Heaven is the shore of mortal dust

Chapter 129

One night, in the same place, she kissed three men. Then, her mind went completely blank, and she felt she should be drowned in a pig cage.

From that moment on, she wanted to escape.

For the first time in her life, she was bewildered by love. She felt powerless and didn't know how to face it. Perhaps, all along, she had been running away.

In the face of the enemy, she was so proud and brave, so strategic, so rational, and so calmly laid out every meticulous plan.

But when it came to matters of the heart, she became an ostrich, burying her head in the sand and constantly trying to avoid the situation.

She was afraid of hurting others. Love is bittersweet, and painful—a kind of pain that can be like poison, burning one's heart. He wasn't ready to accept such a heavy emotion. She was still young, wasn't she? She was still young; don't force her.

She longed to escape, to escape far away, back to Deer City, back to Deer Ridge Valley, to spend a few peaceful days with her master, Dieyun, far away from these feelings that made her feel so lost.

She just wanted a peaceful and carefree life, not wanting to be shackled by love, she really didn't. She always believed that people become foolish once they fall in love with someone.

But how should she deal with their feelings? Perhaps, if she doesn't give, she won't hurt them; if she doesn't accept, she won't disturb her own heart.

Let it all go with the wind.

She stood there, lost in thought, completely unaware of the person standing behind her. Until that person drew near.

A gust of wind swept by, carrying away all her thoughts. She turned around, looking at the person who had come, and placed her hand on the long knife wound on his face. "Yun De, let's go to Lucheng. I'll take you to find your master to heal your wounds." She smiled gently, her eyes overflowing with tenderness. Her voice was soft and gentle, and seemed, too, weary...

She spent the entire morning in the garden.

When Li Tianqi came to pick her up, she was sitting under a ginkgo tree by the pond, sculpting clay figures. She sculpted her master, then Dieyun, and then Ashina Yugu, sculpting one by one the people she missed and the people who stirred tenderness in her heart.

The wind lifted a stray strand of her hair, which tangled against her clear cheek. She was so focused that she didn't notice the person approaching from behind.

Then, a ginkgo fruit fell on her head, and the person who came forward knocked the mud off her hands.

"Look at you, you're filthy! The mighty King of Dayu is sitting on the ground playing in the mud. If word gets out, people will laugh their heads off." Li Tianqi pulled her to a flat wooden plank set up by the pond, lowered her hands to dip them into the water, and washed them clean. Then, he lifted his robe and dried her hands. He did all this with great concentration, his long eyelashes drooping.

Wei Zijun stared at his face, somewhat lost in thought. Suddenly, her body felt light as Li Tianqi lifted her upper body above the pond. He supported her back and pressed her down little by little, causing Wei Zijun to slowly fall into the pond.

A wicked smile played on his lips. "I remember someone once pushed me into the pond."

Seeing her back getting closer and closer to the pond, Wei Zijun grabbed Li Tianqi's collar in fright, "No... don't throw me!"

He dragged her by the back, grinning wickedly as he pressed his body even lower.

Then, his smile vanished. He looked at her, his dark, moon-like eyes as deep as the sea, swirling with enormous eddies.

He bent down, lifted her head, and kissed her lips.

Wei Zijun blushed slightly, her eyelashes fluttering gently, and he slowly pulled her closer...

The swans in the water suddenly cried out, startling her awake. In that instant, she thought of Lianwu, that frail woman; she couldn't hurt her. The next moment, she gently turned her head and slid away from Li Tianqi's lips.

Their faces flushed, they rose and sat back down under the tree. Li Tianqi took out a snow-white, translucent jade pendant. "Zijun, whose is this?"

Wei Zijun stared at it, then paused, "It seems like you have one."

“Yes,” Li Tianqi answered affirmatively, “but this piece is yours.”

"Mine?" Wei Zijun was a little surprised and reached up to touch her body.

"It fell out of your arms last night." After saying this, both of them blushed again.

"That was given to me by Liu Yunde." Wei Zijun took back the jade pendant, and suddenly a thought flashed through her mind. It seemed that Li Tianqi also had a jade pendant like this. Then she remembered their similar faces, as if something was about to surface.

"Liu Yunde? Liu Yunde?" Li Tianqi murmured, lost in thought for a long time.

After a moment, Li Tianqi composed himself and looked at Wei Zijun. "Zijun, your second brother has something to tell you. When I was little, I lost a younger brother. That brother had this jade pendant on him."

"Huh?" Wei Zijun stared at Li Tianqi in surprise, her lips agape. "But Liu Yunde is a child of the Liu family. He was born into the Liu family when he was an infant."

"Look at you, your mouth is so wide open." Li Tianqi pressed his index finger against Wei Zijun's lips. "I'll have someone investigate."

...

The sun was high in the sky when the two of them got up and went to the palace. The luxurious carriage passed through Jinchengfang and headed straight for the palace's main street.

Because the large carriage was covered with thick brocade quilts, the bumpy ride wasn't too tiring. In this era, there were no sedan chairs; people only rode in carriages when traveling on mountain roads.

Li Tianqi rested his head on Wei Zijun's shoulder. "Zijun, I'm sleepy."

"If you're sleepy, lie down for a bit." Wei Zijun glanced at the long couch. Although it couldn't accommodate Li Tianqi's height, she figured she could at least bend her legs a little.

"Okay, Second Brother didn't sleep last night." Li Tianqi looked at her expectantly, hoping for a response.

"How can you not get some rest? You have to get up early every day for court, it will be very tiring." Was he satisfied with this kind of comfort?

"Second brother missed you. He missed you all night." He finally said what he wanted to say.

Wei Zijun remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "Second Brother, we are brothers."

Li Tianqi was stunned for a moment, his eyes dimming slightly. "I know, Second Brother knows, we're brothers. But you can't stop me from missing you."

Then, he lay down on her feet, pulled her left hand to his lips and rubbed it. Wei Zijun felt her face instantly burn. Afraid that he would see her embarrassment, she raised her right hand to wipe her face with her sleeve, her gaze sweeping out the car window.

Outside the window, the sun shines brightly, its dazzling light stinging the eyes. The ginkgo trees lining both sides of the road are laden with clusters of orange-yellow fruit, warm, substantial, and unpretentious.

The refreshing autumn breeze blew in through the gauze curtains, gradually fading the blush on my cheeks.

The carriage trotted along, quickly passing through the side street and arriving at the government office.

The carriage curtain was gently lifted by a eunuch, and a pair of delicate silver boots stepped out. Then, that moon-like figure came into the view of the guards. Such a figure could not be ignored, and such an aura could not be overlooked.

Everyone waited anxiously for the incredibly distinguished person to alight from the carriage. The eunuch's hands ached from exhaustion, but there was no sound from inside.

Wei Zijun, who was standing to the side, stepped forward in confusion to look. "Your Majesty, we've gotten out of the carriage."

"My legs are numb!" Li Tianqi said lazily.

Wei Zijun was stunned, and the surrounding guards were shocked. This tone!

Wei Zijun coughed. "Even if my leg is numb, I still have to get off. Let's get off later." His leg was numb? It was hers that was numb! He had been using her as a pillow the whole way, and she had endured the numbness to get off, hadn't she? What was he being so fussy about?

Li Tianqi glanced at her awkwardly, as if he had been wronged. He stood up in a huff, but just as he was about to take a step, he deliberately leaned towards Wei Zijun and fell over.

Surprisingly, this big guy couldn't even get out of the car properly, so Wei Zijun reached out and hugged him in a panic.

When she hugged him, her face touched his chest.

At that moment, her heart skipped a beat. His chest was warm, with a light, fresh scent of grass and a refreshing, sweet taste.

At that moment, she remembered how he had thrown Zhefu's body into the cold carriage for her sake; at that time, his body was frozen solid.

At that moment, a gentle pang of heartache welled up within her. But at the same time, she thought of He Lu, of his unwavering devotion, of his distant, watchful gaze, of his seemingly abandoned pain, of his childlike sadness. Her heart ached again.

Why force her to face all of this? It will hurt her heart.

She took a deep breath and gently put him down. He looked at her, a hint of slyness on his face, a slight pursing of his lips as if he had succeeded, a hint of a sweet smile on his face, and then took her hand.

Wei Zijun's face flushed slightly, her eyelashes drooping low, not because of Li Tianqi, but because of the astonished gazes of the surrounding guards. Two men holding hands like this in public—who knew what they would be wearing tomorrow? She might even become his male concubine again. Her reputation would probably be hard to shake off.

During this period, the memorials sent by the Western Turks piled up like a small mountain, the vast majority of which concerned the Tibetan Empire's constant provocations on the border.

The Tibetan Empire, bordering Songtsen Gampo to the east, extending to Brahmania in the south, encompassing the Four Garrisons in the west, and reaching the Turks in the north, spanned over ten thousand li (approximately 5,000 kilometers). This demonstrates its strength. Songtsen Gampo, a brave and warlike ruler who ascended to the throne at the age of thirteen, trained his army, quelled rebellions, unified various tribes, established the Tibetan slave-owning regime, and successively subjugated the Supi, Domi, Bailan, Dangxiang, and Yangtong tribes, further increasing his power. Now, however, he has become a threat to the Great Yu.

Looking at the mountain of memorials, Wei Zijun frowned.

When she saw a folded piece that was at least three feet long when stretched out, her heart sank.

The memorial had a striking title: Khotan and the Turgesh tribes, in alliance with the Tibetans, intend to invade Anxi.

Volume 3, Dayu Chapter 114: Heartache

In the autumn of the second year of the Jiande era of the Dayu Kingdom, the Western Turks of Khotan and the Turgesh tribes rebelled and joined forces with the Tibetan army to invade Anxi.

The Four Garrisons of Anxi were established when Wei Zijun first came to Dayu. They were four important garrisons of the Western Turks: Kucha, Yanqi, Khotan, and Shule. They were jointly governed by the Anxi Protectorate under Wei Zijun, hence the name Four Garrisons of Anxi.

The Four Garrisons of Anxi were a crucial passage for the strategic plan, a vital trade and transportation route between the Central Plains and the Western Regions, a golden corridor of the world, and the southern gateway to the Western Turks. Losing them would have put the Western Turks in a precarious situation.

Having learned of the news early on, Wei Zijun immediately gathered a large number of troops to reinforce the Four Garrisons of Anxi. She transferred the troops of Ashina Misha, the current Protector of Kunling, and Ashina Buzhen, who was appointed Protector of Mengchi by Li Tianqi, to the Four Garrisons. She also blocked the communication between the Four Garrisons and the outside world, thereby preventing the occurrence of alliances with foreign enemies within the Four Garrisons.

Meanwhile, Wei Zijun secretly sent people to investigate, deliberately revealing a flaw so that the four garrisons could send out the documents. Then, they intercepted them midway and learned that the real situation was not what it seemed. In reality, the Gongyue tribe had joined forces with Shule and Tibet to launch a pincer attack on Khotan from both inside and outside. They then led the Tibetan army to Kucha, captured Kucha, and exposed the royal court to the enemy.

Thus, Wei Zijun understood that Khotan had been wronged. Otherwise, how could two Tu Tun stationed in Khotan not know about the Khotan rebellion? It seemed that after the lesson learned last time, the two managers, Fu Zha Xin and his son, were still behaving themselves.

Therefore, Wei Zijun revised her strategy, ordering Ashina Misha to garrison Khotan and Ashina Buzhen to garrison Shule, openly controlling and protecting Khotan and Shule. This blatant action was merely intended to delay the enemy's advance and signal to them that the plan had been exposed.

If Wei Zijun were in the Western Turkic Khaganate, she would definitely have used the opportunity to defeat the rebels and the Tibetan army in one fell swoop. But now, being thousands of miles away, she cannot issue a strategy in time, so she can only delay the Tibetans and the rebels before making any further plans.

The remaining task is to control Gongyue. Gongyue may be controlled, or it may be impossible to control it and a campaign against it may be launched. It is difficult to grasp the right balance. While Wei Zijun was worried about who should lead the troops to Gongyue, Helu volunteered to go to the Western Turks to attack Gongyue.

Upon learning this news, Wei Zijun mounted her Tesaru and headed to Helu's residence. Since the battle of Jiannan Road, Li Tianqi had bestowed a general's mansion upon Helu, partly to honor Helu's achievements and partly out of personal motives. He couldn't bear the thought of Helu living with Zijun, so he gave Helu the mansion furthest from Wei Zijun. As a result, Wei Zijun saw Helu less often.

Every time Wei Zijun came to He Lu's residence, she didn't need to announce herself; the servants all recognized her.

Upon entering the courtyard, Wei Zijun saw He Lu standing in front of a clump of Emperor Chrysanthemums, dressed in a white robe, seemingly unaware of anyone's arrival.

Wei Zijun pursed her lips, picked up a small stone, and threw it, which hit him squarely on the forehead. He Lu turned around in surprise, and when he saw the radiant man, his eyes lit up.

"He Lu, do you want to volunteer to go to the Western Turks?" Wei Zijun walked to his side.

“Yes, I can’t let them destroy the Western Turks.” He broke off a chrysanthemum and fiddled with it in his hand.

“But I’ll worry about you if you go there. It’s better if you don’t go. I’ll plan everything so that nothing goes wrong.” Wei Zijun watched him fiddling with the chrysanthemum in his hand and suddenly felt that he was very lonely. He must be very lonely all by himself in this mansion.

“I want to go.” He Lu lowered his eyes. “To go there, and walk the path we walked together again.”

Wei Zijun was startled by his words and looked up at him.

He Lu suddenly looked up. "Feng, did you ever like me?"

Wei Zijun was taken aback. "I like it. I've always liked it."

"So, do you like Zhang Shi?"

Wei Zijun fell silent. She thought of that refined and elegant man, a man who stirred a tender feeling within her, a sense of trust and warmth, a subtle, indescribable feeling, like a gentle breeze on a grassy slope. She had always liked him, ever since they were in the Western Turkic Khaganate.

"I like it," she replied.

A hint of pain flashed across He Lu's face. "Then do you like him?" The "him" he was referring to was naturally Li Tianqi.

“He Lu, don’t ask these questions. You don’t understand how I feel. I love every one of you, including my master, Dieyun, Liu Yunde, and many others. These are all my family. I love them, I want to take care of them, I want to take responsibility for them, and I will protect them at all costs. So, it’s not what you think.”

"But I only love you, and my love for you is different from my love for you. It's deeper. I want to be with you for the rest of my life, and I want to hold you in my arms every night when I sleep. Sleeping alone is really lonely."

Wei Zijun was somewhat shocked upon hearing this. She gazed at him quietly. Was this his confession?