东宫 Eastern Palace: Chapter 31

I finally asked Gu Xiao Wu, “Do you like to marry me?” Gu Xiao Wu seemed to be a bit surprised. He looked at me and said, “Of course I do.” “But I have a bad temper. You come from the Central Plains while I grew up in Western Liang. You like to eat millet rice while I love roast lamb. I don’t understand your language, nor do I know the custom of Central Plains. If you stay in Western Liang which is far from Central Plains, you will definitely be homesick. If you go back to Central Plains long way off Western Liang, then I will definitely miss my hometown. Although you killed the White-Eye Wolf King, you didn't do that completely for me. You said that you happened to meet the wolf and kill it while you were hawking tea… I'm young, but I know that I can't force someone to marry me…" I talked a lot from when we first met to the present. I told him all the inconveniences we would meet if we got married, which made me thirsty. Gu Xiao Wu didn’t interrupt me. When I put down the lamb chop and went to drink, he asked, “What you said were all unimportant things. Are you willing to marry me? Just give me an answer." I almost spit water out of my mouth. I gave him an angry stare while my face suddenly went red, “Am I willing… um…” “Answer me!” he urged me, “yes or no?” My mind was in such a turmoil. Pictures of these days in my mind were like visions or dreams. Time had gone by so quickly that so much had happened. I had never expected that I would marry at such an early age. I found Gu Xiao Wu was annoying at first, but now I didn’t hate him. I didn’t know what I should say. Looking at fireflies in the autumn, I suddenly made up my mind and said, “I will say yes if you can catch me a hundred fireflies.” As soon as I finished my words, he stood up abruptly. I stared at him, but then he turned a somersault as if he was a naughty boy. I watched him jumping into the air like a star – no, a meteor would not be like this – he nearly fell onto the flood land. He suddenly reached his arms out for fireflies and grabbed a few. Those fairies shone faintly through gaps between his fingers. I shaped the lower part of my robe into a bag and urged, “Hurry up!” He put the fireflies into my bag-shaped robe. He jumped up again – martial arts in the Central Plains were charming and elegant, just like paintings or poems. He moved as if he was dancing, but there was no dance with such an act of animated courage in the world. He spun around in an incredible angle in midair, chasing those ethereal fireflies. His sleeves brought a flurry of wind, and I pointed in the direction of the fireflies, “Left! There are a lot on the left!” “Oops!” “They've escaped! There! Oh, there are more of them!”… The laughter of us wafted across the river, and the number of fireflies in my clothes was increasing. They gathered together and shone like a bright moon in my arms. All the fireflies near the river were gone, they were caught by Gu Xiao Wu and put in my arms. “Are there a hundred fireflies now?” He leaned over, putting his head to my head and using a slender finger to uncover the corner of my rope, “let's count, shall we?” We then counted a dozen. Gu Xiao Wu’s body had a faint cool aroma, which couldn't be found in Turks and the people of Western Liang. I felt that this faint aroma made me uneasy, and my face seemed to be burning. He stayed too close to me. Suddenly a gust of wind blew, his hair softly touched my face, it felt light, soft and itchy. My hand holding the clothes could not help but loosen, the fireflies then were scrambling to fly up, thus the moon dispersed, turning into countless fine meteors. For a time, Gu Xiao Wu and I were surrounded by these meteors, whose bright light illuminated our faces. I saw his dark eyes, which were staring at me. I remembered those who sang outside the A’Du tent, as they just stared at A’Du in this way. Their burning gaze was like a flame, softening people who were looked at. However, Gu Xiao Wu’s eyes were much warmer, reflecting my silhouette. I suddenly felt something in my heart was becoming softer, which made me uneasy but comfortable. Seeing me watching him, he suddenly became embarrassed. He turned his face to see the fireflies in the sky and said, “They all ran off!” I couldn’t help but say, “They are like meteors!” He also laughed and repeated, “Meteors!” Countless fireflies flew away, like thousands of meteors passing by our fingertips. When the gods released the meteors, the scene must be not better than this one, which was like a dream. I thought I would never forget the night by the river – thousands of fireflies were surrounding us, and they flew by deftly, then scattered in all directions with their fluorescent light, just like the golden glow of a meteor splitting the night. I thought of a song, in which a god, together with his loved one, stood in the Milky Way as gorgeous as this scene.

The Great Chanyu sent a messenger to tell my father that he had chosen a husband for me, who was Gu Xiao Wu. At that time, my father was in a dilemma between Yuezhi and Central Plains, so he immediately wrote back, asking my grandpa to make the decision for me and preside over the marriage. When my father’s letter arrived, the wedding was already halfway through.

Tujue’s wedding customs were grand but simple. People in countless tents had slaughtered numerous fat sheep, and the fragrance of the wine spread everywhere. These days, Gu Xiao Wu had become friends with all Tujue’s nobility. People in Tujue respected heroes most. Gu Xiao Wu became a young and promising hero in Tujue as he had killed the White-Eye Wolf King and won the competition with He Shi. Listening to the hymns sung by the priest, we walked slowly on the red carpet towards the high platform used to offer sacrifices to gods.

Just at this moment, there came the sound of clop, then a scout scrambled to the Great Chanyu's throne.

Through the bustling crowd, I saw the Great Chanyu frowned. I turned around and ran up to the Great Chanyu without caring much about the priest and his songs. "Grandpa!" patting my hair, the Great Chanyu said with a smile, "nothing serious. The King of Yuezhi has sent some of his soldiers to provoke us. I'll send our army to drive them off." I was unaware that Gu Xiao Wu had stood behind me. He bowed to the Great Chanyu in accordance with Tujue's rituals, saying, "Your Great Chanyu, please allow me to defeat them." "You?" The Great Chanyu glimpsed at him, saying, "The King of Yuezhi has an army of about fifty thousand people." Furthermore, the King of Yuezhi was a veteran general. I was afraid Gu Xiao Wu was no match for thousands of enemies, though he had good mastery of shooting arrows. "Your Great Chanyu, you can send thirty thousand cavalries to fight with those weary enemies. You can also dispatch a general to go with them if you still can't rest assured. I'll assist the general in the battle. If I terrify the cavalry of Yuezhi by shooting arrows, it will be a contribution to Tujue." While the Great Chanyu was hesitating, He Shi said, "Military tactics of the Central Plains army are skillful. They are the people who led an army to defeat the cavalry of Yuezhi on my way back. The Great Chanyu nodded and said to Gu Xiao Wu, "OK. Kill the general of Yuezhi and bring his head back to me as your one of the sacrifices offered to the gods at your wedding ceremony." Gu Xiao Wu knelt before the Great Chanyu according to the Central Plains rituals, saying, "God bless you, the Great Chanyu!" He gave me a look when he stood up, saying, "I'll be back soon." I was so worried about him. Watching him turned around and walking outward, I hastened to catch up with him and tied my girdle around his waist.

According to the customs of the wedding ceremony in Tujue, the ceremony was completed when the bride and bridegroom exchanged belts with each other, which signified that they became a married couple with God's blessing. I had wanted him to tie his belt around my waist, but the slave brought him a horse. As a result, there was no time for me to talk to him. Gu Xiao Wu said to me while mounting the horse, "I'll be back very soon." Grasping him by his sleeve, I parted from him with reluctance. I recalled a lot of things that experienced with him. For instance, I once waited for him on the sand dune for three days and three nights; he saved me after I fell off the horse, told me a story that night, killed the White-Eye Wolf King and won the competition with He Shi, and the wonderful time we had catching fireflies… From that moment on, I had made up my mind I would accompany him for a lifetime… I couldn't help but worried about him since he would fight with the enemy.

He might have seen the worried look in my eyes, so he smiled and bent over to touch my face. His hand was warm, making me feel like it was my mother's hand rather than my father's or grandfather's. I wondered why there were no calluses on his hands now that he was skillful at archery.

I always thought of trifles like this while I was baffled by other things. Gu Xiao Wu took his hand back. Thirty thousand soldiers lined up, and their general was my elder cousin, namely the Great Chanyu's grandson, Yi Mo Yan. Yi Mo Yan said to me with a smile, "Sister, rest assured. I'll take care of him." Being used to fighting with others, people in Tujue regarded wars as simple as eating. I liked my cousin Yi Mo Yan as he used to hunt with me and treated me as his own sister. I shouted, "Who asks you to take care of him? Just look after yourself, I am waiting for you to come back for a drink." Everyone laughed loudly, saying, "Your little princess, please rest assured. We'll kill the Yuezhi army and take their heads back when the roast lamb is done." Under the banner of Yi Mo Yan, Gu Xiao Wu put on Tujue's cowhide armor with the helmet covered most of his face. Seeing I was looking for him in the crowd, he smiled and waved hands towards me. I saw my girdle was tied on his belt around his waist. I just tied a knot in a hurry, so I couldn't help but worried if the girdle would loosen. It would be an ominous marriage for us if the girdle loosened… Before I could think about it more, the army set out with the horseshoe rumbled and the dust flew from the earth. The cavalry rushed out the military camp like floods and ran towards the prairie. They had run to the distant horizon in a short while. At first, a long dark shadow was visible far away, but it vanished behind a gentle slope at last.

Seeing that I was standing there with a worried look, A’Du could not help but gestured to me, as if she was saying they would be back soon. I knew she was trying to comfort me. I nodded. Although the King of Yuezhi had fifty thousand soldiers, they were no match for the thirty thousand picked soldiers of Tujue since they were weary after a long match and each of Tujue's picked soldiers were able to fight against ten enemies. In addition, the Great Chanyu's army were stationed here, they could rush to support Gu Xiao Wu and others even if the King of Yuezhi sent one hundred thousand cavalries to fight.

Some slaves were roasting lamb and others were busy preparing mare's milk and good wine. The camp was filled with cheers and laughter. Everyone knew the soldiers of Tujue would return with triumph over the Yuezhi army after a while. I recalled that I said a fond farewell to Gu Xiao Wu, my face going red. When Yi Mo Yan returned, he would definitely laugh at me! He would be the first to make fun of me because I couldn't bear to let go Gu Xiao Wu. Young aristocrats in Tujue regarded Yi Mo Yan as their leader. In this evening’s singing competition, they would definitely made a joke about me. I felt worried wthen thinking of it. Gu Xiao Wu couldn't sing, so I must tell him after he came back, lest he made a show of himself.

But I didn’t know that they would never come back.

Many, many years later, I found a history book of Central Plains which recorded this day. There were only a few dull words, “In July, Crown Prince Cheng Yin personally entered the Western Region and allied himself with countries in Yuezhi, leading an army of 400,000 soldiers to attack Tujue. The Great Chanyu of Tujue refused to surrender and died on the battlefield. More than 200,000 Tujue people were slaughtered. The entire Tujue tribe was destroyed.” About that day, I remembered nothing but He Shi clutching his bow before he died. He bled heavily from numerous knife wounds on his chest and abdomen. He knew that he was dying, but he still tried his best to lifted me and A’Du into the saddle. The last sentence he said was “A’Du, take care of princess!” Dense mass of arrows looked like swarm locusts or thousands of meteors. If god relaxed his hold and let all the stars in his hand fell down, it would be like this… A’Du desperately urged the horse onward. There were fires, blood and cries all around. Hundreds of thousands of troops seemed to pop out of the ground. Although Tujue people continued to put up a stiff resistance, they couldn't strike down such strong enemies… Countless people fell down behind us, and countless blood splashed in our face. Without He Shi, we would have not escaped from the encirclement of hundreds of thousands of enemies. But at the end, He Shi died. A’Du and I fled on prairie for six days and six nights before being caught up by pursuers.

My leg was injured and A’Du also got wounded. But she still drew her sword and kept me behind her. The hatred in my heart was like a raging fire which so hot that my mouth parched and tongue scorched. I thought to myself, "These people killed grandpa; these people killed Gu Xiao Wu; these people killed all Tujue people." Although I was not a Turk, I had half of Turkish blood in my body. Only A’Du and I were still alive, so I wouldn’t be a discredit to grandpa and Tujue even if I drained the last drop of my blood.

At this moment, a cavalryman rushed out from the group of Central Plains, and A’Du rushed to him with a knife. But the man just reached out and deftly moved his hand, A’Du’s knife then dropped into the ground. I looked at that man with amazement, he must know magic, right? Otherwise, how could he cast a spell to take away A’Du’s knife and make her static there?

A’Du glared at that man, actually, she rarely got angry, but I knew this time she really did. I picked up A’Du’s knife and tried to chop that man. I had already flown into a rage, no matter who he was, I would kill him!

That man also just reached out and gently hit me, I immediately passed out and couldn't sense anything.

When I woke up, I was bending over a horse’s back with my face down, looking like a bag of glutinous rice. Though the mud splashed by the horse’s hooves slammed on my face, I couldn’t move. In all directions, I could only see horse’s hooves and countless horse’s legs falling and rising, just like Achnatherum splendens being blown by the wind. I became dazzled and had to close my eyes. After quite a while, the horse finally stopped. Someone lifted me up from horseback, but the acupoint on my leg was sealed for too long, I couldn't hold myself up and suddenly fell to the ground.

The ground was covered with thick felt, so I supposed it must be the tent of a general from Central Plains. Is that protectorate? I looked up and saw Gu Xiao Wu. Numerous Turkic warriors were already killed, especially the 30,000 picked Turkic soldiers who had confronted with the enemy beforehand, no one came back alive. But Gu Xiao Wu, he was still alive.

Not only was he alive, but he changed the clothes of Central Plains. Although he didn’t wear armor and he looked like a young scholar of Central Plains, I knew that such a tent would never be of a scholar. There were a lot of guards around him, and that general of Central Plains who caught us came in and kneeled down to Gu Xiao Wu. A clear sound came from his armor, which represented the highest courtesy toward the most noble man in Central Plains. I suddenly understood, Gu Xiao Wu, Gu Xiao Wu turned out to be the spy of Central Plains! It was exactly he that had brought about the enemy’s sneak attack. I tried my best to spit at him, “You spy!” The guards beside him hooted at me and someone kicked on my lap, then my legs felt weak and I rolled to the ground again. I saw the protectorate, who also bowed to Gu Xiao Wu to pay respects. They all spoke the language of Central Plains, so I couldn't understand any single sentence. Gu Xiao Wu didn’t look at me, and the protectorate said a lot to Gu Xiao Wu. I saw Gu Xiao Wu’s face was sullen. Finally, all the people left the tent except Gu Xiao Wu and me, then he took the dagger and walked over to me.

(Original Translation from WWW。wangmamaread。com)

<Chapter 30                                                                                                               Chapter 32>

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)

<Chapter 29                                                                                                               Chapter 31>

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)

<Chapter 28                                                                                                               Chapter 30>

东宫 Eastern Palace: Chapter 27

"All right." I clenched the machete's handle and said, "I’ll inform him that." He Shi nodded and loosed the water pocket from his saddle, then told me: "Go straight east for three hundred miles. If you don't find Chanyu’s tent there, you could turn north. It is not far away from the left Guli (an official title of Tujue), just about a hundred miles." "I know." He Shi hit hard at my horse with his machete back and shouted: "HEEYA!!" The little red horse jumped out and the cavalry of Yuezhi clamored for that. While the little red horse ran fast like a flash of lightning and ran out miles away in an instant. I kept looking back and found that the dense cavalry of Yuezhi marched towards He Shi gradually as if the ants were moving before the rain. Then He Shi and dozens of cavalries of Tujue were surrounded by them, like grains of rice surrounded by a colony of ants.

There were some cavalries who wanted to chase me, while they all were shot ten horse away from me – although He Shi was begird, there was no one could avoid his shooting. Falling and rolling to the ground, these men could not gain around on me. The little red horse ran faster and faster, and the sky was dark gradually. At last, except the white gonfalon, all things faded away in the dark.

I galloped at full speed on the prairie. No moon and stars in the sky, it was so stuffy as to drip from the sky. I had never seen such weather and it seemed to rain. It was a terrible thing to meet a heavy rain on the prairie. I looked up and only found the sky was dark completely, like an upturned iron pot. There was no moon and star so that it was hard to identify the direction. I was really afraid that I went in the wrong direction.

There was nothing in the grassland so that one could rush without any worries. I rushed in the dark for half the night and fortunately, the cavalry of Yuezhi didn't come up. But He Shi and dozens of cavalries of Tujue didn’t break through the enemy. I was worried about He Shi's safety and afraid that I went in the wrong direction. So, I was anxious and angry and nearly cried out. At that moment, after a loud crack, a streak of purple lightning cut through the dark night, brightening for a while, then the thunder followed it and rang.

It was really going to rain and I had to find a shelter. Lines of lightning like stiff snakes were stalking around in the sky with dark clouds. By the light of these lightenings, I saw the rocks in the distance. It turned out that I had been running along Tian Gen Mountain for half the night. But I was still at the foot of the mountain.

It was better to find a shelter than being caught in the rain. I urged the horse to move forward. The little red horse dexterously stepped over the rocks. I was afraid that the gravel would hurt the horseshoe, so I dismounted from the horse and walked with it to get under shelter. The heavy rain had already been “squatting” down, and the thick white tendon-like rain was striking people constantly, making me very painful. The rain poured through my clothes and flowed into my eyes. I couldn't even open my eyes, wiped the water on my face, and finally saw a big stone protruding out. It was a good place to shelter from the rain.

I climbed up to shelter under the protruding boulder, curling up there with my little red horse. The thunder was rumbling, with the fast and heavy rain. I was unutterably worried about He Shi. The little red horse half knelt under the rock. It seemed to understand my anxiety, licking my palm with its tongue once in a while. I held the little red horse's neck in my arms and murmured, "Are He Shi and others alright…" It rained hard outside, and the water from the hill rushed down in front of the boulder to form a white curtain. The mist gradually came under the rock, which made me feel like a drizzle.

I had no idea how long had the rain last, but it stopped gradually. Water ran like a clattering brook beside the mountains and rocks. The wind blew away the dark clouds and a bright moon appeared.

I sneezed with my clothes soaked and clung to my body. A chilly wind was blowing, which made me feel even more cold. It was impossible to light a fire with the wet tinder.

The sound of the flowing water faded away. The little red horse came over affectionately and licked my face with its warm tongue. I thought it was better to go downhill and go on pathfinding since the rain stopped.

When I reached the foot of the mountain, the moon was about to set, so I found the direction easily. The little red horse stayed under the boulder uneasily for half a night. Now it was running vigorously towards the orient where the white light glowed. The sun was about to rise, otherwise why was I feeling so hot?

Thinking about it in a daze, I gradually loosened the reins. Riding the horse was like being in a cradle, which made me comfortable. I didn't sleep the whole night, and now I simply drifted off.

I didn't know how long I had slept, maybe I had slept for a while or for a long time. Finally, the horse waded into a river, and I was suddenly woken by the ice cold water splashed on me by the horseshoes. There were no one in the wilderness, and Tian Gen mountain was far left behind. The huge mountain range behind me looked like a sky-high giant. The giant's head was covered with a white snow hat, which was made of ice and snow that never melted. Snow water from the Tian Gen mountain collected here to make this river, so the river was bitterly cold.

I hadn't eaten anything for a long time, which contributed to my exhaustion. But the dry food was tied behind the saddle. I was thirsty and had no appetite at all. While I was wondering whether to stop and drink some water or not, I suddenly saw a black shadow wiggling not far away, which looked like an cavalry coming towards me. I feared it was Yuezhi's cavalry, so I looked afar, only to see a vague shadow. It ran fast, fortunately, there was only one rider and a horse.

If only it was the Left Guli's (an official title of Tujue) scout… I tried my best to pull out the tulwar on my back in case I encountered an enemy. I would fight to the end.

This was my last thought, and then everything went dark and I fell off the horse.

People in Western Liang started practicing horse riding and archery since they were very young. Both men and women could ride horses when they could walk. As the ninth princess in Western Liang who grew up on the horseback, falling off the horseback would make everyone laugh at me in the city when they heard the news.

When I woke up, I was still clenching the tulwar. I blinked and saw the clear blue sky and the white clouds which seemed within touch. I was lying on the darkside of a gentle slope that blocked most of the scorching sunlight. I felt relieved with the cool wind in autumn and the red horse's neigh not far away. "Awake?" The voice was familiar, I got up dizzy and blinked, still feeling incredible.

It was Gu Xiao Wu, the tea merchant from Central Plains. He sat lazily on the grassy slope, eating dried beef in his hand.

I was startled: "Why are you here?" He said: "I came here by accident." I wouldn't believe his words!

I was so hungry that my stomach kept rumbling. I remembered the little red horse carrying dry food, so I made a whistle. I saw the little red horse ran towards me, only to find that there was nothing on its back, and even the saddle was disappeared. I took a closer look and noticed that Gu Xiao Wu was sitting on my saddle, and his beef was the dry food I brought here! "Hey!" I was very angry and asked aloud, "Where is my dry food?" With his mouth full of beef, he raised his hand where only a little beef was left: "The last piece…" That was not the last piece – it was only a bite of beef!

I stared at him putting the last bite of beef into his mouth, screaming: "You ate them all? What do I eat?" "You'll fast." He took a sip of water from a water bag, saying casually, "You just had a fever, so you can't eat this kind of thing now." Fever? I jumped to my feet: "Why did you come here? Besides, you ate all my dry food! Pay for me! Pay for me!" He smiled: "I ate your food, and that's all. I have nothing to compensate for your food." I got so exasperated that I started looking for the sword that He Shi gave me.

Seeing me as restless as on a hot pan, he said slowly: "If you go back to the city with me, I will pay you a cow." I rolled my eyes: "Why should I go back to the city with you?" "Your father posted a reward notice, saying that anyone who can find you and bring you back to the city will be rewarded with 100 gold ingots." He looked at me seriously, "100 gold ingots! How many cows can I buy with them?"

I was really irritated by nothing but "100 gold ingots". "My father really posted such a notice?" "Of course", He said, "It's absolutely true!" "I'm worth only 100 gold ingots?" I was so disappointed, "I think I'm worth at least a million gold ingots, along with countless cattle, sheep and slaves…" Father always said that I was his favorite little princess, but he only gave a reward of 100 gold ingots. He was stingy! Really stingy!

Gu Xiao Wu burst out laughing, but I didn't know what he was laughing for. I disliked his laugh, especially when he looked at me with a smile, as if he was looking at 100 gold ingots.

I said loudly: "Dream on! I won’t go back with you!" Gu Xiao Wu said: "So where do you want to go? After your leaving, people at Yuezhi were very angry and said that your father deliberately let you go. Yuezhi dispatched a large group of soldiers to bring you back. If you go around on the prairie and meet them, then you will get in trouble." It was true, because I already met them. Thinking of that, I let out a cry – I almost forgot He Shi! I had to deliver the message to my grandfather!

Gu Xiao Wu saw that my countenance changed, so he asked: "What's the matter?" I didn’t want to tell him, but he was the only one by my side on the prairie. Shifu's swordsmanship was so brilliant, so maybe Gu Xiao Wu was also a good swordsman.

After telling Gu Xiao Wu about Yuezhi chasing me, he said: “According to your words, the tent of the Great Chanyu of Tujue is at least three hundred miles away?” I nodded. “But Tujue people are nomadic, how can you find them?” “I have a way. In short, I must save He Shi.” Gu Xiao Wu frowned at me, saying: “But water from afar wouldn’t help quench a fire nearby. Grand Protectorate General to Pacify the West is near here, why don’t you turn to its head office to resist Yuezhi?” I was stunned. To be honest, although armies from the Central Plains controlled the Western Regions for their great strength, other countries were unsettled by such a strength. As a result, even if countries in the Western Regions were at war, none of them would resort to the Central Plains armed forces. From the view of our people of Western Regions, it was our own business. The Centric State in the Central Plains sent troops to the Western Regions to control here, but the dispute between the countries in the Western Regions would not involve the Centric State. To give an example, when fighting with your own brother, you would not turn to an outsider for help in any case.

I said: “Although Grand Protectorate General to Pacify the West is close here, I can't turn to their armies.” Gu Xiao Wu raised his eyebrows: “Why?” I didn’t know the reason, but all countries in the Western Regions had this taboo. I said: “In any case, we have nothing to do with the Emperor of Central Plains.” “Under the sky, nothing isn’t the king’s land; the people who lead the lands, no one isn’t the king’s subjects.” said Gu Xiao Wu, “Everything in this world is related to the Emperor of the Central Plains. Besides, the reason why the Emperor set up Grand Protectorate General to Pacify the West is that he needs to maintain the stability of the Western Regions. Yuezhi really crossed the line, so we can take this opportunity to teach them lessons.” He spoke like a book, and I couldn't understand his words. He led both horses here and said, “The Grand Protectorate General to Pacify the West is in the south. It takes only half a day to reach there. I will accompany you to ask its head office for help.” I hesitated: “I… I don't think it's a good idea.” “You don’t want to save He Shi?” “Of course!” He helped me mount little red horse and said, “Come along!” After we traveled a long way, I suddenly remembered one thing: “How on earth did you find me? " Gu Xiao Wu's face was as beautiful as a Hetian jade under the burning sun at noon. He grinned, showing his white teeth: “Just try my luck!” As Gu Xiao Wu said, we rode south and saw a city built like a towering mountain at sunset after half a day. The Emperor of the Central Plains set up the Grand Protectorate General to Pacify the West more than a hundred years ago, stationing troops and opening up wasteland for farming so as to protect the important line of communications.

This was a vital communications hub for merchants, which was the only place for passing travelers to stop for a rest, so it was more prosperous than the empire city of Western Liang.

At first I was worried that the protectorate would ignore Gu Xiao Wu and me. I didn’t expect that Gu Xiao Wu should take me straight to its head office and hit the drum in front of the hall.

Later I learned that the drum was of great significance. Although it was called Taiping (which means peace) Drum, in fact, it had another name: Xing (which means wake up) Drum. Hitting the drum meant a war would begin. Several soldiers rushed out and took us inside without giving us the opportunity to explain. The protectorate was sitting in the courtroom. He was a mailed general with a bushy beard, having an air of authority. Among all the Central Plains people I had seen, he was most like a military officer.

He asked us what happened in a deep voice. I didn’t understand the lauguage the Central Plains people use, so I looked at Gu Xiao Wu without knowing what to do. Gu Xiao Wu signaled to me that I should answer. I had no idea. Fortunately, the protectorate could speak Tujue language. Seeing I don't understand the Central Plains Mandarin, he asked me again in Tujue language, "Why do you beat the drum in front of the hall?" I could speak quite fluent Tujue language because my mother was a Turkic. Therefore I told them the cavalry of Yuezhi had intruded into the Tujue's territory and requested a troop to save He Shi and his men.

The protectorate hesitated. The Protectorate General to Pacify the West rarely interfered in the affairs of western countries except putting down rebellions since it was established in the Central Plains. Yuezhi's invasion into Tujue's territory was improper, but it was indeed unconventional that the weak Yuezhi bullied the strong Tujue. I thought it was the reason why he hesitated.

He said as expected, "Since Tujue's cavalry is well-known outside the Yumen Gate, why do you Tujue people ask me for help instead of sending your troops?" I told him that the Great Chanyu’s tent transferred constantly, and it would take me a long time to find the Left Guli and his army, although they were nearby. So I turned to the Protectorate General to Pacify the West for help, hoping to rescue He Shi and his men as soon as possible.

Thinking of He Shi and his dozens of cavalries who were resisting a huge number of cavalries of Yuezhi, I was extremely worried. While the protectorate was wavering, Gu Xiao Wu suddenly said a sentence in Central Plains Mandarin.

Hearing that, the protectorate seemed to be shocked and stood up from his judgement seat. Gu Xiao Wu stepped forward and bowed. His voice was so low that I couldn't hear him clearly. Besides, I knew a little about Central Plains Mandarin. After he said a few words, the protectorate kept nodding.

The protectorate soon commanded a chiliarch to take two thousand cavalries to rescue He Shi and his men that very night.

I was overjoyed. After coming out of the Protectorate General to Pacify the West, I asked Gu Xiao Wu, "How could you make him agree on sending troops?" Gu Xiao Wu showed a sly grin and said, "I won't tell you." I pouted angrily.

The army of the Central Plains was highly disciplined. Although they rushed at late night, they queued up neatly. I could hear nothing but clop, clang of amour occasionally and the sound of torch burning. I noticed that torches used by the Central Plains Army were made of wood with wad on one side and were soaked in kerosene. Kerosene was a specialty of Tian Gen Mountain. It was dark and flammable, which was used by herdsmen to make fire and boil water occasionally. But people in the city seldom used it due to its heavy smoke and pungent odor. Unexpectedly, the army of the Central Plains used it to make torches. I thought they were smart, so they could always come up with solutions that we couldn't imagine.

After rushing all night, we caught up with Yuezhi's cavalry at the crack of dawn. At that time, they had retreated to Yuezhi's territory.

Yuezhi's cavalry ran exceedingly fast. The white gonfalon had disappeared and He Shi and dozens of Tujue warriors had vanished with horses when we caught up with Yuezhi's cavalry. I was terrified that He Shi and his men were killed. While Gu Xiao Wu was conferring with the chiliarch, I heard the cavalry of the Central Plains dispatch orders to disperse.

I heard from my father that army of the Central Plains paid attention to tactical formation. It was awesome to defeat the enemy with a force inferior in number. Especially now, the cavalry of the Central Plains was more than twice larger than that of Yuezhi and intended to surround Yuezhi's cavalry, which made Yuezhi's general turned his horse around and reprimanded.

I didn’t know what he was talking about because I hadn't learned Yuezhi's language. But Gu Xiao Wu, a tea merchant traveling around the Western Regions, must know it. He said to me: "The general is questioning us, why our troop intruded into Yuezhi's territory." I said: "He crossed Tujue's frontier yesterday and claimed me as a lost slave of Yuezhi. Now he should be in the right and self-confident." Gu Xiao Wu said something to the chiliarchy besides him, and then latter ordered one soldier to give a response to Yuezhi's general. Gu Xiao Wu smiled at me and said: "I told Yuezhi's general that we are just passing by here for escorting Western Liang's princess to return home. Therefore, he doesn't need to be panic and afraid we attack them." I thought he was so shameless that if there was a list for liars, Gu Xiao Wu must be ranked 1st. He was capable to lie forcefully and with justice. Were all people from the Central Plains good at lying? Shifu was a liar, so was Gu Xiao Wu.

When the two sides were negotiating, with the cover of light thin fog in the morning, that chiliarchy had taken a thousand light cavalries to surround Yuezhi's cavalry from their back. When Yuezhi's cavalry became aware of that, the vanguard units had started the attack.

It was a battle without any suspense. Yuezhi's cavalry was defeated, because they couldn't break through the army's encirclement. Most of Yuezhi's cavalries were killed by sharp weapons the Central Plains produced, and the rest just surrendered. Although Gu Xiao Wu was a tea merchant, he was calm as usual in the violent battle. There were countless injuries and casualties, shedding blood everywhere, but Gu Xiao Wu didn't even raise his eyebrows as if the battle was just a game. That chiliarchy was accustomed to battles and dealt with the surrender properly. Two thousand of cavalries withdrew east, with hundreds of defeated soldiers.

I rushed into Yuezhi's troop to look for He Shi, but didn't find him. Yuezhi’s general, being captured, was bound tightly to be taken to that chiliarchy. Then that chiliarchy handed the general over to Gu Xiao Wu respectfully. I asked Gu Xiaowu to interrogate the general, but the general was very stubborn and refused to cooperate. Gu Xiaowu said casually: “Now that you don’t confess, what else you can do?” That chiliarchy heard the words and then ordered one to behead the general. The military orders couldn't be disobeyed and the general was immediately killed. A soldier brought the general's head to us by the hair. Blood dripped from his chamber and fell on the green grassland, like a gorgeous flower.

I couldn’t bear the bloody scene anymore and plus I hadn't eaten anything all day, I felt a little dizzy. The person next to me looked at my pale face and kindly handed me a water bladder. But I couldn't even drink. Then I saw that another Yuezhi’s soldier was arraigned. Gu Xiao Wu first showed the general's head to that soldier and then asked where He Shi was. Although Yuezhi people were brave and good at war, the man was already depressed after being captured. Plus seeing the dead general, the soldier was frightened and confessed.

The soldier said He Shi withdrew as fighting until to the foot of Tian Gen Mountain. They defended against Yuezhi's cavalry by the mountain until they ran out of arrows. But Yuezhi people did not kill them immediately, instead, that general took their horses away and forced He Shi and others into the wild place of Tian Gen Mountain. Yuezhi people were really vicious – there were groups of wolves in the mountain. He Shi had neither horses nor arrows. It would be very dangerous if He Shi met wolves.

(Original Translation from WWW。wangmamaread。com)

<Chapter 26                                                                                                               Chapter 28>

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)

<Chapter 27                                                                                                               Chapter 29>

东宫 Eastern Palace: Chapter 26

Translator's notes: WangMama deleted their chapters from their website, but we have backup copies.

I caught the grapes, smiling; then I put one into the mouth and bit the thin peel of it. Suddenly, the cool and sweet juice exploded over my tongue – it was so delicious. I turned back and asked Shifu: “Hey! Do you want to have some?” I never called him Shifu, because I was simply cheated by him to be his apprentice. At that time, we just met, and I didn't know that his swordsmanship was extraordinary. I was provoked by his words and tried my skill of wielding a sword with him. The one who lost in this competition had to respect the other as Shifu. You could imagine how miserable I was in the competition, and I had no choice but to recognize him as my Shifu. Although he was my Shifu, he often made a lot of despicable things. Therefore, I refused to call him Shifu. Fortunately, he did not feel embarrassed and let me feed him from time to time.

Shifu shook his head absently, and he was still talking to the man in a white robe. Occasionally, Shifu also taught me the words written on the books of Central Plains. “Whoever meets Junzi (an ideal man who has noble virtues; it's a Chinese philosophical term) will feel joyful,” or “A noble and modest Junzi resembles a warm jade.” After hearing for many times, I then believed that Junzi only wore a white robe. Shifu also loved to wear a white robe, but how could he be a Junzi? I would rather say he was more like a rogue.

Gu Xiao Wu stayed in the city of Western Liang. He lived in Shifu's place for the time being. Shifu arranged his house like all the Central Plains' people did, in a refreshing and clean way, and he did not raise camels.

I often went to Shifu's place to play as I used to. Gradually, I was very familiar with Gu Xiao Wu. I heard that he was the young master of the tea house, and most of those who contacted with him were tea merchants from Central Plains. In his room, there were always good tea to drink and delicious foods to eat. Those pastries of Central Plains or other strange gadgets, all attracted me a lot. But what I hated was that Gu Xiao Wu would ask me every time I met him: Ninth princess, when will you marry me?

I felt so annoyed and embarrassed that I finally got irritated. It was all Shifu's fault, as he didn't act like a venerable teacher and stirred up such troubles. Each time, I would respond to him loudly: “I would rather marry the Prince of Central Plains than marry a rogue like you.” He laughed.

In fact, in my heart, I didn’t want to marry anyone. Western Liang was so good, why bother marrying in Central Plains?

That being said, but the Central Plains’ envoys began to urge my father; while Yuezhi, which sat in the north of Yan Zhi mountain, heard that Central Plains sent an envoy to propose marriage to my father, they also sent an envoy to bring a lot of gifts to Western Liang.

Yuezhi was one of the best countries in the Western Region, its people were brave and good at combat, and there were about one hundred thousand warriors in this country. My father did not dare to look down on Yuezhi, so he received Yuezhi's envoy in the palace. I sent a maidservant to eavesdrop on their conversation, and she ran back in a breathless manner and secretly told me that the Yuezhi's envoy also came to propose marriage; furthermore, the groom would be the Great Chanyu of Yuezhi. The Great Chanyu of Yuezhi was already fifty years old this year, and his main Yanzhi (the main wife of Chanyu) was originally the Crown Princess of Tujue (a nationality in ancient China), who was also my mother's elder sister. Unfortunately, the main Yanzhi was dead the year before, but the Great Chanyu hadn't picked one from his numerous Yanzhi (the concubine of Chanyu) to be the main Yanzhi, as they came from different tribes and had incessant disputes.

Now Yuezhi heard that Central Plains sent an envoy to propose marriage, so they sent an envoy to my father too, asking me to be the main Yanzhi.

My mother was quite angry with this proposal, and I was angry too. The Great Chanyu of Yuezhi was obviously my uncle, and his beard even became gray, but he still wanted to marry me as his main Yanzhi. I would never marry an old man. My father was not willing to offend Central Plains, nor would he offend Yuezhi, so he had no choice but to postpone this thing. However, the two envoys both lived in the city, and it was difficult to avoid their proposals completely. Therefore, I made up my mind to sneak out to my grandfather's.

Every autumn, Tujue’s notabilities would hunt in the pastures at the other side of Tian Gen mountain. People in Central Plains called this event as "Autumn Hunt". My grandfather would always send someone to pick me up around this event. Especially these two years, his health condition was not good, so I would be taken to him every year. He once said to me, “Seeing you is like seeing your mother, I am so happy.” According to Tujue’s traditions, the daughter who has married cannot go to her direct parents' home, unless she is abandoned by her husband and parents-in-law. So every time my mother was also happy to send me to visit my grandpa and her relatives in Tujue.

I secretly told my mother about this plan. She didn’t want me to marry to Central Plains, neither to marry Yuezhi, so she prepared the water and dry food for me without father's knowledge. As my father was not in the city, I slipped away.

I rode the little red horse, running towards Tian Gen mountain.

The city was surrounded by mountains on three sides. The Yan Zhi mountain extended from the west to the north, the towering mountain resembling a dragon, or a giant's arms embracing the city. The mountain blocked the wind and the cold, making the city at its foot a warm oasis. The Tian Gen mountain was in the east. It was a lonely mountain like the screen sold by the merchants from Central Plains, standing tall in the clouds with its peak covered in snow. It was said that no one could climb all the way up this mountain. Bypassing it was a boundless and beautiful grassland, which was mother's hometown.

Before leaving the city, I left a note to Shifu. Shifu had been very busy recently, and since Gu Xiao Wu came here, I had never seen Shifu. I thought if I went to Tujue, I would have to be back after the winter. So I left a note to remind him to feed A’Ma and A’Xia in his backyard. A’Ma and A’Xia were two little gerbils that I accidentally caught. Father didn’t allow me to raise gerbils in my own room, so I turned to Shifu.

Taking advantage of the cool weather, I followed behind a caravan leaving the city at night. The caravan rode to the west, while I turned to the east.

The desert at night was really quiet. The black-velvet-like sky was so low that it seemed I could touch the stars. They were big and bright, low in the sky. I was reminded of the cool dew on the grape leaves.

I crossed large sand dunes and saw the sparse needlegrass to confirm that I did not go the wrong way. I followed this route almost every year, but at that time there was always cavalry sent by my grandfather to protect me. Today I was alone. The little red horse ran briskly in the direction of the big dipper. I began to consider that after seeing my grandfather, I would ask him to let the slaves catch a bird that could sing for me.

When the sky was turning bright, I felt very sleepy. The red sun would be coming out soon, and the sky in the east began to glow in the light purple. The stars had disappeared, and the blue-gray sky revealed a kind of white, reminiscent of the sheepskins that had just been peeled off by the slaves who turned over the steaming skins, which steamed half of the sky up turning into the early morning mist. I knew that I had to find a place to rest – the sun in the afternoon could kill me, and it was not a good time to hurry on with my journey.

After walking across a shallow river, I found a shady hill, so I rolled out of my saddle upon the ground and let the horse go to eat grass. I slept with a dry food being my pillow. I had been sleeping until the dusk fell. The sun shone in my face, making me feel very uncomfortable, and then I woke up.

I took the dry food from my package and ate some. Then I drank half a bag of water and filled the bag with water again before I whistled.

In a short while, I heard the sound of the little red horse's hooves. It happily rushed toward me and snorted. It stopped beside me and kissed my hand intimately. I touched its mane: “Are you full up?” Unfortunately, it couldn’t talk, but it looked at me with his eyes. I saw myself reflected in its warm, big eyes. I patted it on the belly and it suddenly hummed uncomfortably.

I felt a bit strange as the little red horse kept digging the grassland. It seemed very uneasy – were there wolves nearby?

The wolves from prairie were the most dangerous. They flocked in groups and dared to fight against the monkeys. A shepherd living alone would also be attacked. But now it was autumn, a season with plenty of water and lush grass. There were now yellow sheep and hares everywhere, so the wolves had plenty of foods. At this time they were usually hidden in Tian Gen mountain and should not be seen here.

But there must be a reason for the little red horse being so irritating. I mounted a horse and ran forward to the foot of Tian Gen mountain. To see the junction of Tujue and Western Liang, one had to turn around the mountain foot. Mom had sent a servant to give a letter to grandfather, and someone would pick me up there. It was safer to go to a place where there were people.

After a horse ride for several miles, I heard some clop. I stood on the horseback and looked into the distance. A line of black and grey could be dimly seen, which seemed to be a large number of people. Were they sent by my father to chase me? I couldn't see their flags clearly due to the long distance. Anxiety drove me to ride towards Tian Gen Mountain. If I rushed into Tujue's territory and encountered grandfather's men, it would be hard for my father to take me back.

The cavalry in pursuit was getting closer. My little red horse was like an arrow shot from a bow, running fast on the vast grassland. Although it could run a long distance, there was nowhere to hide, sooner or later I would be caught.

I kept looking back at the cavalrymen as they got increasingly closer. There were nearly one thousand cavalrymen. Such huge calvary was astonishing on the grasslands, even my father wouldn't send a troop like this indeliberately. If they were sent to chase me up, it would be a fuss over me. I wondered where the cavalry came from while riding the horse.

It didn't take me long to ride to the foot of Tian Gen mountain. I saw some black dots in the distance and heard the long, familiar and cordial pastoral song sung by people in Tujue. They must be sent by Aweng to pick me up, thus I drove my red horse to run even faster. When those Tujue' men saw me, they stood on the horseback and waved their hands warmly towards me.

I waved my hands back strongly. They must have seen the cavalry behind me. As getting near, I saw Tujue's white gonfalon with a long tail fluttering in the wind at dusk, just like a fish swimming in the water. I knew the man who was holding the flagpole, he was the most popular archer in grandfather's army, He Shi. Seeing a mass of cavalrymen caught up, He Shi put the flagpole into the rocks and took off the bow on his back.

I saw clearly on the galloping horse and shouted, "I don't know who they are. They are chasing me all the way, but I want to figure out where they come from."

My horse slowly stopped about 30 meters behind He Shi's horse. The arrow bunch in the archers' hands behind He Shi flickered blue light under the setting sun. They surrounded me with the horses while aiming at the cavalry. He Shi smiled and greeted me happily, "Hello, little princess." I was not the Crown Princess in Tujue, but because of my mother, Neng Gan in the great Chanyu's army started to call me this way since I was very young. Seeing He Shi made me relieved, and even forgot hundreds of cavalrymen chasing after. I replied in great joy, "Hello, He Shi." The cavalry was getting close enough, making the earth shake and the clop filled up my ears. He Shi felt excited and said, "Is such a huge cavalry coming to fight with us?" He Shi talked to me while preparing to shoot. Tujue's white flag was flapping in the air. Everyone in the tribe on the grasslands knew Tieergeda's (the great Chanyu) people were somewhere around when they saw the white flag. Anyone who fought with Tujue's warriors would be killed, and people in their tribe would be executed. Their cows and sheep would be rob away. Everyone showed their respect to the white flag outside Yumen Gate.

It seemed that the cavalry didn't see the white flag and continued rushing towards He Shi' troop. The golden light of the setting sun shone on their armor and reflected in cyan. I took a deep breath suddenly.

This was Yuezhi’s cavalry, their light armor, saddle, and helmet… Although there was no flag, I still could recognize it Yuezhi's cavalry. Though I had not been to Yuezhi, when I went to Protectorate General to Pacify the West, I saw Yuezhi's cavalry training. They had good horses, bright armors, elastic bows, and sharp arrows. What's more, their knights were brave and good at fighting.

He Shi also found it. He looked back at me and said: “Princess, first go east and bypass the Bin Li river. The Chanyu’s tent is in the east of the river.”

I spoke loudly, “If the fight is inevitable, I would fight. I won’t run away alone.”

He Shi seemed to admire my words and nodded, then he gave me his own machete. I took the machete, with lots of sweat in my hands. I knew what a good cavalry Yuezhi's was. What’s more, there were so many people marching over here. Though He Shi was the greatest archer, we, dozens of people, couldn't resist them, no matter how hard we tried.

Seeing the cavalry getting closer and closer, I even couldn’t hold the saber. Although I thought I was as good as my brothers since I was a child, to be honest, it was the first time for me to fight in a battle.

The white gonfalon was behind us, rustling. At the end of the prairie, the sun went down slowly, and the grass was undulated by the wind, just like the sand in the desert.

The temperature suddenly became colder. I blinked because sweat drip down into the corner of my eye and it made me very uncomfortable.

The cavalry saw the white gonfalon and then slowed down gradually. They took up position and approached gradually. He Shi loudly said: “He Shi is here. You have stepped into the grassland of Tujue. Would you want to start an undeclared war?” He Shi was a famous archer in the land and the meaning of his name, He Shi, is the arrow. It was said that if he wanted to shoot the left eye of the geese in the sky, he would never shoot the right eye wrongly. So the Great Chanyu specially trusted him.

As expected, those people heard He Shi's name and were shocked. Then one person rode out from a row and said something. I didn’t know Yuezhi’s language, so He Shi translated it for me. That person said that they were running after a lost slave. As for another aspect that they were in Tujue, they said it was at the foot of Tian Gen mountain. The place was actually the boundary among Yuezhi, Tujue, and Xiliang, where was not controlled by all three sides. If He Shi said it was the territory of Tujue, it was not persuasive.

"Lost a slave?" I repeated the words inexplicably. Their general pointed me with his horsewhip and said some words.

He Shi seemed to be angry for what the general said. He said in a loud voice: "That man should say you're their lost slave."

I became angry as well, and said as drawing my machetes out: “Nonsense!”

He Shi nodded: "It is just their excuse."

That Yuezhi's general started saying again. I asked He Shi: "What is he talking about?"

He Shi said: "He said, if we don't hand you over, he will lead the cavalry to catch you. Once we start a battle with Yuezhi because of our hiding Yuezhi's slave, we will have no excuse."

I was so angry that I laughed out inversely, “It is he that behaves so rudely. Now, he dares to say that we have no excuse?”

He Shi said in a deep voice: "You are right, little princess. But there are so many people coming for you…" He said to me, "Little princess, go east to the Chanyu’s tent and take reinforcements here. Yuezhi is so arrogant and rude, and if we cannot stop them, you must report it to Chanyu in case of that they plot to attack Chanyu."

Anyway, He Shi still persuaded me to withdraw first. Frightened as I was, I straightened my chest and exclaimed: "Send another one to report it. I won't go!"

He Shi said softly: "If princess stays here, I cannot send more people to protect you."

Thinking over what he said, I understood that if I insisted on staying here, I would only drag them down. Although I was also good at archery, I had never practiced it in a real battle. However, all people here, except for me, were experienced warriors of Tujue.

(Original Translation from WWW。wangmamaread。com)

<Chapter 25                                                                                                              Chapter 27>