Chapter 24: Visiting the Mountain

“Arrest the murder suspect Pei Wenxuan.”

Li Rong felt that she was hallucinating, so she had someone prepare a fragrant, herbal bath without further delay. After washing up, she happily went to bed.

As the two of them fell asleep, an eunuch led by a palace maid hurriedly made their way into Consort Ning’s palace.

Consort Ning was sitting on a high throne, looking at the letter when she heard the maid outside report: “Niangniang, Ming gonggong is seeking an audience.”

Consort Ning paused when she heard this and urgently said, “Call him in!”

A man in his early forties anxiously walked in from outside. Once he entered the hall, he respectfully knelt down. The maids around them understood and promptly withdrew. When Consort Ning saw the person that came, she asked in a low voice: “Is it news from Mother?”

“Princess Ping Le has already brought people to surround the mansion this afternoon, trapping the young masters and the Old Madam inside,” The man quickly spoke up. “Before Princess Ping Le arrived, the Old Madam sent someone to bring a message, saying that the entire Yang family now rests in Niangniang’s hands.”

“Does Mother still need to send word about this?!” Consort Ning anxiously shouted. The man’s expression did not change. He only said, “Niangniang, please remain calm.”

Consort Ning said nothing. She took a deep breath and stepped back, taking a seat off to the side.

Ming Hui was the informant the Yang family arranged in the Palace. He would not directly come and find her if the situation was not urgent. She took a moment to calm down then looked up and said, “Why are you here?”

“Just now, Tuoba Yan sent word that the account books have been stolen.”

Consort Ning was stunned when she heard this. She did not know how to react to that for some time. After a while, she finally understood and said in utter disbelief, “He actually kept account books?”

“Yes,” Ming Hui had a cold look in his eyes, “And he also said that there is more than one set of records.”

This was a threat.

Consort Ning sat on her high chair, dazed and speechless.

At the present, her father and brothers had suffered crushing defeat on the battlefield, her nephew was beheaded by a destitute legitimate son of the Pei family, and all the womenfolk and children were trapped in the mansion by a little girl. The entire family from top to bottom could only rely on her.

Ming Hui saw that Consort Ning was lost in her thoughts, so he waited for some time before reminding her: “Niangniang, there is not much time left. A decision needs to be made soon in regards to the account books.”

“Who took the account books?”

Consort Ning thought for a moment, then she looked at Ming Hui, and Ming Hui lifted up a portrait: “This is a portrait provided by Tuoba Yan, saying that it might be these two people. This servant has seen it. It is Her Highness Ping Le, and…” Ming Hui raised his head and coldly said, “Pei Wenxuan.”

Hearing this, Consort Ning seemed to find it rather absurd and couldn’t help but laugh and rhetorically ask, “Pei Wenxuan?”

As she spoke, she disbelievingly asked: “That Pei Wenxuan that killed Quan’er?!”

“Yes.”

“Going too far…” Consort Ning took a step back, her chest violently rising and falling, “This little brat is going too far!”

“Niangniang,” Ming Hui calmly spoke up, “Whether to kill or leave him be, may Niangniang make it clear at once.”

“He cannot be killed,” Consort Ning raised a hand to stop Ming Hui’s actions and only said, “He cannot be killed at this time. He and Ping Le were the ones who took the account books, so killing him will only leave more implicating traces.”

“Then what are Niangniang’s intentions?”

Ming Hui stared intently at Consort Ning. Consort Ning pondered for a moment then said: “Wasn’t Pei Wenxuan’s father Pei Lizhi? Hasn’t Pei Lixian always wanted him dead?”

“Yes.” Ming Hui immediately replied, “If Pei Wenxuan is dead, then Pei Lizhi’s right to inherit the family mantle will rightfully belong to Pei Lixian. Pei Lixian currently controls the Pei family properties in the name of sharing the burden with Pei Wenxuan’s mother.”

“You go find Pei Lixian tonight,” Consort Ning quickly instructed, “Ask him for one of Pei Wenxuan’s belongings, then contact Tuoba Yan’s steward Wang Shun. You tell him that we have raised him for a while now, so he should make himself useful.”

“What does Niangniang mean?”

“If Tuoba Yan is dead, there won’t be any witnesses to testify for those account books of his, and they will be as good as gone. With Tuoba Yan dead, the account books themselves will not be enough to serve as evidence. They must be combined with the account books from the Ministry of War and those at the border station. Therefore, once Tuoba Yan is out of the picture, Ping Le won’t dare to take them out. Let’s use Tuoba Yan’s death to send that brat to prison first in order to stabilize the situation.”

Consort Ning’s emotions slowly eased up as she spoke. She looked down at the spotlessly shining floor and continued: “News of Quan’er’s death must have reached the border by now. Once my father and brothers receive the news, they will find a way to resolve this for us. In the meantime, we only need to keep that Pei Wenxuan from further investigating.”

“Understood.”

After Ming Hui responded, he stood up and said, “Niangniang, I will handle this at once.”

Consort Ning nodded, and Ming Hui respectfully retired. Once there was no one else in the room except for the moonlight shining on the ground, Consort Ning brought her hand up and held her forehead as she closed her eyes, pained.

Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan slept in their respective rooms until dawn. Once Li Rong freshened up, she immediately got onto the carriage and waited for Pei Wenxuan. Not long after, she heard the sound of footsteps coming from outside, then someone lifted the curtain and suddenly leapt inside.

It gave Li Rong quite a scare, but afterwards, she realized that it was Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan was a bit different from usual today. He was wearing an open outer robe as blue as the seas with silver cloud embroidery, which fluttered over the white cross-collared robes underneath. With his hair half tied up, the strands of hair at his temples arbitrarily framing the sides of his face, and a folding fan in his hand, he gave off a bit of a romantic air of youth.

“What are you doing,” Li Rong looked up, rather disgusted as she said, “Acting so casually and recklessly.”

“Your people kept rushing me,” Pei Wenxuan leisurely sat down and pinched a pastry as he spoke, “I was still shaving when they came to line up and stand outside, saying that Your Highness was waiting for me,” He looked up at her as he spoke and smiled, “And how could this humble official dare to make Your Highness wait?”

He tossed the pastry into his mouth and poured himself some tea.

Li Rong saw that he seemed to be in good spirits and couldn’t help but say, “Did you drink wine last night or an elixir from the fountain of youth? You look no different from those newly grown bean sprouts, bursting with vitality.”

“I’ve thought about it,” Pei Wenxuan took a sip of tea and spoke as if deeply moved, “Never before have we had such an opportunity, so we must cherish it well. Now that we are in our twenties, we should act like people in their twenties.”

Li Rong listened as he spoke and just sipped on her tea without saying a word. Pei Wenxuan turned to look out at the crowd outside the carriage with a smile on his face: “And take a good at what Huajing was like 30 years ago. It’s not necessarily a bad thing to try and relive our youth.”

With that said, Pei Wenxuan turned his head and looked at Li Rong: “What does Your Highness think?”

Li Rong looked at Pei Wenxuan and slightly smiled: “Bengong does not need to experience these things.”

Pei Wenxuan raised his hand, prepared to speak up and persuade her when he heard Li Rong say: “Bengong has always been living the best years.”

Pei Wenxuan stiffened. After a while, he sighed and lamented, “You have no sense of shame nevertheless.”

Having said that, he turned his head away and glanced at the road outside, “Are we going straight to Jiulu Mountain?”

“En.” Li Rong took a sip of tea, “You are also familiar with Qin Lin’s temper. We definitely won’t be able to meet him the first time around. We only need to extend an invitation on Chuan’er’s behalf, sit down for tea then head back.”

Pei Wenxuan nodded. Li Chuan went to find Qin Lin two years later in the previous life. The Yang family were like ashes that could still burn after that fateful battle.[1] They seized and occupied the Northwest and clashed with Li Ming in the internal power struggle. However, Li Ming had plenty of patience to spin silk from the cocoons.[2] After draining the Yang family’s strength and exhausting their forces, he planted his people amidst the Yang family, reducing them to mere figureheads. However, two years later, when the Rong State invaded again, those forces were utterly defeated in battle.

[1] Lit. Ashes that could still burn — as if revived from the dead or making a comeback

[2] Spin silk from the cocoons (idiom) — to get to the bottom of things and finish it off, based on the imagery of meticulously unwinding silk threads from silkworm cocoons.

It was at that time that Li Chuan took Qin Zhenzhen’s suggestion and looked for Qin Lin.

Qin Lin was born on the battlefield. He had grown up and lived at the border station until he was fifteen years old. He had once stormed the enemy’s camp with just 800 light cavalry and cut down 3000 enemy soldiers. It was just that he was still too young at that time, not to mention his father was also the commander, so few knew about this. Later on, his father died in battle, and he was brought back to Huajing. He could not mix well with the people and ways of life in Huajing, so he left and lived in Jiulu Mountain for the next seven years.

If not for Qin Zhenzhen’s suggestion, Qin Lin might have never returned to the battlefield again in his life.

At that time, Li Chuan was still the Crown Prince, but in order to extend an invitation to Qin Lin, he went to Jiulu Mountain every day and painstakingly waited day and night, facing the winds and sleeping out in the open air. He was finally able to meet Qin Lin five days later. He reportedly sent countless gifts and even personally helped Qin Lin onto the carriage, finally succeeding in recruiting Qin Lin.

Li Chuan sought to protect Qin Lin on the battlefield, and Qin Lin did not fail to live up to expectations either. It only took 15 days to reclaim the cities lost and stabilize the Northwestern border.

With the Northwestern border stabilized, the transfer of military power seemed to tip the balance, which prompted Li Ming to act.

Therefore, Li Ming expressed his intentions of hosting a banquet to Consort Rou and proceeded to frame Crown Prince Li Chuan for defiling an imperial concubine. After Li Chuan was imprisoned, the Empress was quickly put under house arrest, and Li Rong was also imprisoned. It was only when Pei Wenxuan pretended to courteously approach Li Ming, pretending to come forward to help him arrest Qin Lin, that they were able to narrowly escape this disaster.

That was probably the darkest moment in their lives.

Li Chuan had resigned to die, and Li Rong also told him that he could use her life in exchange for his future in officialdom.

However, in the end, they were able to walk out of such a predicament.

Qin Zhenzhen climbed up the snowy mountain by herself to find Qin Lin, allowing Qin Lin to escape the ambush.

Pei Wenxuan jumped into the river to flee from Huajing. He persuaded the aristocratic families to stand by and support Li Chuan and finally gathered enough money and grain to recruit soldiers, allowing Qin Lin to lead his troops to besiege Huajing.

Afterwards, Pei Wenxuan and the court officials forced the Emperor to abdicate and helped Li Chuan ascend the throne in the end.

However, this manner of ascension was bound to let the aristocratic families thrive and grow powerful, bringing forth an era of dependence on ineffective subordinates.

These circumstances that gave rise to the Emperor Li Chuan had also thoroughly eroded away his temperament as a young man.

The turbulent storms of the previous life seemed to have passed by in the blink of an eye, but they both tacitly did not bring it up. Li Rong looked at her novel, and Pei Wenxuan turned his head to look out the carriage.

After traveling for an hour, the two of them arrived at Jiulu Mountain. Qin Lin’s bamboo house was built up on the mountain, so the two had to walk up there themselves.

The Jiulu Mountain scenery was beautiful. The two of them walked up the winding road on the mountain at an unhurried pace. By the time they climbed up half the mountain, the first thing they saw was not Qin Lin’s bamboo house but a sign that said: “Living people and dogs are not allowed inside.”[3]

[3] In the raws, the characters used for the word “living people” are 生人, which can also mean strangers. It’s a bit of a play on words.

“He’s afraid of dogs.”

Pei Wenxuan reminded her in a low voice. Li Rong looked up and directly called out: “Is there anyone there?”

Not long after, a young man walked out from the small courtyard. He wore a set of green robes and had his hair half tied up behind him. He was born fair-skinned and beautiful and looked to be a very gentle person.

He walked up to the two of them and respectfully said: “May I ask who the two of you may be…”

“This humble one is Pei Wenxuan,” Pei Wenxuan knew that this person was Qin Lin’s friend, Cui Qinghe, but he did not reveal it in his expressions. He pretended to be an attendant and politely said, “This is Princess Ping Le, and I am here to see Qin gongzi on the Crown Prince’s orders.”

“You two must be joking,” Cui Qinghe clasped both hands in front of him in salute, “My family’s gongzi has been away from worldly affairs for a long time. How could the Crown Prince know about my family’s gongzi? Perhaps you two are here for the wrong person?”

“Gongzi is the reincarnated Bai Qi, wielding the power of a god of war. Back then, he brought 800 light cavalry to kill 3000 enemy soldiers. It is said that he is incredibly brave. His Highness the Crown Prince regrets that this talent is like a thirst to be quenched and specifically sent us to deliver an invitation. He will personally come here tomorrow and looks forward to seeing Qin gongzi nevertheless.”

With that said, Pei Wenxuan handed over the invitation card. Cui Qinghe took the card and glanced at the words on the invitation card.

Pei Wenxuan’s calligraphy was outstanding. Later on when he became the Left Prime Minister, he also established his own school of calligraphy in Huajing. There were many people who studied and imitated his calligraphy.

Cui Qinghe looked at these characters for a moment, then he laughed and said, “These words were written by Pei gongzi?”

“Yes.”

“Beautifully written.” Cui Qinghe accepted the invitation card. “I will speak on Pei gongzi’s behalf because of these words, but my family’s gongzi has an eccentric personality. Even if the Crown Prince comes tomorrow, he may not be able to meet him.”

“That is fine.”

Li Rong laughed: “It’s fine for a talented person to be a bit willful. If it’s a good-looking person with talent, then it is just to be expected.”

Cui Qinghe laughed when he heard this: “The Princess is certainly witty.”

With that said, Cui Qinghe looked at the sky and said, “It is getting late. The bamboo house cannot extend an invitation to the two of you today, so please return.”

The two of them had guessed that this would be the outcome earlier, so they weren’t dissatisfied and calmly bid Cui Qinghe farewell before heading down the mountain together.

It was almost dusk at this time. Pei Wenxuan was still bursting with vitality, but Li Rong was already a bit tired.

However, Li Rong’s face couldn’t be seen since she was following behind Pei Wenxuan down the mountain. The setting sun gradually sank, its tinted afterglow stretching far and wide as birds spread their wings and soared. Looking down from the mountain, the golden wheat could be seen rolling over patches of green in the fields, swayed by the evening breeze, the undulations made it a gentle sight to see.

Li Rong’s steps slowed down more and more, and Pei Wenxuan noticed. He turned to look back at Li Rong a few times to see that she was still trying to manage on her own. He slightly coughed and opened his fan and said as if deeply moved: “A few years ago when Qin Lin left, he said that he was to be buried here, so I sent him up the mountain, but I felt like I was already at death’s doors by time I walked up here. Now that I’ve come back, I can walk up and down a few rounds without feeling tired at all.”

With that said, Pei Wenxuan happily sighed: “It’s so nice to be young!”

Li Rong felt rather unhappy when she heard this.

She was tired and half-dead, so she felt a bit irritated when she saw Pei Wenxuan was still as vigorous and lively as dragons and tigers.

She came to a stop. Pei Wenxuan turned his head back and saw Li Rong standing in place. He raised his eyebrows and asked even though he already knew the answer, “Why aren’t you coming?”

Li Rong said nothing. She waved him over.

Pei Wenxuan came forward and stopped in front of her: “What’s the matter?”

“Turn around.”

Li Rong said. Pei Wenxuan knew what she wanted to do and turned around. Then, he heard Li Rong say: “Crouch down.”

Pei Wenxuan could hear Li Rong’s shortness of breath with just these many words. He crouched down as Li Rong spoke and laughed: “Your Highness’s stamina doesn’t seem to be very high.”

As soon as he finished his sentence, Li Rong suddenly pounced on him. Pei Wenxuan staggered, though fortunately, he quickly reacted and managed to keep his balance. He noticed Li Rong lying against his back. He turned his head back and smiled: “Your Highness, what are you doing?”

“Didn’t you say your stamina was very good?”

Li Rong lightly said: “Then, I will make you work a little harder and carry me down the mountain.”

“Your Highness,” After hearing this, Pei Wenxuan playfully said, “This isn’t good though, is it? It’s not proper.”

“No one is here to see it,” Li Rong continued to say, “Besides, when have I needed to act with propriety?”

That is to say, if she wanted to act with propriety, she would not have raised Su Rongqing back then.

Pei Wenxuan pretended to sigh: “Your Highness is bullying this humble official.”

Li Rong rolled her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and urged him: “Go, stop delaying. It’s getting dark soon.”

Pei Wenxuan resigned to his fate and set off, carrying Li Rong on his back, ruefully sighing as he walked: “Your Highness, you seem to have eaten quite a bit.”

“Pei daren,” Li Rong picked up Pei Wenxuan’s tone from earlier, “This is because your stamina doesn’t seem to be very high.”

“If you can be as light as Feiyan, then perhaps this humble official will have enough strength.”[4]

[4] Feiyan — lit. “flying swallow [bird].” It’s a reference to Zhao Feiyan, Han Dynasty Empress known for her slender beauty. Pei Wenxuan only says Feiyan and not Zhao Feiyan, so Li Rong responds with a play on words, mocking for having the strength to carry a flying swallow—which would be none.

“If I’m as light as Feiyan, then you would be pretty weak,” Li Rong said as she rested on his shoulders with a blank smile. “After all, Pei daren likes them nice and slender, right?”

Pei Wenxuan didn’t know how to feel about these words for a while. He recovered after a few moments, but he was still at a loss for words.

“Li Rong…” After a while, he finally said in a stifled voice, “To be able to become this kind of woman, I must say I admire you.”

“Aren’t I very successful? I’m living a happy life, aren’t it?” Li Rong continued to say, “No need to envy. There are very few people that are as outstanding as Bengong.”

Li Rong amused Pei Wenxuan. He continued to walk on with her on his back while quarreling with her.

The setting sun gradually disappeared, and the bright moon lit up the night sky. The moonlight passed through the gaps between the leaves of the trees and fell on the two of them.

Li Rong was tired after quarreling with Pei Wenxuan. She couldn’t help but lean on Pei Wenxuan’s shoulder, feeling a little sleepy.

Pei Wenxuan saw that she was sleepy, so he didn’t quarrel with her anymore. He carried Li Rong on his back and slowly made his way down the mountain. When he reached the foot of the mountain, there was the sound of croaking frogs in the fields in the distance, accompanied by the gentle breeze. He listened to the gentle melody of the mountain and forest as he carried the young lady on his back.

For a moment, Pei Wenxuan suddenly felt that there was an indescribable peacefulness in his heart.

He couldn’t help but slow down his steps and slowly move forward. Li Rong sensed that Pei Wenxuan’s pace had slowed down and softly asked: “Pei Wenxuan, are you tired?”

Pei Wenxuan couldn’t help but laugh when he heard this.

“No,” He raised his head and looked ahead, “You can sleep with a peace of mind, I will carry you back.”

“En.”

Li Rong hugged his neck tightly.

After some time, Li Rong softly asked: “Pei Wenxuan?”

“Hm?”

“I think that you were rather cute when you were young.”

Pei Wenxuan was stunned and listened as Li Rong proceeded to say: “Granted at that time your mind wasn’t very bright, and there were many things you did but didn’t think it through, but whenever I think about it, I still feel that you were very good back then.”

“At least,” She chuckled, “A bit better looking.”

“You really are…” Pei Wenxuan wanted to say something to her, but he didn’t know what to say. After holding back for a while, he ended up not saying anything.

When he returned to the carriage, Li Rong leaned against the small couch and fell asleep. Pei Wenxuan covered her with a blanket, then put out the lamps for her and sat off to the side, looking out at the wilderness in the darkness of the night.

There was an indescribable peace in his heart. He turned to look at Li Rong, the young woman who was curled up in a ball under the moonlight. He couldn’t help but smile when he looked at her figure.

For some reason, he suddenly felt that this rebirth was also a good thing.

After being reborn, he and Li Rong ended up getting involved with one another due to the circumstances. He initially felt like he was at a loss and helpless, a sense of helplessness that could not be put to words. After all, who would feel at ease when fate seems to be toying with them.

However, at this moment, as he was sitting here, he suddenly felt that nothing in this world, whether good or bad, is certain until the very last moment.

It was like opening a gift. No one could say whether they like it or not without having seen the contents inside.

The carriage sent him back to the Pei residence first. He sensed that he was about to arrive home, so he packed up his belongings first. He was wondering if he should say goodbye to Li Rong but felt that he should not disturb her, so he planned to leave quietly.

When the carriage came to a stop, Pei Wenxuan grabbed his belongings and lifted the curtain. As soon as he poked his head out, he came face to face with a group of bailiffs responsible for catching criminals with swords hanging from their waist that had encircled the carriage.

The leader came forward and took out a command token and coldly said: “Under the orders of the Ministry of Justice, the suspect Pei Wenxuan is to be arrested. Pei daren,” The man stared intently at Pei Wenxuan: “Please follow this officer.”

The author has something to say:

I didn’t know what I was writing when I wrote the last paragraph. At first, I wrote:

“The handsome young man standing at the lead took out a command token…”

Once I finished writing, I realized that no, he isn’t a handsome young man.

【Mini Theater】

Pei Wenxuan: “Old wife, you see, now that we’re both reborn and young again, don’t you feel particularly good?”

Li Rong: “No.”

Pei Wenxuan: “Why not? Doesn’t it feel good to be young again?”

Li Rong: “I’m baby, forever and always.[5] What’s this talk about going back to our youth? You can shut it, you rotten old man!”