The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 143 Husband And Wife Resemblance
That night, Tang Shen rode a carriage to the Western Expedition Marshal’s residence for the banquet.
The Northwest was a land of yellow sands. Even in August, the sky was still filled with swirling dust. People had to wear thick clothing and wrap their heads in veils to shield themselves from the northern winds carrying sand. By the time Tang Shen arrived at the Marshal’s residence, the sun had yet to fully set, and the last remnants of daylight shone from the west. Li Jingde was roasting a large, fat ox over an open flame, skewered on an iron spit.
The firelight illuminated the general’s thick beard, making his sharp eyes appear even more intense as he focused entirely on cooking.
A servant came over to inform him of Tang Shen’s arrival. Only then did Li Jingde lift his head and wave enthusiastically. “You’re finally here. See this ox? I picked it myself just for you. Like it?”
The Song Dynasty did not forbid the consumption of beef, and Tang Shen had been in this era long enough, moreover his own Xixia Tower even served hotpot beef. Yet, he had never seen an entire roasted ox served like this before.
Li Jingde was truly an extraordinary man.
Tang Shen asked, “Why is the general roasting the ox himself?”
Li Jingde motioned for Tang Shen to sit and replied casually, “What’s the big deal? Roasting an ox is nothing. When we march in battle, there’s often no meat to eat at all. I’ve spent days surviving on wild greens and hot water just to fill my belly. Wild vegetable soup is already considered a luxury. I remember twelve years ago when we clashed with the Liao army in a canyon—we were trapped for sixteen days! We even had to eat tree bark back then.”
Tang Shen thought to himself: I only asked why you were roasting the ox. How did this turn into a survival story?
Not everyone had the honor of tasting meat personally roasted by Li Jingde. The general sliced off a juicy piece of beef, sprinkled some salt on it, and handed it to Tang Shen. Taking a bite, Tang Shen found the meat tender and flavorful—though a bit mild, it had a unique taste. He sincerely praised, “The general’s roasting skills are excellent.”
Li Jingde laughed heartily. “Then eat more.”
The two enjoyed roasted meat and strong liquor. After a few sips, Tang Shen put his cup down and said, “I have a low tolerance for alcohol, I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up.”
Li Jingde immediately responded, “Then you better stop drinking! If you get drunk, it’ll ruin my plans.”
Tang Shen paused slightly. He discreetly observed Li Jingde, wondering if the general had actually invited him here for a reason. It didn’t seem like it. Li Jingde was a straightforward warrior—he never hid his thoughts. If he had something to discuss, would he really go through all this trouble instead of just speaking his mind?
The next moment, Li Jingde proved Tang Shen’s assessment of him to be entirely correct. “Actually, I called you here today to talk about the Liao people.”
As expected—this is the Li Jingde I know!
Hearing this, Tang Shen glanced around. Unnoticed until now, the attendants in the marshal’s residence had quietly left the courtyard.
Li Jingde had come prepared.
Tang Shen replied cautiously, “I do not understand the general’s meaning.”
“You don’t understand? How could you not? You civil officials always think about complicated things and talk in circles. Take that Su Wenyun, for example—he dislikes me, but so what? Will his hatred make me lose a piece of flesh? I can curse him to his face, call him a pansy boy, and what can he do? Curse me back? Never.” Li Jingde took another bite of meat and continued, “See, I digress again. I thought you were different from those guys like Wang Zifeng and Su Wenyun, but it turns out that you're following in their footsteps, Tang Shen.”
Tang Shen, originally maintaining his cautious stance, couldn’t help but chuckle at the accusation. “General, I truly do not understand your meaning.”
“Truly don’t?”
“I don’t.”
Li Jingde scratched his head. “Then let me put it simply—when are we going to kill those Liao bastards? I’ve wanted to fight them for years.”
Tang Shen was momentarily silent before replying, “It cannot be rushed.”
Li Jingde widened his eyes. “Not rushed? It’s already been so many years!”
Tang Shen explained, “General, dealing with the Liao is not a matter for me alone. I have no military experience, nor have I ever led troops in battle. But even the common folk know that the Song are wealthy, while the Liao are hardy warriors. They are a people born on horseback, and every man among them is a soldier. Over the past twenty-two years, we have won many victories in the Northwest, but that does not mean we can truly defeat the Liao.”
Li Jingde chewed his beef in silence.
“To destroy them, we must start from within,” Tang Shen continued. After a brief pause, he reconsidered his words, finding them too absolute. In reality, given the current strength of the Song army, it would be difficult to bring down the Liao within the next twenty years. After all, even a weakened camel is still bigger than a horse. Even if the Song had the upper hand now, the moment the Liao regained their footing, the tide of battle could shift drastically. He amended, “To reclaim lost land, does it really matter if we wait a few more years, General?”
Li Jingde took a large bite of meat and downed his wine. “To you, Tang Jingze, I’ll drink to that—I believe you.”
Perhaps it was the heat from the fire roasting the meat, but Tang Shen felt a surge of warmth in his chest. He raised his own wine jug. “To the general.”
What Tang Shen did not expect was that Li Jingde’s alcohol tolerance was so low!
It was Li Jingde who had insisted on drinking together, yet after just two jugs, he became completely drunk. He threw an arm around Tang Shen’s shoulders, calling him brother. After a bit more drinking, he even started sobbing. “Tang Jingze, life is so hard for me, you know that? Your scheming, cunning senior brother Wang Zifeng—when you return to the capital, talk to him for me, will you? Tell him to give me more money. I’m suffering, I really am… wuuwuuwuu…”
Tang Shen panicked, fumbling to comfort him. “General, please don’t cry.”
But Li Jingde only cried harder. “You civil officials always bully us! We warriors are so honest, yet you all keep taking advantage of us! Wuuwuuwuu…”
He sobbed and wailed until he finally passed out. Only then did Tang Shen manage to make his escape.
However, just as Tang Shen left the Marshal’s residence, the supposedly unconscious Li Jingde suddenly sat upright and craned his neck toward the door. “Is he gone?”
A servant handed him a warm towel. “Yes, General, he’s gone.”
Li Jingde roughly wiped away his tears, nearly rubbing his face raw. He sighed, “Ai, it’s so tough. I have to act like this just to get some money. Luckily, after crying in front of the Grand Marshal so many times, I’ve gotten used to it. The tears come naturally now. Tell me—was my performance convincing? He didn’t suspect anything, right?”
The servant: “…”
General, you are truly one of a kind!
Meanwhile, back at his own residence, Tang Shen sighed deeply. “The Northwestern army has it so hard… Is Li Jingde really that short on funds?”
Tang Shen was almost certain Li Jingde had been faking his drunkenness, but for a man of his rank to cry in front of others—even if it was an act—it was still heartbreaking!
“Is my senior brother really this cruel? When I return to the capital, I should bring it up with him.”
Little did he know, in the northwest military camp, Li Jingde wept once every three days and had a full breakdown once every ten. If he didn’t cry, considering all the things he had done, Grand Preceptor Zhou would have already demoted him from a second-rank Marshal straight down to a common foot soldier!
At the end of August, Tang Shen returned to Shengjing.
Unlike the Northwest, Shengjing was scorching hot, with the blazing sun making the heat unbearable.
As soon as Tang Shen arrived home in the evening, Aunt Yao prepared a table full of chilled melons and ushered him to eat.
These melons closely resembled modern-day watermelons, likely an ancient variety that had not yet been selectively cultivated. As everyone was eating and chatting, Tang Huang suddenly froze, exclaiming, “I completely forgot!” She immediately put down her melon and dared not take another bite.
Tang Shen and Yao San were both bewildered.
Aunt Yao, however, covered her mouth and chuckled. “I’ll go make Ah Huang some brown sugar water.”
Yao San still didn’t understand, but Tang Shen, having modern medical knowledge, quickly caught on.
That night, after eating just two slices of chilled melon, Tang Huang indeed fell ill and couldn’t get out of bed. Originally, Tang Shen had planned to spend the night at the Minister Residence, but seeing her condition, he had no choice but to stay and keep his sister company.
When Tang Shen entered the room, he stood beside the bed, looking at Tang Huang.
“Feeling any better?”
The young lady was deeply embarrassed, hiding her face with a pillow. “Much better, much better! Brother, why did you come in? Aunt Yao was just saying a few days ago that now that I’m seventeen, even though we’re siblings, you shouldn’t just walk in like this!”
Tang Shen was speechless. “You do realize we’re siblings, right?”
Tang Huang righteously declared, “But I haven’t married yet!”
Tang Shen chuckled. “So you do know you haven’t married yet?”
Tang Huang was at a loss for words and buried her face back into the pillow.
Tang Shen hadn’t planned to bring it up, but now that the topic had surfaced, he realized that Tang Huang was already seventeen.
In the Song Dynasty, it wasn’t uncommon for girls to remain unmarried at seventeen, or even at eighteen. However, most would already be engaged by this age. Tang Shen had promised her that she could decide her own marriage.
“When do you plan to make that decision?”
Tang Huang peeked out from the pillow with only her eyes showing. “What decision?”
Tang Shen pulled up a chair and sat down. Raising an eyebrow, he smiled slightly and said simply: “Marriage.”
Tang Huang: “…”
“Brother, have you noticed that you’re becoming more and more like the Minister?”
“Hm?”
“…You look even more like him now!”
Tang Shen suddenly burst into laughter. He certainly didn’t want to be like Wang Zhen—it felt strange just to think about it. Clearing his throat, he spoke seriously, “I’m asking sincerely. When do you plan to decide for yourself?”
Tang Huang remained silent. After a long time, she whispered, “What if I want to stay at home forever?”
“Then stay.”
Tang Huang was surprised. “Brother!”
Tang Shen sighed and ruffled her hair. “I said you could make the decision, so of course, it’s entirely up to you.”
Overjoyed, Tang Huang called out “Brother” three times in excitement.
The next day, Tang Shen went to the Minister Residence, where Wang Zhen was reading.
Minister Wang was a man of refined taste—reading under the moonlight. Just watching him made Tang Shen feel like his eyes would start hurting. Leaning over to glance at the book, Tang Shen scoffed, “What’s this? The Analects? Don’t you know it by heart?”
Wang Zhen sighed, “Reading a book a hundred times reveals its true meaning.”
Tang Shen started reflecting on whether he was being too frivolous. Maybe he should read more instead of relying on his eidetic memory and acting carelessly.
Before he could continue the thought, Wang Zhen suddenly closed the book, leaned in, and planted a kiss on his cheek. Laughing softly, he said, “Of course, I was just waiting for you.”
Tang Shen: “…”
So you really were just showing off!
After dinner, the two of them talked, and Tang Shen brought up Tang Huang’s situation.
Wang Zhen raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. “If she doesn’t wish to marry, then let her be.”
Tang Shen studied his expression.
Wang Zhen asked, “Is something wrong with that?”
Tang Shen: “…I really have become like you!”
Wang Zhen didn’t know the context and remained puzzled. But the Minister merely smiled, unfazed, as he picked up his teacup and took a sip.
Tang Shen sighed. “Actually, there’s a secret—one that only I know. Even Ah Huang doesn’t know.”
“Oh?”
After a brief hesitation, Tang Shen relented. “Ah Huang isn’t actually my biological sister. My mother found her and took her in when she was just a year old. The villagers all assumed she was my mother’s child because my parents had just returned from visiting relatives in the provincial capital, bringing Ah Huang back with them. But the truth is, my mother only wanted to raise her as a future child bride for me. According to my mother, Ah Huang’s parents had passed away from illness, and she had no remaining relatives.”
Wang Zhen hadn’t expected this revelation. He was surprised and asked, “A child bride?”
“What are you thinking?” Tang Shen scoffed. “Ah Huang is my sister.” He continued, “But within two years, my mother passed away. My father, being the stuffy scholar that he was, disliked the uncultured practice of child brides and raised Ah Huang as my sister instead.
“In the countryside, people often give children rough-sounding names, believing that it wards off bad luck and ensures survival. ‘Ah Huang’ is one of those crude-sounding names. But my father was particular about naming. He named me Shen, from the phrase ‘A gentleman must be cautious even when alone.’ He was very deliberate about it.
“But since Ah Huang was an adopted child, my father never gave her a proper name—just called her whatever came to mind.” (TN: ‘Ah Huang’ 阿黄=literally meaning “yellow” and a name often used to give to dogs. The “huang” in ‘Tang Huang’ 唐璜 is a homonym with a much nicer meaning “semi-circular jade ornament"l)