Chapter 2

The spring moon rose from behind the flower forest along the misty purple waters, casting a serene reflection like a sunken jade, with moonlit mist dancing gracefully. The imperial moat, tinged with the makeup washed off by palace maids at dusk, flowed silently, half clear, half turbid, through the shadows of the continuous and majestic palaces, merging into the dark streams of the flower forest, infusing the entire grove with fragrance.

The moon above the pool transformed into the face of a beauty in palace dress. Her beauty was even more stunning than the moon.

Accompanied by the faint breeze whispering through the forest, a sound emerged from some unknown deep and dark place. This sound was initially elusive and unclear, like celestial music drifting among the jade palaces and sea towers, or like sighs and murmurs breathed from lips. It wandered with the dark wind through the layers of palace buildings, rising over the palace walls, crossing the imperial moat, drifting towards the pool, and finally, it reached Xuyu’s ears.

Don’t come back.

Don’t come back.

Don’t come back.

…

Xuyu woke up to the sweet whispers and continued to lie quietly in the darkness until she fully detached from the dreamscape of the imperial garden’s flower forest. Only when the echoes of the dream beauty’s voice completely faded did she slowly open her eyes and turn her head to gaze at the moonlit shadows outside the window, lost in thought.

It had been two to three days since she arrived. She woke up in the middle of the night and thought she was still with her grandfather.

The county governor had been exceedingly kind to her, treating her as if she were still a child, constantly showing concern for her well-being, afraid she might suffer the slightest discomfort. The maid who could style her hair was named Zhu’er. Although she was a little afraid of He shi, she was lively and talked a lot when out of her sight, becoming familiar with Xuyu by the next day. Zhu’er mentioned that she had also just arrived. According to her, Pei Ji lived a simple life. In such a large county governor mansion, there were less than ten servants inside and outside, and they were all necessary staff. Zhu’er was bought because of her arrival.

In addition, it seems that there have always been only two masters of this mansion, the county governor and Master Pei. This time, also for Xuyu, they specially bought cosmetics, jewelry and other items usually used by young women from the Hu merchants passing by here.

In addition to these, Xuyu discovered that there was a place for painting in her residence. Not to mention silk, paper, and brushes of various sizes, pigments such as cinnabar, indigo, orpiment, and even seldom-used talc and pine soot were all available, and they were obviously prepared with great care.

Everything caught Xuyu off guard.

In the days since her arrival, she had tried several times to find an opportunity to express her thoughts, but she could never open her mouth.

She was not an ungrateful person.

Three years ago, she fell into a coma after being caught in a cold rain. It took her many days to recover. After she recovered, some past events that had been lingering in her mind like a hazy fog for many years gradually became clearer. But she was still not completely sure. Later, she began to have such dreams. Tonight, she woke up again from this dream that had appeared many times. It was quiet all around, but her thoughts were overlapping more and more.

Suddenly, there was a faint movement in the direction of the front yard outside. It seemed that someone had returned home overnight, alarming everyone in the mansion.

She knew who it was.

During the day today, Zhu’er also mentioned that the young master here, a man named Pei Xiaoyuan, would be back soon.

…

At midnight, the city guards were startled by the sound of horse hooves coming from far outside the city. They rushed to the top of the city wall to watch. A large group of people and horses were coming towards the city gate. The sound of hooves was like a sudden thunderstorm on a summer night, and it rolled in front of them in an instant. The sound of horses neighing, the sound of whips cracking, the sound of knights’ swords and bows colliding, and the shouts of Hu children in between, all rushed towards the city gate like a turbulent tide.

The night wind blew away the dark cloud in the sky, and the moonlight leaked through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating the group of people returning home by the moonlight.

Leading the way were two tall and strong horses surrounded by crowd. The two men on the horses were both young men, dressed similarly, with neat round-necked robes, windproof coats, belts fastened with convenient knives, swords, and quivers filled with arrows. As they approached the city gate, the two stopped their horses. One of the young men pointed ahead and said something to the other, who nodded slightly and then turned to look towards the city wall.

It was a young and handsome face. The moonlight above his head interweaves with the surrounding night, reflecting his gaze, which seems to be filled with cold moonlight.

The city guard recognized him at a glance. The visitor was none other than Pei Xiaoyuan, the Cloud Cavalry Captain who had been away for a long time. He hurriedly ordered his men to open the city gate and welcome him in.

Pei Xiaoyuan was on the road yesterday when he met He Jin who came to pick him up. He learned that his uncle Pei Ji had something urgent to talk to him about. He asked what it was, but He Jin couldn’t explain it clearly, only said that the county governor looked very anxious. He was afraid of delaying the matter, so he explained a few words to Chengping, and then stopped wandering and set off quickly. Finally, he arrived overnight under the moonlight tonight.

Because this time Chengping would come to the capital, he brought many tribute items, including two hundred horses. In addition, the accompanying officials, guards and servants, a total of several hundred people. All the people and the convoy were parked outside the city gate, making quite a noise. Fortunately, they received the news in advance and were prepared, so the entourage quickly settled down.

Pei Xiaoyuan originally wanted to invite Chengping to stay at the post house, which was ready to accommodate him and the officials accompanying him, but Chengping was unwilling to do so. Just now, he told him outside the city gate that it was too boring and wanted to live with him in the county governor mansion. When the two of them participated in the war against Xifan a few years ago, they also drank from the same gourd and slept in the same tent. This time, they were just living in the same house, so Pei Xiaoyuan naturally didn’t care and took him back to the mansion. Pei Ji had also been notified and came out to pick him up in person.

Chengping had a fierce and wild temperament, but he did not dare to be arrogant in front of Pei Ji, a famous official in the court. Moreover, he was sent to the capital as a detainee when he was a child, and lived there for many years, so he also learned the ways of the Han people. When he saw Pei Ji, he was respectful and said that he was an acquaintance and a junior. He was afraid of bothering him, so he wanted to stay in the post house, but Pei Erlang invited him to live with him, so he could not refuse and could only bother him.

Pei Xiaoyuan glanced at him, but Chengping looked at Pei Ji solemnly without even blinking.

Pei Ji naturally said yes and asked someone to take the guest to rest.

After Chengping left with a smile, Pei Xiaoyuan explained: “I didn’t know that Uncle has something here, so I and Chengping was stopping a lot when returning, which delayed me. Otherwise, I would have returned half a month ago.”

Pei Ji said it was fine. With the help of the light, he saw that his nephew looked exhausted and it was already the middle of the night, so he told him to go and rest as well.

Pei Xiaoyuan didn’t move.

“Uncle He said that Uncle has something to talk to me about. The matter is important, and I’m not tired.”

Pei Ji then led him into the study and closed the door, but he just looked at the person standing in front of him without saying a word.

Pei Xiaoyuan initially thought that there was some sudden military situation, but now that he met his uncle, it was obviously not the case. After being stared at like this for a while, he could not help but ask again, “Uncle, if there is something, please tell me.”

Pei Ji just thought of the old days again because of his nephew.

That turmoil caused half of the country to collapse, and countless lives were lost. He also lost his brother and son. The deep pain that penetrated his bones was still hard to calm down when he thought about it. Fortunately, there was also a comforting thing. His nephew had finally grown up. When he gets married, he could put his mind at ease.

“Xiaoyuan, do you know Ye Zhongli from the previous emperor’s dynasty?” he finally spoke.

Ye Zhongli was a court painter of the previous emperor several decades ago. It was said that he came from humble background. When he was young, he traveled around with only a paintbrush and a longsword. He eventually fused his martial skills with his painting techniques, becoming renowned for his mastery in landscapes, portraits, Buddhism and Taoism. The previous emperor, hearing of his fame, summoned him to the palace and bestowed him with official position. At that time, which person in the capital did not know his name. Many Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries were proud to invite him to paint murals. Places adorned with his depictions of deities and Buddhas would gain great fame, attracting throngs of visitors and flourishing incense offerings.

His most famous painting was the long scroll of “Celestial Being and The Capital” which he was ordered to paint in Yong’an Hall of Wansui Palace thirty years ago. It was said that for this mural, he first traveled all over the capital, and when he had a complete picture in mind, he secluded himself to paint, forgetting to eat and sleep, working day and night, and it was completed in one month. However, the effort he expended on this masterpiece was immense. Upon finishing, he was so exhausted that he could no longer hold his brush, which fell from his hand, and he even coughed up blood on the spot. On the first day of the following year, the emperor held a banquet in the newly built Yong’an Hall to entertain the vassal states and foreign envoys who came to pay homage. When this magnificent mural, spanning three walls of the hall, was unveiled, everyone present, including the long-time officials of the capital, were deeply shocked, let alone the foreign guests.

According to the recollections of the former palace servants who had the honor of witnessing the scene, the mural was more than 30 feet high and more than 100 feet long, covering the eastern, western, and northern walls of the palace hall. Rising from the ground to the sky, it seemed that it was not something that could be created by ordinary people. The picture was divided into two parts, the heaven and earthly realms. The heavens featured seventy-two groups of deities, each in their place, surrounded by hundreds of celestial children, divine attendants, cranes, lotus flowers, and swirling clouds. The gods were vividly portrayed, with flowing robes that seemed to flutter in the air, as if they were gazing down upon the mortal world, descending on clouds. The lower section depicted the grand scenery of the capital, from west to east, illustrating majestic mountains, winding rivers, imposing city gates, magnificent palaces, bustling markets, and crowded streets. The upper and lower sections, representing the unity of heaven and man, unfolded before the audience like a celestial scroll.

If it weren’t for the rich resources of the Celestial Empire, how could there be such a magnificent momentum that shone brightly and shook people’s hearts? The overwhelming feeling made everyone present kneel down and shout “Long live Your Majesty”. The various vassal and foreign envoys were even more dazzled, amazed at the strength and splendor of the empire, and fell to the ground for a long time.

That scene, long after, was still a topic of conversation that the people of the capital were proud of. When the capital was destroyed and the country was in turmoil, all this became a memory of the past. Unfortunately, although this painting was famous and loved by the previous emperor, and there were countless people who wanted to see its true appearance, but after all, glass was fragile. The Wansui Palace was burned down in the city-breaking rebellion, and the long scroll on the wall that condensed Ye Zhongli’s blood was also destroyed in the fire, like a flash in the pan, and it ceased to exist from this world.

Pei Xiaoyuan was not very interested in painting. He had not been born when Ye Zhongli was at the peak of his fame, but the name was too legendary, so he naturally knew of it.

After the New Year’s Day, Ye Zhongli left the palace due to illness, and disappeared like a crane in the mountains. Then a shocking event occurred, and human life became as cheap as an ant. After that, there was no news of him at all, and it was speculated that he must have died in the war.

However, although he was gone, the painting that was originally his masterpiece and would be passed down through the ages was destroyed in the war, but the painting manual he wrote was widely circulated, and folk painters worshipped him like a god. Today, decades later, he was said to be a figure close to a deity. People said that when Ye Zhongli painted dragons, he could call down clouds and mist, and when he painted Buddhas, he could enlighten all sentient beings.

“I’ve heard of his name. He should no longer be alive. What a pity.”

His uncle was in a hurry to call him back, but he was talking about such a person from the past who had nothing to do with him. Pei Xiaoyuan felt puzzled, but did not show it. He knew there must be more to come, so he responded with this.

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