-虞襄(yú xiāng)- Yu Xiang, the female lead
-虞品言(yú pǐn yán)- Yu Pin Yan, the male lead
-老太太(lǎotàitai)- Old Madam
-桃紅 (táo hóng)- Female lead’s main maidservant
-柳綠 (liǔ lǜ)- Female lead’s main maidservant
Yu Pin Yan did not return home until midnight, and the lamps were still lit in the main court, which clearly showed that the Old Madam was waiting for him.
“You have returned? When are you leaving for war?” The Old Madam was holding her forehead in one hand and her cane in the other. Her face appeared old and haggard.
“We will head to Agile Cavalry camp today to inspect the troops and we will leave when we finish.” Yu Pin Yan supported her to help her sit on the soft couch.
With her hands trembling, the Old Madam drank a cup of ginseng tea and asked, “How many soldiers should be gathered?”
“A great army of eight hundred thousand.”
The Old Madam counted her fingers, her back slowly hunched over and sighed, “That means you will be leaving in half a month?”
Yu Pin Yan remained silent and nodded. The room fell silent, and after a long time, the Old Madam held his hand tightly and burst into tears, “You must come back safely! Xianger’s legs are about to heal, so you must come back and see for yourself how she will appear when she stands up. Make sure you return.”
Yu Pin Yan’s voice was very raspy, “Don’t worry, Grandmother. This grandson will definitely return and won’t leave you behind.”
The pair of grandmother and grandson sat across each other and held one another’s hands in silence. After about thirty minutes, the Old Madam said tiredly, “Go and check on your younger sister. She has been praying for you in the Buddhist Hall and has been kneeling for the whole day. No matter how one persuades her, she doesn’t listen.”
Yu Pin Yan suppressed his anxiousness and responded, “This grandson will help you to go back to your room for your rest, and then I will go see her. You must take care of your health while this grandson is away so that he does not have to worry about you from a distance of ten thousand miles.”
The Old Madam nodded her head and a smile finally appeared on her face.
Yu Pin Yan waited until the Old Madam had fallen asleep before walking briskly towards the Buddha Hall. From a distance, he could see Tao Hong and Liu Lu hovering uneasily by the doorway. When Tao Hong and Liu Lu heard footsteps, they turned their head to look back and discovered that it was the Marquis. They both wore expressions of joy as they promptly welcomed him and reported, “The Marquis has finally returned. Young Miss has just gotten a little better and she can’t kneel for long…”
Before she finished her sentence, Yu Pin Yan had already brushed by like a gust of wind. The door to the room shut firmly and two Imperial bodyguards with swords stood guarding at the door.
The Buddha Hall was lit with a few rows of candles and a faint incense scent pervaded the air. On the Buddhist altar, the Bodhisattva’s eyelids were half-closed as she gazed with compassion at the devotee kneeling at her feet. Her back was very frail, reflecting in the bright candlelight and revealing much vulnerability. Arcane sutras incessantly flowing forth from her mouth, and her harmonious pronunciation containing the most devout prayers.
She didn’t turn around when she heard the footsteps, but her chanting of the scripture merely took a brief pause.
Yu Pin Yan walked over to her and knelt behind her. He stretched his arms out and wrapped her in his arms, and covered her folded hands with his big hands. Then, sighed silently, “Don’t kneel anymore. Be careful of hurting your legs.”
Yu Xiang turned a deaf ear and continued to pray.
Yu Pin Yan pulled her praying palms apart, took out the coins in her palms and threw them onto a putuan.[1] Then, he carried her onto his lap and spoke in a hoarse voice, “I will be leaving for war in half a month. Tonight, I will pack my things and move them to the Agile Cavalry camp. I will not be able to come back to bid farewell to you again until I leave for the expedition. Don’t kneel any further, and don’t chant the sutras anymore. If you hurt your leg, I’ll be unsettled when I’m out on the battlefield. When I go to war, life and death are just a thought away, and if I am distracted, I may ……”
An expression of shock and anger finally appeared on Yu Xiang’s apathetic face, and her small hand swiftly covered his mouth and rebuked, “Don’t say anything about life and death in front of the Bodhisattva. I won’t kneel or recite the sutra anymore, so you can leave if you like. As if I care about you??”
In fact, she cared about him deeply; to the extent where she understood why some people would love so extremely that they would want to tie up their loves and keep them hidden. Now she had the urge to tie Yu Pin Yan and lock him up. She had thought that they would have a long life ahead of them, but then she suddenly realised what ‘the affairs of life change constantly’ really meant. The people who were so sweet and cuddly yesterday were now rushing off to a battlefield filled with smoke…
She didn’t dare to imagine the hardships he would face. Furthermore, she didn’t dare to imagine how she would live without him. It was as if she had forgotten how to breathe and her senses were only filled with boundless fear.
But she would never reveal any of her fear in front of him. She wanted him to set off fearlessly and come back safe and sound. She wanted to say a few gentle words to reassure him, but the words took different shapes once they left her lips.
Yu Pin Yan laughed resonantly, “You don’t care about me, but it should be fine if I care about you, right? After I leave, you must take your medicine and exercise regularly, but not for an extended period of time. Be careful not to abrade your palms again. The day I return in triumph, you must stand on the tall city gate to welcome me… “
Yu Xiang covered her mouth and laughed scornfully, “Are you so confident that I will wait for you? I don’t know when you will return from this expedition. A year and a half? Three or five years? How old will I be by then?”