Chapter 105
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Xue Yuan remained calm, “What did Madam Xue say?”
“Your mother told you not to engage in bandit-like behavior, you forcibly treated someone as your sweetheart. They might not even acknowledge you,” General Xue looked at Xue Yuan suspiciously, placing his wine glass on the table, “Did you use force on the girl?”
Xue Yuan laughed at the suggestion.
How could he use force on Gu Yuanbai, that body?
It was impossible. If he dared, he would be condemned for generations.
Upon hearing this, Madam Xue was just making wild guesses at most. But could his mother really guess who the person in his heart was? Xue Yuan’s expression relaxed, his fingers adorned with the jade ring circling the mouth of the jug, his fingertip rubbing the rim of the cup as he continued to drink, ignoring General Xue’s words.
However, halfway through the wine, Xue Yuan suddenly remembered that Madam Xue had also sent him a letter before the New Year. However, that letter had been mixed in with the things returned to him by the emperor, and because it was too thin, Xue Yuan had overlooked it.
He noted this down and, after the celebration ended, returned to his tent, searching for a long time before finally finding the letter Madam Xue had sent him.
The paper was thin, and Xue Yuan thought it was inconsequential. But upon opening it, Madam Xue sounded urgent, describing how the emperor had been to his house, and the yushi he had hidden under the bed had disappeared.
Xue Yuan’s fingers tightened around the letter. His gaze shifted to the jade ring on his hand, his breath catching as clarity dawned on him.
So that was it.
Xue Yuan finally understood. Gu Yuanbai was probably so angry precisely because of the incident with the yushi. But for heaven’s sake, Xue Yuan had only used it to practice his skills. He was afraid of hurting Gu Yuanbai, as the young emperor’s skin was very delicate and would turn red at the slightest touch. If Xue Yuan wanted to touch Gu Yuanbai, how could he not practice first?
Why didn’t the young emperor think about how reluctant Xue Yuan would be to use a precious yushi to touch him?
Xue Yuan frowned deeply, regretting that he hadn’t seen this letter sooner. If he had caught sight of it before the messenger had left, he could have completely changed his explanation for the incident with the yushi.
Xue Yuan folded the letter and paced back and forth in the room for a long time. Finally, he managed to calm down and think about what he had entrusted to the official at the post station to deliver to the capital. The emperor wouldn’t be moved by it because he had misunderstood the explanation.
He could only wait until the post station can send letters again after the New Year to explain the reason for his hiding the yushi.
***
When the official from the post station came to collect the letters after the New Year as agreed, it was already after the fifth day of the first lunar month.
Xue Yuan had already prepared the letter to hand over to him. This time, the official who came to the post station had a different face, probably instructed by the previous official at the post station. When he saw Xue Yuan, he was even more respectful, almost trembling with fear. “This little one will safely deliver the General’s letter to the capital.”
Xue Yuan smiled kindly, “Then I’ll trouble you, sir.”
This letter had to travel thousands of miles, and even if it reached the capital, Xue Yuan might not get a response. Watching the official leave, Xue Yuan stood straight in the snow, his black hair fluttering with the wind, the flag flapping by his side.
He turned his gaze to the north, wondering if he could return to the capital by February if he hurried.
***
During the New Year in the border regions, it was lively and bustling, but in the capital, before the thirtieth day of the lunar month, the emperor received back the eunuchs he had sent to the summer palace.
The eunuchs presented a letter written by Wan Taifei to the emperor. After putting the letter aside, Gu Yuanbai asked earnestly, “How is Wan Taifei’s health?”
If it weren’t for Gu Yuanbai’s poor health and his fear of the winter due to last year’s serious illness, he would have gone to the summer palace personally to spend the New Year with Wan Taifei.
The eunuch replied, “Reporting to Your Majesty, Wan Taifei’s health is still relatively good. She just misses Your Majesty very much. When I arrived at the summer palace, I saw Wan Taifei staring at a stack of plum cakes, lost in thought. The maid beside Wan Taifei said that those were Your Majesty’s favorite pastries when you were young.”
Gu Yuanbai sighed and said, “Indeed, I also like them very much now.”
The eunuch then detailed Wan Taifei’s daily life for Gu Yuanbai.
Gu Yuanbai listened attentively, occasionally asking a few questions, if Wan Taifei now ate several meals a day and how much she could eat in one sitting. He asked without getting bored, and the person responding didn’t dare to give any perfunctory answers. Between the questions and answers, an hour passed by.
When Gu Yuanbai came back to himself, he dismissed the eunuch. Then he unfolded the letter in his hand and read the contents carefully.
Wan Taifei also missed Gu Yuanbai very much, but she repeatedly warned Gu Yuanbai not to brave the cold to come see her. She assured him that everything was fine in the summer palace, with good food and good accommodation. The only regret was that the emperor was not by her side.
But even if the emperor were by her side, Wan Taifei wouldn’t meet with Gu Yuanbai too often to avoid overwhelming sadness when they had to part.
After reading the letter, the flowing thoughts of Wan Taifei still lingered in Gu Yuanbai’s mind. He suddenly asked for a fox fur coat to be brought to him, put on leather gloves, and, accompanied by his attendants, walked into the imperial garden.
There was a patch of plum blossom in the imperial garden, faintly red against the snow. As he approached, the fragrance mixed with the chill assaulted him. Gu Yuanbai walked to this area and picked a plum blossom dripping with melted snow.
The red plum blossom rolled in his hand, and Gu Yuanbai said, “Bring some handkerchiefs over. I’ll pick some plum blossoms and make plum cakes.”
***
On New Year’s Eve, there should have been a palace banquet, but the emperor, citing fatigue, only allowed the royal relatives and ministers to reunite with their families and forbade them from accompanying him.
There were no palace concubines or children in the palace, and while Gu Yuanbai had never felt anything before, he felt lonely during the New Year. Gu Yuanbai also noticed the silence in the palace. After some thought, he had Tian Fusheng select several well-behaved and lively young relatives to be sent to the summer palace after the New Year to accompany Wan Taifei.
Tian Fusheng agreed and asked, “Your Majesty, shall we also summon some young princes to amuse you in the hall?”
“No need,” Gu Yuanbai smiled wryly, “If they were by my side, the palace would be restless.”
Thus, the New Year in the palace passed quietly. After the winter break ended, officials from all levels of the Great Heng Dynasty returned to their offices, and the court’s top priority was to prepare for the martial examinations in March.
The martial arts examination was held once every five years, coinciding this time with the year following the civil service examination. The grandeur of the martial arts examination in the Great Heng Dynasty was no less than that of the civil service examination. After the court session, Gu Yuanbai went through the records, reviewing the examination papers of past top martial arts candidates.
The martial examinations were not just about martial arts; besides physical fitness, one also needed to possess military thinking, study military strategy, understand troop formations, and know how to find places for encampments and fortifications, among other knowledge.
Gu Yuanbai revamped the scoring method for the martial examinations and changed the way physical fitness was tested.
As he pondered over these methods to challenge the martial examination candidates, a relaxed smile played at the corners of his eyes and lips.
His own poor health indeed brought him some amusement in making things difficult for others.
After satisfying his own whims, time quickly advanced to February.
Dispatches from the northern border began flying into the capital like snowflakes from early February. Starting from the beginning of February, conflicts between border soldiers and nomadic tribes occurred frequently. In the midst of repeated clashes, these Khitan tribes, who had already distanced themselves from their loyalty, finally wanted to put aside their grievances and jointly resist Great Heng.
At this time, out of the originally eight Khitan tribes, only four remained intact.
Once the nomadic people united, their threat to Great Heng would increase significantly. The soldiers were preparing for negotiations at an appropriate time when unexpectedly, something nobody had anticipated occurred within the Khitan tribes.
The critically ill Great Chief of the Khitan died.
The previously planned alliance among the Khitan tribes stirred up internal turmoil once again. Without the need for Great Heng’s intervention, they began showing signs of hostile separation.
In mid-February, amidst the internal and external unrest among the Khitan people, they unexpectedly sought peace with Great Heng.
Old General Xue felt both surprised and felt it was within reason. After discussing peace terms with the Khitan people, he secretly planted a fuse for assimilation, as the emperor desired.
When most nomads could obtain food, tea, spices, and silk without having to resort to warfare or plundering, simply by using Great Heng’s currency at the market, would they still be willing to start a war?
The people wouldn’t want that.
They would gradually become content with the status quo and eventually become the pastures for Great Heng’s fine horses.
From August to February, a six-month-long confrontation at the border finally came to an end. In his memorial, Old General Xue would remain in place to supervise the construction of trade routes, while General Xue Yuan, responsible for transporting military supplies and troops, had already returned to the capital with his troops.
Day and night, he raced back to the capital like a bird.
Gu Yuanbai read the memorial several times, and his blood seemed to boil with excitement at General Xue’s concise words. His face flushed slightly, his eyes bright, and he exclaimed, “Excellent!”
Six months, finally ended!
Gu Yuanbai couldn’t help but stand up. He wanted to sing, but in the end, he just calmed the excitement in his chest. With his hands behind his back, he stood in front of the hall, looking at the scenery outside, as if seeing thousands of troops and horses on the border.
He was happy, very happy, so happy that he just wanted to laugh.
The timing, the location, and the people all seemed to be on Gu Yuanbai’s side. The internal turmoil among the Khitan people was destined to cause a significant stir that could disrupt the entire tribe. Such turmoil, without a strong leader emerging, could even last for several years.
Gu Yuanbai’s mind was focused solely on this matter, only thinking about this matter. It wasn’t until the night grew darker, nearing dinner time, that he remembered what was mentioned in General Xue’s memorial—the imminent return of Xue Jiuyao.
Xue Jiuyao.
Gu Yuanbai felt a little dazed. In an instant, he saw Xue Yuan’s smirk, a false smile at the corner of his mouth.
Tall and courteous.
Recalling something, the emperor turned back to Tian Fusheng and asked, “Some time ago, did Xue Jiuyao send a letter to me?”
Tian Fusheng nodded respectfully and replied, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Gu Yuanbai hadn’t yet read the letter, but he surmised that it was probably a gesture of thanks for the flowers Xue Yuan sent, so he casually said, “Bring it here and let me see.”
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