Chapter 1: Returning home in the snow

Riding a horse across the Ba River Bridge,

no one to see me off, because I am a returning guest,

The snow drifting on the river is my deepest longing.

The willow you planted is swaying in the cold wind.

each branch is your gentle arm.

I have returned home

I hope to enter your dreams tonight.

The wispy smoke from the kitchen

bring me the warmest fragrance,

Good! Open your carved doors and windows.

Where did you come from?

This makes me tearful,

the place where we played with bamboo horses

has become a sea of sadness.

Not a traveler, but a return visit from an old friend.

Yun Ye stood on the Baqiao Bridge with his iron horse and spear, his red cloak fluttering in the cold wind, shaking off a clump of snow from time to time.

Wangcai was wrapped in a bellyband, with his head resting on the neck of the mare under Yun Ye’s crotch, trying hard to bite the cloth bag around Yun Ye’s waist.

Zhuang San stopped without disturbing the poetic mood of Lord Yun, listening to the lord muttering and reciting some incomprehensible verses.

Seeing the Baqiao Bridge again, Yun Ye could not help but weep like rain. He felt heartbroken as he touched the willow tree with broken branches. The sudden parting and the indefinite reunion made him long for the nagging of his wife and the noise of his son more than this dreamlike world.

Now he is a marquis, with 3,000 soldiers under his command. He is majestic and awe-inspiring, more than Lu Bu and Zhao Yun. But who is he showing off for? If his wife were here, she would be so excited that she would go crazy. She would have sent countless group messages on her phone, and would have made him pose in countless poses and taken countless photos, which would have been forwarded on the Internet and become known to everyone. Without the reverent gaze of his son, all of this is just a mirage, a nighttime stroll in brocade!

A large army is marching under the Baqiao Bridge. Lao Niu looked at Yun Ye in the snow and smiled, ignoring the horse galloping past. No one could feel Yun Ye’s sadness. The vast ancient road, the snow in the sky, and the bare branches and leaves of the willows make a beautiful ancient painting. Why is there no roar of cars? Is this fucking Xi’an? The driver’s angry shouting, the city management’s wooden sticks, and the shouts of big discounts in the shops are the scenes that Yun Ye most wants to see. None of them, the loud voices of the people in Guanzhong, the familiar accent of “fuck” that they say all the time, is this Xi’an?

“Your Highness, the front army has arrived at the Zuowuwei camp. The general has ordered Your Highness to hurry the rear army back to the camp.” The sound of the scout interrupted Yun Ye’s rambling thoughts. Old Cheng was worried that they would not reach the camp before dark, and the snow was getting heavier.

“Zhuang Santing, pass the order down. Don’t worry about the formation. Put away the armor. Five people in one cart. March quickly.”

Zhuang Santing replied loudly and turned to pass on the order. Fifty veterans who had reached the age of service became Yun Ye’s personal guards. Although they were a bit old, they had followed Old Cheng through many battles and were thoroughly battle-hardened.

Old Cheng was concerned that Yun Ye would have to rebuild the family name, so he specially selected fifty fierce soldiers for him. These veterans also knew Yun Ye’s situation. It only took eight months for him to go from having nothing to becoming the lord of Lantian County. He was only fifteen years old, full of knowledge, incredibly capable, and kind. Who wouldn’t want to follow such a master? Now is the time to join the family while the lord is still young. Once they become the family servants of the Yun family, their descendants will have a good life for three generations.

Yun Ye looked at the fifty veterans, some of whom had gray hair. The general’s white hair made the soldiers cry, but none of this group of household chores shed tears. They were full of murderous intent, and the barracks had long since trained a pair of heartless, heartless, knife-like bodies. You can’t fool around anymore, or you’ll become a bandit. Just now, we said we were going home, and these killers were so excited that they were screaming. If you say that you will build a house for each of them, won’t they be so excited that they will convulse?

The walls of Chang’an were like crouching beasts in the snow, stretching for tens of miles in the dark, and the seven-story walls were magnificent. The Tang Dynasty flags were blowing in the wind, making a loud noise, and they were especially eye-catching in this snow-covered world.

The power to return home is incredibly strong. The wheels spun wildly in the snow, and the oxcarts were driven like carriages, and the carriages were driven like cars. Hundreds of carts arrived at Zuowuwei Camp in one hour. The camp was on the right side of Jinguangmen in Chang’an, near Xishi, backed by the city wall and facing the Ba River. It covered more than 200 acres and was surrounded by a low wall made of adobe bricks. The arrow towers and watchtowers were densely packed, forming a tight military fortress.

Yun Ye and his personal guards arrived at the camp last, and it was already dark. The entrance to the Zuowei camp was surrounded by many people, mostly women and girls. Cheng Peishi was talking to Cheng Chumo endlessly, making the little Cheng scratch his head and feel uncomfortable.

Old Madam Yun lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked anxiously at the endless procession of carriages in front of her, regardless of the heavy snow. The two young maids stood on the carriage frame holding umbrellas and looking into the distance on tiptoes. A woman in her thirties kept stuffing Xiaonan into the carriage, causing Xiaonan to be dissatisfied. After many days of recuperation, Xiaonan finally had some of the plumpness of a young child on her face.

Cheng Chumo saw the huge cloud-shaped flag flying on Zhuang San’s horse from afar and shouted to the old lady, “Old lady, Xiaoye is back.”

The old lady trembled all over and was helped out of the carriage by the woman next to her.

The horse’s hooves thundered, and more than fifty riders came galloping in the snow. Yun Ye saw the crowd in front of the camp gate, slowed down, came closer, dismounted, removed his helmet, and quickly came to a gray-haired woman. Without guessing or thinking, perhaps it was a natural blood relationship, and he recognized the old woman in front of him as his own genuine ancestor at a glance.

He had imagined all kinds of meeting scenarios, sad, joyful, excited, but never imagined meeting the person he wanted to see most in the midst of a blizzard. There was no passion, no sadness, only a faint joy, and he smiled at the old woman in front of him and bowed: “Grandma, I’m back.” Like a wandering son returning home.

The old woman held Yun Ye’s face and said over and over again, “That’s right, my grandson is back, that’s right, my grandson is back.” Embracing the old woman’s old body, Yun Ye’s heart had never been so calm.

“It’s too snowy outside, you should go back to the carriage.” He said, picked up the old woman and walked towards the carriage. The old woman felt the strong and powerful arms of her grandson, and her infinite worries instantly disappeared.

“Daya, Xiaoya? Xiaonan? Big brother has brought you a gift from Longyou. After he finishes his military orders, we will go home together. I promise you will like it.”

After comforting the three little girls, he looked back at the woman and said, “I don’t know which of Yun Ye’s elders you are, so please allow me to pay my respects.”

“She is your aunt,” the old woman said.

“So you are my aunt. I am honored to meet you.” The woman hurriedly returned the greeting, and it was clear that she was a bit nervous.

“Please take care of my grandmother and the three little sisters. You are not allowed to enter the military camp. I will return to you after I have completed my military orders and we can then renew our friendship.”