When an emperor rages, a million corpses fall and blood flows for a thousand miles. When Yun Ye got angry, it had no effect at all. The people in his household did whatever they were supposed to do. Except for Xinyue, who held her husband in her arms, stroked his hair, and said she felt sorry for him, then ran out to prepare Runniang’s dowry. In three more days, it would be time for the second son of the Qin family to come fetch his bride.
The whole family had returned from Chang’an to Yushan. Li Er’s remaining grand ceremonies continued. He dispatched swift horses to send his memorial to the East Sea, praying for favorable weather and rain. He dispatched swift horses to send memorials to Mount Tai to be burned, praying for the continuation of his imperial line. He dispatched swift horses to send memorials to North Mang to be burned, hoping to reach a reconciliation with the King of Hell so he wouldn’t take away too many of his subjects. Finally, he dispatched swift horses carrying edicts to pacify the four barbarian tribes, indicating that he didn’t want to raise weapons now and wanted to focus on developing the domestic economy. Of course, another twenty thousand troops were dispatched to the Liaodong region. The excuse used was that the trade routes were unstable and the four classes of people were uneasy. As for why they kept running all the way to the Goryeo border city, the reason was that generals in the field need not accept all imperial commands—the great general was simply acting on his own initiative.
The Goryeo envoys went crazy calling on all the important officials in Chang’an, wanting to invite them to watch Goryeo singing and dancing at Qujiang. They sent countless treasures and beautiful women. Those important officials accepted all the gifts without refusal, smilingly agreeing to watch the performances, and repeatedly told the Goryeo envoys that the general leading troops, Zhang Shigui, was just a fool who couldn’t even read maps, and would order him to turn back. However, they heard that King Gao Jianwu of Goryeo was building a great wall—what could this mean?
The Goryeo envoy answered: “It’s to defend against the barbarian tribes in the north.” All the important officials laughed heartily and left. From this point on, the matter of dispatching troops to Goryeo had been put on the agenda.
Yun Ye hid at Yushan, but a constant stream of news kept reaching his ears. The struggle between monks and Daoists in the Qinling Mountains grew increasingly fierce. It wasn’t until one day when Shishi came crying to ask her master for the best wound medicine that Yun Ye discovered the several monks living in his family temple were already covered in wounds.
Sighing, he took the medical kit and came to the family temple. The water in the basin had already turned dark red. Jue Yuan sat on a round stool, letting Shishi wipe his back. A foot-long gash was splitting open, turning outward. Shishi wanted to cover the wound with medicinal powder, but to no avail.
Yun Ye pushed Shishi aside, took out silk thread from the medical kit, and began stitching the wound. Only after completely stitching it did he apply medicinal powder and properly bandage it. During this time, Jue Yuan didn’t say a word, and Yun Ye didn’t ask a single question.
After Shishi helped her father finish drinking his medicine, she stood behind Yun Ye with her head hanging low. Wherever her master went, she would go.
“Shishi, your Aunt Runniang is getting married tomorrow. Why aren’t you going to her place instead of following your master? Girls should like girls’ matters. As for other things, don’t worry about them. With your master here, nothing bad will happen. Your father is also fighting for his own ideals—whether he lives or dies, he can’t blame others.”
“Master, please don’t drive my father out. He really had nowhere else to go before coming to our family. The constables outside are chasing him fiercely. Master, I beg you, don’t drive my father away.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t drive your father out. It’s actually good now—he’s seriously injured, so he can’t go out and fight anymore. Recuperating properly at home is very good. Hopefully this storm will pass soon.”
“But there’s a constable who keeps watching my father. He says my father killed someone. What should we do, Master? He’s standing guard right outside our gate. I’ve looked several times—he hasn’t moved at all.”
“If he likes to watch, let him watch. Your father has connections with the Emperor. A mere constable doesn’t dare enter our home. All right, your father is resting, so you go help your Aunt Runniang prepare her dowry. Watch carefully—when the time comes, your master will prepare a similar set for you too.” Yun Ye rubbed this sensible little girl’s head, watching her leave shyly.
As soon as Shishi left, Yun Ye’s face darkened. The Emperor still wasn’t satisfied? This great slaughter between Buddhism and Daoism had already become so tragic—why hadn’t he called a stop to it? Now even an eminent monk like Jue Yuan had begun getting injured. One could imagine how astonishing the casualties among other monks and priests must be.
It was laughable, really. Some monks were essentially deliberately seeking death, so that after they died they could pass on their monk’s robes and alms bowl to their disciples who had never been ordained. For the sake of succession, they couldn’t care about their lives anymore. As far as Yun Ye knew, from last March until now, the government hadn’t issued a single ordination certificate, not for monks or Daoists.
Previously, on Li Yuan’s birthday, eighty-one ordination certificates would be issued without fail. But this year’s birthday celebration had been replaced with distributing rice and grain, greatly disappointing the monks and priests who had been waiting with eager anticipation.
Disappointment turned into despair. Desperate people had no rationality—as long as a small spark appeared, it would immediately ignite a raging fire. Who had lit this spark, though, remained unknown.
Peaceful days seemed to be poison to an emperor, especially for someone like Li Er who created trouble when there was none. His greatest pleasure was watching enemies grovel and plead beneath his claws. Yun Ye swore that in this lifetime, he had no intention of becoming Li Er’s combat target.
Before dawn broke, he was pushed awake by Xinyue, who had been busy all night. His younger sister was getting married today, and many guests would be coming—he needed to get up now.
It seemed no one wanted to be a guest at the groom’s family. Zhangsun Chong, Li Huairen and the others had come early. As for Cheng Chumo, the old master had dragged him to the Qin family before daybreak. Since Qin Huaiying was marrying Runniang, the Old Cheng family were natural guests for the groom’s side. Huaiying hadn’t found a best man and had originally planned to make do with his older brother, but now that he had Cheng Chumo, his older brother didn’t need to suffer that misfortune.
Yun Ye entered the embroidery tower and saw Runniang sitting stiffly, uncomfortable. How could he not know what was going on? With a cold face, he said to Xinyue: “Remove the embroidery needles from Runniang’s back. Have you already forgotten the suffering you endured back then?”
Runniang said with a smile: “Elder Brother, it doesn’t hurt. This is the old custom. Sister-in-law endured it back then, and Elder Sister did too. As a married woman, I should endure this suffering. You care for me, and I’ll remember it my whole life. I’m about to marry now. Thank you, Elder Brother, for caring for me so much.”
Having said this, she knelt before Yun Ye and kowtowed respectfully. Every time a younger sister got married, Yun Ye’s mood wouldn’t be good. Xinyue knew her husband’s habits. Seeing that Runniang had finished kowtowing, she said: “You just can’t bear to part with Runniang. I know you’re throwing a tantrum, but right now we need to do Runniang’s facial grooming. It’s not appropriate for a grown man like you to be here. Why don’t you go greet your friends?”
Staying in a room full of women really wasn’t appropriate. Reluctantly, he went downstairs, planning to go see Wang Cai and Wang Cai’s several wives. He had just reached the stable when he saw Dan Ying lying on a horizontal beam, seemingly talking to Wang Cai. He didn’t know what they were saying, but on a day like this, what they said very likely had to do with Daya.
“Since you’re here, come over. Don’t hide behind people eavesdropping. You don’t have that skill anyway.” Dan Ying said lazily toward the flower bed beside the stable.
Yun Ye straightened up from behind the flower bed without a trace of embarrassment at being caught eavesdropping: “If you want to marry Daya, you’ll have to wait a few years. You bunch of fellows—one cuts a piece of flesh from me here, another cuts a piece there. If this keeps up, will I have anything left for myself?”
Dan Ying looked at Yun Ye for a while and said: “You really are a qualified elder brother. I saw Runniang’s dowry list. For a cousin, you’re willing to provide such a lavish dowry. I’m thinking, when Daya gets married, will it be even more lavish? After all, Daya is the legitimate young lady of this household.”
“What’s money? As long as you treat her well in the future, I’m willing to give however much you need. If you mistreat her, my skills aren’t as good as yours, but killing you really wouldn’t be too difficult. Remember these words.”
“You don’t need to kill me. In this life, I, Dan Ying, only love Daya. I wouldn’t trade her even for Diao Chan. If there’s really someone in this world who can kill me, I believe that person would definitely be you. By the way, there’s something I should tell you—my master has come. I heard someone put down a big sum of money, but I don’t know who they want to eliminate.”
Yun Ye had just sat down on the wooden beam when he immediately stood up like lightning and said to Dan Ying: “Your master must be at least eighty years old. I don’t believe an eighty-year-old man still has much physical capability to handle a chaotic situation.”
“Some people can’t be viewed as ordinary. Eighty-year-old men on the estate have to get up to urinate four or five times a night and struggle just to stand up, but my master can still catch wild rabbits barehanded in the mountains, can still tear cloth with both hands. His flying locust stones are as accurate as ever. I heard he even coated a type of poisonous snake called the rice shovel head snake’s venom on his flying locust stones—death upon contact with blood. So these next few days, just stay home. I don’t know who his target is—it might even be me.”
“He’s your master—how could he…”
“He said long ago that he was already old, his energy failing. But after I had a senior martial brother who betrayed him and was killed by him, strangely enough, he seemed to become twenty years younger overnight. He took a concubine and even had a son. I estimate he’s been thinking all along—if he eliminated me too, would he become another twenty years younger?”
“You shouldn’t go out either. Everyone stay home. None of us will go out. We’ll stay home properly and live our own lives. You and Daya can be together, read books, or sing songs. As long as I don’t see any intimate gestures, it’s fine. Don’t run around. It doesn’t matter who dies outside—as long as the people at home are safe.”
“Haha, Elder Brother, this is the first time I’ve called you Elder Brother. Not for any other reason—just for what you just said. You’re treating me as family. Although being a shrinking turtle is a bit pathetic, hearing you say that warms my heart. But it’s fine—right now Chang’an is in chaos, which is the perfect time for people like us to show our skills. I, Dan Ying, will one day climb to the pinnacle of martial arts. This bit of wind and rain can’t stop me. If you don’t want Daya to remain unmarried her whole life, you’d better find me the antidote for the rice shovel head snake. The old fellow’s flying locust stones are too terrifying.”
Having said this, Dan Ying climbed over the wall and hastily left.
Yun Ye stood in the noisy crowd feeling utterly lonely. He helped Runniang onto the bridal sedan chair, gave her a few words of advice, then returned home and shut himself in his study, sitting from daybreak until sunset.