Chapter 108 Part 2

Xuyu and Pei Xiaoyuan withdrew their gazes from Feng Zhenping’s back and exchanged a look before continuing on their way. After leaving the palace gate, Yang Zai’en called for a carriage that had been waiting nearby. As usual, Pei Xiaoyuan escorted her up, ensuring she was seated properly before preparing to close the door. Just then, he heard her softly say, “Come up as well. Ride with me.”

Pei Xiaoyuan was startled, and while he was still hesitating, his eyes fell on the two faint dark circles under her eyes due to lack of sleep. He no longer hesitated, asked his attendants to lead his horse, bent down and got on the carriage as he was told, and sat beside her.

The door closed, and the carriage, accompanied by guards, rumbled along the straight Chang’an main street towards Yongning Mansion.

Although the morning drums had stopped and the sky was turning bright, the entire city of Chang’an had not yet fully awakened from the tranquility of the previous night. On both sides of the wide streets, there were only a few merchants who came out of various lanes hurriedly walking to the two markets, as well as some passers-by who were returning home for various reasons last night.

A blind old musician, cradling a Fuxi qin with a head worn smooth by years of use, emerged from a shabby tavern nestled in a narrow alley—one that sheltered many of Chang’an’s disillusioned souls. Led by a young child, he slowly made his way onto the broad main street of the city, bathed in the faint glow of early morning.

Perhaps still carried by the lingering revelry of the previous night, a melody drifted from the old musician’s throat. Listening closely, one could recognize it as a tune from Xiliang:

“…Before my pillow, I made countless vows, yet to part—let us wait until the mountains crumble. Upon the water, the scale weight drifts, only when the Yellow River runs dry shall it sink…”

“The sun and stars meet in the sky, the Northern Dipper turns to the south… To part is yet impossible—let us wait until midnight sees the sun rise…”

This Xiliang tune told the unchanging love and sorrow between devoted men and longing women. It was meant to be sung in the soft, lilting voice of a young girl, meant to stir the hearts of listening men, evoking their boundless affection and tenderness. However, at this moment, it was sung by the old musician’s hoarse voice, its rasping tones infused with a rugged strength, the song took on a different charm altogether.

The passers-by, hurried in their own affairs, paid no attention. The old musician walked on, singing to himself. His intermittent verses echoed in the quiet morning street of Chang’an.

Xuyu listened carefully. The singing was gradually left behind by the carriage. Suddenly, she opened the curtain of the carriage window and asked Yang Zai’en to send some money to the old musician. Then, in the rhythm of the carriage’s slight bumps, she closed her eyes and leaned her head slightly on the shoulder of the person next to her.

A strong and firm arm reached out and gently pulled her body closer so that she could lean against him more comfortably.

Just like that, in the silent embrace of the person beside her, Xuyu’s eyelids gradually stuck together and she fell asleep, until she was suddenly awakened by the noise made by the carriage stopping. When she opened her eyes, she realized that they had returned to Yongning’s house.

“Very sleepy?”

He asked her before getting off the carriage.

She was indeed feeling sleepy. She had no chance to sleep at all during the rest of the night, and when she finally managed to sleep, she was called away by people sent by her father before dawn.

She nodded dazedly. Looking at her half-open eyes, he paused, then smiled and whispered, “Then go to sleep. I won’t disturb you.”

He really did what he said. Back in the bedroom of Ziming Courtyard, Xuyu climbed back onto the big bed and closed her eyes. He stayed quietly by her side. Soon, she fell asleep.

She was awakened by the slight snapping sound of the curtains as the wind blew.

A brocade window in the bedroom was half open, with a roller curtain behind it drawn low. As the curtain fluttered in the wind, the sunlight behind the curtain flickered and added a sense of tranquility.

She didn’t know what time it was, but she felt as if she had slept until mid-afternoon.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and suddenly a person surfaced on her mind. She abruptly opened her eyes and turned her face, only to see Pei Xiaoyuan half-lying beside her, still clothed, reclining in a loose sprawl. A book lay over his face, motionless, as if he was still asleep.

She stretched out a finger and poked his arm gently, but there was no response.

She reached out again, slowly trying to pull the book away from his face. Halfway through, the book resisted. She paused, then applied a bit more force. Suddenly, a sudden weight pressed down on her. Before she could react, he opened his eyes, rolled over in a swift motion, and pinned her beneath him.

Xuyu felt a rush of warmth against her ear—his face had already pressed in close. His straight nose rubbed against her warm neck, taking a deep breath of the delicate fragrance from her hair. Then, a low voice, tinged with a hint of restraint, entered her ear.

“Still tired?”

Xuyu keenly caught the meaning hidden beneath his simple question. Realizing that he had been awake for a long time and was just waiting for her to wake up, she suppressed the urge to laugh at him, shook her head, and then said softly, “But I’m hungry.”

He paused, and for a moment, sighed. He then came down and completely released his hold on her.

“Get up! I’ll call someone.” He smiled, raised his arm to open the canopy, and was about to get off the bed. At this moment, two arms slid from behind like snakes, hugged his waist, and hooked their wrists in front of his chest and abdomen.

His arm, which was lifting the canopy, stopped, then he turned to look.

“Actually… I’m not that hungry…” She lay sideways, resting her head on his lap, her hair half undone, gazing up at him, and said softly.

He sat quietly like this for a moment, with his head lowered, looking at the corners of her lips that were slightly raised. His Adam’s apple moved, but just as he was about to lower the bed canopy again, a hesitant knock sounded from outside.

Pei Xiaoyuan did not respond. After a brief hesitation, Xuyu asked, “What is it?” Hearing her voice, Zhu’er seemed to sigh in relief, and quickly raised her voice to explain that County Princess Yucheng and County Princess Danyang had come to look for the princess. County Princess Danyang looked quiet upset. Right now, He shi was serving the two noble ladies, so she had no choice but to send Zhu’er to see if the princess had woken up.

Xuyu hurriedly pushed Pei Xiaoyuan away, turned over and got off the bed. When she went to open the door, she looked back and saw that he was still silent, seemingly listless, and unwilling to move. She walked back and looked at him: “Are you unhappy?”

Pei Xiaoyuan quickly relaxed his brows and followed her out of the bed.

“How is that possible?” He smiled generously, “Go and see what’s going on.”

Xuyu hurriedly changed her clothes and combed her hair, then rushed to the flower hall where the two county princesses were. As soon as she entered, she saw Lu Wenjun sitting in a daze with red eyes, and next to her was Li Wanwan with a sad face. Seeing her appear, Li Wanwan hurriedly stepped forward and whispered, “Aunt, Wenjun is very sad and said she wanted to find you. I couldn’t persuade her, so I had no choice but to accompany her.”

Xuyu smiled and said it was fine, motioning He shi to take the maids out, and she went to Lu Wenjun and asked her what happened. Lu Wenjun was silent for a while, then suddenly threw herself into Xuyu’s arms and began to cry softly.

Xuyu coaxed her patiently, and finally, she said intermittently that she did not fall in love with that Hu person recently, but had met him a few years ago when he came to the capital to be awarded a title for his meritorious service in the war in Xifan.

That day, she dressed up as a young man and rode out of the city. Frustrated by the hassle of her attendants following her, she shook them off and rode alone. However, a sudden thunderstorm caught her off guard, leaving her drenched and suffering from stomach pains. To her surprise, she found that she had her first period. In a panic, she sought shelter beneath a cherry blossom tree, only to encounter Ashina and his attendants passing by. At first, he mistook her for a boy, and upon noticing her pain and blood, he asked if she was injured. Embarrassed, she slapped him, and that’s when he realized she was a girl. Understanding her awkward situation, he didn’t get angry but instead smiled, took off his cloak, and threw it to her. Afterward, he left with his group. Shortly after, her attendants, guided by his directions, quickly found her.

It was from that time that this handsome Hu guy, who laughed heartily and flamboyantly, remained in her heart. In the past few years, while he had not been in Chang’an, she often thought about him secretly. At the beginning of the year, she finally looked forward to his return, but she didn’t expect that he was such a playboy, which left her heartbroken over and over again. Just a few days ago, she mustered up the courage to look for him again without the grand princess’ knowledge, but he gave her a cold face. Not only that, he deliberately hugged a wine waitress and flirted with her in front of her.

Now she had finally decided to stay away from him, but the more she thought about it, the sadder she felt, so she wanted to come and talk to her.

It was also the first time that Xuyu learned that Lu Wenjun and Chengping had such an old story. She felt sorry for her and comforted her in every way. Finally, she persuaded her to stop crying. Afterward, she instructed someone to bring water to cleanse her face, re-do her hair, and apply her makeup. Then, she remembered that she had failed to paint their portraits at Prince Ning’s Qujiang Banquet before, so she proposed to paint another one. She ordered a banquet to be set up in the Fengfeng Courtyard, which had the best view of the autumn scenery in the mansion, to entertain the two noble ladies. She set up a drawing table and personally began painting their portraits. By the time she managed to cheer up Lu Wenjun, getting her to smile a little, dusk had already fallen. The Grand Princess rushed over to pick up her daughter and expressed her deep gratitude to Xuyu. She also repeatedly apologized, saying her daughter was impolite and had disturbed her and her husband. As for Li Wanwan, she was already quite in awe of her aunt princess, and now, she didn’t want to leave. If it weren’t for Lady Xue coming to pick her up, she would have stayed there and not left at all.

“Mother, can I come again tomorrow?”

Li Wanwan asked her mother. “I’ll bring my brother here too, so my uncle will have something to do. He can teach my brother archery, and I can learn painting from my aunt!”

Lady Xue was both amused and angry. She tapped her daughter’s forehead and answered directly on Xuyu’s behalf, saying that it was inconvenient as her aunt princess and uncle were very busy these days and they would discuss it again when they were free in a few days.

Finally, on this day, when the two county princesses left and Yongning Mansion returned to peace, it was already dark.

After spending half a day with the two young ladies, Xuyu finally had time to think of Pei Xiaoyuan. She returned to the bedroom, but he was gone. She asked the people around her, but they all said they didn’t know. Just as she was puzzled, she saw Qingtou running over excitedly, saying, “Princess! Master invited you to come!”

Xuyu had no choice but to follow Qingtou to the back door of Yongning Mansion, where she saw the carriage she usually used was parked. Pei Xiaoyuan was personally putting the bridle and saddle on Jinwuzhui. When he saw her coming, he turned around to meet her, quietly took her hand, and then led her towards the carriage.

“It’s getting dark! Where are we going?”

She asked in confusion.

“When we came back during the day, I forgot to tell you that His Majesty ordered me to take you to the Forbidden Garden to stay for a few days so that you can relax.

“His Majesty’s order is not to be disobeyed. I will take the Princess there now!”

He explained calmly, then picked her up and lifted her to the carriage.

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