Translator: ayszhang
Proofreaders: Art_emis, Gwen, krabbykabbi, LSL, Luzo, Mion, Pau & Red
Cold Sands ch23
And the plot thickens...
XXIII Undercurrent
The tension in the court is at an
all-time high.
I lean to the side of the throne and squint at the scene below me.
A young soldier plastered with blood is kneeling in the middle of the
hall, quivering with his head on the floor.
The celebrations haven’t yet ended in the capital when songs of
bereavement have started ringing throughout the frontiers.
Just last night, Lupine Blood Mounts suddenly appeared to the west of
South Hill Pass. Thirty thousand Yan cavalry came like a sandstorm and washed
the Rui camp away.
Yuwen Yuan was personally leading the forceful attack and clashed swords
with General Zhou Zhenluan and the troops defending the west route throughout
the whole night all the way until the fourth watch the following morning. By the
time dawn broke, the blood was flowing in rivers and the corpses piled into
mountains.
At the fifth watch, the Yan broke through the Rui base camp and General
Zhou died in battle for the country.
Over half of the forty thousand men defending the west route were slain
and the ones who wouldn’t surrender were buried alive.
Once the west route was left unguarded, the County of Ning Yuan laid
completely naked before the Yan troops. Immediately, they entered Ning Yuan and
wreaked havoc: stealing property, committing arson, slaying any commoner that
showed the tiniest amount of defiance. The once prosperous border county has
become a living hell overnight.
South Hill Pass lays fully exposed to the Yan. Great Rui is cornered.
The Yan proclaimed that they shall flatten the Rui capital, ride into
the Middle Plains and cleanse Great Rui with blood within ten days.
Out of forty thousand men, only this Captain of Yu Wu here in the court
escaped from the underworld, racing down south overnight to report back to the
capital.
He didn’t even change out of his bloody armour before walking straight
to Tai Qing Palace and retelling the atrocities of the Yan army. The strapping
young man weeps as he spits with venom.
There is not one official who is not lamenting. The elderly Marquis Jiang
falls to the floor and starts to wail in the court to the point of fainting.
The other officials all fall to their knees, crying, imploring to save our nation’s
pride.
I shut my eyes tightly to restrain myself.
General Zhou—an image of the bearded dauntless and valiant warrior flashes through
my mind.
The captain abruptly kowtows and urges, “Your Majesty, General Zhou
sacrificed his life for the country; forty thousand men died out there; our
people are being terrorized. Are we to stand by and take this shame?!”
“Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty!”
Everyone kowtows and the hall fills with sorrow. Pei Yuan’s father
crawls forth and pleads. “Our country is in danger now and we are on the brink
of collapsing. Now that it is a life-or-death situation, I beseech not to
defend our walls but to fight to the death!”
I open my eyes and glance at what lies before me.
The country is in danger. We are on the brink of collapsing. It is
definitely a life-or-death situation.
As I’m about to speak, the empress dowager starts uttering, “General
Pei, you are of military background. Certainly you know that a battle is not
fought with words alone.”
I pull a small smile and glimpse back towards her. “It appears that You
have a plan in mind, Your Graciousness.”
Behind my gold throne decorated with dragons is a thin yellow veil and a
curtain of fancy beads. The empress dowager’s figure vaguely shows
through.
She speaks again. “You have only just taken the throne, Your Majesty. Military
decisions are not to be made so hastily.”
I fall silent.
I could not do
anything even if I wanted to in this situation. I’ve only just ascended and I
don’t have enough support. I’m just a puppet who happens to be holding the
imperial seal. Any decree still has to have the empress dowager’s seal to be
effective.
I’ve had
enough of this kind of life—and I’ve only done this for
one day!
Unknowingly,
I’ve been balling up my fists and it’s stinging with pain. I wince before
changing to a respectful expression. “So from what You are saying, we should
just take the disgrace of defeat lying down?”
“Your Majesty,
General Zhou died for our country. Such glorious deeds should be announced to
the world. Also, the soldiers who sacrificed themselves should be compensated.
That is the most important as of now,” she explains steadily. “As for the
military, You might have a history in the army, but,” she pauses on purpose,
“it would be best not to push it.”
I feel rage
burning within but I do my best to restrain myself. “Then what are Your
thoughts on our next steps?” I squeeze through clipped lips.
“Oh, but I am
just a woman. It would be wise to ask Your subjects, Your Majesty.”
I let out a
silent scoff and look back to my subjects in the hall. They all have their
heads up but their eyes are jumpy. From where I sit, I see them in neat rows
but there is no liveliness at all—they all look
exhausted. I’m somewhat upset: at this critical time for our country, how could
they be this lethargic as the backbones of the government. It cannot go on like
this!
As I scan across the rows
of people, many lower their heads accordingly. The eyes of many high-ranking
officials and nobility stray off elsewhere. In the end, I stop at one person. I
clear my throat several times. “Marshal Heng, as the Marshal of Fu Guo, what are your thoughts on the war?”
Hearing this, Heng Ziyu steps forward and gets
on his knees dutifully. “In reply to Your Majesty, I will serve the country in
whatever way Your Majesty sees fit,” he responds calmly.
That stuffs
everything I had back down my throat.
Every decree,
no matter trivial or important, has to be approved by the empress dowager and
be stamped with her seal. What Heng Ziyu just did was passing the buck to me.
“And the rest
of you?” I try not to sound enraged.
Silence takes
over the hall in an instant, so much so that I can almost hear their hurried
breaths. Inhale. Exhale. It’s so quiet that time almost seems to freeze solid.
Finally, Xie Yun shuffles forth and kneels down after glancing around.
Although I
already know what he wants to say, I still ask, “Yes, Minister Xie?”
He kowtows
before proceeding. “Your Majesty, the court sky-gazer has studied the stars and
referenced the books. He has discovered that the skies to the north of our
court have lost their auspice. The only way to preserve our state is to
relocate to the south.”
After he
finishes, it’s so quiet I could hear a pin drop. I glare at him out of the
corner of my eye, not speaking.
To think he
would actually say that out loud.
As for the
others’ reactions, it was only expected. South Hill Pass isn’t going to hold
for much longer; the Yan are about to break into the capital. There is nothing
on the agenda and everyone is on the edge of their seats. At times like this,
the best option would be to run away.
I sigh in my
mind. I suppose I can’t blame them. It’s only natural for humans to fear death
and they’re not only worried for their own lives but also for their families,
from the elders to the children, and their future.
My guess is
that they think the capital is going to fall without a doubt and if we don’t
relocate then the end result may very well be destruction. If we do relocate,
they still get their positions and their salary, even if half of the kingdom would
be lost.
I’m still
regarding them with a cold look.
I think back
to how anguished they were just now, how they wanted to fight. I wonder how
many of these proper-looking subjects are all packed up and ready to go, and
are just waiting for the royal decree for relocation.
The more I
delve into it, the more pathetically funny it becomes.
Was I being too
hopeful in thinking I could stop a tidal wave with nothing but my own power?
And how many
are watching me now, the emperor, to see whether I would relocate in fear or
defend our land?
I cover my
mouth and cough before questioning, “I
would like to see how many support the relocation.”
Everyone
raises their head at my words. Xie Yun looks shocked for a moment. Uncle looks
at me fixedly as if he doesn’t recognize me.
I flash a soft
smile. “We are all currently agitated, so we should not be hasty to decide. I shall discuss it further with the
empress dowager and make a decision then.”
All the
officials lower their heads once more, looking left and right and whispering to
their neighbours.
I nod to the
blue-ranked attendant beside me and he takes several steps down, calling out in
a dragged-out voice. “Dismissed!”
No one makes
another sound. I get up and leave.
Soon after,
two decrees are made and announced in the capital.
One: Styling
General Zhou as Marquis Wu Wei and giving him a duke’s burial.
Two: Promoting
each soldier who died in battle by three ranks and compensating a substantial
amount of gold to his family.
♚♔
I’m standing on a high tower
watching mourning soldiers in white carry a coffin into the capital. A single, long
file of depressing white snakes through the city. The young warriors are not
crying but their eyes are red and swollen. A gust of wind whistles past, making
the funeral banner flap.
Actually, I should see General Zhou off even
though he was never nice to me and he even gave me the stick once when I was under his command. Now,
however, I can no longer do such a thing.
“Your Majesty?” A blue-ranked
attendant steps forth cautiously. “It is quite windy here. Perhaps it would be
best to return to the palace?”
I inquire as though I haven’t heard him, “Has Liao Tianyi arrived yet?”
The attendant answers that he is waiting in Qian Yuan Hall. I take one last
look before leaving.
I enter Qian Yuan Hall to see Master Liao kneeling properly on the
ground. He quickly bows down when he catches sight of me. I stare at him from
the center seat.
When I finally had time to go over all the little things that happened
in twenty years, I realised Master Liao had always been a part of everything.
When I first went to the mansion after losing my memory, he was a private tutor
of the household. When I was imprisoned in enemy territory, he used his martial
skills to come remind me not to lose myself; and everything he has done and
said since coming back to the capital is very meaningful.
He is still kneeling, unflustered. He sure got all the formalities
down.
I finally break the silence. “Just who are you, Liao Tianyi?!”
His shoulders quiver but he quickly regains his composure. “As You can
see Your Majesty, I am but a private tutor working in Minister Han’s
household.”
I chuckle and walk down from my throne, stopping in front of him. “Spare
me the lies, Master. You’ve been waiting for this day for more than a decade,
haven’t you?”
Hearing this, he raises his head. He doesn’t look one bit shocked,
instead he’s grinning. “Precisely, Your Majesty.”
I look down and chuckle at myself. He kowtows again when I look back up
and speaks in a voice so quiet I can barely hear. “I was once a secret
strategist for Duke Zhao Rui. I changed my name and identity and took care of
the duke’s son after His Lordship’s defeat.”
‘Once upon a time, I was in despair, too. I felt like the sky was
collapsing in on me. It took me a very long time to get back on my feet again.’
‘Because there were more important things for me to do. There isn’t
anything in the world you can’t get over.’
I hear the words of comfort that he once said to me. I see. I see, now,
what his despair had been and what his important mission was. I look at him, a
bit lost, like I’m meeting him for the first time.
I just feel tired all of a sudden. Too tired to even vocalize the words
on the tip of my tongue. For twelve years I’ve been the idiot who wasn’t aware
of anything.
“Oh, is that so.” I plop onto the ground and look at him. “You didn’t go
to Feng Hai just to visit family either.”
He nods.
The County of Feng Hai in the north
was once the enfeoffment of Duke Zhao Rui. More than seven-tenth of Great Rui’s
military manpower comes from there. The county experienced a great amount of
trauma following the duke’s defeat and the most direct result was the weakening
of the army. There are rumours amongst the commoners that although the duke has
died, a portion of his forces still remain and may even be on the rise. The
court has sent people to deal with it but they never saw any results.
“Your Majesty, His Lordship may have
left but there are still men who are willing to die for the duke.” Master
Liao’s eyes shine with excitement. “In the capital as well-”
“Save it.” I cut him off with a raised
arm. “We can talk about that later. I…” I freeze. I used the normal ‘I’ when I had
been all proper and said ‘I’ in the
court. Then I burst out laughing—I guess I’m not a
proper emperor after all.
I shake my head as I guffaw. When I
finally get myself to stop, Master Liao has a gentle smile on his face, as
though he has turned back into that kind and affectionate tutor again.
We sit down face to face and I ask for
his advice like I usually do.
“Do You know what the most important
thing currently is, Your Majesty?”
I fidget with my clothes. “Of course I
do. I only have the title of an emperor. The empress dowager still has the
control of the court, only now she’s moved away from centre stage.” Master Liao
purses his lips. I flash a lazy smile. “Don’t give me that look. I wanna build up
my own power, too, but where could I possibly start?”
He draws his slender fingers across
the table, smiling slyly. “Secret forces aside, You still have plenty at hand
ready to utilize.”
He dabs some tea and writes out one
word as I watch his finger fixedly. Then I look up to clash with his meaningful
gaze. “He might have been an onlooker all this time but his right-hand man, Xu
Zheng, and twenty thousand of his men are still at South Hill Pass. He would
not just leave them behind.”
It’s as if a spark has been lit in my
brain. I listen on. “However, he is a very cautious man, very wary of others.
You must tread extra carefully not to let him get the upper hand.”
I nod, agreeing, “Xie Yun is for the
relocation and although the empress dowager hasn’t made her standpoint clear,
she’s basically consented to it. She only hasn’t voiced it in fear of gossip.”
Master Liao watches me steadily. “And
what does Your Majesty plan to do about it?”
I let out a deep breath. “We cannot
relocate. If we do, the army will fall like dominoes and Great Rui will really
be dead as a doornail.”
He starts laughing. “I think you’re
the only emperor to ever say ‘dead as a doornail.’” He then changes to a solemn
expression. “What You must know is that everything behind anything is all
because of just one person.”
The flame jump a little, its light
not reaching far into the hall.
Seeing his face, instantly, I
understand.
That person is the empress dowager.
Her people are everywhere, whether
it’s the capital, the court, the palace or even the army. Xie Yun administers
the military, Uncle handles the bureaucracy and the empress dowager herself
controls the palace and the affluent families. No matter how you look at it,
the power still ends up in her hands.
That’s right. If I wanted to retrieve
the power, she would be the first person I need to dispose of.
♚♔
Wind swirls and whirls about the limpid night sky. I’m standing by the
white balustrade, staring out into the darkness. Liu An beside me here is
looking around anxiously. He asks me with his head tucked in, “Your Majesty, do
You really think Marshal Heng would come?”
I reach for the cold balustrade. “He
will.”
Liu An used to be Emperor Wen’s
personal eunuch. According to tradition, the original servants and concubines
must go to the royal hills and mourn after the emperor passes away, never to
return to the palace for the rest of their lives. I had just ascended the
throne so I didn’t have any personal attendants. I didn’t want anyone working
for the empress dowager near me either, so I spared Liu An from the mourning
and made him stay to serve me at Tai Qing Palace.
Just for that, this twenty-five,
twenty-six year old eunuch is dead loyal to me.
A person who once served Emperor Wen
is at least safer than someone the empress dowager assigns for me.
Just as I finish speaking, Liu An
reports quietly but delightedly, “He has come, Your Majesty.”
Heng Ziyu sweeps up the steps dressed
in casual apparel. Stopping two steps away from me, he bows and kneels down.
“Your subject, Heng Ziyu, reporting to Your Majesty’s summon.”
I dismiss Liu An and say to Heng Ziyu,
“Please rise, Marshal Heng.”
He does as instructed and regards me
after standing up. “May I ask why Your Majesty has summoned me to the palace at
this late hour?”
I chuckle and stroll along the
balustrade. He trails quietly behind me. “Nothing in particular. I merely wanted to share this beautiful
view of the moon with you, Marshal.”
He lowers his head, shadows burying
his face, as though he’s brooding about something.
I glimpse at him, apparently carelessly.
“You seem to have something on your mind. Why don’t you share it with me?”
He looks up sternly with furrowed
brows. “Indeed, there is but surely Your Majesty is already well aware of it.”
I turn my head back. “If it is about
General Xu being cornered, then yes, I
am.” I take a few more steps and sigh, “The situation at South Hill Pass is truly
disquieting.”
He catches up to me and walks along
beside me. I glance over to see his grim expression. “It is difficult to decide
whether to retreat or fight and the men at the front lines are restless as
well,” he confesses.
“Oh, so you have heard from General
Xu?”
He doesn’t respond and looks off
elsewhere. I laugh, “Marshal Heng, I
thought you would have known where I
stand by now.”
He remains quiet while watching me.
I stand facing the deserted square and
say after a long silence. “Forgive me
when I say this, but many of the
officials are leaning towards relocating, and if that were to be the case, then
the tens of thousands of soldiers out there would become their human shield.
Sentimentally or logically, I do not
think you would want your own men to die for that.”
His face becomes even darker. He keeps
his eyes on me and his lips quiver a bit.
He’s been in the army for many years
and hasn’t forgotten about his fellow brothers even through his constant
promotions. Not only does he try to promote them, he does his best to
compensate the families of the deceased soldiers. From these points, he can be
considered a compassionate man.
He cracks a smile that has a hint of
self-mockery. “When I first joined the army, I had only wanted to have enough
to eat. Who would have known all the fighting would lead to this. Most of the
brothers who joined the army with me have been lost on the battlefield. As for the
remaining brothers, I know very well who they are myself.”
“Furthermore,” I glance out
of the corner of my eye with a smile. “I remember that you had once pledged when you were promoted to
Lieutenant Colonel of You Ji that you would preserve peace for the people.”
A shred of bitterness seeps through but he recovers the smile right
after.
“After the wars in those years, I had nowhere to go but the army. I was
lucky enough that I escaped death but I saw more and more of the people’s
suffering.” Then he heaves a deep sigh. “There was a one-in-a-million-year
drought. The farmland suffered and the people lost their homes. The officials
at all levels committed fraud and kept the funds for provisions rather than
providing relief to the masses. I came from a petty background and can sincerely
relate to the commoner’s pain.”
“If we do relocate, the people would only face a massacre by the Yan
army,” I add. “Then it would not simply be the County of Ning Yuan—it would be
the entire northern territories, I’m
afraid—that would be wet with rivers of blood and covered with mountains of
corpses. No one wants to see that happen.”
I pull a thin smile as I continue, “The elite all say that the martial
class are all bloodthirsty and battle-crazed. They could never imagine the
pains of seeing the blood of the people. I
am afraid all they see are lifeless numbers on a memorial.”
Heng Ziyu lowers his head, hiding his eyes in the night. I sigh and inquire,
“Do you think I am just saying it
for the sake of saying it? Do not overlook the fact that I was in the military, too.”
It becomes so silent, as if nothing was alive, so quiet that all I can
hear is the groaning wind.
Then, finally, he looks back up. He frowns for a moment before his usual
smile returns. “So, Your Majesty has said all that to ask me to come forth in
court to support the fight against the Yan?”
I turn to face him, shaking my head. “No.”
The smile disappears and seems to be replaced by puzzlement. “Then what
might it be?” he finally questions.
“From now on, I just want you
to give orders for your forces to defend South Hill Pass to the death. Also,” I
look straight at him. “I ask that
you continue being an onlooker in the court.”
I spot confusion in his eyes but the night quickly enshrouds it and the
typical calmness and ambiguity come back. “How are You so certain that I would
agree to that?”
I fall quiet for a moment before pulling a thin smile. “Allow me to
propose this, Marshal. If we relocate, once they get to the south, not only
will they upset the people’s lives, they will bring the war with them to the
south. Your enfeoffment is in the south—I doubt you want to see your people
suffering.”
Icy glints flash across
his eyes but he remains silent.
“Also, no matter if we
fight or not, you are already a warlord who defies the court in their eyes. You
are still of use now, but once they have no use for you, they are going to
dispose of you. Those bureaucrats are experts at internal fighting. I am sure you are well aware of
that.”
The bottom of
his eyes is mysteriously dark and gives me a chilly feeling.
Using all my
effort to maintain my usual tone, I turn and stroll forward. “I am an army man.
I ask that you excuse my straightforward words.”
“Your
Majesty.”
His deep voice
is extra clear in the still night. I stop walking and turn to face him. His
smiling eyes are glued on me. “Your Majesty, are You striking a deal with me?”
I chuckle. “What
does it matter whether I am or not?
We both get what we want—the best of both worlds.”
He studies me
with those icy orbs and the next moment he’s only half a step away from me.
“I recall You still
being a Golden Guardian only several days ago.”
Defiantly, I
look right back at him, fearless and far more composed than I once was. “Given
the situation at hand, I must take
the saying, ‘where there is life there is hope,’ into heart.”
He chortles
before slowly drawing near. “Does Your Majesty know what it is that I desire?”
he quizzes sternly.
I falter the slightest before laughing
it away. “You desire none other than to overlook the royal city from the top of
the Tai Qing Palace, of course.”
He sniggers and suddenly grabs onto my
shoulder. “And You are certain You can give me that?”
“Since you remember that I was once a Golden Guardian,” I sigh
as I regard him with a thin smile. “Surely, you remember what I had said then.”
The smirk freezes on his lips as he
seems to be distracted for a moment. He then squints at me, scrutinizing me
with a heated gaze, as though he was trying to recall or determine the
reliability of my words.
Under his stare, I start to feel the
temperature drop around me as if the cold night has sneaked through my clothes.
Gradually, he tightens his grip and
his nails dig into the fabric and then my skin, bringing incredible pain.
Ignoring the panic that has built up
within me, I glare back at him without a word.
I don’t believe he has the guts to commit
regicide!
Seeing my reaction, he bursts out in booming
laughter and then comes in close to whisper near my ear, “I still stand by my
original judgement: You’re…very interesting.”
His hot breath hits my skin and makes me
shudder. Quickly, I pivot to evade it but I trip and fall backwards.
Unexpectedly, he lunges forward and holds me by the waist.
I gasp in surprise: no matter what, I
am the ruler and he the subject and this is most definitely a major offense.
He, however, looks completely normal as though he was not doing anything wrong.
He waits until I catch my footing, staring at me the whole time with a smirk
that is no longer cold. The next thing I know, he has let go of me and is
several steps away near the edge of the steps.
I pant as I hold his intense gaze.
“I am very interested in this deal,
Your Majesty, but there is something else that interests me even more.”
With that said he walks down the steps
and his poised outline fades into the darkness. Only when it has gone from my
sight do I feel the moisture on my back that has soaked through my undershirt.
Liu An shoots out from the side and quietly probes, “Your Majesty?”
I do my best to relax and then wave at him. “It’s fine. I wish to rest.”
An array of thoughts throngs my mind on the way back and occasionally Heng
Ziyu’s meaningful smile would flash by.
On the other hand, Liu An seems to be uneasy and shifty. As he is
preparing me for bed, it looks like he wants to tell me something. I
frown, asking him, “What is wrong with you?”
He quickly shakes his head, his face all scrunched up. I don’t bother with
him anymore and head to bed.
As I walk around the nine dragons jade screen, I come to understand why
Liu An had a scrunched up face—two young, fair women with exquisite features
are sitting on the Emperor’s bed, wearing nothing but thin, translucent robes
that barely hide their figure. They look a bit shy and bashful and even jump a
little in their seats when they see me walk in. Immediately after, they bow
their heads in a panic but their eyes wander coyly to me before flicking away
again.
Are you serious? This joke has gone too far!
I swerve back around the screen and see that Liu An hasn’t left yet. I
seize him by the collar. He pales and stutters, “Your Majesty, the empress dowager
sent them over so….”
I freeze and feel my throat constricting, preventing any speech.
Unquestionably, the empress dowager sent these women over to continue
the royal bloodline and legacy, although it’s also possible that she has other
motives.
I finally fling Liu An away after thinking it over. “Get them out of my sight!”
He rushes inside with his body bowed and soon the two women walk out,
looking quite dismayed as they bow to me.
“I am too fatigued tonight.
You are dismissed.”
Liu An shuffles out quickly with them and gently closes the doors. Only
then do I let out a deep breath and sprawl out on the Emperor’s bed.
Goddamn this is tiring.
This job isn’t for every—no—anyone.
I reach over for the silk blanket and wrap myself in it. I close my
eyes.
The coolness of the silk seeps into my clothes and my skin. A cold draft
blows in from somewhere, whisking the canopy up into the air, casting looming
shadows.
The Emperor’s bed is so big and so cold.
I just want to go to sleep now and never wake up again.
______________________
ayszhang: Seems like Han Xin is still being constrained by the many forces around him... ┑(￣Д ￣)┍
Cold Sands - English Translation by ayszhang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
