Fish Meat – Chapter 95
by Little PandaThe Ninth Year of Shenchu
Conspiring for Power (5)
The day the snake tally (token) returned to Guan Xun’s hands, he was standing beneath the city wall, looking at the two heads hanging above. One was Hong Ai’s, and one was Feng Kun’s. He had seen both of these people before, although their interactions were not particularly close. Having been officials in the same court for so many years, he had seen the two in various states, except for this one where their heads were separated from their bodies.
Seven years ago, Guan Xun was severely wounded on the northern frontier battlefield and was forced to retreat to Runing. At that time, Li Ju was still a youth whose voice had just changed, and all matters of the court needed to be decided by Empress Dowager Geng. Empress Dowager Geng said that Guan Xun had rendered meritorious service in killing enemies, and now that he had returned, he could not be ignored, otherwise countless Da Yu soldiers would be disheartened. So she appointed him to the crucial position of Minister of Justice.
Before he took office, various factions were competing for this position. Whoever could bring it under their control and manage the prisons would be at the center of power and could establish a firm foundation in the bloody struggle. Hundreds of eyes were fixed on this position, with no one yielding to another. Whichever party’s candidate was appointed, the opposing factions would submit piles of memorials with a cartload of objections. It was Empress Dowager Geng who made the decisive appointment of Guan Xun, silencing everyone, leaving them with nothing to say.
Guan Xun’s achievements on the northern front were obvious to all. His character was cold and stern, upright and unyielding. No one could find fault with him. Empress Dowager Geng’s choice of him as Minister of Justice could be said to be shrewd; no one could speak of any shortcomings.
Apart from the necessary courtesies when meeting, Guan Xun had never expressed any additional gratitude to Empress Dowager Geng who had promoted him. He couldn’t bring himself to flatter like others did, and he knew Empress Dowager Geng didn’t need it either.
Over these years, he understood that there were still many people, both openly and secretly, watching him, waiting for him to make a mistake so they could bring him down.
Having floated and sunk in the sea of officialdom for many years, after seeing all kinds of struggles and rules, he became increasingly silent and reticent. Speaking less to err less, he diligently performed his duties, believing he did his job well, leaving no handles for others to grasp. But even so, there were still people who tried every method to remove his official hat, even to take his life. Was it Jiang Wang who implicated him? No, it was he who implicated Jiang Wang.
Jiang Wang had already been dismissed from office, and the one who dismissed him was Guan Xun himself.
“Is it a good view? Your masterpiece.”
Jiang Wang, dressed in bluish-gray cloth garments, had at some point stood behind him. Stripped of his gloomy official robes, Jiang Wang looked much more relaxed. He had tucked every strand of hair into his hair cover, from the bottom of which hung two flowing golden long ribbons. He looked much younger, like some family’s young man.
Guan Xun didn’t turn around, still gazing at the top of the city wall.
“One by one, human heads, hanging on the city wall, swaying and swaying⦔ Jiang Wang changed the lyrics of a folk song from Guan Xun’s hometown and started humming. This song was taught to him by Guan Xun. The two had fought side by side in the northern frontier. When Jiang Wang was severely wounded and ran out of food, thinking he was about to die, Guan Xun sang this to him. Afterwards, he would often hum it, whether happy or not.
Guan Xun never asked him why he liked this song so much, and Jiang Wang couldn’t bring himself to admit that it was because of this song that he took a liking to Guan Xun. At that time, dying from pain and dizzy from hunger, Guan Xun sat beside him singing. Looking at this man’s profile, he found himself thinking that if he could survive, he would definitely give Guan Xun oral pleasure.
This small wish was realized quite a few times in the following years. He went to great lengths to seduce him, and even succeeded in taking their relationship further. He had thought they could arrest and kill people together, until they grew old and retired to a country life, spending their remaining years together. Unexpectedly, he fell here⦠Jiang Wang had no choice but to accept it.
“How is your father?” Guan Xun, still with his back turned, suddenly asked.
Jiang Wang’s light-hearted singing voice stopped, cut off by this most ordinary question from Guan Xun.
Jiang Wang bit his lip and smiled, feeling both helpless and touched: “How do you know everything?”
Guan Xun didn’t speak.
“Father is old now, he can’t withstand imprisonment and interrogation. I fear his old bones would fall apart after just a bit of torment. If he were twenty years younger, I wouldn’t worry about him. Xie’s private punishment methods aren’t much gentler than those in the imperial prison. Being targeted by him, one can only say my father is unlucky.”
“Did you rescue him?”
“No,” Jiang Wang said. “His corpse was sent back. I buried him in the village land. He was a simple and honest farmer, who spent his whole life tending to a few acres of land, rarely leaving the village, opening his eyes every day just to go to the fields. After living an ordinary life, to end up dying because of court struggles, it can be considered his misfortune.”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Guan Xun said. “Father raised you, he was your only relative.”
Jiang Wang smiled: “What difference would it have made if I told you? You wouldn’t have handed over the snake tally for him either. But for meβ¦ I couldn’t let him down, so I had to let you down.” Jiang Wang paused for a moment and added, “Anyway, you don’t care about me. It doesn’t matter if I betray you, but he’s different. He had nothing except me and his fields.”
Jiang Wang didn’t look at Guan Xun’s expression as he usually would, nor did he try to discern any subtle expressions for self-comfort from his face. It all didn’t matter anymore.
Jiang Wang cupped his hands towards him: “Thank you for your promotion, otherwise I, from a humble family, would have only ended up wrapped in horsehide.” As he spoke, he knelt down, prostrating himself on the ground in a grand gesture, “In the next life, I’ll repay you as an ox or a horse.”
After speaking, Jiang Wang was about to leave, but Guan Xun gave a cold laugh.
Jiang Wang stopped in his tracks, with his back to Guan Xun, wiped away his tears before turning around: “What are you laughing at?”
“Your words are no different from farts.”
“⦔
“Next life? What next life bullshit! Who knows if there’s even a next life!” Guan Xun pointed at him, “You come here! Don’t think you can just run away like this. Be an ox or a horse to repay me in this life!”
Faced with Guan Xun’s fierce demeanor, as if quarreling, Jiang Wang was first stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll betray you again?”
“What’s there to fear? Father is already dead, what leverage do you have left for others to grasp? Even if you betray me again, I’ll just chop off your head and hang it on the city wall! Are you willing to come to my residence and be my strategist?”
Jiang Wang most loved the wild uninhibitedness and open-mindedness in Guan Xun’s bones. For this matter to end like this was the best possible outcome.
“Strategist? It’s not just as simple as being a strategist, is it?” Jiang Wang’s gaze lowered, lingering on his crotch.
As the two were exchanging banter, a woman riding a white horse called out “Minister Guan”. When Guan Xun heard the voice, it was still at least twenty steps away from him, but as he turned his head, the person calling him was already before his eyes.
The woman on the white horse looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, and her riding posture was already quite proficient. She held the reins lightly, able to make the galloping horse stop at will. Her other hand held a folded cowhide riding crop. She wore practical, easy-to-move-in attire, looking quite valiant.
“Minister Guan.” The woman’s dismounting action was also very graceful, without any hesitation. She handed the snake tally of the Court of Judicial Review (Ministry of Justice) to Guan Xun, “The snake tally has been found. My lady asked me to deliver it to the Minister.”
Guan Xun recognized this person as one of Wei Zizhuo’s people, surnamed Zhen. Jiang Wang knew her even better; on that day when he was about to throw the snake tally into the underground waterway, this crazy woman had recklessly jumped in after it. If it weren’t for her risking her life to retrieve the snake tally, the Court of Judicial Review would likely have faced a series of subsequent troubles.
“Thank you.” Guan Xun truly admired Zhen Wenjun’s courage and ability, and cupped his hands in a salute to her.
Zhen Wenjun smiled faintly and was about to mount her horse to leave when Guan Xun curiously asked, “May I ask if the lady has ever fought in the northern frontier?”
“No,” Zhen Wenjun was somewhat curious why he asked this.
“I apologize for my rudeness. It’s just that I see the lady’s skills are unlike those of ordinary women, rather reminiscent of soldiers,” Guan Xun’s question wasn’t strange, after all, in the current situation in Da Yu, regardless of gender, as long as one was of able-bodied age, they could go to the northern line to fight enemies. However, male adults could be enlisted in the regular army and enjoy rewards after achieving merits, while women could only join the army as private soldiers of noble families, without any rewards, just like Ah Xin. Seeing Zhen Wenjun’s crisp and efficient movements, and having just resolved the issue with Jiang Wang, Guan Xun was in a good mood and curiously asked this extra question.
“I haven’t,” Zhen Wenjun said, “I’ve never been to the northern line.”
“In that case, I’ve spoken out of turn.”
Zhen Wenjun bowed to them both and left, riding Yunzhong Feixue back to the Wei Mansion.
After several days of recuperation, Zhen Wenjun had fully recovered, without any nausea or headaches, though her appetite had increased, and her legs would cramp at night. Lingbi and Wei Tingxu both said that at seventeen she was still growing rapidly, and might even surpass Xiaohua. Xiaohua was a robust woman of eight chi, and even with a different face, her sturdy physique remained unchanged. Zhen Wenjun was already nearly up to her nose, and their comments made her somewhat worried. Being tall wasn’t bad, as long as she didn’t end up like Xiaohuaβ¦
Wei Tingxu was very envious of Zhen Wenjun’s recovery ability. If it had been her soaking in water for so many days, she probably wouldn’t recover without resting for a year or more. Like the injuries she sustained in Qinfeng Pavilion, which still made it difficult for her to sit, lie down, or stand comfortably. Zhen Wenjun helped her with massages every day to alleviate the pain.
After returning the snake tally to its owner, Zhen Wenjun rode her horse, strolling along the streets of Runing, eventually reaching the market. The heavy rain had stopped for three days, and the market quickly regained its vitality. Although the shadow of water demons hadn’t been completely erased from people’s hearts, if they continued to rest, the whole family would have nothing to eat, so merchants had to muster their courage to go out.
As soon as the heavy rain stopped, all the shops opened simultaneously, and gradually people came out. The Jinwu Guards, fully armed, patrolled the streets day and night, ready to kill any water demons on sight. Once night fell, everyone returned home early to avoid danger.
Of course, no matter how diligently the Jinwu Guards patrolled, they wouldn’t encounter water demons. Those who spread rumors about water demons had already shifted their energy to the next battle.
Zhen Wenjun made a round and saw many novel things, but what she liked most was the Double Butterfly Candy Ball. The Double Butterfly Candy Ball was a confection made by coating fruit from the far West, brought by Hu merchants, with sweet malt sugar. The malt sugar was shaped into two butterflies, sweet and adorable. The long-bearded Hu merchant only called out a few times with the Double Butterfly Candy Ball before attracting a large group of children. Zhen Wenjun was also drawn to the colorful candy, unconsciously riding Xiaoxue closer to the Hu merchant.
The Hu merchant could also perform magic tricks. With a wave of his hand, the candy turned into real butterflies, flapping their wings and flying towards the sky. The surrounding crowd applauded, and Zhen Wenjun couldn’t help but clap too.
Zhen Wenjun was engrossed in watching when she suddenly heard a coquettish laugh. She instinctively felt this laugh was directed at her. Turning her head to look, it really was aimed at her.
Outside the crowd, Zhangsun Wu stood shoulder to shoulder with another man who was a head taller than him. They each held a fan in their hands, Zhangsun Wu’s was blue, and the other man’s was black. Zhangsun Wu covered his mouth, laughing coquettishly, which immediately reminded Zhen Wenjun of Wei Tingxu’s mention of his preference for men. She couldn’t help but look at the person beside him.
This glance startled Zhen Wenjun. The man had sword-like eyebrows, star-like eyes, and was strikingly handsome, probably the most attractive man Zhen Wenjun had ever seen. This man was none other than the young master of the Grand Honglu’s family, Bo Lan.
“No matter how clever and capable Miss Wenjun is, after all, she’s still a child attracted by candy. Oh, how adorable.” Zhangsun Wu gently waved his fan while covering his mouth. Bo Lan, feeling a bit embarrassed, tried to smooth things over for him:
“Please don’t mind, Miss. Zhanying just likes to joke. How could a young lady of such refinement and delicacy be compared to ordinary children?”
Zhen Wenjun wasn’t embarrassed at first, but this person’s supplement actually made her feel embarrassed. The corner of her mouth twitched, which counted as a smile in response. Bo Lan pulled Zhangsun Wu away, quickly leaving.
Just as they were leaving, a black shadow flashed past the corner of Zhen Wenjun’s eye. A burst of killing intent, incongruous with the bustling market, flashed by and disappeared along with the black shadow.
Someone was following them.
Zhen Wenjun secretly watched the direction Zhangsun Wu and Bo Lan left, rode Xiaoxue in a circle pretending to leave, but actually circled around to a corner where she tied up Xiaoxue, then quickly followed in the direction Zhangsun Wu and the others had just left.
The two of them walked increasingly off the beaten path, until they entered an area lit with purple lanterns. The originally quiet alley gradually came to life on both sides due to their arrival, as if hidden insects and beasts had caught the scent of delicious food, pushing through the soil and gathering around.
Hiding in the distance, Zhen Wenjun observed for a while before realizing this was a red-light district alley, filled with male prostitutes with fluid movements. Seeing the two dressed in luxurious clothes, wearing valuable treasures, and both being handsome men, the male prostitutes used all their skills, hoping to secure this big business.
Zhangsun Wu and Bo Lan actually came here together to seek pleasure, so it seems they weren’t lovers. Perhaps they had similar interests but neither satisfied the other, quite troubled, and came here to find someone to relieve their worries.
As Zhen Wenjun thought about this, her mind wandered elsewhere.
For men who prefer male companions, there’s a distinction between top and bottom, but what about women? If two women wanted to find a partner, how would they differentiate? Perhaps those like Ah Liao, who like to dress as men, take the lead in bedroom matters? Ah Liao’s disguise was really conspicuous, her preferences could be seen at a glance, but what about other women who aren’t interested in male attire? How should they differentiate?
Back then, Yue’s Ah Jiao gave her γThe Ode to the Great Pleasure of Yin and Yang Fusion of Heaven and Earthγ and γThe Classic of the Mysterious Womanγ, teaching her the arts of seduction. All the teachings were about the cloud and rain arts between men and women. If it were two people of the same sex, these books would be useless. She had too many questions to ask, but no one could answer them.
Zhen Wenjun, leaning against the wall and hiding in the shadows, had her thoughts floating in the Milky Way, pondering incredibly profound questions.
That black shadow suddenly appeared again, flashing past over Zhen Wenjun’s head. Zhen Wenjun’s heart skipped a beat as she held her breath and gripped her Golden Cicada Knife.
The black shadow was seen moving like a silent black cat, flashing across the rafters, stopping on the roof directly above where Zhangsun Wu was.
It’s an assassin. Zhen Wenjun could finally exhale, it seemed this assassin hadn’t discovered her presence.
Bo Lan was led away by a heavily made-up, muscular man slightly shorter than him. Around Zhangsun Wu gathered a circle of male prostitutes of various dispositions and appearances. He picked for a while, seeming quite dissatisfied, until finally he noticed a beauty like a spring dawn flower outside the crowd, hesitating shyly and not daring to come forward. Zhangsun Wu used his fan to part the crowd, walked towards that beauty, placed the fan under his delicate chin, lifted his face, examined him carefully, and then asked which establishment he belonged to. The beauty pointed to the Zhuihong Hall behind him, and Zhangsun Wu walked straight in.
Zhen Wenjun was quite surprised, she didn’t expect that someone as tall as Bo Lan would choose an even taller and more muscular male prostitute, while Zhangsun Wu was completely the opposite. One truly can’t judge a book by its coverβ¦ Wait a minute, that black shadow had already floated into Zhuihong Hall, his target was Zhangsun Wu!
Although Zhen Wenjun didn’t like Zhangsun Wu, after all, he was Wei Tingxu’s betrothed husband, and more importantly, Ah Liao’s older brother. She couldn’t stand by and watch him die.
Thinking of Zhangsun Wu’s delicate skin and frail, ladylike appearance, how could he possibly handle an assassin? Zhen Wenjun crouched low, sneaking through areas not illuminated by the gauze lamps, nimbly climbing to the top of Zhuihong Hall’s earthen wall. With her hands gripping and feet hooked, she steadied herself securely, revealing a pair of curious eyes to peek inside.
Zhuihong Hall wasn’t large, just a simple corridor with about four or five rooms. Zhangsun Wu had just entered a room, and that black shadow floated to the roof above the room Zhangsun Wu had entered, silently removing a gray tile from the roof. After waiting a moment, the person took something from their waist and carefully squeezed it into the room. This technique was all too familiar to Zhen Wenjun; it was poisoning. However, compared to the methods Jiang Daochang had taught her, this person’s poisoning technique was extremely crude. Not only was there a high chance of missing the wine cup when directly dripping poison from such a height, but the height difference might also cause a “plop” sound, alerting the target. The correct method should be to use one of eight types of sturdy spider silk, first lowering the silk, then letting the poison drip along the silk into the wine or tea cup.
Sure enough, after squeezing out the poison, nothing happened. Even from afar, Zhen Wenjun felt anxious for him.
Seeing the light in the room go out, the person recklessly rushed into the room, apparently intending to directly assassinate Zhangsun Wu. Zhen Wenjun immediately jumped onto the roof ridge, flying like a swallow, and arrived at the hole the assassin had just dropped through, about to enter to save the person. Suddenly, she heard the male prostitute scream, followed by a “puff” sound, and blood splattered all over the room.
Zhen Wenjun’s heart sank, and she silently exclaimed “It’s over.” If Zhangsun Wu were to die here, it would likely be part of some scheme.
The light in the room came on again, and Zhen Wenjun saw Zhangsun Wu holding an oil lamp in his left hand and a still-dripping long sword in his right hand, his clothes covered in blood.
The assassin’s severed head rolled towards the male prostitute cowering in the corner, who screamed incessantly in terror.
“Shut up,” Zhangsun Wu raised his sword and licked the blood off it, “The blood has a meaty flavor, he was someone who loved eating meat.” A pair of ghostly eyes lifted, looking at the dumbfounded Zhen Wenjun.
“Sister Wenjun, why don’t you come down and have a drink together?”
Zhen Wenjun had never imagined she would be drinking with Zhangsun Wu in a male brothel.
Zhangsun Wu gave the male prostitute a few taels of silver to send him away. Looking at the severed head in the corner, he drained his cup of wine in one gulp.
“This person was a servant of the Xie family. We had some past grievances, and he was intent on assassinating me. Bo Lan and I had already noticed him following us earlier, but didn’t want to bother with him. Who knew he would come down here to throw his life away.”
Zhen Wenjun had truly underestimated this Zhangsun Wu. His appearance of being weak and frail belied the fact that he was actually a deeply hidden expert, able to sever a head with one stroke of his sword, possessing extraordinary arm strength.
“As for you, Sister Wenjun, why were you following me? Could it be that you were worried about my safety and came specially to protect me?” Zhangsun Wu’s sharp tongue always managed to get to the point. “Or perhaps you were afraid that if I died, your sister would be heartbroken?”
Zhen Wenjun didn’t want to get entangled with him. The identity of the assassin as a Xie family servant sparked an idea in her mind. She walked over and removed the mask from the severed head, revealing the face of a young man. This person looked to be no more than twenty years old, with a build similar to Zhen Wenjun’s.
It was truly heaven-sent assistance.
Zhen Wenjun volunteered to help him dispose of the corpse. Zhangsun Wu had originally intended to keep the body for other purposes, but in Zhen Wenjun’s presence, he couldn’t bring himself to say it, so he let her handle the corpse. (LP: … what other purposes?)
Zhen Wenjun carried the corpse to a deserted place, cut off its face skin and kept the clothes, then poured the corpse-dissolving water prepared by Bu Jie on the remaining parts, turning them into a pool of bloody water. Bu Jie had said he used this corpse-dissolving water to personally dispose of the Teng brothers, which was very convenient. Zhen Wenjun brought a bottle with her just in case.
Hiding a piece of human skin while returning to the Wei Mansion, she had no interest in bantering with Lingbi who came to joke with her. She quickly returned to her room, bolted the door securely, then took out the human skin mask, washed and soaked it clean with medicinal water, and spread it out under the oil lamp.
This was her first time β‘β‘ [note: two characters are missing or unclear here, possibly meaning “skinning”] by herself. Her technique was a bit unsteady when cutting the skin, causing two damaged spots, but these could be concealed with disguise techniques, so it wasn’t a big deal.
She wanted to wear the human skin mask to infiltrate the Xie Mansion.
There had been no news from her Ah Mu for a long time. Even if she had prepared for the worst, she still needed to sneak into the Xie Mansion to investigate her Ah Mu’s whereabouts. Bu Jie had searched everywhere but couldn’t find any trace of her Ah Mu. Zhen Wenjun guessed that the most likely place was within this Xie Mansion.
If she could truly find her Ah Mu and had the chance, she would rescue her. If there was no opportunity, she couldn’t force it. Just knowing that she was still alive and in the Xie Mansion would be enough.
This infiltration into the Xie family wasn’t for assassination. She knew that although she carried some clever gadgets, she was no match for the Xie family’s experts. Her task was only to investigate the situation. It was easy to remain comfortable; she could always hide beside Wei Tingxu waiting for the right moment. But her Ah Mu’s life was being consumed day by day in this waiting. She couldn’t lie in a warm bed any longer, forgetting her purpose. She needed to take risks, otherwise, her bones would soon be melted by Wei Tingxu.
She carefully removed the adhering flesh and blood, laid the human skin on her face, and facing the bronze mirror, gradually applied powder to cover the pallor of death. She also needed to insert pieces of pork into her face according to the size of the skin and the direction of the muscles. This disguise was more difficult; it wasn’t a matter of casually impersonating anyone. She needed to be able to deceive people who knew this face. Fortunately, Zhen Wenjun was particularly sensitive to facial features. Just one glance was enough for her to recall countless details in her mind.
When she finished and looked in the mirror, the appearance was quite similar, but the body still needed more detailed disguising. Fortunately, her breasts were not particularly large, so they could be easily bound.
She still couldn’t imitate voices like Ah Jiao, so this infiltration into the Xie Mansion was fraught with danger. She must proceed with caution.
Entering the Xie Mansion was uneventful. She went in through the back door. The guard looked at his face a few times. Zhen Wenjun deduced from the skin owner’s skills that his status in the Xie family should not be high, and as an assassin and wandering knight, he wouldn’t use the main entrance, mostly entering and exiting through the back door. She was certain the guard recognized him, so she walked in calmly and naturally.
The guard didn’t stop her, which proved her assumption correct. So-called experts can certainly use various means to enter places they want to go, just like the fierce assassin who poisoned Li Yanyi’s hundreds of strategists. As long as the clothes and face weren’t too different and one didn’t act suspiciously, entering the Xie family wasn’t difficult.
And so, she entered the Xie Mansion openly and righteously.
The Xie Mansion was not small, its layout more complex than the Wei Mansion. Upon first entering, she didn’t see any sign of Xie Fuchen. She walked along the corridor towards the interior, planning to first explore the layout of the Xie Mansion, after all, this might not be her only visit to the Xie Mansion. Zhen Wenjun was very excited; this face skin was her unobstructed pass.
“This time, was it her who found the snake tally? Hmph, she was lucky we didn’t kill her last time.”
Just as Zhen Wenjun was about to pass through the corridor and go deeper inside, she suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from the other side of the wall. She abruptly slowed her pace, hardly believing what she had heard.
She didn’t want to believe it, but she had indeed heard Ah Xun’s voice.
She couldn’t slow her steps; there were many servants coming and going in the Xie Mansion. If her behavior seemed strange, it was very likely to attract attention.
Zhen Wenjun forced herself to walk forward, and indeed, she crossed paths with Ah Xun.
Ah Xun was walking with large strides alongside two men, sneering as she said: “Last time in the ruined temple, she was the one spreading rumors about water demons. Before, I naively thought she had no choice, that she was compelled to do so. But now I see clearly, she’s not only sincerely working for that demon woman, she even killed Yan Ye! I really should have been there at the time, to end that dog slave’s life with one sword stroke!”
LP: … Ah Xun… I pity you
8 chi? Isnβt that like 2.6m?!
In fact, in those Chinese eras, 8 chi was a measure smaller than 2.50 M, it would be about 1.85 M