Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Campaign for Yanyi, Final Part

At the fifth watch, a rooster crowed, and dawn broke once more.

Within the vermilion bed curtains, pale arms lay strewn like jade; the fragrance was overpowering. Wu Yanyi buried his whole body into that soft, warm embrace like water, shifting contentedly before his eyes suddenly flew open. It was already the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth month; only two days remained before the grand military review.

“My lord,” came a soft, languid call from Lianci, instantly dissolving any thought of getting up.

Wu Yanyi grew aroused and propped himself up. His gaze drifted carelessly to the head of the bed, then jerked wide as though doused with ice water. With immense willpower he pushed the sisters Chunzi and Lianci aside. “What are you dawdling for? Help me dress at once. I am a man destined for great deeds, not some fool who wallows in the pleasures of the bedchamber.”

The two women, wrapped in gauze, rose to help him into his battle armor. The entire set was forged of pure copper and weighed heavily. As soon as he had it on, Wu Yanyi faltered and his knees bent slightly. He forced himself upright, every muscle aching, while staring fixedly at the straw effigy by the bed. It was covered in silver needles, with a sheet of white paper pasted on its head, bearing the name Quan Ce.

He was utterly unaware that his helmet had been fetched one-handed by Chunzi, and the armor held in Lianci’s hands seemed as light as feather.

“Hmph. We’ll see.” Wu Yanyi snorted at the straw figure and strode out the door.

Chunzi and Lianci exchanged a glance, both smiling in disdain. They hurried forward, took down the slip of paper bearing Quan Ce’s name, and burned it in the lamp flame, carefully gathering up the ashes that remained.

Beneath it, startlingly, was another slip of paper with a name written on it: Wu Yanyi.

The two women did not hurry to dress. They first bathed and perfumed themselves, spending a full two more hours in the washroom. Only then did they emerge, fragrant from head to toe, and don embroidered finery. They sat facing one another in silence, their auras as still as mountains and as cold as ice. Not only was there no trace of their former seductive charm, they seemed almost devoid of life itself.

A soft tap sounded.

A small stone had been thrown in through the window and landed on the antique desk, rolling along until it came to rest in Chunzi’s palm.

Chunzi closed her fingers around it and remained silent for a long time. Lianci stared blankly at her hand, saying nothing either.

Only when her fingers had gone numb did Chunzi crush the stone and take out a tiny rolled note. On it were a few small words.

A phoenix has gone home in glory; jade is shattered for it. Rest well.

No matter how one looked at it, the omen in those words was far from auspicious. Chunzi and Lianci looked at each other, then broke into radiant smiles, tears gradually shining in their eyes. In silence, they went into the inner room to change clothes again.

By evening, heavy snow was falling over the Eastern Capital. Though Wu Yanyi meant to fight to the end, heaven would not cooperate, and there was little he could do but return early to rest.

He had barely entered the gate when a steward came to report: visitors from Chang’an.

And not just any visitors, but people he had no choice except to open the main gates and greet with full courtesy. By this he meant Grand Secretary Wu Sansi and the female official Xie Yaohuan, who counted as half; as for the detestable Quan Ce, it was only because he had better breeding that he did not slam the door in his face.

In the main hall, after the formal greetings were concluded, maidservants glided forward with fragrant tea.

Even with grave duties upon him, Wu Sansi could not resist stealing a few more glances. The attendants by Wu Yanyi’s side were a pair of twins, each outrageously beautiful, born with innate seductiveness—born for the bedchamber.

“Uncle, you have come from far away. Are you here to supervise my nephew’s troop training?” Wu Yanyi was already in a foul temper, and he brought up business at once. “These days I have not been idle. The heavy cavalry is on the right track, and the formations are all well drilled. This afternoon I exercised them from beginning to end. Aside from a few small flaws, they are ready for battle.”

Speaking of the heavy cavalry, Wu Yanyi grew animated. Though there had been outside help, he had indeed hammered them into shape with his own hands and feet. To see more than a thousand mounted men advance and withdraw at his command gave him a joy no less than that of embracing two beauties in bed.

“Cough, cough.” Wu Sansi glanced at the more than sixty guards standing outside—some his, some Quan Ce’s, and more still Xie Yaohuan’s. Since she had to command troops, she could not come to the camp alone. The Empress had assigned her thirty men from the Imperial Guard as personal troops, but those ornamental cushions could not be trusted. Wu Sansi trusted his own guards and Quan Ce’s more. He rose, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked to the door. “My worthy nephew’s achievements in drilling the troops these past days are outstanding. The Heavenly Empress and the court will surely reward you...”

“Haha, many thanks, Uncle. So long as I can keep that wolf cub Huxulu under control, my nephew will not have toiled in vain.” Wu Yanyi interrupted him in high spirits, already envisioning the future with heroic vigor. “In time, this heavy cavalry will be expanded and relocated—to the Protectorates of Beiting and Anxi, to the Jiannan Circuit. Wherever there is disobedience, there we shall go.”

“Ahem.” Wu Sansi glanced at Quan Ce, then at Xie Yaohuan. Both wore smiles and showed no sign of speaking. He had no choice but to see it through. “What my worthy nephew says is entirely right. You are still young; there will be many chances to make a name for yourself...”

Wu Yanyi caught the implication and immediately flew into a rage. “What do you mean by that, Uncle? You already stand high in the court and wear the purple robe—do you still covet this little effort of your nephew’s?”

“Watch your tongue.” Wu Sansi’s voice was stern, and he pointed sharply at Wu Yanyi. “Your effort? Which of the horses, retainers, and armor is not the court’s? Do you mean to hold troops for your own use and carve out a mountain stronghold for yourself?”

“You... you...” Wu Yanyi’s fury surged to his heart, and his face turned the color of pig liver.

At that moment, Quan Ce rose to smooth things over, speaking only lofty truths. “General Wu, do not be angry. It is all for the greater good of the court. Gains and losses cannot be confined to one moment or one place. Lose at the eastern corner and gain at the mulberry grove—who can say?”

Wu Yanyi saw him and all old hatred and new grievance surged forth. The thick pressure of humiliation was impossible to suppress. His trembling finger pointed alternately at the two men. “Heaven has no eyes. Bastards—you're all bastards, bastards...”

“Enough insolence. Lady Officer Xie has been ordered by the Heavenly Empress to oversee the grand military review. How dare you insult her?” Wu Sansi could not bear to see anyone standing apart from the fray, and immediately dragged Xie Yaohuan into it.

Xie Yaohuan rose to her feet, her face like cold frost, and said nothing.

“Her? Her? Ha-ha-ha, hahahaha!” Wu Yanyi laughed in fury, his voice hoarse with rage. “A mere woman—what does she know? How could she possibly direct my heavy cavalry? She is not worthy.”

As soon as the words fell, the room fell silent. Wu Sansi’s eyes darted about, and he coughed, about to speak and ease matters. Making a scene of this would profit him nothing.

Unfortunately, he had forgotten that by his side stood those who had risen earlier.

“You insolent fool, Wu Yanyi! How dare you speak rudely and show gross disrespect toward the Heavenly Empress!” Quan Ce shouted, his face alight with wild delight, his smile blindingly bright. He spread his arms and cried, “Men, take him down!”

As he gave the order, he shoved Xie Yaohuan out through the doorway.

The guards Shazhuofu and Juedi took the command and rushed in with the others, each one fierce as a vengeful ghost.

“Quan Ce, I’ll grind your ancestors to dust...” Wu Yanyi, battered again and again, felt as though a mountain had been pressed onto his shoulders. The road ahead was pitch-black, and there was no justice anywhere in the world. In a fit of fury, he drew the saber at his waist, but a steward beside him moved to stop him. Wu Yanyi’s ferocity exploded; he swung the blade and hacked down those loyal servants, blood and severed limbs spreading across the floor.

Wu Sansi’s face turned pale and green. Backing away, he shouted, “Protect Lady Officer Xie! Protect me! Second Brother, calm yourself, do not act recklessly, or you will bring disaster upon the family!”

Wu Yanyi killed several servants, his eyes bloodshot. His saber pierced clean through the steward’s body, and then his motion stopped. He panted like an ox.

Seeing the situation beginning to settle, Wu Sansi stepped forward two paces.

Then, suddenly, disaster struck from the side.

The two prettily dressed twin maids gave a sharp cry. “Pay with your lives!”

From their hands flew several flashes of cold light.

The sound of blades entering flesh rang out again and again. Quan Ce stood in front and took the first blow, a flying knife burying itself in his chest. He collapsed at once.

Wu Sansi saw that matters had gone badly and fled in a sorry hurry, yet he did not escape unscathed. A dart struck straight into the tender flesh between his buttocks. Agony pierced through him, and Wu Sansi let out a miserable howl, panicked and disordered. “They’ve turned! They’ve turned! Stop them! Quickly, kill them!”

Then, remembering something, he shouted again, “Watch out for Second Brother...”

But the warning came too late. Dozens of guards loosed sleeve darts and flying knives, while feathers from the Imperial Guard’s bows filled the air like a swarm of locusts.

Wu Yanyi and his two attendants each took dozens of arrows, blood gushing from their bodies.

Thud. Wu Yanyi fell to the ground.

From his mouth came great gulps of blood. His breath convulsed as he trembled and reached out a hand, struggling to raise his blade. He even seemed about to strike Chunzi beside him. He knew it was Chunzi—beneath her ear was a red mole. He had specially paid someone to read its omen, and was told that it was a mark of fidelity: men and women who bore it would remain loyal unto death.

He had once loved her all the more for it. Now, he no longer believed.

The saber flashed into flesh, but the one cut was Quan Ce’s thigh.

Clang.

Wu Yanyi had reached the end of his strength. He had not cut deep before he could no longer hold the blade. With his head thrown back and eyes wide open, he stared fixedly at Quan Ce, hatred carved into his bones.

A moment later, his eyes rolled white. He died with them still open.

Lianci was already dead; Chunzi still breathed only in the thinnest thread. Her blood-soaked hands clutched at Quan Ce’s hem like a grieving infant.

Quan Ce’s heart gave a jolt. He crouched down and pulled the flying knife from his chest. Lowering his gaze, he saw that the tip of the blade had been worn dull for more than half its length.

“How is it? Are those two wenches dead?” Wu Sansi strode in through the midst of the surrounding guards.

Quan Ce looked at Chunzi deeply. A silver flash glimmered. Chunzi departed with a smile. My blood melts into yours; in days to come, my surname shall be your name.

“Seal off this estate at once. Send for the Eastern Capital Thousand-Horse Guard immediately.”