Two years
Suddenly, a thunderous crash was heard. The charred door frame and beams collapsed abruptly, sending sparks and smoke rushing towards the crowd, forcing people to retreat repeatedly.
Ci Ke watched Ye Youqing disappear right before her eyes. It was as if someone had struck her pressure points, rendering her immobile. Burning wood nearly hit her forehead, but she didn’t dodge, saved only by Zhou Hong’s desperate protection.
“Ye Youqing…” she murmured to herself, her eyes slightly glazed. The firelight stung her eyes, causing a searing pain.
Tears seemed to have been dried by the fire. Everything around her grew silent. One by one, the imperial guards carrying buckets of water squeezed her aside, her slender body being pushed into the crowd.
“Quick, put out the fire, hurry!” General Dai’s voice came from the thick fog. More and more people swarmed in. Under the pouring of buckets of water, the towering flames finally diminished, turning into thick smoke that rose from the ruins.
Water flowed out of the gate, winding its way into the long street. The onlookers and helpers were driven far away, and the smell of burning lingered everywhere.
Even the nearby trees had half their crowns scorched, standing tragically in the dim morning light.
Ci Ke, who had been pressed against the wall by Zhou Hong, finally pushed him away forcefully, stumbling forward, her cloth boots soaked in the muddy water.
“Ci Ke.” Zhou Hong, seeing her so distraught, followed her with a heart full of pain.
“Move this beam away!” Several imperial guards, sweating profusely, worked together to lift the charred wood blocking the door tightly, throwing it aside. The entrance finally cleared, revealing a large charred hole.
Ci Ke lifted her leg to rush in, but was stopped by Zhou Hong and pulled back by General Dai, who half-worried and half-rebuked, said: “The fire is fierce, and the house could collapse at any moment. Do you want to die?”
Ci Ke turned her hand and shoved him out forcefully. The tall man almost couldn’t stand her strength, needing support to remain steady.
Facing Ci Ke’s gaze, General Dai broke out in a cold sweat.
Those eyes involuntarily shed tears, and under the glistening light, they were filled with sorrow and hatred. Looking at her, General Dai was speechless.
Suddenly, there was a commotion beside them. It was a few armored guards carrying something out, wrapped tightly in burlap, the unpleasant smell of burning spreading with it. Everyone in the courtyard covered their mouths and noses, unable to bear looking.
Ci Ke paused, then rushed forward despite the obstacles, pulling the burlap aside. The sight of the corpse was horrifying, with not a single intact patch of skin, even some parts showing burnt black bones.
She pressed her mouth tightly, her eyes red, tears streaming like a fountain, as if crying blood.
“Ci Ke, don’t look anymore!” Zhou Hong grabbed her wrist, eyes brimming with tears, almost pleading, “Let’s not look anymore, okay?”
Ci Ke’s shoulders trembled violently, her hands almost unable to hold the burlap, only able to cover her mouth and nose tightly to control herself from making a sound.
Everyone in the courtyard, seeing the scene, dared not speak, nor did anyone dare to pull her away. They looked at each other, witnessing the woman silently trembling over the corpse on the door plank.
Finally, General Dai couldn’t bear it anymore and ordered the body be forcibly taken away. It took several people to pry Ci Ke’s hands away. As the body was taken away, the woman who had been standing silently slid into the muddy water, splashing a string of mud.
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A ray of morning sun broke through the clouds, illuminating Weizhou, as if a celestial being had painted it overnight, with autumn colors of red and yellow spreading throughout the city and mountains.
Today, the weather was splendid. After a fierce fire burned everything, rumors spread in the city. Despite the presence of the army, no one dared to speak a word.
The people of the city showed no signs of joy, even tightly closing their doors and windows, unwilling to have any contact with the army.
In the desolate small courtyard of the government office, Zhou Hong paced anxiously outside the door, occasionally glancing inside the house. Finally, unable to bear it anymore, he approached the door crack and said, “Dear sister, although big… Miss Ye is gone, you still have me and Aunt. You mustn’t do anything foolish!”
“General Dai has buried Miss Ye’s body. I wanted to see it one last time to recognize it, but he wouldn’t allow it. But the grave is just outside the city. If you want to go, I’ll take you to pay respects.”
There was no sound from inside, as if there was no one there.
Afraid that she might do something out of excessive grief, Zhou Hong racked his brain to talk to her, scratching his head and forcing a smile, “Yesterday, the siblings of the Ma family who broke into the government office to save you were caught, but General Dai released them this morning and drove them out of Weizhou. You needn’t worry. Although this man from the Dai family dare not disobey the Emperor’s orders, he still has some conscience. We’ve been classmates for years, I know him well.”
“Ci Ke?” Zhou Hong knocked on the door.
Inside, it was as if everything was blocked out. The woman in dirty clothes lay on the bed where Ye Youqing had lain, her long hair disheveled, the part near her eyes soaked with tears.
The mud splashed on her face had been washed clean, leaving her face pale and clean. Her hands were placed on her lower abdomen, her eyes penetrating the roof, staring into the void.
Feeling cold, she turned over and hugged herself, imagining Ye Youqing behind her, imagining herself leaning against her warm embrace.
An imaginary hand stroked her cheek. She involuntarily raised her neck, another tear seeping from the corner of her eye, sliding onto the soft pillow.
“Ye Youqing, when will you come back,” she murmured dreamily, imagining that hand wiping away her tears. When she raised her face to meet it, she only felt the breeze coming through the window.
She recalled the events of the previous night.
Ye Youqing, with her hands bound, called her close, whispering in her ear, the content far more thrilling than any teasing breath.
“It’s too dangerous,” Ci Ke clutched the edge of the bed, both scared and anxious, shaking her head repeatedly.
“Indeed,” Ye Youqing sighed, “but this is the only chance. When defending the city, I didn’t have time to make detailed plans, so I hastily came up with this method.”
“I originally wanted to escape with the cavalry, but on the day of defending the city, everything was unpredictable, just like now, I didn’t manage to escape.”
“If I had been killed early on, that would have been the end of it. But if I am imprisoned like now, it’s worth a try,” Ye Youqing said softly.
Ci Ke’s eyes reddened. She lowered her head, breathing in a panic.
“What will be the signal?” Ci Ke raised her eyelashes and asked.
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“Fire,” Ye Youqing said gently, “Once Shi Li and the Iron Cavalry are ready, they will set fire to King Si Rong’s mansion. Although the message can’t be sent inside, I would be able to see the fire.”
“Weizhou has just been attacked, and for a while, there will be guards everywhere, making it heavily fortified and almost impossible to escape. Except for faking my death to deceive the Emperor, I can only wait to die.”
“But how many days will it take to dig a tunnel from outside the city to King Si Rong’s mansion?” Ci Ke asked worriedly.
“King Si Rong’s mansion is not large and is located in the west of the city, backed by the mountains and forests. Don’t forget, the cavalry are experts at digging,” Ye Youqing smiled, “Counting the days I’ve been imprisoned, it should be soon.”
Ci Ke watched as she leaned in to kiss the tear that had fallen to her chin, sniffing her nose.
“Don’t cry,” Ye Youqing’s moist lips slid over her chin, “Luckily you came. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know where to find you.”
“As long as you know,” Ci Ke said bitterly. She wiped her tears on Ye Youqing’s clothes, straightened up, and whispered, “What happens after that? Will I still see you?”
Ye Youqing was taken aback, closing her eyes, “No matter what, this is a desperate method. If I survive, I will come to find you.”
“You won’t find me,” Ci Ke sulked.
“I will find you,” Ye Youqing said softly.
Suddenly, Zhou Hong’s knocking on the door woke Ci Ke from her reverie. She gasped and looked up, realizing she was still hugging herself.
The bed was empty, only her cold presence.
“Shut up,” she said to the door, and Zhou Hong fell silent.
Ci Ke weakly smoothed the soft pillow and laid her head on it, suddenly discovering something hidden underneath. She reached out and found a dried leaf with yellow edges.
The center, still green, was smooth like glass, clearly having been carefully handled by someone.
Holding the leaf, Ci Ke got up and noticed some scratches on the wall near the bed. She hurriedly wiped her eyes and looked closer, seeing crooked marks etched into the soft bricks with fingernails.
“The startled returning wild geese do not form characters; the leaves falling off the branches best signify autumn.”
Ci Ke stared at the writing for a long time before lowering her head, burying her face in her knees.
After an unknown period, the door finally opened. Zhou Hong, who had been squatting at the door with his hands in his pockets, quickly stood up, limping forward, lowering his head to see Ci Ke’s face.
Her nose and eyes were red, but there were no tears or emotions in her eyes, like a forest under thick fog, with no end in sight.
“Ci Ke, are you okay?” Zhou Hong asked cautiously. He glanced at the corner of the imperial guards outside the archway, lowering his voice, “General Dai said Aunt requested him to bring you back to the capital if he saw you.”
“If you don’t want to go back, I’ll take you away, how about it?” Zhou Hong said with concern.
Ci Ke shook her head.
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She spoke, her eyes growing fierce, “I want to go back to the capital.”
The conspiracy of the Western Xia was temporarily thwarted. Qi crossed Yuanzhou, stationed troops at the border, and the Western Xia, knowing they couldn’t win, retreated to Niangziguan. The relations between the two countries grew tense, with frequent skirmishes.
The Qi army soon withdrew from Weizhou, heading east. Weizhou returned to peace, but it was no longer the same. The story of Miss Ye spread with embellishments by the people, reaching every corner of the land, causing everyone to lament.
In the legend, Miss Ye was a heroine, leading the Iron Cavalry that had disappeared for seven years to reappear, fighting bravely for two days and nights, defeating the enemy’s plot without a single civilian casualty.
Unfortunately, heaven envies the talented. After the battle, a fire broke out, and Miss Ye perished in the flames. The people of Weizhou built a shrine for her, worshipping her annually.
The border war continued, with blood and gore outside the pass. The Qi army retreated step by step, conceding several cities.
Meanwhile, Bianjing remained a land of song and dance, with decadence and excess, while the south saw changes, with wealthy merchants emerging.
Unknowingly, two years had passed since the chaos began.
