Volume Three: Southern Expedition and Territorial Expansion Chapter 131: The Return

The two of them sat together in a tender and affectionate embrace. Wei Fufeng’s initial anger, shock, and anxiety had completely dissipated; now that he understood the root of the crisis, he could preempt it and quietly nip the danger in the bud.

With Wei Fufeng personally holding down the fort in southern Sichuan, Li Chenggang would never be able to flip the table.

After a long silence, Tian Wen'er whispered softly, "My lord, you should leave at dawn tomorrow."

Wei Fufeng was slightly startled and replied, "I should pay my respects to your father, my lord."

"There is no need for that. If you stay too long, it will easily invite disaster. Once the head of the family returns, or sends someone back, it will not go well for you, and I won't be able to help you. After all, the Tian clan and the Yang clan are allied. Leave before dawn tomorrow; I will go arrange a boat for you right now," Tian Wen'er argued, gently pushing herself out of Wei Fufeng's embrace.

Wei Fufeng wanted to say something more, but suddenly reached out and picked up a bowl of wine. He said warmly, "Since we are husband and wife, let us drink this before I go."

Tian Wen'er smiled faintly and nodded. She reached for her bowl, clinked it against Wei Fufeng's, and they drank together.

Putting down her bowl, Tian Wen'er turned and walked away, her voice drifting back, "My lord, take a good rest."

Wei Fufeng watched her graceful retreating figure, a warm affection welling up inside him. Although Tian Wen'er's words and actions could be somewhat wild, she was decisive and straightforward, and she had poured her heart out in her treatment of him.

*A virtuous wife is what a man should seek. Wen'er might well become my capable assistant in external affairs. Since I cannot be in multiple places at once, I desperately need someone close to me to keep the powerful military and political officials in various regions in check,* Wei Fufeng thought to himself, completely accepting Tian Wen'er in his heart.

***

Tian Wen'er returned to her quarters. Upon entering, she saw Yu'er and Ling'er, along with the two concubine-maids. Mudan was lying flat on a beast skin rug, while the other three sat casually nearby.

"I'm back," Tian Wen'er said crisply as she stepped inside.

The two concubine-maids hurriedly rose and knelt on the floor, while Yu'er and Ling'er stepped forward to welcome her, calling out "Mistress" one after another as they gathered around.

Ling'er looked her over and asked in a low voice, "Mistress, have you and my lord consummated your relationship?"

Tian Wen'er blinked with a faint smile and whispered, "My lord touched my breasts; he liked them very much."

Ling'er was stunned, then let out a sigh of relief as she nodded and murmured, "That's good, at least Mistress hasn't lost her head."

"You're the one who's lost her head. Go prepare a boat immediately to send my lord away at dawn tomorrow," Tian Wen'er scolded lightly.

"My lord is leaving tomorrow morning? I'm afraid we won't be able to prepare many boats in time," Ling'er replied.

"Get as many as you can. My lord can leave first, and the subordinates who can't fit on this trip can follow on later boats. Go quickly and don't make a fuss," Tian Wen'er commanded without hesitation.

Ling'er nodded and hurried out of the bamboo building.

Tian Wen'er walked over and sat down on the beast skin rug. Her beautiful eyes swept across the room as she said softly, "Mudan, come and set the table."

The kneeling Mudan raised her head, stood up, and crawled on her knees to Tian Wen'er's side, pressing herself flat like a jade table as she whispered, "Mistress."

Tian Wen'er reached out to stroke Mudan's slender waist, looked at Yu'er who was kneeling nearby, and murmured, "Yu'er, start preparing the dowry tomorrow. Don't forget the clothing for the concubine-maids; it must look lavish."

Yu'er nodded and whispered, "Mistress, it really worked out."

Tian Wen'er slid her hand down to stroke Mudan's rounded hips and smiled faintly, "He has already looked over our dowry. If a man lacks a sense of possessiveness, then there's no point in marrying him at all."

***

Just as the sky was growing faintly bright, Wei Fufeng, Tian Wen'er, and Ling'er each boarded a carrying chair—consisting of two bamboo poles and a bamboo chair, carried by two slaves—and headed for the dock outside the city.

For this trip out of the city, Wei Fufeng was followed by only fifty guards, and Tian Wen'er had managed to secure only three boats.

***

Wei Fufeng was burning with eagerness to return home; even if he had been followed by only ten guards, he would still have been anxious to leave Sizhou.

The dock was very lively, with hundreds of people loading cargo onto boats in the cool morning air.

Wei Fufeng stepped out of his carrying chair and walked alongside Tian Wen'er. Ling'er was busy arranging the boarding process, as she would be accompanying Wei Fufeng to Qianzhou.

Tian Wen'er looked at Wei Fufeng and whispered, "My lord, may the wind be with you."

Wei Fufeng smiled and nodded, saying softly, "Wen'er, there is something I need to discuss with you. I like the dance performed by your concubine-maids, but it is not suitable for me to show my fondness too openly. The concubine-maids in your dowry will remain unaffected because of my promise, but I will not allow my other wives to have concubine-maids. Otherwise, if the subordinates follow the example of their superiors, it will disrupt the laws and order."

Tian Wen'er looked at Wei Fufeng with a faint smile and murmured, "My lord means that I should prepare more concubine-maids in my dowry now, so that they cannot be added later."

Wei Fufeng smiled, satisfied that Tian Wen'er had caught the underlying meaning. He said brazenly, "Not too many, just another two like Mudan will do. I am no emperor."

Tian Wen'er immediately made a wry face and whispered, "It would be fine if my lord wanted to be a romantic emperor, but I can't provide them. Beautiful concubine-maids like Mudan are very expensive."

"When I reach Qianzhou, I'll have Ling'er bring back gold and silver. You can use them as you see fit; I need to prepare the betrothal gifts," Wei Fufeng said with a faint smile.

Tian Wen'er nodded, and Wei Fufeng added quietly, "Wen'er, what was said today must stay between you and me. Never speak of it to others; I do not wish to invite gossip and criticism."

Tian Wen'er nodded. Wei Fufeng smiled again and said, "Wen'er, the concubine-maids belong to you; I do not need to shoulder a husband's responsibilities toward them."

Tian Wen'er nodded and whispered, "Go then. I will wait for you to come and marry me."

Wei Fufeng nodded solemnly, turned around, and boarded the ship.

As the boat pulled away from the dock, Wei Fufeng and Ling'er stood at the bow, waving goodbye to Tian Wen'er as they watched her until she was completely out of sight.

On her way back, Tian Wen'er ran into her elder brother, Tian Longlong, outside the city gate.

Tian Longlong waved for the others to move away, then anxiously asked, "Sister, why did you send people away so early? Did you leak the news about the allied forces with the Yang clan?"

"Yes, is that why Brother came here?" Tian Wen'er asked calmly.

"You were far too hasty! You're going to ruin the family's grand plans," Tian Longlong complained angrily.

"The First Mistress came and told me of her intention to back my lord," Tian Wen'er explained calmly.

"That was indeed the intention, but the premise was that Chu Yu had the inclination to be close to us. By eagerly leaking military secrets like this—what if Chu Yu has no intention of marrying you at all?" Tian Longlong worried.

"At parting, my lord said he would definitely marry me," Tian Wen'er said with confidence.

"That is still uncertain. Han men view people like us as barbarians, and many of them are untrustworthy," Tian Longlong said with displeasure.

Tian Wen'er's pretty face remained calm. Her confidence did not stem from delusion, but from the proactive steps she had taken.

Wei Fufeng's parting words appeared on the surface to be mere indulgence in acquiring concubine-maids, but implicitly they conveyed a deeper intimacy toward Tian Wen'er. If he had no intention of marrying her, there would have been no need to say those things at all.

Tian Longlong looked at his younger sister, realizing she was truly infatuated. With a helpless wave of his hand, he said, "Fine, he's already gone anyway."

Tian Wen'er smiled faintly and said, "Brother worries too much. Even Father never tried to stop me; how could this possibly harm the family's grand plans?"

Tian Longlong was taken aback. Tian Wen'er continued, "Father actually intended to leak the military intelligence. Compared to the threat of the southern Sichuan army, the Yang clan of Bozhou poses a much greater threat to our Tian clan. If the Yang clan seizes southern Sichuan, they will inevitably become even more aggressive in the future."

Tian Longlong fell into deep thought upon hearing this. Tian Wen'er went on, "The southern Sichuan army is a vassal regime dominated by Han people, and Han people do not have a strong desire to occupy our so-called barbarian lands. The Yang clan, although of Han origin, has integrated into the ruling customs of Dongxi just like us."

Tian Longlong nodded. Tian Wen'er added, "I was the one who leaked the military intelligence, and it was transmitted to the southern Sichuan army through my lord's mouth. Once the southern Sichuan army learns of it, they will view the Bozhou Yang clan with hostility. Even if the Bozhou Yang clan does not send troops to attack Yuzhou, the southern Sichuan army will still strengthen its defenses against Bozhou, forcing the Yang clan to increase its garrison troops in defense, thereby creating a stalemate between two tigers—which is ultimately of great benefit to us."

Tian Longlong slapped his forehead and said, "Yesterday, Father didn't explain it clearly."

"Father didn't give me any explicit instructions either. I was simply killing two birds with one stone: securing my own future happiness by making my lord willing to marry me," Tian Wen'er explained calmly.

Tian Longlong nodded in understanding. Suddenly, Tian Wen'er asked with a beaming smile, "Brother, do you have any gold or silver you can lend me?"

Tian Longlong was stunned and replied, "I only have a thousand taels of silver on hand. If you want to use it, come and get it, but you can't drag your feet on returning it."

Tian Wen'er nodded and whispered, "It won't be long."

The brother and sister returned to the city. Tian Wen'er borrowed the silver and went with Yu'er to the slave market to make purchases.

Wei Fufeng's requirements were too high, and such traits could only be found by chance in the slave market. The slave market was an official slave trading ground operated by the Sizhou government, where slaves of all backgrounds could be legally bought and sold.

***

The rolling waters of the Wu River flowed past Sizhou and Qianzhou, eventually emptying into the Great River at Fuzhou.

With the wind and current at their backs, Wei Fufeng's three boats set off at dawn and arrived at Pengshui County, the seat of Qianzhou, by dusk. Returning to his own territory, Wei Fufeng felt a sense of immense relief, akin to escaping the jaws of a tiger.

As the setting sun dipped below the horizon, its slanting rays shone upon the towering city walls, which stretched out like a long dragon.

Wei Fufeng and Ling'er stood at the bow of the boat. Ling'er gasped in astonishment, "My lord, is this Qianzhou? What a massive city!"

Wei Fufeng smiled proudly. He had participated in the rise of this Pengshui County city, which was now comparable in scale to half of Bashu City. Compared to this towering and majestic sight, Sizhou's city walls looked like nothing more than a rustic village.

However, the new outer wall of Pengshui County had not yet been completed; only six city gates had been faced with bricks and equipped with gate towers. Most of the city walls were still bare rammed-earth walls, lacking the crenelated battlements used for defense.

Like Bashu City, the new city of Pengshui also adopted the design of an intra-city river, with an artificial river meandering through the city in seven loops.

The artificial rivers in Bashu City and the new city of Jinzhou both featured nine loops—a taboo design proposed by Prefect Zhang Wencheng to avoid competing with Bashu City in terms of geomancy (feng shui).

One hundred meters outside the water gate, the boats were intercepted and inspected. A guard commander stepped forward to negotiate, using the pretext that the newly appointed Prefect of Fuzhou was passing through.

Following the negotiations, the garrison provided a guide, and after entering the city, the boats were directed to a designated location to dock.

Upon coming ashore, they were still not allowed to wander about and were instead led to a guesthouse. The guide warned them that large-scale outings were prohibited, and they would only be free to move around after the Prefect's Yamen verified their identities.

Wei Fufeng instructed the guard commander to take the Military Commissioner's official order to see Zhang Wencheng, ordering Zhang Wencheng to come meet him under the pretext of paying a courtesy call to the Prefect of Fuzhou.

Half an hour later, Zhang Wencheng arrived at the guesthouse accompanied by dozens of guards. After a confidant who recognized Wei Fufeng verified his identity, Zhang Wencheng entered alone to see him.

Wei Fufeng avoided Ling'er and received Zhang Wencheng in another residential room.

Upon entering, Zhang Wencheng respectfully bowed. Wei Fufeng smiled and invited him to sit. Zhang Wencheng was a veteran general who had helped establish southern Sichuan and was deeply valued by Wei Fufeng.

After sitting down, Zhang Wencheng smiled and said, "Now that my lord has returned safely, my mind is at ease. I heard that the E'yue army failed to take Langzhou and has already retreated back to Yuezhou, while Tanzhou and Shaozhou were also successfully captured. I offer my congratulations to my lord."

Wei Fufeng smiled and nodded, saying, "The E'yue army attacked. To prevent them from launching a desperate siege, our army had no choice but to enter Chenzhou, pass through Jinzhou, and take a trip through Sizhou."