Chapter 45: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" (Are You the One)

 FlamingoBees 

Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)

Home    :    Novels

 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 Chapter 45: 

 

Compared to Cui Xingzhou's concerns, Liu Mian Tang was far more delighted.

She was pleasantly surprised that her husband could make a brief visit to the rear while collecting medicinal supplies. To celebrate this rare opportunity, she decided to have Li Mama prepare a special meal for him.

The residence in Wuning Pass was quite small, and the previous owner had left behind many items. Liu Mian Tang hadn't had time to clear everything out, so the kitchen was cramped and only had a single stove, which limited the variety of dishes she could prepare.

Li Mama decided to adapt to local customs and prepared a hearty stew. The meal included vegetables bought from local farmers, along with mountain chicken, potatoes, and green peppers that the secret guards had hunted while up in the mountains.

The mountain chicken had been marinated and stewed with vegetables, creating a rich and savory broth. Li Mama also made a local specialty flatbread with jujube powder, which was sweet and sticky, catering to the southern tastes of the Prince's family.

The house lacked a proper bed and instead had a traditional northern heated brick bed. By heating the adjacent stove pit, the bed became warm and cozy, even more so than a kang (a traditional Chinese heated bed).

Bi Cao set up a small local-style table on the heated bed, so Cui Xingzhou and Liu Mian Tang could enjoy their meal comfortably.

While they were eating, Liu Mian Tang suddenly remembered to ask her husband about his camp. 

Usually, when military families chat, they discuss their spouses' camps. However, Liu Mian Tang had noticed that her husband’s camp was particularly mysterious—no one seemed to know about it or had heard of the "Thousand-Man Leader Cui Jiu."

Taking advantage of her husband’s rare visit home, Liu Mian Tang decided to ask him directly about his unit.

Cui Xingzhou carefully considered his words and said, “Our unit is different from others; we are specifically tasked with covert operations and intelligence gathering. We do not interact with other units regularly, so we are not well known... You should avoid talking too much with those other women to prevent any sensitive information from leaking to those with ulterior motives.”

Cui Xingzhou’s explanation, much like Liu Mian Tang’s handling of the medicines, was delivered with such confidence that it seemed completely convincing.

Liu Mian Tang nodded in agreement. It made sense now that her husband was part of an elite unit assigned to crucial tasks, explaining why the other military families were unfamiliar with him.

Given the proximity of Wuning Pass to Jin Jia Pass, every outsider who came here had to go through strict local registration and verification.

Liu Mian Tang wasn’t worried about spies among the military families, but she was cautious and made sure not to reveal her husband's identity or position.

Cui Xingzhou ate quickly, eager to return to Jin Jia Pass. Liu Mian Tang hurried to pack the winter clothes she had made, along with some food, to send with him. She also included items that the neighboring military families had asked him to take back.

There was no helping it—though the commanding general insisted on disguising himself as a common thousand-man commander, he had to bring along items for his comrades. Once he returned to the main camp at Jin Jia Pass, he would have his personal guards distribute the items, ensuring that the original sender remained unknown to most.

When Cui Xingzhou arrived back at the Jin Jia Pass main camp from Wuning Pass, a courier from the relay station brought a stack of letters for the general.

Cui Xingzhou, sipping on the osmanthus and lotus seed soup he had brought from Wuning Pass, sorted through the letters with his long fingers. One letter was clearly from his cousin, Lian Binglan, as evidenced by the elegant handwriting.

He set that letter aside without opening it. Since his departure, Lian Binglan's letters had been arriving regularly—about once every few days. At this rate, the relay horses along the northwest route would soon be worn out by her persistent correspondence.

Another letter was from his mother. Cui Xingzhou used a letter opener to open and read it.

The letter contained advice to take care of his health and to write home more often. Much of the letter was a reproach for his unilateral decision to break off the engagement without informing his parents. His impulsive actions had caused great distress to his aunt's family. His cousin Lian Binglan was said to be weeping daily, claiming that if she couldn't clear up the misunderstanding with him, she would never marry anyone else.

Cui Xingzhou, weighing the tone, thought that his mother's letter was likely heavily edited by his aunt. 

Although he was in the northwest, he felt a bit regretful not to see his aunt and cousin's distress in person and to miss out on many of their nagging concerns.

He set the letter aside, planning to reply with a reassuring letter of his own when he had some free time.

Among the other letters were words of encouragement from his mentor and condolences from old friends.

One letter from the Marquis, Zhao Quan, was particularly noteworthy. Zhao Quan expressed disappointment that Cui Xingzhou hadn't informed him of his enlistment, suggesting that he could have joined the campaign alongside Cui Xingzhou.

Zhao Quan, who had previously been idle, had surprisingly applied for a position managing logistics, becoming a grain officer responsible for transporting supplies. Since Zhenzhou was a region rich in grain, many of its officials were locally chosen rather than appointed from the capital.

This allowed Zhao Quan to visit the northwest and reunite with his friend without engaging directly in combat, thus avoiding the risk of endangering the Marquis' family line.

However, Cui Xingzhou suspected that Zhao Quan’s motives might not be entirely pure, especially since Zhao Quan repeatedly inquired about the whereabouts of Liu Mian Tang in his letter. Despite Zhao Quan’s unwavering support during Cui Xingzhou’s low points, Cui Xingzhou remembered the friendship but felt that no formalities were necessary between them. Thus, he wrote back with just three words: "Send more grain."

Cui Xingzhou hoped that Zhao Quan would fulfill his mission and deliver the crucial supplies to Zhenzhou.

As for the confidential reports from his spies in Zhenzhou, they were quite intriguing. The surrender of Yangshan had proceeded smoothly without the obstruction of Prince Huaiyang. 

Zi Yu had married the daughter of General Shi, becoming a highly favored son-in-law. With the military situation on the border, the capital's defenses were stretched thin, and many local military officials had been temporarily reassigned to guard the city.

Shi Yikuan was among those reassigned, and naturally, his new son-in-law would accompany him to the capital to meet the emperor.

Cui Xingzhou mused that the scene in the capital would be quite lively. Empress Wu, who had schemed against the Crown Prince's heir, would never have expected that the very prince she persecuted would return to the capital in such a grand manner.

Similarly, the influence of the Empress Dowager represented by Prince Sui would not remain idle. It was uncertain how they would use the exiled prince Zi Yu to their advantage and what kind of upheaval it might cause.

Had Cui Xingzhou been in Zhenzhou at this time, he would have been forced to declare his stance and choose sides. 

However, none of the factions—whether Yangshan’s Zi Yu, Prince Sui, or the scheming concubines in the capital—appealed to him. He wanted nothing to do with any of them.

It was precisely because of this that he had spent an entire night contemplating by the canal, ultimately deciding to accept the imperial decree and come to the perilous Jin Jia Pass in the northwest.

A skilled strategist knows the principle of placing a decisive piece in a critical position. Jian Jia Pass was his carefully chosen piece; whether it would prove effective depended on his own skill.

At this time, beneath the Pass, the area was filled with fierce and relentless shouting. However, Cui Xingzhou remained composed and patient, waiting for the storm in the capital to pass before assessing the situation.

Due to Cui Xingzhou's arrival, the previous defenders' ambition to recapture lost territory was replaced by a more cautious approach. They focused on holding the fort, occasionally pouring oil and shooting arrows at the enemy below. The patience of the barbarian soldiers was wearing thin, and the frequency of their taunts gradually decreased.

As winter was coming to an end and the best time for battle was drawing to a close, the Northwest barbarian troops, being nomadic and dependent on water and pastures, would soon begin their summer migration. They would have little interest in besieging the Pass once the summer arrived.

With the most challenging period almost behind them, an imperial edict arrived unexpectedly. The decree reprimanded Cui Xingzhou for his cowardice and failure to fight, criticizing him for merely remaining within the Pass and passively defending. The edict was clear, demanding that he capture at least one prefecture within a month to bolster the morale of the troops.

The content of the edict, reflecting a lack of understanding of the situation, was written in such a way that it was hard to refute. After the officials had left, Cui Xingzhou’s subordinates exchanged uneasy glances, waiting for his response.

The days at Jin Jia Pass were far from as easy as the imperial edict suggested. Much effort had gone into securing food supplies.

Unfortunately, the court’s financial difficulties had led to Cui Xingzhou being sent to this remote outpost with the suspicion that he was expected to make up for the treasury’s shortfall by scraping together resources himself. It was clear that the court hoped Prince Huaiyang would dig into his own resources to help fill the financial void.

The greed of Empress Dowager Wu and her associates seemed insatiable. They were not only exploiting Prince Huaiyang but were also dissatisfied with the resources they were receiving, which was infuriating.

Despite receiving the edict, Cui Xingzhou maintained his composure, making sure no flaw was found by the censor officials. It was unclear who had slandered him before the Emperor, resulting in such a hasty decree. Although "a general in the field may disregard orders," it was risky to defy the edict from a sovereign unless the ruler was exceptionally wise, as disobedience could be punishable by the destruction of one’s entire clan.

Fortunately, Cui Xingzhou had managed to delay long enough to exhaust the enemy forces outside the city and had gathered the necessary supplies. During this time, he had also kept his troops well-drilled and vigilant, rather than passively waiting.

Hearing the daily barrage of insults, the passionate soldiers within Jin Jia Pass were itching for a fight, eager to stand firm against the invading barbarians.

Just half a month after receiving the imperial edict, a convoy of grain carts from the west, carrying supplies, found itself lost in the barbarian territory due to heavy snow. The convoy, having taken a shortcut in desperation, was promptly intercepted by the barbarians who had been starving for a long time. The sentries seized the grain and, after confirming it was not poisoned, celebrated with great feasting. The barbarians' camp was filled with the sounds of merriment, as large pots of food were prepared, and their horses enjoyed dry fodder with loud whinnies.

The day after the barbarians' feast, the long-closed gates of Golden Armor Pass suddenly swung open. Troops poured out, engaging the barbarians in battle.

This was the opportunity the barbarians had been waiting for. The stronghold of Jin Jia Pass was notoriously difficult to breach; if the defenders did not open the gates willingly, the attacking forces would suffer heavy losses. The barbarians had been fighting to wear down the morale of Yan's forces, hoping to force the Emperor in the capital to submit and pay tribute.

Now that the gates were open, the plan was to completely defeat the formerly aloof Prince Huaiyang, forcing the Yan dynasty to pay tribute willingly.

According to later reports from the battlefield, the battle was extremely fierce!

The cavalry fared somewhat better, but the infantry had a rough time. Whenever the barbarians' horses raised their tails, a stream of dung erupted! The soldiers were covered head to toe in it, making the scene quite grim.

The horses' night-time fodder had turned into a messy battlefield “gold.” After several bouts, the horses' legs gave out, and the barbarian cavalry, caught off guard, tumbled from their mounts. The Yan soldiers swiftly took advantage, striking down the barbarians with brutal efficiency.

The battle was not clean but effective. The Yan forces managed to break the surrounding barbarian army into disarray, causing the remaining wounded and defeated soldiers to flee in chaos. 

The victorious troops, buoyed by their morale, pursued the retreating forces for ten miles and recaptured nearby villages. However, the commander chose not to chase too far and called off the pursuit with the sound of the war drum.

The battered barbarians retreated to their newly conquered Feiying County to recuperate.

This impressive counterattack significantly boosted the morale of the forces at Jin Jia Pass. Now, Cui Xingzhou and his staff had a commendable victory to present to the Emperor.

However, while the officials' families in Wuning Pass were celebrating their husbands' victory, they were also faced with new troubles.

The stream that flowed through their village originated from the direction of Jin Jia Pass. After the recent battle, the water from upstream had carried the smell of horse manure for two consecutive days. The stench made every household in Wuning Pass reluctant to go to the stream for washing or drawing water. Even the children, normally eager to play by the water, avoided the area.

The problem was due to the large number of soldiers from Jin Jia Pass who had bathed and washed their clothes in the stream after the battle, causing the pollution.

Fortunately, Liu Mian Tang had a deep well in her courtyard, so she had a convenient water supply.

The neighbors soon began flocking to her house to borrow water, turning her courtyard into a bustling scene.

When Cui Xingzhou arrived at the Wuning Pass residence on horseback, he saw women from the neighborhood gathered around, drawing water and washing clothes. Liu Mian Tang was directing two maidservants to set up bamboo poles and string clotheslines in the front yard to help the neighbors dry their clothes.

Since moving to Wuning Pass, she had set aside the fine silks and elaborate garments she brought from Lingquan Town. No longer adorned with gold hairpins or jade ornaments, she dressed like the other modestly attired women of Wuning Pass. She wore simple, coarse blue cloth and a plain floral headscarf wrapped around her hair, her slender waist wrapped in a wide blue cloth sash, which accentuated her graceful figure.

Despite her plain clothing, she still caught the eye with her striking beauty and elegance.

In Cui Xingzhou's heart, Liu Mian Tang had once been like a meticulously tended, exquisite peony in a greenhouse. However, he was now realizing that she was more like a wildflower blooming under the midday sun, resilient and full of vitality. No matter where she was, her vibrant and enduring presence could not be ignored.

As Liu Mian Tang turned her head, she spotted her husband, wearing a straw hat and mounted on horseback. Though partially obscured by a veil, his tall and upright figure and the calm, composed demeanor he displayed while on horseback were unmistakable.

Liu Mian Tang immediately lifted her skirt and ran joyfully towards her husband. When she reached the horse, she grabbed the reins and asked, “Husband, when did you return? Why didn’t you call anyone?”

Cui Xingzhou looked at the women peering over the low walls of the courtyard and, without removing his straw hat, replied calmly, “It’s too noisy in the courtyard. I took Mo Ru and a few attendants to the nearby mountains to look around and might bring back some game. What would you like to eat?”

Liu Mian Tang tilted her head, thinking for a moment before smiling and saying, “Roasted rabbit would be best.”

Cui Xingzhou smiled back and said, “Alright, I’ll catch a few for you.” With that, he turned his horse and, with Mo Ru and a few attendants, sped off.

Madam Wen, peeking out from the courtyard door, saw only Cui Xingzhou’s retreating figure and remarked to Liu Mian Tang with curiosity, “I’ve never seen your husband before. He doesn’t look like a mere thousand-man commander; he looks more like a general. My husband has been in the military camp and hasn’t heard of the Ninth Master from Lingquan Town.”

Liu Mian Tang remembered her husband’s instructions about keeping his secretive tasks confidential. Seeing Madam Wen's curiosity about Cui Xingzhou's identity, she deftly changed the subject and talked about other matters.

By evening, when the courtyard was finally quiet and all the women had left, Cui Xingzhou returned under the starlit sky, bringing with him a bountiful catch. Besides a pair of rabbits, he also had a wild boar, which his attendants carried into the courtyard.

Brother Fan Hu, who had been staying with them due to his injuries, was a skilled hand at chores like cleaning and chopping firewood. Now, he quietly joined the attendants in helping to butcher and skin the game.

Liu Mian Tang had hoped that after Brother Fan recovered, her husband would introduce him for military service. If he wasn’t willing, she was prepared to offer him a generous sum as a reward.

However, in front of Brother Fan and his comrades, Cui Xingzhou maintained a stern expression and said, “The troops from Zhenzhou don’t accept untrained recruits. Although you are passionate about serving the country, you lack the skills to survive. If you’re free, you can continue to help in Liu Mian Tang’s courtyard. I’ll pay you accordingly.”

Liu Mian Tang was shocked and embarrassed by her husband’s harsh words. She hadn’t expected that a man of his rank, a thousand-man commander, would speak so sternly to her saviors.

The group of kind-hearted men, who had been deeply moved by her husband's words, looked ashamed and some even had tears in their eyes but managed to endure silently.

That night, Liu Mian Tang, upset by her husband’s demeanor, spent the night in cold silence, refusing to speak to him. She was concerned that his authority as a commander was making him overly harsh and imposing.

By the next morning, Cui Xingzhou had offered a formal apology to the brave men. Surprisingly, these men, with their generous hearts, forgave him and declined any monetary compensation Liu Mian Tang offered. Instead, they chose to follow Cui Xingzhou's advice and continued to work in the courtyard as short-term laborers.

However, Liu Mian Tang's courtyard was too small to accommodate several large men, and with her husband away, it was inconvenient to keep them there due to potential gossip.

Fortunately, after taking over the apothecary, she was able to provide jobs for the saviors as temporary workers, which helped cover their travel expenses and earn money for their future.

While the courtyard was bustling with the butchering of pigs and the preparation of meat, Liu Mian Tang welcomed her husband back into the house. After removing his hat, she looked at him eagerly and asked, "Did the batch of calomel I sent have any effect in the victory at Jin Jia Pass?"

Cui Xingzhou smiled, wrapping his arms around her slender waist and kissing her cheek. He said, "In this great victory, it was your excellent batch of calomel that played a crucial role!"

It turned out that when Cui Xingzhou was planning the battle strategy, he had returned to Wuning Pass and observed Liu Mian Tang instructing the workers on grinding the medicine. One day, a clumsy worker tipped over a barrel of calomel-soaked beans, soaking a nearby pile of hay. The neighboring farmer's goats, attracted by the wet hay, ate some and suffered severe digestive issues the next day.

When the neighbor demanded compensation for his sick goats, Liu Mian Tang was upset. Cui Xingzhou, however, had a flash of inspiration and used this method to diminish the enemy's fighting strength.

In military confrontations, the grain and supplies are usually inspected carefully. If poison is added to the supplies, it will be discovered and thus ineffective.

Calomel, when ingested directly, has an immediate effect and can easily be detected. However, soaking calomel in water and then using it to moisten hay is undetectable. Even if the enemy’s horses consume the hay, the effects won’t manifest immediately due to their larger size.

The key factor was that the enemy’s supply of grain was already scarce. Once they received the fresh supplies, they would likely be unable to resist the temptation to use them immediately without thorough testing.

After considering all these aspects, Cui Xingzhou devised this tactical plan. The crucial task of procuring a large amount of calomel fell to Liu Mian Tang, the apothecary’s wife in Wuning Pass. Once she received her husband’s instructions, she became immediately energized and set to work.

Her medical skills were modest, and her prescriptions weren’t particularly effective, leaving the pharmacy somewhat quiet. However, building connections and procuring goods were her strong suits.

In less than seven days, Liu Mian Tang, through an introduction by a local intermediary, managed to acquire a batch of calomel that was originally meant for the Sixteen Provinces, albeit at a high price.

Despite the considerable expense, Liu Mian Tang succeeded in providing her husband with a significant advantage in the eyes of Prince Huaiyang. 

Liu Mian Tang didn’t expect any rewards or accolades from the prince for her husband. Her primary hope was that, with the crisis at Jin Jia Pass resolved after the victory, her husband would be able to return home more frequently.

At that moment, the wild boar meat was already skewered on iron rods and roasting over an open flame, filling the air with a mouth-watering aroma.

As the couple reminisced about their time apart, a hearty laugh rang out from the courtyard: “Young Master Jiu, you really know how to enjoy yourself. You’re here quietly feasting on wild game and didn’t even think to invite me!”

Liu Mian Tang looked out the window and was surprised to see Zhao Quan, the doctor from Lingquan Town, in this remote place.

It turned out that Zhao Quan, assigned to oversee the grain transport, had been diligent in his duties. His audacity had paid off as he managed to find ample grain supplies in the Huizhou from Prince Sui's warehouses, which were meant to be kept hidden from the court. Zhao Quan had skillfully extracted a significant amount of grain from Prince Sui, who, though initially dismissive of him, was forced to deal with the situation due to Zhao Quan’s cunning leverage.

Thanks to Zhao Quan’s successful mission, the soldiers at Jin Jia Pass were given ample time to prepare and stabilize, ensuring that the crisis was managed effectively.

The meritorious Grain Officer Zhao had clearly come to claim his reward.

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

•••

Prev  :  TOC :  Next

https://ko-fi.com/flamingobeestranslations

https://twitter.com/FlamingoBee2009

Thank You For Reading <3