Chapter 40: All Are Mere Ants Before the Royal Family

Gu Ye arrived in Mianzhou and met the Princess Xiangcao of Nanzhao during a banquet. This young princess, about fifteen or sixteen years old, lacked the dignified grace typical of noble ladies from the capital. Yet she possessed a fresh natural beauty, radiant and charming like wildflowers blooming in the mountains after rain.

Xianyu Min, eager to show off, glared at the princess with a fierce look. The princess, timid and cautious, held a wine jug and poured wine for each guest at the table. As she moved, everyone noticed the chain fastened around her ankle.

When it was Xianyu Min’s turn, the princess’s hands trembled in fear, causing a few drops of wine to spill on Xianyu Min’s sleeve. Without hesitation, Xianyu Min slapped her to the ground, exposing a section of her jade-white arm, now covered in swollen, dark bruises.

Witnessing this, Gu Ye was filled with contempt for Xianyu Min and remained silent for the rest of the now somber banquet.

That night, shortly after resting, the alarm gongs rang out from Xianyu Min’s villa, followed by the shouts of guards: “Catch the assassin! There’s a spy!”

Gu Ye knew that Ge Shu Xiaoye had always admired the legendary heroine Mulan, who took her father’s place in the army. Faced with such commotion, she would surely be the first to rush in. Without thinking, the young Daoist darted toward the quarters where Ge Shu Xiaoye was staying.

Ge Shu Xiaoye, sword in hand, hesitated to strike at the “assassin” before her. Upon hearing the commotion, she had rushed out with her sword and soon discovered a trembling young girl from Nanzhao hiding in the bushes.

The girl, at most twelve or thirteen, brandished a small curved dagger at Ge Shu Xiaoye, but her trembling body betrayed her fear.

“She’s just a child—how could she possibly be an assassin or spy? Put your sword away,” said Gu Ye, who had just arrived, gently pressing down Ge Shu Xiaoye’s blade.

“We are neither assassins nor spies. We followed our envoy with gold and treasures, hoping to bring our princess home. Suddenly, we were surrounded tonight, and so many of us were killed...”

There was a sharp whistle, and a crossbow bolt struck the girl in the back, passing through her chest. Her clear, childish voice was silenced in an instant.

“Xianyu Min! Are you even human, to kill a mere child?” Gu Ye’s fury spilled over in a torrent of curses.

Xianyu Min’s face blanched and then flushed with anger. “I’ve just been assigned a military post. All I see are enemies, not little girls. Gu Ye, spare me your hypocritical compassion!”

“Beast! I must have been blind to ever associate with someone like you!” Gu Ye shouted.

“Gu Ye, aren’t you just an illegitimate child no one dares acknowledge? I’ve shown you courtesy, but if you don’t appreciate it, get out!” Xianyu Min, backed by powerful connections, shouted back without restraint.

Everyone from the capital knew the truth of Gu Ye’s background, but no one dared speak of it openly. With Xianyu Min calling him a bastard, it was clear this could not end peacefully.

Gu Ye said nothing more. He drew his sword and charged straight at Xianyu Min.

With a clash of steel, Jun Ruocheng intercepted Gu Ye’s blade, blocking his path. “We’ve been friends for years—why let such a small matter drive us apart, swords drawn? And as for the Nanzhao girl, she was armed. Xianyu only acted out of concern for your safety. Even if there’s some misunderstanding, both sides should step back.”

Gu Ye would not listen. “Jun Ruocheng, are you really going to defend that beast?”

Jun Ruocheng could only shake his head helplessly. “Brother Gu, you’re too impetuous. In any case, I won’t let you harm Xianyu.”

Gu Ye had long wanted to test his skills against Jun Ruocheng. Hearing this, he simply replied coldly, “Please.”

Armed with the famed sword Ganjiang, Gu Ye held a certain advantage. Yet after exchanging a dozen passes, Jun Ruocheng’s sword pressed against his chest.

Defeated in front of the woman he admired, Gu Ye’s face burned with shame. He sheathed his sword, refused to glance at anyone, and left without a word. Still unwilling, he called out from afar, “Jun Ruocheng! Don’t think you’re invincible among our generation. My junior’s swordsmanship is ten times yours—and he’s not half as arrogant!”

Lu Liao carefully folded the letter and handed it back to the fuming Princess Yuzhen, feeling troubled. The young Daoist had lost a duel—what did it mean to say he’d been beaten by that Qin family boy? Did she still see him as a child, needing someone to fight back on his behalf? More importantly, that wasn’t even the real point of the letter.

“Master, look. Xianyu Min so brazenly humiliates the Princess of Nanzhao and slaughtered the entire Nanzhao delegation that came to fetch her. If this isn’t handled well, Nanzhao could be forced into rebellion. I think that’s what Senior Gu Ye wanted to tell you in his letter.”

Lu Liao tried to gently remind the princess.

“I heard about that a few days ago. The Nanzhao envoy, Yang Luodian, came to the capital and wept before my brother, complaining of Zhang Qiantuo’s crimes. To console him, the Emperor let him take Prince Feng Jiayi, who was serving as a palace guard, back to Nanzhao, and thought no more of it. The King of Nanzhao should be grateful for such favor, not plotting rebellion.”

Princess Yuzhen waved it off dismissively.

Yang Luodian? The name sounded familiar, but Lu Liao didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she grew anxious. “Master, that’s only because the Nanzhao prince is still here in Chang’an, so Nanzhao dares do nothing. Once he’s returned, that’s when rebellion becomes most likely!”

Princess Yuzhen waved her hand impatiently. “I’m just an ordinary Daoist of Yuzhen Temple now—not the Princess of the Tang, not some Supreme Immortal. Affairs of state are for the Emperor and his ministers to worry about. All I care about is that everyone who went out with Gu Ye has returned, while he alone suffers in the remote mountains, practicing his sword in misery.”

Lu Liao knelt in silence.

“You and your master are both useless. Your senior was beaten, and you don’t even dare speak up for him!” Princess Yuzhen glared at Lu Liao.

“Your disciple is dull—please instruct me,” Lu Liao said quietly, her feelings conflicted.

“First: find a chance to challenge Jun Ruocheng to a duel before a crowd—defeat him soundly, shame him, and vent your senior’s anger.

Second: Since Ge Shu Xiaoye has accepted Gu Ye’s token of affection, the Mo Ye sword, yet abandoned him to return to the capital alone—how is that right? Figure out a way for Gu Ye to marry that girl from the Ge Shu family.”

The first task seemed manageable. Though Jun Ruocheng was formidable, Lu Liao had a fair grasp of his skills and felt somewhat confident. But the second—how could she possibly accomplish that?

Lu Liao looked dejected and pitifully up at the princess. “Master, Ge Shu Xiaoye is the daughter of the famed General Ge Shu from the border. No matter how you look at it, Senior Gu Ye is just a Daoist at Shangqing Temple. No matter how I rack my brains, I can’t think of a way.”

“You pride yourself on your cleverness, but why can’t Ge Shu Xiaoye’s status change if Gu Ye’s cannot? I’ll go to the Emperor myself and tell him I want to accept Ge Shu Xiaoye as my disciple and bring her to Yuzhen Temple to learn the Dao and become a Daoist nun.”

Princess Yuzhen clapped her hands with satisfaction, smiling in triumph.

Lu Liao stared in a daze for a long while before coming to her senses. “Master, you are truly wise! Your disciple is in awe.”

“Is there anything else? If not, you may go.” Princess Yuzhen had lost interest in all other matters.

Lu Liao hesitated for a long time, finally mustering the courage to relay what she had heard from Hu Yun.

“Heh! So now anyone dares bully me?” Princess Yuzhen sneered coldly.

“Do you have any instructions?” Lu Liao asked cautiously.

“Instructions? What need for instructions? The sword Qiushui I gave you—is it just for show? You studied under old Dong Yanzi for so long, surely you learned something from that sly fox. Handle these little matters yourself.”

Without mounting a horse, she wandered the streets of Chang’an, her interest waning. In the eyes of these lofty nobles, a rebellion among the vassal states seemed less important than their sons’ romantic pursuits. Did the Emperor and his powerful ministers truly not understand what it meant to return the Nanzhao prince? To them, the suffering border folk and brave soldiers counted for nothing.

She glanced at the distant, resplendent Daming Palace and at the ordinary people trudging along the street. Lu Liao’s lips curled in mockery and self-deprecation. “Zhou Liuzi, look at Chang’an. Aside from that one high above in the palace, aren’t all these carriages and officials just like dogs? And the masses, aren’t they like ants?”

“Master Lu, I’ve always thought of myself as a human,” Zhou Liuzi replied with a snort.

Lu Liao paused, then broke into laughter. “Right, right—we’re all human. We must remember that. Well said, Zhou Liuzi! Come, let’s go. I’ll buy you a drink at the Huji Tavern and invite some lively beauties to keep us company.”

“With what money? You barely have enough for a single drink. The little bit of silver Lady Qi just gave me might buy one cup of good wine—don’t even think about it,” Zhou Liuzi said, clutching his money pouch scornfully.

“Tch! Do you think I need to pay to drink there? My aunt is the manager—getting a few beauties to join us is nothing.”

“Oh? Business is slow at your Aunt Xilin’s place, so you’re here to help her out?” Aunt Xilin greeted him with a smile in the same room as before.

“Come on, Aunt. Would I have to pay out of my own pocket to drink and enjoy the company of two lovely ladies here?” Lu Liao replied shamelessly, grinning.

“I’ve enough private silver to buy you drinks, just as long as you don’t drink me out of my coffin fund. As for company, am I not enough? If you want one of the girls from the garden, pay for it yourself. And the temple has already warned me: if you act like your master, someone will break your legs.”

Xilin still smiled, but Lu Liao felt a sudden chill down his spine.

Even the usually stern Zhou Liuzi couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Lu Liao waved her away to the side room.

“You’ve been to the temple, then? You can’t just spend money here without taking care of anything. What did she say?” Xilin asked, her tone full of dissatisfaction.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Lu Liao replied with a wry smile.

“You? What can you possibly solve? Dress up as a beauty and compete with those courtesans? Or gather a mob to set fire to the Tianxian Tower at night?” Xilin said crossly.

“Heh, even if I am dashing and handsome, I couldn’t possibly disguise myself as a woman and compete with those courtesans. Please, Aunt, spare your nephew,” Lu Liao replied with a shameless grin.

“Pah! You’re worse than your master. With that face, you’d be lost among the crowds of Chang’an,” Xilin retorted mercilessly.

Lu Liao sighed. “Aunt, you’re too harsh on your nephew.”

“Who told you not to speak properly?” Xilin said, still displeased.

It was probably you who started off on the wrong foot, Lu Liao thought, but she kept her head down, knowing better than to argue with an elder.

“My looks might not please you, Aunt, but surely I can still come up with ideas?”

“Ideas? What ideas do you have? Out with them,” Xilin asked, a sense of urgency in her voice.