sat down.

            

“No particular countermeasures.” Zhen Wenjun washed her hair contentedly, being quite honest – what was there to be coy about, it’s not like they hadn’t seen each other’s bodies before – “On the battlefield, there are countless changes, no one can boast about having certainty of victory before reaching the front lines, otherwise it’s all self-deception.”

“I see.”

Zhen Wenjun wanted to say more, but noticed the lantern light behind the bamboo grove slowly fading away – Wei Tingxu had left.

            

Why did she ask such a question?

Zhen Wenjun pondered, could there be another scheme?

Even bathing couldn’t be peaceful.

            

After bathing, Zhen Wenjun was pestered by Xiao Xiao for quite a while, as Xiao Xiao showed her the characters learned this month and the practiced Yu character fist. Xiao Xiao’s writing had improved considerably, at least the written characters were legible now, and the fist techniques were even better, each move precise and powerful.

“Ah Mu, Ah Mu, how was my practice?” Xiao Xiao, head covered in sweat, ran over waiting for words of praise.

Zhen Wenjun had long stopped minding how Xiao Xiao addressed her: “Indeed, you’ve improved greatly, but don’t be self-satisfied. Only by seeing your own flaws can you continue to improve.”

            

Xiao Xiao nodded seriously, requesting to sleep together with Zhen Wenjun tonight.

“Alright, you can sleep with me tonight, but you must behave, don’t wave your arms and legs while dreaming. Last time when I was sound asleep, you kicked me in the stomach, suddenly waking me up and it hurt for half a day.”

Ah Qiong added timely from the side: “You were the same when you were little, never still while sleeping.”

            

“Ah Mu…”

Xiao Xiao giggled, quickly went to bathe, and after bathing came back to lie down with Zhen Wenjun, hugging her arm and insisting she tell stories.

Storytelling was absolutely Zhen Wenjun’s strong point. Not to mention the countless stories she heard from Ah Qiong, just her own experiences were enough to talk for ten days and nights.

            

Zhen Wenjun picked several stories about spies during wartime, and Xiao Xiao fell asleep listening to them, which instead reminded Zhen Wenjun of something.

After Xiao Xiao was sound asleep, Zhen Wenjun ran to the kitchen and rummaged for a while, digging out a jar with a small mouth and big belly used for pickling vegetables, took out all the pickled vegetables, washed the jar clean, and carried it to the pool side.

In the middle of the night, Zhen Wenjun carrying a jar wasn’t afraid of Ah Yue or Ah Qiao seeing. To them, Zhen Wenjun and Wei Tingxu must be bitter enemies, any scheme against each other was reasonable – as long as there were no signs of reconciliation, they wouldn’t be suspicious, and wouldn’t even report to Li Yanyi.

            

Carrying the jar and a shovel to the bamboo grove edge, it was already late night and the Secretary Supervisor’s mansion was quiet. After listening for a while to confirm no one was around, Zhen Wenjun began digging. She quickly dug a hole and buried the jar, then covered the jar mouth with sheepskin, pulled the sheepskin as tight as possible and tied it securely, using this to eavesdrop on surrounding movements.

In most cases, burying a jar to listen only allowed hearing distant footsteps, but Wei Tingxu’s bedroom wasn’t far from here – with luck, perhaps some voices could be heard.

After burying the jar, Zhen Wenjun tried listening – no movement.

            

This late, everyone should be asleep.

Just as Zhen Wenjun was about to get up and leave, suddenly scratching footsteps came through the skin surface, and she immediately lay back down.

Changning Palace… Empress Dowager… tomorrow… carriage…

            

Zhen Wenjun’s neck was nearly breaking before she could vaguely make out these few words, Wei Tingxu seemed to be talking to someone.

Who would be in her room at this late hour?

Hmm… if not Ah Liao, then it must be her spies and hidden guards. With Wei Tingxu’s personality, it’s unlikely she would be this close with someone she just met. Thinking this way, Zhen Wenjun had nothing to worry about.

            

Actually, Zhen Wenjun had also heard that tomorrow Empress Dowager Geng was holding an elegant gathering in the palace, inviting many people, but she hadn’t expected Wei Tingxu to be among them.

Wei Tingxu was going to Changning Palace to see the Empress Dowager? She dared to see the Empress Dowager? Could there be another scheme?

An invitation card was also sent to Zhuo Jun Mansion. She had just returned to Runing and not many people knew, nor had she reported to court yet, so even if she didn’t attend this gathering, Empress Dowager Geng couldn’t say anything.

            

Knowing Wei Tingxu would go, Zhen Wenjun became extremely curious, and though originally uninterested in this gathering, she decided to investigate.

Early the next morning, Zhen Wenjun sat drinking tea in the tea pavilion – the tea pavilion was the highest point in Zhuo Jun Mansion, able to view the entire Zhuo Jun Mansion and most of the Secretary Supervisor’s mansion.

When Wei Tingxu walked out of her room, Zhen Wenjun slowly withdrew her gaze that had been fixed on her bedroom door, pretending to drink tea while continuing to observe from the corner of her eye.

            

“General, so early?” Wei Tingxu asked as she walked across the floating bridge.

“Mmm…” Zhen Wenjun responded casually as if not fully awake. Wei Tingxu said nothing more, walking into the carriage stopped at the gate, Xiaohua immediately getting in with her.

After Wei Tingxu’s carriage left, Zhen Wenjun quickly went out and got into her carriage, maintaining an undetectable distance, following them to the Forbidden Garden.

            

At Tingfeng Gate, carriages bearing various family plaques stopped in sequence.

Who knows where Empress Dowager Geng got the interest from, inviting ladies and madams from various families to appreciate lotus flowers at Changning Palace today. In previous years this was common, after all, the emperor’s harem was mostly composed of women from various noble families, which would somewhat influence the court. Frequent small gatherings allowed the Empress Dowager to understand major recent events in each family, helping her better control the inner palace.

Since the Female Emperor’s ascension to the throne, these elegant affairs of drinking tea and appreciating flowers in the back garden had stopped. Today the Empress Dowager suddenly summoned various families to appreciate lotus flowers, no one dared to be negligent. All families had heard about the Female Emperor’s dislike of men, though they dared not discuss it openly, it didn’t mean they weren’t making calculations in their hearts.

            

The madams getting down from various carriages were each more graceful and luxuriously dressed than the other, standing out at elegant gatherings had long been one of the important purposes for madams to show themselves, not surprising. What was surprising was that the young ladies arriving at Changning Palace today had changed from their usual delicateness – whether hair ornaments or clothing colors were all simple and refined, makeup and rouge all minimized, and their usual willow-leaf eyebrows were all changed to spirited long eyebrows.

When Wei Tingxu got down from the carriage and looked around, it was as if seeing hundreds of Ah Xin. Ah Liao, who got down behind her, saw this scene and opened her mouth with a “whoa,” immediately opening her folding fan to cover half her face, walking inside with Wei Tingxu while gossiping:

“Don’t know whether to say their information is quick or their brains are foolish. True that Her Majesty likes Ah Xin, but they’re seeing Empress Dowager Geng today, the Empress Dowager Geng who hates Ah Xin the most! Isn’t this rushing to offend, as if they’re not dying fast enough?”

            

Wei Tingxu smiled ambiguously: “It saves us some effort.”

Today Wei Tingxu had removed her official robes, wearing a light-colored long dress. Her originally bloodless complexion with added powder looked even more frail, especially with her bright red lips. Standing next to Ah Liao, who was dressed in gorgeous purple and red like a peacock come to life, it made Wei Tingxu look pale and weak, appearing from any angle like someone not long for this world.

You Changshi, who had been waiting early at Tingfeng Gate, saw Wei Tingxu from afar and nodded in acknowledgment, then said to the various madams and ladies:

            

“This year’s lotus flowers have bloomed better than previous years, the Empress Dowager specially had people move the best-blooming pond to Changning Palace. Early this morning she ordered this servant to prepare wine and refreshments, just waiting for all the noble guests to come appreciate them.”

The madams from various families smiled and greeted You Changshi. As Zuo Yun now enjoyed the emperor’s favor, Madam Zuo stood at the front of the crowd, stepping forward to hold You Changshi’s hand and said: “We haven’t seen the Empress Dowager for some time, truly missing her. Is the Empress Dowager’s health still robust?”

You Changshi felt a weight sink in her sleeve, smiling to show two rows of bright white teeth, being extra attentive to Madam Zuo: “The Empress Dowager has been resting quietly these years, her health is very good. Madam Zuo is a thoughtful person, the Empress Dowager will know this.”

            

Madam Zuo glanced at the very eye-catching Wei Tingxu and Ah Liao behind, inquiring with You Changshi: “I’ve seen that lady from the Zhangsun family before, but who is that one beside her?”

In earlier years, Wei Tingxu had always moved about under the identity of Wei Zizhuo, the youngest child of the Wei family, no one knew her true identity. Even after entering official service, she was often ill and rarely attended various families’ flower gatherings and elegant meetings. On her wedding day, she wore heavy makeup with a round fan covering her face, very different from today. Although now famous as Da Yu’s first female official, those who knew her true appearance were limited to the emperor and officials in court. It was normal for the officials’ wives not to recognize her.

You Changshi followed Madam Zuo’s gaze and looked, lowering her head and smiling: “That one? She’s Commander Zhangsun’s female companion.”

            

Wei Tingxu’s stunningly beautiful face had made all the present madams, including Madam Zuo, feel quite threatened, but upon hearing this beauty was the unrestrained Zhangsun Ran’s female companion, they immediately relaxed. Although their own daughters were all good-looking, compared to that lady they felt somewhat ashamed of their appearance, but it was best that she wasn’t a competitor.

The madams naturally all knew that recently Her Majesty had summoned one hundred men into the inner palace, presumably planning for heir succession stability, but Her Majesty after all liked women, and whoever finally gained Her Majesty’s favor would definitely be a woman. Da Yu couldn’t tolerate criminal officials’ daughters, so beautiful noble ladies who matched the emperor’s preferences still had good chances.

Ah Liao’s gaze circled around, whispering behind her fan into Wei Tingxu’s ear: “I see these madams’ gazes aren’t kind.”

            

This action, falling in the madams’ eyes, became a flirting gesture with Wei Tingxu, immediately causing them to show contemptuous expressions.

“These Zhangsun family people are too improper, even daring to openly bring their women of unknown origin to the Empress Dowager’s flower gathering.”

“I heard she has a Qingluan carriage, filled with young ladies, taking them wherever she goes, such debauchery and extravagance angers both gods and humans.”

            

“The outrageous things this Zhangsun Ran does are truly countless.”

“The emperor actually appointed such a person as Maritime and Terrain Commander?”

“Shh… no matter how outrageous Zhangsun Ran is, don’t mention the emperor.”

            

Wei Tingxu, hearing these not-so-quiet whispers, tapped Ah Liao’s chin with her round fan: “It seems my reputation as state-destroyer among officials matches your disrepute in their family members’ mouths, we truly are kindred spirits.”

Ah Liao closed her folding fan and clicked her tongue: “How impressive.”

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