Chapter 883: Wildflowers

Huairou Enclosure is renowned for its beautiful scenery in Beimang and Nanchao, and has always been the preferred summer retreat for the Spring and Autumn remnants. Influential families of the 'A' and 'B' ranks all saw owning a piece of grassland here as a display of their family's heritage. For example, the Wang family of Nanchao, who originally had no right to a place here, acquired a piece of fertile land with abundant water and grass this spring. Whether it was through a marriage alliance with a powerful 'A' family, or because the great-grandson of that hundred-year-old man became a Dongnapo, the Wang family, once known as "ten generations of Hanlin" in the Central Plains, finally showed a remarkable upward trend. As summer began, more and more tall horses and splendidly dressed people appeared in Huairou Enclosure recently. So when a cavalry of thirty appeared on the outskirts of the enclosure, it didn't cause much of a stir. Some young noblemen from Nanchao, whipping their horses, merely glanced at them and passed by. The carriage escorted by the cavalry left two long wheel tracks on the lush green ground. The originally spacious carriage felt a bit crowded with three people, all thanks to the stout man in his prime. He sat there like a small mountain, resting with his eyes closed, a standard Beimang border army saber resting on his lap.

Another man and a woman, who looked somewhat similar, were likely siblings. Compared to the rugged young man, the woman possessed a more dignified and elegant demeanor. Her beauty wasn't extraordinary, but her figure was excellent; simply sitting there, her curves were graceful, like a blossoming, opulent peony. At this moment, the woman was scolding her brother, who had repeatedly avoided her. The latter cowered, occasionally casting pleading glances at the stout man. The woman couldn't stand her brother's spineless, indecisive manner. Her fury swelled, her ample chest trembling. She actually slapped her brother directly across the face, the sound sharp and clear. Her brother, now a powerful general in the Beimang army, still dared not show any sign of defiance, hanging his head, feeling both wronged and anxious. After hearing the slap, the stout man finally couldn't help but speak: "First daughter-in-law, that's enough. Since Yelü Hongcai didn't die at Hulu Pass, he won't die in Beiliang either."

It would have been fine if the stout man had quietly practiced his silent meditation, but the moment he spoke, the woman immediately redirected her anger: "Dong Zhuo! How dare you intercede for him?! If you hadn't insisted he lead the Dong family's private army to Hulu Pass to rescue Yang Yuanzan, would my brother have been in such danger? All these years, I've run errands for you in Beiting, spoken well of you to various Envoys and Grand Generals—was it all just so you could send my brother to his death?! If you're so capable, why didn't you personally lead the Dong family cavalry to intercept those two Beiliang heavy cavalry units?"

Dong Zhuo, who was indeed the Grand King of Beimang's Southern Court, pressed his hands on his saber and frowned in silence.

When the stout man remained silent, the unreasonably quarrelsome woman, for some reason, immediately felt a pang of guilt. Her aristocratic arrogance vanished instantly, and she turned her head, unable to look her husband directly in the eye.

Yelü Hongcai grumbled, "Sister, brother-in-law, why are you two arguing because of me? It's not worth it. Sister, why don't you just beat me? Last time, it really wasn't brother-in-law's fault. He already said that if things looked bad, I shouldn't bother with the Eastern Front army at Hulu Pass. It was my hotheadedness that made me lead brother-in-law's cavalry into Hulu Pass, and it even cost him several thousand men."

The woman snorted coldly, glaring fiercely at Yelü Hongcai, her face showing anger at his lack of ambition. "If you had died in battle at Hulu Pass in Youzhou, would our father have to produce another precious son? Would Father truly not resent your brother-in-law then? Your brother-in-law hasn't even established a firm footing in Nanchao. After the unfavorable battles, it's not just the Crown Prince stirring up trouble, secretly courting the Nanchao civil and military officials led by Huang Songpu—especially those ungrateful remnants who have all flocked to him. Now even Yelü Dongchuang has returned to the royal court, speaking sarcastically in aristocratic circles, constantly kicking your brother-in-law while he's down! If you had died too, how much better off would your brother-in-law be?!"

Dong, the stout man, rolled his eyes.

Yelü Hongcai suppressed a laugh, looking up with a mischievous grin. "Sister, after all that, you're still on brother-in-law's side. Those Spring and Autumn remnants really are better at arguing than us. No wonder they say a married woman is like spilled water, her elbow always bends outwards."

The woman's face flushed slightly. She raised her hand as if to strike, and Yelü Hongcai quickly leaned back against the carriage wall, making a funny face.

Dong Zhuo sighed. These days, he felt like he was being roasted over a fire. Although His Imperial Majesty magnanimously tolerated his defeat and showed no intention of changing plans, Dong Zhuo knew perfectly well that when he became the Grand King of the Southern Court, he had essentially used up the imperial favor accumulated from over a decade of military achievements on the battlefield. If he had seized the opportunity to win the Liangmang War, it would naturally have been a great act of reciprocation, and their favor would have increased rather than diminished. Unfortunately, fate was unkind; Beimang suffered a crushing defeat outside Beiliang Pass. In fact, the Liangzhou battle he personally orchestrated had always been decisively in their favor. The defeat in Liuzhou was a pyrrhic victory for Beiliang, and with Liu Gui and Tuoba Pusa involved, it was a loss, yet not truly a loss. One could even say that the regrettable outcome in Liuzhou precisely highlighted the strength of Dong Zhuo's central line. However, Beiliang cavalry's desperate gamble led to Grand General Yang Yuanzan's army being annihilated within Hulu Pass, almost nullifying all of Dong Zhuo's meticulous efforts. Even now, Dong Zhuo still had to face fierce impeachments from Yang Yuanzan's "old subordinates." Who didn't know that Beimang had viewed the eastern front as a mere southern excursion to gain military merits at the time? With so many noble children from Nanchao and Beiting dying in one fell swoop, how could Dong Zhuo not become a universally despised figure in Beimang? What worried Dong Zhuo most was not the prominent figures seeking revenge for their deceased juniors, but the aging and disheartening of that old woman. That aging was not just a progression of age, but also a loss of vigor and spirit. Originally, Dong Zhuo had seen her as an old woman who still had the confidence to witness the annexation of the Central Plains. The last time he saw her, she had become an old woman who no longer hoped to see the Guangling River within Liyang.

To attack Beiliang or Liangliao? Previously, in all of Beimang, only three people advocated attacking Beiliang: Dong Zhuo himself, His Imperial Majesty, and the Taiping Commander of the Qijian Music Bureau.

But ultimately, it was the increasingly frail old woman who had the final say, and clearly, she seemed to be wavering.

So a rumor at the time made Dong Zhuo anxious: after comforting her pawn, His Imperial Majesty secretly summoned Wang Sui, who had suddenly risen to prominence. It seemed that Wang Sui also insisted on the established strategy of first conquering Beiliang, then annexing Shu, and finally advancing eastward into the Central Plains. This was what made His Imperial Majesty decide to fight a second major war against Beiliang.

Dong Zhuo felt somewhat fortunate about this, but also an inexplicable unease.

Something unusual always portends evil. Wang Sui, instead of fiercely confronting Gu Jiantang, who had a national vendetta against him, chose to contend with the Slaughterer's son. Wang Sui, the Prince Consort of Dongyue, had no ties or goodwill with Beimang, thus this was unreasonable.

Dong Zhuo habitually ground his teeth, his face grim.

The Beimang golden-branch-jade-leaf woman who had just unleashed her fury on him, seeing her man burdened with worry at this moment, dared not continue her relentless nagging. Ultimately, she was on his side. Most women in the world, after marriage, are willing to follow their husband's lead, no matter what. Moreover, Dong Zhuo had always been an unyielding hero in her heart, a great dragon poised to rise amidst the world's turmoil. Women of the Yelü surname each had their own aspirations: she had chosen Dong Zhuo back then; the woman who went by the alias Fan Bainu had once flirted with Chen Zhibao, the Young Slaughterer of Beiliang; and the notorious Princess Hongyan of Yuchanzhou seemed to have some connection with Xu Fengnian, the King of Beiliang, and was now recklessly advocating a southern campaign into Liangliao at the royal court.

The carriage slowly stopped. After Dong Zhuo alighted, he looked at the elegant courtyard before them, which resembled a scene from Jiangnan in the Central Plains, with its white walls, black tiles, and weeping willows. The courtyard wasn't large, nor was it particularly famous in Huairou Enclosure, but its two guests today held significant positions in Beimang. Murong Baoding, the Envoy of Juzi Province, and Grand General Chong Shentong were both influential figures in Nanchao whose mere presence could shake the entire officialdom. Dong Zhuo had originally maintained a respectful distance from both of them, but now he had to accept their invitation, clearly reflecting his awkward position in Nanchao.

Dong Zhuo suddenly missed his young wife, Fifth Fox, and of course, that innocent little girl, Tao Manwu.

Then Dong Zhuo, his first wife, and Yelü Hongcai walked into the courtyard together, meeting Murong Baoding, the "Half-Face Buddha" of martial arts, and the Chong family father and son, Chong Shentong and Chong Tan.

Meanwhile, the Beimang Crown Prince secretly met with several prominent figures, accompanied by that handsome young man of ambiguous gender and unknown identity, in a private, clandestine meeting.

And Yelü Dongchuang, who had returned to Beimang from the Liyang *jianghu* with Duanmao Deng Mao, secretly met with Hong Jingyan, the co-lord of the Rouran Iron Cavalry.

As for Tuoba Pusa, the Beimang God of War, he once again traveled alone to the ice plains of the far north, using a perpetually frozen iceberg as a ferry to continue his journey northward.

There, in the Northern Ocean, was a fish.

In the Beimang Imperial Palace, an old woman shuffled aimlessly.

Eunuchs and palace maids only dared to follow from a distance.

She browsed through one place after another, seemingly recalling many old memories.

Finally, she arrived at the square outside the main hall, where Beimang's Taiping Commander had been waiting for a long time.

Before approaching the Taiping Commander, the old woman gave a strange order to a young palace maid.

The palace maid was first bewildered, then quickly departed.

The two walked together, ascending the steps.

She actually knew many things that many people thought she didn't; her silence did not imply consent.

Her first words were unexpected: "It seems we have many Yelü Hongcai, and others similarly named Yelü Hongcai, in Beimang; it's the same among important figures. Names are always given so casually. Sir, if we conquer the Central Plains and read more books, will we become less unrefined?"

The Taiping Commander nodded with a smile.

After reaching the top of the steps, the old woman turned to face south, extended a hand, and then bent her fingers one by one. "Our Crown Prince, who became ambitious overnight, that grandfather and grandson pair sharing the late emperor's surname, and the Envoy who shares my clan's name—these three factions have already carved up half of my Beimang."

The old woman bent her last two fingers. "Add you and me, and Beimang is simply gone."

The Taiping Commander remained silent.

She chuckled self-deprecatingly: "That stout Dong certainly has ability, but his fate isn't good. If he had helped me conquer Beiliang, none of this would have happened, but now he's in this predicament. From this, it's clear my own fate isn't much better."

The Taiping Commander spoke irreverently: "Your Majesty's fate is indeed not ideal. Otherwise, if the child born to that woman in Dunhuang City had been a boy, then Your Majesty could have rested easy."

The old woman's face filled with regret, her eyes gradually growing cold.

The old woman, who had half the world bowing to her, said in a deep voice, "Issue an imperial decree to Huang Songpu: both fronts are to open fire by autumn at the latest! Huang Songpu will either live to pass through Jubei City or die in battle beneath Jubei City."

The Taiping Commander was startled, but still nodded without question.

After the Taiping Commander left, the old woman waited for a long time, finally seeing the young palace maid return.

She carefully held a small, unknown wild flower.

After the frail old woman dismissed everyone from her sight, she gently tucked the wild flower into her hair bun. She gazed south, thinking of an old friend.

Suddenly, her face contorted fiercely. She pointed a finger and rebuked, "Xu Xiao, since you made my life unpleasant, I will ensure your death is not peaceful!"

Then she lowered her hand, her expression abruptly calm, her eyes tender. Her soft murmur went unheard by anyone.