21
The day Ruan Xian became Huo Xi and was reunited with his father, Huo Pingxiao, the distant cousin of the Duke of Pei’s, Fang Ran who had been suffering from a severe illness, finally passed away that night.
Concubine Fang seemed to have foreseen the signs of her death. Three days before Fang Ran’s passing, she had gone to Daci Temple to inform the head monk, making preparations to chant sutras and recite prayers for the poor girl’s soul on the seventh day after her death.
What puzzled Ruan An greatly was that before Huo Pingxiao departed for the campaign, although he had sent his subordinates to help Concubine Fang arrange Fang Ran’s funeral, he also ordered the Duke of Pei to keep the death a secret and did not send servants to the Jingzhao Prefecture to cancel Fang Ran’s household registration.
The mansion was vast, and since Fang Ran had fallen ill as soon as she arrived in Chang’an, many servants had never seen her face.
After Ruan An returned to Chang’an, under Huo Pingxiao’s arrangements, she and Ruan Xian temporarily resided in the Duke of Pei’s mansion.
Strangely enough, after the man departed for the campaign, tales of the itinerant physician Healer Ruan from the southern borderlands began circulating throughout Chang’an.
What was more, someone even turned her interactions with the Marquis of Dingbei into a highly romantic and poignant storybook.
Th author of that storybook even seemed to know about her long-standing practice of disgusting herself as an old woman.
Her encounters with Huo Pingxiao in Jiazhou were certainly not without basis, but they would not have spread so widely among the common folk without reason. Ruan An did not know who had written the storybook, but she felt that Huo Pingxiao was inextricably linked to the matter.
Having been apart for so many years, she had almost forgotten that although Huo Pingxiao appeared outwardly brash and arrogant, he was actually cunning and deep. Though he was not in Chang’an, his influence there was considerable.
She felt that this matter was likely eighty percent his deliberate doing.
On that day, the weather was clear and bright.
The 35th day after Fang Ran’s death had just passed, and news of Huo Pingxiao’s victory arrived from the Qianzhong region. In her temporary quarters at the mansion, Ruan An copied some Buddhist scriptures for the deceased Fang Ran.
Looking at her painstakingly written yet still not very neat handwriting, Ruan An helplessly set down her brush.
She sighed. After an entire lifetime, why had her handwriting not improved in the slightest?
Ruan An thought that after Huo Pingxiao returned, she would definitely ask him which teacher in Chang’an was the most skilled at teaching calligraphy.
The young woman also silently resolved that in this life, she would master the art of calligraphy and complete her The Record of an Itinerant Doctor of Jiannan.
Due to Fang Ran’s funeral, Concubine Fang had been visiting her family frequently. When she came to see Ruan An that day, she also bough Ruan Xi his favorite treat, biluo.
After the two settled on the arhat beds in the side hall, Ruan An listened attentively as Concubine Fang recounted stories Huo Pingxiao’s childhood. As she spoke of those past events, Concubine Fang shook her head with a smile, saying he had been so mischievous that he could make even a deep-tempered person like Huo Lang lose his temper.
Yet Concubine Fang made no mention of Huo Pingxiao’s birth mother, Eldest Madam Fang.
Ruan An always felt that Huo Pingxiao was closer to Concubine Fang than his birth mother and the rest of the Huo family.
During that month of living in the mansion, Ruan An finally began to feel as though she was truly becoming a part of Huo Pingxiao’s life.
In truth, even though she had loved him for two lifetimes, Ruan An’s understanding of the man remained shallow. In her previous life, whenever she thought of him, her feelings had been very complicated.
Unable to ascertain whether there were other women around Huo Pingxiao, whenever she thought of him or felt the urge to inquire about his private affairs, guilt would always creep into her heart.
Only as a commoner, when praying for the Great Li war god heading to battle, did she feel she had the right to think of him with longing.
Now that their relationship was finally settled, Ruan An felt she could legitimately ask about his affairs and openly care for him.
With that thought, Ruan An asked Concubine Fang softly, “Then… what kind of person was the Marquis’s mother?”
After she spoke, although Concubine Fang’s expression did not change, a barely noticeable dimness and a hint of sadness flickered in her eyes.
Ruan An felt she had asked the wrong question and was about to change the subject when Concubine Fang, with a tone of nostalgia and melancholy, said: “Zhongxun’s birth mother was also my dearest elder sister. She was the eldest legitimate daughter, doted upon and raised like precious jade by the old duke, and her beauty was most radiant and captivating.”
“In those days, people in Chang’an said that Zhongxun’s mother was the greatest beauty of Great Li. In her prime, her lovely face made many beauty-proud women ashamed of themselves. She was even more beautiful than the one they talk about now, Li Shuying, the eldest legitimate daughter of Grand Tutor Li.”
Hearing these words, Ruan An was deeply convinced, for just from Huo Pingxiao’s handsome and refined features, one could tell that his mother must have been a great beauty.
Ruan An had expected Concubine Fang to tell her more about Huo Pingxiao’s birth mother, but instead, Concubine Fang cautioned her: “Young lady, after you marry Zhongxun, be sure not to bring up his birth mother within the Huo family or in front of Zhongxun himself. Try your best not to mention her.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Ruan An nodded to Concubine Fang. Just as she was about to ask her about the origin of the scar on Huo Pingxiao’s neck—
The maid Baiwei walked over and respectfully announced, “Miss, Steward Wei is here.”
Steward Wei was Wei Yuan, who had served Huo Pingxiao since childhood.
Ruan An wasn’t sure exactly how Huo Pingxiao had explained matters to the Huo family, but no one from the Prime Minister’s residence had ever come to disturb her life.
The Wei Yuan who came was also a trusted man of Huo Pingxiao, even Madam Gao, the mistress of the Prime Minister’s residence, had no authority over his affairs.
Ruan An had no family on her mother’s side. So, when she first arrived at the Duke of Pei’s mansion, Concubine Fang not only arranged lodging for her but also assigned her four clever maidservants.
Concubine Fang had directly handed over their indenture contracts and told Ruan An to name them herself.
Ruan An named all the girls after medicinal herbs, trying her best to choose pleasant-sounding ones. Their four names were: Baiwei (White Vine), Fuling (Poria), Zelan (Bugleherb), and Jiegeng (Platycodon).
Some days earlier, Wei Yuan had sent many people to take her measurements and had brought dozens of bolts of fine brocade and fabrics. These had since been made into well-fitting clothes. Along the way, he also had her wedding dress measurements and style finalized.
Today, Wei Yuan not only brought Ruan An the newly crafted set of head ornaments but also had someone hand her a banknote for ten thousand taels of silver.
After handing one of the wooden boxes to Ruan An, Wei Yuan respectfully said, “Madam, use this for now. If it is insufficient, simply request more from this humble servant.”
Ruan An’s slender fingers pinched the banknote, quite at a loss. In fact, she still had much of the silver Huo Pingxiao had given her in Jiazhou years ago, and she had intended to use those several hundred taels as her dowry.
Back then, one thousand taels of silver had seemed an unimaginable fortune to her. Yet here Wei Yuan was, presenting her with ten thousand taels.
Seeing the astonishment filling Ruan An’s almond-shaped eyes, Wei Yuan explained, “Madam, rest assured. The Marquis is a County Marquis. He has his own fiefdom and coastal waters, as well as ten thousand acres of farmland, several manors, horse ranches, an armory…”
“His properties in Chang’an alone require dozens of accountants to manage. In his early years, when he served as an official in Jiannan, he had three tea estates there. On the Eastern Jiangnan Circuit, he also has two salt fields. He does not rely solely on his court salary.”
Hearing Wei Yuan’s words, Ruan An couldn’t help but think that while Huo Pingxiao’s personality was somewhat brash and, being a military man, outsiders sometimes perceived him as careless and unlikely to manage his estate well—
In truth, he was a meticulous and attentive person. After returning to Chang’an, both her life and Ruan Xi’s had been very well arranged.
Ruan An placed the banknote back into the box, nodded to Wei Yuan, and said, “Mm, thank you for all the trouble you’ve gone through for me and the Marquis.”
Wei Yuan replied, “It is this humble servant’s duty to do so.”
That night, Ruan An finally slept well and had many dreams.
In her dreams were scenes from years ago, moments of her time with Huo Pingxiao in Jiazhou.
The memory of him helping her teach Magistrate Liu and Madam Zhu a lesson.
The memory of him suddenly hoisting her onto horseback at the bandit stronghold, telling Jinwu to run slower.
The memory of him lifting her onto his body in the cave, warming her ice-cold self with his own body heat…
Everything in the dreams felt very real. Ruan An could even hear the man’s deep, gentle voice and feel his body temperature, so much warmer than her own.
She was reluctant to wake from the dreams, but then she felt her thumb gently tugged by a tiny, soft hand.
“Mother~”
Ruan Xi called out in his babyish voice, urging his mother to get up.
Ruan An got up and rubbed her eyes. She looked through the lattice window screen at the sky outside and asked her son gently, “Why are you looking for Mother so early?”
Ruan Xi’s little face showed a hint of shyness. He explained articulately, “That man who calls himself my father said he wants to see you. He smells very strongly of blood and is wearing armor…”
Ah, that was right. Just yesterday, she had received a letter from Huo Pingxiao sent by urgent courier, saying he would be back in Chang’an within days.
Ruan An quickly tidied her clothes and hair. When she walked out of the inner chamber, she saw Huo Pingxiao standing in the middle of the hall.
The man’s back was straight and tall. The red tassel behind his helmet had been stained a deeper shade by blood.
Hearing her and Ruan Xi’s footsteps, Huo Pingxiao turned his head toward the sound.
When Ruan An saw the blood and grime on his face, she couldn’t help but pause. There were also dark circles beneath his eyes, clear signs that he had not slept all night. It seemed he had hurried back, riding hard and fast.
Such exhaustion would wear down even a body of iron.
In truth, every time he went off to war, Ruan An worried more than anyone. She did not know how the scar on Huo Pingxiao’s neck had come about, but she knew well that if that scar had been half an inch deeper, the man would have died and that was to say nothing of the other scars on his body.
She truly hoped Huo Pingxiao would not have to fight anymore.
Ruan An quickly ordered Fuling to bring clear water. With her slender hand, she picked up the white cloth hanging over the edge of the basin, wet it, and handed it to Huo Pingxiao.
After taking it, Huo Pingxiao said in a low voice, “That rebel general was truly troublesome, so it took a few extra days to secure victory. As the commander, I also had to consider the soldiers under my command. I couldn’t let them suffer too many losses, which delayed my return.”
With that, the man looked down at Ruan Xi.
While he had been speaking, the boy had been watching him with his large, dark eyes, listening intently, not as guarded as before he had left.
After wiping the blood and grime from his face, Huo Pingxiao asked Huo Xi, “While I was away, did you listen to your mother?”
Ruan Xi hesitated for a moment, then nodded his little head at the man and replied, “Yes.”
Ruan An did not know what to bring up with him proactively. She bit her soft lip gently, thought for a moment, and only managed, “Why haven’t you taken off your armor? Shouldn’t you go report to His Majesty first?”
“Not taking off the armor naturally saves time.”
As Huo Pingxiao spoke, he tossed the towel back into the bronze basin. The bloodstains on it slowly dissolved into the clear water.
The corners of the man’s eyes and brows were imbued with a faint but noticeable warmth. He followed Ruan An’s evasive almond-shaped eyes and said in a deep, low voice, “Besides, after returning to Chang’an, the first person I want to see is naturally my wife and son.”
**