Chapter 33: That Was a Wolf with Sharp Claws and Teeth...
She opened the envelope, retrieved the letter, and unfolded it. Her long lashes lowered slightly as she scanned the lines rapidly.
The letter began:
"When my lord opens this letter, you must have already heard of Yongzhou's upheaval and learned of your servant's death. Do not grieve, my lord, for I have not forgotten your instructions. Yet as a minister of Liang, my heart is filled with shame. I passed the imperial examination in the sixth year of Xianchong and have received official salary for seventeen years since. I understood the sovereign's worries yet failed to cleanse his court; I knew the people's sufferings yet could not secure their welfare. That our state and land have fallen to such ruin is largely due to the grave failures of incompetent ministers like myself!"
"My lord possesses brilliant virtue and lofty aspirations, with the bold vision to eliminate traitors and restore our rivers and mountains. This comforts my heart. Though your path is arduous and Liang's collapse seems irreversible, I wish to use my decaying body to stem this tidal wave of destruction, declaring to all under heaven: Though Liang may fall, its ministers' integrity remains! When my lord marches north with armies, will there not be righteous men of former Liang who rally to your cause? This is the conviction I hold dear - though I die nine deaths, I shall never regret. The tasks entrusted by my lord have all been passed to my unworthy son. When Liang's forces reclaim the Central Plains, may my son serve in my stead as a Liang minister, pledging loyalty to my lord!"
Wen Yu felt a sharp sting in her eyes. Gazing back toward Yongzhou, her temples whipped by the fierce wind, she called out hoarsely: "Lord Zhou..."
Yongzhou.
A thousand miles of drifting snow, ten thousand miles of frozen frost.
Pei Song's thirty-thousand strong army pressed darkly against the city walls.
Inside and outside Yongzhou's gates, everything was draped in mourning white. The wind whipped the white funeral banners on the city towers into loud flapping.
Zhou Sui, dressed in hemp mourning garments, led Yongzhou officials similarly clad in mourning robes to kneel outside the city gates, welcoming Pei Song's army.
The northern wind swept sharp snow particles that stung painfully against faces.
Zhou Sui pressed his forehead to the ground, shouting hoarsely: "Zhou Jing'an, Governor of Yongzhou - has taken his own life in admission of guilt! I, Zhou Sui, surrender in his stead, and respectfully welcome the Minister Over the Masses' army into the city!"
The Yongzhou officials kneeling behind him echoed in unison: "We respectfully welcome the Minister Over the Masses' army into the city!"
Further back, Xiao Li and the Manor Guards stood in formation alongside Yongzhou defenders, all armored with weapons removed, white cloth strips tied around their arms, kneeling on one knee.
Everyone kept their heads slightly lowered. Before bowing his head, Xiao Li glanced through the ravenous wind and snow toward the figure mounted high on horseback at the front of the distant army formation.
Against the backlight, the thirty-thousand strong army's dark formation resembled an iron wall radiating murderous cold. Though the mounted figure's face remained unclear, one could feel his piercing sharpness.
That was a wolf with sharp claws and teeth.
Pei Song seemed to sense something, his gaze sweeping over the military formations behind Yongzhou's city gates, his eyes containing the ravenous wind and snow.
Anyone could see he was particularly displeased.
His deputy general Xing Lie, seeing his prolonged silence, said: "Minister Over the Masses, if this surrender displeases you, we can simply fight our way into the city!"
Pei Song's eyes turned cold and sinister: "Zhou Jing'an - truly Liang's loyal dog!"
His Chief Clerk, unskilled in horsemanship and seated in a war chariot, hurriedly interjected: "My lord! You must not slaughter the city! Even though that cunning Zhou Jing'an chose this tragic death to glorify the Wen clan after the Wen remnant Han Yang issued poems condemning you and summoning old supporters, since Yongzhou has surrendered, massacring the city would only give them another weapon to attack you!""Now that Wei Qishan has dispatched troops from Youzhou, and the Wen remnants have rallied their old forces heading to Southern Chen, they will surround us from north and south, endangering our lord! Even though you have sent troops to suppress the Wen remnants from all directions, until definite news returns, we must not act recklessly. Securing the central heartland should be our priority, so Yongzhou must not be slaughtered! Otherwise, who would dare surrender next?"
Pei Song's eyes were icy as he slightly raised his hand. The Chief Secretary understood he had taken these words to heart and said to the standard officer beside him, "Convey the lord's order: accept the surrender!"
The standard officer quickly urged his horse forward and shouted, "The Minister of Education is benevolent and accepts the surrender!"
Zhou Sui knelt on the ground, the tears welling in his eyes nearly frozen by the cold wind into frost on his face. His hands and feet were numb from the cold. Hearing these words, the heavy stone pressing on his heart lightened slightly.
He rose with the Yongzhou officials and knelt on both sides of the city gate.
No one looked up, only hearing the sound of hooves treading on the remnants of frost as they slowly approached, arrogantly entering the city gate.
Only after Pei Song's personal guards had all entered the city did the Yongzhou officials, their knees stiff and painful from the cold, struggle to stand. Zhou Sui, recently in mourning and too grief-stricken to eat or drink properly, had knelt so long in the snow that he staggered when rising. Fortunately, Xiao Li came looking for him and promptly supported him, calling out, "Young Master."
Zhou Sui smiled bitterly and said, "Let's return."
Pei Song rode into the city. The common people along the streets mostly watched with fearful, probing glances, none daring to speak loudly.
When they reached a fork in the road and the guiding official led them down one path, Pei Song reined in his horse and demanded, "Where does this lead?"
The guiding official trembled as he replied, "Knowing... knowing the Minister of Education was coming, the young master has already arranged everything at the posthouse, awaiting the Minister and your generals to stay."
Pei Song lazily flexed his horsewhip and said, "No need for such trouble. We shall lodge at the Zhou residence."
"This..." The guiding official dared not make the decision himself.
Zhou Sui, having received the message, hurried over. Bowing humbly beneath Pei Song's horse, he said, "If the Minister would deign to honor my humble home, this humble official is overwhelmed with gratitude, only fearing its simplicity may slight the Minister."
A cold smile played on Pei Song's youthful face as he glanced at him and said, "It matters not."
Zhou Sui bowed even deeper and said, "In that case, my humble home shall be greatly honored."
He ordered his subordinates to rush back and inform the household to make preparations, then personally guided Pei Song.
When the group arrived at the provincial headquarters, Madam Zhou, also dressed in mourning clothes, was already waiting outside with the household servants.
Seeing Pei Song dismount, she curtsied and said, "The Minister's esteemed presence brings this humble woman both joy and trepidation."
Pei Song sneered, "Joy I see not, but Madam does indeed appear rather fearful."
Madam Zhou knew he was alluding to her husband's suicide and dared not respond, only bowing her head more respectfully and curtsying deeper.
Pei Song did not further trouble this widow and passed her to enter the residence.
However, Pei Song's trusted general Xing Lie stared openly at Madam Zhou. Even after passing her, he frequently turned back to look.
Today, Madam Zhou wore no hairpins, not even a beaded one, only a plain silk flower. But as a natural beauty, well-maintained, her figure possessed a unique fullness for her age. Such simple attire only added to her pitiable appearance.
The other's gaze was unabashed, making both Madam Zhou and Zhou Sui, who had returned with Pei Song, look extremely uncomfortable.Only after Pei Song's men had all entered the residence did Zhou Sui approach Madam Zhou. His eyes burned with fury and shame as he choked out, "Mother, I..."
He couldn't continue, his voice breaking into sobs: "It's my incompetence..."
For a noblewoman to be scrutinized so brazenly was truly humiliating.
Madam Zhou patted her son's shoulder and said, "It's alright. Your father's memorial tablet has been moved to the West side courtyard, and I will reside only there from now on. But you, my son..."
Her eyes reddened as she continued, "You must still serve diligently under the Minister of War from now on."
Zhou Sui understood the deeper meaning in his mother's words all too well. What Pei Song wanted was for his father to personally surrender, then beg for favors like a dog wagging its tail, flaunting any gains before other former Liang officials to shatter their integrity and dignity.
This would severely dampen the morale of those Liang officials who hadn't yet surrendered, while also allowing commoners to witness their officials' disgrace, channeling their bitterness from oppressive corvée labor and taxes toward the "corrupt officials" of the former Liang regime.
As people saw more of these "cowardly corrupt officials," their disillusionment with the former Liang would only grow. With slight guidance from Pei Song, this rebel profiting from others' conflicts might even be praised as a righteous army.
His father had understood this, hence his resolve to die for his principles, using the political climate to give Pei Song a soft rejection.
To maintain overall stability, Pei Song didn't dare massacre civilians indiscriminately, but he would certainly find various pretexts to torment Zhou Sui.
As long as Zhou Sui maintained sufficient humility and endured whatever humiliation Pei Song dealt him, Pei Song couldn't directly strip him of his authority.
—The unconquered Liang officials were watching.
If surrender only meant being stripped of power and treated like livestock, they might as well fight to the death.
Therefore, all he could do now was summed up in two words—endure humiliation.
Zhou Sui took a deep breath, suppressing his grief and indignation, saying, "I understand, Mother."
As mother and son were about to enter the residence together, guards came galloping down the street outside, reining in their horses so abruptly they nearly fell off, urgently reporting: "Young master! The troops entering the city are unrestrained, plundering and seizing young women everywhere!"
Zhou Sui shouted, "How can this be so outrageous?"
He quickly assigned Xiao Li: "Brother Xiao, your martial skills are exceptional. Take the residence guards first to stall Pei's troops, prevent them from continuing these acts of bullying men and seizing women. I'll go persuade Minister Pei to enforce strict military discipline!"
Xiao Li cupped his fists: "I'll go immediately."
Pei Song entered the Zhou family study, sitting behind a huanghuali wood desk, casually picking up an ancient text to browse.
His personal guards rummaged through Zhou Jing'an's book collection and scrolls in the bookshelves and antique displays. After thorough inspection, they reported to Pei Song: "My lord, no suspicious letters found!"
Pei Song tapped his fingers rhythmically on the armrest of his chair, musing: "That old fox covered his tracks well. Outsiders think he died for his former master to bolster Han Yang's denunciation of me. But those current affairs essays condemning me, simultaneously published across several prefectures, hadn't even reached Yongzhou when he killed himself. If his timing wasn't coincidental, he must have known in advance when those essays would be published."
The chief historian searching through the bookshelves suddenly paused his beard-stroking, looking at Pei Song: "My lord means... Zhou Jing'an might have been secretly communicating with the Wen remnants?"Pei Song's lips curved slightly. "Everything in this world leaves traces once done. Just like that Hanyang Princess of the former Liang dynasty - if she wishes to gather her old followers, she must reveal that she's still alive and continuing south to Chen. Though she cleverly laid false trails on every major route to Southern Chen to obscure my vision, and even calculated that my men might no longer catch up with her, but..."
He paused, his smile deepening. "Even the cleverest can overlook details. My men may not catch her, but the bounty for capturing remnants of the previous Liang dynasty has been issued. In every prefecture she passes through, there will be soldiers and bandits ready to intercept her for me."
A guard outside suddenly announced: "Minister, Young Master Zhou requests an audience!"
Exchanging a glance with his chief secretary, Pei Song watched as the secretary gestured for the guards to return all documents to their original places.
When Zhou Sui entered, he saw Pei Song seated behind the huanghuali desk where his father used to sit, with a white-bearded elder standing beside him and several guards positioned on both sides below.
Zhou Sui bowed with clasped hands. "Greetings, Minister."
Pei Song asked leisurely, "Young Master Zhou seeks me in such haste. Is there urgent business?"
Zhou Sui humbly bent forward. "I have arranged a modest banquet in the main hall to welcome Your Excellency."
Pei Song stared at him, his smile not reaching his eyes. "Young Master Zhou is too thoughtful."
Zhou Sui hurriedly replied, "I wouldn't dare. Your Excellency's presence honors our Zhou Family."
"Then I shall trouble you," Pei Song said.
But Zhou Sui remained bowed. "There is one more matter I wish to beg of Your Excellency."
Pei Song slowly lifted his eyes. "What is it?"
Zhou Sui said, "The people of Yongzhou witnessed Your Excellency's entry into the city today. Henceforth, you are their heaven. The people have long suffered under corvée labor and all hope Your Excellency will lead them to better days. However... there are those with ill intentions among your troops who, after entering the city, have been plundering property and violating women, attempting to stir public anger and turn the people against you. I beg Your Excellency to severely punish these individuals!"
His words were impeccably delivered, but Pei Song from above only cast him a cold glance. "My soldiers have followed me through life and death. Merely seizing a few women would make Yongzhou's people lose faith in me? It seems... the people's hearts were never with me to begin with..."
Zhou Sui knelt in shock, kowtowing. "The people of Yongzhou hold Your Excellency in high esteem, but forcing virtuous women into prostitution... how can this be tolerated?"
The chief secretary, well aware the fault lay with the soldiers, was about to speak when Pei Song said, "In that case, why doesn't Young Master Zhou find some courtesans from the pleasure quarters for my men?"
Zhou Sui's face paled slightly, but he still bowed his head. "This official... obeys the command."
After Zhou Sui withdrew, the chief secretary said, "My lord, what the Zhou boy said wasn't wrong. You should indeed enforce stricter discipline among the troops."
Pei Song raised his hand, and seeing his impatience, the secretary stopped speaking.
Pei Song said, "I know what you're saying, advisor, and those below will be severely punished. But that Zhou Jing'an wanted to be a martyr loyal to his cause, keeping his coffin in his residence and observing mourning - this displeases me greatly. Why not let his son accompany the soldiers in their feasting and drinking?"The Chief Secretary sighed upon hearing this and said, "I know you harbor anger in your heart, but the one loyal to Daliang was Zhou Jing'an. His son may not be as obstinate and stubborn as him. Though young, this Zhou lad conducts himself with measured restraint and shows considerable talent. Rather than humiliating him, why not bestow favors and make him serve you? After all, the Wen family has no one left—what storm can a wretched girl fleeing to Southern Chen stir? With a little thought, he will know which choice to make."
Pei Song gently twisted the iron ring on his thumb, his voice faint: "And how can you be sure whether we’d be tying a dog to our side or raising a wolf?"
"This..." The Chief Secretary was momentarily at a loss for words.
Pei Song stood up, clasped his hands behind his back as he gazed out the window, a slight smile curling his lips: "Never mind. Let me see how far he can endure. After all, a dog that doesn’t bark bites the fiercest, doesn’t it?"
When a servant from the Zhou residence came to respectfully invite them to the banquet in the main hall, Pei Song instead took his cloak and headed out: "Please go ahead to the banquet on my behalf. I have some personal matters to attend to."
He rode out with several dozen attendants, heading straight for Yongzhou Prison. Along the way, he encountered soldiers who had entered the city with him brawling with several Yongzhou Manor Guards.
Leading the Manor Guards was Xiao Li.
Acting on Zhou Sui’s orders, he was doing his best to "dissuade" the incoming soldiers from harassing women, plundering households, and oppressing the common people.
But these army ruffians were troublemakers, quick to resort to violence at the slightest disagreement.
The Manor Guards, trained by the provincial government, were elite troops. When facing these ruffians head-on, they held a significant advantage when outnumbered.
Seeing their side losing, one pot-bellied soldier spat out a bloodied tooth and viciously grabbed the young woman they had earlier abducted by the neck. Glaring coldly at Xiao Li, he snarled, "I followed the Minister into battle, earning my merits blade by blade! Not just abducting a few women—even if I cut off your heads to use as chamber pots, the Minister wouldn’t punish me!"
His fingers tightened, the flesh on his face contorting fiercely: "You want to teach me a lesson over this bitch? I’ll snap her neck right in front of you!"
As he exerted force, before he could fully break the young woman’s neck, he was suddenly splattered with blood.
The woman, covered in blood and collapsing to the ground, screamed first, snapping the soldier back to his senses.
He shrieked, clutching one of his arms, crying out hoarsely: "My arm! My arm! They attacked the army! Report to the General! Kill these Yongzhou bastards!"
A few Manor Guards grew anxious and asked Xiao Li, "Brother Xiao, what should we do?"
Xiao Li stared coldly at the wailing soldier and said, "I didn’t attack the army. There’s a traitor in the ranks trying to tarnish Minister Pei’s reputation. I’m merely upholding military discipline on the Minister’s behalf."
"You... you’ll pay with your life!" Enraged, the soldier snatched a blade from a comrade and swung it at Xiao Li.
But missing an arm had thrown off his balance, and his swing was inaccurate, allowing Xiao Li to easily sidestep it.
Staggering forward a few steps, he bumped into a tall horse. Cursing, he looked up just as a whip lashed across his face.
A guard sent by Pei Song’s order shouted, "Disgraceful fool! Get back and face your punishment!"
The ruffians didn’t recognize him, but they recognized his armor. Trembling with fear, they quickly pleaded, "We admit our fault! We’ll return for punishment at once!"The personal guard cast another cold glance at Xiao Li and the group of Manor Guards before turning his horse around and leaving.
The military ruffians dared not linger any longer and scattered like birds and beasts.
Xiao Li narrowed his eyes to look at the group of people on horseback in the distance. He couldn't clearly see the features of the leading officer, but noticing that all his followers were mounted soldiers, he surmised the man's status must be considerable.
One Manor Guard patted his chest lightly and said, "Luckily some of the Pei clan's own people passed by here, otherwise who knows how today's incident would have ended."
Another Manor Guard muttered while watching the departing personal guard on horseback: "That bunch themselves don't follow military discipline and harm common people. Why did the rider who came over whip that ruffian and then glare at us so hostilely?"
A veteran Manor Guard smacked him on the head and scolded: "Are you stupid? Brother Xiao led just a few of us to beat over a dozen of them to that state, and even chopped off that ruffian leader's arm. Those generals saw their own soldiers suffer losses - it's a slap to their face. How could they feel good about it?"
With this pointed out, several Manor Guards felt a belated fear.
One said: "The world has fallen into such chaos, and now the Zhou Manor isn't even under the young master's control anymore. Rather than continuing as Manor Guards, we'd be better off joining the army to make our way, saving us from swallowing insults all day long!"
Someone asked Xiao Li, who had remained silent: "Brother Xiao, what about you?"
Xiao Li was gazing distractedly at the retreating figures of Pei Song's group. Jostled on the arm, he snapped back to attention and said: "I have no great ambitions, I only wish to guard my mother and fulfill my filial duties."
The Manor Guards weren't particularly surprised by this answer and resumed discussing military enlistment. "The ancients said chaos breeds heroes. If we brothers truly join the army, we might make names for ourselves."
Someone sneered: "Following in the footsteps of that bunch earlier, bullying men and harassing women?"
The one who proposed enlistment spat and said: "Isn't the Northern Frontier Marquis also recruiting troops? I've heard the Frontier Marquis governs his army well, caring for soldiers like his own children - not like that scoundrel Pei Song with his unpredictable moods and brutal command."
At the mention of Pei Song, the Manor Guards felt their teeth itch with irritation. As they walked, they complained: "The Pei family isn't even some great clan. That Pei Song is only about twenty-five or twenty-six - who knows how he climbed to his current position!"
Xiao Li hadn't intended to participate in these conversations, but the words "twenty-five or twenty-six" inexplicably stuck in his ears.
The one who slaughtered Wen Yu's entire family, forced Zhou Jing'an to suicide, brought the Great Liang's rivers and mountains to such ruin, and would someday single-handedly resist the Northern Frontier Marquis and Southern Chen's troops - was actually just a twenty-five or twenty-six-year-old youth?
He lifted his head to glance at the drifting snowflakes falling from the sky, his expression dark and unreadable.
Pei Song continued riding forward with his trusted followers, holding the reins as he asked: "Those people, were they all Zhou Manor's guards?"
The soldier who had earlier gone to stop the conflict replied: "Exactly."
Pei Song narrowed his eyes: "That fellow who lifted his blade to sever a man's arm - his blade work is impressive."
The soldier hesitated before asking: "Should we investigate his identity?"
Pei Song brushed the light snow from his shoulder: "Since he's from Zhou Manor, there's no rush to inquire immediately."
The soldier nodded, then asked: "Then... how should we punish those troublemaking military ruffians?"
Pei Song's tone turned icy: "Beat them to death with clubs."
"I don't keep such disgraceful trash under my command."
The personal guards immediately fell silent, not daring to make a sound.
When the group arrived at Yongzhou Prison, the alerted prison warden had already emerged with jailers and guarding officers: "Si... Minister over the Masses, what brings you here?"Pei Song tossed the horsewhip to the guard behind him, a faint smile playing on his lips—a smile that sent chills down one’s spine. He said, “There is an old acquaintance of mine in this prison of yours.”
The jailer’s forced smile stiffened slightly, and he hastily knelt. “I beg Your Excellency the Minister over the Masses to see clearly—I am only responsible for guarding this place! How the prisoners ended up here is beyond my knowledge. They were all sentenced and delivered by various levels of authorities, some even exiled here for hard labor. This… none of it has anything to do with me…”
Pei Song lifted his eyelids slightly and said only, “Take me to see the prisoner exiled here fifteen years ago.”
The jailer wept, "This... this... Minister Situ, the number of prisoners exiled here increases every year without fail. Countless have frozen or fallen ill to their deaths. I hadn't even begun serving here fifteen years ago, so I truly don't know which prisoner exiled back then you're referring to..."
Pei Song's expression turned icy. Behind him, two guards slid their cold blades an inch out of their scabbards with a sharp shing.
Trembling from the knees down in terror, the jailer hastily added, "There is—there is such a person! He might be the one you seek, Minister! But his name wasn't recorded in the prisoner registry, and he's been mad for over a decade. I don't even know his full name..."
Pei Song simply said, "Lead the way."
The jailer fearfully guided him and his several guards to the deepest part of the prison.
From afar, the mad old man's humming could already be heard: "Drunk, I lit the lamp to gaze upon my sword / Dreaming, I returned to the horn-blaring camps..."[2]
Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, darlings! Red envelopes in this chapter too~
Notes:
[1] "For the ideal that I hold dear to my heart / I'd not regret a thousand deaths to die." — Qu Yuan, "Li Sao"
"When our armies reclaim the Central Plain / Do not forget to tell your sire at the ancestral rite." — Lu You, "To My Son"
[2] "Drunk, I lit the lamp to gaze upon my sword / Dreaming, I returned to the horn-blaring camps." — Xin Qiji, "Song of the Pounding Array"
Gratitude to the little angels who voted for me or provided nutrient solutions between 2023-12-18 23:54:32~2023-12-20 20:20:02~
Special thanks for the hand grenade: 21838625 (1)
For the landmines: 55343064, Juedufengzhou (1 each)
For the nutrient solutions: Xingzizounai (40 bottles), 55343064 (12 bottles), Feihuazhuyue, Mingziii～lily, Yunzhaozhao (10 bottles each), Xiaoxiaole (3 bottles), Hujing, Caomoqidushe, Suchunqianmeng (2 bottles each), Muzishuoshu, Keyibeilusi, Suisuitaohensui, 65140677, Bachi, Wodeyang, Yihouaichizhuzi, Jing, kfpy_L, Bohexianqi, jenniferCA, Zhizhizhu, Jiji, Yundongya, Panghuli, Stella (1 bottle each)
Many thanks for your support—I'll keep striving!
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