Where the Mask Ends - Chapter 22
Chapter 22
In late August, Wei Rao’s uncle, the Earl of Cheng’an, brought home some news from the front. Lu Zhuo and Qi Zhongkai, the two deputy commanders of the Shenwu and Xiong Hu armies, had launched a night raid on the U-Da camp. Unexpectedly, the U-Da had been prepared; the force of over ten thousand elites led by Lu and Qi had fallen into an ambush, suffering heavy casualties. Only a thousand men survived, and it was pure fortune that both Lu and Qi had only sustained minor injuries.
The imperial side had suffered a defeat, and Emperor Yuanjia was deeply displeased; a shadow of gloom permeated the officialdom.
Every soldier in the Upper Four Guards was hand-picked, with one man worth ten ordinary garrison troops. Losing ten thousand in a single battle—ten thousand spirited, hot-blooded men—not only pained Emperor Yuanjia, but upon hearing the news, Old Madame Wei, Madam Guo, and the three Wei siblings were all visibly pained.
Wei Rao’s cousin, the heir Wei Zizhan, said in confusion, "The news from the beginning of the month indicated that the U-Da were already showing signs of defeat. How could such a reversal occur?"
Madam Guo tried to analyze, "Could it be that Lu Zhuo and Qi Zhongkai were too eager for success and acted recklessly?"
In recent years, the Longxiang Army led by the Marquis of Xiting and his son had shown signs of surpassing the Shenwu Army. Lu Zhuo, leading troops for the first time, must have been desperate to earn merit, and that Qi Zhongkai was hardly a steady character.
Recalling something, Madam Guo glanced at Wei Rao. The Second Master Qi, whom she had been obsessively trying to seduce, had lost a battle; surely Wei Rao’s face was equally devoid of glory?
"What do you, a woman, know about this? Cease your idle chatter," Old Madame Wei criticized her daughter-in-law sternly.
The Earl of Cheng’an also glared at Madam Guo, "If you don't understand, don't guess blindly. If this gets out, you will offend two powerful families."
Even if the Lu and Qi families had lost a battle, the Duke of Ying’s Mansion and the Marquis of Pingxi’s Mansion were not families the Wei family could afford to offend.
Madam Guo hung her head in frustration.
Wei Chan gripped her handkerchief. During the Dragon Boat Festival, she had witnessed the demeanor of Lu Zhuo, the heir of the Duke of Ying, for the first time. At that moment, not just her, but almost every young lady present had been captivated by him; there was not one who did not envy the Sixth Miss Xie. Wei Chan knew that a future with Lu Zhuo was impossible for her, yet even if she couldn't have him, she hoped everything would go smoothly for him, lest his glorious reputation be tarnished.
Wei Rao was not on the battlefield, nor did she dare to speculate on the situation. However, the Shenwu and Xiong Hu armies represented the strongest power of the imperial court against the U-Da. That both armies had suffered a defeat made her, a noble daughter living peacefully in the capital, feel heavy-hearted. Before going to sleep, Wei Rao could not help but pray to the Bodhisattva, pleading for this war to end quickly, so that everyone could return to their previous peaceful lives—daring to speak, laugh, and revel once more.
By the Double Ninth Festival, news of a victory finally arrived from the border: the two young deputy commanders, Lu Zhuo and Qi Zhongkai, had joined forces to slaughter tens of thousands of U-Da cavalry, washing away their previous humiliation. Not long after, a major event occurred in the capital: a battalion commander of the Xiong Hu Army had his nine familial kin executed—over a hundred people in total—all dragged to the Meridian Gate and beheaded for the crime of treason and aiding the enemy.
It was said that during the execution, the ground before the Meridian Gate flowed with blood. Even after the palace servants washed it countless times, a brownish-red stain remained in the cracks of the stone slabs.
The truth soon spread among the common people: the failure of the night raid on Mid-Autumn night was precisely because that commander had leaked information to the U-Da.
At this, even the soft-hearted commoners who had been terrified by the bloodiness of the execution felt that those ninety kin deserved to die. The court had painstakingly cultivated those ten thousand elites; they were valiant men whom countless families were proud of. The hundred-odd relatives of the traitor were not enough to pay for the lost warhorses, let alone the lives of the soldiers who had died such tragic deaths.
They deserved a heavy punishment! Let’s see who would dare to be a traitor again, let’s see who would dare to betray their brothers on the battlefield!
Not long after the capital's first snow fell, the war that had lasted for more than five months was finally coming to an end. Khan Hulun proactively sued for peace, willing to offer fine steeds, gold, and beauties to the imperial court every year, and to send a direct prince of the grassland to the capital as a hostage.
Emperor Yuanjia, considering the volatile weather of the grasslands in winter, where blizzards could threaten hundreds of thousands of troops at any moment, accepted the surrender document of Khan Hulun.
When the news spread, the common people were overjoyed, happier even than during the Lunar New Year.
Wei Rao’s Guangxing Pavilion launched a U-Da mutton hotpot, paired with a secret sauce passed down through the chef’s ancestors—spicy, numbing, and refreshing—pushing the business of the restaurant to another peak in the increasingly cold winter.
Wei Rao specifically wrote a letter to her cousin Huo Jue, who had already returned to Taiyuan, sharing the joy of her booming business and expressing her hope that her cousins would visit the capital again next year to see the restaurant packed with guests with their own eyes.
Huo Jue’s reply arrived in Wei Rao’s hands one day before the triumphant army returned.
Beyond exchanging pleasantries and congratulations, Huo Jue shared happy news in his letter: Huo Lin was to be betrothed. The suitor was the son of the Taiyuan city garrison commander, who had earned minor merit during this year’s warfare. If he could be promoted to the capital in the future, Huo Lin would be able to visit Wei Rao and their grandmother frequently.
Wei Rao was happy for her cousin Huo Lin. A garrison commander was a fourth-rank local military official; though he was a high official, her cousin possessed wealth, beauty, and virtue. In truth, the garrison commander’s son was hardly at a disadvantage.
Wei Rao first wrote a letter to Huo Lin, inquiring about the secrets of a young woman’s heart—such as whether she had met her prospective husband—and handed it to the manager to be sent as quickly as possible, before going to tell Old Madame Wei the good news.
Old Madame Wei was very envious. Huo Lin had already secured a good marriage, while her little granddaughter was turning sixteen and her own marriage had yet to be settled!
"Tomorrow the army returns in triumph. Do you want to go and take a look?" Old Madame Wei encouraged. "Many young soldiers in the army have earned merit. We needn't be picky about noble status or those at the very pinnacle—let’s just pick someone with upright character and genuine capability."
Old Madame Wei had already given up on the high-ranking noble families; she was willing to consider the new upstarts who lacked deep foundations.
Wei Rao was not interested: "I won't go. If someone sees me, they will say I went specifically to look at Second Master Qi."
Old Madame Wei almost forgot that point; what her granddaughter said was reasonable, so she stopped pressing the issue.
The next day, the army returned to the capital. Wei Rao stayed home to keep the Old Madame company, while Madam Guo took Wei Chan out.
On the outskirts of the capital, Wei Rao’s aunt, Madam Wang, also took the sisters Zhou Huizhen and Zhou Huizhu in a carriage to the side of the main road where the army would pass. Nanny Liu accompanied them as well; her task was to watch Madam Wang and Zhou Huizhen, ensuring they did not step out of the carriage. Peeking from the curtain was fine, but appearing in public was absolutely forbidden.
The carriage had two windows, but only one faced the main road. Zhou Huizhen, wearing a veil, had claimed the best spot early on, her beautiful eyes gazing fervently at the end of the road where the army had just appeared. The winter sunlight was pale, but the area where the army appeared seemed to carry its own radiance, especially the rows at the very front—all the cream of the crop.
Zhou Huizhen only hated that her grandmother was so controlling. If she had been allowed to run to the side of the road, with her looks, she could surely have attracted one of them.
In military families, they were likely not as concerned with reputation and propriety as scholars. If the heir of the Marquis of Xiting, Han Liao, could take a fancy to her, she was willing to marry someone of slightly lower status, provided the man had a future and a handsome appearance.
Finally, the army drew near. At the front were two old generals of at least forty years. Zhou Huizhen glanced at them once before looking behind them. Upon doing so, Zhou Huizhen took a deep breath, covering her chest with one hand.
Of the two young generals in silver armor, one on the left and one on the right, the one closer to her was actually the "immortal" gentleman she had encountered by chance on Mount Yunwu.
"Wow, this general is so handsome," Zhou Huizhu poked her head out from the other side of the window, sighing in dazed admiration. She also liked looking at the "immortal" gentleman, but she wasn't as obsessed as her sister. Soon, Zhou Huizhu discovered something strange, "His complexion is so poor; he’s pale as a ghost."
"It’s probably because the gentleman next to him is so dark that it makes him look that way," Madam Wang guessed with interest, looking out through the gap between her two daughters' heads.
Nanny Liu craned her neck, but unfortunately, the window was completely blocked by the mother and daughters, and she could only see three thick, dark heads of hair.
On the main road, Qi Zhongkai looked toward Lu Zhuo once again. Being close by, he clearly saw a bead of sweat roll down Lu Zhuo’s pale, handsome side profile.
Qi Zhongkai tightened his grip on the reins.
That night when the raid failed, he had been struck by two ordinary arrows—one in the shoulder, one in the thigh. Such wounds were mere skin-deep on the battlefield; with a bit of ointment, some bandages, and a few days of rest, they would be fine.
Lu Zhuo had it worse. Relying on his keen hearing, he had dodged a wolf-tooth arrow, but was struck in the back of the heart by a common arrow. Had his luck not been such that it missed the mark slightly, Lu Zhuo would likely have died that night.
When the army doctor pulled the arrow out for Lu Zhuo, Qi Zhongkai couldn't bear to look, only staring at Lu Zhuo’s face. This guy was ruthless; aside from frowning, he hadn't uttered a single sound.
Lu Zhuo’s injuries were severe and required rest, but their failed raid had bolstered the spirits of the U-Da cavalry, and the battlefield situation had tightened again, leaving no room for Lu Zhuo to rest peacefully. Lu Zhuo, being a man who couldn't sit still, had been ordered by the Duke of Ying to rest for ten days before he could no longer bear it and returned to the battlefield.
Lu Zhuo’s wounds had barely healed before they tore open again, and once they healed, he would immediately return to the battlefield to risk his life. After being tossed about like this several times, the battle was won, but Lu Zhuo’s complexion grew paler and paler.
On the journey back to the capital, Lu Zhuo had traveled by carriage, but now that he was about to enter the city, the dignified heir of the Duke of Ying and deputy commander of the Shenwu Army had ignored all advice and mounted his horse, refusing to appear weak before the commoners.
"If you can’t hold on, don't force it. It will be even more embarrassing if you fall off your horse later," Qi Zhongkai said, gritting his teeth. Lu Zhuo might be sitting straight, but Qi Zhongkai knew that if he were to give him a simple push, Lu Zhuo would tumble from his mount.
Lu Zhuo pulled at the corners of his mouth, a response of sorts.
He knew his own body well; he only needed to hold on until he reached home to rest properly for a few days, and he would recover.
He had set out on horseback half a year ago; now that he was returning in triumph, he would also enter the city on horseback. He could not lose the prestige of the Shenwu Army or the Lu clan.
Ahead of him, the Duke of Ying tilted his head slightly, but considering his eldest grandson’s temper, he did not offer any persuasion.
With a rhythm of hooves, the army marched into the city gate in well-trained fashion.
The people lined the streets to welcome them. Qi Zhongkai’s expression was cold, frequently glancing toward Lu Zhuo, who wore a gentle smile. Aside from his complexion, he looked no different than usual.
Qi Zhongkai deliberately diverted his attention: "I wonder if the Sixth Miss is hiding in some tea house or restaurant, secretly watching you."
If they kept talking, his friend wouldn't just be dwelling on the pain of his wounds.
Lu Zhuo smiled faintly.
Qi Zhongkai answered his own question: "She likely didn't come; the Xie girl doesn't have that kind of boldness. But there is nothing to rush; you’ll be married in half a month, you'll have plenty of time to look at her on your wedding night."
Having said that, Qi Zhongkai gave a chuckle.
His father, the Marquis of Pingxi, turned his head and glared at him. It was one thing to tease Lu Zhuo, but was the Xie family's Sixth Miss someone his son could discuss?
Caught off guard by his father's glare, Qi Zhongkai finally stopped chattering.
When they reached the front of the Imperial City to face the Emperor, Qi Zhongkai dismounted first and gave Lu Zhuo a hand.
For the first time ever, Lu Zhuo did not complain that he was being meddlesome.
"Are you still holding up? If not, go back early; there are no commoners watching here," Qi Zhongkai asked in a low voice.
Lu Zhuo smiled: "It is nothing."
He was as good as his word. Lu Zhuo managed to hold out through the audience with the Emperor, and it was only upon returning to the Duke of Ying’s Mansion, only after following the Duke through the front door of his home, that Lu Zhuo suddenly felt the world turn black and lost consciousness.