Fish Meat – Chapter 226
by Little PandaThe Second Year of Shunde
Jointly Chasing The Lost Deer (22)
Wei Tingxu slipped out of the tent without a sound; Zhen Wenjun didn’t notice at all.
Just then, Bu Jie happened to pass by and witnessed this scene. He approached Wei Tingxu and asked, “Lady Wei, why do you not go inside?”
Wei Tingxu shook her head and settled back into her four-wheeled vehicle.
“Were you bringing porridge for Lady Zhen?” Bu Jie asked, noticing the bowl of still-steaming fish fillet congee in her hands.
Wei Tingxu replied, “Wensheng probably doesn’t know that my cooking has always been hard to stomach1, usually met with disdain. It’s just as well if she doesn’t eat it.”
Bu Jie deliberately raised his voice, saying, “This fish fillet congee is cooked tender and savory, and it smells wonderful. Lady Wei must have put a lot of thought into it, yes?”
Wei Tingxu smiled and shook her head. “Making someone eat it would be forcing the issue. Why bother?”
Hearing their voices, Zhen Wenjun lifted the tent flap and came out. Seeing the bowl of congee, she asked in surprise, “Zizhuo, why didn’t you come inside?”
Wei Tingxu said nothing, simply starting to push her vehicle away on her own.
Zhen Wenjun followed her.
When Ah Xiang emerged, she happened to see the retreating figures of Zhen Wenjun helping push Wei Tingxu’s vehicle. Biting her finger nervously, she asked Bu Jie, “Lord Bu, did I perhaps do something to cause Lady Wei to misunderstand?”
Bu Jie countered, “And what might Lady Ah Ling have done?”
“It was only seeing General Zhen rushing about exhausted day after day, her neck painfully stiff with no one to ease her burden2… Ah Ling felt sympathetic and couldn’t bear it, so I just helped the General by massaging the sore area to provide some relief, that’s all.”
“If you have a clear conscience3, then what is there to fear?”
“That Lady Wei…” Ah Xiang lowered her voice to ask Bu Jie, “Was it really her who poisoned the Late Emperor?”
Upon hearing this, Bu Jie’s eyebrows shot up, the corners of his mouth turned down in an expression of incredulity, and he departed without answering her question.
After Bu Jie left, Ah Xiang quickly followed behind Zhen Wenjun and Wei Tingxu. She saw Zhen Wenjun push Wei Tingxu to the riverbank; the ice-bound river had already begun to slowly thaw.
Spring always arrived earlier in the south. The chill in the wind was less pronounced, and along the riverbanks, the grasses and trees that had been desolate all winter long were starting to show scattered hints of tender green.
“All these years, I thought there were many things you would understand without me having to spell them out,” Zhen Wenjun said, standing behind Wei Tingxu. She took the bowl of congee from Wei Tingxu’s hands and ate it, spoonful by spoonful.
Wei Tingxu didn’t respond, merely gazing at the river’s surface.
Ah Xiang held her breath behind a tree. She knew Zhen Wenjun was a first-rate expert; even slightly heavy breathing might give her away. Peeking out with just her eyes, she observed their every move.
“I thought our relationship had eased considerably lately.”
But Wei Tingxu countered, “I thought so too, until you disregarded my feelings and insisted on opposing me.”
“I never intended to oppose you,” Zhen Wenjun said. “I told you, Ah Ling is my savior. Could you possibly abandon a savior?”
“I can answer that affirmatively: yes, I could. When a so-called savior is actually an assassin harboring malicious intent, wanting to take my life—that’s something you and I are both very familiar with.”
Zhen Wenjun’s hand gripping the armrest of the four-wheeled vehicle suddenly tightened, her knuckles turning white.
“You should know, the reason I initially pretended to be ‘Zhen Wenjun’ to get close and assassinate you was all because you secretly had Fang Yuwen scheme against me, seizing my ah mu and threatening me with her life. That’s the only reason I did it. It was your plot from start to finish. I hadn’t planned on bringing it up again, but since you mentioned it…” Zhen Wenjun released the armrest. “I don’t want to argue with you. The great battle at Julu is imminent. I hope you can prioritize the bigger picture and not dwell on past matters.”
Finished speaking, Zhen Wenjun turned to leave. Just before she walked away, Wei Tingxu called out to her, asking, “Was the fish congee good?”
Zhen Wenjun: “…”
“I tried many times. It should be to your liking.”
For an instant, Zhen Wenjun’s expression showed a flicker of emotion, which Ah Xiang observed clearly.
Because of Wei Tingxu’s words, Zhen Wenjun didn’t truly leave but escorted her back to the main camp.
As Zhen Wenjun prepared to leave, Ah Xiang had already readied herself to assassinate Wei Tingxu. This cripple only dared to be arrogant because she had protection. When left alone, what threat could she possibly pose? Ah Xiang rather wanted to test her mettle. Unexpectedly, Wei Tingxu managed to placate Zhen Wenjun with just a couple of sentences, making her stay and leaving Ah Xiang with no opportunity.
Wei Tingxu was indeed full of schemes4.
Zhen Wenjun pushed Wei Tingxu away. Ah Xiang took another path. Halfway, she suddenly realized—Zhen Wenjun staying behind just now had actually saved her life.
How could this Wei Tingxu with her inconvenient legs possibly travel alone? Likely, a group of hidden guards accompanied her everywhere. If Ah Xiang had struck just then, she would probably be a pile of meat paste by now.
Still shaken, Ah Xiang warned herself again: don’t be too rash, be cautious, ever more cautious.
Reaching a dense part of the forest, she oriented herself by the stars5, carved special marks on trees forming a Huangxing Nine Formation6, and beneath the tree at the formation’s heart, she left a secret letter bearing a verification mark7. After burying the letter securely, Ah Xiang caught a wild rabbit and returned to the camp to stew soup for Zhen Wenjun.
Inside her tent, Zhen Wenjun was studying the nearby terrain using the Heavenly Soldier Divine Box when a meaty aroma wafted in, making her involuntarily utter an “Yi?” sound, her spirits lifting.
“General, look what tasty thing I brought you!” Ah Xiang entered carrying a bowl of braised wild rabbit. Zhen Wenjun immediately put away the Heavenly Soldier Divine Box, took the bowl, and smiled.
“Thank you for your trouble, Lady Ah Ling.”
“It’s freshly cooked and still hot! Hurry and eat, General!”
The chopsticks Zhen Wenjun used exclusively were made of silver; one poke into the food would reveal poison. With this pair of poison-detecting silver chopsticks, there was no awkwardness. After testing and finding no poison, she began to eat.
As Zhen Wenjun ate, she praised, “Lady Ah Ling truly has excellent skill! The cooking time is perfect, wonderfully fragrant and delicious!”
Ah Xiang replied, pleased, “As long as the General enjoys it. Eat slowly, be careful it’s not too hot! Ai, the General is really greedy!”
Zhen Wenjun focused on devouring the food. Ah Ling asked, “Was Lady Wei alright afterward? I really didn’t mean it, I didn’t want her to misunderstand…”
“Rest assured,” Zhen Wenjun said. “She and I have been through a lot; we won’t misunderstand each other easily. Besides, we are now collaborating on important matters and need to support each other, both prioritizing the bigger picture.”
“The General is truly magnanimous, no wonder you can lead so many troops! But didn’t the General follow her? I thought the General ate her congee, I didn’t expect you hadn’t, still being so hungry.”
“It’s different,” Zhen Wenjun said. “You don’t know, Zizhuo is very capable and formidable in other aspects, but her cooking… it’s truly hard to describe. Eating her food only makes one hungrier, wanting to eat something else even more. Is there any more of this braised rabbit?”
“It’s all gone, the General ate it all. If the General likes it, how about I take care of the General’s three meals from now on?”
“Your foot injury hasn’t healed yet…”
“It’s no trouble. As long as the General helps me check the injury and bandage it every day, making a few meals is easy enough.”
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
Ah Xiang rested her brightly smiling face in her cupped hands. “As long as the General likes it, I’ll do anything.”
Zhen Wenjun smiled back at her, a contemplative look in her eyes that Ah Xiang took in completely.
The rabbit meat was tender, springy to the bite, without a trace of fat. After Ah Xiang left, having finished the entire bowl, Zhen Wenjun washed up and lay on her bed, savoring the aftertaste:
“It really was delicious.”
The night was dark, the wind high. Within the main camp, fires burned brightly and sentries were everywhere, but the dark forest outside the camp received no attention, let alone guarding.
A shadowy figure fumbled through the woods for a while. In the pitch-black darkness, he didn’t light a torch but carried a tiny oil lamp, barely illuminating what was right in front of him. Gradually, he finally found what he was looking for, retrieving a letter from beneath a certain tree before vanishing.
Ah Xiang kept her word. Over the following long stretch of days, she ran up the mountain daily, catching some wild game for Zhen Wenjun and personally cooking it—braised, roasted, stewed, steamed, she did them all several times over, running to Zhen Wenjun’s tent every evening to deliver food. To avoid making Wei Tingxu suspicious, she made a point of stopping by Wei Tingxu’s small courtyard each time she went to see Zhen Wenjun to “report.”
“That little slut8 is truly too brazen! Running to the General’s tent every day, doesn’t she know the General and the Lady are already married? What sort of behavior is this!” All the maids attending Wei Tingxu disliked this woman, but Wei Tingxu endured it silently, showing no reaction.
Another ten days passed. Zhen Wenjun heard that the Liu Family Army was stirring restlessly about ten li9 away, seemingly wanting to approach and probe. Zhen Wenjun consulted with her advisors and decided not to wait for them to fall into the trap10, but to take the initiative and launch an attack, surrounding and killing them in the wilderness before Feng County.
Zhen Wenjun led the troops out to attack. The decision was made too hastily, so she didn’t personally inform Wei Tingxu, only leaving a message for someone else to relay.
The soldier sent into the city to find Wei Tingxu made an empty trip; upon reaching the small courtyard, he discovered Wei Tingxu had already gone out.
It was a bright spring day, and her legs also needed some activity. Accompanied by Auntie Ah Zhu, Wei Tingxu came out from the city, bringing some grain and rare fruits and vegetables, heading towards the main camp.
When Wei Tingxu’s party arrived at the main camp, they saw that the number of people in the camp was much smaller and inquired with the garrison commander11 left behind. After the commander explained the reason, Wei Tingxu took the fruits and vegetables to Zhen Wenjun’s tent, so she could eat them immediately upon her return.
As she stepped into Zhen Wenjun’s tent, her steps suddenly halted. Ah Zhu peered curiously around her from behind:
“What happened, My Lady? Hm? Who are you? What are you doing in General Zhen’s tent?”
Ah Xiang was standing behind Zhen Wenjun’s desk, still holding a stack of documents. She jumped in fright the moment Wei Tingxu and Ah Zhu entered and immediately put them down.
“I was helping General Zhen tidy up.” Ah Xiang tried her best to appear calm, but the terrified expression the instant she was caught had already betrayed her.
“These are all crucial military documents. You sneak into the General’s tent while the army is away, likely intending to ‘tidy up’ by finding what you want.” Wei Tingxu gave a cold laugh and raised her voice, calling out to those outside the tent. Immediately, soldiers bearing weapons rushed in. Besides Zhen Wenjun’s soldiers, half the troops in the camp were the Wei Family Army brought by Wei Tingxu, all under her command.
Wei Tingxu ordered: “Drag this spy out and execute her.”
“Yes!”
Instantly, stout soldiers seized Ah Xiang, grabbing her arms and dragging her outside. Ah Xiang hadn’t expected Wei Tingxu to be so difficult, appearing here so suddenly, nor for the soldiers to show absolutely no mercy. At the command, they pinned her arms behind her back, pushed her head down, forced her out of the tent towards a nearby wooden stake, and raised a blade, ready to strike.
Ah Xiang was frantic. She had considered she might die on this mission, but hadn’t expected her life to be in danger so quickly. She screamed, trying to break free, but the soldiers were stronger. Three combined their strength to subdue her, leaving no room for maneuver.
Ah Xiang’s hands, pinned behind her back, were temporarily immobile, but with full effort, she could still use Qinna12 to break their hold; she was confident of that.
But, did she have to break free?
With her head pressed against the wooden stake, Ah Xiang couldn’t see Wei Tingxu’s expression, but she could feel Wei Tingxu’s scrutinizing gaze.
Once she used Qinna, it would prove she knew martial arts, definitely not an ordinary peasant woman. Her identity as a spy would then be exposed—perhaps that was Wei Tingxu’s intention; this was just a test. But if she didn’t resist, Wei Tingxu might very well kill her for real.
It was truly a difficult choice, impossible to guard against!
In that fleeting moment between life and death, Ah Xiang still decided to break free using force.
As the soldier’s steel blade rose high, Ah Xiang gathered her internal energy in her Dantian13. After breaking the soldiers’ restraint, she planned to immediately grab Wei Tingxu as a hostage and escape! If successful, this trip would not have been in vain. If she failed and died here, she could only accept her fate14!
Ah Xiang twisted her wrists, aiming for the person locking her arms. Her seemingly boneless fingers could bend backward to touch her forearm; seizing the soldier’s wrist wouldn’t be difficult. Strangely, her sure-hit15 move reached out but didn’t touch anyone’s wrist. Subsequently, the pressure on her back released; the soldiers holding her were all pushed to the ground.
Before Ah Xiang could clearly see her rescuer’s actions, she was grabbed by the arm and pulled aside. After the world stopped spinning and her vision stabilized, she finally saw the person standing before her was Zhen Wenjun.
It was obvious Zhen Wenjun had come to rescue her, but the swiftness and decisiveness of that dismantling grab and pull—Ah Xiang hadn’t even seen it clearly, let alone defended against it. If Zhen Wenjun had wanted to kill her, her head would likely have hit the ground16 before she even registered the move. Thinking of this, a cold sweat broke out on Ah Xiang’s back.
Forcing down her discomfort, Ah Xiang clung to Zhen Wenjun’s arm and cried, “General! Thank goodness you came! Otherwise, you would never have seen Ah Ling again!”
“Zizhuo.” Zhen Wenjun faced Wei Tingxu and the others, her voice slightly raised, “I have told you many times, Lady Ah Ling is my savior. Even if you cannot treat her kindly, do not harm her. She hasn’t threatened you, hasn’t even approached you. Why can you not tolerate her?”
Ah Zhu, somewhat angered, stepped forward. “This young woman snuck into your tent to steal things while you were leading the troops out! Our Lady caught her red-handed. Does killing a spy need a reason! Madam, if you refuse my Lady’s good intentions, fine, but twisting right and wrong17 like this is truly infuriating! How can you be so muddled!”
Zhen Wenjun narrowed her eyes. “Stealing things?”
“That’s right! We saw it with our own eyes, could it be false?”
“Auntie Ah Zhu, you must have misunderstood. Before I set out today, I instructed Ah Ling to help me tidy the tent. She wasn’t stealing.”
At Zhen Wenjun’s words, Wei Tingxu took a deep breath, no longer wishing to say anything more. She stopped the indignant Ah Zhu, her expression completely dimmed. A hundred things she wanted to say pressed on her heart, but in the end, she remained silent, words left unspoken.
“Since General Zhen wishes to protect her, how could I not show deference? Let today’s matter end here. General, take care.” Leaving these four words, Wei Tingxu departed with her people.
Footnotes
- 難以入口 | nányǐ rùkǒu | Lit. “difficult to enter the mouth”; Unpalatable, tastes bad.
- 分憂 | fēnyōu | Lit. “divide worries”; To share someone’s troubles or burdens.
- 問心無愧 | wènxīn-wúkuì | Lit. “ask the heart, no shame”; To have nothing to hide or feel guilty about.
- 多心機 | duō xīnjī | Lit. “much heart-machine”; Calculating, scheming, manipulative.
- 以星辰辨位 | yǐ xīngchén biàn wèi | To determine location using the stars.
- 黃星九陣 | Huángxīng Jiǔ Zhèn | Lit. “Yellow Star Nine Formation”.
- 字驗 | zìyàn | Lit. “character verification”; A mark or code on a letter to prove authenticity.
- 小賤蹄子 | xiǎo jiàn TÍZI | Lit. “little lowly hoof”; A vulgar and derogatory term for a young woman. The capitalization of TIZI reflects the Pinyin tone mark for the third syllable.
- 十里 | shí lǐ | Ten li; 1 li ≈ 500 meters. So, approximately 5 km or 3.1 miles.
- 入甕 | rù wèng | Lit. “enter the urn”.
- 千夫長 | qiānfūzhǎng | Commander of a thousand men; Chiliarch.
- 擒拿手 | qínná shǒu | Qinna grappling techniques; joint locks, holds, and pressure points used in Chinese martial arts to control or incapacitate an opponent.
- 丹田 | dāntián | Lit. “cinnabar field”; Point in the lower abdomen considered the center of vital energy (qi) in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts.
- 認栽 | rènzāi | Lit. “admit planting”; To accept defeat, admit one is beaten, resign oneself to loss.
- 勢在必得 | shì zài bì dé | Lit. “power lies in certain gain”; Confident of success, certain to win.
- 人頭落地 | réntóu luòdì | Lit. “human head falls to ground”; To be beheaded.
- 顛倒黑白 | diāndǎo hēibái | Lit. “invert black and white”; To distort the truth, call white black.
You fool!