Volume 6, Chapter 37: Extermination¹

On the fourteenth day of the eighth month of Tongtai, the Duke drilled troops to mastery and entered into an agreement with Rong Yuan to capture Xiangyang together. Rong Yuan encountered a tough army blocking his way and couldn’t advance, halted at Jingling. The Duke set out from Yiyang and marched through Wan Prefecture and Deng Prefecture and captured Xiangyang. Hearing the Marquis of Chu of the imperial rank, Jiang Zhe, was defending Gucheng, he ordered his army to attack. Zhe played the zither on the walls, and the Duke retreated when he heard the music. He sighed and said, “I cannot recklessly risk my army. Rest overnight.”

While Rong Yuan’s army retreated from Jingling, he heard the Duke had captured Xiangyang. Infuriated, he sent two false accusations to the court that the Duke controlled the army to consolidate his own power. This caused rumors to fly among the people. A song had the lyrics: “King Lu hoists the banner and gives new orders, / The millions of his army respond in kind.” Prime Minister Shang suspected the Duke intended to declare independence.

The Duke didn’t know of the turmoil arising in Jiangnan, a.s.saulting Gucheng for ten days. Next, the Duke learned Xiangyang was in grave danger and abandoned Gucheng and swung back, defeating the Yong army outside the city. Concerned over Xiangyang’s lack of aid, he requested reinforcements from the court.

When Prime Minister Shang heard, he became even more suspicious that the Duke was making secret deals with Yong agents, so he urged the King to send out a royal decree to recall him. The Duke replied that a general in the field needs not adhere to all the orders of the sovereign. The King was enraged by the response and sent off seven consecutives royal edicts to retreat.

In the field with no reinforcements and running out of provisions, the Duke had no choice but to turn back. He wept into the wind, “The great undertaking is incomplete, and by moving south across the river halfway through, there will never again be the hope of taking the Central Plains.”

As the Duke withdrew from the front, the elders of Xiangyang halted his horse and said, “We will help the Grand General defend the city! The Yong army governs Xiangyang with military law. They will not pardon us.”

The Duke sobbed at the words, thereupon traveling slowly, waiting for the commoners to move south first. The Yong army was angered when they heard and attacked fiercely, not retreating. The Duke defended for seven days, then returned upon setting Xiangyang ablaze.

In the ninth month, the Duke reached Anlu with his retreating force. Royal envoys arrived in the army, urging the Duke to return to the capital alone. Possibly, deputy generals tried to persuade him to rebel, as the Duke said, “How can I break my loyalty?” Thus in bad health, he took to the road. The entire army wept for him.

—Southern Chu Dynastic Records, Biography of the Duke of Loyal Courage

Wei Ying knew that the commanding general in Huaixi, s.h.i.+ Guan, was headquartered at Shouchun at the moment. Meanwhile, Lu Yun was in Zhongli leading the Flying Cavalry against the Yong army. Over the past few years, Lu Yun had freely crisscrossed the land between Suzhou and Xiao County, fleeing from the tip of the enemy’s spear and hitting the enemy’s soft underbelly. He was already an extremely famous young general, especially in the last two years. Lu Yun and s.h.i.+ Yujin, the couple, often went into battle together, seen on the left then suddenly on the right, confusing the enemy army into a crus.h.i.+ng defeat.

If he could gain Lu Yun, he would throw his arms up and cheer that at least the Huaixi army could stand strong. Father and son were closely linked, so it might be possible to force Lu Can to rebel. There wasn’t even necessarily a need to raise a rebel flag as long as they deliberately provoked a border conflict and warred against Great Yong. Once war began, Shang Weijun wouldn’t dare to rashly kill Lu Can. With these thoughts, Wei Ying couldn’t care less about the toil, rus.h.i.+ng through the night to get to Zhongli. He knew that once Lu Can allowed himself to be arrested without any resistance, the court’s royal envoys would travel to Huaixi. So he had to spur his horse to full speed and reach the area before the envoy.

On the twenty-second day of the ninth month, Wei Ying reached Shouchun covered with dust. He hadn’t planned to enter the city, traveling directly to Zhongli to see Lu Yun, but to his surprise, he saw a young general wearing silver armor and a blood red cloak at the gates leading a dozen bodyguards. They were fighting their way out of the gate, the young general wielding a silver spear. The spear danced, and the soldiers defending the city all dodged away, allowing the young general and retinue to charge out of the gate on horseback.

Wei Ying hid on the side of the road, staring intently. He saw a person seemingly sitting in front of the young general, who had used her cloak to soundly wrap up that person. The gallantry could enchant a person. However, Wei Ying was chilled by the sight. Even though the young general was wearing martial attire, he could recognize it was Lu Yun’s wife, s.h.i.+ Yujin.

s.h.i.+ Yujin was unlike normal women. For the past several years, she had constantly fought side by side with Lu Yun in battle. She was a deputy general of the Flying Cavalry who was more intrepid and stauncher than her male counterparts. When in formation, she always wore silver armor and looked similar to Lu Yun. Everyone in the Yong military knew the names of Lu and s.h.i.+. She was both one of the most prestigious young generals of Southern Chu and the daughter of s.h.i.+ Guan.

Why is she fighting her way out of Shouchun? Wei Ying pondered, when the retinue flitted past him fast as lightning. The cloak was kicked up by the wind, revealing the face of the person sitting in front of s.h.i.+ Yujin. It was an elegant and dainty young woman. And surprising to Wei Ying, the young woman was Lu Can’s only daughter, Lu Mei. s.h.i.+ Yujin had already been pregnant for five months, or else she wouldn’t have left Zhongli and returned to Shouchun to rest. But right now, she was spurring her horse into a wild gallop. Unless, the court’s royal envoys had already moved on Huaixi, or had s.h.i.+ Guan taken some action?

Wei Ying was still trying to work through this situation when he saw a squad of soldiers wearing the colors of the royal guard pour out of the city. They made a show of force as they pursued s.h.i.+ Yujin and her retinue.

Wei Ying nearly tumbled off his horse. The royal guard was acting rather too arrogantly, actually hunting down s.h.i.+ Guan’s daughter in Huaixi. s.h.i.+ Guan just needed to drop a hint to have people encircle and annihilate them. At worst, he could lay the blame at the feet of the Yong army. Doubt arose inside him. Unless s.h.i.+ Guan had already submitted to Shang Weijun, so he was trying to harm Lu Mei, and s.h.i.+ Yujin had disobeyed her father’s orders to rescue Mei’er.

Then Wei Ying saw a cavalry company of the Huaixi army charge out of the gates, and he became ever more anxious. He wanted even less to enter the city to meet s.h.i.+ Guan. If s.h.i.+ Guan had really cast his lot with Shang Weijun, then intervening to save s.h.i.+ Yujin would be entirely useless. If s.h.i.+ Guan hadn’t, then he definitely didn’t need to meddle. It would be better to hurry to Zhongli and make Lu Yun mentally ready for the things to come.

Yet a shadow of failure had arisen within Wei Ying. Could the loyal Lu family truly not receive any pity from the Heavens? Would the student allow the sinister and crafty man to do his worst? Did he himself truly have no chance left?

s.h.i.+ Yujin’s face hidden under the helmet was ashen. She hadn’t ridden in months and felt very out of practice, not to mention the vague discomfort made her dizzy. But she still firmly sat on her mount, unwilling to show any fatigue. Tightly clutching Mei’er, she was full of indignation.

A dozen days ago, she learned her father-in-law, Lu Can, was slandered. She was discomfited and pressed her father to write a defense exculpating her father-in-law on his behalf. But it elicited no reaction, like a stone sinking into the sea. She was more surprised that her father’s bodyguards had covertly run over to tell him last night that Shang Weijun had dispatched an envoy to them, saying Grand General Lu had been captured and taken to the capital. They were to secretly catch the three sons and one daughter of the Lu family and take them back to Jianye. Surprising her, her father agreed, only requesting that he himself be kept safe.

s.h.i.+ Yujin detested her father’s ungratefulness and didn’t tarry. She immediately found Lu Mei and only took her bodyguards with her, issuing a made-up order to charge out of Shouchun. She wholeheartedly wanted to go to Zhongli and meet up with Lu Yun, so ignored her body’s discomfort and also ignored telling Mei’er the truth. She merely hurried on with dedication.

She was lucky the soldiers defending the city were too scared to come to blows with her, which allowed her to easily charge out of the gates. Not far from the city, she realized royal guardsmen were pursuing her. Steeling her heart, she simply led her bodyguards in a countercharge.

Although the royal guard had also trained over the past several years, they were just newborn calves compared to the elite cavalry of the Huaixi army that had years of experience in close combat. Although they fearlessly met the charge, they were easily routed by s.h.i.+ Yujin and her retinue.

Leading the charge, s.h.i.+ Yujin sank her spear into the chest of the commanding officer of these royal guardsmen. She was striving to make the body fly off her spear when she felt her hand lose grip, her strength disappearing. Blood splattered her, her silver armor now covered with blood. Luckily, Lu Mei was protected in her bosom by the cloak and didn’t get stained with blood. s.h.i.+ Yujin took a deep breath. Pointing her silver spear at the royal guardsmen scattering in all directions, she proclaimed, “Leave not a one alive!”

In the distance, dust clouds billowed. It was a middle-aged general hurriedly leading a hundred or so Huaixi army soldiers over. The company of Huaixi soldiers extended its wings like outstretched arms, protecting the royal guardsmen fleeing in their direction. The commanding officer declared, “Young General, the General has ordered for the Young General and Lady Lu to return to Shouchun.”

“Chen Ming, how dare you come arrest me?” s.h.i.+ Yujin angrily said. “Have you forgotten who helped you get revenge for the death of your brother? You should fulfill your responsibility to little brother Yun and me.”

Shame appeared on the middle-aged general’s face, but he said apprehensively, “Young General, I dare not disobey orders. The General ordered me to tell Young General that the world is so big, there’s no place to flee to. Rather than prolonging your moribund existence, it’d be better to seize upon a reputation of loyalty. Moreover, the General will pet.i.tion the court to vouch for you. It’s not like there’s no lifeline to speak of. Please, Young General, empathize with the General’s difficulties. Don’t take on the reputation of disloyalty.”

s.h.i.+ Yujin was hotheaded by nature. Raising her silver spear, she pointed it at Chen Ming and criticized, “I care not for loyalty. If we must talk about loyalty, there is n.o.body more loyal than the Grand General. However, a single royal decree from the King can lock Father-in-law in prison. I won’t let little brother Yun, second brother, and Mei’er get sent off to die in Jianye. Go back and tell my daddy that he facilitated this marriage from the start. And our s.h.i.+ family was promoted up by the Lu family. If he’s ungrateful for the kindness, I won’t recognize him as my daddy even if I die.”

Anger flashed in Chen Ming’s eyes. “Since the Young General feels this way, this general has no choice but to give offense. General’s orders: don’t harm Young General or Lady Lu. Attack!”

s.h.i.+ Yujin was enraged. She didn’t expect Chen Ming to actually act. As she was about to raise her spear, several bodyguards forestalled her and loudly said, “Young General, please leave. We’ll cover the rear.”

s.h.i.+ Yujin was startled. In the past, if she were a single step slower than the charge, she’d regret it for days afterward, much less allow her subordinates to cover the rear. However, thinking of her present circ.u.mstances and about Mei’er in her embrace, it was better to leave than be caught here. Besides, the other side wasn’t the enemy. As long as she fled, her troops could individually relinquish their weapons and surrender. Chen Ming likely wouldn’t make things difficult for them. These thoughts in mind, she shouted, “Chen Ming, if you kill them, you’ll die to my spear sooner or later!” Then she spurred her horse into a wild gallop and rode away, still followed by eight bodyguards. Half her retinue had automatically stayed behind to stop their pursuers.

Not a moment later, s.h.i.+ Yujin and the receding figures of her bodyguards disappeared without a trace. The remaining bodyguards started fighting to the death in opposition. Chen Ming was stopped for a short while and was too late to catch up. Sighing, he said, “The Young General has left. Why aren’t you putting down your weapons and surrendering? Come back with me and beg the General for forgiveness.”

The bodyguards were all former subordinates of s.h.i.+ Guan, but s.h.i.+ Yujin had selected them as her bodyguards. If not for the young general, they wouldn’t be resisting Chen Ming. They lost attention at the words. First, two bodyguards were unhorsed, then the other bodyguards let go of their weapons with wry smiles when they saw what happened. They allowed Chen Ming’s troops to tie them up.

Unexpectedly, one royal guardsman wielding a steel saber went over and started hacking wildly. Chen Ming and the others were all surprised. Only after a bodyguard collapsed in a pool of blood was the guardsman overpowered by the rest of the Huaixi soldiers. The guardsman, still unforgiving, spat out, “These rebels and traitors should all be killed! If Colonel Chen saves them, he takes part in the same crime.”

A savage light glinting in Chen Ming eyes, his mind turning over, he remembered General s.h.i.+’s strict orders. Eventually, he said, forcing back his anger, “They violated military law, so the General will punish them. But sire doesn’t need to meddle. This is Huaixi, not Jianye.”

The guardsman finally noticed the rage in everyone’s eyes and thought of how few people were on his side right now. If he were silenced, he wouldn’t even be able to yell, “This is an injustice!” It was better to return to meet the royal envoy and embellish the story. Thinking of this, his bl.u.s.ter instantly subsided, and fright appeared in his eyes.

Chen Ming gave him a frosty glance and yelled, “Return to camp!” With that said, he went over and carried the body of the murdered bodyguard, mounted his steed, and galloped off. The remaining Huaixi army troops exchanged looks, then cut away the ropes binding the surrendered bodyguards, letting them mount by themselves and return to prevent the royal guardsmen from murdering them again. Then they turned around and left without a care.

The surviving royal guardsmen were all internally furious but couldn’t take care of their companions’ bodies. They just spurred their horses away, following the Huaixi army, lest stragglers die in an unknown fas.h.i.+on.

s.h.i.+ Yujin spurred her horse and galloped for a long time before she remembered to check on Lu Mei’s situation. Shouting an order for everyone to stop riding, she raised her visor and unwrapped her cloak. Upon examination, she saw Lu Mei was not injured anywhere. She could rest easy. But then she heard whimpers in her ear. Looking down in surprise, she saw tears staining Lu Mei’s face that was as elegant as an immortal’s.

Sensing s.h.i.+ Yujin’s nervous gaze, Lu Mei looked up. Plucking up her courage, she asked, “Sister-in-law, what happened? Why did they say daddy was imprisoned? Why does Uncle s.h.i.+ want to arrest us?”

s.h.i.+ Yujin’s heart ached. “Mei’er, you don’t need to worry. Although Father has some difficulties, there will presumably be room to turn things around. I also look down upon my daddy’s ungratefulness, but I presume he won’t ma.s.sacre everyone to the last man. Let’s first go look for your eldest brother. With the protection of the Flying Cavalry, I don’t think anyone would dare act against us.”

Lu Mei’s bright eyes contained hints of tears. She whispered, “I know everybody doesn’t want to tell me the truth. The Queen Dowager wanted me to join the palace as a n.o.ble consort. I was unwilling, but second brother tricked me into coming to Shouchun yet didn’t tell me the truth. Sister-in-law is doing the same now. It’s all because Mei’er is useless, unable to help everyone. I even dragged in sister-in-law.”

s.h.i.+ Yujin grew more forlorn and whispered back, “Silly girl. You’re the apple of the Lu family’s eye.² If we needed you to worry about fighting in battle and the conflicts in the court, what would there be left for us to do? Don’t you worry. Even if I give my life, I’ll keep you safe. At worst, me and your eldest brother will both spear our way through Huaixi.”

Tears fell even harder from Lu Mei’s eyes at the words. She leaned on s.h.i.+ Yujin’s chest, spasming with sobs.

The eight bodyguards were also saddened and paled. One of them said in a spiteful tone, “The General has always valued honor. How could he align himself with the powerful Prime Minister this time to the point he doesn’t cherish Young General?” He realized he’d made a faux pas as soon as he spoke. He saw s.h.i.+ Yujin’s face keep paling, to the point she spat out blood. Lu Mei cried out and reached up to steady s.h.i.+ Yujin.

Everyone knew s.h.i.+ Yujin had always been compet.i.tive, yet the toil of the flight from Shouchun was not as painful as her father’s actions.

The bodyguard was so ashamed and remorseful he slapped his own face hard. s.h.i.+ Yujin opened her eyes and briefly said, “It’s none of your concern. All right, let’s first go to Zhongli.”

Everyone unanimously agreed. Right at this moment, though, a chilling voice said, “Zhongli is distant. I’m afraid n.o.body can go. Allow this seat to send Young General s.h.i.+ and Lady Lu on to the road leading to the underworld.”

Everybody looked for the voice, seeing a woman in azure robes on a footpath to their left, over a hundred zhang³ away walking over. She seemed to be moving extraordinarily slow, but she came right up to them in the blink of an eye. Dirt not sticking to her feet, robes dancing in the breeze, she was graceful and beautiful. Although her brow and corners of her eyes showed signs of age, she was no less charming than a sixteen-year-old maiden. Besides the Qingfeng Sword on her back, she wore no other accoutrement on her person, which made her seem even more plain and unadorned.

s.h.i.+ Yujin knitted her brows and gazed at the azure-robed woman. She had also learned the martial arts of the Emei Sect. The arts were not restricted just to battlefield fighting. She could see the frost blasting out of the woman’s eyes in all directions, her sword qi overwhelming. She was a rarely seen expert. If they fought on the battlefield, she would have a few chances, but engaging in jianghu meant she would suffer a crus.h.i.+ng defeat for sure.

Gently patting the quivering Lu Mei, s.h.i.+ Yujin loudly asked, “Who are you? How dare you block this general’s path!”

Derision s.h.i.+mmered in the azure-robed woman’s eyes for a moment as she evenly answered, “This seat is Feng Feifei. Presumably, Young General has never heard this name before.”

s.h.i.+ Yujin felt some uncertainty, thinking it sounded rather familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she’d heard the name before. Somehow, s.h.i.+ Yujin felt like the woman’s scornful expression wasn’t directed at her, looking more like a form of self-deprecation. However, now wasn’t the time to be concerned about this.

She threw one of her bodyguards a significant look, and he rode over and whispered, “Give offense.” Then he reached out with both hands and hoisted over Lu Mei, setting her on his horse. Although Lu Mei was a bit uneasy, the bodyguard was thirty years old and was like an elder to her. His movements were also gentle and cautious. Lu Mei was worried about s.h.i.+ Yujin, so she didn’t make any unusual expressions.

s.h.i.+ Yujin was relieved when she sent Lu Mei some distance away. Picking up her spear, she pointed it at the azure-robed woman and said, “No matter who you are, if you want to take this Young General’s life, you have to ask if my silver spear agrees to it.”

The azure-robed woman, Feng Feifei, gave a grim laugh. s.h.i.+ Yujin saw only a blur, the sword glints filling the sky already reaching her. s.h.i.+ Yujin was unable to tell where the sword was coming from, an intense sense of danger welling up within her. With a resounding shout, she thrust her silver spear straight and level at the center of the sword afterimages. The spear thrust was imbued with the bold spirit of the b.l.o.o.d.y battlefield. It was a move designed to make both sides suffer.

With a loud crash, a cry of surprise came from the sword glinting like snow. However, there was no indication the glinting of the sword was weakening any. It even crashed over like the tide.

s.h.i.+ Yujin felt like all she could see were sword afterimages. She couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the azure-robed woman’s figure. She might as well close her eyes to not see the dazzling glinting of the sword and depend upon her mental perception instead.

She enlivened her silver spear, its afterimages pear blossoms falling scattered like snow. Relying on her spearmans.h.i.+p that enabled millions of troops to move unhindered across the land, she blocked the sword strikes, but she knew at heart that she was just defying death, and her experience on b.l.o.o.d.y battlefields had made it an even fight. If she kept fighting, she could take at most thirty exchanges before she would be injured by the sword.

s.h.i.+ Yujin was a valiant general on the battlefield, not a woman of jianghu. With these thoughts, she ignored any customs and declared, “Everyone, attack! Surround and kill that woman.”

Her bodyguards had long been combat ready. When they heard her order, they all raised their spears and lances and charged, except for two bodyguards remaining behind to protect Lu Mei. The six men had formed up and were cooperating with each other to charge at the azure-robed woman from behind. Although the woman’s swordsmans.h.i.+p was brilliant, when besieged by s.h.i.+ Yujin and the six bodyguards, she was caught in a situation in which she had to defend more than attack, to say nothing of the aid the horses of the six bodyguards brought.

Feng Feifei was rather frustrated and scoffed, “I’ve always heard that though s.h.i.+ Guan’s daughter is young, she is a valiant general on the battlefield, brave and skilled. It looks like she’s merely leaned on sheer force of numbers to dominate.” While speaking, the momentum of her swordsmans.h.i.+p grew swifter and fiercer. Within the range of several zhang, blast waves surged everywhere like the tide, her sword creating images of snow.

s.h.i.+ Yujin ignored her. If she split hairs in battle, how would she have any possibility of winning? Her silver spear reaching perfection, it soared and leaped over the sword blasts, looking just like a flood dragon playing in the river. Each strike, each form the consummation of perfection.

She started to forget about the danger lurking all around her. Having spent many years on b.l.o.o.d.y battlefields in the dangerous front lines, coupled with her discouragement, she disregarded the survival mindset, which miraculously allowed her to break through into the realm where spear and person became one. She sensed the silver spear in her hands get imbued with her life force, instinctively blocking her enemy’s attacks and thrusting at her enemy’s vital points.

The clanging sounds of the spear and sword clas.h.i.+ng was incessant. Feng Feifei may have had excellent martial arts, but her legendary sword didn’t have as much reach for attacks as the long spear. She could feel her internal organs repeatedly get concussed. She grew fearful, the idea of disengaging emerging in her mind.

Right at this moment, s.h.i.+ Yujin suddenly felt an excruciating pain in her belly. Sparing no effort in fighting, she gave herself the side effects of pregnancy—nausea, vomiting, edema of the legs. With a soft cry, the silver spear in her grip trembled, exposing an opening.

Feng Feifei was the best swordsman in jianghu. Giving a bellow, she took advantage, silver light exploding from her hands. Blooms of blood sprayed, screams rang out. The bodyguards were clutching their throats as they tumbled off their horses. Feng Feifei seized the hard-won, golden opportunity to kill all six of the bodyguards providing a.s.sistance from behind. Gathering the rays of the sword, Feng Feifei retreated several zhang. She clearly looked paler. Her sword strike had exhausted her, consuming all her energy.

In just the moment s.h.i.+ Yujin took to recover, the bodyguards who’d accompanied her onto the b.l.o.o.d.y battlefield died. Grief crashed over her, but when the severe pain wrenched her stomach again, she became utterly horrified.

Feng Feifei had already collected herself and was bounding at her. s.h.i.+ Yujin was no longer willing to engage and said in woe, “Let’s go.” Before she finished speaking, she spurred her horse into the wilderness at a gallop.

The bodyguard protecting Lu Mei promptly whipped his steed in pursuit, while the other bodyguard who’d been brandis.h.i.+ng his blade to protect Lu Mei spurred his horse into a charge at the azure-robed woman. Before the three riders and two mounts could gallop away, they heard a scream come from behind. The sole remaining bodyguard looked back to see his brother-in-arm’s head fly up, the body being kicked off the horse by the azure-robed woman. She landed in the saddle and then spurred the horse in pursuit.

On the horse at the very front, s.h.i.+ Yujin was lying flat on her mount, apparently unconscious. If not for her habit and instinct of tightly hugging the horse’s neck, she would probably have fallen off her mount.

The bodyguard was saddened. A savage expression surfacing on his ashen face, he declared, “Lady Lu, protect the Young General.” Then he sprang out of his saddle and landed on the ground, standing in the middle of the road to meet the rapidly approaching rider.

Lu Mei cried out in anguish, but even though she was young and inexperienced in the ways of the world, she was the daughter of a martial family. She knew this was a life-and-death situation. Two people and three lives were in her hands. Fortunately, she had some equestrian skill. She may not have been elite, but she forgot about everything else at this moment and spurred the horse into a gallop, actually catching up to s.h.i.+ Yujin.

s.h.i.+ Yujin had lost consciousness. Her body was tottering off the horse. Steeling her heart, Lu Mei jumped over, ignoring the possibility of death. Surprisingly, she leaped onto the saddle rear of s.h.i.+ Yujin and grabbed the slack reins.

Feeling sweat pouring over her body, Lu Mei celebrated internally. Back when she practiced this move with her second brother, she’d fallen from the horse nine out of ten times. She was lucky she had retainers protecting her at the time, or she would’ve broken her neck. Afterwards, her mother had forbidden her from practicing such dangerous techniques. She luckily succeeded by a fluke this time.

Calming down, she feared the azure-robed woman would catch up, as she didn’t have a whip. Resolving herself, she pulled out the dagger used for self-defense from her waist belt and stabbed it into the rump of the horse.

The white horse trumpeted and ran forward in a frenzy. Lu Mei could only hear the wind rus.h.i.+ng past her ears, already unable to see the scenery on either side of her. She could only tightly embrace s.h.i.+ Yujin and clutch the reins, letting the steed dash madly.

Unbeknownst to her, Feng Feifei was behind her gnas.h.i.+ng her teeth and cursing. She had no way to catch up. The last bodyguard stopping her had inconsequential martial arts in her eyes, but to her surprise, when the man gave whistles of varying lengths, the warhorses reared up at the sounds and scattered in all directions. Even the warhorse under her went crazy, trying its hardest to throw her off. A slight lapse in concentration and the reins slipped from her fingers. Fortunately, she had superb qinggong and vaulted away, unharmed by the startled mount.

Seeing the warhorse she could use to pursue the enemy fleeing, she could do nothing but kill the bodyguard with a stab of her sword in spite. To her surprise, the bodyguard desperately clung to her right leg. Although she was in her thirties, she still hadn’t married. Panicking, she slashed him several times before finally cutting both his hands off and freeing herself from his grasp. Looking into his bloodshot, round eyes, rage welled up inside her. She viciously hacked the bodyguard’s corpse apart, cutting it into eighteen or so sections, which finally eliminated her fury.

Looking into the distance, she didn’t know where her two targets had fled to. She had nothing to do but sigh softly. She planned to go to Zhongli and wait for her prey there.⁴

Right as she moved, she felt a pain in the small of her back. Then a numb sensation spread from her back to the rest of her body. She tried to raise her sword with great difficulty, but her grip weakened, and the long sword fell to the earth. Afterwards, her body fell forward, and she felt she was slowly losing consciousness. Exerting herself, she roared, “Who’s there? Plotting a sneak attack isn’t heroic!”

A chilling voice came from behind her. “The Third Miss of the Fengyi Sect has become an a.s.sa.s.sin who hunts the immediate family of the faithful official, the famous general. Is this truly the famous sect’s disciple? In my eyes, you’re inferior to the troops who loyally protected their commander. I was just barely too late. I feel truly sorry for these heroic men. Miss Feng, do you have the dignity to face your revered master in the underworld?”

Feng Feifei could sense her life slipping away, her vision clouding over. She hissed, “Who are you? I want to know who you are.”

The person behind her sang in a casual tone:

“The two concerns are scattered like flowers in a flowing river.No basis for hate.Dream hard to achieve.Leaning on the bal.u.s.trade, the Chu wind is still as pure.Dew drips from pine tips, people quiet.Breaking the legendary seal, the Yellow Court Cla.s.sic⁵ is read aloud.⁶

”Why should those who are about to die know so much, unless you’re trying to appear in the dreams of your martial sisters and make a request?”

Fuzzy images surfaced in Feng Feifei’s mind. In her youth, her parents died together in miserable fas.h.i.+on. After being initiated into the martial sect, it was glorious and honorable. The hard work of devoting herself to the sword, winning the favor of her master; her martial sisters laughing and chatting in their free time. The memories came back to her one by one.

Slowly, everything turned into the fleeting clouds pa.s.sing by. Her body gradually stopped struggling, and her eyes lost their light.

The other person rolled over Feng Feifei’s body, eyes landing on her ashy, beautiful face. The person sighed, “Although you only knew how to conform, you did keep your hands clean for the past few years. You didn’t overly disgrace your master or sect. Since you died today, I don’t wish for you to suffer additional humiliation. You’re a beautiful woman, so how can you be a thief? You belong to the loess now, so there’s no need to feel eternal regret again.” With that, the person poured out the drug in the jade vial in hand onto Feng Feifei’s body.

Not a second later, the powdered beauty transformed into a pool of clear water and seeped underground, leaving behind just a few scattered articles. That person buried her in the loess, then followed the horseshoe hoofprints, shortly melting into the wilderness.

***

Within Zhongli on the twenty-third day of the ninth month, Lu Yun, who’d just returned from the Battle of Suzhou, and Wei Ying, who’d been waiting in Zhongli for a night, both learned about the disappearance of s.h.i.+ Yujin and Lu Mei. Wei Ying rued that he didn’t escort the two women to Zhongli, whereas Lu Yun’s face was placid as still water with no trace of rage, as if he didn’t care. However, Wei Ying could distinctly perceive the deep sorrow emanating from the young man. Upon giving him a few words of comfort, Wei Ying advised Lu Yun to take up arms to rescue his father.

Lu Yun shook his head without a word. Nearby, tears long since coursing down his cheeks, Lu Feng bellowed, a light glinting in his eyes, “Eldest brother, even if you don’t hate them for making sister-in-law and little sister disappear, do you not care about Dad’s life?!”

Lu Yun withdrew his distant gaze and replied, “I vowed long ago to display utter loyalty and service to the country like Dad. Not even death will make me regret it. Dad yet allowed himself to be arrested, refusing to revolt. How can I undermine Dad’s reputation of loyalty?”

“Can you truly ignore the survival of family just for the sake of loyalty?” charged Lu Feng angrily. “They’re going to wipe us all out. Not only will they kill Dad, I fear they’ll also kill you and even kill sister-in-law and Mei’er. Not even Mother and youngest brother will escape death! Why should our Lu family be annihilated?! It’s just loyalty! s.h.i.+t!”

Anger dashed across Lu Yun’s face. Raising a hand, he slapped Lu Feng to the ground. He pointed at him and berated, “If that’s what you think, you aren’t the offspring of our Lu family. Have you forgotten Dad’s usual teachings?”

Lu Feng spat the blood out of his mouth and bemoaned, “Dad always said that Lu children cannot be disloyal even upon pain of death. For the sake of our nation, we could not cherish our lives; for the sake of the common folk, we could not spare our reputation. But I’m not convinced. I’ll never be convinced.”

“Since you remember, how dare you rant and rave? If Dad were ready to rebel, why would he allow himself to be dragged back to the capital? Not even Dad would do so, so how can I plot a rebellion? If I take up arms and slaughter back to Jianye, I’m afraid I would only be acting as the Yong army’s spearhead. At that point, the foolish ruler and the traitorous Prime Minister could justifiably execute Dad. As his son, I cannot frame my elder for disloyalty. Besides, Dad didn’t rebel, as he didn’t want to see the millions of commoners of Jiangnan dying to civil strife. That, too, is how I think. Even if our whole family dies, we’ll die worthy deaths if we can avoid the ruin of civil war,” Lu Yun said emotionlessly.

Tears of blood fell from Lu Feng’s eyes. He hissed, “Has eldest brother not one consideration for the lives of Mother, sister-in-law, Mei’er, and youngest brother?”

Agony flickered in Lu Yun’s eyes. He gently replied, “Second brother, both Mother and youngest brother are in Jianye right now. If I rise up, they’ll definitely be harmed first. Yujin and Mei’er may have disappeared, but at least no bodies have been discovered. There still exists the possibility they’ll return alive. Dad and I are dying for our country without regrets. But you can’t remain here. Change your whole name now and fly far away, leaving an heir for our Lu family. This will be your achievement.”

“No, eldest brother, us two should go. Instead of getting killed by them, come with us,” sobbed Lu Feng.

Lu Yun turned his back on him and calmly said, “Other than Dad, I’m the only one in the Lu family in the army. If I flee, that treasonous Prime Minister will frame Dad, not to mention that as long as I remain at large, the traitor will never be able to rest easy. They certainly won’t let go of Mother and youngest brother. If I land in jail, they’ll relax the hunt for Yujin, you, and Mei’er. And don’t you worry either. Dad and I don’t necessarily have no chance of survival.”

“No,” wept Lu Feng, “I want to go to Jianye with eldest brother! If we must die, let us die together!”

Lu Yun scolded, “Silly. If you die, who will Yujin and Mei’er, and even Mother and youngest brother, rely upon in the future?” His expression slightly relaxed, and he added, “There’s something else. Remember that when I went to the Yong capital to a.s.sa.s.sinate Father’s master, I didn’t expect I wouldn’t even get a chance to act. I lost all honor. But I made some friends. Most of them have been in battle. If you meet them, whether publicly or privately, they’ll give you asylum. Even Father’s master said if future danger arose, I could run to him. However, I’m a son of the Lu family. How can I defect to an enemy nation? So, remember, even if you’re mired in desperate straits, you absolutely can’t submit to Great Yong, much less treat Southern Chu as the enemy.”

Lu Feng knew his eldest brother would keep his promise. His brother was rather like their father that way. Not wanting to counter his brother again, Lu Feng just nodded silently, teardrops of anguish falling into the dirt.

Lu Yun didn’t look back. His voice taking on sadness again, he continued, “You should go. If the Huaixi army still hasn’t moved out, the court’s royal envoy has likely already reached Zhongli. If … if you see Yujin, tell her for me to not blame Father-in-law daren. She’ll eventually understand Father-in-law’s painstaking effort.”

Angry grief filled Lu Feng. He thought that if s.h.i.+ Guan hadn’t aligned with Shang Weijun so quickly, his own family wouldn’t have fallen into this plight. He was just about to roundly curse when he heard the sound of water falling and hitting the ground and saw his eldest brother’s shoulders quivering. Not wanting his eldest brother to suffer anymore, he ran out, weeping.

A long while later, Lu Yun turned around. He saluted Wei Ying, silently standing off to the side, and told him, “I’ve disappointed you, Uncle Wei. I’ll have to ask you to continue to take care of Dad’s tasks.”

Wei Ying felt a sharp pain knife through his heart. Restraining his sorrow, he said, “Young General truly is the eldest son of the Lu family. Presumably, the Grand General already expected this. Even if I try to go against his wishes, it’s to no avail.”

Lu Yun said in a low voice, “Yun foiled Uncle’s great hopes. If Uncle meets my dear wife in the future, please tell her that Father-in-law daren also had no choice. He did so purely because he wanted to force my dear wife to run far away. My wife is unyielding in nature. If Father-in-law didn’t act so, my wife would never have left Huaixi and sought refuge.”

“Ying has nothing else to say,” Wei Ying sighed. “I’ll go to Huaidong to meet Adjunct Yang to forward Grand General’s orders.” He turned around and departed gloomily.

Leaving Zhongli, Wei Ying hurtled all the way to Guangling. The barracks of the Huaidong army stood there. Right as he entered the territory of Huaidong, he learned a piece of news.

The Yong emperor, Li Zhi, flew into a terrible rage due to the Battle of Xiangyang. Prince of Qi Li Xian, Crown Prince Li Jun, and the commander in Xiangyang, Zhangsun Ji, were reprimanded. And the perpetrator, Jiang Zhe, was demoted and stripped of salary. Jiang Zhe had been a marquis of the imperial rank but now he was a marquis of the fourth rank again. Reportedly, if not for taking the Imperial Princess of Ning, Princess Changle, into consideration, Jiang Zhe might not even have kept his position as marquis.

Moreover, because the fighting was going badly, Li Zhi ordered the Yong army to fall back to the defensive lines. Some important ministers of Great Yong even pet.i.tioned suggestions of declaring a truce and holding peace talks.

If this news had come months earlier, it would absolutely have been good news, but now, it was like an invitation from Yama, King of h.e.l.l, taking souls.

When Wei Ying heard the news, he couldn’t hold back the blood in his mouth and spat on the dirt. At this moment, he once again experienced the vicious, meticulous plans of Jiang Zhe. He would give others not one iota of leeway.

Footnotes:

1. 斩草除根, zhancao-chugen – idiom, lit. cut gra.s.s and pull up the roots; fig. root out, annihilate
2. 掌上明珠, zhangshang-mingzhu – idiom, lit. bright pearl in the palm; fig. beloved person, apple [light] of one’s eye
3. Around 246 meters (about 270 yards)
4. 守株待兔, shouzhu-daitu – idiom, lit. stay at a tree stump waiting for rabbits; fig. trust in chance, sit around, wait for good things to drop into one’s lap
5. A Daoist meditation text designed to enhance all aspects of one’s health
6. This is the second half of a poem by Song Dynasty poet Zhang Jixian (张继先) ent.i.tled “Ancestors of the River Town” (江神子).