"..."
"What kind of trick are you up to now, trying to leave me behind!"
Huan She recalled standing at the corner of the corridor for a long time, silently watching Li Weiying's magnificent attire and radiant appearance, and the princes, princesses, and consorts enjoying wine and reciting poetry, their figures elegant and graceful, each one a dragon among men. He gently embraced her, returning the pearl and jade hairpin to her hair, and said sadly, "My dear Weiying, this magnificent palace is the life you should live, as for the Western Regions, let me go alone."
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PS:
The link below shows just how beautiful the Mingguang Armor is. I especially love the first colored illustration; Huan She would look stunning in it! (The second one is just so-so; it's full of crude and ugly images.) The last one is a drawing by a master artist depicting someone wearing the Mingguang Armor; it's so impressive I want to hug and kiss him. "The Era of Mingguang Armor," available at /topic_23495.html, Chapter 40.
40. [Spring Rain]
Li Weiying swayed slightly, lowered her head, and whispered, "General Huan..." Hearing her call him that, Huan She felt as if his heart was being torn apart. She weakly said, "Please have the eunuchs come and bring a sedan chair; I can't walk anymore." Huan She exclaimed in alarm, "Is your foot hurt again?" He guessed that he had hurt her while touching her injury earlier, and tried to lift her up. "Don't touch me," she said, closing her eyes and covering her face with her sleeve.
The eunuchs quickly came and carried her away. Huan She chased after her for a few steps in the rain, but finally stopped. He stared at her, her body half-leaning on the palanquin, as the pearl and jade hairpins in her hair came loose again, slipping through the slightly damp silver fox fur and falling into the spring mud more eagerly than the falling petals.
As night fell, the rain didn't stop; instead, it poured down even harder, accompanied by thunderous booms and deafening flashes of lightning that mercilessly struck down. Huan She tossed and turned in bed, the relentless aches and pains from his old injuries, especially the pain from his broken bones, tearing at his body and making him want to break free of his tattered body. He threw back the thin quilt, drenched in cold sweat, grabbed a towel to wipe himself, threw on his clothes, and pushed open the door to leave.
He only had time to glance at the neatly written character "Huan" in clerical script on the lantern before a gust of wind blew it out. Huan She wandered through the chaotic night, pursued by thunder and lightning, roaming the five-courtyard mansion. This was his second night in the Huan mansion in Chongren Ward, a year later. Last time, he had waited for dawn with sweet anticipation, but this time he was lost in confusion and madness in the darkness.
"Not yet full!" He ran through the empty rooms, his hair disheveled.
“Not yet full!” the black holes responded unwisely.
The servants in the mansion were all alarmed. "Master, what happened to you, Master?"
Huan She looked at these unfamiliar faces. "Good, so you've been promoted to the third rank. Even your original fifteen servants have increased to forty-eight. But why am I still all alone?" he shouted. "Get out! Get out!"
"Master, Master!"
Huan She stared at the boy's face under the electric light, "You..."
"Little Circle".
Huan She remembered that this man was one of the earliest servants in the manor. Last spring, he had accompanied him to the West Market to buy jewelry and face powder for Wei Ying. Later, he and another servant delivered Wei Ying's necklace to Bingzhou. A year had passed, enough time for everything to change and for people to be different.
Xiao Yuan obediently said, "Master is not feeling well, please go back to your room and rest." Fu Huanshe slowly walked back to his room, warmed two pots of Xishiqiang wine, and took off his shirt while applying medicinal wine to his body.
The tangled scars on his skin burned under the effects of the medicinal wine, slightly dispelling the dampness and soreness. Xiao Yuan rubbed vigorously, a few times applying too much force and touching Huan She's still-healing wounds, causing him to shudder in pain. "Master, I deserve to die!" Xiao Yuan was terrified, and packed up the medicinal wine to leave. "It's alright, keep rubbing," Huan She stopped her.
The boy's hands were slender, somewhat like a woman's, pushing and pulling... It was like a summer night on Tanhan Mountain, when he had been forging iron all day and had fallen asleep outside his tent, exhausted. Whose gentle hands were these, softly applying badger oil to the scalded wounds from the whipping? Whose concerned eyes were these, waking him from his weary state...
“Not yet full,” he murmured.
The evaporating medicinal wine, mixed with the damp scent of spring rain, permeated every corner of the room, quietly corroding the heart that had sunk into despair.
***
Three thousand drumbeats resounded through the six streets, and at dawn, as soon as the neighborhood gates opened, Xiao Yuan announced, "Vice Minister Cao is here to visit." Huan She, who hadn't slept all night, hurriedly washed up, changed his clothes, and went out. Cao Ling, already arrogantly inspecting the place, was already busy with his own inspection. "Too small, it doesn't look like the residence of a third-rank official," he criticized bluntly, coldly glancing at Huan She's newly tied gold and jade belt with thirteen plaques and fish-shaped gold ornaments. "His Majesty is truly a wise and magnanimous ruler, actually promoting a scoundrel like you."
Huan She recalled how the emperor had been furious yesterday at him for insisting on going to Xizhou and refusing to mention marriage. He had almost ordered the imperial guards to drag him away and beat him, but fortunately, Cen Wenben and Ma Zhou had strongly dissuaded him; otherwise, he wouldn't be standing here alive now. "If I weren't afraid of embarrassing Qin'er, I would have chained you to the Shuntian Gate so that all the officials would know what the consequences of disrespecting the imperial family are!" That was the first time Huan She had witnessed the emperor's wrathful power.
“Although this house is poor, and I certainly don’t have a roof over my head,” Cao Ling brought Huan She back to his senses. “But it was bestowed by the Emperor, and I dare not take it. So, I will stay here temporarily, just to look after the house. I will move out whenever you want to come back.”
Huan She silently followed Cao Ling to the garden. A night of wind and rain had left the garden in a mess. Cao Ling exclaimed happily, "Excellent! Excellent!" Huan She was puzzled. Cao Ling smiled and said, "There were only a few inferior hibiscus trees to begin with, and half of them died last night. Perfect, we can just uproot them all." Huan She calmly replied, "Good." Cao Ling stepped into the center of the garden and gestured for a while. "This is the perfect place to set up a pyrotechnic trap." Huan She's expression changed. "Minister Cao!"
Cao Ling said solemnly, “Back then, because no one paid attention to me in the capital, I often wrote to Meng Han, casually mentioning the fire-throwing machine, which led to your downfall. I felt deeply guilty when I found out later, and from then on, I never touched such strange and ingenious techniques again. However, after witnessing the ferocity of the Battle of Nuozhenshui, I often thought that if we had a fire-throwing machine, I wonder how much effort it would save and how many lives of Tang soldiers it would save. Zishen, you go to the border to fight the enemy, and I will stay behind to develop some powerful weapons.”
Huan She bowed to Cao Ling and turned to leave. Cao Ling called after him, "Are you just leaving like this?" Huan She remained silent for a long time. "Please take care of Wei Ying and make her happy." Cao Ling said angrily, "She wants you." Huan She said sadly, "I... no longer love her. My family is of humble origin. Being with the princess, I only feel inferior in every way. I don't want to be a gigolo." Cao Ling cursed, "Bullshit, all bullshit! When has Huan Zishen ever willingly demeaned himself?... What's your secret?" Suddenly, she grabbed Huan She's hand. "Zishen!" Huan She was startled. "What?" Cao Ling squeezed his hand tightly. "I'm sorry..." Ling regrets it deeply; she shouldn't have stopped you from eloping that day. Otherwise, you two would be living happily ever after, how carefree and joyful you would be! This way, Ling will help you escape, and you can hide far away, no longer needing to worry about fame or fortune.” Huan She gave a bitter smile. “So, Wei Ying had to shield me from arrows all the way on our escape? What you said is all true; becoming an outlaw is not something she deserves. I've thought it through; it's better to withdraw as soon as possible, lest she be heartbroken in the future… Bo Ji, I know you pity and cherish her, but please persuade her; she's a foolish child, often lost in her own thoughts…”
Huan She beckoned to Xiao Yuan, "Are the horses ready?" Then he said to Cao Ling, "Bo Ji, we've known each other for so long, give me a ride." Cao Ling spat heavily, but still sullenly rode her horse to Kaiyuan Gate, a necessary passage for those traveling northwest from Chang'an. Shang Lue, Le Yan, and Yuan Faran had already arrived, and without saying much, they took turns toasting him. Suddenly, two horses galloped up in a Yan Zhai chariot, and Huan She exclaimed, "Wei Ying!" He spurred his horse and rode towards the chariot.
"Wei Ying!" he cried out, feeling his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest. The carriage door opened, and a beautiful woman gracefully said, "General Huan Zishen, the Cloud Banner General." Huan She stood there stunned for a long time, unable to react. "General Huan She, the third-rank Cloud Banner General and Deputy Protector-General of the Anxi Protectorate." Huan She stared blankly at the beautiful young woman before him, trying to imagine her face as Li Wei Ying's.
Cao Ling and the others rushed over. "Your subject greets Princess Chengyang." Huan She suddenly asked urgently, "Where is Wei Ying? What happened to her? What's wrong with her?" Princess Chengyang smiled. "It's kind of you, General, to still remember her. Qin'er is shy and wanted to ask you for a favor, but she was afraid you would give her a hard time, so she asked me to pass on some things." She handed Huan She two brocade boxes. Huan She opened them with trembling hands, only to find they contained precious jewelry. He had expected a letter from Wei Ying or the return of the pearls and jade hairpins he had given her in the past. He stared blankly at the boxes. Cao Ling was also completely bewildered. "What does Your Highness Princess Xianyang mean? This... is it a gift for Huan She's future..." Princess Chengyang snorted. "The princesses of the Tang Dynasty are not that generous. Don't misunderstand. When Qin'er was stranded in Gaochang, she met two sisters. After the fall of Gaochang, they disappeared without a trace. Some time ago, Lord Qiao sent a letter saying that they had been found. Qin'er is afraid that she will never set foot in Xizhou again in this life, so I trouble General Huan to convey my gratitude and friendship."
Huan She felt a pang of pain mixed with disappointment upon hearing Princess Chengyang's nonchalant sarcasm. He gently held Jinhe, whose faint scent still lingered on her skin, and whispered, "Weiying... how is Princess Xianyang?" Princess Chengyang smiled and said, "Oh ho, she's in great spirits. This morning she went with her third and fourth brothers to see the cave, practice pole climbing, and play juggling and sword jumping." Huan She was stunned. He said, "That's good, that's good." His voice was so low that he could barely hear himself.
Princess Chengyang's carriage departed, and Huan She remounted his horse to bid farewell to the others, joining the army heading to Xizhou. "Huan She!" Cao Ling gritted her teeth and caught up with him. "Qin'er has hated puppet shows since she was little, and she detests acrobatics even more. She's not going there to have fun; she's laughing in front of others but crying behind their backs." Huan She stumbled on his horse, nearly falling off, but managed to grab the reins. He spurred his horse and charged to the front of the column, leaving everyone far behind. He cast aside all the love of his life, the ties of three lifetimes, and the deep affection that would last for a thousand lifetimes, into the ceaseless wind, transforming into lingering willow branches and lush blossoms, gently drifting towards the high palace.
Chapter 41
41. 【Marriage】
The Anxi Protectorate, headquartered in Jiaohe, governed 22 prefectures and 118 counties. Its vast territory, bordering the Western Turkic Khaganate, Yanqi, and Kucha, made it a vital transportation route between East and West, and a strategically vital location. Originally a mixed Han and non-Han population, the region had seen a significant influx of prisoners in the first month of the year, with many death row inmates receiving reduced sentences and many convicts and exiles incorporated into the army. Furthermore, having been separated from China for over two centuries, the region was now striving to emulate the Central Plains' customs and traditions after submitting to the Tang Dynasty. Anxi was now a bustling place, yet fraught with underlying unrest. Huan She, then serving as the Deputy Protector-General of the Anxi Protectorate, faced this turbulent situation. He had to assist the Protector-General in reforming the old system, disciplining the mixed army of civilians and bandits, pacifying the Han and non-Han populations, and constantly guarding against a formidable enemy. His burden was truly heavy.
He visited Dahai Village two or three times. The two little white camels had grown up and had a pair of even smaller calves. Only the graceful figure under the pear tree was no longer there. And when he coughed, the one busy boiling seedless dried white grape water was now Aunt Zhao, her back slightly bent. Lying on the hard bed he used to sleep on, there was no more melodious singing outside the window, only the sound of Zhao's new daughter-in-law scolding the children: "So naughty, so naughty, just like your father, always out and never seen again!"
Sometimes, when he couldn't refuse, he would occasionally visit Cheng Yi's house. Cheng Yi was an old acquaintance from the Guazhou army and had now been transferred to Jiaohe. He had once arrested Huan She in the Gaochang Palace and later, at Cao Ling's request, went to Chang'an to ask Lu Shuang to sell the Cao family mansion in exchange for jewelry to imprison Huan She. Now, he was married, and his wife happened to be An'an, a former sister of Li Weiying's music troupe. Another musician, Lü'er, had also married Su Quan, a military officer from Xizhou. Given these relationships, the Cheng family naturally regarded Huan She as a brother.
In early September, the Cheng family held a celebration for the baby's 100-day celebration. Few relatives and friends attended, mostly colleagues from the army. Huan She presented the baby boy with a pure gold dagger, eliciting a flurry of surprise at the banquet. He remained silent, sitting in a corner to drink. The Cheng family, accustomed to his quiet nature, did not disturb him. He drank for some time when a sudden shout, "Deputy Protector, try this!" jolted him awake. Su Quan, who had just arrived from Xizhou, handed him a small wine jar, laughing, "Sorry to disturb you, sir." Huan She, unperturbed, took the jar, broke the clay seal, and downed it in one gulp. "Excellent!" he exclaimed. "I've heard that Gaochang wine is fragrant and potent, with a taste like nectar; it truly is." Greenie chimed in, "Deputy Protector, you don't know this wine is from Wei Ying..." An'an quickly covered for him, saying, "Greenie, come with me back to my room to rest." Huan She gripped the rim of the jar tightly. "Was it sent by Wei Ying?"
Ever since hearing about Huan She and Li Weiying's affair, Lü'er had been quite indignant. Always straightforward, she said, "She wouldn't have expected the Deputy Protector to have the leisure to visit so many people. The wine wasn't sent by Weiying; even the officials don't know her current situation, so how could we have heard? This wine was brewed from the grapes Weiying planted. She jumped over the wall for you, and she angered the little prince several times because of these grape trees. We sisters were all worried sick for her. Don't the officials know any of this?" Having started speaking, she went on to recount Li Weiying's past in Jiaohe, mentioning that after the grape trees were moved to the capital, which is now Xizhou, they were now being cared for by Tang soldiers, and Su Quan's colleague's subordinate was in charge of this position.
Huan She kept drinking from the wine jar, the mouth of which covered his face. Everyone could see his Adam's apple bobbing. Only he knew how many salty tears were also flowing down his throat with the bright red and sweet grape wine.
***
The former Jiaohe Duke's Mansion is now the site of the Anxi Protectorate. In the deep of night, Huan She pushed open a rusty little door and was plunged into a murky darkness. He sat quietly on the cold, dry ground, untied the trousers binding his right leg (not leg wraps, but the wide trousers worn by Tang Dynasty military officers, tied with a rope at the knee for ease of movement), pulled them up, groped for three strands of coarse hemp, spat on them, and then rubbed them back and forth at a steady pace along the fibula on the outside of his right leg with both hands. With a flick, a stroke, and a turn, a thin strand of hemp thread stretched out inch by inch in the dim, cold moonlight. His blistered hands took out a jade pendant wrapped in a cloth from his bosom and caressed it for a long time. He carefully picked up the hemp thread, threaded it through the delicate chain link, and joined the two ends of the broken iron chain together. The cool jade pendant pressed against his heart, yet it felt as warm and comforting as the early spring sunshine.
In late September, Guo Xiaoke, the former governor of Liangzhou, succeeded Qiao Shiwang as the second governor of Anxi Protectorate and concurrently the prefect of Xizhou. Meanwhile, Ashina Yugu, the Khan of the Western Turks, sent Tutun from Shiguo to capture Ashina Bobu, the Khan of the Yibi Shabolo Yehu who was supported by the Tang Dynasty. Ashina Bobu was killed and his tribe was annexed. Ashina then attacked Tokharistan (present-day Khan Abad in Central Asia) to the west. His power grew rapidly and he became increasingly audacious. He even attacked and captured Tang envoys sent to the Western Regions, bullied various countries, and launched an invasion of Yizhou, a crucial hub connecting Xizhou in the west and Shazhou in the south.
This move seriously threatened the Tang Dynasty's control over the Western Regions. The renowned general Guo Xiaoke led 2,000 light cavalry eastward from Wugu (its present name is unknown, but it was likely near Yizhou) for a thousand li to ambush and defeat the Western Turkic army. Yibi Dulu Khan then ordered the Chuyue and Chumi tribes to besiege Tianshan in the west (the Chuyue tribe was located in present-day Xinyuan County, Ili City, Xinjiang; the Chumi tribe was located in present-day Tacheng City, Xinjiang; Tianshan does not refer to a mountain range, but rather to the former Dujin County of Gaochang, the Tang Dynasty's Tianshan County, now northeast of Toksun County, Xinjiang). Guo Xiaoke's army returned to relieve the siege of Tianshan, continuing northward to pursue the enemy for over 300 li, capturing the city held by Chuyue Sijin (northeast of Urumqi, Xinjiang). Then, pressing forward, they fought the enemy at Esu Mountain (a branch of the Tianshan Mountains, Sa'aminger Mountain, southwest of Urumqi), beheading over a thousand and forcing Chumi to surrender.
(This battle is recorded very briefly in historical records, indicating that people at the time did not take it seriously. However, when I look at the map, I realize that the Tang army's two thousand light cavalry galloped east and west, inflicting successive defeats on the main force of the Western Turks and the Chuyue and Chumi tribes. If we also include the return trip to Xizhou, the total distance traveled was nearly three thousand li, and the return journey would have been at the end of October. The historical records do not specify the number of enemy troops, but based on the Tang Dynasty's consistent policy of fighting against tens of thousands with thousands of troops in the early period, the enemy probably numbered at least twenty or thirty thousand. So it was indeed a hard-fought and arduous battle.)
★A Visual Era of Straightforward Longing★ (Scale may vary)
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