The thirty-sixth year of Kangxi, in winter.
Ever since the twelfth lunar month began, the weather in Beijing had grown increasingly cold; splashing a basin of water on the ground was enough to freeze it solid. In such freezing weather, nobody liked to go out walking, preferring to stay safely indoors to hibernate. For a time, the entire capital became quiet and still.
Today, however, was somewhat different, carrying a bit more hustle and bustle.
Wuyunzhu was awakened by the chirping of birds outside her window.
“In such cold weather, how are there still birds flitting about outside?”
With that, she threw on a thick garment and pushed the window open just a tiny crack to check on the situation outside.
She saw seven or eight sparrows standing on the persimmon tree in the courtyard, pecking away at the bright red fruit.
Huh, weren’t those fruits frozen hard as rock? How could the little birds manage to peck at them?
Looking closer, there were actually droplets of water on the branches—the snow was melting.
Melting snow? Had the weather cleared up?
Wuyunzhu raised her head to look, and sure enough, a red sun was hanging in the sky.
She ran out into the courtyard, opened her arms wide, and let her whole body bathe in the warm sunlight, feeling so comfortable she felt as if she were about to become an immortal.
Just as she was enjoying it, she suddenly heard a light reprimand.
“You haven’t even dressed properly, yet you’re blowing in the cold wind out in the courtyard. Do you want to catch a cold?”
Wuyunzhu opened her eyes and saw that it was her mother, Lady Jioro, who had come. She obediently admitted her fault: “Daughter knows she was wrong. I will go right back inside and put on my clothes.”
Lady Jioro added a parting instruction as she walked after her: “Come straight to the main courtyard once you’ve changed, and we’ll eat earlier today.”
“Alrighty then.”
When Wuyunzhu arrived at the main courtyard, she discovered that her father was there too.
Her father was Qiyese, the Commander of the Bordered Red Banner of Manchuria. He managed the banner’s household registration, production, education, training, and other affairs, making him a very busy man. A few days prior, while everyone else was hibernating indoors, he hadn’t been able to rest either. Why was he still at home today and not going to his office?
With curiosity lingering in her heart, she asked about it.
Qiyese swallowed the pastry in his mouth and said, “Your father submitted a leave slip to the yamen. I’m taking the day off to accompany you two ladies to the temple to burn incense.”
The snow had melted, which made the mountain roads muddy and difficult to traverse. He wasn’t at ease leaving it to others, so it was better to escort them personally.
“Burn incense?” Wuyunzhu looked at Lady Jioro. “Where are we going to burn it? How come I didn’t know?”
Lady Jioro took over the conversation. “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. We originally thought about going after the New Year, but there won’t be any free time then, and the weather is so nice today, so we chose today. We’re going to Hongluo Temple.”
Wuyunzhu was somewhat reluctant. “Why are we going all the way there? It’s too far; going and returning will take the better part of a day.”
Sitting opposite her, her fifth brother, Shoushan, cleared up her confusion: “Mother said she wants to pray for a good marriage for you, to find a satisfying husband.”
Wuyunzhu waved her hands repeatedly. “No need, no need. I think we should go to Xiuyun Temple instead. Fifth Brother is going to the banner next year to fill a vacancy and secure a future; if we go pay our respects to the Buddha, maybe Fifth Brother can land a good position.”
Xiuyun Temple was none other than Tanzhe Temple. The current Son of Heaven, Emperor Kangxi, had twice visited the place to burn incense and worship the Buddha, personally inscribing a plaque and conferring upon it the name “Imperial-Commissioned Xiuyun Zen Temple.” Receiving such imperial favor, its incense offerings were naturally extremely flourishing, but most importantly, the temple itself was renowned for its efficacy, especially when it came to praying for wealth and official careers.
Wuyunzhu had an ulterior motive in saying this; her shop was set to officially open after the New Year, and she felt a bit nervous inside. She wanted to go to Tanzhe Temple to pay her respects, hoping to beg the God of Wealth for a bit of favor so that her business would boom and wealth would pour in abundantly.
Don’t let her birth in a top-tier Manchu noble household fool you; the family actually didn’t have all that much silver. The reason was that her father and mother were just too prolific at childbearing, having produced five sons and two daughters. Above her were four older brothers and an older sister, with Shoushan being her twin brother.
Her older brothers and sister were many years older than her and were already married off. Four sets of betrothal gifts and one set of dowry were enough to hollow out the family’s savings. Therefore, as soon as each of the older brothers married, they were split off into separate households by their father and mother, who still had a pair of young children to raise—how could they possibly have extra silver to support grandchildren?
To prepare dowries and betrothal gifts for her youngest son and daughter, Lady Jioro lived quite frugally in her daily life. Although it wasn’t to the point of being austere and bland, Wuyunzhu happened to be a young lady who loved fine food and dressing up. Not wanting to ask her mother for silver, she thought of opening a shop to find a financial path of her own and elevate her standard of living.
Wuyunzhu was daydreaming about going to Tanzhe Temple to burn incense, gaining the protection of the God of Wealth, and making a fortune every day after opening her shop, when she heard her mother’s cold rejection.
“That makes sense. Then after the meal, Shoushan, you can make a trip to Tanzhe Temple by yourself; it’s not all that far anyway. Wuyunzhu will still come with us to Hongluo Temple.”
“Huh?” Wuyunzhu blinked her dark, round eyes. “But I want to go to Tanzhe Temple.”
Lady Jioro gave her a helpless look. “You have time to worry about your fifth brother’s future, so why don’t you worry about your own? You’re going to participate in the bride selection come next spring.”
So what if she participated in the selection?
Out of eight thousand girls, only twenty would be chosen; the probability of being registered could essentially be zero. On that day, she would just dress more plainly, looking drab and inconspicuous, and she would definitely be eliminated. Returning to the estate to stay for a few more years wouldn’t be a problem at all.
Seeing the continued look of puzzlement on Wuyunzhu’s face, Lady Jioro put down her chopsticks and elaborated: “Your father is already a Commander of the First Rank. According to custom, the Emperor will bestow some favor, and he won’t let you be eliminated.”
Wuyunzhu: “Can we decline this favor?”
The three people at the table unanimously cast a sideways glance at her. What kind of silly things was she saying?
“Most palace maids who get registered are betrothed to imperial clan members. But among the matches bestowed by the Emperor, how many are truly blissful? Take your eldest sister, for example.”
At the mention of the eldest sister, sighs filled the room.
Her eldest sister, Wulinzhu, was a maiden in the selection of the 33rd year of Kangxi. After being registered, she was betrothed to Lechen, the seventh son of Prince Sunu. They married the following year and had been married for three years now, yet she still had no offspring. Because of this, Wulinzhu suffered greatly in the Prince’s estate. The two mothers-in-law above her, the six sisters-in-law, and seven or eight sisters-in-law all spoke to her with sarcasm and hidden barbs.
Naturally, the Dongge household wanted to back Wulinzhu up, but they couldn’t keep an eye on her every second of the day. The psychological maneuvering of inner-court women ultimately damaged Wulinzhu’s vitality and spirit; she was now much thinner than when she had first married out.
Lady Jioro continued, “The incense at Hongluo Temple is extremely efficacious; I should have gone long ago. My going to Hongluo Temple this time is, first, to pray for blessings for you so you find a good marriage, and second, to hope that your eldest sister conceives soon and suffers less grievance.”
Since matters had reached this point, Wuyunzhu found it hard to refuse further.
Two quarters of an hour later, the family of four gathered at the front gate and set off.
Once the sun came out, the weather wasn’t quite as cold, and people with leisure started wandering the streets again. With so many people, the carriages couldn’t move fast, and by the time they reached the city gate, a long queue had already formed.
Fortunately, they had set off early and didn’t have to wait long before successfully leaving the city. Looking back at the queue, it had already grown so long that the end was out of sight. Presumably, these people were also heading out of the city to burn incense.
As soon as they passed through the city gate, Wuyunzhu leaped down from the carriage and asked to ride Qiyese’s horse.
“Father, the carriage is so stuffy. Will you let your daughter ride a horse to get some fresh air?”
“Just roll up the carriage curtains.”
“But the wind blowing in will make Mother uncomfortable.”
Qiyese hesitated. “Then can you bear with it?”
Wuyunzhu widened her eyes, blinked them a couple of times, and finally squeezed out a few tears: “Father really doesn’t love me anymore…”
Qiyese: ……
This was a terrible injustice to him.
In the past, to sneak special treats to this little girl, how much scolding had he taken from his wife? The moment things didn’t go her way, she would say her father didn’t love her.
“You really are a little unconscionable wretch.”
Qiyese threw his riding crop to his daughter, swung down from his horse, and got into the carriage.
Wuyunzhu caught the riding crop, tapped her toes, and landed neatly and cleanly on the horse’s back.
Ah, the feeling of riding on horseback was truly wonderful; even the scenery became much more charming.
Watching his younger sister grinning from ear to ear, Shoushan shook his head. “Look at that pathetic, silly grin of yours. Once spring arrives, brother will take you out horse riding—that’s what you call truly exhilarating.”
“Huh? What are you coming over here for?”
He watched as his sister drew closer and closer, the smile on her face growing increasingly strange. Before he could figure it out, he saw her raise her riding crop and—crack! It landed squarely on the back of his horse.
Startled by the lash, the horse instantly surged forward.
“Ah, ah, ah… Wuyunzhu! You wicked girl! I’m going to deal with you properly when we get back!”
Hearing the commotion, Qiyese hurriedly poked his head out and asked, “What is it?”
Wuyunzhu reined in her smile and replied obediently, “Fifth Brother is in a rush to offer incense, so he went on ahead. Alas, he’s such a grown man, yet he still acts so rashly when doing things; it really makes one worry. Father, Mother, I’m a bit uneasy, so I’ll ride ahead to check on him. You don’t need to wait for me to return~”
Without waiting for a reply from inside the carriage, she urged her horse to gallop off quickly.
From behind, her mother’s reprimand could faintly be heard: “I told you that horse shouldn’t have been given to her; you’re the one who spoiled her…”
Wuyunzhu: Father, I’m sorry, but your daughter will pray for blessings on your behalf to ensure you rise step by step and maintain the Emperor’s favor.
After galloping five or six hundred meters, Wuyunzhu caught sight of Shoushan, who had reined in his horse and was waiting for her.
She smiled with a guilty conscience. “Fifth Brother, are you alright?”
Shoushan let out a humph. “What could possibly happen to me? I was just cooperating with you back there. We grew up together, do I not know you? The moment your eyes rolled, I knew you were up to no good.”
Wuyunzhu smiled guiltily. “Fifth Brother, you truly are a good person. I knew you loved me the most at home; after all, we are truly a pair of dear, dear brother and sister born in the exact same month, day, and year…”
“Spare me that trick!” He was already immune to his sister’s sugar-coated artillery shells. “Just send me a good stick of ink later.”
“That goes without saying,” Wuyunzhu readily agreed.
Chatting and laughing, before long they reached the foot of the mountain.
The brother and sister dismounted, secured their horses, and walked upward step by step along with the crowd. Upon entering the temple, the two of them headed straight for the Hall of Great Hero. It was said that this hall was the most efficacious for praying for a smooth official career and a flat path in politics, and it also attracted the greatest number of visiting worshippers.
The siblings requested incense sticks beside the hall, lit them, held the incense high above their heads, and prayed silently in their hearts. After worshipping the deities of all four directions, they inserted the incense into the censer.
Shoushan finished quickly and waited outside the hall for a short while before his sister finally came out.
“Don’t make too many wishes; if there are too many, they won’t come true.”
Wuyunzhu shook her head. “I’m not a greedy person; I only made two wishes, hoping that Father and my brothers have smooth official careers.”
“Isn’t that just a matter of a single sentence? Why did I see you muttering on and on for so long?”
“How is that a single sentence? It was clearly a very long speech.”
Shoushan’s curiosity was piqued. “What did you say?”
“Didn’t say much, really. I just listed out the names, birth dates, and current official ranks of Father and several of my older brothers.”
Shoushan: ……
If you had to recite all of that, it certainly would be a major speech.
“Why did you recite it in such detail?” He had only stated his banner affiliation and name.
Wuyunzhu sighed. “Who told you there are so many people with duplicate names in the capital? Within a single banner, there are quite a few named Fiyanggu and Suoerhe. If we don’t specify in detail, what would happen if the Buddha’s blessings landed on someone else?”
If only she could give an ID number, but unfortunately, there wasn’t one here.
Having transmigrated from the twenty-first century to the Qing dynasty, logically speaking, there should have been many aspects she couldn’t adapt to. However, she had undergone a womb-rebirth without her memories, and it wasn’t until she accidentally fell from a horse at the age of ten and remained unconscious for a long time that memories of her past life awakened. Having stayed in the Qing dynasty for more than ten years already, her living habits had completely changed, so she didn’t feel out of place at all.
Although the Qing dynasty didn’t lack modern convenience and development, she had transformed from a sickly invalid into a robustly healthy person, and she enjoyed the pampering of her family—she was quite satisfied.
Hearing Wuyunzhu’s explanation, Shoushan slapped his forehead in vexation. “Ah, that really is true! Just within our Bordered Red Banner alone, there are three Shoushans born in the same year as me. Will the Buddha not be able to tell who is kowtowing when the time comes, and therefore withhold His blessings?”
Filled with anxiety, he asked Wuyunzhu, “Can I go back inside one more time and recite it all over again? Would that work?”
Wuyunzhu pulled him back. “Brother, don’t panic. Younger sister already recited it just now; the Buddha won’t get people mixed up.”
“That’s good, that’s good.” Only then did Shoushan brighten up, though deep down he still plotted that the next time he entered the hall to kowtow, he must state all his information completely.
To the west of the Hall of Great Hero was the Hall of the God of Wealth. Wuyunzhu knelt and worshipped with a full twelve parts of piety. Leaving the hall, she walked toward the eastern side, passing by the Tree of Marriage along the way, under which many young women were praying.
Shoushan nudged Wuyunzhu’s arm. “You should go offer a prayer too.”
Wuyunzhu glanced at it, shook her head, and uttered a remark that nearly made Shoushan’s eyeballs pop out of his head.
“I seek only riches and honor, not a single trace of true love.”
Shoushan: Why did these words sound as though his sister had suffered some kind of emotional trauma? Yet his own sister had never had any romantic associations with any young man outside the family.
He coughed. “You shouldn’t let others hear you say things like that, lest it stir up trouble.”
Wuyunzhu gave him a sideways look. “Is Fifth Brother an outsider?”
Shoushan felt those words were exceptionally heartwarming; he resolved to practice martial arts diligently, secure a good position next year, and have his sister’s back in the future.
After paying respects at the Hall of the God of Wealth on the eastern side, the siblings headed to the Dragon King Temple in the westernmost corner. There was a stone fish here; it was rumored that by placing both hands on the fish’s body and stroking it, one could eliminate illnesses and dispel disasters. Judging by how smooth and shiny the fish’s body had been stroked, one could tell that the worshippers believed in it deeply.
Beside the hall, they were also selling stone fish pendants. The master said these pendants would be equally efficacious after being consecrated. Wuyunzhu figured that since her father and mother hadn’t come to touch the fish, she would buy two and plan to give them to them.
When it came to matters like this, it was better to believe they existed than not.
After acquiring the stone fish ornaments, the mission of this outing was officially complete. The brother and sister partook of the vegetarian meal and then descended the mountain.
With nothing else pressing, the two of them led their horses and strolled along in a leisurely manner.
Suddenly, Shoushan stopped in his tracks, pointed to a spot, and said, “Hey, there’s a pomelo tree over there!”
Wuyunzhu followed his gaze and saw that it really was one—in the north, there was actually a pomelo tree that bore fruit! How rare! Under the sunlight, the golden fruit rind gleamed brightly among the green leaves, shining almost like the light of a Buddha.
Because of the environmental changes affecting plants, pomelos were extremely rare fruits in the north. Shoushan was excited; he tucked up the hem of his robe and said, “Sister, wait right here, Brother will go pick a pomelo for you.”
Shoushan was the male with the best martial arts talent in the family. His movements were as agile as a cat’s, and he easily plucked the fruit, turning around to wave and signal at Wuyunzhu.
Wuyunzhu waved back to acknowledge, signaling for him to come down.
When he descended, however, his expression was somewhat solemn.
“Sister, while up in the tree, I saw someone down below who seemed to have broken a leg. Should I go get him up?”
Wuyunzhu was struck with terror, preparing to stop him.
Brother, you can’t just pick up random men off the roadside!
Xiao Feng picked up Li Gouzi, jumped over city walls, leaped into rivers, and was ultimately forced into suicide by throat-cutting—it was as tragic as it could possibly get.
But she couldn’t phrase it too directly, so she tactfully advised: “Could it be… if he’s being hunted down by some enemies and that’s how he ended up in this state, will we be implicated if we save him?”
Shoushan frowned. “I noticed he has a yellow sash tied around his waist; he’s likely an imperial clan member. Besides… he seems to have seen me and is waving at me from down below. If we don’t save him, that’s when it’ll truly be trouble.”
Wuyunzhu: Uh… how could things happen to coincide so perfectly?
“Then let’s save him, just think of it as accumulating merit.”
She wanted to see precisely which foolish imperial clan member had managed to fall right down into a ravine.