Chapter 170 Phoenix: She is a red sun that has fallen to earth.
The sky was overcast and the sun was nowhere to be seen.
The entire city of Yunzhou was stained with the stench of blood. This fortress had been struggling for seven days under the relentless, day-and-night onslaught of the Di and Rong cavalry.
The city wall had collapsed in many places and was barely rebuilt with sandbags and corpses. The soldiers defending the city were all exhausted, their faces covered in dust and blood, but they dared not slacken their efforts and kept their bodies taut.
Outside the city, after less than half a day of silence, the dark mass of Di Rong troops once again sounded the bugle call to charge.
The defending general wore a look of despair.
Last month, the Di Rong suddenly launched an invasion, advancing with unstoppable momentum and capturing three cities in succession.
Yunzhou occupies a strategically important location, guarding not only a border defense line but also several indefensible small towns behind it. If the Di Rong were to capture Yunzhou today, the cities to the northwest, with Yunzhou as the boundary, would become easy prey for the Di Rong, at their mercy.
But now Yunzhou is on its deathbed, with its troops and provisions exhausted.
A deafening roar swept in from afar, the sound of iron hooves shaking the earth. Squadrons and battering rams, like the shadow of death, pressed down once more on the riddled city walls.
The people of the city huddled under the ruins, seemingly aware that their deaths were imminent, and cries began to rise.
"All soldiers, heed my command!" the defending general roared hoarsely, "Fight to the death!"
"war--!!"
Even though they were starving and covered in blood, all the soldiers and guards shouted with all their might, their eyes filled with a determination to die for their cause.
Even if their bodies are gone, they must defend Yunzhou!
Tears of blood welled up in his eyes, but before they could fall, a dark border suddenly appeared on the horizon.
Everyone stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
The clouds suddenly parted, and golden light cleaved the earth like a sharp blade.
The armored army was rapidly advancing towards the rear of the Di Rong, the battle flags of the Gu family army fluttering in the golden light, dazzlingly bright. A troop of light cavalry surged out from the center of the army, swift as lightning, and charged straight into the Di Rong's frontal formation, scattering the seemingly impenetrable and disciplined cavalry.
The female general at the forefront of the light cavalry had a youthful face and was only fifteen years old, but her eyes were extremely fierce. She took the lead and, with a single slash of her sword, she killed a hundred men in a few breaths!
"Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!!" Someone on the city wall shouted excitedly. The thousands of soldiers who had been defending the city for seven days cheered and cried, their laughter tinged with tears.
Fu Yao did not linger in battle, having already achieved her objective. As she broke through the enemy's formation, He Chan and Jiang Feiyan followed closely behind, leading their own troops to charge forward and tearing the scattered Di Rong cavalry to shreds.
The soldiers guarding the city walls also raised their bows, and arrows rained down. The Di Rong cavalry at the forefront were attacked from both sides and fell down like cut wheat, forming a black wave.
The well-prepared elite troops, like a burst dam, swallowed up this black wave.
"kill--!!"
The central army split to both sides, and the figure of the general who was originally in the center was finally revealed, dressed in red and silver armor, carrying a long-tasseled spear.
She rode her horse into the enemy ranks with astonishing momentum, her figure like a burning meteor, the red tassel on her spear tip tinged with blood, dazzling and breathtaking.
Amidst the earth-shaking shouts and endless muddy rivers, she was a red sun plummeting to earth, piercing through the dark clouds and tearing through the sky.
Wei Yihua led her central army straight into the enemy ranks. Wherever her spear passed, not a single piece of armor remained; her robes danced wildly in the wind. Blood splattered from the enemy's wounds, splashing onto her brows and eyelashes, but she remained fearless. Closing one eye, she swung her long arm, piercing the enemy who swung his sword at her, then casually wiped it away. The remaining blood, thinly covering her cheeks, resembled the most vibrant and intense rouge in the world.
The people in the city heard the cheers from the city walls and knew that reinforcements had arrived. A sense of surprise and anticipation rose in their hearts.
Outside, the air was thick with the smell of blood and the sounds of battle, but these gradually subsided as the sun set. After endless torment, the people finally saw victory. Amidst the excited shouts of the soldiers, the city gates, which had been closed for days, slowly opened before their eyes.
First came the battle flag, and a pure white steed entered the city, carrying a female general adorned in golden light, with the setting sun sinking into the clouds behind them.
The little girl, held in her mother's arms, stared blankly at her. She never forgot that look for the rest of her life.
The enemy's blood stained the princess's red robe and armor. She wore no hairpins or ornaments, and despite being covered in blood, she looked as if she were adorned with jewels.
Amidst the sound of war drums, a faint shriek could be heard, as if something was bathing and struggling within the blood, and from the blazing crimson flames, a pair of phoenix wings were about to sprout.
......
On the fifth day of the third lunar month, the lush green leaves herald the arrival of spring.
Yue Yining finally received the battle report from the border. Upon receiving the news, she disregarded the presence of other female officials, hurriedly bid farewell, and rode back to the princess's residence at top speed.
After reading the letter, Yue Yining's heart, which had been in suspense, slowly settled back into place.
In the letter, Wei Yihua described in detail their situation after arriving at the border.
As they expected, the Di Rong had already been invading for several days, capturing three cities in succession. The situation on the border was chaotic, with foreign enemies invading and internal strife raging, and they were unable to send a message back to the capital for a long time.
Fortunately, He Chan and Jiang Feiyan, relying on the military orders given to them by the Gu family, gathered a group of loyal and courageous soldiers on the border. They successfully resisted the foreign enemy in several attacks, slowed down the speed at which the Di Rong broke through the city, and bought time for the arrival of reinforcements.
Both the army and the government need to be reorganized and purged in order to cope with the upcoming large-scale attack. Gu Baifeng was unable to extricate himself, so he sent Wei Yihua with troops to support Yunzhou City, where a bloody battle was taking place.
This was the eldest princess's first time on the battlefield and her first time serving as a general.
“Yining, seeing your words is like seeing you in person. The wind and sand on the frontier are harsh. As I pick up my pen, I can still hear the bugle call of the soldiers patrolling at night outside the window. It is very different from the warm spring night in the capital, but my heart is at peace.”
"In the battle of Yunzhou, we were fortunate to have fulfilled our mission. When our army arrived, the city of Yunzhou was already on the verge of collapse, with corpses piled up on the walls and arrows and food exhausted. The Di Rong were arrogant and thought they could take the city easily. However, the three generals He Chan, Jiang Feiyan and Fu Yao were truly tigers and warriors. Each of them led their troops to launch a frontal assault, a flanking attack, or a guerrilla harassment, and their cooperation was seamless."
"I led the central army to hold the line, surrounded the enemy under the city walls, and defeated them. Yunzhou was saved, and the northwest gateway was safe."
"At present, General Gu is stationed in the heart of the border region, reorganizing the border defenses and regrouping. Although our army has suffered a minor setback, the main force of the Di Rong has not been lost. The three cities they captured, Shuofang, Wuwei and Zhangye, still fly enemy flags. This shame must be avenged. After we have rested for a while, we will march north to recover the lost territory."
“I have discussed this with my maternal grandfather several times in the night and we have reached an agreement. Once the three cities are under our control, we will march straight into the heart of the Di Rong royal court, the Yanran Mountains.”
"This mountain is the sacred mountain of the Di Rong tribe. Their royal tent is usually located in the fertile land south of the mountain, which is called Dragon City. If we break through Dragon City and burn their golden statue used for worshipping heaven, it will be like breaking their spine. The Di Rong will be powerless to look south for ten years. This will establish our authority and make them tremble with fear at the sight of our Dongxi banners, and they will never dare to invade our borders again."
"This is my first battle. I am still familiar with archery and horsemanship. On the contrary, I feel my blood is boiling and I feel extremely exhilarated. All the generals in the army are brave and the soldiers are fighting with their lives. The situation is very good. There is no need to worry about me. The situation in the capital is turbulent. You will be dealing with it alone. I hope you will be careful and protect yourself."
"I only hope to receive good news soon so I can return to the capital and see you."
"Yihua, February 29th, at the military camp in Yunzhou."
As Yue Yining looked at the black and white words on the white paper, a somber scene appeared before her eyes: in the long night with only a lamp lit, the eldest princess sat in her military tent, picking up her pen and writing this letter word by word.
She was still proud as always, but she had also developed a calm and steadfast demeanor, and she earnestly hoped that Yue Yining would know about her changes and that she would also be proud of her.
After reading it, Yue Yining was also filled with joy.
As early spring deepens, the annual civil service examination is approaching. With Zuo Yingfeng and other officials from humble backgrounds imprisoned, there have been many personnel changes in the court. As a result, the selection of officials for this year's civil service examination has fallen to the Qingliu faction.
The emperor appointed Cui Yan to lead the selection of candidates, with Zhou Congyi as the deputy head, to assist the Ministry of Rites.
On this day, Yue Yining was working in his residence when someone suddenly came to report.
The visitor was a female official Yue Yining recognized; she was also a spy she and the Princess had planted in the palace. Her arrival indicated that something significant had happened in the palace. Yue Yining frowned slightly and beckoned her inside. "What brings you in such a hurry?"
"Your Majesty, something has happened in the palace." The female official's expression was inexplicably solemn as she whispered, "...Yesterday, a woman entered the palace and was personally received by His Majesty. The two talked about something in the Imperial Study, and the woman didn't come out until the palace gates were locked. He actually arranged for her to spend the night in the palace."
Every word and sentence is so absurd that one doesn't know where to begin with astonishment.
Such an unprecedented act was simply unheard of. Yue Yining frowned: "Who is that person?"
"I don't recognize her either." The female official also shook her head. "After hearing the news, I asked many female officials serving in the palace, and they all said that she was neither a minister in the capital nor a young lady from any family. They had never seen her before and could not recognize her identity."
“I felt something was amiss, so I sent people to investigate last night. However, the woman’s identity has not yet been found out. Eunuch Li came to see me first.”
The eunuch Li she mentioned was a junior eunuch serving as a scribe for Luo Hong, the Director of the Imperial Household Department; he was their informant, someone they had bribed. It was through Eunuch Li's message that she learned of the imperial edict that had just been issued and had not yet been relayed to the Secretariat.
"His Majesty intends to appoint that woman as the Imperial Advisor."
Yue Yining thought she had misheard: "What?"
Realizing that it wasn't a hallucination, Yue Yining's eyes widened in astonishment. The female official nodded solemnly, "When I heard it, I reacted just like Lord Yue."
That was the position of Imperial Preceptor, second only to the Emperor, yet it was bestowed upon a complete stranger overnight. Once the decree was issued, it would surely cause a huge uproar throughout the court and the country.
In a flash, Yue Yining suddenly remembered the news she had learned from Ye Miheng a few days ago that her master had already gone down the mountain to the capital.
A powerful premonition suddenly arose in her heart.
Immediately afterwards, the female official spoke, confirming her guess: "Eunuch Li told me that the woman was a Celestial Master, surnamed Qiu, and one of the three living Venerable Masters of Yingtianmen."
The lady-in-waiting wait for Yue Yining's reply was long overdue. She looked up and saw Yue Yining sitting blankly behind the desk, as if she had lost her mind.
With doubts in her heart, she asked Yue Yining in the same way: "Lord Yue, I have heard from other places that you are a disciple of Venerable Qiu. Don't you know about her trip to the capital to pay homage?"
Don't you know?
Yue Yining knew that Qiu Wuzhu had gone to the capital, but she had no idea what her master's purpose was. Perhaps she had a vague idea, but she was afraid that her guess was true, so she dared not think about it any further.
But fate always pushes her to the edge of a cliff, forcing her to confront reality.
After seeing the female official off, Yue Yining sat alone in her residence, unable to read a single word of the documents on her desk. When she realized what she was doing, she found herself holding a bronze plate in her arms, with various divination tools on the desk.
When she felt powerless, she always tried to glean a glimmer of hope by peeking into the heavens. But this time, she didn't consult the oracle, because Yue Yining knew it would be futile.
As her disciple, she could neither foresee Qiu Wuzhu's fate nor his heart.
A guard outside the door announced that Lord Xie had arrived.
Yue Yining was stunned for a moment, and Xie Qingyu, dressed in black robes and a jade belt, had already walked through the bamboo forest and stepped into the hall.
As soon as Xie Qingyu entered, the first thing he saw was Yue Yining sitting behind the desk, staring blankly at him. He glanced at the utensils on the desk, met Yue Yining's bewildered gaze, slowed his pace, and then quickly stepped forward, squatted down, and hugged her.
Yue Yining's waist tightened as he pulled her into his arms.
She smelled the familiar scent of pine needles on him, as pure and clean as frost washing over jade, which soothed the restlessness and unease that had stirred in her heart.
His sudden movement didn't push her away. Instead, she raised her hand and pressed it against his chest, gripping his collar tightly. She buried her nose in his chest, taking a deep breath, as if trying to let the fragrance cleanse her lungs and clear her tangled thoughts.
"You already know," Xie Qingyu said softly, as if to comfort her. "It's just that your master is going to be the Imperial Advisor. Why do you look like that? I thought you had encountered some huge problem and you were panicking."
It was the first time he had ever seen such a helpless and bewildered expression on her face.
He didn't know why she was so distressed, but he instinctively pulled her into his arms, offering her comfort and support immediately.
“…” Yue Yining said in a low voice, “What she wants to do may be more than just be the Imperial Advisor.”
"Xie Qingyu, do you remember the ending of my master Qiu Wuzhu?" she asked. "Where did she go after I died? Have you ever seen her in the history books?"
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Author's note: That's right, Master is the big boss of Volume 4.
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