Chapter 133

Chapter 133

◎One day when the spring breeze rises again, the dragon flag will be raised at the border.◎

Sinner, Luo Qushu.

Luo Wanqing looked at the handwriting on the envelope, unable to help but feel both laughter and tears welling up inside her.

In less than four thousand characters, he had encapsulated his entire life, repeatedly calling himself heartless and unrighteous, and in the end, referring to himself as a "sinner father."

Yet this man, who claimed to be so "unrighteous," was willing to stay with Cui Qingping until the very end at the border, willing to give up his chance of freedom to stand guard for the Cui family until his death.

This man, who called himself so "heartless," still chose to advise his daughter in his final words, "Put your own safety first; if you have the strength, pass this letter to someone trustworthy." He wanted her to live a life of freedom under a vast sky.

"Why..."

Luo Wanqing finally could not hold back, speaking hoarsely, "Why did it take nearly a month for East Capital to receive the news, and why was it incorrect?"

As she spoke, Luo Wanqing turned to look at Xie Heng. "After receiving the news, since Minister Cui returned to East Capital, the emperor should have known what happened on the battlefield. Why did the Cui family still have to die?"

Xie Heng remained silent. Luo Wanqing restrained the moisture in her eyes, unable to understand. "Who is 'the chamber' my father mentioned? If he knew about my exceptional talents, why didn't he let me find my own way out? Why did he believe that Li Guiyu would protect me?"

"Did Uncle make a mistake?"

Xie Heng asked softly, and Luo Wanqing was taken aback.

Xie Heng thought for a moment and then said gently, "Xiniang, in Uncle's eyes, he saw the most admirable side of the Third Prince. The Third Prince was also a disciple whom his brother sacrificed his life for. Rather than believing in his bad side, Uncle preferred to believe in his good side. And Uncle indeed didn't bet wrong. Until the very end, Li Guiyu always left you a way out; he never truly had the heart to harm you. As for letting you find your own way out..."

Xie Heng smiled and continued, "For Uncle, this letter was already a fantasy. He believed his daughter could become an eagle, but he couldn't put too much effort into something that seemed hopeless."

"If he didn't believe, why did he start planning six years ago..."

"This wasn't a plan."

Xie Heng interrupted her, clearly pointing out, "Before everything happened, when Uncle hadn't yet arrived in Jiangnan, Zhang Qiuzhi was already going to fixed locations on the first, eighth, and tenth days of each month. These three locations and times were not specifically set for this letter; they might have been part of their organization's communication method."

Luo Wanqing was stunned. Xie Heng continued to analyze seriously, "Zhang Qiuzhi was your father's subordinate, and these three locations and times were set by your father. Perhaps he used your birthday as a code in his daily operations. These three locations and times might have been fixed meeting points for his subordinates. That's why Zhang Qiuzhi has been taking Zhang Yiran there for so many years, and your father also went there for so long."

Listening to him, Luo Wanqing gradually calmed down. Xie Heng continued, "Six years ago, you were only fourteen, just an ordinary girl. At that time, your father choosing to leave you a letter was already a fantasy."

And it was precisely this fantasy that became the most crucial clue they now held.

"As for what happened in the past..." Xie Heng slowly smiled, "Can't you see?"

He continued, his tone softening, "Someone in East Capital intercepted the news from the border, causing the message to arrive a month late. When my uncle returned, East Capital could no longer tolerate him or the Cui family."

"When did East Capital receive the news of the war at the border?"

Luo Wanqing pondered, recalling the events of those days.

But back then, she didn't care about these things. She vaguely remembered that the Cui family was accused of treason, imprisoned, and ten cities at the border fell. The Wang and Zheng families intercepted the advancing iron cavalry at Yu Guan...

"June sixteenth," Xie Heng's voice rang out.

Luo Wanqing felt that this date was sensitive. She saw Xie Heng turn to her with a smile, as if knowing what she was thinking, and explained, "It was the sixth day after my mother died, enough time for a messenger hawk to fly from East Capital to the border and back."

Luo Wanqing immediately recalled the line in the letter: "On June thirteenth, the head of the Cui family vomited blood in his tent."

Three days were enough for a messenger hawk to fly from East Capital to the border. Cui Qingping vomited blood on June thirteenth because he learned of his sister's death after defending the city for a month.

"At that time, the border city of Yuezhou was running out of supplies, arrows, and weapons. Yet the imperial court forced his two sisters to die and plotted against his nephew, the crown prince."

"The emperor said that on June sixteenth, he received a letter from my uncle telling him, 'The Beirong have invaded. I am defending against formidable enemies outside and tigers within. If there is a rift between us, I cannot fight alone. I hope Your Majesty will think carefully and show mercy. If the crown prince is not of the Cui lineage, I cannot guarantee the safety of Great Xia.'"

Xie Heng spoke as if he had read the letter countless times, reciting every word clearly.

"If the crown prince is not of the Cui lineage, I cannot guarantee the safety of Great Xia."

Such a bold threat—how could any ruler tolerate it?

According to her father's letter, on June thirteenth, Cui Qingping received news of his sister Cui Muhua's suicide in the palace and the disappearance of Empress Cui Lianyi and Crown Prince Li Shengzhao. Despite this, he continued to defend the city.

"The next day, the Beirong army attacked again. The general advised the head of the Cui family to abandon the city and retreat, but he stayed to protect the people."

How could such a person use the border war to threaten the emperor?

"So the emperor was furious," Xie Heng continued, ignoring Luo Wanqing's confusion. He placed the lamp aside, took the letter from her hand, and continued, "The next day, the entire Cui family was imprisoned, and the emperor demanded that my uncle hold the city to the end, threatening to execute the whole family otherwise. However, my uncle did not comply. On June twenty-fifth, East Capital received news of the Cui family's betrayal. The court allowed the Wang and Zheng families, stationed behind the ten border cities, to recruit troops and prepare for battle. On July tenth, they reported a great victory at Yu Guan."

That doesn't make sense.

Luo Wanqing listened to the timeline, staring at the words in the letter in Xie Heng's hand.

"On June twentieth, supplies ran out, and the civilians were evacuated, led by soldiers to seek refuge at Yu Guan. The general advised retreating again, but the head of the Cui family refused to abandon the city."

"In early July, several miles behind the city, all vegetation was depleted, yet the head of the Cui family still refused to abandon the city."

On July seventh, Li Guiyu was hung in front of the city gates to force them open.

On July tenth, Jiang Fengwan was shot dead in front of Yuezhou's city gates. Li Guiyu entered the city, and Cui Qingping learned that Yu Guan had killed thirty thousand civilians. He turned white overnight and began to withdraw his troops.

On July twelfth, Luo Qushu left Yuezhou.

On July fifteenth, Yuezhou fell.

On July fifteenth, the first city at the border, Yuezhou, fell.

Yet East Capital received news of Cui Qingping's surrender and the fall of the frontline on June twenty-fifth, and on July tenth, news of a great victory at Yu Guan.

The news of betrayal was false!

The ten border cities were abandoned from the very beginning. No one ever intended to rescue them. They were forcing Cui Qingping to give up, forcing him to betray his country.

But the border was waiting all along.

Yet they waited in vain.

Those ten cities, whether soldiers or civilians, had been sacrificed as pawns by the nobles of East Capital from the start.

However, they were unaware of this.

Whether it was Cui Qingping, Luo Qushu, or the soldiers at the border, and even the civilians who had migrated inland from the border.

Each and every one of them held on, waiting with hope, heading toward Yu Guan.

In May, they held the city without retreating.

In June, they held the city without retreating.

In July, the city fell, and people perished.

Without supplies or reinforcements, those hundred thousand people persisted from May until July. Finally, when the civilians they had worked hard to evacuate were killed outside the gates of He Yuguan, they lost all hope and broke down.

"Where is Patriarch Cui? Where are those people?"

Luo Wanqing snatched the letter and read the line, "On the second day, Patriarch Cui ordered his retainers to retreat while also finding my father, intending to send something to Jiangnan..." She confirmed, "Didn't they retreat on the second day? What about those soldiers? Those civilians?"

"After the fall of the ten border cities, Beirong massacred the Han people."

Xie Heng spoke calmly, "When I went to the border later, the Han people could not enter the territory at all. Even those who managed to enter had mostly disappeared. As for my uncle—" Xie Heng looked up at her, "you should know that on August 14th, he returned to East Capital, knocked on the palace gate in the morning, and then committed suicide in the palace that night."

"Committed suicide?"

Luo Wanqing did not believe it: "He committed suicide?"

"The emperor said that the noble families wanted to execute him for treason by public dismemberment, but the emperor, remembering their childhood friendship, felt compassion and granted him poison in the palace."

"Do you believe the emperor's words?"

Luo Wanqing asked urgently.

Xie Heng was silent for a moment before he slowly said, "I saw the letter my uncle wrote to him. It was indeed in my uncle's handwriting, with his private seal and their special code. No one could have forged it."

"But... how is this possible?" Luo Wanqing couldn't understand, "According to what my father said, Patriarch Cui held out until the city fell on the 15th of July. Even without today's letter, logically speaking, Patriarch Cui, being a high-ranking official, not a child, wouldn't dare to act like this."

"I used to be puzzled by this too," Xie Heng took back the letter from Luo Wanqing, gazing down and stroking it. Then he changed the subject, "But now, if someone could intercept communications between the border and East Capital, they must be someone extremely close to the emperor. Such a person could forge a letter, which might not be impossible."

"Do you believe the emperor was deceived?"

Hearing Xie Heng's words, Luo Wanqing gradually calmed down, analyzing what he said and thinking aloud, "Why? Because the emperor has no reason to bring down the Cui family?"

Xie Heng did not speak, as if pondering. After a long while, he said softly, "When His Highness left the palace, he told me about what happened on the sixth day of the sixth month."

"What happened that day?"

Although Beirong launched their attack on the fifteenth day of the fifth month, everything spiraled out of control on the tenth day of the sixth month when Cui Muhua died in the palace and Cui Lianyi and Li Shengzhao went missing.

"On that day, it was the fixed monthly family dinner between the Crown Prince and the Empress. So, as usual, he entered the palace at noon to talk with Her Majesty. At that moment, Wang Qingfeng suddenly arrived at Weiyang Palace with an imperial edict, demanding they confess and hand over the hidden object to avoid the death penalty."

Wang Qingfeng was Wang Shenfeng's personal guard, the third master in the world after Zhang Chunzi and Yang Chun. He had appeared outside the Empress's palace with an imperial edict and troops, surrounding Weiyang Palace?

Luo Wanqing frowned and immediately asked, "What object?"

"I don't know."

Xie Heng shook his head and said, "His Highness didn't know either. The Empress sensed something was wrong and requested to inspect the edict. But Wang Qingfeng directly accused them of treason and ordered his troops to attack. With Wang Qingfeng present, Weiyang Palace could not resist. Fortunately, my mother arrived in time, and with the help of Xingling, the Crown Prince and the Empress managed to escape. But..."

Cui Muhua died in the palace.

"Was the edict real?"

Luo Wanqing thought for a moment, and Xie Heng calmly replied, "It was fake. Every imperial edict must be recorded in duplicate. I checked later, and there was no such edict."

"So it was forged by the Wang family..."

"But without the Emperor's tacit approval, the Wang family couldn't have done something so big," Xie Heng reminded her. "Yang Chun was still in the palace, and the imperial guards were the Emperor's men. Yet, on that day, they acted as if they didn't exist and even joined in the attack on my mother and me."

"Then..." Luo Wanqing was confused, "Why do you still think the Emperor was deceived?"

"Given this clue, I naturally suspected the Emperor. I wanted to understand what the Emperor was looking for and why my mother died back then. That's why I asked you to approach Zheng Biyue."

As Xie Heng spoke, Luo Wanqing recalled that night on Purple Clouds Mountain when Xie Heng questioned Zheng Biyue alone.

Seeing her confusion, Xie Heng continued, "My mother died when Zheng Biyue was in the palace. On that night on Purple Clouds Mountain, she told me that she overheard Wang Lianyang and her maids plotting, saying the Emperor still had doubts and wanted them to try forcing a confession from the Empress. This was their chance to force the Crown Prince and Empress into rebellion. Zheng Biyue was discovered and hastily sent away. Back then, the Wang and Zheng families must have worked together, which is why Zheng Biyue survived. They likely told the Emperor that the Cui family had something he wanted but couldn't confront them directly, so he tacitly allowed the Wang family to interrogate the Empress and Crown Prince."

"But the Wang family never intended to interrogate; they only wanted to force a rebellion."

Luo Wanqing understood and pondered, "They tried to use a fake edict to kill the Crown Prince and Empress. If successful, even if the Emperor realized it, a rift would already have formed with the Cui family. With Beirong as the external threat, the Emperor would have to rely on them. Your mother learned of the plan and rushed to the palace, ultimately being trapped under the guise of assassination and treason. Lady Xie sacrificed herself to protect you and the Xie family by cutting ties and committing suicide in the palace."

Xie Heng nodded and continued, "With my mother dead, the Crown Prince and Empress missing, and no survivors in Weiyang Palace, the Emperor had no way of knowing what happened, leaving him at their mercy. Regardless, my mother died, and the Emperor would surely worry that Uncle would bear a grudge. Just six days later, Uncle's threatening letter arrived, making the Emperor believe he had rebelled, leading to the imprisonment of the Cui family."

"After imprisoning the Cui family, news came that Lord Cui had betrayed the country, and Beirong's army advanced eastward. In panic and anger, the Emperor couldn't think clearly." Luo Wanqing understood.

"So he granted the Wang and Zheng families the privilege to expand their forces." Xie Heng affirmed, a mocking smile on his face. "And indeed, the Wang and Zheng families achieved a great victory at Yu Guan."

The news of the victory at Yu Guan reassured Li Zong and brought joy to the entire East Capital.

At this point, what would Li Zong want to do with Cui Qingping upon his return?

He could no longer trust Cui Qingping.

He wanted that thing.

The only chance for Cui Qingping to survive was through their old friendship. But to make His Majesty believe in their friendship, he had to hand over that thing first.

"I believe His Majesty gave Uncle a sliver of hope."

Xie Heng held the letter from Luo Wanqing's father, turning it under the lamplight: "They grew up together, as close as brothers. The night Uncle returned to East Capital, assassins surrounded the city. I went to persuade Uncle to leave East Capital, but he chose to stay, choosing His Majesty."

Under the lamplight, the paper shimmered, and Xie Heng smiled bitterly: "His Majesty couldn't possibly doubt his sincerity. In fact, the entire journey to the palace was fraught with assassins. His Majesty had countless opportunities to kill him, but he didn't. He let Uncle walk all the way to the palace gate and shout, 'Guilty subject Cui Qingping returns, begging His Majesty to send troops to Beirong!'"

This was the Emperor's gesture of friendship and a path to survival. He could have died silently, without a word.

"But I think, my mother, aunt, brother, and the entire Cui family could not give what Uncle could not give. Yet, at the same time, His Majesty knew that he sent something to Jiangnan. To this day, His Majesty believes that what was sent to Jiangnan is what he wants."

Thus, the Xuantian Box sent to Jiangnan became the greatest rift between the Emperor and his minister.

When Li Zong pressed Cui Qingping about the whereabouts of the thing he wanted, Cui Qingping claimed ignorance. Li Zong only knew that he had quietly sent an iron box to Jiangnan.

Therefore, Cui Qingping's defense and the truth were rendered lies before this hidden iron box.

Moreover, for Li Zong, the truth was a sharp blade.

If Li Zong believed Cui Qingping, he would have to bear the guilt of his greed, suspicion of his general, neglect of traitors, leading to the fall of ten border cities, the slaughter of civilians, and the unjust persecution of the Cui family.

So Li Zong could not believe.

He could only believe that Cui Qingping lied and that the Cui family intended treason.

He could never admit that Cui Qingping never thought of betraying Great Xia.

When he was isolated and defending the border, he did not abandon waiting for Li Zong;

When he received news of one sister's death and another sister and nephew's disappearance, he did not suspect the Emperor, still waiting for Li Zong;

Even when he learned his entire family was imprisoned, he continued waiting for Li Zong...

He waited until the end, until thirty thousand civilians died at Yu Guan, until the city fell and he returned to East Capital. He was still waiting for his Emperor, Li Zong.

Every step of Cui Qingping's was forced into treason, yet he remained loyal until death, offering the most devoted sacrifice to his ruler. But what about Li Zong?

How could Li Zong admit that his greed and suspicion destroyed such loyalty and friendship?

From the moment Cui Muhua died, any reason to prove Cui Qingping's disloyalty, he preferred to believe,

"So..."

Luo Wanqing murmured involuntarily: "What does His Majesty want, and what is inside that iron box?"

Xie Heng said nothing. Seeing he remained silent, Luo Wanqing turned her head and saw him leaning against the bed, holding her father's letter with two fingers, flipping it in the air.

The darkest part of the night had passed; morning light filtered through the pale, dull window paper, casting a soft glow on his noble and handsome face.

Luo Wanqing suddenly realized this was the first time she saw Xie Heng in daylight.

So close and real, without any concealment.

She remained silent, watching him.

Xie Heng noticed her gaze, glanced over, and raised an eyebrow: "Why are you staring at me?"

Luo Wanqing paused, not wanting to let him feel smug, and turned away coldly: "Not looking at you, just reading the letter."

"Reading the letter?"

Xie Heng laughed: "Then why haven't you noticed anything odd after looking at it for so long?"

Luo Wanqing was taken aback and quickly looked back, seeing Xie Heng raise the paper.

Light shone through the thin paper, but three characters remained dark and heavy.

They read:

"Ren Wu Wu"

Changshun eighth year was the Ren Yin year, May was the Wu month, and the fifteenth was the Wu day.

These three characters indicated the true time of Beirong's attack. Their presence at the end of the letter was clear enough.

Luo Wanqing looked at Xie Heng in surprise.

Xie Heng smiled, saying: "Still say you weren't looking at me?"

"When did you notice?"

Luo Wanqing took the letter, turning it over in her hands.

Xie Heng leaned against the bed, propping his head with one hand, smiling at her: "While talking to you."

"Then why don't you go try it?"

Luo Wanqing frowned, but Xie Heng was unhurried, smiling at her: "Do you want to come along?"

Luo Wanqing paused, lifting her eyes to meet Xie Heng's, her gaze deep.

After a moment, she said: "Young Master—aren't you afraid I'll see something I shouldn't?"

Xie Heng smiled, seemingly prepared, taking out a pill from his sleeve and presenting it to Luo Wanqing.

Luo Wanqing looked at the pill, hearing him explain softly: "This is Yi Sha."

Luo Wanqing lifted her gaze to him, and Xie Heng smiled as he said, "A palace-secret poison. Take an antidote once a year, or you will surely die within a year. If you're willing—"

Xie Heng leaned forward slightly, looking into her eyes with a serious yet enticing tone: "Place your life in my hands, and from this moment on, we shall be one. I have no secrets from you."

Luo Wanqing remained silent, staring at the man before her who made no attempt to hide his intentions. She felt as though she was looking at a white snake coiled before her.

It flicked its tongue and bared its fangs, yet she felt no panic.

She knew that this pill was his way of giving everyone an explanation as Xie Heng.

From the moment he shared his secrets with her, he had entrusted his life to her.

But his life was not just his own; it belonged to many others.

He could gamble with his own life, but he couldn't bring others to the table with him.

If she betrayed him, he would take her down with him.

This was already the greatest trust Xie Heng could give her.

"Xiniang?"

Seeing her silent for so long, Xie Heng couldn't help but remind her.

Hearing his voice, Luo Wanqing did not hesitate. She raised her hand, placed the pill in her mouth, stood up, grabbed a piece of clothing, and leaped out the window, calmly saying, "Let's go."

Xie Heng laughed and followed her out the window, returning to his room.

They opened the secret chamber and leaped down from a high place, landing one after the other inside. Luo Wanqing stopped and waited for Xie Heng to approach.

Xie Heng walked to a cabinet, unlocked it, and Luo Wanqing held a lantern for him as he took out the Xuantian Box.

"Since you met the head of the Cui family in the bamboo forest of East Capital, didn't he tell you what this iron box is?"

Luo Wanqing watched him carefully wipe the box and couldn't help asking.

Xie Heng spoke calmly, as if talking about someone else: "No."

He brushed away the thin layer of dust, and a smile appeared on his face: "He didn't even tell me he had given me a box. When I wanted to take him away and asked him what had happened, he told me that if I couldn't find the truth myself, I should never touch it."

As he spoke, Xie Heng stepped aside and gestured: "Open it, then."

Luo Wanqing looked at him with some confusion: "Why should I open it?"

"The most precious thing I have should be entrusted to the most precious person."

Xie Heng stood to the side, smiling at the Xuantian Box: "I've been searching for it for six years and preparing for six years. Please open it for me, Xiniang."

Luo Wanqing understood that just as she would be anxious upon receiving her father's letter, Xie Heng, who had searched for this object for six years, would also feel uneasy.

She said no more, lowered her gaze, and turned the gears. The sound of the gears turning echoed in the room, becoming the only sound.

Ren, Year Renyin.

Xu, May.

Xu, 15th day.

With a soft click, the box opened. Luo Wanqing slowly lifted the lid, and her pupils constricted as she saw the contents.

The golden tiger token lay quietly atop a blood-stained book, unseen for years, but now gleaming under the light.

"Tiger token."

Xie Heng spoke calmly, without any emotion.

He stepped forward and took the heavy tiger token out of the box.

Beneath the token was a blood-stained book. Xie Heng flipped through it briefly and saw names listed one after another.

"A roster."

As he continued flipping, he found another book with pages inside. He glanced over it and confirmed the content: "A military diary, copies of letters exchanged between my uncle and the emperor."

Further down, there was a sheet of paper with Beirong script, bearing the private seals of Wang Shenfeng, Zheng Pingsheng, Minister of War Sun Zhengli, and even the Grand Supervisor of Zhong Yufu, Yang Chun. These seals were lined up one after another, and Xie Heng smiled: "Documents of treason."

Finally, there was a folded piece of silk.

"What is this?"

Xie Heng found it strange.

He unfolded the silk and saw a detailed map.

Xie Heng spread it out and hung it in the room, holding the lantern to illuminate the map.

Under the firelight, Luo Wanqing saw the map clearly.

This map depicted the entire northern border, unlike the usual maps focusing on Great Xia's territory. This map extensively detailed the region north of Great Xia, drawn with great precision, not resembling the work of a Great Xia person.

More strikingly, a red line ran from the fifth city along the border, winding through the continuous snow-capped mountains, crossing them, and circling around to the rear of Beirong.

Another black line extended straight from the tenth city along the border, eventually intersecting with the red line.

Luo Wanqing stared at the map, suddenly recalling the sentence from her father's letter: "On the second day, the head of the Cui family ordered his retainers to retreat and sought out Father, intending to send something to Jiangnan..."

"What about those soldiers? Those civilians?"

"After the fall of the ten cities along the border, Beirong carried out massacres of the Han people in those cities."

The question she had asked Xie Heng still echoed in her ears. In this instant, as she looked at the map, Luo Wanqing suddenly had an answer.

Why go to such great lengths to send an iron box from the border to Jiangnan?

Why did this iron box need to contain military tokens?

If it was merely to clear the Cui family's name, with the Cui family already gone, why would they go to such extremes, risking lives like Zhang Qiuzhi and Luo Qushu, to deliver an iron box from the border?

If the army controlled by the military tokens had completely vanished, what use were these tokens?

It was because someone was still alive.

Luo Wanqing raised her eyes to look at Xie Heng, her heart pounding. She understood in an instant.

Because those ten thousand people were still alive!

This list contained the names of the exiles, and this map showed their destination.

From the edge of Que City, climbing over the snowy mountains, heading westward, beyond the snow-capped peaks, at the foot of Kunlun, there lay fertile plains—Ji Ruifang's hometown.

"Seventh month, tenth day," Xie Heng's voice suddenly came from behind. Luo Wanqing stared at the map, listening to Xie Heng recite Cui Qingping's military diary.

"Luo Qushu delivered intelligence to Jiang Fengwan. Jiang Fengwan stole documents of Wang Shenfeng's collusion with the enemy from the Beirong camp, which he then handed over to Luo Qushu for submission. Later, news arrived that three thousand civilians were killed at the city gates of Yu Guan. With supplies lasting no more than ten days, when the city falls, Yu Guan and Beirong will surely attack together, leaving little chance for survival for both soldiers and civilians."

"There are now only two options: one is to attack Yu Guan, leading to fratricide. This would confirm the Cui family's treason. Beirong would reap the benefits, and another war would break out in the Central Plains, making the ten cities on the border impossible to defend. This is a treacherous act, not to be undertaken."

"The second option is to head to Que City, enter the Heavenly Mountain range, and seek guidance from the Kunlun Palace. If we can cross the Heavenly Mountains and reach Kunlun, bypassing Beirong, we could then persuade the capital to send troops, attacking from both sides to defeat Beirong. However, the harsh cold of the Heavenly Mountains makes it uncertain how many will survive the journey to Kunlun. The attitude of East Capital is unclear, and if they do not send troops, these ten thousand people will have no way back. This is a path fraught with uncertainty."

"Tonight, after much discussion among the generals, it was decided to march through the Heavenly Mountains. I will return alone to East Capital. If I can convince His Majesty to send troops, our mission will succeed; if not, my second son, Cui Zixiu, will lead the troops to the foot of the Heavenly Mountains to prepare for battle."

"One day, when spring returns, the dragon flag will rise again on the border."