King Zhan looked at them for a long time before speaking again, “Fine, I’ll spare your lives. I shall repay your betrayal with kindness. I will send the eleven of you as envoys to Tiandu during this ceasefire, to bring back the remains of Queen Guan Ying for a proper burial in our royal tomb. Will you accept this task?”
Hearing this, Lian Huan and the others exchanged glances before kneeling in unison and replying, “Thank you, Your Majesty!”
King Zhan smiled, adjusting his posture, his eyes gleaming with unfathomable darkness. “However... if by some miracle, my queen survives this ordeal and is still alive, I expect you to bring her back to me.”
The meaning of his words was clear—he didn’t truly believe that Huang Bei Shuang was dead. He wanted to reclaim her loyalty. As he spoke, King Zhan took out a small silk pouch from his robe. It was filled with soil from her homeland, a gift from the day she married him. He gestured for a maid to hand the pouch to Ye Pei and calmly said, “Take this with you. Go and see her. Bring this pouch.”
The eleven of them bowed deeply in respect and then quietly retreated.
In Guan Ying Palace, the only person left who still diligently studied day and night was the shaman. Sitting in the courtyard, he heard the commotion and turned around, seeing Ye Pei and the others returning in a hurry. “Sister is back!” he shouted excitedly, grabbing Dao Qiu by the hand. “Where is Queen Guan Ying? Where is she? Look quickly! Her Jiemashu tree has bloomed—it’s been in bloom for a long time, and it still hasn’t withered! When the wind blows, it’s as beautiful as falling snow!”
Ye Pei looked up, gazing dazedly at the colorful Jiemashu trees in the courtyard. Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears...
“When the flowers bloom, you will know…”
The thought made her cry even more bitterly. The others watched her, half understanding, half confused.
“I don’t know if I should go!” After crying for a while, Ye Pei seemed to calm down a little. She walked to one of the Jiemashu trees, gently touching its grey-yellow trunk, and said through sobs, “If Nashe is really in Tiandu, then her wish has been fulfilled—she’s with Qing Ye now, isn’t she? We should just accept that she’s gone.”
“Ye Pei!” Lian Huan was startled by her words. He rushed forward, embracing her tightly and shouting, “What nonsense are you saying! You know Nashe’s temper! Even if you want to believe she’s gone, she won’t allow it!”
“But...” Ye Pei lowered her head. “Do you know how happy it is for a woman to be with the one she loves? Do you know what it would be like to bring her back, back to this lonely grove of Jiemashu trees? To bring her back and have her continue playing the flute in Huai Yue Pavilion? Haven’t you seen enough of Nashe’s stubbornness and self-destruction?” Her grief-stricken words, punctuated with her clenched fists, couldn’t fully release the bitterness in her heart.
Lian Huan looked at her, and in that moment, even this rough, boorish man could find no peace. He held Ye Pei tightly, and the eleven of them stood beneath the Jiemashu trees, lost in desolation.
After a long silence, Lian Huan spoke, as though he'd come to a decision. “Summon back Lei Yun Zai. We will go see Nashe. Whether she returns with us or not, that will be her choice.” After saying this, he plucked a white flower from the Jiemashu tree and placed it in Ye Pei’s hair with a smile. “Men aren't as simple as women think, and women aren't as fragile as men imagine. We all know this, but pretend not to. That’s not Nashe’s nature. She will choose, and we will simply follow. We set out tomorrow morning. No more dwelling on sorrow.”
Under the white-flowered tree, the cold wind stirred, petals fluttering like snow, one by one calling back the vows once made…
The eleven men looked up at the sky, no longer confused. All that remained was their unwavering resolve.
* * *
In Tiandu’s Huairou, behind the Ice Thorn Palace.
“I said I wanted to bask in the sun, not come to such a secluded place!” Huang Bei Shuang sat in the tall grass, watching Qing Yun feed the horses. Now that she had recovered a bit, Qing Yun had brought her out to ride, and purposefully led her to this remote spot.
Qing Yun smiled, patting the horse’s flank and letting it gallop off on its own. Then he walked over to her. “How about I build you a little cottage here? In the future, only I will come to visit you. How does that sound?”
“Sure,” Huang Bei Shuang snorted. “You’ll live here with me then. However long you stay, I’ll stay. And when you leave, I’ll leave. How does that sound?”
Qing Yun’s face darkened at her words. He pulled her close, his arms tightening around her in frustration. “Can’t you just be like an ordinary woman—think only of me, wait only for me?”
Huang Bei Shuang looked up at him. “Are you an ordinary man who would fall in love with an ordinary woman?”
Her words caught Qing Yun off guard, and he laughed. He lifted a strand of her dark hair to his lips, inhaling its scent. “How’s your body feeling?”
Huang Bei Shuang nodded, her grey eyes meeting his, her slender figure pressing against his chest. “I’m fine.”
Qing Yun’s gaze darkened slightly. He spread his cloak on the grass and began undoing her clothing, one piece at a time, laying them gently beside him. The cold air could not reach between them; there were only their kisses, endlessly fueling their mutual longing.
When they were together, they never spoke of the changes in the outside world. They both knew it would only waste their sweet moments together, moments they couldn’t bear to lose—not even for a second.
In front of you, my heart allows you everything you desire.
0 Comments