Fish Meat – Chapter 207

The Fifth Year of Zhao Wu

Jointly Chasing The Lost Deer (3)

Pingcang’s autumn was very beautiful. Fiery red late autumn maples stretched for a hundred li [里 | lǐ | 50 km or 31 miles], as gorgeous as fire.

            

Relative to the great chaos in the northern area centered around Runing, Pingcang County, located in the west, under the control of the Wei family, remained as tranquil as a lake.

Wei Tingxu had been observing mourning rites at home these days. She had not stepped foot outside and had not gone out to breathe fresh air for a long time. The crisp and clear autumn weather was perfect for going out for a stroll. However, she did not use her legs to move forward, but sat in a four-wheeled cart, going out under the protection of Xiaohua and the secret guards, to Baoshen Mountain [宝深山 | Bǎoshēn Shān | Precious Deep Mountain] to look at the autumn scenery.

Xiaohua knew that Wei Tingxu had always been calm and collected, but this time, the Hu tribe had invaded the border, and the surrounding areas of Pingcang had already been ravaged by fighting. The war was as urgent as a shooting star and was bound to spread throughout the country. When that happened, Pingcang couldn’t possibly avoid being drawn into it.

            

Several powerful families had already begun to carve out their own territories. Xiaohua wanted to ask Wei Tingxu for her thoughts, but every time she beat around the bush or simply asked directly, Wei Tingxu didn’t answer her, only telling her not to be anxious.

“Appreciating the maple leaves is more important. If you miss this year’s maples, you’ll never see them again.”

Wei Tingxu’s focus on leisure and enjoyment left Xiaohua exasperated. She muttered, “If this year’s are missed, then we’ll simply appreciate next year’s.”

            

“Every single leaf next year will be different from this year’s. How can they be compared?” Xiaohua pushed Wei Tingxu to the summit of Baoshen Mountain. Wei Tingxu criticized her vulgarity, “Furthermore, whether this Baoshen Mountain will even still be here next year is another matter entirely.”

Xiaohua’s spirits lifted upon hearing these words: “Is what the Young Lady is saying that the day of sending out troops is close at hand?”

Wei Tingxu rubbed her increasingly thin legs, wanting to lift them up. She lifted them halfway, then let them fall back down.

            

Xiaohua’s gaze fell upon her legs.

Wei Tingxu sighed softly. As the autumn wind blew, she wrapped her cloak tighter around herself and pulled a thin roll of paper from her sleeve.

“Paper truly is a marvelous thing, smooth for writing and easy to carry.” Wei Tingxu slowly unfurled the paper. On it was a poem——

            

“Maple leaves, a thousand branches and ten thousand branches, / By the river bridge, evening sails are obscured and delayed. / Missing you, my heart is like the West River’s water, / Day and night, flowing east without ceasing.”

Xiaohua stood behind her, thoroughly absorbing this love poem.

“Young Lady, didn’t you always most enjoy studying strategy and military tactics? Since when have you become fascinated with these sentimental poems?”

            

Xiaohua’s words were rather presumptuous, but Wei Tingxu didn’t take offense at all: “I once thought the same as you, believing that to establish oneself in this world, strategy was paramount, martial force secondary, and emotion last. But these years, I’ve discovered that I underestimated the power of emotion.”

“Young Lady’s grasp of the art of manipulating people’s hearts is not necessarily inferior to other methods.”

Wei Tingxu shook her head: “When you treat it as merely one of many methods, that’s when you misunderstand it.”

            

“This servant doesn’t understand. I hope the Young Lady will enlighten me.”

“Others cannot enlighten you. Only when one day you encounter the person who allows you to comprehend it will you understand.”

Xiaohua asked her: “Could it be that the Young Lady has met that person? The person who made your legs suffer injury once again, yet you accept it like enjoying sweet malt candy?”

            

Wei Tingxu looked back at her, without a trace of anger. Her beautiful face, flushed red by the maple leaves covering the mountains and valleys, was full of interest.

“What that person has brought me and will bring me is a joy that surpasses the happiness of standing on two legs in this world.”

Xiaohua’s face flushed, and she shook her head.

            

“Don’t let your thoughts stray. Currently, she is in Huaiyang County, having become a powerful regional ruler [一方强藩 | yīfāng qiángfān | powerful figure controlling a region, often semi-autonomously]. She also holds the tiger tally which commands the armies under heaven. Other things aside, this alone is enough to make her the best partner for collaboration.”

“And what about the other things?”

Wei Tingxu smiled, just about to say something more, when a Wei family servant hurriedly ran up the mountain and whispered something in Wei Tingxu’s ear. Wei Tingxu’s voice lifted with a rare note of joy as she responded with an “Oh”: “I have waited so bitterly for this day. Come, Xiaohua, quickly take me back to the residence.”

            

Xiaohua immediately steadied the four-wheeled cart and headed down the mountain path, curiously asking, “Could there be some joyous occasion?”

Wei Tingxu laughed: “A tremendously joyous occasion.”

Since Wei Lun’s passing, even when news of Li Yanyi’s death reached Pingcang, Wei Tingxu had never shown a smile, treating it as a matter of course. For the past half year, Wei Tingxu had lived in seclusion, rarely displaying any expression on her face, let alone a smile. Xiaohua was extremely curious about what this tremendously joyous occasion could be.

            

Returning to the Wei residence, without going to the front hall or the back courtyard, Wei Tingxu directly instructed Xiaohua to take her to the basement.

The basement was, in fact, a dungeon. Xiaohua immediately thought of the person Wei Tingxu had been constantly thinking about and determined to find.

Ah Yin, the only surviving secret guard by Li Yanyi’s side.

            

The Wei residence’s dungeon was very spacious. Because of Wei Tingxu’s leg and foot inconvenience, they had specifically constructed a ramp to allow her four-wheeled cart to smoothly descend.

The last time Wei Tingxu had descended into this dungeon, she had been in her four-wheeled cart, with Wei Lun personally conducting the interrogation, teaching her some methods of interrogation and extracting confessions. Unexpectedly, after so many years had passed, she was once again present here, still sitting in her four-wheeled cart.

Ah Yin’s hands were bound together and she was suspended in the center of the dungeon. Her body was covered in whip marks, like a slowly dehydrating dead fish.

            

Wei Tingxu carried a bowl of water and slowly moved it in front of her. Using a cotton-wrapped wooden stick dipped in water, she drizzled a layer of sweet honey over it and extended it towards Ah Yin’s chapped and bloodied lips, which had been parched for days. Severe torture was ineffective against her, but water, and even honey, could quickly conquer the human heart. Ah Yin’s face was obscured by her messy, dishevelled hair, making her expression unreadable. Her lips made no move to suckle the stick.

Wei Tingxu withdrew the stick. Ah Yin’s throat moved slightly.

“Put her down.”

            

“Yes.”

Having been suspended for over a shichen [two hours], her arms ached and her wrists were raw and bloody. The moment she was thrown to the ground was exceptionally comfortable. Wei Tingxu had Xiaohua go over and wipe her face. When Ah Yin’s eyes were revealed, she sneered: “Why this hypocritical act? I won’t say anything.”

Wei Tingxu shook her head slightly and offered a bowl of rice: “Eat. Only after eating will you have the strength to oppose me.”

            

Ah Yin didn’t even look, but the aroma of the food already caused her saliva to flow incessantly.

Wei Tingxu didn’t force her, leaving the food before departing.

Wei Tingxu’s display of gentleness puzzled Ah Yin. If torture wouldn’t work, would she then try to influence her with soft tactics? How could that be possible? The food probably contained mind-controlling poison. She vividly remembered the emperor’s wretched state in her later days; how could she fall for that trick again? She wouldn’t eat the food, but being able to rest on the ground for a while was still quite good.

            

Just as Ah Yin was about to close her eyes and rest, intending to conserve some strength, a group of people rushed in, raining blows upon her with clubs and sticks – another round of torture! This inexplicable act nearly caused Ah Yin to faint from the pain. After a while, these people dispersed, leaving her alone for two days. Then, Wei Tingxu sent a medicine chest, water, and food, even some fruit. Ah Yin didn’t understand what she was doing. After a period of amiable conversation, Wei Tingxu left. Ah Yin expected another beating, but this time, it didn’t happen.

Afterwards, clothes were sent over repeatedly, and Wei Tingxu even engaged in casual conversation with her. Sometimes she inflicted torture, other times she genuinely provided her with food and water, allowing her to rest properly. Wei Tingxu was a person with an eccentric personality and unpredictable actions. Ah Yin simply couldn’t use the methods of analyzing normal people to understand her, let alone know what she might do next.

After more than ten days of this disorienting and repeatedly torture treatment, Wei Tingxu suddenly asked her: “Did Ruan family’s Ah Qiong fall victim to the Gu [蛊 | gǔ | poisonous insects used in witchcraft, often believed to cause illness or control behavior] raised by Li Yanyi, which caused her erratic behavior and loss of control?”

            

Ah Yin stared intently at the surrounding strongmen, her nerves taut, unsure when these men would rush forward to torment her again.

“Do you think I would tell you…?”

Wei Tingxu brought forth a glazed bottle and placed it on the tabletop. Ah Yin saw a plump, entirely green insect inside the glazed bottle. She recognized it at a glance as a Gu insect.

            

“This is it, isn’t it? The Gu insect known as the ‘Azure Sea Tyrant’, able to burrow into a person’s body and consume their vital qi, causing a living person to lose the ability to think and act, becoming a walking corpse.”

Ah Yin remained silent. One of the surrounding strongmen moved his hand, and she immediately raised her hands defensively. However, the man didn’t approach, only scratching his head.

“Zhen Wenjun has been searching for her mother but can’t find her. I suspect Li Yanyi must have hidden Ah Qiong in a special place, making her difficult to find.”

            

Ah Yin chuckled: “I’m not afraid to tell you, the Son of Heaven has already exiled Ruan family’s Ah Qiong to the common people, letting her drift amidst the raging fires of war. No one knows whether she is currently alive or dead, or where she has fled. If Zhen Wenjun wants to save her mother, there is only one path! That is to protect the people of Da Yu! Only by expelling the Hu invaders and recovering all lost territories might she have a chance of finding Ruan family’s Ah Qiong. If she shows even a moment of weariness, Ruan family’s Ah Qiong will perish at the hands of the Hu invaders!”

Wei Tingxu nodded after hearing this: “You do indeed know Ruan family’s Ah Qiong’s whereabouts.”

Ah Yin was slightly taken aback, about to retort, but then thought of something and immediately stopped herself.

            

This Wei was trying to trick her; she absolutely mustn’t fall for it.

Wei Tingxu had Xiaohua unfold a “Heavenly Army Divine Box”. The map of the entire Da Yu appeared on the box. Pointing to the north, she said: “Ruan family’s Ah Qiong couldn’t be in Runing. And you, in your haste to send Ruan family’s Ah Qiong away, wouldn’t have had time to send her too far. The Chongjin attack came from the north. Li Yanyi wouldn’t send Ruan family’s Ah Qiong to the uncontrollable chaos of war in the north. And as for the west, that’s the territory of Pingcang and Dongchun—the domains of my Wei family and the Zhangsun family. Sending her into the tiger’s mouth is even more impossible. Therefore, only the south and east remain.”

While speaking, Wei Tingxu kept her gaze fixed on Ah Yin’s expression. When she uttered “south and east,” Ah Yin’s throat moved, and her arm also involuntarily lifted slightly upwards.

            

Wei Tingxu nodded knowingly. After observing the Divine Box for a moment, she suddenly murmured, as if talking to herself, “I know.” Immediately, she had Xiaohua bring paper and brush and began to write furiously.

“You couldn’t possibly know,” Ah Yin said disbelievingly.

Wei Tingxu completely ignored her, finished writing the letter, rolled it up inside a bamboo tube, sealed it with wax, and handed it to a house servant: “Ensure this is delivered to Zhen Wenjun in Huaiyang. Tell her, if she wants to save her mother, she should go to this place.”

            

“Yes!” The house servant took the bamboo tube and ran. Ah Yin’s heart pounded in her chest.

She had thought Wei Tingxu would say something more, but she saw that Wei Tingxu no longer paid her any attention, quietly conversing with Xiaohua about something, seemingly planning her next move, completely ignoring her, and then departed.

Panic seized Ah Yin.

            

This Wei Tingxu had always been cunning and devious. Who knew when or how she had managed to poison the Son of Heaven without anyone noticing.

The person who had defeated the Son of Heaven—Ah Yin finally saw her true face today.

But it didn’t matter. Ah Yin hadn’t lost yet.

            

Just as Wei Tingxu and the others left, Ah Yin, using a shard of a bowl held between her bound hands behind her back, accelerated the cutting of the ropes. The thick hemp rope was already nearly halfway severed.

Despite having endured torture, Ah Yin was still a rigorously trained soldier of the “Zhuiyue” unit valued by the Son of Heaven. Taking advantage of the Wei family soldiers’ inattention, she broke free from the ropes and knocked the guard unconscious. Several days later, she finally found an opportunity, escaping from the dungeon during a shift change. Moving stealthily through the complex courtyards of the Wei residence, she finally located a tall tree, climbed up it, and leaped over the wall, escaping the Wei estate.

Wei Tingxu was right. Ruan family’s Ah Qiong was indeed in the south, and Zhen Wenjun was also currently in the south. If the letter was delivered quickly, perhaps by now Zhen Wenjun had already rescued Ruan family’s Ah Qiong!

            

Ruan family’s Ah Qiong was a crucial bargaining chip to ensure Zhen Wenjun willingly fought for the people of Da Yu. No matter how capable other military commanders were, they might endanger the young emperor after gaining power. Only Zhen Wenjun, who shared blood ties with Ah Xin, offered a glimmer of hope for control.

Li Yanyi had emphatically instructed and repeatedly urged: “Ruan family’s Ah Qiong’s whereabouts absolutely must not be discovered!”

After escaping from the Wei residence, Ah Yin rode at full speed to the small village where Ruan family’s Ah Qiong was hiding. Finding Ruan family’s Ah Qiong safe and sound, and reflecting on everything that had transpired at the Wei residence, she suddenly realized she had been completely tricked!

            

By the time she realized this, it was too late. Wei family secret guards stormed in, subdued her, and took Ruan family’s Ah Qiong away.

“Why didn’t you try to escape?” a Wei family member asked her.

Ah Yin stared fixedly at the floor.

            

“It seems the Young Lady was right. She feared that after she escaped, this house would be compromised, preferring to be captured and let us take her away rather than allowing us to thoroughly ransack the house for important items!”

Hearing these words, Ah Yin’s vision darkened. She knew things were dire, so she could only grit her teeth and retort: “What other important items could there be?! Haven’t you already taken the most important hostage?! There’s nothing more to say! Just kill this old lady with one stroke!”

The Wei family members paid her no mind, practically demolishing the entire house. Finally, they pried loose a brick from the wall and pulled out the Imperial Seal and the imperial edict.

            

Ah Yin’s heart turned to ashes.

She had always wanted to deliver the Imperial Seal and the imperial edict to the Empress Dowager. However, the Empress Dowager was constantly under surveillance. Rashly sending them over would only risk such important items falling into the hands of others, resulting in dire consequences. But now, the situation was becoming increasingly chaotic. Any further delay would only disadvantage the rightful new emperor. Ah Yin had wanted to take a gamble, risking her life to deliver these two objects, vital to the nation’s destiny, to the Empress Dowager and the new emperor. She hadn’t expected to be trapped by the Wei bandits upon returning to retrieve them, ending up in her current predicament.

Having failed Li Yanyi’s trust, Ah Yin no longer wished to live. Lifting her head towards the long blade, she let the knife pierce her throat, dying on the spot.

            

The Wei family members took Ruan family’s Ah Qiong, along with the Imperial Seal and the imperial edict, and secretly returned to Pingcang.

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