Chapter Ten The Lotus Leaves Reach for the Sky Endlessly Green

  The sky in the north is vast and desolate, when night falls, the clouds are light and the stars are sparse, on the distant dark blue background, there are mixed shallow and deep gray colors, the wind blows up sand and dust, a roll hits the tent, "hula" sounds.

  Recently, a pursuit battle was fought near the Wuhe River, annihilating nearly 20,000 troops of the Western Tujue's Xiuxian Wang department. Thirty-eight of Xiuxian Wang's generals and officials were captured alive, and 4,700 enemies surrendered. The morale in the Heavenly Dynasty camp is extremely high, with bonfires lit everywhere, drinking wine and eating meat to celebrate.

  Some sang, some laughed, some shouted and some cried. The soldiers who had survived the bloody battle were venting their emotions in this moment of celebration, and the central army did not issue any orders to restrain them. After a brief rest, the entire army would pursue the Western Turks' Gulan King, who was fleeing in disarray to the Yanran Mountains, and at that time it would still be a bloody battle where lives were gambled with lives.

  Death may come at any moment on the battlefield, making every campfire exceptionally bright and grand. Drunken singing and laughter, don't mock me, where will I be buried tomorrow? Life is but a moment of revelry, once gone, never to return.

  A larger military tent of the Chinese army was not very far from the bustling campfire, but all the laughter and tears that had reached this point seemed to have turned into silence. Under the bright firelight, there was a sense of isolation that didn't fit in, as if only a few sparse stars in the sky were falling between them, exceptionally quiet.

  Afterwards, several tents also had a warm glow and the sound of people, but compared to the surroundings, they were much more subdued, neatly arranged behind the main tent, with patrolling soldiers occasionally passing through, maintaining vigilance in a relaxed atmosphere without making a sound.

  Ye Tian Ling was alone in the main tent, with a single lamp shining brightly, casting its light on the map of Mobei in front of him, and also reflecting the sharp outline of his facial features, as if carved by a knife.

  "Your Highness!" The commander of the Ling Wang Fu guards, Wei Chang, rushed in to request an audience, covered in dust and looking like he had just returned from somewhere.

  "What's up?"

  Wei Changzhen handed over a package of things: "Subordinates almost brought people to search the entire Pingdie Mountain, only found these things scattered all over, met two households in the mountains and asked, they said they knew the girl before, but haven't seen her for a long time."

  Ye Tianling flipped through the things he presented, and it was indeed the few medical books he had seen that day. A faint frown appeared between his eyebrows, and he stood up and walked a few steps before saying: "You take 100 brothers from Shenji Camp who are familiar with Jianghu to continue searching secretly. From the south along Yunu River to Hengling, to the north of *, no matter life or death, they will not disappear without a trace for no reason."

  "Yes!" Wei Changzheng obeyed and withdrew.

  Ye Tianling turned around and continued to look at the map, then raised his head in thought. His eyes were as dark and pure as the night sky, quietly covering up a patch of light and shadow. After a long time, his gaze fell on those medical books. He lifted his hand to take them over, and on their surface, there still remained the faint traces of the soft lamp light from the bamboo house, where she had read the book scrolls with her hand supporting her chin. If it weren't for the pain that still lingered in his wounds, which was extremely real, one would almost think that everything before was just a dream that had dissipated into thin air.

  The book was waterlogged, and many places were already blurred. He flipped through a few pages, dusted his clothes, sat in front of the desk, looked quietly for a while, picked up his pen and filled in a few places, and continued to look at it slowly.

  The curtain was suddenly lifted, and the eleventh big step walked in, carrying the scorching air of charcoal fire and roasted meat, immediately mixing the quiet inside with the hustle and bustle outside: "Fourth brother! Don't you go out and take a look? Tang Chu that little rascal is competing with me in archery, and he's even won the military armor!"

  Ye Tianling smiled slightly: "When did he ever win against you with an arrow? And yet he still doesn't learn his lesson."

  Eleven sat down in front of him: "I saw Chang Zheng coming back from afar just now, is there any news?"

  Yè Tiān Líng slowly shook his head: "Only found a few books."

  Eleven's face lit up with worry: "So many days have passed, I'm afraid it's... more bad than good, and in the end, she'll be implicated too."

  The night sky fell in front of him, and after a while, he said: "If you can't find it for a day, keep looking. Whether it's good or bad luck, you have to see the person to know."

  The night in Yigao City is different from the desolate north, with warm winds and quiet people. The flowers and grass are lush and fragrant, and the fireflies' soft glow flickers occasionally, flashing through the darkness, lightly falling to a distant place, and then flashing again, but coming closer bit by bit.

  The moonlight creeps up the eastern mountain, like a pair of quiet and serene eyes, casting a soft silver glow in the deepening night.

  You stand in front of the window, looking up at the sky. The room still has a faint smell of medicine, and Empress Jing had just come to see her take the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician, and also sent someone to bring her a nourishing tonic. These past few days, she treated you like a sister, personally inquiring about many things, thinking of everything for you, and the two of you gradually became familiar with each other, surprisingly hitting it off.

  Under the Tianchao imperial family, there are also the Feng, Wei, Su, Jing, and Yin aristocratic families, who have produced talented individuals throughout history. They have separately held important positions in the court and the government, and have intermarried with the imperial family since the founding of the country, forming a powerful and intricate network of interests.

  Jing Fei's name is Hui, from the Jing family, one of the aristocratic families. Although she was only Ye Tian Zhen's concubine, since Ye Tian Zhen had not established a formal wife for many years, both inside and outside the palace referred to her as the princess consort, and all internal and external affairs were managed by her.

  Jing Hui's temperament was gentle and elegant, complemented by the refined beauty of Tian Zhan at night, just like the wisteria entwined around the orchid tree, with a delicate fragrance that delighted the senses. The entire Tian Wang Fu exuded a relaxed and leisurely atmosphere, with a subtle smile and elegance that permeated every blade of grass and wood, as if it were a spring day with gentle breezes and clear skies, full of refinement and elegance.

  Ye Tianzhan had been extremely busy for several days, and Qingchen hadn't seen him since he returned from Jingqi Prefecture. She didn't know that the case of the Tianwu Zui Fang had finally caused a huge stir in Tiandu, and the situation in the imperial court was also greatly shaken as a result.

  Tian Wu Zui Fang has been operating in Yige City for many years and was originally the most famous song house, but it is now involved in a deep-seated power struggle with the Wei family. Wei Zongping has been a high-ranking official in the imperial court for many years, and his daughter is the crown prince's consort. This time, Tian Wu Zui Fang's alliance with the Changmen Gang is closely related to his eldest son, Wei Tiao. Although Wei Zongping was not aware of the situation beforehand, he must now make every effort to cover it up.

  After Ye Tianzhan sealed off the Tianwu Zui Fang, he deliberately ordered a massive manhunt for the Changmen Gang, causing a huge stir in the capital. This finally alarmed the Heavenly Emperor. As this matter involved high-ranking officials and Jianghu gangs forming cliques to cause trouble, the Heavenly Emperor had long been wary of the external relatives' power. Upon hearing this, his anger grew even more intense, but due to the war outside the country, he temporarily suppressed it without taking action.

  After several days, good news came from the north of the desert. The Xi Wei's Huo Shuo Wang was captured, and the Gu Lan Wang suffered a series of defeats and retreated to the north of the Yan Ran Mountain. Shehukahn sent an envoy to ask for peace and request a ceasefire.

  Up to now, the imperial army has won a complete victory and there is no more worry. The Emperor immediately issued an edict to remove Guo Qizhang from his position as Shilang of the Ministry of Personnel, and transferred this case to the Ministry of Punishment and the Supreme Court for joint trial. He also ordered Ye Tianquan to preside over the trial. At present, all levels of the three provinces, six ministries, and nine temples are under martial law and are being investigated, with a shocking momentum.

  Qing Chen was a key witness in this case and had been placed in the residence of Prince Zhan. She stayed there for a few days before asking to leave.

  Jing Hui didn't say much either, and smiled as she asked: "Where are you going?"

  Where am I going? Qing dust silently asked himself, and for a moment, he had no words to respond.

  Jing Hui said: "It's rare for you and me to be so compatible, since you're alone and have nowhere to go, why not stay here? At least get your body adjusted first."

  You dust smiled wistfully at the bright moon rising slowly into the sky, and when lost, only then did you realize how important a "home" was to a person. Without a home, one would forever be like a floating duckweed, drifting aimlessly, no matter what they did, it was as if suspended in mid-air, without a place to rest, and sometimes even losing oneself, with a decadent heart.

  She stood for a while, wandering aimlessly along the corridor. Not far away, she gradually heard the fragrance hitting her face, and after turning around the corridor, the scene in front of her suddenly opened up, with the endless lake water unfolding before her eyes. The weeping willows leaned against the shore, their green leaves reaching the sky, while the lotus flowers in the lake accompanied the long dike, disappearing into the gradually thickening night color. From a distance, the moonlight was like a thin gauze, hazy and fluttering, as if it were an enchanting dream.

  The nine-turn corridor extends into the water, connecting to the Cong Cui Pavilion standing in the center of the lake. In front of the corridor, a few steps away, hangs a green silk lantern that leads all the way to the pavilion, reflecting into the clear water's dark ripples, softly filling the shore with a gentle warmth.

  You walked alone to the lake, surrounded by the stillness of a deep night. On a summer day, a gentle breeze caressed your face, passing through the branches and leaves, bringing with it the emerald beauty of the lotus flowers, some with buds waiting to bloom, others swaying in the wind, their faces unveiled, floating on the water, elegant and charming.

  She walked down a few steps along the stairs of Cong Cui Pavilion in the fragrance of branches and leaves, sat by the water's edge, staring at the moon shadow. She stretched out her hand, and the moon shadow flickered on her fingertips, accompanied by ripples breaking into golden light pieces, drifting quietly towards the center of the lake.

  The water sparkles and ripples, and my emotions seem to be secretly surging like dark waves, but I feel empty and ungrounded, drifting aimlessly and feeling lost.

  Suddenly, in the quiet night, a melodious flute sound echoed, and Qingchen looked up in surprise to see someone standing on the white stone arch bridge connected to the Congcui Pavilion not far away.

  White clothes, long bridge, jade flute, in front of him are ten miles of green lotus, above is the moonlight like a silk ribbon, his eyes are rippling with clear waves, warm and gentle as water.

  A bright flute sound floats from the night sky, sometimes gentle and low, sometimes clear and high, sometimes jumping and joyful, sometimes soft and infinite, like a net woven with water and moonlight, flowing on the surface of the Idle Jade Lake.

  The bright moon is like a silver plate, pouring down golden light and silver light into the sky. When it falls on the water, it's like scattered jade floating on the surface, shining brightly. The flowers and lotus leaves also seem to be inlaid with a layer of faint pearl light, their colors hazy, adding a touch of elegance to their pure beauty.

  You seem to have been bewildered, she silently stood up in the center of the lake, motionless and gazing at the figure on the bridge. Under the full moon on the horizon, the rippling waves cast a gloomy and melancholic tranquility over her. She seemed to be standing foolishly in a dream, looking at the shadow of past memories, her current self.

  For a time, all was quiet everywhere, with only the beautiful and melancholic sound of the flute drifting in the air above Xianyu Lake, rising and falling with the wind. The sound of the flute wove in and out of my heart, entwining itself around the countless threads of love and hate that had been separated.

  She silently sketched his eyes, his smile, his tenderness, who he was many years ago, and who he would be many years later. A faint sorrow on his face, a sharp blade in his heart, intertwined with tears slowly falling, shattering on the lake water, stirring up ripples of bitter memories.

  Who says love is not regretful, who says life and death are dependent on each other, who says this life is shared together, who says the sea will dry up and the rocks will crumble?

  Originally, purple and red flowers bloomed everywhere, but now they are all withered and fallen like the broken wells and crumbling walls.

  If it's fate, why did he have to be disloyal and deceive her? If it's not fate, then why are they still meeting here?

  The flute's lingering sound wafted gently, serene and quiet. The night sky's twinkling lights enveloped her clear and elegant eyes, gazing deeply across the darkness.

  Standing relatively still, a pair of beautiful silhouettes are softly illuminated by the warm glow of lanterns in the distance, only to disappear after a gentle ripple.

  At night, Tian Xuan walked slowly through the corridor with a gentle smile, and stopped in front of her. The moonlight shone brightly between them, casting a faint shadow. He bowed his head, gently lifted his hand to caress her face, and wiped away the cold tears with warmth.

  "He said in a low voice: 'Do you know, you are more beautiful than this moonlight?'"

  As they held hands, and whispered to each other, countless memories came crashing down like boulders. You dusted yourself off and grabbed onto the railing, with shattered pain welling up in your eyes. On that bewildering night, she turned around and rushed out of the Cong Cui Pavilion, not wanting to linger for another step.