Fantasy novels
Thursday, February 25, 2021
东宫 Eastern Palace: Chapter 31
东宫 Eastern Palace: Chapter 30
I took A’Du and walked outside the king’s tent in a hurry. The Great Chanyu’s big tent was called the king's tent, which was made of countless pieces of cowhide and painted with gorgeous floral decorations. The auspicious sentences of blessing were written on the snow-white canopy, and the gold powder that filled in those strokes was dazzling under the sun in the autumn, which made people dare not see them directly. While those golden shadows of these strokes were reflected on the ground, one could recognize one or half sentence that praying for the blessing from heaven. In that golden light, I narrowed my eyes to see the familiar but strange figure in front of the tent. Although he was in a common robe from Western Liang, he didn't look like our people. He turned his head and smiled at me. Sure enough, he didn't belong to Western Liang, but a man from Central Plains.
It was Gu Xiao Wu, the merchant who sold tea.
I couldn’t help but ask him, “What are you doing here?” “To marry you.” I looked at him with a stunned look. After a long while, I smiled and asked him, “Hey, you come here to sell tea again?” Gu Xiao Wu didn't answer me this time but slowly moved the object on the ground back and forth with his tiptoe.
I saw that thing and got so shocked that my chin was about to fall.
It was a huge black wolf, almost twice as big as a common wild wolf, just like a little pony. Even though it was already dead, its eyes kept open, as if it was ready to swallow people at any time. While around its left eye, there was a circle of white hair which seemed to be painted with snow-white mare milk. I rubbed my eyes and remained stunned for a while, then I squatted down and pulled off a hair on its left eye, which was white from head to tip. As sure as fate, it was white hair.
At this time, those nobles of Tujue already gathered in front of the king's tent. They looked at this strangely huge wolf in silence, then some bold children rushed up and pulled out the hair on its eyes as I did, looking it at the direction of the sun. Then they shouted, “It’s white! It’s white!” The noisy voices of the children made me feel uneasy, while the voice of grandpa came directly from the crowd, “Whether or not he belongs to Tujue, he is a true warrior.” The crowd gave way to the Great Chanyu, and grandpa slowly walked out. He looked at the wolf on the ground and nodded. Then he nodded to Gu Xiao Wu and said, "Good!" To win the praise from the Great Chanyu was even more difficult than to melt the snow on the top of Tian Gen mountain. However, Gu Xiao Wu killed the White-Eye Wolf King; as the Great Chanyu had promised, anyone who could kill the White-Eye Wolf King would marry me.
I didn’t expect this person to be Gu Xiao Wu. I followed him and kept asking him how he killed the White-Eye Wolf King.
He understated, "I happened to meet a pack of wolves while I was hawking tea with tea merchants. Then I killed that wolf." I couldn't believe it with my mouth slightly opened. It was said that the King of Yuezhi didn't find the White-Eye Wolf King with thirty thousand cavalries in the Tian Gen mountain. However, had Gu Xiao Wu, who passed by while peddling tea killed the White-Eye Wolf King?
I would not believe it!
However, the Great Chanyu must keep his words. There were lots of discussions about the princess of Western Liang going to marry Gu Xiao Wu, who was a tea merchant from Central Plains. Gu Xiao Wu was regarded as a hero, but I still believed he was just bluffing. However, He Shi got drunk that day and they shouted at each other, which resulted in a match.
Their competition was shooting bats on the prairie at night, which was very boring. The one who hit more bats would win.
Only those who had shot bats before knew how difficult it was.
The Turks all believed He Shi would win, but they made a bet on this match. I was also sure He Shi would win, though the bones in his right hand were fractured. Even if He Shi shot with his left hand, nobody in Tujue could match him in this respect.
The match spread rapidly and widely, everyone knowing it in less than half a day. Others said He Shi wanted to marry me. After all, he was the most powerful warrior and might be the most potent general in the Great Chanyu's army in the future. As for me, although I was the princess of Western Liang, everybody realized the Great Chanyu loved me the most. If He Shi married me, the Great Chanyu would trust him more.
I didn't think He Shi had such strange ideas. I thought A’Du might had told him that I was unwilling to marry Gu Xiao Wu.
Although I vaguely thought Gu Xiao Wu was not a usual tea merchant, I hope I would not marry so young.
Singing the hymns, the Turkic priest dripped the sheep blood into two bowls and handed them to He Shi and Gu Xiao Wu, who were about to have a match. Both of them drank it up at one draught. They were going to slug it out tonight. He Shi was an illustrious hero in Tujue and Gu Xiao Wu was regarded by many Turks as a hero thanks to his killing of the White-Eye Wolf King. Everyone thrilled to see their match. However, I was embarrassed that I didn't know who I hoped to win.
If Gu Xiao Wu won, did I have to marry him?
If He Shi won, was I going to marry He Shi?
Thinking of that, I was shocked. On behalf of me, He Shi just wanted to teach Gu Xiao Wu a lesson to make him less arrogant.
It reminded me of He Shi punished the boys who sang outside A’Du's tent. If they were too noisy, He Shi would figure out a way to calm them down. Gu Xiao Wu killed the White-Eye Wolf King, but no one was convinced. However, he didn’t care about that at all, just openly telling grandpa that he wanted to marry me.
That's why He Shi wanted to teach him a lesson.
Even the Great Chanyu heard about their competition. Quite excited, he also wanted to have a look. I was upset, following grandpa in the crowd to the riverside. The warrior guarding the Great Chanyu's tent took arrows and piled them at the feet of Gu Xiao Wu and He Shi. He Shi was about to use his own bow, but when he saw Gu Xiao Wu empty-handed, he said to Gu Xiao Wu, “I will lend my bow to you.” Gu Xiao Wu nodded, but the Great Chanyu said with a smile, “In our Tujue people's camp, we may lack everything but bows." The Great Chanyu gave an iron bow to Gu Xiao Wu. I was worried about him. This iron bow was heavier than common bows. Gu Xiao Wu looked so gentle and frail that it might even be difficult for him to tighten the bowstring. He Shi also thought of this, but he didn’t want to take advantage of Gu Xiao Wu. He said to the Great Chanyu, “Let him use my bow. The Great Chanyu, please give this bow to me.” The Great Chanyu shook his head, saying, “I won't marry my granddaughter to a man who can’t even tighten a bow.” The onlookers laughed. Many of them didn't believe that the White-Eye Wolf King was really killed by Gu Xiao Wu, so they poured scorn on him. Gu Xiao Wu took the bow, plucking the string with his fingers as if he was playing a guzheng¹. The bowstring vibrated, making the onlookers laugh even louder. He was a fair-skinned gentleman, like the Central Plains musicians Tujue nobles bought. Just now he really played the bowstring, which made the Tujue people look down on him much more.
The evening closed in, bats hovering above the river. The Great Chanyu nodded and said, “Get the competition started.” He Shi and Gu Xiao Wu both had a pile of hundred arrows at their feet. The one who shot one hundred bats first would be the winner. He Shi first pulled back his bowstring. Although he used his left hand, every arrow reached its mark, which dazzled the others. In just one blink, bats dropped from the sky one after another. However, Gu Xiao Wu acted unhurriedly, notching five arrows to his bowstring.
I called Gu Xiao Wu by his name. Although I didn’t know if he could shoot, he should know that only one arrow should be notched a bowstring each time. Gu Xiao Wu looked back and smiled at me, then drawing back his bowstring.
To be honest, it had never occurred to me that Gu Xiao Wu pulled back the bowstring easily. Not only that, he shot five arrows in succession. The end-to-head arrows flew as fast as a meteor, which surprised people around Gu Xiao Wu. "Lianzhu arrows, Lianzhu arrows (arrows fly in rapid succession like a chain of pearls)!" Several Tujue nobles exclaimed and even the Great Chanyu could not help but nodded. There was a senior general in Central Plains who excelled at shooting Lianzhu arrows and killed Zuotu Shewang of Tujue in this way once he confronted the Tujue army. But after all, it was a legend. Nobles in Tujue had never seen anyone shooting Lianzhu arrows again for decades. Gu Xiao Wu shot five arrows at a time and finished shooting Lianzhu arrows in one smooth motion. Although the bats fluttered everywhere, they were shot down by Gu Xiao Wu's arrows that flew in rapid succession. Bats fell down at his feet like a torrential rain. He Shi shot fast, but he was no match for Gu Xiao Wu, who completed shooting that one hundred arrows in moments. Slaves picked up bats and piled them up on one bank of the river. One hundred bats were like one hundred strange black flowers, piling together to form a large black hill.
He Shi shot slower than Gu Xiao Wu, though he also shot down one hundred bats. He Shi said calmly, "You win." Gu Xiao Wu replied, "I can only shoot Lianzhu arrows by using a strong bow. If I used your bow, I would shoot slower than you. Furthermore, your right hand is injured and you shot only with your left hand. Winning this competition will bring no honor to me."
"Neither of us lose. You are a warrior, who I can not match if your hands were in good condition." The crowd were stunned by Gu Xiao Wu's shooting skills and could not help but applauded him for his frank words. People in Tujue had a candid disposition and loved those who did things outright, for example, Gu Xiao Wu. The Great Chanyu smiled frankly, saying, "Good. Our Tujue warrior does not lose." Fixing his eyes on Gu Xiao Wu, he said, " You Central Plains man, tell me what kind of reward you want?" "Your Great Chanyu, you have bestowed your most precious thing on me." Gu Xiao Wu seemed to smile, saying, "What is more precious than your little princess in this world?" The Great Chanyu roared with laughter and other nobles in Tujue were filled with joy. The marriage was settled in this way.
The priest chose an auspicious and crisp day in autumn, on which our wedding ceremony was about to be held. Being very hesitant about the marriage, I asked A’Du secretly, "Which is better, to marry him or not?" A’Du looked at me with her black eyes. There were always calm and serenity in her eyes. I couldn’t make up my mind. Finally, I mustered the courage to make a date to meet Gu Xiao Wu.
I didn’t know what to say to him, but if I married him in such a hurried fashion… I felt a little uneasy.
A cool wind blew in the autumn night. I gathered the fur robe around me, walking up and down the riverside while hearing the river gurgling. The honk of geese coming from afar made me look around. There had been a bright star rising in the west. The sky was dark purple, like a grape jelly.
The achnatherum splendens rustled in the wind. Gu Xiao Wu walked on achnatherum splendens¹ in my direction.
I suddenly felt panic. He wore a Tujuese robe and a scimitar at his side as all other Tujuese did. These days, Gu Xiao Wu had won the great Chanyu's favour. He was not only proficient in shooting arrows, but also Turkish. Therefore, he came from Central Plains though, the Great Chanyu trusted him more and more, and gave him the iron bow. Moreover, He Shi had been like a brother to Gu Xiao Wu since the competition that night. Gu Xiao Wu taught He Shi how to shoot Lianzhu arrows, and He Shi taught Gu Xiao Wu local custom on prairie. When the Great Chanyu saw them, he couldn't help but feel gratified. He Shi even exchanged his scimitar² with Gu Xiao Wu – Tujuese only changed their scimitar with a sworn brother. Sworn brothers, willing to die for each other when fighting enemies, had a closer relationship than real brothers did. So Gu Shi Wu actually wore He Shi's scimitar at his side. As soon as I saw the scimitar, I remembered the last time He Shi had handed it to me and urged me to go first.
Gu Xiao Wu also saw me. He smiled at me in the distance, and I also gave him a smile. Seeing his smile, I suddenly calmed down. Although neither of us spoke, he must know why I made a date to see him here. Sure enough, he said to me: “I brought something to you.” My heart beat fast – was it a belt? If he wanted to give me his belt, what should I say? According to the custom of Tujue and Western Liang, a man had to give his belt to his lover after singing a song… He did not sing to me. I felt very embarrassed with my heart beating wildly, but he said, “You are not full up tonight, right? I bring a large rack of lamb to you!” I suddenly got so irritated that I couldn’t even say a word, I pouted for a long time and finally said, “You are the one who are not full up yet!” Gu Xiao Wu was confused, “I certainly have enough… I noticed that you didn’t eat anything tonight, so I bring a rack of lamb to you.” I remained silent and angry, listening to unknown birds singing in the distance. The river was flowing, and a fish jumped from the water, leaving a splash. I indeed ate nothing at night, because all I thought was the date with Gu Xiao Wu by the river, so I lost my appetite. Now I saw this large rack of lamb Gu Xiao Wu put in front of me, my stomach rang. He laughed and handed the knife to me and said, “Eat!” The lamb chops were delicious! I ate it and my mouth was moist with oil, I asked him happily, “How do you know that I love lamb chops?” Gu Xiao Wu said something in the Central Plains language. I didn’t understand it. He repeated it to me again in Turkish, “Where there is a will, there’s a way.” I had never heard of such a sentence, and my heart skipped a beat. What kind of people could be called as people with a will? Although we met not long ago, I always felt that I had known him for a long time. Maybe it was because we had experienced so many things, every time he would help me and protect me. Though every time what he said would make me angry, but this sentence didn't.
We sat silently by the river, and the singing of Turks was floating from the distance. It was a subtle love song. Turkish warriors would always sing outside the tent of their beloved girl to convey their innermost thoughts and feelings.
I had never felt that the sound of singing was so beautiful, and it sounded like a fairy melody. The fireflies flying in the grass near the river resembled ethereal meteors, as well as a handful of scattered golden sand. I even believed that those little shining insects were the messengers of the gods. They carried delicate lanterns and flashed in the cool night. There were also tiny flames in the camp on the other side of the river, and the laughter of people sounded far away. I suddenly realized that if the gods looked at the world from the clouds in the heavens, would they have such feelings? These so ethereal, so illusory, so distant and blurred feelings.
Translator's Notes:
1. The zheng or guzheng (literally: ‘ancient zheng’), also known as a Chinese zither, is a Chinese plucked string instrument with a more than 2,500-year history.
(Original Translation from WWW。wangmamaread。com)
东宫 Eastern Palace: Chapter 29
At that time, the girl happened to give birth to a prince. The Empress then ordered someone to poison the nourishing soup that the girl would have daily. The girl had the poisonous soup and gradually got weak and died of illness. Before she passed away, she hoped to make the cause of Gong Zi’s death public, but it was too late. The Empress put her under house arrest, saying that she had serious tuberculosis and was not allowed to see anyone. Besides, the Empress also took the newly-born little Prince away…" I was quite nervous, asking, "Did the Empress even kill the little Prince?" Gu Xiao Wu looked as usual and shook his head, "The Empress wouldn't kill the little Prince. She had no children herself, so she brought up the little Prince and taught him the skills. The little Prince regarded the Empress as his own birth mother, but he had never known that his real birth mother was originally killed by the Empress. Later… the little Prince finally knew the truth, but he couldn’t help it. He was still young, while the Empress was very powerful, and he couldn’t go against her. The Emperor also hesitated by then, because he not only had the little Prince as his son, he also got other Princes. The Emperor pondered over these Princes, not knowing who to pass the throne to in the future. The other Princes strove for the throne secretly, and they all knew that the little Prince was not the birth son of the Empress; while the Empress also bore a grudge against the little Prince… However, the Emperor finally sent the little Prince as the Crown Prince. In Zixu, there were very few Crown Princes who could live more than thirty years old, as they would either be assassinated or be dethroned and put under house arrest by their fathers until they died. There were also some Crown Princes who had plotted a rebellion against their fathers in order to seize the opportunity… Some of them succeeded, some failed; the winner became the Emperor, and finally died, while the loser failed to become the Emperor, he also died… In fact, Eastern Palace is a court immersed in blood…” Gu Xiao Wu ceased his narration and got absent-minded suddenly, while I also looked at him dumbly. This story was not fun at all, unlike those stories I had heard before. I wondered why I didn't interrupt Gu Xiao Wu. After a while, he continued his story in a plain tone: "Although the little prince was the crown prince, he led a hard life. The empress was wary of him and the emperor threw him a difficult problem to handle, saying: "Since you are the crown prince, you should set an example to our subjects. Then the emperor sent the little prince to a place to carry out a task that was almost impossible to complete…" "The little prince was pitiful." I pumped him for more details: "What was the prince's task at last?" "That was the end." Gu Xiao Wu dabbed his saddle and lay down again comfortably, "Go to sleep." I flew into a fury. How could I fall asleep without knowing the end of the story? I said: "I didn't ask why, but why you stopped talking?" Gu Xiao Wu replied: "That was the whole story. How could I continue?" He turned his back to me. I only saw his shoulder blades. Though covered with sheepskin, he still huddled up together because of the cold wind at night. He seemed to be asleep.
I pulled the leather mattress under my chin, which made me warm. I thought: Gu Xiao Wu looked heartless, and his story was even more annoying! However, looking at him asleep, I thought he was somewhat pathetic. In his story, the little prince didn't have a mother, neither did he. Certainly, a motherless person was pitiful. If I didn't have a mom, I would cry right away.
I drifted off to sleep in a daze. I dreamed of the little prince possibly because I had heard the story before sleep. He was a very young boy who was only three or four years old. Crouching and crying there, he huddled up together like a small injured beast. He looked like a wounded fox that I found in a hunter's trap after a fall of snow. The little fox huddled, looking at me with its watery black eyes. It was very alert to me, but it also had a hint of fear. It squeezed its shoulder blades together, with its pointy mouth hidden under its claws. Snow falling thickly, I felt tender and protective toward it, so I couldn’t help but reach out to hug it to me. But I didn't expect when it raised its head, it turned out to be Gu Xiao Wu, which was spooky. I got shocked and woke with a start. Now it was beginning to get light – there was a thin crescent in the western sky, the stars growing dim and even the bonfire gradually dying down. The night seemed to deepen. Two thousand cavalrymen slept heavily on the prairie, and only the sentinels were still patrolling. The grass beside my face was covered with cool dew which fell on my face when I touched the grass. I licked the dew – it was sweet. Then I turned over and fell asleep again.
As soon as the day broke, we struck camp and rode east for five or six days. We finally met the rangers Tujue had sent. Hearing that the Great Chanyu’s tent was nearby, He Shi was overjoyed. I was also very happy because I would see my grandfather soon. But it was not convenient for the two thousand cavalrymen from the Central Plains to stay in the border of Tujue, so they would go back soon.
He Shi admired them much, praising them for their strict military discipline, swift actions, and bravery. He said they were true men hard to come at. Together with He Shi, I walked with them part of the way west.
The hot sun beat brightly upon us in the afternoon. Gu Xiao Wu lowered his head, dozing off on his horse. I said, “Hey, do me a favour – give a message to my father that I have arrived at Tujue safely.” Gu Xiao Wu said: “It depends on whether I will go back to the empire city to sell tea.” I said: "If not, where will you go?” He smiled but didn’t answer. The calvarymen from the Central Plains had gone far. He waved at me and then caught up with them.
I covered my forehead with my hand, looking over the flat and endless prairie. After a long time, I saw that he caught up with the team and waved to us. They gradually went far, like the dust between the heavens and the earth, subtle and indistinguishable. I gazed at his back and remembered the story he told me yesterday, feeling lost.
Suddenly someone behind me chuckled. I turned back and found it was He Shi. He reined his horse in behind me, and I asked him with embarrassment and anger, "What are you laughing at?" He Shi nodded but shook his head then, saying to me with a smile, “Little Princess, let’s go back.” Seeing grandpa, I was so happy that I forgot all my troubles. It had been a year since we last met, so grandpa doted on me more, allowing all my mischief. He Shi’s arm was injured and Grandpa worried that I would get into trouble without He Shi's accompany, so he asked He Shi’s sister to follow me all day long. He Shi’s sister was about the same age as me. She studied martial arts since childhood, quite skilled at wielding a saber. I liked calling her name, “A’Du! A’Du!” Just like calling a little bird. And she also really resembled a little bird, as no matter where I was, she would immediately appear in front of my eyes when I called her, just like a bird flapping its wings deftly and showing up at another place immediately.
What I didn’t expect was that the King of Yuezhi had sent an envoy to propose marriage. Grandpa didn't let the envoy enter his tent, instead, he sent someone to pass his message to the envoy: “Although the Little Princess is not the princess of Tujue, her mother is the daughter of the Great Chanyu. The Great Chanyu cherishes the Little Princess a lot and is only willing to marry her to a real hero. If your king wants to marry the Little Princess, then he has to come to the Great Chanyu's tent in person and compete with those warriors of Tujue. As long as he can catch the White-Eye Wolf King in the Tian Gen Mountain, the Great Chanyu will definitely marry the Little Princess to him. This is the Great Chanyu’s decree, even the father of Little Princess, the King of Western Liang, will be willing to accept the Great Chanyu's arrangement.” The envoy met with a rebuff, going back disapprovingly.
The Great Chanyu’s words spread throughout the prairie, everyone knowing that if one wanted to marry Western Liang’s little princess, he had to kill the White-Eye Wolf King. Legend had it that Tian Gen Mountain had thousands of wolves, but they only regarded a white-eye wolf as their king. Wolves were just like people, succumbing to the strongest one. The White-Eye Wolf King's coat was intensely black, but around its left eye was a circle of white hair which seemed to be painted with snow-white mare milk. It was said that such a creature was actually not a wolf but almost a demon. Wolves on the prairie were terrifying, and the White-Eye Wolf King was even more scary. Even small groups of cavalry or herdsmen would be in a very dangerous situation when they meet the White-Eye Wolf King, because it would lead tens of thousands of wolves to fight against people, and then eat all the people and horses. I once thought that the White-Eye Wolf King was a legend, just living in a story told by my grandmother. After all, no one had ever seen the White-Eye Wolf King, but everyone had vowed that the Wolf King did lead tens of thousands of wolves on the Tian Gen Mountain.
The Great Chanyu goaded the King of Yuezhi into entering the Tian Gen Mountain to look for the White-Eye Wolf King. What if he really killed the White-Eye Wolf King? I didn’t want to marry such an old man. But no one could kill the White-Eye Wolf King – all Tujue people believed that, so did all the people on the prairie. Although the King of Yuezhi took a large troop of soldiers and sent out for the Tian Gen Mountain where the white-eye wolf lived, they might not find the White-Eye Wolf King, because no one really saw the White-Eye Wolf King – it was only a legend. I felt comforted when I thought about it. The King of Yuezhi was old and weak, and the Tian Gen mountain, a few hundred miles around, had many overhanging rocks and beasts. Maybe he would be thrown from his horse and became paralysed, then I didn’t have to marry him.
I led an even happier life in Tujue than I did in Western Liang. Every day with A’Du, I either went hunting or catching birds. Girls in Tujue married young, and A’Du was old enough to sing songs. Sometimes there were people singing all night long outside her tent, which made me fail to fall asleep. However, nobody had ever sung to me, I believed it might be because they knew they had to kill the White-Eye Wolf King to marry me. Even for the warriors on the prairie, it was a tough task.
I didn't believe it was because I was not beautiful that nobody had ever sung to me.
I was sleeping in the tent that day when I suddenly heard a clamour, which sounded as if the encampment was blown up. Rolling out of bed, I shouted aloud "A’Du". She lifted the curtain of the tent hastily and entered. I asked her: "What's going on? What happened?" A’Du was also confused, I thought neither of us knew what happened. At this moment, my grandfather sent a person over to bend to salute us, saying, "The Great Chanyu summoned the Little Princess to his tent." "Are we going to war?" I asked nervously. Last time, the envoy of the King of Yuezhi returned in disgrace, according to the king's disposition, he would not give up that easily. The King of Yuezhi was goaded into looking for the White-Eye Wolf King, but wasn't it a hard task? This was clearly a trap for him made by the Great Chanyu – my grandfather who loved me the most. If the King of Yuezhi suddenly realized it and became furious, he would wage war against Tujue. If Yuezhi and Tujue were at war, it would be a bad thing for the whole western regions. Powerfully occupied the north of the Gobi desert, Tujue was the strongest country in western regions, with its territory extended all the way to the east coast. However, Yuezhi was also one of the largest countries with solid national strength in western regions though it compared unfavorably with Tujue. In addition, several decades of transient peace had make people on the trade routes unimpeded, and cities take on flourishing view. For example, if there was no trade routes, our Western Liang would not be as prosperous as it was today. Everything might be ruined after a war.
(Original Translation from WWW。wangmamaread。com)
东宫 Eastern Palace: Chapter 27
东宫 Eastern Palace: Chapter 28
We hurriedly led the cavalry to search for He Shi. While I was worried to death, Gu Xiao Wu said: "Tujue people die hard." Originally, I thought his remark was a comfort to me, but it made me annoyed.
We looked for He Shi around Tian Gen mountain till the sun was about to set. I was almost desperate. When would we find He Shi since the mountain was huge? I hoped He Shi was not eaten by wolves, otherwise, grandfather's heart would be broken. Meanwhile, I was wondering He Shi was a well-known warrior on the grasslands who could not be eaten easily even if he had no horses or arrows. He would survive.
While the sun was about to set and the wind blew cold at night, the scout at the front of the line suddenly shouted loudly, which made me rein the horse. I asked: "What's up?" Those cavalries shouted in Central Plains Mandarin and I saw He Shi climbing out of the rocks with one sharp-edged stone in his left hand and some blood on his right arm. There were several people behind him, who had climbed up and stood on the rocks. Although they looked embarrassed with faces covered with dust, they stared at the cavalry of the Central Plains fearlessly still like warriors.
Screaming and dismounting, I rolled and crawled all the way to He Shi and embraced him. I might have touched his wound that made him frowned. However, he grinned at once: "Hello, my little Crown Princess!" Everyone was jubilant including the cavalry of the Central Plains who felt happier than winning a battle in the morning.
We camped at the foot of Tian Gen mountain in the evening. People from the Central Plains didn't take many tents, but they gave them to the injured. He Shi's right arm was fractured, so the chiliarch asked someone to cover He Shi's wound with traditional Chinese herbs, but He Shi didn't even make a sound. After finding He Shi, I felt relieved and wolfed down a crusty pancake. Gu Xiao Wu sat opposite to me and looked at me while I was eating, which made me choke on the last bite. Seeing I was choked, Gu Xiao Wu laughed without giving me a cup of water.
I found my water pocket with an effort and took a mouthful of water to swallow that pancake. I didn’t make a fuss with him because I had something to ask him, "How on earth did you persuade the protectorate to send cavalry last night at Grand Protectorate General to Pacify the West?" Gu Xiao Wu grinned and showed his white teeth, "I told him that if he refused my request, there would be no quality tea for him." "I believe what you had said – No!"
Looking up into the sky, I found the stars were bright and resembled innumerable storm lanterns that were thin and shining from afar. There was a faint white band in the middle, which was a river of stars. According to the legend, it was the place where gods bathed. While bathing, gods scooped up stars by hand, which was like we picked up sand, and thousands of stars leaked through the fingers of the gods and went back to the Milky Way. Occasionally, one star splashed out and became a meteor. Just then, there was a twinkling meteor, flying across the sky like a bright arrow and disappearing in a flash. "Oh," I shouted. It was said that knotted the lace and made a wish after seeing the meteor, your wish would come true. However, I was so awkward that I either forgot to make a wish or to tie a lace every time I saw a meteor… I lay on the grass annoyedly and the meteors had long disappeared. Gu Xiao Wu asked me, "Why did you shout?" "There was a meteor flying by!" "Is a meteor so strange?" "Knot the lace and make a wish after seeing the meteor, your wish would come true," I was not in the mood to tell him about that. "You people from the Central Plains don't understand it." He seemed to laugh, "What are you going to wish for?" I buttoned my lip and didn't answer. I was not so impatient. But I didn’t expect that after a short pause, he then said in a prolonged tone, "Oh, I know, you wished to marry the Crown Prince of Central Plains." I was so mad that I almost jumped from my feet, "What is good about the Crown Prince of Central Plains? I will never marry him!" He continued with a smile, "I know you are not willing to marry him, of course, you should wish to marry me." I realized that I was trapped into a trick of him, then I gave out a "pooh" and stopped talking to him.
I lay back on the grass and looked at the stars. Low in the sky, they were so close to me that I could touch them with your hands. There were so many stars in the place where the gods lived, it must be very lively and full of vigor.
A small cricket jumped into my hair, entangled in it while still chirping there. I held it by hand and slowly untied the hair from it. It was struggling in my palms, making me feel itchy; then I blew at it, it jumped into the grass and disappeared. But it didn’t leave here as I heard it kept chirping in the dark.
Gu Xiao Wu also lay down and rested on his saddle. I thought he was asleep, but then he said lazily with his eyes closed, “Hey! Sing a song for me.” The night wind was really soft, just like my mother's hand touching my face gently. I was in a good mood, but I was used to going against Gu Xiao Wu, “Why should I sing? How about you sing a song for me?” “I can’t sing.” “Liar, everyone can sing. Just sing! Sing the song that your mother sang to you when you were young, okay? ” Gu Xiao Wu remained silent for a long time. Finally, I heard his faint voice, “I grew up without a mother. ” I felt a little apologetic, as I had a brother who also had no mother. His mother died of illness very early, so my mother treated him better than me. But I knew in my heart that it was because he led a life without mother since childhood, so my mother took special care of him. I got up and peeked at Gu Xiao Wu’s face as I was worried that he was not happy. But the starlight was dim, I couldn't figure out his expression at all. “A fox sits on a sand dune, it sits on a sand dune looking to the moon. Oh, it turned out that it was not looking the moon, but waiting for the shepherd girl to return…” I hummed like a cricket, “A fox sits on a sand dune, it sits on a sand dune basking in the sun… Oh… it turned out that it was not basking in the sun, but waiting for the girl to ride by on her horse…” Gu Xiao Wu eventually spoke, frowning: “It's too unpleasant! Change another one!” “I only know this song…” Then the sound of Guan rang out not far away. I used to know that He Shi was an outstanding archer, but didn’t expect that he could play Guan so well. He only used one hand, so there were a lot of sound holes that couldn't be pressed, but the melody was still fluctuating and reverberating, especially in such a cool night wind. I listened with my head up. The tone of He Shi’s playing was very sad, and I gradually heard more than ten Turks started to sing together. The men’s voices were sullen and powerful, making the tune even more tragic and desolate. Their voices were like the wind in the desert, the eagle flying over the grassland, hovering and resounding in the deepest place on and on. The heavens and the earth were so quiet that even the bugs in the grass ceased chirping, the horses stopped humming, the Central Plains people quit talking and all listened attentively to their chorus.
I was obsessed for a while until those Turks finished the song and started to laugh and taunt again. Gu Xiao Wu casually asked: “What song is this?” "It's the battle song of Turks. ” I thought about it, “The song that those warriors often sing before going out to battle. Sang Ge in the song is Tujue’s famous beauty. Her lover left her to join the army and never returned. But his horse came back. So she held the saddle, looking at the arrows that her lover had not used up, singing the song. He said with a smile: “Why did he go in the army?” “He is a warrior fighting for Tujue – he had to do that.” I gave him a fierce glare: “You don’t understand anyway.” He said: “Of course I understand. 'The bleaching bones scattered in the valley of the Wuding River are men still living in the fond dreams of their wives¹’, written by a poet from the Central Plains, is actually a story expressing the same meaning as this.” I was elated when I heard there was a story, so I nagged Gu Xiao Wu to tell me that story. Unable to turn me away, he thought for a while and said, “Okay, I can tell you the story, but you can’t ask why. As long as you ask, I will stop.” Although this was a harsh term, it was not difficult for me to hold back the word “why”. I immediately nodded in agreement. But Gu Xiao Wu hesitated. After thinking for a moment, he said: “A long time ago, in a country called Zixu, there was a young girl…” “Was she a beauty? Was she good-looking?” I couldn’t wait to ask, “Could she ride?” He smiled: “She was a great beauty who could ride. The girl always wore a weimao², a hat with a veil, when she rode. One day the girl was riding on her horse in the street, but her weimao blew away… A boy picked up her weimao and returned it to her. Although they met for the first time, they fell in love and promised to marry.” I liked the beginning of this story. I asked: “Was the boy handsome? Was he worthy of the beautiful girl?” He said: “I don’t know if he was handsome, but he was the son of a general. He was very brave and skillful in warfare. After the couple promised to stay together forever, the boy received an order to go out to battle, so he led troops to fight against enemies.
“The girl waited for the boy at home for many years, but he did not return. The girl’s family advised the girl to marry someone else. After all, older a girl was, more difficult for her to find a match. But the girl refused, and insisted on waiting for the boy. Finally, word came that the boy died on the battlefield.” He stopped here. I hurriedly asked, “So what about the girl? She knew that the boy was dead, what would she do next?” “The girl was very sad, but she was also very confused. The boy was a superb martial arts master having a good command of military strategy and tactics. He was out in the battlefield all year round, experiencing numerous wars. How could he be ambushed and easily killed by enemies? The girl shut herself in the house, pondering for ten days and ten nights. She finally made up her mind to find out the truth of the boy's death. But she was a girl having no power. Although some of her relations were officials, they were not powerful enough to help the girl investigate the affair. At this time, the Emperor of Zixu gave an imperial edict selecting imperial concubines. So the girl, a great beauty, volunteered to become the Emperor's concubine. The Emperor was deeply attracted by her docile temperament and incisive mind, and she got a position of eminence in the imperial harem. Then she associated with officials, using their power to investigate the war a few years ago. She wanted to know how on earth the boy died on the battlefield. Later, she got some clues, learning that the boy was not ambushed by the enemy, but was killed by someone on his own side. She followed these clues, wanting to find out the truth, only to find that this matter was related to the Empress. The Empress had been jealous and fearful of the girl for a long time, because she was in the Emperor's favor while she wanted to find out the real cause of the boy's death. If the Emperor knew the truth, the Empress would be deposed.”
Translator's Notes:
1. (The Battle) West of the Long Mountain — by Chen Tao (812-855)
Pledged to wipe out the Hun invaders, and all regardless of self,
Five thousands of the very best warriors have fought in borderland, and fallen.
Alas, the bleached bones scattered in the valley of the Wuding River
Are men still living in the fond dreams of their wives.
2. weimao: Veiled hat
(Original Translation from WWW。wangmamaread。com)