Princess Yicheng departed very calmly. A handmaid with equally graying hair waited by the bonfire, prepared to collect her ashes. She was only a handmaid—all the crimes weren’t her burden to bear. Yun Ye carefully looked at this handmaid and discovered her face held no expression of grief, only an excitement resembling rebirth.
Sun Simiao gave the handmaid an exquisite gilded silver jar with golden flower and parrot patterns and a lifting beam, topped with a lotus-patterned lid. The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. Only when the bonfire gradually died out and Old Sun helped the handmaid crush Princess Yicheng’s remains and place them in the jar did Yun Ye realize that silver jar seemed to be from his own collection. Of the two jars he’d managed to retrieve from Yetuo—one wine pot with a dancing horse holding a cup, one lifting jar with golden flower and parrot patterns—Yetuo, for some unknown reason, hadn’t taken them but left them properly beside the unconscious Yun Ye. Yun Ye had planned to use it to store candy to coax Xinyue. Now there was no need—Xinyue probably wouldn’t want a jar that had held ashes.
Taking without permission is thievery. Old Sun’s behavior was inappropriate. Yun Ye angrily went to confront Old Sun.
“Daoist Sun, this jar…”
Before he could finish speaking, the muscles in Old Sun’s cheeks twitched chaotically, and he asked impolitely: “Do you have an objection?” His entire person seemed on the verge of erupting.
“No, absolutely no objection. This young one came to ask whether any other burial items are needed. This young one still has a wine pot with a dancing horse holding a cup—it’s quite excellent and would make the best burial item.” This was Yun Ye’s quick thinking. If he’d been duller, thinking of returning alive today would be a fantasy!
“Scram, scram quickly. Seeing you beasts from the army makes me angry.”
Old Sun’s rage erupted like a volcano, finally venting out. Only the scope of attack was rather broad. Although killing Princess Yicheng had nothing to do with Yun Ye, the old man now couldn’t help but lose his temper at the sight of anyone in military uniform.
Dejectedly turning to walk back, he heard Sun Simiao say again: “Come back.” It seemed Old Sun hadn’t cursed enough and was preparing to continue. Yun Ye decided to be a wooden man today and let him be.
Old Sun had tear stains on his face—who knew if they’d just been shed. He pointed to the handmaid beside him and said to Yun Ye: “Arrange her properly. Don’t let her suffer even a bit more. Let her finish this life peacefully. She’s suffered her whole life—let her properly be human for a few years. This old Daoist is a man who has left home. It’s inappropriate to have women attendants nearby.”
Did Old Sun have some special feelings for Princess Yicheng? Yun Ye didn’t dare ask now, nor did he plan to. Sun Simiao, who was always as stable as a mountain, had not only lost composure but even cried. This was a major event. Arranging an old handmaid wasn’t a problem. He’d just mention it to He Shao later.
As if seeing through Yun Ye’s thoughts, Old Sun said: “Let her follow you and serve you. Dare to send her anywhere else and see what happens.”
“We just burned her mistress to death. Aren’t you afraid she’ll get angry and poison me or something?” This was a major hazard. It needed to be asked clearly.
Old Sun stared at the silver jar in a daze, his voice as ethereal as if floating from beyond the heavens: “Do you believe this old Daoist will poison you to death right now?”
This set his heart at ease. He called over the handmaid, had her hold the ash jar, and follow Yun Ye to find a tent to rest in. Only Sun Simiao remained, sitting cross-legged by the bonfire chanting sutras.
Those who deserved death died. Those who deserved killing were killed. Turkish nobles who’d grown fat were beheaded one by one by long ghost-head sabers. Some had blood spurting from their neck cavities a zhang high. Their resentment seemed great, causing the entire army to cheer for the performance. When they saw blood that didn’t spray up, everyone sighed in unison, looking at heads rolling all over the ground as if looking at a pile of dog shit.
The executioner was very energetic, catering to the audience’s morbid tastes. He specifically selected the back of the skull as the cutting position. Cutting at this position made blood spray the highest.
After arranging the handmaid, he gave her a large pile of food and selected some furs suitable for her to wear.
“Master, this servant wishes to bathe. I beg Master’s fulfillment.” Yun Ye was now very afraid of hearing the word “bathe.” Just now, a madwoman who bathed with fire had been burned to ashes, and now came another. How could he not be alarmed?
The handmaid saw Yun Ye’s worry and said with a smile: “Master need not worry. This servant only wants to heat some water and properly bathe. I haven’t had a hot bath in thirty years.”
“Good heavens, how filthy must that be? You must bathe. Otherwise, this room will be uninhabitable.”
“I’ll be very busy all day today. I won’t return until evening. People generally don’t enter my tent. I’ll send an auxiliary soldier to help you carry water. There’s a stove in the room—heat your own water. Someone will bring you a bathing tub. Take your time bathing, no rush.” After speaking, Yun Ye dashed out. Talking with a woman who hadn’t properly bathed in thirty years was truly high pressure.
He had Old Zhuang send the handmaid a large wooden tub. Yun Ye also sent in a jar of bath beans. These were specially prepared for Yun Ye by his aunt, made from the finest pea flour with many miscellaneous things like cloves and agarwood added. After bathing, one’s entire person smelled like bath beans—the scent wouldn’t dissipate for half a day.
The handmaid’s tears flowed with joy. These were things only nobles could use. She felt Yun Ye treated her very well. How could she know that since she entered, Yun Ye always felt there was a strange smell in the room and wanted to mask it with the bath bean scent?
After the executions finished, the military camp erupted. Voices boiled over. All the bonfires were lit together, and the camp immediately warmed up. Small bonfires had pots hanging over them. Beef and mutton rolled in milky white broth. Large jars of diluted alcohol were everywhere. One sip was unforgettable, and the resulting headache made death seem preferable to life.
Soldiers missing fingers and toes engaged in lofty discussions together. Those missing a little finger were scorned. Missing two toes qualified as acceptable. Missing half a foot sole counted as heroic. When two fellows without noses stood before everyone holding meat in their mouths, silence immediately fell around them. Everyone in unison honored them as bosses.
Life and death were ordinary matters on the battlefield. Losing a piece of flesh from one’s body truly wasn’t worth mentioning. Compared to those frozen stiff companions, at least they could still drink and eat meat. What was there to be dissatisfied about? This great victory—everyone predicted there would be generous rewards. Unexpectedly, the Grand Commander didn’t even turn in the soldiers’ captured items, saying to keep them for when they returned to Guanzhong to marry wives. His Majesty didn’t care for these little trinkets you’d fought for with your lives.
Li Jing wouldn’t have thought that what the Emperor didn’t care for, what he didn’t care for—these little trinkets—had someone staring with gleaming green eyes, drooling with desire. Knives encrusted with gems, saddles covered everywhere with silver, gilded stirrups, gilded bridles, gilded silver boxes. The grassland nobles only liked gold, so many things were gleaming gold. How could the money-loving He Shao sit still? Holding a gilded fish-dragon pattern silver plate, he extended three fingers toward the soldier before him.
The soldier could be heard wailing: “I worked so hard to find this, and you’re offering three wen? I won’t do it. At least five wen, otherwise I’m taking it away.”
He Shao’s mouth hung open for a long time. He quickly grabbed the soldier’s arm and said: “Brother, you’re formidable. I’m afraid of you. Five wen it is. I’ll give you the money right now. Met someone who knows goods.”
The triumphant soldier, jingling the five wen in his hand, was about to leave when someone grabbed him. Looking up, he saw a young noble. This youth angrily told him to wait a moment, then rushed over to the fat man who’d taken his plate and grabbed him for a fierce beating. The soldier really couldn’t bear to watch. He wanted to return the two extra wen he’d demanded to the fat man, but the youth walked over and said to him: “Such a good plate and you only sold it for five wen? Are you stupid?”
“This humble one didn’t know what that thing was. Anyway, it’s not gold. I asked the squad leader—selling it for five wen was already quite good.” The soldier muttered quietly.
“You don’t understand. The plate you brought is very valuable—at least fifty wen. You suffered in the snow for so many days, and it’s only worth five wen?” The young noble counted out forty-five more wen and placed them in the soldier’s hand, then chased him out.
The dazed soldier looked at the pile of money in his hands. This was two shi of grain! Used frugally, it was enough to eat for half a year. After all, he came from a prominent family—his actions were magnanimous, unlike that fat man who specialized in deceiving us common soldiers.
He Shao, covered in dust, crawled out from behind the table, patted the ash from his body, and said to Yun Ye: “Buying it for five wen wasn’t fine? It was willing buyer, willing seller. You had to give them a fair price. Even if he went to a pawnshop in Chang’an, he’d only pawn it for a few dozen wen.”
“Your eyes are now full of nothing but damn money. Don’t you pity those common soldiers at all? Besides, what price were you planning to offer for this plate initially?”
“I held out three fingers, meaning three hundred wen. Who knew he thought it was three wen and insisted I raise it to five wen? What could I do?” He Shao shrugged his shoulders like Yun Ye, putting on an innocent expression.
This matter spread through the military camp. The fat merchant bullied people and was soundly beaten by Marquis Yun, who also recovered the soldiers’ money. This won Yun Ye widespread praise in the camp. Even Su Dingfang, lying on a warm kang recovering from injuries, gave a thumbs up.
“Heard you sold a foreign meat-cutting knife with sheath for two hundred wen, brother. Such a good opportunity—let a brother in on it too. I won’t forget your kindness afterward.”
“What opportunity? It’s right there in that small camp area. Heard that anything our brothers captured that they don’t fancy can be taken there to exchange for money. If they don’t want to carry money, they can even have them send it home—though they charge a bit, it’s still fair. Brother, you should go take a look.”
Thus, He Shao’s business grew larger and larger. He collected items from soldiers, paid them money, then took the money back from their hands, giving the soldiers only small slips of paper bearing He Shao’s signature and seal.
Li Jing specifically inquired about this matter. Learning that He Shao only needed to send the account books back to Chang’an without dragging dozens of carts of copper coins across the grassland—that naturally people would distribute the money to the soldiers’ wives and children from Chang’an—he was very curious whose idea this was. However, after seeing Yun Ye, he said nothing more, only threatening He Shao that if he dared embezzle the soldiers’ money, he wouldn’t mind skinning and dismembering He Shao.