Chapter 113: First Farewell

(Noting that this chapter was originally set to update automatically last night, but upon waking this morning, I realized it hadn’t posted...)

Shortly after midnight, a gentle, rhythmic knock sounded at Qin Cheng’s room. Qin Cheng, deeply asleep, opened his eyes at the first knock. By the time the knocking ceased, he had already draped his robe over his shoulders and risen to his feet.

“Come in,” Qin Cheng said.

With a soft creak, the door was pushed open, and three figures swiftly entered. The last among them casually closed the door behind them.

“General, I’ve failed you—we lost track of them!” It was Qin Qingzhi, accompanied by two of Qin Cheng’s personal guards. The moment Qin Qingzhi stepped in, he fell to his knees in a deep bow. The other two guards followed suit, pleading, “Please punish us, General!”

“Rise,” Qin Cheng waved his hand dismissively. “Losing them was expected. Sending you to shadow those wandering swordsmen in the wilderness was no easy task. Losing them isn’t a big deal.”

“General… it is my incompetence,” Qin Qingzhi stubbornly lowered his head.

“Enough, Qingzhi. Tell me what happened,” Qin Cheng prompted.

Qin Qingzhi drew closer and whispered the details of the earlier pursuit.

After listening, Qin Cheng nodded and said, “Well done. Now go rest. We must continue our journey tomorrow.”

“Understood. We take our leave,” Qin Qingzhi and the others saluted and withdrew.

Once they had left, Qin Cheng smiled strangely in the darkness. “Since they discovered they were being followed, it’s time to be more careful.”

Naturally, Qin Qingzhi and the others had been tailing Guo Dongdong and Guo Xixi, who had climbed over the wall earlier. As their companions on this journey, Qin Cheng had to ensure he wasn’t being used unknowingly. However, the three men hadn’t gotten far before Guo Dongdong and Guo Xixi spotted them and shook them off. In fact, this was preferable—Qin Cheng’s warning to the two was delivered without incident.

After Qin Qingzhi and his men departed, Qin Cheng found himself unable to sleep. He chose instead to sit through the night in his room. His gaze was sharp in the darkness; years of training his mind to think in shadows gave him a sense of being immersed in darkness himself—an intoxicating feeling he embraced.

The night passed without further incident.

The next morning, following their routine of early rising, Qin Cheng and his party packed up and stepped out of the inn. Guo Dongdong and Guo Xixi were already waiting by the door. At first glance, the two appeared as usual, their eyes bright and lively.

“Brother Qin, are you ready to go?” Guo Xixi asked with a smile, her manner natural.

“Of course.” Qin Cheng smiled faintly and mounted his horse.

Soon, the group vanished into the distance.

After several days of smooth travel, Guo Dongdong and Guo Xixi no longer disappeared in the dead of night. Upon arrival in Chang’an, the two bid farewell to Qin Cheng and his party.

What had been a momentous gathering had ended with calm and ease.

“General Qin, we deeply appreciate your care along the way,” Guo Dongdong said, bowing slightly. “But now that we part, who knows when we shall meet again? We have no home in Chang’an, or we would certainly show our hospitality. If you do not mind, please allow us to host you and the others for some fine Chang’an wine.”

As she spoke, Guo Dongdong glanced at Qin Cheng, a faint, almost imperceptible regret flickering in her eyes—the first sign of such emotion since their midnight departure.

“We still have a mission to complete and must not delay. We cannot trouble you this time. There will be a next time for wine and reunion,” Qin Cheng replied respectfully.

“Very well, then. Farewell!” Guo Dongdong hesitated briefly, then spoke decisively.

Guo Xixi kept her gaze fixed on Qin Cheng but said nothing. Likewise, no one else spoke to her.

With mutual bows and promises to meet again, they parted.

Yet, none present could have foreseen that their next meeting would come in such a manner.

“General…” Qin Qingzhi hesitated.

“I know what you want to say,” Qin Cheng interrupted. “If we never meet again, what’s the point of dwelling on it? Besides, they didn’t cause us trouble this time.”

“It’s just... I feel uneasy, as if we were used.”

“You’ll see more people. You won’t feel this way anymore,” Qin Cheng said with a laugh, flicking his riding whip and urging his horse forward.

Qin Qingzhi was momentarily stunned, then clicked his horse to catch up.

Upon reaching Chang’an, Qin Cheng naturally had a place arranged by the court. After waiting there a while, he was summoned by Emperor Liu Che—the true purpose of this journey.

After resting at the inn for a day, early the next morning, a visitor arrived.

It was none other than Wei Qing.

“Young Lord Shao!” Wei Qing greeted Qin Cheng with a hearty laugh upon seeing him at the inn. Striding over, he clapped both hands firmly on Qin Cheng’s shoulders, adopting the manner of an elder brother. “You’ve finally arrived. The Emperor has been eager to see you for some time!”

“Brother Wei, good to see you well!” Qin Cheng smiled warmly. For some reason, seeing Wei Qing stirred a rare feeling of closeness within him. Seeing Wei Qing’s enthusiasm comforted Qin Cheng deeply. “What brings you here personally? I fear I have caused the Emperor some worry…”

“The moment His Majesty heard you had arrived, he was overjoyed. He sent me to escort you to the palace. What, aren’t you glad to see me?” Wei Qing teased with a grin.

“How could I not be? Since we last parted, I’ve missed you, whether you cared or not!” Qin Cheng laughed. “Seeing you now, I feel more spirited than ever!”

“Cut that out! You, Qin Cheng, have achieved great merits this time. The Emperor is pleased! They say when a soldier returns after three days, one must see him with new eyes—it’s true. I’d barely returned to Chang’an when you engaged the Xiongnu in a great battle. Your thousand-mile raid with just over two thousand newly trained cavalry struck deep into the desert, smashing the Xiongnu stronghold. Then came a string of victories. Such feats are truly terrifying! How did you do it? You must tell me all about it so I can witness it myself!”

“Brother Wei, don’t joke with me. That last great battle still haunts me. The raid on the desert was a last resort! If you had led the imperial guards, storming Longcheng would have been effortless,” Qin Cheng replied, well aware that it was historically Wei Qing’s victory at Longcheng that marked his rise in the Han military.

“Stop flattering!” Wei Qing sighed. “When I saw you training the troops last time, I suspected you’d soon make great achievements for the Han. I just didn’t expect it to come so quickly, and in such an unexpected way. Well, let’s not delay any longer. The Emperor awaits your audience. Afterward, we’ll find a good place to drink. I promised you last time we parted. Chang’an is quite different from your Qiansang, a place full of charm that will surely captivate you. I’ll make sure you’re well treated.”

“I accept your gracious invitation,” Qin Cheng smiled.

“Good, let’s go!” Wei Qing pulled Qin Cheng from the inn. Mounted, they rode through the bustling streets straight to Weiyang Palace. Soon they passed several gates and proceeded deep inside.

Within Weiyang Palace, Qin Cheng admired the grandeur of the ancient architecture. Beyond the towering eight-zhang palace walls and layers of pavilions, the thousands of jade steps beneath his feet inspired a profound reverence.

After much walking, they arrived before a magnificent hall, its imposing double-eaved roof with nine ridges crowned in yellow tiles resembling a golden throne hall. Ten stone pillars stood side by side, each carved with two massive dragons entwined—one above, one below—twisting upward through clouds and mist toward a central pearl surrounded by flames.

Qin Cheng looked up, reading the gleaming golden characters on the plaque above the main door: Xuan Shi Hall.

Here, Wei Qing stopped and told Qin Cheng to wait. He entered the hall swiftly and vanished from sight. Qin Cheng stood before the gate, observing two palace attendants standing respectfully on either side, nodding slightly in acknowledgment. The attendants, seeing Qin Cheng but not recognizing him, avoided staring.

After a moment, a loud voice echoed from within the palace: “Commander Qin Cheng of the Cavalry Guard, your audience is requested!”

The call invigorated Qin Cheng. Knowing he was about to meet the eternal Emperor Liu Che filled him with anticipation and excitement. Though meeting the famed general Wei Qing earlier had stirred no great thrill, the prospect of meeting the Emperor was altogether different.

Qin Cheng entered the great hall and walked several dozen steps, his gaze wandering over the surroundings. At the center stood a two-meter-high vermilion platform, atop which sat a golden lacquered dragon throne decorated with an intricate dragon-screen behind it. Flanking the platform were six towering golden columns wrapped by coiling dragons. Above, the caisson ceiling bore a massive carved dragon, from whose mouth hung a large silver-white orb surrounded by six smaller pearls. The dragon’s head and orb faced directly toward the throne below. The beams were painted in vivid reds and yellows, adorned with golden dragon motifs—twisting, flying, descending, and playing among clouds and flames.

Yet neither Emperor Liu Che nor Wei Qing was in sight.

“Commander Qin, this way,” Wei Qing’s voice called from a side door.

Qin Cheng smiled wryly to himself—this was nothing but the “grand spectacle” Liu Laolao (Empress Dowager) might see in the Grand View Garden, losing all sense of direction. He’d been so caught up admiring the hall that he hadn’t noticed the door beside him.

Following the voice, Qin Cheng stepped through and found himself in a corridor where a young man stood by the railing, gazing into the distance. From that vantage point, the vast expanse of Weiyang Palace and the sprawling city of Chang’an lay before them—a perfect lookout spot.

Qin Cheng observed the young man’s imposing aura, an invisible pressure radiating from him. Nearby, Wei Qing stood respectfully at his side.

This man—if not Liu Che himself, then who else?