Volume 3: Southern Expedition and Territorial Expansion Chapter 129: The Tian Clan's Plot

Wei Fufeng left. The First Lady gave her orders: "The four of you, come here. This concubine-servant failed to seduce the man properly; take her outside and give her a lash with the whip."

The four maidservants standing at attention nearby hurried over, flipped over the concubine-servant Mudan who was kneeling in prostration, grabbed her limbs, lifted her up, and carried her out toward the bamboo building.

"All of you, go outside and wait there," the First Lady instructed again.

The maidservants departed in silence. The alluring dancing concubine-servant stopped her movements, turned around, stepped forward with her jade-like legs, and swayed her waist and hips as she walked away from the bamboo building.

Left with only her daughter, Tian Wen'er spoke softly, "Mother, aren't you going to send Mudan over?"

"There is no need. That was merely a test. Since he dared to accept, it shows his health is unimpaired," the First Lady replied gently.

"Is that appropriate? If she isn't sent over, won't he think he is being played with?" Tian Wen'er worried aloud.

The First Lady smiled faintly. "Wen'er, a concubine-servant is scented bait meant to lure a man. A man will yearn for what he cannot taste. You fancy this Han gentleman, yet you worry that he might look down on you and call off the marriage. That makes it even more important not to let him swallow the bait whole."

Tian Wen'er fell silent with a heavy expression, the First Lady's words having struck at her innermost concerns.

The First Lady continued, "I came here for two reasons: first, to fulfill my duty as a mother; and second, to tell you something. If this matter is handled well, it will bring great benefits to the Tian clan and to you."

"What matter?" Tian Wen'er perked up, paying close attention as she spoke softly.

"Do you know where the Clan Head has gone?" the First Lady asked softly.

"It is said he went to Feizhou to suppress rebellious tribes," Tian Wen'er answered.

"The Clan Head did not go to Feizhou to suppress them; he went to levy troops from the various tribes, intending to unite with the Yang clan of Bozhou to launch an attack against the Chuannan Army," the First Lady stated.

"What? Attack the Chuannan Army? How can we attack the Chuannan Army? The Chuannan Army is numerous and powerful; they once annihilated tens of thousands of Bo people. To provoke them on our own initiative is to invite disaster upon ourselves," Tian Wen'er said in shock.

"It is precisely because the Chuannan Army is so powerful that the Tian clan feels a deep sense of crisis, forcing us to seize the opportunity to strike against them. The reason the Bozhou Yang clan is dispatching troops to Chuannan this time is actually because the generals and commanders of the Chuannan Army took the initiative to reach out and forged an alliance with the Yang clan," the First Lady explained.

Tian Wen'er gasped in surprise, "Is someone in the Chuannan Army planning a rebellion?"

The First Lady nodded and said, "It is said that the Military Governor of Chuannan is away on a distant expedition to Tanzhou, giving the generals and commanders of the Chuannan Army an opportunity to rebel. That commander needs to leverage the Yang clan's strength to break into Yuzhou, shatter the highest military and political command of the Chuannan Army, and then take control of the situation himself."

Tian Wen'er nodded, then suddenly questioned, "Is that commander reliable? It is said that the Military Governor of Chuannan is full of trickery. Could he be employing a strategy of luring the snake out of its hole in order to deal with the Bozhou Yang clan?"

The First Lady replied, "Yang Duan of Bozhou is wise, resolute, and bold. Having held Bozhou and reigned supreme there for twenty years, he will never be outwitted by others."

Tian Wen'er nodded in agreement, and the First Lady went on, "After a decade and more of covert struggles and overt clashes, the Yang clan has stripped us of many vassal tribes, leaving us able only to seek peace and dare not encroach upon Bozhou."

Tian Wen'er nodded. The Bozhou Yang clan and the Sizhou Tian clan were only on peaceful terms on the surface; in reality, they had been struggling against each other for years by utilizing each other's vassal tribes.

The First Lady continued, "The Yang clan believes that commander is reliable because there is a Yang clan official acting as a go-between. That Yang clan official is a clan relative of Yang Duan from Taiyuan, formerly serving as the Chief Administrator of Suizhou, and later fleeing to Xingyuan Prefecture during the Central Plains turmoil, where he was appointed as the Prefect of Xingyuan Prefecture by Yang Shouliang, the Military Governor of Xingyuan Prefecture."

"After Yang Shouliang was defeated and fled, that Yang clan official escaped to Bozhou and defected to Yang Duan. When he fled to Xingyuan Prefecture, he brought many subordinates with him, and some of those subordinates ended up under the Chuannan Military Governor."

"At that time, the Chuannan Military Governor was only a title in name. Later, he deceitfully seized Luzhou and massacred the powerful clans of Luzhou to establish his base. Those subordinates of the Yang clan officials all became meritorious ministers and generals of the Chuannan Army."

Tian Wen'er nodded in understanding. The First Lady added, "The Chuannan Military Governor does not trust his generals; he is ungrateful and devoid of benevolence, refusing to heavily reward the generals who rendered meritorious service. That commander contributed the most, yet he has always remained merely the Commander of the Jingnan Military Prefecture. The commanders in the Chuannan Army possess only the military authority to mobilize troops and deploy forces, but they have no direct personal troops of their own, nor do they have their own territory. That is why he wants to rebel."

"To instigate a rebellion by utilizing the Bozhou Yang clan—what can he ultimately gain? I'm afraid it's nothing more than inviting a wolf into the house and losing everything," Tian Wen'er said with disdain, harboring an instinctive sense of aversion.

"It is said that that commander is willing to serve as the Deputy Military Governor while concurrently holding the post of Prefect of Yuzhou, with the Yang clan becoming the Military Governor of Chuannan, while the post of Prefect of Luzhou will belong to the Luo clan of Bozhou," the First Lady answered.

"What can the Tian clan obtain?" Tian Wen'er asked.

"Fuzhou and Qianzhou, as well as the elimination of the overwhelming threat posed by the Chuannan Army. The power of the Chuannan Army has inflated far too alarmingly," the First Lady replied.

"We are going to advance and conquer Qianzhou and Fuzhou?" Tian Wen'er murmured.

"The foundation of the Tian clan is Sizhou. The terrain of Sizhou is easy to defend and difficult to attack, whereas Fuzhou and Qianzhou are not easy to hold and defend. The Tian clan is unwilling to do anything that would shake its foundation. This time, allying with the Yang clan is merely about levying tribes from outer prefectures to send troops out."

"After advancing and conquering Qianzhou, we will need a vassal force to rule over it. That is Commissioner Chu. He is the Deputy Military Governor of Qianzhong, and the Tian clan will foster him to become the Military Governor of Qianzhong," the First Lady explained.

Tian Wen'er fell into deep thought, then shook her head and said, "This is not wise. The influence of the Chuannan Military Governor also extends to Tanzhou, Badong, and his home base in Jinzhou. Once he launches a counteroffensive, Qianzhou will bear the brunt of it."

The First Lady smiled faintly. "The rule of the Chuannan Military Governor has not been established for long. Once the territory and military power of Chuannan change hands, he will no longer have the capability to launch a counteroffensive and can only remain on the defensive in Tanzhou and Badong."

Tian Wen'er nodded. The First Lady continued, "However, nothing is absolute. The Yang clan's attack and the commander's rebellion might not necessarily succeed. Therefore, we can act as a variable by notifying the Chuannan Military Governor."

"Notify the Chuannan Military Governor?" Tian Wen'er said in surprise.

The First Lady nodded and said, "Your father said that if Commissioner Chu is sincere in marrying you, then you should tell Commissioner Chu, giving him an opportunity to achieve military merit."

Tian Wen'er understood the implication and murmured, "Let my husband inform the Chuannan Military Governor."

The First Lady smiled and nodded, saying, "If your husband achieves military merit, he will feel a heartfelt gratitude toward you. That is the proper path to winning a man's heart. A concubine-servant's enticement is not a long-term plan and easily causes a man's affections to wander."

Tian Wen'er nodded. The First Lady adopted a solemn expression and said, "Wen'er, you are far too lenient with your concubine-servants. Once you go to the Han lands in the future, you will easily invite disasters where subordinates usurp their masters. If concubine-servants lose their sense of fear toward the mistress of the house, they will bewitch the master of the house and vainly attempt to turn the tables and become the masters themselves."

Tian Wen'er nodded and said, "Wen'er will remember this instructions."

The First Lady said calmly, "Human hearts are hard to fathom. If he proves to be untrustworthy and fails to keep his word, you must not harbor excessive resentment. The daughters of our Tian clan are precious; we need not worry about finding a good match."

Tian Wen'er straightened her posture, bowed deeply, and whispered, "Thank you, Mother, for your teachings."

"Very well, I am leaving now." The First Lady stood up and walked away. Tian Wen'er rose to see her off.

As they stepped out of the bamboo building, some of the maidservants outside lowered their heads to follow, while others knelt prostrate on the ground.

With an air of graceful elegance resembling a high-and-mighty queen, the First Lady walked down the corridor followed by over a dozen maidservants and departed.

Tian Wen'er stopped at the threshold of the bamboo building's steps, watching her go until the First Lady was completely out of sight. With a flick of her hand to give an order, she turned around, ascended the steps, and re-entered the bamboo building.

The two concubine-servants rose to follow her inside, trailed by four maidservants, while the rest of the maidservants remained standing at attention outside.

Tian Wen'er walked over to the spot where the First Lady had been sitting, turned, and knelt in the seiza posture, her pretty face lost in a daze of contemplation.

The two concubine-servants walked over to the animal pelts and knelt on the left side, while the four maidservants guarded the doorway.

After a moment, Tian Wen'er muttered in a voice so soft it was barely audible, "This time, I cannot afford to lose."

"Mudan, come over and arrange the table," Tian Wen'er called out, turning her head.

Mudan, the concubine-servant wearing only a red belly-band, crawled on her knees toward Tian Wen'er, positioning her left side parallel to her mistress in a posture resembling a jade table. She whispered softly, "Mistress."

Tian Wen'er extended her right hand to stroke Mudan's jade-like back, gently caressing her as if admiring a precious work of art, and whispered, "Mudan, the First Lady sent you to go and share a trial bed with the gentleman. Did you like it?"

"Mistress, this humble servant received a whipping," Mudan whispered in a voice trembling with fear.

"You are to say that you liked it," Tian Wen'er murmured.

The moment the words fell, Mudan—who had been kneeling in prostration—was violently shoved over. Tian Wen'er's voice rose again: "Bring the bamboo whip."

The four maidservants at the doorway responded swiftly. One maidservant brought forward a bamboo rod, two maidservants pulled Mudan's jade-like legs apart, and another stuffed a piece of cloth into Mudan's mouth, muffling her.

Mudan's upturned face was deathly pale, a pair of beautiful eyes revealing helpless terror. Her body grew rigid, yet she did not dare to struggle.

A sharp *crack* rang out. Mudan let out a muffled groan, her eyes rolled back, and her jade-like legs gave a violent, involuntary twitch.

"Take a look; make sure she isn't broken," Tian Wen'er said softly.

"Rest assured, Mistress. It is only an external wound; her perfection remains unbroken," a maidservant reported with a flattering tone after inspecting her.

"That is good. Broken porcelain loses its value. This is my most precious dowry; it must not be broken," Tian Wen'er murmured casually, tossing the bamboo rod aside.

...

Wei Fufeng accompanied Yu'er back to the bamboo building where he was lodged. Upon entering, Yu'er smiled faintly and whispered, "Gentleman, please wait patiently. Only after the First Lady departs can the concubine-servant be sent over."

Wei Fufeng felt a slight, embarrassed amusement, accompanied by an underlying sense of displeasure at being forced into the situation. Yet, as the lovely image of the concubine-servant Mudan surfaced in his mind, his mood shifted to include a flicker of anticipation, warmth, and secret excitement.

"Aren't you going back?" Wei Fufeng collected his thoughts and asked.

"I am not going back. Facing the First Lady might just invite a reprimand," Yu'er replied with straightforward aversion.

Wei Fufeng nodded and said, "Sit down."

The two of them took their seats, sipping tea and eating mountain fruits while chatting casually and agreeably. Yu'er was curious about matters in the Han lands, and through her, Wei Fufeng gained a deeper understanding of the Tian clan.

The Sizhou Tian clan was merely a local powerful clan in the northern Qianzhong region, capable of exerting enough power to compel numerous Liao tribes to submit to their allegiance.

There was a world of difference between "submitting in allegiance" and "belonging as subjects." Submission was merely a loose form of rule; the Sizhou Tian clan could not arbitrarily interfere with the internal governance of the tributary Liao tribes.

The Sizhou Tian clan's rule over Sizhou itself was the most stable, followed next by Feizhou.

Feizhou lay in the middle reaches of the Wu River, and its external trade was held in check by the Tian clan, whereas the other prefectures merely revered the Sizhou Tian clan, allowing the clan's influence to spread far and wide, even enabling them to gather intelligence from Shaozhou and Tanzhou.

Wei Fufeng had thus come to understand the Tian clan's Achilles' heel: they could not afford to heavily damage their own strength.

For example, if the Tian clan dispatched a massive army to conquer Qianzhou and suffered a total annihilation, the consequences would be that they could no longer overawe the numerous tributary Liao tribes.

Conversely, the Tian clan's power to defend Sizhou was as solid as a monolith, possessing both geographical advantages and the unity of the people. Should they be attacked, the tributary Liao tribes would share a common hatred for the enemy and render all-out support regardless of the cost.

However, if troops were levied and assembled for external warfare, the Liao tribes that sent out troops would demand a share of the spoils and war pensions.