Chapter 1: Breaching the city walls

Translator's note: With 2025 beginning, I wanted to start a new project, and decided to choose one I'd been reading and enjoying lately which didn't have a translation for others to read from. I'll be adding Seeking Immortality in Vain to Novel Updates, so those who wish to track it on there can do so.

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The capital was in complete chaos. Four months before, the state preceptor had raised an army from the border, and, under the pretence of clearing corrupt officials from the court, marched unchallenged the entire way, using barely more than two months' time to half of the Great Li's territory from north to south. One month before, the current Emperor Tai had taken his trusted aides to flee south in secret; under the secret imperial edict, the sickly Prince Ling had stayed behind on his own to defend the capital, and the rest of the aristocrats and nobility had also run and fled.

In such a great capital city, there actually only remained the unknowing commoners. However, now, all four of the city's gates were guarded by soldiers; even if they wanted to flee, they couldn't. And in this chaos, Prince Ling's residence was as tranquil as it ever was. It was just that, if the people who usually came to meet with Prince Ling, they could see in a single glance that this residence was unusually cold and cheerless.

A married woman with unbound hair knelt on a praying mat, devoutly praying towards the portrait hung on the wall. The smoke rose in spirals before her face, rising from the censer, curling around her figure, adding a degree of dignity and serenity.

"Niang," a woman wearing a pale blue changpao called as she pushed the door open and entered, coming to the married woman's side, the breeze that her sleeves brought soundlessly dispelling the smoke which curled around her, and also brought the tensions from outside into the room.

Just looking at this woman's head of fine black hair, carelessly coiled at the back of her head, the paleness of her lips such that it was almost as if no blood could be seen, and the degree of resolution carried between her features, it was as if everything was meticulously thought out.

Yet the eyes of the woman kneeling on the prayer mat remained closed, her mouth still muttering, and she only opened her mouth after a while passed. "Jiang Changbai, beseech the Immortal Yuanhe for blessings and protection with me."

Her mother rarely called her full name; Jiang Changbai knew that these words of hers had to be incredibly earnest. But she also knew that in this moment, she didn't have any time to defferentially and respectfully light an incense stick. "Niang," Jiang Changbai sighed and urged, "we ought to go; the coachman has already waited a long while; outside is growing more and more chaotic; if we don't leave, we really won't be able to leave anymore."

Lu Pingwan finally was willing to open her eyes, yet she stared at Jiang Changbai and shook her head. "Your mother won't leave."

Jiang Changbai instantly opened her mouth, wanting to urge her, yet she hadn't made a sound before Lu Pingwan cut her off. "A Bai, the imperial edict commanded us to remain and guard the capital; no matter what happens, we cannot leave."

Jiang Changbai's voice rose a minute amount. "Niang, the imperial edict was given to Imperial Father; now that Imperial Father has already died, there isn't any connection between our leaving or staying and the imperial edict."

Three days before, the rebel army had arrived at the city walls; on receiving the news, Prince Ling spat a mouthful of blood, and that night, passed on. But in the urgent situation of the moment, Jiang Changbai could only secretly place her prince father's corpse into the ice storage room, only saying to others that Prince Ling was attending to his health. Anyway, in the past, during peaceful times, in a year, Prince Ling would have two hundred or more days where he remained in the residence and recuperated.

Lu Pingwan, hearing these words, closed her eyes, and turned to the portrait hung on the wall and made obeisance, appearing to want, with a solemn appearance, to continue praying.

Seeing this appearance, Jiang Changbai urged again, "Yun-cefei^[1] also left secretly last night; now, the only people remaining in the prince's residence besides the servants are the two of us. Niang, let's leave. You've already prayed here for so many days; the immortals will protect us."

Lu Pingwan still didn't look at her; she continued to recite cryptic scripture.

The room's door was pushed open once more. Xie Qianbing stood alone at the doorway, looking uneasy. "Dianxia."

Jiang Changbai, hearing the sound, turned her head, and met Xie Qianbing's line of sight, and then immediately sighed, turning and walking out. "Arrange two more to guard the Princess."

As her words fell, the door behind Jiang Changbai also closed. Xie Qianbing only followed behind her, not waiting for many steps to pass, when she moved to Jiang Changbai's side and said in a quiet tone, "Dianxia, the rebel army is starting to besiege the city; the imperial guard's trainer is kneeling in the front courtyard now, saying he wants to see the Prince."

Jiang Changbai furrowed her brows, tilting her head and asking, "The imperial guard's trainer; shouldn't it be that he comes?"

Yet Xie Qianbing shook her head, and said with a sigh, "They've all fled."

Jiang Changbai closed her eyes, then smiled. "It's lucky then, that you're still remaining here."

"Dianxia," Xie Qianbing called out, and then immediately lowered her head and followed after Jiang Changbai.

Jiang Changbai slowly strolled to the front courtyard, yet the train of thought in her mind was dispelled. Xie Qianbing was her study partner; she had been born in a merchant family, and from youth had been raised at Prince Ling's residence. The founding emperor of the Great Li, as a daughter, had governed a great expanse of the previous dynasty's territory, so as a result, the Great Li had altered the customs of the past dynasty, and girls could also study.

So, the study companions by the sides of the imperial family were usually chosen from the common people, by looking at natural talent, and also the Eight Characters.^[2] Xie Qianbing came to her side in this way, and up until now, it had already been near ten years. But from the beginning of her schooling until now, Jiang Changbai had only had two study companions.

Unfortunately, the other had already gone missing from when she'd fled south five years before; if she were alive, her person hadn't been seen, and if she were dead, neither had her body.

Song Juguang.

Jiang Changbai couldn't help but repeat this name in her mind; if she hadn't gone missing after that time, what sort of circumstances would there be now, then?

The first time Jiang Changbai had seen Song Juguang, she had been among refugees. She had been wearing tattered clothes, yet she hadn't been as withered and wan as the others; head high, standing straight amongst the crowd, she hadn't seemed like a refugee, but rather an immortal who had fallen into dire straits.

But only when she was truly brought into the prince's residence did Jiang Changbai realise that Song Juguang truly wasn't as intelligent as she looked. Though in terms of martial arts, she was a rare talent, and, as four ounces moving a thousand jin, could achieve much with little effort, sometimes even the masters invited to the residence would, on facing her, want to give up; when the master would teach literature, she couldn't remember a single phrase; the words which were on her lips the most often were, "Dianxia, I can't learn it; can you teach me?"

Thinking of this, Jiang Changbai couldn't help but laugh bitterly. Now, not even Dianxia could.

That state preceptor was incredibly mysterious; though she'd been in the court for three years, aside from Emperor Tai, there was no one who had seen her face. Rumour had it that she resented the imperial family greatly, and unfortunately, of the imperial kin who had been captured, none had remained alive.

Jiang Changbai didn't know, either, once the city's walls were breached, whether she could live; but she still had to take a gamble.

Xie Qianbing, who had followed after Jiang Changbai all along, couldn't hold back, and made a probing suggestion. "Dianxia, how about we call for the Prince to come."

"The Prince has died," Jiang Changbai tossed these words out lightly, and with hurried steps, headed towards the front courtyard.

The front courtyard was even more solemn. A group of majestic women attired in sturdy clothes, wielding dao,^[3] stood at all four corners. A man, sticking out, knelt in front of the hall, his face full of apprehension.

"Dianxia."

Jiang Changbai emerged, and the imperial bodyguards all lowered their heads and made obeisance. On hearing the sound, the man's eyes filled with hope, and he looked over, yet when he saw Jiang Changbai clearly, the hope in his eyes dispersed in an instant.

"What of the Prince, I want to see the Prince!" the man shouted.

"You can only see me," Jiang Changbai said, expression cooling, and brushing her sleeves aside, sat on the Taishi chair. "Speak, then."

The man was clearly intimidated by Jiang Changbai's aloofness, but it was only for a flash. Soon after, he rose and scrambled towards Jiang Changbai, and exclaimed, "The rebel army has already begun to lay siege to the city; my brothers on the city wall are already guarding it with their lives; how to act next is all waiting on the Prince's decision; I don't have time to waste time with you!"

"Then don't guard it anymore; go on, open the gates," Jiang Changbai said, her face still cold.

The eyes of everyone in the room fell onto Jiang Changbai. The man first stilled, then immediately said in a louder voice, "This action of yours is disgraceful!"

Yet his words had only just fallen when the dao of the bodyguards guarding at the sides fell upon his neck, and it seemed that with only Jiang Changbai's cold word, his head could be separated from his body. Yet Jiang Changbai only understatedly waved her hand, and said, "Take the dao away."

The blades were removed, yet the man still remained in place. Jiang Changbai also stood; she was tall, and she was even a bit taller than this short Zhuang man before her. Surprisingly, staring fixedly at the eyes of the man before her, she asked, "Do you know how many the rebel army outside the walls are, and how many imperial guards who have the capacity to fight within the city there are? Enemies on all sides; do you know how many days the food stored within the city can last for? The ones you call brothers will give up their lives in vain, a mayfly shaking a tree."

The man was rigid.

But Jiang Changbai clearly didn't have any intent to continue to urge him, and sat on the Taishi chair once more, once more saying lightly, "If you can't accept it, you don't need to return; my people will bring the command." Finishing speaking, she waved her hand once more; the bodyguards who had been waiting rushed forward and restrained the man. But then, before waiting for her to make a second movement, they heard an earth-shattering clamour from outside.

This clamour approached from a distance, and rushed at her from all sides. Ironware striking against itself and horseshoes striking against the pale flagstones.

The city had been breached.

A degree of irrepressible mournfulness flashed in Xie Qianbing's eyes; she turned to gaze, only feeling that the entire hall was filled with grief that she couldn't speak in full. Even if Emperor Tai wasn't benevolent, she'd been born in the capital, and she'd been raised in the capital; no matter what, she didn't wish to see this place be invaded and set to flames.

Jiang Changbai remained seated upright on the Taishi chair, neither joyful nor sorrowful. But in the next moment, she stood, walking directly to the front gate, and immediately stood still, as if waiting for something.

And, at the same moment, a bevy of elite troops, urging horses on, rushed towards Prince Ling's residence. The woman at the head only wore plain cotton clothing, and a long jian^[4] hanging at her waist. All of the soldiers who followed behind her were women, each wearing heavy armour, their gazes all following that woman's figure. Among them, there was a person carrying a towering bundle; the bundle followed the gallop of the horse, moving up and down.

The sound of the horse's hooves gradually slowed, until they finally ceased. The plain cotton-clad woman turned over and got off the horse, yet before she was standing firm, that pair of heavy wooden doors slowly opened on their own.

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Translator's notes:

[1]: 侧妃, title for the second concubine.

[2]: 八字 (ba zi), also known as the Four Pillars; a type of fortune-telling that looks at two sexagenary cycle characters assigned to a person's exact date of birth.

[3]: Single-edged blades, often curved.

[4]: A straight, double-edged blade.