Chapter 104 Part 1

 

He shi‘s fear at this moment really came from the heart.

Prince consort was different from ordinary officials in the court. The scarlet-and-silver fish pouch and the fish talisman inside the pouch he wore on a daily basis were specially made and were unique symbols of his identity. However, he took them off and threw them in anger, leaving the princess behind then walked away.

Although the princess was kind and tolerant, and their shared history from the time in Ganliang might make her less inclined to take offense. However, in this Yongning Mansion, except for her, the half-witted Qingtou, and the inconsequential maid Zhu’er, the rest of the people inside and outside the mansion were appointed by the emperor. With so many eyes watching, it was impossible to keep such matters a secret. If the news spread to the palace and reached the emperor’s ears, triggering his wrathful thunder, the consequences could be catastrophic—something He shi dared not imagine.

She chased him out of Ziming Courtyard, but there was no way she could catch up with the tall and long-legged young man’s quick strides. In the end, she could only watch him ride out alone on his horse, and his figure disappeared at the end of the street under the night.

The young man had always been sensible since he was young, and his personality is stable and gentle. This was the first time He shi had seen him being so stubborn.

What happened? Was it because of what she said to him? She stopped helplessly, tears streaming down her face with anger, then turned back to Ziming Courtyard. Entering the courtyard, she heard nothing but silence. She hurried to the outside of the princess’s bedroom. Zhu’er, Jiu’er, Luyu and other maids were all standing under the porch. Zhu’er was holding medicine in her hand. She must have been frightened by the fierce look of the prince consort. The princess hadn’t summoned them, so they were all silent and dared not move.

He shi calmed herself down and walked in. The long candle on the gilded copper candelabra behind the curtain was still shining brightly, illuminating the princess sitting sideways in front of the dressing table. Her head lowered slightly, with her half-dry fluffy long hair fell quietly on both sides of her shoulders and arms, covering her face. It was impossible to see what her expression was at the moment, but her silhouette was motionless.

She should be looking at the fish pouch that prince consort had thrown away and the broken jade pieces scattered on the ground in front of her feet.

He shi knelt down as she entered through the curtain. “Prince Consort has made a grave mistake. I beg the Princess to forgive him! Although he has been stubborn since childhood, he is also quick to recognize his faults. I believe he will soon realize his wrongdoing and return to apologize to the Princess with the utmost sincerity. At that time, no matter how the Princess chooses to punish him, it’s entirely up to you. I only plead that you do not take his actions too much to heart!” She spoke as she kowtowed repeatedly.

Xuyu seemed to awaken from a daze. Her body shifted slightly, and she slowly raised her head, then turned to face He shi with a smile on her face.

She rose from her seat, walked to He shi’s side, and bent down to help her up from the ground and said, “Amu, you worry too much.”

She glanced at the mess on the ground and said in a relaxed tone, “We just had a quarrel. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

What He shi feared most was that the princess would get angry and report the matter to the emperor, or worse, that the emperor might somehow learn of it, and the princess, out of spite, would refuse to speak on the prince consort’s behalf.

As long as neither of these scenarios occurred, once the prince consort returned, whatever disputes arose behind closed doors—whether the princess scolded him in anger or even hit him in frustration—it would only be a matter within the mansion and unlikely to escalate into a catastrophe.

At last, He shi could breathe a little easier. She thanked the princess for her kindness and, without summoning anyone else, began tidying up the mess herself. Picking up the fish pouch, she found it light as a feather—completely empty. Alarmed, she glanced around, searching for the fish talisman. Despite looking in every visible corner of the room, it was nowhere to be found. It seemed the prince consort have hurled it into some obscure spot. However, out of consideration for the princess, she refrained from rummaging further and decided to let it go for the moment. After putting away the empty fish pouch, she gathered the shattered fragments of the ornaments that were originally the princess’s dowry, ensuring that the sleeping quarters showed no trace of the earlier chaos. Finally, in a soft voice, she said, “Princess, please rest well.”

She nodded with a smile. He shi didn’t dare to say anything else. After paying her respects, she was about to leave with a worried look on her face when she suddenly heard the princess calling her, “Amu! Go and tell Yang Zai’en not to report what happened tonight to the palace. Just say it was me who said it.”

He shi‘s heart skipped a beat and her eyes turned red.

“Yes. Thank you for your understanding! I will apologize to the Princess on behalf of our ignorant master!” He shi was extremely grateful. Despite being stopped, she insisted on bowing to her again before hurriedly leaving.

Peace returned to the bedroom.

Xuyu sat alone in front of the dressing mirror again, waiting for her long hair to dry.

When he left in anger, the hour was still early. The lights in the prosperous areas in the north of the city, which were lit all night, were just coming on and the night banquet was just began.

Time flowed away drop by drop from the copper water-clock.

Xuyu extinguished a row of tall candles, leaving only one to illuminate the night. She walked to the bed, lay down, and closed her eyes to sleep. After a moment, she felt a bit stifled. Rising, she rolled up a curtain behind the window, pushed open the window, and leaned out, took a few deep breaths of the cool autumn night air in the courtyard with the natural fragrance of osmanthus. After a while, she closed the window and lowered the curtain, then returned to the privacy of her sleeping chamber, and lying back down again. Then she remembered that the painting of flowers and butterflies that she planned to hang in the west wing studio was not finished. She got out of bed again, and relit the silver lamps one by one. Taking out the half-painted silk canvas, she spread it flat on the table, sat down, rolled up her sleeves, ground the pigment, dipped the brush, and drew the lines and colored it stroke by stroke.

The autumn moon was like a disk, and the silver lamp flickered. Tonight, she found that she couldn’t control her brushstrokes as usual, and she felt restless. Such a simple painting, which didn’t require much skills, she almost messed up several times.

The water-clock slowly approached three quarter of Hai hour (9-11 pm).

It was almost the middle of the night.

After accidentally splashing a drop of excess paint onto the silk again, she picked up the brush, paused in the air for a moment, then set aside the brush. She then stood up and ordered someone to call Qingtou over.

When Pei Xiaoyuan left Yongning Mansion, the night was still early. The crisscrossing walls of the lane were surrounded by the lights of thousands of houses. In the bustling northern part of the city, it was the height of revelry, with brilliant lanterns and grand banquets signaling the start of nocturnal celebrations.

Just a moment ago, with a rage that seemed to rise from the soles of his feet and exploded on the top of his head, he abandoned the Prince Consort’s Mansion and the noble master inside behind him.

However, the sense of liberation was so short-lived. As he rode along the deserted main thoroughfare, with the cold moon as his only companion in the heavens and on earth, a sudden sense of aimless dejection began to seep into his heart.

Chang’an was so big, but unexpectedly there was no place for him to go.

The Yongning Mansion, which was now rich and prosperous, was just a symbol of shame to him.

Not only that, he felt like a mere pawn on a chessboard, manipulated by others to charge into battle, destined to be discarded sooner or later.

After hearing those words from the noble master earlier that evening, this realization became even clearer to him.

The most terrible thing was that the noble master had spelled it all out for him long ago, leaving nothing unclear—it was entirely his own decision to accept it.

This feeling of frustration reached its peak when he rode his horse to his destination near the East Market and met a team of night martial patrol.

When the martial patrol saw that it was him, they naturally did not ask any more questions. After the salute, they lined up and continued on their way, leaving him alone at the street corner. He hesitated several times, and finally, he could hardly bear it anymore, so he decided to keep his promise, endure the humiliation, and let it go. He turned back, and suddenly remembered her words, “If we part way in the future,” “It’s also my responsibility to think a little about your future,” and his heart suddenly hardened and turned into stone.

He no longer hesitated, turned around resolutely, urged his horse to arrive at the Jinzouyuan in one breath, and asked for the gate to be opened.

Chengping came out and found that it was really him outside the door. He couldn’t help but widen his eyes in surprise: “Why are you here at this late hour instead of staying at home with your new bride?”

“I want some wine.” Pei Xiaoyuan said, “Didn’t you invite me during the day? I have nothing to do tonight, so here I am.”

“Wine? Aren’t you injured? Will the Princess allow it?” Chengping became more and more confused.

“I won’t die!” he replied curtly.

Chengping did not agree immediately, but looked at him with suspicion.

Pei Xiaoyuan suddenly became angry.

“Forget it! Just pretend I didn’t come!” He pulled the reins and was about to leave.

“Wait!”

“Today the sun is really rising from the west. It’s rare that you, Pei Er, have left your lovely wife and asked me out for a drink. How can I refuse? Let’s go now. I’ll take you there!”

He urged someone to bring his horse, climbed on it, and led his friend to Chen Tavern. Then he asked with a smile, “Did the Princess set a time for you to return?”

“I won’t be back tonight.” Pei Xiaoyuan said lightly.

Chengping stared at him again, as if he understood something, and then laughed: “Okay, okay, such boldness, I truly admire it. I admit defeat! Even if I risk being blamed by the Princess, I will accompany you till the end!”

The two rode all the way to the lane gate where the tavern was located. Chengping showed the night pass with Han Kerang’s seal and entered smoothly, heading straight to the small tavern deep in the lane.

Pei Xiaoyuan had been here once before for some business. As for Chengping, there was no need to say, he was a familiar old customer. The Chen sisters, who had not seen him for several days, had been missing him. When he arrived unexpectedly tonight, their delight was evident. Dropping everything, even abandoning the guests they had been entertaining, they rushed out, all calling “Master! Master!” with playful affection. They summoned a servant to take his horse and eagerly welcomed him inside. Suddenly, the girls saw Pei Xiaoyuan walking alongside him. Last time, because he was on official business, he came and went quickly, and the girls did not see him. Tonight, seeing this young man with an outstanding appearance, their eyes lit up. With a sweet voice, they escorted the two guests to a small but exquisitely decorated private room at the back.

Chengping and Pei Xiaoyuan sat down opposite each other, and the Chen sisters served them a variety of exquisite dishes. Chengping asked someone to fetch the jar of wine he had stored earlier, broke the clay seal himself, and poured a full cup for Pei Xiaoyuan before filling one for himself. After a brief toast, he drank it all in one gulp, smacked his lips, and said “good wine”. Then he looked at his friend, but saw that his cup was still at his lips, as if he was a little hesitant, so he asked: “Why, do you regret it?”

Pei Xiaoyuan drank the wine in the cup.

The color of this wine was like blood, and it was indeed much stronger than ordinary wine. It was sharp upon entering, and the aftertaste carried a faint trace of something wild, almost gamey. No wonder Chengping treated it like a treasure. After just one cup, warmth spread through Pei Xiaoyuan’s abdomen, leaving him feeling unexpectedly comfortable.

Chengping laughed: “Now this is what it means to be a real man! Life and death are decreed by Heavens—if you want to drink, then drink! Why overthink it? Back then, when we were injured on the battlefield, where were those fancy imperial physicians and their precious medicines? All we had were some mystery herbs and horse piss concoctions slapped onto our wounds. The pain kept us awake at night, and we relied on wine to dull it! Pei Er, would you believe it? After drinking tonight, your injury might just heal faster!”

When Pei Xiaoyuan sat down, Chengping called a very beautiful girl in red to serve him.

The girl had been looking at Pei Xiaoyuan since he arrived, kneeling beside the table. At this moment, she stretched out her delicate hands, poured wine for the guest, and then asked Chengping with a smile, “Whose family is this Master Pei from?”

Chengping glanced at Pei Xiaoyuan and smiled, “Qin’er, are you interested in him? I tell you, don’t set your sights on him. You can’t touch him. Just serve him well and do your duty. Don’t ask so many questions!”

The girls accompanying the banquet were naturally well-trained, and they put the guests’ satisfaction first. When he came in just now, this Master Pei had already calmly avoided Qin’er’s hand that wanted to hold his arm. Now, after hearing Chengping’s words, she understood immediately. She dared not tease him anymore, and just served him attentively. The remaining few people all surrounded Chengping. After three rounds of wine, Chengping ordered music again. The girls asked the maids to bring musical instruments, pipa, ruanqin, flute, and sheng. Amid the melody, Qin’er softly began to sing. She started with pieces like “Thinking of You,” “Raise the Cup,” and “Drinking Song”—all popular tunes originating from the imperial music bureau. Following these, she moved on to several of the newest songs from the bustling taverns of the city. Her voice, sweet and lilting like an oriole’s, captivated the room.

As the night deepened, the girls guessed riddles, played drinking games, and sang songs, with Chengping and the girls occasionally laughing, and the atmosphere never cooled down.

The jar of wine was almost finished, or perhaps he was a little drunk. Looking at the stringed instruments and the beautiful woman singing in front of him, Pei Xiaoyuan gradually felt tired and began to get distracted.

He thought again of that Princess Li whom he had abandoned tonight.

After he left up until now when it was almost midnight and still hadn’t returned, how would she react?

Did she not care at all, or… would she feel worried and anxious about his not coming back? Even… just a little bit?

At this moment, he recalled the scene in the posthouse at Changle Slope the night before, when she was heartbroken, cried herself tired, and fell asleep in his arms.

A strong feeling of regret and guilt suddenly surged in his heart, and he couldn’t help but stood up.

Unexpectedly, it seemed the alcohol had truly taken effect. His head felt heavy, his steps unsteady, and he stumbled slightly. The girl named Qin’er dropped the Ruanqin she was holding in her arms and stood up quickly to support his arm.

“Master, be careful!”

Pei Xiaoyuan quickly steadied himself, pulled back his arm, and looked at Chengping, who was half drunk and leaning on his seat. Just as he was about to say that he wanted to go back, he saw Chengping stood up, staggering towards him, grabbing his elbow and wrist: “Pei Er, are you leaving? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t come home tonight? How can a man of honor go back on his word and be controlled by a woman!

“Tell me yourself, how long has it been since we last spent the night together? Damn it, I’ve been soaking in the wine and meat of Chang’an for so long that my bones are sore. I actually miss the days when we fought in the past! Although it was freezing and snowy, and sometimes we had to endure the cold and hunger, but when we got drunk, we brothers would sleep with our feet touching each other, and when we woke up, we would lie back-to-back and kill people like crazy. It was so fun, so fun! I tell you, tonight I, Ashina, will stay with you even if the Princess blames me or even kills me. We will sleep together—”

Suddenly, Chengping’s drunken words stopped abruptly. He stared in the direction of the door in surprise. As if struck by lightning, he was frozen in place.

“Master! What are you doing?”

Then, a voice full of dissatisfaction exploded in Pei Xiaoyuan’s ears.

He turned around suddenly and met a pair of eyes that were looking at him indifferently.

It’s her!

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