Fish Meat – Chapter 222

by Little Panda

The First Year of Shunde

Jointly Chasing The Lost Deer (18)

“Alai?”

“That’s right. She was born in the Xie Residence in Qi County, Suichuan. It’s said she was the illegitimate child¹ left behind after Xie Taihang had too much to drink; the exact circumstances aren’t known. Rumor has it that this mother and daughter were killed when the remnants of Qi County Prefect Sun Mingyi’s forces retaliated against the Xie family. Because they were house slaves, no one searched for their bodies, and the matter was just left unresolved. When the Qi County riots occurred back then, I was monitoring the Xie family’s situation but didn’t notice this pair of gardener mother and daughter at all. What first made me feel something wasn’t right about them was the assassination attempt on their wedding night.” Yao Zhaoyi took off her gloves, her eyes sharp. “On the wedding day, someone inside the Wei Residence was beaten to death by Zhen Wenjun. The Wei Residence announced externally that the deceased was an assassin, but according to reports from my spies planted at the wedding scene, the deceased was a mysterious figure who had been working devotedly² for the Wei family. This person’s surname was Fang, given name Yuwen, known as Mister Yun Meng. He once served as an advisor to Xie Taihang, which is why my spy had an impression of him. After Xie Taihang and my paternal aunt separated, this person vanished. A few years later, he reappeared, elusive and unpredictable³, around the Emperor’s brother-in-law. Truly strange. So I had my spies thoroughly investigate Mister Yun Meng’s movements over these years.”

“I⁴ have also heard of this Yun Meng. He was known as a great master of pure discourse⁵, although very few people have actually seen him participate in such discussions.”

“Correct. The ‘pure discourse’ was merely a gimmick, bait put out on the surface to entice Xie Taihang to recruit him as a retainer⁶. The real purpose was simply to enter the Xie Residence and track down an important person. This person was the birth mother of Xie family’s Alai—Ruan family’s Ah Qiong.”

The usually composed Cao Fei couldn’t help but be startled upon hearing the name Ruan family’s Ah Qiong: “Could Milady be referring to… that Ruan family’s Ah Qiong?”

“Precisely her. She…”

Yao Zhaoyi was about to continue when suddenly a little girl’s cry rang out:

“Jiejie! Jiejie! I finally found you!”

A series of rapid, heavy “thump-thump-thump” footsteps pounded the ground, completely trampling Yao Zhaoyi’s intended words.

Only to see a small, chubby bundle⁷ with hair tied in double buns run out from the inner courtyard. Each step on the ground made the flesh on her face and belly tremble. Her eyes were squeezed into slits with excitement, her round face like a full moon, babbling incoherently in a way that made Cao Fei’s ears ring.

“Mao—” Seeing her charge towards her, Yao Zhaoyi’s expression changed. She wanted to stop her, but it was too late. The little chubby bundle barreled into her arms, knocking her back with such force she nearly fell over. Fortunately, years of martial arts training gave her a foundation, allowing her to withstand her younger sister’s fierce assault.

Using internal energy, she managed not to be knocked down, but her chest inevitably ached sharply. Yao Zhaoyi sighed helplessly,

“Maolin⁸, don’t be mischievous. If you want to come over, walk properly. You’re always rushing about recklessly⁹. Next time, I might not catch you.”

“Jiejie wouldn’t do that! Jiejie will definitely catch me!” Yao Maolin¹⁰ giggled, hugging Yao Zhaoyi tightly and not letting go. “Jiejie ran off to practice archery again! You forgot you promised to take me fishing!”

Yao Zhaoyi had indeed forgotten. If her younger sister hadn’t reminded her, she might not have remembered even by next year. “Jiejie has had too much going on recently. I apologize, don’t be angry with Jiejie anymore.”

“Not angry! If Jiejie buys me a sugar figure¹¹, I won’t be angry!”

Yao Zhaoyi had no choice but to give Cao Fei a wry smile¹². “I promised her a long time ago, I shouldn’t delay any longer.”

Cao Fei smiled. “Go ahead. We can talk more when you return.”

Yao Zhaoyi never discussed matters of war with her younger sister, protecting her well. She only had her study and practice calligraphy daily, accepting all her other mischief without complaint¹³. She knew her sister was good material for studying. Nowadays, young ladies entering schools or hiring tutors were everywhere; it wasn’t strange for girls to study. When they opened their mouths, their scholarly speech¹⁴ was no worse than boys’. It would be good if she could lend the Yao clan a helping hand in the future.

Taking Yao Maolin to the marketplace, the house slaves followed behind.

Before the Path of Ten Thousand Directions opened, Fengxi¹⁵ already possessed the largest marketplace in all of Nanya, perhaps even in Yunan. Later, aided by the trade corridor¹⁶, it became incredibly popular for a time¹⁷. Whenever one passed through the market back then, you’d see heads bobbing everywhere¹⁸, making it hard to move even an inch.

But now, after several lost battles, the trade route has been destroyed. The entire bridge collapsed, and countless fallen rocks block the road. The Yao family is already making every effort to repair it, but a complete restoration likely won’t happen until next year.

The destroyed road was Fengxi’s main artery¹⁹. Southern mountain roads are rugged and difficult to travel to begin with; this destruction has severed almost all trade. Even transporting grain to Fengxi requires taking a huge detour, more than doubling the cost.

With this cutoff, Fengxi’s market quickly declined. Hua County built smooth, wide roads, and its market rapidly rose, with merchant caravans all flocking to Huaiyang instead.

Yao Maolin couldn’t even find a sugar figure to buy. After wandering around in circles, her round face flushed red, sweating despite the cold winter day, she still couldn’t find one and was quite dejected.

Seeing her pouting unhappily, Yao Zhaoyi strained to lift her up.

“Don’t be upset anymore. Jiejie promises you, next time I leave the city and come back, I’ll definitely bring a sugar figure back for you, okay?”

“I feel like this place has changed,” Yao Maolin said suddenly after looking around unhappily and falling silent for a moment. “Will the Hu bandits invade Nanya? Will they kill me?”

Yao Zhaoyi flicked her forehead. “What are you afraid of? With Ah Fu, Ah Mu, and Jiejie here, how could we let you be killed?”

“But there are giant borers²⁰ in the state. Ah Fu, Ah Mu, and Jiejie might not be their match.”

“Who told you this?”

“No one needs to tell me! Everyone knows who the borer is! Even the Late Emperor was harmed by her!” Yao Maolin nearly shouted. Yao Zhaoyi immediately took her onto the carriage and asked her for the details.

It turned out that a folk rhyme had already been circulating in Nanya, claiming that the one who caused the death of the Late Emperor Min wasn’t the Chongjin people, but that female official from the Wei family. Yao Zhaoyi had never expected to learn this from her younger sister. Recently, she had been fighting Huaiyang’s army and had only just returned to Fengxi for the first time this month. She hadn’t realized such a rhyme existed in Fengxi.

Back at the residence, she ordered the household spies to investigate the origin of the rhyme. Her intuition told her that the person spreading it must know the inside story.

After investigating for several days, the spies reported that the rhyme originated from Julu²¹. Fabricating rhymes and spreading them everywhere was precisely the usual tactic of Liu Wenxing²² of the Zhi Qiu²³ Faction.

Yao Zhaoyi immediately took Cao Fei to consult with Ah Weng²⁴ Yao Wei²⁵, her Ah Fu Yao Lin, and advisor Ge Sheng about this matter. It was said that before Li Yanyi’s death, she indeed showed clear signs of illness and behaved erratically, resembling symptoms of poisoning. She had even made wild pronouncements during the morning court session and executed several high-ranking ministers close to her who were deemed suspicious.

Yao Lin said, “If this is true, the Wei family is guilty of treason²⁶, a capital offense!”

Yao Wei glanced at his son but didn’t reprimand him. Yao Lin had always been like this over the years—saying whatever came to mind, completely transparent²⁷, easily seen through at a glance²⁸—less composed than his own son and daughter.

Ge Sheng said, “The Zhi Qiu Faction is led by Liu Wenxing of Julu, and their backers are the Geng family. He was the one who saved Empress Dowager Geng and Prince Li Rong of Zhi Qiu back then. Controlling Empress Dowager Geng means controlling a lot of imperial family secrets. The information they release is likely true. Even if it’s false, many people will probably believe it.”

Yao Lin said, “But the Zhi Qiu Faction doesn’t possess the Imperial Seal now, and the Geng family is gradually declining. Without concrete evidence, how can they possibly shake the Wei clan? All they have left is making up children’s rhymes.”

Yao Zhaoyi looked at her Ah Fu for a long moment before deciding to speak: “Ah Fu, although there’s no proof, swaying public sentiment is still very important. Even ignorant children²⁹ in remote Nanya know that Wei Zizhuo is the chief culprit who harmed the Late Emperor, that she’s a bad person. Over time, the Wei family’s supporters will dwindle, and consequently, the central authority backed by the Wei clan will also lose popular support. The current war with the Hu tribes is merely a prelude. No matter how long it takes to eliminate the Hu bandits, once the external threat is removed, it will be civil war.”

The words “civil war” made everyone in the room tense up.

“At that time, the direction of public sentiment will turn into support. I fear our Yao family and the Wei family face a long campaign. Taking this opportunity to thoroughly discredit³⁰ the Wei family will certainly be beneficial for the future.”

“Zhaoyi is right.” Yao Wei, who cherished words like gold the older he got, was the first to agree. “It truly is a pity we couldn’t kill Wei Zizhuo at Yanxing that day. Looking at the current situation under Heaven, conquering Runing is only a matter of time. That Zhen woman is fighting a war while simultaneously selling grain and weapons, even coveting the Path of Ten Thousand Directions. One must admit, this person has considerable foresight. After this war, her financial power might truly be among the very top³¹. Since our Yao family failed to seize the initiative, let’s not be hasty now. We should look further ahead and plan slowly and deliberately.”

Yao Lin felt no displeasure at being overshadowed³² by his daughter. With several sons fighting externally, having a daughter who could offer strategies and insightful views made him very satisfied.

Yao Wei asked, “Where is Wei Zizhuo now?”

Cao Fei replied, “Six days ago, spies reported that Wei Tingxu and her Wei family entourage secretly crossed the Wen River and headed south.”

Yao Lin asked in surprise, “Isn’t south of the Wen River precisely Julu?”

Ge Sheng: “It seems Wei Zizhuo also thought of this and is heading there to eradicate the Zhi Qiu Faction, that root of trouble.”

Yao Wei asked, “How many troops did Wei Zizhuo take with her?”

“This is precisely what concerns me³³,” Cao Fei said. “In just a few months, this Wei Zizhuo seems to have learned a few things³⁴; she knows how to conceal troops now. Her accompanying elite force numbers six thousand. Spies have also successively discovered quite a few Wei family troops in the surrounding area, but the exact number hasn’t been determined yet.”

Yao Zhaoyi said, “Wei Tingxu has gathered many advisors recently. Furthermore, suffering a major setback in the Battle of Yanxing has also made her more aware. I fear this trip to Julu might be something she intentionally let our spies discover. If we attack, I’m afraid we’ll fall into her trap. Your daughter advises against attacking.”

Yao Lin agreed with her. “If she wants to attack Liu Wenxing in Julu, let her. The Zhi Qiu Faction carving out territory for themselves³⁵ is also a hidden danger. Letting them fight each other is fine too; it saves us the effort.”

Yao Zhaoyi still felt something wasn’t quite right about Wei Tingxu’s Julu trip. Runing hadn’t been taken yet, and the Path of Ten Thousand Directions was still contested. If she had the troops, why not reinforce those two locations? Even if she’d learned from her mistakes³⁶ and become much more cautious, ultimately, when it came to leading troops in battle, she was an armchair strategist, an amateur³⁷. Julu was Liu family territory, with the Geng clan supporting them from behind. For Wei Tingxu to go alone with troops was clearly setting herself up as bait to lure enemy attacks. Many people, seeing her strange solo journey, would make this assumption, fear falling into a trap, and thus not dare to attack rashly. But the reality might be different. Wei Tingxu was precisely exploiting everyone’s fear of a scheme, their hesitation to attack, to proceed openly towards Julu. She was indeed a very bold person.

Wei Zizhuo thought herself incredibly resourceful and astute, but Yao Zhaoyi was determined to test the reality³⁸ of this trip.

Yao Zhaoyi did not lead the Yao clan’s main force. Instead, she gathered about ten thousand men and advanced rapidly towards Julu, planning a surprise attack halfway. If Wei Zizhuo had truly laid a trap, the Yao army wouldn’t suffer disastrous losses. If she was merely bluffing³⁹, this expedition would surely take her head.

Yao Zhaoyi set out under cover of night, advancing swiftly. In Ze County⁴⁰, about one hundred fifty li⁴¹ from Julu, she found Wei Tingxu’s whereabouts. Camping in the wild was too cold; Wei Tingxu’s constitution couldn’t bear it, so she had already entered the city to find lodging.

Cao Fei and several Yao family members capable of leading troops, each possessing unique skills, accompanied her to Ze County. Cao Fei advised Yao Zhaoyi not to rush. The outskirts of Ze County were open fields on all sides⁴²; if battle commenced there, it would be easy for the prey to escape. It would be best to circle around to the mountainous, treacherous path on the mandatory route ahead, set up an ambush, and strike when least expected. This would surely yield results.

Seeing Wei Tingxu fall into her grasp again, Yao Zhaoyi was excited but did not act rashly.

She knew one needed patience; to eat fragrant meat, you had to wait for the fire to burn brightest.

She sent Cao Fei ahead to deploy forces, while she herself entered Ze County under cover of night.

It would naturally be best if she could find an opportunity to kill Wei Tingxu with a single arrow. If not, it didn’t matter. She wasn’t impatient for success; her main goal was to scout the Wei army’s situation.

Footnotes

孽种 | nièzhǒng | Lit. “evil seed” or “sinful spawn”; a highly derogatory term for an illegitimate child, implying misfortune or bad karma associated with the birth.
卖命 | màimìng | Lit. “sell life”; To work desperately hard for someone, often implying risk or great sacrifice.
神出鬼没 | shén chū guǐ mò | Lit. “gods appear demons vanish”; Meaning: To appear and disappear mysteriously; elusive, unpredictable. A Chengyu.
老夫 | lǎofū | Lit. “old man”; A self-referential term used by older men, implying seniority and sometimes a degree of formality or self-importance. Used here by Cao Fei.
清谈大家 | qīngtán dàjiā | Great master of Qīngtán (Pure Discourse/Conversation). 清谈 (qīngtán) was a type of philosophical discussion or debate, often on metaphysical or abstract topics, popular among literati and officials, particularly during the Wei-Jin period (3rd-4th centuries AD), but the term can refer to witty, intellectual conversation more broadly.
门客 | ménkè | Retainer, client scholar, dependent scholar living in the household of a patron (often a noble or high official) offering advice or services.
小肉团 | xiǎo ròutuán | Lit. “small meatball” or “little ball of flesh”; an affectionate, descriptive term for a chubby child.
懋临 | Mào Lín
没头没脑 | méi tóu méi nǎo | Lit. “without head, without brain”; Heedlessly, recklessly, impulsively, without thinking. A Chengyu.
姚懋临 | Yáo Mào Lín
糖人 | tángrén | Lit. “sugar person”; Traditional Chinese candy art made from melted sugar, often shaped into figures like animals or characters from folklore. Usually sold on sticks.
苦笑 | kǔxiào | Lit. “bitter smile”; A wry or forced smile, often indicating helplessness, resignation, or amusement in a difficult situation.
照单全收 | zhào dān quán shōu | Lit. “accept everything on the list”; To accept everything unconditionally, often used for accepting demands, criticisms, or, as here, a child’s behavior.
之乎者也 | zhī hū zhě yě | These are common grammatical particles in Classical Chinese. The phrase refers to scholarly jargon, literary language, or pedantic speech, often implying education or bookishness.
凤溪 | Fèngxī
商贸长廊 | shāngmào chángláng | Trade corridor/gallery.
火爆一时 | huǒbào yīshí | Lit. “fire explode one time”; To be extremely popular or booming for a period.
人头攒动 | réntóu cuándòng | Lit. “human heads gathering and moving”; A dense crowd of people. A Chengyu.
要道 | yàodào | Main road, vital communication line, important passage.
国(國)有巨蠹 | guó yǒu jù dù | Lit. “the state has giant borers/bookworms”; A metaphor for corrupt officials or powerful, harmful elements within the state that weaken it from the inside, like insects eating away at wood or books.
巨鹿 | Jùlù | Lit. “Giant Deer”; A place name, historically significant.
刘文兴 | Liú Wénxīng
知秋 | Zhī Qiū | Lit. “Know Autumn”; Likely the name of a faction or school of thought. Autumn often symbolizes decline or foresight.
阿翁 | ā wēng | Paternal grandfather (informal, affectionate term). Can also refer to father-in-law or sometimes just an elderly man respectfully.
姚唯 | Yáo Wéi
大逆不道 | dà nì bù dào | Lit. “great rebellion, not the Way”; High treason, grave offenses against the ruler or state; utterly treacherous and immoral. A Chengyu.
不藏半分 | bù cáng bàn fēn | Lit. “not hide half a fen (a tiny unit)”; To hide nothing, be completely open or transparent.
一眼便让人看穿到底 | yī yǎn biàn ràng rén kànchuān dàodǐ | Lit. “one glance lets people see through to the bottom”; Easily understood or seen through.
黄口小儿 | huángkǒu xiǎo’ér | Lit. “yellow-mouthed little child”; Refers to a young, inexperienced child (like a chick with a yellow beak); often used dismissively but here likely just means ‘even children’.
搞臭 | gǎochòu | Lit. “make stinky”; To discredit someone, ruin their reputation, make them notorious. A somewhat colloquial but strong term.
屈指可数 | qū zhǐ kě shǔ | Lit. “can count on bent fingers”; Few in number, countable on one’s fingers. A Chengyu.
抢了风头 | qiǎng le fēngtóu | Lit. “stole the limelight/wind”; To steal someone’s thunder, overshadow them.
某 | mǒu | “A certain person,” used here as a humble or formal way for Cao Fei to refer to himself (“I”).
取经 | qǔjīng | Lit. “fetch scriptures,” famously from Journey to the West; Meaning: To learn from someone else’s experience, seek knowledge or advice.
圈地为王 | quān dì wéi wáng | Lit. “circle land become king”; To stake out territory and declare oneself ruler; acting independently or setting up one’s own sphere of influence.
吃一堑长一智 | chī yī qiàn zhǎng yī zhì | Lit. “fall into a moat, grow one wisdom”; Learn a lesson from a setback; wisdom comes from experience. A Chengyu.
门外汉 | ménwàihàn | Lit. “person outside the door”; Layman, amateur, novice.
虚实 | xūshí | Lit. “false/true” or “empty/solid”; The actual situation, the truth versus deception, strengths and weaknesses.
故弄玄虚 | gù nòng xuánxū | Lit. “deliberately make profound mystery”; To be deliberately mystifying, engage in smoke and mirrors, bluff. A Chengyu.
泽县 | Zé Xiàn
一百五十里 | yībǎi wǔshí lǐ | 150 li; 1 li ≈ 500 meters; 150 li ≈ 75 km ≈ 46.6 miles.
四野空旷 | sìyě kōngkuàng | Lit. “four wilds empty and vast”; Wide open spaces all around.

Footnotes

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