Fish Meat – Chapter 244

by Little Panda

The Ninth Year of Shunde

Like Snapping Dried Twigs and Pulling Up Rotten Wood (11)

The wine cup was empty, not another drop could be poured out; she had only drunk about sixty percent.

Zhen Wenjun stood up, straightened her clothes, perfumed herself lightly to cover the smell of alcohol, and slowly walked out of the General’s Residence.

Despite having drunk two jars of wine alone, her mind remained clear. She had felt a little dizzy just as she stood up, but after walking out of the General’s Residence, the cold wind blew, and the effects of the alcohol dissipated completely.

Zhen Wenjun couldn’t quite recall what festival it was today. Having spent these years campaigning far from home, apart from appeasing the army’s morale during the first lunar month, she had never celebrated any other festivals and had gradually stopped caring about them.

At this hour¹, the night market was still bustling. Passing by a candy shop, she was drawn by two large drawers filled with colorful candy wrappers and approached curiously.

In these years of war, besides people dying in droves², all sorts of novel things had appeared one after another. Like this paper – from being used initially for transmitting military intelligence to now wrapping candies, only a few years had passed.

Zhen Wenjun hadn’t visited the market for a long time. Attracted by the candies, she thought this bag looked good, and that one was pretty too. Somehow, she recalled her Ah Mu saying that Wei Tingxu loved chasing people for candy when she was little. Thinking of that image, she found it quite endearing and gave the old man a large silver ingot³, buying up all the candy.

The old man didn’t take the money, staring at her face for a long while before saying, “Could Your Excellency be General Zhen?”

“I am Zhen Wenjun.”

The old man was suddenly moved to tears of gratitude⁴. He absolutely refused to take Zhen Wenjun’s silver, wrapping the candy tightly in layer upon layer⁵ and handing it to her. “If General Zhen hadn’t risked life and limb in the Northern Frontier, how could this servant⁶ have survived until today? I absolutely cannot accept this silver. Please take it all, General. Consider it this servant’s meager expression of gratitude.”

Zhen Wenjun was also troubled; she couldn’t just take things from the common people for free. In the end, she had to pick out a single peach-pink candy and thank the old man for his kindness.

Zhen Wenjun carefully tucked the candy into her robes. As she was leaving, she heard the old man say, “General Zhen, young and valiant, you are the light of Da Yu. This servant hasn’t read many books, but I understand the principle of drawing near to worthy ministers and keeping distance from villains⁷. I hope the General keeps her eyes open and is not deceived by wicked people.”

The old man’s words made Zhen Wenjun pause. When she looked back, quite a few people had gathered in the market. She saw that the expressions of the common folk were identical to the old man’s – full of reverence, yet worried.

Zhen Wenjun smiled and walked back, taking the old man’s hand.

The old man looked up eagerly, waiting for the General to speak, when suddenly something was placed in his palm.

Zhen Wenjun returned the candy to the old man’s hand and left amidst the low murmurs of the crowd.

Ah Liao’s every word struck Wei Tingxu’s heart. The two hadn’t spoken so openly in a long time.

After hearing what Ah Liao said, Wei Tingxu felt considerably relieved. “Beauty is easily found, but an Ah Liao is hard to come by.”⁸

Ah Liao waved her hand. “Is there any need for such words between us? Speaking of which, how did that Bu Jie bewitch Wenjun-meimei?”

Wei Tingxu then recounted everything Bu Jie had said that day in full detail⁹.

Ah Liao remained silent after listening. Wei Tingxu said, “You also sense that this person is meticulous and calculating, quite an extraordinary individual. Wenjun has hardly made a misstep these years; besides her own broad vision, Bu Jie’s assistance has also been crucial.”

“To be honest,” Ah Liao said, “I think he was quite right. I can’t think of anyone more suited than you to ascend the imperial throne. And once the realm is pacified¹⁰, there can inevitably only be one sovereign. Whether it’s Wenjun or our Zhangsun family, they would become your greatest threat.”

The two looked at each other gravely until Ah Liao laughed again. “But by then, I’ll have long since taken my Qingyuan ladies to roam the world¹¹. Court struggles¹² and whatnot will have nothing to do with me. If my brother or anyone else wants to contend with you, let them contend. At that time, I’ll be riding lightly, watching the sunset, lying drunk amidst beauties, laughing about the mundane troubles of you worldly folk. The Wei family and the Zhangsun family are easier to deal with. Although our two families have been friends for a hundred years, when faced with benefits, alliances can turn sour in an instant¹³. Or perhaps not – you could give my Zhangsun family a fiefdom, let our descendants¹⁴ enjoy glory and wealth¹⁵ there. But what about you and Wenjun-meimei?

“For over ten years, Wenjun-meimei has been striving to climb higher. Now, she commands significant military power and is the Grand General Who Pacifies the Nation. Besides you, there’s likely no one who can control her. Making her submit to you is actually very simple; I believe you have a thousand ways to force her to give up everything for you. But if she truly gives it all up, what would you think in your heart? Is a docile caged bird what you want? Perhaps for a year, or two – she’s still young, after all, and a pretty face¹⁶ can offset much tedium¹⁷. But what about five years, ten years, or even longer? Once Wenjun-meimei is entirely under your control, she will no longer be herself. Someone who has lost their most essential appeal – how long can you still love her? And what would she herself think? From what I know of her, she is unwilling to resign herself to being second¹⁸. I trust you understand this better than I do. You understand better than I that as long as you reach the summit, you will inevitably face this thorny issue.

“Tingxu, you were never someone rich in emotion; your desire for the world¹⁹ is what is most real. As you said, falling in love with Wenjun-meimei was unexpected. She was once trapped in your scheme²⁰, a chess piece moved at your will. Yet this very piece managed to escape your control through her own strength, climbing higher and higher to become a pillar of the state²¹, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with you, even surpassing you in some aspects. Such an extraordinary person sparked your emotions, but you know in your heart, you are destined to become the sovereign. Only when power is concentrated in the hands of an enlightened ruler can this country achieve long-term peace and stability, and only then can the world you envision truly be realized.”

When Zhen Wenjun returned to Zhuo Jun Manor, Ah Zhu was at the entrance to greet her.

“Auntie Ah Zhu, still awake so late?”

Ah Zhu helped her remove her cloak. “How could I sleep without seeing Madam return? The Young Mistress is also waiting for Madam.” Ah Zhu saw she was carrying two cloth bags and reached out to take them, but Zhen Wenjun stopped her:

“This is a gift I brought for Zizhuo. I need to use the kitchen later, I’ll take it myself.”

Zhen Wenjun walked along the covered corridor towards the main courtyard and happened to run into Ah Qin.

Ah Qin held pepper wine in her hand, taking one step forward and three steps back, strolling alone on the corridor. She didn’t seem to be admiring the moon, more like she was killing time.

“Ah Qin.” Zhen Wenjun went forward to greet her.

“General Zhen.”

“Why are you out here drinking the wind? It’s so cold.”

Ah Qin smiled. “Ah Liao and Lady Wei are discussing important matters inside; it wasn’t convenient for me to disturb them. I heard that Zhuo Jun Manor boasts soaring pavilions and clear waters amidst lush greenery²²; I’ve long wanted to witness its splendor. Now that I finally have the chance, I naturally must seize the time to feast my eyes²³.”

Zhen Wenjun smiled politely, maintaining a distance of two steps from her the entire time. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Ah Qin, she took her leave, saying she needed to get busy in the kitchen.

“The General is going to the kitchen so late?”

“Yes.” Zhen Wenjun lifted the cloth bags slightly. “To make something palatable²⁴ for my Furen.”

“The General is skilled in both scholarly arts and warfare, and even knows how to cook.”

“I don’t, I’ve never done it before. But I can try.”

Zhen Wenjun left. Ah Qin calculated the time; even if Ah Liao and Wei Tingxu had stomachs full of things to say, they should be finished talking by now, talked until their mouths were dry. It was just the right time to drink a cup of pepper wine.

Knocking and opening the door, Ah Qin entered to see Ah Liao and Wei Tingxu looking solemn. The jokes she had been pondering for a long time instantly felt inappropriate; she couldn’t utter them at all, and the smile on her lips stiffened. Ah Qin could only walk forward silently and refill their cups.

The room was so quiet only the gurgling sound of wine being poured could be heard. Just as Ah Qin finished pouring for them, Ah Liao stood up to take her leave.

“Find me anytime.” Ah Liao left these words as she departed.

Wei Tingxu nodded. She escorted them to the main gate, watched the two board their carriage, and after bidding farewell, returned to the residence with Ah Zhu.

“Eh? Ah Liao and Ah Qin have left?” Zhen Wenjun emerged from the kitchen holding a steaming oilcloth bundle, just in time to hear the sound of horse hooves receding. “I wanted them to try my handiwork too.”

“What’s this?” Wei Tingxu saw three steaming brown spheres inside the oilcloth. “They look like candy balls.”

“They are candy balls. Try one.”

Wei Tingxu took one and put it in her mouth. It wasn’t as sweet as expected, not sticky or cloying, with a pleasant aftertaste that lingered in the throat, leaving a refreshing sensation between her lips and teeth.

“You made these yourself?”

“Some days ago, I was looking through a book called 《Simin Yueling》²⁵. It described the method for making malt candy²⁶, and I’ve wanted to try making it myself ever since. But time was limited, so I only made a light malt candy. It’s not that sweet, perhaps it suits your taste.”

Wei Tingxu ate all three. “You’re so thoughtful. Whatever you make suits my taste.”

Zhen Wenjun closed the oilcloth. “How’s the sweetness?”

“Just right.”

“That’s good then. If you like it, I’ll make it for you every day.”

Wei Tingxu smelled the alcohol on her. “You drank?”

“Oh, Lin Mu came back after finishing her task, so I had a few cups with her.”

Seeing the unspoken question in Wei Tingxu’s eyes, Zhen Wenjun didn’t wait for her to ask and confessed frankly, “You asked me to personally kill Yao Maolin. I thought about it, and honestly, I couldn’t convince myself. I know she definitely had to die – whether to please you or for the sake of the bigger picture, her life had to end here. But I couldn’t bring myself to kill her personally. She bore me no ill will; I couldn’t watch someone like that die by my hand. I know having Lin Mu kill her wasn’t what you hoped for. I’m telling you frankly because I don’t want to hide it, and I hope you can forgive me.”

Zhen Wenjun spoke with such open honesty, which was rather endearing. Wei Tingxu’s earlier conversation with Ah Liao had already somewhat extinguished the wicked fire that had been burning in her heart for some time. At this moment, she didn’t feel Zhen Wenjun was disobeying her decree; for the first time, she felt that standing before her was not a lover, nor a wife, but a General.

Wei Tingxu embraced her, wrapping her arms tightly around her waist, burying her face in her chest, almost falling asleep right there.

Zhen Wenjun didn’t rush her, seeing nothing wrong with embracing for a long time on the corridor. Wei Tingxu never followed convention; this was precisely her charm.

They embraced for an unknown length of time until Wei Tingxu grew truly sleepy, clinging to Zhen Wenjun and asking her to carry her back to the room. Zhen Wenjun expertly lifted her and walked towards the bedroom.

“The Yao family has dispatched troops.”

Wei Tingxu didn’t open her eyes, merely humming softly in acknowledgment.

“They’re even less patient than expected. As anticipated, to go north, they must pass through Huaiyang, but they didn’t dare clash directly with the Huaiyang army. Instead, they bypassed Huaiyang and are advancing westward. If I’m not mistaken, the Yao family might launch a surprise attack on Pingcang.”

Wei Tingxu opened her eyes.

“For the Yao family to choose Pingcang as the battlefield means they’re adopting a mindset of mutual destruction²⁷. The Yao family understands their current position; they have no choice but to fight with their backs to the river²⁸. If they can defeat the Wei family and achieve a complete victory, that would naturally be best – using Pingcang as a base to then attack Runing, giving them comfortable options for advance or retreat. If they fail to take Pingcang and are ultimately defeated, the Yao family can still make the people of Pingcang suffer, throwing the Wei family’s fiefdom into chaos²⁹.”

“What does General Zhen intend to do?”

“I will lead troops to Pingcang to resist the Yao family. Third Brother and the Zhangsun family will defend Runing. In Huaiyang, I will have Guan Xun and Jiang Wang continue to hold the fort³⁰ to prevent a surprise attack by the Yao. Xiao Xiao and Second Brother will support Pingcang from the north and south lines. We will ensure the Yao army is completely annihilated.”

“Alright,” Wei Tingxu said. “Do as the General says. This great battle… it has finally come, after all.”

Zhen Wenjun asked her, “Do you want it to come, or not?”

“Whether I want it to come or not doesn’t mean it will or won’t. It will come regardless, so why dwell on it?” Wei Tingxu loosened her own robes, then took Zhen Wenjun by the waist and pulled her into her embrace. “I only wish for my Furen and I not to waste this fine night. After tonight, you and I will once again face long separations.”

Footnotes

时辰 | shíchen | A traditional Chinese unit of time equal to two modern hours. The specific hour isn’t named, so ‘this hour’ is used generally.
人成山成谷地死 | rén chéng shān chéng gǔ de sǐ | Lit. ‘people die becoming mountains and valleys’; A hyperbole meaning vast numbers of deaths.
大銀铤 | dà yín dìng | A large boat-shaped ingot of silver used as currency in historical China.
感激涕零 | gǎnjī tì líng | Lit. ‘grateful tears and mucus flow’; Overwhelmed with gratitude.
里三层外三层 | lǐ sān céng wài sān céng | Lit. ‘inside three layers, outside three layers’; Wrapped very thoroughly.
仆 | pú | An archaic and humble self-referential term, ‘I, your servant’.
近贤臣远小人 | jìn xián chén yuǎn xiǎo rén | A principle from Confucian thought emphasizing associating with virtuous people and avoiding petty or wicked ones.
红颜易得，阿燎难求 | hóngyán yì dé, Ā Liáo nán qiú | ‘Hongyan’ (lit. ‘red face’) refers to a beautiful woman. The phrase contrasts the commonness of beauty with the rarity of a true friend/confidante like Ah Liao.
一五一十 | yī wǔ yī shí | Lit. ‘one five one ten’; Idiom meaning to recount something fully and truthfully, down to the last detail.
平定江山 | píngdìng jiāngshān | Lit. ‘pacify rivers and mountains’; To bring peace and stability to the country, often after conquest or turmoil.
浪迹天涯 | làng jì tiānyá | Lit. ‘roam footprints to the ends of the earth’; To wander far and wide, live as a vagabond.
庙堂之争 | miàotáng zhī zhēng | Lit. ‘struggles of the ancestral temple and court hall’; Political infighting at the highest levels of power.
说翻脸就翻脸 | shuō fānliǎn jiù fānliǎn | Lit. ‘say turn face then turn face’; Describes someone who changes attitude or betrays abruptly, often due to self-interest.
子子孙孙 | zǐzǐsūnsūn | Lit. ‘sons’ sons grandsons’ grandsons’; Descendants for generations.
荣华富贵 | rónghuá fùguì | Glory, splendor, riches, and honor; High status and wealth.
好看的皮囊 | hǎokàn de pínáng | Lit. ‘good-looking skin bag’; A somewhat cynical term for physical beauty, implying superficiality.
乏味可陈 | fáwèi kě chén | Lit. ‘boring and can be stated’; Dull, uninteresting, lacking substance.
甘于人后 | gān yú rén hòu | Lit. ‘willing to be behind others’; To be content with a subordinate or inferior position.
天下 | tiānxià | Lit. ‘under heaven’; Refers to the world, the realm, or the empire.
局 | jú | Lit. ‘game board’, ‘situation’; Can mean scheme, trap, setup.
国之栋梁 | guó zhī dòngliáng | Lit. ‘ridgepole and beam of the state’; A pillar of the nation, a person of great ability and importance.
飞阁流丹，水木清华 | fēi gé liú dān, shuǐ mù qīng huá | Two descriptive phrases, possibly alluding to famous literary descriptions of architecture and scenery. ‘飞阁流丹’ (soaring pavilions, flowing cinnabar) suggests magnificent, colorful buildings. ‘水木清华’ (water clear, trees flourishing) evokes beautiful natural scenery. Together they paint a picture of an impressive and elegant estate.
大饱眼福 | dà bǎo yǎnfú | Lit. ‘greatly satisfy eye-luck’; To feast one’s eyes on something beautiful or impressive.
顺口 | shùnkǒu | Lit. ‘follows the mouth’; Agreeable to the palate, easy to eat, tasty.
《四民月令》 | Sì Mín Yuè Lìng | ‘Monthly Ordinances for the Four Peoples’; An important agricultural text from the Later Han Dynasty detailing farming activities, rituals, and food preparation throughout the year.
饴饧 | yí táng | Maltose candy or syrup, a traditional Chinese sweet.
玉石俱焚 | yù shí jù fén | Lit. ‘jade and stone burn together’; Indiscriminate destruction, where both the good and the bad perish.
背水一战 | bèi shuǐ yī zhàn | Lit. ‘fight with one’s back to the water’; To fight with no way of retreat, a desperate, make-or-break battle.
搅得一团乱 | jiǎo de yī tuán luàn | Lit. ‘stir into a messy ball’; To throw into chaos/disorder.
坐镇 | zuòzhèn | Lit. ‘sit town’; To personally oversee, command, or guard a place.

Footnotes

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