Chapter 190: The Eye of Light

Li Qing’an slowly urged his horse forward and gazed at her, saying, “Princess Julan, it’s been a long time since we last met. How have you been?”
Julan lowered her head and whispered, “Do you still remember me?”
Li Qing’an lifted his hair to reveal the scar on his forehead and smiled gently, “As long as this scar remains, I will never forget you.”
Joy appeared in Julan’s eyes, but soon replaced by sadness. What good was remembering? Time had changed her fate, and there was no possibility between them anymore.
“I came to Beiting with my brother and also wanted to see how you were doing.”
She raised her head to look at Li Qing’an, forcing a smile, “I came to Anxi last year to look for you. I heard you went to Qinghai to fight.”
“I was indeed not in Anxi last year. It’s hard to explain right now. Come to my residence for dinner! Tell me about your life these past two years.”
“Well…”
Julan looked at her two brothers hesitantly. Yuan En said eagerly, “Julan, go! It’s been years—you should talk.”
Hasan also saw the subtleties. He had a good relationship with his sister too. If she could obtain the Eye of Light, he might have a chance as well. He nodded smilingly, encouraging her to go.
“Very well!” Julan finally agreed.
Li Qing’an was overjoyed. He turned to the two princes and bowed, saying, “Your Highnesses, please allow me a few more days to consider the matter of the gem. I will give you an answer.”
He spurred his warhorse and led Julan to his residence.
Julan seemed preoccupied throughout the journey. From time to time, she secretly glanced at Li Qing’an. His smile remained the same—still handsome and upright—as before, but his gaze now carried more maturity and weariness. A sense of sadness arose in Julan’s heart. At that moment, she felt very far away from this Han officer who had left such deep memories in her life.
Li Qing’an turned to look at her, and she also turned to look at him. Their eyes met, and Li Qing’an saw deep sadness in her eyes. He immediately reined in his horse. “What’s wrong?”
Julan bit her lip lightly and said, “General Li, I’d better not go after all.”
“Why?”
Li Qing’an smiled. “Is there perhaps a impatient husband waiting for you to return?”
“No! It’s not that.”
Tears suddenly welled up in Julan’s eyes. “It’s my fault for coming to Beiting, for appearing before you.”
She turned her horse and left. Li Qing’an didn’t stop her; he simply watched her go quietly.

“Go!” Li Qing’an whipped his warhorse hard, speeding toward his own mansion.
…
After dinner, Li Qing’an locked himself in his study. He stood by the window, silently gazing at a willow tree in the courtyard under the night sky.
At that moment, Ru Shi entered quietly, carrying a cup of tea. She had noticed that her beloved was preoccupied during dinner.
“Have some tea,” Ru Shi said gently, placing the tea in front of him.
Li Qing’an sighed, took the cup, and slowly sat back down. Ru Shi stood behind him, gently massaging his head, and asked softly, “Did anything unpleasant happen today?”
“No, I just met an old acquaintance—a princess from the Western Regions who once filled my heart with longing.”
Li Qing’an briefly recounted the events from over two years ago. Finally, he smiled bitterly and said, “I’ve wished more than once to reunite with her. I’ve imagined countless beautiful moments, but when I saw her again, I realized she was far away from me now, never to return to those old days.”
“Brother, it’s just that too much time has passed, so you’ve forgotten a bit.”
Ru Shi continued to massage his head gently and said with a smile, “Although I’ve never met her, I can sense that she’s in great pain. There must be some unspeakable difficulties. It’s not necessarily about marriage; something must have happened to her that prevents her from being as she used to be. Brother, you should talk to her properly.”
At that moment, footsteps were heard outside. A bodyguard reported, “Lord, Chang Jin, the owner of Rehaiju Dong, is outside asking to see you.”
“Send him to the small guest room to wait.”
Li Qing’an stood up and smiled at Ru Shi, “I’ll go see her when I have time. For now, I need to meet my guest first.”
He quickly left the room. In the small guest room, Chang Jin sat with a worried expression, holding his tea cup. Li Huichun had already told him that the court planned to reclaim Suiye. Though this was also what he desired, he knew it wouldn’t be easy.
“Brother Chang, Lord Li has left, and here you are again. Is this some kind of rotating strategy?” Li Qing’an said jokingly as he entered from outside.
Chang Jin quickly stood up and said, “Lord, you’re joking. My visit this time has nothing to do with the young master. It’s solely about Suiye.”
“Brother Chang, please sit down and talk.”
Li Qing’an invited Chang Jin to sit and said with a smile, “Please speak freely.”
Chang Jin sighed and said, “I’m worried that Lord might underestimate how difficult it will be to take back Suiye.”
Li Qing’an asked, “What do you mean?”
“Do you think that since the Turkic tribes are weak, as long as our army attacks, they’ll abandon their weapons and flee in disarray?”

Li Qing’an said nothing. He indeed thought so—combined, the forces of the Huang and Hei clans of the Turkic horsemen numbered no more than six thousand, and with their deep hatred, they could never coordinate their attacks. He could defeat them all at once. He didn’t see any complicated circumstances possible. The reason Gai Jiayun failed in his attack on Suoye back then was due to a lack of reinforcements and the intervention of the Arabs. Now that the Arabs were internally divided, and he had built five castles north of Suoye, what surprises could there be?

“Perhaps the governor still doesn’t know that the Arabs have two thousand troops stationed in Ashibulai City, west of Suoye.”

This sudden news shocked Li Qing’an greatly. He asked urgently, “Isn’t Ashibulai City just a small town in the north of Ningyuan State? How could there be Arab troops there?”

“Governor, Lingxi today is not what it was thirty years ago. The Arabs have long conquered the countries of Lingxi. The kings of the Sogdian states either surrendered to the Arabs or were replaced by them. Ashibulai City was originally part of Ningyuan State, but it was occupied by the Arabs in the 25th year of the Kaiyuan era and incorporated into the Shi State. This led to hostility between the Shi State and Ningyuan State. The Arabs have stationed two thousand troops each in Ashibulai City and Talas City, controlling the trade routes west of Suoye. Since last year, the Shi State has increased its troops in Ashibulai City, clearly aiming to use Arab support to seize Suoye for itself. Therefore, if you attack Suoye, it will inevitably threaten the interests of the Shi State. The Shi State’s army is not a concern; the real threat lies with the Arab army.”

Li Qing’an suddenly remembered what Prince Hassan had said to Yuan En that afternoon, “Aren’t you going to Suoye? Why are you here in Beiting again?”

Could Yuan En’s trip to Suoye refer to going to Ashibulai City?

After pondering for a moment, Li Qing’an asked again, “Are the Arab troops in Ashibulai City dressed in black or white?”

“They were originally under Qubodhi, but now they have surrendered to Abbas. One of my men saw that they have switched to black flags.”

Li Qing’an paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. Two thousand Arab troops were not a concern, nor was the Shi State’s army. The key was that the Arab troops, though they had surrendered to Abbas, still remained in Ashibulai City. This showed that Abbas had great ambitions. Once the Tang army captured Suoye, it would sooner or later provoke a counterattack from the Arabs. Perhaps the Battle of Talas in history broke out for this reason.

In this light, the Shi State played a crucial role. If the Shi State could side with the Tang Dynasty, the Arabs would lose their foothold for advancing eastward, and Suoye could truly become a logistical base for the Tang army’s expansion westward.

Thinking of this, he asked, “There are two princes in Beiting now—Prince Hassan, the elder prince, and Prince Yuanen, the younger prince. I wonder which of them is more inclined toward the Tang Dynasty?”
Chang Jin sneered and said, “Both princes are pretty much the same—they’re opportunists. If the Tang Dynasty is stronger, they’ll side with the Tang; if the Abbasid Caliphate is stronger, they’ll side with them. However, Yuanen’s mentor, Huo Yanbai, spent some time in the Abbasid Caliphate in his early years and even held an official position there. He will have a significant influence on Yuanen. Hassan was also sent to the Abbasid Caliphate as a hostage for five years. In fact, the one who truly favors the Tang Dynasty is their third prince, Kanbo. Unfortunately, he disappeared four years ago; it is said he stole the most precious treasure of the Shi State, and his whereabouts remain unknown.”
At this point, Chang Jin sighed again, “General Li, it’s not difficult to capture Suiye, but it’s not easy to keep it. I hope General Li can fully understand the situation in Hezhong and make the right decisions, rather than relying on ideas from thirty years ago when making decisions about Lingxi. Otherwise, the Tang Dynasty will suffer a crushing defeat.”
“I understand.”
Li Qing’an stood up and bowed, “Thank you, Brother Chang, for the valuable information. It’s extremely important.”
……
Shi Julan was staying at the Dong’an Inn, the largest inn in Jinman County. After rushing back from the street, she locked herself in her room, her heart filled with pain—a pain that dragged her into an endless abyss.
Day after day, she longed for him, traveling three thousand miles just to take one last look at the man she once loved deeply. She thought this reunion would be filled with passion, leaving her with the most beautiful memories to carry forever in her heart.
But that wasn’t the case. By the time they met again, there was no more passionate longing—only a casual greeting, as if two acquaintances met on the road, exchanged a brief “Oh!”, and then went their separate ways. This indifference deeply hurt her heart.
At that moment, one of her maids reported from outside the door, “Princess, someone is looking for you.”
“I don’t want to see anyone.”
“It’s a Han Chinese officer. He says he once saved you from Duoluo Xian.”
“Ah!” With a gasp, Julan stood up. She opened the door and rushed outside. Under the dim light outside, Li Qing’an, dressed in casual clothes, was smiling at her. She slowly stopped and hid her excitement deep inside.
“How did you come here?”
“To see you.”
He pointed to a small tavern in the alley across the street and said, “There’s a tavern over there. I’ll treat you to a drink.”

Qulan followed him into a small tavern, a modest establishment with a dozen tables, run by an elderly couple. There were no customers yet, and it was very quiet. They entered a private room, where Li Qing’an smiled at the old woman taking orders and said, “Bring two pots of wine and one plate of each of your dishes.”
“Please wait a moment, sir. I’ll be right back.”
The old woman left and returned shortly with two pots of wine, then quietly closed the door and stepped away. Li Qing’an poured himself a glass of wine and said with a smile, “It was fine this afternoon. Why did you run away again?”
Qulan lowered her head and remained silent. Li Qing’an tried to pour her some wine, but she covered the glass with her hand and shook her head, saying, “I can’t drink alcohol.”
“Why not?”
“My status doesn’t allow it.”
“What status?” Li Qing’an asked in surprise. “Besides being a princess of the Shi state, what other status do you have?”
A hint of sadness flashed in Qulan’s eyes. After a long while, she whispered, “I am now one of the twelve holy women under the Sun God. I am forbidden from eating meat or drinking alcohol for life…”
Her voice grew softer, “I’m also not allowed to get married.”
Li Qing’an downed his wine in one gulp and set the glass down heavily. “That Ahura Mazda?”
Qulan panicked and waved her hands frantically. “You must not mention his name. It’s an insult to the supreme god.”
“I don’t believe in him. What’s there to respect or disrespect!”
Li Qing’an poured himself another glass of wine, drank it, and then sighed deeply. “When did this happen? I mean, when did you become a holy woman?”
“Last October, the high priest of Persia came to Sogdiana to select two new holy women, and I was chosen.”
Shi Qulan raised her head and slowly removed her veil. Her beautiful face was covered in tears. “General Li, I have already taken a solemn oath before the supreme god to serve him for life.”
Seeing her tearful face, Li Qing’an felt heartache. He grasped her hand and said, “You must have been forced, right? Your father forced you to marry, and you had no choice but to become a holy woman. Don’t worry, I will definitely free you.”
“No! It’s not possible.” Shi Qulan struggled to pull her hand away. “General Li, it’s not what you think. My father never forced me. Becoming a holy woman is a source of pride for the Shi state and an honor for me. No one forced me. It’s the will of the gods. It’s my own choice.”
“It’s your own choice.”

A strange sense of loss welled up in Li Qingan’s heart. The experiences from two years ago, that passionate princess from the Western Regions, remained in his mind like a cloud that would not dissipate. Whenever he recalled those moments, sweet memories of the past would flood his heart. But years later, when they met again and this beautiful girl reappeared before him, he suddenly realized that the princess of once had quietly vanished. It was as if a gust of wind had scattered the mist in his heart, causing those memories to blur—just like when he accidentally shattered a delicate porcelain piece; by the time he picked it up again, its beauty had turned to fragments. Silently, he took out the flame gem from his bosom, placed it on the table in front of her, and said, “I’ve always wanted to give you this gem, hoping to surprise you. Now, it seems it should return to its owner.” With that, he stood up and strode out of the room. Princess Julan sat there in stunned silence. Suddenly, she cried out, “General Li!” She stood up and rushed after him. Li Qingan was already far away. Leaning against the door, she gazed at his retreating figure, holding the gem against her chest, and murmured, “General Li, I’ve longed for you day and night, hoping to see you one last time. I’m now completely satisfied.”