Chapter 56: [Long Pavilion] (Part 1)

On the day Hu Xiaotian left the capital, Hu Buwei did not choose to see him off; it was not that his father was heartless, but rather he disliked farewell scenes, and besides, there was an important court audience today.

Hu Xiaotian was also a carefree person; he got up very early, went to his father's room to bid farewell, and the father and son exchanged only a few words. Hu Buwei said, 'So early!' Remembering how this boy used to wake up naturally, coming early to pay respects seemed like the first time in his memory.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Leave early so we can make more progress while it's still daylight.'

Hu Buwei nodded: 'Everything ready?'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Pretty much.'

'Safe travels!'

Hu Xiaotian nodded, turned to leave, but suddenly remembered something, knelt down, and kowtowed three times—bang bang bang—to Hu Buwei; after finishing, he added another three.

Hu Buwei said, 'Enough, enough!'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'These three are for my mother; when she returns, please perform them for her.'

Hu Buwei's lingering sadness at parting was greatly eased by his son's words, and he laughed and scolded, 'You little rascal, taking advantage of me!'

'I'm not taking advantage of you; it's my mother who is!' Hu Xiaotian stood up without waiting for his father's help, waved his hand and said, 'I'm leaving—don't see me off, absolutely don't see me off; at your age, all that crying would just be a laughingstock.'

Hu Buwei laughed, 'Do I look like someone who loves to cry?'

Hu Xiaotian turned and left, striding out the door with ease: 'Take good care of my mother, and look after yourself as well.'

Hu Buwei watched his son's straight-backed figure recede, a surge of emotion rising in his chest; he suddenly felt his son had truly grown up.

Hu Xiaotian had little attachment to the capital; if anything, it would be Huo Xiaoru, but there was no time to develop feelings with her. Heading to Xichuan, where mountains are high and rivers long, although Huo Xiaoru had said she might go to Xichuan next year, everything remained uncertain; at most they could be said to harbor mutual fondness, far from mutual love or a love unto death, so naturally no promises could be made.

Four servants had already prepared the carriages and horses; although they wore smiles, each smile clearly showed reluctance—no one wanted to follow this young master to Xichuan. From the capital to Xichuan is over three thousand li, and just the journey would take nearly a month. Moreover, Xichuan is remote, and the Qingyun County they were headed to is barely marked on maps; in every respect the conditions could not compare with the capital.

Liang Da Zhuang, being unattached, could go alone easily, but Hu Fo, Li Jin Hao, and Shao Yijiao all had families; taking them to Xichuan now forced them to face prolonged separation from their loved ones. These men had loafed around the Secretariat, and sending them to suffer in Xichuan naturally filled them with reluctance—not to mention abandoning wives and children, which would surely leave them longing bitterly.

Hu Xiaotian could see from their smiles their difficulty and reluctance, and he said, 'Think it over—our posting to Xichuan could be as short as a year or two, or as long as three to five years; if you truly don't want to go, don't force yourself.'

Liang Da Zhuang said, 'Young master, I will definitely go wherever you go.' This fellow knew that once a decision was made it could not be changed, so he seized the moment to declare his loyalty.

Hu Fo said, 'Young master, we all truly want to go.' These men all understood that not following would mean losing their current position, so they could only feign willingness reluctantly.

Hu Xiaotian naturally knew his words were not true; Hu Fo still had three children at home, and once he left, only his wife could manage the household. He laughed, 'Don't worry—once we reach Xichuan, I'll let you come back; my salary is modest, I can't support a bunch of freeloaders like you.'

The several men were taken aback and hurriedly said, 'Young master, we have no intention of coming back; we sincerely want to follow you.' Having been by Hu Xiaotian's side for a while, they all knew he was exceptionally shrewd; though he sounded so reasonable, who could tell if he was merely feigning sincerity to test their loyalty?

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Your hypocrisy is written all over your faces; I've already told my father that once we reach Xichuan, I'll send you lot back.'

Upon hearing that Hu Buwei had already agreed—meaning this trip to Xichuan only required escort along the way, not enduring hardship with Hu Xiaotian there—their spirits lifted at once, dispelling their previous gloom.

Hu Fo had already prepared the carriages and horses, but Hu Xiaotian chose not to ride in a carriage; he opted to ride a horse—a snow-flowered mount that Hu Fo had specially selected for him. After this period of training, his horsemanship was barely adequate; he stepped into the stirrups, swung onto the saddle, and went through the motions passably. The five exited the main gate of the Secretariat, only to see Murong Feiyan clad in a blue close-fitting outfit, a black cloak draped over her shoulders, seated on a black steed and waiting silently outside the gate.

Seeing Murong Feiyan, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help breaking into a grin; his neat white teeth stood out sharply against the dim gray dawn.

Murong Feiyan's face showed not a trace of a smile; her clear eyes beneath sword-like brows stared coldly at Hu Xiaotian, then she silently turned her horse and headed toward the capital's west gate without galloping, so Hu Xiaotian easily kept pace, holding the reins and riding side by side. He glanced at her icy little face and murmured, 'Not happy?'

Murong Feiyan ignored him; no matter how Hu Xiaotian questioned her, she remained silent, making him feel awkward and bored. He thought to himself, 'It seems using my father's influence to assign her to accompany me to Xichuan has offended her, but it doesn't matter—this long road will show whether you can stay mute all the way.'

The party proceeded slowly; after leaving the city gate, Murong Feiyan noticeably quickened her pace, taking the lead, with Hu Xiaotian following her, then Li Jin Hao and Shao Yijiao behind him, while Hu Fo drove the carriage and Liang Da Zhuang on horseback brought up the rear.

Looking ahead, they had already reached the ten‑li long pavilion; although the sun had just risen in the east, the pavilion was already crowded with people seeing others off. Murong Feiyan showed no sign of slowing; in the capital she had no relatives or acquaintances, and even among her former superiors and subordinates in the Jingzhao Prefecture, only the Prefect of Jingzhao, Hong Baiqi, knew she was taking up a post in Xichuan—certainly someone of his stature would not rise so early to see off a lowly constable like her.

Hu Xiaotian thought no one would see him off either; his father was at home preparing for court, he had few friends in the capital, and his appointment to Xichuan had not been publicized—aside from a handful of people, hardly anyone knew he was leaving for an official post.

But as they passed the long pavilion, they saw a group approaching in the distance, its leader shouting warmly, 'Brother! Brother!'

Turning toward the sound, they saw that the one calling 'brother' was none other than Shi Xuedong, the beloved son of Minister of Personnel Shi Buchui; this brotherly cry was naturally directed at Hu Xiaotian, with whom he had sworn brotherhood through eight bows. Although each harbored ulterior motives, their bond was formally established, and Vice Prefect of Jingzhao Shi Jingde had even served as witness for them.

Hu Xiaotian never expected this fellow to come see him off; Murong Feiyan reined in her horse, gave Hu Xiaotian a cold glance full of contempt—not for him but for Shi Xuedong, whose fault it was that she had been suspended. The day they had fought fiercely, near to the death, Hu Xiaotian and Shi Xuedong have now become sworn brothers, their relationship describable only as birds of a feather flocking together, scheming in collusion, like rats sharing a burrow.

Hu Xiaotian dismounted—his movements still rather clumsy, his horsemanship lacking—so he tossed the reins to Shao Yijiao behind him, then stepped forward with a smile and clasped his hands to Shi Xuedong, saying, 'Big brother! What brings you here?' He understood, however, that Shi Xuedong was the son of Minister of Personnel Shi Buchui; surely he had heard of Hu Xiaotian's departure for office, but why this man had risen so early to see him off—was it ill intent or good?

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