Chapter 36: - The Lament of Autumn

Pingjun approached to help him unfasten the buttons of his military uniform, smiling gently as she said, "I also heard your footsteps and came to take a look. Who knew your eyes would be so sharp, noticing everything." He grasped her hand briefly, but she withdrew it with a laugh and hung his coat on a nearby stand. Turning back, she saw him sitting down to drink tea, looking somewhat pensive. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Did you encounter some troublesome matter?"

Yu Changxuan placed his gun belt and sidearm on the table before glancing back at her with a faint smile. "It's nothing, really. I've just been extremely busy these past few days and feel rather tired." Noticing the weariness etched between his brows, she suggested, "Then you should lie down on the bed for a while. I'll wake you when dinner is ready."

Changxuan acknowledged with a sound of agreement and, without changing his clothes, lay directly on the bed. The past few days had been consumed by military affairs and countless draining matters, leaving him utterly exhausted both physically and mentally. His head had barely touched the pillow before he fell into a deep sleep. When he awoke, moonlight filled the window—it was already late at night, and the room was utterly silent. He turned his head slightly to see her sitting quietly under the lamp, holding an embroidery hoop as she worked stitch by stitch. Her profile, illuminated by the light, was as delicate and lovely as peach blossoms. He gazed at her for a long moment before finally saying with a smile, "What are you embroidering? Let me see."

Startled by his voice, she turned to see he was awake and laughed. "You woke up without a word and gave me such a fright." She stood and brought the embroidery hoop over to him. Yu Changxuan looked at it—she was working on a "Lotus Flower" pattern, with one blossom and a few leaves completed. He pointed at the embroidered surface and chuckled, "This flower is me, and these leaves are you."

Pingjun couldn't help laughing. "You really are something... How come you get to be the elegant blossom, and I'm just a leaf?" Changxuan replied, "What can I do? It's because your surname is Ye (leaf)." Pingjun took the hoop back and lightly tapped the needle below the lotus, saying softly with a smile, "In that case, I'll embroider a few small fish down here to represent you."

Changxuan said warmly, "That's not me—that would be our son." At his words, Pingjun gave him a light push and laughed, "You must have slept yourself alert and started talking nonsense again." Changxuan grinned, "This isn't nonsense. I've already thought it through—if we have a child in the future, the formal name will naturally be chosen by Father, but we can pick a pet name. If it's a son, we'll call him Little Fish, and if it's a daughter, we'll call her Little Jade."

The names "Little Fish" and "Little Jade" cleverly homophone with the Yu surname. Pingjun smiled faintly but didn't continue the topic, instead asking, "It's already so late, and you haven't had dinner. Are you hungry?" Reminded by her, Changxuan realized he was indeed hungry and asked, "Is there anything to eat?"

Pingjun set the embroidery hoop aside. "Rest a little longer. I'll ask the aide-de-camp outside to cook some noodles." Just as she stood up, a knock came from outside, and the voice of confidential secretary Wang Ji carried through the door: "Commander, a telegram from the Chairman."Yu Changxuan was momentarily taken aback, knowing full well that Wang Ji would only knock at this hour for something of grave importance. Pingjun had already fetched his coat for him. Taking it, Yu Changxuan said, "Go to bed early. Don’t wait up for me." Pingjun nodded, and Yu Changxuan strode out to the outer chamber, where his confidential secretary, Wang Ji, stood waiting with a telegram in hand.

Yu Changxuan took the telegram, unfolded it, and glanced at it. Instantly, his brow furrowed. He slapped the telegram onto the table with a sharp crack and let out a cold laugh. "What a fine Vice President of the Executive Yuan! Barely promoted, and already he can’t wait to flaunt his authority at Xiangping Pass."

After Yu Changxuan left, he did not return for several days. By noon that day, the aide-de-camp brought lunch. Pingjun soaked some rice in broth and took a few bites but found she had no appetite. An inexplicable restlessness seized her, making even embroidery impossible. She put away the embroidery hoop and fetched a few of Yu Changxuan’s freshly laundered shirts and jackets to iron. Keeping herself busy like this, she gradually worked her way into the evening. In the courtyard, the pear tree swayed in the breeze, casting a dappled pattern of shadows under the fading sunset glow. Still, there was no sign of Yu Changxuan’s return.

Unable to bear it any longer, Pingjun finally stepped into the courtyard to wait. Feng Tianjun, the leader of the sixth squad who was on duty, emerged from the aides’ office and said, "Miss Ye, the Commander-in-Chief called to say you should rest early tonight and not wait for him." Pingjun couldn’t help asking, "Is he still busy?"

Feng Tianjun replied, "Several high-ranking government officials have arrived. The Commander-in-Chief hasn’t been able to break away these past few days."

Pingjun asked no further and merely nodded. Feng Tianjun returned to the guards’ office, but Pingjun remained seated in the courtyard. The leaves of the pear tree rustled softly above her head, and a faint, delicate fragrance drifted through the quiet yard.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, a sudden clamor of footsteps erupted from the front courtyard, as if chaos had broken out. An angry voice immediately reached her ears: "Outrageous! With the Fusang army pressing down on our borders, you, Yu Changxuan, hold a massive force yet hesitate and hold back, allowing the Fusang troops to swallow our land unchecked. I, the dignified Vice President of the Executive Yuan, have come to the front lines personally to persuade you—not to dine and dance in your hotels and ballrooms!"

At the sound of that voice, Pingjun froze stiff and stood rooted to the spot.

Then came Yu Changxuan’s cold, mocking retort: "A general in the field may disregard orders from the court—and you don’t even have military authority! If you came on behalf of the government, resolved to fight Fusang to the end, that would be one thing. But what kind of talk is that? ‘To quell domestic protests, fight a battle with Fusang just to suppress the unrest.’ Not a single soldier in the Yu Army fears death, but we won’t die for such an unclear, unjust cause!"

Standing in the inner courtyard, Pingjun heard every word of this exchange clearly. Then came the sound of hurried footsteps approaching. Flustered and panicked, she hurried back into the room. Before she could fully close the door, she heard the footsteps draw near. The guards on duty in the inner courtyard snapped to attention with a synchronized click of their rifles. Feng Tianjun announced, "Commander-in-Chief."Pingjun's heart eased slightly, and she was about to step out when she suddenly heard Gu Ruitong shout, "Vice President Jiang, this is the inner courtyard. Please stop!" Jiang Xueting, who had been chasing after them, angrily retorted, "Yu Changxuan, you stand right there! I am from the Executive Yuan—how dare you speak to me like this? What are your intentions, amassing troops for your own ends like this?!"

Yu Changxuan glanced back. Jiang Xueting stood at the moon gate of the inner courtyard, blocked by several of Gu Ruitong's personal guards. The guards Jiang Xueting had brought were no pushovers either; both sides had their hands on their guns. Yu Changxuan's face was dark with fury. "We of the Yu Army hold our rifles to defend the country for you officials in the government. Day in and day out, we face a hail of bullets. And now you pen-pushers, sitting comfortably in your government offices, want a few days of peace and expect my men to pay with their lives? Let me tell you, even if you're just the Vice President of the Executive Yuan, even if the old man of the Mou family himself showed up, don’t think for a second the Yu Army would lift a finger for you."

Jiang Xueting’s face was ashen. Just then, a flurry of footsteps echoed from the outer courtyard as several dozen Yu Army guards surrounded them—precisely the personnel from the Guard Corps—encircling Jiang Xueting and his men. Standing behind Jiang Xueting was his aide, Xue Zhiqi, who stepped forward to stand beside him and whispered urgently, "Vice President Jiang, we cannot stay here any longer!"

Jiang Xueting knew full well that the situation was entirely unfavorable to him and that this was no time for rash actions. Swallowing his rage, he turned to leave. The Yu Army guards lowered their weapons. At that moment, a "creak" sounded as the half-closed door, pushed by the wind, swung fully open. Yu Changxuan turned and saw Pingjun standing inside.

Jiang Xueting glanced back, and Pingjun’s figure entered his sight. His body jolted violently; he had never expected her to be here. In an instant, fury surged through him, driving him nearly mad with hatred. He roared, "Yu Changxuan!" and spun around, drawing the pistol from his holster and aiming its dark muzzle straight at Yu Changxuan. His aide, Xue Zhiqi, cried out in alarm, "Vice President Jiang!"

Pingjun’s face instantly turned as pale as paper, and she screamed, "Changxuan!" She was too far from Yu Changxuan, and in her panic, she stumbled out through the doorway.

In the blink of an eye, there was a "clatter" as all the surrounding guards cocked their rifles, training their barrels on Jiang Xueting and his attendants in the center. The scene was set for a chaotic shootout. Xue Zhiqi broke into a cold sweat and gripped Jiang Xueting’s arm tightly, pleading repeatedly, "Vice President Jiang, don’t act on impulse!"

Jiang Xueting stood rigid, his right arm extended straight, clutching the pistol. His eyes blazed with desperate, furious light, fixed unwaveringly on Yu Changxuan standing in the courtyard. Yu Changxuan, however, showed no trace of fear. He turned and walked over to Pingjun, who had fallen to the ground, and steadily helped her to her feet.Pingjun's eyes were filled with terror. He turned and stood between her and Jiang Xueting, his back to Jiang Xueting as he gently smoothed the disheveled hair at her temples. Pingjun grew even more frightened, her voice trembling as she said, "You should leave." She tried to step in front of him, but he grasped her hand firmly and smiled, saying, "Don't worry."

Pingjun's hand was already ice-cold, now tightly enclosed in his palm. Jiang Xueting stood at the moon gate, watching the two of them. His gun-holding arm trembled uncontrollably, his entire body shaking as if afflicted by a fever. Seizing the opportunity, Xue Zhiqi pressed down on his arm, causing the gun to drop weakly to the ground. Xue Zhiqi breathed a slight sigh of relief, only to look up and see Jiang Xueting still staring intently at the two figures ahead, his eyes brimming with scalding tears.

Xue Zhiqi exclaimed in astonishment, "Vice President."

Jiang Xueting seemed not to hear him, his gaze fixed ahead as he called out, "Pingjun."

Finally, she lifted her eyes and silently met his gaze, but the distance between them felt as vast as lifetimes, as if everything had already changed. Jiang Xueting stared at her blankly and murmured, "Your mother, she wasn't..."

Before he could finish, his voice too soft for Pingjun, who stood behind Yu Changxuan, to hear clearly, Yu Changxuan abruptly turned around, drew his pistol, and fired a shot at Jiang Xueting's feet with a loud "bang!" The sound startled everyone around, but Jiang Xueting didn't flinch. He stared directly at Yu Changxuan and suddenly let out a cold laugh, saying, "Commander, you're too impatient. I don't believe you'd dare to kill me even if I speak out!"

The courtyard was filled with a floating fragrance, a scene of heavenly tranquility.

This time, Yu Changxuan slowly raised the gun barrel from Jiang Xueting's feet and aimed it directly at his head. His lips were pressed tightly together, his gaze cold and piercing, exuding a terrifying chill. It was clear that if Jiang Xueting uttered one more word, he would not hesitate to pull the trigger!

The courtyard seemed to be thick with the smell of gunpowder, the atmosphere tense and deadly silent, so quiet that one could almost hear the sound of heartbeats. The scene was like a lit fuse, ready to explode at any moment!

Amid this heart-stopping tension, a hearty laugh suddenly echoed from the outer courtyard, abrupt and out of place. Before the laughter faded, Gu Yigang strode in with several guards, stopping in front of Jiang Xueting. Taking in the scene, he laughed heartily and said, "Youthful impetuosity, youthful impetuosity! It's all just youthful impetuosity!"