Chapter 121: Ambushes on All Sides

“Ambush on All Sides” is a large-scale historical pipa composition. As the name suggests, a pipa piece is naturally played on the pipa, but “Ambush on All Sides” can also be performed on the qin or the guzheng, and even on the guitar. Long ago, Li Sanjian had once played it on the guitar, and was therefore thoroughly familiar with the piece.

“Ambush on All Sides” originated from Bai Juyi’s Tang-dynasty poem “Song of the Pipa,” and the composition itself was completed during the Qing dynasty.

The piece depicts the decisive battle at Gaixia during the Chu–Han War. The Han army defeated the forces of Chu through a formation of ambushes on every side. Xiang Yu took his own life at the Wu River, and Liu Bang seized the empire.

From the opening “Array Formation” to the concluding “Triumphantly Returning to Camp,” from the clashes of close combat amid flashing blades and spears to the tragic defeat of the King of Chu at the end, from the thunderous drums at the beginning to the low, mournful strains that follow, every passage stirs the soul.

“My strength could uproot mountains, my spirit tower above the world;
Yet fortune has turned against me, and my steed will go no farther.
My steed will go no farther—what am I to do?
Yuji, my Yuji, what am I to do with you?”

Xiang Yu’s agonizing farewell to Yuji, followed by his suicide at the Wu River and the loss of the realm—an unrivaled hero brought to the end of his road, yet bound by tender love—all of this is reflected throughout the music in the desolation and sorrow of a hero’s final hour.

The piece was magnificent and extraordinary in style, majestic and impassioned in spirit. Its heroic fervor was expressed with breathtaking force.

Although Li Sanjian was not skilled at playing the qin, his familiarity with the composition enabled him to convey at least some of the vast and overwhelming grandeur of “Ambush on All Sides.”

The key to playing an instrument was, above all, sincerity. When the heart was true, the spirit responded; technique, by comparison, was secondary. Was that not so?

It was now dusk. The faint light of the setting sun draped the earth in a sheen as thin as a cicada’s wing. The clouds, too, were gilded, and golden afterglow poured down from the sky, illuminating Li Sanjian as he played and making him appear almost like a deity.

Performing this piece at twilight made it even easier to bring forth the tragedy and desolation of “Ambush on All Sides” in all their intensity.

The sound of the qin echoed throughout Qingyue Nunnery. The monks and guests within the monastery all set aside their work and listened in silence to this soul-stirring composition, unlike anything the world had ever heard.

The place where Li Sanjian and Li Qingzhao were staying was a small, private courtyard with its own entrance. A semicircular arched gateway provided passage in and out.

At that moment, beneath the arch stood a masked woman with a bamboo basket looped over her arm. She gazed at Li Sanjian as he played, listening in stillness.

A short while later, Li Sanjian finished playing. The final note faded, though its lingering resonance seemed to endure for three days.

The masked woman let out a soft sigh and turned to leave.

Her sigh was particularly distinct in the silent courtyard, and both Li Sanjian and Li Qingzhao heard it at once. They turned together and saw the masked woman.

“Exiled Immortal? Is that you? Come over here!” Li Qingzhao cried out as she rose to her feet.

So her name was Exiled Immortal? Li Sanjian recognized her as well. Was she not the same woman he had encountered at the lantern festival in the Cai family garden?

There was a red plum-blossom-shaped birthmark on her wrist, and Li Sanjian remembered it vividly. He recognized her immediately.

Li Qingzhao walked over, took Cai Rongxue’s cold little hand, and drew her down beside her.

“Little Sister Exiled Immortal, why are you here?”

Cai Rongxue stole a glance at Li Sanjian. When she saw that he was looking back at her, she hurriedly lowered her head.

“Every year I come here to hold a memorial rite for my late mother. This time, I was drawn here by Master Li’s music... I have disturbed you and Sister Qing during your... moonlit hour among the flowers. Please forgive my rashness.”

There was a trace of bitterness in her voice, and her face looked somewhat pale. Yet with the thin veil covering it, nothing unusual could be discerned from her appearance.

She was a beauty as well. Though Li Sanjian could not see Cai Rongxue’s features clearly, her eyes, limpid as autumn waters, revealed that she must be extraordinarily lovely. There was also a faint sorrow in her gaze. With an exquisite bamboo basket hanging from her arm, she appeared delicate and timid, like Daiyu burying fallen flowers.

A young lady from a wealthy family ought not to have seemed so forlorn. Li Sanjian wondered inwardly why, the moment she entered, the whole courtyard seemed to have been enveloped in clouds of grief.

“Haha.” Hearing her use the phrase “among the flowers beneath the moon,” Li Sanjian could not help laughing. “I am but a humble man. How could I deserve to be called ‘Master’? Just call me Student Li.”

After saying this, Li Sanjian glanced at Li Qingzhao with a grin.

Li Qingzhao rolled her eyes at him, then nodded.

“So that is how it is. Little Sister is truly devoted to her mother. Her spirit in heaven must be deeply comforted.”

She then shot Li Sanjian a look.

“Little Sister was drawn here by his music? That... that noise of his can be called music? It sounds like ghosts wailing and wolves howling—utterly unbearable!”

Her words instantly amused both Li Sanjian and Cai Rongxue. Li Sanjian burst into laughter, while Cai Rongxue raised her sleeve to cover her mouth and smiled.

“The player’s heart is reflected in the music. To govern the instrument with one’s heart was the way followed by the great masters of old. From his playing, I could already hear Young Master Li’s lofty ambitions.”

Her smile eased the sorrow in her expression. At the same time, as the sleeve slipped from her arm, Li Sanjian once again saw her fair, jade-white wrist—and the five neat plum-blossom-shaped birthmarks arranged upon it.

His puzzlement deepened. Why did she share the same distinctive mark as the woman in his dreams? Who was she, really? Li Sanjian wondered silently.

At the same time, he secretly agreed with Cai Rongxue. Whatever one did in this world, if one applied oneself wholeheartedly, there was nothing one could not do well. In that moment, Li Sanjian felt as though he had found a kindred spirit.

“Such lofty ambitions, all involving bloodshed and battle? Better to do without them.” Li Qingzhao smiled at Cai Rongxue. “Little Sister Exiled Immortal dances beautifully. Why don’t I play here, and you sing and dance for us?”

Li Qingzhao was only a few months younger than Li Sanjian and had not yet turned seventeen. She was playful by nature and loved liveliness, so she gave little thought to the matter.

Li Sanjian, however, was different. His heart was old though his years were not. Cai Rongxue had just completed the rites for her deceased mother; how could she possibly be in the mood to sing and dance?

Li Sanjian merely shook his head.

As expected, Cai Rongxue quickly declined.

“What could I possibly know of singing and dancing? Besides, I am but a willow in autumn, withering at the first chill. How could a frail willow compare with an evergreen pine or cypress, which only grows more luxuriant after enduring frost? How could I possibly be worthy of the eyes of either of you?”

Her words were filled with self-pity and sorrow.

Li Sanjian fell silent. Were all the women of the Song dynasty so accomplished in letters? They quoted Confucius and Mencius at every turn, and spoke constantly of refined tales and anecdotes. The daughters of noble families were like this, and even courtesans of the pleasure quarters were no different. If women had been permitted to sit for the civil examinations, surely many of them would have passed with distinction. Li Sanjian found the thought exceedingly curious.

“Since that is the case, it is getting late. Shall we return to the city?” he asked.

Although Li Gefei doted on Li Qingzhao and had given her a relatively liberal upbringing, allowing her to play and laugh and often remain out until late at night, staying in such a desolate place with a young man would still damage her reputation to some extent. Li Sanjian therefore wished to escort her back before darkness fell.

The two women nodded together.

“Qing’er?” After leading over the sturdy horse that refused to obey him, Li Sanjian turned to Li Qingzhao.

“I refuse to ride with you,” Li Qingzhao replied. “I’ll return in Little Sister Exiled Immortal’s carriage.”

In truth, Li Qingzhao still wanted to ride with Li Sanjian. Though his riding skills were abysmal, tender shoots had only just begun to emerge between them. They had recently sworn vows as firm as mountains and seas, and their affection was as sweet as honey mixed with oil.

But how could they act too intimately in front of Cai Rongxue? Besides, the lantern festival in the Cai family garden had carried more than a hint of choosing a husband through riddles. Li Sanjian had won first place at the festival, yet Li Qingzhao had stolen the lead afterward. She felt somewhat guilty toward Cai Rongxue and was therefore too embarrassed to behave so familiarly with Li Sanjian before her.

* * *

“Congratulations, Sister Qing,” Cai Rongxue said softly inside the carriage returning to the city.

“Ah, Little Sister Exiled Immortal, I am sorry,” Li Qingzhao sighed.

“Why do you say that, Sister Qing?” Cai Rongxue shook her head. “Between two people, everything depends upon fate. Those destined to meet will find each other even across a thousand miles; those without fate may stand face-to-face and still never meet. You and he are destined for one another. With love and affinity between you, you will surely become husband and wife in the end.”

“Become husband and wife?” Li Qingzhao sighed deeply once more. “I still do not know how I am to explain this to Father.”

After Li Qingzhao and Li Sanjian had pledged themselves to one another, they would have to face not only Li Gefei but the entire family. Not only the Li clan, but also her mother’s family, the Wang clan.

The Wang family in particular posed a serious problem. Li Qingzhao’s mother had been the daughter of Wang Gui, the late prime minister of the Song dynasty. Li Qingzhao was therefore Wang Gui’s granddaughter and came from a family of ministers and high officials. Though contact with the Wang clan had largely ceased after her mother’s death, Li Qingzhao was still Wang Gui’s granddaughter. If she married a humble man who had failed the examinations, they would certainly ridicule her. She had already lost her mother at a young age and suffered a painfully unfortunate upbringing; such a marriage would only make matters worse.

Though Li Gefei, an assistant minister in the Ministry of Rites, had only one daughter, he had many brothers and sisters. Li Qingzhao consequently had countless cousins on both her father’s and her mother’s side, and they were forever comparing themselves with one another. If she truly married Li Sanjian, she would never be able to hold her head high before them.

That was what troubled Li Qingzhao most.

Women might not admit it aloud, but most possessed a measure of vanity. What woman would not wish to marry a young man from a distinguished family, gifted and affectionate, with scholarly honors already to his name?

* * *

“Confucius said...” After returning to his lodging, Li Sanjian took out a book and intended to review his studies. But after a day of exertion, he had barely recited a few lines before collapsing onto the desk and falling asleep.

The late-autumn nights in the capital were rather cold, so Fu Erniang quietly draped a thick garment over Li Sanjian’s shoulders.