Thousand Verdant Mountains – Chapter 142 Part 1
Chapter 142 Part 1
At dusk, the howling of the fighting gradually subsided. The piled corpses, discarded armor, folded flags, and dirty blood dyed the snowy ground into a mottled red color. The smoke of war had not yet been extinguished, and among the billowing smoke columns, vultures could not wait to rush in from all directions and circled under the sky filled with soaring blood.
The great battle that took place in the wilderness outside Guangming City had just ended.
Before the battle, the failure of the siege of Dache had become a heavy cloud hanging over the heads of the Xifan rebels. The pressure came not only from the shattered hope of regaining the food supply route, but also from the battle to break the siege itself.
If that border war from a few years ago wasn’t enough to make the name of that young man—just beginning to rise—known across all of Hexi, then after that one night, his name not only upheld the glory of being the “descendant of the God of War,” but also became the new legend passed from mouth to mouth among the frontier troops. Everyone was proud to follow him. Even within the Xifan army, his name spread like wildfire, known by all. Stories ran rampant—of how he led eight hundred brave men to charge through an enemy camp tens of thousands strong, unstoppable like a blade through silk; of how he could summon divine power to aid him in battle. Over time, his name grew into a looming, invincible shadow.
Bathed in the blood-red glow of sunset, his entire body, too, was layered in blood. This was his first true campaign as commander of a great army, and each enemy who fell before him bore witness—each one a tribute to the battlefield that forged his legend.
The outcome of the main battlefield had already become clear by mid-afternoon. Upon learning that had slipped away in secret, He Lituo realized the tide had turned against him. In a panic, he fled west with the last of his loyal followers. He Du, who had seized Zhongdu before joining this campaign, was determined to personally capture that person who had betrayed him.
Now, as the silhouettes of a returning cavalry force appeared on the horizon beneath the setting sun, the riders were jubilant. A forward scout arrived with the news that He Du had killed He Lituo and cut off his head, intending to present it at the in Chang’an as an offering to His Majesty and the Princess. The battlefield, which had just fallen silent, erupted once more with waves of thunderous cheers from the troops.
Li Yan had remained hidden throughout, and Li Meng had escaped early on—an undeniable regret. But this long and grueling war, which had dragged on for over a year, could at last be declared over.
For more than ten months, trough the hot summer and severe winter, they wandered on the line between life and death day and night. Comrades who stood by their side yesterday now lay buried beneath the yellow sands. To have survived until this moment—who among them didn’t long for home, didn’t yearn to see the faces of their loved ones?
The cloth wrapped around Pei Xiaoyuan’s palms was soaked with blood, so slippery that he could hardly hold the sword. And yet he was smiling. As he lowered his head to unwind the bloodied bandage, the triumphant cheers of the soldiers surrounding him rang in his ears. After a slight sigh, an inexplicable melancholy and a faint sense of unease stirred in his chest.
This feeling lasted until half a month later when he arrived in Weiyuan County.
The General-in-Chief Linghu Gong was wounded by a stray arrow while commanding the battle. At that time, Pei Xiaoyuan was still trapped in the siege, and the two sides of Hexi were attacked at the same time, which made Linghu Gong under unprecedented pressure. Fortunately, he was a seasoned veteran who had once served under Pei Ji in his early years. With his wealth of experience and skillful command, he managed to hold the line until Pei Xiaoyuan broke through the siege and joined forces with him. Only after the great victory was secured did he finally allow himself to relax and collapse, able at last to rest and recover in peace.
During these days, Pei Xiaoyuan was actually taking over the duties of Linghu Gong, providing compensation for the casualties after the war, arranging for the soldiers to rest and recuperate, and appeasing the local border residents who fled the war. The tasks were trivial, but none of them could be delayed. After being busy for half a month, he finally had some free time and came to visit his uncle Cui Daosi.
According to Linghu Gong’s arrangement, Cui Daosi was to be taken to the Military Commisioner’s residence to recuperate, but Cui Daosi declined again and again. Pei Xiaoyuan had previously arranged for someone to send him to the nearby Weiyuan County to settle down and temporarily live in the county governor mansion.
Due to the war, many new residents had moved there to avoid the chaos in the past year, so when Pei Xiaoyuan arrived, this familiar border town where he had lived for many years was unprecedentedly lively. It was already evening, and a market at the city gate had not yet dispersed.
After entering the city, even though he had pulled down his hood as much as possible, he was still recognized by the sharp-eyed old citizens. When they heard Master Pei coming back, he was immediately surrounded by people and stopped on the street. People nearby ran to see him excitedly and knelt down to pay their respects. Many people still remembered the old county governor and asked him about Pei Ji. He had no choice but to dismount, bow to the people around him and ask them to stand up. But they refused to get up.
“Things are different now, Master Pei, you must not embarrass the humble one. This time, you not only led the army to kill the enemy, made great contributions, and maintained peace in the area, but they also said that you have become the Prince Consort of Chang’an and married our dynasty’s Princess!” A stall owner who has been selling pancakes near the city gate for many years said to the people around him.
“Yes, yes! The Princess is intelligent and gentle! She can paint beautiful paintings and her beauty is unparalleled in the world!” echoed another tea shop owner.
“And more! It is said that Prince Consort became a father last year! The Princess gave birth to a baby for Prince Consort!” another person shouted.
Immediately, Pei Xiaoyuan was overwhelmed by the sounds of congratulations.
He was stunned for a moment, wondering how the news of his becoming a prince consort had spread to this remote border town, and it seemed that everyone in the town knew about it.
Before he could react, an old woman asked again: “Dare to ask Master, is the little noble one a boy or a girl? If you don’t mind, I will go to the temple tomorrow and offer incense for the little noble one—may all the gods in heaven bless the child with safety and good fortune!”
“Yes, yes! Let’s all go too!” Many people echoed and looked at Pei Xiaoyuan.
Pei Xiaoyuan became more and more speechless. He paused, suppressed his embarrassment, said that he appreciated the good intention and told everyone not to worry about it.
“Master! Master!”
At this moment, there was a cry of surprise from the opposite street.
Pei Xiaoyuan looked up and saw Qingtou riding towards him from afar. Seeing his master, he waved and shouted happily, then hurriedly urged his horse to the back of the crowd. After jumping off the horse, he pushed people aside, forced his way in, and then stood in front of him. He then bowed to the people around him, saying that they had official business to attend to and could not be delayed, and finally rescued Pei Xiaoyuan.
Pei Xiaoyuan continued riding towards the county governor mansion.
On the way, he finally understood the reason for a sense of melancholy and unease that had been lingered in his heart for these days.
That snowy night, she saw him off at the bank of the Wei River and took back the fish talisman that represented his special identity.
Although in the eyes of outsiders, he was still a prince consort. But to her, in fact, he had become an ordinary person, one of her courtiers.
If there was anything special about him, it was that he was the father of her flesh and blood in her womb, that’s all.
The child should be half a year old now, but he still didn’t know whether it was a boy or a girl.
After leaving Chang’an for more than a year, she had exchanged letters with him, but every time, her letters were always sent through Lan Tai’s hands and stamped with his seal. Lan Tai was now the Minister of Secretariat Chancellery, not only holding the position that the emperor had asked him to hold before, but also serving as a secretary, drafting various official letters and imperial edicts of the court, including her letters to him. In her letters, she even asked him to convey her admiration for Qingtou, but she did not say a single personal word to him.
He never had any way of knowing how she was doing, let alone whether her child was a son or a daughter.
He suddenly became extremely depressed, as if a stone was pressing on his chest.
“Uncle said that it would take you a few days to arrive, and I said that you should be able to arrive in the next two days. And sure enough, I was right, and I picked up Master smoothly!”
Qingtou had come here with Cui Daosi before the war, and now he was riding his horse happily beside him, talking non-stop.
“Master, when do you plan to leave for Chang’an? Will it take some time before you leave with Chen Shao and Gu Twelve? I heard that Chang’an will hold a Captive Offering Ceremony, which should be a replacement for His Majesty’s longevity celebration that was not held last year. By then, all nations will come to pay tribute, and it will be very lively!
“By the way, Master! Have you told the Princess about my contributions? Didn’t the Princess mention me in her letter?” Qingtou asked again, still thinking about it.
Pei Xiaoyuan’s attention was finally attracted by him. Thinking of the princess’s letter, he couldn’t help but imagining the scene of Lan Tai taking dictation and writing in front of her, and his mood suddenly became extremely bad.
“Are you the one who told everyone that I became a prince consort?” he asked coldly.
“Yes!” Qingtou smiled and nodded vigorously.
“They really look up to me now! When I passed through the marketplace, they stopped me and wouldn’t let me leave—they insisted I come in, offered me tea and food. When I tried to pay, they absolutely refused. Of course, I wouldn’t eat for free—not a single coin short. Can’t bring shame to the Princess and Master…”
Qingtou was proudly boasting about his glorious return and how everyone adored him, when he suddenly noticed his master’s expression had changed. He hesitated, then tried to explain: “Master, you are a prince consort. Isn’t this a matter of honor for the family? Isn’t it something worth talking about…”
Halfway through his argument, he saw his master’s face grow even darker. Confused, he finally recalled that more than a year ago, before his master left the capital, there had seemed to be some unpleasantness between the princess and him. Although it had later appeared resolved—she had even personally returned to Yongning Mansion to reassure everyone—could it be… there was something more to it he hadn’t known? His master had never mentioned it.
He shrank his neck, hurriedly smiled ingratiatingly, and changed the subject: “If you don’t allow me to say it, forget it, I won’t say it in the future! Master, you should know whether it’s a little princess or a young master now, right? Just today, Uncle asked me—”
“Hey! Master, wait for me!”
Qingtou looked at his master who had left him behind and scratched his head, then hurriedly rode his horse to catch up.