The bathhouse was filled with the fragrance of roses. It was early summer now, and fresh roses were soaked in the water to moisturize the skin.
Wang Daxia's mind buzzed as if swarmed by thousands of bees. It was the same familiar scene! The same familiar routine! His first time with Wei Caiwei had happened right here!
Back then, he was still inexperienced in romance. Wei Caiwei had played a game of "find the rose" with him. Though he clearly knew where she had hidden the rose, he didn't dare to reach for it.
Now, this game could no longer challenge Wang Daxia, who had mastered it through practice. He was like a scholar who had already solved the imperial exam questions in advance, encountering the same problem in the examination hall—victory was practically assured.
Wang Daxia immediately rolled up his sleeves, reached into the bathtub, and probed the spot where Wei Caiwei had hidden the rose last time.
Hmm... nothing was there.
Wei Caiwei, who had been relaxing in the bathtub, let out a startled cry and slapped the water in frustration. "What are you doing? Get out now!"
Wei Caiwei had also been excited all last night and hadn't slept well. When she woke up in the morning, dark circles were under her eyes. The hairdresser had to apply at least two ounces of powder to cover the bluish-black shadows. Applying makeup took an hour, and the heavy headdress, wedding dress, and ceremony rituals...
Wei Caiwei had been exhausted all day, her muscles and bones aching. All she wanted was to soak in the hot water and rest properly. Just as she was at her most relaxed, something barged in and startled her!
Water droplets splashed onto Wang Daxia's face. He sheepishly withdrew his hand, not daring to wipe the water away. "So... it wasn't about finding the rose."
Wei Caiwei suddenly remembered the night three years ago when she had taken Wang Daxia's virginity. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You really are marking the boat to find the sword. What's the point of using the same trick twice?"
Wang Daxia was extremely embarrassed. He had been rubbing his hands in anticipation outside, intending to perform well on his wedding night, but he had "failed" right from the start and been defeated.
However, Wang Daxia wasn't one to give up easily. Relying on his thick skin and the fact that Wei Caiwei liked him, he picked up a rose from the water and moved closer, saying, "Playing twice is still quite fun. I want to play again. This time, I'll hide it, and you find it."
Oh my, this blockhead actually knows how to flirt now.
Wei Caiwei laughed. "Where on your body do you plan to hide this thing? Oh, I know. You always say no with your mouth, but your body is still very honest."
Wang Daxia suffered another heavy blow: It's over. You can't just copy things mechanically. Men and women have different bodies—he simply didn't have the place where Wei Caiwei had hidden the rose. If he had to hide it, the only place would be...
No way! He couldn't let her poke there—at least not on the wedding night. It concerned his dignity as the groom.
The tips of Wang Daxia's ears turned as red as rouge, but he still put on a brave face. "Your thoughts are too wicked. I wasn't planning to hide the rose there."
Wei Caiwei said, "So, are you planning to hide it in your nostrils or your ears?"
For the sake of his pride, Wang Daxia went all out and stuffed the rose into his mouth.
Wei Caiwei quickly reached out and pinched his chin. "You fool, spit it out quickly. That rose has been soaking in my bathwater. Be careful not to upset your stomach."
Having diarrhea on his wedding night would probably leave him with a lifelong psychological scar.Wang Daxia had no choice but to spit out the rose. After three consecutive painful strikes, he felt that tonight he would likely be disliked by his wife again.
Seeing his dejected expression, Wei Caiwei couldn't bear it and said, "Bring me the scented soap."
Wang Daxia complied, handing her a bar of scented soap. "Here."
By this time, Wei Caiwei had shifted from her sitting posture to leaning over the bathtub, exposing most of her back. Her intention was for him to help scrub her body with the soap—always hiding roses was boring, so it was time for a new game.
However, Wang Daxia clearly didn't understand her meaning and simply stuffed the soap into her hand.
This fool, my back was exposed for nothing. Wei Caiwei took the soap and pretended her hand slipped, letting it clatter to the floor.
As Wang Daxia crouched to pick up the soap, Wei Caiwei, leaning over the bathtub, seized the opportunity to undo his belt. Wang Daxia felt a sudden chill below his waist as his trousers slid down to his ankles.
If Wang Daxia still didn't understand now, he would be a fool. Overjoyed, he swung his long legs into the bathtub, causing water to splash out noisily. Like two mandarin ducks playing in the water, the commotion took a long time to settle.
Mandarin ducks dance with necks entwined, like kingfishers in a cage of joy. Eyebrows shyly knit together, red lips warm and melting. Breath as fragrant as orchid stamens, skin moist and jade-like in its fullness. Too languid to move her wrists, too delicate to straighten her posture. Pearls of sweat glisten, disheveled hair hangs loosely like pine needles. (Note 1)
While affection bloomed within the mandarin duck curtains, resentful of the crowing rooster heralding dawn, a thousand miles away in Fengzhou, in the territory of the Mongolian Anda Khan, the Bansheng Land presented an entirely different scene.
Early summer mornings in the northwest were still cold. Ding Wu, clad in a fur coat, rode out to a wheat field in the suburbs at daybreak.
Originally, nomadic peoples had no farmland, only pastures. But ever since White Lotus Sect leader Zhao Quan brought his followers to seek refuge with Anda Khan, everything had changed.
The majority of Zhao Quan's followers were illiterate farmers and craftsmen, brainwashed by his beliefs and deceived into coming here to take root. They reclaimed wasteland for farming, establishing villages identical to those in the Central Plains.
Over a dozen years later, the area had become fertile farmland. In bumper harvest years, the White Lotus Sect could even supply grain to various tribes under Anda Khan.
Among the followers were also carpenters, blacksmiths, and tile makers who fired bricks, built houses, established permanent settlements, and traded goods, gradually forming marketplaces similar to those in the Central Plains. The tribes no longer needed to travel to the Central Plains to buy iron pots.
Anda Khan benefited from this. Although he practiced Lamaism, he did not reject this heretical White Lotus Sect. In recent years, as Zhao Quan's influence in the Central Plains was systematically uncovered and severed by the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard, he simply focused on developing followers and cultivating land in Fengzhou to consolidate local power.
Now, more than fifty thousand White Lotus Sect followers had taken root in Fengzhou, becoming a force to be reckoned with. Sect leader Zhao Quan could directly request audiences with Anda Khan.
Though the White Lotus Sect could no longer cause trouble in the Central Plains, it grew increasingly powerful in Fengzhou—an outcome Ding Wu did not wish to see.
A glimmer of dawn appeared in the sky. Today was the first day of his sworn younger sister Wei Caiwei's marriage.
Was she happy? Would Wang Dxia treat her well after marriage? When would he get to become an uncle...
Ding Wu gazed at the dawn light over the wheat field, silently lost in thought. When the dawn finally broke free from the darkness and the sun surged vigorously from the east, shining so brightly it hurt to keep his eyes open, Ding Wu closed his eyes, dismounted, and walked into the wheat field.The climate here was colder than the Central Plains, making it unsuitable for winter wheat cultivation. Instead, spring wheat was planted after the thaw in early spring.
By early summer, the wheat shoots were lush and green but had not yet sprouted ears, resembling patches of chives. Ding Wu crouched down to inspect the crops. This year’s scant rainfall and persistent drought meant the manually diverted river water was far from sufficient for the fields. The wheat grew poorly, each stalk appearing malnourished and limp.
The parched earth had cracked into patterns resembling tortoise shells. Without imminent rain, the wheat harvest faced complete failure this year.
Both the wheat fields and the pastoral grasslands needed water. This severe drought threatened not only the White Lotus Sect with crop failure but also the nomadic livestock with mass starvation. Come autumn and winter, without meat or grain to sustain them, survival would be impossible.
When pushed to the brink, the people here would inevitably raid the Ming borders. The White Lotus Sect, familiar with the terrain, would guide the way while Mongol cavalry followed, pillaging and burning to seize enough supplies for winter. A share of the spoils would be given to the sect as payment for their guidance.
Brainwashed by doctrine and circumstance, the White Lotus followers eagerly devised ways to ravage their own homeland, devoid of shame or pity for their countrymen falling under Mongol hooves. Sect Leader Zhao Quan repeatedly justified this as "divine retribution" upon those who refused to join the White Lotus Sect.
Join our Sacred Sect to avoid disaster. Those who refused deserved heaven’s wrath and death.
For those within the sect, even in a year of total crop failure, the sect’s relief would ensure food and warmth, sparing them from famine and "divine punishment."
Under Zhao Quan’s influence, believers willingly served as guides for the Mongols, taking pride in their role as accomplices.
After riding around the fields all day, Ding Wu confirmed the inevitable harvest failure. He documented intelligence warning of impending Mongol raids led by Anda Khan come autumn, urging the Ming to reinforce border defenses against large-scale attacks. He emphasized that without adequate preparation, a repeat of the Gengxu Incident under the Jiajing Emperor—where Mongol forces besieged the capital—was likely.
After dispatching the intelligence through hidden channels, Ding Wu remained uneasy. His own family’s tragedy stemmed from the Gengxu Incident. Would the Ming survive this crisis?
Ding Wu went to the White Lotus Sect’s headquarters in Fengcheng to seek an audience with Zhao Quan.
Three years earlier, in Xinghua City, Iron Bull—one of the Four Great Disciples managing Zhao Quan’s revenue streams—had betrayed the sect to establish his own faction, claiming to be the reincarnation of Ming Wang. He was later eradicated by the combined forces of Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou. Zhao Quan, having lost his largest source of wealth in the Central Plains, grew suspicious of Ding Wu.
Iron Bull’s rebellion and subsequent defeat—reported solely by Ding Wu—lacked concrete evidence. With Iron Bull beheaded and unable to speak for himself, Ding Wu’s account went unchallenged.
Yet Zhao Quan had no proof to accuse Ding Wu, and with San Niangzi backing him, he dared not resort to torture for confession.
Since then, Zhao Quan had kept his distance from Ding Wu—avoiding what he could not confront.
When Zhao Quan refused to see him, Ding Wu stubbornly lingered at the headquarters.
Ultimately, out of deference to San Niangzi, Zhao Quan relented. "What brings Young Master Ding to our Sacred Sect today?"Ding Wu said, "Has the sect leader forgotten? I am one of the Four Great Disciples of the Sacred Sect. Today, I walked around Bansheng Land and saw the crops in the fields are not growing well. Concerned about the livelihood of our fifty thousand followers in the future, I came to discuss with the sect leader how these fifty thousand followers will survive the winter."
Zhao Quan showed no worry at all and said, "There's nothing to fear from drought and natural disasters. Even if we harvest nothing, the fifty thousand followers of the White Lotus Sect will not starve to death. I have my own ways to support them and help them survive the drought and disaster. Joining our Sacred Sect to avoid disaster is not just an empty slogan. The Sacred Sect keeps its word and will not let a single follower go hungry."
The implication was clear: they would return to their old ways, guiding Mongol soldiers to plunder grain and wealth from the Great Ming.
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