The officials gathered at the polo field for a match, but it was more a game of social maneuvering than sport. Watching Xie Yujin play, Song Zhiluan always felt it lacked a certain punch.
A man like Xie Yujin, tempered by bloody battles on the sand-swept fields, held the power of life and death in a single thought. When he picked up a weapon, he should have held nothing back. Yet, no one here could receive his shots. He finished the match without even breaking a sweat, winning with absolute ease.
When it was time for the meal, Song Zhiluan walked onto the polo field, took Xie Yujin’s hand, and led him away.
The crowd of officials pretended not to see. Xie Yujin did not refuse, but neither did he clasp her hand in return.
Only after they were seated at their respective places did Song Zhiluan put a little distance between them.
Once they were seated, the other officials’ families followed suit. Rows of maids brought out wine and dishes. Xu Xiang was a master of song and dance, and people constantly went to toast him. The young ladies of official families wanted to approach Song Zhiluan, but a figure in moon-white robes beat them to it.
“Your Highness, this is a fine vintage I acquired last month. I know Your Highness is fond of fruit wine, so when I heard you would be at the polo field, I brought it specially to offer to you.”
Xie Yujin picked up a stalk of green vegetable with his chopsticks and placed it in his bowl.
Song Zhiluan looked at the handsome, refined youth before her. After a moment’s thought, her eyes lit up. “You’re the young marquis of the Marquis of Anding’s estate?”
Jiang Zhusheng’s face flushed instantly. “Your Highness still remembers me.”
“Of course, I remember. You were the one who sent a few jars of wine to my manor two days ago, weren’t you? It was delicious. After I finished it, I sent people to buy more, but they couldn’t find it anywhere. If you hadn’t come looking for me today, I would have gone looking for you tomorrow.”
Jiang Zhusheng waved his hands repeatedly. “There’s no need for Your Highness to come looking for me. If you wish to drink it in the future, I will send some to you every so often. I brewed it myself with peach blossoms from the third month of early spring. I’m glad Your Highness enjoys it.”
“I love it.” Song Zhiluan accepted his wine and gave him a smile.
Jiang Zhusheng was momentarily dazed by her smile and couldn’t help but smile back.
Before he could savor the moment, his sisters came over. After stealing a glance at General Xie, who was eating as if he had heard nothing, they curtsied to Song Zhiluan and led the young man away.
Song Zhiluan opened the wine jar, poured a cup, then stood and walked over to Xie Yujin. “Come and try this. See if it’s the same flavor?” she said with a smile. “Didn’t you say it was pretty good last time?”
Xie Yujin glanced at the wine in the cup. “Leave it.”
Song Zhiluan put it down, but not because of his words. Her gaze followed the food on his chopsticks as it landed in his bowl. “Don’t you dislike fish?”
Why take so much then?
She also picked up a pair of chopsticks, plucked a piece of fish from Xie Yujin’s bowl, and popped it into her mouth.
“I didn’t expect Xu Xiang’s chef to be so skilled. Tomorrow, I’ll ask Xu Yaochen to send over the chef who cooked the fish today, so my manor’s staff can learn a thing or two.”
Song Zhiluan ate the fish while sipping her fruit wine.
She didn’t notice that Xie Yujin had already put down his chopsticks and was watching her delighted expression and the way her eyes crinkled into a smile from the delicious taste.
“Is it that good?” he asked.
“Mhm,” Song Zhiluan said, raising the cup in her hand to his lips. He dodged it. Puzzled, she said, “You really should try this flavor. I think Jiang Zhusheng’s skill is better than some of the taverns’.”
Xie Yujin nodded and rose to leave.
“Eat more.”
Song Zhiluan: “?”
After the evening meal, Song Zhiluan and Xie Yujin returned to the Princess Manor.
When Xie Yujin emerged from his bath, the bedchamber was pitch black. The maids had extinguished the lamps in advance.
He stood still.
After a few moments, Song Zhiluan, behind the beaded curtain, grew impatient and lit a candle.
Seeing a person standing outside the curtain like a wall, Song Zhiluan jumped back half a step in fright, her heart thumping. Feeling a little guilty, she said, “You… you’re done with your bath. Why are you standing there instead of coming to bed?”
Xie Yujin shot her a glance, snatched the candlestick from her hand, and strode away. “I have no time to play these childish games with you.”
Song Zhiluan stepped on his shadow. “What childish games? Turn around and look at me.”
“Xie. Yu. Jin.”
Xie Yujin’s brow furrowed. His gaze was so intense that the very air seemed to freeze.
Shamelessly, Song Zhiluan wrapped her arms around Xie Yujin’s waist, meeting his gaze with anticipation. “Did you not notice anything different about me today?”
She had not yet bathed or changed and was still in her riding attire, revealing a neck as white as jade.
Xie Yujin lowered his eyelids.
“No.”
“Really nothing?” Song Zhiluan stood on her toes and brushed her lips against his. “This princess will give you one more chance to look carefully.”
Xie Yujin stared at her for a while, seemingly unable to shake her off. He slowly raised a hand and cupped her neck.
The side of his finger scraped lightly against her skin.
The moment he touched her neck, Song Zhiluan shivered, and the waist he held went soft.
But her gaze remained fixed on his, and her hands moved along the man’s sturdy waist and abdomen to untie his sash.
Xie Yujin’s other hand caught hers in time.
“This?”
Song Zhiluan was somewhat lost in a daze of passion. “What?”
Xie Yujin raised his hand. In the flickering candlelight, Song Zhiluan saw a crushed flower petal on the man’s long fingers.
—It had been on her forehead.
Song Zhiluan: “…”
Xie Yujin’s expression was unchanged as he took a white handkerchief to wipe his fingers. Song Zhiluan abruptly let go of him and rushed to a bronze mirror to inspect herself. A small petal from her pear blossom makeup was missing from her forehead. She didn’t know when it had fallen off, but it had happened to stick to her neck.
After a moment, Song Zhiluan slammed the bronze mirror face down on the table and asked, refusing to give up, “Besides that tiny little difference, is there anything else different about this princess?”
“No.”
Song Zhiluan puffed out her cheeks. As if she had really been wearing lip rouge, she wiped her mouth, then dejectedly stripped off her clothes and ordered someone to come in and attend to her bath.
What terrible eyesight!
By the time she got into bed, half an hour had passed.
Lying in bed, Song Zhiluan listened to Xie Yujin’s even breathing. She turned over and said sullenly, “I didn’t put on lip rouge precisely so you would kiss me. You are truly an unromantic man, so terribly dull. Heavens, please ensure I never fall in love with you in my next life.”
Despite her words, she didn’t forget to take Xie Yujin’s hand and place it on her waist.
Closing her eyes for a moment, Song Zhiluan snuggled closer into his embrace, held him, and fell into a deep sleep.
Outside, a fine rain had begun to fall at some point. A branch of the crabapple tree climbed past the window, its blossoms, veiled in raindrops, drooping onto the table.
Xie Yujin opened his eyes. His gaze rested on Song Zhiluan’s lips, his eyes perfectly clear.
…
The jade dew pears in the Princess Manor ripened three times in a bustling succession. Just as Song Zhiluan thought life would continue on so peacefully, a decree came from the palace, ordering Xie Yujin to lead troops to Lingbei to quell a rebellion.
The rebel army was advancing fiercely under the banner of “purging the Rebels.” In less than half a year, they had garnered support from many factions and had amassed tens of thousands of troops on the border.
After the defeat at Kui City, Emperor Wuyang appointed Xie Yujin and Grand General Qin, ordering them to assemble their forces and head north within two days.
Song Zhiluan summoned the civil and military academicians and listened to the history of the rebel army. The more she learned, the more alarmed she became, and she stuck close to Xie Yujin for the next two days.
The rebel leader was a general of the Jiang Dynasty. His rank had not been high. Song Zhiluan knew of him only because he had a pair of adorable, jade-like daughters. On the eve of a battle once, fearing for his daughters’ safety, he had knelt before her tent and begged her to shelter them for a few days, as her camp was adjacent to her imperial father’s main tent and thus safer.
Later, for some unknown offense, he was exiled to Lingbei. The next news of him was that he had become the leader of the rebels.
Because he was very familiar with the various generals at court, the Jiang Dynasty had not won a single battle in the recent clashes. If they lost any more ground, it was feared that the remnants of the Northern Dynasty and the Qian Kingdom, entrenched in the southwest and northeast, would make a comeback. At that point, they would be outnumbered and overwhelmed, and the situation would become even more chaotic.
Therefore, this battle was one Xie Yujin had to fight with his life on the line.
But no matter how worried she was, the day of departure always came.
When one is anxious, twelve hours pass in the blink of an eye. In a flash, her imperial father ordered the Crown Prince to hold a farewell ceremony for Xie Yujin and the others. The army marched north along the road.
The old eunuch poured a cup of wine for Song Huaizhang. He raised it, facing Xie Yujin. “May the General return in triumph soon. My imperial father and I will await the good news in the imperial city.”
Xie Yujin raised his cup and drained it in one gulp.
Song Zhiluan stood to the side. Seeing Xie Yujin about to exit the Xuanwu Gate, her eyelids twitched violently. She gathered her skirts and hurried down.
Song Huaizhang coughed a few times. He watched as Song Zhiluan swung herself onto a horse and gave chase. The figure, like a wisp of crimson smoke, wove through the heavy iron armor and blocked Xie Yujin’s path.
She dismounted, her hand gripping his saddle tightly, her eyes moist. “Xie Yujin, you must come back to me alive.”
Xie Yujin did not dismount. His gaze swept over the drooping corners of Song Zhiluan’s eyes. The fear in them was almost tangible.
Under such a gaze, his tone held a hint of reassurance. “Mm, I know.”
The horse was restless, stomping its hooves. Its swishing tail stirred a gust of hot air. The surrounding officials who had come to see them off were all staring at Song Zhiluan, but she paid them no mind, her eyes only for Xie Yujin.
Her hand released the saddle. Song Zhiluan raised her arm, revealing a section of snow-white skin, and grasped the jade pendant at Xie Yujin’s waist. “Leave this with me as a keepsake.”
Unexpectedly, Xie Yujin grabbed her wrist, his tone turning cold. “Let go.”
Song Huaizhang, who had been conversing with others nearby with a gentle smile, paused slightly as his eyes fell on the piece of jade in Song Zhiluan’s hand.
Song Zhiluan had noticed the special nature of this jade pendant long ago. Xie Yujin never took it off, even placing it by his pillow when he slept at night. Thus, she was not surprised by his reaction. Song Zhiluan let him hold her wrist, placed her other hand on the saddle, and removed the red coral bracelet she always wore.
“This is also something I treasure,” she said. Having already unfastened the jade pendant, she placed the string of beads in front of Xie Yujin. “It has protected me for many years. From now on, it will protect you too.”
Song Zhiluan took one last look at the string of deep red coral beads, a hint of reluctance in her eyes, but she still clutched Xie Yujin’s jade pendant tightly.
“If you want your jade pendant back, come back safely to see me.”
Seeing the stalemate, General Qin, who was traveling with Xie Yujin, broke the silence with a smile. “The Princess and the Imperial Son-in-Law are truly a devoted couple. General Xie, it’s getting late. We should be on our way. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is unwell and should not stand in the night wind for too long.”
The endless stream of soldiers passed through the Xuanwu Gate, the heat and sweat from the crowd hitting her face. Xie Yujin was high on his horse and in a better state. Song Zhiluan’s skin was fair, making the dust that settled on her face particularly obvious, and some had even gotten into her eyes.
She kept rubbing her eyes as she spoke, her beautiful almond eyes turning bloodshot, yet she persisted in staring at him without blinking.
At General Li’s repeated urging, Xie Yujin gave her a deep look and released her hand.
Clutching the jade pendant, Song Zhiluan watched as a palace attendant brought her horse over.
The army continued to advance.
Song Huaizhang watched Xie Yujin’s retreating back.
Xu Xiang, standing beside Song Huaizhang, sighed. “Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty’s health is poor, and your own body has not fully recovered. Letting General Xie leave Jing at this time is not a wise move. While the bandits in Lingbei cause trouble, the capital itself is fraught with hidden dangers.”
Song Huaizhang saw Song Zhiluan turn her horse around and be led back by a palace attendant. He remembered how he used to lead her by the hand along the riverbank just like that.
After their mother’s death, Xiao Luan was his only family in this world. Even now that she was married, her nature was as pure and kind as ever.
If he could, he hoped she could remain in her position as Linghuai Princess forever, never to be involved in this chaos.
Xu Xiang’s gaze also fell upon Song Zhiluan’s lonely figure.
Before leaving the palace, Xu Xiang saw his eldest son, Yaochen, finishing his duties. He called him over urgently and then instructed a young servant to retrieve a sandalwood box, about a foot long, from his sedan chair.
Xu Yaochen asked, “Father, what is this?”
Xu Xiang stroked his short beard. “This is a set of shadow puppets. Princess Linghuai has loved such things since she was a child. With General Xie away on a long journey, this can serve as a diversion for her. You go deliver it, but do not mention my name.”
This was not the first time Xu Yaochen had delivered something to Song Zhiluan on his father’s behalf, but this time, he did not have his attendant take it.
The Xu and Song families were close neighbors, with a friendship passed down through generations. When Linghuai was young, she loved to go to his house to play on the swing. His father and mother treated her well, but they also treated the Song siblings equally, without favoritism. He didn’t know when it started, but his father began to mention Linghuai often, having him deliver countless foods and trinkets, yet never allowing his name to be mentioned. Xu Yaochen used to think that since Linghuai was favored, his father was simply currying favor with Emperor Wuyang. Now, he felt there was more to it than met the eye.
He just looked at Xu Xiang and said, “Father, you just had me deliver pottery to Princess Linghuai last month. Why are you sending something again today?”
As dusk settled, Xu Xiang’s expression remained unchanged. He waved the young servant away and called Xu Yaochen into the carriage.
The wheels began to roll, and Xu Yaochen poured tea for Xu Xiang.
“You actually want to ask why I treat Princess Linghuai so specially, don’t you?” Xu Xiang adjusted his robes and sighed deeply. “My son, it’s fine to tell you. This is no great secret… although now, only a few old pillars of the court know about that matter.”
Xu Yaochen’s eyes grew pensive.
Xu Xiang brought up another matter. “How much do you know about the Battle of Changbai Slope?”
“The Battle of Changbai Slope was a famously perilous engagement. The enemy, with the help of an insider, set up an ambush at Changbai Slope, intending a surprise attack. Fortunately, His Majesty was blessed by the heavens. Fifty li from Changbai Slope, he received a scout’s report and escaped with his life.”
Xu Yaochen recalled what was written in the history books. “At that time, the disparity in forces was immense. The enemy had one hundred thousand troops and sent forty thousand to lie in ambush at Changbai Slope. The leading general was Hu Sailuo of the Northern Dynasty, and the supervising army official was the notorious eunuch Feng Ying. The soldiers under him were extremely cruel to both enemy captives and common people, committing every imaginable evil from rape and plunder to flaying and dismemberment. Our forces numbered less than two thousand, with the majority engaged in fighting other remnants of the Northern Dynasty. We had no troops to spare. Seeing our forces flee, the Northern Dynasty general occupied Changbai Slope and set up camp. His Majesty wandered for over a year until he ordered General Xie to lead an army to finally retake it.”
“What the books say is not false,” Xu Xiang said, “but they also concealed some things. It’s true that His Majesty received a scout’s report, but that ‘scout’ was actually an unintended stroke of luck—”
“He was sent by Princess Linghuai to ask His Majesty for help.”
Xu Yaochen froze.
After a long moment, he said, “Wasn’t Linghuai always by His Majesty’s side?”
“Princess Linghuai was young then and had always been frail and sickly. On the eve of the incident, her wet nurse saw her sleeping soundly and couldn’t bear for her to suffer the hardship of travel. She reported to His Majesty and left her behind at Changbai Slope to recuperate. His Majesty, along with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Princess Chaoyang, had gone to a city a hundred li away, intending to form an alliance. If nothing had gone wrong, it would have been a one-day round trip. But an accident happened in that brief time, allowing the enemy to take advantage of the opening and set an ambush.”
Xu Xiang picked up his teacup, rested for a moment, and continued, “The people of the Northern Dynasty knew Princess Linghuai was at Changbai Slope. They had portraits drawn and searched house by house. The hundred or so guards His Majesty had left behind were quickly killed. Not even a carrier pigeon could get a message out. It’s unknown how Princess Linghuai managed to evade the search and bribe a commoner to go for help.”
“When His Majesty learned that Princess Linghuai’s life was in mortal danger, he was overcome with grief. But alas, for us to go would have been to throw our lives away.”
A chill gradually crept up Xu Yaochen’s spine. “So…”
Xu Xiang stroked the wooden box. “So, I, your father, advised His Majesty that since we had received the message and knew the danger, it was the will of heaven. Princess Linghuai’s life was a small matter; only His Majesty’s life could not be lost there… We should turn around and leave as soon as possible. The only course of action was to abandon Princess Linghuai and head south.”
“His Majesty agreed.”
Xu Yaochen gripped his teacup tightly, forgetting to put it down.
Xu Xiang smiled bitterly. “At that time, Princess Chaoyang was only nine years old. She had always been gentle and had never once disobeyed His Majesty. But that one time… she went to find Princess Linghuai all by herself. It’s shameful to say, but among our group of a thousand people, not one had the courage of Princess Chaoyang.”
“The people sent to chase her searched in vain. Fearing the enemy would catch up—at which point a quick death by the sword would have been a mercy—they too fled. For more than a year after that, there was no news of Princess Chaoyang or Princess Linghuai. We feared they had already met with disaster. I often thought of them as young children, calling me ‘Uncle.’ Every time I remembered, I couldn’t stop the tears.”
As Xu Xiang spoke, tears welled in his eyes. “It was fate that Linghuai did not die. It is only right that I compensate her more. It’s just a pity about Princess Chaoyang. She never enjoyed a single day of a princess’s blessings before she was sent to the Xi Yi for a political marriage.”