Chapter 101 The White Moonlight
In late June, as the weather grew warmer, a letter written in blood ignited the heat into a raging inferno.
Rumors of Cui Xun's sudden death suddenly surfaced, revealing the shocking secret that Wang Du had coerced the Cui family into plotting to murder the emperor. He then committed suicide by cutting his own neck, demonstrating his resolve with blood.
The world was in an uproar.
It turns out this was all a carefully orchestrated scheme by old man Wang Du, planned for years. That old rascal had been making a fool of us all!
With Cui Xun dead, a large army from Liangzhou pressed in, carrying the black dragon banner with the character "Yan," distinguishing it from Wang Du's banner. Everyone immediately understood the situation.
It turns out the young emperor was quite shrewd; he had been quietly building up his power to eventually win over Wang Du!
A fierce battle was about to begin on the border. When the news reached the north, the generals no longer dared to be confident.
The young man seated also stared indifferently at the several messy military reports on the table.
"Your Majesty, please moisten your mouth."
After several sleepless nights, fine stubble had begun to sprout on his lip. Feng'an cared about his appearance but had no time to shave, and lately he had even been changing his clothes less and less.
Bi Shu was anxious and worried.
Battle reports, white as snowflakes, drifted onto my desk every day. Nine out of ten of them mentioned the young emperor.
—The young emperor breached the defenses of Yingchuan.
—The young emperor's army trampled Qingzhou and captured Wang Miao alive.
The young emperor organized 50,000 refugees into his army and marched directly to Yongzhou.
...
If he were to completely defeat Wang Du and seize Yongzhou, the heart of the nine provinces, then those north of Longnan and Longxi would have nowhere to escape.
The former advantage of cavalry was completely nullified before Yan Dibai's tens of thousands of armored soldiers. Everyone could see that he intended to save Feng'an for last, preparing to slowly roast him.
After receiving no reply for a quarter of an hour, Wei You, with dark circles under his eyes, could no longer bear it.
"Your Majesty, if Wang Du is truly defeated, we... Your Majesty, this humble general humbly requests permission to lead troops to support Wang Du!"
Wei You's thoughts reflected those of all the generals present. Now that the young emperor had both fame and fortune, if they didn't send troops to protect themselves, they would perish!
Bi Shu put down her teacup. "Your Majesty..."
"Let me think about it."
Feng An's sudden remark silenced all the tension. The generals, though resentful, were intimidated by the emperor's authority and dared not act rashly, and all took their leave.
Seeing Feng An stand up, Bi Shu hurriedly asked, "Is Your Majesty going out for a stroll?"
The young man glanced at him and said, "You may also step down."
Bi Shu froze for a moment, then nodded: "Yes."
It's August.
The ice in the far north has all melted.
Xue Ying'er, dressed in a thin robe, lay in the dark room. Upon hearing that familiar sound, she opened her almond-shaped eyes briefly in response, but then remained still.
The rhythmic footsteps, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow, approached from afar and stopped beside her bed.
Xue Ying'er buried her face in the corner of the bed.
"You asked why I treat you badly."
Feng An sat down.
During these times, Xue Ying'er refused to speak all day long, and no matter how much she was forced, she could only let out a muffled groan of pain.
Feng An was angry, but he was also used to it.
She just couldn't understand why, even though he was extremely unwilling to repeat the same mistakes, he still gave her everything she had ever wanted. He even treated her with great tenderness, specially administering medicine to her.
She took advantage of his kindness and glared at him with hatred every day.
"..."
In this life, Feng An has never had another woman. In his previous life, he also had very few concubines, so he had little to draw upon in matters of love and romance.
As he expected, Xue Ying'er pretended to be dead and ignored him.
Feng An stared directly into the warm and luxuriously decorated bedroom, feeling something slowly peeling away from his chest.
"You should think about it: you're barbaric and uncouth, illiterate, and prone to throwing punches at me. Why should I treat you well?"
He continued talking to himself.
“I’ve never liked you. You were the one who clung to me first, presumptuously treating me as your husband. Don’t villagers lie all the time. I’m clearly lying to you, don’t tell me you can’t tell at all.”
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have ended up like that."
...
"Xue Ying'er, do you want to kill me?"
The person on the couch seemed to be asleep, completely still.
Feng An smiled and pulled a short blade from his sleeve, forcefully shoving it into her hand.
"stand up."
He smiled warmly and forced her to grip the short blade tightly, placing it against his smooth neck.
Xue Ying'er had no choice but to look at him.
Her hand was pulled an inch closer, leaving a bloody gash on her skin. Just as it was about to go another inch, she stared coldly at him, "If you want to die, die at the hands of your brother. What's the point of me killing you?"
Feng An's expression changed. "What did you hear?"
Xue Ying'er broke free and slammed the short blade to the ground. With a clang, the sharp weapon reflected several blinding flashes of light.
Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
"What can I hear? You've turned this place into a prison, what can I possibly know!"
"Get out! Get out!" Xue Ying'er pushed and shoved him relentlessly. "I don't want to see you! Go to hell!"
Her fists felt weak and listless, lacking the strength they once had. The young man let her vent her frustrations until she collapsed, limp and powerless. He then gently pulled her into his arms, stroking her casually.
"Didn't you want to see the desert sunset? Tomorrow, Wei You will take you on your journey."
He casually uttered those words, then closed the door and left.
Xue Ying'er was stunned for a moment.
Back in Facai Village, in an attempt to get close to the boy who clearly knew how to read, she spent half a month squatting under the door of the only literate wealthy family. She couldn't remember anything. She only remembered the poems the children of that family would discuss during recess about the beauty of the world.
But she really couldn't pronounce those complicated words, so she could only speak in plain language: "I've seen lakes as big as the sea, mountains as high as the sky, endless torrential rains, and endless snow. But I've never seen the red sun in the desert. When we get married, shall we go see it together?"
...
Suddenly, she truly burst into tears.
So he remembered.
Feng An held the military report and thought about many things that day.
After the initial shock subsided, looking at the secret letter signed by the Cui family again, all that remained was the absurdity of fate playing tricks on people.
The young emperor, he, and even Yan Xifang all shared the same father. By sheer accident, he recognized his own siblings.
A sense of absurdity rose from my stomach, lingered in my throat, and I felt extremely nauseous.
Compared to hearing that Xiao Yuanjing was an obstacle he had deliberately left behind, it was even more so when he was subdued by Yan Dibai.
Feng An had never met his biological father. He felt nothing upon hearing that Cui Xun had died for Yan Dibai. Only after seeing this letter with its beautiful handwriting and respectful tone, addressing him as his elder brother, did he feel a stirring in his heart.
So what if they are blood relatives?
From the moment the decision was made, it was a matter of life and death.
He and Yan Dibai were determined to have a showdown.
“Green comb”.
"Your subject is present."
"Secretly send a message to Wang Du: I can send troops to join forces. We must not allow Yan Dibai to settle in Yongzhou."
"Then put the reply into the carrier pigeon that came from the Cui family. Be prepared to capture my old friend alive."
-
"Going out again? Oh well, might as well come back sooner rather than later."
Little Grey came over and licked my hand again with a fawning expression. Qingqing couldn't resist, so she grabbed its muzzle and squeezed it. Then she let it crawl out through the dog hole in the corner of the city.
This guy has grown up completely. Lately, he's become quite ambitious, going out early and returning late every day to go out through the dog hole in the city to play with his friends' dogs. All Qingqing has to do is prepare his food.
After letting Little Grey go, Qingqing turned around and started strolling around the city.
After capturing Qingzhou, the number of people coming to Liangzhou City to seek refuge increased by five hundred every day. As the number of people grew, the city's defenses were gradually relaxed, and the city became increasingly lively.
After Xiao Yuanshu and his sister Xiao Yuanjing were reunited, Yan Dibai bestowed upon them a house. Xiao Yuanshu took on the responsibility of contacting the generals of Longnan and has not visited Qingqing often lately.
She still harbored resentment towards Yan Dibai, but out of fear, she would avoid him whenever she saw him, only daring to curse him secretly in private. At the same time, Cui Xun's death lessened her hostility towards Cui Shenxiu considerably.
The hospital doubled in size and began taking on various handicrafts. Everyone worked enthusiastically every day, so she didn't need to go there as often.
Furthermore, when Yu Heng and Yu Chuan came to Liangzhou seeking their master, Cui Shenxiu opened a restaurant called Wanchun Hall outside the city, which was bustling with customers every day. As for why it was outside the city… it was because Yan Dibai wouldn't allow it to be opened inside the city. The specific reason is unknown. It was probably out of caution.
As for Yan Dibai, he led his brothers into battle, fighting fiercely. They captured more than ten members of the Wang family and also seized Yingchuan County.
The people rejoiced at the series of victories and were full of hope for the future.
As for Qingqing herself, she sweeps the floor, wipes the table, eats, and sleeps.
Li Si, Zhang San, and Wang Wu, whom I haven't seen in a long time, have arrived today. Qingqing just picked up the reception; they brought a lot of things.
"Your Majesty doesn't know, this journey is harder than climbing to the heavens!"
Li Si had lost some weight, and when he talked about what had happened these past few days, it was a story of unbearable hardship. Qingqing only learned about the difficulties he had faced after hearing his story.
It turned out that various forces had been chasing the three of them all along the way, and they were able to arrive in Liangzhou unharmed entirely thanks to the numerous crossbows that Wang Wu had installed throughout the ship. Except for Yi Fu, who was still secretly carrying out some unknown mission, everyone else was perfectly fine.
After catching up for a while, they went to the camp outside the city to report back to Yan Dibai.
Qingqing politely declined their invitation to go see Yan Dibai together.
Yan Dibai has been acting strangely lately. Her various behaviors reminded her of the impending storm before a palace coup.
Qingqing couldn't think of a reason. No matter how you looked at it, there shouldn't be any more feelings between her and Yan Dibai.
But now this person almost avoids her.
Occasionally, when Qingqing caught Helan Rong and Wu Yinchi Luo, the two would stammer and only say that they were busy with military affairs. Over time, Qingqing stopped asking.
Imagine the Emperor's Aura value rising to 85.
The mission... will be completed soon.
"Never mind." Qingqing shook her head. "Taoist Master, I'll have my fortune told too."
The city was also filled with many strange fortune-telling stalls, and even small Taoist temples and monasteries had been built. Qingqing stopped in front of one of the most popular stalls, ready to follow the trend.
The stall owner was a middle-aged Taoist priest who calculated her birth date and time using his fingers. Qingqing thought for a long time but still couldn't figure out what time she was born.
The Taoist stroked his goatee and told her to shake the tortoise shell. Qingqing shook out four copper coins. The Taoist hissed and mumbled something incomprehensible to her.
"Why does my wife's fate seem so shrouded in mist? Has anything been troubling you lately?"
Qingqing tugged at her special mask and shook her head:
"No. At most... me, me alone, my husband? He seems to be avoiding me lately. But I know he doesn't hate me."
The Taoist priest clicked his tongue, "It sounds like a couple is estranged. But judging from the divination, the woman is never married at all!"
Qingqing was startled, "How could you even calculate that?"
"If you can't even figure this out, how will you make a living?" The Taoist glared at her, then looked at Qingqing's face, which only showed her eyes and forehead, with a hint of suspicion. "It seems like there's something pressing down on you, my lady."
"Me?" Qingqing asked, puzzled. "You're not a ghost or anything, are you?"
The Taoist priest clicked his tongue again.
"It doesn't seem to be an object with a spirit; it's a born dead machine. In short, my wife's fate is too strange. We should be careful in everything we do lately. Next—"
Qingqing paid and continued browsing. Wanchuntang was just ahead; she could buy some herbs to clear heat from Cui Shenxiu there.
To everyone's surprise, the doors of Wanchun Hall were tightly shut, with a copper lock hanging outside.
"Auntie, where is the female doctor here?"
An old woman selling soup dumplings at a nearby stall glanced at her and said, "Madam, are you here to see Bodhisattva Cui for treatment? Oh, what a coincidence!"
Qingqing stopped, thinking that something had happened to Cui Shenxiu, and hurriedly said, "Auntie, please tell me in detail."
"You don't come here often, do you, madam?" The old woman slammed the dough onto the cutting board, lowering her voice but unable to hide the excitement of sharing a secret. "Poetic Lady Cui has such a hard life! She lost her parents at a young age and was raised by her uncle. Her uncle arranged a very good marriage for her, and she saved up a large dowry by practicing medicine. Who would have thought—"
The old woman's voice suddenly rose, attracting the attention of several passersby who also turned to listen: "That slut beat her to it!"
Qingqing's heart sank: "What?"
"They say she was her fiancé's maid who stole the token, climbed into his bed, and became his legal wife!" The old woman said, spitting as she spoke. "Princess Cui is gentle and values propriety; how could she possibly win? She only learned the truth a few days ago when she received her uncle's will. She fainted right there in front of the hall, and that's why we closed the door!"
An old man selling peaches across the street chimed in, "You old woman, all you do is gossip! Her surname is Cui, is she from an ordinary family? She met her fiancé when she was young, how could she mistake him! Who knows, maybe that fiancé has been having an affair with the maid and they're working together to eat her child out of wedlock!"
"Oh dear! That's right!" the old woman sighed, then called out, "Then, young lady, why did you leave?"
Qingqing ignored the old woman's shouts and walked back home expressionlessly.
Not to mention that Choi Sin-soo's engagement was only arranged after the New Year, the fiancé in this story is definitely not Wang Miao.
But why... she always felt that this maid was referring to her.
Was it because I was criticized too much in the past, or...?
A sharp pain shot through her foot, and Qingqing looked down, suddenly remembering the Lantern Festival banquet.
Choi Shin-soo waited for her to speak, seemingly trying to get closer to her, but it seemed he was actually... sighing.
May Shenxiu also find such a perfect husband.
"..." Reason told Qingqing that it was absolutely impossible. It was true that she was a maid at first, but she did not sleep with Yan Dibai, nor did she collude with him.
Could it be that someone is deliberately spreading rumors to damage the image of Choi Shin-soo and Yeon Di-baek?
It was on the eve of a major battle, so it was not impossible. Qingqing ignored her sprained ankle and decided to go to the city gate to arrange a carriage to talk to Yan Dibai.
Having just spotted the guards in the bustling city, she suddenly felt timid again. Vendors around her clamored for their wares, and as Qingqing smelled the aromas converging from all directions, her chaotic mind suddenly jolted.
—Yang Liuqing, have you forgotten that your mission is for Yan Dibai to reclaim the world and bring peace and tranquility to the land?
Now, with only two states and 15 emperors' auras remaining, we'll be 100% complete. One million is just around the corner. What use are these trivial rumors, other than disrupting people's minds and providing amusement after dinner?
Yan Dibai is very busy.
She couldn't help him militarily, and she certainly shouldn't bother him.
Qingqing stared at the crowded city gate for a minute before decisively turning back.
"Who goes there!" the guard shouted, and the huge city gate immediately became much quieter.
Qingqing turned her head, then turned it back.
A woman in tattered clothes was blocked at the door by two men with swords drawn, who kept shouting to let her in.
The guards wouldn't let her pass, drawing their swords and pushing her outside. The woman repeatedly tried to get through, but to no avail. Clinging to the sword sheath, she cried out in despair:
"I want to see the Queen! The Queen!"
"The Empress is not someone you can just see whenever you want! Get out!"
Xue Ying'er slumped to the ground. Many of the onlookers had witnessed similar scenes. Once they'd seen enough, they dispersed. Helplessly, she looked around, her scabbard held horizontally. "If you don't have an official seal, get out of the way! Don't block the way!"
Xue Ying'er breathed a sigh of relief, her last bit of strength gone. She crawled frantically on the ground, when the two guards suddenly cried out in unison, "Your Highness!"
Xue Ying'er froze, and suddenly a pair of fair hands reached out into her blurred vision.
A gentle, caring female voice fell into her ear as always.
"Ying'er, is that you?"
-
Qingqing never expected that after more than a year, their reunion would be like this.
Xue Ying'er was even hungrier than Xiao Yuanshu had been.
Qingqing hesitated several times before speaking, but seeing that she couldn't stop eating, she silently added another bowl of rice for her.
The dishes were piled half a meter high before she finally slumped back on the cushions to rest for a while. Qingqing gently wiped her face, and Xue Ying'er, touched by her tender touch, burst into tears.
“Miss Yang, Feng An is secretly sending me to the desert. I suspect he's going to have a final showdown with your man.”
Feng'an never discussed political matters with Xue Ying'er. However, the servants in the courtyard and Bi Shu inevitably conveyed different messages.
She didn't understand him, yet she knew him fairly well.
They'll send her away; Feng'an is definitely going to make a big splash.
Qingqing's hand, which was twisting a handkerchief, suddenly went too far, and her palms stung as she wiped the floor. It was unclear whether it was because of the name "Miss Yang," which she had only heard a few times, or because Feng'an wanted to beat Yan Dibai.
"Miss Xue, you—"
“I escaped several times,” Xue Ying’er confessed calmly, her former vibrant energy seemingly worn away in the past few days. She stated blankly, “He toyed with me, knowing my schemes but pretending not to know, repeatedly bringing me back to mock me. He took me to the far north, where it snowed every day. I…”
Xue Ying'er touched her slightly protruding belly helplessly. "I didn't want things to go on like this. The caravan heading to the desert encountered bandits, and I took advantage of the chaos to knock out the guard maid and escape by hiding in the cargo box. On the way, I heard that you had become the empress, so I wanted to go and seek refuge with you."
She wiped her face. "I disguised myself as a man and fled for a month. At first, nothing happened. But the closer I got to Liangzhou, the bigger my stomach got, and I vomited a few times."
Unable to notice the hardships she had endured along the way, Qingqing's attention was entirely focused on the last question, "Are you pregnant with his?"
Xue Ying'er lowered her eyes, not daring to look at her. "I know I'm a nuisance, and I dare not reveal my identity. Miss Yang, could you let me stay in the city and find some work?"
Qingqing's emotions, which had only just settled down, instantly became more tangled than a ball of yarn.
First came the rumors, then came Xue Ying'er, a pregnant woman whose health was comparable to a nuclear bomb.
Her breathing became heavier and heavier, and she slowly looked down at Xue Ying'er's stomach.
"Ying'er, does he know you're pregnant?"
"I...I don't know. He can take my pulse and often gives me fertility-enhancing medicine. I'm afraid he'll become suspicious after he gets the news." Xue Ying'er had clearly thought about this issue as well, and her face showed worry.
"There will definitely be doubts."
Qingqing grinds her teeth.
Feng An is treacherous; he could easily have foreseen all sorts of unexpected events. Is it genuine allegiance, or... a calculated scheme?
In any case, this matter is not something she can decide on her own.
"Ying'er, I'm sorry to trouble you to stay here for a few days, don't move around."
She settled the people in. She went outside and waved, "Little Six, could you secretly escort me to the main camp?"
-
The main camp was newly built to facilitate troop deployment. It would take about two hours to get there by express train.
To avoid troubling others, Qingqing hadn't gone to see it. This time, she used an ordinary gray-topped car, and her only bodyguard was Xiao Liu, who was also disguised as an ordinary person.
"Your Majesty, shall we take the official road or the common road?"
They had only driven a mile when Xiao Liu suddenly spoke. Qingqing then remembered that there was a special official road built for the soldiers to travel nearby. She didn't hesitate much.
"Wouldn't we need to display official credentials on the official road? We can't attract attention this time, so let's take the civilian road." It's farther, but that's fine.
Xiao Liu responded and urged the car to head towards the right fork.
The road was indeed crowded and narrow. After a while, she finally covered ten miles. As she looked around, she suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
Along both sides of the road, many new soup kitchens and even free clinic sheds had been set up on top of what she had originally set up. The flags on the sheds were embroidered with the character "Yun". There were long queues at all of them.
She was close enough to clearly hear the people repeatedly muttering "Miss Cui Yun".
"Thanks to Miss Cui for administering the medicine," "Miss Cui is kind-hearted and gave my family a bushel of rice"... such words are heard endlessly.
Cui Yun?
Where did this new character come from?
Qingqing couldn't help but peek inside, but there were too many people to see into the shed.
Since the carriage was moving, she had no choice but to keep her doubts to herself for the time being.
It was the hottest time of day, after midday. The vehicle traveled to a village three miles outside the main camp, but had to stop and wait because the road ahead was temporarily blocked by a convoy urgently transporting the wounded.
Xiao Liu whispered, "Your Highness, these seem to be the new Iron Cavalry Battalion brothers. They're injured like this."
The situation at the front is probably quite dire.
Upon hearing this, Qingqing immediately said, "Xiao Liu, I'll come down and check on the soldiers. The camp isn't far; I'll walk there myself."
Xiao Liu was startled and exclaimed in panic, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! It's all blood and energy; it'll defile people!"
"Don't worry about all that! I'm leaving. If you're not in a hurry, you can wait here, or help everyone move people!"
Xiao Liu wanted to say something, but the person had already run downstairs. He silently slapped his own mouth, thinking to himself, "How despicable."
He looked up at the sky and sighed, "What can we do now..."
As Qingqing entered the village, she had already prepared herself, determined to remain calm no matter what she encountered.
But unexpectedly, most of the wounded soldiers in the village had been bandaged up, and some were even able to turn their heads and laugh.
The cavalrymen in this battalion had never seen Qingqing before and did not know her identity. Judging from her clothes, they assumed she was just a pretty peasant girl. They paid her little attention, and some even whistled at her.
She ignored him and continued walking for a while. Suddenly, she stopped.
"Thanks to her timely arrival with her men today, otherwise I would have been dead before even entering the camp." Several youthful-looking boys beside him touched the meticulously bandaged strips of cloth on their arms. "We've always heard the locals talk about her, and now that we've met her, we can't believe it's true. She's truly a bodhisattva-like figure."
"Yes. At first I thought she was the virtuous empress. I was wondering why she didn't act like a maid."
"It's true. I compared them, and the porridge at Miss Cui's porridge stall is really thick and substantial. It's not... just some empty boast."
...
Qingqing swallowed nervously.
Hidden behind the thatched hut, she clearly saw the bodhisattva-like figure the soldiers had described.
Choi Shin-soo.
Dressed in a simple yet undeniably elegant dress, she nonchalantly stitched up a young man's finger-length wound on his arm, calmly directing Yuheng and Yuchuan to change and apply medicine.
People kept bringing her mung bean soup to cool her down, and the soldiers accepted it with profuse thanks, looking at her with unwavering respect. The entire village seemed to revere her.
Even when a child covered in filth and emitting a foul stench was brought to him by her mother, Choi Shin-soo did not hesitate at all. He bent down and gently embraced her, not caring that the filth would stain her silk skirt.
She soothed the child gently, skillfully examining the rash on his body. Her profile, illuminated by the blazing sun, possessed a divine glow.
"Alright. Take this ointment back with you and apply it three times a day."
"Thank you, thank you." Her mother took the child, who had gradually stopped fussing. Choi Shin-soo patted her forehead, removed the talisman that the little hand was clutching at her waist, and chuckled, "Don't cry, have some candy."
"Miss Cui Yun... she is truly a living Bodhisattva!" The old woman who had come with her knelt down tremblingly upon seeing her granddaughter safe and sound, and kowtowed while weeping.
Like a thunderclap, Qingqing felt dizzy and lightheaded. In that instant, an absurd yet incredibly clear thought resounded in her mind.
Could it be that the "white moonlight" mentioned by the system is none other than Cui Shenxiu, who shed her identity as a noblewoman of the Cui family, used the name "Cui Yun" to help the common people, and won the heartfelt love of the military and civilians?
"Your Majesty?"
Xiao Liu, seeing that she hadn't returned for a long time, went to look for her from outside.
"It's passable outside now, so let's have the youngest princess go."
Qingqing snapped out of her daze, her mind buzzing. She almost hastily boarded the vehicle. "Xiao Liu... when we get to the camp, can you pass on a message for me?"
"...Don't tell him I'm here."
“…Sigh.” Xiao Liu glanced at the radiant “Cui Yun” surrounded by the crowd, sighed softly, and urged his horse on.
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