Chapter 157: 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 157: 

 

After Eikushi-ji listened to the surviving bandit's account and asking for more details, the leader of the Eagle Temple waved them off. He sat there, examining the map of the Northern Sea while stroking his chin, deep in thought.

When he heard that his general had died at the hands of a very beautiful woman, he couldn’t help but think of the stunning princess consort of Cui Xingzhou. Given her alertness when facing a mirror and her archery skills, it wouldn't be surprising if he had met his end at her hands.

However, upon further reflection, he felt that his thoughts were absurd. The Confucian rituals of the Han people were strict, and noblewomen had their own codes of conduct when it came to walking, sitting, and lying down.

Could a proper princess consort personally seduce bandits? Such a notion would be unimaginable to anyone with even a passing understanding of the customs of Great Yan.

So, the leader of the Eagle Temple quickly dismissed the thought.

Ever since Prince Huaiyang had arrived in the Northern Sea, he had faced numerous setbacks. Recently, the prince had been training his naval forces and patrolling the coast, seemingly planning an assault on his stronghold.

He realized he needed to take the initiative and eliminate Prince Huaiyang before any plans could be set in motion. To achieve this, it was crucial to know both his own side and the enemy.

Truth be told, his prolonged presence in the Northern Sea was not merely due to luck; he had allies within the court.

During the initial campaigns against the northwest, Great Yan had eventually negotiated peace with the barbarian tribes, gaining access to a rich iron mine.

However, the court strictly prohibited the sale of iron ore outside the territory. If one wanted to profit from it, smuggling routes for the iron ore were necessary. Eikushi-ji, leader of the Eagle Temple, had countless ships under his command, which facilitated connections with powerful officials in Great Yan, creating opportunities to share in the profits.

Currently, he didn’t know much about Cui Xingzhou, so he summoned his capable subordinate, Zhu Tuwei, instructing him to take a team to meet with the other side and gather intelligence about Prince Huaiyang.

Zhu Tuwei was fluent in Great Yan’s official language. He disguised himself as a citizen and infiltrated the capital, intending not only to negotiate the recent iron ore trade but also to investigate the troublemaker, Cui Xingzhou, who was causing unrest in the Northern Sea.

When he arrived at a teahouse, he quickly made contact with someone, and to his surprise, it was the steward of the Shi family, Shi Wen.

Previously, when Cui Xingzhou campaigned in the northwest, he benefited from the efforts of his predecessors. At that time, both Prince Sui and the Shi family had their eyes on this lucrative opportunity. In their bid to monopolize the iron mine, they engaged in both open and covert conflicts, employing various tactics. Unfortunately, Prince Sui was eventually caught by Cui Xingzhou, who discovered his secrets related to the illegal sale of iron ore.

As the clam and the snipe fought, the fisherman profited; in the end, Shi Yikuan proved to be the more skillful player. He managed to place his trusted aides in the northwest, allowing him to operate the iron mine.

To increase his profits further, he considered smuggling iron goods and soon set his sights on the Eagle Temple, a group of Japanese pirates based in the Northern Sea. He knew that these iron goods would ultimately be remelted into weapons.

After all, wasn’t Prince Sui caught because he was operating within Great Yan’s territory?

Learning from the mistakes made by Prince Sui, Shi Yikuan decided to sell the iron ore to more distant places, specifically to Japan and the southern seas. By doing so, the countries involved were far removed from Great Yan, ensuring that his illicit dealings could remain safely hidden.

However, Shi Yikuan never expected that the once unremarkable Japanese scoundrel, the Eagle Temple, would prove to be formidable. After profiting from smuggling, they began recruiting soldiers, establishing a foothold in the Northern Sea, and continuously probing the land, suggesting an intent to carve out their territory in the region.

Eagle Temple had previously expressed his intentions to Shi Yikuan, stating that Japan was too small, and its people yearned to live on the mainland. If Shi Yikuan was willing to help him carve up the Northern Sea, it would be ideal.

After all, the Northern Sea was more of a burden than a blessing for Dayan.

Shi Yikuan was taken aback by the ruthless ambition of Eagle Temple, who wanted to seize control. Although he wished to withdraw, it was not easy to shake off this long-time business partner.

However, with Eagle Temple now clashing with Cui Xingzhou, this presented Shi Yikuan with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

With the fall of Prince Sui, Emperor Liu Yu's power had consolidated. For Shi Yikuan, this development was not particularly advantageous.

The strengthening of imperial power meant that it would be harder for the ministers to navigate their positions.

Moreover, Cui Xingzhou was not an ally. Shi Yikuan felt aggrieved that Cui had rejected his daughter’s proposal for marriage, humiliating him in the process. 

But now that Cui Xingzhou was heading to the Northern Sea to eliminate bandit threats, he found himself in a favorable position against Eagle Temple. If either of these two perished, he would come out ahead.

In Shi Yikuan’s view, if the situation were to unfold with a priority, he would prefer Cui Xingzhou to be the first to die.

After all, if Prince Huaiyang grew stronger, it would be much more difficult to bring him down again.

Eagle Temple, on the other hand, was merely coveting the Northern Sea. If Shi Yikuan could allow this to happen, he had the luxury of time.

After formulating his plan, Shi Yikuan organized the military intelligence regarding Prince Huaiyang and sent it to Eagle Temple. He intended to employ the same tactics as before—watching the clash between Cui Xingzhou and the Prince of Sui, taking on the role of a fisherman who benefits from the quarrel between the clam and the snipe.

When the information about Cui Xingzhou reached Eagle Temple, Eikushi-ji scanned through it rapidly, stopping at the notes regarding Prince Huaiyang’s wife, Liu Mian Tang.

Liu Mian Tang, the daughter of a convicted minister, was said to have once banded together with bandits at Yangshan, leading them as their chief. She had also had private dealings with the current emperor, using the alias Lu Wen. Her cunning was said to be on par with that of Prince Huaiyang.

Eikushi-ji grew increasingly alarmed as he read. How could such a delicate-looking woman be a bandit leader?

Meanwhile, in the Northern Sea, as Cui Xingzhou led his troops in a proactive engagement against the villages frequently ravaged by the Japanese, the waters began to calm significantly.

If it weren’t for the Japanese taking advantage of the geographical strategy of occupying a distant offshore island and the recent unfavorable weather conditions for a surprise attack, Cui Xingzhou might have pressed on and attacked Kō Island.

However, Cui Xingzhou knew that if naval battles were unpredictable, the Japanese, who had lived on the sea for many years, were quite adept at such warfare. Most importantly, their ships were equipped with sharp spikes along the hull, making them nearly impossible to board, and they maneuvered with great agility.

In contrast, Great Yan's warships were heavy and cumbersome. If they encountered the Japanese at sea, they would likely struggle to gain any advantage.

Thus, while the Japanese temporarily refrained from harassment, the Yan army needed to expedite shipbuilding efforts. Only by retaking Kō Island could the threat to the Northern Sea be completely eliminated.

To this end, Cui Xingzhou spent a considerable amount of money hiring several craftsmen from Nanyang to remodel the warships for the Northern Sea.

In the blink of an eye, Prince Huaiyang had been in the Northern Sea for several months. During this time, he had launched numerous successful attacks against the Japanese, who had not dared to land and plunder for quite some time. The Marquis had been working tirelessly day and night to assist the people, leading to a significant change in public perception of both Prince Huaiyang and the Zhenzhou army. Many local young men eagerly enlisted to serve.

The blueprints for the warships were finally completed, and Prince Huaiyang immediately began preparations for their construction. He also focused on training the navy, spending most of his time in the naval camp, which resulted in his skin becoming noticeably darker from the sun.

Mian Tang made sure to prepare the dishes that Cui Xingzhou loved, bringing them in a large food box to the naval camp each day.

One day, a thick fog enveloped the sea, creating a hazy landscape. 

In the distance, the sounds of oars creaking echoed through the mist. As the sound grew louder, a small boat gradually emerged from the dense fog, revealing several figures dressed in the local attire of the Northern Sea. After a while, the boat reached a secluded and deserted area and came ashore, with Eikushi-ji leading the way.

The small island where the Japanese were stationed was easy to defend but difficult to attack, and it was also barren and impoverished. The Japanese typically relied on looting for their daily necessities. However, due to the consistent pressure from Prince Huaiyang, they had not dared to come ashore for some time and were running out of supplies, leading to a severe scarcity of food.

Eikushi-ji had always been audacious, so he calculated the weather and, taking advantage of the thick fog for cover, led a few subordinates ashore. Disguised as merchants, they aimed to purchase some food and gather intelligence.

After disembarking, Eikushi-ji, under his disguise, first brought his subordinates to the naval camp, choosing a hidden spot to carefully observe the scale of the camp and the soldiers practicing in the water drills.

A few days prior, a spy within the Great Yan had informed him that Prince Huaiyang had begun constructing warships. Unfortunately, the ships were being secretly built within the camp, and after watching for some time, he saw no signs of the warships at all.

However, he realized that getting any closer would not be possible.

At that moment, a horse-drawn carriage arrived at the camp's entrance. The curtain was lifted, and an exceptionally graceful woman stepped down, followed by a maid carrying a food box.

Due to the continuous rain in Cangwu County, Mian Tang had not worn her silk shoes. Instead, she had taken off her shoes and stockings and put on wooden clogs, suitable for walking in the muddy terrain. Her dress was a popular thin skirt in Northern Sea, revealing her ankles, with short sleeves and a low neckline, making it quite cool and accentuating her slim figure even more.

Eikushi-ji felt a surge of excitement. Although he was too far away to clearly see the woman's face, just by her enchanting demeanor, he guessed it was the very same Princess Consort Huaiyang, who had shot him with an arrow and remained etched in his memory.

He looked up at the sun, carefully raised the Western mirror to avoid reflecting any light, and examined her closely. Sure enough, it was Liu Mian Tang, with her hair elegantly styled high, exposing her delicate white neck, and moving with an air of elegance.

Today, she seemed even more charming than the last time he saw her, making his heart race.

Coincidentally, the only survivor from the incident involving Hayabusa Juro came out with him. Eikushi-ji handed the mirror to that man and asked him if he recognized the woman.

The man took a glance and paled, quickly lowering the mirror. He said to Eikushi-ji, “It’s her… this woman personally beheaded Hayabusa Juro.” 

Although Eikushi-ji had suspected this from the beginning, hearing his subordinate confirm it sent a jolt through him.

It was truly hard to imagine how that delicate and slender hand, which once rested on his wrist to feel his pulse, could wield a sword and behead someone…

Mian Tang was unaware that someone was watching her. She held her sister Cui Fu’s hand and said, “Sister, be careful as you walk. The dock is even muddier; watch your step.”

Cui Fu had been feeling nauseous for some time. After inviting Zhao Quan to take her pulse, they discovered she was already two months pregnant.

Li Guangcai was overjoyed upon hearing this news, almost ready to keep Cui Fu in bed to avoid any accidents that might arise from bumps or falls.

However, like Prince Huaiyang, he had been busy overseeing the shipbuilding these past few days and couldn’t return home. So this time, Cui Fu came with Liu Mian Tang to bring food to her husband.

Zhao Quan, acting as the protector of the two ladies, followed along, fanning himself and holding an oil umbrella for them.

© 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