Ji Qingyang took the seal and went to Hengzhou.

Cui Xun and Li Ying continued on their journey toward Lingnan.

The matter of Guo Qinwei’s head had greatly shocked Cui Xun. Even with his strong medicine, his intense anger still caused him to fall ill. He could no longer ride a horse and had to hire a carriage to travel day and night toward Lingnan.

The wheels rolled on, raising clouds of dust. The deaf coachman faithfully wielded his whip, driving the horses at full speed. He knew the handsome young man in the carriage had some influence, but being an honest man, he knew what questions to ask and what not to ask. The young master had paid sufficient silver, so he kept his mouth shut, pretending to be deaf and blind. All he needed to do was safely deliver the young master to Lingnan.

The horses galloped too fast, causing the carriage to bounce constantly. Cui Xun lay on Li Ying’s lap. This arduous journey made his illness increasingly severe. Li Ying stroked his emaciated face. These past few days, he could hardly eat anything, and he had vomited up all his medicine. She had gently urged him not to rush on the journey, to rest for a few days first and recover his strength before continuing to Lingnan, but he stubbornly refused. Delaying even one day meant one more variable; he couldn’t wait any longer.

Especially after seeing the remains of Commander Guo, whom he regarded as a father, so insulted, his grief and anger were extreme, and he could wait no longer.

Li Ying had only tried to persuade him once and didn’t try again. She knew she couldn’t change his mind.

She held him, inexplicably recalling the night of the New Year when she first saw him at the Cui residence. That night, she had seen a minister reviled by all, wearing a white robe, opening the latticed window, his expression cold as he released a tiny insect.

He had been submerged in darkness for too long, but when no one was around, he unconsciously returned to being that pure-hearted Seventeenth Brother of the Heavenly Might Army.

This unconscious behavior was something even he didn’t notice.

He always despised himself, believing he didn’t deserve her affection, yet he was more deserving than anyone else.

Li Ying slowly leaned down, pressing her cheek against his cold face. Since they had pledged their love to each other, there had been more heavy moments than sweet ones. He had deceived her, angered her; he wasn’t a good lover, but she had never regretted it.

How fortunate she was to meet such a tenacious and stubborn soul, to accompany him on a journey to bring back the remains of fifty thousand loyal soldiers.

This path was covered with thorns, rugged and difficult to traverse, but she would accompany him to the end.

Amid the sound of hoofbeats, inside the tightly closed carriage, Li Ying embraced the delirious Cui Xun, leaning down to touch his face. She slowly closed her eyes and held him tightly, feeling his real warmth. No matter what the future held, at least they were together now.

The carriage traveled day and night, finally reaching the Guizhou Post Station in Lingnan after four days.

Cui Xun struggled to his feet, dismissed the coachman, then took out the Empress Dowager’s edict and informed the station’s assistant manager of his identity, asking him to invite Zhang Hongyi, the Governor of Guizhou, to meet him.

By proper protocol, since Zhang Hongyi was a third-rank official and outranked Cui Xun, Cui Xun should have gone to visit him, not the other way around. However, Cui Xun was an official from the capital, and capital officials were typically treated as three ranks higher than their actual rank. The respect and importance given to them couldn’t be compared to officials in remote regions. Moreover, Cui Xun was carrying the Empress Dowager’s edict, making him equivalent to an imperial envoy. So even though Zhang Hongyi belonged to the Qingliu faction at court and wasn’t affiliated with any party, he didn’t dare slight an imperial envoy, as that would violate proper etiquette. Thus, Zhang Hongyi hurriedly came to the Guizhou Post Station.

When Zhang Hongyi entered the post station, he first smelled a strong aroma of medicinal soup. The reportedly arrogant Deputy Chief of the Investigation Department was leaning on a sickbed, pale-faced and coughing constantly. Upon seeing Zhang Hongyi, he supported his ailing body, rose from the sickbed, and clasped his hands in salute: “Thank you, Governor Zhang, for helping Ah’man escape from Guizhou.”

Zhang Hongyi felt quite uncomfortable. He had despised Cui Xun greatly, and when Cui Xun had asked him to take care of Sheng Ah’man, he had sneered, thinking it was just a game of jealousy between two privileged nobles. But later, Ah’man had rushed to the Governor’s Mansion on a rainy night, tearfully begging him to help clear her brother’s name. It was a serious matter, and with only Ah’man’s word, he couldn’t act rashly. All he could do was help Ah’man escape from Guizhou, and he had been following developments ever since.

Ah’man was an extremely passionate woman, so he wasn’t surprised when she rang the Grievance Bell and filed accusations against Shen Que. But what he never expected was that when no court official was willing to stand up for Sheng Yunting, Cui Xun was the first to do so. Moreover, Cui Xun had risked his position and life to implore His Majesty to thoroughly investigate the case. When Zhang Hongyi learned of this from a letter from his friend in the Qingliu faction, he was utterly dumbfounded.

How could it be Cui Xun?

How could it be that sycophant Cui Xun, who was said to fear death and have no shame?

His first thought was that Cui Xun had a grudge against Shen Que, which was why he stood up for Sheng Yunting, actually seeking personal revenge. But he quickly dismissed this idea. All of Cui Xun’s glory and wealth came from the Empress Dowager, and anyone with eyes could see that the Empress Dowager, out of family affection, didn’t want to kill Shen Que. Doing this would only offend the Empress Dowager and bring Cui Xun no benefit.

So what was Cui Xun planning?

He truly couldn’t figure it out.

So he asked his question: “Why is Deputy Chief Cui so concerned about this case?”

Cui Xun still needed a favor from Zhang Hongyi, so instead of dismissing such questions as he usually would, he calmly replied: “Sheng Yunting was my friend.”

“Deputy Chief Cui, friends with a humble lieutenant from a poor family?”

“Fortunate to have found a kindred spirit, regardless of status.”

Zhang Hongyi was stunned. This seemed quite different from the person universally condemned as someone who only pursued wealth and status.

He paused, then asked about another matter that puzzled him. Cui Xun had requested an edict from the Empress Dowager to personally escort Shen Que to Lingnan. It was said that the Investigation Department’s carriage had been attacked several times. Just as he was wondering if Cui Xun could even make it to Lingnan alive, Cui Xun had arrived with minimal escort. He had used a deceptive strategy to fool the assassins. So the question was: who would dare to prevent Cui Xun from reaching Lingnan?

He asked, “Deputy Chief Cui, your carriage was attacked multiple times. Is someone trying to prevent you from reaching Lingnan?”

Cui Xun neither confirmed nor denied: “Governor Zhang already has the answer in mind, doesn’t he?”

Zhang Hongyi snorted, then asked another question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time: “Sheng Yunting went to Chang’an seeking reinforcements because the Heavenly Might Army was trapped. He was killed by Shen Que on his way to seek help. Shen Que and Sheng Yunting had no grudge against each other, so why would he kill Sheng Yunting?” He paused, then directly posed his suspicion: “So, is there something more to the destruction of the Heavenly Might Army?”

This was the first official at court to question whether there was more to the destruction of the Heavenly Might Army. Cui Xun was momentarily stunned, then a feeling of indescribable excitement surged in his heart, like someone who had been walking alone in the night and finally saw a glimmer of dawn. He pressed his lips together, suppressing the complex emotions in his heart, and asked: “May I ask, Governor Zhang, if there is indeed something more, what would you do?”

Zhang Hongyi pondered for a moment, then said: “I, Zhang Hongyi, was demoted and sent here because my temperament was too rigid and not flexible enough. But as a minister, I should be loyal to the emperor, love my country, and adhere strictly to the law. I still have some influence in the Qingliu faction. If there is indeed something more, I would certainly contact various people and submit a memorial to His Majesty to investigate the matter thoroughly.”

Cui Xun’s eyes grew hot with emotion. He looked at Zhang Hongyi and said, “Please remember your words today, Governor Zhang.”

Zhang Hongyi replied: “A gentleman’s word is as good as a team of four horses cannot chase it back.”

Cui Xun felt relieved and nodded: “I have one more request for Governor Zhang. Currently, the main force of the Investigation Department has not yet arrived, but we cannot delay in escorting Shen Que. May I borrow five hundred elite soldiers from Governor Zhang to help me return to Chang’an?”

Previously, given Zhang Hongyi’s level of dislike for Cui Xun, he might have made excuses not to lend the soldiers. But today, he nodded and agreed to Cui Xun’s request.

After Cui Xun expressed his gratitude, their conversation came to an end. However, after this exchange, Zhang Hongyi still couldn’t understand Cui Xun. If someone were willing to sacrifice their life for a friend, they should be fearless. But if fearless, why surrender to the Turks?

He still despised Cui Xun greatly, but vaguely felt that this sycophant might be somewhat different from what he had imagined.

He pondered for a moment, tapping the corner of the table with his folding fan. Suddenly, he asked: “Deputy Chief Cui, in your youth, were you a student of Liu Songbai?”

Cui Xun was surprised; he didn’t know why Zhang Hongyi suddenly asked this. He nodded and said, “Yes.”

“Liu Songbai was my best friend.”

Cui Xun was stunned. Zhang Hongyi opened his folding fan: “He was skilled in calligraphy and painting, most proud of his running script. He once told me that Deputy Chief Cui was the most outstanding student he had ever taught, but unfortunately…”

Zhang Hongyi didn’t finish the latter half of his sentence, but Cui Xun could already guess what it would be. He lowered his eyes. Zhang Hongyi looked at the mountain painting on the folding fan and said, “This mountain painting was done by Songbai, but before he could write an inscription, he passed away. Since Deputy Chief Cui was Songbai’s most outstanding student, why not write a line for this fan?”

Cui Xun used to be skilled in running script, but with his current state of mind, he simply couldn’t write it anymore. He demurred: “I am no longer skilled in running script, and this item is too precious. Governor Zhang should ask someone more talented.”

Zhang Hongyi said, “Songbai once said that of all his students of running script, only Deputy Chief Cui learned it best. If Deputy Chief Cui is no longer skilled, then no one in the world is skilled.”

Cui Xun had no choice. He roughly understood Zhang Hongyi’s intention. Zhang Hongyi was a Confucian official who believed that calligraphy revealed one’s character. He wanted to judge Cui Xun’s character through his writing. Having just borrowed five hundred elite soldiers from Zhang Hongyi, Cui Xun couldn’t refuse again, so he accepted the fan. Brush and ink were already set on the table, and the mountain painting on the fan was spread out. Cui Xun held the brush but found it difficult to start. Zhang Hongyi, thinking he didn’t know what to write, said: “Any words will do.”

Li Ying had quietly come to Cui Xun’s side at some point. She looked at the mountain painting and suddenly said, “Seventeenth Brother, doesn’t this mountain look like Luoyan Ridge?”

Cui Xun was startled. He looked down at the mountain painting. The lush green mountains were just like the verdant woods of Luoyan Ridge back then. But the greenery in Cui Xun’s vision was quickly covered by piles of white bones. His expression became vacant, and his fingers unconsciously tightened around the wolf-hair brush. Li Ying softly said another sentence: “Every part of this mountain has buried loyal bones.”

She said, “Seventeenth Brother, this is not a nightmare, but loyalty written with their blood.”

“Zhang Hongyi is upright and impartial. He has already sensed that there is more to the Luoyan Ridge incident. In the future, when seeking justice, his help will be indispensable. But now, he doesn’t trust you. Though you cannot speak plainly, you can use this inscription to reveal your true heart.”

Yes, he could use this inscription to reveal his true heart.

Cui Xun gripped the wolf-hair brush tightly. One by one, young and passionate faces flashed before him. He took a deep breath, as if wanting to infuse all the resentment and unwillingness of these six years into this piece of paper. He lowered his head, staring at the lush green mountains painted on the folding fan, then dipped the brush in ink. His brush moved like a dragon and snake, and a line of powerful running script filled with emotion gradually appeared before Zhang Hongyi. Zhang Hongyi read each word: “Loyal bones are buried throughout these green mountains…”

Cui Xun’s brush tip moved swiftly across the fan, the writing flowing freely, as if each character had come to life, or as if each character expressed the hearts of fifty thousand men. With a turn of his wrist, seven powerful characters appeared beside the mountain painting: “Pure blood and loyal hearts illuminate history!”