The word spread swiftly: in Pengzhou City lived the greatly beloved wife of the commander.
Rumor said Xing Muzheng held his first wife in the highest regard. Once, he had admired one of the famed Three Talented Ladies, intending to wed her as an equal wife, but somehow the lady vanished, rumored to be the doing of the current Madam. They said Xing Muzheng once spent a thousand in gold to buy cloth just to make her smile. In her private treasury, silks and satins, gold and jewels piled like mountains, all gifts from the great general. What’s more, this Madam was said to be fiercely jealous—there was not even a single concubine in the household, and the only heir was her sole legitimate son!
Because the commander could not bear to part from his wife, he even brought her to the battlefield. After staying in Pengzhou for a time, she found the border dull, and one night sent for the household troupe from Yuzhou to be rushed over by fast horses. Every night was song and dance, and once she even had musicians perform atop the city wall, drawing the townsfolk’s gaze. On a whim, she threw money down among them, laughing heartily above.
This news reached Meng Rang’s ears just as he learned Xing Muzheng had gone to Tongzhou, and just as his men had launched a surprise attack and killed his second son, as if in tooth-for-tooth vengeance for the late General Xu Meng. Meng Rang ground his teeth in fury. His eldest son Guda wrote, vowing to avenge his brother’s blood with an oath most vicious, swearing to hang Xing Muzheng’s head upon Tongzhou’s city wall.
Though Meng Rang too was enraged, he still dreaded Xing Muzheng, fearing Guda might fall into his stratagem, or act rashly against royal command and attack on his own. As he hesitated over whether to march to Tongzhou and join forces with his son, this rumor reached him.
Meng Rang reined his horse, gazing toward Pengzhou, thoughts stirring. Two close followers rode at his side. One said: “King, since Xing Muzheng is now at Tongzhou with his army, Pengzhou must surely be empty. If we seize his wife, the blow to him would be immense!”
“Perhaps we could even use her to threaten him!”
“But she’s just a mere woman—can she truly be that important?”
“Do not forget who Xing Muzheng is. He has no appetite for women—our honey traps failed time and again. Yet if he so favors this one woman, she must be as his very life. She is surely his weak point! What’s more, Xing Muzheng is ill now—if he learns his wife has fallen into our hands, he may not die of rage, but half his life will be gone!”
Meng Rang listened to their quarrel, then suddenly raised his whip: “Summon the Grand Priest!”
That very night, Meng Rang sought the Grand Priest’s divination for victory. The oracle declared: Pengzhou may be attacked.
The next day, Meng Rang mustered his army once more and marched upon Pengzhou. This assault came with great force. Xu Yizhao resisted for two days, but seemed unable to withstand. Meng Rang’s spies reported in secret: the Madam of Xing Muzheng was frightened out of her wits, clamoring to be sent to Tongzhou to rejoin her husband.
At this, Meng Rang knew the time was ripe. He attacked again in full force, with fire arrows and catapults raining into the city. Xu Yizhao, pushed to the limit, opened the gates to fight, but was beaten back inside. The Xili soldiers’ morale soared. Then came another report: Xing Muzheng’s wife had ignored all persuasion, and forced her way out through the south gate, leading her men toward Tongzhou.
“She is truly his wife?” Meng Rang asked.
The spy answered: “This was seen by an informant inside the city. The informant is shadowing her even now, waiting only for us to gather troops in pursuit.”
“How many men with her?”
“Madam Xing is formidable indeed—word is, she has taken five thousand elite soldiers.”
Meng Rang laughed loudly. “Good! Gather twenty—no, fifty thousand troops, to follow me! I will capture Xing Muzheng’s wife alive, and deliver her straight to Tongzhou!”
A confidant at his side, knowing Meng Rang’s caution, understood the fifty thousand were meant to guard against pursuit and secure a retreat. He ventured: “Why not send General Duoge instead?”
But Meng Rang, flushed with triumph from his recent victory and eager to press his momentum, said: “This matter is too grave. Do you think I cannot even seize a mere woman myself?” Already, he could not wait to see the look on Xing Muzheng’s face when he learned his wife was in Meng Rang’s grasp.
***
Qian Jiaoniang sat in her carriage, rushing along the official road. Beside her were two female guards dressed as maids—Qiu Wu and Xia Yi—whom Xing Muzheng had assigned to her after Chun Wu followed Xing Pingchun to Yongan.
Xia Yi urged her: “Madam, let Qiu Wu wear your clothes to lure the enemy. The commander would never allow you to risk yourself!” Indeed, Xing Muzheng had agreed to this plan, but had strictly ordered that when the enemy was drawn in, Qian Jiaoniang must use a stand-in.
Qian Jiaoniang shook her head, gazing at the gray sky outside, faintly hearing the clash of battle. “Meng Rang is cunning. His spies are surely watching all around. If the ruse is exposed at the final step, all will be wasted.”
“But the commander…”
“Enough. A general in the field cannot take every order from afar. Our plan will succeed. I trust our soldiers.”
She turned to Li Qingquan, who was driving the carriage, and said: “Qingquan, keep watch behind us. Do not let them lose the trail.”
“I understand, Madam.”
Li Qingquan remained vigilant. Before long, a rider came racing up with urgent news: Meng Rang was in pursuit with a massive force, closing in fast!
“Good, they’ve taken the bait!” Li Qingquan was overjoyed and called inward, “Madam, hold on tight!”
He snapped the whip, urging the horses forward. Qian Jiaoniang gripped the carriage board tightly, while Xia Yi still dutifully advised, “Madam, Meng Rang is closing in. For your safety, we should change the plan.”
Qian Jiaoniang lifted the curtain to look back. Dust was already rising in the distance. Her gaze was grave. “No need for more words. Proceed as planned.”
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