Fish Meat – Chapter 219
by Little PandaThe First Year of Shunde
Jointly Chasing The Lost Deer (15)
When Zhen Wenjun and the accompanying army arrived at Bai’an County, it was already Zi Hour1. Inside Bai’an City, burning torches and alert soldiers were everywhere. Upon reaching the city gate, the guards on and below the city wall shouted Zhen Wenjun’s name together. Zhen Wenjun nodded to everyone and rode into the city.
She let the accompanying army rest and headed east herself.
Along the way, she encountered only dutiful patrol soldiers, all of whom she had trained bit by bit. Her experience in training the Zhuiyue Army, combined with Guan Xun’s guidance, formed the foundation for her to become a general in name and in reality. What truly earned everyone’s respect was Zhen Wenjun’s outstanding leadership in actual combat.
Generous with military pay and even more generous with rewards, the soldiers knew what they were fighting for. “When those above and below share the same desires, they will win”2. Zhen Wenjun, through repeated practice, gained a deeper understanding of every sentence she had long been familiar with.
Tying her horse to a hitching post in front of a house, she straightened her hair bun and knocked softly on the door. Auntie Ah Zhu came to open it.
The Wei family matriarch, upon hearing of Xiaohua’s death, was very worried about Wei Tingxu. She originally wanted to come to the front lines to take care of Wei Tingxu herself, but was persuaded by the Wei family to return. Since Wei Lun’s death, the Wei family matriarch’s health had also been deteriorating. Ah Zhu advised her not to risk coming to the front lines, fearing that she would become a burden to everyone if a battle broke out.
“But, when I think of Xiaohua also being dead, and now Tingxu is alone in such a dangerous place, my heart aches terribly, and I can’t sleep at all. She has suffered so much since she was little, and as a mother, I have done too little. It was Lingbi and Xiaohua who accompanied her. Now Xiaohua has also followed Lingbi. She never says it, but I understand her; she must be very sad. I want to be with her, even if it’s just to cook for her. Except for me and Xiaohua, no one understands her tastes. I’m worried about her…”
The matriarch cried sadly, longing for her daughter. Back and forth, she fell ill before even setting out. Originally, Ah Ran was going to go to Bai’an to take care of her younger sister in place of her mother, but Ah Zhu asked her to stay and accompany the matriarch, and she would go to Bai’an.
“You always like to nag Tingxu. I’m afraid Tingxu’s mood will be even worse if she sees you.”
Ah Zhu’s words made Ah Ran feel extremely wronged: “How did I nag her? It’s all for her own good.”
Of course, Ah Ran also knew how dangerous Bai’an was. Except for Pingcang, everywhere was in chaos. The closer to Runing, the more dangerous it was. Ah Zhu was precisely placing herself in a dangerous place. She had taken care of Wei Tingxu for so many years and knew all her habits. It was the best arrangement for her to go.
Before Ah Zhu left, the matriarch gave many instructions, telling her how to take care of Wei Tingxu and to take care of herself. She held Ah Zhu’s hand and reluctantly said many things, until finally Ah Zhu could hardly bear it:
“Madam, you make it sound like Ah Zhu will never come back.”
The matriarch immediately spat twice: “How can you say such unlucky words! The people of our Wei family must live, and live well!”
When Ah Zhu arrived in Bai’an, before entering the city, she thought she would see the city filled with smoke and corpses. Unexpectedly, she didn’t see the terrifying things she had imagined. Her eyes were filled with strict vigilance; it was a place that made her feel safe.
The strange thing was that Bai’an was Zhen Wenjun’s territory. She could protect Wei Tingxu so well. Could it be that the two had already reconciled?
Ah Zhu had thought about this a lot in the past few days. Hearing a knock on the door in the middle of the night, she opened it and saw Zhen Wenjun standing at the door in full military attire. All the answers entered Ah Zhu’s heart.
“Auntie Ah Zhu has come.” Zhen Wenjun smiled at her and entered the door naturally.
Ah Zhu followed behind her: “Madam, you’ve come at the right time. Milady hasn’t slept yet.”
At first, Zhen Wenjun didn’t even realize that the word “Madam”3 was referring to her. She stopped and looked back, confirming that Ah Zhu was talking to her.
Seeing her subtle expression, Ah Zhu chuckled and said, “Madam and Milady have been married for many years, but have spent little time together. Ah Zhu doesn’t know what to call you to please you, but this ‘Madam’ is always correct.”
“Um… you can call me anything, even like before, calling me Wenjun is fine.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Zhen Wenjun: “…”
If not for the reminder, Zhen Wenjun would have truly forgotten that she and Wei Tingxu were already married. What a “Madam” and “Milady,” making her think of the sword piercing her chest on their wedding night before entering the room.
The two walked quickly along the corridor, and Ah Zhu could hardly keep up with Zhen Wenjun’s pace. Zhen Wenjun was tall and long-legged, accustomed to walking quickly, and didn’t notice Ah Zhu’s struggle. It wasn’t until she heard a slight panting sound behind her that Zhen Wenjun realized she was too fast and suddenly slowed down.
Ah Zhu finally breathed a sigh of relief, but Zhen Wenjun suddenly asked her, “Is Huang Erlang4 still here?”
“Huang Erlang? Oh, you mean Huang Zhong5, who is in charge of transporting grain? He went out early this morning.”
“To transport grain?”
“I think so. I didn’t pay much attention to that person.”
Zhen Wenjun nodded thoughtfully after hearing this and didn’t ask any more questions.
Ah Zhu was baffled.
They walked to the inner courtyard. In addition to the secret guards dispatched by the Wei family, Zhen Wenjun’s soldiers were also constantly patrolling the courtyard. Seeing the general coming, they all saluted. After Zhen Wenjun inquired about their well-being, she draped her extremely precious white fox fur shawl over the centurion6‘s body, telling him to take care of his health.
The centurion was overwhelmed by the favor and was about to take it off and return it to Zhen Wenjun, but Zhen Wenjun smiled faintly and left.
The candlelight reflected on the window lattice, revealing some warmth. When Zhen Wenjun knocked on the door, she felt that the wooden door was a little warm. It seemed that the servants had followed her instructions to take good care of Wei Tingxu, knowing that she was afraid of the cold, and had arranged the room to be warmer.
After the knock, there was no question from inside the room about who was outside. The sound of four wheels rolling on the ground was heard. Wei Tingxu opened the door. When she saw Zhen Wenjun, she had a kind of joy that her thoughts were confirmed and she didn’t want to hide.
“You’re back.”
“Were you waiting for me?”
“I’ve always been waiting for you.”
Zhen Wenjun’s face became a little hot. The exchange of questions and answers between the two was clearly full of deep longing. Wei Tingxu was originally sitting in a four-wheeled cart, covered with a blanket. Because she moved the four-wheeled cart, the blanket slipped from her shoulder, causing the collar of her inner garment to loosen a little, and her smooth, jade-like collarbone could be clearly seen.
Zhen Wenjun stepped forward to rearrange the blanket, glancing at Ah Zhu standing diagonally behind her. Ah Zhu quickly understood, bowed slightly, and said:
“Milady, Madam, good night. Ah Zhu will go down now.”
“Auntie Ah Zhu.” Before leaving, Wei Tingxu asked her, “Has Huang Erlang returned?”
Ah Zhu didn’t expect Wei Tingxu to ask after Zhen Wenjun had already asked. She didn’t know the reason for the strange tacit understanding between the two, and answered honestly: “He hasn’t returned yet.”
“Okay.” Wei Tingxu nodded and said, “He won’t be coming back. Please tell the soldier at the back door that the back door can be closed.”
“Yes.”
Ah Zhu left. Zhen Wenjun entered the room and closed the door, smiling at Wei Tingxu: “I also asked Auntie Ah Zhu about that Huang Erlang just now.”
“You also noticed?”
“Yes.”
Wei Tingxu pushed the four-wheeled cart to the copper basin, dipped a cloth in some water, and wiped off the thick powder on her face, changing her previously pale complexion and revealing a healthy blush.
“I have been taking the medicine and changing the dressing according to the prescription you gave me, and I have also been exercising my legs appropriately. I haven’t been on the ground, just like you said, sitting in the four-wheeled cart and lifting my legs. I feel that my leg injury has improved, and I was just about to ask you if I could walk on the ground.”
Wei Tingxu’s words carried a rare gentleness and obedience, making Zhen Wenjun unable to take her eyes off her.
“Let me see the wound first.”
“Okay.” Wei Tingxu lifted her skirt a little. Zhen Wenjun took off her cold armor and brought a chair, placing Wei Tingxu’s leg on her thigh, carefully examining the wound, gently pinching various places and asking her how it felt, and then letting her move it to see if there was any pain.
“It hurts a little when I bend it.” Wei Tingxu pursed her lower lip, enduring the pain.
“Where does it hurt?” Zhen Wenjun asked like she was asking a child, her voice very soft, as if a slightly louder voice would injure Wei Tingxu’s wound.
“It’s the wound. After using the medicine you prescribed, it healed very quickly, but it still hurts when I bend it.”
Zhen Wenjun put her leg down and went to the wooden cabinet to find the silver needles she had placed there: “I will use silver needles to clear your meridians. There will be some stinging sensation, but it shouldn’t be too painful. If it hurts, you must tell me.” She specifically instructed, “Don’t endure it.”
“Okay.”
Zhen Wenjun glanced at the untouched and completely cold food on the wooden tray, moved it aside, lit two oil lamps, and brought a copper mirror and placed it behind the oil lamps. The room became quite bright, as if four oil lamps had been lit, helping Zhen Wenjun to insert each needle accurately.
“Does it hurt?” Zhen Wenjun asked after each needle insertion.
Every time Wei Tingxu shook her head. When asked for the sixth time, Wei Tingxu couldn’t help but laugh. When she laughed, Zhen Wenjun also laughed.
“What are you laughing at?”
“I’ve suffered so many injuries, how could I be afraid of this little bit of needle pain? You can insert them without worry.”
Zhen Wenjun nodded, stopped asking, and didn’t speed up. She still focused on inserting each needle carefully.
The silence didn’t feel awkward. The two of them seemed to have returned to the old days, even if they didn’t speak, it was still flavorful.
“So your previous depression was all an act for Huang Erlang.” Zhen Wenjun licked her dry lips that she had neglected due to concentration, her eyes not leaving Wei Tingxu’s knee, and asked while inserting needles, “When did you find out that he was a Yao family spy?”
“I didn’t try to find out.”
“Then why did you act?”
“I just don’t trust anyone.”
Zhen Wenjun savored her words, finding them quite interesting: “Acting for everyone to see, being able to deceive all your close confidants, naturally you can deceive the enemy spy. It’s indeed something you would do.”
Wei Tingxu asked, “Then how did you find out about him?”
“Putting myself in Cao Fei’s shoes, of course, he would send spies to Bai’an to investigate. So I left people in the house to observe carefully. They found that Huang Erlang was suspicious and followed him for a few days, intercepting a secret letter sent to me. I received this letter in Shou County7, quickly cracked the code in the letter, and deciphered it. It was indeed this person. This Huang Erlang probably sensed something and ran away. That’s good. Isn’t the Yao family just wanting to see what state you are in after Yanxing? Your act of being dispirited was flawless. When the news reaches the Yao family, it will definitely make them underestimate the enemy, which will be very beneficial for us to take the initiative.”
“So you already noticed it when I first started acting?”
Zhen Wenjun tilted her mouth and smiled silently: “After being with you for a long time, I naturally felt that things were not that simple.”
“So you’re used to my way of acting. In order not to be seen through and tired of by you, I also have to think more and change my ways to give you some freshness.”
“It’s better not to. It’s good to keep it as it is now. If you change, I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up. Come, move around, and see if it feels looser.”
Wei Tingxu did as she said, and there was a very obvious relief. The pain was greatly reduced when moving.
“Can I try to stand up?” Wei Tingxu asked.
“It will hurt.”
“Besides the pain, will it affect my future walking?”
“If it has recovered to this extent, it won’t.”
“Then I want to try.”
“Wait for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn8. I’ll remove the silver needles first.”
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Zhen Wenjun pulled out the silver needles one by one and helped Wei Tingxu slowly stand up from the four-wheeled cart.
“Be careful.” Zhen Wenjun and Wei Tingxu held hands, fingers interlocked, and slowly led her forward.
Wei Tingxu said, “It’s a little difficult for me to walk like this.”
“Then walk however is easy for you.”
Wei Tingxu put her hands on Zhen Wenjun’s shoulders, and the two faced each other, only half a palm apart, their eyes focused on Wei Tingxu’s legs. To prevent her from accidentally falling, Zhen Wenjun supported her waist.
Zhen Wenjun retreated and Wei Tingxu advanced. In the quiet and warm little room, the two of them tacitly advanced and retreated, their steps steady.
“Very good, it’s much better than I expected.”
“Shall we go out for a walk?”
“Now? It’s too cold outside.”
“I haven’t left the room for seven days.”
“Okay, but you need to dress warmly and not catch a cold. You hold on first, I’ll go get you clothes and a shawl.” Zhen Wenjun let her lean against the wall first, helped her put on warm clothes, and then pushed open the door.
The courtyard outside the room was very quiet, without wind or snow, only the cold moonlight shining on the bluestone pavement.
With Zhen Wenjun’s help, Wei Tingxu crossed the threshold and walked into the courtyard, bathed in moonlight.
“I should remove this threshold. It will be easier for you to come and go in the future.”
“It’s okay, just let me exercise more.”
“Let’s walk to the garden. When I came, I saw that a counter-seasonal flower garden seemed to have been built over there. Let’s go take a look.”
Footnotes
- 子时 | zǐ shí | 11 PM-1 AM
- 上下同欲者胜 | shàng xià tóng yù zhě shèng | From Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, emphasizing unity of purpose for victory.
- 夫人 | fūren | Wife; a formal title for a married woman, especially of higher status.
- 黄二郎 | Huáng Èrláng
- 黄重 | Huáng Zhòng
- 百夫长 | bǎifūzhǎng | A military officer in charge of one hundred soldiers.
- 寿县 | Shòu Xiàn
- 一炷香 | yī zhù xiāng | Approximately 30 minutes.
Wow, I think this is one of my favourite chapters that I’ve read in this novel.