Fengcheng Flying General

Chapter 38

Junyu gently stroked the strings and played a very ancient piece. The soft melody came from the tranquility of the valley, and it was incredibly pure.

Tuosang lay on the lush grass, gazing at the sky above, and sang a song: That month I turned all the prayer wheels not for salvation, but only to touch your fingertips. That year I prostrated myself on the mountain path not for an audience, but only to feel your warmth. That lifetime I circled mountains, rivers, and stupas not for the next life, but only to meet you on the way. White cranes in the sky, please lend me your wings. I won't fly far, I'll just return here. But, on that very night, I forgot everything, abandoned my faith, forsook reincarnation, all for that rose that once wept before the Buddha, long since lost its former luster…

Amidst the music, the two exchanged silent smiles where their eyes met, and the song echoing through the valley was like roses blooming one after another in the quiet night.

The slender crescent moon slowly sank, and the echoes of the song gradually faded away in the valley.

Tuosang gently grasped the warm hand beside him, as if grasping a dream that would end the moment he opened his eyes. In this tranquil moment, an overwhelming sorrow welled up within him.

"Junyu".

"Um."

Junyu gazed quietly at the mysterious sky above, so different from the outside world, and softly responded.

"Junyu".

"Yes. I'm here."

“Junyu.” The hand clenched so tightly: “I hope I’m not some kind of ‘Bokdo’.”

“I also loathe war. I loathe the battlefield. In the past, I felt a sense of accomplishment every time I fought a major battle and won. But now I hate this bloody fighting more and more. Especially the kind of inhumane killing where you kill me and I kill you.”

"Junyu." Tuosang's voice was as urgent as his tightly clenched hands: "If we weren't here, if we weren't us..."

Junyu gazed into those eager eyes, noticing the fleeting hint of sadness in them: "But we've always been here. We are still ourselves."

"Yes, we are still ourselves."

Tuosang's eyes were filled with bitterness; what he was tightly gripping was not a hand, but a dream.

"Junyu, do you believe in miracles?"

“No.” Junyu smiled as she watched those eyes slowly dim, then suddenly squeezed the hand that had grown a little cold. “But after meeting you, I’ve started to believe, and I believe even more in hard work.” The strength from those gentle fingertips was so warm that Tuosang’s previously dim eyes suddenly lit up with joy. “Junyu, I believe too.”

Time flows by like water, day and night change in an instant, but the scenery of Namcha Barwa remains as exquisitely beautiful as ever.

Tuosang ran over with a big bunch of flowers he had collected, laughing: "Junyu."

Junyu took the flowers and looked at Tuosang's smiling face. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her: everything under the bright sunlight was more unpredictable than the hazy reality of the night.

She said, "You should get going."

Tuosang's outstretched hand froze for a moment: "Yes, I should get going."

Junyu smiled: "See you at the Snow Festival."

Tuosang nodded, seemingly a little relieved: "Okay, see you at the Snow Festival."

Chapter 112: Identity Exposed (3)

The annual "Snowland Festival" is held in the "Zhexilinka" garden, an annex of the "Holy Palace".

Renowned theatrical troupes from all over the country had already gathered in Bali Town, outside Zheshilinka. Nearly twenty large-scale theatrical performance groups had been preparing for a year to offer a few days of special joy and happiness to the sacred Bokdo, the millions of monks, and the hardworking people of this land.

From the morning onwards, tens of thousands of people flocked into the vast "Zheshilinka" garden. More than a dozen stages were scattered throughout the garden's various pavilions and terraces. People, monks, and laypeople alike chose the stages they liked to watch and enjoyed the lively and vivid traditional arts with great relish.

On the viewing platform of the largest stage in the "Zheshilinka" garden sat a group of highly respected elders, led by "Bokdo". To "Bokdo's" left were a group of distinguished guests, led by the resident minister. Resident Minister Qin Xiaolou was scheduled to arrive later, so his seat was still empty.

Junyu arrived at the "Zhexilinka" garden this morning and hadn't had a chance to meet Qin Xiaolou yet. She originally thought Qin Xiaolou would definitely be in the garden, but his seat was empty.

On stage, a wonderful song and dance performance had already begun, with actors dressed in various local costumes singing and dancing. After the song and dance performance ended, a local theatrical performance began.

At every exciting moment, the crowd erupted in thunderous applause or cheers. When the performance was truly exquisite, even the serene old lamas on stage would show a slight smile on their faces.

Meng Yuanjing, dressed in local clothes, mingled among the thousands of people immersed in the joyful atmosphere of appreciating the drama, but felt no joy at all.

He stared intently at the boy in the first VIP seat on the observation deck, who was watching the play. The boy would sometimes smile, sometimes clap, and sometimes frown slightly.

To the boy's right stood the mysterious "Bokdo," his robes brand new. Sometimes he would glance at the lively acrobatic performance on the stage, and sometimes his eyes would inadvertently drift towards the boy beside him.

Whenever this happened, the boy would glance over unintentionally, and a slight smile would appear in their eyes before they looked away again.

The audience was so focused, and the two men's gazes were so casual, that no one noticed them.

However, Meng Yuanjing not only noticed them, but also noticed every subtle expression and glance from the two of them.

He saw the irrepressible fervor and deep affection in "Bokdo's" eyes, an expression that only a man deeply infatuated with a woman could have.

As if a heavy hammer had struck his heart, Meng Yuanjing involuntarily clenched his fists.

The final act of the day has ended, and "Bokdor" begins to "bless" everyone.

Meng Yuanjing stood in the crowd waiting to pray for blessings. No one ever looked directly into the eyes of the sacred "Bokdo," but Meng Yuanjing stared straight at him without blinking.

He watched as "Bokdor" gently placed his hand on the head of the spirited young man. The young man's expression was solemn, and "Bokdor's" gaze was as serene as when he looked at any of his followers. However, as his hand left the young man's head, a fleeting, painful reluctance flashed across his eyes.

Almost from the first moment he saw him, Meng Yuanjing inexplicably disliked this man, especially after their meeting at Hanjing Garden, which intensified his aversion to him. He had never known the reason before, but now he finally understood.

Meng Yuanjing clenched his fists even tighter, his eyes seemingly about to bleed.

Chapter 16

Meng Yuanjing suddenly recalled that more than a year ago, when the Lahan sect sent people to the capital to secretly report that "Bokdo" had violated the rules and written several love poems for a mysterious woman—the "Thousand Machines Sect" experts had been secretly investigating here for more than half a year, preparing to secretly execute that "femme fatale."

All the officials in the court had witnessed the power of the "Thousand Machines Gate" spies. They could investigate everything from how much money you kept as a mistress or how many bribes you received to what kind of wine you drank every day.

Assassination, bribery, stalking, sowing discord, spying, framing... they will stop at nothing, using every despicable method imaginable or unimaginable.

However, this group of experts, as insignificant as flies, arrived here and found nothing. They could only offer the current "Bokdo" as a "reward" of simply being a lover of poetry and literature.

Now, Meng Yuanjing finally understood why they had returned defeated.

Tuosang stretched out his hand in prayer, then suddenly froze.

He had never seen eyes that blazed with such fury during a moment of "prayer".

The owner of those angry eyes sneered, “Bokdo, it’s been a long time.”

Looking into those eyes at the undisguised mockery and contempt, Tuosang calmed himself and, as usual, completed the ritual.

Qin Xiaolou's voice then rang out, introducing Chiba, who was in charge of foreign affairs: "This is Minister Meng of the Ministry of War. He is Marshal Jun's best friend and my classmate. He just arrived last night."

Junyu had already left, and not seeing Qin Xiaolou, was about to depart when he suddenly heard a voice. He turned around, glanced at the voice, and immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Yuanjing, what are you doing here?!"

Meng Yuanjing felt a pang of sadness, but smiled and walked quickly over: "It's been too long since we last met, I've come to see you." He glanced over and saw that "Bokdo" had already left in single file with the group of monks.

When did you arrive?

“I went to Xining Prefecture first and then to Yushu Town. Lu Ling said you were here, so I rushed over. I only arrived last night. Turns out, you arrived even later than me.”

Qin Xiaolou walked over laughing: "Yuan Jing said he wanted to give you a surprise, so he refused to come up to the observation deck. Haha, I was delayed by something and didn't see you when I rushed over. I thought you had already left."

Junyu was overjoyed: "Yuanjing, if I hadn't turned back, I almost wouldn't have seen you again."

Meng Yuanjing looked closely at the face that was filled with the same unpretentious joy as when they were children, and a slight warmth rose in his heart: "How could that be? I've been watching you all along. Even if you didn't turn around, I would still go looking for you. I'll keep looking until I find you!"

Qin Xiaolou said, "Since we parted ways at Qiansi Academy, the three of us haven't been able to get together for more than ten years. Today, we must get thoroughly drunk."

The two said in unison, "You are the landlord, so of course we will listen to you."

"Haha, you two are still as in sync as when you were kids."

The two looked at each other and laughed at the same time.

The resident minister's residence was brightly lit. The three of them talked about the past and present, drinking one cup of local wine after another. Although it could not compare with the traditional wines of the Central Plains, it had its own unique flavor.

Qin Xiaolou drank the most; his tongue was already a little tied in knots, and eventually he was completely drunk and passed out on the table. The servants who were attending to him immediately came to help him up and take him inside to rest.

Meng Yuanjing had also drunk quite a bit, but he remained perfectly sober. He looked at Junyu's bright eyes and smiled, "Let's stop drinking and go see the night view of this mysterious place." He glanced out the window, "Right now, it's probably not night but dawn."

Junyu had drunk slightly less and was even more sober. He nodded, and the two of them went out together.

By this time, dawn was breaking, and in the distance, the mountains were tinged with white. Outside the mansion was a vast, open space, the grass uneven, patchy like a leprosy scabbed field, while a large patch of bushes in front was very dense and neat, its green almost black in the dim morning light.

Meng Yuanjing looked at the distant sky for a long while before saying calmly, "Before I left this time, the cabinet submitted a secret memorial during the morning court session, accusing the current 'Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces of the World' of being a woman."

Prime Minister Zhu had been plotting for a long time, and it was quite remarkable that he only sent someone to secretly report this now. Junyu was already prepared and calmly smiled, "Really? It startled you back then, didn't it?"

Meng Yuanjing was a little surprised to see that she didn't ask about the emperor's and the court's reactions, but only asked about him. He said, "Yes, it gave me quite a fright. I'm afraid that the informant has ulterior motives."

Junyu smiled.

"Zhu Yu and Wang Jun both testified for you, so the Emperor ordered that the fabricated memorial be buried forever."

"Thank you." Junyu smiled. "Actually, I don't care what others speculate or doubt. They will definitely continue to cause trouble."

Meng Yuanjing stared at her and said, word by word, "No matter how others doubt me, I have never dared to doubt them. I have even forced myself many times not to have wild thoughts, because I am afraid of insulting my best friend."

Junyu was shocked and remained silent for a long time.

Seeing her long silence, Meng Yuanjing noticed that as the sun rose, her eyelashes closed her eyelids, and her face was unusually pale.

Meng Yuanjing wanted to burst into tears, but forced a smile and said in a light tone, "Handsome men like Song Yu and Pan An have existed since ancient times, but none of us have ever seen them. Fortunately, we have Junyu as a model for us to look at. Sometimes, even I can't help but think, 'How wonderful it would be if Junyu were really a girl.' Besides, those people with ulterior motives. Just ignore those rumors. I will always believe in you."

Seeing that Junyu was still silent, he asked softly, "Junyu, what's wrong?"

Junyu had completely calmed down by this time and smiled, "Yuanjing, is this your first time here? What do you think of the scenery?"

“It is indeed completely different from the outside world.” Meng Yuanjing sighed, “Years of fighting have exhausted both the body and the mind. Your life must be even more difficult in that harsh northwest.”

"Yes, I now particularly loathe war and the battlefield, and I wish I could return to ordinary life."

"After several battles, Hu Wang's main force has been basically annihilated, and Zhenmutier has also fled thousands of miles away. The entire northern front has finally settled down, and you can have some easy days."

Junyu recalled that Zhou Yida, Zhang Yuan, Lu Ling, Lin Baoshan, and others were now basically capable of handling things independently, especially Zhang Yuan, who was a strategist with the bearing of a great general. Even if he wasn't in the Northwest Army, having them guarding it was enough. As for Sun Jia in Phoenix City, he was being put to good use and making the most of his strengths, so he didn't need to worry about him at all.

Meng Yuanjing added, "However, according to custom, I'm afraid you will be going to the capital to report on your duties."

Junyu paused for a moment before saying, "Yuanjing, I don't want to go back to the capital."

Once you return to the capital, leaving again will be as difficult as climbing to heaven.

"Why? That memorial has been ordered to be buried by the emperor. Who would dare to spread rumors now?"

"It's not because of the memorials; I despise the power struggles and scheming in the court more than the battlefield. I want to change my way of life."

Meng Yuanjing pondered for a moment: "Actually, Emperor Taizu's 'releasing military power over a cup of wine' was a good thing. However, now, the emperor wants to use us to restrain Prime Minister Zhu and is waiting for you to come to the capital. Expecting him to easily let you retire from the army and return to your hometown with 'releasing military power over a cup of wine' may not be so easy. Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. If you really don't want to come to the capital, we must think of a way that satisfies both sides."

"Yes, I'm thinking about it now. I haven't completely decided yet, but I'll definitely let you know when I've thought it through."

Meng Yuanjing nodded: "Alright, whatever decision you make, I will support you. Once you've arranged everything, we should really find some time to go sightseeing."

“However, you have just been promoted to Minister of War and have already taken three months of leave. I’m afraid it will be very difficult for you to take another long leave in the future.”