Chapter 256: Encountering a Clear Day Chapter 232: Returning to Another Home

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Shaowei

Liu Qi

Watching the figure pass before his eyes, Ji Jin felt a bolt of lightning named "I remember" strike his mind.

He remembered: this familiar voice had praised him, questioned him, and rewarded him in the Weiyang Palace hall half a day ago.

Because he had been too nervous, back then he had focused entirely on the words themselves, knowing nothing of the voice's owner's face—first, because he observed the etiquette of not rashly gazing directly, and second, because the crown prince's crown, symbolizing majesty, had concealed the true countenance above... Thus, though they had met, he had truly only heard the voice without seeing the person.

But, but... how could the crown prince of Weiyang Palace suddenly appear here as the uncle of a child who loved to rub the floor? And be summoned over by Jiang Sister's single "come here"? Even in the hall, no one rose to welcome him, and that noble slave's complexion was actually three shades paler than the wine Jiang Sister had repeatedly diluted with water in the past...

Such a strange, disjointed scene momentarily exceeded Ji Jin's understanding; in his confusion and bewilderment, he repeatedly recalled and confirmed that no song jun gu had appeared on today's food table.

Ji Jin still held the jade pendant in his hand, watching wide-eyed as that figure sat down beside Jiang Sister at the food table to his upper right, turning slightly to face him—the only one in the hall with an expression of shock—and raising a hand to make a movement that would shock him even more.

Under this immense terror, Ji Jin snapped back to his senses, hurriedly saluted, and bowed down: "Commoner... subject Ji Jin pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince! Jin did not recognize Your Highness's arrival and committed many offenses, which is great disrespect; please, Your Highness, punish Jin!"

The two food tables were only a step apart; at this moment, as Ji Jin bowed upward in salute, Liu Qi insisted on clasping his hands in salute, then leaned over to support Ji Jin's shoulder and arm.

"We did not truly meet in the hall today, so it is normal not to recognize each other in private," Liu Qi said. "Ji Shaoshi is a meritorious subject of Great Qian in public, and Shaowei's friend-brother in private; how could Liu Qi blame him for rudeness?"

Ji Jin trembled slightly as he straightened, meeting a pair of sincere smiling eyes. He had heard the Sixth Prince was wayward and decisive, and after ascending to the Crown Prince Position his methods were strong and overbearing, yet he never expected to see such a harmless-looking smiling face now.

Raising his eyes another inch, Ji Jin saw Jiang Sister, seated at the same table and whose figure and gaze had been blocked, gripping the edge of the food table before her with both hands, leaning forward from the front to poke out a head, turning her face to him, slightly lifting her chin and raising her eyebrows and eyes, gesturing that he need not panic or be uneasy.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your magnanimity..." Ji Jin calmed slightly and chose his words: "Now I have the fortune to observe you up close; from now on, this subject will never again fail to recognize Your Highness."

In the corner of his eye, he saw Jiang Fu drinking Xiejiu Tang; Ji Jin felt that soup was merely inferior, while the true supreme hangover cure had already been consumed by him, and now he was sober to the extent of high noon.

Liu Qi smiled at him amiably; above, Jiang Fu put down the Xiejiu Tang bowl and said with a smile: "Only some leftover scraps and cold wine remain; it is we who should beg Your Highness not to take offense."

As he spoke, he rose unhurriedly: "Drunkenness may lead to improper words and deeds; I shall take my leave first and excuse myself."

This sounded absurd, but it won Shaowei's approval; the household slaves rose with him, nodded to Liu Qi as the most complete courtesy, and left together with the smiling Jiang Fu, who departed with a composed air.

As the elder sister Head of Household left drunk, Ji Jin nervously wondered whether he should have the kitchen prepare another table, when he heard Jiang Sister on the upper side utter terrible words: "You eat this first; this was originally cold, the taste hasn't changed."

Liu Qi, already holding a pair of clean bamboo chopsticks, nodded and said "Good," following Shaowei's advice to pick up the braised cold dish.

He was busy with affairs; this time Shaowei had not invited him, and since their relationship changed, they got along more freely; Liu Qi would come running whenever he had time, and today, because it was truly late, he had missed the start of the meal.

Simply eating the remaining cold dishes was not truly feeding him with sincerity, so Shaowei asked quite properly: "Are there still dumplings, mutton-filled; do you eat them?"

Liu Qi puffed one cheek slightly, eyes smiling as he nodded to her: "I eat."

Shaowei then looked at Xiao Yu: "Go."

"Yes!" Xiao Yu ran quickly to find Mo Li.

Liu Qi soon ate most of the plate of cold dishes; when he was by Shaowei's side, his appetite was always good, and everything tasted fragrant.

Shaowei liked watching him eat things, and could thus obtain emotional feedback from feeding him.

This person was easy to feed; whether it was a piece of rice cake, half a plate of roasted chestnuts, or a meat cake heated on the stove, whatever Shaowei left for him, he could eat it clean and spotless; his stomach was full, Shaowei's heart was satisfied, and she became all the more addicted, always liking to leave some things for him in case he came to mooch food.

A large bowl of steaming soup dumplings was soon brought in by Deng Hu.

Xiao Yu did not find Mo Li; the stove house was left empty and unattended, so Deng Hu acted on his own; halfway through, he was possessed by a greedy insect, and when he came to his senses, he had driven fifty or sixty plump dumplings into the boiling water of the hot pot, serving out two full large bowls.

After bringing one bowl to Your Highness, Deng Hu hurried back to the stove house, picked up the other bowl, squatted outside the stove house, and shamefully began to eat.

Ji Jin in the hall, after deep consideration, had risen to take his leave.

He truly had no experience of personally accompanying the crown prince at a meal or participating in such intimate and important matters; after his circumstances changed, on the journey back to the capital, he had indeed had daydreams of further advancement, imagining that one day he might have the chance to be near the emperor or crown prince, but he never expected it to come so quickly; he had not yet made the corresponding psychological preparations, nor accumulated sufficient credentials...

Taking his leave was out of caution, and also because he felt sitting here idly was somewhat redundant and an eyesore.

Ji Jin retreated to outside the hall, only to see Zhan Zhan flying in while shouting loudly; Ji Jin feared it would be rude and offend, and cried out in his heart, "Zhan Zhan, do not be rude," reaching out to catch and stop it, but failed.

He watched helplessly as Zhan Zhan flew at the food table, swept past before the crown prince; the crown prince skillfully leaned back to dodge, and after Zhan Zhan flew past, he continued eating.

"..." Ji Jin left silently, stepping down the stone steps.

But then he saw Mo Li in front of the stove house, questioning the crown prince's guards: "How did you all greedily eat up all the dumplings?"

Ji Jin cried out in his heart, "Mo Li, do not be rude," but saw the guard lightly shift his feet, half-turn his body, avoid Mo Li's incredulous gaze, and while burying his head in eating, propose a compensation strategy: "Later I will send half a sheep over; roasted mutton, mutton soup."

Mo Li: "When is 'later'?"

"Another day."

"Which day is 'another day'?"

"... Tomorrow then."

Mo Li responded "Good," and immediately ran to prepare the roasting furnace and charcoal.

This scene gave Ji Jin a feeling that everyone in the household seemed to be causing trouble, but in fact there was no need for him to patch things up at all.

His own flustered state was largely because he had missed too much and was still accustomed to treating everything before him with established, simple ideas and perspectives.

Ji Jin calmed down further, and while seriously thinking, saw Qing Wu coming over, so he stepped forward to welcome her into the corridor.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince has come to the mansion," Ji Jin said in a very low voice; "A Jie, does she know that Your Highness the Crown Prince he..."

Meeting Ji Jin's gaze, Qing Wu pressed her lips for a moment, then quietly gave him a crash course: "Your Highness the Crown Prince and Jiang Sister have shared life and death many times; he is the crown prince Jiang Sister chose for this world, Xiao Yu's biological uncle, and also the consort Jiang Sister selected..."

She spoke softer and softer, the last two words very blurred; Ji Jin for a moment did not hear clearly—consort what?

"Consort," Qing Wu repeated, blushing.

Ji Jin suddenly widened his eyes and stiffly turned his head toward the hall gate.

Ji Jin's gaze could only reach the hall gate; he could not see Liu Qi in the hall, who had paused his chopsticks after eating more than half a bowl of dumplings in one breath, and asked softly: "Shaowei, why do I not have the gentleman jade you gave? Is it because I am not a gentleman?"

His hearing was not as good as Shaowei's, but could be considered excellent; Shaowei was combing the molted winter feathers for the help-seeking Zhan Zhan, and upon hearing him ask this, she looked at his waist: "Gentleman jade qi is cultivated by yourself; if you change to become a gentleman, perhaps one day you could turn this jade into the gentleman jade Jiang Fu spoke of."

Liu Qi sighed: "But it was not given by you; is it not lacking a bond?"

"But Ji Jin's piece was also picked up by me," Shaowei said, staring wide-eyed for a moment in surprise, but also fairly and squarely satisfying him: "Then you discard this jade here, pretend not to know, and after some time I will return it to you."

She was so serious that Liu Qi, who had only been joking casually, couldn't help but laugh: "There's no need; tonight you've already given me a sea-bowl of fine jade."

He said, picking up a dumpling: "Look, this dumpling is shaped like half a bi disc, colored like a newly carved yuan, its skin clear as mutton fat over snow, its pleats fine as Kun steel carving ice—how is it not fine jade?"

Finishing, he smiled with narrowed eyes, put the dumpling into his mouth, faced Shaowei, nodded, and wore a look of complete satisfaction.

Shaowei made a "tch" sound, continuing to groom Zhan Zhan, the two shoulder to shoulder, sharing matters both important and trivial.

"The apricot blossoms at Jiaofang Dian are blooming well; shall we go see them together tomorrow?" Liu Qi asked.

"My garden has many apricot blossoms too; Jiang Fu went to see them yesterday." Shaowei said: "If you want to see them, eat quickly; I'll take you to see them later, and I'll shake some down for you."

Liu Qi couldn't understand: "Shake what down for me?"

"Apricot blossom petals." Shaowei: "Last night Jiang Fu stood under the tree, and I shook them for her for a long time."

Liu Qi couldn't help but laugh: "You've just returned to the capital and are already doing such hard labor; then tonight it should be my turn to shake them for you."

"Then let us shake them for each other." Shaowei was persuaded into interest, urging: "Eat quickly."

The two busied themselves with extremely childish matters; Qing Wu and Ji Jin, walking slowly and talking, reached the apricot tree first.

After hearing from Qing Wu some things he had missed, Ji Jin stood under the tree, and ten thousand thoughts finally became a single sigh: "How greatly worldly affairs change, A Jie; in the past, how could we ever have dared to imagine all of this today."

"Yes, even now it still feels like a dream..." There was some moved tear-light in Qing Wu's eyes, but it was ultimately joy and gratitude; she turned to look at Ji Jin, wanting to say something, but seeing him tilt his head to gaze at the flowers, she for a moment simply watched him quietly.

She and A Jin had always been close family; during the days apart, they had too much worry and longing for each other, dreaming only of reuniting quickly.

Yet upon closer observation now, A Jin was still A Jin, but also greatly changed; traces of growth were visible from outside to within, like a tree gradually extending and standing tall.

Qing Wu felt relieved, yet a thread of indescribable bewilderment coiled in her heart.

When Ji Jin withdrew his gaze and turned to look at A Jie, he saw A Jie raising her head to gaze at the moon.

Ji Jin then smiled and looked at that waning moon, speaking gently: "A Jie, now we have a good home."

He would strive to protect this home; and today, upon learning that Jiang Sister had chosen such a partner, though he was still in surprise and reaction at this moment, his future standing and belonging in officialdom had already become exceedingly clear.

Moonlight reflected in Ji Jin's eyes; he held a heart of kindness and love, and cherished the ambition of walking among the clouds.

The two, Junior Historian Ji and Cavalry General, who already had their standing and belonging in their hearts and were old acquaintances of Marquis Ling Shu, had their story spread among the capital's nobles within just five or six days.

This also caused some slight ripples; people, belatedly aware, couldn't help but wonder what sort of treasure land these youths came from, to have nurtured so dense a group of young marvels and talents; it was said that the family child who had once held the Liang Prince hostage also came from the same source.

Upon curious inquiry, however, an answer emerged that moved many—the place called Taoxi Township happened to be right beside the Nan Commandery mountain collapse.

Back then, the Nan Commandery mountain collapse spanned dozens of li; the common folk all said it was Marquis Chang Ping incarnate... Could the nurturing of that treasure land be the protection of heroic spirits who once cared for and pitied the living beings of the world, watching from the unseen?

The prophecy of heavenly secrets emerging had originally accompanied the downfall of the Ling clan; under such cause and effect, another thought of the Cavalry General named Shan Gu—Shan Gu being the rock of the mountain; Marquis Chang Ping's death was like a mountain crumbling, and who knew whether that youth could be seen as a continuation of a thread of the state's generals?

Since Marquis Chang Ping's wrong had been cleared, such various sayings could no longer be forbidden; amidst these fragmented sounds born of remembrance and lingering on, Chang'an received a drizzling spring rain like tears.

The rain stopped, the sky still overcast; on the eve of the second day of the second month's sacrifice, the Ling clan's two cases, investigated for over a hundred days, finally came to rest, and the pardon edict was formally read in Weiyang Palace's Main Hall.

The one proclaiming the edict was Guo Yu; his voice was clear and forceful, carrying a barely perceptible tremor; every character on the pardon edict he read flew out clearly and gracefully, flew out of the great hall, spread beyond the capital, imprinted itself in every person's mind, and echoed repeatedly.

Until the sacrifice at Shen Ci the next day, the ministers still felt the proclamation's voice in their ears, accompanied by the drumming on the altar and the shamans' chanting, as if between heaven and earth they had merged into a special spell.

The formless spell, under the great shaman's dance in black robe and red robe, seemed to intensify; when the great shaman god began to spin, the lesser shamans scattered like black clouds, and the black clouds above the sky also scattered in an instant; a streak of dazzling light broke through the thick clouds, and finally shed clear light.

The great shaman god spread his arms, spun, and faced upward; the heavenly light fell upon the golden mask, and Liu Qi also quietly gazed up at that streak of light.

With the wind, the snow-white apricot blossoms knocked down by the spring rain drifted lightly, as if they were unmelted snowflakes fallen from that crack of light.

The second day of the second month, the Dragon Raises Its Head; all people also raised their heads to look up.

Several apricot blossoms twined around the great shaman god's fluttering sleeves, swayed, and drifted away.

Light petals fell upon a child's bright red nose tip; Xiao Yu stood under the apricot tree, tilting her head to seriously watch a pair of returning swallows.

Two swallows circled and danced; a thousand li beyond the distant divine sky, before a house at the foot of Shan Jiao, apricot blossoms were also seen whirling; a youth in gray-white Daoist robes gazed at the sky full of flying flowers, and one drifted into the house's window, landing on a bamboo slip being written with upright characters.

The Daoist-robed woman copying the Taoist Scripture paused her brush for a moment, did not brush away the petal, moved her brush tip downward, and left that patch of clear white empty.

A tender hand fell upon the petal, gently plucked it from the nose tip, held it in her hand, and looked at it seriously.

Xiao Yu, in a daze, had light and steady footsteps treading upon apricot blossoms approaching.

"Let's go, go home." Shaowei extended a hand; her crisp voice carried some common air: "I can take you to see another home."

Xiao Yu shed two tears, ran over, tightly grabbed the Young Master's hand, and was led by the Young Master in large strides away from the snowing apricot tree.

?? Thank you all for your precious monthly tickets, rewards, and comments~ Good night!

? (No update on 12.14, because the content written was unsatisfactory, don't wait, don't wait T_T)