Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 16
Chapter 16
After transmitting the message to the Great Wei frontier guards, the band of Wu barbarian cavalry retreated from the mountains to avoid misunderstandings that might trigger a war.
The Great Wei scouts reported that the barbarians had withdrawn, and the frontier guards also pulled back, returning to their camp.
On the other side, the Wu cavalry galloped down from the ridge. They followed their new King, but instead of returning to their camp, they ascended another hill. This ridge was some distance from the Great Wei border. It was inconvenient to occupy during a conflict, but as there was no fighting at the moment, standing here amidst the dense forest provided a convenient vantage point to observe the activity of the Great Wei frontier guards.
They watched as the frontier camp remained ablaze with light throughout the night, the glow illuminating the area for miles without flickering.
The hooded King of the Wu Barbarians sat high atop his massive stallion, watching with arms crossed.
A rider behind him asked: "My King, why not directly demand that those Great Wei people return their Princess? Isn't that the very reason you made this special trip?"
The King, his face concealed by the hood, let out a scoffing laugh at these words.
His name was Meng Zaishi.
He was the eldest son of the previous Wu King, whom Princess Danyang had married.
A year ago, when civil strife broke out in the Wu lands, the legitimate heir to the throne died, and the Princess departed. By all accounts, Meng Zaishi should have perished in that same turmoil.
Meng Zaishi answered the question with another: "The Great Wei people will surely send someone tomorrow to inquire about the details. When that happens, just say that I am merely a clansman of the former King. Let the Great Wei believe that the former King's family is utterly wiped out and that I am just a petty thief who seized the throne during the chaos."
Someone immediately interjected: "My King is a hero, the savior of our Wu people! How could you be compared to a petty thief?!"
Meng Zaishi stared toward the brightly lit Great Wei camp, showing no reaction to his subordinate’s flattery.
This left the sycophant feeling somewhat awkward.
Another man glared fiercely at the one who had failed to flatter correctly and asked cautiously: "Since the King intends to deceive the Great Wei, why send a message to Princess Danyang? If she knows who you are, won't the Great Wei Emperor know as well?"
Meng Zaishi said calmly: "That is not necessarily true. Our Princess may not be of one heart with her Imperial Father. I, for one, want to see if she will tell the Great Wei Emperor that I am still alive, allowing him to take precautions early. I am betting she will not.
"This former Queen of ours is no ordinary woman."
At this, the subordinates behind him bowed their heads, not daring to speak further. The relationship between Meng Zaishi and the former Wu Queen... even as subordinates, they were better off pretending they knew nothing.
And in truth, they really didn't know much.
They had only vaguely heard a few rumors.
As everyone gazed toward the Great Wei frontier guards, a moment later, they saw cavalrymen sneaking stealthily toward the Great Wei camp from the base of the mountain. There was no sound of hoofbeats, as the horses' hooves were wrapped in cloth. Though this hindered their movement, it allowed them to evade the detection of the Great Wei scouts.
The troop disappeared into the forest, clearly intent on doing something to the Great Wei frontier guards under the cover of night.
The Wu King watched from on high, his eyes narrowed.
A subordinate behind him said with excitement: "It seems the intelligence the King received was true! The King of the Southern Barbarians truly could not restrain himself and intends to harass the Great Wei frontier guards tonight to plunder grain and land!"
The Southern Barbarians were composed of five tribes, and the Wu Barbarians were only one of them.
The Southern Barbarians also had a King, though the five tribes did not necessarily obey him. However, because intelligence from the Great Wei lagged, they were unaware that in recent years, a young King had emerged in the Southern Barbarian lands, working diligently to reform and grow. This young King was determined to subdue the entire five-tribe region and conquer the Great Wei! And while the Great Wei remained oblivious, this young King had already begun his campaign, sweeping across the entire Southern Barbarian territory!
Tonight, it was the young Southern Barbarian King who had sent troops to harass the Great Wei frontier.
Meng Zaishi simply sat on his horse, watching from the heights as the conflict began quietly below. He smiled: "It seems that young King really wants to subdue all five tribes. He hasn't even succeeded yet, and he already wants to extract benefits from the Great Wei? Truly young and daring."
The subordinate replied: "Naturally, he is not as great as you, my King!"
The subordinate added: "The Great Wei frontier guards are currently preoccupied with the news of our arrival and are busy discussing countermeasures overnight. The troops sent by the Southern Barbarian King tonight might truly catch them off guard. My King, even though we have not submitted to the Southern Barbarian King, are we not also citizens of the Southern Barbarian lands? Should we not follow them and take the opportunity to snatch some benefits?"
The soldiers behind him grew eager upon hearing this. They were fierce and war-loving; seeing an opportunity for gain, they could hardly contain their excitement.
Meng Zaishi said calmly: "If you want to go, then go."
Seeing that their King did not object, several subordinates immediately rode down the mountain to assemble their men.
However, those subordinates who were more perceptive saw that the King remained noncommittal. They bit their tongues, restraining their greed, and followed behind their King, watching together as the people below wreaked havoc in the night.
Someone asked, confused: "My King, this is clearly an opportunity for gain, why are you not moved?"
Meng Zaishi dismounted his horse and stood tall, draped in a black robe. He swung his long arm, pointing vaguely toward the Great Wei: "Stealing and plundering—in the end, it is only for a moment. To live one's whole life this way is laughable."
The men behind him looked at each other, not understanding their King's words.
They listened as Meng Zaishi, resting his chin on his hand, pondered aloud: "For so many years, whenever we have grain, we eat; whenever we don't, we go to the Great Wei to rob it. The entire Southern Barbarian land is like this. Because we fight wars all year round, we are all good at battle. The most powerful army of the Great Wei is their frontier force, yet in our eyes, they are not worth mentioning.
"Since we are so strong, why can we not be as wealthy as the Great Wei? Why are our people so ignorant, why are our houses not as sturdy as the Great Wei's, and why do we fight endless wars without pause? Is what we desire merely the precious jewels and beautiful women of the Great Wei?"
Meng Zaishi turned to look at the people behind him, who were staring at one another in bewilderment.
He smiled faintly: "Originally, I hoped to learn the answer from Princess Danyang. Unfortunately, she is a partner who lacks integrity. So, I will simply have to change my method and let the Southern Barbarian King experiment.
"I vow here and now! In my lifetime, I will do more than just be the King of the Wu Barbarians; I will be the King of all the Southern Barbarians. I will lead my people out of this current state, and I will make us as powerful as the Great Wei—even surpass them!"
Under the starry night, the riders dismounted one after another and knelt at the feet of their King. They bowed with devout hearts, harboring a premonition—
The most powerful King, the man before them, would lead them to a different future! —
The frontier army being harassed by the barbarians once again did not cause much of a stir. As this happened year after year, this was essentially the purpose for the existence of the frontier guards.
With urgent speed, the list of young talents selected by each province was sent to Chang'an; these were the individuals who would participate in the imperial examinations next year.
Traveling through the night, news of the Wu Barbarians' new King was also dispatched to Chang'an, marking the beginning of new changes for the Southern Barbarian lands.
Back in Lingnan, it rained again, a drizzling, melancholy downpour.
At dusk, Mu Wanyao was still taking an afternoon nap. Because she had been poisoned by miasma a few days prior and had not fully recovered, she required sleep to recuperate.
In her hazy, heavy dreams, she was plagued by nightmares about the past, leaving her back drenched in cold sweat and her heart racing. She was trapped in the nightmare, unable to wake, when suddenly a clear, bright sound of someone reading aloud startled her from her sleep.
Through the misty gauze curtains, Mu Wanyao sat up in bed, dazed, listening to the reading outside—
"Great rats, great rats, do not eat our millet..."
Over and over, the voice sounded clear like rain.
Mu Wanyao pulled her long hair together, drew back the curtains, and rose with a darkened face. She knew it—it was that annoying Yan Shisheng reading again!
Reading again!
She rose from the bed, pushed open the window, and sure enough, she saw the young scholar sitting in the corridor, clutching a book and studying hard. Mu Wanyao was just about to reprimand him for being too loud, but seeing him under the misty evening rain, a drop of water seemed to slant sideways and splash onto his eyelashes.
His eyelashes trembled gently as he raised a hand to wipe the water from them. Looking up, he gazed into the sky filled with fine rain, sitting there in silence.
His back was dignified, his profile refined, his temperament as vast and boundless as distant mountains and clear water.
Mu Wanyao couldn't help but stare, dumbstruck.
...How could such an elegant temperament, usually only nurtured in the children of prestigious families, appear in a country bumpkin from Lingnan? Is reading really that magical?
But he didn't seem to be reading all that well, either.
Yan Shisheng watched the rain for a moment before returning his heart to the book in his hands. Just as he began to read aloud, a fan flew from behind and struck him in the back of the head.
Yan Shisheng: "Ouch."
He stumbled from the blow, turned back, and hurriedly gathered the fan. It was a feathered fan inlaid with many pearls—one that Mu Wanyao often used. He held the fan and looked up, and sure enough, he saw a rustling red dress; Mu Wanyao was walking toward him along the corridor, swaying her waist.
She scolded him: "When reading, one should search for meaning in a low voice, not howl like a village student!"
Resignation welled in Yan Shisheng's eyes as he stood up to return the fan. He said: "This humble student accepts your instruction."
...In truth, his reading hadn't been that loud.
But presumably, it had disturbed Mu Wanyao.
Seeing that the Princess had no other instructions, Yan Shisheng sat back down, this time silently reading his book. The rain went drip-drop, and Yan Shisheng’s back remained tense. He diverted a portion of his mind to wonder why the Princess had not yet left.
What was she doing standing behind him?
Mu Wanyao’s eyes shimmered, and she fanned herself unhurriedly with her feathered fan.
She asked coldly: "Yan Shisheng, do you want to go to Chang'an?"
Yan Shisheng replied: "I do."
He moved to stand and face her, but Mu Wanyao pressed down on his shoulder from behind, preventing him from turning. She kept him seated, forcing him to speak to her like this. The young woman’s hand rested on his shoulder, and as she stood behind him, she watched him. Yan Shisheng’s expression was strange; he felt deeply uncomfortable.
Mu Wanyao: "Do you want to be an official?"
Yan Shisheng paused, then replied softly: "Yes."
Mu Wanyao was curious: "Why? Didn't you say you cared nothing for fame or power? So why do you want to be an official?"
Yan Shisheng did not speak.
Mu Wanyao poked his shoulder—a light, lingering touch, like a teasing probe. Her voice, too, became like the hazy misty rain, carrying a hint of enchantment: "I am asking you a question. Can you speak the truth? Is it really so hard for you to say one honest thing?"
Yan Shisheng chuckled softly.
He sighed, looking out at the rain: "It is not that I will not speak the truth; it is that the truth is so laughable that no one believes it."
Mu Wanyao teased: "Maybe I would believe it?"
Yan Shisheng was silent.
Mu Wanyao hooked his shoulder and poked him again. It was like a fish’s tail brushing through a pool of clear water; starting from his shoulder, Yan Shisheng felt his entire side go numb from her touch.
His face flushed red. Several times he tried to stand, only to be pressed back down by her.
He had no choice but to sit straight and stiff, looking out at the endless evening rain between heaven and earth, and answered softly: "Then I will say this only once. If you ask me again in the future, I will not admit it again."
Mu Wanyao smiled: "Go on then."
Under the evening rain, she heard Yan Shisheng’s voice, low and gentle: "Have you ever seen the 'bones of those frozen to death on the road'? Have you ever seen the 'common people suffering in the cold with no salvation'? When I was young, before my mother passed away, my siblings and I followed them on a study tour in the south. We encountered great droughts and saw people eating people. My father said the world was cruel, and such suffering people were everywhere.
"As I grew older, I saw even more. I could not help but wonder, what can I do for this world? I am but a scholar, trapped in a corner of Lingnan; if I wish to change this world, I have no other path but to take the imperial exams and become an official.
"I want the world to be peaceful and prosperous; I want the people to be free of oppression. I want no disturbance among neighbors, and a time of great peace. Aside from becoming an official, I have no other road to take."
The spirit of a scholar, the hot blood of youth. Yan Shisheng said softly: "Princess, did you hear the 'Great Rats' poem I was reciting earlier?"
The rain was like sand; the two of them stood under the rain, one sitting and one standing. The young scholar sat in front, and the young Princess leaned her shoulder against his. Their voices overlapped, layer upon layer, separated by the mist of the rain:
"Great rats, great rats, do not eat our millet! Three years have we toiled with you, yet you show no care. I will leave you and go to that happy land. Happy land, happy land, where shall we find our home?"
—Happy land, oh happy land, where exactly is it?!
Reciting the poem with him, Mu Wanyao felt her heart pounding with an agitation that could not be suppressed. Unable to contain her emotions, she clutched his shoulder, leaned down, pressed her face against his from behind, and kissed him lightly on the cheek.