Chapter 786: The Spindle [Thank You! Again! 36K Chapters Owed]

Seeing the rearing beast,

everyone around couldn’t help but cry out in surprise.

The viewing pavilion of the Zhongshan Marquis Sha family grew even more chaotic.

A Sha family youth, scrambling to flee, stumbled to his feet and accidentally kicked a glowing coal toward the Sha family girl who had collapsed in fright.

Today, the Sha family girl had draped herself in a sheer gauze shawl for beauty,

and as the burning coal landed,

“whoosh,”

the flammable shawl ignited instantly, bursting into flames.

Fortunately, the girl’s maid reacted swiftly, hurling the shawl aside—otherwise, the fire might have caught her fur coat and hair.

This sudden incident,

ironically, turned misfortune into fortune,

as the elephant’s eyes instantly reflected the glowing coals near the brazier and the sudden flames on the shawl.

Fire was something the elephant feared.

Under the combined shock of pain and flame, the elephant ceased its frenzy, lowered its front hooves, swung its trunk, and resumed its path toward Nanxun Gate.

Though the elephant’s commotion was dramatic, it lasted no more than five or six breaths.

After a brief disruption, the procession returned to normal,

yet all the onlookers in the viewing pavilions along the route turned their gazes toward the Sha family’s pavilion.

The next six elephants passed in sequence, temporarily blocking Chai Zhengzheng’s view.

When Chai Zhengzheng could see the Sha pavilion again, the maid was lowering her head, covering her cheeks.

Before Chai Zhengzheng could question why the maid was covering her face, she got her answer: the Sha family girl had slapped the maid again.

The maid now held both hands to her cheeks.

“What is the Marquis Sha’s daughter doing?” Chai Zhengzheng muttered, confused.

Amid the music of Junrongzhi, Zi Teng leaned over and whispered, “Miss, I heard the Sha girl loved that shawl—she’s probably furious it burned.”

“But if the maid hadn’t acted, her hair and face might have been burned!” Fu Yi frowned. “If her face is ruined, no shawl or gown will matter!”

Hearing this, Chai Zhengzheng watched the Sha pavilion’s frantic efforts to extinguish the fire and shook her head.

Around the road, other prominent families’ viewing pavilions buzzed with murmurs, glances occasionally flicking toward the Sha pavilion.

Not far away, Wu Dainiang, having watched the whole scene, held her hand warmer and shook her head to her two daughters-in-law: “A girl frightened by an elephant is understandable—it’s only natural.”

“But to slap the maid who saved her—that’s a sign of being unjust, heartless, and cruel.”

“She’ll have a hard time finding a good match from now on.”

Wu Dainiang’s eldest concubine-son’s wife smiled. “Mother, it will be difficult, but the Sha family will surely find an excuse.”

Wu Dainiang nodded, turning to her eldest son Liang Xu’s wife. “Do you agree with your sister-in-law?”

“Yes, Mother. I think the Sha family will say the girl was so terrified she lost her wits and acted rashly.”

After Liang Xu’s wife spoke, Wu Dainiang smiled in satisfaction.

Liang Han, seated nearby, raised an eyebrow with amusement.

Then Wu Dainiang gazed into the morning light and noticed Rong Feiyan, leaning out of her pavilion, lost in thought, not far across the way.

In the Rong family pavilion,

Rong Feiyan watched the elephant’s retreating form, deeply moved.

“Xi Bu, is that how Brother fights in the south—with beasts like this?” Rong Feiyan asked softly.

Xi Bu, also watching the elephant, nodded. “Yes, Miss. I’ve heard the Yi and Jiaozhi people train elephants—we’ll face them on the battlefield.”

Hearing this,

Dou Shi blinked, her eyes filled with worry.

The Marquis of Fuchang’s wife’s gaze grew heavy with concern.

Rong Feiyan nodded. “Yes, it does look terrifying.”

“Miss, though the elephant is huge, Second Brother wrote in his letter that it fears fire and our crossbows—you needn’t worry too much.”

After Xi Bu spoke, the Marquis of Fuchang’s wife’s worry lessened slightly.

On the other side, Ning Xiang leaned close to Rong Feiyan’s ear. “Miss, Wu Dainiang is watching us!”

Rong Feiyan turned quickly, met the Liang family’s gaze, and bowed her head with a polite smile.

Liang Han, seated beside Wu Dainiang, watched Rong Feiyan—her adorable ear muffs, delicate features, and skin glowing pale—wondering if he should compare her to Chun Ge.

But just thinking it, he shook his head.

There was no comparison.

In the Rong family pavilion,

the Marquis of Fuchang’s wife glanced toward the Zhongshan Marquis Sha pavilion and asked, “Yan’er, why did the elephant head toward the Sha pavilion?”

Rong Feiyan shook her head. “Mother, I don’t know. Perhaps the Sha siblings’ clothing had colors that attracted the beast?”

The Marquis of Fuchang’s wife: “Possibly.”

As they spoke,

a clatter of hooves approached,

the Imperial Guard cavalry, clad in fine armor and bearing colorful banners, rode in from the south.

Behind them came the Emperor’s imperial carriage, surrounded by eunuch attendants.

As the Emperor’s carriage passed each viewing pavilion, everyone inside rose, clasped hands, and bowed deeply.

Behind the carriage followed the court officials, mounted on horses.

Once the tail of the imperial procession passed,

people from all the pavilions left their seats, climbed into their carriages, and prepared to follow the procession into the city.

Rong Feiyan stood beside her family’s carriage, glancing toward the distant Xu family, and said, “Mother, Sister-in-law, I won’t go to see the imperial pardon at Xuande Gate.”

The Marquis of Fuchang’s wife nodded. “Very well—it’s only pardoning minor offenders; there’s no need to watch.”

On the return journey to the capital,

ladies and young mistresses who were close or related often smiled and chatted through their carriage windows, making tea and gathering plans.

The young masters who didn’t mind the cold made plans to visit the bustling markets and play games of chance.

After passing the slightly congested Nanxun Gate, they returned to the city.

Whether from psychological effect or not, Xu Zaijing felt that as soon as they entered the city, the air suddenly grew much warmer.

After chatting with Liang Han beside him, a clatter of hooves came from behind—he turned to see Chang Bai riding up.

“Chang Bai, why aren’t you in the carriage?” Xu Zaijing smiled.

Chang Bai patted the fine steed beneath him. “If I don’t ride, it’ll forget me.”

Liang Han nodded. “Sheng Er, you’re always cooped up at home—reading or writing. Don’t you get tired?”

Chang Bai smiled. “What’s tiring about reading and writing?”

Liang Han shook his head, baffled. “The moment I see text, drowsiness crawls into my bones—I can’t even read two pages without collapsing! Horseball, clubball, and cuju are far more lively.”

Chang Bai, hearing this, was equally puzzled.

Liang Han continued: “Sheng Er, after the New Year, I’ll ask Mother to wrap the horseball court in felt, light charcoal stoves, lower the goals, and make a quarter-sized field.”

“Then you can ride over often—you’ll grow close to your horse naturally.”

“And noble ladies from the capital will come to watch. Who knows? You might even find a match.”

Chang Bai smiled, glancing back at the distant Sheng family carriage. “I think my third brother would love that.”

As they spoke, they crossed the inner city moat, passed through the Zhuque Gate arch, and entered the inner city.

Not far north of the inner city wall, beside the street, stood a two-story wooden building—the famed Tang family gold and silver jewelry shop of Bianjing.

As Xu Zaijing passed, his gaze casually swept over and noticed a familiar, luxurious carriage parked at the door.

Looking past the carriage roof toward the shop’s second floor, Xu Zaijing saw a narrow slit open in the window.

A face, wrapped in fluffy ear muffs, was scanning the street, as if searching for something.

Moments later,

Xu Zaijing locked eyes with Rong Feiyan on the second floor.

In that single glance, he saw in her eyes: anticipation, delight, surprise, panic, and shyness.

Realizing she’d met his gaze, Rong Feiyan quickly looked away—but only for an instant, then she looked back.

Seeing he was still watching, she nervously raised the jewelry in her hand, pretending to examine its quality.

When she finally lowered her gaze from the jewelry and gathered courage to look up again, she saw only the retreating backs of Xu Zaijing’s party.

The brightness in Rong Feiyan’s eyes dimmed slightly, tinged with melancholy.

As Xi Bu opened her mouth to speak, she noticed a carriage among those passing below had drawn back its curtain.

“Miss, look—Sheng’s sixth daughter is waving at you!”

Rong Feiyan’s face lit up. She turned quickly and saw Minglan and Rulan, curtains drawn back, waving at her.

Minglan pointed at the jewelry shop’s carriage but said nothing.

“Miss, it seems Sheng’s sixth daughter recognized our carriage,” Ning Xiang said.

Rong Feiyan smiled.

After the Sheng family carriage moved on, Rong Feiyan handed the jewelry to Xi Bu. “Take it home.”

Perhaps the Emperor’s sacrifice had taken effect,

The day after Winter Solstice,

the sky turned gloomy,

silvery-gray clouds completely obscuring the sun.

Though no wind blew, stepping outside made one feel bitterly cold.

At noon, dark clouds drifted in from the north,

and after a gust of northerly wind,

snow pellets began to patter down,

gradually growing into snowflakes the size of soybeans, then by afternoon into goose-feather flakes.

The classroom at Sheng Family Academy was dim, so though it was still early, candles had already been lit.

Whether he liked snowy days or worried about the people’s hardship in winter, Master Zhuang had stood by the window since the snow began, watching the scene outside.

Suddenly,

as if remembering something, Master Zhuang turned and glanced toward Chang Zhen’s seat.

Seeing Chang Zhen stretch out his small hand to shield the flickering candle flame, Master Zhuang smiled and closed the window before him.

Turning back to the students in the candlelight, Master Zhuang said with his hands behind his back: “Enough for today! The weather is poor and still snowing—dismiss early.”

At once, everyone rose and replied, “Yes, Master.”

On the way home,

the snow still fell, but much lighter now.

Xu Zaijing rode Ma Er wrapped in a heavy cloak, gazing at the mottled black-and-white road.

Since winter began, there had been no heavy snow; the sun’s warmth kept the ground temperature tolerable.

Seeing the ground covered in snow, the bottom layer had already melted, leaving black footprints wherever people or animals stepped.

Often, snowmelt would soak into shoes, and the cold wind made feet ache.

If not cleared, overnight the snowmelt on the ground would freeze solid.

Along the way, some households had taken advantage of the light snow to sweep in front of their own doors, mostly just clearing their own thresholds.

Those who swept for neighbors usually did so to build snow lions using molds.

One could also see groups of children from the capital wearing mismatched ear muffs, wielding snow tongs to gather snowballs and play snowball fights.

When Xu Zaijing and his elder brother reached Quyuanjie, they saw two lifelike snow lions standing before the clean entrance of Hou Fu.

Entering the riding ground,

Xu Zaijing looked at Yin Bo emerging from the wooden hut and asked: “Master, where are Lan and Xunshu?”

Yin Bo rasped: “They took the servants to clear snow and visited old Hou Fu estates nearby, checking for heavy snow on rooftops and helping to clear them so the roofs wouldn’t collapse.”

“Hmm! Excellent! They deserve an extra month’s stipend.”

In the days after the snow,

as the twelfth lunar month arrived,

the melting snow made the weather colder than before.

When Xu Zaijing donned his armor in the morning, it felt like draping himself in an ice cloak—the chill seeped straight through the fabric.

Sometimes, riding in the morning, exposed parts of his face froze painfully in the wind.

When practicing archery, one had to carefully “warm up” the powerful bows; a single misstep could easily damage them.

That day,

before the wooden hut on the riding ground,

beside the lantern,

“Thud.”

The heavy steel spear butt was driven into the frozen earth.

Xu Zaijing dismounted, his armor faintly steaming; beside him, the young mare Ma Er also exhaled white vapor.

Yun Xiang smiled and handed Xu Zaijing a warm water gourd; Lan and Qingyun hurried to remove the saddle and bridle from Ma Er, then draped her with a sweat-absorbing, insulating blanket.

A sip of warm water filled his belly, and Xu Zaijing exhaled in relief.

Yun Xiang, watching Xu Zaijing’s hand holding the gourd, sighed: “Young Master, take off your gloves.”

“Huh? Why?” Xu Zaijing asked, puzzled.

Yun Xiang gestured: “The stitching’s come loose again.”

Xu Zaijing turned his palm over, inspecting the blade-edge area—his rabbit-fur gloves now revealed bare skin.

He skillfully removed the gloves and tossed them to Yun Xiang: “Next time you three sew gloves, stitch tighter. Don’t keep making such shoddy work.”

Yun Xiang showed no sign of defeat at being scolded, only shrugged and nodded: “Yes, Young Master.”

Then, holding the gloves, Yun Xiang sighed mournfully to them: “Alas! You’re born at the wrong time! Others use you for a whole winter; Young Master uses you for one day! What bad luck!”

“Hah!”

Lan, who was still removing Ma Er’s saddle while wearing the gloves, burst out laughing.

Xu Zaijing, teased, sighed: “Fine, fine—I’ll increase your stipends. Consider it winter glove-sewing compensation.”

Yun Xiang’s frown turned to a smile as he bowed to Xu Zaijing: “Thank you, Young Master, for your kindness.”

Xu Zaijing shook his head helplessly and tossed the gourd straight into Yun Xiang’s arms.

Watching Yun Xiang catch the gourd in surprise, Xu Zaijing laughed too.

In the twelfth lunar month,

on the eighth day, they drank Laba porridge at Sheng Family.

By the time Xu Zaijing finished class, beggars and ruffians dressed as women or demons were already wandering the streets, knocking on doors to beg for coins during “Da Ye Hu.”

After the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month,

Sheng Family Academy closed for winter break, as usual.

Outside the academy gate, Qi Heng walked beside Xu Zaijing and Gu Tingye, reminding them: “Jingge, Ershu, don’t forget—we’re visiting Sheng Family on the second day of the new year.”

(End of Chapter)