Chapter 169 – Sweet and Refreshing Daily Life (III) Part 1

In early Ninth Month in the northern region, the autumn wind rose, the grass seeds were abundant, and the foxes and rabbits were fat.

In a horse ranch outside Liangzhou City, in order to welcome the birth of a foal, Pei Xiaoyuan took his five-year-old eldest son, and the two had not returned home—the father and son spent the entire night curled up near the stables. In the evening, with the help of Pei Xiaoyuan and the ranch stablemaster, the mare named Chiyan successfully gave birth to a foal.

The newborn took after its mother in coat—its golden-red fur blazed like fire—but right at the center of its brow was a patch of pure white, a birthmark shaped uncannily like Jinwuzhui, which could be said to be a perfect blend of both its parent’s striking traits. Not only that, the foal was also sturdy and spirited. Not long after it was born, once its mother had gently licked it cleaned, the foal blinked open its eyes and began trying to rise. It failed again and again, but at last, wobbling on uncertain limbs, it stood and began to suck the mother’s milk vigorously. The sound of swallowing crisp in the air.

Xiao Hu’er had been anxious all night. He’d gotten up on his own several times in the dark, creeping over to check for any movement. When the foal tried to stand up just now, he held his breath, gritted his teeth, and clenched his small fists tightly as if willing it up with his whole body—his forehead even beaded with sweat from the effort. And now, seeing it finally succeed, he jumped up in joy, his face lit with pure excitement, turning to his father and shouting, “Father, look! It stood up! It stood up all by itself!”

Pei Xiaoyuan washed his hands in the nearby stone trough and began to taught his son: “The first thing a foal must do when it comes into the world is to stand up on its own; only then can it prove its strength and grow up healthily. If we help it, it will stand up, but it will fall down again. You…”

“Me too!” Xiao Hu’er responded immediately, “When faced with difficulties, I will rely on my own strength and set an example for my second and third brothers!”

Pei Xiaoyuan glanced at him, thinking of how his mother always complained that he was too strict with their eldest son. After thinking for a while, he rubbed his little head again: “However, if you don’t have enough strength and can’t solve it on your own, you can ask Father and Mother for help.”

“Okay!” Xiao Hu’er nodded, and ran happily to another pen nearby, hugged one of Jinwuzhui’s legs: “You are the father now! Are you happy? Do you want to see the foal? I’ll take you there!” After saying that, he wanted to lead it over.

But Jinwuzhui just stood still, exuding a demeanor of a majestic general. Xiao Huer’s words made everyone near the pen laugh. The stablemaster chuckled, “Young Master, you may not know this, but if it leaves now, it will probably make the mare unhappy. Maybe it will even kick and bite our Black General!”

As beautiful as the mare Chiyan was, she also had a hot temper. Jinwuzhui’s left ear was missing a piece, which was disfigured because it had been bitten by her in the past. Xiao Hu’er had no choice but to give up and ran back, squatting in front of the foal, unable to see enough.

The reason why Xiao Hu’er and Pei Xiaoyuan was so eagerly looking forward this foal’s birth, to the point Pei Xiaoyuan personally brought his son to the ranch and waited through the night to witness its arrival, was because its unusual parentage.

In the first spring they came here, after being kept in the paddocks through a long winter, Pei Xiaoyuan finally released Jinwuzhui into the wild. When it came back, its eyes were red and its body was restless, a clear signs of being in heat. Jinwuzhui was in its prime and of unmatched pedigree, famed for its strength and spirit. Finding it a suitable mate naturally became a top priority. Pei Xiaoyuan quickly gathered several young, strong, and fine-blooded mares, all of which were drawn to Jinwuzhui. At the mere sight of him, each would circle and nuzzle in clear admiration. Yet, for some reason, Jinwuzhui paid no attention to any of them. Not one caught its eye. Then one night, deep into the darkness, it broke free from its tether and vanished. Pei Xiaoyuan and He Jin scrambled to search for it, leading men across hills and woods, but no matter where they went, the stallion was nowhere to be found. Just as their worry peaked, more than half a month later, Jinwuzhui returned on its own—head lowered, dejected. The tip of its left ear had been torn off, with a crusted streak of blood still visible, as if from a vicious fight.

Jinwuzhui was fierce and battle-hardened—not only had it once famously found its way home alone from a battlefield back to Chang’an, but even wild wolves in the open plains rarely posed a threat. For such a valiant beast to come back in this state—defeated and downcast—it was like a rooster with its crest broken. For days, it barely touched its favorite soybean cakes. Pei Xiaoyuan didn’t know what happened to it, and felt very distressed. Fortunately, mating season soon passed, and with it, this mysterious incident remained unresolved. That year’s grand affair had seemingly ended in vain.

Pei Xiaoyuan had originally thought the incident with Jinwuzhui that spring was a mere accident. But come the second year of Jiye’s reign, as spring returned and he once again began selecting suitable mares for his beloved stallion, the exact same thing happened—Jinwuzhui broke loose and disappeared. This time he chased in time, and finally found out that Jinwuzhui was seduced by a young mare in the wild. The mare was likely three to four years old, nimble as the wind, and unusually striking. Her coat was a rare, flawless hue—so vivid and red that when she galloped under the sunlight, she looked like a flowing bolt of crimson silk. It was no wonder Jinwuzhui had been drawn to her. However, the young mare had a violent temper, and probably because she had just reached adulthood, she had no strong interest in male horses. Every time Jinwuzhui approached, she either lashed out in fury or bolted at lightning speed. When Jinwuzhui backed off, crestfallen, she would return, pacing and circling nearby, flaunting her beauty in an almost taunting fashion. Pei Xiaoyuan finally realized that Jinwuzhui must have fallen for this young mare last year, and his ear must have been bitten by it. At that time, he wanted to catch this young mare for his beloved horse. However, the wild horse was extremely alert and after several days of trying, they were ultimately unsuccessful.

To be so devoted to a horse to this extent, even losing half an ear and being rejected twice, such a great humiliation, as the owner, how could he sit idly by? Since Jinwuzhui was powerless, then it fell to him, the master, to take action. Last year, he made preparations in advance and called He Jin and the horse-catching expert to wait outside the city where he had encountered the mare. When it appeared again, after much effort to catch it, he fed it well-cooked soybean cakes smeared with sesame oil. Finally, he brought it back and put it in the ranch. After it slowly got familiar with the surroundings, he locked it up with Jinwuzhui, and the two horses lived together day and night. After the matter was completed, after almost a year of long pregnancy and waiting, he finally had the current foal. To say it’s precious was by no means an exaggeration.

Although Xiao Hu’er was only four years old last year, he was very brave. He followed his father and participated in the whole process of chasing and catching the mare. Later, he heard that Black General and Red Horse would have a foal. He kept thinking about it and looked forward to it day by day. Today, the foal was finally born and he was extremely happy. If it weren’t for his father saying that they need to go home, he really wanted to stay here again tonight. Still squatting in front of the foal and chatting with it, he turned his head and saw his father already leading Jinwuzhui and waiting for him. He reluctantly say goodbye and promised to come and see it again tomorrow. He ran towards his father and was carried onto the horse by him.

On the way home, the townsfolk saw the father and son along with their attendants entering the city from afar, and they all bowed and called out “Young Master”. Pei Xiaoyuan couldn’t help but smile as he watched his son sitting in front of him waving to the people on the side of the road.

But his peaceful mood disappeared as he entered the house. In the courtyard, his three-year-old twin sons were locked in a full-blown brawl, rolling around on the ground like two little mud monkeys. Their hair and clothes were covered in grass and dirt. Qingtou and a few servants were frantically trying to separate them, but the two were tangled together—one had a death grip on the other’s hair, while the other yanked fiercely at his brother’s ear, no one could pry them apart. Someone went to call the grand princess, but she hadn’t arrived yet. Qingtou, holding his hand where he’d just been bitten during the scuffle, was hopping in frustration at the side. Suddenly, seeing Pei Xiaoyuan walked in, he ran to him with a sad face: “Master, thank the heavens you’re back! The young masters are fighting again!!”

Pei Xiaoyuan was immediately furious.

From the moment this pair of twins had learned to walk, he hadn’t had a single day of peace. He still didn’t know who exactly they took after—it must be her, of course. Not that he would ever dare say such a thing out loud. In any case, he finally understood the meaning of that old saying: three days without a beating, and they’ll be tearing the roof apart. And in his case, it wasn’t just one little devil, but two. Compared with those two, Xiao Hu’er was an absolute angel.

He strode over and quickly grabbed the two monkeys to pulled them apart. Hitting them was, of course, out of the question—if she found out, it would lead to heartache and scolding. So instead, he grabbed one in each hand, intending to toss them into the ancestral hall for a proper kneeling punishment. The twins struggled and squirmed wildly under his grip, but the moment their feet hit the ground, they latched onto his legs—one on the left, one on the right—crying out, “Father! Father!”. Before he could react, they started to complain about each other. The second son shouted that the third had hit him first; the third wailed that his older brother had stolen his toy. Both were bawling at once, demanding their father to uphold justice. Pei Xiaoyuan’s ears hurt from the noise. Fortunately, just then, Xiao Hu’er came bounding over and shouted, “The foal was born! Who wants to come with me to see it tomorrow?”

Xiao Er and San Zi also followed their mother to the ranch yesterday, but they didn’t wait until the foal was born. Because they were too small and it was inconvenient to sleep in the stable, they followed their mother back home. At that time, they cried and were reluctant to leave, and it was only with their mother’s coaxing that they finally left, sobbing. Now, at the mention of the new foal, their feud vanished like smoke. They immediately let go of their father and rushed over to their older brother, crowding around him with wide eyes, firing off questions as if nothing had ever happened.

Pei Xiaoyuan sighed softly, and finally able to continue going inside. He ran into Xuyu who was walking out slowly and leisurely. He immediately became angry again and was about to complain to her, but she smiled and blocked his mouth with a piece of news.

He Du and Yuwen Zhi came here together, arriving a few days earlier than expected, and might enter the city at midnight today. She was busy preparing accommodation for the guests, and knowing that her two little sons were naughty and spoiled by her to the point of not being afraid of their father, she did not ask anyone to send them to the ranch during the day, to spare him the headache.

Four to five years had passed since they said goodbye outside Kaiyuan Gate that day, and everyone’s life had changed.

After Li Hui performed the ceremony of coming of age last year, he made a niece of Zheng Song his empress. At the beginning of this year, Xuyu and Pei Xiaoyuan took their sons back to Chang’an to attend the grand imperial wedding. This was also the first time for the couple to return to the capital in years. Uncle Pei Ji had been assisting the government for several years. When they reunited, he was still in good health, but his hair and beard had turned completely white. Following the wedding, he formally requested to retire and return home. Though Li Hui was deeply reluctant to let him go, he understood it could not be helped. With tears in his eyes, he granted the request, bestowing Pei Ji with the title Grand Guardian along with generous gold and gifts. Xuyu and Pei Xiaoyuan stayed in Chang’an for another half a month with their children at Li Hui’s desperate request. Only afterward did they leave the capital to escort Uncle Pei back to his beloved homeland in Hedong. While there, the couple also reunited with Xuyu’s grandfather, Ye Zhongli, who had been living in quiet retirement in his old home in Luzhou. After a joyful reunion and family time, they bid the two elders farewell and returned to Ganliang.

The autumn hunting that they had agreed to in the past could never be realized due to various unfortunate circumstances. Perhaps this was the way of life. But this year, at last, everyone was able to go.

Pei Xioauyuan’s anger vanished at once. That very night, he rode out in person to pick them back. When they finally met again, amidst joy and laughter, there was also a shared sense of time’s passing. The years had carved subtle changes into everyone. In these four years, He Du married several wives and had three sons and four daughters. On this trip, he’d brought along his favorite daughter. The moment they met, he made her call Pei Xiaoyuan ‘Uncle’ then threw his head back and laughed heartily, declaring that though he had lost to him at the Grand Archery Ceremony years ago, today he had finally “won one back.” Yuwen Zhi had changed even more, and he had gotten rid of his former youthful arrogance. Although he was still young, there was already the presence of a statesman in his bearing. The first thing he did upon seeing Pei Xiaoyuan was offer a solemn apology for his past arrogance and disrespect, and frankly said that he had come to admire him since the battle of Dache City, though pride had kept him from admitting it until now. Looking back, he found it laughable and hoped Pei would forgive him. Pei Xiaoyuan laughed heartily, stepped forward to embrace him, and just like that, the past was left behind—no more needed to be said.

There was another thing: Yuwen Zhi had still not married to this day. His uncle and family retainers had urged him countless times, pleading that he think of his duty and settle down. This time, too, he couldn’t escape He Du’s teasing, who grinned and asked what sort of woman he was holding out for. He just smiled and said, “The Khan has also not yet appointed his Khatun. I am just a County Prince of a remote county. What is there to be anxious about? Unlike you—I’m not in such a hurry to sire sons that I’d take any woman straight to my bed.” It turned out that he was still the same Yuwen Zhi. The sharp tongue and dry wit hadn’t gone anywhere—they had simply been tucked away, biding their time.

The one he mentioned—Chengping—was the last to arrive, fashionably late. But once all four had gathered, it wasn’t long before the surrounding tribal chieftains began to arrive as well, and for a time, Liangzhou city burst into an unusual liveliness. For over half a month straight, the four of them rode out daily with the chiefs, hunting across the boundless wilderness. Yellow hounds in leash, eagles on arm, they were trailed by five or six hundred hardy, battle-seasoned men—riding swift steeds, swords at the waist, quivers and bow cases strapped to their backs—hunting from dawn until dark without ever returning sober.

But days of such unbridled joy were always the quickest to pass. In the blink of an eye, it was late Ninth Month. The weather along the borderlands turned suddenly frigid. Overnight, the grass withered and the trees shed their leaves. After a light dusting of snow, it was time for the brothers to say their goodbyes.

On the night before parting, Pei Xiaoyuan and Xuyu held a banquet in their mansion. They invited not only the guests soon to depart—He Du, Yuwen Zhi, and the tribal chiefs—but also important local officials and their own household retainers, sending off their friends in warmth and style before the southern journey began.

During these days, Xuyu let the men have fun on their own and did not show up to disturb them. But that night, she specially dressed up to show respect to her husband’s brothers and friends who came from afar. The banquet was very lively, but Chengping remained the same as always, smiling and listening to others talking, and only drinking one cup after another, hardly saying anything himself.

Pei Xiaoyuan and the others all knew why he looked so desolate. In the past three years, he had traveled thousands of miles to Chang’an three times in the name of paying homage to the emperor, yet each time met with empty promises.

The cherry blossom tree bloomed in loneliness. The woman who had promised to meet him under the tree had never shown up.

His drinking capacity had become increasingly astonishing. When the banquet was over, He Du was completely drunk, and although Yuwen Zhi drank less, he still showed some signs of intoxication. However, he remained sitting still, telling Pei Xiaoyuan to take care of the others and not to worry about him. After finishing his drink, he would go to rest.

Pei Xiaoyuan shared a bond with him that was closer than most, and they had seen each other two or three times in the previous year, there wasn’t much need for formalities, so he simply let him be. Xuyu led the stewards to see off other guests, while he personally helped He Du settle into a room to rest. There, he met He Du’s very beautiful girl, and talked to her for a few words. He asked her if his son had bullied her these days, and learned that the eldest son took her to see the foal, and the twins competed to catch insects for her to play with, and they got along very well. He smiled, patted her gently on the head, and stepped out. As he reached the corridor leading to the front hall, he suddenly stopped and silently slipped into the shadows of a corner.

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Translator’s note:

Even Jinwuzhui has his own romance 😄