Chapter 61: Epilogue II (Fictional Version)
“The Flowers of the Other Shore” The sky above the grassland was a deep blue. A gentle breeze blew, scattering the clouds and softening the outlines of the green mountains.
A wide river, like a jade belt, flowed quietly across the grassland, winding its way from west to east. It was mid-summer, and the tall grass was lush enough to soothe the soul at first glance. Colorful, unnamed flowers bloomed in patches along both banks of the river, radiating the vitality of youth.
The sound of hooves grew louder as several riders sped toward them from the western slope. Strangely, they weren’t dressed in the yellow sheepskin coats typical of the Turks and Uyghurs but wore long robes instead.
As the breeze swept by, their wide sleeves fluttered, and laughter filled the air as men and women enjoyed the moment carefree.
Du Jingtian gently nudged her horse’s flanks, raised her whip high, and laughed as she chased after Li Kuo.
“Qi Lang, wait for me!”
Li Kuo was riding a green horse, holding a six- or seven-year-old boy in his arms. Hearing his wife’s call, he turned around quickly and replied, “Xulun thought you could beat me. If you don’t want to disappoint this kid, hurry up! Otherwise, if he stops being close to you in the future, don’t blame me as his grandfather!”
“You!”
Du Jingtian was momentarily at a loss for words after hearing such an indifferent reply from her husband. After thinking for a moment, she waved her whip and continued chasing after him. If it were anything else, it might not matter, but this involved her reputation as a skilled rider. If Xulun saw her left far behind by her husband, how could she maintain her authority as his mother?
“Go! Go, you little rascal! Watch me catch up and teach you a lesson!”
“Lady hero, spare me! Please, spare me!”
Li Kuo lightly tapped his horse’s flanks and continued teasing his wife. Though he was already in his thirties and past the age for such playful antics, he still took time to tease her to strengthen their bond.
How could Du Jingtian stand it hearing Li Kuo speak like that? She bit her lip slightly before standing up, gripping the reins tightly. Standing upright with her upper body leaning forward and firmly holding the stirrups—this was a posture often used by nomads on the grassland to maintain balance and maximize their horse’s speed. In doing so, Du Jingtian exuded the spirit of a heroic woman.
“Sister Du, be careful!”
Shen Liniang, who was a few horses behind Du Jingtian, cried out in alarm and quickly tried to warn her.
“Liniang, just watch! I’ll definitely catch up to that little rascal!”
Undeterred, Du Jingtian untied a lasso from her waist and swung it forward with force.
“Swish!”
The noose wrapped tightly around the green horse’s neck, but the horse reared up with a neigh.
“Ugh!”
Seeing Du Jingtian use such a “brutal” method, Li Kuo was both angry and amused. He lightly kicked his stirrups and jumped off the horse with one hand.
“Grandfather, I’m scared!”
Li Xulun, frightened by the sudden movement in the air, closed his eyes and clung to Li Kuo’s chest.
Li Kuo patted his son’s forehead gently and said smilingly, “Xulun must be a man. A real man grows up to protect his country. If you’re too timid now, how will you lead 100,000 troops to fight against the Tibetans and Uyghurs?”
Unimpressed, Little Xulun puffed out his chest and made a face at Li Kuo before saying shyly, “I don’t want to fight those barbarian Tibetans. Let grandfather handle fighting, and let the aunts take care of cooking. I just need to obey grandfather and mother!”
“You’re really spoiled by your mother!”
Li Kuo shook his head helplessly and tapped his son’s forehead lightly. He really had no good way to deal with this little troublemaker. Every time he thought about being stricter, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
It seemed Little Xulun also noticed this weakness of his grandfather. Whenever Li Kuo got angry, he would act pitifully, instantly making Li Kuo lose his temper.
“You little rascal! Are you bullying my son again?”
By now, Du Jingtian had caught up and saw that Li Kuo seemed to be scolding Xulun. She immediately crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows, ready to argue with him.
How could Li Kuo dare to argue with this lady? He quickly bowed to Du Jingtian in submission.
“Madam, please forgive me. I was wrong.”
“You!”
Du Jingtian was furious at Li Kuo’s teasing.
“Oh, grandfather and mother are fighting! Oh, they’re fighting!”
Seeing this, Little Xulun jumped around excitedly, his dimples appearing and disappearing—adorable beyond description. …
Tired from playing, the group simply lay down on the grass by the river. With lush green grass and blooming flowers, under a sky like a blanket and the ground as a mat—immersed in such beauty was truly a joy in life.
Li Kuo picked a bright red flower and pinned it into Du Jingtian’s hair, saying softly, “Still angry, madam?”
“Go away!”
Du Jingtian glared at Li Kuo angrily. “We’re both grown up, yet you can’t behave properly in front of our son!”
Li Kuo suppressed his laughter and bowed to her. “Madam, you’re right. I admit my fault.”
Du Jingtian didn’t really want to argue further, so she waved her hand and said, “Forget it. But this time, when we go back, you’ll have to grind things for me!”
Since moving to Gualiang with her husband, Du Jingtian had developed a passion for copying calligraphy models. Normally, a woman of her background shouldn’t be interested in such things, but she became utterly obsessed.
Previously, Li Kuo’s constant grinding had left him too tired to even hold the reins properly. Now, fearing he’d fall behind again, he said, “Ahem… Madam, could you…?”
“No, no, no! Choose yourself—do you want to learn how to fry eggs or grind things?”
Du Jingtian showed no intention of being lenient. She firmly refused with a pout.
“A gentleman stays away from the kitchen…”
Left with no choice, Li Kuo put on a scholarly air and shook his head.
Shen Liniang, who had remained silent until then, slowly sat up and smiled at Li Kuo. “If you’re too tired, Liniang can help you!”
Du Jingtian was annoyed by Shen Liniang’s defense of Li Kuo but couldn’t really get upset—after all, he was her husband!
Sigh. Since when did she start caring about such things as following her husband?
Fortunately, her husband had escaped from that prison called the Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, who knew what kind of life she would have been forced into. She heard that women in the Tang Dynasty weren’t allowed to go out even on special occasions like the Lantern Festival. Even the handsome men in Chang’an had become quiet and reserved, lacking both scholarly grace and the vigor of youth. How could the Tang Dynasty have fallen so quickly in just over a decade?
It was better here in Gualiang. Men fought against invaders and defended their country, while women cooked and took care of their husbands and children. That was what real life was like!
At first, she had complained about her husband’s choice, thinking he should have challenged the Tang court to avenge his brothers. But he resolutely led his people westward beyond Yangguan Pass, cutting off all ties with the Tang Dynasty.
He first went to the Four Garrison Towns in Anxi, fought several battles against the arrogant Tibetans and Uyghurs, then retreated to Hexi and reclaimed Gualiang from them. From then on, he had his own territory. Though the population of the two states wasn’t large, they were strong and resilient, managing to resist invasions from the Tibetans and Uyghurs.
Gradually, more warriors emerged in Gualiang.
Ten thousand, twenty thousand, fifty thousand, one hundred thousand…
In just ten years, he had expanded the cavalry force here to match the total number of troops in Hexi during the Tang Dynasty’s golden age. After all, there were eleven states in Hexi, yet he only controlled two now.
Sometimes, she felt proud like a city-defining peony—beautiful and exquisitely fragrant!
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