Wang Daxia looked outside through the door crack. They were indeed Fengcheng’s patrolling soldiers, but each one was disheveled, and even through the door he could smell alcohol. He immediately understood what was happening.
Since opening his shop, he had sat at the door cracking sunflower seeds and observing Fengcheng daily. These patrolling soldiers acted like bandits, using various pretexts to collect protection fees from shops. Catching Daming spies was one of their reasons. Seeing that he had business after opening, they came to extort money.
This group bullied the weak and feared the strong. If you gave in once, they’d come knocking every month to cause trouble. Wang Daxia put his hands on his hips and cursed, “Bullshit! You just fancy this lady’s good looks and came to take advantage—scram!”
Hearing this, the soldiers frantically kicked the door. “Open up quickly! You’re harboring Ming spies and dare insult us!”
The door panel was kicked open, dust and wood splinters flying. The soldiers rushed in and saw the flirtatious proprietress running toward the inner room.
“Chase her! Don’t let her escape!”
But the proprietress only opened the door to the inner room and stood in place as a man emerged from inside.
The soldiers surrounded the man. “There really is a wild man hidden in the room! Definitely a Ming spy!”
The man produced an ivory plaque carved with a white lotus, plus a rhinoceros horn official talisman for entering and leaving the Khan’s court. “I am Ding Wu, a sect leader of the White Lotus Sect and Vice Director of the Privy Council in the Khan’s court. You say I’m a Ming spy? Heh, do you dare go before Zhongjin Khatun with me to confront this accusation!”
Ding Wu brought out all three of his powerful backers.
These soldiers were only here to extort protection fees. They never expected a rouge and powder seller’s flirtatious woman to have such powerful backing. They quickly put away their weapons and turned to leave. “All a misunderstanding. We hope Vice Director Ding will be magnanimous.”
“Wait!” Ding Wu pointed at the door panel that looked like it was missing a tooth. “You harassed the shop owner in the street and kicked her door to pieces, and you’re just leaving like this? Quickly compensate her for the door repairs!”
Today they truly failed to steal chickens and lost rice instead. The soldiers threw down money and ran.
Wang Daxia bowed gracefully. “This little woman thanks Vice Director Ding for his assistance.”
Ding Wu said, “Between you and me, no need for courtesy. Quickly find a carpenter to fix the door, lest wild dogs get in.”
The onlooking crowd never tired of watching heroes save beauties, discussing among themselves:
“This Vice Director Ding is so handsome!”
“I clearly saw him come out from the inner room.”
“You’re not mistaken. The proprietress closed her shop early this morning with a ‘Taking Inventory Today’ wooden sign, but there was someone inside.”
“A man and woman alone—could it be…”
“This proprietress has something special, daring to open a shop alone and arrogantly curse at soldiers. Turns out she has a noble backing her.”
“More than something special—look at that chest, like two big melons.”
“Look at this melon—it’s big and round, must be sweet and fragrant to bite…”
The frontier folk were bold and unrestrained, unlike Beijing’s reserved nature. Their words were uninhibited, and after spreading by word of mouth, rumors flew everywhere about the newly opened rouge shop’s female owner and the White Lotus Sect leader, Privy Council Vice Director Ding Wu!
Even the girls from the corner’s Yihong Courtyard came to learn from Wang Daxia: “How did Big Sister Ximen hook Vice Director Ding? We sisters have tried for years, but Vice Director Ding never even looks at us.”
Regarding rumors with his own brother-in-law, Wang Daxia was already numb—his wife Wei Caiwei didn’t object anyway, and even smiled at him!
Wang Daxia pointed at the rouge and powder in the counter. “Women beautify themselves for those who appreciate them. Men all like to see beautiful colors. You must dress yourself beautifully every day—who knows when your dream lover might walk through your door? You must be beautiful anytime, anywhere. I have new quality goods here—want to take a look?”
A girl picked up a tin-packaged lip rouge. “Yes! I want this color on the proprietress’s lips—it makes skin look so fair.”
“What eyesight.” Wang Daxia took the lip rouge back and retrieved another similar color from the counter. “This is the right one.”
Another girl fancied the almond honey powder. “I want this—it makes you white, smooth, and shimmering when applied.”
Wang Daxia said, “This contains mica flakes. Your pores are too large—applying this will make your pores look bigger than needle eyes, terrifying. This one without mica flakes suits you…”
Wang Daxia’s love of red makeup actually became an advantage. Self-taught and with rumors linking him to the single Vice Director Ding, almost overnight, all of Fengcheng’s beauty-loving women knew about “Red Makeup” cosmetics shop.
Of course, “Red Makeup”—this simple and crude name was chosen by Wang Daxia himself. Unintentionally planted willows grew into shade, and Red Makeup quickly became popular in Fengcheng.
Wang Daxia took the opportunity to acquire several more shops in Fengcheng, opening branch stores. Two branches were directly across from the White Lotus Sect and Khan’s court, convenient for surveillance and intelligence transmission.
As the shops expanded, the locust extermination operation also began. Wang Daxia was an alluring, flirtatious female boss by day and a cold-blooded, ruthless assassin by night.
The White Lotus Sect collaborators on the death list were eliminated one by one, marked with red ink like the Book of Life and Death marked by the Black and White Impermanence.
Autumn in Fengcheng was already very cold.
Some people “collapsed drunk” at street corners, freezing to death in their stupor.
Some walked night roads and saw women beckoning from deep, dark alleys: “Come play—one silver coin and this slave is yours.” The next day they were found stabbed dozens of times, lying in pools of blood, money pouches gone—robbed and murdered.
Some stayed home, doors closed, going to bed early with warm braziers lit, then died in bedroom fires in the middle of the night.
At White Lotus Sect headquarters, snow began falling in autumn. Sect Leader Zhao Quan received news of another sect member’s death. This time the method was falling from a startled horse during riding. One leg somehow got caught in the stirrup, dragged alive on the ground for half a li, leaving flesh and limbs scattered along the way.
Zhao Quan sighed with hands behind his back. “This autumn is very ominous. Seventeen people in the sect have died.”
The White Lotus Sect’s second-in-command, Vice Leader Li Zixin, said, “This year’s drought caused poor harvests in Bansheng. After keeping seed grain, what’s left barely suffices for winter. The grasslands are also barren. To prevent massive livestock deaths, herders slaughtered and preserved many animals early, keeping only small portions of cattle and sheep. In such famine years, robbery naturally increases. When times are chaotic, people die. The leader needn’t worry excessively. If there’s not enough grain, we’ll rob from Daming. If population decreases, we’ll rob Daming women to distribute among our sect’s men for breeding. Our White Lotus Sect is eternal and indestructible.”
Li Zixin was the White Lotus Sect’s most Daming-hating member from Datong, Shanxi. To please the Khan’s court, he even took a Mongol name: Khan Bichig (meaning ‘little scribe’ in Mongolian). He not only guided Mongol Tartar armies in burning, killing, and looting everywhere, but returned to his Datong hometown and convinced over three hundred fellow townspeople to migrate collectively to Bansheng territory.
Both Zhao Quan and Li Zixin were extremely cold and selfish people. When sect population and grain decreased, their solution was robbery. Zhao Quan thought: since we’re robbing anyway, might as well do something big.
The weather had turned cold—time to harvest heads in Daming.
So Zhao Quan went to the Khan’s court to propose to An Da Khan another expedition to the capital for profit.
This was a famine year. The livestock tributes from various tribes to the Khan’s court were far less than before. Everyone faced wintering problems. An Da Khan was about to demand grain from Zhao Quan when Zhao Quan “walked into the trap.”
An Da Khan said, “This year most livestock died. There’s not enough meat. Your Bansheng territory has fifty thousand dan of stored grain—take it out for emergency relief.”
Zhao Quan quickly said, “Bansheng territory belongs to the Great Khan’s domain. The grain is also the Great Khan’s—this subject merely safeguards it for the Great Khan. But Bansheng also has fifty thousand people to feed. If we give out all fifty thousand dan to distribute among the tribes, they’ll all starve to death. Come spring next year, who will farm and produce grain for the Great Khan? Those herders only know cattle and sheep—they can’t farm.”
An Da Khan asked, “How much grain can you spare?”
“At most ten thousand dan.” Zhao Quan humbly held up one finger. “Fifty thousand sect members must survive winter and the spring famine period. The remaining forty thousand dan of stored grain must include seed grain for spring planting. They can only eat half-full each meal to avoid starvation. Great Khan, the White Lotus Sect has truly done its utmost. We implore the Great Khan’s mercy.”
An Da Khan was dissatisfied. “Only ten thousand dan—divided among the tribes, it’s not even enough to fill teeth gaps.”
Zhao Quan said, “Cutting expenditure is inferior to increasing income. Great Khan, this winter both herders and farmers must tighten their belts—everyone’s underfed. Rather than…”
Zhao Quan pointed at Beijing on the map. “This subject is willing to lead the Great Khan’s army on another journey south for hunting. Our White Lotus Sect will lead the way, serving like dogs and horses. Of the hunting spoils, the White Lotus Sect only wants ten percent.”
An Da Khan hadn’t expected Zhao Quan to have such great “ambition.” “Hunt in the capital?”
Zhao Quan kowtowed. “Precisely. The Great Khan’s hot-blooded warriors would rather risk going south to hunt than huddle miserably hungry in tents. We White Lotus Sect aren’t skilled at warfare but know the local terrain well. The Gengxu year cooperation between the White Lotus Sect and the Great Khan yielded a great harvest—enough to feed us for over ten years. Now we’ve consumed all those reserves. One drought leaves us hungry again. It’s time for another expedition.”
An Da Khan listened eagerly. Originally planning only small border skirmishes to steal enough for winter, Zhao Quan’s reasoning made sense. Small actions were pointless—feast or famine. The capital was the land of milk and honey. One successful raid would feed them for over ten years.
Seeing potential, Zhao Quan continued fanning flames: “The current Daming emperor is only thirty, newly enthroned with unstable footing. This is our golden opportunity to directly attack the capital. Miss this chance, and who knows when the next will come.”
The Gengxu year southern campaign against Ming nearly captured the capital. Though An Da Khan spent a month looting around Beijing with some regret, he ultimately returned laden with spoils, becoming Mongolia’s most powerful Khan.
Looking at Beijing on the map, An Da Khan suddenly felt youthful vigor stirring his fighting spirit and passion. He slammed the table, about to summon subordinates for discussion, when a maid hurried in: “Zhongjin Khatun requests the Great Khan’s presence.”
Summoned by his young wife, An Da Khan immediately abandoned Zhao Quan to see his beloved.
Jin Ying touched her still-flat abdomen and welcomed An Da Khan. “Great Khan, I’m going to be a mother.”
Author’s Note: Fengcheng’s top beauty influencer Wang +7 and scandal boyfriend, fifth-rank Privy Council Vice Director Ding. Another strange CP added. Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-10-15 03:09:092020-10-15 19:52:07
Thanks to the little angel who threw grenades: Jiuling Shan 1;
Thanks to the little angels who threw mines: Wu, Sonia2201 each 1;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated nutrient solution: Jixiangtian 40 bottles; Jiuling Shan, Paomo 20 bottles each; Qiming Fei S, Wu, Ji Nian 10 bottles each; Heshi Fu Xigui 5 bottles; Xiao Yezi 2 bottles; Hua Shao, Shuibei Pingzi 1 bottle each;
Thank you all so much for your support—I’ll continue working hard!