A Year Apart, and the Two of You Are Still Alive.
Upon the city wall, none among the soldiers of Liaocheng remained unmoved.
They looked upon the dark ranks of troops gathered below the walls; their formations were strict and orderly, their battle cries shook the heavens, and their bearing carried the fierce spirit of men tempered through war, their loyalty to the Prince of Li absolute and without reservation.
They too were soldiers. How could they not envy those men, able to follow Prince Li in campaigning across all directions, undefeated in every battle, nearly becoming the invincible war god upon the lips of the common people.
Then they thought of how, these past months, they had been beaten back step after step by Duan Kingdom and Chu Kingdom, unable even to withstand the petty southern states. Their hearts suffered humiliation. Though they had now taken back the southern frontier, their morale had been lost and the army’s heart had begun to waver.
Prince Qi was no longer the eldest imperial prince of old who had still dared to shout at Lu Ronghuai. Ever since the affair of Ping Cheng, he had grown fearful of Lu Ronghuai. Seeing the hand he had draped across the reclining chair trembling ever so slightly, one of his close attendants could not help stepping forward and leaning close to his ear in quiet concern.
“Your Highness, our task is already complete. Perhaps... we should return first?”
“Do you think this prince does not wish to return?” Prince Qi ground out the words through his teeth. Staring fiercely, he breathed in rough huffs. Having drunk himself senseless for far too long, his body had already been hollowed out by more than half. It took him half a day to gasp out a single sentence. “The Empress Dowager issued an order that Lu Ronghuai must be provoked into anger so that he will attack the city. Yet he sits calmly upon his horse. Do you see even the slightest sign that he has been provoked?”
The one who had actually been provoked was clearly him.
The close attendant looked troubled. “Yet the Empress Dowager did not explain the reason behind this order. Should Prince Li truly be angered past restraint, this subordinate fears he may act against Your Highness.”
Prince Qi seized the wine jug and took a great gulp.
Just from hearing that he had almost slaughtered his way straight through the Six Kingdoms, and that none among their kings, crown princes, or princes had escaped, he already knew that this calamity star had grown even more unrestrained than before.
“What is there to fear? Nie Chouwen is still inside the city. Would he really dare kill this prince?” Prince Qi gripped the wine jug to bolster his courage, but his tone floated weakly, full of decadence.
The attendant looked at him as if wanting to speak yet held back.
Since Prince Qi had come to Liao Cheng, he had shown not the slightest concern for the livelihoods of the people within the city. Each day, beyond drinking, he only beat and punished servants. Whether among the common people or the soldiers, resentment toward him ran deep.
Prince Qi soon drained one whole jug of wine and ordered his man to fetch more. Then his eyes flicked toward the city below, only to discover that Prince Li was actually amusing a child atop his horse.
“That child is his bastard son?” Bloodshot filled Prince Qi’s eyes as he stared straight at Lu Duoyu.
The attendant immediately replied, “Yes. However, Prince Li once publicly declared in the Western Frontier that this is the child of himself and the Prince Consort. By name and standing, the child is thus the proper heir apparent.”
“Interesting, truly interesting.” Prince Qi clapped his hands. The smile on his face was full of ill intent. “Two grown men raising a child. Does proclaiming it to all beneath Heaven erase the truth that the Prince Consort cannot bear children? Ridiculous. Even Lu Ronghuai has reached the day of covering his own ears while stealing the bell.”
“Go fetch wine. Have Nie Chouwen brought before this Prince as well.” Prince Qi let out a cold laugh.
The attendant dared not say more and immediately descended the wall.
Outside the city, Lu Ronghuai effortlessly lifted Lu Duoyu up with one hand and bounced him lightly twice, drawing bright peals of laughter from the little fellow.
Seeing that he was not afraid, Lu Ronghuai set him down before himself upon the saddle and slowly rode around the city gate with him.
The soldiers upon the wall glanced at one another, anxious and uneasy. Were they to speak of such a sight, no one would believe them, yet right now they were truly seeing Prince Li, directly before their eyes, taking care of a child beneath the walls.
Two quarter-hours later, Nie Chouwen was brought up onto the city wall.
Prince Qi had already emptied three jugs of wine. Satisfied, he patted his belly and, squinting through drunken eyes, had Nie Chouwen shoved against the battlements.
His tongue had grown thick from drink, and he could no longer speak clearly. Fortunately, his close attendant stepped in to save the moment.
The attendant shouted down from the wall, “Prince Li, our Prince has said that Elder Nie is now in our hands. If you want him unharmed, withdraw your army from the Southern Frontier at once!”
Hearing his attendant speak thus, Prince Qi nodded in satisfaction and slumped back in his chair to continue drinking.
Nie Chouwen swept a cold glance toward him. Toward the current Prince Qi, he no longer retained the slightest trace of goodwill.
Those who abandon themselves are least deserving of pity and compassion.
He had originally been painting quietly at home. Only after being “invited” here did he learn that Prince Li and the others had returned. Looking down at the familiar faces below the city, and especially after seeing Lu Duoyu, warmth crossed Nie Chouwen’s eyes.
The distance was too great for him to see faces clearly, so he simply closed his eyes and began to rest.
Hearing the threat shouted from above, Lu Ronghuai turned his head with a smile to look at Chu Yuan.
“Ah-Yuan, has this elder brother of mine drunk himself into ruining his wits?”
Chu Yuan smiled.
Seeing that his grandfather was safe and sound, the smile on Nie Siran’s face gained a few more traces of truth. Turning his head, he joked with Lu Ronghuai, “Prince Qi has already spoken. Why does Your Highness still not retreat?”
“Even if this Prince were to set the army down upon the far bank of the Ye River, they would still not dare let this prince in.” Lu Ronghuai handed Lu Duoyu over to Chu Yuan and nudged his horse forward alone.
The people upon the city wall grew tense at once.
The close attendant, even more so, looked as though he were facing a great enemy. “Why are all of you still standing there? Quickly draw your bows! Can you not see that Prince Li is already coming over?”
The defending soldiers hesitated. Exchanging glances, they slowly raised the bows in their hands.
Lu Ronghuai treated the commotion above as though he saw nothing. After circling once below the city wall, he nodded toward Bai Qingyu. “Tell the brothers to rest where they stand. Tonight, we are eating copper pot.”
Copper pot was a popular way of eating in the northern lands. A pot of bone broth was first simmered, then vegetables and meats were added in. Together with specially prepared dipping sauces, each mouthful was rich with fragrance.
Thus the soldiers upon the city wall could only stare as Prince Li’s great army began eating copper pot below. The wind carried the fragrance upward, drawing forth their hunger.
Prince Qi was already drunk into unconsciousness and had even vomited a pool of filth. His close attendant pinched his nose, ordered him carried back, then instructed several soldiers to keep a close watch over Nie Chouwen and immediately report if anything happened below the walls.
He repeated these solemn instructions several times over, only then hurrying after Prince Qi.
Once that great Buddha of Prince Qi was gone, Nie Chouwen asked one of the soldiers for a crude little stool. Lifting the hem of his robe, he sat there and read a book.
The soldiers upon the wall were all at a loss, their six spirits and three souls nowhere to be found. Now and again they glanced at Nie Chouwen, and then at the lively cheers coming from below. The taste in their hearts was difficult to describe.
At that moment, Nie Siran arrived carrying a food box and set it down by the city gate.
The soldiers guarding the gate peered through the crack. Once they had confirmed he was gone, they carefully opened the gate by a mere sliver and swiftly pulled the food box inside.
A note lay on top of it, the writing graceful, and the brushstrokes gentle.
After reading the note, the soldiers hesitated for a long time. In the end, they carried the box up the wall and handed it to Nie Chouwen.
“Grand... Grand Elder Nie, this is the evening meal Young Master Nie prepared for you.”
The sky was growing dim, and Nie Chouwen had just been about to put away his book. Hearing this, he looked down at the food box, tucked the book carefully into his robes, then rolled up his sleeves and opened the box straight away.
The food box had three tiers. The top held several bowls of white rice. The middle tier held dipping sauces. The lowest tier contained a steaming-hot copper pot already filled with various vegetables and meats. The fragrance was deeply tempting.
Looking at the food box, a smile flickered through Nie Chouwen’s eyes.
He lifted a bowl, and as he picked up the chopsticks, he addressed the several soldiers standing beside him in a warm voice. “There is too much food here. This old man cannot finish it alone. Sit down and eat with this old man.”
The soldiers all waved their hands quickly and said they dared not.
“What is there not to dare? Sit and eat. There is no poison.” As he spoke, Nie Chouwen had already picked up a slice of meat and put it into his mouth. After chewing it twice, he found the taste genuinely good, and satisfaction showed between his brows.
The soldiers looked at one another.
Nie Chouwen dipped another piece of meat into the sauce. “If you do not eat, then would these bowls of white rice not go to waste for nothing? This old man is advanced in years. If I eat too much, my stomach will be uneasy. Just treat it as helping this old man out and quickly sit down to eat.”
In the end, the soldiers’ expressions softened, and they sat down after all.
The few of them gathered around the copper pot and ate their fill.
Without Prince Qi’s orders, these common soldiers still dared not let Nie Chouwen leave. They could only bring their own old, thin quilt for him and let him make do for the night upon the hard plank bed atop the wall.
Nie Chouwen did not decline. Accepting the quilt, he thanked them and simply lay down to sleep.
During that time, Prince Qi’s close attendant came once as well.
Seeing that Nie Chouwen was still upon the wall and that Prince Li’s army had already settled down for the night, he let out a slight breath of relief. He thought only to wait until Prince Qi sobered tomorrow, then once more use Nie Chouwen as a pretext and, no matter what, force Prince Li into attacking the city.
The moon climbed past the treetops until it reached the very tips of the branches. On the city wall, the soldiers leaned together in twos and threes, half-asleep.
There were also a few gathered in a corner whispering quietly together.
These were the same soldiers who had shared the copper pot supper with Nie Chouwen. They sat in their corner talking for a long time. No one knew exactly what was said, only that in the second half of the night, they nudged awake the comrades sleeping beside them.
Prince Qi was snoring heavily in his own residence. The yin hour had already passed, and the sky had faded from pitch-black to gray. Before long, dawn would break.
At this moment, his door was struck with rapid, urgent blows, and the sound alone conveyed the desperation of whoever was outside.
“Your Highness! Your Highness! Something has happened!” the attendant shouted outside the door.
Prince Qi woke in a daze, his head still muddled. The attendant had already lost patience and simply smashed the door open, rushing all the way to the front of his bed curtains.
“Your Highness, get up quickly! Prince Li has entered the city!”
“What?!” Prince Qi was frightened fully awake.
The attendant’s face had gone white, and his voice shaking. “It is true. We have just received word. The gate soldiers of Liao Cheng opened the gates and welcomed Prince... Prince Li into the city. Your Highness, we should flee at once!”
“Those dog-born cheap little soldiers, this prince will kill them!” Prince Qi’s eyes were bloodshot. He was so enraged by the defecting soldiers of Liao Cheng that he was nearly mad.
“Quickly attend this prince and dress me!” he roared at the attendant.
Yet before his clothing had even been fully arranged, Prince Li’s men had already stormed into the residence and surrounded the place from all sides.
For the next two days, Prince Qi was confined there. From loud cursing at the start, he eventually adjusted with remarkable speed, so long as he had wine.
Two days later, he was carried into a carriage forged of fine iron. The carriage was broad enough, and inside he saw old acquaintances.
“Oh? If it is not Lingshuang and Young Master Liu. A year apart, and the two of you are still alive.” Prince Qi knowingly asked what he already knew, his false smile on full display as he looked at the two tied figures in the corner.
Liu Mingyue had been beaten until his face was blue and swollen and lay there without speaking. Lu Lingshuang sat in the corner with her knees drawn up, looking at him coldly.
Seeing that neither paid him any mind, Prince Qi became even more eager, and each sentence out of his mouth was uglier than the one before.
Before long, Prince Qi’s howls rose from the carriage, and a soldier came to Lu Ronghuai to report that Prince Qi demanded another carriage.
Lu Ronghuai was at that moment arranging Chu Yuan’s sleeve cuffs. His lowered face was cold, handsome, and sharp, yet tinged with a measure of tenderness. He smiled and said evenly, “A wicked man will be ground down by another wicked man. Go tell Prince Qi that if he does not wish to sit in the carriage, he may come down and walk with the soldiers.”
The soldier inwardly broke out in sweat, remembering Prince Qi’s crippled legs. He cupped his fists in reply. “Yes!”
The weather was hot. Chu Yuan wore a light gauze robe of pale snow-blue with a girdled waist, and his black hair was pinned up with a jade hairpin. His beautiful eyes, smiling, rested upon Lu Ronghuai.
“What is it?” Lu Ronghuai also smiled.
Chu Yuan said, “Last night, Your Highness said that the road back to the capital would be dangerous and would likely hold many twists and changes. Bringing these three with us... will there truly be no problem?”
“Bringing them along will only make the Empress Dowager and the Deposed Crown Prince more unable to sit still. Ah-Yuan need only wait and see. This journey is going to be quite eventful.”
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
Thank you very much for everyone’s support. I will continue to work hard!
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