Love Goes, Success Lies in Heaven
Holding Ying thought Yang Qiong returning to Yanzhou would easily defeat Bai Yingchun, but Gan Zhou's army suffered repeated defeats yet refused to retreat. An even bigger problem arose. The Liangzhou army sent to eliminate Hu Erhana and others first went to Maquan Pass, finding only confused kings of various countries. Han Zhui, the chief commander of the Great Chu Northern Expeditionary Army, reported to Cui Jie upon discovering Hu Erhana was gone. He surrounded Maquan Pass, imprisoning the kings of Ba Bian and Cha Cha, awaiting further instructions. Soldiers searched for Hu Erhana's whereabouts and finally found his decaying body on a riverbank, headless. Han Zhui realized Yang Qiong had beaten them to it and was already returning to Yanzhou. He left two thousand men to guard the kings and ordered the rest to chase Yang Qiong down before he reached Huben Pass. Holding Ying didn't know Cui Yi's concern, while Shan Jian disliked Bo Muer, assuming he would sow discord. Given Cui Yi's desire to prevent Yang Qiong's defection, they decided to kill him. When everyone relaxed in Yanzhou, Han Zhui's forty thousand troops arrived, attacking in heavy rain. Holding Ying's boiling oil and pine resin tactic failed in the rain. Vegetable oil was hard to ignite, especially in the rain. Thus, five thousand faced sixty thousand, outnumbered twelve to one. Even Yang Qiong's skills couldn't handle this. Holding Ying sighed, feeling efforts were in vain, fearing Yanzhou would fall. News from Xuancheng hadn't arrived, and whether Cui Yi had begun attacking the capital was unknown. If Yanzhou fell, front-line soldiers would face attacks from both sides. Outside, Han Zhui's fierce attack continued, inside, people fled with children. Han Zhui, a notorious former general, had massacred cities. Holding Ying knew surrender was futile, ordering evacuation and instructing soldiers to hold until everyone left. Catapults hurled stones, battering rams pounded gates, arrows rained down. Soldiers struggled to keep their eyes open, drenched and grimacing. "Sister!" Zhong Lüping rushed up with an umbrella, "Sister, the East Gate is besieged too. Opening the gate means the imperial army will rush in. What should we do?" Holding Ying, soaked by the slanting rain, lips pale, turned, "When did this happen? How do they still have strength?" The rain was too heavy, Zhong Lüping put away the umbrella, wiping her face, "Just now, I rushed here to tell you." "Has Hao left?" Holding Ying asked. "Xiaoqiu and Nongyue took him last night," Zhong Lüping answered, "I wanted Wang Sao's family to take Yaner when they left this morning, but she refused, crying for her mother." Holding Ying's heart ached, thinking of her daughter's rosy cheeks. During her near-death experience in Xuancheng, only this daughter had been by her side. Now, facing the city's fall, little Cui Yan remained the only family by her side. Perhaps it was fate! Originally infertile, she had gained a pair of children in this new life, a great blessing. Xiao Hao was young, escaping was good, growing up in a farmer's family better than being caught in royal succession disputes. As for Yaner, unwilling to leave, she would stay... and die with her. Hopefully, Cui Yi wouldn't blame her for losing Yanzhou. Knowing his nature, he probably wouldn't. Recalling her instructions to Bai Li Zan, Holding Ying smiled bitterly but contentedly: Though defeated, she had tried and thus had no regrets. With insufficient manpower, Holding Ying guarded the South Gate, Yang Qiong the West Gate's Huben Pass, and Zhong Lüping the East Gate. Five thousand divided among three gates couldn't withstand the overwhelming forces. Soldiers died continuously, civilians joined in, cooking, moving stones, repairing walls, doing everything possible but failing to save the collapsing situation. Rain poured for three days. At the sound of the gong, only four thousand remained. Exhausted, Holding Ying nearly collapsed upon hearing the report. Equal strength meant victory for the brave, unequal strength meant victory for the wise, vastly unequal strength meant victory for the strong. At this point, any strategy was useless. Yanzhou needed people! Unable to hold back, Holding Ying covered her face and sobbed. "Lady, let me escort you and the princess out," Yang Qiong, equally exhausted, suggested, "Better to preserve oneself. Han Zhui may have massacred foreign cities, but likely won't harm his own people. Abandon Yanzhou, head south, join His Highness. Once he captures the capital, Yanzhou's loss doesn't matter. What matters is survival." Holding Ying bent almost to her knees, "No... I forced Yanzhou's hundred thousand citizens into a desperate situation. How can I abandon them in crisis? We have two choices: fight or die. His Highness is at a crucial juncture, we mustn't lose public support." Yang Qiong sighed, realizing she prioritized her husband's rule and public support, willing to risk her life for him. What drove her to be braver than men? Neither he nor Zhong Lüping understood, nor did Cui Yi. Only Holding Ying knew. Cui Yi changed her destiny, giving her children and a loving, trusting husband, far more precious than wealth and status. Thus, she was willing to sacrifice herself to protect him. On the fourth day of the siege, Cui Xiang was injured. With fifty thousand troops surrounding the city, even servants were deployed to the gates. Quiet King naturally ventured out again. Unaware of outside events, he asked where Zhong Lüping had gone, learning she had gone to the city wall to oversee the battle. Worried, he insisted on seeing her despite the servant's warnings. Though Zhong Lüping lacked combat experience, she knew some tactics and commanded competently. But in Cui Xiang's eyes, she was risking her life. He pulled her, insisting she leave, but she refused. While pulling each other, a bowman spotted them and shot, hitting Cui Xiang's shoulder. This news added to Holding Ying's woes. Exhausted, she lacked energy to scold the troublemaker. Fortunately, Concubine Cheng was present, ensuring Cui Xiang's wound, though serious, wasn't fatal. Despite disliking Cui Xiang, Zhong Lüping was grateful for his saving her life.
It was a fact; her emotions were deeply conflicted. She felt she should go and take care of him, yet she also believed it was more important to hold down Yan Zhou Fu. She was absent-minded the whole time.
During lunchtime, Cheng Fengyi came with a food box to comfort her. Seeing her even more haggard than the day before, even poking herself in the face with chopsticks while eating, she laughed, "Sister Zhong, worried about Seventh Master's injury? Your soul seems to have wandered off somewhere."
Zhong Lüping snapped back to reality, embarrassed, "No, no! I trust Sister Cheng's medical skills; Seventh Master will be fine."
Cheng Fengyi had just arrived and hadn't been told about Cui Xiang's past foolishness by anyone. So, she assumed that Cui Xiang and Zhong Lüping were a couple. With the man injured in bed because of the woman, it made sense for Zhong Lüping to want to return and take care of him.
"Seventh Master's physical injuries are not serious, but the wounds on his heart cannot be healed by medicine," Cheng Fengyi said, fanning her. "Although I don't understand military affairs, nothing major has happened these past days. It seems that the Gan Zhou army won't breach the city gates anytime soon. I can stay here to replace you; go back and accompany Seventh Master!"
Zhong Lüping held her bowl, stunned. Cheng Fengyi gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, saying, "Seventh Master saved your life; it's right for you to be with him. I won't blame you."
"... Then, thank you, Sister Cheng."
The inside of the Wangfu was almost deserted, with only three or four maids and servants left, who cooked and brewed medicine every day, spending the rest of their time in a daze. Bored out of his mind, Little Prince Cui Xiang was overjoyed when Zhong Lüping came to check on him, like charcoal delivered in the snow. If not for the pain from his injuries, he would have jumped out of bed and danced around her.
Zhong Lüping sat beside the bed, feeding him medicine. Cui Xiang's eyes sparkled like a Chinese rural dog seeing a meat bone, his tongue panting.
Cui Xiang started talking, "Lüping, I love you."
Zhong Lüping kept her head down, gently blowing on the medicine in the bowl, saying nothing.
Cui Xiang repeated, aggrieved, "I really do love you. Why can't you love me too? What's so great about Yang Gongqi? He's just good at fighting. Is that something to be proud of?"
Zhong Lüping replied calmly, "Please don't mention General Yang again. You've already made him dislike my sister and the King with that beating. I have nothing to do with him; he doesn't like me, and I don't like him. I've told you this before."
Cui Xiang still wasn't satisfied, "If you don't like him, why do you always speak up for him? I treat you so well, thinking of everything for you, all because I love you. But you won't even look at me properly."
Zhong Lüping ignored him, shoving a spoonful of medicine into his mouth, "Drink your medicine."
Cui Xiang swallowed the bitter liquid and asked, "Do you have someone else you like? Who is it?"
Zhong Lüping was nearly driven mad, ready to throw the bowl and leave. Just then, a soldier rushed in, shouting, "Lady Cousin! Lady Cousin! General Yang is injured! Lady is rushing to Hu Ben Pass; you must immediately go to the south gate to take over the defense!"