ATLAS TRANSLATES

The war between the Northern and Southern countries was not over. Although the South had won a great victory, it was only the first phase. It wasn’t an easy victory either – they had merely reclaimed Ruyang and demonstrated Lu Yun’s strength to the other northern provinces.

Previously, the North had frequently hinted at peace talks. After their defeat, they sent far fewer diplomatic messages to the South. This made people uneasy, wondering if the North was plotting something sinister or hiding some secret weapon that could destroy the South.

The weaker factions in the Southern court tried to contact the North about continuing peace talks. The North’s response was that peace talks could be considered if Lu Yun was not involved.

It wasn’t that they lacked military strength – they simply didn’t want to fight.

Even though the South had won this battle, the noble families in the Jianye court breathed a sigh of relief. Some felt that having proven their strength, they should negotiate rather than press their advantage. War required drawing from their treasuries, and the selfish noble families were reluctant to spend money when they saw no benefit. This faction allied with Prince Zhao Liu Huai and others with hidden agendas, wanting Lu Yun to return to Jianye and send other renowned scholars to appease the North and restart negotiations.

This faction held significant numbers in court.

Prince Chen Liu Shu and the Lu family held the opposite view. They believed one task shouldn’t have two masters – Lu Yun had handled things well, and the northerners were treacherous and couldn’t be trusted with false hopes. Lu Yun understood the situation in the North better than they did. If Lu Yun felt continuing the war was necessary, the court should fully support him.

The difference from Lu Xian’s dream was that through his efforts, he had convinced his father and previously indifferent family to side with Prince Chen. Prince Chen’s backing was stronger than in the dream, giving him more confidence but also making opponents like Prince Zhao more wary and frantically opposed.

Whether to fight or negotiate, when they had strength but would also pay a price, they could never reach a conclusion.

As the two sides argued in court, supplies and reinforcements for the frontier forces were naturally delayed. Prince Chen raised the issue many times, but the court remained passive. Fortunately, Zhou Yangling had already left the capital to help. Prince Chen Liu Shu was now just stalling his political enemies, buying time. Conveniently, the other side also thought delaying would help with peace talks. Both sides maintained an odd, delicate balance.

Since the scholars couldn’t resolve the issue, it was naturally sent to the Emperor for a decision.

In the deep palace, the old Emperor received the memorial from his eunuchs and tossed it aside with a headache. In the center of the palace hall, dancers danced and singers sang. The opera voice floated through the hall, clear and melodious. The Northern Princess who sat with the old Emperor in the high seat secretly glanced at him, seeing his impatient expression after receiving the memorial.

His Majesty closed his eyes, tapping rhythm with his hand curved on the armrest, unwilling to listen to the eunuchs muttering about the northern war affairs.

His Majesty was somewhat displeased.

The Northern Princess’s heart fluttered sensitively. From His Majesty’s calm expression, she realized the old Emperor was not entirely without opinions about the noble families. Looking at the Emperor’s expression, she carefully recalled what she wanted to say before speaking softly: “…Actually, my Northern country is also willing to negotiate with the South, but Lu Yun is arrogant with his talents, thinking we have ulterior motives, and refuses to budge on border control.”

The princess thought of that elegant and romantic young lord from her memories, her heart going crazy for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by an even more frenzied emotion hiding jealousy and hatred: “…Someone like Lu Yun from a noble family looks down on others, right? Your Majesty, look how you have to consider the noble families’ feelings when you speak in court, how much you suffer.”

The old Emperor felt this way in his heart.

But on the surface he said impatiently: “Shut up. What do you know?”

The Northern Princess stiffened, her face turning slightly pale as she bit her lip until it bled. Her perfectly good political marriage, and this old lecher not only didn’t value her and favored other beauties sent by his sons, but now he humiliated her like this. Even though she had entered his harem, she was once a princess.

To have her dignity trampled like this!

It’s just the Southern country!

When their Northern country wins – when the North wins… The Northern Princess lowered her eyes and said gently: “I just worry about imperial power being diminished, that Your Majesty is being deceived by them. I hear Lu Yun has high prestige in the South. If he becomes more powerful, the noble families will be even more arrogant. Then Your Majesty would… I’ve said too much. How could Your Majesty not know this?”

The old Emperor gave a cold snort.

He knew the North probably had some small schemes, but he didn’t take them seriously. The North just wanted those few counties around Ruyang, and would still compensate the South. That was what peace talks were for. The old Emperor maintained his throne through balancing various powers, like balancing imperial authority with the noble families. He had initially gained the throne through noble family support. But now, this balance was becoming increasingly difficult. Prince Chen had even brought in the common families. The old Emperor wanted to see how far Prince Chen could go.

Times had changed.

He was old.

The noble families’ ambitions had grown, and so had the royal family’s. When the two collided, trouble was inevitable.

But the old Emperor felt he was too old and didn’t want to play mediator between them, kowtowing to both sides. He wouldn’t live much longer – he was already old and in poor health, sustained by ginseng, jade fungus and medicines. Now indulging in women had depleted him even more. The old Emperor knew he couldn’t achieve any great accomplishments anymore. He just wanted to live out his last few years as emperor in pleasure, enjoying what life he had left. Let the next emperor worry about the South’s problems.

The old Emperor’s thoughts drifted far away as he waited for the court to argue out a plan before issuing an imperial edict that wouldn’t offend either side. But perhaps thinking of his successor made him recall the secret edict his father had given him before dying – that edict naming his youngest son, Prince Hengyang, as heir out of love.

Prince Hengyang Liu Mu. His youngest brother, their father’s favorite son, their mother’s most cherished filial child, heh.

The legendary edict attracted much attention. Royal family relationships were already different from ordinary families, especially when brothers became entangled with the throne – relationships became even more complicated.

The palace music had become tiresome after listening for so long. The Northern Princess listened in a daze, and inadvertently seemed to hear His Majesty mutter: “…If only he would die in the North and not return.”

Save the trouble of dealing with him after he returns.

The old Emperor’s tone was aged and his voice low like sleep-talking, mixed in with the decadent music and dance. The Northern Princess’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. She stiffly turned her face to see the old Emperor’s gaze fixed on the fallen leaves in the empty courtyard outside. The Northern Princess dared not think too deeply about who exactly the Emperor hoped would die on the battlefield and not return.

…

Prince Chen and Lu Xian ultimately suppressed the capital’s imperial edict, buying time for the northern battlefield’s stalemate. After that great battle, other counties saw hope of victory and came to ally with the three counties of Nanyang against the enemy forces. The situation was deadlocked but not too intense. Even General Wei Cong had time to lead soldiers in field battles, seizing food from the northerners.

Since the court wouldn’t approve supplies, they could only steal from the northerners – surviving one more day at a time.

The northern situation was relaxed but serious underneath.

They could steal supplies from the North, but for the lack of soldiers, they needed to recruit commoners into the army and train them quickly to be battle-ready. At the same time, they felt their previous victory had not come easily and the enemy must have backup plans that they needed to guard against. After discussion, the generals approved Lu Yun’s report and assigned him the task of training troops.

The generals focused on studying northern army equipment, looking for breakthroughs in weapons and equipment since they couldn’t match the enemy in manpower and physical fitness.

Since Lu Yun was assigned to train troops, he requested permission from General Wei to take the new recruits up Mount Funiu to familiarize them with the terrain. After all, Mount Funiu was Nanyang’s most important military position – being familiar with it would be invaluable in battle. As a result, Luo Lingyu hadn’t seen Lu Yun for several days.

Perhaps because she couldn’t see him, she felt strange and thought more and more. Luo Lingyu kept feeling that the wounds she saw on Lu Yun that night were unusual. Unable to get answers from Lu Yun himself, Luo Lingyu grew increasingly worried and couldn’t rest easy about him. With these thoughts in mind, Luo Lingyu and her maids steamed vegetable balls and various pastries, filling several large carts. She specifically climbed the mountain to visit Lu Yun while also rewarding the army and improving their meals.

Her maid Lingyu said: “It’s right to visit Third Young Master, and it’s fine for miss to bring some small gifts, but why prepare so much food? There are many soldiers, and miss works so hard every time – even I feel tired watching.”

Luo Lingyu smiled gently and self-pityingly: “It’s not tiring. Small gifts aren’t practical – practical things are what people remember. The soldiers train all day protecting home and country. Making some food is the least I can do.”

She had always cared about reputation and profit. After meeting Lu Yun, Luo Lingyu became even more aware that she couldn’t relax for a moment – once she relaxed and gained a bad reputation, people like Lu Yun would nitpick and remember it forever, opposing her at every turn. It would be very difficult to shake off that terrible predetermined impression.

Previously she wanted to marry into a noble family; now she was set on becoming Lu Yun’s wife. Without a powerful family backing to maintain appearances, she could only rely on reputation. As Lu Yun’s wife and the mistress of the second branch, she would need to do more than ordinary noble ladies. But Luo Lingyu wasn’t afraid at all – she was full of fighting spirit, determined not only to marry Lu Yun but also to make the Lu family satisfied with her as their daughter-in-law.

When they returned to Jianye, she would take a different approach with the Lu family elders than before. This time, she would make the elders like her and rely on her… The young lady rested her chin in her hand, dreaming of married life, smiling unconsciously at her pleasant thoughts.

But she couldn’t get too lost in fantasy. After all, the war wasn’t over, and Lu Yun’s fate was still uncertain.

Rouge on her lips and cheeks, she walked with graceful steps. Classical beauty mixed with charm, she was captivatingly elegant. When the young lady reached the military training ground in the mountains, she distributed food together with her maids. Such a beautiful young lady personally doing these things – the soldiers were full of goodwill toward Lady Luo. They surrounded her, reluctant to leave, wanting to chat more with her.

The soldiers now knew that Lu Yun and Lady Luo were engaged – the cards had been sent and the Luo family had agreed, though everything was kept simple due to the war. Most likely they would return to Jianye to marry once the war ended. If an ordinary man married such a beautiful lady, other men would inevitably feel bitter, but with Lu Yun… thinking of the beauties constantly surrounding him, everyone had complex feelings, thinking these two were well-matched.

They both attracted attention from the opposite sex.

After Luo Lingyu sent several cartloads of pastries and vegetable balls, she indeed won people’s favor. A kind-hearted soldier told her: “Miss should visit Commander Lu more often. These past few days, besides you, other young ladies have come up the mountain to see us.”

The meaning was obvious – they came for Lu Yun.

Luo Lingyu was surprised. She tilted her face slightly, feigning shy confusion: “But Lu Yun is engaged to me. He is my… my betrothed.”

The young lady bit her lip, her beautiful eyes flickering with flowing light, looking so helpless and moving. That soldier sighed at how kindhearted Lady Luo was, not knowing the dangers of human nature: “Well, what man doesn’t like having multiple wives and concubines, being surrounded by women? Though you’re already very beautiful, miss, but, but… you still need to be vigilant!”

Luo Lingyu firmly said: “That’s not possible, I believe Lu Yun isn’t that kind of person.”

The crowd was stunned by her innocence and couldn’t speak for a while: “…”

The watching maid Lingyu: “…”

Lingyu mentally rolled her eyes, amazed at her cousin’s deliberate way of digging pitfalls for Lu Yun while maintaining a good reputation. She pondered thoughtfully – perhaps capable ladies didn’t treat other women coveting their men as imaginary enemies, always staying tense?

At least with her cousin, Lingyu had never seen her make enemies with any lady because of Lu Yun.

Chen Xiu who was once infatuated with Third Young Master, and Jiang Wanyi who was favored by the Lu family elders, were both defeated by her cousin. Yet despite being defeated, these three ladies didn’t fight when they met or become unfriendly.

She should learn from her cousin another day.

Luo Lingyu circled among the soldiers, getting enough face time and making sure everyone knew of her good deeds. Finally satisfied, she asked where Lu Yun was, deciding to find him herself and give him a surprise. A soldier volunteered to lead the way, taking Luo Lingyu toward a small training ground cleared in the mountains. In the winter the plants had withered and weeds had been pulled out. From afar, Luo Lingyu and her maids saw a group of archers practicing by the cliff.

Drawing bows and shooting arrows with an imposing presence.

Naturally catching everyone’s eye was Lu Yun standing at the cliff edge, his robes flowing in the wind. He stood at the precipice, sunlight falling on his face – half in shadow, half in light. Before Luo Lingyu got close, she vaguely heard Lu Yun say something, and the archers standing several zhang in front of him all nocked their arrows and drew their bowstrings taut.

Luo Lingyu’s lips had held a joyful smile at seeing her love, but the next moment she froze, her eyes wide-

“What are you doing?!”

Watching countless arrows fly at once, the archers’ aim straight and true, arrows leaving their bows like lightning toward Lu Yun standing at the cliff edge. The young lord’s expression was solemn as his robes fluttered, stepping back to dodge the arrows. The arrows fell like dense rain, surrounding Lu Yun. Before the soldier leading Luo Lingyu could react or warn her, she suddenly lifted her skirts and ran toward the arrow storm.

Lingyu was terrified and chased after Luo Lingyu: “You’re trying to kill Third Young Master?! Have you gone mad?!”

Luo Lingyu’s face was pale as she ran, unable to match the arrows’ speed. She watched helplessly as the arrows mercilessly pierced toward Lu Yun as he dodged left and right. He seemed to freeze for a moment, and as he turned his body to dodge arrows, his foot slipped and he fell off the cliff. Seeing his gray robes fall into the clouds below, Luo Lingyu’s mind went blank.

Her legs suddenly went weak and numb.

She cried out shrilly: “Lu Yun—”

Everyone was at a loss, momentarily confused, watching Luo Lingyu suddenly rush out from behind and throw herself toward the cliff edge. She fell to the ground, her face white as paper, reaching down. But she was far too late – she couldn’t possibly save him. Her outstretched hand into the sea of clouds caught nothing, and her face grew even paler.

Luo Lingyu trembled: “Lu Yun!”

She had watched him fall, seen it with her own eyes!

What happened, why… The sun was bright but her whole body was covered in sweat, her heart empty.

Suddenly panicked, suddenly terrified.

What to do, what to do… She bit her lip, desperately trying to think of something, but tears fell uncontrollably from her eyes.

The soldiers running over saw her tears and their hearts clenched, quickly saying: “Miss, you…”

Luo Lingyu shouted fiercely: “Have you all gone mad?!”

She suddenly stood up, warily backing toward the cliff, staring at these confused archers. She tensely assessed all their expressions. First calmly having her maid Lingyu, whose face was as distraught as her own, come stand behind her. Facing these soldiers, she said coldly: “If you save him, bring him back up, I will…”

Lingyu suddenly let out a startled cry.

Wind stirred behind her.

At her maid’s warning, Luo Lingyu turned around and froze in astonishment, seeing the person who had fallen off the cliff leap back up and land on the ground. The jade crown in his hair had been hit by an arrow and fallen off the cliff, and his robes were somewhat disheveled with several tears. But he stood behind her like jade, completely unharmed.

Luo Lingyu stared blankly, her eyes wide, still holding a trace of tears.

She murmured: “What’s going on…”

The wrongly accused archers hurriedly explained in a clamor to clear their names: “Miss has misunderstood – Commander Lu ordered us to shoot, we were just following military orders.”

Luo Lingyu looked at Lu Yun.

Lu Yun’s eyes held a smile as he said gently: “It was just a training exercise. You misunderstood.” He reached out his hand to show her, and spoke very softly as if afraid of frightening her: “I’m fine.”

Lu Yun extended his hand, wanting to pull her over. But Luo Lingyu subtly stepped back, causing Lu Yun’s eyes to narrow slightly.

Luo Lingyu said: “What kind of military training is this?! Don’t think that because I read fewer books and am not a scholar like you that you can deceive me! Tell me the truth, what’s really going on? Don’t lie to me!”

Lu Yun: “…”

With all the soldiers watching, Lu Yun was somewhat embarrassed, his face stiffening. Naturally, he had never given face to anyone after being publicly scolded by a lady like this. But this person was Luo Lingyu, his future wife – he had to give her face. Lu Yun was silent for a long while before saying awkwardly: “It’s about that death tribulation… I was doing an experiment to see exactly what kind of tribulation it was, if I could arrange it myself.”

The tear clinging to Luo Lingyu’s long lashes made her snow-white face and soft black eyes give off an even more pitiable and delicate air. The surrounding soldiers couldn’t understand what Lu Yun was vaguely talking about, but she froze for a long moment before sudden realization struck: “…The wounds on your body that night were also results of your experiments?”

“No one hurt you – you did it all to yourself?”

Lu Yun nodded slightly.

Then the next moment, in front of everyone, Luo Lingyu slapped him hard across the face, making Lu Yun’s head turn to the side. Lu Yun’s face instantly darkened, while Luo Lingyu gave a cold laugh and turned to leave. Before she left, the young lady shouted angrily-

“Go ahead and die then! Since you want to die so badly, just go!”

The soldiers watched Lu Yun’s gloomy expression, all lowering their heads, no one daring to look – someone like Lu Yun being publicly slapped… the marriage would probably be off now, right?