The Grandmaster Strategist-Volume 6, Chapter 20: Extensive Mercy, Great Love

Volume 6, Chapter 20: Extensive Mercy, Great Love

On the day of the Lantern Festival in the twelfth year of Tongtai, people did not know the ravages of war were approaching, and so they celebrated the triumph in Yangzhou, Huainan by holding a festival at Xuanwu Lake. A host of women competed for beauty, all trying to become the most popular courtesan. The most beautiful among them was Lady Liu, the masses crowning her zhuangyuan. At the time, the mist was particularly cold, and Lady Liu was dancing in the middle of the lake. Mist rose from under her feet, coiling around her tender body. She danced over the waves, the water leaving no mark, and resembled the paintings of fairy immortals. All viewers were intoxicated, and for the next twenty years, no one could triumph over her.

Lady Liu, née Qiao, had the milk name Suhua. Her mother was Lady Qiao, named Xia. She was kind, erudite, and chivalrous, talented as the adopted daughter of Lady Qiao. Also brave and intelligent, she could read rather well. At fourteen, she took a customer onto the pleasure boat only to preserve her chastity. She simply desired a close friend, to seek the charm and art of a grand and noble love that not even money could buy. Unprepared to meet a fickle man, she hanged herself in anger. After she was saved and recovered, Lady Qiao feared she would try to commit suicide again, so ordered servants to watch her.

Lady Liu laughed, saying, “This child will reincarnate after dying. I’ve realized the temperamental ways of the world. Mother, rest easy. Change your business; set up brocade tents on the river to entertain people with the sound of song and the sensuality of dance.”

Lady Liu was elegant and skilled at song and dance, and her rhetoric facilitated it. During the banquets every pleasure boat held, the attendees were captivated by her eyes and figure. She turned all heads.

Lady Liu was open-minded and cared not for valuables like gold and silk. She saved people in emergencies without hesitating to spend her riches and was not afraid of violence. She took a stand on issues as a matter of principle and frequently did good deeds. The people of Qinhuai often received the grace of the courtesan. No matter their age, everyone called her “elder sister.” Lady Liu habitually read books, her favorite line “life is but a dream,” handed down from older generations. She also admired the late courtesan Liu Piaoxing’s conduct and business. Thus, she changed her surname to Liu and renamed herself Rumeng.

—Southern Chu Dynastic Records, Biography of Lady Liu

On the day of the Lantern Festival, the atmosphere inside the city of Jianye reached peak enthusiasm. It was nearing midday, and the Most Popular Courtesan Pageant on Xuanwu Lake was entering its final climax. On the top of the dais constructed in the center of Xuanwu Lake, every woman who wanted to capture the title of most popular courtesan could perform her talents. After performing, she had to ride the pleasure boat and circle the lake so everyone could see her clearly. Wherever the boat passed, guests could throw the flower hairpins in their hands onto the boat. Whoever received the most hairpins was the victor.

The pageant was now entering the third round of competition. The three contestants who received the most hairpins during the second round were the most popular courtesans of Jiangnan, but the three women still needed to go through the third and final round. This final contest would determine the zhuangyuan, bangyan, and tanhua. Although they were all popular courtesans, the different titles would decide who was the Most Popular Courtesan of Jiangnan. As a result, this round of competition became even fiercer.

As for the hairpins created by the gambling dens and brothels of Qinhuai, they were made out of an alloy of gold and copper to harden them. They were shaped like a blossoming peony. One hairpin cost one tael. All on the lake cruised boats on which people could watch the pageant’s guests sell hairpins.

As the first two rounds had been completed, the three women holding the title of most popular courtesan were rather renowned. Myriad Flowers Tower’s Lady Biyan had a charming nature and graceful dancing. Moonlight Pavilion’s Lady Lingyu was as elegant as an immortal and proficient at carrying a tune. The last contestant was Liu Rumeng, who flew her own banner in Qinhuai. Myriad Flowers Tower and Moonlight Pavilion were the most famous of Jiangnan’s brothels, and secretly controlled around eighty percent of Jiangnan’s brothels and gambling dens, so it was natural for their participants to get selected into the final round of the pageant. Liu Rumeng, however, was independent. Entering the final round came purely from the support of the people. Quite a few bordello and brothel owners who usually could only eke out a feeble business between the two great powers secretly helped her, hoping Liu Rumeng could capture the title of zhuangyuan to stick it in the faces of the two great powers.

The weakest performer during the previous two rounds, Biyan, came out first for the final round. Her singing voice was inferior to the other two women’s, though her dancing was superb and outstanding. As a result, she would perform the Sogdian Whirl this time. She wore a white muslin top, the long sleeves flowing like clouds; green, damask silk trousers; and red brocade boots. She had a colored ribbon of light muslin wrapped around her waist, paired with gems and jewelry around her body. Walking onto the brocade felt stage, she looked beautiful and distinguished, her pretty eyes roaming the area. Although she was just standing there, she was already displaying her natural charm and sensuality.

From offstage on the pleasure boat, strings and drums rich with the style of the Western Regions¹ burst through the air. Biyan stood on the tips of her toes and crossed her feet, her left hand on her hip. She lifted her right hand, spinning rapidly with the music. As the music increased in tempo, her whirling dance grew swifter. In the blink of an eye, her face and figure could no longer be seen clearly. Spectators could only see her whirling, long sleeves become the drifting snow and her colored ribbon of light muslin become colorful petals blowing in the wind. The jewelry on her person struck each other, creating sounds of crystal that harmonized with the music. This rare music and dance, as well as Biyan’s graceful and energetic dancing, made the crowds on the lake cheer and applaud in scattered groups.

Others tried to search their memory for the source of this dance, but they couldn’t remember. Some erudite people surmised this dance, the Sogdian Whirl, came from the Western Regions during the time of the Eastern Jin. They couldn’t help but respect the great pains the Myriad Flowers Tower took to resurrect the lost Sogdian Whirl. At the beginning, Biyan’s reputation among the three women was the weakest. Most people regarded her as charming, but she lacked a bit of artistic merit. With today’s dance on the lake, she dispelled everyone’s notion of her seductiveness.

Biyan might have spun around on stage thousands of times, and the crowds watching her were dazzled. They were in a mania, and amid their cheering and applause, the music broke off. Biyan stopped dancing and saluted the distinguished guests all around her. She looked around with charming eyes, in high spirits and glowing. She gained round after round of applause and cheers.

Once Biyan had made a complete circuit of the lake on her boat and returned loaded with hairpins, the Moonlight Pavilion’s pleasure boat approached the dais. The crowds quieted and waited for Lingyu, who’d captured the most cheers, to appear. Lady Lingyu was the administrative courtesan of the Moonlight Pavilion. Her skin looked as pure and noble as the white lotus, her figure slim and delicate, attractive to all who saw her. Her zither skill was second to none, with many skilled zither players ashamed of their inferiority. Even harder to swallow, she had remained chaste to this day. Nobody could pluck this famous flower even now.

After the pleasure boat anchored, the crowds watched the cabin door, waiting for Lingyu to appear. To their surprise, Lingyu never appeared, but a musical phrase from a zither softly drifted out of the cabin. Like the spring dew and petal showers, it seeped into people’s souls drip by drip. And like the dancing snow carrying winter and innocence, it lightly coaxed people into a mysterious fantasy world no one could free themselves from. Once the piece ended, a window opened by itself without help from the wind. The profile of a woman wearing a green robe appeared. When Lady Lingyu played the zither in public in the Moonlight Pavilion, white muslin also covered her face. Only those she invited into the women’s workrooms were allowed see her face. Though she only had her profile facing people today, the crowd’s entire focus concentrated on her. It was almost like no one dared to take a deep breath, all hoping to catch sight of the real face of this woman, who was like a purple lotus flower surfacing. And even though they couldn’t see her beautiful face,² her delicate and lovely silhouette, snow-white skin, and hair black as ink and thick as the clouds had the crowds lost in her infinite beauty.

Meanwhile, on the distant Dreamy Pleasure Boat, Liu Rumeng lightly furrowed her slender brows. “Bravo, Moonlight Pavilion. This truly is an original and creative arrangement. If not for Sir’s help, Rumeng would have lost this round to her for sure.”

Yulun was standing before the window, his hands folded behind his back. Gazing at the Moonlight Pavilion’s pleasure boat, he said, “I may lurk in the brothels, but sadly, my purse is empty. I didn’t have the luck to see Lady Lingyu’s real face. Lady Lingyu’s skill playing the zither is unparalleled, and she doesn’t need to rely on my lyrics to attract clients. However, the few times I’ve listened to her playing, I’ve felt that even though they are the most joyful and gentle pieces, she plays them with a particular sorrow and resentment.”

Liu Rumeng sighed and said, “I once met little sister Lingyu by chance. I felt she had a firm, bitter hatred that could not be reconciled. Speaking of, it’s no wonder little sister Lingyu has a noble and chaste nature. How else could she endure a career in the brothels? This kind of lifestyle truly isn’t something a delicate girl like her could bear.”

Yulun could hear the sincerity in Liu Rumeng’s voice, as well as a lack of any self-pity. It was just like the previous Lady Liu, and a dash of joy passed through him. “Don’t quit today’s competition just because you sympathize with her, Lady Rumeng, okay?” he said with a smile.

Passion burned on Liu Rumeng’s face as she said with a smile, “Sympathy is one thing. I won’t concede.” By this time, Lingyu had ceded the stage, so Liu Rumeng stood up and said, “It’s my turn.” She then walked out of the cabin. She was wearing a pink, embroidered, floor-length gown adorned with lotus leaves. Her movements made it look exactly like a lotus flower floating on the waves, touching people to the core.

A hint of sadness flashed through Yulun’s eyes. He retrieved his flute made from spotted bamboo from his waist and gently stroked it. Of all the instruments, his favorite was the bamboo flute. Because the timbre of the flute was rueful, he could lay bare his heart.

After enjoying Biyan’s and Lingyu’s outstanding performances, the gaze of the crowd full upon the Dreamy Pleasure Boat. After all, Liu Rumeng had come out first place in the previous two rounds due to her new lyrics for the two traditional melodies and her singing. However, as the other two women had made the most of their strengths in this round of competition, Liu Rumeng would likely receive the runner-up title of tanhua if she didn’t come up with something ingenious. Amid the crowd’s eager gaze, the Dreamy Pleasure Boat floated to the middle of the lake. Although, the crowds were curious about the four dinghies rowing behind the pleasure boat, shadowing it. When it reached the dais, twenty-four women in colorful clothing walked out of the cabin of the pleasure boat. Each carried a different instrument. They gracefully boarded the dinghies, and the four dinghies surrounded the dais. A stately woman carrying a pipa flicked her lily-white hand, the strumming of the strings sounding like the thunder of cavalry. Following, the female musicians began to play along, creating a mellifluous and touching tune.

The crowds along the lake began to discuss among themselves. Although Liu Rumeng’s setup wasn’t a rules violation, the three women were so skilled. The big picture wasn’t something average musicians and dancers could change. Right at this time, someone pointed at the middle of the lake and exclaimed, “Mist is rising?” The crowd focused their attention there and saw white vapor and mist spilling off the four dinghies. There was a slight breeze on the lake today, but the mist didn’t scatter and instead condensed. In the blink of an eye, it cloaked the dais. Amid the crowd’s confusion, with the dinghies swathed in mist and the women’s figures vague, a heavenly voice drifted out of the mist.

“Green lotuses grow in the quiet spring,

The morning sun glows them bright and wondrous.

Fall flowers poke out of the green water,

Dense leaves hang and gather like a green haze.

The beauty of the pink flow’rs is unmatched,

But who will praise them for their aroma?

I sit and watch the hoarfrost turn to ice,

And this year’s red flowers wither and fall.

Stubbornness does nothing in any case;

I wish to be entrusted to Jewel Lake.”^{3, 4}

The listening crowds were absorbed in the singing. Compared to Liu Rumeng’s previous two songs, this song exuded a more enrapturing feeling. In an instant, the masses felt sure that an immortal had descended from the Heavens into the mist and was pitying herself. It was like they as mortals had accidentally overheard the soft and warm singing of the heavenly immortals.

When the song ended and the crowds hadn’t gotten their fill, the mist on the dais fell away and much of it dissipated. It revealed a figure dancing to the music, looking like a celestial immortal dancing in the clouds. Her long sleeves fluttered as she danced. Pink muslin curtains surrounded her. The gyration of her narrow waist and her every movement were full of bold and unrestrained beauty and allure. From the mist came the gentle and sweet singing of the songstresses accompanying the pure and meandering music, a vague and hazy illusion.

“Vibrant lotuses foretell auspices,

Peeking out of the water tall and straight.

A singular stem brings green to the scene,

A pair of blooming flowers add the red.”⁵

Along with the singing, the sound of a flute floated out from somewhere. The elegant timbre sounded not of the human realm. And on the dais, the mist was dissipating, revealing the true face of the dais in the middle of the lake. The figure on the dais dancing to the flute attracted everyone’s attention. Her rapid, complex dance moves dazzled the crowd, for her every step was lithe. It was like her graceful, charming figure didn’t have any weight. She leaped and spun on her slender toes on the brocade felt. Her dancing resembled the Lingbo Fairy Maiden and also looked like a sprouting lotus swaying in the wind. The other pipe music had diminuendoed into silence, so only the sound of the one flute faded in and out. The flute and dance fused into one and became inseparable. While the crowds were captivated, the mist and vapor billowed up again, rolling over the dais and covering the thin silk gown adorned with lotus leaves.

“The color stolen from the singer’s face,

The sweet smell blowing around the dance clothes.

If said lotuses had a train of thought,

They would be of one mind, two united.”⁶

The singing coming out of the fog grew more charming, and the dancing on the stage grew more elegant. The white mist once again enveloped the dais, and the singing petered out. The crowds watched the gorgeous dancing gradually get hidden by the mist. Every person felt an unbearable reluctance at the sight. Even after nothing could be seen, they focused all their attention on the mist, hoping to catch another glimpse of the heavenly beauty. In this moment, there was no longer any suspense as to who the zhuangyuan of courtesans would be.

Meanwhile, in a carriage on the shore, a woman crushed the teacup in her hand. Cruel killing intent flitted through her eyes. The woman’s face was caked with makeup and she was dressed in finery. Her brightness and beauty moved people. If someone didn’t know her, they would never believe such an elegant and poised lady was the madam of the Moonlight Pavilion.

At the same time, inside a skiff, a refined and kind-looking, middle-aged man dressed in finery sighed. He stopped playing with the goblet in his hands, looking a tad melancholic. The black-robed Confucian scholar next to him whispered, “Lord, that Song Yu is utterly devoid of gratitude. If he hadn’t been looked after by you all these years, his flesh and bone would likely have already turned to mud. Yet today he’s helping Liu Rumeng win first place. Lord, you must teach him a lesson.”

The middle-aged man sighed softly, however, and said, “This isn’t a bad thing. No matter who wins, whether us or Moonlight Pavilion, we’ll both gain an overwhelming advantage. This will upset the balance. Liu Rumeng winning is not at all detrimental to us. You also know hatred has been sown between Liu Rumeng and the Moonlight Pavilion. Though Liu Rumeng struck out on her own, several brothel women on the Qinhuai River hadn’t received her care and kindness. This time, the Moonlight Pavilion cut corners and coerced those women to work for them with their influence. Who knows how many now nurse a grudge against the Moonlight Pavilion? However, they feared the background of the Moonlight Pavilion, so could only get angry, not speak out. With Liu Rumeng taking zhuangyuan in this beauty pageant, the scattered brothels and pleasure boats must be headed by her in secret. The two strongest powers, us and Moonlight Pavilion, are competing for the neutrals. We had been falling behind, but now that Liu Rumeng has secretly given us a helping hand, it’s an advantage for us. As for Song Yu, he may have pushed it a little far this time, but we can’t harm him. Brother Chen entrusted him in my care, so we can’t arbitrarily make decisions regarding his survival.”

The black-robed Confucian scholar knew this “Brother Chen” was very important. The man was an old friend of his lord. When his lord was preparing to construct the Myriad Flowers Tower, he gained the man’s full support. He got much financial and manpower help to even get to this point. As a result, the scholar only gave a dry chuckle. He had planned for Biyan to capture the title of zhuangyuan and devoted himself to making Biyan learn the long-forgotten Sogdian Whirl. He hadn’t imagined this ending.

At this moment, a man wearing a silk jacket lifted the curtain and entered the cabin. He spoke a few words to the Myriad Flowers Tower Lord. A playful smile dancing on the face of the lord of the Myriad Flowers Tower, he said, “Looks like Song Yu has run into trouble.”

After Liu Rumeng finally captured the title of zhuangyuan, Song Yu’s eyes returned to their icy look. He found an opportunity to leave the pleasure boat and rowed a dinghy back to shore by himself. He would never assume the Myriad Flowers Tower or the Moonlight Pavilion would let things go that easily. They may have tried to stop Liu Rumen from capturing the title of zhuangyuan and found it inconvenient to get rid of her, but an “accomplice” like him had become an eyesore to them. Moonlight Pavilion was famous for throwing their weight around, and their schemes were quite vicious and merciless. He had disrupted their plans, so there was no way they would take it lying down. As for the Myriad Flowers Tower … guilt flickered in Song Yu’s eyes. During the time he was destitute and frustrated in Jianye, the owner of the Myriad Flowers Tower repeatedly gave him aid. He still hadn’t returned the mercy. If the owner sent people after him to punish him, he truly didn’t know how he should respond. However, the first thing he thought of was that he couldn’t implicate Liu Rumeng, so he deliberately left her pleasure boat. He also wanted to give an opportunity for the other parties to act. As long as he found a suitable coping mechanism, it shouldn’t lead to too much trouble.

After Song Yu arrived at a location where the people and mist were rare, he sensed someone tailing him. And the person tracking him seemed to automatically conceal their whereabouts. Song Yu gave a thin smile and kept walking while further hiding his intentions. After turning a corner, he stopped on the path cutting through the woods and waited for the person tailing him to catch up. He gently played with his folding fan, considering whether he should kill his tracker with one blow or spare their life to avoid an irreconcilable grudge with the Moonlight Pavilion.

Light footfalls approached Song Yu’s designated battlefield. Ice-cold killing intent gleamed in his eyes as he softly fanned his fan. The figure trailing Song Yu finally appeared before his eyes, and the movement of the fan in his hands suddenly came to a stop. He gazed at the somber-looking, middle-aged man in astonishment, unable to say even a single word.

The middle-aged man smiled and said, “Yulun, don’t you recognize me?”

Song Yu returned to his senses and lifted his eyes and looked around his surroundings. Several additional familiar figures had appeared behind him. These people were his former peers. Two of them used to be his subordinates. At present, they stood at the highest peaks of their lives, unlike him, who had spent the last two years sinking into depravity. They had an air of gravity and confidence to them. He softly sighed and asked, “Yulun knows not why Lord Chen has suddenly sought out Yulun, but what are your orders?” He didn’t bring up the fact he had retired from the Secret Camp. If that had any use, there was still no harm in not mentioning it. If it didn’t have any use, he didn’t want to give anyone the chance to mock him, especially before his old companions.

Chen Zhen observed Yulun’s calm expression and said, “Two years ago, when you left the Secret Camp to return to Southern Chu, I reminded young master you knew too much and that you ought to be silenced, or restrict you to a location where we could control you. But the young master did not approve. However, Lord Li secretly gave an order that allows me to act with discretion if you do something wrong.”

Yulun’s face gave nothing away. He looked up and said, “I know. Though we originally had a ten-year pact, the young master permitted me to leave and even permitted me to return to Jianye with freedom. He also bestowed riches upon me at my departure so that I, who’d frittered away all my money over the years, wouldn’t have any difficulties traveling. Even now, Yulun sheds tears of gratitude. I had never expected the young master to be so magnanimous. However, I know the young master is always prudent, so I knew people would be monitoring me.”

“Since you already know,” said Chen Zhen with a sigh, “why did you feel the need to say it aloud? If you hadn’t known people were monitoring you, I could have been a little more lenient with you.”

Ridicule flitted through Yulun’s eyes. “I don’t need to hide anything from Lord Chen and my former brothers in arms. If I couldn’t realize people were monitoring me, wouldn’t Lord Chen hold me in contempt?”

“Half a year ago, Quhuang came to see you, learning of your rough and difficult circumstances. Although he was annoyed you didn’t respect yourself, he also worried about you. After returning, he proposed several missions to give to you. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with these tasks, and at least they could ensure you were under our control. However, the mission from three months ago wasn’t supposed to be given to you, someone who had broken away from the Secret Camp. But Quhuang put up a fight arguing on your behalf, so I agreed to it. After all, you originally had a great opportunity. We didn’t force this mission upon you, isn’t that right?” Chen Zhen asked.

“That’s right,” Yulun replied in a sad voice. “I know of the importance of this mission and know of its dangers. The reason I agreed to take it was because your people most likely would no longer monitor me after I completed the mission.”

Chen Zhen said, “Since you took the mission, you shouldn’t have allowed personal affairs to spoil the big picture. But for a Liu Rumeng, you made enemies with the Moonlight Pavilion. Don’t you know who the Moonlight Pavilion is an influence for? Because of today’s events, you might fail and might be forced to give up halfway through the mission. No matter what happens, it’ll affect the young master’s grand design. You should understand young master’s rules. Because of your love affair, you harmed the big picture. This offense is unforgivable.”

Sweat beaded on Yulun’s forehead. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered the danger, but that he still risked it for Liu Rumeng. He also knew it would be difficult to remedy things after the fact, and he’d also thought of the end if he failed. But all this evaporated in the face of Liu Rumeng’s beauty. He murmured, “Since Yulun has committed an unpardonable crime, Lord Chen has every right to punish him. I just wonder, how did Lord Chen so quickly find out about this?”

“I had come for something else. I never expected to see your methods in action here to get a useless and unreliable Liu Rumeng the title of Most Popular Courtesan,” Chen Zhen answered coolly. “What an embarrassment of your skill. Unfortunately, I must take your life today. Many people in Jianye now know of the Moonlight Pavilion opposing Liu Rumeng. And didn’t you tell Shang Chengye about it? If you die, Shang Chengye will probably believe Moonlight Pavilion assassinated you. This is quite a good outcome as well.”

Yulun sneered. “Must Lord Chen twist logic? When will the Secret Camp sacrifice their own people to achieve their big plans? I bet you long ago made your decision to kill me.”

Slight changes appeared on the faces of the people surrounding Yulun the moment these words came out of his mouth. They flicked their eyes to Chen Zhen. Chen Zhen’s expression hadn’t changed. He said, “First, you’re not part of the Secret Camp anymore. Might as well sacrifice you as it’s no obstacle. Second, I’ll never deny I intended to kill you. You just shouldn’t have let me grasp the opportunity. Yulun, if you agree to return to the Secret Camp, I’ll let you off. Will you agree?”

Yulun raised his head. His expression grew icier.

A young man said in a low voice, “Fourth brother, must you be so stubborn? What’s so bad about returning to the Secret Camp? If you don’t want to live like this anymore, you need only bring it up, and you can settle down in the flourishing lands of Great Yong. If you want high status and great wealth, you have a stepping stone. It’s all better than being impoverished in Jianye.”

Yulun gently shook his head and said, “I don’t wish to turn on my brothers. I’m also not an opponent for all of you by myself, so Lord Chen can make his move. My decision is final and will not change.” He then let go of his folding fan and clasped his hands behind his back, standing upright like a proud and aloof pine tree, waiting for Chen Zhen’s order. He didn’t truly wish to not resist, but he truly couldn’t attack his former brothers who’d shared his fate during training. Besides, he knew his brothers surrounding him had already secured and sealed every avenue of escape long before Chen Zhen had come to intimidate him. Since he was going to die, why drag them down with him? If he was to die, so be it. He stopped caring about his life ages ago. So why did a hazy yet beautiful figure of a woman emerge before his eyes?

Seeing Yulun’s indifferent expression, clearly showing he would not resist, sorrow appeared in Chen Zhen’s eyes. He had trained this young man into an elite operative, but now he had to personally kill him. The look in his eyes gradually returned to a grim one. He had to do this. He discovered a long time ago that Yulun would occasionally gaze at Jiang Zhe with resentment. He had brought it up to Jiang Zhe before, but Jiang Zhe only smiled without saying anything. Today, though, he had seized an opportunity, so he certainly wouldn’t let this threat slip from his grasp. So be it if his death brought about an inestimable loss. Thinking of this, Chen Zhen said evenly, “Kill.”

The young men didn’t hesitate for even a moment. The person before them may have been a companion they’d gone through thick and thin with, but they absolutely could not disobey an order. This was the iron law of the Secret Camp.

Yulun’s life hanging by a thread, someone bellowed, “Stop!”

Everyone stopped attacking. It was Baiyi’s voice. After Chiji and Daoli departed one after the other, Baiyi became the head of the Secret Camp.

Chen Zhen furrowed his brows. But strangely, he felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest. He looked in the direction of the voice. A travel-worn and weary young man stood there. “Baiyi, this task is supposed be my responsibility,” he coldly said.

Baiyi went up and saluted. “Lord Chen, how could this subordinate dare to disobey your orders? However, this is an order from the young master himself.” He then handed a letter to Chen Zhen.

After Chen Zhen read it, he sighed softly and rubbed his fingers on the letter. It turned to dust and blew away in the wind. He glanced at Yulun and said distantly, “Make the best of your life. The young master is too kind to you.” He turned and left.

The young men gave Yulun apologetic looks, then jogged off with Chen Zhen.

Even though Yulun had disregarded his life long ago, he still felt a bit weak in the knees after escaping from the maws of death. Seeing the candid sincerity on Baiyi’s face, he gave a bitter smile and sat on the ground. “Baiyi, why did you do that? You’ve offended Lord Chen with your actions. What’s more, you can’t save me a second time. When the two nations had a truce, it didn’t matter that I stayed behind in Jianye. Now that the two nations are at war, the Secret Camp is sure to take many actions. Letting a person like me live in Jianye is not something even young master would rest easy about.”

Baiyi sighed and said, “Since you know of the situation, why did you insist on staying in Jianye? If you no longer wanted to live through bloodshed and scheming, you needed only point it out. Be it Chiji, Daoli, Lü’er, or Hualiu, you could have gone to any of them. Even if you didn’t want to go to them, you could’ve lived in seclusion in the Eastern Sea. Yet you persisted in staying in Jianye. No wonder Lord Chen was suspicious of you. In reality, I’ve never, to this day, believed young master would actually let you go. Why do you think Quhuang tried to get you to undertake this mission? But I didn’t expect Lord Chen to refuse to let you go.”

Yulun fell silent. “Were you the one who sent a letter to young master and retrieved his personal order?” he asked after a long while.

Baiyi briefly smiled. Three months ago, when Quhuang was defending his recommendation for Yulun to execute the mission against the majority opinion, Baiyi anticipated it would be tough for this action to prevent Chen Zhen’s murderous intent. So he covertly sent a letter to the Cold Courtyard requesting a personal order. When he learned two days ago that Chen Zhen was personally visiting Jianye, he thought today’s events might occur. As a result, he traveled night and day to stop it from happening. However, he didn’t mention it, only saying, “Yulun, the young master has done everything in his power to help you. I hope you can figure things out.”

Yulun fell silent again, but a resolute look gleamed in his eyes. He had already suffered great hardship after leaving the Secret Camp and knew he still had a wide road in front of him. But after getting revenge for Liu Piaoxiang, he had no more reason to stay with the Secret Camp. And what place in this world besides Jianye did he feel nostalgia for? He had to die, but he didn’t want to submit. But he also questioned in his heart of hearts whether the young master was being so indulgent because of their former master-servant, teacher-student relationship. Can it be that the young master knows of my identity? That’s impossible. I’ve never met the young master before. I’ve only stolen glances at his face. If this weren’t the case, how would I know the Mrs. Liu the gentleman swore to get revenge for was Lady Piaoxiang?

Baiyi saw there was no way to persuade Yulun, so he shook his head and said, “Forget it, everyone has their own ambitions. Tread carefully. I don’t know how you’ll promote Liu Rumeng, but you need to be cautious. The lord of the Myriad Flowers Tower is an old friend of Lord Chen. He wrote about your whereabouts in Jianye to Lord Chen. And you should know the ins and outs of the Moonlight Pavilion. This time, we can’t show our faces to help you, so be careful. You also need to act faster on Shang Chengye, for the punishment of the Jing family is occurring right now.”

Yulun sighed softly. So it was the Myriad Flowers Tower Lord. These past two years, the lord had taken rather good care of him. He had had suspicions, but only now did he confirm Chen Zhen had someone spying on him. It was as expected. However, because of this, the Myriad Flowers Tower Lord shouldn’t make things difficult for him. Yulun needed only oppose the Moonlight Pavilion now. Realizing this, he felt immense relief.

Baiyi turned to leave, saying, “The Moonlight Pavilion sent trackers after you. Lord Chen dealt with all them. The Myriad Flowers Tower Lord will admit to all this. Don’t worry, Yulun. Make the most of your life.” He paused and hesitated but said nothing in the end. He had wracked his brains to help Yulun this time. If Chen Zhen acted again, he would probably be powerless to help. Letting out a sigh, he disappeared into the dense woods.

Yulun didn’t make a sound. He was lost in thought watching Baiyi’s receding figure. A hint of a tear shimmered in his eyes. Baiyi hadn’t forgotten their ten-year brotherhood. Then what about him? Could he truly forget their ten years of kindness and loyalty?

Footnotes:

1. 西域, refers most often to Central Asia or the Tarim Basin in historical usage; in the time of the Tang, it would have referred to the Saka and Tocharian peoples
2. 花容月貌, huarong-yuemao – idiom, lit. countenance of a flower, face like the moon; fig. (of a woman) beautiful
3. 华池/瑶池 – Jewel Lake, also known as Jade Lake and the Lake of Gems, is associated with the Queen Mother of the West and is located in the Kunlun Mountains in myth.
4. This is a poem entitled “Antiquity, Poem Twenty-Six” (《古风》其二十六) by Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai.
5. This is the first half of a poem entitled “Singing of Lotus Unity” (咏同心芙蓉) by Sui Dynasty poet Du Gongzhan (杜公瞻), which compares the beauty of lotus flowers to songstresses, and the sweet perfume of the women to the breeze generated by their clothes when dancing.
6. This is the second half of the poem entitled “Singing of Lotus Unity.”