Chapter 164

 

Regarding the details about the uncle and that Hu young woman, it only took Qingtou less than half a day to find out everything. On the way here just now, he couldn’t wait to tell his master everything.

According to his exclusive information, Uncle Cui, fearing that the Hu woman’s youth would be wasted, had previously sent her some gold and silver, intending to sever this brief, accidental relationship altogether. Unexpectedly, when he was recuperating in the county governor’s mansion, he received an urgent plea for help from her. A nobleman had learned that she once served a high-ranking official of the imperial court and had taken a fancy to her, demanding that Ashina hand her over. This nobleman already had a household full of wives and concubines and was only after something new for the moment. In the future, if he grew tired of her, she would surely be passed around to others again. She refused to submit to this fate and begged Uncle Cui, appealing to the affection she had shown him during the year she had served him, and begged him to keep her as a maid. Uncle Cui couldn’t bear to see her thrown back into the firepit and so, thick-skinned, he went to Ashina to ask for her. Ashina didn’t argue; that very night, he had her sent over. And now, as Uncle Cui returned to Chang’an, he naturally brought her back with him as well.

“I think it must be that Master’ Uncle couldn’t bear to part with that Hu girl, but for the sake her reputation, he reluctantly sent her away in the first place. He likely thinks about her every day and suffers every night. And then this happened. Isn’t it just an opportunity provided by Heavens? If he doesn’t take her back, what kind of man is he?”

Anyway, he was favored by the mistress, so Qingtou was not afraid that his master would blame him for being disrespectful to his elders. With a few words, he arbitrarily made such a judgement.

As for Aunt Wang, she was greatly frightened when she heard the news that Cui Daosi was captured and surrendered to the enemy and became their official.

She and Cui Daosi were a good match in their early years, a union between two prominent families. Although she came from a noble household, she was quite snobbish and focused solely on gaining power and wealth. Relying on the influence of the Wang family, she kept a tight rein on her husband—so much so that she wouldn’t even tolerate a young maid in his study, let alone a concubine. She was constantly trying to dominate in the household. Cui Daosi, on the other hand, had a gentle and somewhat aloof scholarly disposition; he often found himself sighing over the fleeting beauty of spring or the sadness of autumn, and naturally, the two of them were never on the same wavelength. After he became the head of the family, he stopped approaching Wang shi entirely, and in order to avoid conflict with her, he had no concubines around him. They had been living apart for so many years, so there was never any real affection between husband and wife to speak of.

When this news reached her, although the emperor did not punish him at the time, the emperor’s will was unpredictable. Wang shi was terrified of being implicated in the future. If not for the sake of appearances, she would have gladly divorced him to completely distance herself and her son from any potential fallout. As a result, she often visited her own family, trying every means possible to curry favor with the Grand Empress Dowager and seek shelter under the Wang family’s wing. Soon, she simply began to secretly gather her personal valuables, moving most of the valuable items from the Cui residence to her natal family in batches. She also forced her son to follow her, laying out another future path for him, which left him miserable. Last year, he managed to secure a minor official post and left the capital, which infuriated her. She accused him of being unfilial and blind to her struggles, while she herself stayed at her family’s home, constantly scheming.

Unexpectedly, the situation suddenly changed. Almost all the people in the Wang family were wiped out, and the mansions, property and land were all confiscated. If Wang shi had not retained her identity as the mistress of the Cui family, she would have almost been imprisoned. However, Cui Daosi, who was originally extremely unlucky, suddenly rose to prominence, becoming a man of great merit. Now she was still in the family temple of the Wang family, too ashamed to return by herself. Let alone Cui Daosi bringing back a single maid—she wouldn’t dare say a word even if he brought back ten. No matter how much regret and resentment she felt, she could only swallow it down and lower herself, hoping that Cui Daosi will eventually be willing to bring her back.

And now, the person she hated the most was not the Hu woman, but that Hu guy Ashina. She hated him for ruining their husband-and-wife relationship, and cursed him day and night to live a lonely and miserable life and die a terrible death.

“Madam, Master, we’ve arrived!”

When the servant of Pei’s family announced their arrival, He shi put down her work and went out to welcome them. She happily hugged Xiao Hu’er, whom she hadn’t seen for a few days, and fussing over him for a while. The Hu young followed behind her. When she saw the young couple who had arrived—both clad in luxurious attire, the man handsome and stalwart with an air of quiet authority, and the woman of exquisite beauty, her lovely eyes brimming with a gentle smile—she could immediately guess that they were the honored guests they had been awaiting, even though she had never met them before. She hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed in greeting.

Xuyu knew the Hu woman could speak some Han language, so she went forward to personally help her up, asking if the journey had been difficult. The Hu woman was extremely respectful, even to the point of fear—speaking of herself only as a humble servant, never daring to raise her head even slightly as she answered.

Although she was dressed in silk, she was indeed not a concubine, only a servant in name. Seeing how nervous and restrained she was, Xuyu offered her a few words of comfort and then let it be, turning instead to ask about the two uncles, and whether there were other guests in the house. Earlier, when they had entered, she had noticed that several horses had already been tied to the hitching post at the entrance of the mansion.

As expected, He shi said that Prince Ning was also here, and was in the study at the moment. The banquet was also ready, just waiting for the two of them to arrive.

“We actually made the elders to wait for us! I’ll go and invite them!” Pei Xiaoyuan hurried to the study.

“I’m going too! I haven’t kowtowed to the Old Master and the others for a long time! Master, wait for me!”

Qingtou rushed to follow.

In the study, Pei Ji was chatting with Prince Ning and Cui Daosi.

During the day, when Cui Daosi was about to reach Chang’an, he suddenly stopped at Lingao Posthouse on the pretext of a leg injury and not continuing along with Ashina. In fact, there was another reason.

The emperor had not previously held him responsible for surrendering to the enemy, and had even issued an imperial decree to confer him a higher rank and a generous reward, praising him for “bearing humiliation and shouldering heavy burdens” and for successfully preventing Ashina from rebelling against the court at the critical moment. However, how could he not understand the true situation?

Even though he had indeed done a meritorious deed in rescuing Lu Wenjun, how could such a small contribution possibly merit such lavish rewards? It was entirely due to the glory reflected from his nephew—His Majesty had simply granted him face for his nephew’s sake. He felt ashamed and embarrassed by the whole matter, fearing people would gossip behind his back, so he simply didn’t even bother to return for the captive offering ceremony, preferring to keep away from it all and avoid unnecessary talk. Just then, the Hu young woman had come seeking his help. Originally, he had a hard time letting her go, and after something like that happened, how could he bear to ignore her? Since there were no elder or younger generation around to watch over him or judge, he felt no need to keep up the appearance of a morally upright gentleman. Instead, he let himself go. In the daytime, he taught the Hu woman to read and write, or had her recite poems—truly, the idea of “a lovely woman adding fragrance to the scholar’s sleeve.” He even gave her the name Yumei, meaning “as beautiful as jade, with brows like willows.” At night, he shared a bed with her, enjoying her tender, gentle beauty—pleasures he had never known in the first half of his life. Those days were so sweet and carefree that he almost forgot all his troubles, lost in bliss, until the sudden, dreadful news of the great mourning arrived from the capital, and he hurried back.

Today, upon reaching the outskirts of the city, he was suddenly seized by a kind of homesick hesitation, too timid to enter at once. He had originally planned to wait until his nephew came to fetch him, thinking he’d first discreetly learn what the old friends in Chang’an were saying about him. However, he did not expect that instead of his nephew, it was Pei Ji who came in person to meet him.

Although he and Pei Ji were both Pei Er’s elders and had the same seniority in the family, Pei Ji was more than a generation older than him in terms of age, not to mention his meritorious service, prestige and status. It mortified him to the core that such a distinguished man had personally come out of the city to meet him—and had even witnessed him bringing along the Hu woman he’d taken in. He was so ashamed he wanted to die on the spot. But Pei Ji had seen the rise and fall of fortunes many times in his life; there was little he had not seen or heard of. With just a few calm casual words, he dispelled the awkwardness of the moment and finally put Cui Daosi somewhat at ease. Together, they returned to the city, and Pei Ji hosted a banquet that night for him and for the young couple who were about to leave the capital. This, in turn, was discovered by Prince Ning, who came uninvited.

The three were talking happily when Pei Xiaoyuan came in and greeted everyone and invited them to start the banquet. Qingtou followed him, bowing his head all the way. Pei Ji, the host, smiled and invited Prince Ning and Cui Daosi to come out together. Suddenly he noticed Qingtou and asked him to wait.

Qingtou didn’t know what was going on, sighed, and went up to wait. Pei Ji ordered an old servant to fetch a long box made in the palace and opened it. Qingtou leaned over to take a look and saw a jade Ruyi (A ruyi scepter is a decorative object, often made of metal, wood, or ivory, that symbolizes power, good fortune, and wish fulfillment in Chinese culture). He was confused and bowed to ask, “Old Master, what does this mean?”

Pei Ji looked at him with a smile: “This is the reward from the late emperor for you. The late emperor praised you as a good child. When you get married, you will also receive another 1,000 gold and 200 mu (1 mu equal to one fifteenth of a hectare) of land. For now, I will manage it for you, and at that time, it will be handed over to you.”

Qingtou was stunned. When he came to his senses, he accepted the ruyi, caressed it a few times, then fell to his knees with a thud and kowtowed several times in the direction of the imperial mausoleum to the northwest. He suddenly burst into tears. The cries startled Xuyu outside, who, along with He shi and Zhu’er, hurried in to see what was happening They found him sitting on the floor, clutching the ruyi in his arms, weeping as if he were mourning the death of a parent, his face streaming with snot and tears. Pei Ji, Prince Ning, and Cui Daosi all looked on with somber expressions, while Pei Xiaoyuan remained silent and motionless. She could not help but be surprised and asked what was going on.

“His Majesty! His Majesty… He is so kind to me! Even when he’s gone, he still remembered me!”

Qingtou whimpered a few times while hugging the ruyi, sobbing uncontrollably.

Pei Xiaoyuan stepped closer and quietly repeated Pei Ji’s words to Xuyu. Though she was taken aback, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of sorrow herself. But soon she smiled at Qingtou and said, “My father wanted to give you this gift to make you happy. If you keep crying so loudly, you might disturb him.”

Upon thinking this, Qingtou changed from crying into laughing. He wiped his tears and got up from the ground, carefully put ruyi back into the box, and hugged it tightly in his arms. Xuyu then invited Pei Ji and others out.

The family banquet was held beside a bamboo pavilion in the back garden. Everyone sat around the table according to their seats, while He shi, accompanied by the Hu woman and others, served on the side. Xiao Hu’er crawled around in the laps of several elders. While the adults were chatting, he sat in the middle, with his big eyes like black grapes, looking at this and that, and occasionally babbling a few times to get everyone to look at him. This adorable look that was unwilling to be left out was really hilarious. Pei Ji hugged him and kissed him countless times that night.

In the joyful atmosphere, halfway through the banquet, Cui Daosi, feeling the effect of the wine, became very excited. Using chopsticks as drumsticks and a wine jar as a drum, he recited on the spot a Phoenix Ode he composed, to send off his nephew and niece-in-law.

When the ode was finished, Xuyu and Pei Xiaoyuan toasted him in thanks. The Hu woman only half-understood, yet her eyes were fixed on him without blinking, her face full of admiration. Cui Daosi, still riding the wave of wine and inspiration, then requested that Pei Ji play a tune as well, so that this evening’s pleasures would not go unfulfilled. Pei Ji gladly agreed, had someone fetch the guqin, and, after a brief moment of thought, began to play.

Xuyu recognized the tune he was playing—it was Yilan Melody.

The moon was bright and the wind was clear, the shadows of the bamboo sway gently, and from time to time, the fragrance of magnolia was carried by the night breeze. The sound of the guqin harmonized with the rustling of bamboo leaves, creating a tranquil and distant ambiance. Tired from playing, Xiao Hu’er was held in the arms of the Hu woman. He fell asleep sweetly while she gently patted his back.

Xuyu listened to the music quietly and could not help but recall Pei Xiaoyuan’s poem in the past. She remembered that at that time, he offended her father by quoting this song in his poem, which made him very angry. But now time flies, her father had passed away, and the man who once made her ponder ever his thoughts had now become her lover.

She was filled with emotion and couldn’t help but look over, and happened to meet his gaze that was quietly looking at her.

As the guqin played, the two exchanged glances, secretly gazing at each other. Without words, they knew what stirred in each other’s heart at the moment.

“A gentleman’s wound, a gentleman’s guard.”

The sound of the guqin gradually faded, its lingering notes dispersing. Prince Ning sighed.

Cui Daosi said nothing.

After such great change, he had long since come to terms with it. Ministers of merit and generals of renown—at last, they all end up buried on Mount Mang. The grandeur of the Jinma Gate and the Yutang Hall, in the end, were but fleeting illusions. If not for the new emperor’s ascension and the shifting times, he might have already submitted a memorial requesting leave from office, to return to his hometown. In the future, listening to streams in the green ravines, living leisurely among the southern mountains—wouldn’t that be far more pleasant than serving in the court?

As Pei Ji finished the song, he opened his eyes and saw the table had fallen silent. He let out a wry smile and rose to pour himself a cup of wine. “It’s my fault. The melody tonight was ill-suited to a joyous feast, and it has dampened the mood. I’ll punish myself with a drink.”

Prince Ning then picked up the wine jar in front of him, stood up and bowed deeply to his old friend: “All these years, you’ve long wished to set aside the dust of the world and retire in quietude. Yet, even now, you still cannot return to your hometown in Hedong. Let this cup be my toast to you, instead!” He downed it in a single gulp.

His uncle ultimately had to return to the imperial court as arranged by the late emperor. The young emperor relied on him, and for at least a few years to come, he would be busy with all kinds of affairs and work hard on government affairs.

Pei Xiaoyuan thought back to the night two years ago when he decided to accept the call to the capital. At this moment, thinking back to every word his uncle had said to him at that time, he realized they were spoke with deep concern.

As he was feeling emotional, he couldn’t help but feel sad at the thought of the impending separation.

Pei Ji looked around at the others, then laughed heartily: “His Majesty is wise and benevolent. That even in my advanced years, I am still put to use—it is my fortune. Have you not heard the saying: ‘Though the sun sets, the heart remains vigorous,’ and ‘An old steed still dreams of a thousand miles’?”

“Indeed, indeed!” Cui Daosi echoed, and the atmosphere at the banquet soon turned bright and joyful once again.

That night, the lamps burned until the third watch before the guests finally finished the feast. Prince Ning and Cui Daosi both drank themselves thoroughly drunk—so much so that they could not even sit upright on horseback—so they simply stayed the night at Pei Ji’s residence.

Xuyu and Pei Xiaoyuan bid farewell to Pei Ji.

Just before parting, both of them were extremely reluctant.

“Uncle—”

Pei Xiaoyuan opened his mouth but was interrupted by Pei Ji. He stepped forward and helped the two people who bowed to him to get up.

“Don’t worry, Uncle knows what you are worried about. I will take good care of myself in the future. You two are leaving the capital soon, but I won’t say all of those grand words. Just one thing, over there, it can’t be compared to the prosperity of Chang’an. Xiaoyuan is fine, he has tough skin and thick flesh, and he grew up there. It will be just like returning to another hometown for him. But as for you, Hao’er,” he turned to Xuyu, “with your noble status, for you have to go with him, it’s truly wronged you…”

Her father had passed away. In Xuyu’s heart, Pei Ji and Grandpa were the two closest elders in this world. Hearing this, she couldn’t help but felt moved, her eyes turned red, and she choked up with sobs: “I’m not afraid of anything, and I don’t feel wronged. As long as Uncle is well, my husband and I will be fine wherever we go!”

Pei Ji patted her back tenderly, comforting her while smiling and sighing, ” When you first went to Ganliang to see me, I thought to myself—how great must the virtue of my Pei ancestors have been, to bless our family with such an excellent woman for Xiaoyuan. Later, when things didn’t work out, I appeared unbothered and even urged you not to dwell on it, but in truth, my heart felt like it was being clawed apart. I could only blame my nephew for being useless, to have let such a wonderful young woman slip away. Now, finally, Uncle’s wish has come true—”

He then turned to Pei Xiaoyuan, raising his voice: “If you dare to let Hao’er suffer any injustice in the future, and Uncle hears it, I will punish you according to the family law, don’t think I’ll let it slide!”

Pei Xiaoyuan saw her turning to look at him too, those dark, glistening eyes filled with the air of someone confident in the affection she received. Holding back his amusement, he put on a serious expression and complied.

Pei Ji finally let it go. He also a bit tipsy himself. Smiling at the couple in front of him, he told them to go back. The two repeatedly asked He shi to take good care of their uncle, and finally took back the sleeping Xiao Hu’er wrapped in the swaddling clothes and reluctantly departed.

Pei Xiaoyuan had been drinking with the three elders tonight, and of course, he hadn’t drunk lightly. On the way back, he was soon overcome by the drink and had to abandon his horse, instead sharing the carriage with her.

Xuyu believed him at first, placing their sleeping son to one side, and reached out to help him. But just as she bent over, struggling to help his heavy body into a sitting position, he reached out an arm, pulled her up into his lap, and set her down squarely on his legs. Then, ignoring her protests and her complaints about the smell of wine on his breath, he brought a hand up to cup her face, turning her head toward him, and pressed a deep, lingering kiss on her lips.

Xuyu was completely caught off guard and was almost suffocated by his kiss. She finally regained her breath and leaned into his arms.

“Didn’t you say you were drunk?” She really didn’t understand him. Why did he suddenly want to kiss her on the street? She complained, but she didn’t even dare to speak loudly, for fear that Qingtou and others outside the carriage would hear her.

“Liar!” She was so angry that she scolded him again.

He seemed to chuckle softly above her head. While she was caught somewhere between sweet delight and mild annoyance, he lowered his face to hers and murmured in her ear, “I wanted to kiss you. Just now, when my uncle was scolding me, I started thinking about kissing you.”

Xuyu paused, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. His eyes, shadowed and deep with a hint of intoxication, made her heart beat faster.

“I don’t believe you!” she said, though her voice was more playful than defiant.

“It’s true.”

It must be because he was drunk tonight, he dared to say the most provocative words to her in the most serious tone.

“When my uncle was scolding me just now, I saw that you seemed quite dissatisfied with me. Then I remembered that you said in the morning that I was the most handsome man you had ever seen, yet by the evening, you scolded me for being a bad guy.

“Princess, what do you want from me to satisfy you?

“I’m afraid of being punished by the family law…”

In the end, under his hypnotic, low murmurs, her senses were swept away. Her entire body went weak, unable to muster any resistance. She could only open her eyes wide, watching as he slowly leaned down once more, capturing her lips again.

That night, the fragrant wooden bed in Yongning Mansion was draped with a gauzy spring curtain—newly changed for the season, as light as drifting clouds. Whether it was the luxurious silken canopy from the West Market or the fact that they were both tipsy, everything felt especially free and unrestrained. They twined together until deep into the night, only then finally quieting down.

He exhausted the last bit of energy of the day on her and fell into a deep sleep. She lay nestled against him, eyes closed and just about to drift off herself, when a blurry, lovely figure rose in her mind’s eye.

Her elder sister.

This quiet night would probably be a sleepless one for her.

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