Fish Meat – Chapter 205
by Little PandaThe Fifth Year of Zhao Wu
Jointly Chasing The Lost Deer (1)
Zhen Wenjun couldn’t wait until dawn.
The Son of Heaven was dead, and now the political landscape of Da Yu had been completely overturned. She dared not think about the tragic state within Runing City. The whereabouts of Ah Mu remained a mystery.
She asked Xiao Xiao to stay behind and look after Ah Xin, ensuring her safety. If there was any possibility of self-harm, she must prevent it.
Seeing that she was being left behind, Xiao Xiao became anxious: “I want to go with Ah Mu! Why does Ah Mu always make me do these unimportant things?”
“How could this be unimportant?” Zhen Wenjun glanced at Ah Xin, making sure she was out of earshot. “That person is my sister. If anything happens to Ah Po, she would be my only blood relative.”
“Sister? Why have I never heard you mention this before?”
“The relationship is extremely complicated, with interests intertwined like a spider’s web. I can’t explain it clearly right now. Even if I did, you might not understand. But know that she is an important person to me – this much you should understand.”
Xiao Xiao made an “ah” sound and nodded.
“More importantly, I was born and raised in Yu. No matter what happens, I cannot escape my identity as a citizen of Da Yu. The deceased was the Son of Heaven of Da Yu – if her corpse falls into the hands of enemies, it would be a national disgrace. By staying here, you’re not only protecting my most important person but also guarding the dignity of the entire nation. How could this be unimportant?”
Hearing Zhen Wenjun’s words, Xiao Xiao was filled with solemn respect.
“Tell me, can you do this?”
“Yes! Ah Mu, please go without worry.”
Zhen Wenjun vigorously rubbed her head, then cast a deep look at Ah Xin. Ah Xin maintained her previous position, nestled against Li Yanyi.
As she mounted her horse, Zhen Wenjun felt an unavoidable melancholy in her heart.
Ah Xin and Li Yanyi’s tragic end, and with true chaos approaching, what of her and Wei Tingxu?
What future awaited them was like the vast darkness before her eyes – unseen and impenetrable.
The frightened horse sensed an even greater threat, turned halfway, and stopped.
The Chongjin were naturally tall, appearing even more imposing on horseback. By now, the Zhuiyue Army responsible for escorting the Empress Dowager and the two heirs had been completely annihilated. When thousands of pursuers surrounded them and discovered that the rider was a young girl with a childish face, they all burst into laughter.
Inside the carriage, Empress Dowager Geng and Mu’er were frozen like ice sculptures. Gong’er, her delicate hands trembling on the reins, was clearly terrified, but after the initial shock, she quickly composed herself and even spoke:
“Who is your leader?”
Almost no one could understand her Da Yu language, but a Yu-looking man pushed through from behind: “Which little princess are you?”
“I’m not a princess, I am Da Yu’s heir apparent! If you dare harm me today, it will be repaid a hundredfold in the future!”
The Yu man translated her words to the other Chongjin people, saying this wet-behind-the-ears little girl was Yu’s future Son of Heaven. The Chongjin people roared with laughter, but the Yu man said: “Yu has already set the precedent for female emperors; having a girl as successor isn’t anything new.” He carefully rode closer and asked: “Who’s in the carriage?”
Gong’er replied: “You pursue so relentlessly without even knowing who’s in the carriage. I am right here – whether you want to kill or flay me, it’s up to you!”
The Yu man chuckled: “I’m starting to believe that a quick-witted child like you might be the heir, but we still need to take a good look at who’s in the carriage.”
With her plan to protect the Empress Dowager and Mu’er with her life exposed, Gong’er’s heart pounded.
What could be done! Should they try to force their way through by ramming the carriage? That would never succeed!
The Chongjin men approached, using their sabers still dripping with human flesh to open the carriage door. Inside, Empress Dowager Geng and Mu’er huddled back together.
The Yu man looked at their clothes, hairstyles, and crowns, then said to everyone in the Chongjin language: “These are Yu’s Empress Dowager and prince!”
Jeering voices rose all around. Gong’er’s heart turned cold as ice. As she raised her head to take one last look at her beloved moonlight, she saw flocks of birds taking flight and tree shadows swaying. She let out a surprised “yi,” and the Chongjin people also sensed the danger.
A large force was rapidly approaching!
Battle cries surged forth. The Yu man immediately moved to grab Gong’er, when an arrow whistled through the air, piercing his palm and pinning him to the ground. The Yu man wailed, painfully pulled out the arrow, and threw it down. He tried to determine the shooter’s position from the arrow’s trajectory, wondering who would dare to take such a long-range sniper shot – weren’t they afraid of accidentally killing the Empress Dowager and young prince!
When he turned his head in anger, the sight before him made his rage vanish, replaced by utter disbelief.
The archer was in the sky.
Countless black shadows descended from above in the howling north wind, wearing strange garments, like giant bats. The wind carried them at incredible speeds, their arrows raining down on the ground. The trapped Chongjin soldiers were shot into sieves.
As masses of soldiers and horses fell, before these “bats” even landed, tens of thousands of black-armored cavalry charged forth. These riders seemed to emerge from the earth itself, unlike Da Yu’s regular army.
Who were they!
Zhen Wenjun heard the continuous battle cries ahead and quickened her pace.
This place wasn’t far from Runing’s nearest ferry crossing – surely the fleeing party had encountered the Chongjin. Such a large-scale confrontation must involve someone of high rank – it could only be Empress Dowager Geng.
When Zhen Wenjun arrived, the battle was nearing its end. From the grassland to the riverbank, corpses lay everywhere, mostly Chongjin, which lifted her spirits.
Battle cries still came from behind the hillside. As Zhen Wenjun approached quietly, someone suddenly shouted:
“Sister Wenjun!”
Zhen Wenjun startled, turning to see a man wearing a pearl-gilded crown and brocade cape, riding a white horse. His attire and mount were conspicuous, more suited for theater than battle. Looking closer, it was actually Zhangsun Wu.
It was puzzling when Zhangsun Zhanying [้ทๅญซๅ ็ฉ | chรกng sลซn zhร n yวng] had started matching his sister’s taste.
“How did you come here, Sister? Weren’t you headed to Pingcang?” Zhangsun Wu’s leisurely demeanor seemed out of place on a battlefield – clearly, he had been waiting for this opportunity, determined to succeed.
“So that’s how it is,” Zhen Wenjun said. “Wei Zizhuo gave you the troops from four counties to seize the Empress Dowager and prince during the chaos.”
“Sister, why put it so unpleasantly? Though these fifty thousand troops belong to the Zhangsun and Wei families’ private armies, in times of national crisis, even with the Son of Heaven missing, we must still serve the throne.”
From his tone, he likely didn’t know Li Yanyi was dead – news that couldn’t be revealed yet. Though Li Yanyi had held out until the last moment, she must have been prepared to die.
Then the imperial edict must have been written.
Zhen Wenjun’s grip tightened on the reins.
Though the news of the Son of Heaven’s death could be concealed temporarily, it couldn’t be hidden for long. The Wei and Zhangsun families weren’t merely scheming – they had aimed directly at eliminating Li Yanyi, with their true plans likely focused on the aftermath of her death.
The Son of Heaven, stripped of limbs and armor, ultimately died at enemy hands. Few would investigate why the Son of Heaven had committed such mad acts before death, or who was truly behind everything. Most would focus only on her being a “ruler who lost the empire” – in their eyes, Li Yanyi was an incompetent sovereign.
The people now needed a new Son of Heaven to take control of the crumbling empire, to support the falling edifice and become its shining core.
That imperial edict was crucially important.
Could Wei Tingxu have already written a false edict, passing the throne to herself? Or to Zhangsun Wu? Wei Jing’an? Regardless of the recipient, it would be too outrageous to be believable – whoever ascended would lack the authority to convince others. Moreover, Wei Tingxu surely didn’t want abdication, didn’t want to inherit the rot that had crushed Li Yanyi. She wouldn’t continue down this mired path – it would solve nothing.
Abandoning the relatively stable strategy of abdication, she would surely use military force to break the world.
There might be a false edict, but Zhen Wenjun couldn’t guess its contents for now.
And where was the true imperial edict?
Empress Dowager Geng? Too obvious a target.
Could it be Ah Yin?
When she and Zhangsun Wu crossed the hillside to reach the battlefield, the surrounded Chongjin forces had been completely annihilated.
Black-armored troops searched the battlefield for surviving comrades, using carts to transport them for treatment. Having been on several battlefields, Zhen Wenjun noticed the entire process of selecting and moving the wounded was directed by specialized personnel, swift and precise – clearly a well-trained army. Besides moving the wounded, they collected all usable Chongjin horses, weapons, armor… everything of value.
Seeing Zhen Wenjun watching intently, Zhangsun Wu explained: “Sister Wenjun understands, these military supplies are precious, though it’s somewhat undignified, I have no choice. If not for these sabers the Chongjin brought, our weapons situation would be dire. Pity these barbarians didn’t bring much fodder despite their strength – otherwise, this battle would have been quite profitable.”
The word “our” clearly suggested alliance. Zhen Wenjun wasn’t sure if Zhangsun Wu knew about her purchase of private foundries in Pingcang and Lujiao prefectures.
Since early last year, she had ordered over sixty foundries in these two prefectures to forge steel and weapons without rest. Two months ago, the foundries began taking large orders from Suichuan to Dongchun, from Dai’an [ๅฒฑๅฎ | dร i ฤn] to Huaiyang [ๆทๆ | huรกi yรกng], not to mention Pingcang and Lujiao themselves. Many astute noble families were preparing for the future, stockpiling weapons. Half the grain at Sudu had been bought by two mysterious merchants, and Zhen Wenjun kept the other half for herself.
Now Zhen Wenjun possessed wealth rivaling nations, a fact known only to her Ah Mu and Bu Jie, not even told to Ah Xi and Zhu Maosan. She was just waiting for the right moment to rapidly recruit troops.
Zhen Wenjun merely smiled, saying nothing more. A child’s cry from a bullet-riddled carriage nearby caught her attention.
“Imperial Grandmother! Are you alright?” Gong’er supported Empress Dowager Geng as she emerged, while another small boy who couldn’t walk was carried out.
Zhen Wenjun knew who they were. Upon seeing Zhen Wenjun and Zhangsun Wu, Empress Dowager Geng immediately rushed forward: “Have you seen the Son of Heaven? Where is the Son of Heaven now?”
Zhangsun Wu remained silent, looking at Zhen Wenjun. To Empress Dowager Geng, the meaning of this look was clear – Zhen Wenjun knew the Son of Heaven’s whereabouts.
Empress Dowager Geng clutched Zhen Wenjun tightly, waiting for her answer.
Zhen Wenjun didn’t take the bait: “Please remain calm, Your Highness. As soon as there’s news of Her Majesty, you’ll be the first to know.”
Empress Dowager Geng immediately released her, wanting to find a horse to search for Huaichen! But then she thought – what about Gong’er and Mu’er? These hungry wolves would surely devour the two children alive!
No, she couldn’t leave.
Huaichen must have an escape plan. Even if heaven didn’t bless her Huaichen and something happened, she still needed to protect the Li family’s descendants.
Empress Dowager Geng desperately didn’t want anything to happen to Huaichen – she was the flesh of her heart. Never mind losing her life, even a small cut on her finger would upset her for days. But now was different – once everything came to light, she had to uphold the last hope for the Li clan, the Geng clan, and all of Da Yu.
With this thought, the Empress Dowager became calm: “Now that enemy forces have invaded our borders in force, do any of you have a strategy to counter them?”
Zhangsun Wu stepped forward with a smile: “This humble subject has never led troops in battle and my experience is limited. I merely saw the capital in danger and worried for the Son of Heaven and Your Highness’s safety, so I hastily brought some household troops to serve the throne. I dare not speak carelessly before Your Highness. That Your Highness and the young princes are safe is truly heaven’s blessing. This humble subject has no particular plans for what follows, but would request Your Highness and the young princes to relocate to a safe location with me, where we can discuss further plans.”
Before Empress Dowager Geng could agree, the black-armored soldiers surrounded them in formation.
In this situation, it seemed she would have to agree whether she wanted to or not.
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