Tianquan descends
Liu Chunhua sat on the ridge, looking out at the endless green fields. She looked down at her rough palms—during her time in the sandy desert, she had done all the weaving of reeds herself, and finally one day she witnessed the clear boundary between the black sand and the green plains.
She pulled a crumpled letter from her bosom, the handwriting blurred, and carefully opened it, rubbing the ink stains. She wondered how her brother was doing. He sent a letter every five days, but each time Liu Chunhua received it, she couldn't help but weep and grieve. So, in a fit of anger, Sarenmandula forbade the messenger from sending any more letters to Liu Chunhua. This letter was already half a month old.
She looked up at the vast sky, at the clouds. No one, wherever they are, is truly free—cattle and sheep roam the grasslands, yet ultimately perish at the hands of men; she, confined to her residence, could only gaze at the four corners of the sky, her fate swaying with the decrees of the state; her brother, cunning and opportunistic, survived under the protection of the imperial advisor, yet was still constantly being ordered around, never getting a moment's rest. And these clouds? Once they gathered together, they grew heavier and heavier, until they vanished into nothingness. But she was different. She loved the grateful smiles of the herdsmen, loved dancing with them.
"Princess? Princess!" Her female companion ran up from behind, calling out repeatedly, "Princess, what is it that makes you think about it so seriously?"
Liu Chunhua snapped out of her daze, turned to her female companion with a smile, and said, "Little lamb? Will you come and keep me company?"
The little lamb helped Liu Chunhua up, brushed the dust off her back, and led her down the slope, then looked around mysteriously. Looking at the lively girl, Liu Chunhua realized she really did resemble a little lamb—her two braids swung naturally, she jumped lightly, and her body was covered in jingling bells and nutshells, making a few jingles with each step.
"Princess, I've come to deliver a message to you!" the little lamb whispered.
"It was sent by my brother?! You actually managed to stop it!" Liu Chunhua's eyes lit up. "Let me see it quickly!"
"Oh no!" The little lamb pulled Liu Chunhua closer. "Someone from our court informed the boss that General Zhao is going to Banrihua to farm, and he's even planning to send someone to investigate!"
Zhao Peiming? Didn't he escape? He dares to return to court? It's probably a fake letter. The little lamb waved its hand in front of Liu Chunhua's eyes and said, "Princess? Oh dear, you're always daydreaming. Haven't you been sleeping well these past few days because you've been homesick?"
Liu Chunhua curled her lip, pushed the little lamb away and said, "What does General Zhao have to do with me? I don't read any letters that aren't related to my brother."
The little lamb deliberately kicked a pebble on the ground, muttering, "Oh well, if you don't want to look, then don't. Maybe he has a way to take you away."
“Absolutely impossible. He was captured by Sarenmandula before and forced to farm… You mean garrison troops, right? If that’s true, he and his soldiers would definitely be captured by Sarenmandula again. At that point, the court would have no elite troops left, let alone something as absurd as taking me away,” Liu Chunhua said, shaking his head.
The little lamb gently nudged Liu Chunhua's shoulder: "Does the princess want to leave?" Seeing that Liu Chunhua was clearly hesitant, it teased: "Does the princess want to stay and keep the little lamb company?"
"Yes," Liu Chunhua replied without hesitation. She was determined to cure this place, to prevent the sandstorms from ever again. It had nothing to do with her own reputation, but only with the fate of the Great Zhao Dynasty. After all, Sarenmandula had long been dissatisfied with the desolation of the grasslands. If he were to impulsively march south, and Zhao Peiming had been sent away, the court's weak army probably wouldn't even be able to hold the city gates. Having already lost hope herself, she would do her utmost to prevent more families from being destroyed. The herders were innocent too, following a barbaric king. But thankfully, their hearts were still pure, a precious relic carefully preserved by this grassland.
"Great! If the little lamb follows the princess, it won't have to marry the horse herder!" The little lamb released Liu Chunhua and danced with joy. A warm breeze carrying the scent of pasture wafted by, ruffling their hair.
Liu Chunhua watched her smile quietly; this small joy was enough for her to live on and carve out her own path.
Zhao Peiming led his newly formed army along the road. All those who had left home were dejected, and the horses moved haltingly. No one dared to harm his "comrades," only offering words of comfort as they continued onward. At night, Zhao Peiming sang with the men around the campfire. He only knew folk tunes—his hometown was in the Taibai Mountain area. After he was five, war struck, and his family moved away, settling again in the capital. Therefore, his Mandarin was fluent, without a trace of his native accent. Only when he hummed a folk tune would he elicit laughter and sparks of joy. He looked around at everyone; they hugged their knees, their eyes shining as they gazed at him.
Jin Tao was still somewhat dazed upon receiving the imperial edict. Zhao Peiming had indeed returned in a flash. He had been worrying about the canal-digging project—a month ago, some villagers had gotten lost on their way to the border region to exchange goods. The experienced ones had sent their horses ahead, and these old horses somehow ended up in a dense forest on the side of the snow-capped mountains. Upon closer inspection, they found a clear spring overflowing from the bottom up, not far from Banrihua. They tasted the water and found it to be a rare and sweet spring. The villagers discussed bringing this spring water into the village. At Banrihua, Zhao Peiming, along with his swift cavalry, deepened the pit beneath the spring and dug a canal to bring the water in. What followed was a long wait, probably two months, and they estimated they wouldn't see water flowing until autumn.
"Brother Jin, what does this letter say? Read it to us!" a villager shouted as he stepped forward.
“General Zhao has been assigned to this kind of farmland. Once he’s here, he probably won’t leave.” Jin Tao’s tone was calm but tinged with worry.
"What? General Zhao is coming to keep us company! This is fantastic news! We need to get a few more rooms; even if they're not grand, they should be spacious!" With that, the man hurriedly ran off.
"Huan'er, your father is coming back." Bai Xian glanced at Hun Sha in the distance, then took Meng Xihuan's little hand and led him into the house.
"Brother, is Young Master Jiang coming back?" Duan Houqi stepped out from behind Jin Tao and asked cautiously.
"Jiang Heng? Of course he's not coming back. I told you long ago, he has important national affairs to attend to, how could he care about the lives of us common people?!" Jin Tao crumpled the letter, causing it to tear. "Jiang Heng has already become a half-day magistrate!"
"Half-day Flower... Promotion? What does that do? Is it very powerful?" Duan Houqi pressed.
"Hmph, he's got some nerve, managing this whole area. But when Zhao Peiming arrives, guess what? He'll even be able to manage Zhao Peiming!" Jin Tao replied through gritted teeth.
Duan Houqi dared not ask any more questions. He turned to leave, but found four or five people standing silently behind him.
Jin Tao turned around, grabbed Duan Houqi by the collar, and shouted at him, "Guess why I hate him! Jiang Heng is a master of scheming. He seems to have taken us in to this barren place out of kindness, but in reality, we've been doing all this for him! On the surface, we have food and clothing, but what's the reality? He can get us a high-ranking official position just by supporting us!" Hearing the commotion, many people pushed open the door to check, and a group of people gathered in the distance.
"Didn't General Zhao already explain it to you? Brother, you've really lost your mind! Everyone has seen how Young Master Jiang has treated us during this time! Now that he's an official, don't we have more confidence and can stand tall? We're fortunate to have land and be able to live in peace. Do you know how many people are still displaced?! Young Master Jiang has both a benefactor willing to support him and a heart for his country. He might save millions of people in the future!" Duan Houqi clenched his fists, tears welling up in his eyes.
"You think you're so great now? You dare to talk back to your brother? What do I care if others have food? I'd rather the whole world starve so that I can have enough to eat!" Jin Tao roared.
Seeing that the situation was not right, the crowd stepped forward and pulled the two apart.
“Brother Jin, that’s not right of you. No matter what, this half-day flower garden was opened by Young Master Jiang. We are too grateful to him to blame him for becoming an official.”
"That's right, my child will need him as a tutor in the future. Why are you saying that? It would be very hurtful if Young Master Jiang heard it."
"Jin Tao, so you're saying you want to kill us all and eat our flesh to fill your stomach?!"
People started arguing, but Jin Tao stood still, saying nothing. Duan Houqi was somewhat shocked by Jin Tao's indifference; his body trembled uncontrollably, and he remained motionless, his whole body numb.
"We're all just trying to make a living, why bother?" Bai Xian walked through the crowd, patted Jin Tao and Duan Houqi on the shoulder, "Let's all go home, it's dry today, the land needs to be watered again."
Jin Tao went to the well first, angrily drawing water. The others wanted to help but dared not, and just stood by and watched.
Seeing that everyone had left, Bai Xian helped Duan Houqi up and said, "Brother Jin has been working too hard these days, so it's understandable that he's irritable. Let's all be understanding. He'll be fine once this period is over. Don't take it too seriously."
Duan Houqi then burst into tears, mumbling incoherently, but his last sentence was clear: "Sister Bai Xian... thank you..."
After walking a few steps, Duan Houqi sobbed again and said, "...Why do you think things can get...better?"
Bai Xian smiled, looked at the sky, and said, "Sometimes when people are hopeless, they like to think about mysterious things. When Young Master Jiang and General Zhao left, there were clouds in the sky. Those colorful, somewhat swirling clouds."
Duan Houqi also looked at the horizon, imagined for a moment, and then said nothing more.
Five days later, the swiftly mounted riders passed through the red railing and stopped to rest before the last earthen mound. Zhao Peiming called out, "Once we cross this slope, we'll see the half-dayflower. When we see the villagers, be warm and welcoming, and don't let the group fall apart! If any villagers run out to greet us, dismount and lead them by the horse, so as not to bump into them or trample their crops!"
Zhao Peiming untied the two bags from his horse and distributed their contents to the soldiers. To their surprise, the general had brought them snacks for the journey. Eating candies and sweet cakes, they mumbled "Yes, sir!" and "Understood!" with bright smiles.
"It's General Zhao!" The villagers were overjoyed and rushed to spread the news. All the villagers who heard the news eagerly went to the edge of the village to welcome him.
When the report reached Duan Houqi, he was squatting by the irrigation ditch, intently watching the ditch opening. A villager gave him a light kick from behind and said, "What's going on? General Zhao is back!"
Duan Houqi's eyes lit up with surprise, and he got up to greet the villager, but was suddenly grabbed by the arm. He looked at the villager in confusion, then quickly followed his gaze downwards.
One drop, two drops, three drops, glistening with golden light under the blazing sun.
The canal, which was originally scheduled to produce water only after autumn, miraculously began to seep out sweet spring water.
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