Fish Meat – Chapter 56

The Ninth Year of Shenchu

Attending a Banquet in Nanya (Part 3)

On a hot day, Wei Tingxu’s palms were icy cold. Zhen Wenjun held her hand in hers to warm it, looking up at her, her gaze scrutinizing her face carefully, sincerely and with deep affection saying, “Sister traveled all the way from Suichuan to Nanya; it’s been hard work, and you’ve become thin from the journey. If you miss me, just send someone to tell me. Even if it’s across mountains and rivers, I will rush day and night to find you, why must you suffer like this?”

Zhen Wenjun naturally knew that Wei Tingxu had come with the Grand Princess, and she might not have actually gone to Suichuan at all. This statement was merely to probe her whereabouts and to find out whether the Grand Princess’s purpose for this trip was simply to collect grain.

Wei Tingxu’s emotions did not change at all, as if she hadn’t heard anything, and she had no intention of following the topic. Gently touching the scabbed injury on her forehead caused by the black bird of Bu Jie, she asked, “What happened to you that you got hurt on your face?”

Zhen Wenjun then explained everything that happened with Tajiang in detail to her, even confessing about taking care of the fields left by Bu Jie. Even if she didn’t say it, Lingbi would still report it, so why provoke her suspicion later?

“The fifty thousand acres of farmland only distribute thirty thousand loads of grain each year to that Zhu Maosan. Bu Jie is capable and can definitely work the land diligently, producing at least eighty thousand loads a year. The remainder will all belong to you, Sister. The two hundred thousand taels of silver I got from Ah Liao has already been spent more than half; besides the gifts I bought for you, the rest has all been handed over to Sister Lingbi to manage.”

Lingbi was standing by, watching her, and she chose to ignore it.

Wei Tingxu said, “So on this trip, not only did you collect grain, but you also acquired farmland. Sister always manage to exceed expectations; with you by my side, what do I have to worry about?”

Zhen Wenjun expressed her loyalty in a roundabout way, and seeing that Wei Tingxu had no intention of mentioning the Grand Princess, she pushed the cart to take Wei Tingxu into the house, saying she wanted to show her the gifts.

When she took the cart from Xiaohua, she noticed that Xiaohua’s face not only had not improved but had become even more swollen. Her small eyes were squeezed into a thin slit by the puffed flesh, and her complexion had turned a bluish-purple, looking like a corpse that had been dead for some time and was beginning to swell. Zhen Wenjun couldn’t help but worry whether Zhong Ji and Doctor Xu had already been killed by Wei Tingxu.

Once inside the house, Zhen Wenjun laid out all the jeweled rings and rare fruits before Wei Tingxu, eagerly describing everything she had seen and heard along the way. Wei Tingxu listened with a smile, seeming to be genuinely interested; her expression did not change at all, and suddenly she interjected:

“But I originally gave you one month to collect the grain, and now it has been over half a month past the deadline. Where is the grain?”

This sentence instantly wiped away all the joyful atmosphere. As Wei Tingxu’s face grew cold, Zhen Wenjun immediately knelt down, urgently saying, “The fifty thousand loads of grain are safely stored with Tajiang! I did not handle things well, please punish me, Sister!”

What is this? Zhen Wenjun’s forehead was nearly touching the ground as she muttered to herself. She had already sent news of the grain being received with a messenger; it was Wei Tingxu herself who had not responded. Who knew what mess she and the Grand Princess were dealing with? Now she was actually blaming her for being overdue in collecting the grain. It seemed that Wei Tingxu was indeed the same as always, with her unreasonable and troublesome nature intact.

Wei Tingxu looked on with satisfaction at Zhen Wenjun’s prostrated form, saying, “A few days ago, after I met with the Grand Princess, we didn’t go to Suichuan because of certain matters and came directly to Nanya. Ziyun has already been rescued, and others have gone to quell the chaos in Suichuan. The Grand Princess has more important things to do. Sister Wenjun, you did well to recover the grain from Bu Jie this time; this batch of grain is related to the entire Suichuan and even the opening of the Da Yu predicament. In the future, the grain from Tajiang must be collected diligently, as much as possible.”

“Yes! I will definitely collect the grain earnestly and live up to Sister’s expectations!” Zhen Wenjun was no longer surprised by her unpredictable words. Moreover, it seemed she was fully aware of everything happening with Tajiang from a thousand miles away. Lingbi probably didn’t have time to report, suggesting that the Wei family also had eyes and ears on this side regarding Tajiang. Thinking of this, Zhen Wenjun suddenly felt flustered. Just now at the market, she had boldly sent messages under Lingbi’s sight; with so many people at the market, she couldn’t know whether someone was secretly watching her. If the wooden slips were intercepted, even if they couldn’t understand the characters hidden in the ancient poem, the crime of privately transmitting messages would be a foregone conclusion. And what if her messengers found the Xie family according to the address? The more Zhen Wenjun thought about it, the more anxious she became, praying that Wei Tingxu’s people hadn’t discovered anything.

“Now the Grand Princess’s matters in Nanya must not be mentioned to anyone. This trip is confidential, and I know who is aware of it in my heart. Once anyone leaks the news, I will immediately know who it is.” Wei Tingxu said this in a strange tone, as if she was warning Zhen Wenjun in advance. Zhen Wenjun could only brace herself and say:

“Little sister will definitely keep it a secret!”

“Good, you may rise.”

Zhen Wenjun stood up and asked, “This time the Grand Princess personally came to collect grain, but as I understand it, the head of the Wang family originally intended to present fifty thousand loads of grain to the Emperor, so…”

Wei Tingxu made a soft sound, seemingly unconcerned: “It is precisely because he does not know what is good for him that the Grand Princess has gone to great lengths to travel all the way to Nanya. You need not worry about this; we have our own ways to make him obediently surrender this batch of grain.”

Zhen Wenjun did not ask further, only said: “Indeed, with the Grand Princess and sister working together, there is no need to fear that old man will not yield.”

“However, we should stay in Nanya for some time; the weather here is warm, which is suitable for me, a person who is afraid of the cold, to recuperate.” Wei Tingxu looked at the hot tea in her hand and said with some implication, “I just hope there won’t be any troublesome matters.”

Zhen Wenjun chuckled: “Sister has such wisdom and foresight, what could happen? Even if someone is blind, little sister will absolutely not let them dirty sister’s eyes.”

Wei Tingxu said “hm” and responded: “Little sister truly spends a lot of effort for me.”

Zhen Wenjun replied: “This is what little sister should do.”

The days of drinking tea, enjoying the cool breeze, and leisurely strolling down Wangjing Street were gone. As soon as Wei Tingxu arrived, Zhen Wenjun began to feel anxious again, calculating this and that every day.

It seemed that the matter concerning Ziyun was due to Ah Liao’s father coming to her rescue, though Zhen Wenjun did not know the specifics of the process. However, Ah Liao did not come to Nanya this time; it was unclear whether she was still entangled with that Ah Yi woman. But it was for the best, at least her ears could enjoy some peace, allowing her to focus on her plans.

Wei Tingxu and Xiaohua were living together with Zhen Wenjun in the small courtyard. The Grand Princess’s whereabouts were unknown; she certainly would not be at the Wang family residence. Zhen Wenjun had not yet seen this legendary figure. Xiaohua would occasionally go out, returning exhausted, with new cuts on her face and neck, suggesting she had been treating injuries. It appeared that Zhong Ji and Doctor Xu had not been killed; they simply were not following Wei Tingxu, who remained wary of them.

On the third day, early in the morning, Zhen Wenjun was still asleep when Lingbi woke her up. In her dazed state, she saw Lingbi looking startled and immediately turned over:

“What happened?”

“The Grand Princess’s whereabouts have been exposed; someone has informed the Xie family.” Lingbi’s hand sank to her waist as if she was about to draw her knife. Zhen Wenjun could not believe that within just three days, the Xie family had received news and had even taken action, startling Wei Tingxu. Was Lingbi here to kill her?

No. If the intention was to kill, why wake her up? Wouldn’t it be better to simply stab her in her sleep?

Zhen Wenjun retracted her hand, which had already reached under the pillow to grab the Golden Cicada knife. Lingbi clenched her fist and sighed, saying, “Truly, the lingering shadows are hard to guard against! The lady wants you to see her now.”

“Okay, I’ll wash up and go right away!”

“No need.” Lingbi actually stopped her, “The lady said to take you there now. Put on your clothes and come with me.”

Dressed in her clothes, Zhen Wenjun followed Lingbi out of the small courtyard and into a strange carriage. The carriage driver wore a wide-brimmed straw hat, and when he turned to look at Zhen Wenjun, his cold eyes examined her with a meaningful gaze. Zhen Wenjun glanced at him faintly and calmly sat inside the carriage.

Lingbi said, “Let’s go.”

The driver urged the carriage out of the Fengxi City gate, and after traveling along the official road for less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, he turned into a dense wild forest. The tall grass was almost as high as a person, and Zhen Wenjun listened carefully; the hooves of the horses made no sound on the muddy ground, as if wrapped in sound-absorbing cloth.

After penetrating deep into the forest, they were surrounded by tall banyan trees, forming a natural barrier.

Lingbi instructed Zhen Wenjun to get off the carriage, parted the weeds, and suddenly revealed several shadow guards covered in leaves. These shadow guards blended into the forest; if Zhen Wenjun hadn’t seen them move when Lingbi arrived, she wouldn’t have noticed them at all.

The shadow guards reached out and pulled, opening a grass door, as if they had created a hole in the forest out of thin air. The shadow guards stood on either side of the door, signaling for them to enter.

Inside the hole was deep and against the light, and nothing could be seen. Lingbi walked in front, and as Zhen Wenjun followed, the carriage driver also entered, pushing from the back. The narrow tunnel led downward, wide enough for only one person. Lingbi was in front, the driver was behind, and Zhen Wenjun could only move forward and could not turn back.

Soon, a flickering firelight appeared in the tunnel. Lingbi took a torch from the wall to illuminate the path ahead. After walking for a mile, they arrived at a damp and cold cellar, where she saw Wei Tingxu.

Wei Tingxu was not sitting on a four-wheeled cart but was instead seated in a wooden high chair. The chair’s back connected to two rows of wooden racks, which were filled with various torture instruments. A blazing furnace was the only source of heat in the place. When she and Lingbi entered, Wei Tingxu did not turn around; Xiaohua, standing beside her, and two strong men with leopard-like eyes looked over. The two strong men had bare arms and were holding barbed whips and a red-hot iron brand. Their bodies, like blocks of stone, were covered in sweat, and between them stood a cross torture rack, on which was bound a man with limbs spread wide, completely defenseless, his skin torn open and flesh visible, making it impossible to recognize his face. The man hung his head and did not move, leaving his status unknown—alive or dead.

“Continue,” Wei Tingxu said.

The iron brand was mercilessly pressed onto the man’s abdominal wound, and the man, who had just been like a corpse, suddenly woke up, letting out a heart-wrenching scream. The hissing sound, accompanied by a strange burning smell, invaded Zhen Wenjun’s sense of smell. After calling out a few times, the man no longer had the strength to make a sound, and he almost cried as he hung his head again, seemingly on the verge of fainting. The whip immediately lashed down fiercely; each time the whip struck his body and then snapped back, it would pull at his flesh, splattering blood onto the wall, which had already turned a bloody red.

Zhen Wenjun’s eyelids twitched; she did not know who this person was.

Wei Tingxu provided her with an answer: “He is from the Xie family.”

From the Xie family? Could it be Yan Ye? The man’s long hair hung down, covering his face, making it impossible to see his features. Zhen Wenjun pondered that something was not right. It had only been a few days; not to mention capturing Yan Ye from the Dongchun, even the news might not have reached him. It was likely that the message had been intercepted on the way; this person should be the messenger. Why was Wei Tingxu capturing a messenger? When she sent the message, she had randomly found a post station. Could it be that all the messengers in Fengxi City were from the Xie family? That was impossible.

“When they intercepted the letters at the post station in Fengxi City, my people had their eyes on them. There were two in total; this person risked his life to protect his companion, who managed to escape, and the message was successfully transmitted. Now, the news of the Grand Princess being here has spread throughout Fengxi. All the major families want to meet her, and a large number of people from the entire Nanya County and even the neighboring county have surged into Fengxi, wanting to attach themselves to her or wanting to kill her—all have come.”

Zhen Wenjun narrowed her eyes slightly, suddenly reaching out to pull down a stick full of iron spikes from the wooden rack behind Wei Tingxu, and she swung it fiercely onto the man’s waist. The man trembled all over, no longer having the strength to howl in pain. Zhen Wenjun struck the same spot several times, and only when the man’s ribs were broken did she throw the stick at his face, panting as if to relieve her anger. The blow caused the man’s head to snap back, and Zhen Wenjun took the opportunity to see his face clearly—it was indeed not Yan Ye.

“These persistent stinking maggots!” Zhen Wenjun cursed angrily and turned to ask Wei Tingxu, “Sister, what should we do now? Should we quickly protect the long princess and leave Fengxi?”

Wei Tingxu’s face showed no emotion, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.

“You don’t need to worry about this; sister has a good plan. What I care more about is who leaked this matter. The Wang family brothers don’t have the guts, and who else knows the Grand Princess’s whereabouts, I have an idea.”

Zhen Wenjun’s vigorous beating just now had made her sweat and her face redden; no matter how anxious or nervous she felt at this moment, it had provided her with a good disguise.

“Who is it?” Zhen Wenjun gasped as she pressed for answers.

Wei Tingxu did not answer her but picked up a thin, long stick and poked it into the man’s heart.

“Who is the messenger? This is your last chance in this life.”

The man forced his eyelids open to look at Wei Tingxu, his lips, covered in blood, slowly peeling back into a grin, revealing his blood-stained white teeth.

“Pah! Evil seductress, the ugly one of Da Yu… Today, this young master dies at your hands, nothing more to say. This young master will be waiting for you in the underworld! Hahaha, hahahaha…”

Gripping the wooden stick tighter, the stick was long and sturdy, with a sharp tip. Inch by inch, the stick pierced into his chest, precisely avoiding the bones and breaking into the heart. The man’s expression of laughter did not diminish; even at the moment of death, it remained unchanged, arrogant and ferocious.

The two strong men removed the corpse and carried it away. Zhen Wenjun was profoundly shaken inside but also let out a slight breath of relief; at least he had not revealed her identity until his death.

“Wenjun.” Wei Tingxu called her, and Zhen Wenjun walked to her side. However, she looked at the blood-stained torture rack that was now empty and said, “You go over there.”

Zhen Wenjun was taken aback, and under the gazes of Xiaohua and Lingbi, she obediently stood over there.

Wei Tingxu: “Bind her up.”

Lingbi asked in confusion, “Miss…”

Xiaohua also hesitated a bit.

“Bind her up,” Wei Tingxu repeated.

Lingbi and Xiaohua had no choice but to comply, grabbing Zhen Wenjun and tightly binding her limbs apart.

“Sister!” Zhen Wenjun forced out a stiff smile, “Don’t make this kind of joke… Sister! What did I do wrong?”

Wei Tingxu raised her hand, throwing a piece of wood onto the ground. A sign was tied to that piece of wood, with the words “Dongchun” written on it. At this moment, Zhen Wenjun felt her vision darken; this was precisely the “signal” she had personally written three days ago.

“Do you know what this is?”

Zhen Wenjun didn’t know whether her face was pale and revealing flaws at this moment. She denied, “What is this? I, I don’t know!”

“Don’t know? Look at it carefully again, don’t you find it familiar?”

Xiaohua brought the piece of wood in front of her eyes. Zhen Wenjun stared at it carefully, feeling extremely puzzled. Anxious and angry, she said, “Sister, how could I be familiar with this thing! I truly have never seen it before!”

Her Ah Mu had once told her that when someone’s plot is exposed, they will only feel guilty, but when wronged, there is more anger. She absolutely could not feel guilty; feeling guilty at this moment would mean confessing without being asked.

(LP: Ah Mu is what Alai calls her mother, it’s my mistake to gloss over this one…)

“If you’re not familiar with it, I’ll help you recall,” Wei Tingxu said, still holding the thin stick that had pierced the man’s heart. When it poked at her clothing, she was startled and trembled.

“Lingbi, Xiaohua, you all go out. I have some questions to ask Wenjun alone.”

Lingbi still wanted to say something but was pulled away by Xiaohua.

The Golden Cicada Knife was clamped within her fingers, forcefully cutting down the thick rope around her wrist, secretly slicing it.

As soon as Lingbi and Xiaohua left, Wei Tingxu’s stick moved from her clothing to poke into Zhen Wenjun’s waistband, pulling it outward. The waistband loosened, and her outer robe was untied, hanging loosely on her clothing.

The black stick poked inside the loosened clothing, grinding along the inner garment, jabbing at her chest while slowly drawing circles.

“Elder sister…” Zhen Wenjun’s throat tightened, her eyes not daring to blink, fearing that if she moved even slightly, the stick would pierce her body and stab into her heart.

Wei Tingxu was very pleased with her expression. The stick suddenly withdrew and forcefully struck her three times on the side of her buttocks.

Zhen Wenjun gasped in pain, feeling a sharp intake of breath and great confusion at the same time. Wei Tingxu seemed to have not used her full strength, merely symbolically striking a few times.

What does this mean…

“Still can’t remember?” Wei Tingxu’s lips curled into a smile that she couldn’t hide. The stick swung in the air and struck her on the other side of her buttocks twice. “You’re not familiar with Cao Zhi’s 《On The White Horse》 poem?”¹

“《On The White Horse》²?” Zhen Wenjun couldn’t believe it. “Is this the poem elder sister is referring to?”

“Of course not.” Wei Tingxu leaned forward, “If you can’t even see the hidden clues in this poem, then you truly disappoint me.”

“Hidden clues?”

“This is precisely the secret message that leaked the whereabouts of the Grand Princess,” Wei Tingxu said. “If you are unfamiliar with the methods used by these assassins to exchange intelligence, even if important clues pass right before your eyes, you wouldn’t notice. Did I strike you wrongly with those few hits earlier?”

Zhen Wenjun was so angry that she snorted in indignation, lowering her head and saying bitterly, “That’s right, elder sister was right to hit me.”

Wei Tingxu’s beautiful eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled. “And regarding the issue of the late grain collection that I mentioned needing to punish you for, let’s settle it all today.”

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1. Cao Zhi: A renowned poet of the Three Kingdoms period in China, known for his expressive poetry, particularly 《On The White Horse》.
2. 《On The White Horse》: A famous poem by Cao Zhi that often serves as a cultural touchstone in discussions about hidden meanings and allegorical interpretations.