Chapter 162 Determined to never again say that women are not heroic, Night after night, the Longquan sword sings on the wall…
The incense smoke curled gently inside the hall, unable to dispel the heavy silence.
Wei Yihua lay on Gu Qinglan's lap, tears slowly soaking the hem of her luxurious brocade skirt. A pair of warm hands gently patted her back, just as they had done many years ago when they had lulled her to sleep.
A series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall. The palace maid, looking nervous, quickly walked in and stopped at the beaded curtain, her voice very low: "...This servant greets the Noble Consort and the Princess."
Wei Yihua quickly sat up straight and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Gu Qinglan supported her shoulder and asked, "What is it you wish to report?"
"News has come back from the previous dynasty."
The warm atmosphere in the hall froze. Wei Yihua, who had raised her head again, regained her usual solemn expression, and Gu Qinglan said in a deep voice, "Speak."
"Just now, the eunuch from the Imperial Study came to announce that His Majesty... His Majesty has decided to wage war against the Di Rong. Within three days, he will muster troops and prepare provisions to go to the border to provide support." The maid's voice carried a hint of unsteadiness. "The commander-in-chief has been decided, and it will be none other than the General Who Protects the Nation."
For a moment, the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Gu Qinglan gripped Wei Yihua's hand tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh. Wei Yihua was also stunned; this news was like a piece of ice thrown into a previously warm lake of her heart, causing ripples to spread.
However, the shock lasted only a moment.
Almost instantly, a cold, almost cruel rationality replaced the initial astonishment. The eldest princess and Consort Li exchanged a glance, both seeing the same heaviness in each other's eyes.
Yes, there are no generals in the court.
The generals from humble backgrounds have just undergone a purge, their foundations are unstable, and the investigation of cases is progressing slowly, making it difficult to appoint personnel immediately; although there are many generals from powerful families, most of them are stationed on the frontier and cannot be transferred, while those who remain in the capital have long lost their fighting spirit and vigor due to years of peace.
In recent years, the newly promoted generals have been unable to shoulder heavy responsibilities, and they have almost no experience in fighting against fierce enemies like the Di Rong who are good at using fine horses.
Throughout the court, the only person who could truly strike fear into the hearts of the Di Rong and possess the absolute ability to stabilize the war situation was Gu Baifeng, the white-haired Grand General who had long since relinquished his military power and was the maternal grandfather of the Eldest Princess and the biological father of Consort Li.
"...I understand." Gu Qinglan's voice was somewhat unsteady.
As soon as she finished speaking, the maid had already quietly retreated, leaving only the mother and daughter in the hall.
Wei Yihua's expression was solemn. She was not surprised by Emperor Wei Tianxuan's decision. From the day she learned that the border might be in danger, she had already considered who the court would choose to lead the army if war broke out. Like her father, she felt that although there were many candidates, only the renowned and meritorious Gu Baifeng was the most suitable.
Putting everything else aside, the mere rumor of Gu Baifeng leading troops was enough to terrify Di Rong.
But when she heard that the head coach had really decided on Gu Baifeng, she couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Gu Baifeng was nearing sixty, after all, and couldn't compare to the younger generation.
Wei Yihua looked at Gu Qinglan and saw the worry on her mother's face, as cold as frost and as dew, covering her brows.
She called her softly, as if to comfort her: "Mother."
Gu Qinglan closed her eyes briefly: "I know, it must be that he volunteered to lead the troops. I... I just feel sorry for him."
"My poor father spent his life on the battlefield, and in his old age all his children were gone, leaving only his daughter. Now he has to drag his ailing body back to the battlefield." Gu Qinglan gave a bitter smile and murmured, "How could I not know that he is His Majesty's best choice? How could I not know that the greater good should be taken into account? But as a daughter myself, I cannot help but worry about my father's safety."
"The Di Rong are fierce, and the borderlands are bitterly cold and the battles are treacherous. He has been retired from the capital for a long time. Even though I trust in his courage, that he is no less brave than before, and that he will surely return victorious, but..."
She didn't continue, but Wei Yihua understood what she meant by leaving it unsaid.
But who can guarantee that nothing unexpected won't happen?
She always felt a sense of unease that wouldn't go away.
If fate intervenes, this departure may be forever.
Wei Yihua listened in silence for a while, then suddenly stood up.
"Hua'er?" Gu Qinglan snapped out of her daze and looked at her blankly. "Where are you going?"
Wei Yihua's voice was unusually calm, yet carried an undeniable determination: "I want to see my maternal grandfather."
Looking at the familiar light in her eyes, Gu Qinglan was momentarily stunned, thinking she was seeing Gu Danzhu.
Wei Yihua and Gu Danzhu looked remarkably alike. The only difference was that Gu Danzhu's eyes were more resolute and fierce, the kind of gaze only someone who had fought to the death would have; while Wei Yihua, as the only princess of Dongxi, was more graceful and noble, with an inviolable majesty.
But at this moment, the two figures almost overlapped in front of her.
Gu Qinglan's heart suddenly tightened.
She seemed to sense something and wanted to call out to Wei Yihua, but the words got stuck in her throat.
In the instant she was stunned, Wei Yihua had already strode out of the palace.
...
The general's residence remained as solemn as ever.
In less than half a day, the news that General Gu was about to lead another expedition had spread throughout the court and the country. The commander-in-chief had been decided, but the deputy commander was still being selected. Even at this point, there were still many forces maneuvering in the middle, trying to gain benefits for themselves.
When Wei Yihua was led to the study, Gu Baifeng was sitting in a round-backed chair by the window, wearing a slightly worn brocade robe that made it easier for him to move around.
As he was about to depart for the border, military books and maps were spread out on the table in Gu Baifeng's room, but he was not looking at them. Instead, he was gazing at a vigorous old pine tree outside the window, his brows and eyes deep and somber, as if he were in deep meditation.
"Yihua has met General Gu."
Gu Baifeng snapped out of his daze and, upon seeing her, a rare gentleness appeared on his stern face: "Your Highness, what brings you here?"
He didn't get up, but simply pointed to the chair next to him and said, "Sit."
"Was it Her Highness who sent him, the Imperial Concubine?"
Wei Yihua neither sat down nor answered. She walked up to Gu Baifeng and suddenly said, "Grandfather."
She clearly saw that Gu Baifeng paused for a moment when he heard this address. It had been a long time since she had called him "grandfather," such an intimate term.
When was the last time? She couldn't even remember. The price of growing up is just too high.
In her previous life, she always thought that people grow up gradually, but now she understands that people grow up in an instant. In countless instants, when others become a part of her, she also cuts off a part of herself, scraping away flesh and bone, living and dying, dying and living. She knows that she is no longer the person she used to be.
Wei Yihua said, "I know everything. Everything about the Empress, my birth mother, and General Gu Danzhu."
Gu Baifeng's body jolted violently, and his fingers gripping the armrest tightened abruptly, his knuckles turning white.
After a long while, his tense shoulders and back slowly relaxed, and the surging emotions in his eyes finally turned into a long, heavy sigh, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted, or as if he had fallen into deeper memories.
“I see.” His voice was hoarse. “That’s good…that’s good. If she’s watching over us from heaven, she probably wouldn’t want her daughter to know nothing about her birth mother.”
Wei Yihua's eyes suddenly throbbed with pain, and those indescribable sorrows welled up in her heart again. She took a deep breath and swallowed the bitterness that rose to her throat.
"I heard that my maternal grandfather is about to go to war," Wei Yihua said. "Would you like to go with him?"
Gu Baifeng didn't react for a moment: "...Where to?"
"The border. The battlefield." Wei Yihua said, enunciating each word clearly, "I went with my maternal grandfather to fight this battle."
"Nonsense!" Almost instantly, Gu Baifeng's expression changed drastically. He slammed his hand on the armrest, his usual composure vanishing completely, replaced by shock and anger. "This is utter nonsense! Listen to what you're saying?!"
"Are you a soldier? Are you a general? No! You are a princess of noble birth! The battlefield is such a dangerous place, how dare you go there?! It's utterly absurd!"
Despite Gu Baifeng's fury, Wei Yihua remained unusually calm, as she had already anticipated his reaction.
“Grandfather, please calm down. Yihua did not act on impulse.” Her tone was calm and her logic was clear. “I was not present during the discussion in the Imperial Study. Although I do not know how Grandfather and Father discussed it, I am well-versed in state affairs, know that the national treasury is in deficit, and also know that there are no generals in the court.”
Gu Baifeng was completely stunned by what Wei Yihua said.
He watched helplessly as the eldest princess delivered the decision made by the assembled ministers in the hall: "The key to a complete victory in this battle lies in a swift and decisive victory, avoiding the depletion of national strength. The crucial elements for a swift victory are twofold: first, the commander-in-chief's prestige must be enough to intimidate the enemy and boost morale; second, there must be a sufficient number of capable, courageous, and efficient mid-level generals who, under your command, can act as if they were extensions of your own limbs, tearing through the Di Rong's defenses."
“My maternal grandfather is undoubtedly the soul of the Dongxi army, and his prestige is unmatched. However, the young generals in the court lack experience in fighting against the Di and Rong tribes, and they also lack a certain vigor. How can a general temporarily transferred out perfectly execute your tactics?”
Gu Baifeng frowned, but did not immediately refute.
Wei Yihua hit the nail on the head regarding his biggest concern. He could devise the most comprehensive tactics, but a battle could not be won by the commander-in-chief alone.
He was able to do it before because he had lived in the military camp for a long time, knew the abilities of his soldiers well, and was good at troop deployment. But now he has returned to the military camp after several years of service. He doesn't know whether all the soldiers will follow his orders wholeheartedly, nor does he know whether his deputy general can execute his plan smoothly.
“I can understand my grandfather’s worries. You may have forgotten that when I turned fifteen, the gift you gave me was a hundred-man guard. You said at the time that you hoped I would have some ability to protect myself and not have to rely entirely on others.”
After being reminded by her, Gu Baifeng finally remembered everything.
He looked astonished. "You mean..."
“Over the years, I have never stopped training them and have been secretly expanding the selection. To date, the Embroidered Crimson Guard has 1,200 members,” Wei Yihua said. “They are not ordinary guards. All of them are elites I personally supervised and trained, skilled in archery and horsemanship, and obedient to orders.”
She raised her hand and showed it to Gu Baifeng, whose eyes widened in surprise.
Those were hands completely different from those of a pampered princess. The knuckles were distinct, the palms were covered with a thin but hard callus, and faint old scars could even be seen at the base of the thumb.
"Rumors in the palace say that I am afraid of the cold, and that the underground heating in the princess's palace is always very warm in winter." She spoke casually, as if she were talking about something trivial that had nothing to do with her. "In fact, it is because I have to get up at three quarters past dawn every day to practice swordsmanship in the most spacious training ground in the West Garden. The cold wind in the twelfth lunar month is like a knife, and my breath turns to ice. At first, I could not hold the hilt of the sword, and my fingers were stiff and painful as if they were broken. So I wrapped the sword with strips of cloth on my hands until I had swung it a thousand times. My palms were worn raw, and the blood soaked through the strips of cloth, freezing into scabs."
“Summer is the same. In the sweltering heat of midsummer, when metal and stone gleam, while others seek refuge in the shade, I don my full set of light armor and practice riding, archery, and charging. Sweat soaks through my clothes, and I faint and fall from my horse several times, but I get up and go back on.” Her gaze was calm. “Without this, one cannot temper one’s body and hone one’s will. Everyone in the guard trains with me, without a single day of slacking off.”
She had no idea that she would one day be on the battlefield.
Wei Yihua persisted to this point because she did not want to see the palace coup that overturned everyone's fate in her previous life repeat itself.
Later, she hated herself for only being good at writing and being proud and complacent about it. After coming of age, she gave up on improving her martial arts skills. She hated her own powerlessness. If she had a strong army, she would not have become a fish on the chopping block in times of danger.
The sea of fire in her memory burned the sky red, stinging her eyes and bringing tears to her eyes.
"It's not just about archery and horsemanship," she continued, her words clear and methodical. "I ordered people to secretly collect military books, strategies, maps, and sand tables. There are monthly examinations within the garrison, with the best being promoted to lead more troops, while the mediocre are demoted and given extra training. After two years, several have already distinguished themselves, not only possessing superb martial arts skills but also a deep understanding of military affairs, the ability to anticipate battle opportunities, and the capacity to lead a hundred men independently."
"I also have several low-ranking female officers under my command. They are all literate and skilled in military documents, logistics, and mapmaking. They are capable of handling many administrative tasks in the army. They are absolutely loyal to me, and I know each of their abilities, temperament, strengths, and weaknesses very well."
“I have what you need. I can give you an elite force that will obey orders completely, a group of strong, brave and resourceful lieutenants, and a sharp knife that you can use as easily as your own arm.”
Gu Baifeng looked at his granddaughter in disbelief, as if he were seeing her for the first time.
"When...did you...?" Gu Baifeng was momentarily at a loss for words.
“Ever since I found out who my birth mother is.” Wei Yihua’s answer was simple and powerful.
Gu Baifeng looked at Wei Yihua. She stood there, her posture upright, her gaze firm, and the heroic spirit and decisiveness between her brows seemed to overlap with the image of her in her memory, a figure dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse.
Gu Danzhu confronted him in the same way back then, standing there with unwavering resolve, declaring that she would go to war with him.
Gu Danzhu was new to the battlefield at that time, and there was no precedent for women to join the army. Gu Baifeng naturally disagreed and even scolded her for not wanting to be a virtuous lady in her boudoir, but instead wanting to be an oddity in the eyes of others, causing unrest in the household.
Although it has been a long time since then, he still remembers what Gu Danzhu said.
Gu Danzhu: "Father's teachings are etched in my heart and I have never dared to forget them. I cannot embroider mandarin ducks playing in the water, but I can use a knife instead of a needle to cut through long-tasseled iron spears and break through dangerous mountain passes; I do not like reading and cannot be a cultured person, but I can recite military strategy and maps fluently and my sand table simulations are no less than my brother's."
"People say that women should be virtuous and modest, and use this as a basis to degrade us women to the dust. I have endured it, but I will never accept my fate. I also firmly believe that people will not always think this way."
"If the country is in peril and war breaks out, will the barbarian cavalry take a detour just because I am a woman? If the border is lost and the people are displaced, will they be able to recover and live in peace just because I adhere to the virtues of a woman?"
"The Gu family has been loyal and valiant for generations, protecting the land of Dongxi and guarding the lights of countless homes. Since when have the words 'loyal and valiant' been written only by men?" Her tone was impassioned, carrying the unique vigor and spirit of youth. "I am not talented, but I dare not forget the Gu family's ancestral teachings. My martial arts skills were personally taught by you, enabling me to slay soldiers in the camp. I clearly have the ability to fight on the battlefield and the heart to serve my country and people, yet you, because of my mere status as a woman, order me to remain confined to a corner of the home. I cannot do that!"
Past memories and present moments are combined into one.
Gu Baifeng's heart was struck violently.
But he still had concerns, his biggest concern being: "Even so, you are a princess, and His Majesty will never agree. How can someone of imperial blood lightly venture into dangerous territory? If anything were to happen to you, how could I explain it to His Majesty...?"
Gu Baifeng seemed to feel a deep sorrow and couldn't help but close his eyes.
When Gu Danzhu died in the palace, His Majesty was not the only one who was deeply affected and never recovered.
There can be no second Gu Danzhu between him and His Majesty.
"I will personally plead with my father and get his approval." Wei Yihua's voice was not loud, and his tone was very soft, but it carried a resolute force.
She said, "I am first and foremost a subject of Dongxi, and only secondly a princess of Dongxi. When the country is in peril, every citizen has a responsibility. As a subject, I cannot shirk my duty. As a princess, I am supported by all the people and bear the weight of the nation. When the country is in trouble, my responsibility is even greater than that of ordinary people!"
"If I am incompetent, I will accept it, but I clearly have the ability to do something for Dongxi. If that is the case, I cannot refrain from doing so!"
Each word transcends the barriers of time and the bonds of blood, opening up the path between the underworld and the heavens, as if an old friend has returned.
Gu Baifeng breathed heavily, hearing a whistling sound coming from his chest.
Wei Yihua took a deep breath, only then could she suppress the slight tremor in her voice: "...Grandfather, I also want to become like my mother. I believe that if my mother were alive, she would definitely approve of me doing so."
“I am her daughter, the daughter of Dongxi’s only female general. I cannot disgrace her.”
These last words struck Gu Baifeng's heart like a heavy hammer.
He recalled his daughter Danzhu's stubborn eyes when she was young, her heroic figure galloping across the battlefield, and perhaps the regret she had before her death about not being able to watch her children grow up... A tremendous sorrow pounded against his already fragile heart.
He looked at Wei Yihua, but it seemed like he wasn't just looking at her.
A long silence fell over the study, so quiet that one could hear the budding shoots in the pine branches outside the window, something stirring and about to break through the tough, stubborn skin.
After a long silence, Gu Baifeng finally spoke slowly, his voice sounding much older: "...If this battle is fought with a strong and swift attack, and if all goes well, the outcome should be clear in at most six months."
Wei Yihua's heart skipped a beat.
Gu Baifeng has given in!
“But,” Gu Baifeng stared intently at her, his gaze sharp, “everything depends on His Majesty’s approval. If you can persuade His Majesty, I will take you with me.”
"You must remember this well: the battlefield is not child's play. Once you reach the border, you must obey orders and never act recklessly!"
"Yihua understands!" Wei Yihua suppressed her excitement and bowed solemnly, "Thank you, maternal grandfather!"
Gu Baifeng waved his hand, as if he had exhausted his strength, and leaned back in his chair. His gaze returned to the old pine tree outside the window, but his expression was completely different.
It no longer contained a somber lament, but rather a complex mix of emotions that were difficult to articulate.
Wei Yihua said no more and quietly left the study.
She stood under the eaves and took a deep breath of the slightly cool air.
The clamor of the palace seemed far away from her; her heart had already flown to the frontier, where yellow sands swirled. She clenched her hand in her sleeve and strode toward the carriages.
She wanted to go to the palace immediately to see her father, the emperor.
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Author's Note: I swear there really are two more chapters this time...
"If I can do something, I can't not do it." Attentive readers have probably already noticed that Yihua and Ningning have both said the same thing.
There are some spoilers below. If you don't mind spoilers, you can scroll down to read them.
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Yihua is going to war, so we'll focus on her storyline one last time, hence the significant amount of screen time in these three chapters (Chapters 161-163).
He'll be leaving in the next chapter, and there will be a farewell with the female lead, which will also be the climax of their friendship storyline. Yu Yu will appear in the chapter after that, and he will reveal his true identity to the female lead, and then the third volume will end.
The war won't prevent Yihua from becoming emperor; it won't last long, about the same length of time Ningning was away from the capital for disaster relief. This also gives Yihua the opportunity to gain military power. The spotlight won't be on Gu Baifeng, but rather on Yihua and the various female supporting characters; just wait and see.
I'll finish writing everything in the next day or two [lemon emoji]. I apologize to all my readers for the long wait; I've been so busy with school starting soon! Orz
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