Chapter 42: Wen Ling

Not until noon, at mealtime, did Fang Rui and Shen Yu return. De’an somehow managed to find a handkerchief. Watching Fang Rui and Shen Yu come back, she gritted her teeth and twisted the handkerchief in her hands so hard she nearly turned it into rags.

De’an was looking at others, so she was unaware that others were also looking at her. The men in the army were all big, rough fellows and some of them could hardly return home even once a year. Even though it was only a half-day journey from the capital, the camp’s strict guards prevented casual trips home. Even the ugliest woman, in their eyes, could be compared to one of the most beautiful women in the country, yet there simply were no women in the camp.

Although there were no regular women, occasionally a clean, fair-faced recruit would enter the camp. But after a month in the barracks they’d become as coarse as the others. There had once been a set of pale, handsome young masters to please the eye, but now every one of them was tanned as coal and had grown as burly as the rest. No charm left at all!

Today they saw a lad pinching a small handkerchief, lips red, teeth white, fair and tender, more handsome than most girls. These big tough men nearly had green lights in their eyes.

But De’an didn’t notice at all that she had become, in everyone else’s eyes, like a little lamb.

When Shen Yu returned to the camp and saw that those big tough men had put on their clothes, the tightness in her chest finally eased.

Lunch was simple, just vegetables and steamed buns. Simple but filling. The soldiers had large appetites, and if they ate meat every meal few could be satisfied, so meat was only added occasionally.

Shen Yu was hardly picky. Fang Rui, after eating the noodles Shen Yu made, felt that even stale overnight buns would go down.

After lunch they had to get to the main business. Even though Fang Rui had mainly left the palace to lie low, he still had to put on appearances, make some noise to draw out the pests in his army and see what these young masters had actually been trained into.

When a hundred men entered the training ground, their formation was neat, each one proud and vigorous. There was, after all, a bit of form to them.

Sitting on a simple wooden tower, Fang Rui tapped the tabletop rhythmically with two fingers. Watching the transformed spirits of a hundred prominent young masters, he became interested and watched the exercises seriously.

The drill was nothing more than troop formations.

A hundred is not a lot nor a little. Throughout history there have been many examples of the few defeating the many. Being fewer in number doesn’t necessarily mean being inferior.

On the field, among the hundred, some held bows, others spears and shields, arranged into a wedge formation with the vanguard like a cone. As they advanced the wedge’s wings widened, and it quickly and flexibly transformed into a flying-goose formation.

Fang Rui suddenly showed an intrigued smile. A well-trained army was one that could change formations at will, among them were the six embodiments: swift as the wind, steady as a forest, aggressive as fire, immovable as a mountain, inscrutable as shadow, and striking like thunder. Fang Rui hadn’t expected that in only a month this group of undisciplined youth would reach such a level.

His gaze fixed on a point within the layered encirclement, then looking down at the formation he asked Shen Yu, who sat beside him, “What are you looking at?”

Shen Yu looked at the soldier holding the command pennant and said, “The one commanding is Wen Ling.”

Fang Rui’s mouth twitched into a half-smile, seeming unsurprised. “The Wen family is a top merchant family, each heir is a wonder at business, born for trade, adept at timing and calculation. If Wen Ling truly belongs to the Wen family, it is not surprising he can command troops.”

“My dear aide Shen, do you remember the two jade carvings he gave you and me after we saved him four years ago?”

Shen Yu thought for a moment and replied, “I remember, but Your Majesty, why do you suddenly ask about the meaning of those jade carvings?”

Fang Rui, still tapping the table with two fingers, stopped and turned to Shen Yu. “Those jade carvings are the jade tokens of Tianxia Silver Bank under the Wen family.”

“The jade tokens of Tianxia Silver Bank?!” Shen Yu was quite surprised. Wen Ling, still a youth then, had said that if anyone had trouble they could take his gifted jade carving to Tianxia Silver Bank for help, provided they did not mention his name. At the time Shen Yu had simply helped the youth and hadn’t expected anything in return, so she hadn’t paid much heed to the boy’s words.

His gaze returned to the training ground, settling on Wen Ling. “Tianxia Silver Bank’s jade tokens vary and are hard to counterfeit. They recognize the token, not the person.” In other words, whose token it was doesn’t matter, the key was in who brought the token to Tianxia Silver Bank.

“I have heard,” Shen Yu said, “that the jade token doesn’t necessarily mean money is stored at Tianxia Silver Bank. The token can store not only money but also people.”

“That must be the special aspect of holding a jade token, anything can be stored.” The Wen family was considered a top merchant because they were the top traders in the land. Merchants across the realm looked to the Wen family. Their wealth rivaled nations, so not only the jianghu folks feared them, the court was also very wary.

If Wen Ling truly belonged to the Wen family, and could be brought to his side, he’d have a powerful backing. He would be fighting not only the Empress Dowager but also the Wang clan, and opposing the Wang family was no simple matter. Moreover, soon there would be unrest in the Eastern Border that might threaten the Great Qi. Solving these problems without sufficient financial backing would be impossible.

The exercises finished around the afternoon. Fang Rui had Wen Ling summoned to his tent. Only Shen Yu remained inside the tent.

Fang Rui sat, Shen Yu stood to the side. When Wen Ling entered, he performed the kowtow appropriate for seeing the emperor.

“Your subject Wen Ling pays respects to Your Majesty.” Wen Ling referred to himself as Wen Ling, not as the Gu Ziling he had used the day before.

“Rise,” Fang Rui said. He had guessed Wen Ling knew his identity, but still asked, “How did you know I am the emperor?”

Wen Ling bowed slightly. “As your subject knows, Lord Shen is a third-rank official and Lord Shen shows respect before Your Majesty. Among officials higher than Lord Shen there is no one surnamed Fang, and moreover… Fang is the imperial surname. Grand Steward Rong is one of Your Majesty’s attendants. Four years ago, he was also the one who followed Your Majesty in saving me. It would be hard not to deduce that the one before me is the emperor.”

Fang Rui chuckled softly. “I did not realize I had given away so many clues.”

“Your subject yesterday called himself Ziling and deceived Your Majesty, I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”

Fang Rui glanced at Shen Yu. Shen Yu understood and nodded. Then Fang Rui asked, “Your name is Wen Ling, yet you called yourself Gu Ziling to enter the camp. What was your intention?”

Wen Ling fell silent for a moment, then honestly said, “Your subject… was originally a Wen family’s illegitimate son.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Rui and Shen Yu exchanged a look. An illegitimate son of the Wen family was something they had not expected.

“My mother was also of the Wen family, though from a collateral branch. She and the second young master of the main line fell in love, and the Wen family strongly opposed it. They eloped, and the year after their elopement I was born. The Wen family reluctantly accepted my mother and me, but…”

Wen Ling paused, then continued, “But this large clan had many overt and covert struggles. To fight for inheritance they used any means. While my father lived we had someone to rely on, but after his death my mother fell into grief and soon passed away as well. I then lived on thin ice in the Wen household, and several times barely escaped death. I ultimately fled the Wen family, but one such escape was when I was pursued and barely got away.”

“And how does that relate to your changing your name to join the camp?” In the royal court even familial ties could be used as calculations, so ordinary prominent families were no better. Fang Rui was not the least surprised by such family power struggles.

Wen Ling’s eyes darkened slightly. “To avoid being hunted and to bide my time. Since they forced me into a corner with no way out, I chose to face them head-on.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Rui clapped his hands twice and commended, “Good resolve. Rather than being pressured into a dead end, better to start counterattacking as they push you in.”

Lowering his hand, Fang Rui smirked and said, “If I intervened to help you, how much do you think your chances would improve?”

At this Wen Ling’s eyes showed some surprise. “How could your subject presume to trouble Your Majesty?”

Fang Rui’s eyes gleamed with shrewdness and a faint smile tugged at his lips. “If I help you, I won’t do so for free. What I’m asking for is that, after you take over the Wen family I want financial support.”

Wen Ling thought briefly and, understanding the advantage, cupped his hands and replied, “If Your Majesty ever needs anything from the Wen household, Wen Ling will, without hesitation, serve.”

With Wen Ling’s assurance, Fang Rui’s aim was achieved. He said, “If needed, you may contact Shen Yu and Rong Tai at any time.”

“Your subject thanks His Majesty for this great favor.”

After four days in the camp, as they prepared to return to the capital, Fang Rui instructed with a loud command, “These hundred men have improved so much in just a month, they’re all promising recruits. Train them well, do not slacken.” The Wang clan’s power in court was too great, so it was time to replace some officials.

On the way back to the capital, the news sent to investigate Wen Ling arrived by carrier pigeon. The investigation matched Wen Ling’s account, except that officially Wen Ling had been declared dead four years ago.

Fang Rui held the letter, drew aside the carriage curtain, and sighed deeply. Wen Ling’s experience was indeed somewhat similar to his own, only Wen Ling had been far smarter. He had early on discerned who was friend and who was foe. Fang Rui, however, had been deceived for over twenty years and only belatedly saw the truth, still foolishly hoping the Empress Dowager would treat him with maternal affection.

He was both laughable and foolish.

…

Back at the Grand Guardian’s residence, the investigation reports were slow in coming. The coachman said, “The owner of a general store told me these dried fish come from Persia and only the imperial household can use them. Even those with money cannot buy them.”

Hearing the investigation’s findings, Shen Yu looked at the dried fish in his hand and was thoughtful.

For Persian treasures to reach Great Qi, the most likely route was as tribute. Tribute coming from Persia was not surprising, but for tribute to end up in Jia Ming’s hands was odd. If Jiaming didn’t steal it, then the only explanation was that Jia Ming had ties to the imperial household.