Shen You’s voice rang out loudly. Nearby soldiers were stunned for a moment, then a voice shouted: “General Shen, I’ll follow you!”
Following this cry, Shen You roared: “Left wing, heed my command! Follow me into the city!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen You stood up, mounted his horse, and charged towards the city gate. After a moment of hesitation, soldiers gradually began to follow Shen You, turning the scene into chaos. From the rear, Marshal Li Zhao bellowed: “Deserters will be executed! Deserters will be executed!”
However, by this point, the front lines were in complete disarray. In contrast, the morale of Wei’s troops soared high. The drums of war thundered as Wei Yun mounted his horse, leading his soldiers to meet the attack and give chase.
As the two sides clashed, one side’s morale had already withered, retreating continuously. The other side advanced with unstoppable momentum. Li Zhao, astride his horse, gritted his teeth and said: “That dog traitor Shen You has ruined my grand plan!”
A deputy general beside him, while fending off the attack, said to Li Zhao: “General, the situation is already chaotic. We should retreat first!”
In the battle between two armies, morale is ultimately decisive. When hearts are not united, even with superior numbers, an army becomes scattered sand once disorder begins. Now that Shen You had surrendered, taking his troops from the battlefield, deserters multiplied. Even though Li Zhao still commanded 200,000 troops, outnumbering Wei Yun several times over, he dared not press a hard attack in this situation.
Li Zhao gritted his teeth, finally raising his hand to sound the gong for retreat, withdrawing his troops. Wei Yun did not pursue further. With only 50,000 defenders in the city against Li Zhao’s 200,000 troops, it was enough for him to hold the city.
As he had agreed with Gu Chusheng, apart from taking Yao Yong’s Qing Province, in all other battles, if they could avoid fighting, they would not fight.
This was Zhao Yue’s first battle for all the world to see. Being able to win this battle was already enough.
Watching the soldiers retreat in the distance, Wei Yun let out a sigh of relief. Chu Yu came to his side, sword in hand, smiling as she said: “We won.”
Wei Yun smiled back at her. After observing her for a moment, he praised: “Beautiful swordsmanship.”
As the soldiers began clearing the battlefield, everyone was exhausted. Chu Yu and Wei Yun returned together. By the time they reached the compound, it was already bustling with activity, wounded everywhere. Wei Qingping had already led physicians to examine patients. After changing their clothes, Chu Yu and Wei Yun went to Shen You’s room.
Shen You lay on the bed, his wounds already treated. He seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, his breathing heavy and prolonged.
Wang Lan sat beside him, still somewhat dazed. As Chu Yu and Wei Yun entered, she remained lost in thought. Wei Yun approached Wang Lan, his voice filled with concern: “Sixth Sister-in-law?”
Wang Lan snapped back to reality, standing to bow to Wei Yun.
Chu Yu stepped forward to support her, examining her briefly before asking worriedly: “You’re not hurt, are you?”
Wang Lan shook her head. Chu Yu helped her sit down, smiling as she said: “You must have been quite frightened.”
Wang Lan sighed: “Indeed, I was quite scared.”
Chu Yu poured tea for Wang Lan: “How is General Shen’s condition?”
“He lost too much blood and fainted, but the Princess said it was not serious and told me not to worry.”
Chu Yu nodded. Wei Yun stood by the bed, observing Shen You for a moment. After confirming Shen You was not in danger, he turned back, looking at Wang Lan: “Sister-in-law, were the words you spoke on the battlefield true?”
Wang Lan was taken aback. She didn’t speak. Wei Yun furrowed his brow: “I hoped Sister-in-law would persuade him to surrender, but I didn’t want Sister-in-law to exchange her lifelong happiness for it…”
Before he could finish, tears welled up in Wang Lan’s eyes. Wei Yun was stunned. Chu Yu spoke gently: “Your Highness, why don’t you go rest first? I’ll keep A Lan company.”
Wei Yun remained silent for a moment, finally saying: “I was rash. If I said anything inappropriate, I hope my Sixth Sister-in-law will forgive me.”
With that, Wei Yun bowed and left first.
Chu Yu sat beside Wang Lan, picking up her tea cup and chuckling softly: “Actually, I don’t understand. You and A Chun, both of you, why are you so tangled up?”
Wang Lan pressed her lips together, silent. Chu Yu raised her eyes to look at her: “You like him, don’t you?”
Wang Lan still didn’t speak. Chu Yu held her hand, softening her voice: “What are you thinking? At least give me some idea?”
“I don’t know…” Wang Lan’s tears fell: “You ask me, but I don’t know. I indeed like him, but A Rong’s death back then was somewhat related to him. If he were a bad person, if he had done it intentionally back then, that would be better. I could just stab him with a sword and be done with it. But he happens to be unaware. So many people died, so many years… how could he have been well either?”
As she spoke, Wang Lan gripped Chu Yu’s hand tightly: “For five years I didn’t see him once, didn’t speak a single word to him. Sometimes I wonder, what did I do wrong? A Rong is gone, and the person I like happens to be like this. Is this punishing me, or punishing him? I can’t like who I like, I can’t let go of what I can’t let go. Today I saw him almost die before me, and I felt we might as well all die together.”
“So,” Chu Yu stroked the teacup, speaking slowly, “what are your plans now?”
“What plans can I have?” Wang Lan smiled bitterly: “The words have been said. I’ll marry him, that’s all.”
Wang Lan’s voice gradually calmed: “If marrying can save a few lives, then let a few lives be saved.”
“Will you be happy if you marry him?”
This time Wang Lan didn’t speak. After a long while, she smiled with difficulty: “I don’t want to think about whether I’ll be happy or not anymore. My fate is just like this,” she lowered her voice, “Just like this. Let it be, let it be as heaven wills.”
Chu Yu didn’t speak. She couldn’t open her mouth. She wasn’t the person involved; she couldn’t see it clearly or thoroughly.
After a long while, she patted Wang Lan’s hand, speaking gently: “Go rest. Don’t think too much.”
Wang Lan responded, stood up, and returned to her room.
On the bed, Shen You’s eyes moved slightly, tears sliding from his eye sockets.
Chu Yu noticed the change in Shen You’s breathing. She stood up, speaking calmly: “In a lifetime, everyone makes mistakes. Some can be undone, some cannot. Shen You, your mistake doesn’t warrant death, nor is it irredeemable.” She sighed softly: “Without Zhao Yue, what wrong would you have done?”
Shen You didn’t speak. His throat choked up. Chu Yu put down the teacup, leaving with the words: “Rest well.” She then walked out into the corridor.
Leaving the corridor and turning the corner, Chu Yu had just returned to her room when she saw Wei Yun waiting for her, reviewing documents.
No longer in Bailing, Wei Yun had arranged for his guards in the room. There was no need to avoid Liu Xueyang, so Wei Yun lived in Chu Yu’s quarters as if they were already married.
When Chu Yu entered, Wei Yun was reading messages from other regions. Hearing Chu Yu come in, he calmly said: “Bei Di is showing signs of unrest again. I’m afraid if we push Zhao Yue too hard, he might go to the Su family’s two brothers to join forces.”
As he spoke, he raised his head and beckoned to Chu Yu: “Come here, let me hold you for a while.”
Chu Yu smiled and walked over. Wei Yun held her with one arm as they looked at the documents together. He spoke softly: “I don’t quite understand what Sixth Sister-in-law is thinking.”
“After all, the news back then was spread by Shen You.”
Wei Yun sighed lightly: “Shen You did the best he could in his position. It was Zhao Yue who betrayed him. His guilt… isn’t much really. Even if he is guilty, what he has done in these five years is enough already.”
“You’re quite forgiving.”
“I don’t hold grudges,” Wei Yun’s voice was calm. “Every grievance has its source, every debt has its debtor. Although I also have some dislikes, I can’t act based on my preferences. Shen You may have failed in his duty, but he is ultimately also a victim. He originally had a patriotic heart, dedicating his life to it, yet he was schemed against it. All his ambitions came to nothing, and he became a criminal instead. So many years of guilt… I can let it go.”
“But people are different,” Wei Yun rested his chin on Chu Yu, speaking calmly. “We can’t force it. If Sixth Sister-in-law can’t let it go, this marriage… I’ll talk to Shen You again about it.”
Chu Yu nodded, not saying much more.
News of this first victorious battle quickly spread to various regions. Zhao Yue received the information, looking at the battle report with a cold expression.
“Shen You surrendered?”
He clenched his fist: “After all We have done for him, this is how he repays Us?!”
“Your Majesty,” Minister Xie spoke calmly, “Now is not the time to dwell on whether Shen You surrendered or not, but to think about what to do next.”
Having lost the first battle, if they couldn’t defeat Wei Yun, heroes across the land would follow suit. What could be done?
This question weighed on Zhao Yue’s mind. Beside him, Gu Chusheng stood with his hands folded in his sleeves, listening quietly. Zhao Yue turned to look at Gu Chusheng, speaking coldly: “What does Beloved Official Gu think?”
Hearing the question, Gu Chusheng raised his eyes: “Is there any point in attacking Wei Yun now?”
Zhao Yue understood Gu Chusheng’s meaning. He spoke coldly: “Continue.”
“The world was watching this first battle. Now that the first battle is lost, morale across the land will soar. Even if we win later, everyone knows the court will ultimately lose. There are now nearly a hundred uprisings across the land. Although Your Majesty has a large army, it’s difficult to quell this situation of a hundred kings. Your Majesty, although you have a great army, it’s hard to pacify this situation with a hundred kings rising.”
“Just talking nonsense!” Minister Xie shouted angrily. “The situation is unfavorable now, do we need you to say it?”
“Therefore,” Gu Chusheng’s voice was calm, “rather than fighting, it’s better to retreat and protect ourselves first. Your Majesty now holds powerful troops, so the feudal lords dare not invade. From now on, the court will not give a single coin to the front lines. They must manage all provisions and military supplies themselves. Some places produce more grain, and some places have fierce soldiers but produce less grain. Once there’s no money, without us lifting a finger, there will be conflicts. Why should we fight them head-on?”
Hearing these words, everyone fell silent. Gu Chusheng walked to the sand table, speaking calmly: “Now we have troops and provisions. If this were the Spring and Autumn or Warring States period, we would be the great Qin. If the other feudal lords have no intention of forming vertical or horizontal alliances, we can provoke them from all sides, sit back and watch them fight each other. When the time is right, we can defeat them one by one. The situation is advantageous to Your Majesty. What is there to worry about, gentlemen?”
“Beloved Official speaks well.” Hearing Gu Chusheng’s words, Zhao Yue became pleased. Minister Xie, somewhat uneasy, asked: “What if they join forces?”
Gu Chusheng smiled lightly: “Why does Minister Xie think the vertical and horizontal alliance tactics didn’t succeed?”
Minister Xie was taken aback, then saw Gu Chusheng raise his hand to point at his own heart: “Human nature.”
“The thousand-year-old bright moon remains unchanged, has human nature changed? Minister Xie worries too much.”
Gu Chusheng’s voice was calm, but everyone present felt reassured. Just as Zhao Yue was about to open his mouth to praise, he felt his vision go dark. Zhang Hui beside him quickly supported him, anxiously calling out: “Your Majesty! Quickly call the imperial physician!”
The sharp pain flashed by in an instant, and Zhao Yue’s vision cleared again. Gu Chusheng stood not far away, his expression calm as he said: “Your Majesty is too exhausted.”
Zhao Yue sighed. He raised his hand, grasping Gu Chusheng’s hand, speaking earnestly: “Chusheng, fortunately, you are different from Shen You.”
Gu Chusheng raised his eyes to look at him.
“Your Majesty is right,” he spoke calmly, “I am different from Shen You.”
He was utterly different from Shen You, who had spent his whole life not knowing what he was doing.
As he spoke, he lowered his gaze: “I’m still waiting for Your Majesty to defeat Wei Yun and arrange my marriage to Lady Wei.”
These words were meant to reassure Zhao Yue. Upon hearing them, the doubts in Zhao Yue’s heart instantly disappeared. He patted Gu Chusheng’s hand, speaking sincerely: “Thank you, Chusheng.”
Gu Chusheng’s eyelashes trembled slightly.
He spoke softly: “Your Majesty need not thank me.”
Because in the future, you won’t want to thank me.