The princess grew bolder. Her powdered cheek pressed against Gu Shiyan's face. She breathed softly into his ear, making him tingle. He couldn't help but blush crimson. He reached up to push her shoulders away, but the princess wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Afraid of alerting Zheng Hao, Gu Shiyan didn't dare use force.
They had traveled twenty li from Songguo Mountain. The road to Chang'an from here was a broad highway, clear of snow. The carriage moved much faster. The cold night was silent, broken only occasionally by the driver cracking his whip to rouse the horses.
The princess seemed to have fallen asleep in Gu Shiyan's arms. Her warm body emitted waves of fragrance, leaving Gu Shiyan's hands at a loss. His mouth felt dry, his heart pounding "thump-thump-thump-thump" so loudly he feared Zheng Hao could hear it.
The princess shifted slightly. She pressed her cheek against Gu Shiyan's chest to listen to his heartbeat but inadvertently touched his wound. He couldn't help but grunt softly. The princess noticed immediately. She lifted Gu Shiyan's left hand and kissed it gently, as if to apologize.
Gu Shiyan never expected this spoiled, willful princess to be so tender and charming. He couldn't help but feel a surge of heat throughout his body, desire flaring intensely.
Though unmarried, Gu Shiyan had frequented pleasure quarters with friends during drinking parties and was no stranger to desire. Moreover, in Tang eyes, a man like Liu Xiahui, who remained unmoved with a woman in his lap, seemed pedantic and affected. With the princess throwing herself at him like this, refusal would be discourteous.
Gu Shiyan was already aroused. His arms encircled the princess's soft, warm body, holding her tightly. She tilted her face up towards his. Their lips met, and the world seemed to spin.
Zheng Hao, perhaps with a numb leg, stretched vigorously in his corner of the carriage. He suddenly asked, "Where are we? Have we reached Caojiamiao?"
Gu Shiyan jumped in fright. The princess in his arms also sat up straight. In the darkness, he heard her give a light laugh. Then, the carriage door curtain was flung open. In the dim light, a flash of white—the princess seemed to leap out of the carriage!
Gu Shiyan cried out involuntarily, "Princess!"
Suddenly, the princess's voice came from inside the carriage. "What? I was asleep. Are we in Chang'an?"
At that moment, Gu Shiyan felt as if he had plunged into an icy abyss.
The driver answered, "Replying to the young master, it's still very early for Chang'an. Over a hundred li to go."
Gu Shiyan lifted the carriage curtain to look out. The waning moon hung low in the west; heaven and earth were pitch black. It was probably around the fourth watch [~1-3 AM].
Zheng Hao grumbled, "What are you lifting the curtain for? The draft is freezing!"
Gu Shiyan sat dumbfounded, his mind in turmoil.
Dawn gradually broke. Faint light entered the carriage, gradually revealing the faces inside. The princess saw Gu Shiyan's pale face and asked, "Little Gu, what's wrong? Is your wound hurting again?"
Zheng Hao, his cheeks still swollen, "Hmphed!"
Gu Shiyan forced a smile. "It's nothing. Just tired from riding all night. Brother Zheng Hao, do you want to stop at the next town to have a doctor apply some ointment?"
Zheng Hao shook his head. The princess said, "Then let's get something to eat up ahead. I'm freezing and starving! It's unbearable!"
The carriage reached Caojiamiao at full daylight. Caojiamiao was the largest town outside Chang'an, still eighty li from the city.
The princess followed Gu Shiyan into the town and had a bowl of mutton noodles. She ordered an attendant to take a bowl out to Zheng Hao in the carriage. After eating, they resumed their journey. The princess said, "Little Gu, why do you keep lifting the curtain and looking around? What's so interesting on this road?"
Gu Shiyan felt slightly flushed. He sat still.
The princess continued, "I sneaked out this time. Imperial Father will surely scold me when he finds out. And Zheng Hao is hurt like that… how will I explain it to Imperial Father?"
Gu Shiyan said, "We can't let the Emperor know Brother Zheng Hao was beaten. Just say he fell."
Zheng Hao, sitting nearby, nodded vigorously.
By mid-morning [around 11 AM], the carriage entered Chang'an city. Gu Shiyan instructed A'luotuo and Quan'er to return home first.
Zheng Hao, feeling too ashamed to face the Emperor, asked the carriage to take him home first. Then Gu Shiyan would escort the princess back to the palace.
Emperor Xuanzong, hearing that the princess and Gu Shiyan had returned, summoned them immediately. Seeing the princess, he scolded, "You reckless girl! How dare you leave the city without permission! Where's Zheng Hao? Doesn't he dare face me?"
The princess adopted a little-girl pout. "Imperial Father, your child knows she was wrong. I heard Gu Xun had been stabbed and wanted to see him. I asked Zheng Hao to accompany me. Imperial Father, please don't punish Zheng Hao. He fell on the road and hurt his face."
Emperor Xuanzong "Hmphed!" but his expression softened. "Go and pay your respects to your Imperial Mother quickly, you silly girl. You worried her terribly. Go on."
Princess Wanshou made a face at Gu Shiyan as she left, saying, "Thank you for Imperial Father's great kindness!" She giggled and skipped away.
Emperor Xuanzong inquired about Gu Shiyan's injury and then sighed deeply. "If not for you, Sir Gu, the Wenmosi brothers would surely have both perished? I suppose you have not yet heard that Wenmosi has succumbed to his wounds?"
Gu Shiyan gasped, "Ah!" His expression darkened. "This incompetent minister failed to stop General Wenmosi from pursuing beyond Dasanguan Pass."
The Emperor said, "This cannot be blamed on you. Yiyinchuo is cunning and experienced; the Wenmosi brothers were no match for him! Ah, yes, Nieguchuo returned yesterday to see me. He said his brother's last word was 'Gu.' What could it mean?"
Gu Shiyan said, "After being severely wounded, General Wenmosi entrusted me with passing a jade tiger to General Nieguchuo. I haven't had a chance to give it to him yet." An attendant announced General Nieguchuo requesting an audience. Emperor Xuanzong said to Gu Shiyan, "He must have heard you returned and is eager to see you."
Nieguchuo's eyes were bloodshot; he had lost weight. Seeing the jade tiger, the burly warrior choked back a sob.
Emperor Xuanzong comforted him. "Beloved Minister, do not grieve excessively. Since your brother passed this tiger tally to you, you are now King of the Uighurs. Restoring your state and eliminating the traitor are heavy responsibilities. Please take care of yourself."
Nieguchuo knelt and bowed. "Nieguchuo relies entirely on Your Majesty to avenge the deaths of my father and brother."
The Emperor said, "Rise, Beloved Minister. We shall certainly support you. Yiyinchuo thinks that by allying with Tubo's Lun Kongre, he can look down on our Great Tang, killing our ministers in our capital! If he is not eliminated, the vassal states in all directions will laugh at the Tang's weakness and cease paying tribute."
Nieguchuo kowtowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Xuanzong pondered for a moment, then asked Nieguchuo, "Is there still no news of Princess Shanluo?"
Nieguchuo looked at Gu Shiyan and shook his head. "Who knows where those villains have taken her!"
Gu Shiyan said, "Princess Shanluo is definitely still within Chang'an City."
After hearing Gu Shiyan's analysis, Emperor Xuanzong nodded. "That makes sense. Then order the Governor of the Capital District to dispatch more personnel to search discreetly everywhere. Command the Nine Gates Commander to relax the guard openly but pay close attention secretly. Lure the enemy into action and capture them in one stroke."
After the audience concluded, Gu Shiyan and Nieguchuo took their leave. They parted outside the palace gates. Nieguchuo said, "Brother Gu, please come to my humble dwelling tomorrow. I have matters to discuss with you." After this ordeal, Nieguchuo regarded Gu Shiyan as a brother.
Gu Shiyan's residence was by Peach Blossom Lake at the foot of Small Goose Pagoda. It had three courtyards front and back, covering several mu of land, with over ten servants. Seeing Gu Shiyan return, everyone was overjoyed.
The gatekeeper boy reported, "Young master, yesterday a scholar named Wen Tingyun came looking for you. I told him you were recuperating from an injury at Foya Temple in Tong Pass. He said he would go there to see you. Didn't you meet him, young master?"
Gu Shiyan was pleased. "Wen Feiqing is in the capital? Excellent! Then we must have passed each other on the road."
Gu Shiyan didn't see A'luotuo and asked Quan'er.
Quan'er replied, "At Chaoyang Gate, he suddenly gestured for me to come back alone. He ran off as if flying, like he was chasing someone."
Gu Shiyan wondered what A'luotuo had spotted. Exhausted from days of frantic effort, he didn't dwell on it. He ordered a servant to prepare hot water and went to bathe and rest. He slept until lamp-lighting time [dusk] when he was awakened by voices coming from the front hall. Listening carefully, he couldn't help but laugh. It was his drinking companions visiting.