Hearing Gao Zhi curse at him, Feng Che was momentarily dazed, as if he had returned to that heavy snowfall in the twenty-sixth year of Da Feng.
Da Feng had not seen such a heavy snowfall in many years. With the bitter cold of the end of winter, the Gao family carriage entered Tanzhou City and headed straight for Mount Yuelu, but it was forced to stop halfway up the mountain because of the accumulated snow.
“This snow is driving me crazy. Why won’t it stop?”
Gao Zhi was only twelve at the time. She had tied her hair like a young boy and dressed in blue and white robes. Now, wrapped in the thick fox fur coat Shao had prepared for her, only her delicate little face was exposed.
“The academy is really strange this year, choosing to start classes at the end of the year. I wonder if we’ll even make it home for New Year.”
Chan Yi and Bai He were both dressed as young attendants. One got out of the carriage to find out what was happening, while the other dug cotton padding out from the bottom of the luggage and wrapped it around Gao Zhi.
“Our young master has never suffered like this.”
“I’m a young master.”
Gao Zhi poked Chan Yi on the forehead.
“I’m a distant relative of General Gao’s household in the capital. Thanks to the Gao family’s influence, I was able to enter Yuelu Academy to study.”
“Young master.”
Bai He lifted the carriage curtain carefully, making sure not to let the cold wind rush inside.
“I went to ask around. The snow is too deep, and several carriages are blocked ahead.
“But the carriage from Prince Huai’an’s residence is also up ahead. It’s much larger than ours, so it should be able to make it up the mountain.”
Gao Zhi recalled the cold, stern face she always saw during festivals when she was young and curled her lips.
“The snow will melt eventually. The academy will surely send someone to help. Why should I ask him?”
Chan Yi exchanged a glance with Bai He.
“Last New Year’s Eve, our young lady gave the young prince a dumpling with her chopsticks, and he actually switched bowls right in front of her because he disliked it.”
And that wasn’t all. Although the Gao family and Prince Huai’an’s residence were close, their elders had even joked about arranging a marriage between the two. Yet whenever Gao Zhi tried to greet or speak with him, he always responded coldly or ignored her altogether.
Gao Zheng was exceptionally skilled in martial arts, and Gao Zhi had inherited his talent. The previous year, after hearing in the capital that Feng Che could wield his sword with such force that it seemed capable of turning a river red, and after being snubbed at the dinner table, she had been unable to contain her temper and challenged him to a duel.
It was the first time Feng Che had not refused Gao Zhi.
The result was that Gao Zhi suffered a crushing defeat.
She had practically been beaten to the point of being rubbed into the ground.
Prince Huai’an tried to ease the atmosphere, first praising Gao Zhi for her courage, then smoothing things over by saying that she was two years younger than Feng Che, so the match had been unfair.
Unexpectedly, Feng Che didn’t even raise his eyelids. He merely said淡淡ly,
“Being inferior in skill isn’t bravery; it’s recklessness. Failing to think things through will eventually lead to regret.”
Gao Zhi had been so furious that she had nearly drawn her sword and chased after him to kill him.
Even now, the memory still made her grind her teeth.
The same was true of her coming to the academy this time. Yuelu Academy originally did not accept female students, but after Gao Zhi heard that Feng Che would be coming to study there, she asked Gao Zheng to pull some strings and get her admitted.
Gao Zheng was extremely pleased that his daughter wanted to study. He had never believed women were inferior to men, and he hoped his daughter could become accomplished and bring honor to the family.
Little did he know that Gao Zhi had come to the academy simply to challenge Feng Che again and win back the dignity she had lost.
“I understand that you’re upset with the young prince, but the academy has rules. We only got in because the General put in a word for us in the first place.
“We’re about to be late. Why don’t we go ask the young prince’s carriage first?”
Bai He gently tried to persuade her.
“…”
“Master, Miss Gao is here.”
The hidden guard, Shang Lu, lifted the carriage curtain.
A young boy with a delicately carved, almost doll-like face appeared before them.
“Guard Shang, please don’t say such things.”
Bai He reminded him,
“This is a young master who is a distant relative of the Gao family, not some Miss Gao.”
Cang Zhu immediately understood and hurriedly said,
“The snow is too deep, but the Prince’s carriage is heavy enough that it won’t be affected. Once the carriage ahead moves, we’ll be able to go up the mountain. Why don’t you come with us, young master?”
Gao Zhi cleared her throat and glanced from the corner of her eye at the handsome young man sitting upright inside the carriage.
“This… is for you.”
Feng Che felt something warm fall into his arms. His gaze swept over it.
It was a hand warmer, carefully wrapped in lotus-pink Shu brocade. It was round and adorable.
Gao Zhi climbed into the carriage and was just about to enter when the young man spoke.
“A man and a woman should not share a carriage. Miss Gao, please return to your own carriage.”
“No one knows I’m a girl except you.”
Gao Zhi was instantly furious.
“I just trudged through the snow, one foot sinking deeper than the other, to get here. Are you really going to send me back?”
The young man merely raised his eyes coldly.
“Men and women are different.”
“Go to hell!”
Gao Zhi dropped the carriage curtain and turned to leave.
“You rotten blockhead! One day those rules and conventions are going to rot you from the inside out.”
“Wait.”
She was called back, thinking the young man had changed his mind. Instead, the pink hand warmer was handed out through the carriage window.
“You forgot this.”
“I didn’t forget it.”
Every word Gao Zhi squeezed out through clenched teeth.
“You think you’re the only one who likes cleanliness? I don’t want anything that’s been touched by a rotten blockhead either!”
Watching the young master storm away in a huff, Cang Zhu poked his head into the carriage.
“Master, wasn’t that a little too heartless?”
“Men and women are different.”
Feng Che’s peripheral vision fell upon the little girl standing with her hands on her hips, looking as though sparks of fire might shoot from beneath her feet.
“The Gao family is the only household of its branch. Where would they have distant relatives?
“Many children of powerful families from the capital come to Yuelu Academy to study. Most of them are acknowledging her identity as a distant relative of the Gao family simply to show respect to the Gao family.
“She’s young and doesn’t think things through. Once everyone knows she is a girl, we have to observe the rules. We cannot ruin her.”
“So Master was only doing it for her sake.”
Cang Zhu was puzzled.
“Then why not just tell her? From what I can see, she isn’t unreasonable. Why let her misunderstand you?”
“Though we are attending the same academy, we are all here to study. We won’t have much contact in the future. She doesn’t need to know what kind of person I am.”
Feng Che withdrew his gaze and watched as snowflakes landed on his trouser leg and melted.
Little did he know that during their years at the academy, the girl would constantly appear beneath his eyes.
In the sunlight, beside the desks, she would always flash him a provocative smile and call out, again and again—
“Rotten blockhead.”
*
The heavy snow from seven years ago had long since melted into soft winds and fine rain, now falling upon Feng Che’s heart.
He lowered his eyes. The fabric over his legs was wrinkled beneath his clenched hands.
Before leaving the palace gates, he had heard the woman say irritably,
“I’m marrying you because I want to. I never considered it a sacrifice, and I never thought about marrying anyone else.”
See?
His A-Zhi was simply too kind. Even when the truth was right in front of her, she still had to lie and comfort others.
Gao Zhi had no idea what Feng Che was thinking. After returning to the Gao residence, she heard Shao rambling on about how one of the pearls from the pair of phoenix-head wedding shoes she had prepared for Gao Zhi’s wedding years ago had been lost because of improper storage.
The phoenix-head wedding shoes had been sewn by Shao herself, stitch by stitch, and held great significance.
In her previous life, when Gao Zhi married into the Eastern Palace, all her wedding preparations had been arranged by people sent by Feng Zhao and overseen by Empress Zhu. Gao Zhi had not dared to go against them, so she had never used the things Shao had prepared for her.
Now that she had returned to the past, she still intended to treat this wedding properly. So she took on the task of purchasing a replacement pearl herself.
The Zheng Yilang Jewelry Shop on the Imperial Street had pearls of excellent quality. Gao Zhi paid a deposit and arranged with the shopkeeper to have it delivered three days later, then hurried to the most famous Heyun Teahouse in the capital.
Yesterday, she had used Jian’an tea to gain Princess Huaishu’s assistance, and she also had her previous life as a soul who had followed Feng Che for ten years to thank.
Every year during the Qingming Festival, Feng Che would first go pay respects to his parents, then visit Wen He, and finally come to see her.
He would bring Jian’an tea to the old Princess Huai’an every time.
He rarely spoke in front of the graves. But during the final Qingming Festival of his life, he had spoken for a while, his words coming in fits and starts.
Before leaving, he explained that the Princess’s legs were not in good condition, but she still thought of Princess Huai’an. The two women had become acquainted through Jian’an tea, and the tea was something the Princess had asked him to bring as a distant expression of her longing.
When Gao Zhi entered the teahouse, the storyteller was speaking enthusiastically. Unexpectedly, the next moment, she came face-to-face with the person she least wanted to see.
“Zhizhi, what a coincidence. The sun is so strong outside. Why don’t you have a drink to cool off?”
Jiang Tou always favored an elegant, understated style. She wore a flowing orchid-colored silk dress, her black hair swept up with a jade hairpin, her expression as calm as ever.
Gao Zhi almost admired her composure. She also wanted to see what Jiang Tou was planning, so she followed her to the second-floor open corridor, where the lively voices of the customers below mingled together.
“Your wedding is coming soon. This is the gift I prepared for you.”
Jiang Tou pushed over a box made of golden-thread nanmu wood. Inside was a red bridal veil embroidered with jasmine blossoms. The embroidery was exquisite, clearly showing how much effort had gone into it.
“When we came of age, you and I made a promise. If either of us ever married, we would personally embroider a bridal veil for the other.”
The woman’s eyes were gentle.
“I kept my promise, Zhizhi. I still see you the way I always have.”
“See me the way you always have…”
Gao Zhi sneered.
“If I had known from the beginning that you were this kind of person, I would never have befriended you. All these years were nothing but a waste.”
In her previous life, Gao Zhi had received the same gift before marrying into the Eastern Palace.
But back then, she and Jiang Tou had not yet fallen out, and she had no idea that Jiang Tou had been carrying on such a filthy affair with Feng Zhao behind her back.
“The storyteller said that the Gao family’s daughter changed her mind at the city gate and declared that she would marry Prince Huai’an, who had returned to the capital with illegitimate children. The Crown Prince was devastated, so in a fit of anger, he entered the palace and asked His Majesty to arrange a marriage with the Jiang family.”
The storyteller’s loud voice interrupted Gao Zhi’s thoughts.
The customers below began speaking up in Feng Zhao’s defense.
“The Crown Prince is as bright and noble as the moon, with a heart of absolute sincerity. General Gao is a loyal and valiant commander, and the Gao family’s daughter has always been renowned for her devotion and chastity.
“Who would have thought she could be so shameless and betray the Crown Prince!”
“What chastity? I think she had already been secretly involved with Prince Huai’an. She was afraid the Crown Prince would discover that she had been defiled, so she claimed she wanted to marry Prince Huai’an.”
“She puts on such a virtuous facade, but she’s nothing more than a shameless slut. I heard that Gao Zhi even disguised herself as a man to enter Yuelu Academy, studying alongside Prince Huai’an during the day and sharing his bed at night.”
Jiang Tou gently covered Gao Zhi’s hand.
“You made such a scene, so naturally there will be some rumors. Don’t take them to heart.”
Gao Zhi immediately pulled her hand away.
“Sometimes, I really admire you.”
Her gaze swept over the storyteller, and she immediately understood whose handiwork this was.
“You’re the one who harms people, yet you still get to say all the nice things. Reaching your level of shamelessness is truly an art.”
Jiang Tou didn’t get angry at all. She merely said softly,
“Zhizhi, I know what you’re angry about. The Crown Prince does indeed have feelings for me.
“I did think about telling you, but A-Zhao… he was afraid I would be hurt. We were wrong, and we made you sad.
“Now that you know everything, there’s no reason for me to hide it anymore. I only hope that this won’t affect our friendship.”
Gao Zhi almost laughed.
“Do you really think there’s still any friendship between us?”
Jiang Tou paused. Yet she did not see the hurt or jealousy she had expected on Gao Zhi’s face.
That wasn’t right…
Since when had her Zhizhi become so good at pretending?
“Isn’t that A-Tou?”
“A-Tou, what are you doing here?”
“Hey, isn’t the person sitting across from her Gao Zhi?”
A few women’s voices came from the stairway.
Gao Zhi recognized them at once.
They were Zou Hao, daughter of the Grand General of the Champion Army; Shi Zhen, daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites; Dou Xiang’er, daughter of an Imperial Academy Hanlin scholar; and several other noble young ladies who were close to Jiang Tou.
In the past, Jiang Tou had introduced them to Gao Zhi, and they had become acquainted. They had also fawned over Gao Zhi on ordinary days.
“Zhizhi, I know you’re angry with me. I’ll kneel before you. Please, don’t hate me like this.”
Shi Zhen was the most outspoken of the group. When she saw Jiang Tou actually kneeling before Gao Zhi, she rushed over.
“A-Tou, get up! Gao Zhi was never formally betrothed to the Crown Prince.
“We’ve all heard what happened. Clearly, Gao Zhi was the one who behaved improperly and broke the Crown Prince’s heart, which was why he sought a marriage with the Jiang family.
“With your family background, you could choose any legitimate wife position among the noble families. If Gao Zhi hadn’t ruined things, why would you have to become a mere secondary consort?”
Gao Zhi raised an eyebrow as she looked at Jiang Tou kneeling before her.
The woman’s back trembled slightly, her eyes reddening as she clutched Gao Zhi’s skirt, putting on an utterly pitiful and pleading expression.
“Jiang Tou! Get up.”
Zou Hao grabbed Jiang Tou and said coldly,
“A person like Gao Zhi doesn’t deserve your kneeling.”
Dou Xiang’er glanced at Gao Zhi and spoke gently.
“Gao Zhi, A-Tou has always regarded you as a friend. How could you hurt her like this? You even made her kneel.
“The Crown Prince was the one you rejected. She never wanted this marriage either. In the end, how did she become the one at fault?”
Suppressed sobs came intermittently as the noble young ladies all stepped forward to defend Jiang Tou, drawing the attention of the customers downstairs.
“Why is the Jiang family’s young lady with Gao Zhi?”
“She actually knelt before her? That Gao family girl must be arrogant and jealous! She rejected the Crown Prince herself, yet she won’t allow Miss Jiang to marry into the Eastern Palace and is deliberately making things difficult for her.”
“Miss Jiang is marrying into the Eastern Palace as a concubine, and it’s all because of that Gao girl!”
“I heard they were once close friends. Looks like it was nothing more than Miss Jiang’s one-sided affection.”
“Gao Zhi is clearly the one who should kneel!”
“Exactly!”
The indignant curses continued without end, as though they intended to verbally tear Gao Zhi apart and condemn her to death.
“That’s right.”
Zou Hao stepped closer.
“Gao Zhi, you’re the one who should kneel before Jiang Tou.”
Gao Zhi lifted her eyes. Seeing Jiang Tou’s timid expression, the woman shook her head sadly.
“Good sister, don’t force Zhizhi. She… she didn’t mean to.”
Shi Zhen snorted. Seeing Zou Hao move closer, she hurried over as well, joining in to pressure Gao Zhi.
“This matter can end today if you kneel before A-Tou.”
“You’re…”
Gao Zhi raised an eyebrow.
“You’re forcing me to kneel before Jiang Tou?”