Nine Nights Owl Song

February, the twentieth year of Yong'an.

West of Liangzhou lies the Wusun grassland.

Su Jiuge rode on horseback, dressed in a dark blue outfit, with a straight sword hanging at her waist and an old lotus-colored cloak draped over her shoulders.

Shen sewed it for her before she left Luoyang; the stitches were fine and dense, and it patched up several places.

The wind blew from the grassland, carrying the scent of grass and earth. It was different from the fragrance of osmanthus in Luojing and the scent of pine in Cangwu Mountain, but it made her feel at ease.

The sound of horses' hooves came from afar, growing ever closer.

Ayiguli rode up on horseback, dressed in the clothing of the Wusun people, her hair braided into many thin braids, and a curved knife hanging at her waist.

She reined in her horse in front of Su Jiuge, her amber eyes shining.

"You've arrived."

Aygul dismounted.

Su Jiuge also dismounted, and the two stood facing each other.

The last time was at the gate of Liangzhou City, and now, almost two years later, the grasslands of Wusun have changed completely.

In the distance, there are yurts, herds of cattle and sheep, and children chasing and playing on the grassland.

They are no longer just a few hundred ragged refugees; they are a tribe, a family, and a community that is rebuilding.

Aygul pulled Su Jiuge's hand and walked towards the yurt, saying as they went:

"The grain and seeds you sent last time have arrived. The rains have been good this year, and the harvest is excellent. The children are learning the Liang language, and the teachers you sent are doing a very good job."

She kept talking on and on the way, and Su Jiuge listened.

A sumptuous meal was laid out in the yurt.

Roasted lamb, milk tea, naan bread, dried fruit.

Aygul sat down cross-legged and poured two bowls of milk tea.

Su Jiuge sat down opposite her, holding the milk tea but not drinking it, and looked at Ayiguli's face.

She was tanned darker than she had been two years ago, with the marks of time on her cheeks, but her eyes were brighter than ever, shining like two polished pieces of amber.

"You've changed," Su Jiuge said.

Aygul smiled and said, "You've changed too. You never used to smile." Su Jiuge was taken aback.

Did she laugh? She didn't know.

Aygul picked up her milk tea, took a sip, and looked at the children running around on the grassland outside the yurt:

"When I agreed to cooperate with you, I only wanted revenge. Wusun was destroyed, my people were all dead, and all I wanted was to kill Helian Tieshu. Later, you killed Helian Tieshu, found a pasture for my people, gave me food and seeds, and allowed me to rebuild Wusun."

She paused, then said, "You gave me a reason to live."

Su Jiuge remained silent for a long time.

She didn't think too much when she did these things; she just felt that it was something that should be done, and that it would be good for everyone, so she did it.

She hadn't expected Aygul to remember it so clearly.

"What are your plans for the future?" Su Jiuge asked.

Ayiguli looked at her and said, "Wusun has been established, and I won't leave for the time being. But I promised you that Wusun is the shield of Daliang. As long as I am here, the Qiang people will not be able to cross this grassland."

She reached out and grasped Su Jiuge's wrist.

In the etiquette of the Wusun people, a handshake between friends carries more weight than anything else.

Su Jiuge looked into her amber eyes:

"Me too."

Aygul's eyes reddened.

In the evening, Su Jiuge left the Wusun grassland.

Aygul escorted her to the edge of the grassland and watched her go, just like last time.

Su Jiuge had gone quite a distance when she reined in her horse and looked back at her—

Aygul was still standing there, the wind blowing her braids, and the setting sun gilding her silhouette with gold.

Su Jiuge didn't shout "Let's go back," she turned her horse around and continued on her way.

This time, she let Aygul decide for herself when to go back.

Luoyang, the imperial city.

Emperor Yong'an's illness was getting worse.

He had not attended court for three consecutive months, and had handed over all the government affairs of the Imperial Study to Xiao Yan.

The imperial physician said that the emperor's illness was due to old age and that there was no cure with medicine; he could only be kept alive by herbal decoctions.

Emperor Yong'an himself was quite open-minded. He would lie on his dragon bed in his sleeping quarters every day, listening to Gao Dequan read memorials and talk about court affairs, and occasionally asking a few questions.

On this day, Su Jiuge accompanied Xiao Yan to the palace to pay her respects.

Emperor Yong'an looked worse than before; his face was so thin it was just skin and bones, his eyes were sunken, and his lips were purple, but his eyes still had a light.

He saw Su Jiuge come in and waved.

"Jiuge, come here."

Su Jiuge walked to the bedside and sat down.

Emperor Yong'an stared at her for a long time, as if trying to identify something.

"How is your mother?" he suddenly asked.

Su Jiuge was taken aback for a moment before realizing that he was asking Madam Shen, "My mother is in good health. She asked me to convey her greetings to His Majesty."

Emperor Yong'an nodded: "That's good. Go back and tell her that I was unable to help her when she gave birth, and that I have wronged the Marquis of Dingyuan's family."

His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

Su Jiuge remained silent.

Emperor Yong'an reached out his hand—that old, wrinkled hand—and gently patted the back of her hand:

"You have suffered. On behalf of the Great Liang, I thank you."

Su Jiuge looked at the hand and a feeling she couldn't quite put into words suddenly welled up inside her.

She never hated the emperor, nor did she ever love him.

In her mind, the emperor was just a person sitting on the dragon throne, very distant from her.

But at this moment, he was just an old man who was about to die, thanking her.

She grasped his hand in return:

"Your Majesty need not thank me. I did these things not for the sake of the Great Liang, but for myself. To live, to live like a human being."

Emperor Yong'an looked at her, remained silent for a long time, and then smiled.

The smile on his thin face seemed both unfamiliar and genuine:

"Alright, alright. Living for yourself is better than living for others." He released his grip. "You may go. Let me rest."

Xiao Yan stepped forward to help Su Jiuge up, and the two bowed to Emperor Yong'an to take their leave.

As Su Jiuge walked out of the bedchamber, she glanced back—

Emperor Yong'an leaned back on his pillow with his eyes closed, a slight smile on his lips, as if he were having a wonderful dream.

On the 17th day of the third month of the 20th year of Yong'an, Emperor Yong'an passed away.

He passed away peacefully in his sleep.