Chapter 3

 

“Do you still remember the master craftsman who came here to help Uncle build the city gate almost ten years ago?”

That happened when Pei Xiaoyuan was thirteen or fourteen years old. At that time, the surrounding situation was still unstable. When Pei Ji was surveying the terrain, he found that there was a relatively narrow area between the foothills and the river valley hundreds of miles away. It was a natural pass with an excellent location. He wanted to use the terrain to build a pass tower to resist the enemy. However, the surrounding terrain was steep, and it was not easy to build a pass here. He had found many craftsmen, but all of them were helpless. Later, a man came. He was about the same age as his uncle. He was not good-looking, with a messy beard, and loved drinking. He hung a wine gourd around his waist and was drunk all day. After arriving, he went up and down the mountains and valleys, and circled around for seven days. After several nights of working under the candlelight, he took out a drawing of the pass tower with exquisite structure and supervised it personally. His uncle mobilized tens of thousands of local soldiers and civilians to participate in the construction. After more than half a year, the pass was successfully built according to the terrain and was as solid as rock. After the work was done, the master craftsman left and never showed up again. Because the impression of this incident was too deep, Pei Xiaoyuan remembered it as soon as Pei Ji mentioned it.

“Yes. If I’m is not mistaken, Uncle and the master craftsman must be old acquaintances.”

“Yes. I met him in the capital many years ago. At that time, he was well-known all over the world, and everyone in Chang’an knew him.”

Pei Xiaoyuan was startled, and suddenly thought of Pei Ji’s previous words, and suddenly realized: “Could it be that he is…”

This was really unexpected. He hesitated and didn’t say what he guessed.

Pei Ji nodded: “You are right. He is Ye Zhongli.

“He was truly a genius. His abilities were not limited to painting, he was also proficient in architecture. After entering the palace, he also served as the General Architect of the imperial court and was ordered to repair palaces and imperial mausoleums. The Wansui Palace that burned down was his work.

“He did not form deep friendships with others; his life was devoted to painting and a love for drinking. The late emperor often bestowed generous gifts upon him, but he had a chivalrous and righteous heart, often spending his wealth to assist fellow folk artists, stone carvers, and sculptors with whom he worked in temple grottoes. As a result, he sometimes found himself short of money, even for buying wine. I admired him greatly and intentionally approached him with fine wine, fortunately earning his favor more than others, leading to our acquaintance. Those days of making friends, drinking and reciting poetry, were perhaps the most carefree times in my life.”

It was the first time that Pei Xiaoyuan heard his uncle talking to him about his past, so he listened attentively.

“People living in this world are like the blowing dust.”

Pei Ji sighed slightly.

“Many years later, I was demoted to be a county governor and frequently moved. One year, while on the road, I was taking shelter from the rain and happened to pass by a small temple dedicated to some unnamed sage ruler in the countryside. There, I saw murals depicting Emperor Yao’s abdication, King Shun’s diligent farming, King Tang’s prayer for rain, and Yu the Great’s flood control. The lines and strokes were filled with the spirit of Ye’s art, exuding such vitality that I was utterly stunned.

“It had been nearly twenty years since I last saw him in the capital. If it wasn’t too unbelievable, I would have thought it was his authentic work. But even if it wasn’t, there are countless painters in the world who copy his paintings day and night and learn his brushwork. To be able to imitate it to such an extent, which can be said to be indistinguishable from the real thing, it’s definitely not an ordinary artist. I saw that the paint had not yet dry, so it must have been finished not long ago, so I wanted to pay a visit to the painter…”

He asked the nearby villagers and learned that the local area was famous for brewing wine, which was well-known far and wide. A few days ago, a family in the village married off their daughter and dug up a dozen jars of 18-year-old Daughter’s Red Wineit’s a traditional local famous wine in Shaoxing City, which is made of glutinous rice buried under a tree. The aroma of wine filled the air for a while. An old man and a young man happened to pass by and refused to leave. The old man wanted to ask for wine, but it was difficult to ask for it. When he heard that the village temple needed a painter, he immediately recommended himself. The villagers did not believe him at first, laughing at his madness, but he was unfazed. He had the boy prepare the colors under the wall, drank a jug of wine himself, and, despite the villagers’ pointing fingers, drunkenly wielded his brush, completing the painting in one fluid motion. The Four Sage Kings came to life, leaving the villagers in awe, and shouting old immortals. They kneel down in front of the mural he painted, and finally asked him to exchange it for a jar of Daughter’s Red Wine and he left the village with it.

Pei Ji recalled the old days with a faint smile on his face.

“Ye Zhongli was a wandering knight when he was young. He was wild and unruly by nature. I asked the villagers about the appearance of the painter. Although he was very different from before, his behavior was quite similar to his style. I followed the direction they pointed to and chased him. Heavens helps those who work hard. After a few days, I really caught up with him. It turned out to be him. He did not die in the war as the world said. He just hid himself among the people for many years. Later, I was transferred to this place and encountered difficulties at the pass. I thought of him, so I sent a message to invite him over according to the agreement we made that year.”

Pei Xiaoyuan was slightly moved after hearing this legendary story, but still a little puzzled: “Why did Uncle tell me this?”

“Back then, Ye Zhongli was invited by me to come and build the pass, and he brought his granddaughter with him. At that time, this place was not peaceful and there were constant harassments. I was afraid that something might happen to her, so I told her not to go out. She stayed in the mansion the whole time and was very well-behaved. You still remember her, right?” Pei Ji finally got to the point.

Pei Xiaoyuan thought hard for a long time and finally remembered. It seemed that he did have some impression, but not much. He only remembered that the other person was a little girl dressed as a boy. As for what she looked like, he had long forgotten it. It seemed that his uncle asked him to take care of her so that she would not be lonely. But at that time, he was at an age where he wanted to run horses all day long, how could he care about a little girl? For fear of being entangled, except for when she first came and he was taken by his uncle to see Ye Zhongli and took a look at her, he never paid attention to her again in the next six months while she was here.

He raised his eyes and met Pei Ji’s expectant gaze. For no reason, his heart suddenly skipped a beat. He felt something was wrong. He hesitated for a moment and replied vaguely, “I seem to remember… She is indeed very well-behaved…

“Why did Uncle suddenly mention this?”

He asked again. Suddenly, he remembered that He Jin had mentioned to him that while he was away, He Jin went out to pick up a young lady, which happened in the past few days.

Pei Xiaoyuan suddenly raised his eyes as if he had suddenly realized something. “Could it be that the young lady Uncle He brought here is Ye Zhongli’s granddaughter?”

Pei Ji looked at his nephew and nodded, with approval in his eyes.

“That’s right! Her name is Xuyu, and she’s the one I have arranged for you to marry.”

Even though Pei Xiaoyuan was calm and composed, and usually would not change color even when thunder roared in his ears, he could not hide his surprise when he heard this. He reacted and hurriedly wanted to speak, but Pei Ji waved his hand: “Listen to me first!

“This happened after you left last year. That day, I suddenly received news from Ye Zhongli. The last time we exchanged messages was two or three years ago. At that time, he was in a hurry to travel for a personal matter, and Xuyu fell seriously ill and almost died. He felt very guilty, and after Xuyu recovered from the illness, he decided to settle down. I thought he would spend the rest of his life in the mountains and forests and no longer travel around. After all, he was already old and had contracted a hidden disease due to painting in his early years. Unexpectedly, when I received news from him again this time, the situation was different from what I thought.

“In his letter, he said that he felt that his health was declining and that his time was coming. He was afraid that he didn’t have much time left. He had seen a lot in his life and was not afraid of death. But there was one thing he has to do while he was still alive, otherwise he would not be able to rest in peace. He felt sorry for Xuyu who was alone and couldn’t let her go. After thinking about it, he only trusted me, so he wrote to me earnestly asking me to take care of her and find a suitable person for her in the future.”

Pei Ji had no daughter, and when Xuyu came to him as a child, Pei Ji liked her very much. When they were about to leave, considering that Ye Zhongli had no place to live and Xuyu was young, it might be inconvenient for her to stay with him, he asked if Ye Zhongli could leave her behind and assured him that he would treat her well. Ye Zhongli asked Xuyu at that time, but she was unwilling, saying that she wanted to be with her grandfather and did not find it a hardship at all. Pei Ji felt sorry at the time but could only give up. Unexpectedly, after many years, Ye Zhongli solemnly entrusted her to him. How could he not agree? He immediately sent a fast horse to send a reply letter, saying that he intended to arrange a marriage for his nephew, and if he agreed, it would be a blessing for the Pei family. Later, Ye Zhongli replied again, saying that he was also very fond of his nephew and knew that he would definitely not treat his granddaughter badly, so the engagement was settled.

Ye Zhongli finally told Pei Ji not to tell Xuyu about his worries about his death, so as not to make her worry. Then, Pei Ji followed the agreement and quickly sent He Jin to pick people up.

“Although it was a little rushed, the moment I received the letter, I immediately thought of you. The more I thought about it, the more I felt that it was destined by heaven. You two are truly a match made in heaven! You were not here at the time, and there’s not enough time to let you know, so I made the decision and settled the matter first. She came here smoothly a few days ago, but when she first arrived, she should have a sense of restraint, and young girls are thin-skinned. I have not mentioned the marriage to her in the past few days. I want to wait until she is more settled, then ask her opinion and choose a good day.”

Pei Ji looked very happy and he spoke more than usual. He then continued, “As for the date, you don’t have to worry about it. I have thought it through. It’s better to choose it three months from now. It will be the beginning of summer, crickets will be chirping, king melons will be sprouting, the weather will be warm, and everything will be flourishing. It will be a perfect season for a wedding…

“Very good, very good! Then it’s settled!”

The more Pei Ji thought about it, the better it seemed. He was so immersed in his mood and couldn’t extricate himself. After a long while, he didn’t get a response. Then he finally noticed his nephew’s presence and raised his eyes to ask, “By the way, what do you think?”

Pei Xiaoyuan still did not respond and remained silent.

Pei Ji stroked his beard and laughed. It was rare that he could tease his nephew: “Why don’t you say anything? Are you afraid that I will laugh at you? A man should get married when he comes of age. Getting married and starting a family is the most important thing for a man after he becomes an adult. Just speak frankly, don’t be embarrassed.”

Pei Xiaoyuan paused, and under Pei Ji’s joyful gaze, he spoke with some difficulty: “Uncle always thinks of me, and I am extremely grateful. It’s just…it’s just that this matter is a bit sudden…”

He seemed to not know how to continue, and stopped with an embarrassed look on his face.

The smile on Pei Ji’s face froze instantly, and the study fell into silence. Only the flickering candlelight on the desk caused the shadow cast on the window to sway continuously.

Pei Ji’s joy over the past few days due to the girl’s arrival finally began to cool down with his nephew’s reaction.

He looked at his nephew, hesitated, and asked, “Do you look down on her background?”

Although the Pei family was not as high-ranking as the Cui, Lu, and Zheng families, it was also a well-known noble family. As for Pei Ji’s branch, his ancestors were all high-ranking officials and well-known scholars. Needless to say, Pei Ji himself was the head of the grand chancellor and a famous minister who saved the world. Pei Xiaoyuan’s father, Pei Gu, was also no ordinary person. He was the military chief of Hedong in the previous emperor’s dynasty and the general of the Divine Tiger Army. He commanded 100,000 soldiers of Divine Tiger Army and made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion. Although the Pei family had been completely expelled from the court, it was impossible to say that its influence had completely disappeared.

On the other hand, Miss Ye had no roots or foundation. She was just an orphan adopted by Ye Zhongli, who recognized her as his granddaughter. In fact, even Ye Zhongli himself, although he was famous all over the world decades ago and was once the most prestigious Hanlin in the previous emperor’s dynasty, and people of his time competed to admire him, but after all, he was just a painter and craftsman.

“Uncle, you misunderstood!” Pei Xiaoyuan responded immediately.

“As the saying goes, a mayfly searching for food, clothed in linen as white as snowit came from a poem “Mayfly” from around Qin dynasty, it’s making a point that fixating on social status is as transient and insignificant as the life of a mayfly, and that one should instead value humility and genuine qualities. If I cannot even let go of my so-called family background, I have lived in vain for so many years. Moreover, when Ye Zhongli came here to build the pass, I also assisted him. At that time, I admired his intelligence very much. But I was too stupid at that time and could not recognize his identity. How could I, with my limited virtue and capability, dare to look down on his granddaughter?”

Pei Ji’s expression lightened up after hearing these sincere words: “I also never thought you are that kind of person. If that’s the case, why are you making excuses?”

“I’m not trying to make excuses… I’m just… worried that I’m too dull and unworthy of Miss Ye, and delay her lifelong…”

Pei Ji was displeased again and interrupted his nephew’s still insincere explanation: “Tell me the truth, do you have someone you like? Or have you concealed it from me and promised someone else privately?”

He knew that Prince Ashina was quite a romantic man, and his nephew was close to him, so he might have been influenced by him.

Pei Xiaoyuan flatly denied: “I have no interest in those things, how could I do something like promising someone privately? Uncle, you are worrying too much.”

Pei Ji knew that he was always cautious. Since he said so, then it must be nothing.

Pei Ji was relieved and nodded: “If that’s the case, I really can’t figure it out. This is a good thing, why don’t you agree?

“Don’t force yourself to explain.” He continued, “I know that you’re an adult, and I may not know everything in your mind, but I can still tell whether you are willing or not.”

Pei Xiaoyuan was speechless again.

Pei Ji knew that although his nephew respected him like his own father and ordinarily seemed to be indifferent, he was actually decisive and extremely resolute in his nature. He had his own considerations when making decisions and would not necessarily follow Pei Ji’s words just because he said so.

His expression became more and more solemn.

“A promise is worth a thousand gold. Not to mention that Ye Zhongli helped me a lot back in the day, and I have not been able to repay him so far, but I also promised him a marriage. He trusts me, and he is even more satisfied with you, and is willing to entrust his granddaughter to you for life, but now it doesn’t work out? Of course, I don’t mean to blame you, it was me who didn’t think it through at first. But breaking trust with him and disappointing an old friend—this is the first concern.

“Your parents have been gone for many years, and you are not a child anymore, but you are wasting your time here with me, while your marriage has not yet been discussed. If I cannot find a good match for you, how will I explain to your parents in the afterlife? This is the second concern.”

Having said that, he shook his head.

The study fell into silence again.

After another moment, Pei Ji’s eyes showed disappointment.

“Forget it! If you really don’t want to accept this marriage, Uncle won’t force you. Forcing you to agree won’t be a good thing for Yu Xuyu. Tomorrow I will find a reason to recognize her as a family member so that she can stay here with peace of mind. You and her are not much different in age, and there is no seniority difference. From now on, you can call each other brother and sister so that it will be convenient for you to meet later.”

He waved his hands, “It’s late, go and take a rest.”

Pei Xiaoyuan stood there for a moment, bowed slowly to him, turned around and walked out silently.

Pei Ji looked at his nephew’s back, frowning slightly.

He had originally planned to wait for his nephew to come back, tell him, and then make the marriage public. But he had not expected this result.

Fortunately, Xuyu hadn’t been told about it yet, and not many people knew about it, except He shi and a few maids who were helping her prepare for the wedding.

Tomorrow, he must tell He shi as soon as possible to tell the people around her who knew about this not to tell anyone, so as to prevent Xuyu from losing face and refusing to stay.

Pei Ji was thinking this when he saw his nephew walk to the door, stop, and suddenly turn back. He bowed to him again and said, “Uncle, please forgive me. Can you please take back your decision? I am willing to marry Miss Ye.”

Pei Ji looked at his nephew in surprise.

“What do you mean? Didn’t you just say you didn’t want to?”

“I am willing, please rest assured, Uncle! It’s just that the matter happened too suddenly, and I’m unable to sort out my thought for a while.”

His tone was extremely serious.

Pei Ji looked at his nephew for a moment and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Alright, alright! That’s good! That’s settled then!”

Pei Xiaoyuan looked at his uncle who was unable to hide his joy, and said with an apologetic tone: “I am an unfilial nephew, and have made you worry about me all this time. Thank you for taking care of everything, I will follow your wish.”

He stared at Pei Ji’s graying temples in the light, “Also, Uncle, you seem to have aged in the past two years. You need to take care of your health more. Don’t overwork yourself. Just let me know if you have anything.”

Pei Ji was very pleased and agreed with a smile. He watched him leave, then suddenly remembered something and hurriedly called him again.

“Wait a moment!”

Pei Xiaoyuan turned his head.

“I forgot to tell you just now that Xuyu is not only gentle and virtuous, but also very beautiful. I think she is also a generous person. If you want to see her, I will call her tomorrow morning, and you two can meet officially.” He said with a smile.

Pei Xiaoyuan smiled and said, “She has just arrived, there is no need to deliberately arrange a meeting. I’m not in a hurry, the coming day will be long.”

Pei Ji nodded repeatedly: “Alright, just do as you say. Let’ not to make her uncomfortable.”

Pei Xiaoyuan bowed and said, “Uncle, please have a rest. I will take my leave first.”

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Translator’s note:

If there’s anything annoying about this novel is that a lot of the chapters are long, but not long enough for me to feel comfortable cutting it into two parts. Sigh.