Chapter 85. Yecheng (Part 1)

Yecheng (Part 1)

城 (chéng) - city; hence, The Ye City
I haven't met Wu Xiu, Wu Zhang, or Wu Kun before. Looking from the big boat, I saw that he was a fair-faced young man. It was hot weather, and he was wearing a thin robe with neatly arranged hair.
Pei Qian stepped forward to greet him first, and the two stood together. Wu Kun appeared to be of the same age as him, but slightly shorter in stature.
Most of the people on the fleet were soldiers and generals of the Wu army. Upon seeing their lord's arrival, they all cheered enthusiastically. I saw Lin Chong, accompanied by soldiers, jump off the ship and bow to Wu Kun. Wu Kun appeared amiable and exchanged a few words with Lin Chong before turning and walking in this direction. Cui Ting sat on a pushcart and went forward to greet him respectfully. From here, although Cui Ting was halfly shorter, his figure was upright. It was the same appearance as when I saw him last year with Wei Tan, displaying confidence without arrogance.
"Xiongzhang!" Wu Jiao quickly walked to the side of the ship, holding a folding fan in one hand to partially cover her face, her eyes curved with a smile. She stepped onto the gangway, her wide clothes and large sleeves making it difficult for her to walk.
Wu Jiao looked towards Pei Qian's direction, but Lin Chong walked over and extended his hand.
Wu Jiao seemed somewhat displeased, saying, "Who asked you to come?"
Lin Chong retorted, "Then who do you want to come?"
After a moment of hesitation, Wu Jiao finally linked her arm with his and walked down the boat.
"Furen," a soldier walked over and said, "Our Zhugong requests your presence."
The time is finally here. I nodded and exchanged a glance with Gongyang Gui. Then I took a step and disembarked from the ship.
My identity was no longer a secret among these people. As I disembarked from the ship, the crowd naturally parted to form a path, leading to Wu Kun at the end.
The expressions of the people varied. Pei Qian stood behind Wu Kun, his calm demeanor hiding the unease in his gaze. Wu Jiao and Lin Chong stood beside Wu Kun, wearing amused expressions as if watching a play.
Without looking at them, I walked up to stand in front of Wu Kun.
Wu Kun and Wu Jiao's father, Wu Xiu, once served as an official in Chang'an, and he happened to work in Father's Minister of Education's office. Of course, Father had been an official for so many years, and there were at least thousands of people who worked under him. Wu Xiu's family background was not particularly noteworthy. It's likely that Father might not remember him either.
So in my view, back then, both Wu Zhang and Wei Jue could be considered similar; they were both like lice that had grown into human-eating worms.
Wu Kun clearly wasn't inclined to acknowledge any ancestral subordination. As he looked at me, his youthful face carried the composure of a victor, his gaze was proud, and it held a scrutinizing quality.
Since I had become a captive, I naturally had to assume the appearance of one. I knelt and performed the bow of respect, saying, "Qie Fu Shi, pay respects to Jiangjun."
There was a moment of silence around me, and then, after a brief pause, I heard Wu Kun say, "Furen, please rise."
I stood up straight, and it seemed like Wu Kun's gaze lingered on my face for a moment.
"Is this Si Gongzi ?" I heard him say.
I looked to the side, Wei An raised his head and met Wu Kun's gaze, saying, "Indeed."
"Why not pay your respects?" Lin Chong snorted.
Wei An remained silent, probably having caught the signal I conveyed to him with my eyes. After a moment, he made a slight bow to Wu Kun, saying, "Jiangjun." After completing the gesture, he promptly straightened his posture.
"Disrespectful," Wu Jiao raised her folding fan and frowned.
However, Wu Kun showed no sign of displeasure. His gaze was fixed on Wei An, and after a moment, he smiled and said, "I have long heard of Si Gongzi 's reputation. I've been told that Si Gongzi excels in weaponry."
Wei An remained silent.
Wu Kun glanced meaningfully at Cui Ting and continued, "Si Gongzi and I have some history as well. Previously, managed to break the siege of Huaiyang with a single arrow."
Cui Ting maintained a calm expression, while Wei An continued to remain silent.
"Afterwards, Si Gongzi went to Wuzhi and assisted Chengxiang in defeating Tan Xi," Wu Kun continued, then looked at Wei An with a smile on his lips. "Isn't that right?"
Wei An still didn't speak.
Wu Kun maintained his expression.
Wei An continued to gaze at him. After a moment, he pursed his lips, showing no intention of responding.
Wu Kun: "..."
"Has this kid lost his voice?" Lin Chong said coldly.
My palms grew a little sweaty as well, and I was pondering whether to speak up on behalf of this brat who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. But then, he suddenly spoke in a calm tone, "Jiangjun knows it all, so why bother asking me?"
A hint of awkwardness crossed Wu Kun's face, and Lin Chong was about to step forward in anger, but Cui Ting stepped in to block his way.
"Not just that," he smiled, looking at Wei An, "Ming Gong praised Ting's pushcart and horse saddle before. To be frank, these two items were also crafted by Si Gongzi."
"So it is like that," Lin Chong's tone carried a hint of mockery. "I wonder if Junshi finds the ride comfortable?"
Cui Ting's expression remained unchanged as he looked at Wu Kun. "MingGong has a fondness for carriages. Mou has ridden in a horse-drawn carriage made by Si Gongzi before, and its comfort can rival that of a sedan."
Wu Kun's expression regained composure. "Oh?"
"Since that's the case, Si Gongzi doesn't need to keep such talents idle in Yecheng," Wu Jiao chuckled and said to Wu Kun, "There are workshops in Yecheng, aren't there? Why not have Si Gongzi study the art of carriage-making within the workshops?"
I noticed a change in Pei Qian's expression, as he turned to Wu Kun and said, "ZhuGong...."
However, Wu Kun raised his hand, stopping him from speaking. His gaze held malicious intent; letting Wei An make carriages for him was undoubtedly an intentional move to embarrass the Wei clan.
Wei An's face remained expressionless.
Wu Kun looked at him, then glanced at Cui Ting, and smiled as he said, "Such kindness, it would be impolite (for you) to decline."
*****
The streets of Yecheng were livelier than Huaiyang. However, once the carriages entered the city, Pei Qian, Cui Ting, and the others separated from us. On one side, they headed towards the places where the nobles would indulge in feasts and rest, while on the other side, we went to the neighborhoods frequented by commoners, slaves, and servants.
As I got off the carriage, a gust of wind blew, causing dust to swirl in the air. I looked up, and the scorching sun was overhead. The cacophony of sounds seemed even hotter under the sun's glare.
"Get down, get down! Don't dawdle!" a coarse soldier yelled at us.
Not wanting to cause any unnecessary trouble, I took the bedding down from the carriage with Ah Yuan. Two soldiers came over to drive the carriage away, and as they passed by, I caught a glimpse of their faces and froze for a moment.
"Why are you just standing there? Get inside!" the sergeant shouted again.
I held the bedding and quickly walked inside the gate.
With a "clang," the gate closed, and my heart continued to thud heavily in my chest.
"Did you see it?" I caught up with Gongyang Gui and whispered softly, "Just now..."
"En," Gongyang Gui replied, his usually straight cheeks curving slightly with a more relaxed line.
Perhaps for the sake of convenience in guarding, we were still placed in a courtyard consisting of only a few rooms, with no more than three or four rooms to enter and exit. Ah Yuan and I had to share one room.
There were a few spots on the roof that let in light, but they were covered in dust and spiderwebs. The ground was a mixture of dirt and wood shavings, emitting a musty or possibly another unpleasant odor.
Ah Yuan and I exchanged a glance, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"Furen..." she held onto my hand, "Who can live in such a place? Doesn't Jiyuan Gongzi care?"
I patted her shoulder, giving a bitter smile, and whispered, "He's one of Wu Kun's subordinates. What can he do?" I was a captive; back in Wancheng, Pei Qian could still exert some influence, but here in Yecheng, Wu Kun held the power.
"How does Wu Kun intend to treat us?" After crying for a while, Ah Yuan looked up and asked me.
"There's nothing to worry about. We'll all be fine," I reassured her.
Ah Yuan wiped her tears, still somewhat unconvinced.
I looked at her and said, "If you were Wu Kun, with the Wei clan in the north and the Liang clan in the south, having fought hard for a victory, would you be willing to share it with Liang Wen?"
Ah Yuan thought for a moment and choked back her tears as she said, "Willing or unwilling... but there's nothing he can do about it."
I continued, "But what if you still want more and have something to use as leverage? Would you be happy? Would you handle this leverage carefully?"
Ah Yuan paused, her eyes glimmering slightly. But after a moment, she furrowed her brows and asked, "What would Wu Kun exchange?"
"Land, people, resources," I gathered a few scattered straws from the ground and bound them together, "everything is negotiable."
Ah Yuan's expression turned slightly gloomy. "So, we can only wait for Chengxiang to make the exchange?"
I didn't confirm or deny, and instead, placed my hand on my abdomen with a suggestive gesture. I whispered, "So, if we want them to negotiate quickly, we must keep this a secret."
Ah Yuan fell silent.
"What about Liang Wen?" she asked again. "Wu Kun has something valuable. Wouldn't Liang Wen be envious?"
"Why wouldn't he be envious," I chuckled lightly, "If he wasn't envious, why would Cui Ting hurry to Yecheng?"