Joy of Life

Two days later, Fan Xian and his people prepared to leave Qingzhou. On this journey, they were going deep into the grasslands, so it was inconvenient to ride in a carriage. Other than the carriages for goods, all the other merchants rode horses. During these two days, Mu Feng’er had already made connections with these merchants and agreed on their journey.

Just as the merchants were filing out of the city in order, the Qingzhou soldiers who had gone out to shoot rabbits again just happened to return. The two groups brushed by each other.

The riders didn’t look at the merchants properly. Although sometimes the superiors would send the riders to escort merchants part of the way, under most circumstances, the two sides rarely came into contact. The merchants might be safer without the Qing army’s escort.

The tired looking Ye Ling’er sat on her horse. A few strands of her black hair escaped her helmet and mixed with her sweat, becoming a bit sticky. She used her finger to brush it away. Her gaze unconsciously swept by the merchant groups at the city gate.

It was just a glance, but it was as if she had been sucked in by a magnet. Ye Ling’er furrowed her brows and looked with confusion at the young merchant standing by a horse. The merchant wore a normal cotton robe and didn’t look particularly remarkable. Ye Ling’er felt that there was something strange.

From this angle, she could only see the back of the young merchant. It was his back that made Ye Ling’er realize his true identity. Her expression abruptly changed. Complicated expressions flashed through her eyes. It was Fan Xian.

Why could Ye Ling’er so easily recognize Fan Xian’s figure? Fan Xian was her teacher and had once taught her a year of little tricks while she had taught the Ye family’s coffin breaking technique to him without any hesitation. Having crossed palms and fought each other, they were each familiar with the other’s habits and bodily characteristics to a scary degree.

Ye Ling’er stared at the figure in a daze. She bit her lip and forced down her emotions so as to not ride forward. She swung down her whip and cried out “Teacher!” She then burst into tears.

…

…

She knew that since Fan Xian had come to Qingzhou in disguise and had not come to see her, then it wasn’t a personal matter. The court must have given him an important task. The Overwatch Council wanted to create some noise in the grasslands.

If it were not for a very important matter, someone as valuable as Fan Xian would not take such a risk to travel deep into the grasslands. Ye Ling’er was no longer the spirited young lady of the past. She had matured a great deal. Naturally, she would not expose Fan Xian’s identity in front of everyone. She only looked deeply at the figure. She then silently pulled on her horses head to go toward the government.

After entering the government, she had barely rested for a moment before she said, “A few days ago, the Dingzhou General’s manor had given the order for the autumn hunt. It is time for us to take some action.”

An officer listened to the side and felt his heart chill. He thought to himself that the young mistress was becoming more and more ruthless. Just the consecutive night raids had already exhausted the people and the horses. He explained, “The order from the General’s manor was very clear, Qingzhou is not part of the autumn hunt this year.”

“Then we’ll do it ourselves.” Ye Ling’er lowered her head. She was no longer a little girl who had come to play. She was a highly experienced female general in the military. Additionally, with her background, anything she said, even if it clashed with her superior, had to be considered seriously.

No one understood why Ye Ling’er was so persistent about having the Qingzhou army become part of the autumn hunt because no one knew that that Commissioner Fan Xian of the Overwatch Council had come to Qingzhou, left Qingzhou, and entered the grasslands. Ye Ling’er’s suggestion was in the hopes of using Qingzhou’s rides to draw the attention of most of the Hu people and ensure the safety of that group of merchants.

“There are more than the usual number of merchants this year. No knows if the Hu people will suddenly go crazy.”

The officer thought to himself, The nobles of the Hu tribe are counting on the merchants to endlessly bring goods in, how could they go crazy? He furrowed his brows and said, “Don’t worry about those merchants. If we ride out, we may instead bring them inconvenience.”

Ye Ling’er didn’t speak and bowed her head in thought. If there was trouble on one of the three roads going into the grasslands, it would make it easier for Fan Xian. Although she had no idea why Fan Xian was taking a risk to go into the grasslands, she knew that her teacher’s specialty was taking the greatest advantage out of chaos.

…

…

During these past few days, there was suddenly a lot of outsiders in the Dingzhou camp behind Qingzhou. Some of these people used the identities of various court officials and said they were there to inspect the expenses. Some were merchants from various regions, while some were laborers taking advantage of the break from battles to come West to try and make their fortune.

These people’s identities were mixed, so it did not attract anyone’s attention. However, they all split into small groups. Each group of people had a leader. Just as Fan Xian and his group left Qingzhou and began to move toward the Kings’ banners on the grasslands to search for the person named Songzhi Xianling, these leaders were silently entering the General’s manor.

There was important business in the General’s manor. All miscellaneous people had been driven out of the manor. Looking down at the dozens of people in different colors of clothing in the hall, General Li Hongcheng couldn’t help but laugh. “Fan Xian is quite generous this time.”

The people who had entered Dingzhou city were all secret agents from the Overwatch Council. In the General’s manor were the heads of the various groups. Only one person had the right to sit in the chair in the hall. The man was middle-aged and had yet to start greying, but his eyes were tired. It looked like three years in a foreign country had indeed been unusually hard.

The man looked at Li Hongcheng and bowed. “The Council believes that if we are to clean out the spies in Dingzhou, we must strike them like lightning.”

Li Hongcheng looked at the man and furrowed his brows. “We can’t have you come personally. Deng Zi Yue, you’re not in Shangjing but instead suddenly came to Dingzhou. What about the court’s affairs in the North?”

Li Hongcheng’s identity was noble, but he spoke relatively politely to this middle-aged man because he knew that he was stationed in Northern Qi by the Overwatch Council as the head of the spy network there. He was the head of the Qinian Unit and one of Fan Xian’s most capable confidants.

The Overwatch Council official leading the Dingzhou operation to remove the spies was the Deng Zi Yue that Fan Xian had sent to Northern Qi for over two years. No one knew what problem there was with the mission this time that made Fan Xian move him back.

If I don’t come back, how can we catch those people? Deng Zi Yue thought to himself. He did not speak out loud to the heir because the matter not only involved the battle between Xi Lake and the Qing Kingdom, it also involved another great power.

Fan Xian moved him South and was not planning to have him return to Shangjing. He wanted to use the knowledge Deng Zi Yue had gained of the Northern Qi’s Brocade Guards during his three years in Shangjing, as well as his level of familiarity with Northern Qi.

“After completing this task, I won’t be returning to Shangjing.” Deng Zi Yue bowed respectfully to Li Hongcheng.

Li Hongcheng watched his eyes and slowly said, “How should the Western camp cooperate?”

…

…

“Deng Zi Yue should have arrived in Dingzhou three days ago.” Fan Xian sat on his horse with his eyes half closed. It seemed that he was not worried at all of falling off his horse. Yawning, he said, “According to the agreed time, we have to hurry. Otherwise, if they come to blows within Dingzhou and enrage the people on the grasslands, I’m worried that will be not good.”

They had prepared for this for four months. If it weren’t for the fact that the anger in their hearts had accumulated to such a degree, perhaps Fan Xian would not use such a crude method. He also knew that the other party had entered the grasslands long ahead of him. They had already permeated through Dingzhou for over a year, so he was behind in terms of time. If he couldn’t stall the other party’s commander on the grasslands, he was afraid something would go wrong.

Mu Feng’er glanced at Fan Xian. He then glanced at the long line of merchants in front. Furrowing his brows, he said, “These people move too slowly. Plus, various groups stop along the way. If we’re really to walk to the Kings’ banners, who knows when we will get there.”

According to the original plan, Fan Xian and his merchants should have already split from the main group of merchants. Yesterday, there was a fork in the path on the grasslands. Hu Ge should have sent his confidant there to meet them. Fan Xian and his group were then to take a shortcut and reach their destination.

Unexpectedly, there was no one to greet them at the fork. Hu Ge’s confidant watched for an open moment and sneaked into their tent at night to apologize and give an excuse.

The other two roads on the grasslands were being attacked by Qingzhou soldiers. As the foremost ace of the Zuoxian King’s banner, Hu Ge also happened to be leading his own subordinates there. The confidant was called upon to provide aid but was unable to leave the main group to come meet the Overwatch Council people.

Fan Xian did not know that this was Ye Ling’er’s idea. He would not have thought that his female disciple would share his burden and instead bring him more trouble.

“Since that person has never shown themselves, even if we reach the King’s tent, we won’t be able to see them,” Mu Feng’er looked at Fan Xian and reminded him. “The other party would not make such a mistake. Knowing there are merchants from the Qing Kingdom, they would not show their face to us.”

The horses moved forward slowly, stepping on the autumn grass that released no fragrance.

“Dingzhou is already prepared,” Mu Feng’er reminded him again. In his opinion, even if there was a so-called genius among the Hu people’s banners, as long as they cleaned out all the spies in Dingzhou, the other party wouldn’t be able to raise any major waves. Why take the risk?

Fan Xian’s thumb moved gently on the reins. A moment later, he said, “I have to know who that person is. If the other party is the person I am guessing, I have to change my plans. Just cleaning out the spies in Dingzhou does not affect the root.”

He had never heard the name Songzhi Xianling and didn’t know what this name meant in the Hu language. He believed, seemingly unconsciously, that the person who had this name was a woman. This was an illogical deduction. It was mysterious and inexplicable.

Fan Xian felt more and more firmly about his deduction and also more and more furious.

In the distance, some white birds flew quickly through the knee-high autumn grasslands. Fan Xian raised his gaze and looked over. He could faintly see a large empty desert beyond the grasslands, but what was beyond the desert?

“To the east of the desert is the Northern Sea.” Mu Feng’er watched Fan Xian’s slight frown and knew what he was thinking. In a quiet voice, he said, “Beyond the vast and might Northern Sea is Northern Qi.”

“I’ve been to the Northern Sea.” Fan Xian looked in that direction as if he could see the reeds in the Northern Sea. Faintly, he said, “This desert stretches for thousands of li. It is said no one can make it across alive. While the Northern Sea is beautiful, it is endless. If one wished to cross it, it is beyond difficult. I have always wondered… If one wanted to go from Northern Qi to Xi Lake, how would it be done?”

“First go south to enter the Qing Kingdom then go northwest from Jingdou to Dingzhou, then enter the grasslands from Qingzhou. That brings you to where we are now.” It was clear that Mu Feng’er had put down a great deal of effort in Jingdou. “It will take a lot of time, but it is very convenient compared to forcefully crossing the Northern Sea and traveling through the desert. It is much more viable.”

“But the Xi Lake banners and the two Kings won’t trust any Central Plains person from the Qing Kingdom,” Fan Xian said with a cold expression. “To gain the trust of the seemingly warm but actually very suspicious Hu people is, of itself, a very difficult task. I am very curious as to how they did it.”

In the next dozen days, the merchant group moved deeper into the grasslands. Everywhere was the scene of autumn. Occasionally, they saw groups of nomadic people herding hundreds of cows and sheep, floating across the slightly rising meadows like fluffy white clouds. It was beautiful and peaceful.

This place was no longer where Xi Lake and the Qing army battled, so it gradually gave off a sense of being a paradise beyond the wall.

They passed two large tribes during the journey. The Qing merchants all sold many goods. The entire merchant group appeared much lighter and also moved faster. No merchant sold all their goods. They sought to go back the way they came because the most expensive goods were the lightest. If they wanted to sell it for the best price, they had to go where the Hu people’s Kings’ banners were.

All along the way, Fan Xian observed closely the Hu people’s attitudes toward the merchants because it was related to an important future matter. With some self-mockery, he found that the gazes of the Hu people on the Central Plain’s merchants were not very kind and even contained a bone-deep hatred.

A thousand-year blood debt could not be washed clean with gemstones and tea.

The attitude of the priests and nobles in the tribes toward the Central Plain’s merchants were much better. After Mu Feng’er’s careful inquiries, he learned from the old merchants that this change in attitude had only begun just over a year ago.

It seemed that the banners of Xi Lake had finally understood the importance of trade and had sent word to the tribes, strictly prohibiting them from harassing the merchants who entered the grasslands. In some dangerous areas, they were even responsible for mobilizing the elite warriors of the tribes to provide protection for these merchant troops.

A year ago, a poor and small tribe did not manage to resist the allure of the Central Plain’s merchants and secretly attacked them, stealing a lot of goods. This angered the King. He sent out to destroy, or perhaps it is better to say slaughter, them. Not a single person survived from that small tribe.

It was this bloody example that made everyone on the grasslands clear as to the King’s determination and fully ensured the safety of the Central Plain’s merchants. From then on, although they still garnered unkind looks on the grasslands, the Central Plain’s merchants never saw another dangerous sword.

This was a far-thinking strategy. Fan Xian was secretly very admiring. He knew that although the merchants presently were only selling some luxury items, without trade, there would be no economy. As long as they could ensure the ongoing smoothness of the merchant trails on the grasslands, there might be merchants from the Qing Kingdom or Northern Qi who would secretly ignore the Qing Kingdom’s strict orders and smuggle into the grasslands military or living goods for the profits.

If this went on for a long time and the restrictions around the frontier loosened, the Hu people’s power would grow day by day.

…

…

They finally arrived at the King’s banners. Looking at the crescent sea beneath the lonely mountain, the small desert beside the sea, and the massive jade green grasslands, Fan Xian was dazzled by the beautiful scenery. The location of the King’s banners was indeed not like other places. Between heaven and earth, it had its own unique structure.

The green grasslands, in particular, made Fan Xian feel strange. This was autumn, so why was the grass still so green?

On the side of the isolated mountain, countless cows and sheep were scattered across the expansive grassland.

The women of the Hu tribes were washing clay pots and utensils by the bank of the crescent-shaped sea, preparing to welcome the guests from the Central Plain.

It was a moment of peace. The sky seemed to be much closer to the ground than in other places, as if it would make contact with the surface of the grassland. The autumn breeze blew slightly as the grass bowed low. It was refreshing.

Fan Xian dismounted and glanced at a common Overwatch Council official behind him and smiled. Turning his head, he looked at the beautiful sight in front of him and couldn’t resist shaking his head.

The men of Xi Lake led these tired Central Plain’s merchants to a tent by the bank of the crescent sea and allowed them to rest for a while. Sincerely, they said that in a while, the King would personally host a feast to welcome the noble guests.

This group of merchants was the largest one this autumn. Thus, the King’s banners looked after them carefully.

Fan Xian felt that this was strange. The Western Hu people’s attitudes seem too good. Did Songzhi Xianling truly have such a deep influence on the King’s banners?

After eating some food, Fan Xian rubbed his stomach and walked out of the tent. Walking to the meadow by the crescent sea, he narrowed his eyes at the scenery around him. His status now was a merchant. Other than not being allowed to pry into the King’s banners, the Western Hu did not prohibit the merchants of the Central Plain from wandering around. No one knew him on the grasslands, so there was no need to worry about his safety. His mood became lighter.

“Vast is the sky, boundless is the field…”

He only had time to say these eight words before he was interrupted by a cry of “Good!” from his side. Fan Xian turned his head to look and saw a young man walking quickly toward his side, hurriedly shouting his praise.

“I only said eight words, how was it good?” Fan Xian smiled slightly as he looked at the young man. He looked like he was from the Central Plain, but his eyes unconsciously slanted briefly toward the King’s banners not far away. Earlier, he had seen this young man on the meadow. He had come out from the King’s camp.

[JW1] The words in the original text can be interpreted as “banner/s””camp/s” or “tent/s.” I’ve mostly used banners – drawing on the Manchu banners as markers for their tribes.