Final Chapter

His words carried tremendous force. At the very least, none of the men in black dared to make a rash move. Then he said, “Drop your swords. I will plead with the princess to spare your lives.”

“But how are we to know whether you will keep your word?” one of the leaders in black wavered.

He laughed softly. “Aside from trusting me, what other path do you have left?”

Yes. Besides trusting him, the men in black had nowhere else to turn. One by one, they laid down their swords. An Lushan grew frantic, his eyes bloodshot with rage. “You pack of fools! I was not defeated by heaven. I was defeated by you.”

In a blur, he was at An Lushan’s side. With his right hand, sword leveled at An Lushan’s throat, he said with a serene smile, “Wrong. You were defeated by yourself.”

An Lushan fell silent. He turned the words over and over in his mind. At last, with a thud, he dropped to his knees, though he still did not confess.

He had recruited a great number of soldiers on Mount Zhongnan. These laborers were among them. Unexpectedly, Yuzhen had stumbled upon his plot.

Fearing that she would ruin his grand design, he repeatedly sent assassins after her. In secret, Yuzhen also gathered evidence of his treason. She even dispatched messages by carrier pigeon. He had no choice but to uproot the weeds at the root.

He regretted not striking at Yuzhen sooner. His momentary softness that day had led to his defeat now. Yet even in regret, he lamented not his own sin.

“Ziye.”

“Young Brother.”

Chen Yange and Du Juan stepped to his side at the same time. Ziye turned his face away. Then, in his former voice, he said, “From this day on, there is no more Ziye in this world. There is only Jizhong. Do not ask how many layers the mortal world has.”

“Young Brother.” Ziye turned to leave. Du Juan called after him. “I thought I would never see you again in this life. It is truly wonderful to see you here once more. From now on, Du Juan will behave. I won’t let you worry. You must take care of yourself too.”

“As long as you are happy, that is enough.” Ziye suddenly looked back with a gentle smile. Chen Yange and Du Juan returned it with smiles of their own. Then Ziye said to Li Bai and You Huan, “Take good care of them.”

Li Bai and You Huan both nodded. Li Bai said, “I will, certainly.”

Ziye left. With a smile, he departed from the battlefield left behind by slaughter. No entanglements. No regrets.

That day in Peach Blossom Land, he had not died. Xu Jin’s blade had not pierced his heart; it had missed by mere millimeters.

Afterward, Xu Jin had returned to Peach Blossom Land and dug Ziye out of the grave. Fortunately, he still had a breath left in him. It took three months before his wounds finally healed.

He had stayed by Chen Yange’s side all along. But unless it was absolutely necessary, he would not easily reveal himself.

Seeing that Ziye was still alive eased much of the guilt in Chen Yange’s heart. Yet the bloodshed in Peach Blossom Land would never be erased from her memory.

An Lushan was imprisoned in the military camp on Mount Zhongnan. Construction at the Hall of Zhongnan continued. Since An Lushan had burned all the evidence of his rebellion, Yuzhen could not send him to Chang'an. For the time being, he could only be held in confinement. He would be dealt with when Emperor Xuanzong came to tour Mount Zhongnan next month. In the meantime, they still needed to gather more evidence.

Inside the Pure Sound Temple, Li Bai and Yuzhen sat on the ground facing each other, playing Go in the pavilion. Chen Yange sat nearby, watching idly. She knew nothing at all about the game.

Not long before, Du Juan and You Huan had left Mount Zhongnan and returned to Xiangyang. Du Fu had also bid farewell to Chen Yange and gone alone to Chang'an.

But since then, Chen Yange had never seen Qing Mei again. Qing Mei seemed to have vanished from the world.

Yuzhen admired Li Bai’s talent greatly and often sought his counsel. Watching Li Bai and Yuzhen discuss poetry together, Chen Yange felt an inexplicable sense of loss.

Though Yuzhen was a princess, she bore none of the airs of one. She was exceedingly kind to Li Bai. In Yuzhen’s eyes, Chen Yange could always see her admiration for him.

“Brother Bai, let us leave here,” Chen Yange said, tugging Li Bai out of the pavilion. She looked at him very seriously. “Let us go to Chang'an. Brother Du has gone to Chang'an. Let us go there too.”

“Isn’t it fine to stay here?” Li Bai helped smooth the stray wisps of hair on her forehead. “You dislike it here because of the princess.”

“I want you to wander the world with me, to travel to every corner, to see every sunrise and every sunset. I want to...”

“Lord Li, the princess requests your presence.” Before Chen Yange could finish, the Abbess Jikong came over.

Li Bai followed Abbess Jikong to the main hall. Chen Yange remained where she was, thinking. She would not allow Yuzhen and Li Bai any chance to be alone together, so she followed after them.

In the main hall, an official in court robes sat beside Yuzhen. He studied Li Bai carefully.

Yuzhen took a sip of tea and said, “Lord He, this is Li Bai. He is gifted beyond measure and generous to a fault, with a heart devoted to righteousness. I hope you will introduce him to my imperial brother and not let such promising talent go to waste.”

Then, turning to Li Bai, she said, “This is Lord He Zhizhang. He too is a man who loves and values talent. I have laid aside my identity as a princess, and so I am recommending you to him. He will introduce you to my imperial brother. A true man should aim across the four seas and bring benefit to the people. I hope I can help you fulfill your grand ambitions.”

“I am grateful for the princess’s kindness. But I have already promised Yange that I would travel with her through mountains and waters, far from the disturbances of the world.” Li Bai declined politely, taking Chen Yange’s hand as he spoke with respect.

Chen Yange fell silent. Yet He Zhizhang said, “So you truly have no intention of entering official service?”

Li Bai did not answer for a long while. Chen Yange withdrew her hand from his. From his silence, she sensed that Li Bai did wish to serve in office, to display his grand vision, but had chosen to abandon it for her sake.

Chen Yange smiled. She could not let her own selfish desires force Li Bai to give up what he wanted. Nor could she, because of herself, destroy his future.

She clasped her hands and bowed. “When the state rises or falls, every man bears responsibility. If Lord He is willing to lend Brother Bai a hand, we would be deeply grateful. Brother Bai’s heart is wholly for the people. How could he not wish to enter official service?”

Then she lowered her head and said softly to Li Bai, “Brother Bai, I have decided not to go wandering through mountains and waters. Let us go to Chang'an instead. You become an official, and I’ll be the wife of an official. How splendid that would be.”

“Yange, you...”

“You promised to protect me for life. I want to go to Chang'an; are you not coming with me?”

“Of course I will go.”

Three days later, Chen Yange and Li Bai bade farewell to Yuzhen and set out for Chang'an.

Along the road, Li Bai sang with abandon: “At dusk I descend from the green hills, and the moon follows me home. I look back at the path I came by, where blue-green peaks glow in the haze. Hand in hand we reach a farmer’s house, where children open the brushwood gate. Green bamboo enters the secluded path, and ivy brushes our traveling clothes. We speak merrily and find a place to rest; with fine wine we drink together. I sing long of the wind in the pines, and when the song is done the river stars are few. I grow drunk, and you rejoice again; together, we forget all worldly cares in bliss.”

Beside the ancient road, the sun was sinking in the west. The afterglow of evening spread across the earth. Chen Yange and Li Bai walked hand in hand, ten fingers interlaced. The sunset, drunk with color, stained the sky and the land.