When Wang Daxia spoke of Zhong Jin Khatun, his expression was blank, as if the incident where he had sold his birth mother’s dowry fields in Sanlitun to help redeem her freedom had never happened and had nothing to do with him at all.
Wang Daxia said, “Zhong Jin Khatun is An Da Khan’s third khatun. We in Great Ming call her Third Madam. According to Ding Wu’s intelligence, Third Madam is an ambitious woman who isn’t content to simply be a khatun in the great tent. She likes to participate in political affairs.”
Lu Ying asked, “Third Madam was betrothed to her cousin A’duo Si, the son of the Ordos tribe leader. Did A’duo Si just let his fiancée be taken by An Da Khan? Did the Ordos tribe have no reaction to this?”
Wang Daxia said, “The Ordos tribe is loyal to An Da Khan. One un-wedded daughter-in-law isn’t worth more than loyalty to An Da Khan. A’duo Si alone cannot influence the entire tribe. However, Ding Wu has now become sworn brothers with A’duo Si, and their relationship is quite good. Ding Wu has been encouraging A’duo Si to seize the tribal leader position in the future and take Third Madam back.”
Simply put, the Ordos tribe swallowed their pride for the greater good. But A’duo Si was unwilling in his heart, having had the grassland’s greatest beauty stolen from him as his fiancée by An Da Khan. Though his words carried little weight and he had to wear this green hat whether he wanted to or not, Ding Wu took the opportunity to fan the flames. When A’duo Si controls the tribe in the future, he can bring troops to settle accounts with An Da Khan.
The Ordos tribe is a large tribe, famous for guarding the white tent containing Genghis Khan’s relics. If A’duo Si could truly succeed, having an internally divided enemy would certainly benefit Great Ming.
Besides using Third Madam’s ambition to infiltrate the White Lotus Sect, Ding Wu also exploited the Khan’s court contradictions, stirring up trouble everywhere. He had truly mastered the art of being an undercover agent.
Lu Ying already admired Ding Wu, and hearing this doubled her admiration. A person’s ability couldn’t be measured entirely by martial force. Ding Wu’s strength was only enough to kill chickens for chicken and mushroom stew or slaughter geese for iron pot goose stew, but he was skilled in political maneuvering, using his own hands to stir up storms in the Khan’s court.
Lu Ying looked at Linqing County on the map. Ding Wu was there, waiting for spring warmth to melt the canal water.
Beijing was still cold, but Lu Ying’s blood was heating up. She said, “We can’t keep passively waiting for Ding Wu’s messages to confirm where the White Lotus Sect disguised as Japanese pirates is located. Let’s send some of the firearms stolen from the Royal Gunpowder Works to Master Yu, who has fought Japanese pirates the most, to see if he’s encountered similar firearm styles on the battlefield. This way, we can lock down which sea area in advance.”
“Additionally, I’ll personally go to Linqing, disguised as a medicinal herb merchant, to secretly contact Ding Wu. Some things can’t be written too clearly in letters. I still have many questions that I need to ask him face to face.”
Lu Ying really didn’t want to face her family at home, especially her mother. She might as well find an excuse to take a distant assignment.
Master Yu was Yu Dayou, who had taught Lu Ying the “Sword Classic.” As mentioned before, Yu Dayou had been defeated by Japanese pirates and thrown into the Ministry of War’s death prison, about to be executed. His old friend Loyal Earl Lu Bing had spent a thousand taels of gold bribing Yan Shifan, who helped Yu Dayou plead his case. His death sentence was commuted to exile to the northwestern frontier, transforming him from general to common soldier.
However, gold shines wherever it goes. When Yu Dayou went to guard the frontier at Datong in Shanxi, Governor Li Wenjin treated him like a treasure. The northwestern frontier frequently battled An Da Khan’s armies and desperately needed talented warriors like Yu Dayou.
As soon as Yu Dayou arrived in Datong, he designed single-wheeled carts that could match enemy cavalry in several skirmishes. Using one hundred carts with sharp blades attached to their fronts, he achieved a great victory against enemy forces at Anyin Fort, protecting the frontier.
Yu Dayou redeemed himself through merit. Li Wenjin reported Yu Dayou’s achievements to the court and established Great Ming’s Cart Soldier Battalion. Emperor Jiajing then issued an edict restoring Yu Dayou’s title and official position.
This year, the fortieth year of Jiajing, just as spring began, Great Ming could not find peace. In Guangdong, a man named Zhang Lian raised an army in rebellion, establishing the Flying Dragon Kingdom and calling himself the Flying Dragon King. In a short time, he actually gathered over one hundred thousand troops, conquering cities and territories all the way, throwing Guangdong into chaos. The bandit-suppressing armies failed repeatedly, so Emperor Jiajing transferred Yu Dayou to Guangdong to suppress the Flying Dragon Kingdom.
Wu Xiaoqi said, “My father used to guard the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s firearms warehouse. I understand firearms. Leave the task of delivering firearms to Master Yu for identification to me. I’ll take the firearms to Guangdong.”
Wu Xiaoqi’s father was Wu Mask, who had died tragically at the hands of Yan Shifan’s death warriors. Wu Mask had guarded the firearms warehouse for many years. Since the martial arts Lu Ying taught her subordinates were mainly based on Yu Dayou’s “Sword Classic,” everyone respectfully called Yu Dayou “Master.”
Everyone would act separately, pursuing both approaches simultaneously. By this time it was already dark, and most of the Embroidered Uniform Guards in the office had left. Commander Zhu Xixiao was about to leave for social engagements when a guard came to report that Lu Ying had arrived.
Lu Ying was a workaholic with no concept of getting off work. Zhu Xixiao had previously heard about Lu Bing’s “Desperate Fourth Lady” who loved military gear more than makeup, but he hadn’t expected the real person to be more dedicated than the rumors suggested.
Due to Emperor Jiajing’s instructions, Zhu Xixiao put aside his social engagement and met with Lu Ying.
Lu Ying wasted no words, immediately briefing Zhu Xixiao on their White Lotus Sect investigation team’s recent progress and next steps. “…Once we confirm the location of the fake Japanese pirates who are really White Lotus Sect members, our few dozen people alone won’t be enough to close the net. General Yu Dayou is busy suppressing the Flying Dragon Kingdom in Guangdong and can’t spare troops to assist, so this subordinate needs to take Commander Li’s tally and written orders to borrow soldiers from nearby garrison posts.”
Now that her immediate superior wasn’t her adoptive father, everything had to go through proper procedures. There were no more convenient backdoors. Lu Ying couldn’t act independently in everything and needed to borrow Zhu Xixiao’s authority.
Zhu Xixiao was not someone who held a position without doing the work. He deeply understood how important the two pieces of intelligence Ding Wu provided were. Hearing this, he gave her the tally and immediately signed the written orders.
However, Zhu Xixiao hesitated somewhat. “This operation is different from all previous ones. They have nearly nine hundred firearms stolen from the Royal Gunpowder Works in their hands. You’ve never encountered such formidable opponents, and with firearms in hand, even the most skilled martial artists would be helpless. I’m worried about your safety.”
Lu Ying had already “fought” with her mother and knew what the elders were worried about. Reasoning was completely useless with them. They simply didn’t believe that a woman could bravely charge into battle and always felt she was going to her death. The more she argued her case, the more they thought her naive and ridiculous, not listening to the old folks and suffering for it, making them even more unwilling to agree.
“Close to ink, one becomes black.” Lu Ying had “learned bad habits” from Wang Daxia and began lying too. “Blades and swords have no eyes. This subordinate will certainly protect herself well. Father just passed away, and I can’t let Li Yiren suffer the pain of a white-haired person sending off a black-haired person, enduring a double blow. Commander Li can rest assured. This subordinate’s men are all wise and resourceful, brave and good at fighting. When the time comes, we’ll also have local garrison forces assisting us. We will certainly return victorious soon.”
Actually, Lu Ying always led from the front in every battle, charging ahead and never using her subordinates as cannon fodder. Now, being under someone else’s roof, she had to bow her head and learned to be flexible.
Indeed, Lu Ying’s promise had an effect. Zhu Xixiao gave her both the tally and written orders, repeatedly instructing, “Don’t be rash, don’t be greedy for glory, don’t be too aggressive. Remember not to fight alone. Once you discover the White Lotus Sect’s nest, don’t move hastily. Quietly borrow soldiers from the garrison to surround them, then annihilate them.”
Lu Ying put away the tally and written orders. “This subordinate respectfully remembers Commander Zhu’s orders and dare not forget them.”
Having obtained what she wanted, Lu Ying immediately prepared to go to Linqing. She chose to disguise herself as a medicinal herb merchant and went to Sweetwater Lane to find Wei Caiwei for help, asking her what herbs would be most convincing to purchase and transport south for trade.
Wei Caiwei said, “Naturally ginseng and deer antler, both transported from north to south. Whatever you transport sells, with rich profits, and the goods aren’t too heavy, making them convenient to transport and most suitable for disguise.”
Wei Caiwei was curious. “Why the sudden need to go to Linqing?”
Lu Ying hesitated somewhat. This involved Embroidered Uniform Guard secrets and was related to the White Lotus Sect. She couldn’t drag Wei Caiwei into this anymore.
Lu Ying said, “There’s a White Lotus Sect nest in Linqing.”
Lu Ying went to Beijing’s major medicinal herb shops to purchase goods and learn about market conditions.
However, Wei Caiwei wasn’t so easily fooled. She noticed that when Lu Ying spoke, her eyes kept glancing toward Ding Wu’s room.
Lu Ying kept her mouth sealed tight, so Wei Caiwei retreated in the face of difficulty. But there was someone whose mouth was like a bamboo basket—full of holes. She decided to make a breakthrough through the bamboo basket.
In the morning, when Wang Daxia went to the Embroidered Uniform Guard office, he passed by her house as usual and whistled.
Hearing the sound, Wei Caiwei opened her window. “Come in, I have something to tell you.”
Wang Daxia quickly dismounted. Wei Caiwei had just gotten up and washed but hadn’t had time to apply makeup in the mirror. Her long black hair was loose, and she dabbed rouge on her lips, lightly pressing them together, then dripped a drop of Western perfume that Shang Zhaoyi had given her on her neck.
She pulled down the collar of her cross-front garment, then deliberately tucked a strand of hair inside the collar. The black hair was like a little black snake winding downward, from neck to collarbone, then to the valley between the “clamp mountains,” stirring the imagination.
Eunuch Wang from her previous life had been very susceptible to this approach.
Wei Caiwei was essentially using the same old trick, appearing like a begonia sleeping in spring, drowsy-eyed, yawning as she opened the door.
Wang Daxia’s gaze was indeed “entangled” by the curl of black hair on her white chest and couldn’t move away to look at Wei Caiwei’s face.
The rouge was applied in vain.
In the first month, Beijing’s ice and snow hadn’t melted yet. A north wind struck, and Wang Daxia quickly pushed Wei Caiwei inside. “It’s cold outside, be careful not to catch a chill.”
Wang Daxia was someone who acted on emotion but stopped at propriety. He wouldn’t actually grope Wei Caiwei. When he reached out to push, it was a virtual push that didn’t actually touch her chest. According to their usual understanding, when he reached out, Wei Caiwei would simultaneously step back.
But this time, his fiancée suddenly lost their understanding. Wei Caiwei seemed not fully awake, reacting slowly, standing straight in place.
Wang Daxia felt his palm touch something soft. He knew what it was but was reluctant to let go. He wasn’t a scoundrel, but he absolutely wasn’t a gentleman either. He was undoubtedly a man with principles, but his baseline was much lower than ordinary men—his baseline was in the basement.
Wang Daxia immediately let his imagination run wild:
You might not believe this, but I really didn’t move my hand first!
The real thing really can’t be faked, and the fake really can’t be real. This feeling… is at least ten thousand times better than Shandong steamed buns!
In three more years, I can touch freely.
Still have to wait three years, sigh.
“Oh my! What are you doing!” Wei Caiwei successfully pulled off her scam, abruptly slapping away Wang Daxia’s hand, getting angry and turning to leave.
Wang Daxia quickly grabbed her sleeve—not daring to grab her hand. “I… I didn’t mean to. I thought you would step back.”
Wei Caiwei said, “Then why did you grab hold and refuse to let go?”
Wang Daxia was speechless. “I… I was wrong. I’m sorry. Please forgive me, okay? I’m about to leave on a long journey. Please don’t be angry anymore.”
Wei Caiwei: “Where to?”
Wang Daxia: “First to Linqing, then I don’t know where after that.”
Wei Caiwei: “With whom?”
Wang Daxia: “Of course with Commander Lu and the others.”
Wei Caiwei: “That’s all?”
Wang Daxia said, “Yes, all our own people, no outsiders.”
Wei Caiwei pointed to Ding Wu’s room: “Is Ding Wu one of our own or an outsider?”
Wang Daxia said, “Big Brother Ding is certainly one of our own.” And a very capable one of our own!
Wei Caiwei’s heart grew excited. “So you’re saying Ding Wu is in Linqing.”
Wang Daxia hastily said, “No… that’s not the case.” This trip was too dangerous; he didn’t want to drag Wei Caiwei into it either.
Wei Caiwei pretended to be angry. “Hmph, lying to me again. After you leave this time, don’t come looking for me anymore.”
Wang Daxia quickly said, “Yes, yes, yes, Ding Wu is in Linqing.”
Wei Caiwei pulled her collar even more open and turned around. She had just gotten up and hadn’t had time to put on her chest binding undergarment. Two large apples swayed back and forth with her steps, almost breaking free from her clothes, making Wang Daxia dizzy and lose his reason.
Wei Caiwei: “Take me to see Ding Wu, and I’ll forgive you.”
Wang Daxia’s newly grown Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. Without any thought, he said, “Alright.”
Author’s Note:
Daxia: Though steamed buns are good, I have my Banxia.