Chapter 44: Xuanya

Yet after Wei Xiren got a clear look at that ball of darkness, she grew more tense; before it had settled stably on her arm, she had raised her other hand to take the roll of paper tied to its leg. This was the Cangwei army's special message courier. The xuanya looked similar in shape and appearance to crows, yet after going through training, they could take on a human-like personality, and their flight speed would increase as well; moreover, as their bodies were those of crows, when hidden in the dark of night, it would be hard for someone to notice them, and even if they did notice, most people would only assume they were crows.

The implication of crows didn't need to be explained; no one was willing to take a second look, and so the xuanya had become an indispensable courier of messages.

She'd received a message carried by a xuanya not even half a shichen before, and so, just then, when hearing the clattering of the window, had subconsciously eliminated the possibility that it was a xuanya bringing a message. After all, not everyone in the Cangwei army had a xuanya; among the five thousand person contingent sent over, she estimated there were probably only two.

If one had yet to return, then the other would be sent out to carry a message. If an urgent situation hadn't been met, then there was no one who would do so. But it was precisely because of this that, merely looking at this xuanya, Wei Xiren knew that something unexpected had happened.

Perhaps because her motions were too hurried, the xuanya unexpectedly swayed and fell off her arm, falling directly towards the ground. Luckily, Xie Qianbing, who was walking over just then, sharp-eyed and dexterous, caught it; the dishevelled black feather that had just fallen into her palm fell off, and aimlessly fluttered about in the air. Yet Xie Qianbing suddenly felt that her palm had grown clammy. The ink-dark xuanya laid softly in her palm, and in a mere moment of inattention, blood gathered in a small puddle in Xie Qianbing's hand. Xie Qianbing's expression changed, and she raised her head, gaze falling on Wei Xiren's face, her expression equally grave. Noticing Xie Qianbing was looking at her, Wei Xiren could only force a faint, bitter smile. "We'd better pack up; we won't be able to sleep tonight."

When she finished speaking, she lit a bamboo torch and burnt that tiny paper message, and then turned, walking out, and knocked on each of the doors of the bodyguards who had come with them, leaving Xie Qianbing alone in the room, watching the gradually stiffening xuanya in a daze. The black feather fluttering in the air finally fell to the ground, easily covering up the ash of the burnt letter almost entirely.

In the dark of night, a group of people and horses sped along from the town of Nanfu outwards, the breeze from the hems of their clothes awakening the dozing night watch city guard. She rubbed her drowsy eyes, yet could only see the city gates in front of her, no different from the countless other days and nights, and so only took the sound from just then as having come from her dreams, and, holding her changqiang,^[1] once more fell into sleep.

It was precisely in this period of time that Wei Xiren and the others had already made it to the city's outskirts. Xie Qianbing had never before travelled so hurriedly before; her horsemanship skills, which were usually adequate, were now barely enough, as if clothing which, when their lapels were pulled, exposed the elbows; she clung the horse with great effort, so that she wouldn't be likely to fall off. But even so, she still managed to keep up behind Wei Xiren.

The sound of the wind whistled in her ears, and Xie Qianbing clutched at the horse's reins tightly, her brows furrowed closely. Wei Xiren hadn't had time to say anything to her, and so Xie Qianbing only barely knew that the small group that had been sent to assist them had been surrounded by Lian Zhigao's men in a valley approximately forty li from Nanfu, and when they'd sent the message, both sides were just facing each other. As for their current speed, it was only so they could make it to the valley a bit quicker. The reins were quite coarse, and Xie Qianbing had wound them tightly around her hands, and she absentmindedly noticed that the skin on the back of her hands had been chafed raw. Yet the sensation of the xuanya from previously would, from time to time, follow her nerves and come to her mind, and she inexplicably felt that the danger ahead was severe.

Wei Xiren hadn't thought on it quite so much, and, bent over, stared at the way ahead, wishing she could rush into the battlefield in the very next second. In comparison to being an official, she had always been far more willing to use the long dao in her own hand to cut down the matters of injustice in the world. More than that, now, those having been besieged in the valley, their circumstances unknown, were all the sisters she'd gone through fire and water together with.

"Wei Xiren!" Her voice was hidden by the wind, and Xie Qianbing called out, voice raised, a number of times before Wei Xiren was able to hear her. Wei Xiren turned her head, discovering that Xie Qianbing's expression was anxious, yet she was still unwilling to halter the horse, only slowing her speed, coming a bit closer to her.

It was just that, even so, when Wei Xiren spoke, she had to shout. "What did you say?!"

"If they really are fighting there, they won't actually need the few of us to help, and if this is a trap—"

Before Xie Qianbing could finish speaking, Wei Xiren cut her off. "The xuanya recognise their masters, and won't carry messages for others. And even if it really is a trap—"

As she spoke, Wei Xiren squeezed her legs around the horse's torso, and the horse obediently rushed forward, and the words she'd not finished speaking dissipated into the wind. Xie Qianbing assumed she'd said some sort of countermeasure, and, teeth gritted, caught up. "What?"

"I said," Wei Xiren's breaths were drawn into deep and heavy,^[2] her voice even clearer, "even if it's a trap, then we can just kill our way out!" Having finished speaking, Wei Xiren hit her horse's flank a few times with her whip, and, without pausing for a single moment, rushed forwards. The dozen or so imperial bodyguards who'd come along followed suit, and only Xie Qianbing's expression was at a loss. But even if she'd wanted to stop, she couldn't, and could only grit her teeth and follow after. In the curtain of night, the mountain forest was in heavy gloom; after the sound of hoofbeats swept through, only the fragrant scent of earth and young leaves muddled together remained.

Summer in the capital had finally passed, but even though it had already become autumn, the noontime was still a bit hot. Xun Zhu stood by Jiang Changbai's side, waving a fan, as if wanting to use these few wisps of fan breeze to loosen her tightly furrowed brows.

Having finished writing, Jiang Changbai dipped her brush into ink, and by chance, glimpsed Qing Huai rubbing her wrist. So, she turned her head to look out the window, and asked Xun Zhu, "What time is it now?"

"Replying to Bixia, it's almost weishi; would you like them to bring in a meal?"

Only now did Jiang Changbai suddenly realise that her stomach was empty, having actually not yet eaten lunch by now. She nodded, but then, looking at the pile of memorials spread before her, sighed, and asked, "Have Qianbing and the others not yet sent a message back?"

"Replying to Bixia, there truly hasn't been any news from Xie-daren's side yet."

Jiang Changbai seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and walked over to the bookshelf by her left side, and went through the stack of memorials for a long while. Finally, she found the memorial that had come from Luyuan, which had been inscribed over a half month ago by now. By her reckoning, the two of Xie Qianbing and Wei Xiren ought to have arrived in Luyuan ten days ago; the imperial envoy having arrived, if Lian Zhigao still wanted to act out a play with her, then regardless of all else, he'd have sent a memorial. But in this past half month, not a single memorial had come. Even if it was a brazen revolt, she ought to have received some news. Things were truly odd.

If it's not good, then I'll send more people to go look, Jiang Changbai thought to herself.

By chance, just then, the sound of footsteps approached from the distance; just by these footsteps, Jiang Changbai could recognise the person, and she raised her head to see the smile on Song Juguang's face. So, the haze wrapped around her mind seemed to have been dispersed by this smile, and she asked, "What is it you're happy about?"

After they'd returned from the manor of Prince Yu that day, the relationship between the two had unexpectedly grown a not-insignificant amount more intimate. Jiang Changbai had spoken the thoughts in her mind partially, and she felt relaxed and alert, and the next time she'd looked at Song Juguang, her mind didn't feel as stoppered up as it had before. As a result, when they spoke again, there was a greater degree of sincerity in her expression.

"This minister came to congratulate Bixia," Song Juguang said, stopping a few metres away from Jiang Changbai, making a show of being earnest as she cupped her hands in salute. "This minister has good news; would Bixia like to know it?"

"Ah, just say it," Jiang Changbai said, a quiet laugh rising, and at the same time, waved a hand to send Qing Huai, who had been furtively rubbing her wrist the entire time, out to rest.

Song Juguang, seeing Qing Huai depart, naturally came to the empty space that had appeared by Jiang Changbai's side, and from within her sleeve, pulled out a small slip of paper, unhurriedly spreading it out before Jiang Changbai. Though the characters written on the paper were uneven and skewed, the sincerity of the writer could be seen. The horizontal lines were uneven and the vertical ones weren't straight, and where the brush ought to have stopped, there was a sudden spot of ink. But what the writing was like needn't be spoken of for now; the mere twelve characters caused Jiang Changbai's heart to tremble.

"Lian Zhigao has already been executed; we're returning to the capital immediately."

Jiang Changbai picked up the strip of paper, looking it over carefully once more as if not daring to believe it, and then immediately looked at Song Juguang. Just in time, Song Juguang explained, "This was sent by Xiren; calculating in the time it takes a crow to fly, this minister wagers that there's still five or six days until they return to the capital."

This ought to have been good news for Jiang Chanbgai, having put an end to the long-lingering tumour in the Great Li's southeast without having expended hardly any effort. Having schemed for so many years, Lian Zhigao ought to have managed to bring together some patrimony, and that could be used to supplement the current debt of the state treasury. Yet Jiang Changbai struggled to be happy, and only said with a smile, "A Guang truly is well-informed."

Song Juguang, hearing this, smiled as well; she wasn't a fool, and could guess what it was that Jiang Changbai was thinking at the moment. So, she whistled, and after a few breaths, a xuanya fluttered its wings, and entered from the window that had been opened wide. This xuanya appeared to have been tended to quite well by Song Juguang; under the sunlight, its feathers weren't a single shade of black, but were suffused with a glow. It circled about for a moment, and then lighted onto Song Juguang's extended finger, and the, with a human-like character, called out a couple times towards her.

Jiang Changbai, suddenly seeing a ball of darkness fly in, was first startled, and only after seeing Song Juguang's appearance of having had a plan in advance did she calm, and her gaze fell onto the animal as well. She wasn't willing to put aside her rank as Emperor and approach to look, and that xuanya wasn't willing to exert itself for this Emperor, and so, even though Jiang Changbai stared for a long time, it only showed her its back.

Song Juguang, seeing this inquisitive expression of Jiang Changbai's as well as her unwillingness to let go of her haughtiness, felt it was quite amusing, and so came a bit closer, standing shoulder to shoulder with Jiang Changbai, and took the initiative to extend her hand to let her take a closer look. She didn't forget to explain, "Actually, this sort of bird is called a xuanya; it's somewhat similar to the crows that fly about in the mountain forests, but it's not entirely identical. Its speed of flight is extremely quick, and it has great endurance; even some birds of prey can't compare to it."

"What's its name?" Jiang Changbai asked.

Song Juguang shrugged. "It doesn't have a name; or, that's to say, the sound of my whistle is its name."

"You all," Jiang Changbai's question was somewhat hesitant, and when she turned her head, she almost knocked it against Song Juguang's, and she hurriedly shifted her gaze to look out the window, a faint flush climbing up the nape of her neck, "do you all use them to send messages when marching and fighting? It's even quicker than sending a letter."

"Not only is it a bit quicker," Song Juguang said, somewhat prideful as she spoke now, "xuanya can fly without eating or drinking for three days and three nights, more than enough to travel all of the Great Li; a person riding a horse couldn't keep up with them at all."

"If that's the case, then if they can be popularised—"

Before she'd even finished speaking, Jiang Changbai was cut off my Song Juguang; she knew all too well what Jiang Changbai wanted to say. "Xuanya don't reproduce easily; at times, an egg won't hatch a single xuanya for two or three years. They haven't even become pervasive in the Cangwei army now; to spread them to the entire nation I fear wouldn't be an easy matter."

Jiang Chanbgai, hearing this, was somewhat disappointed; her hand unconsciously rose to pet the head of the xuanya on Song Juguang's hand. But the xuanya wasn't willing to give her any face, and fluttered its wings, raising its neck, about to peck her. Jiang Changbai startled, but by the time she thought to pull her hand back, it was already a bit too late. Seeing the bird's beak about to peck her hand, she was already expecting the sharp stab that would follow, but in a flash, Song Juguang's hand wrapped around her fingers. The beak struck sharply, letting out a muffled sound as it hit the bone of Song Juguang's finger.

"How disobedient," Song Juguang scolded, not actually having taken it seriously, and whistled to send it away.

"Are you alright? Quick, call an imperial physician!" Jiang Changbai, on the other hand, was quite anxious, and pulled her hand out of Song Juguang's palm, in the next moment stroking her wound. The beads of blood oozed slowly; luckily, the wound wasn't too deep.

"Many thanks for Bixia's worry; it's merely a minor wound, this minister is alright," Song Juguang said, merely feeling her heart warm in a flash, and waved her hand to call back Qing Huai, who was about to go call an imperial physician. If it were someone else, she'd have long since pulled her hand back, and thoughtlessly wiped away the traces of blood. But this time, she inexplicably wasn't willing to merely do so.

She wanted this moment to last even longer.

But the next moment, someone burst into the hall, and Song Juguang could only pull her hand away, and place it behind her. The maid who'd been waiting outside the doors came in to announce, "Reporting to Bixia, there's someone requesting audience at the gates of the Palace. She says she's the princess from Shejin, who came to make a marriage alliance."

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Translator's notes:

[1]: 长枪, similar to the Western spear.

[2]: Specifically 气沉丹田 (qi chen dantian), abdominal breathing meant to regulate the central nervous system.