Chapter Ninety-One: Wine Sprinkled in the Sky, Rain Washes the Road
A torrential downpour washed over the entire Jizhou region. The people along the streets, however, seemed oblivious, their faces filled with anxiety as they rushed into the streets with their families.
The streets were bustling with people, yet unusually quiet and orderly. The only sounds throughout Jizhou were the incessant torrential rain and the incessant sobbing.
The endless dark clouds cast a shadow of sorrow and grief over the five states. Zhongli An sat on his horse, gazing blankly at the boundless dark clouds, as if his soul was still lingering in that ethereal dream, which would be annihilated at the slightest touch.
Suddenly, a high-pitched suona horn broke the endless silence, followed by a thunderclap and a flash of lightning that turned the entire Jizhou region white. The people on both sides could no longer hold back and knelt down on the ground, wailing and crying.
"The general has returned! The general has returned!"
The white cloth curtains fluttered incessantly over the roof, and paper money filled the sky with a sudden burst of energy, drifting in the air for a while before being pelted by large raindrops, falling straight to the ground like butterflies with broken wings.
Looking around, he saw a group of people slowly emerging from the mist. The mournful music grew louder and louder. Zhongli Shuo gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and finally gripped the reins, urging his warhorse forward step by step.
It felt as if a huge boulder was pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe with every step.
“My lord,” Xue Chang said, pulling on the reins and bowing to Zhong Li’an with reddened eyes, “please… take care of your grief.”
He had never seen Zhong Li'an look like this before. His once gentle and refined eyes were now filled with sorrow, and the rosy complexion on his face had been replaced by haggardness.
Xue Chang dismounted, his brows furrowed, and took two steps toward Zhong Li'an when he saw Zhong Li'an also dismount, leaning on the saddle, his eyes red as he approached him, "Cheyan."
"I am here."
Zhong Li'an closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and, suppressing his emotions, asked, "How are Zhao Qing and Ling Yu?"
Upon hearing this, Xue Chang clenched his fists and looked up to meet Zhong Li'an's worried gaze. "Zhao Qing was seriously injured and nearly lost his life. It was only thanks to the jade given to him by Ling Yu that he was able to deflect a fatal arrow." He lowered his eyes to avoid Zhong Li'an's gaze. "Ling Yu has been extremely busy taking care of Zhao Qing and assisting in the administration of Lujiang recently. The day before yesterday, she even charged into the enemy lines alone and single-handedly repelled three thousand enemy soldiers from Yingchuan."
"I see..." Zhongli An felt a pang of heartache, biting his lips tightly to barely hold back his tears. He exhaled with trembling breath, raised his hand to press Xue Chang's shoulder, and walked towards the coffin behind him.
The rain-soaked paper money drifted past Zhong Li'an, but he ignored it and walked straight toward Zhong Li Shuo's coffin.
His vision was blurred, and he couldn't see the road ahead. The lively and dashing figure seemed to be waving and calling him "brother." He hoped that all of this was just a sudden nightmare, and with the last glimmer of hope in his heart, his hand truly touched the cold coffin.
The familiar, comforting voice in his ear vanished instantly, replaced by an ear-piercing blast of wind and percussion. He jerked his eyes open, a chill creeping up his palm and into his heart, sending a shiver down his spine.
Zhong Li'an trembled uncontrollably. He steadied his unsteady steps, forcing back the bitterness in his heart so that not a single tear would fall. His fingers seemed oblivious to the pain, pressing tightly against the coffin. His slender fingertips were deathly pale, devoid of any blood.
Xue Chang's heart clenched. He stepped forward and saw Zhong Li'an wiping away the water stains on the coffin, but in no time, his efforts were in vain.
He turned back and looked questioningly at the churning dark clouds in the sky, only to be met with a thunderclap and lightning like a knife cutting through the air.
The raindrops lashed down on his face, then slid off the ground. Zhong Li'an calmed himself, pressed the coffin firmly once more, and turned to look at the people lining the street with unwavering determination.
"Everyone!"
The wailing and drumming that filled the streets gradually subsided. The people barely managed to stop their tears and looked up at Zhong Li'an, who stood in the rain. He held onto the coffin, clenched his fists, and looked at the people. "Yu De was like family to all of you. It is hard not to feel reluctant to part with you today."
"But!" He fought back tears, looking around at everyone, "Yude has returned victorious. He and Zhaoqing risked their lives to capture Lujiang County. He saved the Central Plains with his life! For me, for everyone, Yude is now our most glorious hero!"
His voice trembled uncontrollably, yet it was incredibly firm and powerful: "He has completed his mission. In his life, he has never suffered a defeat. He is a true invincible general!"
Zhong Li'an raised his arms and shouted, his eyes burning, "Even though he has passed away, if his spirit is in heaven, in your opinion, would such a vigorous general rather see the whole city singing praises of his achievements, or see us weeping incessantly in this city?"
“Therefore,” Zhong Li’an let out a long sigh, looking solemnly at the surrounding people, “everyone, please accept my condolences and live well for Yude’s sake. As for He Yuan and Xiao Yan…” He clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, “once Zhao Qing recovers, I will personally send troops to Lujiang to avenge the five thousand fallen soldiers!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the kneeling people looked at each other, helped each other to their feet. The old man at the head of the group glanced at the four prefectures, nodded to Zhong Li'an, and then raised his arms and shouted, "Revenge!"
"Revenge! Revenge! Revenge!"
The streets, which had been filled with sorrow just moments before, were instantly filled with fighting spirit. Grief and indignation transformed into strength, enabling the people of the city to regroup and raise their arms in triumph. The rumbling thunder from the sky above became the drums of war, pounding the heartstrings of the crowd.
Zhong Li'an clenched his fist, glanced back at the crowds shouting along the street, sighed softly, and touched Zhong Li Shuo's coffin.
“Let’s go, Cheyan,” he said weakly, looking up at Xue Chang and reluctantly sliding his hand off the coffin. “Let’s go back to camp.”
Seeing this, Xue Chang quickly nodded and turned to walk away with Zhongli An. He handed the reins to Zhongli An, his brows furrowing slightly with concern, "My lord, are you alright?"
Zhongli An chuckled, nodded, and shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm fine." With that, he reached out and took the reins from Xue Chang's hand.
The moment their fingertips touched, Xue Chang was startled by Zhong Li'an's icy hand. He subconsciously grasped Zhong Li'an's slightly trembling hand, then looked up at Zhong Li'an's red eyes. His heart full of sorrow finally turned into a long sigh.
“Don’t worry about it,” Zhong Li’an patted Xue Chang’s shoulder and sighed with a smile, “Don’t get wet in the rain, Tong Xi and Gu Fan are waiting.”
Xue Chang closed his eyes and nodded, then followed Zhong Li'an as he mounted his horse and galloped towards the mansion.
-
The heavy rain gradually lost its momentum, turning into a light drizzle that fell gently on Cen Xun's umbrella. She sighed softly for what seemed like the umpteenth time, and after hoping in vain, she finally shook her head and walked towards the courtyard gate.
"Hey, Tongxi." Seeing this, Qi Kun quickly opened an umbrella, walked into the rain, and raised his hand to stop Cen Xun. "Tongxi, you've just recovered from your cold, why torture yourself like this? The lord has been gone for a long time, just wait a little longer, they will be back soon."
Cen Xun, holding an umbrella, turned to look at Qi Kun, whose eyes were filled with worry, shook her head, and sighed softly, "I know everything the strategist said, but..." She turned to look at the desolate scene outside the door, "My heart is always..."
“Xue Cheyan will also be here this time.” Qi Kun followed Cen Xun’s gaze toward the door. “If the lord and Cheyan see you running away alone, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay in Jizhou.”
Cen Xun turned his head and looked at Qi Kun's eyes, which were full of relief. He smiled and shook his head. "Very well, then we'll do as the strategist says."
Before they could finish speaking, they heard the sound of horses' hooves at the door. The two turned around abruptly and saw Zhongli An and Xue Chang riding towards them in the rain.
They quickly raised their umbrellas and went to greet them.
“Why are you standing outside?” Zhong Li’an looked down at Cen Xun, frowned, took her umbrella and held it up for her. “Go back inside and sit down quickly, don’t catch a cold.”
Qi Kun took Xue Chang with an umbrella, brushed the water off him, sighed, and led him into the house.
"Tongxi".
As soon as Xue Chang entered the room, without even drying his hair, he took out a cloth bag from his bosom. He had protected the bag very well; Xue Chang was soaked through, but the bag itself remained completely dry.
Upon seeing this, Cen Xun immediately understood what was happening. He put down the teapot in his hand, frowned, and stepped forward to greet them.
“This bracelet…” Xue Chang’s throat was choked with tears. He let out a long sigh and stuffed the bundle into Cen Xun’s hands. “It was made by Yu De himself over several months. On his deathbed, he gave it to Zhao Qing and told him… he must, he must, bring it to your side.”
Upon hearing this, Cen Xun could no longer hold back her tears. She turned her head away, covering her mouth and nose with her sleeve, and tears streamed down her face. She clutched the cloth bag tightly in her hand, "Master, Yude, he..."
Xue Chang felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He put his arm around Cen Xun's shoulder and patted him repeatedly, while tears streamed down his face.
Cen Xun rested his head on Xue Chang's shoulder, taking deep breaths to compose himself. Finally, he let out a long sigh, straightened up with a sob, and nodded to Xue Chang, "Master, thank you."
"Why thank me?" Xue Chang raised his hand to wipe away Cen Xun's tears, then sighed and looked back at Zhongli An in the main seat.
Zhong Li'an was seen lying face down on the table, his forehead pressed against the table, his hand tightly gripping a teacup filled with hot tea.
Qi Kun sat to the side, looking at Zhong Li'an with worry in his eyes, and then draped a hot cloak over him with concern.
Zhong Li'an raised his hand to adjust his cloak, took a sip of the hot tea in his hand, but it still didn't ease the hoarseness in his throat. "Thank you."
Qi Kun frowned, sighed deeply, and gently shook his head. "My lord, why must you do this? If you ruin your health, how can you seek revenge?"
“That’s right.” Zhong Li’an sighed with a tearful smile, then looked up at Qi Kun’s worried expression. “Then please fetch me some writing materials. I’ll write a letter to Lingyu now, and once Zhaoqing recovers, we’ll send troops to attack the enemy…”
“My lord,” Qi Kun raised his hand to stop him, sighed softly and shook his head, “we still need to wait for the plan to be finalized…”
"Look back."
Before Qi Kun could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Xue Chang, who was standing to the side.
He looked up and saw Xue Chang frowning slightly as he looked at him, shaking his head gently.
"Never mind, never mind." Zhong Li'an sighed softly, tilting his head back, and patted Qi Kun's shoulder. "I'm fine."
He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, looking up at Cen Xun. “Tongxi, you’ve just recovered from your cold, you should go back to your room and rest as soon as possible. I’ll send someone to call you when it’s time for the burial tomorrow.”
Cen Xun had already swallowed her tears. She nodded to Zhong Li'an, clasped her hands in a fist and said, "Thank you for your understanding, my lord. I will take my leave now."
Zhong Li'an looked up at Cen Xun's retreating figure, and couldn't help but sigh deeply. He sat back down and looked at the two strategists beside him with a wry smile, "I'm sorry, gentlemen. I lost my composure."
“My lord,” Xue Chang stepped forward with a worried look and squatted down beside Zhongli An, “why force yourself to be so stubborn?”
Zhong Li'an looked into Xue Chang's eyes, chuckled, and leaned back. Qi Kun quickly stretched out his arm to shield the back of his head.
"If even I fall, where will the civil and military generals find their leader?" He looked up at the ceiling, tears welling in his eyes. "Then what will become of the common people?"
In the hall, only Xue Chang and Qi Kun remained, staring at each other, unsure of what to say.
"Alright, you two." Zhongli An sighed with a smile and sat up. "I know your good intentions, so there's no need to worry about me. Go back and rest early, especially Che Yan." He looked up at Xue Chang and said, "You got caught in the rain with me, so don't catch a cold."
“Then…” Xue Chang and Qi Kun exchanged a glance, then stood up with worried expressions and bowed to Zhong Li’an, saying, “We will take our leave now.”
Zhong Li'an smiled and nodded, watching the two people in front of him retreat outside the door and close the door slightly. Only then did he slump to the ground as if he had been relieved, looking up at the window, tears still welling up in his eyes.
-
The sound of rain gradually faded outside the window, and the darkening sky finally cleared up.
Xue Chang frowned slightly as he stepped out of the tent, gazing at the newly risen full moon on the horizon, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He walked to the door of Zhongli'an, where he saw food laid out on the ground, having been reheated countless times.
"What's going on?" He stopped and frowned at the soldier beside him. "Does our lord not want to eat?"
The soldier beside him sighed in embarrassment, “Mr. Xue, our lord only said he wanted to stay by himself for half a day and didn’t want anyone to come in and disturb him. We were afraid our lord would be hungry, and we didn’t dare to knock on the door, so we could only…” He pointed to the food by the door and sighed again.
"Understood, thank you for your hard work." Xue Chang nodded, patted the man's shoulder, then walked to the door and gently pushed open Zhong Li'an's half-closed door.
A dim light shone from inside. Xue Chang stopped and looked inside, leaning against the door. He saw Zhongli An leaning against the table, holding the wine cup that Zhongli Shuo usually liked to use, drinking hot wine with a wistful expression.
His tear tracks dried and then became wet again, glistening in the candlelight, and he remained lost in thought for a long time.
Hearing Xue Chang's commotion, Zhong Li'an was startled. He coughed twice from the choking on the wine and accidentally knocked the scroll on the table to the ground with a crisp sound.
He then came to his senses, looked at Xue Chang at the door, and didn't know how to explain.
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