Chapter 77: A Mad Notion, Cui Wenjin Arrives

Outside the eastern city of Jinyang.

At dawn, Fu Zihou personally led Hu Jingyuan beyond the city walls, inspecting every inch of the terrain. They followed the towering eastern mountains, tracing winding streams and narrow paths, map in hand, exploring every direction until they finally stood atop a mountain peak.

"In previous years, when does rain begin in Taiyuan Commandery? Is it frequent?" Fu Zihou wiped sweat from his brow, gazing at the endless chains of peaks, breathing heavily and asking with curiosity.

"Sir, usually the rains in Taiyuan start in May. From June, the weather turns persistently gloomy and wet. During July to September, compared to other commanderies, Taiyuan is battered by frequent torrential downpours!" Hu Jingyuan, panting as well, followed beside Fu Zihou, answering him.

It had been years since they had climbed so many mountains. Hu Jingyuan and the others were utterly exhausted, but they all noticed that Fu Zihou’s stamina was far from ordinary. Whenever they were on the verge of giving up, Fu Zihou pressed on with energy to spare. None could understand how, despite his youthful appearance and unassuming build, Fu Zihou possessed such endurance and resilience.

"July, then..." Fu Zihou murmured as he surveyed the land of Taiyuan.

The thought of the rebel forces who would one day attack Taiyuan Commandery brought to mind a saying from his old teacher, spoken during childhood games by the river: "Toying with ants is simple enough. When ants go to war, you needn’t worry. Unlike people—ancient texts say that when an army of a hundred thousand marches a thousand li, the cost to the people and the state is a thousand gold pieces a day..."

Staring at the distant mountains, Fu Zihou recalled those conversations by the riverbank with his teacher. Suddenly, a bold idea took root in his mind: What if, during torrential rains, they could harness the mountains and boulders to secretly cut off the rebels’ supply lines? After all, the best defense is often a decisive offense.

"Sir, is something the matter?" Hu Jingyuan saw Fu Zihou shake his head, looking somewhat anxious, and couldn't help but ask in concern.

"It’s nothing. Let’s head back," Fu Zihou sighed, shaking his head and dismissing the reckless thought. The idea was simply too wild—he would be gambling with the lives of his soldiers and the safety of Jinyang’s people. One small mistake could lead to disaster; it was too great a risk to take lightly.

Besides, Fu Zihou knew that he would likely be stationed on the western side of the city at that time. Even without Pan Changwen, the other officials, generals, and Elder Wen would never agree to sally forth and engage the rebels outside the city walls.

Yet, just before descending the mountain, Fu Zihou couldn’t help but glance back at the distant ridges. If, during a storm, the rebels’ supplies could be severed, even for a short time, the massive force of a hundred thousand would soon be forced south to raid the towns of southern Taiyuan or even Xihe Commandery. That moment would present the perfect opportunity.

The officials in Jinyang, along with Elder Wen and the others, feared nothing so much as the rebels’ brazen confidence born from their perceived advantage. Turning defense into offense, launching a surprise assault—this would be their best chance.

As he weighed the possibilities, Fu Zihou’s heart raced with fear at his own audacity. But reason prevailed, and he led Hu Jingyuan and the others back down the mountain.

Outside the eastern gate of Jinyang.

Before even reaching the city gates, Fu Zihou noticed a commotion among the crowd—even the laborers digging trenches had stopped to watch.

Curious, Fu Zihou led his group forward. The townspeople quickly made way for him, and as he reached the heart of the crowd, he was shocked to see a young girl wielding a sword, having already injured several men—there were even traces of blood on the ground.

The sight of the girl left Fu Zihou dumbstruck.

Cui Wenjin!

How had she come here? And what was happening?

"What now? Go to the authorities? Call for help? Listen here, I am—Li Huanzhu of the Li clan of Longxi!" Cui Wenjin, breathless, brandished her sword at the cowering men on the ground, her eyes flashing with indignation.

"The Li clan of Longxi, is it? So your noble lineage gives you the right to draw a sword on people? Everyone, look! It was her who attacked us with a blade! The Li clan of Longxi assaults the common folk!" The silk-clad man’s expression changed at her claim, recognizing her fine dress and status, but his anger lingered as he looked at his wound. Even if he dared not provoke such a powerful family, he was determined to force an apology from this noblewoman.

"Me, injure you? And what of your crime, insulting an officer of the Sui dynasty?" Cui Wenjin’s gaze swept coldly across the murmuring crowd, gripping her sword as if tempted to strike again.

"Sir!"

"Sir!"

Cao Yong, Xiong Xiangrui, and Xia Jia spotted Fu Zihou and, delighted, greeted him with clasped hands.

"What brings you all here?" Fu Zihou asked in surprise.

At the sound of Cao Yong’s voice, Cui Wenjin and her brother turned to look at Fu Zihou. When Cui Wenjin saw him, a bit of joy shone in her eyes.

"Let’s go, let’s go!" Seeing Cui Wenjin turn, the wounded men, already guilty at heart, panicked at Fu Zihou’s approach, scrambled up, and fled the scene.

"Sir, it was Cui—Li Miss who brought us here!" Cao Yong explained, quickly correcting himself at Cui Wenjin’s reminder.

Cao Yong recounted how, back in Tiao County, they had heard of Fu Zihou’s appointment as Martial Officer in Taiyuan, and went to the Fu household to inquire if he would return. Learning he had already departed for Taiyuan, and uncertain what to do next, they happened to encounter Cui Wenjin as they were leaving. On learning they wished to follow Fu Zihou, she brought them along to Jinyang.

"What..." Wenjin! Fu Zihou looked at Cui Wenjin in astonishment, suddenly remembering something.

"And where is Brother Yuzhe?" he asked, glancing around but seeing no sign of Cui Yuzhe, then looking to Cui Wenjin.

Hearing Cao Yong mention that Cui Wenjin was using the name Li Huanzhu, Fu Zihou felt a growing sense of foreboding.

"My brother is at home," Cui Wenjin replied, a little uneasy.

"At home! You came alone?" Fu Zihou was stunned. Considering the distance between here and Qinghe Commandery—east and west of the realm—he was taken aback. He knew that Sui dynasty women enjoyed considerable freedom, but this was unprecedented. In all his life, he had never met a girl as daring as Cui Wenjin.

"Miss... Li, what brings you to Jinyang?"

Fu Zihou almost uttered her true name, but caught himself, suspecting that she had snuck out without her family’s knowledge. He frowned, puzzled.

"Me?" Cui Wenjin saw his lack of enthusiasm and felt a twinge of hurt, though her disappointment quickly faded. His question riled her further, and she glared at him, visibly upset.

"Do you know what they say about you? Do you know they call you the Rat Officer behind your back?" The memory of their words reignited Cui Wenjin’s anger. Her fierce glare challenged anyone nearby to repeat the slander.

Among the crowd, local scholars and young men grew uneasy at her outburst. Realizing the girl was from the prestigious Li clan of Longxi, and seeing the steely gaze of the surrounding soldiers, they quickly lowered their heads and slipped away, pretending to lose interest.

"They can say what they like—it’s their mouths, after all. But Miss Li, if you have no pressing business here, you should return to Qinghe soon. This is the north, far from peaceful." Fu Zihou, half amused and half exasperated by her fierce loyalty, accepted her goodwill but hoped she would soon leave this troubled place.

"So they insult you and you do nothing, and now, after I bring people all this way for you, you won’t even offer me a drink of water before sending me away?" Cui Wenjin’s eyes widened, her thoughts flying to the long journey she had made. Suddenly her eyes reddened and filled with unbidden tears.

"No, that’s not what I meant!" Fu Zihou was baffled—had he spoken out of turn? Surely, Jinyang was no place for a young woman, he thought. But how had the fierce girl who’d just been fighting moments ago suddenly come so close to tears?

Glancing around at the onlookers and the soldiers’ curious stares, Fu Zihou could only usher Cui Wenjin into the city, hoping to get to the bottom of why she had come alone and where Cui Yuzhe was.

Half an hour later.

Inside the Martial Officer’s residence in the eastern city, Fu Zihou observed Cao Yong, Xiong Xiangrui, and Xia Jia, who stubbornly stayed outside eating their millet cakes, refusing to come in. He then looked at Cui Wenjin, who sat inside, nibbling at her cake with a look of wounded resentment.

Fu Zihou didn’t know what to say. Never had he imagined that Cui Wenjin would go to such lengths—tricking her brother into traveling to Ji Commandery, then telling him she was heading alone to Luoyang to visit a friend, Li Huanzhu.

In reality, she had smuggled Cao Yong and the others by boat from Ji Commandery to Luoyang, then headed north through Linfen and Xihe, arriving directly in Taiyuan.

Fu Zihou wondered what expressions Cui Yuzhe and the entire Cui clan of Qinghe would wear if they found out—no matter how much they doted on Cui Wenjin, punishment would be unavoidable.

"I’ll go back in a couple of days," Cui Wenjin said quietly, catching Fu Zihou’s gaze.

Even she wasn’t sure, back in Tiao County, why she had acted so rashly. During the journey, as she imagined the consequences if her family discovered her absence, she had often wavered. Yet, seeing Cao Yong and the others, she had comforted herself that she would just take a look and return.

"If I’d known it would be like this, I never would have come," she thought bitterly, eating her cake and fighting back tears. Yet the memory of those people outside the gates, mocking him behind his back, filled her with indignation anew. Looking at Fu Zihou, she wondered where the bold, commanding figure of Qinghe had gone.

"Very well. In two days, I shall prepare money and a carriage for your journey. I’ll send an escort to see you safely to Luoyang," Fu Zihou said, relieved to hear she would leave soon. He was also grateful for her quick thinking—she had not used her real name when the incident at the gate occurred. If word had reached the Cui clan, no amount of indulgence would have spared her from her brother’s wrath.

Note: Many readers dislike Cui Wenjin, but in the context of this story, she alone treats Fu Zihou in this way. Her boldness is not innate, but arises from her feelings for him.