Chapter 47: The Scenery Under the Bathwater...
Lin Yuan withdrew her hand and walked around the mica screen.
The air is filled with mist and a delicate fragrance.
When she finally saw the person amidst the lamplight and clouds, she saw that the person was leaning against the hot spring, with eyes slightly closed and left arm resting on the edge of the pool.
Half of the white cloth tied around it was hanging down into the water.
The moment their eyes met, they both opened their eyes wide almost simultaneously.
The moisture dampened Lin Yuan's eyes and eyelashes.
Water droplets condensed on Xiao Xun's face and flowed down his shoulders, neck, and chest.
It dripped into the pool.
"Thump".
Lin Yuan fled at breakneck speed, bumping into a lacquered stool. Before she could even cry out in pain, she frantically ran out, slipping as she went.
The water quickly rose above their heads.
In the Moon-Viewing Pavilion, there was a period of time when tears were out of control and about to spill from her eyes, so she would repeatedly scoop up water and splash it on her face.
Sometimes even that doesn't stop me, so I just take a deep breath and bury my face in the basin of water.
However, when the water overflows my head, I inexplicably think of swimming.
What does it feel like to swim? You get short of breath and feel suffocated. If only someone could lend you a breath.
What is the process of transferring qi?
When I opened my eyes, I saw strings of bubbles floating from my lips to the top of my head.
Even though the old palace maid sweeping the floor had exhausted her words, she ultimately failed to explain to Lin Yuan the reason why the late emperor's deposed empress had committed suicide by drowning.
One day, when she went to ask for hot soup, before she even got close to the kitchen, she overheard several young palace maids, barely sixteen years old, arguing amongst themselves:
"That must be because the deposed empress loved the late emperor!"
They chatted amongst themselves, talking about how Lady Yan, as the grand-niece of the Empress Dowager and the late Emperor's cousin, had ascended the throne despite not being the eldest son or the heir apparent, thanks to the Empress Dowager's strong support and the assistance of Lady Yan's maternal family. They recounted how magnificent and glorious Lady Yan's wedding was, a spectacle even surpassing that of Empress Qu's marriage to the current Emperor.
After a while, they started talking about how harmonious and loving the late emperor and the deposed empress had been at the beginning. Their faces were flushed, reflecting the light from the fire.
When the topic of Empress Yan's deposition came up, the eyes and brows of the group were flushed with excitement.
"I heard that the deposed empress leans against the vermilion pillar at the entrance of Zhaotai Palace every day, eagerly awaiting the late emperor's arrival. The vermilion pillar is covered with mottled tear stains, and it still is today."
Lin Yuan couldn't help but stroke the pillar under the eaves of Lan Yue Pavilion.
The place was battered by wind and rain, leaving patches of vermilion paint.
"I heard that the deposed empress would hold her zither and play the same tune every day, every note filled with longing, which would bring tears to the eyes of all the palace servants. So, even now, the sound of the water here sounds just like the sound of a zither."
Lin Yuan thought of Qu Qingru's seven-stringed zither.
She said the landscape here was too desolate, and life was too bleak.
Lin Yuan smiled and continued the conversation. Winter was already bleak; it was inappropriate to play mournful tunes. She reached for the thin sheet music, which played "Lament of Changmen Palace" and "Song of White Hair."
"Is it because this sheet music is too simple?"
Qu Qingru was slightly taken aback, then nodded: "Yes, there's not much here. We came in a hurry and didn't bring many musical scores, which is why we couldn't make any joyful music."
"I heard that when the deposed empress heard thunder, she thought it was the imperial carriage passing by, and that the late emperor was visiting the Shanglin Garden."
Lin Yuan couldn't help but scoff.
The thunder, she felt, was clearly like the war drums of victorious soldiers returning from battle.
She had never actually heard such a sound before, yet her heart trembled with fear.
She used the thunder as a drumbeat and the sunlight as armor. Holding the Sima Qian's book, she circled the words "the Xiongnu fled" and "the soldiers were sent to kill them," and read them over and over again.
Heavens, can you hear me?
"When she sees Kunming Pool, she will think of the time when she and the late emperor went boating on Taiye Pool."
"When I see Mount Penglai, I am reminded of the time when I climbed to the top with the late emperor on the Double Ninth Festival, holding hands and looking into the distance."
"Seeing that wine reminds me of the nuptial wine I drank with the late emperor."
The hot water in the earthenware pot was bubbling away.
The palace maids' voices bubbled out one after another.
"Seeing that soup reminds me of how the late emperor fed me medicine without ever taking off his clothes when I was ill."
"Seeing that soup reminds me of the soup that the late emperor personally served and handed to me."
Another palace maid chimed in, eager to speak.
"Huh, the deposed empress, when did she fall ill?"
"Well... everyone has some ailments."
"Then how do you know that the late emperor personally served the deposed empress her medicine and food during her illness?"
The young palace maid scratched her head and said embarrassedly, "I just remembered that when my mother was sick, my father served her medicine in this way, and even fed her the candied fruit that he was reluctant to eat."
Another palace maid frowned and corrected her seriously: "That's your father. Your father is a farmer, while the late emperor was the Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler. Even the empress wouldn't have her medicine served by the supreme ruler himself, let alone rice or soup."
"But even the emperor is human. What if something happens?" The first palace maid asked, bewildered.
Even if it exists, how would you know?
"But don't you also know about boating on Taiye Pond and climbing Penglai Mountain?" the palace maid argued, her face flushed. "You even know what the deposed empress saw and thought. How old are you now? The deposed empress has been dead for so many years. When she was alive, how old were your mother and grandmother? How did they see her, how did they hear about her? Could it be that..."
She opened her eyes wide and said seriously, "Are you the reincarnation of a palace maid who was deposed as empress?"
Lin Yuan wanted to laugh, but seeing that the palace servant's face was no longer clear in the steam of the hot soup, a chill ran down her spine.
"This..." The person's ears were flushed, eyes were downcast, and hands were twisted as they said, "This is what it feels like to like someone!"
"What kind of?"
Lin Yuan asked silently, standing there in a daze, listening to the voices coming from the kitchen.
"that is……"
"No matter what I look at, I see that person's shadow everywhere."
"No matter what I do, I will think of that person."
"That person was clearly not in front of me, yet it seemed to be everywhere, at all times."
"Even though I'm thinking about someone else, or something else, my thoughts inexplicably drift back to that person."
"He's there when I open my eyes, he's there when I close my eyes, and he's still there in my dreams."
Is this what it means to like someone?
Lin Yuan murmured to herself.
No, it's not liking, it's just a habit.
She said to herself.
It must be a habit.
I've gotten used to that person always being there for me. He's there by the desk, on the books, in the inkstone, in the tea, in the ripples of the medicine, in the steam of the soup.
The stars shone, shimmering beneath the sky; the snow fell, shimmering on the snow-covered path. The lights came on, shimmering on the window screen. The lights went out, shimmering on my eyelids.
"Oh," she shook her head.
Habits can change. Even if it's slow.
Just think of something else, and you'll be fine.
Why trap yourself in your own web?
She was thinking of ways to help the deposed empress.
For example, when you see Kunming Pool, you can clearly imagine its vast expanse of water, how abundant the lotus flowers are, and how sweet the lotus roots are... Sigh!
Seeing Penglai Mountain, one can clearly think of the immortals of Bohai, the golden and silver palaces, and the descriptions in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, specifically the Northern Section of the Seas... Ah!
Seeing wine, one can clearly imagine the strength of pepper wine, the mellow aroma of grape wine, the sweetness of peach blossom wine, and the refreshing coolness of Cangwu wine... Ah!
never mind.
Let's not look at it, let's not think about it!
So, when the stars filled the night sky, she reached out and closed the windows.
Turning around, I saw the tiny lamps in the room flickering in the wind seeping in through the window cracks.
She puffed out her cheeks and blew out all the lamps on the walls in one breath, leaving only one lamp by the bed.
The night was still, yet the gold and silver threads on the brocade curtains and quilts shimmered like ripples on water under the solitary lamp.
It looks just like Kunming Pool that day.
Thus, the flowers in the brocade tent also became the beautiful lotus.
She pulled the curtains up to both sides, and the lotus flowers, squeezed together, became withered branches in the dark folds.
But then he remembered two lines from the poem "The Lament of Changmen Palace": "The curtains are drawn with brocade, and the ropes are tied with silk ribbons."① So he quickly lowered the curtains again.
He simply closed his eyes.
The water clock dripped in my ears, and the north wind tapped against the windowpanes, reminding me of the long nights and passageways of the Xuan Room Hall.
It seemed quite interesting at the time.
She looked at the window opposite, where a figure was reflected, initially small and distant, embedded in the window screen, much like a sleepless owl in the dead of night.
After a while, as it drew closer, the figure grew larger and wider, and the fuzzy halo on the gauze transformed the figure into a mountain lord.
Sometimes he would untie his hair, letting his long hair fall freely in the wind, making him look like a Suanni (a mythical lion-like creature).
The roars of tigers and lions from Shanglin Garden could be heard everywhere.
The lion-tiger that entered the dream had human faces with smiles on them.
Unable to sleep, she tossed and turned, slipped on her shoes, and got up to take a bath.
The room was filled with a misty haze, much like the steam rising from a pot.
The worst hot pot she had ever eaten in her life was in Zichen Pavilion. She couldn't taste any meat, only coriander.
Ugh, damn it, it's just a hotpot meal, why can't she let it go?
It's been almost a year, but when I think about it, it still feels bitter, painful, and itchy—it even makes me want to cry.
She buried her face in the bathwater.
Her black hair spread out like water plants.
She stretched out her finger, twirling it around the end of her hair, and finally remembered something else.
On the day she came of age, her mother combed her hair, and as she did so, her eyes welled up with tears.
"Why is Mother unhappy?" she asked, tilting her head. "Does she think my hairstyle doesn't look good?"
"No way! Our A-Yuan is so beautiful. She's the prettiest girl in the whole Dongping Township," her mother scolded, wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye.
"This is a happy occasion. A-Yuan has grown up and reached the age where she can get married."
"Mother, what kind of person do you think I will marry?" she asked with great interest.
“Ah Yuan will definitely marry someone who loves and cherishes you.”
Once her mother started speaking, she seemed to want to continue. Looking at Lin Yuan in the mirror, she began to sketch out the image of the person who loved and cherished her.
"He needs to be tall and strong so he can protect you." Madam Qin thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "But he can't be too tall or strong, lest he be reckless and hurt you."
"Also, she has to be good-looking, pleasing to the eye; that'll make me eat two more bowls of rice." After a moment's thought, she added, "But she can't be too good-looking—"
Lin Yuan asked, puzzled, "Mother, do you think I've already eaten enough?"
Lin Yu, who was standing to the side, burst out laughing and sprayed her tea. Qin coughed lightly and scolded, "Otherwise, people will always have designs on you. That's not good."
"Like Lin Yu?" She laughed, drawing Lin Yu's sidelong glance.
Qin straightened her back, her eyes gleaming with pride: "That's right. Our Ayu is one in a million in both looks and knowledge, it's only natural that so many people would covet her."
Lin Yuan didn't have time to figure out from Qin Shi's expression whether being coveted was a good thing or a bad thing. Then she heard Qin Shi say, "The man you marry in the future should ideally be an official with some wealth. There should be servants in the house, after all, you don't know how to embroider, weave, raise silkworms, or farm..."
"They have some savings, but it seems they're in trouble," Lin Yu said quietly.
Lin Yuan punched Lin Yu in the chest.
Qin Shi, her mouth dry from talking, added, "Therefore, the official position cannot be too low. If it is too low, there won't be enough servants, and during the busy farming season, they won't even be able to keep up with the farm work."
She was troubled by what she thought about. "However, the official position can't be too high. If it's too high, the families of princes, nobles, and generals are too big. They have many people in their households, which makes it difficult to manage them. They also have many relatives and friends, and the rules are very strict. We are just farmers, from a small family. If we marry into such a family, we might be bullied. Then, even if we want to stand up for you, we won't be able to do anything!"
“Oh, Mother, you can rest assured!” Lin Yuan couldn’t help but interject.
Qin looked at her.
Lin Yuan waved her hand and said, "We are a farming family. There are no nobles or kings within a hundred miles. If you count on your fingers, you don't know any kings or generals for five generations. Mother, you don't need to worry about people coming to propose marriage!"
She chuckled as she spoke, reaching out to smooth Qin's worried and furrowed brows. "Instead of worrying about their many rules, you should worry about their many betrothal gifts. We're just a small family; we can't afford that. Hahaha."
Qin ignored her, lost in her daydreams about her future son-in-law, and continued, "As for age, it can't be too big. Two or three years older than you at most. If he's too young, he won't understand. If he's too old, he'll think you're immature..."
Lin Yu crossed her arms and remained silent, while Lin Yuan covered her ears.
Her mind was filled with another memory, another person, and a smile crept onto her lips.
However, she did not marry in the end, but instead entered the palace.
"call--"
Her wet hair fell over her shoulders.
She lifted her face from the bathwater, took a breath, and quickly stopped herself from her reverie.
Before her was Xiao Xun's chest, his arm resting behind her head.
Just now, when she was about to crash into the bottom of the pool, she saw the dragon coiled on the pool wall come to life, swing its tail, and catch her neck, then catch her waist.
Xiao Xun looked at Lin Yuan.
Her clothes clung to her body, because Xiao Xun had instructed people to hang thick curtains on both sides of the corridor connecting the side rooms, which protected her from the wind and rain and the cold. The charcoal fire inside the room was burning brightly, and she had come in a hurry, so she wasn't dressed too warmly.
Soaked in water, the clothes became almost as light as they were last summer.
She was panting heavily, her chest heaving.
The bathing pool in the East Garden of the Prince of Huaiyang's Palace is two zhang in diameter and is connected to a natural hot spring.
Steam rose and clouds swirled, making the water appear vast and boundless.
His thoughts drifted away for a moment.
Was it a dream?
He was so close to her, holding her close.
His body was hot; his hands and arms, wrapped around hers, burned through her clothes, which had thinned from the water. It was just like that summer day.
It was as if those five months of unbearable hunger were not between them.
For five months, every day, he habitually opened the window and looked at the doors and windows of the west side hall, where it was pitch black.
What is she doing at this moment?
Are you reading under the lamp in Lanyue Pavilion? Are you watching the stars under the eaves? Have you gone to bed early? The soup made with ginseng and deer antler is very bitter. Did she drink it obediently without his prompting?
It's getting cold, has she eaten extra food? It's getting windy, has she put on more clothes?
The moon shines brightly, but why can't it illuminate her figure?
She cannot be seen; the moon is dim, and the stars are dim.
The doors and windows on the west side of the main hall of Xuanshi Hall opened and closed repeatedly.
He had lost count of how many days had passed.
Oh, life, can't you go by faster, even faster?
Let the arrows fly faster! Let the swords be swung more forcefully! Let the iron hooves pound more fiercely! Let the war drums beat louder!
He would fly to the mountaintop with the news of victory and bring her back.
But, in the days when I can't see her, can those nights, those nights, please pass by a little slower, just a little slower?
In the deepest part of the night, he could see her. He was so reluctant to leave, reluctant to leave that deepest dream, reluctant to wake up.
In his dream, he held her in his arms, the moonlight was bright, the starlight was dazzling, the clouds rolled and the dew was wet on their clothes.
Just like this.
She nestled in his arm, resting against his knees, her long hair cascading down her shoulders, her eyes misty, her eyelashes glistening with dew, her lips glistening like ripe cherries.
His heart was pounding.
He couldn't help but lower his head.
It was his dream.
He missed half a year of summer.
A faint sound suddenly came from behind the mica screen.
A shadowy figure could be seen, hunched over, holding a tray, slowly backing away, until it was far away.
Hearing the splashing water inside, and seeing that the water in the hot spring had almost reached under the screen and clothes chest, Li Shun slowed down.
Light shines through the screen, and upon closer inspection, one can vaguely see intertwined figures.
He quickly lowered his head, took a deep breath, and tiptoed out.
Bath beans and agarwood clattered and sang on the golden tray.
Lin Yuan turned her head away, snapping out of her daze.
"You were trying to call Li Shun in, weren't you?" she said hastily, reaching out to steady herself on the edge of the pool, taking two steps back to distance herself from him. "I... I don't know the way. I... I took the wrong turn. Your wound... it seems to have reopened."
She looked at his forearm, where the white cloth strap had been soaked red, with pink water dripping down.
"Oh, it's alright." He looked at the empty water in his arms, licked his dry lips, and gave a sheepish smile. "Didn't you rush to the hot spring to change my bandages?"
Lin Yuan asked, puzzled, "Didn't you ring the bell to send me here?"
He was bewildered: "I'm taking a shower, how could I ring the bell?"
Silence.
Listening intently, one could hear the wind howling, interspersed with the faint sound of distant bells, tinkling and clanging.
Xiao Xun's smile gradually disappeared, and he met Lin Yuan's glare.
"I forgot, there will be wind."
He murmured.
Lin Yuan bit her lip, suppressing the frustration in her heart; her lips were so red they looked like they could bleed.
The man before her had removed his armor and robes, and his hair was loose. He wore no crown, only a jade hairpin. He told her to treat him like an ordinary person, so all she wanted to do was beat him up and kick him.
Her current state of being soaked to the bone and in such a sorry state is all thanks to him.
Who told him to come up with that crazy idea of ringing a bell? Who told him to insist on taking a bath in the middle of the night?
Having nightmares? This is what a nightmare is.
Is it the wind? Ha, she's going crazy.
But his fists, clenched underwater, deflated as soon as he saw his bare chest.
Not to mention kicking it.
The steam rose and fell, and the ripples revealed the underwater scenery. The thought that the underwater world was also red made her legs go weak, her hands trembled, and she couldn't clench her fists. She couldn't help but take two steps back to the side.
"This pool is too deep." Her eyes were looking nowhere in sight, and her words were incoherent.
She turned her face away, and after a long while, she said, "I still thank you for saving me."
As he spoke, he finally felt his toes touch the bottom of the pool, and when he stood up with a splash, he realized that the water was up to his waist.
"Hmm. The water's too deep," Xiao Xun replied absentmindedly, going along with her words.
She felt a chill run down her spine, her ears burned, and she turned and left.
Covered in water, soaking wet and heavy.
After soaking in the hot water for a while, I felt a bit weak and lost my footing on the underwater stone steps, stumbling.
"careful."
Behind her, with a sudden splash of water, and the instant her waist touched her fingertips, Lin Yuan screamed, "No! No!" repeatedly saying, "Don't move, don't touch me, don't touch me."
She was afraid that Xiao Xun would get up and help her.
I was in the water just now and couldn't close my eyes in time. So now, whether I open my eyes or not, all I see is his body.
No, no, no, what she saw was clearly a living dragon, white in color, with a lithe body and scales piled up on its waist and abdomen.
Below the waist and abdomen, the legs reflected in the water were of varying lengths, some long and some short, solid and strong, with a proper balance of curves and straightness.
But do dragons have legs?
How many legs does it have?
She didn't dare turn around, her face flushed red as if it were about to bleed.
Using both hands and feet, they fled in panic, running towards the shore.
"You hate it when I touch you, huh?" The voice behind me chuckled softly, making a self-deprecating remark.
These words were mingled with the sound of Lin Yuan's wet footsteps.
The footsteps, accompanied by the sound of water, quickly faded and disappeared into the distance.
Only behind her, the outstretched hand remained suspended in place until the water droplets on it formed a string, grew cold and piercing, before slowly falling back into the water.
The ripples from the hot spring shattered the smile on his face.
Feeling anxious and uneasy.
For five months, he clung to his dream, unable to eat or sleep.
But it was a lucid dream, and he knew it was a dream, so sometimes he was still afraid of the moment he would wake up.
Just like in the third year of Tian Shou, for a long time after his mother's death, he couldn't accept her departure, so he was afraid of the dawn every day.
When it gets light, you'll see that everything around you is empty, there's nothing there.
The warmer the dream, the colder the wake-up. The more companions you have in your dream, the lonelier you feel upon waking.
After that period, his dreams became lonely and cold.
If, if, it were that one tenth?
One night, he woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night, his undergarments soaked with sweat.
He dreamt that she had disappeared.
He could never see her again. He couldn't find her anywhere.
She disappeared. Lanyue Pavilion became ruins, Shanglin Garden became a fire, the mountains were leveled, and the water cracked into countless ravines.
She was like a fleeting breeze, a snowflake that would scatter with a single breath, a lamplight that could not be held onto, and many of the people he had lost.
Ignoring the stickiness on his body and without taking a bath or changing, he hastily put on an outer robe, disregarded the biting night wind, and rode his horse at full speed for an hour until he arrived at Shanglin Garden.
When we reached the halfway point of the mountain, the sky was already beginning to brighten, and we could see the lights of Lanyue Pavilion in the distance, shining like the morning star on the mountaintop.
After a while, figures began to float above the windows and doors of the room on the east side.
He raised the corners of his lips and hurried forward to meet her.
But his foot tripped over a dead branch.
Looking down, he saw that his robes were covered with wild grass, his shoes were torn and the embroidery was ripped, and there were bloodstains on the hem of his clothes. He lifted up his sleeve and saw that his arm had been scratched by branches or thorns.
His hands were covered in mud and grime. His face probably wasn't in much better shape.
He lifted his sleeve and casually wiped it.
In the end, they stopped moving forward.
Amidst the interplay of tree shadows, he saw a figure on the window, head tilted to the side, long hair falling over shoulders, as if she were dressing up in front of a mirror.
After a while, the figure moved away and then closer, then closer and then farther away, as if circling back and forth, searching for something.
In the blink of an eye, the figure had vanished.
He involuntarily took a few steps forward and bumped into the pine branch in front of him.
With another glance, and a moment's focus, the woman gracefully emerged from the hall.
The newly brightened daylight painted the shadowy figures with color.
She was surrounded by lush green clouds, with peach-blossom cheeks and a rosy face. Her clothes were adorned with flowing emeralds and crimson hues, and she carried a book in her hand.
She stood under a plum tree, not opening her book, but tilting her head slightly upward, gazing at the branches that had not yet formed buds, or at the sliver of sky hanging above the treetops, murmuring to herself.
He listened intently, and the voice was clear and resonant, sounding like something about "the Xiongnu fleeing" or "the general leading his troops to exterminate them."
He couldn't help but laugh.
A silent laugh.
As he laughed, something seemed to well up in his eyes and fall.
Scalding hot, burning hot. The feeling spread to his limbs and filled his chest.
He gripped the sword at his waist, slashing through the thorns and tangled branches along the mountain path, and rushed down the mountain in one breath.
When it was fully light, his appearance naturally startled the palace servants of Shanglin Garden.
Next came the guards at the city gate and the palace servants of Weiyang Palace.
For some reason, the news soon spread that "the emperor was terrified and fled in panic at night."
At that time, the Hu cavalry of Changshui Xuanqu had just left Chang'an not long ago, and Qu Yang was being held under house arrest by Xiao Xun's men. He continued to claim illness and not come out to the outside world. Few people knew that the Hu cavalry of Changshui Xuanqu were sent by the emperor to suppress the rebels, or that they were sent by Qu Yang to aid his son.
The news that Qu Qingchuan had borrowed troops from various countries had already reached Xiao Xun's ears.
Xiao Xun simply decided to play along and let the rumors of "fear" and "fleeing at night" spread.
As the rumor spread, it accumulated many details that were both laughable and absurd.
For example, the muddy shoes disappeared, leaving the person "barefoot".
He did not wear a crown, so he became "disheveled," and his eyes turned red, becoming "looking up to the sky and weeping bitterly."
The grass clippings and withered leaves on the sword blade became the dripping human blood.
He was actually somewhat relieved that the person spreading the rumor was somewhat reasonable, considering that it was autumn and winter, so he wouldn't be completely exposed by the rumor.
People expressed sympathy, so several more speculations quickly emerged.
Phrases such as "The Emperor was greatly alarmed by the rebellion of the Hu cavalry of Changshui and Xuanqu", "The Emperor was mistreated and imprisoned by the Grand Marshal and General", "His night flight was to escape Chang'an", "The Emperor, alone and with his sword, fought his way out", and "The Grand Marshal and General's rebel army laid a trap" were used to describe the situation.
The rumors first reached Shangjun, where Qu Qingchuan and his rebel troops "laughed loudly as they came out of their military tents, set up a banquet, sang and danced incessantly, celebrated with each other, and drank ten thousand coins' worth of wine."
They remained drunk until the Hu cavalry of Changshui Xuanqu arrived at the city walls, war drums sounded, and arrows whistled.
Qu Qingchuan's troops were numerous. As early as when the Xiongnu invaded the border, he, as the Commandant of Shuofang Commandery, privately conscripted three thousand cavalrymen and nearly ten thousand infantrymen in the commandery.
When the rebellion was announced, half of the troops scattered like birds and beasts, and morale plummeted. However, among the remaining men were many former subordinates of the Qu family. They had followed Qu Qingchuan's grandfather, uncle, Marquis Dingyuan, Marquis Zhongyi, and Qu Yang in their campaigns against the Xiongnu. When Qu Qingchuan started his rebellion, they were willing to follow their new master to the death.
There were also those who pitied the late Crown Prince, and even descendants of those who had been banished to the borderlands because of his case. They were swayed by Qu Qingchuan's claim that "the old case is clear and the justice is evident."
The two thousand Hu cavalry of Changshui Xuanqu were each worth ten men, and their voices were terrifying. Meanwhile, Marquis Yangping Su Dan also had the tiger tally to mobilize the troops stationed in Ganquan. At Xiao Xun's signal, he was ready to strike.
But what if someone takes the opportunity to rebel, lends a hand to Qu Qingchuan, or watches the snipe and the clam fight and reaps the benefits?
This rumor also became Xiao Xun's way of testing the vassal states.
Qu Qingchuan sent an envoy to borrow troops. The young Prince of Yan was hesitant at first, but upon hearing this rumor, he made up his mind and immediately sent troops.
Five thousand cavalrymen marched through the night and arrived at Shangjun almost simultaneously with the Hu troops from Changshui and Xuanqu.
I heard you. Ah Yuan. Heaven is listening.
I heard it too.
...
My mind was in a daze, my eyes misty, and the mica screen seemed to become the window I had seen that day, the one illuminated by the morning star.
Only four or five of the twin lanterns outside the screen were lit, swaying in the wind.
Looking at it for too long makes my eyes dizzy; the sparse tree shadows on the screen overlap.
It resembled a slender and graceful figure.
He blinked.
Shadows moved about.
She seemed to have long hair falling over her shoulders, and was holding something in her hands.
Is that you? Are you still there?
"Your Majesty, are you still there?"
The voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz. So faint it sounded like a dream.
If you listen carefully, you can hear the wind blowing by, mixed with the sound of bells, striking your heart.
You must have gone back a long time ago.
Are you alright? You were frightened, your clothes are wet, the night is cold and foggy, and the north wind is blowing through the room.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
He shook the water that had gotten into his ears when he submerged, then closed his eyes again, and the water droplets formed a line and fell from his eyelashes.
Looking up again, the figure had become clothes on a rack to the side.
If I go to see you, may you let me in?
"Can... I go in?"
He made up his mind, stood up, stepped out of the dreamlike mist, and strode towards the screen.
Do you ever think about leaving?
Leave this place, leave the Prince's Palace?
No, we have to hurry, hurry—
"...We need to hurry..."
"...Apply the medicine as soon as possible, otherwise your wound..."
Lin Yuan took a deep breath, her cheeks still flushed, and stepped out from one side of the screen.
The medicine box in his hand tipped over to the ground.
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Author's Note: Xiao Xun: I want to kiss her, I want to kiss her, almost there, almost there... failed again.
Lin Yuan: My eyes! My eyes! What am I seeing?!
①From "Changmen Fu": It means that the bed curtains are always open, and the jade belt is always hooked to both sides.
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