TWENTY TWO

General Jiang arrived at the meeting point according to a predetermined schedule. Arriving with an additional ten thousand men behind him, General Jiang immediately reported himself to Li Fei Long and the others.

Based on the rank given, General Jiang has a higher rank than Commander Lin and Li Fei Long did not possess any military rank. But Commander Lin Rui En was the son of The Great General Lin and Li Fei Long was the direct descendant of The Holy One, General Jiang still needed to show respect to them.

"This official greets Duan Qin Wang, Chen Qing Wang." Politely, General Jiang lowered his head toward Commander Lin without mentioning his title.

"General Jiang arrived right on schedule." Li Jin Qiu returned the courtesy in the same polite manner which made The General become awkward. "It is an honor to be here together with high figures like General Jiang and Commander Lin."

"This campaign is led by The Great General Kong and will be advised by Commander Bai Liang Jun. We all should be honored to be led by them." General Jiang said.

Jiang Zhen Hai put his respect for the seniors above him especially since these both heroes were big names to the empire. Jiang Zhen Hai once was taught by Commander Bai Liang Jun and once became the subordinate of The Great General Kong's troops. In fact, because of The Great General Kong's recommendation, Jiang Zhen Hai received his General title.

Four of them were standing at the open grassland facing the rapeseed field nearby. The view was actually breathtaking but behind them the yurts of the troops covered the view. Han Hong Yuan approached them with full confidence.

"General Jiang is finally here. Guess, soon we will resume our journey to Gaochang." Han Hong Yuan politely gave respect to the General.

Jiang Zhen Hai's facial expression turned sour as he knew who suddenly appeared unexpectedly. "What Young master Han Hong Yuan is doing here in the front field?"

"He decided to join this campaign." Li Fei Long helped out to answer Jiang Zhen Hai's confusion.

"And The Grand Chancellor and The Grand Princess allowed this to happen?" Jiang Zhen Hai doubted it but he still bluntly threw the sarcastic question. In this part he has something in common with his sister.

Han Hong Yuan's profile would add burden to their troops. They already have a huge burden with Li Fei Long and Li Jin Qiu joining the campaign. Besides they have to bring up their empire, they need to give full protection to the qinwangs. Han Hong Yuan was the addition that they did not want to be there.

"I am sure both of them did not like my decision but I could assure you that I would not be the burden of the campaign." Han Hong Yuan tried to not get irritated by the annoyed expression that General Jiang obviously showed him.

Flatly, General Jiang returned his gaze on Li Fei Long. "Great! Because I am full of duties. Mei mei has sent me a letter telling me to make sure her one and only wang ye return safely as soon as possible. I do not want any more additional responsibilities."

"She did?" Li Fei Long asked with a full heart.

Listening to the grumble, Li Fei Long cannot help but smile. It was Jiang Xi Yu's character that he liked so much. Her nagging and her easily panicked state made him feel he was precious for Jiang Xi Yu. Li Fei Long did not know when he liked this kind of trait.

Coldly, General Jiang answered in short. "This official will order the troops to rest for half a day before we resume the campaign."

Li Fei Long's mind already flew high back to his wife as the other men watched the General turn his back and walk away to give order to his troops.

***

The key point along the Silk Road, Gaochang was shining like a resplendent precious stone inlaid in the barren desert and shining on the Silk Road. The city was composed of three sections: an outer city, an inner city and a palace city. The layout was similar to that of Chang'an City.

The outer city was enclosed by a city wall that was built with tamped earth. Nine city gates were located in the four cardinal points; three in the South, and two in each of the other directions. The gates in the west were the best preserved. In the southwestern and southeastern parts of the outer city standed two temples.

The temple in the southwestern corner consisted of a gate, a courtyard, a sermon hall, a sutra depository and monks' abodes. The southeastern temple consisted of a polygonal tower and a worship grotto, where splendid murals remained well preserved.

The inner city, situated right in the middle of the outer city. The western and southern parts of the city walls are well preserved. The Palace City was located in the north of the inner city, sharing its southern wall with the inner city and northern wall with the outer city.

Within the city, there were many large cornerstones. These cornerstones were a four-storied palace. An irregular adobe square standing in a high earthen platform was called "Khan's Castle", which was the imperial residence.

The day they reached Gaochang, The Great General Kong Li Jun and Strategist Commander Bai Liang Jun were waiting for them in their full armor on top of their horses in front of the outer city gate on the west side of the city.

The two high profile heroes welcomed them with their serious faces. Without too much hassle on the greeting, Commander Bai instructed which batch of troops to build their yurts on the calculated side of the city. By only listening to the instruction, Li Fei Long acknowledged Commander Bai's purpose of structuring.

After it was all settled, The Great General Kong led all of his subordinates to enter the city main gate. Passed the outer city, passed the inner city, until they reached the Palace City where Khan's Castle was situated.

Since it was the first time for Li Fei Long and Li Jin Qiu to be there and apparently the news of the existence of a direct descendant of The Emperor has arrived there. The locals there peeked sheepishly.

The main road was quiet. No stalls open. The city seemed too frightened of the news of the campaign.

Riding his horse right behind The Great General's horse, Li Fei Long could not help himself to ask The General. "Do the people here are too afraid that their city will be damaged or taken away?"

The Great General Kong turned his head, with his dead flat face, he answered. "They are not afraid of any of that. They are afraid of you, wang ye."

The short answer stunned not only Li Fei Long but also Li Jin Qiu who was riding beside him. The Great General was a straightforward person. He did not add any sugar coating to his words even though his interlocutors were the sons of The Emperor. He was not there to curry anyone's favor. He was there to crush anyone who opposed the empire.

Kong Li Jun faced back to the front, rode his horse gallantly and continued to explain. "War too often got to this side. The people here no longer fear for it. But the image of the direct descent from The Holy One to the point of having to be here amazed them. They do not feel worthy to stand beside the road to greet you. Different places, different cultures, different attitudes."

Li Fei Long nodded. His head turned to left and right as he was amazed by the architecture of the city. It has a different kind of beauty from places he knew. His mind travelled back to Jiang Xi Yu.

From the very beginning of his departure, whenever he saw a sight that attracted him, he felt an urge to share it with Jiang Xi Yu. He wanted to capture the view for her because he wanted to impress her too.

At that time, Li Fei Long cannot help but smirk with his own thoughts. This was the first time he has an urge to share anything he has with someone else. He never knew this kind of feeling existed before. This feeling amazed him.

The six figures reached the Khan's castle which had twelve gates and was guarded by nine hundred soldiers. General Kong Li Jun was at the front of their group to greet the head guard who was on duty at that time. After the permission was granted, General Kong spreaded his hand to let Li Fei Long enter first.

"King Kan Bo Zhou with the three other heads of Zhang clan, Ma clan and Qu clan have been waiting for your arrival, wang ye." General Kong Li Jun opened his mouth after the soldiers opened the way for them.

After they entered Khan's Castle, some guards approached them and General Kong made an example for them by jumping down from his horse and letting the soldiers take over his horse.

Li Fei Long and the rest followed his action.

"General Kong did not seem to be in surprise to see Han Hong Yuan joining us today." Li Jin Qiu opened the conversation as they were walking towards the main building of the palace.

"Nothing can surprise me. Young men tend to decide without much thinking. I think he suddenly decided to come here to find his new self." The General gave his short comment.

"To be sure The General's daughter is not here. I hope Han Hong Yuan will not quickly regret his decision." Commander Bai teased Han Hong Yuan and created a laugh between their small group.

The old Han Hong Yuan might have ended up annoyed if he got people laughing at him, this time, it was different. He was a changed man who realized that he needs to show them his capability and his eagerness to top his parents.

"Moment like this is hard for the two lovebirds." Li Jin Qiu teased while he glanced at Li Fei Long. "One is still in the newlywed phase, one is still waiting to meet again. Hong Yuan, you will end up just like dage. Dage made his two trusted taijian travelled back and forth, acted like messenger between dage and sao sao."

"Really?" General Jiang was interested to hear that. It was obvious that The General looked much happier than before. His intonation got Li Fei Long turned to check on his reaction.

The General really doted on his sister too much. If anything happened towards Jiang Xi Yu, this General would surely kill anyone. The General must have known about Jiang Xi Yu's misscarriage accident, that's why he acted cold towards Li Fei Long.

They all reached the main building without taking so much time. King Kan Bo Zhou was sitting at the main chair in the center with three other kings gathered around him. The interior of the main hall where they met was completely out of Li Fei Long's imagination.

The floor was covered with carpet. Cushioned seats surrounded the entire room. The temperature was cooler than the temperature outside. The four big posture men with full beards watched as they came closer.

"Duan Qin Wang greets King Kan, King Zhang, King Ma, and King Qu." Li Fei Long lifted up his fist to the four kings' direction without knowing which one was who. He was sure King Kan was the one who sat on the only seat in the center. The other kings were standing equal to each other.

"Chen Qin Wang greets King Kan, King Zhang, King Ma, and King Qu." Li Jin Qiu followed Li Fei Long's lead. General Kong, General Jiang, Commander Lin, Commander Bai, and Han Hong Yuan stood still behind them.

"Welcome to Gaochang, Duan Qin Wang and Chen Qin Wang. I hope our hospitality could at least meet half of your standard of living in the capital. Gaochang is just a small city compared to Chang'an." King Kan Bo Zhou gave them cold acceptance.

From where he sat, he opened his hand wider. "We have prepared rooms for Duan Qin Wang and Chen Qin Wang. We did not expect we will have more additional guests in the middle of a situation like this."

The sarcasm note was meant for not only Han Hong Yuan, but also towards both qin wangs. Li Fei Long got the impression that they disliked his presence and also his sidi presence. The four kings of the northwest might have thought two capable Generals and two experienced Commanders were enough for this campaign.

"Greetings for King Kan, King Zhang, King Ma, and King Qu. I am Han Hong Yuan, son of The Grand Chancellor Han Xiu Wen and The Grand Princess Li Liang Rong. I apologize for my unexpected presence. Let me join this campaign as a disciple of Commander Bai." Han Hong Yuan came forward with his fist lifted up and lowered his head.

"You have arrived here. How can I ask additional figures like you to leave this city?!" King Kan waved his hand.

"Should we give time for Duan Qin Wang and Chen Qin Wang to rest first before we start our counsel?" King Zhang asked.

Li Jin Qiu glanced at Li Fei Long, almost losing his control. As a direct descendant, no one has spoken to him like that. Before he spoke up for himself, Li Jin Qiu checked his dage's reaction.

His older brother was at the other level. Instead of obviously looking upset, Li Fei Long glared at them all and looked arrogant.

"No wonder The Emperor sent me to join this campaign. The matter between Western Tujue and Eastern Tujue is important. It seems like the Four Kings here do not put this interest first. I suggest for the counsel to begin right away because so far, according to my informant, The Western Tujue could come to attack anytime soon." Li Fei Long sounded very much unhappy and disappointed.

Unlike the Yong'an Palace, The Kan's castle did not have steps to differentiate the position between the king and the subordinates. Li Fei Long stepped closer with serious manners.

"The Four Kings have pledged allegiance to the Xi dynasty. The Late Emperor has set up a military garrison and organized the land into multiple divisions. This made Gaochang, Karasahr, Kucha, and many more towns in the region increasingly prosperous and abundant. Are you here forgetting this?" Li Fei Long demanded vehemently.

The Four Kings were stunned to hear his words.

"Now, how about starting this important counsel and we all forget about our introduction earlier?" Li Fei Long added.

King Kan smirked at him. The King nodded in agreement and in no time some servants brought in a heavy rolled carpet. They spreaded out the rolled carpet on the ground and they all stood around it to be awed by it.

A map embroidered manually on the carpet material. All the details of the empire and the neighboring kingdom looked neat on it. After the carpet got rolled open, King Kan jumped up from his seat and walked to the center of the map. He stood in the middle with the others following him.

"As your wish, Duan Qin Wang." King Kan invited him to start giving his thoughts on the political matter.

***

As the summer was coming, Jiang Xi Yu dressed up even lighter. Originally she preferred the cold season, Jiang Xi Yu wondered how it would be in the middle of the war. It must have been hard for Li Fei Long who was already there for almost three months.

Since Li Fei Long went on campaign, Jiang Xi Yu already six times visited Zhong Jing Hall. This time she already felt and acted like in her own home. She leaned casually on the inner chamber inside Zhong Jing Hall. She leisurry half laid down on the loveseat while fanning herself.

When Jing Gui Fei followed her and sat next to her, Jiang Xi Yu was too comfortable to move her body.

"Another letter from wang ye has arrived yesterday. Let erxi read out loud for mufei. The weather is sunny and hotter than yesterday, listening to wang ye's letter would make us feel better." She said very excitedly.

Jiang Xi Yu put down her fan and eagerly took out the long letter from Ding mama's hand. She giggled and was about to read out the letter but her eyes caught Jing Gui Fei looking very radiant with a wide smile looking at her.

"Ever since mufei took rest from all activities, erxi notices mufei become alot healthier." Jiang Xi Yu lowered her hands into her lap and studied Jing Gui Fei's face. "Erxi has found some cream made from bee wax that can be used to brighten the under eyes. After we read out wang ye's letter, erxi will teach mufei how to apply it."

Jing Gui Fei tapped her knee and gave her a nod. By that time Jiang Xi Yu came to sense that her relationship with her mufei had gotten way more comfortable beyond her expectation. She tried to look into herself to find any resentment towards Jing Gui Fei but she cannot find any.

"Go read it." Jing Gui Fei used her pointy chin as if she pointed to the letter. "The letter was written for erxi, you may skip the part which was written for your eyes only. As long as ben gong knows wang ye is fine, ben gong will be at ease."

Of course Jiang Xi Yu knew which part needed to be readed and which part should not be shown off. In the first letter she also skipped some parts as Li Fei Long wrote very passionately describing how much he missed her. She never knew that Jing Gui Fei could guess it.

Blushed and embarrassed, Jiang Xi Yu lifted up the letter quite high to cover her face. "There… There is no such lovely dovey thing that wang ye wrote here, mufei."

Jing Gui Fei laughed at her and the mood surrounding them turned blithesome as the relationship of the mother in law and the daughter in law became warm.

Their laughter got interrupted as He Lu gonggong entered the inner chamber in a rush. Jiang Xi Yu was about to open her mouth to read out the beginning of the letter when her eyes caught He Lu gonggong bowing at them, she was still with her mouth wide open.

"Niang niang, Du Yun gonggong is here to convey a message from Huáng shang." He Lu gonggong quickly informed both of them then moved to the side to let Jing Gui Fei took the lead.

Jing Gui Fei stood up as if she had been electrocuted. Ding mama took over the letter from Jiang Xi Yu's hand and gave her signal to quickly follow Jing Gui Fei who was already walking away to the front hall to accept Du Yun gonggong.

Since she needed to move as fast as she could, Jiang Xi Yu almost fell to the ground. Her feet were in pain every time she tried to walk fast. He Lu gonggong was the one who was closer to her and he acted faster than Ding mama. He lifted up his arm as the place where Jiang Xi Yu could clinged her hands on him.

By then, not only Jiang Gong Fu and Duan Wang Fu who cared a lot about her. Every person inside Zhong Jing Hall has embraced her as Duan Wang Fei. With the help of He Lu gonggong, Jiang Xi Yu followed behind Jing Gui Fei.

The duo took their seats in the front hall where Du Yun gonggong looked surprised to see Duan Wang Fei was also there. The rumours were true, he thought.

Nobody inside Yong'an palace expected Duan Wang Fei to have a good relationship with Jing Gui Fei after Jing Gui Fei made Duan Wang Fei almost died and lost the child she was carrying. Everyone betted that the first visit to Zhong Jing Hall made by Duan Wang Fei was because Duan Wang Fei wanted to confront Jing Gui Fei. But it turned out that the prediction was not true.

When they thought there would not be any second visit to Zhong Jing Hall, everyone was once again stunned as Duan Wang Fei made the second visit carrying gifts. Even after Duan Qin Wang deployed to the northwest. Duan Wang Fei visited Zhong Jing Hall even more often.

As Jing Gui Fei's health condition got better, the bond between Jing Gui Fei and Duan Wang Fei builded jealousy for every seeing eye. They had thought that Duan Wang Fei would forever hold a grudge for what Jing Gui Fei did to her. It turned out to be very wrong. One rumour was believing that this was just an act between the two, the other rumour, which most people believe more, was believing that Duan Wang Fei was a glorified soul. She made Duan Qin Wang turn head over heels for her, and she could turn Jing Gui Fei to be her ally. Her simplicity was the topic of conversation. Her dressing style began to be copied. The harem talked about her skin and her weak attitude. They copied her in every way but they also gossiped about her.

"Greeting to Jing Gui Fei and Duan Wang Fei." Du Yun gonggong bowed politely to the two of them.

"Be at ease, Du Yun gonggong. Ben gong is ready to accept a message from Huang Shang." Calmly waving her hand, Jing Gui Fei was in full attention to accept the message.

Du Yun gonggong lowered his head. "The summer is approaching. The Emperor is planning to have a tour to the Imperial Summer Palace in Rehe province and wants to invite Jing Gui Fei to join the summer tour. Thinking of Jing Gui Fei's illness, The Emperor thinks this summer tour can help speed up Jing Gui Fei's recovery."

"Please convey ben gong's gratitude for the invitation. Beng gong understood Huang shang's affection towards ben gong. Of course ben gong will participate on this summer tour. Is there any chance for Du Yun gonggong to also convey ben gong's permission to take Duan Wang Fei to the Imperial Summer Place into The Emperor's account?"

Jiang Xi Yu startled at the question. She turned her head to make sure Jing Gui Fei was not joking. What if The Emperor never planned to take her along?!

"During Duan Qin Wang's absence, Duan Wang Fei always visited to let go of mutual boredom. If ben gong leaves without her, ben gong thinks Duan Wang Fei will feel bored without Duan Qin Wang and ben gong here." Jing Gui Fei said, making her point clear.

"Answering niang niang, The Emperor originally invited Duan Wang Fei too with the same thought as niang niang. Due to Duan Wang Fei being present here, nucai extends this invitation to both of you." Without prejudice to racial respect, Du Yun gonggong kept his state the same.

Jing Gui Fei happily sighed and turned her sight to Jiang Xi Yu.

"The summer tour to Rehe province would be great to lighten up our feelings." She turned back towards Du Lun gonggong. "Who else will be joining this summer tour?"

"Answering niang niang, beside The Empress Dowager, The Empress, and Li Xi Shi Gulun gongzhu and Fuma, Shu Gui Fei, Rui Qin Wang, and Rui Wang Fei also will be joining the summer tour. The Emperor also planned a summer hunting trip with the qin wangs." Du Yun gonggong answered politely.

Even though Jing Gui Fei seemed to be smiling sincerely, her hand gripped the chair tightly. Jiang Xi Yu noticed that.

Two of The Emperor's sons were in the middle of an important campaign in the north side of the Empire but The Emperor was planning for a summer getaway without even worrying about his son's stage. Jiang Xi Yu felt irritated by this invitation. She was actually not willing to join them but what excuse could she have made?!

Du Yun gonggong bowed the last time before he bid to leave. Jiang Xi Yu did not make any sound until Du Yun gonggong and other taijian left the hall.

"Mufei...wang ye is still in the middle of war in the north…." Jiang Xi Yu honestly revealed her thoughts. Jing Gui Fei shushed her as if she was scared Du Yun gonggong might still be there in front of her hall.

"Huang Shang did not consider that campaign was just a small matter. Summer tour and hunting trip is an annual activity. By going on a summer tour and planning the summer hunting as usual, it is showing that no doubt the empire is confident to win the campaign. The other parties will feel lost on their own." Jing Gui Fei rebuked Jiang Xi Yu's thoughts.

Jing Gui Fei taught her how politics worked, making Jiang Xi Yu to open her mind wider as the family she joined was not a regular family. She was part of an empire, every act they decided would affect many things in the whole empire.

"Prepare well for this trip. Ben gong wants erxi's appearance and presence will attract everyone's attention, especially The Empress." Jing Gui Fei added with full confidence that Jiang Xi Yu would not let her down.

Jiang Xi Yu never had any direct interaction with The Empress. The Mother of The Empire was known as a solemn and very much low profile figure compared to the famous duo Jing Gui Fei and Shu Gui Fei. Jiang Xi Yu did not know what to prepare as The Empress was not sociable as both Jing Gui Fei and Shu Gui Fei.

"Erxi does not know much about muhao. But erxi thinks Li Xi Shi Gulun gongzhu might like erxi a little bit more than the other wang fei." Jiang Xi Yu showed a small gap between her thumb and pointed finger and did not forget to give her cheeky smile to Jing Gui Fei. This action made Jing Gui Fei laugh at her.

"Lets come back inside and we continue reading wang ye's letter." Jing Gui Fei stood up from her seat and waited for Jiang Xi Yu to follow her move. She gave He Lu gonggong a quick signal to help Jiang Xi Yu. The unnoticed Jiang Xi Yu did not know the care Jing Gui Fei gave for her. Ding mama saw it from afar. In return, Ding mama came forward to hold out her hand as a place to hold for Jing Gui Fei.