Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

For some time, ever since Qi Yaoyao left Guihua Garden, Gu Yusheng had felt deeply unsettled, as if a great storm were about to descend.

Now, that storm had truly arrived. During the morning court session today, the Emperor issued an imperial decree to arrest Xiao Guimu, and it was Gu Yusheng who was tasked with the apprehension!

After returning to Guihua Garden from the palace, Gu Yusheng sat alone in the bedroom of the right wing, feeling a chill permeate his entire body. He skipped dinner. Though his brother came several times to urge him, Gu Yusheng would not rise. He sat quietly, like a statue.

At this moment, Qi Yaoyao’s figure filled his mind. It had only been ten days since she left, but to Gu Yusheng, it felt as though she had been gone for a decade. The bedroom was empty; the orchid on the windowsill was still in bloom, yet Gu Yusheng could no longer smell its fragrance.

In two days, Gu Yusheng was to depart for Jingnan. Yet his heart was in conflict. He yearned to leave early to catch up with Qi Yaoyao, yet simultaneously wished to delay his departure so that Xiao Guimu might have enough time to escape.

Suddenly, Gu Yusheng felt an urge to visit the Prince of Wei’s mansion. He quickly shed his official robes and donned a scholar’s gown—a simple, elegant piece in azure blue with delicate white piping, both minimalist and refined. It had been custom-made for him by a master tailor at Qi Yaoyao’s request three years ago, just before he went to war. He had never worn it until this night.

In less than an hour, Gu Yusheng arrived at the gates of the Prince of Wei’s mansion. Ding Jishan came out to meet him.

"Master Gu," Ding said, "it is quite late. Our Prince and Princess have already retired. Please return tomorrow if you have any business."

Gu Yusheng had come to plead with Prince Zhao Yuan to find a way to save Xiao Guimu, but they did not wish to see him.

The next morning, Gu Yusheng waited outside the gate again. Ding Jishan emerged and said, "Master Gu, word came from the palace in the middle of the night that the Empress Dowager Pi is ill. The Prince and Princess left for the palace at dawn to attend to her."

Gu Yusheng had no choice but to ride home, dejected.

Qi Qiongqiong took the reins and whip, stabled the horse, and returned to say, "Second Brother, please, do not be like this! At the very worst, we shall accompany Sister Guimu to the execution grounds together!"

Gu Yusheng shook his head, expressionless.

On the third day, a messenger from the Ministry of Justice asked, "Master Gu, when shall we depart for Jingnan? The troops are all prepared!" Gu Yusheng replied, "We depart tomorrow!"

Upon returning home, Gu Yusheng received two letters delivered by a servant from Prime Minister Lu’s household: one from the Prime Minister himself, and one from Lu Qianqian.

Six years ago, after entrusting Gu Yusheng with the roster titled "The Descendant's Testament," the Prime Minister had retired to his hometown of Dabu Prefecture with his wife, daughter Lu Qianqian, and grandson Lu Yuyu.

Dabu was a coastal prefecture with jagged rocks and barren soil, where most villagers lived by fishing. To combat the rampant pirates of the previous dynasty, a garrison had been established there, which the current dynasty maintained to oversee the four local sub-districts. A distant nephew of the Prime Minister served as the commander of the Tucheng sub-district.

Though Tucheng had many scholars, the Prime Minister was its only successful imperial examination candidate. After returning home, he had kept in touch with Gu Yusheng through these letters.

Gu Yusheng opened the Prime Minister's letter. It read: "The General of the South may be in trouble, but she will not die. They do not seek her life; they seek her mother's."

Gu Yusheng was stunned. "So, the Prime Minister knew all along that the General was a woman in disguise."

He burned the letter and opened the one from Lu Qianqian.

Lu Qianqian had returned to Tucheng with her son. To avoid scandal, they claimed she had married a military officer stationed at the border. The household knew the truth—she was unmarried and the boy was illegitimate—but the Prime Minister’s strict family rules prevented a word from leaking out.

Lu Qianqian was a remarkable woman. She knew she had fallen for a man she could not be with, and bore his illegitimate child. While many would have been driven to despair or anxiety, she had quietly raised her son and only told the man the truth upon leaving the capital. Gu Yusheng had only seen his biological son for the first time when saying goodbye. Since returning to Tucheng, she had dedicated her life to her parents and her son. She rarely wrote to Gu Yusheng, usually only adding a few words to the end of her father’s letters.

This was her first independent letter. "Brother Yusheng, please do not worry about me and little Yuyu! We are well cared for here... I have no talent like Sister Yaoyao, nor am I skilled in the arts, but to have your love is the greatest fortune of my three lives. I often think that meeting you made my journey in this world worthwhile... I spend my spare time reading the many books in my father’s study. I have finished half of them and wish to continue, for I love this quiet life. I also want to sharpen my mind to better guide my son. I have written many reflections on my reading. Brother Yusheng, you are a master of both literature and martial arts; I have so much I wish to ask you. When we meet again, may we discuss these thoughts?"

"Of course we may," Gu Yusheng whispered as he read, "this woman grows more fascinating by the day..."

The next day, Gu Yusheng went to the Ministry of Justice to muster one hundred soldiers for the arrest.

A supervisor named Gong asked, "Master Gu, do you really need a hundred men to arrest one person?"

Gu Yusheng replied, "The General is a top-ranking martial arts graduate. With a hundred, I worry it might not be enough."

Gong asked, "Are you not a double-honors scholar yourself?"

"Precisely because I am a scholar," Gu Yusheng replied, "my martial arts are far inferior. If he rebels, how could I hold him without the soldiers' support?"

Gong nodded. "Your logic is sound! But taking a hundred men leaves me with no one to work. Can fifty suffice?"

"Master Gong, this is the number stipulated by the Emperor! I am acting under imperial orders; please do not make things difficult for me..."

Gong frowned. "Since it is an imperial decree, I shall comply."

An hour later, Gu Yusheng, clutching the arrest warrant, led one hundred soldiers toward Jingnan to the sound of gongs and drums.

After noon, the white-clad Li Muwen and his wife Jiang Hong rested on a hillside before galloping toward Jingnan.

Soon, Jiang Hong reined in her horse and said, "Husband, a fork in the road—left for Jingnan, right for Wuni Lake."

"We go left," Li Muwen said.

Their horses ran like the wind through grove after grove of bamboo.

"Husband," Jiang Hong shouted, "I see so many bamboo shoots in the forest!"

"They are bamboo shoots, not apples," Li Muwen laughed. "We cannot eat them immediately. Why are you so happy?"

"It is getting dark, and we cannot stop even for apples! We must hasten!"

"Indeed," Li Muwen smiled.

The road narrowed until they reached a lake.

"Husband, are we lost?" Jiang Hong asked.

Two young women emerged. One said to the other, "Sister Mulan, my plan worked, didn't it? Our horse-spear instructor came without us having to ask!"

Mulan replied, "Sister Guihua, you are truly the Zhuge Liang of our time! I admire you!"

Li Muwen bowed and asked, "May I ask where we are?"

"Young master," the girl named Guihua said, "this is the famous Wuni Lake."

"So it is," Li Muwen said, then turned to Jiang Hong with a sheepish smile. "My lady, it seems we are lost. Let us turn back!"

Suddenly, a middle-aged woman stepped out of the bamboo grove, laughing. "Young master, you are not lost! I have been waiting for these two honored guests for a long time!"

Li Muwen reined in his horse, observing the woman. He felt a strange sense of familiarity. "May I ask, elder, who are you?"

"You will know soon enough," the woman laughed. "Have you heard of the Wuni Lake Water Stronghold?"

Li Muwen shook his head.

The woman looked a bit disappointed. "It seems Sister Lou has told you nothing..."

Li Muwen bowed to leave. "Elder, it is getting late. We must be on our way." He urged his horse forward.

The woman blocked his path. "You cannot leave!"

"On what grounds?" Li Muwen asked.

"Li Muwen, you are the horse-spear instructor we invited. How could I let you leave so easily?"

"Who are you?" Li Muwen asked in astonishment. "And how do you know my name?"

"Lou Mingxuan is your mother, is she not?" the woman said with excitement. "Young man, I know not only where you come from and where you are going, but also whom you intend to meet!"

Li Muwen was stunned. "Please, tell me..."

"You come from Yangzhou," the woman said triumphantly, "on your way to Jingnan to meet your fiancée, the General of the South."

"Who are you?" Li Muwen’s eyes widened.

"I am your mother Lou Mingxuan’s junior sister—Zhao Chuoyun, Princess of Bashu."

Li Muwen quickly dismounted. "Aunt Chuoyun? Then you are the mother of Sima Jiannan’s wife?"

"The very same!"

Li Muwen pulled Jiang Hong down to kneel. "Aunt, please accept our respects."

Zhao Chuoyun pulled them up. Night began to fall. She looked around at the darkening bamboo grove. "Do you still intend to leave?"

Li Muwen nodded.

Zhao Chuoyun grew angry. "You fool! It is dark, and you are traveling through a bamboo forest with a beautiful wife—do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"Xiao Guimu is a woman disguised as a man, using your name to take the martial exams; she has committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor! And you, you travel the country using the name Li Muwen, announcing to everyone that you are going to meet the General! Do you wish for her to die sooner?"

Li Muwen panicked. "I only wish to see her..."

Zhao Chuoyun’s tone softened. "In that case, stay at the Wuni Lake Water Stronghold for now."

"Aunt," Li Muwen asked reluctantly, "can we really not go see her?"

"To go rashly would be unwise."

"I have never met her, and I miss her terribly!"

Zhao Chuoyun smiled. "She is beautiful and worthy of you. Stay here and train these girls. We are not far from the Jingnan military command; you will meet soon enough. It is fate."

Li Muwen looked at Jiang Hong. "My lady, shall we stay here for now and see what happens?"

Jiang Hong nodded. "Husband, you are my home. Wherever you go, my home is there."

From that day on, they stayed. Li Muwen taught the girls archery and spear-fighting.

Half a month later, Zhao Chuoyun and her servant Guan Yi (also a woman in disguise) arrived in Jingnan. Their disguises were impeccable. In the light snow, they entered a tavern near the military camp.

"Young master," Guan Yi said in a servant’s voice, "we are at the end of the street. Where are we going?"

"Why so talkative, Guan the Lazy?" Zhao Chuoyun said in a man’s voice. "I want fish cake. I heard the tavern by the military camp serves the best."

They bickered as they walked, a performance meant to pass the time. Once inside the tavern, Guan Yi dropped the act, devouring the food, while Zhao Chuoyun watched the military camp gates with a heavy, watchful gaze.

Inside the camp, three women in disguise were engaged in a heated debate with the General of the South and Lieutenant Gu Yuru.

The three were Qi Yaoyao, Baiyun, and Caiyun.

"General," Qi Yaoyao said, "the situation is dire. My uncle and aunt sent word: you must cast aside this official hat and flee for your life!"

"Did he say nothing else?" the General asked.

"Who?"

Baiyun quickly stepped in. "My master sent the same message, General!"

The General paced. "It is not that I cling to this post, but if I leave, the northern barbarians will slaughter the people here. Can I abandon them?"

"But the corrupt officials at court seek your life!" Qi Yaoyao urged.

"Those officials are not what I fear," the General replied. "It is the Emperor himself."

Qi Yaoyao nodded. "Then you must leave, far from this place of turmoil." She turned to Gu Yuru. "General Gu, our family suggests you also resign."

Gu Yuru stood. "Sister-in-law, I will."

"The world is the Emperor’s land," the General sighed. "Where can we go?"

"My husband has arranged it," Qi Yaoyao said. "Go to the Wuni Lake Water Stronghold. Our aunt, Princess Zhao Chuoyun, is in charge there."

"Zhao Chuoyun?" the General said. "She is my aunt, but I cannot seek refuge with her. A few hundred people cannot shelter me from the storm."

"My husband says your dream is to unify the people and save your mother’s sisters in the north," Qi Yaoyao argued. "But the time is not yet ripe. You must hide and wait."

"I will handle my own affairs," the General said. "You must go."

"Wait," Qi Yaoyao said. "My husband says Li Muwen might be in Jingnan."

The General’s eyes flashed. "What is he doing here? A nuisance! General Gu, see them out!"

Outside, Zhao Chuoyun stood as the three women emerged from the camp.

Qi Yaoyao was weeping, cursing the General’s stubbornness. "If you want to die, then die! I have delivered the message, I have pleaded with you—I wash my hands of this!"

"Young lady," Zhao Chuoyun stepped forward, "who is going to die?"

Qi Yaoyao looked at the stranger. "The stubborn mule who calls herself the General of the South!"

"And who might you be?" Qi Yaoyao asked.

"I am Zhao Chuoyun, your aunt."

"Liar! My aunt is a woman!"

Zhao Chuoyun laughed in her natural voice, removing her cap and letting her long hair fall like a waterfall. Qi Yaoyao gasped in awe at her beauty.

"Aunt, you are an ethereal beauty! The heavens are unfair to create such a creature and make us look so plain in comparison!"

Zhao Chuoyun tapped her head. "Stop crying, you silly girl. You have the heart to make jokes now?"

Qi Yaoyao pleaded, "Aunt, you are an elder. Your words carry weight. Please, persuade her!"

"I came here to do just that," Zhao Chuoyun said, putting her cap back on. "But hearing you, I suspect my efforts would be in vain."

"Then what shall we do?"

"She knows her mission," Zhao Chuoyun said. "I am no longer worried. But you three, the storm is worsening. Come back to the stronghold with me."

"No," Qi Yaoyao insisted. "My husband and aunt are waiting in the capital. I must return and tell them to prepare."

"Very well," Zhao Chuoyun sighed. She turned to Guan Yi. "Guan the Lazy, help them on their way."

"As you command," Guan Yi replied.