Li Weiying asked, "What's the situation?" Qu Zhixiu replied, "I don't think you're interested in knowing, since you're determined to die anyway." Li Weiying said, "Tell me." Qu Zhixiu said, "It's all in the official gazette. I'm too stunned by your beating to remember so much. Go back to your residence and find it yourself." He touched the wound on his forehead, which was still bleeding, and his face looked particularly pale in the flickering firelight. Li Weiying smelled the strong stench of blood and was moved that he had disregarded his own injury to go down into the well to search for him. But he was sometimes gentle and sometimes violent, and his attitude towards her was inconsistent. What was his true nature?
Seeing that she was lost in thought, Qu Zhixiu said to the well, "Put it down." The servant lowered the basket, and Qu Zhixiu pulled Li Weiying up. She cried out in pain as he pulled her. Qu Zhixiu touched her ankle and said, "I only have one hand left, I can't hold you. Bear with it, help me into the basket."
The basket spun and wobbled, bumping against the dark well wall before getting caught and hoisted up. The servants invited Qu Zhixiu and the others to lower the basket down. Qu Zhixiu waved his hand; he had been holding her the whole time, and she was exhausted and terrified, so she didn't pull away. Qu Zhixiu, holding the beauty in his arms, was unwilling to let go, so he instructed the servants to carry the basket back.
Li Weiying sprained one ankle and suffered a minor fracture in the other. After resting for a few days, Qu Zhixiu did not bother her and instead sent someone to inform her of the Tang-Tibet victory.
In August, a Tibetan army of over 200,000 attacked the western border of Songzhou, sending envoys to offer tribute of gold and silk, claiming they were there to marry a princess. Songzhou's governor, Han Wei, hastily engaged in battle but was defeated. The Qiang governor of Kuozhou, Bie Cong Wo Shi, and the governor of Nuozhou, Ba Li Bu Li, surrendered. On August 27th, the Tang emperor appointed Hou Junji, Minister of Personnel, as Grand Commander of the Dangmi Road Army; Zhi Shi Si Li, Right General of the Imperial Guard, as Grand Commander of the Bailan Road Army; Niu Xiu, Left General of the Imperial Guard, as Grand Commander of the Kuoshui Road Army; and Liu Lan, Right General of the Imperial Guard, as Grand Commander of the Taohe Road Army, leading 50,000 infantry and cavalry to counterattack.
On the sixth day of the ninth month, Niu Xiu (whose courtesy name was Jinda, and who was commonly known as Niu Jinda) led the vanguard to the walls of Songzhou. Taking advantage of the Tibetan army's lack of preparedness, he launched a night attack on their camp, killing over a thousand people. Eight Tibetan ministers committed suicide, and the people were weary of war. Songtsen Gampo (the one who was later hailed as a god) had already sent envoys to Chang'an to apologize.
Li Weiying felt relieved, thinking that the Tang Dynasty had only sent 50,000 troops against the enemy's 200,000, and Niu Xiu had only led the vanguard to defeat the Tubo army. In terms of the war, they were indeed unstoppable.
Her feet were still sore, with her right foot being particularly swollen. A maid brought her hot water to soak in, and Li Weiying suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is the hot spring available now?" Qu Zhixiu had instructed the servants to try their best to meet her needs, and given his concerned attitude, the servants all flattered her. The maid immediately replied, "Please wait a moment, Madam, I will go and prepare it right away."
Supported by her maid, Li Weiying walked up the jade steps to the hot spring. Her eyes lit up: two peach trees stood on the steps. It was late autumn, far from the time when peach blossoms should be in full bloom, but the heat had caused them to sprout buds early. Seeing her delighted expression, the maid quickly broke off a peach blossom and handed it to her.
Li Weiying dismissed her maids. Last time, Qu Zhixiu barged in while she was bathing, but this time she dared not be careless. So she took the peach blossoms, put them in her clothes, and gently placed them on the warm water. The hot spring gently washed over her body, the mist before her eyes gradually spread, her consciousness gradually faded, and she slowly slid into the pool.
Last time I fell into the pool, it seemed to remind me of something—that familiar, ambiguous, and vague feeling that I had savored for a long time. Now, as I soak in the soup again, letting my thoughts drift and wander, fragments of memories gradually come together and become clear.
That was last winter, when I had just met Huan She. In the dark, he was going to the hot spring to bathe, and he held my hand as we walked through the pine forest. I felt both nervous and happy in the darkness.
He took off his shirt and bathed his scarred body in the moonlight.
Yes, that's how it is.
His hand was injured, so he couldn't wash his back, and he waded into the water to help him. Huan Lang, you actually hid in the water! Where did your courage to single-handedly kill ten thousand enemies go?
Embroidered ribbons fluttered in the hot spring, and peach blossoms floated in the water, creating a scene full of springtime charm.
Li Weiying smiled.
Huan Lang, when you were hiding in the water, were you also laughing like this?
A sharp pain shot through her scalp as her long hair was pulled up. Li Weiying, wincing in pain, surfaced, blinking her watery eyes. She saw it was Qu Zhixiu, the persistent ghost. He coldly said, "What have you been doing hiding down there? You haven't breathed for so long, are you trying to kill yourself again?" Li Weiying looked at him dazedly, gave a weary "oh," and sank back down.
The hot spring water washed over her, accompanied by soft, murmuring sounds. Qu Zhixiu's voice drifted into the water, sounding somewhat buzzing: "Looking so dazed, who are you thinking about now? Is it that 'paying back money' or 'paying back debts' thing?" Li Weiying spun around in the water, thinking, "It's Huan Huangshe..."
Qu Zhixiu was muttering something on the shore, followed by a woman's giggles. Li Weiying, recognizing the voice as Yanqi, couldn't help but surface. Qu Zhixiu was embracing a plump, fair-skinned Hu (non-Han) maidservant. He glared at Li Weiying: "What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a prince flirting with a commoner?" Li Weiying asked, "Can you speak Yanqi?" The mention of Yanqi evoked a sense of familiarity. Qu Zhixiu replied, "Some Hu people in Gaochang are of the same race as the people of Yanqi, and their languages are quite similar."
Li Weiying hummed in agreement. She had been in the water for quite some time and was a little choked, so she poked her head and neck out, rested her hands on the railing by the pool, closed her eyes, and leaned against it, her mind still filled with the image of Huan She. Suddenly, she heard a phrase she knew by heart: "Lide Hasni Weite." Li Weiying opened her eyes and looked around. Qu Zhixiu was groping Hu Nu's chest and buttocks, muttering "Lide Hasni Weite" over and over again.
Qu Zhixiu's eyes had never left Li Weiying. Seeing her staring at him, he said, "What's wrong? Are you jealous?" Li Weiying said, "Why did you say she was talking nonsense?" Qu Zhixiu was taken aback: "What nonsense?" Li Weiying said, "Didn't you say Lide Hasniwitt?" Qu Zhixiu laughed wildly: "Who told you Lide Hasniwitt means nonsense? Did you get angry when you saw me kiss another woman?" He pushed Hu's woman away, walked to her side, grabbed her arm, and said, "Remember this, that's what you call a mistress. Mistress, mistress, if you want to be my Lide Hasniwitt, then obediently take off all your clothes."
My eyes felt hot. What was it? Was it water? I wiped them with my hand, but the hot liquid kept flowing out.
So, Huan Lang, your casual joke actually meant this. You keep calling me your little lover, and I keep calling you that too, but why won't you tell me the truth? Is it because you're thinking of Cao Ling? Yes, I always thought my heart belonged to him, so I kept dragging you along to find him. But that day, when I almost thought I was going to die, I was calling your name. Qu Zhixiu asked me what you had done to make me call you that.
What have you done for me?
You risked your life to fight the enemy for me, you held me as we slept every night, you taught me archery, you polished a copper kettle for me, and you saved all the most precious water in the desert for me to drink.
When I was sick, you fed me my medicine. When I was tired, you let me lean on your broad chest. When I was sad, you made a funny face to make me laugh. When I cried, you gently wiped away my tears.
Has the arrow wound on your chest healed? Can your legs, which used to tremble with every step, stand firm again? Are your eyes, red and swollen from staying up all night drawing maps, clear again? Has the soreness in your arms from forging iron gone? Can your hands, which used to hold scorching hot spirit stones, still be open and comfortable?
You've done so much for me, why do you never tell me what you want? Is a nonsensical sentence that I've always misunderstood what you're hoping for?
The flowers you once sang about once lingered in the wind, but where have they gone now?
The soft red hairpin you once wore in my hair, where has it gone now?
The faint scent of you once lingered on my shoulder; where has it gone now?
Your footprints, some shallow, some deep, were once in the snow; where have they gone now?
Where have all the stars that once graced your eyes gone?
Where has that gentle kiss you left on my forehead gone?
Where is the person who loves me most in this world now?
You were the person I loved most in this world, but where have you gone now?
Chapter Twenty
20. [Tree of Remembrance]
Li Weiying pleaded tearfully, "Prince, I beg you..." Qu Zhixiu replied, "Beg me for what? You should know my nature. Even if I help you find this so-called debtor to pay off his debts..." Li Weiying sobbed uncontrollably, "It's Huan She." Qu Zhixiu snorted, "Even if you find him, you'll eliminate him as soon as possible. You'd better submit to me obediently." He turned to his attendant and said, "Keep a close eye on my wife. If anything goes wrong, you'll be held responsible."
Half-dreamed, half-tearful
Three parts moonlight, seven parts chaos
The silver lamp flickers, reflecting in the deep mirror
You don't need to look at right and wrong.
In her dream, she seemed to see Huan She standing under a grape tree, whispering, "Wei Ying, do you miss me?" She reached out but grasped only emptiness. She tried to call out to him but could not make a sound. She woke up in a panic and fell back into the endless, lonely darkness.
The faint dampness on my fingertips—I've forgotten when I cried and when I wiped away the tears.
Winter has arrived, and the moonlight outside the window is exceptionally cold and pale. The silver lamp's tip, as small as a bean, casts flickering light on the bronze mirror with its walnut and sea beast patterns. Gently, I turn the mirror over—if your image is not reflected in it, how can I bear to gaze at an empty mirror?
The distant stars disappeared, and it was already dawn. Qu Zhixiu's voice came from beside her: "Qingqing, why don't you wear more clothes?" Li Weiying still looked out the window, as if she didn't hear him. Qu Zhixiu said, "I was going to tell you that I heard there's a small isolated city in the Turkic lands that holds many captured Han Chinese slaves..." Li Weiying exclaimed, "Is Huan She there too?" Qu Zhixiu's face hardened. "He ignores me completely, but he's so affectionate towards this fellow." Li Weiying said anxiously, "Tell me quickly, I'll go to the small isolated city to find him right now." Qu Zhixiu smiled slightly, "I'm not stupid, I'm not letting you go find someone else like Li De Hasniweit." Seeing Li Weiying's flustered appearance, he softened his tone, "Don't think about going there on your own. The situation there is complicated, and there's a lot of war. You might not even find your lover in the Turkic lands, and you'll end up trapped yourself. Actually, it's not just the small isolated city; there are slaves scattered throughout Gaochang and Chuyue and Chumi. Do you think you can find them all? Don't worry, I've already sent people to search separately. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."
Li Weiying said happily, "Thank you." Qu Zhixiu said coldly, "You're welcome. Once I catch him, I will certainly kill him mercilessly, so that he may be reborn as a Buddha and then fall into Nirvana. Now do you know that not only your life, but also his life is in my hands?" Li Weiying exclaimed in surprise, "No!" Qu Zhixiu changed his smile, "Alright, just kidding. I'm all bark and no bite. Why do you look at me like a villain? Hmm, we have a guest today. Change your clothes and come with me." Li Weiying shook her head, "No." Qu Zhixiu sighed, "Why don't you be a little gentler with me? I'll do my best to find him for you. You're only thinking about him. My hand is broken, my head is bleeding, and you haven't asked me a single question?" Li Weiying felt a little ashamed, "Are you feeling better?" Qu Zhixiu smiled but did not answer.
Upon arriving at the banquet hall, Qu Zhixiu asked her, "Can you brew tea?" Li Weiying replied, "I have a basic understanding of tea." Qu Zhixiu said, "Well, it doesn't need to be particularly skillful. They're just a bunch of bumpkins anyway, so a little showing off is fine." He summoned a servant and ordered him to prepare flatbreads filled with mutton and salted fermented black beans. Without even drinking any water, he devoured several large flatbreads, wiped his mouth clean, and said, "Let's wait and see the show."
After the guards finished tidying up, Qu Zhixiu lay half-reclined on the couch, looking listless and weak. Before long, several Gaochang officials led three Turkic officials into the hall. Judging from their tone, they were the Chief Secretary and Military Advisor sent by the Gaochang Magistrate to visit him, and Yijin and Qulichuo sent by the Western Turkic Khan to offer their condolences.
Yi Jin said, "Prince, I recently heard that you fell off a cliff and broke your bones. How come you have so many injuries on your head as well?" Qu Zhixiu said weakly, "You'll know if you ask her." He pointed at Li Weiying.
Li Weiying could only say, "When Prince Shi heard that you gentlemen had come to visit on the important mission entrusted by the King and the Khan, he was so excited that he forgot his manners and bumped his head on the doorframe." Qu Zhixiu looked at her and secretly smiled, then pretended to be in great pain and exhaustion, and said with his eyes half-closed, "Since you have come from afar to see me, I should have prepared a lavish banquet to entertain you, but unfortunately, I am weak and cannot tolerate the smell of meat. Fortunately, my second brother once gave me some fine Yangxian tea from the Central Plains, and this lady has also come from the Central Plains. How about she brews a pot of tea for everyone according to the Central Plains method?" Everyone agreed.
A servant brought out several pieces of green rice cakes and tea cakes, and Li Weiying instructed them to place a copper pot on the stove to boil water. Qu Zhixiu said, "My lady, I specially asked someone to fetch snow water from Tanhan Mountain. Is that alright?"