The Pingzhou government office was currently in complete chaos. No one had anticipated that Wen Yu would encounter an assassination attempt on her return journey from the temple ceremony. The officials below had proposed holding a temple ceremony in Pingzhou mainly because, although Wen Yu had met numerous officials during her time in Pingzhou, the common people in the city had only glimpsed her carriage procession on the day she entered the city and knew very little about her, this former wengzhu of old Liang. After Pei Song’s battle with Wei Qishan at Dingzhou, he had already begun dividing his forces to suppress the various rebel princes in the south. If they wanted to rapidly expand their momentum and continue attracting talented people, they had to create some commotion. Holding a temple ceremony was the best method. First, after the Wen imperial clan had been slaughtered to near extinction, no one had yet formally offered sacrifices to them. This act would undoubtedly announce to the world that Wen Yu, representing old Liang, had formally entered this power struggle. Second, it would allow the common people of Pingzhou to behold her countenance and gain more popular support for Wen Yu among the masses.
Chen Wei, Li Xun, and others had planned this for a long time. Fearing someone might lay an ambush in advance, they had kept it secret from outsiders until the day of the temple ceremony before releasing the news. They had also arranged multiple layers of guards along the route to ensure Wen Yu’s safety. Who could have known that while the outward journey passed without incident, on the return trip, a group of refugees suddenly charged toward the carriage procession, drawing blades to slash at them. With many onlookers present, chaos immediately erupted. The guards protected the carriage tightly, but the assassins dressed identically to ordinary commoners, making them impossible to defend against. When the assassins finally broke into the carriage, Zhaobai’s injuries had not yet healed and she alone couldn’t handle so many people. At the critical moment, fortunately another manor guard burst forth and turned the tide.
Wen Yu sat in the inner chamber, allowing the physician to take her pulse through a silk handkerchief, her expression calm. After finishing the pulse reading, the physician stroked his beard and said, “Your Ladyship’s pulse is weak and floating. This must be due to recent mental strain and excessive worry, coupled with the fright you’ve just suffered. This old one will prescribe medicine for Your Ladyship. Rest well and recuperate.”
Wen Yu lowered her spring sleeves and thanked the physician, then said, “My martial maidservant beside me has sustained some injuries. I trouble the physician to examine her as well.”
The physician gathered his medicine box and agreed. Chen Wei, Li Xun, and the others who had been waiting nearby finally breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Wei said with a face full of shame, “Fortunately Wengzhu is unharmed. Otherwise, even if this subordinate had ten heads, it wouldn’t be enough to cut off…”
Wen Yu said calmly, “Both lords have done your utmost. If those people had received advance information, they should have acted on my way to the temple ceremony. That way, having both attacked me and prevented the ceremony’s success would have been killing two birds with one stone. But since those people waited until my return journey to attempt assassination, presumably they only suddenly received the news and, lacking time to prepare, acted thus.”
Li Xun sighed in frustration, “It’s a pity that group had poison pouches hidden in their mouths. Once captured, they all committed suicide by poison, so nothing could be interrogated from them.”
Wen Yu, however, looked at him and said, “Not necessarily.”
Li Xun’s face showed hesitation. “Wengzhu’s meaning is…”
Wen Yu rose from the grand armchair, her face showing not the slightest trace of panic from having just experienced an assassination. “Those prominent families within Pingzhou city who have been won over by Pei Song or Wei Qishan—I imagine Lord Chen should have them in mind. Although those assassins committed suicide by poison, we can use the pretext of investigation to temporarily suppress the businesses of those prominent clans.”
Chen Wei’s worry turned to joy as he cupped his hands. “Wengzhu’s foresight is so profound. This subordinate is impressed.”
Wen Yu said, “This matter can be considered a blessing in disguise. Counting the days, a cargo ship of mine should soon arrive at Pingzhou. Originally I was worried about how to avoid the eyes and ears of those prominent families at the Pingzhou docks when unloading the cargo. They’ve actually sent me an excellent opportunity.”
Chen Wei and Li Xun exchanged glances, both seeing some surprise in each other’s eyes. “Cargo ship?”
Wen Yu’s lashes lowered slightly. “It’s grain and medicinal herbs I ordered people to purchase along the route before I left Yongcheng. At present, they count as urgently needed goods.”
Wanting to avoid Pingzhou’s eyes and ears when receiving these goods shipped by the Xu family’s cargo vessels was mainly to preserve the Xu family. The Xu family’s cargo ships had been able to arrive safely at Pingzhou all along the route by traveling under the banner of purchasing rice grain and medicinal herbs for Pei Song. Although the various prefectures and commanderies in the south had rebelled, they still didn’t have the audacity to openly plunder Pei Song’s goods. Back in Yongcheng, Wen Yu hadn’t anticipated that the final situation would develop like this. She had paid only half the money to buy twice the goods from the Xu family, worried at the time that the Xu family would resell them on their own after reaching Pingzhou. But with rebel princes now standing everywhere, this instead dispelled Wen Yu’s concerns even more.
To support their troops, the rebel princes commonly found any pretext to raid local merchants’ homes and seize their wealth. Those cleverer merchants, like the Jia family of Zhao County in Xinzhou, curried favor with the government first, relinquishing most of their family wealth to preserve their safety. If the Xu family wanted to do business with other rebel princes, that would be like putting a piece of fat meat into a dog’s mouth. As for distributing to other merchants, that was even more difficult. Wen Yu’s initial scheme had caused the price increases for grain and medicinal herbs that should have occurred only after the war chaos spread to arrive early. The merchants south of the Wei River had also stockpiled goods in advance. With their own accumulated inventory not yet sold, how would they purchase more stock from the Xu family? The only ones who could absorb the cargo from those several Xu family ships were local prefecture governments.
The Xu family dared not cooperate with the rebel princes, and naturally dared not cooperate with Pei Song either. Setting aside that the cargo ships had long since headed south, making escort time-consuming and laborious, just the degree of price suppression by Pei Song’s subordinates was enough to make one shrink back in dread. Pei Song’s army had been continuously purchasing rice grain and medicinal herbs, but even with prices already inflated to such a degree, they still forced prices down when buying, and when unable to buy, they simply seized goods by force after conquering other prefectures. However, those in business also had nimble minds. As the saying goes, wealth is found in danger. They operated under the banner of working for Pei Song, obtaining procurement documents from Pei Song’s army. On the surface, they traveled far and wide to purchase grain and medicine for Pei Song, but in reality they used this as a travel permit so that various rebel princes and mountain bandits dared not openly plunder them, allowing them to continue their own business. Though they did indeed supply Pei Song’s army with some goods, then gave the officials handling affairs a large sum in “filial tribute.”
After the dramatic change in the realm’s situation, the Xu family dared to continue this transaction with Wen Yu precisely because merchants had formed such a path to continue prospering and making money. They didn’t know the origin of Wen Yu’s money, nor could they anticipate that when the cargo ships arrived at Pingzhou, they might be watched by Pei Song’s agents planted in Pingzhou. As the initiator in this chess game, Wen Yu understood that with each of her moves, if she showed even the slightest slip, Pei Song could trace it back to its roots. The Xu family’s merchant fleet could connect Pingzhou and Yongcheng. She wanted to develop this into a covert line, so she had to preserve the Xu family.
When Chen Wei and Li Xun heard that she actually had supplies, and medicinal herbs that all the rebel princes currently coveted, both were utterly astonished and even more admiring of Wen Yu. They cupped their hands together in excitement and said, “With Wengzhu here, why worry that our Great Liang will not prosper?”
Wen Yu said, “This matter also requires both lords to dispatch some reliable confidants to handle. Be absolutely certain not to leak any information. I need the Yong merchant Xu clan to serve me in the future.”
Chen Wei nodded, completely convinced. “This subordinate understands. This subordinate will arrange it immediately!” After he left, only then did Li Xun reveal some worry. “Although one cannot have both fish and bear’s paw, the Southern Chen envoy will soon arrive at Pingzhou. At this time, continually suppressing news of Wengzhu’s assassination while strictly investigating several major prominent families within Pingzhou city—this subject… fears that those with ulterior motives will make a big issue of it.”
Wen Yu’s fingertips picked up a memorial to read, her eyes rippleless. “Isn’t this even better? Have people watch closely. Perhaps we can even pull out a few more nails.”
Li Xun’s worry didn’t diminish. “If the Southern Chen envoy feels that we urgently need their protection, this subject worries they’ll be overly arrogant when negotiating the alliance and won’t accept the conditions you propose…”
Wen Yu’s eyelids lifted slightly. “As for this matter, I have my own methods to deal with it. Rather, regarding Sir Li Yao’s side…” She paused in her tone and said, “Regarding this temple ceremony, concealing it from him was not because I don’t trust his loyalty to the manor, but because I worried that among the advisors who support him, there might be those with ulterior motives who would leak information and invite disaster. But the old gentleman is proud by nature. A grudge has inevitably been sown. I don’t seek his understanding, but I trouble you, my lord, to make a trip to the storehouse for me, select some gifts to give to the gentleman, as a small token of apology.”
Although Li Xun was several decades younger than Li Yao, the two had served together at the manor for many years, so naturally he understood Li Yao’s loyalty to the manor. He just hadn’t expected that old fellow to be so obstinate and pedantic, convinced that women couldn’t accomplish great things, unwilling to acknowledge Wen Yu as the new master the way he had served the old master. He had even declared that if not for the debt of gratitude from the Crown Prince’s severed finger entrustment, he wouldn’t have been willing to come to Pingzhou and live under Southern Chen’s thumb in the future. He could turn to Wei Qishan and serve another ambitious lord again to still kill Pei Song and avenge the old master. That day, when he had someone summon Zhaobai over, it was precisely because Li Yao had said such highly disrespectful words before many advisors. After Wen Yu learned of this, she hadn’t punished Li Yao, but from then on simply treated coldly that group of advisors led by Li Yao.
Thinking of how the group who had once vowed to avenge the Prince and Crown Prince had ultimately split apart like this, Li Xun felt all sorts of unpleasantness in his heart. But Wen Yu’s treatment of Li Yao’s group was already sufficiently benevolent. He bowed deeply to Wen Yu and said, “This subject thanks Wengzhu on their behalf. They will eventually understand Wengzhu’s painstaking efforts.”
After Li Xun departed, Zhaobai came over from the side hall and called out, “Wengzhu.”
Wen Yu was supporting her head as if thinking about something. Hearing the sound, she looked toward her and asked, “How are your injuries?”
Zhaobai said, “Fortunately Yan Que arrived in time. It’s just added another superficial wound.”
Yan Que was one of the most reliable guards from the former Prince of Changlian’s manor. When Wen Yu traveled from Luodu to Southern Chen, it was he who led the other guards to escort Wen Yu south. Wen Yu came back to herself and pressed her temples. “That’s right. Has another person from the manor finally found their way here? I haven’t had time to see him since returning. Summon him in.”
Zhaobai walked to the doorway and had a maid call the person into the room. Before long, a powerfully built, tall man entered and knelt on one knee before Wen Yu, his eyes reddening as he said, “Yan Que is incompetent. Since being attacked before the New Year, only today have I finally found Wengzhu…”
Wen Yu quietly observed the person kneeling below for a while before saying, “Rise and speak. Why have you come to Pingzhou alone? Where are the others?”
The redness in Yan Que’s eyes deepened further as he said with difficulty, “There are no others. They’re all dead.”
Zhaobai pressed her lips together without speaking. Those who had escorted Wen Yu together with Yan Que initially numbered nearly a hundred manor guards. Those people had been carefully selected elite forces from the manor, and quite a few had been personally trained by her. How could there be no turmoil in her heart?
Although Wen Yu had long suspected this, truly hearing this result still caused her to briefly lose focus. She asked, “Zhenfeng and Mianyue—are they also dead?”
Zhenfeng and Mianyue were two martial maidservants who had served her since childhood. To draw away pursuers, Zhenfeng had disguised herself as Wen Yu. Mianyue and she together disguised themselves as refugees. Originally, they had thought that with Zhenfeng’s superior martial skills and so many guards present, escaping after drawing away the pursuers wouldn’t be difficult. But Zhenfeng and the guards went and never returned. Mianyue, worried something had happened, went to investigate and also disappeared without a trace after leaving. While Wen Yu hid among refugees, carefully avoiding pursuers while searching for the guards, she had carelessly fallen into human traffickers’ hands. Precisely because she believed the guards couldn’t all have been captured, after drifting to Yongcheng, she had never given up trying to contact them.
Yan Que said sorrowfully, “All dead.”
This settled answer caused grief to seep into Wen Yu’s eyes. Her deep, somber gaze fixed unblinkingly on Yan Que. “The day you drew away the pursuers, what exactly happened?”
Yan Que’s throat moved with difficulty. Just as he was about to respond, panicked shouts from a maid suddenly came from outside the courtyard: “General Xiao, without Wengzhu’s summons, you cannot enter!”
But those urgent footsteps had already reached the doorway. Zhaobai’s eyes flashed coldly, her waist-worn blade instinctively unsheathing half an inch. Yan Que also glanced sideways toward the outside, and saw a cold, handsome young man in armor push aside the blocking maid and appear in the doorway. His breathing was rough and heavy, as if he had rushed all the way here. His gaze fixed steadily on Wen Yu.
Wen Yu frowned at the person who should have been at the military camp yet had suddenly appeared here. Before she could say anything, Xiao Li had already cupped his fists and knelt on one knee, his not-yet-calmed breathing making his voice especially low and deep: “This general has urgent matters to report!”