Chapter 49

After Qingwu became intoxicated by wine and lacked energy, Pei Muci settled her properly before heading to the side camp to find Gu Hanjiang.

As expected, the tent was brightly lit, and all the key military leaders were present. Back in the Southern Dynasty, Pei Muci would never have missed such gatherings; unlike now, when he lingered until the latter half of the night before showing up.

With his cascading black hair draped behind him and a calm, leisurely stride, did he look anything like a military commander about to lead troops into battle? He rather resembled a carefree young master strolling through pleasure boats and drinking floral wine in the capital.

"Well, look who decided to grace us with his presence," Gu Hanjiang said with sarcasm.

Though he usually appeared frivolous and undisciplined, he never faltered at critical moments. Therefore, knowing they had to deal with the Southern Dynasty's affairs before returning to Bianjing, he had been constantly pondering strategies to preserve their military strength while securing a swift victory.

These soldiers were the ones he had brought all the way here himself, and he was reluctant to lose a single one. Yet, on the other hand, this battle could not be delayed, and the grand ceremony awaiting them in Bianjing could not be postponed for too long either.

Tonight happened to be the shift for the bearded general and the deputy general. After a late-night snack, he had invited everyone over to discuss the matter.

Pei Muci exchanged polite and courteous bows with the generals and took his seat at the head of the sand table. "Continue."

Seeing that Pei Muci was genuinely engaged, Gu Hanjiang set aside his teasing demeanor and resumed his train of thought.

By the time the five of them stood before the vertical map, they were exchanging opinions sentence by sentence.

In the brief intervals between discussions, the sky began to turn a pale fish-belly white, and golden rays pierced through the rolling mountain ranges, illuminating every single leaf.

With a panicked expression and accompanied by a man carrying a medicine box, Xu Ying hurried over from the direction of the main tent.

"Young Master, something is wrong with the Young Lady." Knowing that Pei Muci was busy with serious matters alongside the military advisor, she did not dare to disturb him casually.

However, since an hour ago, Qingwu had broken out in cold sweats, continuously muttering delirium and speaking of things they could not comprehend. The more she spoke, the more urgent her tone became, as if she were frowning and weeping unconsciously even in her dreams.

Her symptoms had only worsened when the military physician arrived. Though her unintelligible murmurs were unclear, her fingers were tightly clenched around the edge of the blanket, refusing to loosen her grip no matter what, and she vomited up all the medicine they tried to feed her.

Xu Ying had wanted to wake her, but the military physician stopped her, explaining that this was likely a deep-seated trauma dating back to her childhood. When accumulated sorrow festered into chronic illness and was subsequently triggered by severe shock, it would manifest in this manner—plagued by nightmares from time to time and haunted by bizarre visions.

If one were to abruptly pull a person out of such a dream, it could easily damage their mind.

Knowing that she was someone the commander had brought back, the military physician was caught between anxiety that things might spiral out of control if left unchecked and fear of administering strong medications.

Left with no other choice, she had no alternative but to seek him out at the side camp.

Having heard the rough outline of the situation from the physician and connecting it with what Nurse Zhao had previously mentioned about Qingwu's childhood, Pei Muci managed to piece together a vague understanding.

Du Jin was well aware of Qingwu's physical condition, but he could not leave his post at the moment, and Pei Muci was uneasy about the two of them being left alone together.

Even if Qingwu was completely unconscious, it was still unacceptable!

Pei Muci half-leaned against the edge of the sand table, propping himself up with his elbow behind him, his knuckles tapping rhythmically against the wooden border.

"Young Master, the Young Lady truly does not look well; otherwise, this humble servant and the physician would never have dared to disturb you," Xu Ying urged twice, yet still received no response.

After a long while, as if making a tremendously difficult decision, Pei Muci spoke in a voice softened by reluctance, "Go and tell Du Jin to go take a look."

***

Qingwu did not sleep for long before waking up, her throat aching as if it had been slashed by a knife. She struggled to sit up in search of water.

The howling cold wind of the wilderness whipped the tent's canopy into a rattling frenzy. Assuming her affliction was merely a hangover headache, she groggily propped herself up, but a flash of blinding light crossed her mind, and the sudden, all-over fatigue drained her of strength, causing her to collapse back onto the bed.

With this fall, she plummeted into an entirely different scene.

Back then, she was wearing a goose-yellow cross-collared ruqun, the outer gauze robes fluttering in the air as she ran, resembling a carefree butterfly chasing flowers and dancing among willows.

Had she not been seeking a quiet sanctuary during a rare moment of leisure, she would never have wandered near the ruined high walls of the former imperial palace that day.

Countless vines intertwined along the walls, some emerald green and others withered yellow. Just as she stood below to examine them, she heard a muffled thud.

Qingwu hurried over to look, only to find a small, white shadow sprawled in the dirt, convulsing twice before going completely still.

It was a white cat she had raised for many years.

Du Jin was an outsider, and even entering the palace did not guarantee he could visit her in the inner quarters. This small white cat, offered as tribute, was her sole companion in the depths of the deep palace.

At this moment, it lay there lifelessly, the blood pooling beneath it staining its slightly curled white fur. Upon closer inspection, its tiny body bore countless scars, as if it had been deliberately tortured to death before being discarded like trash in some deserted spot.

Qingwu looked up and caught sight of the matron in charge of her mother's palace.

Catching sight of the princess standing there, the old woman dared not meet Qingwu's gaze and fled in a hurried, panicked scurry.

Suppressing a surge of anger, Qingwu raced back to the Fengming Palace, intent on exposing that familiar-looking matron.

Empress Qinghua sat before the eight-phoenix sedan chair, preparing to leave.

Catching a glimpse of the slender figure darting past, she beckoned to Qingwu, "Rongzhao, come here."

"Mother, this daughter just saw a matron from the Fengming Palace beat my little cat to death, and I wanted to ask Mother for this person to punish her." Qingwu's forehead was slick with a thin layer of sweat from running. Just as she raised a hand to wipe it, Qinghua stopped her.

The Empress retrieved a handkerchief from her waist and personally wiped the sweat from her daughter's brow, her tone gentle yet carrying a hair-raising, eerie chill, "Was Rongzhao's essay question not satisfactory to your tutor last time? Mother has thought long and hard about it, and concluded you were simply becoming too distracted by frivolous amusements. So I had someone carry that beast further away—it was for your own good."

"But—"

"There are no buts." Qinghua tossed the silk handkerchief onto the ground with a look of utter disdain. "A beast is a beast; its absence shouldn't make much difference. If Rongzhao makes any more mistakes next time, it will undoubtedly be because these maidservants at your side have maliciously incited you to slack off."

At the memory of the white cat's gruesome death, Qingwu instinctively shielded the three maids behind her, blocking Qinghua's probing gaze.

Seeing that her daughter no longer talked back, the Empress closed the sedan curtains with satisfaction and ordered the carriage to proceed to the Zhongyi Hall to accompany the Emperor in reviewing state memorials.

When Qingwu woke again, her dull gaze fixed on the thick white gauze curtains cascading from the canopy, her mind relentlessly replaying the fragment of the white shadow plunging from that high wall.

Years had already passed since that incident, and ever since then, she had never dared touch a live cat again. She could not fathom why she had dreamt of it today.

"Hiss." A sharp pain suddenly pierced through her mind, feeling as though something had been forcefully crammed inside.

Qingwu's vision turned violently crimson, and when her sight cleared once more, her Imperial Father stood atop the city wall, the long saber in his hand tracing a full, sweeping arc around his neck.

And below that wall stood someone whose slender figure was mounted on a horse.

Looking through a veil of mist, after adapting to the red-tinted vision, she gradually began to discern the scene before her.

Just as she strained to look closer, several shouts suddenly rang out by her ear, pulling her gradually toward the opposite direction.

"Awu! Awu!"

It was Du Jin's voice.

Perhaps recognizing that Du Jin meant her no harm, Qingwu's consciousness drifted steadily toward him, carrying her further and further away from the hazy shadow lurking in the fog.

She opened her eyes and saw that half a bowl of herbal medicine remained in Du Jin's hand, clearly indicating he had force-fed her to pull her back.

"What did Awu dream of this time?" Du Jin ceased feeding her spoonful by spoonful and handed her the bowl to drink herself.

Qingwu settled the medicine bowl in the lap of her crossed legs, wrapped her arms around Du Jin's neck, and buried her face in his embrace as she wept, "No one wants me anymore. Mother doesn't like me, and Father doesn't want me either."

She cried aloud, leaving the soldiers who had brought Du Jin to the tent unable to continue guarding the two of them, forcing them to retreat dozens of steps away.

Du Jin wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks with the back of his hand. "How did you manage to reduce yourself to such a state..."

She sobbed uncontrollably, buried in the crook of his neck. As her emotions subsided slightly, she whispered softly into his ear, "Because only this way could I see you."

Du Jin was about to say something when Qingwu let out a loud wail, letting go of her emotions in a manner vastly different from her usual genuine grievances.

Only then did he realize she was deliberately putting on a show to deceive the guards outside.

"Awu, don't cry anymore." Du Jin gently stroked her back, listening to her murmur about how everyone abandoned her. Recalling the events that had transpired between the two of them back in the palace, a wave of anguish washed over him.

Qingwu clung to his shoulders, minimizing the distance between them, and conveyed her thoughts in the softest possible whisper, "Let's leave. Ever since I came here, I keep remembering things related to Father. This place and the people here must have something wrong with them."

Du Jin pondered for a moment.

He wanted to find Gu Hanjiang and use curing Pei Muci's poison as a bargaining chip to secure a pass that would allow them to move freely within the camp.

Gu Hanjiang held a high position in the army and was deeply eager for the poison in Pei Muci's body to be eradicated. Using this as leverage, Qingwu should be able to achieve what she desired.

"Alright, let's leave."

***

The late-night conversation in the side camp had concluded. Having listened to the brilliant debate between the commander and the military advisor, several deputy generals sat in nearby rattan chairs, repeatedly mulling over and analyzing the points raised.

A soldier poked his head in stealthily from outside. Remembering that he had previously told the man no one needed to guard the tent, Pei Muci recalled him and asked, "Is she better?"

"The Young Lady has awakened, but she won't stop crying. The person who went in earlier is comforting her, and the two of them... the two of them..." The guard blinked, thinking he was being covert as he glanced sideways at the man seated above.

Pei Muci let out a cold snort.

The soldier shivered, daring not withhold the truth, "The two of them appear quite intimate."

"If they were any more intimate, they'd be exchanging wedding vows by now. Of course they're intimate," Gu Hanjiang said, deliberately trying to provoke Pei Muci and rubbing salt into his wounds.

What was the use of keeping someone in your heart? What was the use of pouring your heart and soul out for another person? The moment she got the chance, she threw herself into someone else's arms and cast him to the winds.

Appearing intimate—at the very least, they must be embracing with their necks intertwined, right? Gu Hanjiang didn't dare voice any more intimate descriptions.

Pei Muci remained seemingly calm for two seconds before sweeping his sleeve across the table. The small flags used to designate military camps on the sand table were instantly knocked over, rolling far away.

Gu Hanjiang quickly backtracked, "Why don't you go check on her yourself? Besides, our discussion here is finished anyway."

Without any intention of replying, Pei Muci turned on his heel and strode out.

"Commander! Military advisor! A scout from the front reports that the Southern Dynasty Empress's troops are only ten li away from us. It looks like they intend to engage us in battle." The scout brought news that the Southern Dynasty's forces had mobilized in full strength, seemingly prepared to fight a decisive battle to the death with Great Lin.

Upon hearing the news, the men showed no signs of panic; instead, their faces radiated a palpable excitement.

"Well? Are you going?" Gu Hanjiang had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

The Southern Dynasty Empress had murdered his entire family and had even hunted him down for a full two years after he escaped from the heavenly prison.

Yet compared to Pei Muci's suffering, his grievances were hardly worth mentioning.

He knew that Pei Muci had waited far longer than he had for this day, and that the hatred in Pei Muci's heart far surpassed his own.

And yet, on the other end was that princess of unknown disposition. Weighing the two against each other, it was hard to tell which carried more weight.

Would he choose a woman he had known for merely a year, who didn't even remember him at present, or the deep-seated, accumulated murderous intent of years?

"Let's go. We'll make it quick and return swiftly, so I can bring her back to Bianjing to recuperate," Pei Muci said. His mind did not harbor the complex emotions Gu Hanjiang anticipated. To him, his mother was merely a title, yet that woman bore the countless dark and agonizing traumas of his past. The only way to completely eradicate those unbearable memories was to kill her.

Originally, if Pei Muci went into battle, Gu Hanjiang should have remained behind to command the center army.

However, he was genuinely afraid that Pei Muci might momentarily lose his composure on the battlefield and impulsively kill the Empress.

One had to bear in mind that the poison in Pei Muci's body still required the blood of the Empress and Qi Yu as an antidote; that woman must not be killed under any circumstances.

"Since this battle needs to be swift, I'll go along as well, just to offer some counsel by your side," Gu Hanjiang proposed, though his true intent was to persuade him a couple of times at a critical juncture.

Pei Muci raised no objections. He unbuckled the jade token from his waistband and handed it to Xu Ying. "She isn't someone who can stay cooped up in the camp. With this token of mine, she can go anywhere she pleases."

He instructed her to deliver the token to Qingwu, adding a final warning, "Have someone skilled in martial arts accompany her, and do not let her have any solitary contact with Du Jin."