Wei Yuan’s words caused everyone’s gaze to focus on Xu Qi’an simultaneously.
On the city wall, were Lin’an, Huai Qing, and the civil and military officials. Below, the departing troops and the citizens lining the streets.
Xu Qi’an stopped drumming, paused for a moment, and without turning around, laughed aloud: “Lord Wei, after ‘Who in the world doesn’t know you?’, no farewell poem could surpass it.”
He paused, then exclaimed: “How about this humble official composes a ci poem instead?”
The two conversed loudly in front of thousands of people.
Wei Yuan pondered briefly, his smile unwavering: “Very well!”
All eyes instantly fell on Xu Qi’an again. The scholars below and the officials on the wall perked up.
In such a moment, how could there not be poetry to liven the spirits? With Great Liang’s poetry champion present, the literary world was about to gain another immortal piece.
Realizing this, the scholars became excited, eagerly anticipating Xu Qi’an’s ci poem.
Xu Qi’an didn’t stop drumming; instead, he beat more vigorously, the sound echoing thunderously.
He indeed had a ci poem in mind to dedicate to Wei Yuan.
After returning from Chu Prefecture, he had a heart-to-heart conversation with Wei Yuan, learning of his plans against the Northern Border King and his desire to regain military power.
It was then that Xu Qi’an realized this cyan-robed figure, who balanced multiple factions in court, had always wanted to command troops again and fulfill his ambitions, but to no avail.
After the Battle of Shanhai Pass, Wei Yuan was stripped of his military power and confined to the court for twenty years.
Lord Wei, for twenty years, have you dreamed of returning to the battlefield, strategizing for the empire?
He took a deep breath and, accompanied by the drumbeats, channeled his qi and recited loudly:
“Drunk, I raise the lamp to examine my sword,
In dreams, I return to the linked camps with blaring horns!
Eight hundred li under my command, roasting meat for the troops,
Fifty strings play music beyond the frontier, as autumn arrives for muster on the battlefield.”
Wei Yuan was stunned, looking at the young man on the city wall in astonishment.
What a brilliant ci!
The civil officials’ eyes lit up. This line spoke of examining one’s sword while drunk as if returning to the military life of yesteryear.
Given the current situation, they seemed to return to twenty years ago, to that autumn battlefield where troops were mustered when that cyan robe led the army to war.
This was a ci dedicated to Wei Yuan.
Boom boom boom, boom boom boom!
Xu Qi’an drummed vigorously and continued loudly:
“Horses swift as De Lu bows like thunderbolts with startled strings.
Settling the emperor’s affairs across the land,
Winning fame both in life and after death!”
You’ve exhausted yourself for the court, you’ve safeguarded the empire for the royal family, but what have you gained in return?
The court concealed your achievements, and exaggerated the Northern Border King’s exploits, gradually transferring the glory that belonged to you to that beast who committed atrocities for his selfish interests.
The civil officials and literati condemned you verbally and in writing, labeling you as the leader of the eunuch faction as if forgetting who won the Battle of Shanhai Pass, who brought twenty years of peace to Great Liang.
What have you gained in return?
He stopped, and the drumming ceased abruptly.
Xu Qi’an’s voice was loud, but his tone carried deep melancholy as he recited word by word: “How pitiful the white hair that grows!”
On the city wall, the atmosphere suddenly stiffened. Wang Zhenwen and other civil officials stared blankly at Xu Qi’an, pondering over the last line.
An indescribable sense of desolation grew in their hearts.
What moves scholars most is always poetry and ci.
In fact, the officials present all knew what kind of person Wei Yuan was. Even in the heat of their conflicts, they acknowledged Wei Yuan’s character deep down.
It was just a matter of different standpoints.
How pitiful the white hair that grows, how pitiful the white hair that grows… At this moment, even the officials who had been at odds with Wei Yuan for half their lives couldn’t help but feel a lump in their throats.
Biaobiao bit her lip, her brow slightly furrowed. At first, she didn’t feel much, but by the last section, that sense of desolation surged like a tidal wave.
Huai Qing stared fixedly at him, her eyes unexpectedly misting over.
“Damn it, what kind of lousy ci is this? It’s making my nose tingle,” Jiang Lüzhong rubbed his face, muttering.
Among the departing troops, the veterans who had participated in the Battle of Shanhai Pass had moist eyes at this moment.
“Hahaha…”
But Wei Yuan laughed, laughed heartily, laughed until tears formed at the corners of his eyes.
Xu Qi’an, do you know why I didn’t take you as my adopted son?
Because in my heart, you are a kindred spirit!
…
On Mount Qingyun, at the Cloud Deer Academy.
Zhao Shou stood at the mountain peak, his scholar’s robe and graying hair fluttering in the wind. His gaze seemed to penetrate the distance, seeing the departing troops.
“The academy rose with Great Liang, yet Confucianism weakened because of Great Liang.”
His gaze was calm, his tone steady, his eyes showing neither joy nor sorrow.
He stirred up his righteous qi and said loudly: “Wei Yuan, return victorious!”
As his words fell, the power of Confucian words becoming reality entered the void and disappeared.
The next second, the backlash of the spell descended. The righteous qi surrounding Zhao Shou dissipated with a boom, and a crack appeared on his forehead, quickly extending and expanding, like a broken eggshell.
From within the Hall of the Secondary Sage, a beam of clear light shot out, shining directly on Zhao Shou, slowly healing his cracked body.
“One shouldn’t make grand statements lightly, especially concerning a being beyond rankings. Wei Yuan, Wei Yuan, I can only help you this far. Over two thousand years ago, there was a Confucian sage, but now, you’re the only one who can carry this great banner for humanity.”
After speaking, Zhao Shou bowed towards the Hall of the Secondary Sage: “Thank you, Secondary Sage, for saving me.”
Ever since the stone tablet of the Cheng family sage cracked, the power of the Hall of the Secondary Sage had awakened.
…
In the military camp, there were a total of 70,000 troops. Aside from 10,000 imperial guards, the other 60,000 were forces drawn from the capital region and various prefectures.
The remaining forces were in the three northeastern prefectures: Xiang Prefecture, Yu Prefecture, and Jing Prefecture.
The 70,000 troops in the capital were to be divided into four routes heading towards the three northeastern prefectures, with 20,000 taking the water route to Chu Prefecture in the north.
Xu Erlang was among these 20,000 troops.
When it comes to marching armies, the more people there are, the more troublesome it becomes. So for large-scale expeditions, troops are usually divided and then regrouped at a designated location.
What does it mean for 70,000 people to set out?
An endless sea of people, with no visible beginning or end.
As the army set out along the official road, Wei Yuan took one last look back at the capital, inexplicably recalling that young man’s ci.
Settling the emperor’s affairs across the land, winning fame both in life and after death, how pitiful the white hair that grows… Wei Yuan smiled and murmured to himself:
“There’s no need to speak up for me. In serving the country with utmost loyalty, my loyalty is to the state and the people. You should understand that.”
The army slowly moved forward, 70,000 people in a silent march, with only the creaking of wagon wheels, the neighing of war horses, and the clanking of armor.
Amidst this mixture of sounds, the soldiers suddenly heard singing from the horizon.
“Smoke rises, gazing north over the realm, dragons soar and horses neigh, sword qi like frost… Hearts vast as the Yellow River’s waters, who could resist us in twenty years of conquest…”
Some turned their heads in confusion, while others were immersed in the song.
“Hatred drives us mad, long sabers point the way, how many loyal souls of brothers lie buried in foreign lands… What’s a hundred deaths for the country, holding back sighs and tears, speechless with eyes brimming…”
“Horse hooves go south, people gaze north, people gaze north where grass turns from green to yellow and dust flies, I wish to guard the land and expand the frontier, let the magnificent Central Plains welcome tributes from all directions.”
On a distant hillside, a lone rider stood, singing tirelessly like a madman.
Who could resist us in twenty years of conquest?
You must return victorious.
Lord Wei!
…
At the Eight Trigrams Platform of the Celestial Observation Bureau.
The snow-white-robed Director, this time, wasn’t sitting at his desk but standing at the edge, expressionlessly gazing towards the departing troops outside the capital.
“The curtain rises,” the Director said softly.
“The curtain rises?”
From behind came a deep voice, slowly saying: “If that’s the case, how could it be without me, the protagonist, right, Master?”
The Director ignored him, sighing: “In all of Great Liang, only Wei Yuan can lead troops to ‘Jingshan City’. It must be him.”
Yang Qianhuan opened his mouth but couldn’t refute.
The Director withdrew his gaze and said: “Your heart isn’t calm. How can you advance?”
Yang Qianhuan was silent for a moment, then said: “Master, I haven’t left the Celestial Observation Bureau for many days. The outside world probably no longer knows of my fame and doesn’t know that the Celestial Observation Bureau has a Yang Qianhuan. I can’t accept this.”
What fame do you have?
The Director almost pinched the bridge of his nose, saying sternly: “Xu Qi’an didn’t go on the expedition.”
Yang Qianhuan was taken aback: “What does that have to do with me?”
The Director continued: “But he beat the drum on the city wall, composed a ci, and captured everyone’s attention.”
Beating the drum on the city wall, composing a ci, capturing everyone’s attention… Yang Qianhuan trembled with envy.
After a while, he said through gritted teeth: “Master, I want to advance to the Third Rank!”
The Director smiled. At this moment, Chu Caiwei ran up, shouting: “Master, Master, Senior Brother Song Qing is causing trouble with the other senior brothers.”
“Hm?”
“Senior Brother Song said that creation requires passion, and they refuse monotonous, repetitive work. They refuse to forge standard magical tools.”
The Director finally pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone calm: “Tell them that Yang Qianhuan, for defying his master, has been confined to the third underground level, suffering lightning strikes and fire burns as punishment.”
Chu Caiwei nodded: “Alright, this will make Senior Brother Song and the others work obediently. Master is so clever to think of such a brilliant strategy.”
This has nothing to do with cleverness… Yang Qianhuan thought to himself.
The Director sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose again.
Chu Caiwei didn’t realize Yang Qianhuan’s criticism of her intelligence, nor did she pay attention to the Director’s gesture. She scurried to the Director’s side, first glancing at the desk, disappointed to see only wine and no food, then mysteriously said:
“Master, may I ask you a question…”
The Director suddenly felt somewhat gratified.
“I found some strange incantations in a rare book. Could you take a look for me?”
As Chu Caiwei spoke, she pulled out a neatly folded paper from her bosom.
…
“The third day since Erlang left, I miss him, miss him, miss him…”
Xu Qi’an wrote this in his diary.
For the past two days, he had been busy with household affairs and immersed in cultivation. It wasn’t until today, when he took time to check the former emperor’s daily records and couldn’t understand them, that he began to miss Erlang.
Before leaving, Xu Erlang had transcribed all of the former emperor’s daily records, of course, in cursive script.
The text was too long, and using a cursive script saved time. He was about to depart with the army and had no time to write properly.
But this thing has a fixed way of writing, and non-scholars find it hard to understand.
Among the educated in the family, besides Erlang, there was only Lingyue. But Lingyue’s education was limited, and she hadn’t learned cursive script, so she couldn’t understand it either.
“The former emperor’s daily records are too important to show to just anyone. I must find someone new who can read it.”
Xu Qi’an thought for a moment and realized he knew very few scholars. In the Earthly Prosperity Society, there was only Chu Yuanzheng, but he had gone on a military expedition.
At home, only Erlang was a scholar, and he couldn’t expect Second Uncle and Second Aunt to translate for him.
At the Night Watchmen’s Office, Spring Brother, Ting Feng, and Guangxiao were trustworthy, but their cultural level was on par with his own.
The scholars at Cloud Deer Academy would do, but the two-hour round trip was truly too long. Hmm, he could ask Li Miaozheng to fly him there…
Huai Qing was too clever. If he directly handed her the former emperor’s daily records to translate, she would surely ask all sorts of questions.
Ah, Lin’an would do.
Although this girl seemed a bit slow, one shouldn’t underestimate her cultural level. After all, she was a royal princess, and her foundational skills like calligraphy should be fine.
Xu Qi’an thought for a moment and finally chose Lin’an.
He immediately took the thick stack of papers, tucked them into his pocket, mounted his little mare, and clip-clopped off to the Night Watchmen’s Office.
After Erlang’s departure, he could no longer disguise himself as Xu Erlang and use the Hanlin Academy scholar’s token to freely enter and exit the imperial city. But that was no problem; he still had a wide network.
The Night Watchmen’s silver badge allowed free entry to the imperial city, as patrolling the imperial city had always been a silver badge’s duty.
Xu Qi’an borrowed Spring Brother’s token, put on his old official uniform, disguised himself as Li Yuchun, and rode Spring Brother’s mount, successfully entering the imperial city.
…
At Princess Lin’an’s residence.
Xu Qi’an, imitating Spring Brother’s demeanor, arrived at the gate and said to the guard: “This official is Li Yuchun, Xu Qi’an’s former superior and also his close friend. I seek an audience with Princess Lin’an on an important matter.”
He said this to ensure he could see Lin’an smoothly; otherwise, a mere silver badge wouldn’t be enough to warrant an audience with the princess.
Whether it was the name “Xu Qi’an” or the silver badge itself, it was enough for the gate guard to show some respect. Without further inquiry, he merely said “Please wait” and hurried in to report.
Indeed, upon hearing it was Xu Qi’an’s close friend, Lin’an immediately summoned him, choosing to meet in the reception hall.
With her charming peach blossom eyes full of allure, reminiscent of the nightclub queen Biaobiao, she sat behind the large desk, putting on an air of dignity that didn’t match her temperament, and spoke flatly:
“What brings Silver Badge Li to see this princess?”
“Lin’an, it’s me. It’s not convenient to talk here. Let’s find a more secluded place,” Xu Qi’an transmitted.
Biaobiao’s pretense of dignity immediately crumbled, her eyes uncontrollably brimming with joy, which she quickly suppressed. She looked at the palace maids and instructed:
“I have important matters to discuss with Silver Badge Li. None of you are to disturb us.”
In the study, without palace maids and eunuchs, Lin’an said excitedly in a low voice:
“Oh, how did you come? This princess was just thinking that after Xu Ciju left for the expedition, you wouldn’t be able to disguise yourself as him to come play with this princess anymore.”
If it were just to come to play with you, it would be quite easy, Princess Huai Qing would help me… Xu Qi’an walked towards the desk and said:
“I’ve come to see Your Highness on an urgent matter. Um, can Your Highness read cursive script? I have some cursive writing here that I’d like Your Highness to read to me.”
Biaobiao was overjoyed when she heard this, nodding like a pecking chick: “Yes, yes I can!”
Finally, she had a chance to showcase her amazing scholarship in front of this dog of a servant.
Indeed, even if she was a poor student, that was relatively speaking. As a princess, how could she not have some knowledge… Xu Qi’an stood by the desk, happily reaching into his pocket for the papers.
Suddenly, his expression froze, his pupils abruptly fixed.
On the desk lay a book titled “Dragon Vein Geomancy Map”.