A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 51

Yan Baizhang took an extra three to five days to travel from Chongan to Linxia.

The day they finalized their plans, it was decided that Chen Liangyu and Xie Wenjun would first lead the main army to Linxia to rendezvous with Prince Shen. Yan Baizhang, however, took a hundred soldiers and patrolled the passes and key strongholds along the southeast.

Gao Guan met him at the main camp gate, taking quick strides to help Yan Baizhang dismount.

Yan Baizhang immediately spats several times after getting off his horse.

“Willow trees everywhere, and the air is full of flying catkins. I’ve nearly had my fill of them all the way here,” he said, spitting the willow fluff out of his mouth.

The catkins danced in the sky, and along the willow banks by the stream, they gathered in drifts of white, floating in the water.

Gao Guan walked ahead, leading Yan Baizhang through the parade grounds and into the main tent. “This area has the most willows. This season is when the catkins are at their peak. You won’t be eating fluff anymore in another month or two.”

“No need for a month or two; we should be moving soon.”

A full-wall map hung on one side of the central command tent. Chen Liangyu had marked several circles and boxes in red ink and was currently analyzing the terrain, waterways, and wind direction with a group of generals.

Hearing them speak, Xie Yuan nearly sprinted out. Before Yan Baizhang could pay his respects, Xie Yuan offered a bow first.

“Grand Strategist Yan, this minor prince pays his respects.”

Yan Baizhang quickly returned the courtesy. “Your Highness Prince Shen, you flatter your subject. I pay my respects to Your Highness Prince Shen.”

Xie Yuan extended his right hand forward in a gesture of welcome. “Grand Strategist Yan, please come in quickly.”

“Uncle Yan.”

Chen Liangyu spoke after Xie Yuan, waiting for the two to finish their formalities. “You’re back.”

Yan Baizhang acknowledged her, paused in front of the map, and observed it for a while. He picked up a brush and added a few corrections. After pondering for a moment, he drew an extra layer of ink over a few of the circles and boxes Chen Liangyu had marked. “The troop deployment in these few spots needs to be heavier.”

After clarifying the critical importance of each deployment location, Yan Baizhang turned to Xie Yuan. “Your Highness Prince Shen, the deployment in Linxia still needs to be overseen by you.”

Xie Yuan replied, “Grand Strategist Yan, rest assured.”

“Liangyu, you’re coming with me to deploy troops elsewhere.”

The final critical pass was in the canyon where Cangnan’s northeast corner met Linxia. After Chen Liangyu finished setting up all the formations, she and Yan Baizhang stopped by the riverbank with their horses. The attending soldiers fetched cool water in canteens.

Chen Liangyu took the canteen and drank, her throat bobbing with a “gulp.”

She stood there, surveying the surroundings.

Once the passes connecting Chongan, Cangnan, and Linxia were sealed, the entire southeast region would be self-contained, blocking all southbound advances, creating a posture similar to a regional military governor asserting independence.

She found a shady spot under a tree to rest and walked to a nearby spot to cut a small piece of willow wood, which she began to fidget with.

As she played with it, an idea sparked in her mind.

She sat on a rock by the water, drew a short dagger from her waist, and peeled off the bark. Her gaze was focused as she carved and cut, and the small piece of wood quickly took the rough shape of a hairpin.

Feeling that a simple wooden stick was too plain, she flipped the dagger and used the tip to carve lines onto the hairpin’s end, meticulously refining the design.

Yan Baizhang asked her, “Have you made up your mind? To support Prince Shen?”

“Uncle Yan, I have no other choice but Prince Shen,” Chen Liangyu said, picking up a few stones and rubbing them repeatedly in her hand, smoothing the burrs on the hairpin. “I certainly can’t submit to the one who killed my parents!”

Yan Baizhang’s eyes held a mixture of heartache and reluctance, blaming himself.

He had always viewed Chen Liangyu as being as capable and judicious as her father and brothers. Perhaps because she had always been strict with herself and rarely stepped out of line, he had gradually, and unknowingly, begun to demand the standards of Chen Yuanqing and Chen Linjun from her.

And she had indeed grown up to be just like her father and brothers.

Equally bold and fearless, equally profound and pragmatic.

It was only when Chen Liangyu asked him about her parents like a lost child that he was suddenly reminded of her young age.

She was still so young; she was only this young.

“What’s next?” Yan Baizhang looked up and sat on the rock next to her. “What are your plans now?”

“We wait! Wait for Yongdu to call me a military rebel, treacherous, and a great conspirator! Wait for them to come and kill me, Prince Shen, and the Princess.”

Chen Liangyu raised her head. The sunlight wasn’t harsh yet, casting a soft glow on her face.

“Uncle Yan, you won’t abandon me, will you?”

“Never. I’ll stick with you, even if it costs my life.”

Suddenly recalling something, Yan Baizhang asked, “Did Princess Jiangning bring out any secret edict? Did she tell you the contents?”

“I don’t know. The Princess has the Imperial Seal on her person.”

Chen Liangyu turned the wooden hairpin over and over, finding it just passable.

Yan Baizhang relaxed slightly. After a moment, he said, “No wonder. I wondered why Prince Qi would prioritize hunting down a Princess. Let’s go. We’re heading back to Linxia to report to Prince Shen.”

She lifted her robes, wiped the hairpin clean, and tucked it into her shirt, safe.

Counting the days on her fingers, it had been several days since she last saw Xie Wenjun. Chen Liangyu couldn’t help but wonder what she was doing now. Was she eating and sleeping well?

A sudden surge of impatience rose from an unknown source. Right now, all she wanted was to immediately spur her horse and race back to Linxia to see her, to be by her side.

Prince Shen’s Residence in Linxia was located in the most prosperous part of the city, with upturned eaves and painted beams.

The back garden contained a row of well-organized annex rooms.

After a few days of rest, Xie Wenjun’s strength had recovered, and she was keen to eat more. Daiqing complained that the tonic prescribed by the doctor was overwhelmingly bitter, but Xie Wenjun drank every last drop without a word.

“Quick, Your Highness, quickly eat a piece of malt candy.” Yuan Rong held up a plate, agreeing with Daiqing. “This medicine is too bitter. Even I can’t bear the smell.”

Xie Wenjun picked up a piece of candy and popped it into her mouth.

Xun Shuheng wrinkled her nose and also said, “Your Highness’s body has recovered a lot. Why don’t we ask the doctor if you can stop taking this medicine?”

Xie Wenjun, frowning from the bitterness, said, “Sister-in-law, this is a time of great trouble. We must listen to the doctor. Get the body healthy as quickly as possible so we don’t hold things up.”

“It’s truly difficult for you.”

Xie Wenjun glanced out the window, then glanced again. Seeing the sun set and the bright moon rise, she said, “Shouldn’t she be back today?”

When Chen Liangyu and Yan Baizhang went to set up the defense line, they sent word that they would return by the latest today.

Xun Shuheng said, “Military matters are critical. While she said they’d return today after deploying the formations, it’s possible something might have caused a delay. Being late by a day or two is common.”

Xie Wenjun was particularly insistent on this matter: “If she said the latest is today, then it will definitely be today.”

Xun Shuheng did not argue, simply instructing the servants to clear the dishes from the table.

As people busied themselves in an orderly fashion, Xie Wenjun’s gaze fell on the hair ornaments of the women.

“Sister-in-law, I see many women in the Prince’s Residence wearing the same wooden hairpin.”

She noticed the wooden hairpins because they weren’t really hairpins; they were just sticks of wood sharpened and tucked into the hair. When she left the palace, she had seen many wooden hairpins at a peddler’s stall. Some were carved with pictures or words, others with orchids or plums. They looked novel, so she bought a few to play with. Even finely crafted wooden hairpins cost no more than ten wen. The servants in the Prince’s Residence had generous monthly wages and rewards, so they shouldn’t be stingy about this small amount.

Xun Shuheng smiled and explained, “In Linxia and Cangnan, there’s always been a custom of carving hairpins as gifts for friends. Originally, carving was for gentlemanly camaraderie, but it gradually became a custom to carve and gift them to a loved one. This is a local custom here, symbolizing ‘Long hair knotted with your heart, one knot of long hair determines a lifetime commitment.'”

“The best materials for wooden hairpins are small-leaf sandalwood and huanghuali (rosewood), followed by boxwood and peach wood. Linxia has many willows, and willow wood is readily available, so people often use willow wood to carve hairpins for convenience. But not everyone is a master artisan, and if their craftsmanship is a bit poor, it doesn’t quite look like a hairpin. Still, it’s the thought that counts, and people don’t fuss over the minor details.”

A willow wood hairpin, gifted to a loved one.

“That’s very interesting,” Xie Wenjun said. “Sister-in-law, did my Third Brother personally carve you a wooden hairpin?”

Xun Shuheng froze for a moment at the question, then lowered her head and managed a smile. “No, he didn’t.” She quickly hid that trace of disappointment, maintaining her usual graceful composure. She didn’t forget to offer an explanation for Xie Yuan: “His Highness’s mind isn’t focused on such things.”

Xianyu reminded Xun Shuheng from the side, “Your Highness the Princess Consort, the hour is almost here.”

Xun Shuheng also looked out, seemingly waiting to receive someone.

Xie Wenjun asked, “Is someone else coming?”

“Someone wants to see Your Highness. A formal calling card was sent a few days ago. Learning that Your Highness was coming to Linxia, she replied two days earlier and should be arriving today.”

“Who?”

“Miss Gu Xie, the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Gu.”

The person arrived right on time.

A servant led the way, guiding the person from Cangnan into the flower hall and serving tea. “Please wait, everyone.”

Then he went to announce them.

Xun Shuheng slowly shifted her position, jesting, “Han Hong Academy is truly particular. If they say they’ll arrive at Xu time (7-9 PM), they absolutely won’t arrive at Chen time (7-9 AM).”

The smile on her face froze as she clearly saw the face of the person behind Gu Xie.

A gentleman like bamboo, like a pine, like a crane.

It was Chen Luan.

He stood frozen there, and the candlelight seemed to flicker in his eyes.

His pupils trembled.

Gu Xie paid her respects, but then turned to see that Chen Luan’s gaze seemed to be pulled by an invisible thread, locked onto Xun Shuheng’s face, his eyes filled with disbelief and panic.

“Xingqian?”

Xingqian was Chen Luan’s courtesy name.

“I pay my respects to Princess Jiangning.”

Chen Luan’s lips parted slightly, his voice stuck in his throat. “I pay my respects to… the Princess Consort of Shen.”

“Second Brother.”

Chen Liangyu’s voice traveled from outside the flower hall, temporarily dissolving the hall’s confusion and alarm.

She leaped in with a few steps. “I sent people to Cangnan to look for you, and they reported you had already left. I was worried.”

Before she marched the army to Nanzhou, Emperor Xuanyuan had appointed Chen Luan as the Prefectural Professor in Cangnan County.

Chen Luan said, “Miss Gu came to see Princess Jiangning, and when I learned you were with the Princess, I gave prior notice and came along with her.”

Chen Liangyu thanked Gu Xie for her effort. “Miss Gu Xie, we meet again.”

Gu Xie said, “I’ve long heard of General Chen’s great name, but I haven’t actually met you. Could it be that the General has seen me before without my knowledge?”

“At the Eastern Residence’s birthday banquet, Miss Gu Xie displayed great elegance.”

That day, Chen Liangyu was seated at the women’s table. Gu Xie won a literary duel, received a calligraphy inscription from the Old Princess, and then never appeared again. Though they were both present at the Eastern Residence, they had not actually met face-to-face.

Gu Xie smiled. “Just showing off a little.”

Upon seeing Xie Wenjun, Chen Liangyu’s gaze shifted slightly behind her, noticing she was still using a silk ribbon to tie her hair. Instinctively, she reached into her shirt to take something out.

Suddenly, she hesitated.

Xie Wenjun’s previous hairpins and clasps were all of the finest quality. The willow wood hairpin in her hand looked somewhat humble.

Never mind.

Swallowing her pride, she pulled out the little item she had meticulously polished. Her palm opened, revealing a not-so-exquisite wooden hairpin lying there.

The end of the hairpin was carved with an eagle, its head held high, poised to spread its wings.

That eagle was the same eagle emblem on the shoulder armor of Chen Liangyu’s eagle-head armor.

The carving was not delicate, clearly not the work of a professional artisan. Xie Wenjun’s eyes brightened, and she looked up abruptly. “You carved this?”

Chen Liangyu nodded.

“You carved it yourself?”

A faint smile touched her features. The cloudiness of the past few days seemed to dissolve for a moment at this instant.

It was always like this. Her mood would be swayed by a small, unintentional act or word from Chen Liangyu. There was a twelvefold possibility that the person had only created this wooden hairpin, which she received from Chen Liangyu’s palm, because she saw Xie Wenjun had nothing to use. Chen Liangyu was very oblivious to customs that symbolized romance, like carving hairpins for a loved one.

“I apologize to Your Highness; please make do with this for now.”

There was no choice but to make do for now.

“I only realized after carving it that this item is sold everywhere in Linxia. If Your Highness likes it, I’ll go buy a pile tomorrow.”