Xiang Yu laughed and said, "Don't worry, I will never dare to say such nonsense about women not being in command of troops again. You are much more reliable than me when it matters."
Marshal He walked up the mountain with a smile and chimed in, "Indeed, Muli's battle was a testament to the art of war. It seems my judgment was sound." He reached the ridge and saw Hua Mulan awkwardly pulling her smooth hair back. He couldn't help but ask, "Muli, you look a bit strange?"
Xiang Yu said, "Old Marshal, she is actually..." Hua Mulan became anxious and punched Xiang Yu hard on the back. Marshal He was even more puzzled and asked, "Actually what?" Xiang Yu rubbed his shoulder and said, "She told me not to say."
Old He asked Hua Mulan, "Muli, are you feeling unwell?"
Hua Mulan blushed and said, "I'm fine."
I whispered in her ear, "Sister, we can't hide it from you sooner or later anyway, so why bother pretending?" Mulan remained silent, but seemed to nod slightly.
I turned to Old He and said, "Marshal He, have you always treated Hua Xianfeng as your own son?"
Old He smiled and said, "I was just about to say that. I'm thinking of formally adopting Mu Li as my godson, but I don't know what Hua Xiaoshuai thinks?"
Hua Mulan was greatly embarrassed. The general, who had just been commanding the battlefield, suddenly twisted the hem of his clothes, not knowing what to say.
I interjected, "Adopting a son is definitely out of the question."
Old He paused, then looked at Hua Mulan with a complicated expression and said, "Muli, what do you think? Don't overthink it. I've already submitted the memorial recommending you to succeed as commander to the emperor. You know what kind of person I am, but I also understand that you're not the kind of opportunistic person who kicks someone after they've served their purpose. If you have any concerns, just tell me."
I said to Lao He, "Haven't you always wanted a daughter?"
Old He said, "Yes—but does it matter?"
I pushed Mulan forward and said, "I don't have an adopted son, but I do have a goddaughter. It just depends on whether you're willing to accept her."
Old He was completely baffled and chuckled dryly, "This has really confused this old man. What kind of riddle are you trying to solve?"
Hua Mulan suddenly knelt down in front of Lao He, clasped her hands above his head and said, "Marshal, your humble servant Hua Mulan begs your forgiveness."
"Hua Mulan...who is that? Muli, have you become so overjoyed after driving away the Rouran that you've lost your mind?"
Mulan let her hair down and looked up at Marshal He. Old He took a few steps back, finally noticing something amiss, and said in disbelief, "You...you..." I said from the side, "Marshal, a girl isn't afraid of being called ugly, what she fears most is that people can't even tell if she's a man or a woman. Like us, we have a singer named Li..."
Before I could finish speaking (for fear of getting into trouble), Lao He finally jumped up: "You're a woman?"
Hua Mulan solemnly replied, “That’s right. My original name was Hua Mulan. Ten years ago, the Rouran invaded the border, and the Emperor issued a military policy to recall the old soldiers. My father was among them. Mulan felt sorry for her elderly father and her younger brother who was still a child. So I disguised myself as a man and joined the army. I was fortunate enough to serve under the Marshal for ten years. I have been given a lot of favors. I beg Marshal He to punish me.”
Marshal He took a few steps back as if startled, muttering in a daze, "You...you're actually a woman...punishment? And what crime should you be punished for?"
The soldiers below the mountain were all stunned, speechless, and none of them could utter a sound.
I suddenly shouted, "Punish her? What crime are you talking about? Putting aside the great merit my sister Mulan has made, what crime has she committed? If she had used her father's name, it could barely be considered impersonation, but she used Hua Muli's name, didn't she? As for the gender, does your Northern Wei have any explicit rule that girls cannot join the army?"
Old He hesitated and said, "It seems not."
“Yes, if the law doesn’t prohibit it, then it’s permissible. So girls can join the army. If she’s deceiving her superiors by doing this, then it’s your fault for not asking each person carefully during recruitment. Since none of you asked, my sister didn’t say anything either. Did she swear she was a man? It’s because your application form didn’t have a gender field—” At this point, I suddenly became a little confused and unsure, so I pulled the adjutant next to me and asked, “Is there a gender field?”
Adjutant: "No—well, we don't actually have any data sheets, just the army's roster."
"Again! Since your laws don't prohibit women from joining the army, and you haven't conducted any gender surveys, then my sister hasn't done anything wrong. If you insist on nitpicking, it's just about the names Hua Mulan and Hua Muli. There's nothing wrong with that; Hua Mulan is a former name." I pulled the adjutant over and said, "Does your personnel file include a record of former names? Oh, no need to ask, you don't have one at all."
adjutant:"……"
I delivered my final, triumphant statement: "In conclusion, I, Sister Mulan, am innocent."
Old He, arms crossed, watched me ramble on for so long, and coldly said, "Why did you talk so much nonsense? Did I say I wanted to punish Mu... Lan?"
I was taken aback: "No treatment? You should have said so earlier. I thought someone like you would stick to the rules. Who knew you were struggling with the inner conflict between emotion and law because you've been silent for so long?"
Old He helped Hua Mulan up and said gently, "You are not only innocent, but you have also done a good job. It is not easy for a man to do what you have done, let alone a girl like you."
Mulan said gratefully, "Thank you, Marshal." She added at the end, "Girls are no less capable than men!"
Marshal He carefully examined Hua Mulan's face and smiled, "It seems that I really can't become your adopted son this time. Would you still be willing to be my goddaughter?"
Hua Mulan bowed gracefully again: "Father, please accept my bow."
The hundreds of thousands of Northern Wei soldiers below finally came to life, and after their initial astonishment, they erupted in thunderous cheers and applause.
Old He helped Hua Mulan up, took her hand, and faced the crowd, proudly proclaiming, "My daughter is a hero!"
The soldiers erupted in cheers, shouting, "Hero! Hero!" Those who had finally come to their senses began to murmur amongst themselves: "I never imagined that Muli, who fought alongside us for ten years, was actually a woman." "Yes, I would never have guessed."...
Suddenly, two lines of poetry came to mind, and I shouted down: "Do you know why this is? — This is called 'The male rabbit's feet are twitching, the female rabbit's eyes are blurred; when two rabbits run side by side, how can one tell which is male and which is female...'"
Yu Ji said to Xiao Huan from afar, "Xiao Qiang is truly talented."
Then the crowd started whispering again: "Hey, look at our Vanguard, she's actually quite pretty." "Yeah, yeah, prettier than any girl I've ever seen before."
Mulan had served in the army for 10 years. She used to be careless and easygoing, but now that she had revealed her true identity as a woman, she couldn't bear these comments. Her cheeks flushed, and she lowered her head and hesitated.
Seeing hundreds of thousands of men, each yearning for a beautiful woman, yet unable to find the right way to win her over, I couldn't resist teasing them, "Isn't Mulan beautiful?"
Unfortunately, the men of Northern Wei were not used to this kind of incitement. Only a few bold and shameless old soldiers shouted, "Beautiful!" and then they all laughed shyly. I shouted at them again, "Mulan, I love you!" This time, many more people joined in, shouting along with me in a chaotic manner.
I raised my hands high, leading them to shout, "Mulan! I love you!" At first, only a few people shouted with me, but our ranks gradually grew, eventually drowning out the shouts of the "hero." Hundreds of thousands of soldiers shouted, "Mulan, I love you," the waves of sound rising higher and higher. Their eyes were filled with boundless love and admiration, completely captivated. This is a true heartthrob; I reckon quite a few of these will be single from now on.
Mulan, both anxious and embarrassed, glared at me. Suddenly, she raised one hand and forcefully grabbed and lifted it in the air. This was a tactical maneuver, meaning to halt. The soldiers below, seeing this gesture, instinctively fell silent, straightened their posture, and lined up. Mulan said sternly, "I am still your vanguard. I ask you, has the battlefield been cleaned up? Has dinner been prepared?—On my command, all of you, return to camp!"
The soldiers quickly lined up and, led by their officer, jogged away.
I sighed, "The men of Northern Wei are all made for being submissive!"
Old He held Hua Mulan's hand and said, "Daughter, I'm so sorry for all these years. Please feel free to ask for anything."
I quickly said, "Oh dear, sister, the government is letting you ask for the moon, so please don't be shy." If you ask me, at least I want a job with the same benefits after demobilization, preferably a position where you only get paid and don't have to do any work. I think being the head of the Women's Federation in Northern Wei would be pretty good.