Chapter 624
[Extra] Swallows Flying, Bright Moon Shining
[Unrelated to the main text. This is a separate timeline, featuring first-person perspective, a female protagonist becoming empress, conflicts between the states of Yan and Zhao, and a romance between fellow disciples.]
My name is Yan Yue, and many people also call me 'A Yue'.
But they didn't know that Yan Yue was not my real name.
The other name was too complicated, and I didn't want to think about it for a long time.
I came to the south of Yanshan Mountain and saw a boy and a girl chasing a playful little white dog under the peach trees in the third month of spring.
A gust of wind blew, causing the petals to flutter and fall, pink and white petals dancing in the air.
Thirty years ago, I also ran through a sea of flowers beneath the Yanshan Mountains, just like this.
"Ji Ruo".
"Princess."
These are all very old names.
My father had me late in life, and I am his youngest daughter. I have thirty brothers and sisters above me.
Yan Dan is my older brother. He is more than ten years older than me and we are not from the same mother.
He was neither the eldest son nor the queen's legitimate son.
Before becoming the crown prince, he was an unknown figure in the Yan Palace.
When he went to the State of Zhao as a hostage, I was still an infant.
At that time, I didn't know what the departure of that brother I had never met would mean for my life. Just as I didn't know what the Battle of Changping would mean for me, for the Yan state, and for the world.
That was a disaster more terrible than a tsunami or a storm.
It changed everything.
My assessment is by no means an exaggeration.
Without the Battle of Changping, King Ying Zheng of Qin would never have returned to the Qin state.
No, there was no conflict between my brother and him in the State of Zhao.
It's tragic. The countries affected by that war were definitely not just limited to South Korea, Zhao, and Qin...
The decline of the Zhao state occurred several years after the Battle of Changping—the king mismanaged the government, and treacherous officials brought about the downfall of the country.
However, the decline of the Yan state occurred shortly after the Changping Incident... The Yan state did something that was common in the Warring States period—it attempted to take advantage of the chaos. As a result, it underestimated Lian Po and the Yan state after losing Yue Yi. The Yan state suffered repeated defeats at the hands of the Zhao state and became a weak state.
Ying Zheng returned to the Qin state and ruled in his own right for ten years.
I remember the day Yan Dan returned to Yan from Zhao.
I thought that the Crown Prince, who was sacrificed by the state, had finally completed his mission.
But when he knelt at the foot of the steps, he listened attentively to the king's command.
This family dinner, however, turned out to be a heavy destiny.
Besides welcoming him back, our father also told him, "Qin is where you left off."
I saw his shoulders tremble slightly.
At that time, I didn't understand why, so I ran up to him, wanting to see for myself what kind of person this Crown Prince, who had caused such a stir throughout the country, was.
When he looked up...
I was immediately stunned. It took me a long time to realize that the person in front of me was my Crown Prince brother.
Her perfectly proportioned features possess an exquisite and captivating beauty.
I can tell everyone that my brother Yan Dan is the most handsome person I have ever seen in my life.
Not to mention the gloomy and gloomy Inspector who was later slandered in Qin for using his looks to please men, he was definitely not as beautiful as my brother.
Yan Dan was so sharp, so spirited.
His gaze always held such deep resentment.
Especially when he discovered that I was also in the Xianyang Palace of Qin, his eyes were filled with complex emotions—ecstasy, shock, and sorrow…
“Little sister, you’ve come at the right time, but you really shouldn’t have come…”
"Why did Father ask you to come?!"
Why is that...? What kind of talk is that?
I can also do many things for the Yan Kingdom.
I refuted him, and soon after, I went so far as to betray Ying Hehua and become her mortal enemy to prove this point.
Over the next twenty years, I came to understand and empathize with him.
The weak state of Yan, the incompetent king, the corrupt court... What is there to hate, and what is there to resent?!
There aren't many people who share similar experiences and feelings as us.
Zhang Liang, who later became famous throughout the world, is one of them.
Thinking back to when I was a maid in the Xianyang Palace, trying to win him over to join us in taking revenge on the Qin state, it all feels so long ago...
Surprisingly, at that time we thought the most indecisive person also had the smartest, most resolute, and most composed mind.
If it weren't for Ying Hehua, I think he would have gone the furthest among all of us.
However, Zhang Liang's talent lies entirely in his brain.
His martial arts skills weren't particularly good.
He was a nobleman, and his horsemanship and archery skills were actually quite good, but compared to the top masters I had fought, he was not considered first-rate.
I have loved martial arts since I was a child. When I was eight years old, my father agreed to let me become a disciple of Hongzhizi and go to Ailao Valley to learn the unique swordsmanship and hidden weapons of the martial arts world.
There, I met my senior brother.
Jing Ke was skilled with a heavy sword and often carried a Chu-style iron sword, which he wrapped in cloth. His martial arts moves were grand and powerful, sweeping away fallen leaves and flying petals with his sword. His slashes were like the roar of a dragon.
The teacher commented that the Hundred Flowers Sword Technique is clean and crisp, with the movements like a dragon in flight; only those without a pure and innocent heart can learn this sword technique.
I often watch my senior brother practice swordsmanship, and it's very enjoyable.
Jing Ke once hoped to teach me this sword technique.
Unfortunately, I couldn't shake the shock I felt from my brother's gaze as he left for Qin, so I could never grasp the essence of swordsmanship.
Of course I never expected that my senior brother would pass on this sword technique to Li Xian.
How could I have known... that my other senior brother was saved by Li Xian in the valley, but it was because of me...
This is probably the meaning of what Hongzhizi often said—that fate plays tricks on people.
King Wu of Zhou enfeoffed Duke Shao in Yan. The land was located in the wilderness of Yanshan, hence the name of the state.
I take the name of my country, Yan, as my surname, and I am proud of it.
One night, I heard that my father was going to negotiate peace with the Donghu, which was a symbol of peace. So I prayed to heaven, asking that this day would come soon.
That night, I met my elusive senior brother, Lu Heng, for the first time.
I opened my eyes, spoke a prayer, and found a pair of eyes watching me.
At that time, he had no scars on his face, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and was dashing and unrestrained. He was a man completely different from his brother Yan Dan.
What a lovely smile.
But his words always hit the nail on the head.
“Junior sister, prayers are not very useful. Look, I have done several great things after leaving the valley. That’s what’s truly useful.”
As he spoke, Lu Heng laid out five arrow nocks in a grand manner... "That royal priests kill infants; it is truly hateful."
I am a princess of the Yan Kingdom.
He probably doesn't know.
When I heard what he had seen and heard—the killing of young children, the plan to marry off his daughter to the Donghu—it was as if he lived in a completely different world from mine. For the first time, I was astonished by my father's actions…
……
I took a breath, and tears welled up in my eyes.
“That’s not what I’m praying for… I don’t believe my father would do this… I hope my brother can come back… I hope that no one will ever have to leave their homeland and be held hostage in another country because of a war again…”
He saw my tears and paused.
"Heavens above, if... what my senior brother said is true, then I will kill all those people."
Lu Heng was stunned for a moment, then, realizing I was talking nonsense, he burst into laughter.
I thought he was mocking me, so I glared at him. "I cried, didn't you see?"
He smiled but didn't say a word.
Little did I know then that he, as a defeated nobleman, was also one of those fleeing from the royal family's pursuit.
He said my eyes seemed to possess an innate, cool detachment, yet were also like the flowing waters of the Yan River, ceaselessly murmuring…
And when I talk about my wishes, I am like the moon in the dark night.
Upon leaving the valley, I chose the character '月' (moon) as my new name.
After that, we went our separate ways.
I discovered the identity of Ying Hehua's bodyguard.
What caused the tattoo on his face, and why did he betray his master?
We faced off on the cliff, and he struck me down the cliff with a single palm strike. He then fell into the water as well, and I don't know if the icy waters of the Qin Kingdom were like the Yan River.
"Junior Sister's tears are more powerful than my sword."
A familiar voice called to me, as if from another world.
He stood in the spring sunshine, the hook on his belt reflecting a cold light, like the silver scabbard from which a sword is frequently drawn.
More than ten years later, I came to the side of Yanshan Mountain again, back to the hometown where I grew up, the hometown that my brother had gazed at all his life, and the hometown that Cai Ze could never return to in his entire life—Jicheng.
The rocks on the city wall are covered with moss. Its decay is obvious.
Ying Hehua comforted me, saying that prosperity and decline are inevitable, and that this place would be called 'BJ' from now on, a place of great prosperity and uniqueness in the country.
I don't know what she was saying, but her eyes always left no room for doubt.
How I let go of hatred and in another story.
I believe what she said is true.
It is said that the land of Zhao and Yan is home to many generous and tragic heroes.
My brother Yan Dan, Qin Wuyang, my senior brother Jing Ke, and Gao Jianli are all people of strong character.
In our Yan region, there are also figures like Cai Ze who deeply understand the subtleties of human nature and remain calm and composed.
The former is not difficult, but the latter is rare.
Her promise was to return to Jicheng with me and climb Yanshan Mountain together.
But her advisors and ministers were like persistent ghosts, always coming up with all sorts of tricks, as if they were afraid she would disappear.
How can a person suddenly disappear?
I think they're really crazy.
Ying Hehua's martial arts skills were all show and no substance. After all, she had suffered serious injuries and had little internal strength even after recovering. In recent years, she had lived a life of luxury and naturally did not sense that someone was following her.
When I told her this, she paused for a moment, then frowned.
She stared in one direction and whispered, "Come out."
"If they do not show themselves, they will be punished for spying on secrets."
I was startled by her tone.
"...No need,"
Then, she gently patted my hand. "Yan Yue, don't worry. I don't doubt you, and I don't want anyone to act on their own."
She was dressed in magnificent robes, the phoenix hairpin in her hair swaying in the wind, her eyes as black as lacquer yet sparkling with light, her eyebrows, the corners of her eyes... such a beautiful face reminded me of the first time I saw Yan Dan...
Since she ousted her foolish brother and took over as regent, within two years, the court returned to peace, and the surrounding area was unusually quiet.
Compared to her father, she was considered gentle and kind.
But compared to her emperor brother, her methods are truly numerous...
I find it hard to believe that the old nobles who are still alive in those six kingdoms have lost to their sons.
They were dissatisfied, but dared not act rashly.
She conspired with her trusted ministers to devise an unconventional method of enfeoffment—which she said later generations called the "Decree of Grace," a method that a man named Liu Che had given her in a dream.
After living south of the Yanshan Mountains for many years, I realized that this method was not proposed by one person or one dynasty.
It is a manifestation of the times.
There were no sudden plots or schemes, no lurking acts of slaughter and harm...
The Qin Dynasty ushered in a turning point with favorable timing, geographical advantages, and popular support.
I thought that Ying Hehua would soon step down from her regency and support her brother Fusu's son to become emperor.
But things didn't turn out that way.
She became empress.
After hundreds of years of war, coupled with the First Emperor's conquest of the six states in one fell swoop, followed by palace coups and the purge of corrupt officials, the situation became increasingly complex.
Over the past decade, many have grown weary of political changes...
It's not surprising that she filmed herself as an empress.
The court officials only thought that her child should succeed to the throne, and that this would never change.
Just as everyone was watching to see which minister would receive this honor...
Whether it was by inheriting the traditions of the Qin state that the Li family rose to become a truly unshakeable force, or by turning the imperial tutor into a mere foil to the emperor.
For five years, her Xianyang Palace was always brightly lit, mostly for holding meetings; as for anything else…
She could do anything that emperors of the past could do.
The trusted female official learned of some strange and scandalous stories.
There are those who are eager to please, and of course there are those who are forced to bow their heads, knowing that she is not without desires.
She hasn't attended court for nearly a year, and everyone says she's gone to give birth and rest, but she hasn't announced anything about an heir.
Once you've tasted the sweetness of power, how can you possibly let it go?
People were afraid that she would repeat the mistakes her father had made.
Surprisingly, the court was calm, with no one harboring any disloyalty, and the daily affairs were handled in an orderly manner.
They call this kind of deliberation a 'cabinet meeting'.
Years later, she returned, bringing with her some strange things.
……
The emperor wanted to lead the technological revolution.
She then claimed that she was dizzy and lightheaded, and that the cabinet meeting could proceed as planned.
This family, surnamed Ying, are indeed extraordinary people!
Three generations, in an astonishing and unconventional way, did everything that had never been done before!
Then one day, my grandson told me, "Grandma, there are no more emperors in the world." (End of Chapter)