Chapter 168 – Sweet and Refreshing Daily Life (II) – Part 2

During this quiet, happy winter, the news from Qinzhou finally arrived—just as she had hoped and expected.

Not long ago, Wei Yinniang and Yuan Zhi officially became husband and wife. It had been exactly half a year since she followed him to Qinzhou. Since neither of them had any living relatives, and she disliked extravagance, coupled with the fact that from the very first day of their arrival, everyone in the household assumed she was his wife who had accompanied him to his post, the wedding was a rather unconventional one. The two went to a local temple said to be specially blessed by the Flower Goddess of Marriage. Before her image, they bowed, offered their prayers, and with that, sealed their union.

Although the wedding was simple, Wei Yinniang’s happiness felt doubled. That night, with red candles and bright makeup, she and Yuan Zhi exchanged cups of wine and officially became husband and wife.

She entered the Imperial Music Bureau in her teen, and later moved to a brothel. Beside the two men of noble status, over the span of twenty years, she had taken other clients as well. Matters of the bed held no emotional waves for her—it was simply service, using her beautiful body and practiced skills to satisfy men. For her, there was no longer any mystery or pleasure in what others might call a heavenly union of cloud and rain. That night, as she suppressed her nervousness and, out of habit, began to undress in preparation to serve the man before her, it was he who taught her what it meant to be cherished—not to serve, but to be loved. Yuan Zhi treated her like a precious gem, lavishing her with all the gentleness he could offer. It was only after that night that she truly understood why Yuan Zhi had waited until then to finally consummate their union.

This, too, was a story of complex emotions. Yinniang had seen her share of men—before her, each one acted like starving wolves presented with fresh meat, wasting no time in devouring it whole. The day she boarded his carriage, it was a clear sign of her willingness to give herself to him. Even if her heart was full of uncertainty and unease, she had already braced herself. She had even assumed it would happen that very night. But to her surprise, he had always treated her with respect—on the road, he never once overstepped his bounds. Later, when they arrived in Qinzhou and entered the residence, they presented themselves as husband and wife to avoid raising suspicion or gossip. Yet even then, when they shared a room at night, he continued to sleep apart from her.

Yinniang was relieved at first, but as the months passed, she gradually became familiar with the surroundings and became familiar with Yuan Zhi, and her guard was gone, but he still did not touch her.

If he was really a eunuch, she would not mind. She would be content to spend the rest of her life with him. But knowing that he was not a eunuch, she could not help but have doubts, thinking about this and that, and even wondering if he regretted it and now despised her past.

The turning point came during a banquet. She had accompanied him to a dinner at the home of a local chieftain. There, a former official who had once served in Chang’an recognized her. Unaware of her current identity, and assuming she merely came here to become someone’s concubine, he shamelessly followed her as she left to change clothes. Drunk and arrogant, he blocked her path and began to harass her. Just then, Yuan Zhi caught up and witnessed the scene. Upon realizing that Yinniang was now his wife, the man instantly knew he was in trouble. His face turned ashen, and he dropped to his knees on the spot, kowtowing and begging desperately for mercy. Ashamed of her own past, Yinniang tried to calm Yuan Zhi, urging him to let it go and not pursue the matter. Yuan Zhi, not wanting to frighten her, agreed to her wishes and spared the man. Not long after, however, that same official was found guilty of embezzlement and harming people. He was dismissed from office and ordered to leave the region. Before he could even get out of Qinzhou, he ran into a band of robbers and was beaten to death by them on the road.

Of course, all that came later—and Yinniang never knew any of it. But it was because of this unexpected incident that, as Yuan Zhi comforted her, she finally realized just how deeply and how long he had cared for her.

He told Yinniang that he first saw her at the banquet in Chang’an. When he heard from others that she was a daughter of the Wei family, she was already a renowned courtesan. Many noble sons and aristocrats competed to win her favor with lavish gifts, all to coax a single smile from her. Around her gathered countless men who wished to become her devoted suitors. At that time, he was no more than a low-ranking attendant at the Palace Secretariat. Later, when he had finally risen to a position where he might dare to compete with others for her favor, the man by her side had become the Crown Prince himself. He thought then that fate had destined them to remain strangers forever. But with the passing of spring and fall, as the world changed, fate smiled upon him. By an unimaginable stroke of luck, he had truly won her.

After persuading her to come with him to this place, the reason he had never dared to mention sharing a bed with her wasn’t because he didn’t desire her—it was because he respected and cherished her. He knew that in the past she had felt great aversion and fear toward him. Now that she had chosen to follow him here, he didn’t want her to feel even the slightest sense of coercion or obligation. He was willing to wait—for her to grow familiar with him, to fully let down her guard, and to give herself willingly. Only then would he truly take her as his wife.

Yinniang was deeply moved. It was also from that moment on that she truly opened her heart to this man.

Finally, she said in the letter that she would never forget her younger sister’s love for her. Her life was also saved by Marquis Jingbei. Yuan Zhi was very grateful to her and her husband, and told her that they would not return to Chang’an, and Qinzhou would be their home for the rest of their lives. He would abide by his duties and serve his life to live up to his master’s kindness. Qinzhou and Hexi were adjacent to each other, and the two places were not far apart. She hope to meet Xuyu again in the future to reminisce about the old times.

Her current joy and happiness flowed out from every lines. Xuyu was sincerely happy for her and prepared wedding gifts and arranged for someone to deliver them. In the evening, she shared the good news with Pei Xiaoyuan who had just returned from outside.

Yuan Zhi’s position and the duties he would serve for the rest of his life were undoubtedly the late emperor’s painstaking efforts. On the night of the emperor’s passing, Yuan Zhi waited for the couple, and after kneeling down and kowtowed, he left the palace. What this meant was tacitly understood and did not need to be said.

For him and his wife, the best way to repay and live up to the painstaking efforts of the late emperor before his death was to live a good life.

Ah yes, and there was one more piece of good news: though he had once lost at dawn, he gained again at dusk—Qingtou’s peach blossom had finally come into bloom.

He had delivered New Year’s gifts to Ashina’s royal tents at Langshan, the Great Khan’s city. Perhaps because of shared misfortunes, Ashina treated him exceedingly well, like a younger brother, bringing him along wherever he went. One day, after hearing about his situation, Ashina burst into hearty laughter, then summoned his attendants and gave an order. That very night, a dozen or so young and beautiful women of varying styles—plump, slender, elegant—were sent into the tent where Qingtou was staying, all for him to choose from. He was an honest child, not nearly as composed in such situations as Uncle Cui. Completely flustered on the spot, he fled in a panic. Afterward, the more he thought about it, the sadder he became. He dared not return to his tent, and instead rode out of the city alone, hoping to clear his mind. But unexpectedly, he was caught in a snowstorm, lost his way, and the farther he rode, the more disoriented he became. Then he encountered a pack of wolves. Over ten starving wolves encircled him. Even his horse abandoned him and bolted. He drew his sword to fight, but he was outnumbered and overwhelmed. One of the wolves bit into his leg, and blood gushed from the wound. Just as his life was in danger, an old hunter who happened to be nearby heard the cries for help and the howls of wolves. Realizing someone was in trouble, he rushed over and used fire arrows to drive the wolves away. The old hunter knew the name Pei Xiaoyuan and, upon learning that Qingtou was a guest of the Great Khan, quickly brought him back to his home to tend to his injuries. The old hunter’s son had once died in tribal conflict, and now only his granddaughter Baoyue remained. The two lived in hardship, relying on one another, and their tent was tattered and drafty. Fearing that the noble guest would suffer, the old hunter gave him the only warm fleece blanket in the home and asked his granddaughter to look after him, while he himself rode through the night to deliver word to Ashina.

The first time Qingtou saw the little shepherd girl, he was stunned. Although the little shepherd girl was dressed in rags, she was very cute. She had a round face, round eyes, round mouth, and not only that, but also round arms and legs, and… her chest seemed to be rounder than Zhu’er’s…

The little shepherd girl was amused by his dazed look at her, and couldn’t help covering her mouth. Qingtou came back to his senses and suddenly became full of energy. He could speak some Hu language, and the little shepherd girl was very smart. In order to go to the border market to exchange the furs obtained by her grandfather’s hunting, she also learned some simple Han language. The two communicated through simple words and gestures, and introduced their names to each other. As they were of similar age, they soon became familiar with one another. When she heard Qingtou say that he was someone close to Pei Xiaoyuan, she asked him if he knew about the battle of Dache City in the past, and said that many people on this side recognized Pei Xiaoyuan as a hero. When he heard Qingtou say that he was one of the soldiers who left the city that night, she immediately felt immense admiration, looking at him with bright eyes, continuously calling out “Brother Qingtou” and “Brother Qingtou”.

The next day, the wind and snow stopped, and the old hunter led people to pick up Qingtou, but he refused to leave and wanted to stay to recuperate. The others had no choice but to respect his wishes and returned to report to Ashina. In response, Ashina gifted the old hunter a new tent and sent over enough winter clothing, bedding, and food to get through the season. Qingtou ended up staying there for two whole months. His leg had long since healed, and it became impossible to remain any longer. Thinking he must return to Ganliang, he finally bid farewell to the little shepherd girl who wept and couldn’t bear to part from him. He then hurried off to speak with Ashina. Though he hemmed and hawed, too shy to speak plainly, Ashina simply gave a big wave of his hand and gave him the little shepherd girl. And so, in the fourth month of the following year, he returned to Liangzhou full of joy, bringing the shepherd girl and the gifts from Ashina. He led her to present herself to their mistress. Xuyu, surprised yet pleased for him, specially chose an auspicious day to hold a grand and lively wedding for the two. Pei Ji, upon hearing the news, was overjoyed as well. He had someone deliver a dowry of a thousand gold coins and a deed to land left by the late emperor, along with his own congratulatory gifts, all presented to Qingtou. Qingtou knelt down and bowed in the direction of the imperial mausoleum, wiping away tears of gratitude.

It turned out the late emperor had not failed to hear his request that day—he was merely dozing and misheard. Though the matter had its share of twists and turns, in the end, all ended well and joyously, with everyone gaining something. From then on, another happy little family was added to the military commissioner mansion.

And so the days flew by. But it could not be said that everything goes smoothly; there were also some regrets.

That was Pei Xiaoyuan, who held the title Marquis of Jingbei, Military Commissioner and Commander-in-chief, his wish was not fulfilled.

He had been fully convinced that Xuyu’s pregnancy this time would be a girl. More than once, he’d earnestly instructed Xiao Hu’er on how he must cherish and protect his little sister in the future. Xiao Hu’er, taking it to heart, began calling “little sister” to his mother’s belly every day until the moment she gave birth. When Xuyu reached full term, the delivery went smoothly and without much effort, with Pei Xiaoyuan by her side the entire time. To everyone’s surprise and delight, she gave birth to a pair of healthy twins.

Pei Fuxuan was delighted to have his second and third brothers.

Overnight, he became the eldest brother and seemed to have become much more sensible.

The cries of the two little ones were louder than each other. They were squirming in their mother’s arms, clearly full of energy and already showing signs of being lively and spirited little troublemakers.

Everyone in the household was overjoyed. The steward and Yang Zai’en led the servants in distributing celebration rice and red-dyed eggs at the gates; the line of people stretched as far as the eye could see. At that point, Pei Xiaoyuan and Xuyu had won the hearts of the people completely. When the citizens heard that Marquis Jingbei and the Supreme Grand Princess had two sons at once, even if there was no celebration rice and red-dyed eggs to be distributed, they took the initiative to gather. From morning to night, the sound of congratulations in front of the mansion was endless.

Marquis Jingbei had a beaming smile on his face, but no one knew what he was really feeling inside. He didn’t dare to tell Xuyu as well, fearing she would scold him.

Time flies like a galloping horse.

Unknowingly, the fourth year of Jiye had arrived.

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