25
Li Yue Haili’s morning was as simple as ever.
She woke up before dawn, and after washing her face and putting on a light blue outer garment, she sat down to practice calligraphy.
During her journey from the border to the capital of Da Feng, it had been inconvenient to practice, and she hadn’t had the opportunity to pick up her brush.
Now, as the familiar scent of ink on clean white Xuan paper filled the air, a sense of relaxation and nostalgia washed over her.
In one lifetime, she had the chance to study with a renowned master of Kai script.
She studied the art of calligraphy under that master for many years and later obtained two rare original Kai script manuscripts that were sought after across the land.
Even though she no longer had those manuscripts in this current life, she still remembered every stroke clearly, having practiced them for so long.
However, her personal preference leaned more toward the fluid beauty of Xing script, with its graceful, flowing lines, rather than the meticulous perfection of Kai script.
As a result, she chose to practice both styles simultaneously.
In some lifetimes, when she was born into poverty, she had relied on her calligraphy skills to survive.
With her hands, she would break off tree branches, smooth them with a rough stone, and fashion a crude brush by tying wild rabbit fur to the stick.
She would beg for scraps of charcoal from villagers, mix it with water to make ink, and find beautifully shaped leaves to write on in place of paper.
Then, she would sell these makeshift writings near the bookstores close to academies.
She knew that even though her ink on leaves might not be rich and smooth, someone would eventually recognize the quality of her characters.
Fortunately, her face helped.
Even as a small beggar girl, her appearance earned her a certain amount of sympathy, and she wasn’t chased away too quickly.
With the two styles of calligraphy at her disposal, scholars would often see her as a talented young beggar with natural aptitude.
Little did they know that her skill came from over a hundred years of practice.
Later, she realized that fame wasn’t always a good thing, so she adopted a more restrained style when writing in front of others—a round, soft script often favored by young girls.
It diminished the firmness and serenity of her characters by seven or eight parts, making them neither remarkable nor poor.
Brush, ink, and paper—these things had been with Li Yue Haili for so long that they had become a part of her.
The young girl spent an hour practicing calligraphy before leaving the writing desk and walking over to the guqin placed in one corner of the room.
Her fingertips brushed lightly over the taut strings.
The seven-stringed zither, milk-white instrument had been a gift from her father after he heard her play the pipa.
He must have thought that if she could play the four-stringed pipa so well, her skill with the seven-stringed guqin would surely be just as impressive.
General Li might not have known that the guqin was not an instrument easily mastered.
Even among noble daughters, few excelled at it.
Unless it was necessary, most young ladies preferred to practice the four-stringed pipa, which took less time to learn and appeared more graceful and charming when played.
In truth, Li Yue Haili could play the seven-stringed guqin and was profoundly skilled in the spiritual essence of the instrument.
However, since performing the piece ‘Longing of the Lonely Phoenix’ she had not touched the guqin again.
The young girl picked up her pipa and walked out to the garden beside her left-wing residence, where many plum trees with widespread branches stood.
Since arriving at the general’s residence in the capital, the only thing she truly liked about this place was the blooming plum blossoms.
Plum trees were resilient, enduring heat and cold, and even with minimal care, they still bloomed beautifully.
Though soon their season would end, and they would wither, they would bloom again when the time came.
“You are much like me,” the girl said with a smile.
She sat on the ground beneath a plum tree, unbothered by the dust and dirt, and cradled her pipa on her lap.
Her fingers began to strum the four strings, playing a simple tune called ‘Oh, Little Bird.’
This piece, with its simple melody and few notes, was often used to teach beginners or soothe children.
Yet, when Li Yue Haili played it, the tune held a deep, profound meaning that was different from others’ interpretations.
For most, ‘Oh, Little Bird’ was a joyful and lively tune, evoking the excitement of a small bird flying out of its nest into the vast sky.
However, Li Yue Haili played it slowly and gently, her fingers moving in harmony with the breeze that carried away the plum petals.
Her interpretation was one of a little bird leaving its nest, not for mere excitement but to spread its wings and grow strong, eventually becoming a mighty eagle soaring high.
Yet, there was a subtle loneliness hidden in this flight, as the bird perched alone on a high peak, gazing down at the vast land in solitude.
It longed for someone to be like its nest, a place it could always return to.
But expectations were just that—expectations.
As the melody ended, the girl placed her pipa on the grass beside her and stretched out her legs to ease her fatigue.
Suddenly, she noticed an older girl standing silently nearby.
“Is there something you need, Eldest Miss?” Li Yue Haili asked, surprised.
Though the residences of the main family and the secondary family were not far apart, coming to her left-wing courtyard was certainly out of the way.
“I… I was just passing by,” Li Lingran stammered, her behavior a bit flustered.
“…”
“You’ve butchered a good song.
I heard it and came to check.”
“Oh,” Li Yue Haili nodded.
“I’m not particularly skilled at playing lively tunes,” she said calmly.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave.”
“Hey!
Aren’t you going to pay your respects to Grandmother?” Li Lingran shouted as she saw Li Yue Haili get up and walk away, completely ignoring her.
Having grown up as the eldest miss, Li Lingran had never been disregarded like this before.
Furious, she ran after Yue Haili and grabbed her arm.
Though Li Yue Haili had no martial arts training, her instincts for self-defense were sharp.
She twisted her arm out of the way and caught Li Lingran’s wrist firmly, while her other hand still carefully held the pipa.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“You dare ignore me!”
Li Yue Haili furrowed her brows, feeling a slight headache.
She couldn’t understand how this household had raised this girl.
Li Ling An was relatively normal—sharp and sensible as a noblewoman should be.
But what about Li Lingran?
Her schemes were shallow, her behavior far from refined, with only her beauty standing out, but even that was undermined by her own actions.
“Today, my father is going to the palace.
I have to prepare to see him off, so the main family doesn’t need to attend morning greetings.
Didn’t you know?” Li Yue Haili explained, feeling a bit exasperated and wondering how poorly He Shi had raised her daughter.
“Who said I didn’t know!
Of course, I knew!”
“…” Oh, really?
“Let go!
You’re hurting me!”
Li Yue Haili looked at her hand, which was holding Li Lingran’s wrist.
Her small, delicate hand hardly seemed capable of causing pain.
But just as she was about to loosen her grip, she paused.
Her large eyes narrowed slightly, almost squinting, as she glanced around.
She noticed that the maids accompanying Li Lingran stood not far off, their heads bowed as if oblivious to everything happening.
“There’s still some time before the morning greetings.
I have some Osmanthus cakes in my room.
You…”
“Let’s eat!
I love Osmanthus cakes the most.”
Li Yue Haili didn’t say anything further.
She led the way back to her residence, deep in thought.
She had a feeling that the secondary branch of the family was far from peaceful, but now she suspected that even more was hidden beneath the surface.