Chapter 286: Hello Chang'an
Chapter 286: Why Not Be a Bit More Magnanimous? (Part II)
Li Xian raised his hand, signaling him not to stand on ceremony, and simply asked,
“May I ask, Deputy Commander Yu—where exactly did you go on patrol this time? Why were you gone so many days?”
Deputy Commander Yu replied,
“Your subordinate and his men were originally conducting a routine patrol east of the city. When questioning a merchant caravan from Huazhou, we happened to hear of a man whose appearance and bearing matched that of the Grand General. It was said that he had subdued a group of bandits near Huazhou, ridding the local people and travelers of a great menace—”
Li Xian’s expression did not change as he asked evenly,
“So, Deputy Commander Yu, you led your men to Huazhou to investigate?”
“Yes,” Yu replied. “It was no small matter to come across a clue about the Grand General. I dared not neglect it. Yet since the report was unconfirmed, I did not wish to trouble General Li with uncertain news, and thus took my men ahead to verify it first.”
Li Xian’s tone softened slightly.
“And? What was the result? Was that man truly the Grand General Cui?”
Though he was asking, deep down he still firmly believed Cui Jing to be dead. The news from the Protectorate of Anbei had been clear enough: Cui Jing had been ambushed in Hedong, grievously wounded, and struck into a frozen lake by the assassin. Survival had been impossible.
It was only that these loyal hounds of Cui Jing had yet to understand the truth. Though rumors had reached their ears, they still persisted in searching for their master’s whereabouts.
“Yes,” Deputy Commander Yu answered with a brightened smile. “Before we even reached Huazhou, we met the Grand General on the road!”
Li Xian’s gaze flickered, a glimmer of surprise swiftly hidden beneath a mask of polite astonishment.
“…Truly?”
He immediately followed up, “Then, where is Grand General Cui now? Is he well?”
“The Grand General is still recovering from his wounds, but his condition is no longer serious,” Yu continued. “After meeting him, we set out at once to return to Luoyang and report to you. Unexpectedly, we encountered ten thousand of Xu Zhengye’s cavalry along the way. We were no match and nearly met disaster. Fortunately, General Ningyuan, who had been pursuing Xu Zhengye, arrived just in time—she slew Xu Zhengye herself and rescued us from peril.”
The report was not long, but to Li Xian, there was far too much in it worth pondering.
Beside him, the strategist’s expression shifted through several shades of thought before settling into a smile.
“It is most fortunate that Grand General Cui is safe and sound. There have been rumors in the army of late—now that the Grand General’s well-being is confirmed, those rumors will naturally collapse.”
“Indeed.” Li Xian exhaled slowly, his manner visibly relaxing. “By that account, Grand General Cui must now be together with General Ningyuan and the other officers?”
“Yes,” Yu confirmed. “At that time, the Grand General brought us to join General Ningyuan and returned to the battlefield to oversee the postwar matters. They should presently be on the road to Bianzhou.”
“The Bianzhou officials have prepared a banquet of celebration for General Ningyuan’s great victory,” Yu added with a cheerful tone. “Prefect Hu of Bianzhou invited the Grand General to attend, and the Grand General could not refuse such earnest hospitality. He specifically sent me back to Luoyang to report his safety—and also to invite General Li to join the celebration of the triumph at the Bian River.”
To Chang Suining and Cui Jing, the whole realm was already rejoicing. For them, it would indeed seem inappropriate to exclude Li Xian—the imperial-appointed commander—from their invitations. And beyond simple courtesy, there was no reason to treat him with cold neglect.
Yet in Li Xian’s ears, the invitation was filled with mockery and pride.
He silently rubbed the purple jade thumb ring upon his finger, his lips curling into a faint smile.
“Such a great victory, such extraordinary merit—it truly deserves grand celebration.”
“Grand General Cui’s survival is a double blessing,” he went on smoothly. “Deputy Commander Yu, see that this good news is spread throughout the army to ease their hearts. Once I have arranged the camp affairs, I will set out for Bianzhou to pay my respects to the Grand General in person.”
Deputy Commander Yu bowed with clasped fists and withdrew.
For a moment, the tent fell silent.
That silence was thick with a heavy, brooding air.
“General…” the strategist began carefully.
“Grand General Cui…” Li Xian murmured with a soft sigh. “Truly, a man hard to kill—his luck is always this good.”
Or rather, could the words ‘narrowly escaped death’ truly be taken at face value?
Either way, Cui Jing’s return alive was an undeniable fact—and a most troublesome one.
A man who had already “died” ought to have gone quietly to the Yellow Springs… his sudden return was hardly a cause for joy.
The strategist’s brows furrowed tightly.
Only a short while ago, he had been consoling his general that the loss of temporary merit mattered little compared to securing the command of the Xuanzhe Army. But now—
The merit was gone.
And the command…
With Li Xian having achieved nothing in this campaign, having gained no battle honors to establish his prestige, and Cui Jing suddenly reappearing alive before the public eye—even the Holy Emperor would have neither reason nor justification to hand the command of the Xuanzhe Army over to Li Xian.
All that had once seemed certain was now abruptly lost.
The strategist could only offer quiet counsel.
“General, there is no need for haste. Remember—what lies in the Holy One’s heart is what determines all in the end. It is only a matter of time. You must remain calm and patient.”
“Patience…” Li Xian gave a faint, inscrutable smile. “That is one thing I’ve never lacked.”
“Yes. The General has always understood the principle of enduring small slights for the sake of great designs,” the strategist replied earnestly. “It was precisely because of your tireless service and patient restraint in the southern territories that the Holy One regards you so highly.”
Having said that, he added,
“Then… will the General go to Bianzhou to celebrate with them?”
“Go? Of course I shall go,” Li Xian said with an easy smile. “I was dispatched here by imperial command, and thus represent the will of Her Majesty herself. How could I possibly be absent from such a momentous celebration?”
“Moreover,” he went on lightly, “if everyone attends and I alone remain behind, would that not invite needless speculation—that I am small-minded and narrow in spirit?”
“Besides,” his voice lowered into a meaningful tone, “the Grand General and I are old acquaintances. It has been so long since we last met—it would only be proper to renew old ties.”
The strategist nodded.
“Yes, I will make the arrangements for the journey to Bianzhou at once.”
“Go,” Li Xian said lazily, reaching for the empty wine cup beside him.
He spoke softly, “It seems the fine wine the officials of Luoyang sent me is not meant for my enjoyment. I should take it to Bianzhou instead—and present it to Grand General Cui… oh, and to that newly illustrious General Ningyuan.”
“No, Arlan believes the General should enjoy it first.”
The blue-robed woman at his side smiled as she lifted the freshly prepared wine jug and poured the clear liquor into Li Xian’s cup.
Li Xian watched in silence as the cup filled seven or eight parts full, then tilted his head back and drained it in a single gulp.
The woman’s deep eyes gleamed with growing amusement as she reached again to refill his cup.
But just as her hand extended, a sharp crack rang out—
the porcelain cup shattered in Li Xian’s grasp.
Shards scattered across the table, and bright beads of blood welled between his fingers.
Startled, the woman quickly set the jug aside, fetching the medicine box to treat his wound.
Yet Li Xian caught her chin lightly in his bleeding hand, smiling faintly as he spoke:
“Arlan, you will soon meet your father’s killer—and the daughter of another man who killed your father. But now… is not yet the time for vengeance. You must understand that.”
The woman looked up at him obediently, her eyes calm and unwavering. Placing her right hand over her heart, she spoke solemnly, as though taking an oath:
“Arlan understands. Arlan will obey the General’s every command, and will never act rashly to ruin your great plan.”
Li Xian showed a satisfied smile. The blood-stained palm lifted from her chin and instead gently brushed through her softly curled hair, his gaze filled with the kind of fondness one might have when admiring a beast he had personally trained to obey.
——
After departing from Bian River with the army, Chang Suining and Xiao Min ordered the troops to make camp outside the city of Bianzhou for the time being.
Xu Zhengye had already been executed, and the triumphant report had been dispatched to the capital. There were still many matters awaiting their handling — repairs to the warships would not be completed within a day or two, and the soldiers also needed time to heal from their wounds.
Moreover, the matter was not yet truly concluded. Within Luoyang, there remained Xu Zhengye’s remaining allies. However, since these involved prominent aristocratic clans, they would have to await the Holy Emperor’s decree.
As for the army’s next course of action, decisions could only be made after further consultation with the court.
Until then, Chang Suining’s task was to ensure that the soldiers recovered well under her command.
Their journey to Bianzhou was at the repeated and earnest invitation of Prefect Hu, though she herself had no objection to sharing a celebratory meal at another’s expense.
At this time, the army and the captured soldiers from the Xu clan were settled outside the city, while Chang Suining, Xiao Min, and Cui Jing led two thousand soldiers to accompany Prefect Hu into Bianzhou.
Riding ahead on horseback, Prefect Hu’s heart surged with excitement, filled with the feeling of returning home in triumph.
Although the victory over Xu’s forces was not entirely of his own making, bringing General Ningyuan as an honored guest to Bianzhou was undoubtedly a feat accomplished through his own efforts.
It should be known that before this, not only had the officials within the city sent letters, but even his wife at home had repeatedly urged their servants to deliver the same message: no matter what it took, he must invite General Ningyuan to Bianzhou.
For this, the always gentle lady had even spoken harshly to him — saying that if he failed to bring back General Ningyuan, then surely her husband himself would feel too ashamed to return home.
The meaning behind her words was clear enough: If you cannot bring General Ningyuan back, then don’t bother coming back yourself.
Now, upon entering the city, Prefect Hu immediately understood his wife’s true intent.
That proclamation which had spread throughout the lands, combined with the deliverance of the city from the brink of ruin, had stirred the hearts of Bianzhou’s citizens — their reverence for General Ningyuan surged with fervor, unparalleled in history.
At sixteen, she had entered the battlefield seeking her father, slaying one of Xu’s leading generals and defending Hezhou.
Later, she had personally captured the rebel Li Yi, preventing even greater turmoil from arising.
Now, barely seventeen years of age, her proclamation — “Within seventy-three days, I shall slay the traitor Xu” — had resounded across the land. And indeed, she fulfilled that vow, presenting Xu’s severed head, never betraying the desperate hopes of the suffering people who had clung to her promise like a lifeline, nor granting those who mocked her the chance to see her fail.
By her deeds, she made good her word — giving every soul who had read or heard that proclamation a definitive answer.
In troubled times such as these, what the people most yearned for was a hero — one shrouded in mystery, emerging overnight to do what others could not or dared not do, one willing to save the masses from fire and water. The eyes of the common people followed such a hero as though following their very hope itself.
That day, the streets of Bianzhou were overflowing with people, flowers of early spring piled high on both sides of the road.
Seeing the crowds’ admiring gazes, He Wuhu’s eyes nearly glazed over.
In all his life, it was the first time anyone had looked upon him with the gaze reserved for a hero.
This feeling—!
This was it!
Such satisfaction surpassed any joy he had ever felt from robbing travelers of their silver and gold.
So this was what it felt like to be on the righteous path, to do something truly good.
Amidst the shower of flowers raining from every direction, He Wuhu was overcome with intoxicated delight, as though he had secretly drunk the nectar of the Queen Mother’s banquet in the heavens.
Why “secretly,” one might ask?
Naturally, because he knew in his heart that he was no hero at all — rather, a scoundrel. In truth, he would never have been worthy of even touching a single petal of these flowers, if not for following behind General Ningyuan and borrowing some of her glory.
But henceforth, he swore he would change his ways — to follow General Ningyuan loyally and earn merit through real deeds!
As for this fleeting moment—
He would simply treat it as glory borrowed in advance.
He Wuhu gripped his reins tightly, his eyes blazing with enthusiasm as he glanced at a few of his comrades beside him. He had brought fewer than ten men into the city, having deliberately chosen only those as tall and handsome as himself — so as to lend greater splendor to General Ningyuan’s retinue. The rest, the crooked and rough-looking ones, he had disdainfully left behind.
Just the previous night, Chang Suining had, in front of Cui Jing, agreed to take them into her command.
Now, they all proudly considered themselves “General Ningyuan’s men.” With their new title secured, they performed their duties with greater zeal, constantly reminding themselves to uphold discipline, just as she had instructed.
For instance, at this very moment—
As they rode slowly along the main street, they passed the grandest pleasure house in the city. From its windows, the courtesans within tossed down blossoms toward them.
He Wuhu did not see from where one flower was thrown, but caught it happily — until he heard the courtesan laughingly call down,
“My lord general has caught my flower — be sure to come find me for a drink tonight!”
At that, He Wuhu nearly jumped out of his skin, hurriedly stuffing the flower into Yuan Xiang’s hands. He was a proper soldier now — violating military discipline was absolutely forbidden!
Yuan Xiang blinked in confusion, completely at a loss:
“...?”
Still, more and more flowers rained down from above.
A pale-pink branch of crabapple blossoms, leaves still green, floated from the second floor and was caught midair by Cui Jing.
Yuan Xiang panicked even more — had the Grand General lost his mind? If so, they’d best think fast how to fix it before anyone noticed!
Yet in the next moment, Cui Jing handed that branch to Chang Suining.
It was a sprig of pale-pink crabapple.
For a fleeting instant, Chang Suining seemed to return to the spring of the previous year — when she had first come home, riding within her carriage alongside the Xuanzhe Army into the capital. At that time, a similar crabapple branch had brushed against Cui Jing’s armor before falling upon her carriage window.
So… he remembered even such a small thing? Or perhaps, even then, he had already taken notice of her?
Chang Suining instinctively turned to look at him.
The young man was also looking at her. Behind him was a world awash with color — a rain of blossoms filling the sky — yet in the depths of his eyes, there was only her reflection.
“Look! General Ningyuan… General Ningyuan caught my crabapple blossom!”
From the railing of the second floor, the peerless courtesan cried out in excitement.
Chang Suining looked past Cui Jing toward her.
In that instant of shared gaze, the courtesan’s cheeks flushed red with excitement. Clutching her silk handkerchief tightly, she called out,
“General Ningyuan… when you have time, please come drink here! I… I shall play the zither and sing for you!”
She had summoned every ounce of courage to speak those words, yet once they left her lips, she bit down on them in regret. Though both were women, the other was a star of virtue and honor — a general revered by all — while she herself was but a woman of the brothel, tainted and unclean.
How could muddy water ever dare to offend the bright moon?
How could she have been so unaware of her own place?
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