Eating Hotpot in Winter

"Sss—haaa—sss—haaa—" A thin sheen of sweat beaded on Ardai's brow. With hands slender as spring scallions, she fanned her mouth while rounding her cherry lips into an 'O' to keep the scalding food from touching the sensitive flesh inside. "So hot—so spicy—so delicious!" In the freezing depths of the twelfth lunar month, heavy snow fluttered down outside. Everyone had gathered in the side room of Wang Yu's main courtyard to eat hotpot. Frozen sliced beef and mutton, fresh tofu and pastries, winter radishes and Chinese cabbage brought up from the cellar, meticulously blended peanut and sesame sauce, bright red chili peppers, and chilled grape wine... "Haah!" Zhao Yingjie took a deep swig of chilled grape wine and praised repeatedly, "Brother Yu truly knows how to eat! Scalded for just a few breaths, the meat stays tender and succulent. Paired with a cup of chilled grape wine, it's pure heaven on earth!" Yuan Feifei chimed in, "Especially in the dead of winter." Wang Yu and his companions had been away in the Western Regions for three months, only to return and discover that Zhao Yingjie and Yuan Feifei had gotten together. Watching Yuan Feifei echo her man so dutifully brought smiles to everyone's faces. However, Wang Yu's smile soon faded—he had just learned that Zhao Yingjie had even moved out of Longyue Tower to live with Yuan Feifei next door in Luori Pavilion. Shameless pair! Wang Yu couldn't help glancing at the two nominal consorts beside him. Li Yunxiu offered him a deeply meaningful, gentle smile, while Qianqian shot him an outwardly bashful yet utterly alluring glance. Wang Yu rolled his eyes and tossed his head haughtily. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a peculiar look in Ardai's eyes as she watched him. But when he turned back for a closer look, she was burning her tongue yet again. "How many times have you scalded yourself now? Can't you pay a little attention?" Wang Yu said, exasperated. "But it tastes best when it's piping hot! It's no good once it cools down," Ardai replied pitifully. "The Loulan treasure has already been sorted," Zhao Yingjie reported between bites. "Valued at five million taels, packed into thirty large carts, with a hundred garrison soldiers from Longshan Prefecture assigned as escort. They set out first thing tomorrow morning." Wang Yu asked instinctively, "Are a hundred garrison soldiers enough?" Garrison soldiers were different from combat troops. The fifty thousand regular troops under the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor took turns rotating between duty and leave at the two northern passes. While the local governments of the three northwestern prefectures maintained garrison soldiers, they were few in number and weak in combat capability. Zhao Yingjie chuckled. "There are no rebel armies causing havoc in Hexi Circuit, nor any Great Bandits of Mount Qi. Who would dare lay a hand on silver sent to the imperial court by our Prince of Zhenxi's Manor?" Li Yunxiu pondered for a moment. "It is still safer to dispatch more troops, just in case." Wang Yu nodded. "Deploy three hundred men from the Xionglue Army to escort it along the way." Zhao Yingjie immediately complied. "Understood!" The Xionglue Army was garrisoned right outside Longshan Prefecture, tasked with defending the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor. Mobilizing troops from there was the most convenient option, and since they were infantry rather than cavalry, a single journey to the capital wouldn't consume much grain and fodder. "Furthermore, following your orders, most of the profits made by the Trade Bureau were used to reclaim and purchase land across the three northwestern prefectures, as well as buy up grain and fodder. When winter set in, we took in displaced refugees and set up porridge stalls for relief, saving quite a few lives." Zhao Yingjie added, "Many commoners from Hexi Circuit who lost their land arrived in the three northwestern prefectures. Quite a few from Chuanxi Circuit also made the trek around and through the Southern Mountains to come north. I took them all in and settled them into the new farmsteads." Wang Yu said, "Good work. Keep it up." Li Yunxiu frowned slightly. "Hexi Circuit suffered floods last year, so displaced refugees are expected. But Chuanxi Circuit has always been known as the Land of Abundance—why would its commoners be fleeing north?" Zhao Yingjie shook his head. "Isn't there a rebellion in the southwest?" Li Yunxiu countered, "The rebellion couldn't possibly reach the heart of Chuanxi Circuit." The southwestern rebellion was a tangled mess, driven both by the imperial court's extortion and the ballooning ambitions of local tribes. But no matter how bad it was, Chuannan Circuit stood as a buffer to the south of Chuanxi Circuit. It should never have affected the commoners of Chuanxi. Zhao Yingjie shook his head. "I wouldn't know the specifics. All the refugees knew was that the grain taxes imposed by the authorities were unbearable. Unable to survive and afraid to head south, their only choice was to flee north." Li Yunxiu's eyes flashed with cold anger as she ground her teeth. "A bunch of blood-sucking vermin..." Qianqian giggled. "All right, all right, don't get upset. It doesn't affect us either way." Wang Yu thought it over and chimed in, "Let's just enjoy our hotpot." Li Yunxiu huffed, picked up a piece of beef with her chopsticks, and placed it into Wang Yu's bowl. "Eating is all you know!" Qianqian smiled faintly and likewise picked up a slice of beef, placing it into his bowl. "Brother Yu, eat it while it's hot. It won't taste good once it cools." And so Wang Yu ended up with two slices of beef. Zhao Yingjie continued reporting on martial world affairs. "After Brother Long entered the Central Plains, he challenged the Yang family of Tianbo Manor, the Gao family of Heyin Prefecture, and the Zhao family of Mount Yan. In the end, he actually went to pick a fight with the Prince of Zhenbei!" Wang Yu asked curiously, "He went to pick a fight with the Prince of Zhenbei?" Zhao Yingjie said, "The Prince of Zhenbei's eldest grandson is also a spear master, renowned as the Divine Spear of the North. Brother Long claimed that since he hailed from the northwest, he counted as a northerner too, so off he went." When the new dynasty was first founded, it lacked the strength to sweep across the realm in one stroke. Thus, three regional princes guarded the frontiers: the Prince of Zhenxi, the Prince of Zhenbei, and the Prince of Zhennan. The Prince of Zhenxi was Wang Yu's lineage. The founder, Zhao Ling, had died early. His successor Zhao Zheng had surpassed his predecessor, only to perish untimely midway. Now, the title rested on Wang Yu, with Zhao Rong—the founder's adopted son—holding up the manor's prestige. In contrast, the lineages of Zhenbei and Zhennan had remained stable throughout. Even their founding princes had yet to pass away, and their lines had already transitioned into the third generation. As the heir of Zhenxi, Wang Yu naturally knew the circumstances of the other two princely manors. The Prince of Zhenbei, Zhang Junyi, had been famed in his youth for mastery of both civil and military arts. His spearmanship was consummate, his intellect and cunning extraordinary. Knowing he lacked the might to contend for the throne, he had been content to hold off the northern Xiongnu and Xianbei. Later, leveraging external threats to secure his own position, he was successfully enfeoffed as the Prince of Zhenbei, ruling over two northern prefectures as a kingdom within a kingdom, just like the Prince of Zhenxi. Back then, the three princes had exchanged resources and banded together to maneuver against the founding emperor of Great Jin, establishing a rapport. Although that friendship had waned following Zhao Ling's death, ties had never been completely severed. When Zhao Zheng passed away early this year, both the Prince of Zhenbei and the Prince of Zhennan sent emissaries to offer condolences—though Wang Yu had not yet left the capital at the time, so he hadn't seen them. Wang Yu chuckled. "So, did the Prince of Zhenbei beat him to death?" Although Zhang Junyi was not a Grandmaster, he was an experienced veteran of the Xiantian realm. Hardened by countless battles, his martial prowess was scarcely inferior to that of an ordinary Grandmaster. With tens of thousands of troops under his banner, he was a formidable regional power. Could Ma Yinglong really just go provoke someone's grandson over a mere moniker with total disregard for the consequences? Zhao Yingjie smiled. "Brother Long comes from an esteemed military clan and is related to you by marriage. The Prince of Zhenbei would still grant that much face." Wang Yu nodded. "So did he win or lose?" Just as Zhao Yingjie was about to answer, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. A manor servant knocked and announced, "Master! Master Wei and his wife have arrived to visit. The head steward is entertaining them in the reception hall and sent me to inform you, requesting your presence." Wang Yu raised an eyebrow and immediately rose. He only knew one couple surnamed Wei: Wei Gutong and Yan Ziyu. Yuan Feifei stood up abruptly. "It's Uncle Wei and Aunt Yan!" The group moved to the reception hall, where they found Wei Gutong and his wife seated comfortably in conversation with Zhao Rong. With a soft cry of delight, Yuan Feifei threw herself into Yan Ziyu's embrace. "Good girl!" Yan Ziyu had already heard from Zhao Rong about Yuan Feifei and Zhao Yingjie. Yuan Feifei was already sharing a bed with Zhao Yingjie, and Wei Gutong and Yan Ziyu were currently her only kin. In that case... They were all family now. Wang Yu had the hotpot moved to the front hall and invited the Wei couple to join. The couple did not stand on ceremony, and even Zhao Rong took up a pair of chopsticks. As they ate, the two casually shared what they had seen and heard in the martial world. After departing Longshan Prefecture, they had traveled past the Xingxiu Sea to Chuanxi and Chuannan Circuits to visit a master of the xiao flute, staying in the Shu region for quite a while. Li Yunxiu's eyes flashed, and she promptly asked about the refugees fleeing north from Chuanxi Circuit. "Two more tribes in the Miao Frontier have risen in revolt. Word is that campaigning in the Hundred Thousand Mountains is fraught with peril. Chuannan Circuit, sitting on the front line, doesn't dare act rashly, so heavier taxes were levied on Chuanxi Circuit instead, making life unlivable for the people." At this point, Yan Ziyu was clearly reminded of the sights she had witnessed, and sighed. "Alas, the Emperor has no pity for the people's plight. From what I saw, life for the commoners of Chuanxi is growing increasingly difficult." Wei Gutong gave a cold sneer. "When an emperor cares nothing for the people's survival, it's only natural for someone to raise the banner of rebellion." Li Yunxiu's eyes flickered. "Have you seen signs of that, Master Wei?" Wei Gutong countered, "Haven't the Shuntian Army and the Red Lotus Cult already raised their banners?" Understanding dawned on Li Yunxiu, but just as she breathed a sigh of relief, Wei Gutong added, "From what I see, Dulong Fortress isn't far behind." "What?" Li Yunxiu's heart leapt into her throat again. "Dulong Fortress of Shangshan Prefecture?" Wei Gutong nodded. "There is only one Dulong Fortress in the world." Dulong Fortress was located in Shangshan Prefecture, on the south bank of the Yellow River between Hexi Circuit and Chuanxi Circuit. Its fortress master, Zhong Yulei, had reached the Xiantian realm. Frank and generous in temperament, he was known as the One-Horned Dragon King and wielded a Fish-Scale Purple Gold Saber, making him a formidable regional power. As a man of the martial world, Wei Gutong cared nothing for imperial court politics or Li Yunxiu's allegiance, so he spoke without reservation. "Shangshan Prefecture is shielded by the natural barrier of the Yellow River to the north and separated from Chuanxi Circuit by the Southern Mountains to the south—an exceptionally advantageous position. Dulong Fortress rules Shangshan Prefecture uncontested. When we traveled north, we happened upon Dulong Fortress gathering refugees." Wei Gutong smiled faintly. "If Zhong Yulei raises his banner, he can march straight east from Shangshan Prefecture into the capital region. That would be quite a spectacle—perhaps an even greater threat to the imperial court than the Shuntian Army and the Red Lotus Cult." Li Yunxiu's pupils contracted to needlepoints. Though the reality was not quite as dramatic as Wei Gutong made it sound—Shunyi Prefecture still lay between the capital and Shangshan Prefecture, with mountain ranges and even two passes along the way—in terms of distance and ease of advance, Shangshan Prefecture truly offered the easiest path. Li Yunxiu could no longer hold back. "Jiangnan is prosperous and faces no foreign enemies. If taxes were levied in Jiangnan, supplies could be sent up the Yangtze River straight into Chuanxi and Chuannan Circuits. Why must they squeeze the two Chuan circuits dry?" Wei Gutong shook his head. "Your Highness is asking the wrong person. You shouldn't ask me; you should ask the Emperor in the capital." Qianqian giggled softly. "Sister, why ask what you already know? Jiangnan is prosperous, but that prosperity belongs to the great noble clans. Whether the Emperor has the power to pry silver from their hands is another matter entirely." Li Yunxiu took a deep breath and fell silent. Just then, a gatekeeper arrived to deliver a report. "Reporting to the Master: a monk from Great Vajra Monastery is at the front gate, requesting an audience!"