Final Chapter
Wei Ji slipped into the room, closed the doors and windows, glanced at me hastily, took out the seal from his pocket, and handed it to Lin Zhong: "Time is of the essence, so I won't explain further to you two."
"The 'Dengyun' is tied to the tunnel exit. The vanguard of the Changning Army has probably reached the vicinity of Huaiyuan. Lin Zhong, take my seal to Zhou Hong and have him bring the Flying Cavalry Battalion here immediately!"
Lin Zhong put down the silk handkerchief and raised an eyebrow at me.
I snatched the seal from Wei Ji's hand and stuffed it into Lin Zhong's clothes: "Go quickly!"
Lin Zhong crawled into the furnace to remove bricks from the furnace wall, and Wei Ji bent down to take them, while I held an oil lamp to light the way.
Before half a cup of tea could be brewed, the tunnel entrance opened, and Lin Zhong leaped inside. I quickly tossed him a new tinderbox: "Be careful on the way!" I then gathered a large bundle of wormwood to cover the tunnel entrance, patted the grass seeds off my clothes, and asked Wei Ji, "What happened?"
Wei Ji picked up the oil lamp on the stove: "Let's talk as we walk."
Wei Ji and I walked quickly forward. Wei Ji said in a deep voice, "There are fine horses and soldiers lying in ambush within a hundred feet of the woods opposite the inn."
I was shocked: "How could this be? With Lin Zhong's hearing—"
"People gagged, horses hoofs wrapped, and a gust of wind rose again at dusk."
My heart sank, and I asked urgently, "Why have you come, sir?"
Wei Ji placed the oil lamp on the counter, took out a folded piece of paper from his sleeve, and unfolded it to smooth it out.
“This is—” I stepped forward, full of suspicion.
"Godmother!"
"Gu!"
Huai Xu and Feng Qiao also gathered around with tense expressions.
This is an anonymous letter, its ink dripping and the handwriting illegible, clearly written in haste. The letter conveys the message that Qingcheng has fallen into his hands, and to ensure my safety, I must come to the inn alone before nightfall.
Huai Xu pouted: "This letter is obviously fake. With Uncle Lin and me here, we won't let our godmother fall into enemy hands."
Feng Qiao frowned: "The letter mentions the background of Seventh Uncle. This person must be familiar with Aunt, but this trap seems more like it's aimed at Lord Wei."
Wei Ji nodded.
"Since someone is using me to set up a trap, Qingcheng will definitely play along to the end!" I angrily crumpled the letter into a ball and said to Wei Ji, "Sir, knowing there was a trap, why didn't you bring enough men and equipment with you?"
Wei Ji remained silent, his gaze fixed on the outside of the courtyard.
With a creak, the wooden door opened slightly, and dozens of soldiers in light armor poured into the courtyard like mercury spilling onto the ground.
Among the young and unfamiliar faces, a face suddenly flashed by—a face I could recognize at a glance even if it were reduced to ashes.
Twelve years have passed, and the once young man's face is now weathered by time.
I secretly pulled my hand back into my sleeve, the "click" sound of my knuckles almost synchronized with my heartbeat.
An old friend walked slowly through the armored soldiers to the eaves. As his gaze swept back and forth, he snorted coldly and said, "He has feelings for you, but he dares not gamble."
I leaped forward, swung my arm, and slapped her across the face: "Duan Suxiang, you're despicable!"
"Swish, swish—" The sound of a knife being drawn from its sheath.
"Godmother!"
Huai Xu rushed to my side, but I pushed him back forcefully: "Get out of the way!" I said, then dragged a long bench over and blocked the doorway.
Duan Suxiang raised one hand and placed the other hand to her lips.
"Swish, swish—" The sound of sheaths being returned to their sheaths rose again in the courtyard.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and chuckled softly, "Qingcheng, twelve years have passed, and your temper hasn't changed at all."
I crossed my arms and sat down, glancing at him sideways. "Duan Suxiang, twelve years have passed, and you try to ambush me the moment we meet. You've changed a lot." My gaze swept over the heavily armored ranks behind him, and I scoffed, "Your manpower and equipment far surpass what they used to be. Looks like you've been off starting a business somewhere."
Duan Suxiang glared at me and said, "Aren't you the same? The famous Qing Niangzi of Ba Ting Dao, even the little prince of Wumeng tribe recognizes you as his godmother." She pointed at Wei Ji and said angrily, "I didn't mean to plot against you. I came here only to expose this man's true colors!"
After more than ten years of no contact, they pulled this stunt when they reunited...
"Just for this?!" I stood up angrily. "Duan Suxiang, are you out of your mind?"
"I'm not sick!" Duan Suxiang's gaze passed over me and settled on Wei Ji. "Prefect Wei!"
Wei Ji took his hand and replied respectfully, "Prince Duan."
Prince Duan…?!
A sudden, thunderous roar echoed in my mind.
I kicked the stool aside, lunged at the table, grabbed a ceramic pot, and hurled it at Duan Suxiang's face, yelling, "You bastard, Duan! You've been lying to me for twelve years!"
"Clang—" Duan Suxiang flung the pottery pot to the ground, and he shouted angrily, "Qingcheng! I have never lied to you, never! When we first met, Nan Guang to Shimen Fan was still part of Dali. My parents died early and I was adopted by the Gao family. I was just an ordinary member of the Duan family back then, not some prince!"
"Bang—" I threw another empty bowl at him. "I don't believe you for a second!"
"You—" Duan Suxiang turned her head to dodge, leaped down the steps, grabbed a soldier from among the soldiers, shoved him in front of me, and said angrily, "This is my sworn brother who came with me to Nan Guang to welcome my bride back then. If you don't believe me, ask him!"
I grabbed the man by the shoulder and shoved him back: "Get out! You're all in cahoots!"
Duan Suxiang pushed aside the soldiers, rushed in front of me, pointed at Wei Ji and said, "Qingcheng! You don't believe me, you believe this treacherous Song man!"
"Shut up!" I slapped his hand away and shouted angrily, "I am a Song citizen now!"
Duan Suxiang flew into a rage: "What's so good about the Song people? They flocked to Mahu, Nanguang, and Shimen Fan one after another!" Suddenly, she darted towards Wei Ji, grabbed him, and said, "Wei, you Song people are hypocritical and deceitful!"
"What happened to the promise of 'ruling the country with an axe'? Now you're seizing our land and deceiving our allies! You, a mere prefect, dare to steal my woman, Duan Suxiang's woman!"
Wei Ji brushed Duan Suxiang's hand away, straightened his clothes, and said solemnly, "Prince Duan, please have some self-respect."
"The seven tribes and twenty-eight surnames of the Mahu tribe, the five tribes and seventeen surnames of the Nanguang tribe, and the nine tribes and thirty-six surnames of the Shimen tribe—the people of this land, from the previous dynasty to the Qin and Han dynasties, have all been under the rule of our Central Plains dynasty, either under its control or as subordinate prefectures. Now, our dynasty is following the mandate of heaven to continue the unification of the nine provinces of China. The leaders of the various tribes are leading their people to submit, which is the right way."
"As a prince of Dali, why do you harbor such stubborn prejudice? As for Qing Niangzi, she is no one's woman. To me, Wei Ji, she is my savior, and I consider her a confidante; while you, Your Highness—seem to be an unpopular old acquaintance."
"You!" Duan Suxiang was taken aback and turned to me urgently, "Qingcheng, he's slandering me!"
"Slandering you?" I almost laughed out of anger. "Could it be that the letter wasn't written by you?"
Duan Suxiang looked over expectantly, her voice tinged with grievance: "Qingcheng, let me explain—this Song official is all talk and no action, he's not a good person."
"He must have known my identity all along and guessed that I would come to the inn to find you. It's true that I wrote the letter, but he came alone to turn the tables on me, just to drive a wedge between us. Qingcheng, don't fall for his trick."
I closed my eyes, my thoughts drifting back to those days—beside the bright red bonfire, impetuous and enthusiastic young men danced joyfully to the rhythm of the sheng (a type of reed pipe instrument), while young men and women in various colors sang and danced hand in hand.
The past affection was real, and the present disgust is also real.
Twelve years of harsh winds and frost on the borderlands have passed, but Duan Suxiang's temperament has not changed at all. However, I, Qingcheng, am no longer the little girl who nestles in my lover's arms seeking warmth and reliance.
I was the first woman in Batingdao to support my family when I was sixteen!
"Lord Duan, please watch your words!" Wei Ji said sternly. "It is not for someone like you, who has just met me, to make such a judgment about me. Just now, you led the silver-armored soldiers into the inn, and Qing Niangzi called them by their names. The silver-armored soldiers are the exclusive domain of the Dali royal family. I am neither deaf nor blind, so I can naturally deduce your identity."
“So what if I break it off?” Duan Suxiang pointed at me and said to Wei Ji, “What savior, friend, confidant? It’s all just a pretense for wanting something you can’t have and being unwilling to let go.”
"You dare say you have no improper thoughts about her whatsoever? Let me tell you, I am the first man in Qingcheng. I have been with her for twelve years, and what makes you think you can compare to me?"
I strode forward and, with a sharp "smack," added five more finger marks to his left cheek: "Duan Suxiang, let me tell you—you are the first, but you will never be the last!"
Duan Suxiang covered half of her cheek, staring at me with a shocked look, and said, "Qingcheng, you hit me again. You actually hit me to protect another man."
"So what if I did?" I rolled up my sleeves, revealing the sworn brotherhood marks on my forearm accumulated over the years. "I, Qing Niangzi, have walked the Eight Pavilion Road relying on the word 'righteousness'! Over the years, I've had countless sworn brothers who have carved blood on my arms with me!"
Duan Suxiang's expression shifted from shock to regret. She reached out and grasped my wrists: "Qingcheng, I said that as long as I live, I will definitely come back to find you. Come with me, be my queen, and I will never let you suffer again. I will treat you well for the rest of my life!"
I forcefully shook off the pull and sneered, "How many twelve-year periods does a person have in their lifetime? Duan Suxiang, don't you find it ridiculous that you come here and tell me this?"
"Yes! I'm late! I'm sorry!" Duan Suxiang suddenly became agitated and said urgently, "Is all of this my fault? Did I want to start a war?"
"Twelve years ago, my best brother and I left our hometown with great joy to welcome my beloved bride into our family."
"Do you know that Nare Adao, the one you saved? If it weren't for his dead father ambushing me on the way back then, my child and yours would be almost as old as him! Just thinking about it makes me want to kill him!"
“I was seriously injured and was rescued by my uncle. I lay in bed for more than half a year. Not long after I recovered, the powerful ruler of Pagan, Anuruddha, invaded from the north.”
"The Burmese swept through the Meng and Shan tribes, crossed Bhamo, and marched straight to Yongchang Prefecture. The southern border of Dali was in dire need of help, and my uncle ordered me to lead troops into battle. What could I do?"
“I have the blood of the Duan family flowing in my veins, and I also have my clansmen and fellow villagers. I cannot abandon them! I went to the Ailao Mountains (Note 1) to guard the border, and I guarded it for a full twelve years!”
"I was only able to withdraw from that godforsaken place after the successful peace talks at Bagan this spring!"
I gazed at him and slowly spoke: "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. When you had your accident, A-Dao was just an infant. Even if you killed him, what would that change?"
"Twelve years have passed, and the Nanguang and Shimen tribes have finally settled down. For the sake of my people and your people, Prince Duan, I urge you to consider the plight of the common people and not plunge the border people into misery again."
"Since you've said so, I won't hold it against him." Duan Suxiang's voice softened, her gaze burning like fire. "Qingcheng, give me another chance and come back to Dali with me. I, Duan Suxiang, swear to heaven that I will treat you well."
"You still want to be with me?"
"certainly!"
"Now that you are a prince, Qingcheng is just an ordinary commoner in the borderlands."
"What does it matter if you are a prince? If you can't be with the one you love, what's the point of all this?"
“Okay.” I nodded and said decisively, “Then don’t go back to Dali. Stay with me in Bating Road and we’ll manage the inn together.”
Duan Suxiang looked on in disbelief, and the flame in her eyes suddenly went out.
"What?" I couldn't help but laugh, and said in a more serious tone, "Duan Suxiang, you said you were willing to die for me back then, but now you can't even let go of your status as a prince?"
Duan Suxiang said in a muffled voice, "Qingcheng, do you think what I can't let go of... is my identity as a prince?"
I suppressed my smile and said solemnly, "Duan Suxiang, I understand you. What you can't let go of, I can't let go of either. So—I won't go with you."
"Since you can't let go of the present, then let go of the past. It's been twelve years, and I'm happy to see you still alive, but that's all. Go back, Ah Xiang, let go of your obsession, and forgive yourself."
Duan Suxiang's eyes were bloodshot. Suddenly, she drew her sword and held it to Wei Ji's neck: "You don't want to come with me, is it because of this Song man? I'll kill him right now and take you back to Dali!"
Without thinking, I pulled out the hairpin and held it to my throat, shouting, "Duan Suxiang! If you dare to lay a hand on me, all you'll be able to take away today is my corpse!"
With a clang, Duan Suxiang threw down her long sword, grabbed my hand holding the hairpin, and roared, "Qingcheng! Have you gone mad? You actually want to die for him!"
"I'm not crazy!" I said angrily. "But you! Twelve years have passed, why are you still so naive? A woman is willing to die for a man, it must be out of love, not out of loyalty."
"'A scholar will die for one who understands him,' does that mean only men can do it and women can't? Or in your eyes, women are only fit to die for men?"
"Qingcheng, I'm doing this for your own good!" Duan Suxiang's eyes were bloodshot, her words dripping with tears. "Please come back to Dali with me. The flowers there bloom all year round, the sky is so blue, the clouds are so white, you'll definitely love it when you see it."
“I have a large mansion in Xiaguan. As the mistress of the house, you can do whatever you want there. Isn’t that better than you making a living by running this inn on the Tea Horse Road?”
I struggled to break free from his grip: "Go back to Dali with you, to be a potted flower in your garden? Have you ever cared about my feelings? Have you ever asked me how I survived these past twelve years? What right do you have to dictate my future?"
"Duan Suxiang, I don't regret deciding to marry you back then. Even if I could do it all over again, I would still choose you. But today, I just want to tell you—I don't want to. If you truly care about me, please leave right now."
Just then, a soldier in silver armor came to report: "Your Highness, cavalry from the Changning Army have been spotted ten miles away, heading towards the inn."
Duan Suxiang said in a trembling voice, "Qingcheng..."
I stepped forward and gave him a push: "Let's go!"
Duan Suxiang retreated with a bitter smile: "Qingcheng, you... whenever you don't want to stay here anymore, come to Dali to find me. I'll take you to see the snow on Cangshan Mountain, the moon over Erhai Lake, the flowers of Shangguan, and the wind of Xiaguan."
"Wait a minute!" I hurried back into the inner room, brought out the earthenware jar containing Gao Tai's remains, and stuffed it into Duan Suxiang's arms. "Here, this is your good brother Gao Tai. He passed away the day he delivered the message. In the past few years, the border areas were not peaceful, and I took him with me wherever I hid. I've done right by you. Take him back to his hometown and give him a proper burial."
“Gao Tai—” Duan Suxiang hugged the pottery jar and shed tears. “Qingcheng, you probably don’t know, but Gao Tai also liked you. Back then, he wanted to confess to you, but I beat him up. I never thought he would be more fortunate than me, as he stayed with you for twelve years.”
In a daze, I was transported back to the days of singing and dancing around the bonfire. Duan Suxiang and I danced together, while that shy boy with the bright smile stood alone at a distance, watching. I would wave and call him to join me, but he would always shake his head shyly…
Youth that can never be returned, memories of loved ones that can never be fully recalled.
Time is like a knife, piercing my heart and bones; I cried like a fool.
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