The Eighth Year of Shenchu
If you betray me
After finishing the account of Wei Ziyun being framed, Ah Liao was extremely angry: “We should let my father and others jointly petition to pressure Li Ju, rescue Ziyun first, and then send people to Suichuan. We absolutely cannot give up on the county of Suichuan; whoever secures Suichuan can connect it with Dongchun as a line, which is an extremely important military achievement. We must not retreat on this matter.”
Wei Tingxu shook her head: “Li Ju and Xie Fuchen were able to frame us once; they can frame us a second time. Li Ju is determined to eliminate the Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess, and he certainly won’t allow our faction led by the Eldest Princess to control Suichuan. If it weren’t for the untimely death of the late crown prince and the late emperor having no sons, how could Li Ju, a mere son of a palace maid, have had the chance to ascend to the throne? Since the Empress Dowager fell ill and no longer presides over court affairs, her health has been declining day by day, and Li Ju is impatient to remove this thorn in his eye.” Wei Tingxu sneered softly: “Since they want to send people, let them go.”
Ah Liao: “But…”
“Now you have another matter to attend to.” Wei Tingxu smiled mysteriously at Ah Liao, suddenly changing the subject. “You have been searching for beauties all over; do you know who the most beautiful person in the Da Yu realm is?”
Hearing this, Ah Liao’s eyes brightened, excitedly asking: “Who is it?”
Zhen Wenjun could not fathom what she wanted to say. Wasn’t she conspiring to seize Suichuan? Why did she suddenly mention beauties?
Wei Tingxu continued, “You must have heard of the third sister of the Minister of Rites, Hong Ao, Lady A Yi.”
Upon hearing Lady A Yi’s name, Ah Liao jumped up as if hit by a bolt from the blue, startling everyone present.
“How could I forget Lady A Yi’s celestial beauty? Four years ago, during the spring gathering hosted by the Eldest Princess at Yijing Garden, I had the fortune of catching a distant glimpse of Lady A Yi. She was truly like a thunderbolt piercing the sky, a blooming array of flowers; to this day, I can still vividly recall her rare and extraordinary appearance. Unfortunately, Lady A Yi has always remained in her secluded boudoir and rarely ventures out. I have no connection with the Minister of Rites, so I completely missed the chance to meet her…”
Ah Liao spoke as if she had lost a treasure of the world, tears streaming down her face. However, Zhen Wenjun merely scoffed, having grown accustomed to Wei Tingxu’s presence; she could not believe that anyone’s beauty could be considered rare. She completely disbelieved that anyone could be more beautiful than Wei Tingxu.
“I’ll give you an opportunity now,” Wei Tingxu said to the excitedly pacing back of Ah Liao.
Ah Liao quickly turned around, her eyes radiating brilliance: “Really?!”
“When have I ever lied to you? Not only will I give you a chance to see her, but I can also let you be with her…”
Ah Liao took a deep breath, her heart almost stopping.
“…to be with her for a month.”
“Alright, alright, don’t say a month; even a day, and I would have no regrets for this life!”
Ah Liao said this with utmost sincerity. Zhen Wenjun suddenly realized that perhaps she truly was a rare and passionate person in this world, loving beauties and cherishing all delicate appearances. Her affection for every beauty was genuine and heartfelt.
Xiaohua brought a very heavy box in front of Ah Liao.
Wei Tingxu said, “Not only will I let you be together, but I will also gift you a thousand taels of silver to win her favor. Of course, this is just a little token of my appreciation; a mere thousand taels won’t necessarily touch Lady A Yi’s heart. You’ll need to supplement it yourself. But don’t forget to make use of this entire box.”
It was clear that there were deeper implications in Wei Tingxu’s words. Ah Liao sat in front of the box, almost using both hands to pry the lid open. When she finally opened it and paused, then looked up at Wei Tingxu, all of her previous excitement and infatuation had vanished, and her expression turned very complicated. Zhen Wenjun’s angle of standing was directly opposite the box, allowing her to see only half of Ah Liao’s face obscured by the lid; she could not see what was inside the box and had no idea what Ah Liao had seen to cause such a sudden change in her expression.
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Ah Liao struggled to control the lid and put it back on, letting out a sigh: “I said there couldn’t be such good fortune. Just like with Yue Niang… Tingxu, you truly are wasting a heavenly blessing.”
Zhen Wenjun raised an eyebrow, feeling sensitive to her words—wasting a heavenly blessing?
“Sleep well tonight, and we’ll set off tomorrow.”
“So soon? At least let my sisters have a little rest!”
“Fine, we’ll set off tomorrow night.”
“…”
“The time is urgent. If you hinder my important affairs, I will send all your sisters and younger sisters to Yizhou.”
Ah Liao had no words to say and decided to prioritize the bigger picture.
“Sister Wenjun, you need to help me with another important matter.” As soon as Wei Tingxu said this, Zhen Wenjun felt a sense of foreboding, and indeed she heard, “The twenty thousand taels of silver you earned for me before, I will return to you in full. However, you need to buy fifty thousand carts of grain for me.”
“Fifty thousand carts?” Zhen Wenjun was taken aback; what an astronomical figure this was. The astonished expressions of the others present also reflected this. With the war and the famine, the grain that could be requisitioned domestically might not even amount to ten thousand carts combined. Twenty thousand taels of silver would hardly buy fifty thousand carts, let alone five thousand carts.
“For a period of one month,” Wei Tingxu said calmly, as if completely unaware of the absurdity of her request.
“Sister, silver is not a problem; I have ways to earn more.”
“Oh?”
“I can secure one hundred thousand taels from Lady Ah Liao right now.”
“Me?” Ah Liao, being named, looked at her curiously.
“Do you need Furong Powder, Ah Liao?” Zhen Wenjun said with a sly smile, and Ah Liao felt her heart skip, immediately beaming with joy:
“Wenjun, let’s talk privately in a moment.”
“So, sister, silver is not important; what matters is that even if there is more silver now, it won’t buy fifty thousand carts of grain.”
“I naturally know that,” Wei Tingxu replied, “If it weren’t something difficult to accomplish, I wouldn’t entrust it to you.”
Hearing this, Zhen Wenjun could only smile wryly.
Wei Tingxu needed fifty thousand carts of grain, not saying where to requisition them or what they would be used for, only telling her that after preparing them in a month, someone would naturally contact her. This meant she would leave Wei Tingxu’s side to carry out the task. Wei Tingxu gave her a token with the character “Wei” written on it.
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“This token is a mark of the Wei family’s direct lineage. Throughout the entire Da Yu, there are trusted people from the Wei family. If you need help, feel free to seek them out. Lingbi will also accompany you to take care of your daily needs.”
Zhen Wenjun didn’t know whether to feel happy or lost. Leaving Wei Tingxu meant more opportunities for her to act freely. After all, Lingbi already trusted her greatly, and she could plan calmly. However, she had worked hard to have a chance to replace Xiaohua; now, leaving so easily could lead to her efforts going to waste. Moreover…
This “moreover” was filled with many emotions. If she were to have an honest conversation with herself, Zhen Wenjun would feel lost at leaving the person she saw every day, not to mention that they wouldn’t meet again for at least a month.
After the discussion, everyone dispersed. Zhen Wenjun and Ah Liao settled on the night lotus for one hundred thousand taels of silver. Zhen Wenjun had left a batch last time specifically for emergencies, but she hadn’t expected it to be needed so soon.
Ah Liao invited her into the tent, took a piece of the dried night night lotus that Zhen Wenjun handed her, and had a maid grind it into powder on the spot. This was mixed with four other types of medicinal stones and yellow suye, then packed into a finely carved smoke tube. After just one puff, Ah Liao trembled all over, sweating, and the light in her eyes became much brighter.
“Little sister! Whatever amount of this goods you have left, keep it all for me!” Ah Liao’s neck and ears turned red, her voice rising considerably. She excitedly grasped Zhen Wenjun’s hand and said, “Two hundred thousand taels! I will give you a deposit of two hundred thousand taels. Remember to save it all for me and do not sell it to anyone else!”
Zhen Wenjun was somewhat curious about what was so special about the Furong Powder that it could make someone so infatuated.
Ah Liao explained that her Zhangsun family had banks in various places across the country, and as long as they had banknotes, they could exchange them for silver directly without needing to transport thousands of taels with carts, thus saving a lot of trouble.
Holding the banknotes, Zhen Wenjun felt more questions arise in her mind. If that was the case, why did Wei Tingxu prepare a large box filled with several thousand taels of silver for Ah Liao? There must be some hidden secrets.
On the way back, Zhen Wenjun pondered Wei Tingxu’s scheme, finding it increasingly intriguing as she failed to understand it. Wei Tingxu was like a valley full of treasures; the deeper she delved, the more she could discover unprecedented rare gems.
Returning from Ah Liao’s place, Wei Tingxu was surprisingly still there, not having gone back to rest. Lingbi and Xiaohua were also still present, seemingly waiting for her.
Seeing Zhen Wenjun come back, Wei Tingxu said, “Xiaohua, Lingbi, you can go back and rest. Tonight, let my sister accompany me.”
Xiaohua did not say a word more and left with Lingbi.
Zhen Wenjun remained standing by the door, while Wei Tingxu straightened up, pressing her hand against her waist. The calm and composed demeanor she had while planning earlier was now replaced by an expression of fatigue and unbearable pain, which carried a hint of weakness as she said to Zhen Wenjun:
“Sister, could you help me back to the tent to rest? My waist injury seems to be recurring; I still need to rely on your excellent massage technique to relieve it.”
Zhen Wenjun suddenly realized and hurriedly stepped forward to push the four-wheeled cart towards Wei Tingxu’s resting tent.
She rolled up the tent’s fabric curtain and hung it on the hook, only letting it down after she had helped Wei Tingxu inside. The guards outside kept watch throughout the night, and inside the tent, Xiaohua had already prepared a warm charcoal brazier and a soft, dry mattress. On the mattress, two woolen blankets were neatly laid out, and two sandalwood boxes were placed on either side. Upon entering, Zhen Wenjun was enveloped by the woody fragrance that belonged to Wei Tingxu; it felt neither stuffy nor oppressive, only tranquil and cozy, with a strong atmosphere of sleepiness that almost made her feel drowsy in an instant.
She bent down carefully, maneuvering through Wei Tingxu’s bent legs, and lifted her off the cart. During yesterday’s massage, she had already noticed how slender Wei Tingxu’s legs were, indeed bearing the frailness typical of someone who had not walked for years.
Wei Tingxu naturally wrapped her arms around Zhen Wenjun’s neck for stability, causing Zhen Wenjun’s face to flush. Avoiding direct eye contact, she horizontally carried her towards the soft mattress.
Wei Tingxu’s breath brushed against her face, making her feel ticklish.
“Little sister.”
As she laid her down on the bed, Wei Tingxu did not immediately release her arms. Zhen Wenjun could not sit up straight either, so she supported herself with her hands on either side of Wei Tingxu’s body, facing her.
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“What’s wrong?”
In the quiet of the night, their voices inevitably lowered. In the soft murmurs, a dreamy atmosphere flowed between their intimate bodies like mist enveloping the mountains.
“You took care of me like this back in the Suidong Mountains. It was just that at that time, you were so small and it was very difficult for you to carry me each time. Now, look how much you’ve grown.”
Zhen Wenjun smiled as she gently brushed aside Wei Tingxu’s hair from her forehead. “I will continue to grow until I become someone my sister can trust.”
Wei Tingxu turned her head slightly and chuckled, her breathing clearly audible along with the rise and fall of her chest.
“Tonight, it’s just you and me. You are already someone I trust immensely.”
Just as Zhen Wenjun was about to respond, Wei Tingxu’s gaze shifted, striking her like a knife plunged into her chest.
“If one day you betray me, I will make you wish you were dead.”
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