Fish Meat – Chapter 62

The Ninth Year of Shenchu

Attending a Banquet in Nanya (Part 9)

“This palace knew long ago that this group of fools would act here, and especially invited the Huben Army to guard. I did not expect them to face death with such resolve, truly hating me extremely.” Li Yanyi looked at the stage stained with blood; she hadn’t moved from her position since earlier, not even changing the posture of supporting her chin. “They call themselves righteous men, no, they indeed are righteous men. In these people’s eyes, I am the monster disrupting the court, a traitor wanting to seize power and throw the country into chaos. As long as there is even a one in ten thousand chance, they will not let it go. Success would mean monumental achievements, failure, dying for the country. And what about us? Regardless of success or failure, what remains is likely only eternal infamy, being a demoness who does not keep within bounds, not thinking of assisting her husband and teaching children, but only of seizing the throne. In their eyes, the emperor can only be a man, and I, even if the legitimate eldest daughter of the first emperor, even if the Da Yu prince, no matter how hard I study the classics and practice military tactics, still have no qualification to inherit the throne.”

“But,” Wei Tingxu said, “Your Highness has already reached this step, hasn’t she? Reached the position that makes everyone fearful. Only one step away from taking back the rivers and mountains that originally should belong to you.”

“Originally just belong to mine…”

“Right. Originally just belong to Your Highness.”

Li Yanyi looked at Wei Tingxu beside her. Wei Tingxu sat on a four-wheel cart; even in the scorching sun of early spring in Nanya, this frail woman still wore a heavy fur coat. The soft fur was gently blown by the gentle spring wind, lightly tickling her ice-thin skin.

Li Yanyi never saw hesitation in her eyes. This woman, ten years younger than her, seemed to have already seen through this world a long, long time ago and had thought through all the paths life needs to take.

“Moreover, isn’t the current state of the world just right?” Wei Tingxu admired the sticky cold blood slowly flowing down the wooden steps from the stage. “Because what has never happened is a blank sheet of paper, a blank sheet for Your Highness to write on. How descendants a thousand years later will discuss Your Highness, Zizhuo does not know, but Zizhuo knows that a hundred years later it will surely be a different scene. It is a world where women and men compete equally in various fields and political arenas, a world of absolute fairness created by Your Highness, a world that belongs not only to men, but to the capable.”

Wei Tingxu’s words were a kind of temptation. Li Yanyi remembered seven years ago when she watched helplessly as a bastard born of a lowly palace maid was established as the crown prince just because he was the only son of the former emperor. That was the most disappointing year of Li Yanyi’s life, and it was in that year she met Wei Tingxu.

“Your Highness, I know what you think in your heart; I can help you get everything you want.”

Twelve-year-old Wei Tingxu sat on the four-wheel carriage. At that time, she was even more haggard than now, her complexion sallow, clearly looking as if she did not have long to live, but the words she spoke were quite arrogant. However, Li Yanyi forgave her because her words hit the nail on the head for Li Yanyi.

Wei Tingxu indeed knows what she wants, and indeed is realizing the original promise step by step.

Now she is only one step away from the throne.

Li Yanyi likes to ponder, and many times she sits for an entire afternoon.

Wei Tingxu sees her fall into contemplation again, and glances at Lingbi coming down from the roof, as a team of the Huben Army is escorting a woman over.

Wei Tingxu saw the woman’s face.

“Your Highness, let me interrogate this assassin.”

“Mm…” Li Yanyi seemed to agree, yet also seemed like she didn’t hear what she was saying at all.

Lingbi’s shoulder was whipped, and the whip was extremely vicious, leaving a diagonal mark on the shoulder that tore her flesh, shocking to behold. Zhen Wenjun saw it clearly as she treated the wound.

Zhen Wenjun was very familiar with the angle of this whip strike, only the force was heavier. Actually, the whip was aimed at the enemy’s eyes, and if Lingbi hadn’t dodged in time, she would surely have been left with only one eye.

Zhen Wenjun stared at the wound in a daze for a while. Lingbi turned back to see her holding the hemostatic ointment but not applying it, and angrily said:

“Little brat, what are you dazed about, haven’t you seen a wound before? Quickly help me cover it; don’t delay the lady’s matters.”

“Mm.” Zhen Wenjun, preoccupied, helped her bandage.

Judging by Lingbi’s attitude towards her, it seemed she hadn’t heard what she and Xie Suishan were saying. If she had heard, with Lingbi’s personality, even if she didn’t immediately kill her, she wouldn’t have been able to pretend nothing happened on the surface.

Even if Lingbi didn’t hear, Xie Suishan’s body fell into the hands of the Huben Army, and even if Wei Tingxu didn’t recognize this son of the Xie family from Suichuan, there was still one person who was captured alive.

Zhen Wenjun had already guessed that person’s identity. Just now, Xiaohua came over to pass the message, saying Wei Tingxu wanted them to go to the dungeon once.

Has Wei Tingxu already learned something? If she goes, I’m afraid it won’t be settled with just a spanking. She could seize this opportunity to leave, but if she leaves, the captured person will likely lose their life.

“Today, someone will definitely die.”

Xie Suishan, oh Xie Suishan, I didn’t expect your words to become a prophecy. Today, I’m afraid more than one person will die.

After treating Lingbi’s wound, Xiaohua almost stared at them as they headed to the dungeon.

The dungeon entrance was right in front, with Xiaohua and Lingbi pressed behind, and Wei Tingxu waiting inside. She could only move forward, just like in these past few years, always without a choice.

As she was about to walk into the underground chamber, she heard Wei Tingxu’s voice: “Oh? The legitimate son of Xie Taihang from the Xie family in Suichuan? Came from thousands of miles away to seek death, truly admirable. But it’s strange, why would he seek out Sister Wenjun?”

Zhen Wenjun took a deep breath and walked in.

“Sister.”

Inside the underground chamber, it was almost exactly the same as the last time she was there; Wei Tingxu still sat on the high chair. On the cross-shaped wooden rack was tied a bloody person, unknown if dead or alive. Only the executioner’s tools in the strong man’s hand had changed in appearance, now a sharp knife for slicing meat and a spiked iron ball. The strong man’s muscles looked immensely powerful, and even lifting the iron ball seemed quite strenuous. If it hit a person, not only would it strip off a layer of flesh, but even the bones would be smashed. Seeing this scene made Zhen Wenjun’s scalp tingle. When she stood next to Wei Tingxu, she saw a Huben Army soldier sitting casually on the ground. The man had removed his helmet, his soft armor still stained with blood, and his black beard covered both cheeks. The firelight reflected on his scarred face, and from the moment Zhen Wenjun entered, his sinister gaze had been fixed on her as if looking at a lamb daring to intrude into a wolf pack, more like looking at a corpse.

“Sister, you’re here. This is Huben Zhonglang General Liu Feng; it was he who led the Huben Army to kill the assassin just now,” Wei Tingxu introduced with a smile.

Zhen Wenjun, however, could not smile at all. Liu Feng was a veteran general who had been on the battlefield for a long time. Being stared at by him felt like being watched by a wild wolf, ready to pounce and bite her throat at the slightest opening.

“Zhonglang General.” Zhen Wenjun bowed to him, but Liu Feng did not greet her and directly asked:

“Lady Zhen, why did Xie Suishan find you? Do you know him?”

Zhen Wenjun straightforwardly answered: “I don’t know that scoundrel; he just kept pestering me, so I couldn’t help but take action.”

“Oh?” Liu Feng scrutinized her face carefully, seemingly believing yet disbelieving, “May I ask, Lady Zhen, what weapon did you use to cut his throat?”

“It is this dagger.” Zhen Wenjun presented Madam Hongye’s dagger given to her by Wei Tingxu. Liu Feng stood up to take it, examining the small dagger by turning it horizontally and vertically in front of his eyes, and gently said “Mm.”

“Indeed, it’s a sharp weapon.” Liu Feng returned the dagger to her. As Zhen Wenjun was just taking it back, Liu Feng suddenly grabbed her wrist with his fingers like hooks.

Zhen Wenjun had already prepared answers for potential questions but did not expect the Huben Zhonglang General to suddenly appear and even lay hands on her. Her eyes focused, unsure whether to resist. Was Liu Feng trying to capture her, or was he just testing if her skill was enough to kill with a single stroke?

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Zhen Wenjun’s mind. She steadied her arm and exerted force with her feet, and Liu Feng’s grip surprisingly did not disrupt her stance.

“There is some strength.” Liu Feng released her.

Indeed, it was just a test.

Zhen Wenjun’s mouth corner lifted slightly.

The person tied on the wooden rack groaned from the pain, drawing their attention.

“Pa, pa,” two sounds, and only then did Zhen Wenjun notice that Wei Tingxu was holding a half-rolled cowhide black whip. The handle of the black whip was polished to shine. She gently tapped the black whip on her hand, looking at the person on the wooden rack, and said:

“Sister, do you know the identity of the person you killed?”

Zhen Wenjun recognized that whip, shook her head and said: “I do not know.”

“It is Xie Suishan, the son of the former governor of Suichuan, Xie Taihang, and this is Xie’s younger sister, Xie’s Ah Xun.”

The hair on Xun’s face was brushed aside, revealing a face covered with blood marks. Zhen Wenjun’s heart trembled. After many years, she did not expect to see her again in such a situation.

“Did the Xie family boy sneak in just to tease my sister? And what about you? Why were you hiding on the rooftop? Could it be that you also had your eye on some young gentleman?” Wei Tingxu turned her gaze to Zhen Wenjun, with a tone that seemed amused, but her eyes were as cold as ice from a frozen river.

Zhen Wenjun felt as if she was falling into an abyss, knowing that Wei Tingxu did not believe her explanation.

Ah Xun raised her head, her gaze sweeping around the cave room, finally stopping on Zhen Wenjun’s face. The corner of her lips curled into a cold smile, and she spat a mouthful of blood-stained saliva towards Wei Tingxu.

Xiaohua stepped forward to block in front of Wei Tingxu, and the saliva landed on Xiaohua’s body. Xiaohua backhanded a heavy slap on Ah Xun’s face, causing Ah Xun to groan and unexpectedly spit out half a tooth.

Wei Tingxu said, “Sister Wenjun.”

Zhen Wenjun replied, “Here.”

“I’m tired. I’ll leave Xie’s Ah Xun to you for interrogation. You should also practice your interrogation skills.”

Xiaohua picked Wei Tingxu up, and as they were leaving, Wei Tingxu instructed, “I’ll leave these two jailers to you, and all the torture instruments as well. People are all flesh and blood; I want to see whether Xie’s Ah Xun’s mouth is tougher or the torture instruments are tougher.”

Zhen Wenjun could only reply, “Yes.”

Wei Tingxu and the others left, and the jailers handed her a slicing knife. She waved her hand, grasped her own dagger, and looked at the scarred Ah Xun with eyes full of pity.

Ah Xun looked at the dagger, not the least bit afraid.

“Shameless dog slave,” Ah Xun said through gritted teeth, “Whatever tricks you have, just use them!”