AN: I hadn't originally planned to continue this story, but there was so much demand for a more proactive Chu Qiao that I figured I'd do my best to give my readers what they want. On the downside, that meant I had to take some time off to actually come up with something that resembles a plot for this story. I'll warn y'all up front that when it comes to strategy, I'm no Yuwen Yue. But I can promise that there will be action (eventually), XingYue, angst, actual resolution of issues between our OTP, and an icy lake scene that won't end with Chu Qiao opening her eyes underwater.
I also feel compelled to warn you that this is not "Green Hills Happyland" as I dubbed the world in which I wrote my last story. This is my best attempt at combining the characters that we get near the end of the show with the results of a more proactive Chu Qiao factored in. Chu Qiao might be more proactive, but she hasn't received a brain transplant. She's still going to be impetuous, stubborn, aggressive, and angry (and somewhat scared, now, since she feels the walls closing in on her and her people). She's going to say some things to Yuwen Yue she'll regret later; he'll say some things back to her likewise. I'll always do my best to get inside of their heads, though, so that you'll understand why they're saying and doing these things. But there will eventually be XingYue and a happy ending; I doubt I'm capable of writing anything else for this fandom. I hope y'all enjoy the ride.
"I'm sorry about what happened to Mister Wu," Chu Qiao said, looking at the woman who had at one point been the only other person standing with her at Yan Xun's side.
"I was going to say the same to you, A'Chu," Zhong Yu said, glancing away guiltily. "I know that you might think I should've said something, but-"
"But we both know that nothing you said or did would've made a difference, anyway," Chu Qiao said. "Yan Xun's always hated the Xiulis, and Cheng Yuan had laid his trap too well."
"I also have people that I need to protect, people who are important to Yanbei."
"People like Mister Wu, who Yan Xun almost had executed over a bit of grain?"
"Yes," Zhong Yu said after a pause. "In fact, I was planning on stopping by your room to say goodbye since I'll have to escort him out of Yanbei quickly."
"And you won't come back once you've done so."
"No," Zhong Yu admitted. "Mister Wu is the heart and soul of Yanbei-"
"And the man you love," Chu Qiao said, getting to the heart of the matter. "I can't blame you for doing what both your heart and your sense of duty are telling you to do. Besides, what's left here for you, anyway? In fact, what's left here for either of us?"
Zhong Yu's eyes widened in alarm.
"You can't leave, A'Chu. You're the only one who can keep Yan Xun on a righteous path. If you leave-"
"Then exactly the same things will happen if I stay, only sooner."
"But your influence-"
"Is nonexistent. What influence did I manage to exert over Yan Xun earlier today? Did my supposed influence manage to save my innocent men? Did it overpower Cheng Yuan's influence with Yan Xun? Did it somehow stop Yan Xun's thirst for blood or inability to trust? If I can't even stop Yan Xun from killing men that he's supposed to value as his own, then why do you think I can stop him from wreaking havoc on things he doesn't value—or outright hates?"
Zhong Yu stood silently, obviously needing time to digest her friend's tirade. Chu Qiao was all too glad to give it to her as she took the opportunity to study the unfamiliar soldiers marching through the city. She could tell that their presence bothered Zhong Yu, too, and she hoped that the visual would end up working in her favor.
"So what are you planning, A'Chu? You always have a plan."
Chu Qiao smiled joylessly at her old friend.
"Of course I do. It's not well-formed yet, but maybe you could help me to flesh it out with your experience and skill."
Zhong Yu watched her warily yet expectantly.
"Would you agree that our current path is likely leading us into a seemingly inevitable war with Wei—a war that we will likely lose?"
"I would say so, yes."
"Would you agree that it would be in all of our best interests to avoid such a war?"
"Well, some people would probably find war with Wei to be in their best interests, but in terms of the people of Yanbei, yes, I'd agree with you."
"Would you agree that you and I might be able to take some steps to prevent this war from occurring if we're willing?"
"A'Chu-"
"Would you agree that both you and the people of Yanbei would likely benefit from Mister Wu and you not having to leave?"
Zhong Yu stared out at the strange troops as they marched in formation through the streets. Chu Qiao could see her friend's mind working and knew that there were, fortunately, going to be some things that she wasn't going to have to say aloud to the experienced warrior and leader.
"Who are you going to back, A'Chu?" Zhong Yu asked, her eyes never leaving the marching soldiers. "And what are you going to do about our current leadership?"
Chu Qiao took a deep breath.
"Anyone that we back is going to have to have some level of approval from Wei if we're going to stand a chance of not only making but maintaining peace. This person will also have to be generally peaceful himself, or else we'll just be exchanging one warlord for another."
"You're talking about Prince Yuan Song, aren't you? A'Chu, could we trust him? Would he trust us?"
"I don't know if he'd trust us, to be honest. He and I have a lot of history together, and I know he felt like I betrayed him by helping to lead Yan Xun's rebellion. The past several years have changed us all, and the past couple of months have changed us even more. I don't know how much Yuan Song's changed, but the man that I know would definitely want peace and would do his best to prevent more war."
"So how would you go about finding out if this man is trustworthy before you decide to back him in a coup?"
Chu Qiao didn't even bother to deny Zhong Yu's use of the description of what she was planning.
"I'd talk to Yuwen Yue."
"A'Chu..."
"He and I have had our differences, but I know that he wouldn't lie to me about something like this—if I could even get him to trust me himself. If he were to confirm to me that Yuan Song is the man I think he is, then I'd trust his judgment on this issue."
"But you'd understand why I wouldn't."
"Of course."
"A'Chu, you pointed out that my motives for leaving were personal...what do you get out of this plan? Are you sure this isn't personal for you, too?"
"Of course it's personal. I just watched my men—my men, no matter what Yan Xun says—be knifed in the back because of politics and lies. I just came to the realization that the man I've followed for the past several years isn't the man I thought I knew. I just came to the realization that I have to do something different than what I'm doing now, and this is the best I could come up with. Do you have any other plan that doesn't involve us running away and leaving Yanbei to be destroyed?"
Zhong Yu sighed, obviously realizing the deflection for what it was but not wanting to get bogged down in an argument over it. Chu Qiao was all too glad to not have to talk about her feelings for her former master and mentor.
"What would you do about the current regime, then? What would you do about Yan Xun? Because any coup that we attempt will be pointless if we can't change the leadership at the top. Are you prepared to do that, A'Chu?"
Chu Qiao stared morosely out at the city.
"Honestly, that's the one big part of this plan that I haven't figured out yet. For all that I know that Yan Xun's done wrong and is going to keep on doing wrong, I know I don't have it in me to…deal with him. I know that planning to back another leader without also planning on how to remove our current one is pointless, but..."
"I've had to do some hard things in my life, A'Chu," Zhong Yu finally said. "You know about some of the hard things I've had to do; you haven't approved of them. I still stand by most of them, though, as having been necessary steps to take at those times. But raising my hand against Yan Xun..."
The two women stood in pensive silence for a few moments.
"I take it you won't have similar reservations about getting rid of Yan Xun's other generals," Zhong Yu said softly.
"Would you like to help me?" Chu Qiao said, smiling mirthlessly.
"I haven't agreed to help you do anything yet," Zhong Yu said, looking at Chu Qiao with an exasperated expression. "I obviously will have to talk to Mister Wu about this."
"Naturally," Chu Qiao said. "In fact, I need to talk to Mister Wu, too—about this plan and some other things as well."
"Alright," Zhong Yu said, nodding once. "We'll talk to him, and then we'll make some decisions. We should leave as soon as possible, but not together so that we won't arouse any suspicion."
Chu Qiao nodded back, pleased that the discussion had gone so well. She knew that her plan was still in its infancy, and that the entire scheme might end up with them all fleeing for their lives—or lying slaughtered on some battlefield.
But at least we'll go down with swords in our hands and doing the right thing rather than just sitting around and waiting for death...
Chu Qiao's head was still spinning from the events of the past several hours and she wasn't at all prepared to talk to Yuwen Yue. Yet here they were, face to face beside an icy lake on Xiuli Mountain with the future of their respective kingdoms on the line.
She'd planned on talking to He Xiao as soon as she'd finished speaking with Mister Wu, but she'd ridden hard for Xiuli Mountain after learning that her men had essentially been exiled there. Cheng Yuan was a smart and ruthless general, and his intervention was going to add complications to an already shaky plan.
Doubts about the feasibility of the scheme that she, Zhong Yu, and Mister Wu had recently cobbled together assailed Chu Qiao as she tried to figure out how she was going to present the plan in a way that Yuwen Yue might accept. She'd assumed that she'd have more time to pull her thoughts together—and to at least be able to say beyond a shadow of a doubt that she had roughly a hundred battle-hardened troops to offer a potential ally.
Well, a hundred troops plus who knows how many top-notch fighters from a group that's comprised of Yuwen Yue's sworn enemies.
At last, she and Yuwen Yue began to speak of the circumstances that had led them to Xiuli Mountain. They both easily figured out that Cheng Yuan was the likely culprit who had led their respective groups into what he expected to be an ambush, and Chu Qiao squirmed uncomfortably when he rhetorically asked if Yan Xun had turned a blind eye to the situation and pointed out how she was no match for Cheng Yuan. Chu Qiao turned away from Yuwen Yue and knelt by the icy lake, trying to gather her thoughts.
"The hatred in Yan Xun's heart would be harder to melt than the ice on this lake," she said, staring out over the ice. "At first, all I wanted was to take my sisters and I to a place of freedom so that we could live well. Yan Xun told me about Yanbei, and I felt in my heart that it sounded like a place worth living in, a place worth protecting. And yet, as with so many things in my life, that dream has turned to ashes. Nothing is the way I thought it would be; nothing has turned out right."
Chu Qiao stood up but still kept her back turned to Yuwen Yue as she continued to build up to her pitch.
"I've never been one for regrets; I've never seen the point of thinking too much about past events you can't change anyway. There are things I'd change if I could go back in time, but I can't—so all I can do is to try to change the future to the best of my ability. In the past, I was too arrogant in the sense that I believed that I alone could do things. I alone could protect people. I alone could decide what was best for people. I...I alone could direct Yan Xun."
A sheen of tears misted Chu Qiao's eyes, and she was glad that Yuwen Yue couldn't see them. He stayed silent as if believing that she needed to unburden herself to him. She already owed him more than she could ever repay, and she knew that what she was going to have to tell him later was going to add to that debt.
"But watching him callously order my innocent men to be knifed in their backs even as I begged for their lives showed me how insignificant I was in the scheme of things. So I sought out help from people who may be able to do what I know I can't do alone: protect the people I care about and stop the war between Wei and Yanbei."
"What are you planning, Xing'er?" Yuwen Yue asked, a wary edge to his voice. "I recognize that tone of voice, that set of your shoulders. Have you thrown together some half-planned scheme that's likely going to get a lot of people killed just so that you can escape from the latest bad situation you've landed in?"
Chu Qiao turned around and scowled, already annoyed at herself for letting the man get under her skin—and at how well he knew her. She almost felt like she was back in Chang'an and that he was now going to try to convince her of her impending death.
Like I haven't been living with the threat of imminent death for my whole life.
"Actually, it's a plan that I've formed with Zhong Yu and Mister Wu. It's more than half-planned, but it's less than fully-planned. We'll need your help for that."
Yuwen Yue tried unsuccessfully to hide his skeptical amusement.
"Yuwen Yue! I'm being serious."
"I know. That's what I'm afraid of."
"We want to stop this war, and we are willing to do anything we can to make that happen."
"Are you, really, Xing'er? Because 'anything' is likely to include removing Yan Xun from power in some way. Are the three of you willing to do that?"
Chu Qiao was silent for a moment as she pursed her lips.
"Mister Wu is, as Zhong Yu says, 'The heart and soul of Yanbei.' He has many connections with the old, wealthy families of Yanbei, and he believes that he can get most of them on our side, forcing Yan Xun to step down."
"So you're going to stage a coup to make Mister Wu the leader of Yanbei?"
"No; we want to stage a coup to officially make Yuan Song the leader of Yanbei."
Making Yuwen Yue speechless was not an everyday occurrence, and Chu Qiao took a few moments to savor the fact that she'd accomplished just that.
"So you want me to tell Yuan Song that three out of the four people who planned Yan Xun's rebellion want him to trust them to stage a coup on his behalf?"
"Well, I wouldn't exactly present things that way."
"I know you wouldn't, Xing'er."
"I want you to tell Yuan Song that three high-ranking Yanbei officials believe that he's the man who can make peace on Yanbei's behalf with Wei and who can be trusted to do his best get Yanbei back on its feet again."
Yuwen Yue eloquently raised an eyebrow at her.
"And that we want to do everything we can to stop the war."
"Ah, yes. Now we're back to this 'everything' that doesn't really include 'everything.' Tell me: Does 'everything' even involve getting rid of Cheng Yuan?"
Chu Qiao smiled coldly at Yuwen Yue, gratified to see his eyes widen a bit.
"As you so eloquently pointed out earlier, I'm no match for Cheng Yuan as a general. However, you know what I really am, what you trained me to be. Tell me, Yuwen Yue. Do you think he's a match for what I truly am?"
"So you're going to, what? Slit his throat in his sleep?"
"Zhong Yu and I will, yes. In fact, we'll take out all of the bloodthirsty, vengeful generals, leaving only the few who would likely be willing to make peace with Wei."
"I'm sure that your personal vendetta with Cheng Yuan has nothing to do with this decision."
"Of course it does," Chu Qiao admitted matter-of-factly. "As you know, I always get vengeance on those who kill my people."
"Regardless of who gets in the middle."
"That gives me something in common with many of the people on your own side, then, doesn't it? How many innocent Yanbei people did the emperor order to be slaughtered because of his personal vendetta again?"
"If my side is so bad, then why do you want to join it?"
"Who said I wanted to join it?" Chu Qiao asked, eyes widening in fake innocence. "Actually what I want to do is to take the best of our side, combine it with the best of your side, and try to form an alliance of people who don't want to kill the innocent."
"People like Zhong Yu? I'm fairly certain that she was heavily involved in the killing of innocents in the streets of Chang'an."
Chu Qiao was silent for a moment.
"Yes, she did some things I didn't agree with. However, I don't believe that she did them out of vengeance or bloodthirstiness but out of a desire to help us to escape the city safely. I know for certain now that she doesn't want to fight anymore and that she just wants to live in a peaceful Yanbei with the man she loves."
"Xing'er, did Zhong Yu ever tell you about the plan that she and Yan Xun formed with the Liang spies to flood all of Chang'an?"
Now it was Chu Qiao's turn to be speechless. She wanted to call Yuwen Yue a liar, but she instinctively knew that he wouldn't lie to her about such a thing. She tried to think of something, anything, to tell Yuwen Yue, but her mind didn't seem to want to work right.
"If you knew about such a plan," she said softly, "then why didn't you just tell the emperor, get us all arrested, and have that be the end of the rebellion?"
He simply looked at her intensely, letting his eyes do the talking for him.
"Oh," she said as she understood.
Because he knew that I would've probably been implicated and maybe executed even if I hadn't been involved. Will I ever be able to repay this man what I owe him?
"Thank you for telling me this, Yuwen Yue," Chu Qiao managed to say softly. "No, I mean it. And for what it's worth, I'm glad you stopped that plan from going forward. I'm not going to bother to defend Zhong Yu's part in it, either, as that won't really get us anywhere. I'll simply say that I believe that her desire to protect Yanbei and to be able to live in it with Mister Wu will outweigh any desire for vengeance and move on. In fact..."
Chu Qiao swallowed hard, not wanting to continue the conversation but knowing she had no choice.
"Yuwen Yue, since you were honest with me, I'm going to be honest with you. I didn't just go to talk to Mister Wu about this plan. He used to work for my mother, and he was able to fill in many gaps about my identity and what happened to me before I almost died. I almost decided not to tell you the truth since doing so will probably do me more harm than good, but knowing our timing, you would probably learn the truth about me in some other worse way anyway. Tell me: what did you manage to find out about my past when I was at Qing Shan Yuan?"
"I found out that you'd been adopted by the Jing family as an illegitimate daughter of his," Yuwen Yue replied, obviously not bothering to pretend that he hadn't researched her past. "After I found out about your strong inner power locked inside of you, I tried to find a record of a girl with those kinds of abilities, but was unsuccessful. The only likely description matched that of a young woman who had died before you even came to Qing Shan Yuan."
"A young woman who had fallen off of a cliff into the Yellow River and drowned?"
The muffled sound of softly-falling snow was all that could be heard in the silence left in the wake of Chu Qiao's question. She could see the dawning comprehension on Yuwen Yue's face as he was once again rendered speechless, but she took no satisfaction from being the cause of it this time. Her own face she kept blank by sheer force of will, not wanting to react to the myriad negative emotions she saw flashing in Yuwen Yue's eyes.
"As I said, I wasn't going to tell you since there wouldn't have been any benefit in doing so—except that Mister Wu thinks that the Underworld would likely accept the leadership of Luo He's daughter in spite of the memory loss. What he's less certain about is if they'd accept the leadership of someone who insists that they no longer be the sworn enemies of the Eyes of God. So he's going to ask a couple of Luo He's most loyal, discrete operatives if they'd be willing to accept those conditions, and if they say no, then he'll tell them nothing more about me or my location."
"Do you really think you can end generations of animosity with a simple request, Xing'er?" Yuwen Yue asked, seeming to have recovered his mask. "The Eyes of God and the Underworld have been at war with one another for generations, and there's much bad blood there."
"Well, I'm already trying to prevent a war between two powerful forces with nothing more than several ex-rebels, a force of a hundred or so troops that everyone but me mistrusts that I haven't even asked to participate yet, and a batch of vague promises. Why not add 'potential sworn enemies of the man I'm trying to persuade to trust and help me' to the list of incentives?"
Chu Qiao's attempt at humor seemed to be successful as Yuwen Yue gave her a twitch of his lips that she knew to be the equivalent of a normal person's smile. She knew that her former master would take her plan, break it down, and figure out ways to make it work to his advantage, so she didn't have a problem with pointing out the plan's numerous flaws in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere.
"I'm glad you haven't lost your unique sense of humor in these chaotic times, Xing'er."
"Oh, everyone appreciates me for my sense of humor in Yanbei, Yuwen Yue. It definitely comes in handy during meetings with the other generals. In fact, if this plan fails, then my backup plan is to simply charm everyone into going along with us."
"Now my faith in this plan has been restored."
"In fact, between the two of us, Yuwen Yue, we should be able to win over any who oppose us just with our people-pleasing skills."
Chu Qiao felt like she was losing her mind, yet the fact that Yuwen Yue was willing to banter with her like this was soothing ragged edges she hadn't even known she'd had. She'd almost expected him to simply walk away from her after she'd revealed the truth of her parentage, but he hadn't—and he actually seemed to be contemplating forming an alliance with her and her allies.
"Xing'er-" Yuwen Yue said, his expression as unreadable to her as it had been in her silver bell days.
"Yuwen Yue," she interrupted, recognizing a good time to retreat when she saw one, "I know I've given you a lot to think about and that you have to talk things over with your people. Whenever you reach a decision, send a note with Ping'an, who runs errands for me every day. I should probably go talk to He Xiao so that I can make sure that the Xiulis are willing to help."
"Those men will follow you anywhere, Xing'er, even if the path you walk down leads to nothing but death."
"I don't know why," Chu Qiao muttered, her good humor disappearing.
Yuwen Yue sighed softly, watching the snow falling on and around the icy lake.
"Because they love you, Xing'er, and are willing to give up everything for you even if they shouldn't. Because they know how much you care for them even if you can't usually say so. Because that's just the way they are."
"Yuwen Yue," Chu Qiao said, hating the tears that she knew he could see misting in her eyes. "Don't worry about the Underworld spies. I won't let Mister Wu tell them where we are if they're going to make trouble. And if they try to come after you, I'll kill them myself. I will leave first."
Chu Qiao clasped Can Hong Jian in her hands and bowed to Yuwen Yue before spinning around and walking quickly away. That man had always been able to get to her, and today had been no exception. She knew that she was going to have to keep a clear head if she was going to be able to execute this plan, and nobody could muddle her feelings to the degree of Yuwen Yue.
How is it possible to feel so much while also feeling so dead inside? Chu Qiao wondered as she trudged down the path from the icy lake towards her men. The only times I truly feel alive are when I'm with…
She squelched those thoughts as a chorus of "Chu Da Ren!" rang out from her Xiulis as she approached them.
They're the ones whose happiness you need to be concerned with, Chu Qiao, she thought as she pulled He Xiao aside. Not yours.
Additional AN: Some of Chu Qiao's opening pitch to Yuwen Yue is a paraphrase of what she says in canon (except the bit about Yan Xun's hate, which I quoted simply because I thought it was a good icebreaker).