Chapter Eighty-Four: Military Advisor of Huazhou

“The mountain scenery is lovely in the clear haze, warmth stirring as returning wild geese rise from the flat sands. In the eastern suburbs, flowers begin to delight the eye; along the southern paths, grass timidly sprouts new buds. On the dike, the willows are not yet dense enough to conceal the crows. Seeking spring, I stroll toward a country house. On the ridge, a few red plum trees scatter their blossoms, but the apricot branches have yet to show their flowers.”

At this moment, several young actresses were performing a play called “The Deputy of Huazhou” on stage. All the players were women in the bloom of youth, with the leading male role also portrayed by a girl. They wore splendid, colorful costumes, singing and dancing as they enacted the drama.

The lively performance of “The Deputy of Huazhou” was based on a Song-era tale. The protagonist, surnamed Liu, was a deputy, born into a prominent family during the Tang dynasty. After losing his father early in life, his family fell into decline. While wandering idly in Chang’an, Liu met an incomparable beauty named Cui.

Liu soon learned that this young woman had also lost her father and lived with her mother, attended only by a maid called Qinghong. To Liu’s surprise, the maid was also strikingly beautiful. So, in addition to courting Miss Cui, Liu tried his best to curry favor with the maid, hoping to win both at once. But the maid ignored him, so Liu turned his efforts back to Miss Cui. Enchanted by Liu’s charm, Cui quickly fell in love with him.

After winning Cui’s heart, could the maid possibly escape Liu’s grasp? Cui’s mother, too, was fond of Liu’s eloquence. Just as the families were preparing to formalize the engagement, the situation changed drastically. Cui’s cousin, Wang, her maternal uncle’s son, had harbored affection for her since childhood. Though of average looks, Wang was upright and honest.

Wang asked his father to propose on his behalf. His father, a high-ranking official of immense power, agreed and personally went to propose the match, assuming his sister would readily accept. But Cui refused outright. Her mother, pitying her daughter, lied that Cui had been abducted, then secretly sent the maid Qinghong to inform Liu, urging him to flee with Cui.

When Liu saw Qinghong, he could not resist making advances, only to be angrily rebuffed, leaving him deeply ashamed. Nevertheless, he escaped with Cui and Qinghong to a faraway place.

Some time later, Cui’s mother passed away. Liu brought both women back to Chang’an, but Wang spotted them. Furious, Wang’s father had Liu arrested and exiled. By then, Cui was already pregnant. Yet, Wang bore no grudge; he married Cui and cared for her with the utmost devotion.

Still, Cui’s heart remained with Liu. Melancholy and heartsick, she passed away within a few years, and faithful Qinghong joined her in death.

Liu lived alone, desolate, in Jiangling. One spring, in the second month, the courtyard was filled with blossoms and birdsong. Lost in longing for Cui, he mourned her absence, unsure whether she was alive or dead. Suddenly, there was a hurried knock at the door. Soon, Qinghong appeared, carrying a dressing case, breathlessly announcing, “My lady will arrive at any moment.”

Sure enough, Cui soon entered. Unaware that Cui and Qinghong had died, Liu was overjoyed and lived happily with the two women.

Not long after, Wang’s house servants discovered them. Wang traveled a thousand miles to find Cui and Qinghong. Startled to find them, he tried to approach, but the two women suddenly vanished before their eyes.

Astonished, Liu and Wang went together to the grave site of Cui and Qinghong. Opening the tomb, they found the women’s bodies and clothing miraculously intact, untouched by decay...

In the end, Liu and Wang stood dumbfounded, but then both were struck by enlightenment. Hand in hand, they ascended Mount Zhongnan to seek immortality and the mysteries of the Dao...

“Weep, weep...” Li Qingzhao was so moved by Cui and Qinghong, who, even after death, did not forget their love but crossed a thousand miles as spirits to be reunited. Tears welled in her eyes as she gently dabbed them away with her silk handkerchief.

Li Sanjian, on the other hand, found it highly amusing that Liu and Wang should go off together to seek the Dao on Mount Zhongnan, and burst into hearty laughter.

“You... Detestable... What are you laughing at?” chided Li Qingzhao, pushing Li Sanjian.

“Well...” Li Sanjian could not help but keep laughing. “Liu is fickle and unreliable, and Cui is no better. Wang, though plain in appearance, is so honest, so loving, and generous. I laugh that Cui was blind—she didn’t cherish the happiness before her and instead chased after something illusory. Is that not the height of foolishness? Or perhaps...”

“You’re the foolish one!” Li Qingzhao shot him a glare. “What else?”

“Also...” Li Sanjian glanced at her, continuing, “Wang forcibly married another man’s pregnant wife and yet acted as if nothing were amiss. His wife pined for another; even after death, she was reunited with her lover’s spirit. In the end, he and Liu sought immortality together! Ha! If it were me...”

“And if it were you, what would you do?” Li Qingzhao asked, unconsciously leaning a little closer to him.

Outside the refined chamber, the play continued, the noise drifting in. Li Sanjian leaned forward as well, drawing nearer to Li Qingzhao, their heads nearly touching.

Breathing in the intoxicating scent of her youthful fragrance, Li Sanjian was momentarily lost for words.

“What’s wrong with you? Cat got your tongue? I asked you a question,” Li Qingzhao frowned, nudging him away a little.

“If I were Wang,” Li Sanjian scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, “I’d either let them go, plead with my father to forgive them, and let them be happy together—do as they please. But if I married Cui, I’d never allow her to be so unfaithful. If she did, that would violate her wifely duty, her virtue! I absolutely wouldn’t tolerate it.”

Li Sanjian, in every life, had always been uncompromising on such matters—he would never accept such behavior.

“And if Cui persisted?” Li Qingzhao pressed.

“If she did, I’d divorce her, and then...” Li Sanjian grinned slyly.

“And then what would you do?” she asked.

“I’d draw my sword and chop Liu into seventeen or eighteen pieces...” Li Sanjian hesitated, then replied.

He expected Li Qingzhao to be furious, perhaps to storm off. But she simply asked, her expression unchanged, “After killing Liu, how would you treat Cui and Qinghong?”

“Well...” Li Sanjian pondered. “I’d let them go their own way. They could go wherever they wished.”

“You wouldn’t kill them?” Li Qingzhao pressed.

“Why would I?” Li Sanjian shook his head. “Liu was fickle, and though he knew Cui was married, he still pursued her. Such a man deserves death! Besides, Cui was Liu’s wife first and was forcibly taken by Wang’s father. Liu should have fought for her, not slink away and let his wife become another’s. Such coldness deserves punishment. As for Cui and Qinghong, they are but weak women. However wrong they were, I would never kill a woman. Not in this life.”

“Nonsense, utter nonsense!” Li Qingzhao finally lost her temper, glaring at him. “The Wang family was all-powerful—what could Liu do? Cui never forgot her old love, even in death she crossed a thousand miles as a ghost to find him. Such devotion deserves compassion, and you would divorce her? How heartless! And Liu is pitiable too, but you would have him slain—how can you be so cruel?”

Her words made Li Sanjian uneasy. Was he truly so unfeeling at heart?

“My dear Miss Li,” he reasoned, “since Cui married Liu, she should have upheld her wifely duty. When forced into marriage, why not resist to the death? And once married to Wang, why not be a good wife and serve her husband? Why still pine for Liu? Besides, Wang was not a villain. He treated her with such kindness—why did she act so?”

He expected another outburst, but Li Qingzhao only sighed, melancholy in her voice. “Ah, you don’t understand women. Once a woman gives her heart, it does not easily change. Cui never betrayed her husband in life—it was only after death that she sought her old love.”

For some reason, tears welled up again in Li Qingzhao’s eyes, her expression bleak and sorrowful.

Had he touched a sore spot in her heart? What pain could she be hiding? Li Sanjian wondered.

But now he had no wish to argue further. So he said gently, “Miss Li, why let yourself be troubled? It’s just a story. Who knows if it’s even true?”

She nodded, then asked, “Indeed. But tell me, do you believe in ghosts and spirits in this world?”

“Yes,” Li Sanjian answered firmly. “There have always been tales of spirits—only most people have not experienced them firsthand.”

“Why are you so sure?” she tilted her head, curious. “Have you ever encountered them yourself?”

Of course I have, he thought silently. But how could he possibly tell her? And would she believe him?

“I have a tale for you too, about ghosts and spirits, far more interesting than this one. Would you like to hear it?” Li Sanjian deflected, after a moment’s thought.

“I’d love to!” The answer came not only from Li Qingzhao, but also a man’s voice from outside the room.

“Forgive me, forgive me for intruding.” At that moment, the door opened and Zhao Mingcheng entered, bowing with a smile. “Passing by, I overheard familiar voices and entered uninvited. I hope you will pardon my presumption...”