The Road to Glory

Chapter 190: "I Only Want the Title of Marquis' Consort..."

Wei Zhou.

Zhang Huai was carrying a stack of ledgers toward the central military tent when he saw several armored soldiers carrying something along the path.

The leading junior officer shouted, "The road is slippery in the snow, be careful! Don't drop this coral jade!"

Zhang Huai remembered this blood coral jade. A few days ago, after the news of Xiao Li's appointment as the Northern Wei Marquis spread, merchants competed to send gifts in congratulations. This blood coral jade, standing half a person's height, was particularly conspicuous among the congratulatory gifts, leaving a deep impression on him.

Zhang Huai stopped the junior officer: "Didn't the lord order all congratulatory gifts to be pawned and converted into silver for military funds? Where are you taking this coral jade?"

Recognizing Zhang Huai, the junior officer quickly clasped his fists and said, "Greetings, Military Advisor," before explaining: "General Song relayed that the lord wants all jade items temporarily stored in the warehouse, with only the gold and silver objects to be pawned for silver first."

Zhang Huai nodded slightly upon hearing this: "The lord's consideration is indeed more thorough. During wartime, jade items fetch lower prices when pawned, so storing them first is wise."

He instructed the group: "You may proceed."

The junior officer then led the armored soldiers carrying the blood coral jade to continue on their way.

Zhang Huai turned and headed toward the central military tent. The tiger guards at the entrance, recognizing him, did not stop him and helped lift the tent flap.

After bowing and entering, Zhang Huai immediately felt that while the outside was bitterly cold, the inside was no better.

The spacious tent didn't even have a single brazier lit!

Apart from being sheltered from the wind, there was hardly any difference between inside and outside the tent, making it no different from a snow cave.

Looking at the person behind the sandalwood desk, dressed only in ordinary thin clothes while handling military documents, Zhang Huai felt his very bones ache with cold.

Martial generals and scholars like us... are probably different.

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than Zhang Huai recalled Zheng Hu from this morning, bundled up like a bear yet still shivering and complaining of the cold while mounting his horse.

That's not right either.

There are differences among martial generals too...

Before the tiger guard could lower the tent flap, Zhang Huai quietly reprimanded: "Why isn't there a single charcoal brazier in the lord's tent? Quickly fetch one."

Before the tiger guard could respond, a deep voice came from inside the tent: "I told them not to prepare charcoal braziers."

Xiao Li looked up at the two at the tent entrance and said to the tiger guard: "You may withdraw."

The tiger guard bowed, lowered the tent flap, and retreated.

Only then did Xiao Li ask: "Have the rosters of fallen soldiers been prepared?"

His gaze had already returned to the unfinished military document in his hand, his stern brows bearing traces of barely noticeable fatigue.

The desk was piled high with accumulated military documents from recent days, with a tall stack of processed ones also piled beside him.

Both Liao Jiang and Wei Qishan had departed suddenly, leaving the Northern Wei in this mess. Since taking over, aside from deploying troops to clear out the small bands of barbarians that had dispersed within the territory, just the various military handover matters alone were extremely tedious.

The fallen soldiers needed separate rosters compiled and cross-checked with conscription records from various prefectures to prevent errors.

The condolence payments to these soldiers' families must not be delayed, even if the military funds were exhausted.

Additionally, the consumption of weapons and armor in each camp needed to be recorded in ledgers, with some to be forged by the artisan camp and others to be sewn by tailors.The Wolf Cavalry, which required substantial silver for daily maintenance even in peacetime, had suffered heavy casualties in two consecutive battles. Rebuilding it would necessitate selecting fine steeds from major horse ranches across the Northern Border and recruiting soldiers capable of facing ten foes from various battalions...

Now all matters converged at once, coinciding with the mourning periods for Wei Qishan and Liao Jiang. Xiao Li found himself thrust back into the grueling pace of the barbarian counteroffensive days, handling complex yet indispensable administrative tasks that demanded his personal attention. He hadn’t slept properly for several consecutive nights.

The battle at Yanle Mountain had been a pyrrhic victory, while the defense of Luodu led personally by Wei Qishan could only be described as a devastating defeat.

With Wei Qishan’s subsequent illness and death, the entire Northern Wei military found itself mired in wavering morale and low spirits.

Compensating the families of fallen soldiers and stabilizing military morale became urgent priorities. This was why Xiao Li had assigned Zhang Huai the task of compiling the roster of war casualties.

Zhang Huai presented the stack of ledgers: "These have been cross-referenced with recruitment records from all prefectures. Disbursing condolence silver can proceed after final accounting."

Without looking up, Xiao Li said, "Leave them. I’ll review everything later."

Since meeting Wen Yu that day, he seemed to have shed something irrevocably in the past. New flesh was gradually growing beneath the title of Northern Wei’s ruler—his emotions rarely surfaced now, making him increasingly inscrutable to subordinates.

Zhang Huai hesitated before advising, "Though the barbarians were repelled, they’re like the prairie grass beneath Yanle Mountain: defeated into winter dormancy by snow and ice, yet reviving every warm spring. We mustn’t lower our guard. The campaign against Bandit Pei remains unfinished, the Northern Border’s situation remains unstable, and reconstruction demands your leadership in all matters. Shouldn’t My Lord preserve his health? Shall I have a charcoal brazier brought in?"

Xiao Li replied, "I’ll soon be attending the funeral at the Wei residence. No need for trouble."

Zhang Huai, considering this would be Xiao Li’s first appearance before Northern Border’s prominent clans as their ruler—and knowing Wei Qishan’s son still stood as the Great Jin’s imperial son-in-law while Wei’s retainers likely harbored divided loyalties—warned, "When I arrived, I heard several major clans had already entered the city. My Lord should prepare to depart."

Xiao Li acknowledged with a hum, yet his gaze remained fixed on the memorial in his hand.

Noticing the processed documents piled high beside him, Zhang Huai tried to rearrange them but accidentally knocked a scroll from the desk’s corner.

The unbound scroll unfurled slightly upon falling, revealing meticulously painted rockeries and a cluster of golden jade peonies, beside which glimmered the edge of a white brocade skirt woven with gold thread.

Zhang Huai stared momentarily before crouching to retrieve it. But a long-fingered hand—still marked with dark, unhealed scabs—scooped up the painting first, rolling it neatly.

Recalling the seal and date inscribed on the scroll he’d glimpsed, Zhang Huai silently deduced its origin. Clasping his hands, he said, "This was careless of me."

Xiao Li wound the fastener twice around the scroll and placed it in a cylinder holding territorial maps, clearly unwilling to discuss the painting. "To the Wei residence," was all he said.

Taking his cloak from the tent wall, he strode out first.

Zhang Huai glanced at the scroll in the cylinder, furrowing his brow in contemplation before following.

The Wei residence had exchanged red silks for white mourning drapes in barely over a month. Every mourner passing through its gates sighed at the abrupt transition.Madam Wei knelt before the spirit altar with her two children, weeping incessantly. Her grief-stricken silence spoke louder than heartbreak, rendering her incapable of receiving guests. All arrangements fell to Wei Pingjin and Wei Ang.

When an aristocratic family’s matriarch offered condolences after paying respects, Madam Wei’s eyes reddened, and tears immediately streamed down like rolling pearls. She lamented sorrowfully, “He wouldn’t even wait to see me one last time before departing like that… How heartless Wei Qishan was…” Her gaze, fixed on Wei Qishan’s coffin, was filled more with resentment than sorrow.

Wei Pingjin’s eyes were bloodshot from exhaustion. Having witnessed his mother weep to every visitor about his father’s cruelty these past days, he responded with weary numbness, “Aunt Lin, the guest rooms are prepared. I’ll have a servant escort you.” He then summoned a young maid to lead the way.

The aristocratic matriarch acknowledged twice. Seeing Madam Wei—a mother of two—still carrying herself like a helpless maiden in times of crisis, she maintained a strained composure. After offering a few words of comfort, she followed the servant to rest. Encountering other familiar aristocratic wives, they glanced back at Madam Wei, who remained weeping before the altar and listing Wei Qishan’s faults, then shook their heads discreetly and whispered, “No wonder she comes from a humble background…” She lacked the dignity expected of a noble matriarch—merely fortunate by fate.

Wei Jiamin knelt beside her mother. Having been coddled since childhood, she keenly sensed the peculiar glances the aristocratic matriarchs cast at her mother’s helpless weeping, along with their scrutinizing eyes toward herself. She felt both furious and humiliated.

As the former Jin princess presented by Wei Qishan, Wang Wanzhen had no reason to kneel before a mere official. Dressed in plain white, she stood aside. Every dignitary who came to pay respects to Wei Qishan first bowed and addressed her as “Your Highness.” Wang Wanzhen acknowledged each with a nod, graceful and approachable.

Wei Jiamin overheard many aristocratic matriarchs murmuring: “Is that the Great Jin princess recovered from the common folk?” “Look at her noble bearing—it’s unmistakable…” Meanwhile, she, a marquis’s daughter, faced their critical scrutiny, while this former opera performer—once unworthy even to sing for them—was praised as if genuine royalty.

Observing Wang Wanzhen’s gentle, mask-like face, Wei Jiamin suddenly surged with rage.

Beside her, Madam Wei dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, weeping as if her heart were shattered: “Wei Qishan, you have no conscience…” Never before had Wei Jiamin felt such frustration toward her mother, whose weeping turned them into laughingstocks.

Suppressing her anger, Wei Jiamin snapped, “Mother, stop crying!” Madam Wei, bewildered by her daughter’s sharp tone, whimpered, “I didn’t even see him one last time… How can my heart bear this? He arranged your brother’s marriage only to…” Fearing her mother would expose their private affairs and bring greater shame, Wei Jiamin urgently cut in, “Mother!”

Regardless of how Wei Qishan had treated his deceased wife, over the past decade, she and her brother had grown up with outward prestige. Wei Qishan had never shortchanged Madam Wei in public dignity. Now, consumed by grief over his final neglect, her mother’s unchecked self-pity nearly laid everything bare—making Wei Jiamin’s head buzz with fury.Her tone was even fiercer than before. Madam Wei stared at her blankly for a moment before suddenly covering her face with a handkerchief and weeping: "If he despises me, so be it, but do you all despise me as your mother too?"

The argument between the mother and daughter drew the attention of many people. Moreover, this was the memorial hall, and many guests had come to offer incense.

Wei Jiamin felt her face burning with shame and was nearly driven to tears by Madam Wei's behavior. She stood up abruptly and ran off.

"Minmin!" Wei Pingjin, who had just finished seeing off some guests, heard the commotion and turned to see Madam Wei and her daughter quarreling for some unknown reason.

Madam Wei watched her daughter storm off in anger, knelt on the prayer mat, and wailed sorrowfully: "You all despise me... everyone despises me..."

Wei Pingjin had not slept well during the days of keeping vigil, and now, hearing Madam Wei cry like this, he fought back his dizziness and was about to comfort her and ask what had happened when another announcement came from outside the courtyard: "The Marquis has arrived—"

Wei Pingjin's expression instantly turned cold and stern.

Wang Wanzhen promptly approached him and, after whispering an account of what had just happened, said gently: "Mother is overwhelmed with grief. I will first help her back to her room to rest. After settling her, I will go check on the County Princess."

Wei Pingjin's face darkened further upon hearing this, and he nodded in approval.

Although he deeply disliked Wang Wanzhen, the actress, if Madam Wei were to recklessly reveal everything, what he would lose today would not only be face but also all the power and influence that Wei Qishan had painstakingly gathered to restore the Jin.

At the courtyard gate, all the mourning guests had automatically cleared a path. Xiao Li, draped in a black cloak, entered through the moon gate with several of his officers.

Wei Pingjin unconsciously tensed up, while Wang Wanzhen also cast a discreet glance toward the entrance before turning to assist Madam Wei.

Though Madam Wei continued to weep, she realized she had been excessively mournful. Accustomed to complaining in front of her children, she had nearly forgotten the occasion and misspoken. Thus, when Wang Wanzhen came to support her again, she did not refuse.

Wei Ang had already personally stepped forward to greet Xiao Li. As he escorted him inside, he explained: "Madam becomes distraught at the sight of the Marquis's coffin. The young... the Consort feared that excessive grief would harm her health, so he asked the Princess to take Madam away for now."

By the time they reached the memorial hall, Wei Pingjin, dressed in mourning attire, was standing on the steps. Xiao Li gave a slight nod and addressed him: "Consort."

Wei Pingjin's expression shifted several times, but he could not manage a smile. However, given that it was during Wei Qishan's mourning period, his demeanor was not overly inappropriate. He gestured inward and said stiffly: "Go offer incense to Father."

Although Xiao Li had later fallen out with Wei Qishan, he had initially agreed to become Wei Qishan's adopted son. Now, having inherited the title of Northern Wei Marquis, he was still regarded by outsiders as Wei Qishan's adopted son.

Those who could not read the situation were waiting to see these two "sons" of Wei Qishan engage in open and covert strife.

Those who were already aware of the inside story, however, understood that it was merely Xiao Li keeping his promise to allow the Wei family to barely cling to life.

The impact of Wei Qishan and Liao Jiang's deaths on Northern Wei was more severe than anyone had anticipated. Currently, it was only Xiao Li's forceful hold on the overall situation that kept the people's hearts from completely scattering.

Xiao Li took the incense offered by an attendant, lit it before a candle, bowed three times toward the coffins of Wei Qishan and Liao Jiang, and then inserted the incense into the incense burner.Wei Ang could perceive the stiffness in Wei Pingjin's conversation with Xiao Li. Although Wei Qishan had repeatedly instructed him during his final days, a temperament cultivated over so many years could hardly be altered overnight.

He dared not let the two interact excessively. After Xiao Li finished offering incense, Wei Ang immediately made a gesture of invitation, guiding Xiao Li outward: "The governors from various prefectures and provinces have also arrived today. The Marquis may wish to meet them as well..."

Once Xiao Li departed from the memorial hall, the guests who had lingered outside the courtyard watching the spectacle dispersed. The previously clamorous courtyard suddenly fell into silence.

It was as if everyone knew that this former Jin dynasty consort who aspired to contend for the realm was merely a publicly displayed laughingstock.

Wei Pingjin glanced back at his father's coffin, his face bearing an embarrassment that even exhaustion could not conceal.

Wei Jiamin, stifling a surge of resentment, ran into the plum grove to hide and wept bitterly.

Her earlier outburst in the memorial hall was not solely directed at Madam Wei; she also detested the sycophantic behavior of those aristocratic family matrons.

When her father was still alive, she had been the jewel of the entire Northern Border. They had always praised her effusively, invariably sending invitations for every seasonal banquet, and some even shamelessly dispatched matchmakers multiple times, attempting to arrange a marriage alliance with their sons.

Now, with her father freshly departed, those aristocratic family matrons already dared to scrutinize her in such a manner.

The more Wei Jiamin dwelled on it, the more aggrieved she felt. Just as she was weeping vehemently, she faintly heard voices approaching from the flagstone path obscured by the rockery and plum trees:

"The Wei residence's plum grove is indeed elegantly maintained."

"Can't you see those plum trees are decades-old stumps? I heard they were planted by the Marquis's former wife."

As the voices drew nearer, Wei Jiamin hid behind the rockery. Sheltered by the artificial rocks and plum branches, she saw two aristocratic family matrons who had come to offer condolences. Presumably bored from sitting, they had wandered into the plum garden.

With heavy snowfall recently, the estate steward had anticipated guests coming to admire the plums and thus ordered servants to clear the snow from the flagstone path early in the morning.

Therefore, even though it had begun snowing again, the path had not yet accumulated fresh snow, and Wei Jiamin had left no footprints when she arrived earlier.

Likely assuming no one else was in the grove, the two matrons spoke without restraint. One remarked, "The Marquis's current wife appears quite magnanimous. Given her petty demeanor at today's funeral, I'd assumed she wouldn't be one to tolerate rivals."

The other, clad in purple, responded, "Regardless of her tolerance, there's still order of precedence, isn't there? As a second wife, how could she surpass the original madam?"

The blue-clad matron who had spoken first shook her head: "If she acts this way in public, who knows how she educates her children in private. That Virtuous and quick-witted county lord was raised with a domineering temperament from the start—arrogant beyond measure. She scrutinized every young man across the Northern Border without finding a single suitor to her liking. Now that the Marquis has passed, even if she doesn't observe the full three-year mourning period, finding a suitable match from an appropriate family will likely prove difficult."

The purple-clad matron added, "I heard that while the Marquis was alive, he wished to arrange a match between the Virtuous and quick-witted county lord and his adopted son, but the latter refused."

The blue-clad matron chuckled softly, covering half her mouth with a silk handkerchief: "Is that so? Could it be he too had already heard of the Virtuous and quick-witted county lord's notorious arrogance?"The aristocratic family madam in purple broke off a plum branch in full bloom and said, "Don't mock too soon. Marquis Wei's adopted son has now inherited the position of the new Northern Wei monarch. If the Wei family can rest so assuredly, their marriage arrangement might still hold."

The aristocratic family madam in blue scoffed dismissively, "Then let's wait until their marriage actually happens before talking."

As they spoke, the two moved farther away from the artificial rockery. Hidden behind the rocks, Wei Jiamin snapped a plum branch beside her in fury, her chest burning as if scorched by fire—stifled, suffocated, and sharply painful.

She shot a hateful glare at their retreating figures before silently striding swiftly toward the plum grove entrance.

The two aristocratic family madams continued admiring the blossoms in the grove, completely unaware their earlier conversation had been overheard by Wei Jiamin.

The purple-clad madam asked the blue-clad one, "From your tone, it seems you hold much dislike for the Virtuous and quick-witted county lord?"

At this mention, the blue-clad madam's heart swelled with resentment. "Two springs ago, at the polo tournament hosted by Marquis Wei's household, my Ling'er played excellently and intercepted one of the Virtuous and quick-witted county lord's shots. Immediately after, the county lord deliberately spurred her horse to collide with Ling'er, knocking her from her saddle! She even charged her horse directly toward my Ling'er on the ground—the hooves nearly trampled my daughter's face!"

To this day, the blue-clad madam still felt anguish recalling it. "That spineless husband of mine didn't dare demand justice for our daughter. Instead, he shamelessly made excuses, saying 'accidents happen on the polo field.' He couldn't see our daughter nearly lost her life, yet worried the Virtuous and quick-witted county lord might have been frightened!"

—

After attending Madam Wei back to her chambers and settling her to rest, Wang Wanzhen drew the bed curtains and said, "Please rest now, Madam. I'll go find the county lord."

In private, she still addressed Madam Wei as "Madam," maintaining such impeccable etiquette that even Madam Wei—who disliked her—could find no fault.

Nevertheless, Madam Wei remained unwilling to engage with Wang Wanzhen, giving a slight nod with half-closed eyes before calling her own maid to brew warm tea.

Wang Wanzhen glanced at the hot tea she had already prepared and placed on the bedside table, but said nothing. With a deferential expression, she withdrew from the room.

Wei Jiamin had apparently rushed back from somewhere, her boots caked with muddy snow. The moment she entered the courtyard, she called out "Mother!" with red-rimmed eyes.

As Wei Jiamin hurried past her, Wang Wanzhen bowed slightly and addressed her as "County Lord."

But Wei Jiamin acted as if she hadn't heard, ignoring her completely.

Bursting into the room, she threw herself beside Madam Wei and began sobbing bitterly.

Seeing her daughter return in such distress, Madam Wei immediately teared up as well. Stroking Wei Jiamin's hair to comfort her, she asked where she had been.

Wang Wanzhen, recognizing her presence at the doorway had become superfluous, said, "Since the County Lord has returned, I can rest assured. I shall go assist my husband."

With that, she closed the door but prudently remained outside, silently gesturing for her maid to leave first.

Inside the room, after weeping in Madam Wei's embrace for some time, Wei Jiamin finally choked out, "Mother, since Father passed, everyone has started laughing at our misfortune."

She wiped her eyes messily and declared, "I refuse to give them that satisfaction. I'm willing to marry that peasant who seized my brother's position as monarch."

Overcome with sorrow, Madam Wei hugged her daughter and wept, "My poor, unfortunate Minmin..."Wei Jiamin seemed to have made this decision after careful consideration. Though her voice carried a sob, it remained resolute: "He wants to quickly win over the military's loyalty and make the Wei family's generals submit to him. Marrying me is his best option. For the sake of military power, he wouldn't dare mistreat me. All I need is the title of Marquis' wife."

Just beyond the door, Wang Wanzhen's expression darkened slightly. She quietly slipped away from the courtyard.

When she returned to the main courtyard where the memorial hall was set up, Wei Pingjin was nowhere to be seen. Upon inquiring with the servants, she learned he had retired to the side room for a brief rest.

She went to the side room, dismissed the attendants stationed there, and all traces of gentleness vanished from her face. Her tone chilly, she addressed the man who had his legs propped on a low table, leaning back in an armchair with his eyes closed: "Does my husband know what your dear sister and your mother are scheming?"

Wei Pingjin wearily opened his bloodshot eyes.

Wang Wanzhen sneered, "Your precious sister is plotting to marry Xiao Li, all to help him win over the officials and generals of the Wei family!"

Wei Pingjin simply draped the mourning cloth over his face and went back to sleep.

This act undoubtedly enraged Wang Wanzhen. Staring at him, she said, "Are you content to let everything the Marquis left behind be taken by that Xiao? When you ascend the throne, she, Wei Jiamin, will be a princess—how has she been wronged? Yet she seeks to help an outsider seize the power from your hands!"

Irritated by her clamor, Wei Pingjin snatched the mourning cloth from his face. Resentment and hatred filled his eyes, making them even redder, his handsome features twisting into something ferocious. Struggling to control his temper, he said, "Letting Minmin marry that Xiao was my father's dying wish! Minmin has already resigned herself to marrying that lowborn scoundrel for the sake of the Wei family. If I hear you speak ill of Minmin again..."

He nearly tore the mourning cloth in his grip, pointing at Wang Wanzhen, "Don't blame me for hitting a woman!"

Even with her limited understanding of politics, Wang Wanzhen realized that Wei Qishan, before his death, had arranged for Wei Pingjin to become a puppet ruler under Xiao Li's control!

Then what was the point of her pretending to be the former Jin princess?

After all her humility and efforts, even if she bore a child, would she still be paving the way for others?

Wang Wanzhen was almost laughing in fury. She taunted Wei Pingjin, "What a man you are, willingly handing over the Wei family's legacy to an outsider, even sending your own sister to serve him and help him consolidate power over your clan!"

Wei Pingjin slapped Wang Wanzhen across the face. Rage made the veins at his temples bulge, his eyes blazing with crimson fury, only a shred of rationality holding him back: "The affairs of the Wei family are not for a lowly actress like you to meddle in! Get out!"

Author's Note: Dear readers, apologies for the wait. I'm eager to get to the next interactions between the main couple, but before they meet again, there are many events that need to be addressed.

This transitional part might not be to everyone's liking, but for the sake of narrative coherence, these scenes with the supporting characters are necessary. Otherwise, their motivations and actions wouldn't align. I'll do my best to move through these plot points quickly.

Red envelopes for everyone in this chapter~