Chapter 6: Xiangshan's Decision

  Early in the morning, Wan Qiu got busy. He went to Xiangshan to clear his mind, and his enthusiasm was even higher than Mu Ya's. At breakfast, Mrs. Mu asked with concern for Wan Qiu to bring a maid to take care of him, but Mu Ya told Wan Qiu to decline. When he saw Liu Xiangyun pulling Wan Qiu aside and whispering for half a day, Wan Qiu seemed to pretend that nothing had happened when he came back. Mu Ya was suspicious in his heart, wondering what the two sisters-in-law were whispering about so mysteriously. He asked Wan Qiu what it was about, but Wan Qiu just smiled and didn't answer.

  The husband and wife got into a carriage with a canopy and headed out of the city gate towards Xiangshan. It was late May, when the grass and trees were lush and the flowers were in full bloom. As far as the eye could see, the open fields were a vibrant green, with unknown wildflowers everywhere. The farmers on the road had already begun to return home from their fields, their faces bearing the marks of hard work. As the carriage moved along at a steady pace, Mu Ya Ping breathed in the fresh, moist air, feeling especially cheerful. A different kind of emotion began to stir and rise up within him.

  Mu Ya Ping gazed at the scenery while listening to the rhythmic sound of the horse bells, urging the coachman to hurry. Late autumn was not in the mood to appreciate the view, and several times she opened her mouth as if to say something, only to swallow her words again. Mu Ya Ping found late autumn's naivety amusing, as she couldn't hide things from her heart, probably related to what Xiang Yun had whispered to her that morning.

  Wan Qiu saw her husband looking at her with ill intentions, and her face turned red as she said: "Brother-in-law, why are you staring at me like that?" Mu Ya Ping asked instead of answering: "You tell me, is there something you're hiding from me?" Wan Qiu whispered: "If I tell you, don't get angry." Mu Ya Ping magnanimously said: "Look what you're saying, what could possibly make me angry?"

  Wan Qiu said, "After finishing breakfast, Xiangyun secretly told me that she also wants to go to Fragrant Hill. And she asked me not to tell you, to give you a surprise." Mu Ya Ping asked without surprise, "Is He Ping coming with Xiangyun?" Wan Qiu replied, "Xiangyun is coming with the maid." Mu Ya Ping was puzzled and said, "Why isn't He Ping coming with Xiangyun?" Wan Qiu shook her head indicating she didn't know.

  Mu Ya ordered the carriage to stop, and Wan Qiu asked without explanation: "Why did we stop?" Mu Ya smiled and said: "Silly girl, you should have told me earlier. It's just right that we take a break and wait for Xiangyun and the others." Seeing that her husband didn't seem to be blaming her, Wan Qiu suddenly became happy. Before long, a horse carriage appeared in the distance.

  Xiangyun stepped down from the horse carriage, glared at Wanqiu and said: "Big brother, I also want to go to Xiangshan to clear my mind. You won't be unwelcome, will you?" Mu Yaping said: "You wanted to go to Xiangshan, why didn't you tell me earlier." Xiangyun said: "If I had openly planned it, and Fragrant Cloud was going, Second Aunt would probably also want to go. Do you think I could still have gone then?" Mu Yaping laughed and said: "Sly, you're doing things after getting permission." Wanqiu grasped Xiangyun's arm and said: "Don't blame me." Xiangyun scolded and said: "I knew you couldn't keep a secret."

  Two horse-drawn carriages continued on their way, arriving at the foot of Xiangshan around noon. They stopped at an inn at the foot of Xiangshan, and after lunch, they began to climb Xiangshan. There were not many tourists during this season, so it was very quiet all around. Xiangshan is over 50 miles away from the city, so Mu Ya's trip to Xiangshan had to include an overnight stay at the inn.

  Xiangshan, also known as Jingyi Garden, is a famous royal garden. The whole garden covers an area of 160 hectares, with the highest peak at an altitude of 557 meters. In 1186, the Jin Dynasty emperor built the Da Yong'an Temple here. Next to the temple was built a temporary palace, which was expanded through successive dynasties until the tenth year of Qianlong's reign, when it was named Jingyi Garden. Later, after being ravaged twice by the Second Opium War and the Eight-Nation Alliance, it suffered looting and burning. Now, many buildings on the mountain still appear dilapidated and heartbreaking to look at.

  Mu Ya Ping saw Wan Qiu, Xiang Yun and her maid were panting as they walked halfway up the mountain to Shuang Qing Villa. He decided to take a break at Shuang Qing Villa. A quiet and elegant courtyard with two clear springs flowing constantly throughout the year. One stream flows towards Zhi Le Qu, and the other towards Jing Cui Lake, hence the name Shuang Qing. They rested by the pool in the octagonal pavilion, and the tall silver ginkgo tree beside them made them feel a bit cooler.

  This Shuangqing Villa was built in 1917 by Hsi-ling Hsu, the director of the Shanxi Orphanage. On March 25, 1949, Chairman Mao stayed here before entering Beijing and wrote his famous poem "The People's Liberation Army Occupies Nanjing" while living in this villa.

  The Double Clear Villa turned northwest, passing by Xiangshan Temple and Half Mountain Pavilion. Then it passed through the White Pine Pavilion, over the Xunqiu Forest {Xiangshan Red Leaf Area, the best viewing time is mid-October and mid-November every year, when the red leaves all over the mountain will delight your eyes} and the Rain Fragrance Hall, to reach the Langfeng Pavilion. The ladies could no longer walk.

  A stone tablet beside the pavilion, with the words "Liang Feng" engraved on it. Mu Ya Ping stood inside the Liang Feng Pavilion, gazing out at the distant Western Mountains, and suddenly felt a sense of exhilaration. At this time, Wan Qiu and Xiang Yun were sitting on the stone bench, looking exhausted, without any thought to appreciate the scenery. Fortunately, Mu Ya Ping was rarely quiet, his thoughts accompanied by the majestic mountains and rivers, flying far away.

  At this time, his thoughts were like a runaway wild horse, difficult to control. For now, for the future, how to position himself, how to walk the road ahead, the purpose of coming to Xiangshan was to find an accurate answer.

  Crossing through time and space, for anyone with a sound mind, is a kind of confusion. From now on, how to proceed, how to exert one's energy to smoothly achieve one's goals, is a problem he will face for quite some time. Simply knowing the direction of history is not enough. If you want to make a difference in this poor and weak land of China, it's not an easy task. This year is the 14th year of the Republic, the renowned Whampoa Military Academy was born in Guangzhou.

  The birth of the Whampoa Military Academy marked the rise of the Kuomintang's military power. Sun Yat-sen's three major policies of allying with Russia, uniting with the Communist Party and assisting workers and peasants signified the beginning of the first cooperation between the KMT and CPC. The Communist Party, which was in a weak period at that time, also rapidly expanded. A large number of young people with ideals, they were not afraid to take risks, wholeheartedly threw themselves into the great tide of changing China's destiny. They worshipped the red Soviet Union, firmly believed in Marxism-Leninism. Now, the Chinese Communist Party is still under the leadership of the Comintern led by the Soviet Union, and China's revolutionary road still has a long way to go, Mu Yaping is powerless against all this.

  At present, the external environment of China, especially that small country in the east, is sharpening its sword and polishing its armor every day, staring at China with a greedy eye. Now Japan's influence has already penetrated into the Beijing-Tianjin area. Seven years later, the September 18th Incident occurred, and Japan annexed Northeast China. Thirteen years later, Japan launched an all-out invasion of China.

  Given the current situation in China, one is powerless to change what will happen. Think about it, a lion leading a flock of sheep and a sheep leading a pack of lions going into battle, who do you think will win? Even if I were a lion, what could I do? Moreover, I am not even a lion, so it seems that I must adapt to the circumstances and face reality.

  Muya Ping deeply knew that in the face of powerful Japan, the Chinese people paid a heavy price. What should he do then? As a university student familiar with China's modern history, he was momentarily unable to grasp himself, his thoughts were somewhat confused, and his mood also became irritable.

  If you want to achieve great success, it's not easy. Not only do you need enough strength and power to survive, but also a strong economic foundation. Moreover, spiritual strength is needed. None of these things does he possess. Especially the ability to control people's minds, now in China only "Bolsheviks" can do that.

  Moreover, if he wants to dominate the region, he must participate in the warlord melee. If things go wrong, the Japanese may take advantage of the situation and launch the 918 Incident ahead of schedule, which would be a big mistake. If this piece of history is really changed, China may become even more fragmented, perhaps worse than the original history. Thinking about it makes Mu Ya break out in cold sweat.

  Since it's impossible to change the course of history, I should do something anyway! Heaven gave me a chance to travel through time, there must be a reason for that. Mu Ya Ping's eyes lit up suddenly, if he could change something locally, he had the ability to do so. With his "foresight", he could make local changes in the original history turn in a good direction, and perhaps effectively exert his energy.

  Mu Ya Ping took out a map of China and studied it carefully. After a long time, he had made up his mind and decided to take action. To be honest, this idea was just a vague framework that could only be expected to improve step by step in the future. But with a clear goal to strive for, Mu Ya Ping's mood suddenly improved, and a radiant smile appeared on his face.

  "Big brother, looking at your radiant appearance, you seem to have thought of something delightful," said Xiangyun, who had just recovered from her fatigue and was influenced by Mu Ya's emotions. Mu Ya saw Xiangyun staring at him with big eyes, gazing at him absent-mindedly, when Wan Qiu beside them asked, "We've been observing you for a long time, what are you thinking about?"

  Mu Ya Ping said, "Look, today's weather is so good, the sun shines all over the land, the mountains and fields are lush green, flowers bloom everywhere, and the western mountain stone wall stands tall." Xiang Yun said with interest, "Brother, is this a poem you recited? I feel it's too straightforward, lacking in flavor." Wan Qiu said, "It's easy to understand at first listen, but it seems to be missing something." Mu Ya Ping said, "Nowadays isn't it the promotion of vernacular literature? From now on, I will be a follower of vernacular literature, I can guarantee you that." Mu Ya Ping could only use these words to cover up himself.

  Xiangyun said meaningfully, "Big brother, you've really changed." Mu Ya Ping said, "Perhaps I went through a trial at the Ghost Gate Pass and it made me understand how to live in this world. I want to make a vow to not waste my life and definitely have some achievements." Mu Ya Ping unintentionally met Xiangyun's fiery eyes and suddenly felt his heart move.

  Seeing Xiangyun's shy and lowered head, Mu Yaping cursed inwardly, damn it. Regardless of whether Xiangyun had a romantic relationship with the former young master or not, she was now his sister-in-law, and he absolutely couldn't overstep the boundaries. Mu Yaping said loudly: "Let's go! We're going up the mountain."

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