Within a hall bedecked in brocades and furs, warmed by a burning brazier, several splendidly dressed men sat in a circle, as any other nobles might. However, the silver plates before them were filled not with scarce vegetables, but with large slabs of mutton. The lamb, fresh off the rack, glistened with oil and gave off a delectable fragrance. Unfortunately, its bones were too large to eat with delicate chopsticks and spoons. They’d have to use their hands to get the meat into their mouths.
Following a brief silence, the man sitting on the left guffawed and grabbed a leg of lamb. “This is excellent mutton you’ve got, Chancellor!” he said, as he dug his teeth in and ripped flesh from bone. The grease oozed into his beard and dripped onto his extravagant brocade robe.
The young man at the right smiled, drew a dagger from his waist, lightly sliced a piece of tender meat off, brought it to his mouth, and took a delicate bite. Then he said, “Yearlings are hard to come by in the winter; how thoughtful of you, Chancellor.”
An old white-haired, white-bearded man sat at the head. He tore a piece of mutton, set it down in wheat rice, mashed it into a ball, and stuffed it in his mouth. The mutton was juicy and the wheat rice was soft. Even someone whose teeth were failing could chew it without difficulty. The old man leisurely finished off his ball of rice before saying, “Using spoons and chopsticks never felt quite right. Mutton this good must be eaten the right way after all.”
This was the way the Xiongnu ate: sitting in a big tent, grabbing food with their bare hands. And this was the way that brought them the most fulfillment. But all the people present were dressed like Han. Long robes, wide sleeves, their hair tied up in buns; even their beards were trimmed nice and neat. There was a disconcerting incongruity between how sophisticatedly they dressed and how barbarously they ate.
“Hahaha!” the middle-aged man with the leg of lamb guffawed, “That’s very true, Chancellor. Certain things have to be eaten certain ways, or else they can’t be eaten at all.”
“It depends on when the meat is done, and who comes to eat it,” the other man sneered coldly as he sheared off another slice of mutton, “Even hundreds of the Left Division’s cavalry lost to the Jin. Are they really of any use?”
“How’s a mere few hundred rebels representative of anything?” Liu Xuan’s expression frosted over. “Has it been peaceful for so long that the Right Division no longer recognizes the royal household’s authority?”
The royal Luandi Clan had long since diminished. Currently, amongst the Xiongnu, the Tuge branch was the most powerful. Fifty years ago, Liu Yuan’s father, Liu Bao, had briefly united the five divisions; after arousing the Sima Clan’s suspicions, they’d been forcibly divided. But Liu Bao’s legend lived on within the five divisions. Right now, Liu Yuan, who controlled the Tuge branch, and had received the title of Wise King of the Left from his great-uncle Liu Xuan, was the Chanyu in all but name. Regardless of surname, the royal family was not to be disrespected.
The man instantly shut up. Though he was brash, he knew he couldn’t shoulder that kind of accusation.
The man who was eating mutton barehanded laughed to relieve the tension, “You’re too serious, Chancellor. Though, this ruckus does give us an opening. Why don’t we just send our armies now, while Sima Teng’s stuck in Luoyang?”
Liu Xuan mused it over for a moment and slowly shook his head, “It won’t do to mobilize during winter. And besides, how can the five divisions act as one absent the Chanyu’s command? I invited the two of you here hoping I could get a straight answer; this lamb, are you going to eat it or not?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
The two made eye contact. The younger one chuckled, “It’s only natural that the weak should be devoured. So long as you’re good on your word, Chancellor, the five divisions will defer to the royal clan.”
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“You’re absolutely right, Chancellor! The Right Division’s men and horses await the royal clan’s command.”
The meal lasted over an hour. After seeing the guests away, Liu Xuan sat before his desk and took a cup of tea. He was old now, after all. Mutton was hard on the digestive system, no matter how tender it was. Tea was the only thing that could suppress the greasy aftertaste.
The Right Division had gotten used to living the good life, but their troops were still sharp. They’d serve their purpose so long as their ambition still burned. It was only a shame, though, that Yuanhai hadn’t been able to return before the autumn harvest. Now, they could only wait until next year. Once the wheat was reaped and the horses were fattened up, it would come time to send their armies. Yuanhai had to return, even if it meant he had to escape.
He’d only closed his eyes for a moment before someone came to report. The scouts sent to Gaodu had returned.
Liu Xuan opened his eyes, “Let him enter.”
“Chancellor!” The subordinate got right to the point, “The battle happened as described in the report.”
He had meticulously examined the valley mentioned in the report over the last several days. Though the corpses had been removed, the traces of battle hadn’t vanished yet. They could infer quite a lot from the black ash at the exit of the valley and dried blood within the valley.
The crease between Liu Xuan’s brows deepened after his subordinate finished, “What’s the situation in Gaodu City then?”
“The magistrate’s begun taking in refugees, apparently to fix the walls and cultivate barren fields,” the subordinate answered.
“Taking in refugees?” That wasn’t something that ordinary county magistrates were capable of doing. Gaodu’s magistrate had never been known for being a saint before. Just what was it about this battle that a virtuous official and a fearsome general sprouted up right after? “What about the Liang Estate?”
“The Liang Estate set up a gatehouse. There was no way to surveil them,” the subordinate answered. “Although, I asked around in the villages outside the estate. Apparently, the Liang Estate has also been accepting many refugees – many of whom are Jie. They all say that Marquess Liang is benevolent and that he’s bodhisattva incarnate.”
Fingertips tapping lightly against the table, Liu Xuan sneered, “Sheltering refugees and elevating his fame – is he trying to copy Emperor Zhaolie? No matter, we’ll see what becomes of him once that wretch Sima Teng returns!”
Sima Teng was a glory hog to begin with – the reason he was trapped in Luoyang was because he wanted to present the disease-preventing techniques. Who knew what he’d think once he found out that Liang Zixi had been attending Buddhist ceremonies and sheltering refugees during his absence. Wouldn’t it be perfect, using the Sima Clan as a butcher’s knife to slaughter someone at the height of their popularity. Even Lu Pingyuan could die in Sima Ying’s hands; it wouldn’t be strange at all if Liang Feng was next.
“Send some more people over to the Left Division. Keep the Huyan branch under close watch, and let them know their place!” Liu Xuan put down his tea and coughed heavily. His condition had been deteriorating ever since the last time his heart problem had flared up. If only the winter would end sooner….
※
Jiang Da curled in on himself with wracking coughs, his face ashen pale.
He’d been hacking his lungs up ever since he’d fallen ill several days ago. It was the reason he’d been excused from his duties in the palace and had nothing better to do than wither away in the Court of Attendant’s bureau.
The situation in Luoyang had gotten worse. Water and rations had run so low that even he, a doctor of the Court of Attendants, was going hungry and shivering from cold every day. The price of grain had swollen to ten thousand for one stone. Though the Prince of Changsha had forced the nobles to relinquish their foodstuffs, he’d barely obtained enough to feed the troops. If things kept going on like this, even the bureaucrats would have to starve.
Jiang Da didn’t care any more whether or not the battle could be won. His heart was dead as a corpse’s. It was the Sima Clan outside, and the Sima Clan inside too. Did it matter which Sima won or lost? The Prince of Changsha had already dragged the imperial throne to the frontline; even the Son of Heaven who sat upon it was but a clay puppet whose strings they could pull as they pleased.
After he was beset by another string of heaving coughs, Jiang Da struggled to his feet, rummaged for a pill, and swallowed it. Now, he couldn’t even afford the luxury of decocting herbs himself. Thank goodness he was in the Court of Attendants, or he wouldn’t have any medicine at all.
Just as he was about to lie back down, there was a commotion outside.
“The Prince of Changsha won again!”
“Zhang Fang’s army still hasn’t retreated. What’s the use of winning?”
“It’d be better if he lost. Losing means there’ll be grain again….”
“You, you’d better watch your words….”
Those were probably doctors of the Court of Attendants. Jiang Da sank back into bed, paying them no mind. A piercing chill ran down his spine; he clutched his blankets and thoroughly cocooned himself within.
“Yong Province has deployed troops; the Prince of Hejian can’t deal with both fronts at once.” Sima Teng paced anxiously back and forth, “Brother, Zhang Fang has lost time and again. If Chang’an is endangered, they might very well withdraw!”
Sima Ying could hardly clap with one hand once Zhang Fang left – he might very well call it a day as well. If that happened, this round would go to Sima Ai. With his martial superiority and the merit acquired from defending the capital, the court would fall into his hands. That was far more troublesome than Sima Ying!
He didn’t want for grain; it made no difference to him whether Luoyang fell or not. But how would they achieve their ambitions, if Sima Ai took control of the empire?! Plus, he had been away from Bing Province for so long – what if, in anger at his defeat, Sima Ying turned to attack Bing Province? Wouldn’t that leave him as a vagabond cur?!
Sima Yue’s expression was grave as well, as he stared at the scented smoke rising idly from the golden censer. Things hadn’t gone as he’d expected. Sima Ai could not be allowed to rise to power. Sima Ying wasn’t easy to deal with either. He could only act quickly if he wanted to carve himself a place in the court! Ah, if only his younger brother wasn’t detained in Luoyang as well, his predicament wouldn’t be so dire.
“Pass orders to the palace guards then, to detain Shidu after the End of Year Sacrifice. You must act with utmost caution; make sure that his people do not hear of this.”
“Are we going to open the gates to the Prince of Chengdu?”
“Before the End of Year Sacrifice, he’ll surely be tempted. Then, if we incite Shidu’s subordinates, we may be able to fish in troubled water….” Sima Yue’s voice lowered as he continued, “This plot is highly critical. You must be careful!”
“Rest assured, brother. I will surely find an opportunity!” Sima Teng declared, grinning coldly.
Unfortunately the Sima politics just flash over my head. 😝. Happy holidays.
+1 True it’s hard to follow
Can you update in one big set
Haha not really… I don’t have any stockpiled chapters and I usually only finish a chapter right before it’s scheduled 😔
»It only a shame, though, that Yuanhai hadn’t been..« It’s only
» Who knew what he’d once he found out that Liang Zixi..« what he’d do
All those Sima names are still too much for my poor brain lol But at least the Xiongnu didn’t get that much intel on the Liang Estate >D
Thx for the ch (ㅅ˘ㅂ˘)
Fixed now, thanks for catching bugs 👍
Nooo, the Dr must live!
Thanks for the update!
Thanks for the chapter! Happy Holidays! All those Sima’s, sigh, & all nasty & backstabbing..
WHAT ARE GUYS DOING!?? The people are starving, dying and all you do is keep fighting for some petty position OPEN YOUR EYES FOR ONCE AND NOTICE THE MESS YOU MADE!!!
OOF JIANG DA MY BBY I hope he lives he’s the only other real friend MC has made aside from ML
I hope that metaphorical lamb ain’t the Liang Estate… ಠ_ಠ
Ahhh, hang in there, Jiang Da!!
Hopefully Sima Teng doesn’t make it back 😏