Chapter 120: The Departure for Battle

“Your humble servant can help you win Miss Cai back and restore your dignity as a man.” Zhang Rang extended the olive branch at just the right moment. He clearly saw Wei Ning’s body tremble almost imperceptibly when he heard those words.

That meant… he was tempted!

Zhang Rang added, “I will help you win back Miss Cai’s trust, and you… will help me destroy Luan Yi.”

“Miss Cai? Bring down Luan Yi?” It was impossible for Wei Ning not to be tempted. For a long time, winning Cai Yan back had been his greatest dream. Some time ago, he had heard that Cai Yan had fallen seriously ill. Later, he learned that it was no ordinary illness—she had miscarried. Whose child had it been? There was no need to ask. It must have been that lecherous scoundrel Luan Yi’s. To sleep with a woman before the wedding—that was the conduct of a vile rogue. Wei Ning ground his teeth in hatred.

What infuriated him even more was that after such a grave event, Luan Yi had not even gone to the capital to visit her, nor had he sent so much as a letter. He had left Cai Yan weeping for more than ten days. Wei Ning had heard it all from outside the wall.

Her miserable sobs had pierced straight into his heart, twisting it into a knot. He felt that Cai Yan had been treated unjustly, and he hated Luan Yi to the core.

Now, the chance to win Cai Yan back had been tied to the destruction of Luan Yi. It was both a reward for his efforts and a condition of the bargain—exactly what he wanted.

Zhang Rang asked again, “Fair enough, is it not?”

“It is indeed fair!” Wei Ning paused. “But let us make one thing clear beforehand. I will help Your Excellency deal with Luan Yi and no more. Afterward, we shall owe each other nothing and have no further connection.”

“Ha ha ha… Your humble servant agrees!” Zhang Rang laughed inwardly, secretly marveling at how foolish Wei Ning was. Once a man did something for a eunuch official, no matter how large or small, the eyes of the world would regard him as bearing the eunuch faction’s mark. It could never be washed away. By then, the scholars would shun him. He would have no choice but to throw in his lot with Zhang Rang.

“Very well! I am willing to serve at Your Excellency’s command.”

Zhang Rang sought his counsel. “Young Master Wei, what plan might be used to eliminate Luan Yi?”

Wei Ning’s face darkened with anger. “To tell you the truth, I have long been plotting to dispose of that hypocrite, Luan Yi! I already have a way to bring about his downfall.”

“Oh? Tell me quickly!”

Luan Yi, however, had no idea that someone in the capital was plotting against him. At that moment, he was strolling beside a lake with a lovely companion.

The humid summer breeze swept across the lakeside, washing away the fatigue of days spent campaigning. His companion’s radiant, flowerlike smile dispelled the weariness brought on by days of planning. After so many days of battle, he was truly exhausted. It was time to rest.

As for the Yellow Turban Rebellion… He knew that Huangfu Song would crush the rebels at Changshe in August, turning the tide and giving the government forces the advantage. The deaths of the three Zhang brothers could not be far off.

With the outcome of the war all but decided, there was no need for him to plunge into that muddy water. It would be better to station his troops in Jinan and continue building his strength. Thus, in accordance with their earlier agreement, he had invited Zhen Mi to join him by the lake to enjoy the cool air and scenery.

Lost in thought, Luan Yi heard Zhen Mi exclaim excitedly, “Look! How beautiful those egrets are!”

He followed her gaze. Indeed, a pair of egrets was weaving gracefully back and forth among the lotus leaves.

“There are so many lotus flowers! Hee hee…” Zhen Mi moved lightly toward the water’s edge and leaned out to breathe in the flowers’ fragrance. Then her foot slipped on the bank. She was about to tumble into the lake when she felt a sudden tightening around her waist, followed by an immense tug.

A rushing wind roared beside her ears. Her head spun, and when her feet touched solid ground again and she opened her eyes, she found herself held in Luan Yi’s arms.

“Ah…”

Luan Yi smiled. “Careful, young lady! I would rather not have to dive in and rescue you a second time.”

The moment she recalled what had happened after she fell into the water that day, Zhen Mi’s lovely face flushed crimson. She exhaled softly and lowered her head. After keeping it bowed for a long while, she realized that Luan Yi still had not released her. She raised her eyes to steal a glance at his handsome face, then lowered them again in embarrassment.

He had seen every inch of her body. How could she ever face him again?

The more she thought about it, the more mortified she became. With graceful haste, she slipped from Luan Yi’s embrace and ran to the lakeshore, turning her back to him as she pretended to admire the flowers.

“I remember that Master Ziqi once wrote an essay called ‘On the Love of the Lotus.’ Does that mean the lotus is your favorite flower, Master Ziqi?”

“As you say, young lady. I do indeed admire the lotus for its elegance and purity. The lotus is the flower of the gentleman. A true gentleman sets his sights high and does not make a show of his own beauty. The lotus is beautiful so that it may set off these leaves stretching to the heavens and the horizon, and so that it may enhance the grandeur of this great lake. It becomes beautiful for the sake of others—and that is true beauty.”

“To become beautiful for the sake of others is true beauty?” Zhen Mi was moved. The lake, clear as a polished mirror, did indeed appear even more radiant because of the beautiful lotuses. “Did you have all these endless lotus flowers planted, Master?”

“Not at all!” Luan Yi said with a smile. “When too much deliberate carving is added to a beautiful landscape, the rustic charm is lost. These lotuses were planted by the people who live along the lake. In summer, they gather some lotus seeds for their own use or to sell, and in winter they can harvest lotus roots. Those are a specialty of the Kingdom of Jinan.”

“I see! I have learned something new.” Zhen Mi’s gaze remained fixed on the lotuses along the shore. After a long silence, she suddenly said, “I am leaving.”

“The wind is indeed growing rather strong by the lake. I will escort you back.”

Zhen Mi knew that Luan Yi had misunderstood her. She explained, “I do not mean back to the church. I am returning to Ye!” She turned toward him and smiled.

The smile was truly beautiful, like a lotus in full bloom—elegant, pure, radiant, and free of vulgarity. Yet somehow it seemed forced, tinged with reluctance and sorrow.

Luan Yi’s heart clenched. “So soon?”

“I have been away for a long time, and my family must be worried. Uncle Zhen has now settled the purchasing arrangements with Shopkeeper Pang, so it is time for me to return. Thanks to your good fortune, Master Ziqi, Shopkeeper Pang gave us a very favorable price.” Zhen Mi maintained that strained smile as she stood by the lakeshore, her slender figure wrapped in the circling breeze.

Luan Yi’s reluctance was plain on his face. “But… the rebels in Hebei have not yet been pacified, and the roads are still unsafe.”

Zhen Mi lowered her head and twisted the sash of her robe. “Uncle Zhen has sent people to make inquiries. Everything south of Ye remains under government control, and the situation is still peaceful. There should not be any danger.”

“This…” Luan Yi desperately wanted to say something to make Zhen Mi stay, or at least postpone her departure. He always felt that the bond between them should progress further, become something different.

And yet, at that very moment, he thought of Cai Yan and remembered Diao Chan. Those two lovely young women were probably waiting in their chambers for the day of their weddings. They loved him, thought of him, longed for him—and here he was, thinking of flirting with another woman.

Flirting with another woman?

His heart clenched again, tightening into a knot.

“I… I will send men to escort you home.”

Zhen Mi was visibly stunned. Tears shimmered in her crystalline eyes.

Why? Why would he not say a word to keep her here? All it would take was a single “Do not go,” and she would remain, forever at his side.

“Thank you, Lord Bishop.” Zhen Mi turned and walked away. Her bearing resembled the most splendid lotus beneath the summer sun.

Luan Yi saw that something was wrong and was about to follow when a voice called from afar, “Lord Bishop! An imperial edict has arrived at the Prince of Jinan’s residence. Please hurry there to receive it!”

“An imperial edict?” Luan Yi glanced at the princely residence on Licheng County’s bustling main street, then toward Zhen Mi’s destination—the Cathedral of Holy Nuwa at the foot of Mount Li outside the city. He shook his head helplessly. “If this is fate, what more can I ask?”

He could not help thinking of Zhen Mi’s future as recorded in history. First she would marry Yuan Xi, and later Cao Pi would seize her and make her his consort. Though her life would be full of twists and turns, she would at least meet a good end. She should live well enough.

Wait…

With me in the Han Empire, would the Yuan Xi of the future still be the same Yuan Xi? Would Cao Pi still become the same Emperor Wen of Wei known to history?

Luan Yi did not dare think about it, nor could he allow himself to think about it any further.

“Let us go! Back to the prince’s residence!”

The day Zhen Mi returned north was also the day the church army set out westward to reinforce Changshe. That day, Luan Yi deliberately took a longer route, riding his warhorse to the Ten-Mile Pavilion outside the northern gate to see Zhen Mi off.

Seeing Luan Yi in full armor, Zhen Mi asked, “Lord Bishop, will you come to Ye to visit me?”

“Of course!” The corners of Luan Yi’s mouth lifted. “In the future, our two families will continue trading with one another, and Uncle Zhen will surely travel to Jinan often. If you wish, young lady, you may come with him. When the time comes, I will send men to escort you there and back. You will have no cause to worry about your safety.”

“Thank you, Master Ziqi. I will certainly return to Jinan. Shall we go to the lake to admire the lotuses again then?”

Seeing that the storm had passed and her smile had returned to normal—and that she had changed the way she addressed him from Lord Bishop back to Master Ziqi—Luan Yi smiled as well.

“I shall be at your service whenever you wish.”

For the first time, Luan Yi felt that time was truly hateful. Whenever people wished it would move faster, it crept along at a maddening pace. Whenever they longed for it to slow down, it raced ahead.

Just as now. They had barely exchanged a few words, yet an entire hour had passed.

Uncle Zhen’s men came once more to urge Zhen Mi to depart, while Zhao Yun reminded Luan Yi that the auspicious hour was approaching. If they did not set out soon, their departure would have to wait until the following day.

After parting from Zhen Mi, whose pearly tears fell like rain upon blossoms, Luan Yi turned his horse and returned to the head of the army. He looked back over the assembled commanders.

Xu Shu served as military adviser, Guan Yu as deputy commander, and Zhang Fei, Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, Xu Chu, and Taishi Ci stood among them. Four of the Five Tiger Generals were present. With ten thousand elite church troops and such a formidable array of commanders, they could contend even for the realm’s greatest prize—let alone a mere band of Yellow Turban rebels.

This time, Luan Yi offered no rousing speech. He simply dismounted before the guards’ ranks and inspected them one by one, straightening their clothing and armor.

Then he gazed with satisfaction upon the army he had built with his own hands and called out, “Men, the time has come to spread the glory of the Holy Mother. March—and sing our hymn!”

“Our God is truly great. He created the universe…”

“Ready! Begin!”

“Our God is truly great; He created the universe. Our God is truly great; He rules over all things forever. He makes the sun shine upon the earth and sends the heavy rain down from heaven. The earth yields its produce and brings forth grain, new wine, and oil. The peoples of the world have all seen that our God is great; every human heart knows that our God is great. He grants fruitful years, continually bestows His grace, executes righteousness, and judges all things. Everything lies beneath His authority…”

Ten thousand soldiers sang aloud as one, their voices thundering across the land!

The spectacle left the townspeople who had come to see them off utterly stunned. They cried out, “Long live the Holy Mother! May the Holy Mother protect us!”

Then they joined the soldiers in song.