The Emperor Reigns Them All

Chapter 401 Not to Forget

Because Zhu Wen was trying his best to fight and the soldiers of the Xuanwu Army were experienced and elite, it wasn’t easy for the 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers who stayed in Pinglu to hold out for a month.

Even if Shangguan Qingcheng led the elite cavalry and rode back with light packs quickly, it was unlikely to make a difference.

Moreover, the demon clan might not be able to take advantage of anything because the cultivators of the Immortal Court were helping Zhu Wen.

However, Li Ye still didn’t intend to return to Pinglu first and stabilize the situation. As long as he went back to Pinglu, it would affect the battle situation very much.

When Song Jiao asked about it afterward, Li Ye gave her his own reason.

The reason was simple. “It’s because Cui Keli is a Confucian scholar.”

With her intelligence, Song Jiao soon understood Li Ye’s meaning. “Do you want to test the attitude of Confucianism and its arrangements in the world?”

Li Ye nodded and said with deep eyes, “The Taoist Immortal Court has ruled heaven and earth for a long time. Any class that plays the role of a ruler for a long time will always have annoying behaviors. But Confucianism is different. Their ideal is always great order throughout the world and to help the common people to live in peace. It means that they will choose the right ruler. It is the foundation of Confucianism to choose the right ruler and realize the ideal of great unity.”

“So you think Confucianism might choose you?” Song Jiao had a teasing smile. She was considerate, but she was unwilling to show it easily.

Then, she changed the subject and sneered. “Most of the officials in the world come from Confucianism, but they are no different from Taoists. No matter what ideals they have, once they encounter the powerful and wealthy people, they will give way to them. Dong Zhongshu even spoke out the words of ‘God grants the emperor power’. It can be seen that they have forgotten their ancestors in order for Confucianism to enter the center of power.”

Li Ye didn’t comment. “The world is in chaos, after all. There are always changes in the chaotic world.”

Song Jiao thought for a while. “What if Confucianism doesn’t choose you?”

Li Ye said lightly, “It doesn’t matter whether Confucianism chooses me or not. What matters is whether they choose Zhu Wen or not. Zhu Wen is completely different now from the time during the Huang Chao Uprising, so we should sit up and take notice. We’re going to fight Zhu Wen. I have to know his ins and outs.”

Song Jiao asked, “How will you know that?”

Li Ye said, “If Confucianism chooses Zhu Wen, Cui Keli will open the gate of Pinglu and welcome him in.”

Song Jiao was a little stunned. “Cui Keli is your uncle! Will the Cui family really do that?”

Li Ye laughed. “When facing the country, even father and son will harm each other, and there’s no room for family affection.”

Song Jiao said in a deep voice, “So you are gambling!”

Li Ye said, “The bet is Pinglu.”

Song Jiao said coldly, “Pinglu is your foundation!”

Li Ye said, “If we can figure out the choice and the arrangements of Confucianism, the five prefectures of Pinglu are worth of gambling.”

Song Jiao was speechless.

Li Ye’s gaze gradually became as sharp as a blade. “This is a competitive world!”

Affected by him, Song Jiao also had murderous intents in her eyes. “So we have to capture Hedong, and there is no room for mistakes!”

...

Although Li Ye was willing to use Pinglu for gambling, it didn’t mean that he had to give it up. Otherwise, he wouldn’t send Shangguan Qingcheng and her troops back to help. Even if Cui Keli opened the gate of Qing Prefecture, Shangguan Qingcheng would hold the two prefectures in the west of Pinglu and wait for Li Ye’s reinforcements with more than 20,000 elite cavalrymen and the coordination of the demon clan.

The sweep across all the prefectures of Hedong went surprisingly well. It was because Li Ye received the surrender letters from several prefectures before his troops set out from Taiyuan.

Actually, the Inspector Generals of these prefectures were not surrendering because they all claimed to be loyal to the Tang Empire.

They sang the praises of Li Ye in their letters. They praised Li Ye for driving away Li Keyong who had wild ambition and for saving ordinary people of Hedong from an abyss of suffering. They also justified themselves that they never meant to be rebels.

Of course, Li Ye knew that these Inspector Generals were afraid that he would punish them, so they rushed to show their loyalty when Li Keyong lost the general trend.

This was also the effect of Li Ye’s previous arrangements.

When he attacked Qinzhou, he treated the Inspector General with courtesy and didn’t blame the Qinzhou officials. However, when he attacked Fenzhou, his attitude was severe. After the war, he took them into custody and was ready to send them to Chang’an for punishment by the imperial court by the reason of their refusal to welcome the Imperial Army.

In the final analysis, it was because Li Ye was very powerful and the sweep of Hedong was a foregone conclusion. If these Inspector Generals didn’t hurry to show their loyalty, they would end up losing their official positions and dead.

Li Ye was pleased that things were going well. Fewer wars meant fewer casualties, and money, food, and ordnance would be saved. After all, he was going to fight Zhu Wen next.

Most of the prefectures of Hedong which hadn’t been captured surrendered in the next few days, and the situation was very good. Li Ye didn’t want to talk much with these Inspector Generals and punish them. The soldiers who were ready to attack these places naturally didn’t need to take action anymore.

Kang Chengqian, Xue Wei, and the other regretted that.

After all, they knew that it wouldn’t be difficult to fight these prefectures. And once they captured the cities, they could make a fortune. Because of fewer wars, they had fewer chances to rob money.

They were bound to have less money, but they still had the merit of suppressing the rebels by following the Imperial Army. Kang Chengqian and the others would definitely get promoted after the war, so they didn’t have complaints.

Of course, not all the prefectures of Hedong followed the trend and surrendered. Daizhou was one of them. The reason was simple. Li Keyong fled there with thousands of troops and took control of the city.

...

A few days later, after Li Ye dealt with all kinds of political and military affairs and was ready to go north, someone met him at night.

Feihong Bodhisattva.

Li Ye finished reviewing the last document on the desk in front of the window. When he put down the jade brush and looked up, through the windowsill, he saw Feihong Bodhisattva standing on the roof across a courtyard.

The windowsill limited Li Ye’s view, but it also outlined a complete picture of the artistic conception.

The bright full moon was falling on the broad cornice, and the tiles were covered with snow-white light. The nearby locust trees were luxuriant, and the leaves rustled of complete rhythm in the wind.

Feihong Bodhisattva in a white dress stood quietly on the cocked corner of the cornice, with her hair flying in front of the bright moon. She was holding a wine jar in her hand. No one knew how long she had been standing there. It was so long that she and the moonlight Integrated into each other.

Li Ye had been busy with common affairs these days but neglected the agreement with her.

“I’m going back to Land Buddhism soon, but you haven’t invited me for the wine you promised me,” she said.

Li Ye was a little distracted.

He never noticed that Feihong Bodhisattva was as thin as a floating leaf that would disappear in the wind.

Maybe because of the full moon, the night wind, or the departure that had arrived, some emotions that had never been discovered rose in his eyes and then sank into his heart.

It turned out that some people would make people feel their breath-taking beauty, even though people couldn’t see their faces clearly.

Li Ye stood up behind the desk, flew out the window, and landed on the cornice.

However, when he saw her face that was so close, he didn’t know what to say. Her face was smooth, and her features were perfect without any flaws, as delicate as top-grade porcelain, but that was not the reason.

He had been facing this face day and night for forty years, but he was never particularly moved, because the expression on the face was always the same. Even though she was beautiful, even though she hid her faint sorrow which was like light rain in Jiangnan, he never put it in his heart.

Tonight, maybe because of the moonlight, her smooth skin had a strange luster, which made her look more lively than before.

But Li Ye knew that the moonlight was not the reason. At this moment, there was indeed something else on Feihong Bodhisattva’s face.

Feihong Bodhisattva handed the wine jar to Li Ye who was embarrassed. She moved slowly and said slowly, “When you want a drink, you don’t care who bought the wine.” But it sounded different because she had a bright smile on her face.

They sat side by side on the cornice. Feihong Bodhisattva took out the Jade Vase, and they drank one round first.

Even though Li Ye was not qualified to be called a drunkard, he was a lover of wine. However, at this moment, he failed to taste the wine after he drank it. Maybe it was because the strong wine didn’t stop at the tip of his tongue but went straight into his stomach.

Following Feihong Bodhisattva’s words, Li Ye smiled bitterly and said, “Maybe I drink wine alone too much and too long. When a suitable wine companion appears, I feel delighted and don’t care about other miscellaneous things.”

Feihong Bodhisattva looked at the bright full moon and said in a distant voice, “How much? How long?”

Li Ye kept silent for a moment with his head low. “As much as seawater. As long as thousands of years.”

Feihong Bodhisattva smiled inexplicably.

A moment later, she said in a soft and distant voice, “Five millions meters away on the western sky, there is a place called Land Buddhism. It’s surrounded by clouds and mist, and the golden light was all over there. There are brilliant Buddhist temples and pious monks everywhere. The purple-golden flowers are blooming in the Thunder Pool, and the rainbow of seven colors is hanging on the sky. That is the place of immortality envied by the world. But do you know what is missing in it?”

Li Ye took a sip of wine. “A drinker.”

“Yes, you’re right.” Feihong Bodhisattva turned her head. Her clear but deep eyes became shallow at this moment so that the meaning in them could be understood easily. “Then, do you know what is the most in it?”

Li Ye turned to stare at her beautiful face and suddenly found that his heartbeat was a little irregular, which made him feel absurd. He blurted out the answer. “Loneliness.”

“Yes, loneliness.” Feihong Bodhisattva smiled as brightly as if her smile was about to overflow her dimples. Maybe she noticed Li Ye’s embarrassment, so she didn’t stare at him anymore but to look at the distance. “Do you know, then, loneliness is a vivid and precious thing, compared with the endless dullness, tedium, and boredom? At least, it can make people feel a little vitality.”

Li Ye kept silent.

He suddenly found that when he faced Li Xian and Feihong Bodhisattva, especially when they confided in him, he could only keep silent.

He lived twice and had a lot of experience. But at this moment, he had to admit that when he faced some heavy feelings and thousands of years, he still had many feelings that he had never felt before.

The Prince’s Manor was high enough to overlook most of Taiyuan. From where they were sitting, the streets of Taiyuan were as neat as a chessboard under the moonlight. In the long night, countless windows were shining with dim yellow light, like fireflies in summer.

The words uttered from Feihong Bodhisattva’s mouth with her slight body temperature touched people’s hearts. “When I left the human world and flew to the immortal realm that year, I abandoned the prosperity in the human world. I thought that I would see countless scenery which was more beautiful than a mirage when I reached above the white clouds.”

“However, after the long-term longevity and thousands of years, I realize from the dullness that the most beautiful scenery in heaven and earth is the twinkling lights of myriad families because there are many tender feelings inside. I realize that the true meaning of the 3,000 Great Tao is in the depths of ordinary people’s lives. The arrogant cultivators want to achieve the Tao, become immortals, and look down on the common people, but it’s just a dream.”

“At first, I thought that I saw through the vanity of the world and wouldn’t be moved by love. I was free and unrestrained and had real freedom. I did have freedom for a thousand years. But after a thousand years, when I looked back, I found that I had been living like a statue, which was worshiped in front of the incense table in temples, majestic but callous.”

“At that time, it suddenly struck me that life without feelings was no different from a pool of stagnant water. Life without vitality made me have no attachment. Without an attachment, I was not afraid of death and could leave this world at any time. I didn’t care about death or rebirth. Was it the freedom of a cultivator?”

“So I looked at the others, such as Bodhisattvas and Guardian Deities. I originally thought that I would see similar loneliness, but I was surprised to find that they had already joined the struggle for power and profit. They became fierce and forgot their original nature for the cultivation resources and for the improvement of their status. They were no different from mortals, the rich, the powerful, and the officials who were looked down on by them. Were those the immortals who had the Great Tao in their hearts? Was that the Great Tao?”

“From then on, the Jade Vase was filled with endless strong wine.”

“After thousands of years, I still like the mortal scenery of the moon reflecting the autumn wind and the peach blossoms falling around 50 kilometers. I still like the tender feelings in orderly streets and myriad families. It’s because there used to be a beating heart that would be moved, a lively heart that had joys and sorrows, and a heart that would not feel bored even after tens of thousands of years. The heart... I buried with my own hands.”

Feihong Bodhisattva finally stopped at this point. Holding the Jade Vase, she raised her head and drank the wine.

The wine spilled out, all over her chest.

Li Ye could only drink with her.

No matter in his previous life or this life, he was struggling to become an immortal with the pressure of living precariously. He was struggling to survive, as ordinary as a mortal.

He was sympathetic to Feihong Bodhisattva’s sadness, but he couldn’t really understand it. It was better to drink all the strong wine together with her than to comment or say any insignificant words of comfort.

Then, at least, at this moment, she was understood but not lonely.

“I’m going back to Land Buddhism.” Putting down the Jade Vase, Feihong Bodhisattva said this the second time.

Tonight, she was very different. Maybe her fake face was taken off, or maybe she didn’t have it but just had a dead soul. Now, there was a breath of life into her soul, so she came back to life. Even when she spoke, her melancholy was so obvious that people could feel it.

She turned to stare at Li Ye again.

She was staring at him. Her eyes were as beautiful as blooming azaleas but also as sad and cruel as the cuckoo crying blood. A while later, a smile lit up her lips, her dimples, and her eyes.

She said earnestly yet playfully, “On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month of the second year of Guangming of the Tang Empire, you and I sat on the cornice and drank together at midnight. We enjoyed the bright moon and bathed in the breeze in front of the twinkling lights of myriad families. You and I will remember this moment. You and I are friends from now on. At least, we were, and you can’t change it, because midnight has passed.”

Hearing her words, Li Ye was stunned and looked at her surprisingly.

This moment was very short compared to thousands of years.

But so what? Compared with the boredom of being shown on the cliff for thousands of year, crying on the lover’s shoulder for a whole night would be remembered for a longer time, because the latter would be recalled from time to time.

The bright smile on Feihong Bodhisattva’s face didn’t last long. She sat up straight and began to drink again.

It was just like the beautiful spindrift in the endless sea which would only last for a short moment. Everything would eventually return to peace.

A long time later, she put down the vase and whispered, “When you are destined to lose some things and some people and you can’t have them anymore, what can you do?”

Li Ye looked at her defined side face. Her hair was flying beside it. He said in a deep voice, “The only thing we can do is not to forget.”