Wei Zhao slowly pushed a silk scroll towards Pei Yan. Pei Yan smiled as he picked it up and read it carefully.
After reading, Pei Yan frowned for a moment and said, “Third Young Master’s thoughts are quite comprehensive. However, some of these conditions are not easy to fulfill.”
Wei Zhao smiled calmly, “I’m betting tens of thousands of Yueluo soldiers, so naturally, I need to win big.”
Pei Yan tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “Allowing ‘Moon Embroidery’ to be traded among Hua civilians isn’t a big problem. Providing grain and seeds for spring planting during famine, I can manage with some effort. But allowing Yueluo people to participate in the Hua imperial examinations and enter official positions or military service – this point might face significant opposition.”
Wei Zhao laughed coldly, “Hasn’t the Yue vassal state been doing this for so many years?”
“The situation with the Yue vassal state is different from Yueluo. Yue is a vassal state in name, but in reality, they are of Han Chinese lineage from the Central Plains, while Yueluo—”
“Isn’t the Young Lord constantly seeking to eliminate the distinction between Hua and barbarians, to unify the world? If the Young Lord takes control of the court in the future, will you still divide people into different classes and continue to implement Hua’s discriminatory policies against other ethnicities? Even Yu Wen Jinglun dares to employ foreigners like Teng Yi. Is the Young Lord inferior to him?!” Wei Zhao said sarcastically.
Pei Yan was startled, then smiled, “The Third Young Master’s words are incisive!”
He looked at the contents of the silk scroll again, took out his seal, and pressed it down firmly. Wei Zhao smiled as he put it away, saying, “The Young Lord must have detailed arrangements. Wei Zhao would like to hear them!”
Pei Yan took out a terrain map and marked a spot, saying, “Third Young Master, please look. The Tongfeng River flows directly into the north of the Yanming Mountain range, then divides into multiple tributaries passing through the Yanming Mountains and joining the Xiaojing River.”
Wei Zhao said, “After this point, the river narrows, with numerous rapids. Boats can no longer travel eastward.”
“Both banks of the Tongfeng River are covered in forests. Yueluo’s elite troops can travel eastward down the Tongfeng River, using boats at night and hiding in the forests with rafts during the day. When they reach this point, they can abandon the boats, go ashore, and take a hidden mountain path that leads to the ‘Eight Corners Fortress’. The fortress is very secluded, only about a hundred li from Huiyan Pass. They can rest and reorganize there, then follow our plan to strike Yu Wen Jinglun’s rear at Huiyan Pass at the appointed time!”
Wei Zhao thought for a moment and asked, “How many troops are needed?”
“Thirty thousand.”
Wei Zhao frowned slightly, “We’ll need to rush to make rafts.”
“In Langle, the Third Young Master can deploy part of the forces to work with the Langle garrison to tie down King Ningping, creating the illusion that all of Yueluo’s forces are concentrated at Liuxia Peak and Langle. Once we achieve victory at Huiyan Pass, we can turn back to attack King Ningping from both sides. He’ll have no choice but to surrender!”
Wei Zhao spoke leisurely, “Since the Young Lord has arranged everything, I’ll risk my life to accompany you, committing all the strength of my clan to join forces with the Young Lord in this life-or-death battle!”
Pei Yan laughed heartily, “Excellent! With the Third Young Master’s words, even if I, Pei Yan, were to give my life to the Third Young Master, I would have no complaints!”
The two looked at each other and smiled. Wei Zhao stood up and said, “This campaign concerns the safety of my clan. After I’ve made all the arrangements, I must hurry to ‘Eight Corners Fortress’ to personally command this battle!”
The mountain wind was slightly cold, causing Jiang Ci to shiver. Wei Zhao simply pulled her onto his lap. He gazed into the deep night, slowly suppressing thoughts of parting.
Jiang Ci curled up in his embrace, gradually feeling warmer. She looked up with a smile and said, “So two cats huddling together really can keep each other warm.”
Her expression was charming and bright. Wei Zhao’s heart stirred, and he leaned down to kiss her. Their lips and tongues intertwined, and Jiang Ci let out a soft “mmm,” instantly losing all strength in her body.
Wei Zhao released her, breathing heavily. She was also panting, burying her head in the crook of his neck, calling softly, “Wu Xia.”
Fine beads of sweat appeared on her neck, emitting a faint fragrance. For a moment, Wei Zhao couldn’t think. He kissed her again. His palms were burning hot, and finally, as if finding their rightful place, they slipped inside her clothes, caressing her skin.
The skin under his hands was so soft and warm, giving him an unprecedented sensation. Her whole body was trembling slightly, making him feel as if he was about to burn up. His hands shook as they moved upward, finally grasping the softness he had longed for.
He couldn’t help but let out a low moan, desire about to engulf him like a tidal wave. This somewhat unfamiliar desire left him at a loss, wanting to escape but even more wanting to indulge.
In the distance, the faint sound of horns suddenly rang out. The frost-covered horns sounded – how many would return from this battle?
His kisses slowly stopped, and his hands, as if pulled by a thousand-pound force, slowly left her body.
“Wu Xia,” she called out in a daze, her face flushed pink.
Wei Zhao held her gently and said softly, “Xiao Ci.”
“Mm.”
“Promise me one thing.”
Jiang Ci still felt her whole body burning, somewhat confused. She responded casually, “Alright. What is it?”
“In the future, if you have to make any major decisions, ask Ziming first. If he says you can do it, then do it. If he says you can’t, you must listen to him.”
Jiang Ci became a bit more clear-headed and looked up at him. His gaze held tenderness and something else she couldn’t understand. She suddenly felt afraid and tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice trembling, “What’s wrong?”
Wei Zhao gently kissed her beautiful earlobe. She became dizzy again, faintly hearing his voice: “It’s nothing. Ziming said he treats you like his own younger sister. I thought of this and wanted to remind you. Promise me.”
Jiang Ci was overwhelmed with a tingling sensation. Wei Zhao’s voice became somewhat insistent: “Quick, promise me.”
Jiang Ci laughed, “Alright, I promise you. You—, ah—”
He sighed softly and buried his head in her neck, silently calling out in his heart over and over: Xiao Ci, Xiao Ci, Xiao Ci—
In the capital city, autumn rain fell continuously.
In the Yanhui Palace’s inner chamber, “Xiuyun” incense was burning to calm the mind. The dim lamplight cast shadows on the sleeping face on the couch. That face, pale and emaciated, no longer showed its former dignity and solemnity.
Pei Zifang and Imperial Physician Zhang walked out of the hall side by side, just as they encountered the Crown Prince coming from the east. The two quickly performed a grand salute. The Crown Prince helped Pei Zifang up and said, “Uncle Pei, you’ve worked hard.”
Pei Zifang said anxiously, “This is my duty. The Crown Prince’s great kindness is more than I deserve.”
The Crown Prince’s round face wore its usual foolish smile. “Uncle Pei has been working hard for many days and has lost weight. I feel distressed seeing this. Today, you should go back to rest early. I’ll stay with Father Emperor.”
Pei Zifang said with a choked voice, “The Crown Prince is filial and kind. Please take care of your precious health.”
Watching Pei Zifang leave, the Crown Prince chuckled and turned to enter the hall. Eunuch Tao came to report, “The Emperor has had some setbacks today, and it’s been difficult to administer the medicine.”
The Crown Prince waved his hand, and Eunuch Tao quickly ordered everyone to withdraw from the hall. The Crown Prince sat down by the dragon couch, gazing at the Emperor. He slowly reached out and grasped the Emperor’s cold hand, calling softly, “Father Emperor!”
Academic Director Dong entered from outside the hall. The Crown Prince quickly stood up to support him, “Father-in-law!” Director Dong smiled and said, “Master Ye has arrived.”
The Crown Prince hurried out of the hall. Jiang Yuan was accompanying someone. By this time, there was no one on duty near Yanhui Palace. The person removed the black cloak covering their entire body, smiled faintly, and bowed slightly, “This commoner pays respects to the Crown Prince!”
The Crown Prince quickly helped him up. The two entered the hall, with Jiang Yuan personally guarding the door.
Master Ye of “Lanyue Tower” sat by the Emperor’s couch, taking his pulse for a long time. He then used his internal energy to examine further, falling into deep thought.
The Crown Prince said, “Father Emperor’s illness isn’t strange, but Imperial Physician Zhang quietly reported to me a few days ago that although the medicine can be forced down, its effects seem to have difficulty reaching Father Emperor’s meridians and internal organs. Father-in-law felt something was amiss, so he invited Master Ye to come today to investigate.”
Master Ye took out a brocade box from his sleeve, picked up a long needle from it, and said, “This commoner must first apologize to the Crown Prince, as I need to draw a little blood from the Imperial body.”
“Please proceed.”
Master Ye opened the Emperor’s collar, channeled his energy into the long needle, and inserted it into the Emperor’s dantian. After the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, he withdrew the needle and examined it closely. His expression changed slightly.
In the autumn of the fifth year of Chengxi, at the time of Cold Dew.
The banks of the Tongfeng River were as black as ink. The towering mountains stood like giant screens, or like monsters with gaping bloody mouths in the darkness, instilling a sense of fear.
To avoid detection, the thirty thousand Yueluo troops, carrying sufficient dry rations, set out in batches. Ping Wushang led ten thousand men in the vanguard, Su Jun and Su Yan led ten thousand in the middle, and Cheng Xiaoxiao led ten thousand in the rear. All three groups traveled by raft at night and hid in the forests on both banks of the Tongfeng River during the day, progressing quite smoothly.
In the deep darkness of night, seeing that everyone had arrived, Ping Wushang led the way into the depths of the mountains. Over the past few days, he had memorized the terrain map that Wei Zhao had sent secretly. After finding the landmark boulder, he took the lead, with the Yueluo soldiers following closely behind. After half a year of training, these elite troops were no longer what they used to be, marching silently through the night without making a sound.
They traveled like this for several days, finally entering a forest devoid of human traces or animal tracks, and at last saw the waterfall marked on the map. Ping Wushang let out a breath, looked at the stars and moon in the sky, calculated the days, and said, “We’ve finally arrived on time.”
Su Jun stood with his hands behind his back, looking around, and asked, “Where is that large cave?”
Ping Wushang leaped to investigate the waterfall, then jumped back down and beckoned to Su Jun. Su Jun understood, flashed to the large rock by the waterfall, and the two passed through the curtain of water, kneeling behind a figure.
Wei Zhao slowly turned around, his voice cold and clear: “Uncle Ping, you’ve worked hard. Su Jun has also done well. You may rise.”
Su Jun dared not say much. He removed his mask and took off his robe, offering them to Wei Zhao with both hands. Wei Zhao looked at him, changed into the robe, put on the mask, and said, “Sword.” Su Jun quickly unstrapped his sword.
“Change your clothes later and regroup with Su Yan.” Wei Zhao stepped towards the cave entrance. Uncle Ping hurriedly followed, unable to help but say, “Sect Master, are we going to do this?”
“Uncle Ping, don’t you trust me?” Wei Zhao stopped and turned, speaking coldly.
“I wouldn’t dare.” Uncle Ping felt that after not seeing him for half a year, the Sect Master’s temperament had become even colder. His emotions were complex, and he dared not say more.
Wei Zhao took a few steps forward, then said, “How is everything on Master Uncle’s side?”
“It should be fine. The Chief Minister leads people to catch King Ningping off guard, and the garrison commander of Langle is Liao Zheng, who also acts according to the plan. It shouldn’t be a problem to tie down King Ningping’s forces for half a month.”
Wei Zhao nodded. Just as he was about to pass through the water curtain, the cool spray of the waterfall carried a hint of chill. For a moment, he hesitated: The weather has turned cold, does she have enough warm military clothes?
Suddenly realizing that this was on the eve of a great battle and he couldn’t afford to be distracted, Wei Zhao shook his head vigorously to dispel the stray thoughts and strode through the waterfall.
Jiang Ci had also been quite busy these past two days. Military Doctor Ling had ordered her, Xiao Tian, and Xiao Qing to return to Hexi Prefecture to transport a large batch of medicinal materials. She observed the situation in the military camp closely, sensing that a major battle was about to take place.
After storing away the medicinal materials, night had fallen. She quietly tucked the sesame cakes she had bought in Hexi into her bosom and walked towards Wei Zhao’s tent. Wei Zhao’s tent was empty. Jiang Ci smiled, quietly kicked three stones into a triangle shape, and left the military camp.
The autumn night in the mountains was remote and tranquil, with a faint chill flowing through the stillness. Jiang Ci sat in a tree, listening to the rising autumn wind and the mournful cries of autumn insects, a nameless sorrow welling up in her heart.
Even when the moon reached its zenith, he still hadn’t appeared.
The longer Jiang Ci waited, the more anxious she became. She climbed down from the tree and ran at full speed towards Cui Liang’s tent. Cui Liang had just returned from Pei Yan’s main tent. Seeing Jiang Ci panting as she lifted the tent flap to enter, he smiled and said, “What’s the matter? Why so urgent?”
Jiang Ci stared at him blankly: “Brother Cui, has something happened?”
Cui Liang knew she had finally noticed. Wei Zhao had been gone for almost two days. Before leaving, he had asked Cui Liang to send Jiang Ci back to Hexi to transport medicine. He seemed to want to say something more but ultimately left without a word, disappearing into the night.
He sighed inwardly and said gently, “Xiao Ci, don’t worry. He’s gone to take care of something. He’ll be back soon.”
Jiang Ci’s figure swayed slightly. Cui Liang added, “Xiao Ci, there will be a major battle tomorrow. Stay far away from the battlefield. Wait until the war is over before going to rescue the wounded.”
“Yes.” Jiang Ci was silent for a moment, then said softly, “I’ll listen to everything Brother Cui says.” With that, she turned and left the tent.
The moonlight was clear and serene. She walked silently through the military camp. Even as the bright moon set in the west, she continued to walk silently through the camp.