Fish Meat – Chapter 232

by Little Panda

The Second Year of Shunde

Jointly Chasing The Lost Deer (28)

The blazing sun shone fiercely¹, scorching metal and melting stone; white clouds drifted, birds soared silently.

Ten li² along the river, the lush summer grass was stained red with fresh blood. Countless corpses and overturned carriages lay scattered haphazardly upon the riverbank.

Liu Wenxing hung upside down outside a carriage, eyes open. A group of soldiers with blue strips tied around their arms searched their way over. Seeing him, they pointed with their blades. One came closer, recognized his features, and nodded. Immediately, he swung his blade, severing the head, and carried the skull away.

“Escape! Flee up the mountain path! Find a safe cave to hide—”

The speaker hadn’t finished shouting before a bloody hole opened in the top of his head. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.

Gong’er witnessed the entire scene clearly.

She should have screamed—it would be perfectly normal for a girl barely in her teens to shriek at such a bloody spectacle—but she was already numb. Her heart merely gave a sudden leap; even her expression barely changed.

Since Runing fell in the fifth year of Zhaowu, she and Empress Dowager Geng had been fugitives for nearly three years. During these three years, they had been besieged, facing life and death in an instant. After several twists and turns, they eventually fell into Liu Wenxing’s hands. Imperial Grandmother thought they were safe; after all, Liu Wenxing was Geng Bai’s man and would surely treat them well. But Gong’er didn’t think so.

She knew well she was merely a chess piece for the Geng Clan, a caged canary—both she and her Imperial Grandmother.

The Geng and Liu Clans proclaimed her the legitimate heir to the throne, the true Son of Heaven of Da Yu.

Accompanying this slogan, they plotted day and night how to kill the Wei and Zhangsun Clans, how to kill Li Feng, yet not one person ever asked her if she wanted to be this emperor.

From the moment the late Emperor selected her to be an imperial prince³ and enfeoffed her as ‘King Zhi Qiu’⁴, no one had asked her thoughts, nor did anyone care.

Staying in Julu, she was just a puppet. Leaving Julu, she remained a puppet.

The Yan Clan launched a major campaign against the Liu Clan, and how many other powers watched covetously⁵ from the shadows? Julu had fallen. Now, what was she fleeing for?

Gong’er watched the Yan Clan riders galloping towards her, standing rooted to the spot without moving. A Liu Clan soldier desperately grabbed her, threw her onto a horse’s back, and charged madly up the mountain.

“What are you standing there like an idiot for! Don’t you want to live?!” the man roared into her ear.

Gong’er said nothing, merely sneered.

The numbers of the Liu family army and the Geng Clan forces dwindled as they fought. By the time they reached the mountain, not even a single carriage remained.

Empress Dowager Geng had twisted her ankle and couldn’t ride, so soldiers carried her up the mountain. She kept shouting down the slope, calling Gong’er’s name. The Empress Dowager’s hair was completely white, a world apart⁶ from the pampered Imperial Dowager in the Forbidden Garden. Now, without any luxurious attire, she looked less well-maintained than an ordinary princess consort. Having depended on each other these years, she had long come to regard Gong’er as her own granddaughter. Now, unable to see any trace of Gong’er, she was frantic with anxiety⁷.

Gong’er was soon brought up the mountain. Gong’er said, “Give us a horse. I can ride.”

Empress Dowager Geng was still puzzled. “When did you learn?”

Gong’er swung onto the horse and reached out a hand to her. “If possible, I wish I never had to learn.”

Gong’er had grown rapidly these years. Back in Runing, she was thin, pale, and delicate—every bit a child. In Julu for three years, she shot up like a spring bamboo shoot, grew darker, lost the nobility of an imperial scion, but gained strength, enough to encircle the Empress Dowager protectively before her.

“Imperial Grandmother, listen to me.” Seated one behind the other on the horse, Gong’er spoke into the Empress Dowager Geng’s ear, “If we follow these people, we are doomed to capture⁸. If you trust me and follow me, perhaps we can escape this disaster.”

“What? You want to escape on your own?”

“I want to escape with you. The Yan Clan is based in Jingji Commandery. I read in a book once that all the cities in Jingji Commandery are built amidst mountains and wilderness. Their troops must be extremely adapted to mountain terrain. Choosing to run uphill is surely seeking death. We must go down the mountain and continue along the waterway. Imperial Grandmother, I remember you can swim. When necessary, we must abandon the horse and enter the river. These mountain bumpkins may not be good swimmers.”

“But… but…” While Empress Dowager Geng still hesitated, the Yan army indeed surged up from the foot of the mountain like wildfire, instantly encircling them from three directions. Gong’er had no time to wait for the Empress Dowager’s agreement. She whipped the horse hard; the horse, pained, bolted madly.

Empress Dowager Geng’s heart leaped into her throat. She had never galloped so fast on a wild horse. The mountain path was rugged, rising and falling. Even with Gong’er’s strong support from behind keeping her steady on the horse without falling, after several jolts, Empress Dowager Geng felt nauseous and wanted to vomit, her face turning green.

The sound of pursuing hooves still echoed close behind. Empress Dowager Geng covered her mouth, wanting to look back. Gong’er told her to concentrate—ensuring she didn’t fall off the horse was paramount.

Just as Gong’er had said, the Yan army cavalry flew along the mountain path with extreme speed, as if on level ground⁹. They had long since slaughtered the scattering Liu army remnants and were now chasing tightly behind Gong’er’s horse, laughing wildly as they pursued.

The arrogant and lewd laughter and whistles made Empress Dowager Geng’s scalp tingle. If they fell into the hands of these men, who knew what terrible things might happen.

“Imperial Grandmother…” Gong’er was drenched in sweat, her hands scraped raw by the reins, but her gaze remained locked forward. She reminded her again, “Concentrate!”

The pursuers were about to catch up, even beginning to shoot arrows, trying to stop them.

“How dare… How dare they! No matter what, Aijia¹⁰ is still the Empress Dowager!” Empress Dowager Geng’s eyes turned red with anger.

“Imperial Grandmother, to these soldiers, we are just objects for claiming merit! To their masters, we are useful blades! Missing limbs don’t matter, as long as we’re alive! We are no longer in the Forbidden Garden. Mother Emperor has been dead for three years; it’s time to see the reality before us!”

Gong’er pierced through the truth Empress Dowager Geng had long known but refused to admit.

“Huaichen isn’t dead! As long as Aijia hasn’t seen her corpse, Aijia will not admit she is dead!”

“Even if Imperial Grandmother doesn’t admit it, Mother Emperor’s death is a fact!”

“You!” Empress Dowager Geng was speechless.

The iron cavalry was closing in. Gong’er steered the horse towards the rushing rapids below. An arrow struck the horse’s rump. The startled horse began to career uncontrollably. Gong’er and Empress Dowager Geng were nearly thrown off several times.

“Breathe in!”

Almost simultaneously with the shout, Gong’er pushed Empress Dowager Geng off the horse, sending her tumbling into the river. Empress Dowager Geng let out a miserable cry and was swept away by the turbulent current. Gong’er, having grown up by a river since childhood, was an excellent swimmer. She dove into the water and quickly caught up with the Empress Dowager, pulling her up from the water.

Although Empress Dowager Geng had some swimming ability, the river current was swift, and in her extreme panic, she couldn’t control her limbs. After choking on several mouthfuls of water, she finally grasped this life-saving straw and clung desperately onto Gong’er. The most dangerous thing for a drowning person is to panic and grab wildly. No matter how good a swimmer Gong’er was, she couldn’t handle the panicked Empress Dowager.

Just as the two were about to drown, someone pulled them out.

Gong’er vomited several mouthfuls of water and finally regained consciousness.

In her daze, she saw many blue strips of cloth. She knew then it was over—they had fallen into the hands of the Yan Clan.

“Men, tie them up!”

Empress Dowager Geng shouted, “Aijia dares see who moves!”

“Hmph, Empress Dowager Geng, it is now the second year of Shunde. Can it be that Your Ladyship¹¹ is still lost in old dreams, unwilling to wake?” the Yan army Xiaowei¹² said. “Come on, tie them up! Don’t tell me I have to do it myself?”

The soldiers gripped their ropes and were about to advance when Gong’er spun up, a short knife in her hand, and fiercely slashed off one man’s finger.

The scream indeed made the Yan army hesitate for a moment, not immediately advancing again.

“Gong’er…” Empress Dowager Geng closed her eyes in pain. “Forget it. Struggling will only prolong the suffering. Let’s end it ourselves.”

Gong’er gripped the short knife, staring at each of them, trying to memorize all their faces, squeezing out each word through gritted teeth: “You’d best kill us here. If we don’t die, one day I will return and take your dog lives!”

The crowd burst into laughter, the sound echoing across the riverbank.

“Fine, fine, fine. Then this old master¹³ will be waiting for you.” The Xiaowei personally stepped forward to snatch her knife. She didn’t know swordsmanship, fighting only with brute force. The Xiaowei watched her make a fool of herself, calling out ‘Aiyoyo!’ mockingly, then swept lightly with his foot. Gong’er lost her balance and fell to the ground. As she fell, the Xiaowei tugged at her clothing. When she landed on the filthy mud, a large patch of snowy white skin was exposed at her chest.

Gong’er disregarded everything else, immediately pulling her collar closed, her cheeks burning crimson as she stared at the ground.

“Xiaowei, don’t do such things, lest complications arise¹⁴.” A Baihuzhang¹⁵ reminded him.

“What’s there to fear? Lord Yan said to capture the remnants of the rebel faction—alive, he wants to see the person; dead, he wants to see the corpse. Do you think I misunderstand Lord Yan’s words? Hmph, that King Rui usurped the throne and occupied our Da Yu’s lands for so many years. Now that Empress Dowager Geng and this little brat have fallen into this Xiaowei’s hands, this Xiaowei is venting anger for the true Bright Emperor, venting anger for the common people of the realm! What do you understand!”

After being harshly rebuked, the Baihuzhang dared not say more and shrank back.

The Xiaowei licked his dry lips and was about to advance again. Gong’er lay prone on the ground, clutching her collar tightly, her eyes darting towards the nearby short knife.

The Xiaowei noticed her gaze and kicked the short knife away.

The Xiaowei reached out to touch her back. Gong’er remained prone, motionless.

Empress Dowager Geng was nearby, screaming about wanting to die, but no one paid her any attention.

“Looks like you’ve given up resisting. That’s a good girl. Suffer less, and Grandpa¹⁶ guarantees he’ll be gentle wi—”

Gong’er suddenly turned, plunging another short knife hidden on her person into the Xiaowei’s eye.

The Xiaowei clutched his eye, blood spraying wildly, and screamed. Just then, arrows flew from nowhere, piercing the chests of all the soldiers. Rows upon rows of soldiers collapsed in unison. The Xiaowei immediately drew his sword, but before it was fully unsheathed, his body was riddled with countless bloody holes by arrows. He crashed heavily to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, all the pursuers were shot dead. Gong’er and Empress Dowager Geng stared dumbfounded at the surrounding corpses.

“Who… who is this?” Empress Dowager Geng came over and hugged Gong’er.

Gong’er, mimicking stories from illustrated slips¹⁷ she had secretly read as a child, called out loudly, “Which hero has come to our rescue? Please show yourself!”

To receive help amidst such disaster, turning misfortune into blessing—truly, Heaven has eyes! It seemed their lives were not meant to end!

Gong’er and Empress Dowager Geng’s joy was short-lived. Appearing along with the ambushers from the mountainside were none other than the Wei Clan—whose flesh they wished day and night to devour, whose blood they wished to drink¹⁸!

Wei Tingxu sat alone on a white horse, clad in silver armor. Though she carried no weapon, the person on the black horse beside her surpassed any weapon. Zhen Wenjun wore heavy black armor and a phoenix-winged helmet¹⁹, a long red tassel fluttering atop it. She looked down from her height at the pitiful grandmother and granddaughter on the ground.

Wei Tingxu smiled and greeted, “Empress Dowager Geng, long time no see²⁰.”

Seeing this person, Empress Dowager Geng recalled the miserable state of her Huaichen—vomiting blood, losing sight—and her teeth itched with rage. She screamed, “Wei Zizhuo, you dog thief! If you have the guts, kill Aijia! Aijia will surely transform into a vengeful ghost and haunt you day and night!”

Wei Tingxu seemed to agree with her words, nodding.

Gong’er had always heard from Imperial Grandmother how treacherous and venomous Wei Zizhuo was, how viper-hearted²¹, a villain who concealed emotions²². But the woman before her was perhaps the most beautiful person Gong’er had ever seen, man or woman, and seemed gentle too. When smiling and speaking to them, there was no overbearing²³ feeling; instead… Gong’er studied Wei Tingxu’s face, instead, it seemed she was waiting for the other party to speak.

Zhen Wenjun saw that the young lady’s clothes had been torn open, truly indecent. She pulled off her own cloak and tossed it to her.

Gong’er: “…Thank you, General.”

Zhen Wenjun’s action completely confirmed what Gong’er had suspected.

“Kill Aijia quickly! Stop wasting words!” Empress Dowager Geng shouted.

Empress Dowager Geng hated Wei Tingxu too much; merely mentioning the name ‘Wei’ made her lose all reason.

Wei Tingxu showed an ‘If that’s the case’ expression. Soldiers beside her quickly came forward to seize them.

“Wait! Lady Wei… no, Wei…” Gong’er thought for a long moment, recalling her title, “Secretary Supervisor! We, grandmother and granddaughter, have fallen into your hands today and never expected a way out alive. But our deaths bring you no benefit! Conversely, if we can continue to live, it would be most advantageous for you.”

“Oh? How so?” Wei Tingxu asked her.

Gong’er said, “The Wei Clan mobilizing troops today is likely known by quite a few. If Imperial Grandmother and I die here, the world will be convinced that the Secretary Supervisor is the chief culprit who poisoned the late Emperor and forced the Empress Dowager and King Zhi Qiu to their deaths. Won’t the contents sung in those ballads then become true? At that time, I fear accusations like ‘wolfish ambition’²⁴ will follow the Secretary Supervisor forever. But if the current Emperor issues an edict pardoning our lives, then everyone under Heaven will know the Secretary Supervisor treats the orphans of Emperor Min kindly and is a magnanimous person. The previous rumors of poisoning Emperor Min will collapse on their own²⁵. Furthermore, have Imperial Grandmother write a confession²⁶ in her capacity as Empress Dowager, admitting one by one how she framed the true Bright Emperor back then. Then the Secretary Supervisor will have no lingering worries. Even if the Empress Dowager and I continue to live, we cannot pose the slightest threat to the Son of Heaven and the Secretary Supervisor. This method achieves two goals with one stone²⁷, benefiting everyone. The Secretary Supervisor wouldn’t object, would she?” Finally, Gong’er turned to Zhen Wenjun, tears in her eyes, “We only ask that the Secretary Supervisor and the General grant us a quiet place to live out the rest of our lives²⁸!”

Gong’er’s words were precisely Wei Tingxu’s most important objective in coming to Julu. She had thought Empress Dowager Geng would understand, but unexpectedly, the one who voiced these thoughts was this thirteen-year-old child.

Wei Tingxu studied her carefully. She saw that although Gong’er spoke movingly, there was no trace of pleading in her eyes.

This was her strategy, not begging for mercy.

Gong’er hadn’t even put down her short knife.

Wei Tingxu neither agreed nor refused. She turned her horse around and left.

Gong’er and Empress Dowager Geng looked at each other, bewildered. Only when someone drove up a carriage and invited them aboard did Gong’er finally breathe a sigh of relief, cold sweat suddenly trickling down her entire body.

Gong’er asked the driver for water and handed it to Empress Dowager Geng. The Empress Dowager didn’t drink, but instead said something:

“Huaichen used to say you resemble someone.”

Gong’er: “Who?”

“That Wei Zizhuo.”

Gong’er was stunned for a moment. Only when the carriage began rumbling forward did Gong’er say:

“So that’s why she didn’t plan to pass the throne to me, is it?”

Empress Dowager Geng looked at Gong’er. At this moment, the sharpness and danger in Gong’er’s eyes were exactly the same as²⁹ that Wei Zizhuo’s.

Footnotes

杲杲燋金爍石 | gǎogǎo jiāo jīn shuò shí | Lit. ‘bright bright scorches metal melts stone’; Describes intense, scorching heat.
Approx. 3 miles / 5 km
皇子 | huángzǐ | Imperial Prince/Son. Note: Gong’er is biologically female but was designated male for succession purposes.
知秋王 | Zhī Qiū Wáng | Zhi Qiu ‘Knows Autumn’; Wang ‘King.
虎視眈眈 | hǔ shì dān dān | Lit. ‘tiger stare glaringly’; To watch menacingly/covetously.
判若兩人 | pàn ruò liǎng rén | Lit. ‘judge as if two people’; Completely changed, unrecognizable.
心急如焚 | xīn jí rú fén | Lit. ‘heart anxious like burning’; Extremely anxious or impatient.
在劫難逃 | zài jié nán táo | Lit. ‘in calamity hard to escape’; Cannot escape fate/doom.
如履平地 | rú lǚ píngdì | Lit. ‘like walking on flat ground’; To handle difficult terrain/tasks with ease.
哀家 | Āijiā | Lit. ‘the sorrowful one’; Self-referential term used by widowed empresses/empress dowagers.
太后 | Tàihòu | Empress Dowager. Using ‘Your Ladyship’ here to reflect the slightly mocking/disrespectful tone of the Xiaowei, while still acknowledging the title.
校尉 | Xiàowèi | Military rank, roughly Captain or Colonel.
本大爺 | běn dàyé | Lit. ‘this great master/lord’; Arrogant self-address.
節外生枝 | jié wài shēng zhī | Lit. ‘branch grows out from the joint’; To create unnecessary complications or side issues.
百夫長 | Bǎifūzhǎng | Military rank, Centurion (leader of 100 men).
爺 | yé | Lit. ‘grandfather’; Crude/arrogant self-address used by the Xiaowei to assert dominance. Implies a sexual threat in this context. Translated as ‘Grandpa’ to convey the crude power dynamic.
繪簡 | huìjiǎn | Painted bamboo or wooden slips used for writing/illustration before paper was common.
啖其肉飲其血 | dàn qí ròu yǐn qí xuè | Lit. ‘eat their flesh drink their blood’; Expresses extreme hatred and desire for vengeance.
鳳翅兜鍪 | fèng chì dōumóu | A type of ornate helmet often associated with high-ranking generals.
別來無恙 | bié lái wú yàng | Formal greeting: ‘Hope you have been well since we last met’.
蛇蠍心腸 | shé xiē xīncháng | Lit. ‘snake scorpion heart-intestines’; Cruel and venomous nature.
喜怒不形于色 | xǐ nù bù xíng yú sè | Lit. ‘happiness anger not appear on color (face)’; To not show one’s emotions.
咄咄逼人 | duōduō bī rén | Lit. ‘(sound of censure) press person’; Overbearing, aggressive, pushy.
豺狐野心 | chái hú yěxīn | Lit. ‘jackal fox wild heart’; Rapacious/wolfish ambition (metaphor for treachery).
不攻自破 | bù gōng zì pò | Lit. ‘not attack self break’; To collapse without being attacked, discredited automatically.
罪書 | zuìshū | Lit. ‘crime book’; A written confession of guilt.
一石二鳥 | yī shí èr niǎo | Lit. ‘one stone two birds’; To kill two birds with one stone.
了此殘生 | liǎo cǐ cánshēng | Lit. ‘finish this remnant life’; To live out the remainder of one’s days peacefully (often implying resignation or reduced circumstances).
如出一轍 | rú chū yī zhé | Lit. ‘like out one rut’; Exactly the same, cast in the same mold.

Footnotes

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