Fish Meat – Chapter 60

The Ninth Year of Shenchu

Attending a Banquet in Nanya (Part 7)

The same way of tying hair and a similar embroidered pouch—what does this mean? Zhen Wenjun roughly had a direction, but this matter was too strange; the more she pondered, the more interesting it became. It seems that Xie Shi A Xin indeed came to Nanya for Li Yanyi, and her visit here was neither to surrender nor to assassinate; there must be other matters.

Unintentionally uncovering someone else’s secret had a unique interest, even changing the way she looked at Li Yanyi.

Li Yanyi walked at the front, followed by a Confucian scholar leading the way and a middle-aged man with a long beard. The long-bearded man was eight feet tall and extremely thin, looking like a walking clothesline. Zhen Wenjun pushed Wei Tingxu at the back, and Wei Tingxu told her that the Confucian scholar was the Grand Minister of Agriculture, responsible for overseeing the national treasury and encouraging agriculture and sericulture, while the tall and thin man was the newly appointed Minister of State after Yao Wei’s retirement. The two were the left and right arms of the eldest princess and were highly capable. Zhen Wenjun observed that the new Minister of State was at most forty years old, and the Grand Minister of Agriculture was even younger, quite different from the old men in her mother’s stories who frequently impeached each other in court. It seems that Li Yanyi’s policy of employing people was to appoint those who are capable. However, on the other hand, stubborn old ministers generally would not stand on her side.

When they arrived at the inner room, the Tiger Guards closed the door and stood outside with swords, allowing no irrelevant people to enter. The five of them then plotted inside.

Li Yanyi didn’t say much, directly instructing Wei Tingxu to send people to quickly catch up with the wedding procession and make sure to intercept them before they reached Chongjin.

“Casually disguise as some identity, like refugees or mountain bandits. Kill them all without leaving any survivors, and absolutely do not let anyone catch any handle.” Li Yanyi spoke nonchalantly, casually ordering the deaths of hundreds. “Xie Fuchen gave Li Ju such a lousy idea, truly as foolish as deer and swine! Also, with over half of the 100,000 troops on the northern line severely injured, leaving them there is sending them to their deaths. The wounded must be withdrawn for treatment. If they die in vain in the north, Da Yu’s already thin military strength will suffer a severe blow. After these soldiers are recalled, reward each with a thousand taels of gold, exempt their families from taxes for three years, and grant titles to those with great merit!”

The Grand Minister of Agriculture said, “A thousand taels of gold per person—this enormous expenditure might be difficult to gather at once.”

Li Yanyi felt a bit short of breath at these words, and Wei Tingxu said, “This reward must be given, in the name of Your Highness, to let them all know for whom they are fighting and who is giving them wealth and glory. This expenditure need not be raised. When I came today, there were countless people outside wanting to pay tribute, blocking the road. By casually digging into these noble families, not only will there be no worry for the reward, but we could even conscript fifty thousand more people.”

The Minister of State reminded Wei Tingxu, “Lady Wei is resourceful, but this old man must add that Da Yu no longer has men to conscript.”

“If there are no men, then conscript women soldiers.” Wei Tingxu’s words were unexpected, yet they hit the mark with Li Yanyi, who looked at her excitedly, eager for her to continue.

“There are 7.5 million women in Da Yu who are in their prime, among whom there are some learned and dedicated individuals with great talents and strategies. If they were given a platform to showcase their abilities, the four major Hu tribes would have long been wiped out. Furthermore…” Wei Tingxu looked directly into Li Yanyi’s eyes and said, “Before Your Highness receives the Mandate of Heaven and becomes the first female emperor in history, the first thing to do is to greatly enhance the status of women. This way, Your Highness’s path to power will be legitimate and justified.”

The Minister of State said, “While that’s true, implementing it in reality is fraught with difficulties. Not to mention that although women in Da Yu are no longer confined to the deep chambers, appearing in public always invites gossip. There are always brave men attracted by great rewards, but among Da Yu women, those with Your Highness’s talent and Lady Wei’s strategy are still few. Young generals with innate brilliance in warfare, like Xie family’s Ah Xin, are rare and invaluable. Could even one in a thousand of these 7.5 million women be useful? I have to doubt it. By then, if we can’t recruit soldiers, it will only alarm them, causing Li Ju and Xie Fuchen to take precautions, and they might even use it as an excuse to accuse Your Highness of rebellion, truly outweighing the benefits.”

Li Yanyi thought seriously for a moment and said, “Mr. Ling, you have a point. Zizhuo, this matter is not impossible to handle, but we can’t do it openly. You should seek out some capable generals, like Ah Xin, and recruit them into the army as members of the great clans. If they prove truly capable, pay more attention to them. The recruitment of soldiers must continue. If we can’t recruit within Da Yu, we can conscript troops from the vassal states. If there are no people in the vassal states, then conscript them in Sudu and Huwu! As long as we have military pay, official positions, and titles, I don’t believe they won’t come. If they don’t come, block all the trade routes to Nanya and leave them with no market for their goods! Speaking of which, Zizhuo, your strategy to isolate the Yao clan has indeed been effective. Look at this.”

Li Yanyi rummaged on the desk, found an exquisite silk letter, and tossed it to Wei Tingxu, laughing heartily: “Old Yao Wei was afraid I would settle scores with him over the matter with Governor Xie, so he sent me the divorce document of his daughter and Governor Xie, along with three large boxes of precious treasures, including the Sudu night pearl his father had hidden for over fifty years as tribute. This coward was once the Minister of State, it’s hilarious!”

Wei Tingxu unfolded the divorce document, read it with satisfaction, then passed it to the others, who laughed after reading it and then continued discussing the spring plowing matters.

The five people talked inside the room for about an hour, and those waiting in the courtyard were almost driven mad, nearly pulling the head of the Wang family to beat him up.

Finally, Li Yanyi walked out of the room and stood with her hands behind her back on the high platform of the Wang family’s ancestral altar. Everyone immediately knelt and shouted, “Long live.” They thought that a follower of Li Yanyi would come out to convey a message, but unexpectedly, it was she herself. Li Yanyi, from her elevated position, spoke at length about the current situation in Da Yu, saying that this red letter would definitely be delivered to the emperor for him to see, to let him know how many patriots are concerned about the safety of Da Yu and are generously donating for the country.

Indeed, she used the emperor’s name to collect grain and money, to later turn against the emperor and seize his kingdom. How would the emperor feel if he knew? Zhen Wenjun, kneeling to the side, couldn’t help but show a slightly excited smile at the corner of her mouth.

Wei Tingxu was already an extremely intelligent strategist, and Li Yanyi was no less competent. Emperor Li Ju and Xie Fuchen were always considered foolish in their words, but the matter of the marriage alliance might be their strategy to restrain Li Yanyi. After all, according to Li Yanyi, the 100,000 troops were under her title as the Grand Princess. If she repelled the four major Hu tribes, her prestige among the people of Da Yu would greatly increase, which would certainly be detrimental to Li Ju. Xie Fuchen’s cunning plan attributed the success of repelling the Hu tribes to Li Ju, although it seemed a bit cowardly, it ultimately prevented the Grand Princess from gaining prominence. It seems that Xie Fuchen, as imagined, is a shrewd and insidious character. These two factions clashing is indeed a point of contention.

After the major noble families shouted, “Long live,” the Wang family invited a theater troupe. Li Yanyi returned to her seat to enjoy the entertainment with everyone. The inner courtyard where she was seated could host very few people, and those who could see her up close were even fewer, all being heads of prominent families, while most people were in the outer courtyard. The stage was in the center of the two courtyards, and from her high position, Li Yanyi could see the stage clearly. The Tiger Guards remained by her side, and everyone gathered around the large stage to watch the performance unfold. As the scene became lively, the sound of instruments and singing filled the air, and several songstresses adorned in makeup took the stage.

Wei Tingxu sat beside Li Yanyi, with Lingbi and Zhen Wenjun standing behind her, watching together.

Wei Tingxu coughed, and Zhen Wenjun bent down to serve tea, saying, “Sister, are you thirsty?” Just as she was about to hand the teacup to her, she realized it was cold tea. “I’ll get you a cup of hot tea, sister.”

Wei Tingxu said, “Thank you, sister.”

Zhen Wenjun went to pour hot tea, and as she walked back through the crowd, a young man in green waved and shouted, “Brother Liang, you are here too,” brushing past Zhen Wenjun. Zhen Wenjun casually looked back and saw the man in green calling out to two people walking by.

The man called Brother Liang said, “When did Brother Leng return? Why didn’t you send someone to inform us?”

The man in the blue shirt said, “Yesterday, I just haven’t had the chance yet. Who is this?”

The man with the surname Liang said, “This is my cousin, Liang Feng. He is accompanying me to the banquet today.”

The man in the blue shirt bent over to salute, and with this bow, Zhen Wenjun clearly saw Liang Feng’s face and was greatly shocked.

This was not Liang Feng at all; it was clearly Xie Suishan!

Zhen Wenjun didn’t expect Xie Suishan to dare appear here, so she quickly turned around and covered her face with a veil.

Based on what they said earlier, Xie Suishan had sneaked in under the identity of Liang Feng. The Liang family… Zhen Wenjun recalled that the Liang family was an unremarkable minor gentry in Nanya, with the highest official in the family being a county secretary. It was unlikely that the Grand Princess would pay any attention to the Liang family, so it was no wonder they would cozy up to Xie Taihang. When leaving, Zhen Wenjun felt there was a risk in this trip, but fortunately, she changed into foreign attire, and the veil indeed proved useful. If Xie Suishan recognized her, it would truly be a great disaster.

Just as Zhen Wenjun was about to leave this troublesome place, someone suddenly grabbed her arm. She looked up to see the drunken face of the Wang family’s young master, Wang Chuan, who was saying to everyone around, “My father just brought in a new batch of beautiful guqiang girls from Tajiang, each one as pretty as a flower. This one looks good, come, come, let’s all enjoy together.”

Several young masters around, also drunk, clapped and cheered.

Zhen Wenjun did not want to get entangled with a group of drunkards, so she quietly said to Young Master Wang, “Let go! I am not a courtesan from your house; I am a maid of the Pingcang Wei family. I advise you not to cause trouble!”

“Wei family?” Young Master Wang raised an eyebrow, looking Zhen Wenjun up and down, and chuckled, “The personal maid of the Wei family lady doesn’t have your good looks. I remember she was a hideous woman. Even though you’re wearing a veil, it’s clear you have a beautiful face. You’ve got quite a fiery temper, I like that.”

Young Master Wang, with slick words and restless hands, reached out to pull Zhen Wenjun’s veil. Zhen Wenjun quickly held down her veil, and even Xie Suishan and others who were previously engaged in polite conversation turned their attention over. Her voice suddenly turned cold and intimidating, “Wang Chuan! You dare to touch someone from the Wei family! Are you tired of living?”

“Oh dear, dear, even if your claim to be from the Wei family is true or false, so what if you are indeed a maid of the Wei family lady? This is Fengxi in Nanya, not your Pingcang!” Wang Chuan had been harboring resentment for days, as a favorable opportunity to gain face before the emperor was ruined by the Grand Princess and the Wei family. Not only that, but his Wang family also became the target of everyone in Nanya, forcing them to rely on the Grand Princess. Zhen Wenjun had been by Wei Tingxu’s side all day, so he was well aware of her identity. However, while he didn’t dare to do anything to Wei Tingxu or the Grand Princess, he thought he could at least give a hard time to Wei Tingxu’s maid. How dare a mere servant shout at him like that, truly thinking his Wang family was easy to bully!

Wang Chuan, his mind muddled by drink, focused only on venting his anger. Seeing that Wang Chuan’s grip only tightened instead of loosening, it was clear he intended to cause trouble for her, and mere words weren’t going to free her anytime soon. Wang Chuan kept hiccupping from the alcohol, barely able to stand there with Zhen Wenjun’s support. Suddenly, Zhen Wenjun put on a smile and leaned in towards Wang Chuan, saying:

“Young Master Wang, don’t be angry. I know this is your Fengxi. Look, what is this?” She held a teacup in front of him, drawing his attention, and as she lowered the teacup, his head followed down.

“Isn’t this just a damn cup of tea…”

Before he could finish speaking, Zhen Wenjun struck him on the forehead with a cup. Wang Chuan was hit squarely, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness, collapsing immediately. Zhen Wenjun, while supporting him, said, “Young Master drank too much, take a rest,” and helped him sit down to the side. Wang Chuan reeked of alcohol and indeed appeared to have passed out, so those around him did not suspect anything.

Zhen Wenjun knew Xie Suishan was watching her, but her appearance and voice had changed from three years ago, so Xie Suishan might not recognize her. Zhen Wenjun told herself not to panic and to remain calm as usual.

She covered her veil, poured another cup of hot tea, and planned to leave. As she turned, she saw Xie Suishan right behind her, staring intently at her face, as if trying to see through her.

“Would you like some hot tea, young master?” She stepped aside slightly, making a gesture to let him pass, and immediately prepared to leave.

“You are actually not dead.”

Xie Suishan’s voice sounded behind her.

Zhen Wenjun turned back, her long, slender eyes filled with a cold glint.

“Alai!” Xie Suishan almost exclaimed.

LP: F*ck, after all these years, you’re still a nuisance, Xie Suishan!