The Ninth Year of Shenchu
Collecting Grains in Sudu (Part 2)
“Wenjun! How do you plan to teach that shameless old thief a lesson?”
Lingbi rolled up her sleeves, ready to give this old man with the surname Wang a taste of his own medicine. She had never encountered such arrogance while being by Wei Tingxu’s side all these years. Seeing Zhen Wenjun’s confident demeanor, she was eager to join in as well.
Zhen Wenjun tossed the talisman Wei Tingxu had given her into the air, catching it steadily as it fell back into her hand. The talisman spun between her fingers as she asked Lingbi, “The trusted aides of the Wei family that you mentioned earlier, are they stationed in Tajiang?”
Lingbi snorted disdainfully, “I thought you had some clever plan, but it turns out you’re still relying on the hands of another woman.” She jumped onto the carriage and called for Zhen Wenjun to follow. “The military supervisor of the Da Yu garrison is an old subordinate of Lady Wei’s father, Wei Minggong. He is an upright and enthusiastic man, a gentleman who clearly distinguishes between right and wrong. It’s quite appropriate to have him preside over justice. Precisely because this man is an old subordinate of Wei Minggong (Wise Lord, higher respect than just Lord), that’s why our Wei family’s talisman is effective in Tajiang.”
Zhen Wenjun nodded and responded casually, seemingly uninterested. Then she turned her face and asked, “And what about the garrison commander? What kind of person is he?”
Lingbi’s facial features immediately twisted, as if just thinking about this person made her extremely uncomfortable: “Him? He is not a trusted aide of Wei Minggong; he is a petty person who is solely profit-driven, holds grudges for the slightest offenses, and is extremely vile. I advise you not to have any dealings with him.”
Zhen Wenjun pressed further, “Is this person clever?”
Lingbi responded with disdain, “A butcher who slaughters pigs and sells meat—how much weight could he possibly have?”
Zhen Wenjun’s eyes lit up with delight: “Fine, fine, he’s exactly the one. Sister, please take me to see him.”
Lingbi was baffled: “You want to see him? Instead of meeting with a gentleman who cherishes jade, you want to meet with a reckless man? If you intend to conspire with him, you might end up trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice used as bait.”
Zhen Wenjun looked at the character “衛” on the talisman in her hand, and with an inscrutable expression, continued to coax Lingbi: “Good sister, can you trust me? If you trust me, then take me to see him; this matter will definitely succeed.”
The camp where the Da Yu army was stationed was located in the northwest of Tajiang. As soon as they approached the camp, they could hear a cacophony of noise; during the day, instead of training, there was gambling, drinking, and soliciting prostitutes—all in full swing. A convoy of carriages flying the Wei family flag gradually arrived in front of the military camp. Soldiers who had just finished relieving themselves in the woods stumbled back, their faces full of drunkenness, swaying as they shouted while holding up their waistbands: “Who, who the hell dares to block the main gate? You looking to die?” When they got closer, they could see the character “衛” on the flag, and the person who had just gotten off the carriage must have heard his words. Quick-witted, he immediately changed his expression and smiled, saying: “Oh, look at me, I’ve drunk too much! What brings you esteemed guests here?”
Zhen Wenjun addressed the soldier: “Wei Minggong sent me to reward you soldiers; where is General Nan’an? Call him out to see me.”
The soldier nodded and bowed, responding, “Yes, yes, I’ll call him for you right away!”
In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, General Nan’an Zhu Maosan, with a face full of flesh, strode out of the camp. He was over seven feet tall, broad-shouldered and round-bellied, with a full beard and a smell of alcohol. Upon seeing that the visitor was a delicate young lady, he immediately slowed his pace and looked down on her a bit—she appeared to be just a running maid.
He glanced back at the continuous convoy behind him, humming disdainfully in his heart. That unlucky supervising general relied on his background from the Pingcang Wei family and often squeezed him out. These few young ladies said they were here to reward the Nan’an army camp, but in the end, wouldn’t all these good things be seized by that supervising general? His initially eager expression quickly cooled by three parts, and his tone grew a bit impatient: “I wonder what the lady has to instruct?”
Zhu Maosan was originally a butcher from the marketplace, who had been conscripted into the army due to a minor crime. At the time of the Da Yu’s campaign against the Guqiang clan, he ended up on the battlefield with the troops. It was a stroke of luck that he accidentally killed the Guqiang clan’s fiercest general, Ghost Wolf, and achieved first-class military merit. However, when the army returned to the capital, the emperor issued an edict that left him on the border, saying he was a great talent for stabilizing the nation and had made significant military contributions, thus appointing him as the General of An’nan. He would henceforth guard the southeast to ensure the stability and peace of the Da Yu.
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This matter had always made Zhu Maosan very dissatisfied, feeling that his poor background was the reason he was left in Sudu, spending his days drinking and gambling. In Sudu, apart from the supervising general, no one dared to make things difficult for him. The Guqiang clan had been frightened by the Wei family army in the past, and from the emperor to the commoners, they were all obedient and dared not cause trouble. As General of An’nan, he had no official duties to attend to all day, but had found some ease akin to that of a local tyrant.
Zhen Wenjun stepped forward politely, performing a hand gesture of respect: “I dare not ask for guidance; General, you have worked hard guarding the southeast. I have come here on the order of Wei Minggong to procure fifty thousand carts of grain and three large carts of wine and meat for you, to reward all the soldiers.” She took two steps forward and quietly spoke to Zhu Maosan, “Wei Minggong is considerate of the hardships you face guarding the Hu territory. Wei Minggong values talent, and there are not many wise and formidable leaders like you left in the Da Yu, which is why he sent me thousands of miles to comfort you, General. Please do not let Wei Minggong down.”
Upon hearing this, Zhu Maosan secretly felt delighted. He straightened his expression, cleared his throat, and said: “Does Wei Minggong truly want to give me all fifty thousand carts of grain?”
Hearing Zhu Maosan change from “Wei Gong” to “Wei Minggong,” Zhen Wenjun couldn’t help but chuckle to herself, knowing that the matter was already half accomplished. She replied obediently:
“Absolutely true. Lord Wei said that if it weren’t for the general killing Ghost Wolf back then, how could the tide of battle have turned, allowing the Da Yu to turn defeat into victory? The general has been trapped here all these years, and Lord Wei feels great pain for that!” Zhen Wenjun beckoned Zhu Maosan to come closer and whispered, “Lord Wei wants the general to rest assured; as soon as there is an opportunity, he will certainly petition the emperor, so that the general can return to the capital in glory and no longer have to stay in this desolate place!”
Upon hearing that there was a chance to return to Da Yu, Zhu Maosan, whose face was already slick and shiny, instantly became agitated, his expression twitching a few times. His attitude toward Zhen Wenjun greatly improved, and he even flattered her, saying, “Little lady, please thank Lord Wei Ming for me. Once I return, I will personally visit him to bow three times. From now on, I, Zhu Maosan, will be Lord Wei Ming’s front scout! I will serve him with utmost loyalty and repay him for a lifetime!”
Zhen Wenjun covered her mouth and chuckled, gesturing towards the fifty thousand carts of grain behind her: “Good, good! General, please!”
Lingbi, listening from the carriage, felt her scalp tighten as she heard Zhen Wenjun’s nonsensical talk and how she even dared to use Lord Wei’s name to swindle and make casual promises. This little monkey didn’t even know Lord Wei’s height, weight, or appearance but dared to flaunt herself and haggle with Zhu Maosan; she truly had the audacity. Although she had known before that this little girl was good at spinning tales and had thought that she could trust half of what she said, she didn’t expect that she couldn’t even trust half a sentence.
Thinking of that pot of chicken soup that had disappeared without a trace, Lingbi finally understood. What mountain wild monkeys? This one in front of her was the wild monkey itself.
Lingbi gritted her teeth in anger; when she got back, she would definitely complain to the lady!
After Zhu Maosan had pulled all fifty thousand carts of grain back to the military camp, Zhen Wenjun bid him farewell and climbed onto the carriage to head back.
Lingbi looked at Zhen Wenjun’s calm and composed demeanor, puzzled: “You gave him all this grain, and then what? If he discovers that the grain inside is rotten and moldy, I’m afraid that before you even get to settle accounts with that old bastard, Zhu Maosan will have already twisted your neck!”
Zhen Wenjun winked mischievously and said, “If he really comes to twist my neck, you should hurry and run, so as not to let that country bumpkin hurt your beautiful face!”
Lingbi kicked her: “You still have the energy to joke around!”
Suddenly, Zhen Wenjun gestured for Lingbi to be quiet, listening intently. Sure enough, there were the sounds of galloping hooves chasing from behind. She hurriedly instructed the driver to slow down and wait for the people behind.
Lingbi had a look on her face that seemed to say, “What did I tell you?”
Before long, Zhu Maosan, drenched in sweat, caught up to Zhen Wenjun’s carriage with a group of light cavalry. He blocked the front of the carriage and shouted at them, “Get down!”
Zhen Wenjun lifted the curtain and asked with a puzzled expression, “Does the general have any further instructions?”
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Zhu Maosan was clearly furious, his face full of flesh trembling as he spat forcefully. He raised his hand holding the riding whip and waved it at a few of his personal soldiers, who immediately tossed a bag of rice in front of the carriage. The rice spilled out of the bag, all moldy and furry, even the horses wouldn’t eat it, let alone people.
Zhu Maosan shouted, “Shameless and despicable woman! How dare you humiliate me like this! You said this was a reward, but it all looks like this! And the wine and meat are all rotten too! If you don’t explain this clearly today, don’t even think about leaving!”
Zhen Wenjun exclaimed in shock and immediately jumped down from the carriage, hastily bowing to Zhu Maosan: “This… this… how could this be? General, please calm your anger; this little servant truly didn’t know that the head of the Wang family would sell me such rotten food! Even if I had three times the courage, I wouldn’t dare to insult the general!”
Upon hearing the title “head of the Wang family,” Zhu Maosan asked, “Are you referring to Wang Jin of Tajiang?”
Zhen Wenjun nodded hurriedly: “That’s the person! I didn’t expect that old bastard to be so despicable and shameless! I spent two hundred thousand taels of silver to buy fifty thousand carts of moldy, stinking grain! General… General, please don’t be angry; I’ll find him to seek justice right now!”
Zhu Maosan had been here for many years and had long heard of Wang Jin’s reputation for cunning and deceit. How could a seemingly innocent girl like Zhen Wenjun be a match for Wang Jin? Zhen Wenjun’s eyes were tinged with pink, clearly a sign of grievance and anger. After explaining the matter, when he saw her looking like a weeping pear blossom, one couldn’t help but feel pity for her and wouldn’t blame her, especially since the true culprit was Wang Jin.
Zhu Maosan quickly grabbed Zhen Wenjun and advised, “Miss, wait a moment. That Wang Jin is the most shameless and rogue; you, being so delicate, going alone is just asking for trouble! I, Old Zhu, am here! Besides, this is a kind intention from Wei Minggong; how could it be spoiled by that old servant? I’ll take people to find him to settle the score!”
Zhen Wenjun looked at him gratefully and said, “Then I’ll rely on the general!”
Zhu Maosan indeed had his soldiers pull the grain-laden carts and march grandly to the Wang residence to settle accounts with Wang Jin. Lingbi looked at Zhen Wenjun in disbelief and gave her a thumbs-up.
“Impressive. When it comes to shamelessness and cunning, that Wang Jin truly falls short of you by three points.”
Just when Lingbi had just given her a thumbs-up, Zhen Wenjun thought she was genuinely going to praise her and had already prepared a response saying it was all thanks to Sister Tingxu’s guidance. Unexpectedly, Lingbi actually called her shameless… This was truly a conversation she couldn’t engage in.
The accompanying horsemen eagerly turned their horses’ heads to follow Zhu Maosan into Tajiang City, eager to see the excitement.
Upon reaching the entrance of the Wang residence in Tajiang, Zhu Maosan ordered people to surround the entire Wang residence with the thousands of bags of moldy grain, lighting a pile of firewood in the dark, and soon, thick smoke billowed.
Wang Jin thought there was a fire at home and hurriedly led his family to escape, only to be caught red-handed by Zhu Maosan and the others.
Zhu Maosan, tall and strong, grabbed Wang Jin by the neck as if he were lifting a chicken, throwing him down in front of the moldy rice, and angrily shouted, “You damned fool, how dare you deceive my sister! Which hand wrote the fraudulent contract? Pull it out and cut it off!”
Zhu Maosan’s words were disjointed, leaving Wang Jin confused. The soldiers shouted loudly, pressing him against the front of the cart, pulling his hands apart, and raising a bright, sharp knife high. Zhu Maosan asked Zhen Wenjun:
“Is it this hand?”
Seeing Zhen Wenjun, Wang Jin finally began to understand the situation. After careful consideration, Zhen Wenjun replied, “It seems both hands were used, so let’s chop them both.”
On the other side, Wang Jin was screaming for mercy like a pig being slaughtered, saying, “Please spare me! Please spare me, madam! This old servant was blind and didn’t recognize the great mountain, and I offended you. I beg you to overlook this small transgression just this once!”
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Zhen Wenjun bent down, looking at Wang Jin’s pale face filled with fear, and asked, “Can twenty thousand taels buy good rice?”
“Buy it! Buy it! No, no… I don’t want the silver either! Please, madam, show mercy and spare this old servant!”
Zhen Wenjun smiled and asked Zhu Maosan to spare Wang Jin’s life, saving him from the knife. Wang Jin’s legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, with none of his wives, concubines, or servants daring to help him.
“Where is the food? I want it tonight,” Zhen Wenjun said.
Wang Jin covered his neck, his eyes darting around as if he had other thoughts. Zhen Wenjun drew her dagger and pointed it at him: “If you want to live, don’t try any tricks!”
Wang Jin, with a sorrowful face, honestly said, “Madam, you may not know, but it’s not that I don’t want to give good rice; it’s just that all my good rice has been taken away by monsters. I’m also worried about that!”
Zhen Wenjun frowned, “Monsters?”