Chapter 1046: Finding Peace Beneath the Nine Springs

Ruyi's embroidery shop closed for good. She settled her affairs and packed everything away to be hauled off by the horse carriage. Master Jin San's bookstore also shut its doors; it took them barely half a month to pack up everything they owned.

By the time the snow melted, the horse carriage heading out of the city was ready and waiting.

Lihua called out from atop the wall. "The horse carriage is here."

Hearing Mao'er's voice, Dong Chiyu snapped out of her daze and turned around.

Gripping her Master's spear, she let her gaze linger over the room for a long while.

She loved it here.

In all her years, she had never felt a sense of home quite like this.

Memories flooded her mind—scenes from the past year of practicing the spear with her Master, chatting with Mao'er, and talking with familiar faces around the neighborhood.

She had long since considered this place her true home.

Now that it was time to leave, it was hard to let go.

Inside the horse carriage, Ruyi sat chatting with her mother. They held hands, exchanging quiet, intimate words. Ruyi still harbored a bit of worry; her mother had never left Qingshan City, and she feared she wouldn't adapt well.

Seeing that Dong Chiyu had yet to emerge, Ruyi said, "Mother, I'll go check on her."

Wang Sanniang nodded. "Go ahead. That Dong girl is probably just having a hard time parting with the place."

Ruyi paused, nodded, and stepped down from the horse carriage.

Reaching the courtyard gate, she found Dong Chiyu standing rigidly in the yard, her gaze fixed on the Main Hall.

Ruyi didn't make a sound. She simply leaned against the doorframe, watching her.

Mao'er hopped down from the wall and padded over to Ruyi's side.

It was Lihua's movement that finally snapped Dong Chiyu out of her reverie.

Dong Chiyu blinked and looked back.

"Master," she called out softly.

"Hard to leave?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry. The courtyard will always be here, and we'll come back eventually."

Dong Chiyu shook her head. "If no one lives here, it'll quickly fall into ruin. The snow before the new year was so heavy, it nearly crushed the roof..."

Ruyi paused, turning to inspect the courtyard.

It was true.

This little courtyard was very, very old.

She couldn't even remember when it was first built. The courtyard was definitely older than she was; it was an old man in its own right.

If another heavy snow like the one earlier this year came along, it truly might not hold up. Naturally, Ruyi didn't want to return to a collapsed courtyard.

"You have a point." Ruyi thought for a moment before adding, "I'll go find Shopkeeper Liu at the trading firm and ask him to hire a couple of people to patch it up and clean it occasionally. That should keep it safe."

Hearing this, Dong Chiyu finally felt at ease.

Ruyi sought out Shopkeeper Liu and explained the matter. He readily agreed and immediately dispatched a few men to handle it.

Although the horse carriage was delayed for a short while, it hardly mattered.

The group smoothly departed the city.

Knowing they were leaving, Shopkeeper Liu had come out to see them off.

As a member of the Tang Family Merchants, Shopkeeper Liu naturally had no fear of any invading princes. The Tang Family Trading Firm had always traveled all corners of the world, navigating around wars to forge steady trade routes. Nowadays, the various ruling princes across the land would all give them some face; no one would deliberately cause them trouble.

"Once you arrive, remember to send a letter back so we know you're safe."

This was directed at Master Jin San.

Shopkeeper Liu and Master Jin San were old acquaintances. Shopkeeper Liu was now about the same age as the master; years ago, he had been the young waiter in the tea house known as Niu Da.

"Definitely," Master Jin San said. "I also have a favor to ask. When the Qingming Festival arrives, please say a few words to Mister Cao for me and burn some extra paper money. With me gone this year, I worry he won't rest easy down below."

Shopkeeper Liu nodded. "I would have gone even if you hadn't asked."

Master Jin San smiled and gave a slight nod before raising his hand in farewell. "We're off."

"Safe travels."

Shopkeeper Liu waved his hand.

The horse carriage merged onto the official road, traveling toward the Southern Region.

Mao'er lay perched atop the roof of the horse carriage, watching the road ahead.

'Traveling once more...'

Watching the retreating horse carriage, Shopkeeper Liu let out a long sigh, an undeniable emptiness settling in his chest.

This new year had only been lively for such a fleeting moment.

Sending off old friends was inevitably a sorrowful affair.

There were far too many people just like him. His roots were planted firmly in this city, tying him here permanently. Every year, his greatest anticipation was the return of his old friends.

Catching up and sharing a chat was what he looked forward to most all year long; it was the only time the year truly felt vibrant.

But this year, that vibrancy had lasted for only a brief, fleeting moment.

"Let it be, let it be..."

Shopkeeper Liu let out a heavy sigh. Feeling downhearted, he went out of his way to buy a jug of wine. Upon returning home, he drank steadily until his head grew thick and heavy, finally collapsing onto his bed to sleep.

...

Things unfolded exactly as Master Jin San had predicted.

After the North Desert People at the Border Pass were beaten back, Prince Yu's troops rested for barely a month before marching south.

Their sabers and swords were pointed directly at the Prince of Yan. They raised their banners in the name of reclaiming the fractured lands and restoring the true Yan Clan, marching on the strength of a righteous cause.

The fifty thousand-strong army marched south, driving straight in unopposed.

Their first step was to conquer Yuanchuan.

The Yan Army clearly hadn't expected Prince Yu to resolve the Northern Desert conflict so rapidly; by the time they received the news, Prince Yu's forces were already on the march.

This left the Yan Army with absolutely no time to redeploy their forces. Prince Yu's fifty thousand troops plunged straight into Yuanchuan. Although the region was naturally defensible and difficult to assault, it still fell to Prince Yu's methods, swift as thunder and fierce as wind.

The battle lasted a mere month.

Of the twenty thousand Yan Army soldiers stationed in Yuanchuan, seven thousand were killed or wounded, while the remaining thirteen thousand were taken prisoner. These captives survived, though they were subsequently dispatched to construct defensive lines or sent to the fields to farm and harvest. They were useful labor, after all; executing them was a waste, releasing them was out of the question, and conscripting them into their own ranks was too risky. Using them for corvée labor was the only viable option. In the current climate of the realm, aside from Prince Jin—who routinely slaughtered his prisoners of war—the other lords generally adopted this exact approach.

When Qingshan City first fell to Prince Yu, the streets naturally erupted into chaos. Yet, under Prince Yu's swift methods, the unrest was quickly quashed.

Qingshan City returned to a state of peace, though it was a terrifying, dead silence.

It wasn't until Prince Yu personally stepped forward to reassure the populace, spending several days of concerted effort, that this mountain city finally regained its former vitality.

Only with benevolence and might applied together could order truly be restored.

A new plaque was hung over the former Prince Wei's Manor once more.

From King Yu to the King of Wei; then, when the Yan Army occupied the city, they tore down the plaque and sealed off the estate; and now, it had passed to him—Prince Yu.

But the new plaque did not read Prince Yu's Manor. Instead, he had the characters for the original King Yu's Manor freshly inscribed and hung back in its rightful place.

The estate had weathered far too many years, its age showing in its dilapidated state. It took several days of intensive cleaning just to clear away the grime.

Gazing out over the sprawling Prince's Manor, Prince Yu let out a long sigh.

"Now, Imperial Uncle may finally rest in peace beneath the nine springs."

In truth, Prince Yu was entirely unacquainted with King Yu. They had never even met, belonging to completely different generations. However, he had grown up listening to his father endlessly recount tales of King Yu. Out of all the imperial princes back then, only King Yu had shown his father genuine kindness. Even his current title as Prince Yu was something King Yu had pleaded for on his father's behalf.

Such a profound debt of gratitude had to be engraved in his heart forever.