After Shen Que confessed to his crimes, the cat ghost case was officially concluded. However, Pei Guanyue had clearly instructed his Taoist subordinate to ambush and kill Jiang Liang, which meant he was also informed about the matter. Cui Xun had intended to investigate the Taoist’s whereabouts, but Pei Guanyue was extremely cunning. He had already dispersed all the Taoists, leaving Cui Xun with no leads to pursue, forcing him to abandon the investigation.
The Empress Dowager ordered Shen Que to be exiled to Lingnan. Except for his two young sons, all his wives and concubines were required to accompany him. His wives and concubines were all noble ladies from prominent families who couldn’t endure such hardship. Moreover, though Shen Que was handsome, he had always been callous. Despite sharing a bed with him for years, none had received even a hint of genuine affection from him. As a result, several chose to divorce him. Cui Xun also requested a favor from the Empress Dowager to allow Ah’man to divorce Shen Que, so she wouldn’t have to follow him into exile in Lingnan.
But to Cui Xun’s surprise, Ah’man was unwilling to stay in Chang’an and instead chose to accompany Shen Que to Lingnan. Cui Xun was astonished and sought out Ah’man to inquire about her reasons. Ah’man simply said: “Is there any difference between being bullied by others if I stay in Chang’an or being bullied by Shen Que if I go to Lingnan? Besides, Shen Que is now dejected and doesn’t have the energy to humiliate me anymore. In Lingnan, I might find a different life. If I stay in Chang’an, I would only repeat my past days.”
Cui Xun said, “If you stay in Chang’an, I won’t let others bully you.”
Ah’man looked at him and suddenly sneered: “I know that if you, Cui Xun, are willing, no one would dare bully me. But while you’re willing, I am not. You betrayed the Tianwei Army, betrayed my brother—I will never forgive you in this lifetime, let alone accept your favors.”
Cui Xun gritted his teeth: “Why risk your life just to spite me?”
“Spite?” Ah’man’s expression was full of disdain. “Cui Xun, I’m not being spiteful toward you. I despise you. I find your money filthy, and your favors even more so.”
Cui Xun’s thin lips pressed tightly together, a trace of barely visible pain flashing through his eyes. He said: “You can find me filthy if you wish, but you cannot go with Shen Que to Lingnan.”
“On what grounds?”
“Because he is the murderer of your brother!” Cui Xun said, “Before, at your brother’s grave, you asked me if your brother died from a bandit attack. Now I tell you, he did not die from bandits, but at Shen Que’s hands! So you cannot go to Lingnan with him!”
Ah’man’s eyes widened, her beautiful face filled with shock. Her hands were tightly clenched into fists as she glared at Cui Xun, her chest heaving: “Don’t make things up just to make me stay in Chang’an.”
Cui Xun said, “Making things up? Six years ago, when the Tianwei Army was trapped at Lanyan Ridge, your brother was sent by General Guo to Chang’an to seek reinforcements. While passing through Changle Post Station, he was lured and killed by Shen Que’s scheme. His body was buried outside Tonghua Gate, and only six years later were his remains uncovered. Sheng Ah’man, it doesn’t matter how much you hate me, but don’t let your brother die without closure.”
Ah’man’s body began to tremble, her face pale: “You say Shen Que killed my brother. Fine, I ask you: why did he kill my brother?”
“He didn’t want your brother to enter Tonghua Gate.”
“Why didn’t he want my brother to enter Tonghua Gate?”
Cui Xun bit his teeth. He had thousands of words to say, but he knew he couldn’t speak them. The matter involved countless intricate threads, far more than a lone woman like Ah’man could bear. Moreover, with Ah’man’s fiery temperament, telling her would only endanger her life.
As he remained silent, Ah’man laughed sarcastically: “Can’t you speak now? Fine, where’s the evidence? Show me the evidence.”
Cui Xun felt even more helpless. He squeezed out a few words through his teeth: “It’s been six years. There is no evidence.”
Ah’man laughed mockingly: “No evidence… So you expect me to believe you based on a few words? Cui Xun, how can I trust someone who surrendered to the Tujue, who betrayed the Tianwei Army? Yes, Shen Que is not a good person, but what good are you?”
With each accusation from Ah’man, Cui Xun could not refute a single one. He opened his mouth but couldn’t utter a word. Ah’man said with contempt, “Cui Xun, I don’t want to see you again. Don’t appear before me anymore. From now on, whether I live or die has nothing to do with you.”
Ah’man deeply despised Cui Xun, and he could not persuade her. He could only watch helplessly as she set off on the journey of exile with Shen Que. That day, the sky was clear and pristine. Cui Xun stood on the hillside, watching as Shen Que, in shackles, was escorted along the official road. All of Shen Que’s concubines had departed, leaving only his wife and Ah’man willing to accompany him to Lingnan. Shen Que’s wife was physically frail and became breathless after walking just a few steps. Ah’man said something to the escorting officers, and they stopped to rest. Soon, the officers brought over a simple carriage. Ah’man helped Shen Que and his wife onto the carriage, then took out some silver fragments from her pouch and handed them to the officers: “Gentlemen, the journey ahead is long. I trouble you to take care of us.”
She arranged everything meticulously. The escort officers accepted the silver fragments and grinned: “We heard that Shen Que defiled the young lady, and that’s how he snatched you from Cui Xun’s hands. Now that Shen Que has fallen on hard times, why doesn’t the young lady go back to Cui Xun instead of following Shen Que to suffer in Lingnan?”
Ah’man replied apathetically: “My life is worthless—what difference does it make where I go? Besides, my husband is only temporarily in trouble. After all, he’s still the Emperor’s cousin and the Empress Dowager’s nephew. He probably won’t stay in Lingnan for long. Why should I bear the stigma of being fickle?”
The escort officers exchanged glances. Ah’man’s words reminded them that no matter how fallen Shen Que was, he was still the Emperor’s cousin—someone they couldn’t afford to offend. So they respectfully said, “The young lady is right. There’s no need to worry along this journey.”
Ah’man nodded and turned to enter the carriage. She handed the newly filled water pouch to Shen Que and his wife. The wife said, “Thank you for your trouble, sister.”
Shen Que’s eyes were complex, and he remained silent. After a moment, he finally asked: “Why?”
Ah’man lowered her head and simply said: “I’ve accepted my fate.”
But as she spoke these four words, her mind echoed with memories of the day Shen Que was sentenced to exile. He had returned from the palace, drunk beyond measure, mumbling many things she couldn’t understand—something about “elder sister,” something about “mother.” He also said he had harbored hatred for twenty-nine years, only to discover it was all a joke. Finally, he had confusedly uttered the words “Tianwei Army” and “Sheng Yunting.”
Tianwei Army? Sheng Yunting? Even at the Spring Banquet, she had wondered why Shen Que, a fourth-rank general, held such hatred toward her brother, who was just a minor garrison officer. Now that he had uttered the name “Sheng Yunting,” she was even more puzzled.
She wanted to follow Shen Que to Lingnan; she wanted to uncover the truth. But now, she didn’t need to investigate anymore—she had her answer.
Ah’man lowered her gaze, hiding the hatred in her eyes. She turned her head, lifted the carriage curtain, and looked toward the hillside. Faintly, she could make out that dark crimson figure. Her face showed no expression as she lowered the curtain and hung her head.
This journey to Lingnan held an uncertain fate. Though she was just a frail woman, she had an unyielding spirit. She, Sheng Ah’man, swore not to live as a human until she avenged her brother.
The carriage slowly left the official road, eventually disappearing. Only then did Cui Xun press his lips together and turn around.
To his surprise, he saw Li Ying.
He was startled and asked: “Why are you here?”
Li Ying smiled gently: “I knew Ah’man was leaving today, and you would surely be sad, so I came to accompany you.”
Cui Xun smiled too, though his smile held a trace of melancholy. He said slowly: “I’ve already sent a letter to the Governor of Guizhou, asking him to take care of Ah’man. For the rest, she can only rely on herself.”
Li Ying likely knew of Zhang Hongyi, the Governor of Guizhou. This man was among the upright officials at court who neither formed cliques nor sought private gain, and who liked to speak frankly, which made him unpopular. Therefore, he had been posted to Guizhou as governor. Being among the upright officials, he would likely look down on Cui Xun. For Cui Xun to write to him this time, he must have had to humble himself greatly. When Zhang replied, he would surely have heaped various insults on Cui Xun. Given Cui Xun’s exceptionally strong sense of self-esteem, having to beg someone who looked down on him must have been very hard to bear.
Li Ying pursed her lips, then suddenly said: “When I was coming up the mountain, I saw a path full of blooming roses, particularly beautiful. Will you accompany me to see them?”
Cui Xun nodded. Together with Li Ying, he walked along the small path down the mountain and indeed came upon a sea of roses.
The rose petals were layered densely, their vibrant red blossoming uninhibitedly, as dazzling and captivating as radiant clouds. Li Ying and Cui Xun walked toward the sea of flowers, and she suddenly asked: “Cui Xun, were you fourteen when you joined the Tianwei Army?”
Cui Xun was startled, then nodded. Li Ying continued: “You stayed in the Tianwei Army for three years?”
Cui Xun nodded again. Li Ying didn’t say more after that, because three years later came the Battle of Lanyan Ridge, where the Tianwei Army was annihilated. Cui Xun had been captured by the Tujue, and everyone said he had surrendered to them, but Li Ying felt that he hadn’t.
Since Cui Xun was unwilling to talk about this experience, Li Ying didn’t press further. She only asked: “Was the commander of the Tianwei Army called Guo Qinwei? What kind of person was he?”
Cui Xun didn’t know why she suddenly asked about General Guo, but he still recalled and said: “He was a very good person—approachable, caring for his subordinates, eating and living with the soldiers. He distributed all his rewards and salary to his subordinates. Everyone liked him very much.”
“Did you like him too?”
Cui Xun nodded. The young woman’s gentle tone gradually calmed his depressed mood. His throat moved slightly, and he said: “I… regarded him as a father.”
Li Ying nodded gently: “Then the other members of the Tianwei Army must have been good people too, right?”
Before Cui Xun’s eyes appeared a series of young, passionate faces. He paused and said: “They came from humble families, most with empty homes, and hadn’t studied much. But under General Guo’s guidance, they all learned to treat others with sincerity. I regarded them as brothers.”
Li Ying was silent. As father… as brothers… So, a mere three years of companionship could make him now set aside all his pride and dignity, repeatedly bending his bamboo-like spine. People said this man was heartless and disloyal, without allegiance to emperor or father, a base villain. But who could know that this “base villain” held more loyalty in his heart than anyone?
Li Ying said nothing more. The two arrived at the sea of roses. Breathing in the rich fragrance of the roses, Li Ying suddenly said, “Cui Xun, today I’m still very happy.”
“Oh?”
“I’m happy that you could tell me about General Guo and the Tianwei Army.”
Cui Xun was startled, not having had time to ponder the meaning of her words before Li Ying added: “The flowers in my room—you instructed the mute servant to place a bouquet every day, didn’t you?”
Cui Xun didn’t know how she had discovered this, and he turned to look at her somewhat nervously. Li Ying’s finger lightly touched a rose petal. She didn’t say how she knew, but only said: “You’re the kind of person who keeps things in your heart without speaking, and when you do good deeds, you don’t mention them either.”
Cui Xun murmured: “This hardly counts as a good deed.”
“How is it not a good deed? I love flowers. Seeing flowers makes me happy. How is something that brings happiness not a good deed?”
When she said this, her tone was very serious, as if she truly believed it without the slightest pretense. A warmth surged in Cui Xun’s heart. The corners of his mouth lifted as he broke off a fiery red rose and gave it to her: “Then today’s good deed is done in advance.”