“Oh, my children! Your father, I, am now garbed as a warrior, and my return date is far in the future and cannot be anticipated.
You, sister and brother, have grown up
You should not forget the graciousness in which you were raised
Protect your mother when returning back to our hometown
Express filial piety as repayment for her hard work
My dear son, you should stay at home to polish your articles and martial skills
My lovely daughter, you should accompany your mother to console her grievances
Patiently Wait for me to return to the capital
We will never abandon each other and reunion as before”
Finishing these words, the master finished his cup
Swallowing grief, the sister and brother thanked their father for his words
Together, they stood up straight and returned to their seats
Servants continued to pour wine without complaints
The lady choked with sobs in a woeful voice
The young master knitted his eyebrows with tears welling hot
The young lady broke her heart in front of the feast
With a sad sigh, she parted her tiny lips and started to say:
“Oh, how shameful!
I have been in the world for fifteen years
But not being able to complete my fidelity and filial piety
I could not follow my father into war
Lagging far behind Mulan in those years”
After saying that, the young lady covered her fair face
Her voice was choking and her tears were flowing like streams
Young Master Shaohua’s heart was sore
His great ambition exploded sky high that he needed to press his headdress:
“My virtuous sister,[1] as a woman, you do not need to feel guilty
How deplorable that I, your younger brother,[2] now is stuck in safety!”
Tingshan had a deep sigh on his seat
Nodding his head and calling the sister and brother:
“How could I not want—to fight together with my children for success and reputation
I only worry—that it will be rough on your mother while protecting the family
Please wait for your father to return after the war
By then every issue will be successfully solved
Go home and calmly enjoy the idyllic delight
Do not abandon serving your mother for slight reputation
The political situation presently is different from the past
All of the Liu family’s wings hold huge power
If you, my son, become an official chasing fame
You will certainly be trapped within a circle of schemers
Please do carefully remember what I said to you
I only wish—that our family will be able to reunite again”
Changhua and her brother both promised to their father
All the people at the feast were sad with a deep sorrow hanging
Shaohua bid a final farewell and the feast ended
They would not rise until dawn and could only sleep soundly for the moment
All the luggage and suitcases were sent in advance
Just waiting for people to board the boat at daybreak
However, it was exactly that the time to part came fast
Very early they heard—the cock crowing three times in the cold wind
The lady and the young mistress both got up early
Facing the window, they were freshening up and putting on hairpins
Yin Liangzhen finished putting on her hat and tying her belt
Changhua has already completed changing her dress
All the young and elderly maids were all packing up
Red candles were burning, and the sun was rising[3]
Instantly the breakfast was arranged in the inner hall
The couple and the children began to share talks
Sorrowful and mournful, all hearts were broken
Miserable and desolate, tears dried in streams
After breakfast, the day was already bright
Hazy shadows of the trees were reflected on pearl curtains
Master Meng came to the mansion to see the Huangfu family off
The subordinates also gathered in front of the marquis’ mansion
The story goes that Huangfu Jing first sent his family back to their hometown, and Shaohua had bidden farewell to his father-in-law and mother-in-law a few days ago. Now, Minister Meng and his son sent Shaohua to the boat with courtesy. Outside, the sedan and horses were ready, thus the lady with the young miss and young master bade farewell and left.
The lady bitterly cried when leaving her husband:
“When could I hear of your winning the victory?
Please do take care when heading for Chosǒn
The children and I are all expecting your return to the capital”
Tingshan told her, “Only embrace the stable life
Do not miss me as I will return following my own schedule
As a couple in misfortune, we go through bitterness and joy together
Do not neglect teaching the children after returning home”
The lady promised with tears dripping down
Sister and brother prostrating on the ground, crying together:
“Now, we bid you farewell and depart with mother
Wish you, father—take care on your future path”
Holding their hands, the master repeatedly urging
In an instant, they had no alternative but to part
The story goes that Lady Yin departed with a son and a daughter, and ten more people were there to escort them. Minister Meng returned to his mansion first, while the Hanlin academician[4] and other subordinates did not part with his brother-in-law[5] till the Huangfu family disembarked.
Silken sails unfurled, the gleaming official boat sailed forth
The wind sent flags forward with the jade-green current
In a few days, they slept at night and traveled while day
And the whole family were on the way back to Jingzhou
Let us turn to Marshal Huangfu Jing leading the war in the east
Domestic affairs were taken care of after sending his family back home
He returned to the rear hall and sat in solitude
The hero was overwhelmed by the grief of parting
Before dawn he made arrangement for the army
He had to proceed to Chosǒn and did not dare dally
[1] The original text is xianjie 贤姐 [virtuous sister]. Here refers to Huangfu Changhua. [2] The original text is yudi 禺弟 [foolish brother]. Yu 禺 is borrowed to replace the character yu 愚 that should have been used in yudi [foolish brother]. In this process, 禺 is a tongjiazi 通假字 [phonetic loan character] of 愚, which is using one character interchangeably for phonetically related characters. [3] The original text is wugu can 五鼓殘 [a bit more than five drums]. Wugu 五鼓 here refers to wugeng 五更, gu 鼓 is a phonetic loan character of geng 更. See note 52 in chapter five for the explanation of phonetic loan character. Wugeng is the time period from 3am to 5am in ancient China. Usually, the sun started to rise at the beginning of Wugeng. See gengsheng and Chinese Zodiac Time. Can 残 literally means broken or incomplete. In the text, wugu can is the wugeng period was imcomplete now, which refers to that the period is coming to an end. Combined with the following text saying that “after breakfast, the day was already bright”, here, wugu can refers to the time when the sun was rising. [4] The Hanlin academician refers to Meng Lijun’s brother, Meng Jialing. [5] The original text is langjiu 郎舅 [brother-in-law]. Here it refers to Huangfu Shaohua.
