CXD - 31

After a morning of Mr. Kao’s evaluation of each group’s performance, he praised the collaboration between Jiang Zhiyi and Pei Zisong with the phrase, “Like hearing celestial music that momentarily brightens the soul.” He extolled their chemistry as being akin to “the mountains echoing in response to the valleys, wind rising as water surges,” truly a perfect match.

The combination of the ocarina and the guqin is rarely heard, but the mournful tone of the ocarina perfectly matched the mood of the piece composed by Mr. Kao—”Yu Boya Mourns Zhong Ziqi.” With this, Jiang Zhiyi and Pei Zisong undeniably earned the top spot.

A group of noble sons either flattered or envied them, saying that Pei Zisong must have accumulated good karma over eight lifetimes to earn the chance to perform with the princess. Seeing how Mr. Kao squinted his eyes and smiled at them, everyone almost outright said that they were a perfect couple, well-matched in talent and beauty.

The fact that the princess had entered the academy was already peculiar, and for some time, there had been speculation that she was here to find a husband. Thus, many young men had diligently attended classes daily, hoping that this stroke of luck might fall upon them.

Now it seemed clear: if anyone in the academy could catch the eye of the princess, it would indeed be Pei Zisong—born into a chancellor’s family, having passed the imperial examinations at a young age but choosing to abandon the pursuit of power and wealth to come to this academy, where he neither flaunted his talents nor acted arrogantly. Instead, he treated others kindly and lived humbly, appearing to fit well with the princess’s temperament.

At noon, a group of people huddled together discussing this matter. Suddenly, one person exclaimed, “Could it be that the princess came specifically for Pei Zisong? Otherwise, with so many people, how did she just happen to draw the one with the best talent and character?”

Someone else quickly recalled, “Now that you mention it, I remember that during the drawing of lots, Pei Zisong didn’t originally draw that stick—it was Shen Yuance who shook the lot tube…”

“… Are you suggesting that the princess wanted to be in a group with Pei Zisong, and Shen Yuance helped her? But are Shen Yuance and the princess close enough to help each other like that?”

“Exactly, that’s impossible! Haven’t you noticed how displeased the princess has been whenever Shen Yuance has been in the spotlight recently…” The group dismissed this conjecture after further discussion.

This did sound like an impossible guess, especially if Jiang Zhiyi was unaware of the inside story like the rest of them.

Outside the door, Jiang Zhiyi stood by the entrance, her eyelashes trembling as she took a deep breath. After a moment of silence, her expression hardened, and she turned to call Gu Yu: “I’m done studying. Let’s return to the mansion.”

During the coldest days of winter, when the temperature reached its lowest point, the young gentlemen of Chong Academy found it increasingly difficult to rise early. They noticed that the princess hadn’t appeared at the academy for several days, and attendance dwindled even further.

On this sunny afternoon, in the warm pavilion of Princess Shengye’s residence, Baojia looked curiously at the person lazily reclining on the chaise longue and remarked, “Today at noon, I encountered several young masters at my wine house asking if I had seen you recently. Why aren’t you going to the academy? I told them that with this freezing weather, our little Yongying wouldn’t let the cold winds touch her face. I thought I wouldn’t see you, but here you are.”

Jiang Zhiyi held a leisure book, glancing at it absentmindedly while biting into a piece of dried fruit that Gu Yu had brought to her lips. She chewed slowly, swallowed, then sipped some tea: “They’re quite bold to skip class and come to the princess’s wine house.”

“It’s not that,” someone explained. “I heard that today happens to be the academy’s holiday.”

Jiang Zhiyi paused in holding the book and, after receiving a questioning look from Baojia, lowered her head and murmured an acknowledgment.

Baojia observed her suddenly gloomy face and said, “In this cold weather, if you’ve left your golden cage, it must be for something important. What happened? Tell me.”

“It’s... not really a big deal,” Jiang Zhiyi cleared her throat, set down the book, and sat up a bit. “It’s like this, Elder Sister, I have a close friend—”

“Hmm?” Baojia blinked. “Besides me, is there anyone in Chang’an worthy of being your close friend?”

Jiang Zhiyi coughed lightly. “A new acquaintance.”

“Oh,” Baojia flicked her gauze sleeve and sipped her tea. “So it’s your new close friend who’s run into trouble?”

“Yes, the reason is that she has a lover she’s been secretly seeing for three years—”

“Pfft!” Baojia choked on her tea, covering her mouth and coughing. Cui Mei, who was attending nearby, quickly patted her back to help her recover.

Jiang Zhiyi stopped talking and watched her.

“It’s nothing,” Baojia coughed for a while and dabbed her lips with a handkerchief. “It’s just... three years is longer than I expected.”

“... Due to certain unavoidable reasons, they were separated for a long time and only recently reunited. In reality, the time they’ve actually spent together isn’t much.”

Baojia seemed to suppress her surprise and nodded. “Reuniting after a long separation should be a joyous occasion. What’s wrong?”

“It was supposed to be a happy occasion, but a few days ago, that lover suddenly became reluctant to pay attention to my friend. Not only that, but there was an event where my friend wanted to participate with him, and he deliberately gave the opportunity to another young master instead…”

“That’s quite excessive!”

Jiang Zhiyi sighed. “Yes, although it’s a small matter, it speaks volumes. Isn’t it equivalent to pushing her toward another man? My friend left without saying a word, thinking he’d come to explain later, but he hasn’t. Now my friend is upset and refuses to approach him again. Several days have passed like this…”

Baojia realized: “So that’s why you haven’t gone to the academy?”

“Exactly! You say today is their holiday, and yet he doesn’t come even though he’s free…” Jiang Zhiyi’s words trailed off as Gu Yu tugged her sleeve. She closed her mouth and looked up to see Baojia and Cui Mei exchanging amused glances.

Feeling her face heat up, Jiang Zhiyi swung her legs off the couch, slipped on her shoes, and walked out. “Forget it, forget it, no point talking to you all. I’m going back to the mansion!”

“Hey, don’t go!” Baojia quickly got up to stop her. “That day when the wine house opened, I heard your eldest cousin mention you and Shen Yuan Ce. I guessed there was no smoke without fire. I haven’t even scolded you for keeping a lover for over three years without telling me, and here you are getting all worked up?”

Jiang Zhiyi turned back and pouted. “I figured you’d probably guessed. It’s hard to bring up such matters, so I fabricated a story. Since you saw through it, why did you have to point it out?”

“All right, all right, little ancestor, it’s all my fault,” Baojia waved her hand, and Cui Mei quickly handed over a cup of tea. “Here, drink some tea to calm down. Don’t rush off. It’s just a lover. There are plenty of lovers in the world. If one leaves, we can replace them. Today, I’ll treat you with my ‘long-collected treasures.’ Let’s have some fun!”

As A Thousand Households' Lights lit up, the princess’s residence was alive with revelry, red lanterns glowing and music swirling.

Under the glazed tiles, the spacious warm pavilion was heated like spring by the dragon-shaped floor heater. The high platform above was laden with delicious food and fine wine. Jiang Zhiyi leaned against a low desk, holding a small white jade lotus leaf cup, her eyes mesmerized by the scene below.

In the center of the warm pavilion, two graceful, light-footed youths danced with swords to the rhythm of the music. Their sword flowers dazzled the eyes, and amidst the silver flashes, one suddenly tilted his sword tip, executing a powerful thrust.

“Bravo!” Jiang Zhiyi raised her cup from afar, her flushed face turning to Baojia. “No wonder these are your treasured collections, Elder Sister…”

“This is just sword dancing. There’s still archery, wrestling, and more. Over a dozen people are queued up to perform for you. Choose whomever you like and take them home. If you like them all, take them all.”

Jiang Zhiyi waved her hand drunkenly. “I’ll just watch. I won’t take what you cherish…”

Baojia shook her head. “These are merely entertainers invited for the banquet. They’re not my favorites. They’re here entirely for your enjoyment.”

“Oh, now I remember. Elder Sister likes those dressed in white robes, ethereal like immortals, with the scent of medicine on them!” Jiang Zhiyi’s eyes curved into crescents. “If that’s the case, then I’ll pick some…”

One elegant tune followed another, and the youths took turns performing to please the two mistresses. Even those wrestling rolled up their sleeves, revealing their muscular arms.

At first, Jiang Zhiyi dared not look directly and covered her eyes with her hands. After being teased by Baojia, who asked if showing a bit of arm was worth being shy about, she reluctantly lowered her hands.

Once she started watching, she became entranced. As she drank sake heartily, her drunkenness grew more pronounced, and the smile in her eyes deepened.

“Good, more!”

“How delightful, how wonderful!”

“These arms of yours are so strong. How did you train them…”

—When Yuan Ce arrived hurriedly, this was the scene he witnessed.

After a fast horse ride and a swift entry, he saw the princess’s servant mentioning that the princess was “in trouble,” only to find her utterly captivated, her face full of girlish charm as she stared at two shirtless men wrestling.

To be precise, it wasn’t just two men. A group of young men stood waiting, each tall and upright, dressed in black, hair tied high.

Had he not looked at their faces, he might have mistaken them for his elder brother’s twin siblings.

“…”

Yuan Ce stood rooted at the threshold, looking down at his unremarkable attire in this setting, then at Jiang Zhiyi, who was engrossed in watching the spectacle and hadn’t noticed his arrival. Finally, he turned to Baojia: “?”

“Princess—” Cui Mei bent down to whisper softly.

Baojia finally noticed the newcomer and looked at Yuan Ce, who was covered in frost and exuded coldness. “You’ve arrived so quickly!”

“Yes, yes,” Jiang Zhiyi giggled, pointing at the wrestling arena and resonating with Baojia. “This move came both swiftly and beautifully!”

Yuan Ce: “….”

Baojia chuckled behind her hand and patted Jiang Zhiyi’s hand. She pointed into the distance. “No, look who’s here?”

“Huh?” Jiang Zhiyi followed Baojia’s finger and widened her blurry eyes. “Oh, another newcomer! What’s he good at?”

Yuan Ce: “….”

“Is this the great matter that the princess urgently sent servants to my house for in the middle of the night?” Yuan Ce squeezed out a question through gritted teeth.

“How is it not?” Baojia confidently pointed at Jiang Zhiyi. “Look, she doesn’t even recognize General Shen Yuan Ce. Isn’t this a big deal?”

Jiang Zhiyi squinted her eyes, struggling to focus on Yuan Ce. “What general? Is this a general? I like generals! Let him show me his spear skills!”

“…” Yuan Ce fell silent and turned to leave.

“General Shen, please stay—” Baojia raised her hand, halting the music. All musicians and young men stopped neatly, bowed their heads, and filed out orderly.

Jiang Zhiyi was stunned. “Why did they all leave… Resume the music, resume the performance!”

“Wait a bit, there’s more for you to see.” Baojia reassured her, then walked to Yuan Ce’s back and looked at his silhouette. “General Shen says this isn’t a big deal. So what did you think could happen in my mansion, guarded by three hundred soldiers and symbolizing royal authority?”

Yuan Ce remained silent, his back turned.

“General Shen’s military prowess is legendary, but it seems even he can’t escape the hardest conspiracy to break in this world—anovert scheme,” Baojia sighed with a smile. “The princess’s maidservant has been sent back to the mansion. The princess will stay here alone tonight without anyone to attend to her. Whether you stay or go, General Shen, it’s up to you.”

As she spoke, Baojia, accompanied by Cui Mei, stepped out of the warm pavilion and glanced back at Yuan Ce, whose face was as still as water. “By the way, this—this is also anovert scheme.”

In the time it took Jiang Zhiyi to pour another cup of wine, the room was emptied.

“Why did Elder Sister leave too…” Jiang Zhiyi lifted her confused eyes, looked around, and gazed at Yuan Ce’s stiff, motionless back. “Can you play music and juggle spears by yourself?”

Yuan Ce closed his eyes, his brow furrowing tightly.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity without a response, Jiang Zhiyi placed her cup down unhappily. “How rude of you! I am speaking to you, General. Turn around!”

Yuan Ce pivoted on his boot heel and faced her, his gaze heavy. “Princess, after watching all evening, haven’t you had enough?”

“This is barely the beginning!” Jiang Zhiyi jerked her chin defiantly. “Are you refusing to perform for me?”

Yuan Ce turned his head away without answering.

“What did Elder Sister send you here for? If you don’t want to, then leave. I don’t like forcing people…” Jiang Zhiyi muttered and sighed, glancing at Yuan Ce standing far away like he was avoiding a plague. She surveyed the deserted room, picked up the wine jug listlessly, and staggered down the platform step by step. “No one’s here to keep me company, so I’ll amuse myself…”

Before her words faded, she tripped, letting out a startled cry as she fell face-first toward the ground.

Out of the corner of her eye, a black shadow darted forward in a single stride. In the blink of an eye, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, and Jiang Zhiyi, eyes tightly shut, collapsed completely.

A muffled groan escaped the man.

Jiang Zhiyi’s heart pounded wildly, but she didn’t feel any pain. She peeked through a slit in her eyelids, astonished to see the wine jug in her hand hadn’t spilled a drop. She then looked at the face beneath her, brows knitted tightly, and blinked slowly. “Hmm, you look… like one of my brothers!”

“I am not your brother.” Yuan Ce inhaled deeply, restraining himself. “…You are my ancestor.”