Thousand Verdant Mountains – Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Pei Xiaoyuan walked out of the study, passed a corridor beside the courtyard, stopped, and turned to look in the direction of the guest room.
It was dark there, without a single light.
The woman, who strictly speaking was a total stranger to him but would soon become his wife, should have been fast asleep by now.
It indeed came too suddenly, and as he explained to Pei Ji, he was unprepared. And when he first heard the news, he was indeed unwilling.
Although he didn’t have anyone in his heart, it would be too hasty for him to get married.
But these were secondary. The main reason was that there was still a shadow and a thorn in his heart. As long as the shadow was not dispelled and the thorn was not removed, he would never be able to let it go in his life. How could he have the heart to start a family?
It was Pei Ji’s last two sentences that touched him.
When people live in this world, their own feelings were the least important.
He stopped looking, retracted his gaze from the courtyard, and walked back to where he lived. At the door, there was a maid who looked new, standing outside the house, with a wooden bucket of hot water on the ground at her feet. Her face was flushed, and she looked embarrassed and uneasy. When she saw him appear, she hurried over to greet him.
“Why not send it in?” Pei Xiaoyuan stopped and asked.
“Inside…inside…”
Zhu’er was originally serving Miss Ye, who had already fall asleep. At night, the young master returned and brought a distinguished guest with him. Since there was not enough manpower, He shi transferred her here temporarily. She was an innocent person. When she delivered the third bucket of hot water, she saw from outside the door that the intimate scene inside the house was even worse than before. She didn’t dare to go in or leave, and could only stand still at the door. At this moment, she heard Pei Xiaoyuan’s question, and she was afraid of being blamed, so she became more flustered and couldn’t speak clearly.
Pei Xiaoyuan also heard the sound of water and laughter coming from the room at this time. He understood what was going on, so he ordered the maid to leave, picked up the bucket and walked in.
Chengping’s childhood experience also taught him the lifestyle of the nobles in the capital. He liked luxury and enjoyed life. His catchphrase was “You don’t know how hard tomorrow will be, so you must enjoy life while you can.” He believed that everyone else could be inconvenienced, but never himself. On this trip, for the sake of convenient bathing along the way, he even had a fragrant wooden bathtub large enough to accommodate five to six people transported by cart. Since the narrow doorways made it difficult to bring the tub inside, it was simply placed in the hall. When Pei Xiaoyuan entered, Cheng had already let down his long hair and was leaning against the wooden wall of the large bathtub, his face wet and glistening with water droplets. Several beautiful maids he had brought along were giggling as they attended to him around the tub. One was pouring hot water over his shoulders, another was scrubbing his back and chest, and a third was feeding him fresh fruits. The room was filled with steamy mist, and the maids’ clothes were clinging to their damp bodies. Their soft laughter echoed until they noticed Pei Xiaoyuan’s presence. The maids, somewhat intimidated by him, gradually stopped laughing and stopped what they were doing.
Chengping raised his eyebrows, and with a splash, he sat up straight from the water, raised his wet arm, wiped his face, and pointed to the empty space opposite him in the tub: “It’s just right that you’re here! Come on in! There’s enough space!”
Pei Xiaoyuan walked over and put the water on the ground next to the bathtub.
“Just take your time washing.”
Chengping knew that he was different from himself, he was a prudent person, and just now he had just been joking on purpose. Seeing that he left and gone in, thinking about the news he had just heard, he immediately stood up, hurriedly dried his hair and tied it up randomly, put on some clothes, and sent the maids away to follow him in.
Pei Xiaoyuan had taken off his belt, but he hadn’t rested yet. He sat alone in front of the candle, wiping his sword with a clean cloth. Lowering his head slightly, his eyes fixed on the sword, his expression focused. Chengping walked straight to the couch, lay on his back, patted his left and right sides with his palms, and said with a smile: “Your couch is big enough, I will sleep here tonight, let’s sleep with our feet touching and talk all night, isn’t it wonderful?”
He was an uninvited guest, and He shi had originally arranged for him to stay in another guest house, but he insisted on living with Pei Xiaoyuan. So He shi had to clean up another room nearby to accommodate the guest.
Pei Xiaoyuan turned his back to him and continued to wipe his sword without even turning his head. “You can sleep here. I’ll go to the side room.”
“Forget it, forget it. How can the guest acts like the host? If you don’t want to sleep with me, I will leave soon! But it’s not like we haven’t slept together before when we were fighting against Xifan! I was thinking that I might be detained again when I enter the capital. If that happens, I don’t know when we will meet again next time.”
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. Times are different now. The court values your father, so your status is naturally different.”
Chengping’s eyes were cold, his lips curled, and he laughed dryly: “Yeah, maybe I’m lucky enough, not only can I come back, but this time I can even marry an arrogant princess from an unknown family.” There was a strong sense of self-mockery in his tone.
Pei Xiaoyuan paused for a moment as he was wiping the sword. He turned his head slightly and looked at Chengping.
The turmoil of that year was a calamity for many in the world, but for the current emperor, it was a turning point for him to rise to the top. He stood out with his military merits and won the support of the people. He went from an ordinary prince to a supreme saint. He had since ruled diligently for many years, and three years ago, he secured a decisive victory against the formidable Xifan, reinstating the empire’s might and restoring the prosperous state that existed before the turmoil. The ministers now exalt him as the enlightened and sage leader of a rejuvenated era. Chengping’s father, in a show of loyalty and with hopes that the emperor would help solidify his own position on the grasslands, placed great importance on this upcoming grand celebration of the Emperor’s longevity. He not only sent Chengping to the capital early but also hoping that Chengping might marry a princess. However, even if the emperor chose to bestow favor on his subjects through marriage alliances, he usually selected suitable candidates from side branches of the imperial family to be conferred the title of princess for such marriages. What’s more, the current emperor seemed to have few children. Even if there was a princess of marriageable age in the palace, there were countless families of high-ranking officials waiting at the front. How could it be a turn for a foreigner? Additionally, it was rare for a princess to marry without asserting dominance over her husband’s family. This was why Chengping made such a self-deprecating remark.
“Forget it, let’s not talk about me, it’s boring! Let’s talk about you!”
He suddenly regained his spirits, jumped off the couch with a somersault, and stepped firmly on the ground with his bare feet.
He was tall and strong, yet his movements were as agile as a leopard.
“Jun Yan!” He called Pei Xiaoyuan by his and walked over. “Why did your uncle call you back so urgently?”
The sword tip flashed, accompanied by a slight clanging sound, and Pei Xiaoyuan sheathed the sword.
“Nothing serious.”
He responded without even looking at Chengping who was approaching. He stood up, put away his sword, and glanced at the waterclock in the room.
“It’s almost . It’s really late. Last night in order to hurry on, you didn’t sleep well. You might as well go and rest. Tomorrow let your men take a good rest for a day. The next day I will send you out of the city. You should leave in time to avoid delaying important matters.”
“No hurry, no hurry. There’s plenty of time. It’s still fine for me to stay here for a few more days.” Chengping smiled and moved closer to him with an ambiguous look.
“How dare you hide such good things from me, treating me as an outsider? Just now I asked the maid who delivered water to your house why the county governor wanted to call you back, and she said that a young lady came a few days ago, and it should be related to marriage. Is it true? Is the one who came really your marriage partner?”
Since Pei Xiaoyuan had already agreed to the marriage, he naturally would not deny it in front of Cheng Ping at this moment, but he did not want to elaborate, so he simply nodded.
Chengping let out a surprised cry. Instead of satisfying his curiosity, his interest was aroused. He kept asking, “What does she look like? Have you met her? Tell me about her!” He got no response and became more and more curious. If it wasn’t the middle of the night, he would have wanted to go and see what she looked like right away.
“Well, you abstinent Pei ! Your lips are sealed so tightly, not even a single word slips out! Are you hiding your beloved, afraid I might see her?”
Pointing at his friend, he laughed again, “Never would have I thought, what a surprise! Truly unexpected! By the way, did Lord Pei mention when the wedding will be? It’s better be sooner, since I’m already here. No need to be so stingy, take me to meet her tomorrow. Once I’ve paid my respects to the future sister-in-law and enjoyed the banquet, it won’t be too late to set off!”
“Don’t bother others, just focus on your own business and get on the road quickly!”
Pei Xiaoyuan refused without hesitation.
Chengping rarely had the chance to tease him, so how could he give up? “That’s not right. Why do I see that you don’t have a look like someone who’s going to get married? Isn’t the wedding night a happy thing?”
He looked Pei Xiaoyuan up and down, and suddenly he seemed to understand something, staring at him suspiciously: “Could it be that Lord Pei only values virtue and talent, and the woman he chose for you is plain-looking, so you despise her, but you don’t want to go against the wishes of your elders, so you reluctantly accepted her?”
Pei Xiaoyuan said calmly: “You think too much! You should think more about your own important matters.”
“My business is not important! But you! You are a person who never speaks your mind, and it’s difficult for me to guess what you’re thinking. But this time, don’t try to hide it from me! I can see that you are not happy!
“Wonderful! You, Pei Er, actually have such a day!”
He was laughing so hard that his stomach hurt, but when he saw Pei Xiaoyuan frowning, he knew that he must be really unhappy at the moment, so he apologized quickly: “Okay, okay, don’t be angry! I won’t say anything more, I apologize. I’ll go to rest now.” He bowed deeply, laughed and left.
…
The noise outside gradually disappeared, and his ears returned to silence.
At dawn, Xuyu got up, opened the door, washed and changed her clothes. Zhu’er then came to comb her hair and told her without waiting for her to ask that Master Pei had returned home last night.
“He was a very nice man. The person who came back with him is a noble from the grassland. He took three or four women to bathe, and the water was spill all over the floor. I didn’t dare to go in. The young master then happened to come over, and not only did he not scold me, he also helped me carry the water in.”
Zhu’er was obviously very satisfied with that “Master Pei”. She praised him for his tall stature, bright eyes, and handsome face, which was so handsome that she didn’t dare to look at him closely.
Xuyu asked: “Does everyone in the mansion know about my marriage to Master Pei?”
Zhu’er picked up a double-stranded double-butterfly hairpin from the makeup box and inserted it in the center of her bun. There were two butterflies on the hairpin’s head, and the thin silver threads were twisted into butterfly wings flying in the air, just like two butterflies dancing in her hair, unique and pretty.
After carefully inserting the butterfly hairpin, she shook her head: “I don’t know about this, and He Amu didn’t tell me. It was me who saw her buying a wedding tent and ordering fabrics for wedding clothes, one for the man and one for the woman. I came up with this idea myself.
“Look, Miss, does this hairstyle look good?”
Xuyu raised her head and looked at the crystal-clear mirror opposite her. The double butterfly wings on the hairpin trembled with her tiny movement, as if they were flapping their wings and ready to fly high.
She smiled: “It looks good. You are so skillful.”
“It’s thanks to this butterfly hairpin.”
Zhu’er was very happy to be praised, but she did not dare to take credit for it.
“Miss, stand still. If there is wind, the butterfly’s wings will flutter.”
She tidied Xuyu’s bun and continued to mutter.
“…But I don’t know where He Amu got this butterfly hairpin. The Hu merchants didn’t have such beautiful and exquisite ones. I went with her that day, and I saw it all. I guess Amu bought it from the capital, right? The things in the capital are so good. It must be a place like heaven. Miss, you should have been to many places. Have you been to the capital?”
Xuyu looked at herself in the mirror: “No.”
She might have been there, but it must have happened before she was five years old, she had forgotten a lot of it, and still could not remember it completely.
Zhu’er lamented: “What a pity.”
Xuyu laughed: “Yes, it’s a pity.”
“But it doesn’t matter. When Miss and Master Pei get married, with Master Pei’s ability, he will be able to go to the capital and become a high official sooner or later. Then Miss can go too!” The kind little maid comforted her again.
At this time, another servant came to convey the master’s words, saying that after the young lady had finished getting ready, she would go to his place when she had time.
“Miss, you might as well put on some forehead ornament too.” Zhu’er said hurriedly, opening a square lacquer box on the table. The box was full of forehead ornaments in bright red, yellow, green and blue, with many different and innovative designs, including diamond-shaped flowers, phoenix tails, peach hearts and dew drops.
“The Hu merchant said these are the most fashionable forehead ornament in the capital. Do you like this one? It goes perfectly with this hairpin.”
Zhu’er picked up a butterfly-shaped red forehead ornament, held it in front of Xuyu and asked her to take a look.
The young lady had a beautiful set of eyebrows and eyes, but unfortunately, there was a scar on her forehead that looks like a small star, seemingly from an injury she sustained as a child. Although the scar was faint and small, no bigger than half a fingernail, it wasn’t until yesterday that Zhu’er noticed it while combing her hair by the window in the daylight. Normally, it wasn’t noticeable unless you look closely, but it did mar her appearance slightly. Ordinary powder might not completely cover it, which was a pity. Luckily, a forehead ornament could not only conceal the scar but also enhance her makeup, making it the perfect solution.
“No.”
Pei Ji asked her to take her time, but she didn’t want to keep him waiting for too long.
Xuyu immediately stood up from the dressing table, put on a moon-white silk blouse with narrow sleeves, and a long skirt with purple dots on a red background. These clothes were all prepared by He shi. Just as she was about to leave, Zhu’er, worried she might get cold, brought a complex yet exquisitely embroidered peacock-blue brocade shawl with intertwined branch and deer patterns. Xuyu draped it over her shoulders and hurried outside.