Thousand Verdant Mountains – Chapter 85 Part 1
Chapter 85 Part 1
The next day, Pei Ji left Cangshan and returned to the Eastern Capital.
This time, he came in the middle of the night and left in the early morning. During the time he stayed in between, he was extremely low-key. Apart from being summoned to accompany the emperor, he only met with Prince Ning and Cui Daosi a few times, either playing chess in the woods or visiting ancient temples. He rarely showed up in public, and never interacted with the people who accompanied the emperor to Cangshan.
The only exception was Prince Xin’an, Li Hui.
This young man was unlike others who, unsure of the emperor’s attitude toward Pei Ji, dared not approach him. As the saying goes, He who desires nothing stands firm. Without any reservations, he admired Pei Ji as a once-great luminary of the literary world, and with admiration for this former famous official, he often came to visit him with his own articles and asked for his advice. Pei Ji, aware that the young man was a disciple taken on by his nephew during his time in Chang’an, developed a fondness for him by association. Moreover, he appreciated the youth’s refined manners, humility, and eagerness to learn. Since Pei Ji had a lot of free time, naturally he would not refuse. The old and the young often met. In addition to discussing poetry and literature, they also traveled to various scenic spots in Cangshan together. By the time Pei Ji was set to depart, the two of them seemed to become friends despite their age gap. In addition to Zhao Zhongfang, who came by imperial order, Prince Ning, Cui Daosi and Pei Xiaoyuan, there was another person who saw him off, and that was Li Hui who was reluctant to part.
After Pei Ji left, by the end of Eight Month, marriage proposals arrived at Cangshan one after another.
Each family showed great importance to this marriage proposal, and the visitors were either of noble status or close family members.
For example, the envoy sent by County Prince Xiping Mansion was Shizi’s uncle, Xuanwei General and Yizhou Zhechong Commander, Li Dalu.
The people on Lantai’s side had both. Lady Buyeo of Bohai took the trouble to personally lead a team of nearly a hundred people to travel day and night.
This lady was Lantai’s eldest aunt, the elder sister of the current King of Bohai, who was once the regent and raised Lantai’s father. When the Holy Dynasty was in turmoil at the end of Jingsheng, it was during her regent period. She drove away the rebels who came attempting to sway her allegiance, and refrained from taking advantage of the turmoil, steadfastly adhering to the ceremonial duties of a vassal. Therefore, after Prince Ding ascended the throne, he canonized her as Lady Buyeo and gave her a fief of 5,000 households to honor her contributions. Now over fifty years old and long retired from governance, she should have been enjoying a peaceful and restful life. However, her role as the envoy for Lantai’s marriage proposal and her personal journey to the imperial court underscore the importance she placed on this matter.
The emperor naturally attached great importance to the arrival of Lady Buyeo. Not only did he hold a special welcoming banquet for her, but in the following days, the princess also often personally entertained the lady.
According to the reports submitted by the Ministry of Rites and the Bureau of Astrology, the Grand Archery Ceremony was set to take place on the ninth day of Ninth Month. The day before coincided with Lady Buyeo’s birthday, for which the princess personally hosted a celebration in her honor. Aware that the lady was fond of ancient Han people’s traditions, the princess specially arranged a banquet featuring the highest ceremonial standard of the ancient roasted feast. The banquet included the Tailao triad—beef, mutton, and pork—accompanied by fresh fish, plump rabbits, venison, and pigeons, along with other mountain and sea delicacies. These were seasoned with a variety of spices, roasted to perfection, and then presented to Lady Buyeo for her enjoyment.
On the day of the celebration, Cangshan basked in radiant sunlight, and the tranquil lake reflected a jade-like clarity. The princess chose a gently sloping grassy lakeside near Baoguang Pavilion to set up the banquet. She shared the main seat with Lady Buyeo, while the Grand Princess, County Princess Yucheng, County Princess Danyang, and other noblewomen and female officials were seated along the veranda. Musicians played music by the waterside, while the court performers sang birthday songs. The songs rippled on the water, gradually attracting flocks of red-billed gulls, mallards, and black-winged stilts. The birds danced and glided by the water’s edge, creating an enchanting spectacle. A host of skilled chefs and palace servants moved gracefully across the shore, serving fine wines and roasted meats, their figures weaving seamlessly in and out. The pearls and jade adorning the attending noblewomen sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight. Their laughter mingled with the music and the calls of the birds, drifting over the shimmering surface of the lake in a harmonious, resplendent scene.
Near Baoguang Pavillion, more than a hundred steps away from the banquet hall, on a deserted lakeside grass, a young man in guard uniform was lying on his back. His hands were behind his head, one leg was bent at the knee, the other leg was casually folded over his thigh, and the toes of his spotlessly polished black leather boots were raised high into the sky.
At this moment, he lay with his eyes closed, basking lazily in the sunlight with one leg crossed over the other. Listening to the faint music interspersed with the laughter of women floating from the other end, he remained motionless, looking lazy.
Suddenly, accompanied by faint rustling of footsteps on grass and the soft tinkling of jade ornaments tied to a skirt, someone approached quietly, their movements light and deliberate. The subtle fragrance emanating from her sleeves and skirt gently wafted into his nose, yet he showed no reaction, as though completely unaware.
The girl finally couldn’t bear it anymore. With a sudden stomp of her embroidered shoe, she kicked up a spray of dirt and grass, sending it scattering over the young man’s face and body.
He opened his eyes and met a pair of bright eyes that were looking down at him with a hint of anger. He brushed his face casually and then closed his eyes again.
The girl was Lu Wenjun. Seeing this, she raised her foot again and this time kicked him directly in the waist.
The young man opened his eyes again, frowned, and said unhappily: “County Princess, why are you coming to me instead of attending the banquet?”
“What am I doing? Ask yourself!”
Lu Wenjun snorted, turned her to looked around, raised her hand and pointed at the guards on duty in the distance, looming between the wooden shades of the long corridor by the lakeside. “Today, the princess is hosting a banquet for Lady Buyeo, and you’re supposed to be on duty. Instead of doing your job properly, why are you hiding here being lazy? Believe it or not, I will tell the Censorate and let them punish you for dereliction of duty!”
The young man was Chengping. He listened without moving and just stared at Lu Wenjun. A light blush gradually appeared on Lu Wenjun’s cheeks and fine sweat oozed from the tip of her nose.
“You barbarian! How dare you! Such insolence! If you dare look at me like that again, I’ll…I’ll…” Her tone was sharp and fierce, but as she spoke, her words faltered, and her cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red.
Chengping’s lips curved into a faint smirk as he drawled lazily: “County Princess is right, I am a barbarian. Not only do I dare to look at you like this, I also…” As he spoke, he suddenly hooked his previously outstretched leg and lightly tripped her at the knees. Caught off guard, Lu Wenjun lost her balance and fell forward, landing right against Chengping’s chest. He then turned over and pressed her under him.
Though Lu Wenjun was typically haughty and overbearing, this was the first time she had ever been so close to a man. When she realized what was happening, her face immediately turned red. She struggled a few times, but found that the man was pressing down on her like a mountain, making escape impossible. Not daring to shout, panic began to rise in her heart.
“What are you doing? Let me go!” She lowered her voice and shouted angrily.
“I’m telling you, County Princess Yucheng is nearby!”
Chengping acted as if he hadn’t heard her at all. Tilting his head slightly, he opened his eyes and studied her for a moment. Then, casually plucking a tiny star-like wildflower from the grass, he brought it to her quivering lashes and tickled them gently, letting out a low chuckle.
“County Princess, I’m not a good person. If you come to see me again, I won’t be so polite next time.”
He stared at the face of the girl beneath him, which became more and more beautiful because of indignation and embarrassment, and suddenly lowered his face towards her and spoke in a frivolous tone.
After hearing this, instead of responding with anger, Lu Wenjun unexpectedly calmed down. Her wide eyes stared up at him as he used the wildflower in his hand to brush against her face. Gradually, a faint sheen of moisture appeared in her lovely eyes.
Suddenly, she raised her hand and slapped Chengping in the face.
Caught off guard, Chengping took the blow squarely, his face snapping to the side in shock. For a moment, he froze in place, stunned.
“I just hate myself for being so blind to fall for a such shameless barbarian like you! Aren’t you competing for the princess tomorrow? Fine, go ahead! I hope you succeed, so I can finally give up on you!”
With a surge of strength, she shoved Chengping off her, forcing him to roll away. Scrambling to her feet, she brushed at her damp eyes. As she was about to leave, she still felt unsatisfied, so she raised her foot and delivered another fierce kick. This time, it struck a rib Chengping had previously broken in battle. He curled up and gasped in pain.
Li Wanwan, who was hiding nearby and watching out for Lu Wenjun, poked her head out and saw the whole entanglement between the two. Just now she was surprised, curious, and a little embarrassed, but now she felt extremely happy and could not help but open her eyes wide and stare.
Lu Wenjun suppressed the infinite shame and grievance that surged in her heart, shook off the few pieces of grass debris that were stuck to her skirt, then left the person on the ground without looking back.
Chengping rubbed his ribs, and when he recovered, he turned around and saw that Lu Wenjun had disappeared.
He sighed, and continued to lie on his back on the grass bank by the water, staring at the blue sky with a few clouds floating above his head. He fell into daze, lost in his thoughts, when he suddenly noticed a white-headed green falcon flying over the forest on the other side of the lake. It circled in the air for a moment, then suddenly dived down, with a fast and fierce speed, like an arrow shot from a bow, piercing the ground and disappearing in a continuous stretch of shadowy slopes formed by the forest and bushes.
A moment later, when its wings spread and its shadow came into Chengping’s sight again, it was already several miles away. The distance was too far to see clearly. Looking across the lake, the falcon looked like a black dot, slowly moving away.
Chengping’s eyes that were reflecting the light of the lake flickered for a moment. He immediately changed his lazy attitude, jumped up from the ground, called his followers, ordered them to bring horses, and took his bow and sword. Then he jumped on the horse and urged the horse to gallop forward along the lake for a while, crossed a bridge, and reached the other side.
He followed the shadow of a green falcon that appeared and disappeared in the sky ahead, and chased it all the way, through a wild forest, over a hill, and chased it for dozens of miles, completely leaving the palace behind. Only then did he finally catch up with Pei Xiaoyuan, who was hunting alone in the mountains with the green falcon.
The green falcon was originally a pet raised by Chengping. When its wings were fully spread, it reached three feet long. It was best at catching rabbits, mice and other living creatures running on the ground. At the beginning of the year, he went south and brought the green falcon with him. Later, he got tired of it and didn’t want to train it anymore, so he gave it to Pei Xiaoyuan to raise.
When Chengping found him, he saw Pei Xiaoyuan had left his mount Jinwuzhui by the edge of the stream. He was sitting on the opposite bank, drawing a knife, skinning a fat rabbit he had captured, cutting the meat into strips, and throwing them one by one to a green falcon that was standing on a nearby bush with its wings folded.
The green falcon nimbly grabbed the meat and was enjoying it when it suddenly saw its old master appear on horseback. It cooed a few times, then immediately flapped its wings, left the branch and flew towards him.
Chengping stretched out his arm to catch it, let the green falcon stand on his shoulder, stroked its shiny feathers, and after teasing it for a while, he slowly urged the horse to wade across the stream and came in front of Pei Xiaoyuan.
Pei Xiaoyuan knew that the green falcon was full and threw away the remaining rabbit meat. When he saw Chengping coming, he didn’t say anything and just washed the blood-stained knife with stream water.
“Hey!” Chengping leaned over and looked at Pei Xiaoyuan who was washing his knife with his head down, and made a sound of dissatisfaction.
“You galloped on your precious horse too fast. It was so hard for me to catch up with you! After Lord Pei left, you seemed to disappear. If I hadn’t seen my falcon today, I would not have been able to find you!”
He said, looking around.
This place was deserted and far away from the palace. As far as the eye could see, there were only lush mountains and forests.
“You’re in a good mood so you come here to hunt alone?”
He looked at Jinwuzhui again and saw that the saddle corner, which was usually used to suspend prey, was empty.
“Pei Er, you’ve been out for about a day, how come you haven’t caught anything?” He was a little surprised.
“The falcon has been locked up for too time, so I took it out to fly and let it spread its wings. I only encountered some grouse and hares on the way, nothing to hunt, so I just fed it.”
Chengping was speaking at length, but Pei Xiaoyuan only gave a single reply, not even lifting his head as he continued wiping down the knife he had just washed with a piece of softened deerskin.
Chengping curled his lips, and then catching sight of a heron flying across the sky, he sent the falcon after it. The green falcon flapped its wings and soared up. The heron had no chance to escape, and was quickly caught by the falcon.