Chapter 51: Successfully drugged and escaped.
On the day of Xu-Yin in the first month, the elite troops of the Jingbei Army set out to fight against the Tatars.
At that time, seven days had passed since Shi Wan was abducted.
Since returning from the search the day before yesterday, Wan Houyi had been kneeling in the courtyard to beg for forgiveness. The snow was falling softly in the courtyard, and the cold sunlight shone down, but it did not bring him much warmth.
Jiang Xu came out of the study and saw this scene. He remained silent for a long time before saying, "Do you have any objections to the kneeling punishment these past few days?"
"My relative was so audacious as to kidnap Your Majesty's beloved concubine; this is one of my faults. Now, when Miss Wan'er was kidnapped, Your Majesty gave me a chance, ordering me to search outside, but... after several days, I have found no clues; this is my second fault." In the cold wind, Wan Houyi said loudly, "I have no objection."
“For failing to perform his duties effectively, according to the rules, each person will receive twenty strokes of the military rod.” Jiang Xu stood beside him, staring at Wan Houyi’s seemingly resolute profile, as if trying to see straight into his true thoughts. But after a long while, he simply said, “Go down and receive your punishment.”
Upon hearing this, Wan Houyi breathed a sigh of relief, acknowledged the order, and got up to receive his punishment.
Seeing him walk away, Jiang Xu turned around and headed out of the courtyard.
This expedition was a secret mission, and the march was extremely fast. The army pursued them all the way and finally arrived in Tatar territory a few days later.
In mid-January of the sixth year of the Jingtai reign, Jiang Xu led 8,000 personal guards deep into the grasslands and reached an agreement with the Jurchen tribe in the same month. In the following days, the Jingbei Army arrived one after another and joined the battlefield with the Jurchen tribe.
When the Turks came to collect "protection money" as usual, the army seized the opportunity, impersonated Turkic cavalry, and stormed into the royal court.
In this battle, the Tatar royal court suffered heavy losses, with 100,000 Tatar troops being wiped out. Although not fatal, the Tatars truly harbored resentment towards the Turks.
While Jiang Xu had just managed to raid most of the Tatar camp, the Tatar Queen was sitting in her tent, gathering military reports and handling matters.
The Tatar queen's name is Erdun. She killed her brother at the age of twelve and overthrew her father to seize power in the Tatars at the age of fifteen. She has been in power for several months now and is quite dignified.
She said, "Three days ago, the Turkic Ashnarge, together with the Jurchen Urgun, and the Wushibi tribe, the fifteen Tiele tribes and other tribes, attacked. The surrounding small alliances of nomadic tribes were also eager to make a move. This time, the force was huge, with more than 200,000 troops."
The grasslands are traditionally a place where the strong prey on the weak. Originally, the Turks were the only dominant force, while the remaining tribes, such as the Tatars, Jurchens, and dozens of other small tribes whose names are not known, all paid "protection fees" to them.
The people under his command needed to make a living, and Jiang Xu, who was stationed to guard the border, could not harass or attack them every year. Therefore, turning against their own people became a strange tacit understanding. Tribes that did not pay protection money would "coincidentally" suffer heavy losses the following year, or even be attacked to the point of extermination. Therefore, smaller tribes were still willing to pay some money in order to live a peaceful life. After all, once the money was paid, they would feel much more at ease.
However, since Erdun came to power, the Tatars have stopped paying the so-called "protection fee" this year.
She scanned the expressions of the crowd and continued, "The Turks acted suspiciously, pointing their swords at the royal court. Fortunately, the Jurchens came to our rescue in time, preventing the Turks from succeeding completely."
Inside the tent, the two commanders remained silent, and the other dozen or so people, who had wanted to speak, also fell silent.
After a moment of silence, the head guard, Tumen, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, our investigation has revealed that some of the Turks in the group do not match their appearance. They seem to be from the Central Plains and are not of our kind."
On one side, someone retorted, "The Turks suffered a defeat at the hands of the Prince of Jingbei a few days ago. This is clearly because... they can't defeat the enemy and are stuck in a stalemate. They want to wait until next year, before the weather warms up, to pick a few easy targets to replenish their military strength."
The Turks had long held absolute power on the steppes, and their extreme actions were numerous. For example, the practice of collecting protection money was becoming increasingly frequent. A few years ago, it was paid once a year, but now, before the new year had even arrived, they had already come to collect it for the second time.
"A pushover?" Erdun said coldly, "There's no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days. Regardless of whether the Central Plains people were involved, without concrete evidence, these are just our speculations. Only the matter of the Turks attacking the royal court is supported by conclusive evidence."
Whether it's the abandoned soldiers and armor, or the accounts of surviving soldiers, all these evidence confirm that the Turks launched this attack.
Having suffered a defeat and been weakened by the Jingbei Army, if they were to unite with the Jurchens, the Tatars and their dozen or so tribes would likely be able to contend with them.
"Since the evidence was there first, it was only natural for the Tatars to retaliate."
......
*
A cold wind swept across the grassland, and the bare branches by the lake emitted a strange sound. The lake surface was like a piece of jade, pure white and flawless. In the center of the lake, the ice was as thin as a cicada's wing, and one could vaguely see the undercurrents flowing beneath, with what appeared to be a few fish swimming.
Jiang Xu stood with his hands behind his back, gazing quietly at the lake view.
Previously, when the assassin who stabbed him was captured due to the machinations in Youzhou, Jiang Xu had taken notice of the matter and secretly wrote a letter, which he had Xiao Chijie personally deliver to the capital, Luoyang. However, several months have passed, and the court has still taken no action. On the other hand, two letters from Xiao Chijie have arrived, and Jiang Xu has now arranged for them to be received in the capital.
A guard asked from the side, "Your Majesty, the Tatars are waging war against the Turks with the full strength of their tribes, and the Jurchens are also assisting them. This time, the grasslands will surely be in turmoil. In this way, the brothers can have a good New Year."
"Your Majesty, you can now return home in peace!"
Return journey? Jiang Xu thought of this and only let out a cold laugh. He gave a few words of reply with little interest and then headed straight for the camp to find Jing Yan.
While Wan Houyi failed to find any information, this side has made quite a bit of progress.
......
*
The first month of the year, Gengyin, coincided with the Laba Festival.
Shi Wan has been detained in Chenling for three or four days. She is lying in bed, drowsy after taking medicine. She has been lying in bed for the past few days. Several men have noticed this and some of them have started to grumble about her being a troublemaker.
After several days of being forced to take the medicine, Wan Hou Fulin was constantly exposed to the bitter and sour smell. Although he had received orders from above, he couldn't help but speak up after a day, "Hey, you've been drinking medicine every day, I feel like I'm being suffocated by the smell, and you're still not getting better?"
Shi Wan was in much better health and became increasingly adept at feigning illness. She invited several doctors from all over the country, but they all found her thin and worried. The doctors said similar things, such as "excessive worry" and "weak constitution".
Upon hearing this, he immediately adopted a listless demeanor, saying, "I'm not in good health... I used to take medicine every day when I was stationed on the border, I'm sorry."
The weather was cold, and charcoal was burned in the house every night. Even ordinary charcoal was a considerable expense after several days. Jiang Xu's generals were rewarded according to their merits, which, in layman's terms, meant that they were paid for the heads they took in battles. These men had been eating simply for the past few days, so they were probably not well-off.
Shi Wan secretly observed the other party's expression. Seeing that Wan Hou Fulin's expression was strange because of her apology, she continued to explain, "I know that you kidnapped me for a premeditated purpose... but in the end you didn't kill me and even treated my illness."
"Judging by actions rather than intentions, you deserve my thanks."
She frowned and thought for a moment, "It's getting colder and colder. If you don't mind, I can make some simple tea soup. It can warm you up and help you ward off the cold." Zhang Xun said that these people were short of money, and if an olive branch was offered, given their greedy nature, they would definitely not miss it. After she finished speaking, sure enough, she saw Wan Hou Fulin look her up and down several times with suspicion, and then asked with a cold laugh, "You would be so kind?"
“Along the way, I know you think I’m useless, and I’m afraid that one day…” At this point, Shi Wan seemed to recall some extremely terrifying memory, and she trembled involuntarily, avoiding Wan Hou Fulin’s gaze, “If one day you lose patience and decide to kill me, then my life will be gone first, and all this money I have to rely on will be useless.”
Money to fall back on? She really is a sheltered young lady, speaking without thinking. Wan Hou Fulin instinctively pressed, "Money to fall back on? You mean you bought all these things with your own money?"
Seeing Wan'er nod, his eyes darted around.
Chenling is basically a mountain village, which is extremely poor. With this year's heavy snow, apart from a few wealthy people, everyone else is having a hard time. In the past few days, there have been many people sleeping outdoors in the lobby outside the inn.
If Wan'er were willing to make some tea soup and sell it to the innkeeper at a low price to earn a little money or to do him a favor and stay at the inn, that would be feasible. Besides, with Laba Festival approaching, drinking some tea soup or Laba porridge would be a way to experience the flavor of the festival.
From this perspective, this sickly woman is still somewhat useful. After all, she is the concubine of the Prince of Jingbei. She can't take someone's life, but it wouldn't hurt to ask for some money.
Moreover, it was she who suggested it!
Wan Hou Fulin pretended to think for a moment before nodding in agreement.
The next day, a cup of hot tea was served in the lobby, its delicate floral and fruity aroma wafting far and wide. People stopping for a bite or staying at the inn would smell the fragrance and occasionally come over to inquire about it. Over the next few days, the way these people looked at her became much friendlier.
As for whether it was to tear her apart and squeeze every last drop of benefit out of her, Shi Wan didn't care much. While making tea, Zhang Xun handed her the sleeping potion he had found.
The two acted very discreetly. Seeing that she had been going through so much trouble these past few days, Zhang Xun became even more silent, only reminding her, "This medicine is most effective when dissolved in wine or water. If you put it in tea, its effects may be somewhat reduced."
Shi Wan silently made a note of it, and the two exchanged a brief conversation before going about their own business.
Although the others weren't watching her as closely, Shi Wan knew that it was only because they saw that she was weak and posed no threat. Now that the medicine was in her hands, it was like a hot potato, and no one could test its effects.
but......
Coming to her senses, Shi Wan dismissed the person who had come, and calmly poured a small amount of the sleeping potion into a cup. The fine powder floated and instantly dissolved into the medicine.
She stared at it for a moment, then quickly drank it all in one gulp.
......
She slept fitfully until noon the next day, but luckily she had gone to bed early the day before. She usually looked sickly like this, so no one suspected anything for the time being.
When night fell and the moon rose above the willow branches, the group finally sat down at a table, and the atmosphere seemed quite pleasant.
Separated by a wall, Shi Wan stirred a pot of tea and secretly poured in the sleeping potion. The white tea base was clear and white, looking no different from transparent spring water. After the cook went out to use the restroom, she waited patiently for a while before carefully sprinkling some of the remaining side dishes. When it came to soups, such as Laba porridge, she would stir it slowly once or twice, and only when she saw that it was completely dissolved did she feel at ease.
With Zhang Xun, one of her own people, mediating, Shi Wan got the opportunity without much effort. She wasn't qualified to sit at the table, so she leaned against the window and looked out. Through the thin window paper, she could vaguely see the people in the room clinking their cups, drinking their soup, and then eating some dishes before turning her gaze away.
After a while, Shi Wan quietly poked a hole in the window paper and saw the four people gradually fall unconscious and fall to the ground, fast asleep. Only then did her heart finally settle down. Her gaze shifted and met Zhang Xun's eyes, whose expression remained unchanged. He held his breath and stared at her intently for an unknown amount of time.
Shi Wan sighed inwardly, holding the hibiscus jade hairpin in her hand, hidden under her wide sleeve. "Thank you for today. Now you can take your revenge." Wan Hou Fu Lin had just drunk a lot of tea and eaten so many dishes, so he had ingested the most medicine. However, since these people were all martial artists, the effects of the medicine were probably three points weaker.
She deliberately intensified the flavor of the tea, and with Zhang Xun's help, the plan went smoothly. Shi Wan had anticipated this, but she didn't expect him to be so cautious, seemingly... he didn't even eat too much food.
If only a few bites are taken, the medicinal effect will be almost negligible.
She tensed up, clutching the hairpin, and was about to take a few more steps forward when Zhang Xun, after getting up steadily, staggered a few times and then suddenly fell to the ground.
Everyone collapsed, and only then did Shi Wan dare to approach. She quickly emptied the money bags from these people's bodies. In just a few days, the deflated money bags regained some of their previous weight. Not daring to linger, she hurriedly grabbed a dark-colored casual garment, closed the door tightly, and left in a hurry.
The sky was dark, and darkness seeped in inch by inch from the rooftops. The streets and alleys were no longer as noisy as during the day. On Laba Festival, Shi Wan walked on the street and saw that someone was cooking porridge. The warm and sweet aroma wafted into her nose and cut through the slight chill.
She paused for a moment, peering through the window. In that corner of the world, a warm halo swayed, and specks of light peeked through the cracks in the window frame.
Shi Wan remained silent for a moment before turning her head and running into the vast night.
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Author's Note: There will be three updates this weekend to make up for yesterday's update on August 6th (Wednesday). Thank you, dear readers, for waiting! [hugs]
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