In a daze, someone supported her arm. Li Weiying murmured, "Huan Lang..." The person called to her, "Wife, wake up, wake up quickly. Come with me." A scream rang in her ears, and she struggled to open her eyes. She saw Qu Zhixiu had knocked down a servant, who was trying to sneak away to release her, but was caught by the little prince who happened to arrive. Qu Zhixiu grabbed Li Weiying's neck and shook her violently twice. Li Weiying looked at him for a moment and then fainted again. Qu Zhixiu was furious, but still took water and forced her to drink it.
Li Weiying regained some of her senses and was shocked to see Qu Zhixiu dressed in mourning clothes. She exclaimed, "What happened to you?" She had been locked up and no one had informed her, so she had no idea what had happened. Qu Zhixiu said, word by word, “My father has passed away, Tiandi City has fallen, Yao Siding died in battle, and my second brother’s fate is unknown. Scouts reported that a star fell into the city at night, so he is probably dead. The Tang army is at the city gates, and it’s laughable that I’m still foolishly keeping vigil for my father.” Li Weiying exclaimed, “Lord Yao?…” Qu Zhixiu lowered his head and said, “My elder brother has been holding me captive. Just now, I saw the servants running away in a panic, and I realized that the Tang army has already surrounded the capital.” Li Weiying noticed the bloodstains on his body and asked, “How did you get injured?” Qu Zhixiu’s face was icy cold. “I escaped from the royal mausoleum. Anyone who blocks my way will die.” He stared directly at Li Weiying, “You Tang people have harmed my entire family and the whole country. It’s time for you to pay with your life! I’ll take you to the city wall and see how you can be so beautiful that you could topple a kingdom!” He grabbed her hair and dragged her to her feet.
Li Weiying said through gritted teeth, "Let go." Qu Zhixiu replied, "Are you begging me? It's too late now." She smiled gently, "Please have some self-respect. You are a prince of Gaochang, yet you act like a petty clown. I am a princess of the Tang Dynasty, and even in death, I should be treated with respect. Please allow me to prepare myself." Ignoring Qu Zhixiu, she sat down. Since there were no jewels, hairpins, or face powder in her quarters, she emptied a water jug, washed her face, and tied her hair. Though unadorned, she possessed a unique, bright, and refreshing beauty. She reached out to Qu Zhixiu, "Tie me up as you please, but please don't humiliate me." Qu Zhixiu was startled, feeling a pang of shame. "No need," he said, "where can you escape to looking like this?" He simply picked her up, took the horse, and headed straight for the city walls.
The road out of the palace was filled with palace servants fleeing in panic. The situation was chaotic, and everyone was looking for a chance to survive. The government troops were too busy fighting to bother with arrests. Qu Zhixiu rode his horse to the south tower of the city wall, grabbed Li Weiying, and pulled her up the steps. Below the wall, archers were rushing to make bows and arrows, and many workers with iron shackles on their feet were transporting timber and stones for the city's defense.
Li Weiying's limbs went weak, and Qu Zhixiu's hurried dragging her caused her to stumble and nearly fall on the stairs. Glancing down, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure among the people below. Her heart pounded, but she dared not make a sound. Taking advantage of Qu Zhixiu's inattention, she quickly and quietly untied the jade pendant from her neck and tossed it down. Stealing a glance, she saw Huan She pick up the pendant but showed no reaction. She was greatly disappointed. Looking back from her vantage point, she saw him still bent over, but now he quickly kissed the pendant on his lips. Li Weiying was overjoyed and quickly turned her head away. Qu Zhixiu noticed the change in her expression, looked around in confusion, but couldn't figure it out.
Below the city walls, the Tang army stood in disciplined ranks. Their cavalry, swift as horses and rhinoceroses, stretched across the plains, the sound of drums and gongs shaking the heavens and earth. High banners blotted out the sun, long halberds billowed like clouds, and catapults, battering rams, and siege ladders stood ready. The new ruler of Gaochang, Qu Zhisheng, accompanied by officials including Qu Dejun, addressed the Tang army outside the city: "The one who has sinned against the Emperor is the former king, whose crimes are deep and whose punishments are numerous, and who has already perished. I, Zhisheng, have only recently ascended the throne; will Your Majesty pardon him?" Hou Junji replied, "If you can repent, please bind yourself and bring yourself to the army gate." Qu Zhisheng angrily retorted, "I am the ruler of Gaochang; how can I demean myself like this?" Hou Junji waved his hand, and the generals retreated. Several enormous catapults and towering siege ladders, each ten zhang high, were pushed forward. At a command, the catapults were launched, sending thousands of stones raining down upon the city walls. From the high chariot, Tang soldiers loudly reported the whereabouts of the people on the tower: "One king, ten civil officials, fifteen military generals... fleeing westward..."
Under the cover of civil and military officials, Qu Zhisheng hurriedly hid downstairs, terrified. Qu Zhixiu and Li Weiying were coming up the stairs from the other side, and had just reached the city wall when suddenly another large rock came crashing down. Qu Zhixiu leaped and tumbled away, just as the rock was about to hit Li Weiying.
"Wei Ying, watch out!" Li Wei Ying was suddenly tackled from behind, and with a loud bang, a huge rock crashed down, creating a crater in the bluestone of the upper floor. "Huan Lang!" Overjoyed, she didn't have time to speak before Huan She scooped her up and rolled away, dodging another large rock. Li Wei Ying was still shaken when she saw that Huan She's face was covered in blood, and a wound on his head was still gushing blood. She screamed and desperately tried to cover his wound, but the blood continued to flow. She hurriedly tore off a piece of her skirt and pressed it hard against his wound. "Huan Lang, how are you? How are you?" Huan She said softly, "You're pressing so hard, it hurts more than a rock... it hurts more." Li Wei Ying didn't dare to let go for a moment. Looking down, she saw his bare feet, his ankles a bloody mess, still bound by broken shackles, which he had broken by forcibly breaking free of his restraints. Her heart ached with pain and anxiety, and tears streamed down her face.
At this moment, Qu Zhixiu and Huan She stood a few feet apart, facing each other, each with their backs against the parapet, hiding in the blind spot of the catapult's fire. Large stones kept falling, and neither dared to move an inch. Qu Zhixiu stared at them for a while and said, "You are Huan She?" Huan She replied, "Indeed, I am." Qu Zhixiu glanced at the tattoo on his face and smiled contemptuously, "I wondered what kind of heroic figures the Tang princess admired, but it turns out you're a fugitive. Male thief and female prostitute, just as I thought." Huan She's hand holding Li Weiying trembled, "You are the princess?" Li Weiying's face was full of tears: "Yes, aren't you happy?" Huan She hugged her even tighter: "I am even happier." He kissed her, "I never thought that before I die, I could still hope to impersonate a prince consort to protect you."
As the two embraced, Qu Zhixiu chuckled and drew his sword. Huan Li understood immediately. It was dusk; the city walls were unlit, and the Tang army's siege towers couldn't see their targets. The offensive was about to cease. Once the falling rocks slowed, Huan She, wounded and unarmed, would be at Qu Zhixiu's mercy if he came forward.
Huan She released his hold on Li Weiying, gazing at her for a moment. "Weiying, are you willing to die with me?" Li Weiying smiled sadly, "In life, we'd rather share joy; in death, we'd rather share the same grave." Huan She smiled broadly, but his eyes were glistening with tears. "Close your eyes, I'll show you a trick." She quietly closed her eyes, the cool evening breeze brushing against her face. He rummaged around for a moment, then said, "Come on, look at the bright stars."
Li Weiying opened her eyes. Huan She had already lit the spirit stone and thrown it forcefully into the dim sky. The spirit stone shot into the sky, emitting a strong fiery red light.
So bright, so radiant, it is the most dazzling, warm, and affectionate star in the world.
Huan She shouted, "Run!" He and Li Weiying rose and ran towards the stairwell. Qu Zhixiu followed closely behind. Just then, the Tang army saw the fire on the city wall and launched another volley of stones at them. A scream rang out as Qu Zhixiu was struck in the left leg by a stone and collapsed to the ground. Huan She threw Li Weiying beneath him, his back also bearing the weight of two heavy stones. He groaned, enduring the excruciating pain, but still held Li Weiying tightly, refusing to move. She cried out, "Huan Lang! Huan Lang!" After a while, the Tang army stopped throwing stones. Li Weiying struggled to turn over and helped Huan She up, crying, "Huan Lang, wake up!" Huan She's eyes were tightly closed. Li Weiying kept patting and kissing his face, tears streaming down his bleeding face. Both of them were covered in a mixture of blood and tears.
"Huan Lang, you just asked me if I was willing to die with you, how could you abandon me and leave alone!" Li Weiying cried. Huan She slightly opened his eyes, "I forgot... I told you, I'm not willing. You live well..." Before he could finish speaking, he could no longer suppress the surge of blood and coughed up a mouthful of blood. When he tried to open his mouth again, another mouthful of blood gushed out. Li Weiying was terrified, "Don't speak, don't speak, I understand everything!" She reached out and pressed her hand to his lips to stop him from speaking, but blood still seeped from the corner of his mouth. Li Weiying hugged him, her lips pressed tightly against his, and his blood flowed to her lips, warm and salty. Li Weiying desperately resisted the movement of his lips, begging, Huan Lang, on the night of Qixi, I was entangled in your passionate kiss, but now I'm almost breathless from your kiss. I only want your love, your smile, not your love with blood, not your pain, no, Huan Lang, don't die... Huan She gasped again, coughed, and fainted.
Li Weiying cried out, "Huan Lang, Huan Lang..." She touched his neck pulse and found it still beating faintly. Relieved, she saw that Qu Zhixiu, miraculously alive, was slowly getting to his feet, using his knife as a crutch, his left leg covered in blood. Seeing him stagger and limp towards her, Li Weiying panicked. She tried to help Huan She up, but having been hungry for two days and struggling for so long, she had little strength left to lift Huan She's tall frame. Her arms gave way, and she and Huan She fell to the ground together. Trying to sit up again, she saw Qu Zhixiu approach. Unable to move Huan She, Li Weiying bent down to protect him.
Qu Zhixiu, half-bent over and leaning on his sword hilt, chuckled as he panted, "You...you've got guts, actually luring the Tang army to kill me like this..." He slowly reached for Li Weiying, who gritted her teeth and said, "I'll kill you!" She picked up a stone and hurled it at him. Qu Zhixiu cried out in pain, nearly falling as he leaned on his sword hilt, and said with a bitter smile, "I'll help you. If we take him down, he can still be treated." He sighed, "I consider myself to like you, but I could never sacrifice myself to save you. I, Qu Zhixiu, am not a coward, nor am I unaware of a hero's worth. If you still trust me, come with me to take him down the city." Without waiting for Li Weiying's reply, he bent down and laboriously lifted Huan She. But his leg injury was severe and bleeding profusely; he could barely take one step before struggling to move forward. Li Weiying struggled to her feet and helped Qu Zhixiu up; the two supported each other as they approached the stairwell.
Qu Zhixiu called out, "Where is he? Where is he?" No one answered. He cautiously descended the steps. Near the bottom of the tower, the defending general Qu Shiyi led his soldiers to meet him. "Is the young prince still on the city wall? Is the prince injured?" Qu Zhixiu coldly glanced at them, thinking of these cowards. When the Tang army hurled stones, they all hid below the city walls. He had called out from the steps, but no one dared to come to his rescue. His elder brother had vanished without a trace. He was utterly disappointed. Looking down at Huan She, who was covered in blood, he said, "General, please escort this young man and his wife back to the palace and quickly summon the imperial physician."
Li Weiying asked, "Aren't you going back?" Qu Zhixiu ignored her, turned around, and slowly climbed the city wall, leaning against it. Li Weiying couldn't help but call out to him, "What are you doing? Qu Zhixiu, what are you doing?" Qu Zhixiu turned back to look at her, smiled, and then turned back to the city wall: "Don't worry, I'm not going to die." He gripped the wall tightly with both hands, clearly in extreme pain, and gasped for breath: "I'm going to lower myself down the city wall from the west under cover of night to find the Turkic reinforcements. Those bastards promised to cooperate, but now we haven't seen a single one. Are they really going to follow the example of Duke Huan of Qi saving Xing, waiting until my Gaochang kingdom is destroyed before they come?" Li Weiying cried out, "Don't go! The Turks won't come!" Qu Zhixiu snorted, "If they have the guts, let the Tang army shoot me dead!" His injured leg trembled, but he still went back up the city wall without looking back.
Huan She was hurriedly sent back to the palace and carried to Qu Zhixiu's residence. A royal physician was summoned to examine him. It was determined that two of his ribs were broken, and his internal organs were severely damaged. Other external injuries, however severe, paled in comparison. The physician shook his head, then proceeded to fix the fractures and bandage the wounds. Huan She remained unconscious. The next morning, Li Weiying, who had been sitting up all night, awoke to find Huan She still lying face down on the bed, eyes closed, lips pale, teeth clenched. He had been in so much pain in his sleep that he was sweating profusely, soaking the soft pillow. The layers of bandages and thick dressings on his back were still bleeding. Li Weiying stared at him blankly, tears falling one or two drops onto his clenched fist, which was stretched out beside the bed. He suddenly opened his eyes, stared intently at Li Weiying's tear-streaked face, slowly brought his hand to his lips, gently sipped, and tasted her clear, glistening tears. He whispered, "Is there nothing else... to drink? I don't want... such bitterness." After saying that, he fainted again.
Li Weiying wept uncontrollably. She checked his pulse again and found it almost gone. Terrified, she shook him frantically, “Huanlang, wake up! Don’t scare me… Huanlang… Huanlang, Huanlang… You haven’t tasted the grape wine I brewed for you. Get up and drink a cup. You haven’t drunk it yet, how can you leave me… You still want to take me back to Chang’an… Huanlang… You promised to wear that fox fur scarf all the time. Find it and wear it before you sleep, find it! Please wake up and look at me…”
Huan She did not respond. Li Weiying felt as if her heart was about to be torn apart. But then she saw Huan She's fingertips curl slightly and his lips move slightly, as if he had something to say. Li Weiying hurriedly pressed her face to his and vaguely heard him say, "The soldiers die..." Li Weiying wept, "I don't want you to die in battle or die of illness. I just want you to be with me day and night."
Huan She gasped for breath, the burning wind filling his severely damaged lungs, feeling as if it were being slashed by a dull, scorching knife. With the slightest movement, the broken bones in his back rubbed against each other, the pain contorting his face. Li Weiying quickly gripped his hand tightly, wanting him to squeeze it to ease the pain. Huan She gently pulled away, only pinching his own hands together, unable to bear the pain any longer, letting out a groan that broke her heart. Huan She forced a smile and said, "To die a heavy soldier is shameful, to die of illness is shameful… I also regret that I cannot die drunk." Li Weiying wept with joy, "Yes, yes, I'll go get the wine right now, wait for me, I'll be right back." She hurried towards the wine cellar.
Not long after she left, suddenly the earth shook violently, and the deafening roar made Huan She, who was on the bed, sway and almost fall. Suddenly, there was another loud crash, and a large rock broke through the roof and fell down, landing three feet in front of his bed, instantly shattering the blue bricks.
Qu Zhisheng refused to surrender humbly, so the Tang army launched another offensive. They brought rolling logs to fill the moat outside the capital, then used battering rams to smash the city walls, and catapults to hurl huge stones at the defenders. The newly stationed garrison on the city walls perished. The Tang army's towering siege towers, each ten zhang high, stood watch, and anyone who dared to venture out, whether soldier or civilian, was targeted by catapults. Upon a successful hit, the towers would loudly announce the news. Where the stones fell, flesh and brick were pulverized, terrifying the city's inhabitants who hid deep inside their homes. The Gaochang army had no chance to fight back, and everyone scurried about in the shadows. The siege towers specifically targeted the palace, hurling stones at anyone who moved about.
Huan She awoke with a start, witnessing the falling boulders. Remembering that Li Weiying hadn't returned, he was filled with extreme fear. He tried to get up to look for her, but his wounds immediately tore open, his broken bones screaming in pain, forcing him to lie face down again. He bit his lip until it bled, finally gathering some strength to move step by step towards the door, when he heard Li Weiying call out from afar, "Huan Lang!" Then another boulder crashed down with a deafening roar, sending Huan She sprawling against the door. He struggled to get up, but the newly set bones in his back shattered again, blood gushing from multiple wounds.
He cried out hoarsely, "Not yet!"
The surroundings were completely silent, except for the flying and swirling dust and loose stones.
"Wei Ying!" he shouted with all his might. Suddenly, his fingertips felt wet; a thin stream of crimson blood had already meandered to his side. Huan She's heart shattered, his voice breaking with anguish, "Wei Ying!"
Suddenly, he heard her anxious voice: "Huan Lang..." Huan She was overjoyed: "Wei Ying, how are you?" As the dust and smoke cleared, Huan She turned his head and saw her lying on the path outside the door. She tried to stand up, but as soon as she pulled away, another boulder fell. Huan She quickly said, "Don't move, I'm fine." Seeing a pool of blood beside her, he exclaimed in alarm, "You're injured!" Li Wei Ying said, "I just sprained my ankle. But the wine, the grape wine I brewed for you, got broken."
Huan She looked closely and realized that the liquid on the ground was indeed red grape wine, not blood. He had misunderstood in his panic earlier, and felt greatly relieved. He smiled and said, "What's the big deal?" He dipped his finger into the wine on the ground, smacked his lips, and gave a bitter smile. Li Weiying asked, "How does it taste?" She picked up the broken wine jar, which still had a thin layer of liquid left inside. She tasted it and quickly spat it out.
Huan She said softly, "This wine is the best I've ever tasted." She held the broken jar, tears streaming down her face. "Don't try to cheer me up. This wine is awful. I knew the method was wrong when it was brewed, but I just fooled myself and didn't dare to try it." Huan She groaned. He had been in too much pain and had been too tired to shout, so his consciousness had become blurred again. Every time Li Weiying saw him unconscious, she was afraid that he would die. Just as she was about to call out to him, she saw that his body was still rising and falling slightly. She calmed down and quietly watched him with his eyes closed and his brows furrowed. She thought that even though they were so close, it felt like they were separated by the Milky Way. They were worlds apart, and the pain of longing was the same for both of them.
Huan She awoke from a daze in pain, and looked up to see Li Weiying staring blankly, her face a mixture of worry and joy. He parted his lips slightly and asked, "What... are you thinking about?" Li Weiying said softly, "There is a kind of snow mountain bird in the Buddhist scriptures, with one body and two heads, a human face and a bird's form." Her expression softened as she recalled the day she accompanied Qu Zhixiu to Ningrong to view the grotto murals. In the dim candlelight inside the cave, besides the Garuda depicted as extremely evil and with Qu Zhixiu's face, she had also inadvertently glimpsed a strange bird flying above red lotus clouds. At the time, she hadn't paid it any mind. Later, during Qu Zhixiu's imprisonment, she found some scriptures in his residence that he had never read and that had long been covered in dust. She thought that Qu Wentai had devoted himself to Buddhism and shared the same sentiment with his young son, but Qu Zhixiu had never even glanced at them. One of the volumes in the collection, the "Miscellaneous Treasures Sutra," records the two-headed human-faced bird she saw in the Ningrong Cave.
She smiled gently, "Those two heads, one called Jialuocha and the other Youbo Jialuocha, share one body. When one head is awake, the other is asleep." Huan She forced a smile, "You're laughing at me... for always being asleep." Li Weiying stared intently at his bloodless, dark, and thin face, "One head often eats fragrant and sweet fruits, while the other rarely tastes the delicious fruit, only swallowing the rotten and spoiled ones." Huan She tried to laugh despite his pain, "I'm not that miserable!" Before he could finish speaking, another mouthful of blood gushed out.
Li Weiying got up and walked towards him, but Huan She exclaimed in alarm, "Don't move! Weiying, don't come any closer! Be careful!"
Large rocks rained down around them with a deafening roar, but she calmly strode forward, her twisted foot never faltering, arriving at Huan She's side unharmed. Huan She's ribs were broken again, so she couldn't help him up herself. Instead, she bent down beside him, gently hooking her arm around his neck and kissing his bloodied lips, saying, "Though we often bicker, if this head is injured, the other head will also hurt; if that head dies, this head cannot live alone. In Sanskrit, this bird is called Jivajivaka, in Chinese it's called the Life-Giving Bird, the Life-Giving Bird, and many people prefer to call it the Shared-Life Bird." Huan She's eyes filled with tears, "You are Jivajivaka, and I am Ubha Jivajivaka. Whether in life or death, we will never be apart again."
The two embraced, listening to the rumbling of falling rocks that occasionally crashed down beside them, but they smiled at each other, their eyes filled with sweet affection.
As time has passed, I have searched for much.
In this vast world, the greatest regret is missing out on three lifetimes.
I would rather stay with you forever than betray you or me.
Born together, sharing the same fate, laughing at the mortal world.
After an unknown amount of time, a deafening roar shook the mountains, causing roof tiles to shatter and fall. Huan She laughed, "The battering ram has probably destroyed the city walls." Li Weiying said, "The capital of Gaochang will be destroyed in a heartbeat." Suddenly, she recalled Qu Zhixiu's harsh words from the past: "Let's see how you bring down a kingdom!" Had those words become a self-fulfilling prophecy?
The booming sounds in their ears gradually subsided, and in the distance, the faint voices of people chanting hymns could be heard. The two of them, however, remained close together, ignoring the chants. The voices, however, grew louder and louder, louder still, louder and louder: "Gaochang has surrendered, the whole country is united! Gaochang has surrendered, the Great Tang is unified!"
The city actually collapsed.
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P.S.: I forgot the key phrase "倾城" (Qingcheng, meaning "Alluring City") when writing Chapter 41, but I've added it now. It refers to what Xiao Qu said. The novel was initially titled "倾城" because I had this chapter's plot in mind earlier.
The bird of shared destiny: also known as the bird of life or the bird of life, or Jīvajīvaka in Sanskrit.
Wishing all readers a happy Dragon Boat Festival.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Part Four: Longyou
26. [Peach and Plum]
The Tang army, with overwhelming numerical superiority, pressed in, inflicting devastating damage on the capital with its siege engines and battering rams. Coupled with the delayed arrival of Turkic reinforcements, Qu Zhisheng, along with his subordinate Qu Dejun, went to the army headquarters to plead for allegiance to the Tang emperor. Grand Commander Hou Junji immediately ordered his surrender, but Qu Zhisheng still maintained the airs of a sovereign, lacking humility. Deputy Grand Commander Xue Wanjun flew into a rage: "Take the city first! What are you talking to this child!" and led his troops forward. Qu Zhisheng, terrified, broke out in a cold sweat and prostrated himself, saying, "Yes, Your Excellency!"
In the fourteenth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, and the seventeenth year of the reign of King Guangwu of Gaochang, Qu Wentai, on the eighth day of the eighth month of the Gengzi year (the day of Guiyou), Qu Zhisheng led his ministers to surrender to the Tang army by opening the city gates. Thus, the Qu family's Gaochang kingdom, which had lasted for 140 years and had twelve rulers and eleven kings, finally came to an end. The Tang army then continued to divide its forces and conquer territories, capturing twenty-two cities of Gaochang, 8,046 households, 37,738 people, and 1,300 horses. After 203 years of being outside the rule of the Central Plains, Gaochang was finally incorporated into the Tang Dynasty.