Yu Wen Jinglun was unusually troubled that day.
Teng Rui also found the situation quite thorny. The Crown Prince had whispered slander to Emperor Huan, and this secret imperial edict, while ostensibly inquiring about military affairs, actually concealed reproach and suspicion. Duke Yi Ping and Duke Ning Ping had been arguing incessantly for two months over military achievements and supplies. Meanwhile, problems in the rear were constant, with soldiers dying in ambushes and several granaries being burned. If domestic turmoil arose and supplies couldn’t keep up, their army of over a hundred thousand would have to retreat in disgrace to Hui Yan Pass.
Duke Ning Ping stormed into the tent, plopping down unceremoniously. “Jinglun, you handle it,” he grumbled.
Yu Wen Jinglun knew that the Yi and Ning armies had once again quarreled over supplies. He exchanged a wry smile with Teng Rui and had no choice but to allocate some of his own army’s provisions to the Ning Ping army. Only then did Duke Ning Ping’s temper improve somewhat, and he took his leave.
Teng Rui said, “Your Highness, this can’t go on. We need to think of another way.”
Yu Wen Jinglun pondered for a long while, stopping in front of the map hanging in the tent. “Sir, come take a look.”
Following his gaze, Teng Rui thought for a moment and nodded slightly. “It’s not a bad strategy.”
“Father has always been concerned about the water source of the Tong Feng River. If we can capture it before this winter and divert water to the twelve states of Liang He, in time for next spring’s plowing, Father won’t object to my insistence on a southern campaign.”
“Yes, His Majesty sees that our long efforts have been fruitless. Although we’ve occupied many of the Hua Dynasty’s prefectures, the losses outweigh the gains. If we can take Yue Luo, it will surely silence the Crown Prince and the voices at court.”
Yu Wen Jinglun, usually steady, now showed a hint of excitement. “Most importantly, if we can conquer Chang Le and subdue Yue Luo, we can strike directly at Ji Bei and He Xi from the Yue Luo mountain range, launching a pincer attack on Pei Yan!”
Teng Rui still had some concerns. “I fear Yue Luo won’t be easy to conquer. Although the Yue Luo clan leader is young, the Xing Yue Sect Master who assists him isn’t easy to deal with. When he secretly contacted us to inform us about the rebellion at Bo Yun Mountain, I sensed this person was far from ordinary.”
Yu Wen Jinglun smiled slightly. “Third Imperial Uncle once led troops against Yue Luo and is quite familiar with the area. He must have a good chance of victory.”
Teng Rui immediately understood. With the current stalemate in the war and the inability to defeat the Chang Feng Cavalry, coupled with the constant disputes between Dukes Yi and Ning, it might be better to reassign Duke Ning Ping to attack Yue Luo. If successful, it would be excellent; if not, it would secretly weaken Duke Ning Ping’s forces, as he had always somewhat favored the Crown Prince among the princes.
“However,” Teng Rui pondered, “the Ning Ping army currently lacks sufficient troops. They might not be able to take Yue Luo.”
“Then we’ll transfer some troops from Dong Lai and Yun Zhou to him. We still have superior numbers here to hold off Pei Yan. We can decide whether to send reinforcements based on how the situation there develops. As long as he can successfully take Yue Luo and penetrate Ji Bei, Pei Yan’s formation will surely be thrown into disarray.”
“That sounds reasonable, but will Duke Ning Ping agree?”
Yu Wen Jinglun smiled. “Don’t worry about that. Third Imperial Uncle has long coveted Yue Luo. His failure to take it years ago is a great regret in his life, and he’s been feeling stifled here. Now that we’re sending him westward, he’ll be more than willing.”
Teng Rui had another concern in mind, but given the current situation, he suppressed it. He thought that if the chaos could be settled quickly, there might still be a chance for remedy later. After all, they had come this far, and there was no turning back.
Full of worries, he left the main tent and climbed the fortress wall, gazing southward. Clouds drifted lazily across the azure sky, and he could only let out a sigh.
Before they knew it, the Mid-Autumn Festival had arrived. The bright moon over Lan Mountain illuminated the camp’s fires, and the fragrance of osmanthus in the mountains grew even stronger.
The Huan army had been quite peaceful these past few days, while the Chang Feng Cavalry maintained a relaxed exterior but remained internally vigilant. Neither side had engaged in battle recently. As it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, Pei Yan had instructed the cooks to add some extra dishes for the soldiers and even sent rare chicken soup to the wounded in the medical tents.
Many of the Chang Feng Cavalry soldiers were from Nan An Prefecture and Xiang Province. On this night of the full moon, they naturally missed their families. Some were saddened by the many brothers-in-arms buried in foreign lands and began singing folk songs from their hometowns.
Jiang Ci didn’t have night duty that day. Seeing the moon rising in the east, she slipped into the cook’s tent in the vanguard camp. The cook, Qing Pangzi, had injured his left foot on a large rock during a battle, and Jiang Ci had been applying medicine and changing his bandages daily, so they had a good relationship.
Seeing her enter, Qing Pangzi smiled and nodded. Jiang Ci grinned, lifted the steamer lid, added some water, and took some things out of her bag. Qing Pangzi came over to look and said, “You’re so thoughtful, even picking osmanthus flowers.”
Jiang Ci chatted and joked with him while skillfully steaming the osmanthus cakes. She gave one to Qing Pangzi and wrapped the rest in oiled paper, tucking them into her shirt.
The freshly steamed osmanthus cakes were hot against her chest as she quietly slipped to Wei Zhao’s tent. Seeing the tent dark from afar, she was slightly taken aback. As she approached, she noticed a few stones arranged in a diamond shape by the tent—their agreed-upon signal that he had urgent business and couldn’t meet at the small hill. She felt greatly disappointed.
The moonlight on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month was dazzling and beautiful. Osmanthus, wild chrysanthemums, and autumn mallows bloomed in profusion in the mountains, their fragrances so thick they seemed to penetrate one’s heart.
Jiang Ci still walked around the small hill once, but didn’t see him. She felt lost and dejected.
The osmanthus cakes in her shirt were still a bit warm. As she walked slowly through the wilderness, the night breeze blew, and she suddenly heard the faint sound of a flute. Her heart stirred, and she walked towards the mountain peak on the right.
Following the mountain path for about half a li, the flute sound became clearer. Jiang Ci turned right from the path and saw two figures in the clearing ahead. She quickly hid behind a pine tree and looked closely. One of the figures seemed to resemble Pei Yan.
She hastily retreated a few steps, but Pei Yan had already noticed. He turned and shouted, “Who’s there?!” Beside him, An Lu put down his bamboo flute and lunged forward.
Jiang Ci quickly said, “It’s me!”
An Lu stopped in his tracks, and Pei Yan walked closer. His eyes were bright, showing a hint of pleasant surprise as he smiled at Jiang Ci. “What brings you here?”
“Ah, I couldn’t sleep, so I came out for a walk.”
Pei Yan waved his hand, and An Lu understood, striding down the mountain. Seeing him leave, Jiang Ci realized she was alone with Pei Yan. His gaze seemed a bit intense, making her uneasy. She smiled and said, “I won’t disturb Your Excellency’s moon-viewing.” She turned to leave.
“Xiao Ci.” Pei Yan’s voice was somewhat low. Seeing Jiang Ci stop, he paused before saying, “San Lang won’t be able to return tonight.”
Jiang Ci quickly turned and asked, “Where did he go?”
“That’s top-secret military information, not to be leaked,” Pei Yan said with a smile.
Jiang Ci turned to leave, but Pei Yan moved swiftly, blocking her path. He said softly, “Keep me company to view the moon and chat, and I’ll tell you where San Lang went.”
Jiang Ci thought for a moment and said, “Does Your Excellency keep his word?”
“Why would I deceive you?” Pei Yan smiled slightly.
He sat down on a large rock under an ancient pine tree, and Jiang Ci stood silently beside him. The moonlit night in the mountains was so peaceful that neither seemed willing to break the silence. They both just gazed at the moon slowly rising over the mountain ridges, remaining quiet for a long time.
The autumn wind suddenly picked up, and Pei Yan came to his senses. He turned and said, “Sit down. Why keep standing like that?”
Jiang Ci sat down beside him. Pei Yan suddenly smiled, and Jiang Ci instantly understood why. She recalled the birthday banquet at the Prime Minister’s mansion, where he, Wu Xia, and herself each had their thoughts. Today, the scene was quite different. The unpredictability of life made her smile as well.
“Xiao Ci.”
“Hmm?”
“How did you use to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival?”
This question from Pei Yan stirred up countless memories for Jiang Ci. She looked up at the moon in the sky and said softly, “When I was very young, I would view the moon with Master, Uncle Master, Aunt Rou, and Senior Sister. We’d watch Master and Uncle Master play chess and listen to Aunt Rou sing. That was when we had the most people. Later, Aunt Rou passed away, and Uncle Master often traveled, so it was just me, Master, and Senior Sister. Then, after Master was gone, it was just Senior Sister and me. Now, even Senior Sister is—”
Pei Yan felt a slight pang of guilt. He turned to look at her and asked, “Besides your Senior Sister, do you have no other relatives?”
“There’s Uncle Master.”
“Oh, right. I remember you mentioning that she also taught you how to make ‘beggar’s chicken.'”
“Yes, but I don’t know where she is now. It’s all my fault for running away from home, causing her and Senior Sister to come looking for me. There’s been no news of them since.”
Jiang Ci felt a surge of remorse, and her words became somewhat sorrowful.
“If you return to Deng Family Village, she’ll come back there eventually.”
Jiang Ci lowered her head and said nothing more. After a moment, she turned and asked, “What about you, Your Excellency? How did you spend the Mid-Autumn Festival before? With your grand family and many relatives, it must have been very lively.”
Pei Yan was taken aback. After a long pause, he said bitterly, “Yes, it was always very lively.” Having just paid respects to An Chen and listened to the Nan An Prefecture folk songs sung by the soldiers, thoughts of An Chen and his fallen Chang Feng Guard brothers now filled his handsome features with melancholy.
Jiang Ci was looking at him closely and saw this. She sighed and said softly, “Your Excellency, some things are best left in the past. An Da Ge would be unhappy to see you like this.”
Pei Yan hadn’t expected her to guess his thoughts so accurately and instinctively turned away. Jiang Ci also stopped looking at him and gazed at the moonlit mountains, speaking slowly, “Your Excellency, one Mid-Autumn Festival, Master told me something. She said that the moon waxes and wanes, but after it wanes, it becomes full again. It’s the same with people—there are reunions and partings. Even the closest family members can’t accompany you for a lifetime.”
“Family?” Pei Yan’s thoughts drifted as he gazed at the full moon and asked softly, “Xiao Ci, what exactly is family?”
Family? Jiang Ci thought of Wei Zhao and smiled involuntarily. “I’m not sure either, but in my view, family is someone who talks to you when you’re lonely, and warms your hands when you’re cold. When you’re in pain, they wish they could feel the same pain; when you’re happy, they’re even happier than you. And when you’re in danger, they would never abandon you.”
Pei Yan had never heard such words before. After a while, he said softly, “So that’s what family is—”
Jiang Ci suddenly remembered what Pei Yan had said when drunk at the Prime Minister’s mansion birthday banquet. She hadn’t understood then, but now she suddenly realized, inwardly sighing. After months of interaction in the military camp, she had developed some respect for Pei Yan and didn’t want to see him like this. She turned her head and smiled, “Yes, Your Excellency. You and General Ning and the others are like this, as close as brothers. It’s truly enviable.”
Pei Yan’s heart lightened at her words. He smiled and said, “Indeed, they are all my brothers. They’ve followed me since childhood, through fire and water. They’re like family to me. In that sense, I might be the person with the most family in the world.”
“So, Your Excellency, you should be happy. Not only do you have so many brothers now, but you also have the sincere love and support of so many common people. Every household in He Xi Prefecture has enshrined spirit tablets for Your Excellency and the Chang Feng Cavalry soldiers.”
Her gentle persuasion, voice clear as a spring, eyes bright as autumn waves, left Pei Yan momentarily entranced. Such moonlight, such an understanding companion, stirred his heart. With a last glimmer of hope, he called softly, “Xiao Ci.”
“Your Excellency.”
Pei Yan hesitated, then finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for months: “Back then at Hu Tiao Shoal, why did you risk your life to warn San Lang?”
Jiang Ci was surprised by his sudden question and stammered, “Why is Your Excellency asking this all of a sudden?”
Pei Yan smiled slightly but didn’t answer. Seeing that Jiang Ci hadn’t responded for a long time, he said, “I remember you used to be quite afraid of death when you were at the Prime Minister’s mansion.”
“Of course, I’m afraid of death,” Jiang Ci also smiled. “Who isn’t?”
“Then why did you—”
“I was scared then too.” The memory of the rope bridge gradually became clear. Jiang Ci seemed to see Wei Zhao’s blood-stained white clothes at Luo Feng Shoal again. After a long silence, she continued, “But I overheard those soldiers talking. They said they would massacre Shan Hai Valley. At that time, only the elderly, weak, women, and children were left in Shan Hai Valley, so—”
“But you’re from Hua Dynasty.”
Jiang Ci smiled and said, “Your Excellency, we have a big yellow dog at home. He often bullies the neighbor’s little flower dog because of his size, stealing its food. Tell me, should I help our yellow dog steal, or should I lead him back home?”
Pei Yan frowned slightly at her crude analogy but found her words reasonable and couldn’t refute them. After a while, he said, “That little flower dog is weaker than your yellow dog, so naturally it gets bullied.”
“Your Excellency is mistaken. Our yellow dog will eventually grow old and weak, and the little flower dog will eventually grow up. If I don’t teach them to get along, it’s our yellow dog who will suffer in the future,” Jiang Ci smiled.
Pei Yan shook his head and sighed, “The full moon wanes, the bright moon dims.”
Jiang Ci continued, “Things at their peak decline, it’s the constant law of heaven and earth!”
They both laughed. Pei Yan nodded and sighed, “You might be the only person in Hua Dynasty who could derive such a principle from two dogs.”
He still had questions in his heart but found them difficult to voice. As he hesitated, Jiang Ci couldn’t hold back and asked, “Your Excellency, where did he go?”
Hearing the infinite concern in her voice, Pei Yan felt a pang in his heart. He suddenly turned his head and stared at Jiang Ci for a few moments. Jiang Ci felt uneasy under his gaze, but he had already spoken, “Xiao Ci, do you know San Lang’s true identity?”
Jiang Ci didn’t understand his meaning but nodded slightly.
Pei Yan considered for a moment, then asked, “I mean, do you know his true identity in Hua Dynasty?”
Jiang Ci understood and felt a sharp pain in her heart. She suddenly stood up, her face showing some anger: “Your Excellency, he has always respected you. How can you still see him as—” She couldn’t continue and just stared intensely at Pei Yan.
Pei Yan felt somewhat awkward under her gaze and looked away, saying, “That’s not what I meant. I also greatly respect San Lang. I’m asking if you’ve thought about what to do in the future. San Lang is, after all—”
Under the bright moon, with fragrant breezes wafting, Jiang Ci looked up at the moon and said softly, “Your Excellency, can you know what will happen to you in the future? Would you not do what needs to be done now because you don’t know what will happen later?”
Without waiting for Pei Yan to answer, she said quietly, “No matter what happens in the future, I’m happy for every day I can be with him now.”
Never in his life had Pei Yan heard such words, let alone from her. He slowly savored her words, feeling lost and melancholic.
“You walk your official path, I’ll live my life as a wandering knight. From now on, you and I, in the sea of officialdom and the rivers and lakes, from one end of the earth to the other, above heaven and below ground, in the yellow springs and blue skies, with misty green mountains and distant flowing waters, life after life, we’ll forget each other—”
“Is Your Excellency dining in the West Garden or returning to your Shen Garden?”
“I can serve you, but you can’t bully me or order me around like a servant.”
“Your Excellency likes to bully people, why don’t you go bully that He family girl, or that Yang family young lady? Why do you act so proper and dignified in front of them?”
They had once spent day and night together, laughing and joking freely, but back then, he never imagined that things would turn out like this.
Flowers in the morning, moon at night, passing like sand through an hourglass. Such voices, he feared he might never hear again—
But Jiang Ci was thinking of Wei Zhao. Seeing Pei Yan’s absent-minded expression, she asked softly, “Your Excellency, he—”
Pei Yan let out a long internal sigh, finally standing up. He smiled at Jiang Ci and said, “He went to take care of something. When it’s time for him to return, he naturally will.”
Jiang Ci realized he had deceived her again and felt somewhat annoyed. But she quickly let it go and smiled slightly, “Indeed, he always keeps his word. He’ll certainly return.”
Pei Yan laughed heartily. Amidst his laughter, his figure receded into the night.
The moon reached its zenith, time passing silently like sand through an hourglass.
Hoofbeats as rapid as a downpour, Wei Zhao’s white robe fluttering, whipping his steed, galloping towards Hui Yan Pass.
The weapons transport had gone extremely smoothly, even half a day earlier than expected. Perhaps he could spend a proper Mid-Autumn Festival on this night of the full moon?
The horse galloped to the foot of the small hill, letting out a long neigh and halting its run. On the hillside, under the big pine tree, a figure stood silently, watching him leap off his horse, watching him rush up the slope.
She threw herself into his arms, and he opened his arms wide, holding her tightly.
She breathed in his faint, elegant scent, and listened to his rapid heartbeat, unable to utter a word. He inhaled the fresh fragrance of her hair, and felt the warmth of her body, also speechless.
The moon passed its zenith, drifting westward minute by minute. Jiang Ci finally remembered the osmanthus cakes in her shirt. She let out an “Ah!” and pushed Wei Zhao away, taking them out to find they had been completely flattened. She chided playfully, “They’re cold, hard, and crushed. How are you going to eat them?”
Wei Zhao smiled, took them, and put his arm around her waist. He leaped onto the big tree, letting her lean against him as they gazed up at the bright moon. He put an osmanthus cake in his mouth and smiled, “I love eating cold, hard, and crushed ones.”
Jiang Ci closed her eyes and said softly, “Next year, I’ll steam the best osmanthus cakes for you.”