Chapter 63: On a Clear Day Chapter 42: The Thatched Cottage, a Bitter Life for a Youth

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

Guo Shi left the Shao Fu's Jing Shi to visit the new Empress.

Rui Huanghou moved to Jiaofang Dian; from utensils and furnishings to palace maids and inner attendants, everything needed to be added, and a scene of bustling activity prevailed throughout.

Seeing Guo Shi arrive, Rui Huanghou, who was speaking with a palace maid, hurried over: "How can Middle Attendant Guo come in person……"

"Empress!" Guo Shi helplessly interrupted Rui Huanghou's words, smiling: "You are now the Empress, this place is Jiaofang Dian, Guo Shi is merely a slave; how could I dare let you use the words 'in person'? Isn't this deliberately humiliating this slave?"

Rui Huanghou smiled awkwardly: "This Imperial Mother has always been dull-witted, often speaking and acting inappropriately; henceforth I will still need Middle Attendant to remind me often……"

"Female Monarch, rest assured." Guo Shi's smile was intimate: "Your elder brother has already given instructions and admonitions; how could Guo Shi dare not be diligent?"

Rui Huanghou: "Troubling Middle Attendant to take such care……"

After Guo Shi left, Rui Huanghou brought her personal maidservant back to the Old Palace, saying she wanted to personally check if anything had been overlooked.

The palace staff found nothing unusual; Rui Huanghou came from a lowly background, was meticulous by nature, and had always cherished the objects around her.

Rui Huanghou returned all the way to her old residence, looked around thoroughly, then went to the Side Hall where the Xiwangmu statue was enshrined.

She walked behind the screen embroidered with the Laozi Riding an Ox diagram, lifted the hanging bamboo curtain, and saw that this tiny quiet room was already completely empty, leaving only a table and a cushion.

Rui Huanghou stared blankly for a moment; before long, a maidservant came hurrying over, bowed, and whispered a sentence to her.

Rui Huanghou let out a breath, nodded, and muttered: "As long as it went smoothly……"

When she returned to Jiaofang Dian again, heaven and earth were already filled with drifting twilight.

Rui Huanghou gazed at the tall pavilion standing quietly in the twilight, and the serene, composed face of Ling Empress from days past flashed before her eyes.

In the evening wind, a flower petal drifted down; Rui Huanghou watched that flying flower, imagining the scene of such a person, full of brilliance, leaping down from this tall pavilion. She suddenly trembled and shut her eyes tight, as if in fear, as if unable to bear it, and as if not daring to look straight at that bloody, fierce, resolute spirit.

The petal fell onto the palace tiles, then was immediately swept up by another gust of wind.

The news from the palace of the investiture of the new Crown Prince and Empress spread to the various prefectures and counties along with the third-month flying flowers.

By the time this flying-flower message reached Taoxi Township in the south, it was already early fourth month.

The peach blossoms in Taoxi Township had already shed from the treetops, revealing green, unripe peaches.

The youths of Taoxi Township had also shed their heavy winter clothes, revealing bodies and limbs burgeoning like willow bamboo.

Shaowei, having changed into a thin shirt, seemed to have grown taller all at once; on a clear fourth-month morning, she wore inner attire, let her hair down, and sat cross-legged on the bamboo couch doing her morning practice, eyes closed in meditation.

Bright morning light fell on her body, making her head of black hair gleam; Jiang Fu stretched lazily as he passed the window, saw this scene, and gave his evaluation: "Glossy and sleek."

This was originally a word used to describe animal fur; Shaowei immediately opened her eyes, about to retort, but Jiang Fu had already leisurely lifted his foot to go fiddle with herbs: "Someone's static sitting isn't focused; yesterday she still claimed she had cultivated to a state undisturbed by external things, that even if heaven collapsed and earth sank it wouldn't hinder her morning practice."

Shaowei gritted her teeth, but immediately closed her eyes again, fiercely reciting the Qingxin Mantra in her heart: 【Heart like clear ice, heaven collapses not startled! Myriad changes yet constant, spirit pleased, Qi calm!】

Jiang Fu gave Shaowei's growth condition the evaluation of "glossy and sleek"; the Zhou Family Couple's evaluation of Shan Gu's growth condition also had its own subtle thoughts——

The frail Shan Gu was already at the age of growing taller; after being so lavishly fed by the Zhou Family Couple, his growth was exceptionally gratifying; the couple was delighted, saying outright this child was like crops irrigated with heavy manure.

This evaluation was full of comfort, and also full of odor.

Shan Gu didn't speak much ordinarily, but did a lot of work; after finishing the Zhou family's work he still had to do the Jiang family's; his temperament was not docile, and as his body gradually became stable and robust, his original courage also slowly emerged.

He often had his own insistence, but the Zhou Family Couple felt this wasn't a bad thing; if they encountered something they really couldn't decide yet really wanted to decide, at worst they'd go find the Jiang family's little miss to make the call; that little girl would glare her eyeballs, and even the most stubborn dog bone would lose its temper, tuck its tail, shrink its head, squint its eyes, and busy itself obeying——truly verifying that saying, one monkey, one tethering method.

Over half a year passed; Shan Gu still addressed Shaowei as Benefactor; Shaowei's head ached from hearing it, especially when others were present, feeling even more like thorns in her back——finally, at Jiang Fu's proposal, Shaowei reluctantly allowed Shan Gu to call her A Jie once.

Since calling out this A Jie, Shan Gu's eyes became even more clear and obedient.

And being called this A Jie, though Shaowei didn't say it aloud, she also inexplicably felt an extra burden on her shoulders.

Under Shaowei's awe-inspiring might, Shan Gu was forced to learn to read; Shaowei's demand of him was not high, claiming that as long as he had one-tenth of this A Jie's literacy ability it would do, so he wouldn't become a muddleheaded fool and damage her prestige.

Besides reading, Shan Gu also learned martial arts following Shaowei; Shaowei's expectation of him was still "learning one-tenth of her ability is enough," so he wouldn't only be able to cry and beg for mercy when beaten, which would damage her prestige even more.

Through constant exposure, Qing Wu also learned quite a few characters and could casually cite some allusions. But she truly disliked practicing martial arts; Shaowei couldn't exert her awe on her, because Qing Wu was the A Jie; whoever is A Jie has the final say.

This day the sky was clear and bright; Shaowei and the others were again "drilling military tactics" by the river behind the house.

Shaowei served as Commander-in-Chief; Shan Gu was Vanguard General. Ji Jin was the enemy camp's Military Advisor, commanding tens of thousands of a great army represented by a pile of stones, holding Qing Wu hostage——Qing Wu's temperament was too quiet and compliant; she originally didn't want to participate in this killing-and-fighting game, but couldn't refuse Shaowei's invitation; she didn't like being a charging general, nor dared be a strategizing military advisor; sitting calmly in the enemy camp waiting to be rescued was a perfect two-birds-one-stone choice.

Shaowei first sent Zhan Zhan as a Scout; Zhan Zhan flew out and returned, flapping wings and crying loudly: "Great King, five steps ahead there is an enemy camp!"

Shan Gu immediately cupped fists and requested orders: "Commander, this Mo Fa proposes using a hundred light cavalry to fire-attack from the rear, disperse the enemy camp's forces, then take advantage of the chaos to penetrate deep into the enemy camp from the flank and rescue the hostage!"

Zhan Zhan snatched Shaowei's lines: "Good, very good!"

Since inadvertently exposing the secret of being able to speak human language before Ji Jin and the others, Zhan Zhan was now quite uninhibited before these three.

When Zhan Zhan was first discovered, Ji Jin and the others were extremely astonished; after Shaowei explained the stakes to them, the three immediately declared they would absolutely not leak Zhan Zhan's secret, lest Zhan Zhan be seized and taken away by someone.

To show sincerity, Shan Gu even swore on the spot: if he leaked it, let him never grow taller again.

This was a very powerful oath; with him taking the lead, the remaining two hurriedly followed suit.

Ji Jin's expression was firm, declaring: if he leaked it, let him never have books to read again, and never be able to become an official in this life——being an upright official like his father was the thing he valued most in his heart.

Qing Wu really wanted to surpass the previous two, so she steeled her heart and simply said: if she leaked it, let her skin fester and rot.

These words indeed had great force, drawing looks of admiration tinged with self-reproach from both Ji Jin and Shan Gu.

However, barely three days after this matter passed, Qing Wu suddenly broke out in a rash all over her face; she unconsciously scratched a few times in her sleep, and coupled with spring being extremely prone to external evil wind-rash, she didn't dare go out for two days, yet it worsened, accompanied by edema, red spots, and peeling flakes; her skin truly showed signs of ulceration!

Qing Wu cried until she nearly fainted; she made Ji Jin promise to explain to Shaowei on her behalf: Heaven can attest, she truly never leaked a single word!

Hearing this, Shaowei threw down the long staff she was sparring with Mo Li, and ran to see Qing Wu with rapid steps.

Seeing Shaowei, Qing Wu cried even harder; she demanded Shaowei absolutely believe she had not violated her oath.

Shaowei of course believed her ten thousand times over; upon asking, she learned Qing Wu actually still couldn't bear to throw away that lead powder; though not often used, combined with the dense spring pollen, the lead-powder erysipelas seized the chance to flare up.

Shaowei had learned some medical theory following Jiang Fu; Qing Wu obeyed Shaowei's instructions, took medicine and applied external ointment for five or six days, and the swelling and redness finally subsided.

Shaowei initially saw Qingwu with a red, swollen, wretched face, and was quite annoyed by it. She did not understand why Qingwu refused to heed her advice and insisted on applying that lead powder. Whether the skin was black, white, purple, or blue, what did it matter?

Muttering to herself for two days, on the morning of the third day, while Shaowei sat in stillness, a light green shadow suddenly flitted across her vision. She looked and saw a Spring Swallow gathering materials for its nest; it had even snatched a feather Zhan Zhan had dropped.

Looking at Zhan Zhan, also a bird, dozing on the back of the green ox.

Shaowei chuckled at Zhan Zhan in her heart, then fell into thought, her gaze falling on a short vat placed outside the window. The vat was not large, with several green lotus leaves floating on the surface, and two green turtles were kept inside.

At this moment, Shaowei's line of sight was blocked and she could not see into the vat at a glance, but she was very familiar with those two turtles. When Jiang Fu put them into the vat, they were almost the same size, but after raising them for a year or two, one was timid and ate little, always hiding, and now it was much smaller than the other.

Even turtles and fish that seemed to have no preferences or emotions could differ so greatly.

After finishing her stillness practice, Shaowei jumped off the Bed and ran to find Jiang Fu to ask her how to make non-toxic, harmless face powder.

Jiang Fu smiled faintly and told her to crush jasmine flower seeds, then add dried spices. The resulting powder would be fine and fragrant, but it had to be ground finely enough, which was truly a lot of work.

Shaowei considered herself strong as an ox and naturally did not take this small matter seriously, but once she actually started, she realized it was delicate work. She worked diligently for a full ten days, nearly becoming angry with embarrassment. Fortunately, she loathed herself for giving up halfway, so she suppressed her anger and gritted her teeth to grind for several more days, finally escaping this sea of bitterness smoothly.

Shaowei pressed those fine powders into the Silver Box. After pressing them firm, she was surprised to find that all her trouble had yielded barely half a box. Simply outrageous.

But she still followed Jiang Fu's proposal, using a Silver Needle to draw a pattern on top.

Shaowei drew a Mountain Shape. This mountain was high on all four sides, with a low, concave center.

After drawing it to her satisfaction, Shaowei used a Silver Spoon to flatten the powder surface, so that the Mountain Shape looked like a pattern pressed into it.

Shaowei originally intended to give this as a Birthday Gift to Qingwu, but Qingwu's birthday was in autumn, and spring had not yet ended. Every time she saw Qingwu, she felt anxious and restless. After feeling this way for several days, she finally sent it ahead of time.

Jiang Fu praised her delightedly—truly, a dog's nest cannot hide leftover buns.

After Qingwu received the item, Shaowei urged her to try it. Qingwu dug out a bit affectionately, mixed it with water, and gently pressed it onto her cheeks, unable to help but feel amazed.

Shaowei then "casually" revealed that she had made it herself. Qingwu was even more surprised, praising her for a long time.

Shaowei waited left and right, but Qingwu did not ask about the pattern, so she had to continue "casually" reminding her: "That pattern was also carved by me."

Qingwu looked at it carefully: "This is a mountain?"

Shaowei stood there, her expression faint: "High at the edges of the mountain land and concave in the middle is called a 'wu'."

Qingwu, sitting before the Mirror, was stunned. She did not praise anymore. She looked at the pattern carefully again, tears suddenly welled in her eyes, she sobbed once, and suddenly hugged Shaowei.

Shaowei, skilled at dodging and escaping, was startled, but inexplicably could not move at all. She even suspected Qingwu had secretly learned some formidable acupoint technique.

However, ten days later, Qingwu hesitantly asked Shaowei if she could make another box. The first box would damage the pattern every time she dug some out, and she was reluctant to use it... It would be nice if another box without any pattern could be made.

Shaowei returned home, looking at the small Medicine Mortar used for grinding medicine. She stood silently with her brows furrowed and hands on her hips for a while. Having lived two lives, she actually showed an expression of feeling her fate was bitter for the first time.

Qingwu, to express her gratitude—nowadays it would be more precise to say love—began to feed Shaowei more frequently. Various snacks appeared endlessly, and Mo Li felt a daily sense of joy as if chickens and dogs had ascended to heaven.

Knowing Shaowei worked hard grinding powder, besides snacks, Qingwu would also help Shaowei massage her shoulders and back while Shaowei read books and practiced writing in the Little House, occasionally offering tea and Preserved Fruit.

Ji Jin, sitting cross-legged opposite, had recited classics for Shaowei until his throat smoked. He looked at his own empty Tea Bowl, then looked at Shaowei sitting cross-legged on the Cushion, leaning against a table, with Qingwu massaging her shoulders while she chewed Preserved Fruit... Ji Jin also could not help but show an expression of somewhat bitter fate.

The youths in the Little House, even "bitter fate" was so bright and clear, just like the Small River flowing endlessly outside the Little House.

In the mortal world outside the Little House, there were many sounds of sorrow recently. From late March to early April, Ritual activities were seen everywhere.

The Son of Heaven worshipped Heaven gods and Earth gods, solemn and lofty, to pray for the protection of Heaven and Earth.

The common people offered sacrifices to the dead and missed the departed, with low and sorrowful grief, wishing the deceased could rest in peace.

Recently, when Shaowei went out, she often saw people mourning at graves. Shan Gu had once knelt at a crossroads facing north to burn clothes for the old woman, and also burned some herbs.

Shaowei, accustomed to observing and comparing people's behavior, subconsciously thought about it, but could not think of anyone she could offer sacrifices to.

If she had to name one, it might be Qin Fu, but Qin Fu had no grave, which was a great fortune. Otherwise, on some day when Shaowei was in a bad mood, she would probably not spare any effort to rush over and dig up a grave.

Because there were many sacrificial activities everywhere, almost no one went out at night. As the elders said, night was the time when wandering ghosts came to collect offerings. Yin and yang are separate; even if people of the yang world had a thousand thoughts of remembrance, they must not disturb the ghosts, otherwise they might very well be led away by the souls attached to them.

But Shaowei ran out of the house on this moonless night. Given her identity, such late-night wandering could be considered reasonable and as expected.