Fish Meat – Chapter 198

The Fourth Year of Zhao Wu

Secrets in the Sleeve (18)

When Li Yanyi opened her eyes again, she clearly called out “Empress Mother.”

            

Empress Dowager Geng, who had been keeping vigil by her side, awakened from her light slumber. Seeing her awake, she immediately grasped her hand: “Huaichen, how are you? Are you feeling unwell anywhere? Tell Empress Mother.”

Li Yanyi glanced around and found herself back in Xiashou Palace.

The hanging curtains and jade pillars were all familiar. She should have been confused and unable to remember what had happened, but unexpectedly, she remembered everything about why she had fainted here. Including her failed attempt to leave the palace, the argument with the Empress Dowager, and the entire process of suddenly vomiting blood—she remembered it all clearly.

            

“Empress Mother, I’ve made you worry,” Li Yanyi said with effort as she sat up, grasping Empress Dowager Geng’s hand in return. Empress Dowager Geng wiped her tears, unable to remember when mother and daughter had last shared such a gentle moment. Since Li Yanyi’s ascension to the throne, disagreements had driven them apart. Even when Li Yanyi occasionally came to Guang’an Palace to dine together, they would eat separately, like strangers. Too many things had caused their hearts to drift apart.

In this rare moment of tenderness, Empress Dowager Geng poured out everything that had been weighing on her heart.

“Huaichen, Empress Mother was wrong. I shouldn’t have pressured you.” Empress Dowager Geng’s tears had smeared her makeup, but worried about her daughter, she had no mind to fix it. “What heirs, what consorts, what empire, what eternal prosperity—none of it matters more than aigua’s [哀家 | āi jiā | humble self-reference used by empress dowagers] precious Huaichen’s life. Empress Mother only wants you to live healthily. One only has one life; if life is lost, what else is there to speak of? Huaichen, Empress Mother promises to never pressure you again.”

            

Li Yanyi looked at Empress Dowager Geng, her lips quivering slightly as tears rolled down.

“Making Empress Mother worry so much, gua ren [寡人 | guǎ rén | royal self-reference] is not a good sovereign.”

“How can Your Majesty say such things? Everything is just beginning, and Empress Mother will never again be swayed by treacherous people.”

            

Li Yanyi embraced Empress Dowager Geng, gently patting her back.

Perhaps everything was indeed just beginning. Li Yanyi held her head high, taking in every detail of the hall filled with medicinal scents and aromatics—but alas, it was already too late.

Only now did she see the truth of matters clearly.

            

What filled her with the most despair was not knowing how long these truths would remain in her mind.

At the Ministry of Justice [Court of Judicial Review], screams filled the heavens as blood covered the ground. Xiaohua wielded dual blades, slicing and hacking through the chaotic crowd. The soldiers in their uniform ruangjia [軟甲 | ruǎn jiǎ | light armor] were conspicuous targets, making it easier for her to aim and slaughter at will.

Though the ruangjia was sturdy, Xiaohua’s blades were sharper.

            

Since being cleansed of poison, Xiaohua felt her lost strength returning, and she had been yearning for an outlet. This battle at the Ministry of Justice provided the perfect opportunity for uninhibited slaughter, which was deeply satisfying. These soldiers could form formations with just ten men, capable of both attack and defense, but even the most agile formation was like moldy bamboo slips before overwhelming force, crumbling in a single strike.

Wherever Xiaohua’s dual blades went, heads rolled and limbs flew. Wei Jing’an slit Lin Qi’s throat, and after swiftly ending his life, immediately charged into battle, killing three men in an instant. Warm blood splashed onto him, igniting his battle spirit. With a mighty roar, he leaped into the air to strike down another. In the chaos, he fought back-to-back with one of the secret guards [暗衛 | àn wèi | secret guards], their arms linked as they threw and pulled each other in turns, becoming like a giant blade that claimed countless lives.

Though the Ministry’s guards were numerous, with Lin Qi dead there was no one to command them. The Wei family’s secret guards were each fierce enough to fight ten men, and in an instant, the tide of battle turned.

            

Just as Wei Tingxu, escorted by secret guards, rushed into the prison holding the keys, dust rose at the Ministry’s entrance alley—it was Guang Shaoling arriving with the Zhuiyue Army!

Upon reaching the alley, Guang Shaoling smelled the thick scent of blood, and the distant screams made her heart surge—her decision had been correct!

When the Wei family’s movements had constrained her, drawing her further from Runing, she sensed something amiss. Knowing Wei Tingxu’s craftiness, merely letting family members escape Runing wasn’t her usual style. Guang Shaoling consulted with Lin Ding, and they split into two groups—one to pursue Guaiqiu, one to return to the city. If Wei Tingxu was still causing trouble in the city, they would catch her off guard!

            

Sure enough, Wei Tingxu hadn’t abandoned Zhen Wenjun. If she thought she could rescue someone with clever schemes, she’d have to see if Guang Shaoling would allow it!

Guang Shaoling leaped from her horse, driving her spear into the back of a Wei family secret guards, lifting him up and violently throwing him into the crowd.

The Wei family had almost gained control of the situation, but this suddenly arriving army quickly stabilized the faltering battle lines.

            

Guang Shaoling’s appearance drew everyone’s attention, including the blood-covered Xiaohua and Wei Jing’an.

The Zhuiyue Army, having undergone Ah Xin’s strict selection and rigorous training, were all skilled fighters. In one-on-one combat, the Wei family’s secret guards might not gain any advantage. Though Guang Shaoling, as a neijun xiaowei [內軍校尉 | nèi jūn xiào wèi | internal military commander], had never participated in major battles and might be inexperienced in tactical deployment, when it came to deciding victory through martial prowess, she harbored no fear.

Seeing Lin Qi dead and Wei Tingxu’s figure disappearing into the death prison entrance, Guang Shaoling pointed her spear and led her troops in pursuit.

            

Wei Tingxu heard Guang Shaoling’s voice, and when she looked back, the secret guards were already locked in combat with Zhuiyue Army soldiers at the narrow prison entrance!

“Nülang [女郎 | nǚ láng | respectful address for young ladies], don’t worry about us! Quickly go rescue them!” the secret guards shouted, and Wei Tingxu took off running.

A spear pierced through the air toward Wei Tingxu’s back. The secret guards desperately blocked it—the spear was struck directly by their sword, missing Wei Tingxu but leaving a wound across her back. Wei Tingxu fell to the ground, her clothes quickly staining red with blood.

            

In Guang Shaoling’s eyes, there was no one but Wei Tingxu. She raised her spear to strike again, but the secret guards fought desperately against her. Wei Tingxu gritted her teeth and continued running deeper inside.

In the death prison, torches were sparsely placed at long intervals. Both sides were lined with cells holding serious criminals. Clear musty odors and intermittent foul stenches assailed Wei Tingxu’s nose, making it difficult to breathe. As she lost more blood, her consciousness began to blur.

Wei Tingxu pulled a torch from the wall and held it up as she advanced.

            

She waved the torch toward the cells, trying to see if Zhen Wenjun’s shadow was in the darkness. Suddenly, a noseless ghostly face lunged forward, grabbing her clothes.

“Save me… save me!” the prisoner screamed. Wei Tingxu raised her sword and struck the arm covered in festering sores. The person yelped in pain and withdrew their arm.

“Wenjun!” Wei Tingxu drew in a breath and shouted loudly, “Where are you!”

            

Her voice echoed down the dark, seemingly endless prison corridor, producing faint reverberations, but no one responded…

Guang Shaoling had killed two Wei family secret guards, with sounds of battle still continuing behind her. She caught her breath as she saw Wei Tingxu’s attendant and the Wei family’s second young master displaying extraordinary strength, likely to break through the encirclement soon.

“Keep these two contained at all costs! Don’t let them through!” After Guang Shaoling gave the order, the Zhuiyue Army immediately formed formations. She swung her spear behind her back, grabbed a torch with one hand, and cautiously advanced quickly into the death prison.

            

“Wenjun!”

Wei Tingxu still hadn’t found Zhen Wenjun. The death prison was not only extremely dark, but its paths also intersected like a maze. Wei Tingxu thought she was making progress until she passed by the cell of the prisoner she had struck earlier, realizing she had made a large circle back to where she started.

The Ministry of Justice had been converted from the former Tingwei Office. This death prison belonged to that former office. It held important state prisoners, and a successful jailbreak would be extremely troublesome, so the layout was designed with cells arranged in formations using darkness as cover, creating a complex trap.

            

Wei Tingxu, like anyone, had both strengths and weaknesses. She wasn’t particularly skilled with maze formations, and the increasingly close footsteps behind her meant she couldn’t stop.

The pursuer couldn’t be Wei family members—they would have called out her name instead of silently quickening their pace.

It was Guang Shaoling.

            

This Guang Shaoling’s martial skills far exceeded her expectations, no wonder Li Yanyi valued her so highly.

Wei Tingxu glanced back, uncertain whether to extinguish her torch. If she didn’t, the blazing firelight would be extremely visible in the darkness, surely revealing her location to Guang Shaoling. But if she did, finding her way would become even more difficult in the already confusing layout.

There was no time for hesitation. The wound on Wei Tingxu’s back continued bleeding, every step pulling at her muscles, causing unbearable pain. Her old injuries to her waist, legs, and chest were also threatening to flare up after her running.

            

Wei Tingxu gritted her teeth and continued hurrying forward. She absolutely couldn’t let Guang Shaoling catch her here—that would mean certain death.

Ahead were two turns, left and right. Wei Tingxu recalled she had definitely taken the right path earlier, so this time she went left.

As she turned left, the torchlight flickered, and Guang Shaoling’s face appeared right before her.

            

Wei Tingxu’s heart lurched, and she instinctively threw the torch at Guang Shaoling’s face. Guang Shaoling raised her arm to block, deflecting the torch away, but by then Wei Tingxu had already run several steps.

Had it been a martial artist of equal skill, Guang Shaoling’s block would have exposed a major weakness in her right chest—a perfect opportunity for a sword strike that, even if not fatal, could have forced her back and gained the upper hand. However, Wei Tingxu had no martial arts training; her only option was immediate flight.

Guang Shaoling shouted “Where do you think you’re going!” and used qinggong to fly behind Wei Tingxu in a few steps, grabbing her collar. Wei Tingxu spun around and clapped her hands together—in the darkness, Guang Shaoling sensed something spraying toward her. Though alert, she couldn’t see clearly enough to dodge, and several points of intense pain spread from her face to her chest and arms.

            

Guang Shaoling endured the pain while maintaining her grip on Wei Tingxu, who thrust her sword forward. Instead of obviously dodging, Guang Shaoling gracefully shifted her body to avoid Wei Tingxu’s attack, her spear already at Wei Tingxu’s heart.

Wei Tingxu felt a chill in her heart as death approached, while Guang Shaoling was certain of victory.

Then something strange happened.

            

Guang Shaoling’s spear stopped advancing less than an inch from Wei Tingxu’s left chest, then quickly withdrew.

An iron chain wrapped around Guang Shaoling’s neck from behind, forcefully pulling her to the ground. The chains quickly intertwined and pulled tight on both sides, nearly choking her.

Guang Shaoling struggled desperately, but her attacker maintained an unyielding grip.

            

As the two grappled on the ground, Wei Tingxu saw clearly—it was Zhen Wenjun!

“Quick… get out of here!” Zhen Wenjun, having endured torture in prison, was covered in wounds and exhausted. Otherwise, she could have broken Guang Shaoling’s neck the moment she caught her.

Instead of retreating, Wei Tingxu advanced with her sword, intending to kill Guang Shaoling. Sensing the danger, Guang Shaoling kicked up, striking Wei Tingxu squarely in the abdomen and sending her flying, while simultaneously grabbing Zhen Wenjun’s injured ribs, viciously digging into the wound. Cold sweat poured forth as the unspeakable pain caused Zhen Wenjun to lose most of her strength. Guang Shaoling seized the opportunity to deliver several backward elbow strikes, each hitting Zhen Wenjun’s wounds. Zhen Wenjun finally lost her grip on Guang Shaoling, who broke free from the iron chains.

            

Guang Shaoling immediately stood up to counterattack but couldn’t find where her spear had fallen.

Zhen Wenjun was about to rise as well. Guang Shaoling understood that even though Zhen Wenjun was covered in wounds and much weaker than usual, she remained a formidable opponent—a moment’s hesitation could lead to a counterattack.

Not finding the spear didn’t matter; she had a better weapon to subdue her enemy.

            

Zhen Wenjun stood up prepared for Guang Shaoling to attack her immediately, but no attack came.

Receiving no attack, Zhen Wenjun instantly had a bad feeling. Guang Shaoling’s failure to strike meant she had found a more advantageous weapon.

She had captured Wei Tingxu.

            

“That’s enough,” Guang Shaoling said, pointing Wei Tingxu’s own sword at her. “Do I need to say more? If you want to watch her die, keep resisting. If not, kneel before me.”

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