A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 60

Xie Wenjun hastily alighted from the carriage outside Chengtian Gate and quickly headed towards Chongzheng Hall.

The person who came to greet her was Eunuch Sun, who attended to Emperor Xuanyuan.

At this time, the one sitting on the Dragon Throne in the Golden Palace was Xie Yuan, who had changed the reign title to Zhengyuan. The Ministry of Works urgently renovated the Southern Palace, and Emperor Xuanyuan moved there, taking the title of Retired Emperor.

Xie Wenjun asked, “Have the envoys from Dongyin arrived?”

Eunuch Sun replied, “Reporting, Your Highness. The envoys from Dongyin arrived at the post house several days ago. The Eastern Yin Heavenly Chasm River has burst its banks, causing a disaster, and plagues have broken out in Linxia and Li’an. The Emperor currently has no mind to deal with them, and without the orders of the Marquis of Xuanping and the Grand General, no one dares to receive them.”

Currently, Chen Luan inherited the title of Marquis of Xuanping.

When Chen Liangyu led troops to quell the rebellion in Nan Province, Emperor Xuanyuan conferred upon her the title of General of Chariots and Cavalry Second Rank. After Xie Yuan ascended the throne, she was promoted to General of Galloping Cavalry First Rank. Among military officers, the rank of General of Galloping Cavalry was already the highest, which is why the prefix “Grand” was sometimes added to show respect, making it the Grand General of Galloping Cavalry.

Xie Wenjun hurried through the front palace, “How did the Marquis of Wu’an die?”

Eunuch Sun sighed with sorrow, “Mountain flood. August was the flood season, and it had passed, but a sudden heavy rain triggered a mountain flood, and the Marquis of Wu’an went to evacuate the citizens. Dongyin found the Marquis of Wu’an’s body first, dragged it back, and hung it on the city wall… Exposed to the sun.”

Xie Wenjun’s figure paused, concealing a flicker of pain in her eyes. She then asked, “How many people from Dongyin were captured?”

Eunuch Sun said, “We didn’t get a precise count; it was a vast, uncounted mass, but there were seventeen or eighteen tens of thousands. The military report stated seventeen tens of thousands.”

Xie Wenjun pondered briefly, “Did Dongyin send that many people to attack Zhudong?”

Eunuch Sun replied, “No. That’s what’s strange. After the flood in September, the water level of the Heavenly Chasm River remained high. The cold winter arrived exceptionally early this year. Immediately after the start of winter, heavy snow fell, and the temperature dropped sharply. The Heavenly Chasm River froze several feet deep, making it like flat ground for a massive army to cross. The Grand General led troops across the Heavenly Chasm River, broke through Dongyin’s border defenses, recovered the Marquis of Wu’an’s body, and then captured three key border cities of Dongyin, driving straight into the heartland and taking the Dongyin Crown Prince, who was reviewing troops in Diqiu City, as a captive.”

“Was he killed?”

Eunuch Sun said, “The list of those executed by the Grand General does not include the Dongyin Crown Prince, but it’s hard to say whether he’s still alive. I hear he’s locked up in a water prison. Only the Grand General herself knows whether he lives or dies. Who would dare to ask right now? That would be tactless, wouldn’t it?”

The flood was in September.

But when Chen Liangyu recovered Chen Linjun’s body, it was already December.

“Three months of exposure—no wonder Chen Liangyu went mad.”

As Xie Wenjun approached Chongzheng Hall, she heard a minister yelling inside. She was momentarily distracted and couldn’t make out who it was.

Chen Linjun transferred troops from Suzhou and Wuzhou in the Northern Border and rushed to Zhudong via the Shuofang trade route to reclaim the lost cities from Dongyin. In September, the autumn flood season for the Heavenly Chasm River was already over. Chen Linjun encountered a small group of Dongyin forces midstream, dealt with them easily, and as he was about to return to camp, he glanced at the celestial phenomena in the twilight. He bent down, pinched some mud from the bank, and rubbed it between his fingers, “I fear a great flood is coming today.”

There were two significant villages downstream on the Heavenly Chasm River, home to thousands of families. Chen Linjun estimated their location and took several hundred cavalrymen downstream at a gallop to evacuate the residents.

Soon after they set off, it indeed began to rain.

The rain didn’t transition from a light drizzle to a downpour; it immediately became a thick, majestic curtain of rain smashing down violently, causing the ground and mountains to roar with the impact. Water splashed everywhere, forming torrents on the mountain banks that rushed into the Heavenly Chasm River.

The riverbed quickly accumulated mud mixed with dead branches, and the water level continuously rose, already submerging the horses’ lower legs.

Jing He shouted loudly, “Young Marshal, don’t go! It’s too dangerous!”

The Northern Yong forces were arrayed along the border, harassing them from time to time but not launching a full-scale assault. Chen Linjun understood this was to wait until he and Dongyin were both exhausted before claiming the spoils. He had left Jing Ming in the Northern Border to command the garrisons of the three provinces to contend with Northern Yong, taking only the less-agile Jing He with him.

Jing He stopped Chen Linjun’s horse, “Young Marshal, I’ll go! You go back first!”

Chen Linjun said, “If you block me again, we’ll be even slower.”

Half of the houses in the village were already submerged in the great flood. The villagers had no choice but to climb onto rooftops and trees to survive. Seeing hundreds of figures in armor riding rapidly through the water in the distance, they excitedly waved their arms and shouted.

“It’s the Eagle Head Army…”

“The Eagle Head Army! It’s the Eagle Head Army from the north!”

“We’re saved! We’re saved…”

After swimming through the sewage to rescue the people, the troops split into two teams. One team escorted the villagers to higher ground further away, and Chen Linjun led the other team to the more distant village. Suddenly, a dull roar came from somewhere. The water converging on the mountain instantly became turbulent and powerful. A massive flow of water, carrying mud and rocks, rushed toward the village.

It was a mudslide!

Chen Linjun immediately issued a military order: “Retreat!”

Mud and giant rocks tumbled down.

The warhorses were spooked and neighed, but they couldn’t flee in time and were swept into the Heavenly Chasm River by the surging water.

He also watched as the other village was entirely buried underground.

One village vanished in the blink of an eye, as if it had never existed.

After the mountain flood, Dongyin once again amassed troops.

Prince Qi suppressed the urgent military reports from Zhudong and refused to send troops for aid, resulting in the loss of four cities.

After Xie Yuan’s army broke into Yongdu, Chen Liangyu used the Lanchang Sword to execute Prince Qi. Without waiting for the new emperor’s enthronement ceremony, she immediately transferred and deployed troops to rush to Zhudong.

Dongyin soldiers provocatively dragged Chen Linjun’s corpse before the battle lines, attempting to destabilize her mind. She maintained a rationality that bordered on the extinction of humanity, accurately assessing the enemy’s troop deployment, formation, and reinforcements, without a single error.

Thus, the battle of Zhudong, which Xie Yuan had prepared to commit the entire nation’s resources to fight and repel, lasted only forty-three days.

Chen Liangyu recovered all the lost territory.

The four seas celebrated.

Yet, in this frenzy for her “loyalty, courage, and divine military prowess,” Chen Linjun’s death seemed to be forgotten by everyone, causing them all to overlook that the accumulation of one person’s emotions for too long, once it finds even the slightest outlet for release, will become an irresistible tsunami and mountain collapse.

In December, the iron horses trampled the frozen river.

Chen Liangyu breached Dongyin’s border military defenses, reclaimed Chen Linjun’s corpse, captured three cities, took seventeen tens of thousands of Dongyin soldiers as prisoners, and executed over one hundred and thirty Dongyin generals of various ranks before Chen Linjun’s coffin.

Another voice was heard from Chongzheng Hall: “Most of those hundred-plus Dongyin generals were not of humble origins. The major aristocratic families of Dongyin saw their great army occupying Zhudong and stuffed their family’s children into the ranks to try and get military merit.”

A mention on the military merit register would greatly assist their future promotion in court.

They never expected that instead of gaining merit, they would lose their lives.

The palace eunuch in front of the hall announced her, and Xie Wenjun walked into Chongzheng Hall.

The six ministers of the six ministries were all present. In addition, the Censor-in-Chief Jiang Xiantang and the Yong’an Prefect Cheng Lingdian were also in the hall.

Upon seeing Xie Wenjun, they all bowed in salute, “Your Imperial Highness, the Grand Princess.”

“Greetings, Grand Princess.”

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

The title of Grand Princess sounds honorable, but historically, the holder had no right to enter Chongzheng Hall to discuss state affairs with court officials. The fact that the six ministers and the Censor-in-Chief and the Yong’an Prefect were all so respectful to Xie Wenjun had its reasons.

First, Emperor Zhengyuan Xie Yuan led the campaign from Linxia, while Xie Wenjun remained in Linxia, raising military funds and provisions to ensure the army’s rear was secure.

Second, she imprisoned the Marquis of Xuanping, Heng Jinan, and mobilized the troops of the Southern Region.

Third, she compiled the Ten Thousand Officials Record, proposing “the merit of following the dragon, which shall bless the descendants,” granting land and official titles, so that the children and grandchildren of incumbent officials would all receive the Sovereign’s grace.

Fourth, she re-established the Office of Agriculture and Sericulture, emulating the late Crown Prince and Zhang Diancheng by personally inspecting the fields among the common people, suppressing the trend of officials and gentry encroaching on civilian land, and preserving the foundation of the state.

…

The ministers standing in the hall at this moment were all people who had benefited from the “Ten Thousand Officials Record.”

Xie Wenjun had just returned from inspecting the fields in Zhongwu City, where Zhang Diancheng had once been assassinated.

After the former Commander of the Imperial Guards, Lin Zhong, conspired with Prince Qi and was executed, the Lin Clan of Zhongwu City lost its power. During her inspection, Xie Wenjun dealt with the remnants of the Lin Clan.

Since then, Zhongwu City had been free of aristocratic families.

Upon her return to the palace from this inspection, most of the Office of Agriculture and Sericulture branches throughout the Great Lin territory had been re-established, and she had issued an order that all petitions and complaints submitted to the Office of Agriculture and Sericulture were to be personally adjudicated by the Grand Princess.

This could be considered having resolved Xie Yuan’s most significant concern.

Xie Wenjun saluted, “Your subject sister pays respects to Imperial Brother.”

Xie Yuan said, “You must be tired from your journey through Jiangning. Grant a seat to the Grand Princess.”

“Thank you, Imperial Brother.”

Xie Wenjun sat down on the cushioned stool and asked, “What does the Dongyin envoy seek?”

The Censor-in-Chief Jiang Xiantang replied, “Reporting to Your Highness, Dongyin dispatched an envoy to negotiate with our dynasty for the return of the three border cities the Grand General occupied, and the release of the Dongyin Crown Prince and the war prisoners. The conditions are all open to discussion. His Majesty has ordered Li Hecang, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, to handle this matter.”

Xie Wenjun said coldly, “Return the cities and the prisoners of war? What leverage does Dongyin have to negotiate?”

They merely wanted to exchange a letter of surrender and gold and silver for them.

“What does the Grand General say?”

Jiang Xiantang said, “The Grand General said, ‘Do not return them.'”

Xie Wenjun said, “Then go and tell Li Hecang, ‘Do not return them.'”

“Do not return them?”

“Do not return them!”

The Yong’an Prefect Cheng Lingdian said, “We won’t return the cities, but what about… the prisoners of war and the Dongyin Crown Prince? Are they not to be returned either?”

Jiang Xiantang said, “Chen Liangyu threw them in the water prison for so long. Even if Dongyin takes them back, what good will they be?”

As he spoke, several high officials looked at Xie Yuan. Xie Yuan was also looking at Xie Wenjun, seemingly puzzled.

When two nations are at war, they fight tooth and nail, but once the fighting subsides and there is room for peace talks, the stronger nation usually consciously leaves a little leeway in exchange for a short period of peace.

In the sixteen-year war with Northern Yong, after Northern Yong surrendered, they signed a covenant never to offend again and paid gold and silk. The prisoners who could be released were also returned to Northern Yong as a gesture of goodwill.

“If she says ‘do not return them,’ then she has her reasons.”

Xie Wenjun couldn’t sit still. She stood up, took a couple of steps, and then bowed to Xie Yuan again, indicating she was ready to leave.

“Imperial Brother, she is not a muddled or temperamental person. Since she says not to return them, there must be a reason. We should ask for clarification first.”

Xie Yuan nodded in agreement.

Cheng Lingdian said, “Your Imperial Highness is unaware, but the Grand General has been extremely temperamental lately. His Majesty is considerate and forbids anyone from provoking the Grand General. The Grand General only said ‘do not return them’ but gave no reason, and no one dares to ask.”

Xie Wenjun said, “I will go see her.”

The Marquis and Madam of Xuanping, and the Marquis of Wu’an, Chen Linjun, were all interred in the Imperial Tomb.

The entrance to the Imperial Tomb featured five stone arch bridges built in imitation of the Jinshui Bridges within the Imperial Palace. After the carriage crossed the bridge, it followed a high red wall inward. After a short distance, it arrived at a tall gate.

Xie Wenjun lifted the curtain from the carriage. She looked up.

Beyond that high gate lay the final resting place of Empress Huixian and the late Crown Prince Xie Yu.

Beyond the memorial pillars of the tomb was the Spirit Path, flanked by twelve pairs of stone animal statues guarding the tomb.

The carriage bumped for a while longer and stopped in front of an underground palace.

The time of their reunion was another season of spring harmony and bright scenery.

It was February, with warblers flying, grass growing long, and peach blossoms floating on the water.

Chen Liangyu, however, was shrouded in a cold stillness, like the unrelieved cold of a winter day.

After Xie Yuan ascended the throne, Xie Wenjun returned to Yongdu. The Ministry of Rites determined Xie Yu’s posthumous title as Crown Prince Yizhang, and she personally managed Xie Yu’s funeral rites. However, at that time, Chen Liangyu had already led troops to reinforce Zhudong, so the two did not meet.

She was planting trees.

Chen Liangyu rarely wore white, but today she wore a plain white outfit with a folded collar and narrow sleeves, rolled up to her forearms. At her feet were piles of dug-out soil and saplings of ginkgo wood. A row had already been planted in front of her.

She propped up a young tree and planted it in the deep pit she had dug, shoveling earth into the pit, one scoop at a time.

Xie Wenjun called out, “A-Li.”

Chen Liangyu turned her head. She looked somewhat haggard, but otherwise, there was nothing visibly different about her usual self.

She was still as outwardly calm as ever.

Where was the “extremely temperamental” part?

“You’re back. Are you tired?” She tried to greet Xie Wenjun with the most normal tone possible.

But the look of pain in her eyes was captured by Xie Wenjun first.

Xie Wenjun did not want to put on the false pretense of ‘everything is fine, everywhere is safe’ with her. She walked closer, brushed off the dust clinging to her white clothes, smoothed her loose hair, and then took her hand, turning her palm towards herself to wipe the mud from her fingers.

As her fingertips brushed against her temple and palm, Chen Liangyu’s body trembled slightly.

She was already like a solitary tree battered by a fierce storm. If even a gust of wind were to blow by, or an unwitting passerby were to push her, the seemingly sturdy trunk would come crashing down.

Chen Liangyu leaned forward, hugging Xie Wenjun tightly.

She could not utter a single word, and tears burst forth from her eyes.

The Imperial Tomb was desolate and cold.

After Chen Liangyu had wept away the pain of the past few days, she heard Xie Wenjun whisper in her ear, “Let’s go home.”

“Alright.”