Chapter 11

Chapter 11: She Pushed Xue Shaoyin into the Water After all these years, Shaoyin was no longer the girl she had once been. She would no longer guard Crown Prince Xiao Heng’s position by keeping her distance from Xiao Yu and treating him coldly. Nor would she take out her anger at Xiao Heng on the innocent Xiao Yu. Shaoyin felt sorry for what had happened in the past. With a smile, she took half a step toward Xiao Yu and asked gently, “Your Highness, are you going into the palace to visit the Noble Consort Dowager?” Xiao Yu seemed pleasantly surprised by her taking the initiative to speak to him. Bright light shone in his eyes as he also stepped closer and said, “Yes, I was just about to enter the palace when I ran into Sister Xue.” Then he asked her, “Why are you entering the palace today, Sister Xue?” Xiao Yu was no longer the boy or adolescent he had once been, yet he still called her “Sister Xue.” Shaoyin felt a little embarrassed answering him. With a faint smile, she said, “You can just call me by my name, Your Highness. You’ve already grown up.” “...Oh, all right... all right...” Xiao Yu answered twice in this manner, his cheeks faintly flushed. Shaoyin could not tell whether it was from the cold wind outside the palace gates. After a pause, he softly called, “Shaoyin.” As he spoke, his gaze lightly settled on her face, like the tail of a spring swallow skimming gently across the surface of the water. Shaoyin answered his earlier question. “I came to the palace today because Consort Yi invited me to Fangfei Court to admire the plum blossoms and attend a banquet.” Xiao Yu immediately picked up the conversation. “My Mother Consort now lives in Shou'an Palace, which isn’t far from Fangfei Court. We happen to be going the same way...” As he spoke, he suddenly stopped. Only his pair of dark, shining eyes remained fixed brightly on her. Shaoyin could not help smiling. “Since we’re going the same way, why don’t we go together?” Bright delight immediately rippled into Xiao Yu’s eyes like starlight. With a radiant smile, he said, “All right, then let’s go together, Sister Xue.” He hurriedly changed it to “Shaoyin,” then changed it again to “Sister Shaoyin,” as though several forms of address were fighting for space in his mouth. Shaoyin could not help laughing aloud. Together, they entered the palace through Xihua Gate and slowly made their way along the long palace road. Five years ago, Shaoyin had walked this road in the opposite direction. By then, she had already been granted the title of County Princess Yongning. Representing the imperial family, she had not departed for her marriage alliance from the Xue family residence, but had instead set out from the palace. That day, dressed in her wedding robes and seated in a palanquin, she had been carried by palace attendants toward the bridal carriage outside Xihua Gate when hurried footsteps came running toward her. The person who had come after her was the young Xiao Yu. For several years before that, he had kept his distance from her, but on that day, he had disregarded everything and run straight to her. He ordered the wedding procession to stop, saying that he wanted to ask his Imperial Father to change the candidate for the marriage alliance. Like everyone else, the young Xiao Yu had believed that she was being forced into the marriage alliance with Shuobei by an imperial decree from the late emperor. He did not know that she herself had volunteered. She had volunteered in order to protect her Aunt and the Xue family. How could she allow anyone to ruin it? So she had said some harsh things to Xiao Yu again. That day, Shaoyin told Xiao Yu that she herself wanted to marry into Shuobei as part of the marriage alliance. She asked him to grant her wish and not arrogantly interfere in other people’s affairs without permission. At the time, she thought she would be leaving her homeland and loved ones for the rest of her life. Her heart had been unbearably heavy, and her tone had been icy cold. By then, Xiao Heng was no longer in her heart, so she naturally no longer held any prejudice against Xiao Yu because of him. She also felt guilty over how coldly and harshly she had treated Xiao Yu in the past. But she was about to leave her homeland, never to return. Thus, although she had seen the sorrow and reluctance in Xiao Yu’s eyes, she had thought that since she was leaving forever, there was no point in making someone back home worry and yearn for her. In the end, she had said coldly, “Please move aside, Your Highness. Didn’t I tell you before not to appear in front of me again?!” Recalling the past, Shaoyin sighed inwardly. The Xue Shaoyin of the past had indeed been rather detestable. Just then, Shaoyin heard Xiao Yu beside her stammering, “Actually... actually, I knew you had returned as soon as you came back. I really wanted to visit the Xue family and see you, but... but...” Although Xiao Yu did not say the rest, Shaoyin knew why he had not taken the initiative to visit her at the Xue family residence. After all, during their last meeting five years ago, she had told Xiao Yu to stay far away from her and never appear in front of her again. Five years ago, both Xiao Heng and Xiao Yu had wanted to stop her from marrying into Shuobei as part of the marriage alliance. But one of them had deliberately come to sabotage the matter, maliciously listing all her supposed “offenses” to her fiancé and saying how frivolous and unfit to be a wife she was. The other simply could not bear to see her marry into the unfamiliar, distant land of Shuobei, leaving her homeland and loved ones behind, perhaps never to return for the rest of her life. She should not waste any effort on people who were unworthy of it. But toward those who held goodwill toward her, she ought to feel grateful for and cherish their concern and kindness. Feeling guilty toward Xiao Yu, Shaoyin thought for a moment before saying softly, “The plum blossoms in my family’s garden should be blooming within the next few days. If you have the time and would like to come admire them, I’ll show you around and invite you to drink tea.” “All right, all right!” Xiao Yu immediately agreed, the delight and excitement impossible to hide in his voice. Although the weather was bitterly cold, Xiao Yu’s happiness seemed to infect everyone around him with ease, like warm sunlight spreading across the earth. Seeing the joy on Xiao Yu’s face, Shaoyin lightly pressed her lips together, then added, “I’ll invite you to drink Shuobei milk tea then. I wonder whether you’ll be able to get used to it?” “Shuobei milk tea? I’ve never had it, but I’ve heard that besides tea leaves, it also contains fresh milk and clarified butter. It tastes very different from the tea we have here...” Xiao Yu stopped speaking, then said to her, “I’ll be able to get used to it. I’m not a picky eater.” Shaoyin could not help laughing. “The way you put it makes it sound as though the Shuobei milk tea I brew will be terrible.” Xiao Yu hurriedly said, “That’s not what I meant...” As he anxiously tried to explain, his cheeks flushed faintly again. With a smile, Shaoyin interrupted his flustered defense. “I know. I was only teasing you.” Then she continued, “Milk tea isn’t bad. It’s just that when you first drink it, you may find the flavor a little strange because you aren’t accustomed to it. When I first arrived in Shuobei, I always thought it felt a little greasy in my mouth. But after drinking it more often, I came to like it and found it had a distinctive flavor. I even learned how to brew it. Helan especially loved the milk tea I made while he was still alive.” As Xiao Yu listened to her, he walked along with her, his pace gradually slowing. He said nothing. When Shaoyin looked over at him in surprise, she saw that the smile had vanished from Xiao Yu’s face. His brows were drawn together, and hesitation and worry faintly showed in his expression. After a long silence, Xiao Yu finally spoke. “...I want to ask you something... but I’m a little afraid to. Did you... did you live well in Shuobei?” “Over the past few years, whenever Daqi and Shuobei exchanged envoys, I asked Imperial Older Brother every year to let me serve as an envoy. I wanted to go to Shuobei and see you for myself—to see whether you were living well there, and how Heir Prince Helan treated you. But Imperial Older Brother never agreed.” “Sometimes I would dream that you weren’t living well. When I woke up, I would think that perhaps I should have found a way to keep you here back then, regardless of... regardless of whether you were willing...” “No, Your Highness,” Shaoyin said. “You don’t need to think that way. I lived very well in Shuobei, and Helan treated me very, very well while he was still alive.” She was comforting Xiao Yu, but everything she said was sincere. In a gentle voice, she told him, “I don’t regret marrying into Shuobei. Those five years in Shuobei were one of the happiest and most important periods of my life. Please don’t worry or blame yourself over it.” After hearing her say this with her own lips, Xiao Yu finally seemed to relax. A hint of a smile appeared on his face, but after that smile came thoughts even more complicated and difficult to express, silently flowing through his dark, gleaming eyes. Yet he could not say anything more, because they had reached the vicinity of Fangfei Court and it was time for them to part. Shaoyin gave Xiao Yu a slight curtsy and asked him to convey her greetings to the Noble Consort Dowager. Xiao Yu smiled and agreed, then asked, “Will you be free at your residence tomorrow? I want to come see the plum blossoms in your garden tomorrow.” Shaoyin was momentarily stunned. “Perhaps the flowers won’t have bloomed yet.” Seeing that Xiao Yu looked as though he was about to blush again, Shaoyin said with a smile, “They should bloom within the next few days. Once the plum blossoms in the rear garden open, I’ll have someone send you an invitation and invite you to visit.” Xiao Yu smiled and agreed. “All right, I’ll be waiting!” After exchanging a few more pleasantries with smiles, they parted outside Fangfei Court. When Shaoyin turned and walked into Fangfei Court, the faint smile on her face immediately scattered into the wind. At the thought of how she would have to deal with Wei Jinshu next, she already felt somewhat tired before the matter had even begun. The plum blossoms in the palace gardens bloomed earlier than those in the rear garden of her home. Amid the faintly drifting fragrance, Shaoyin walked deeper into Fangfei Court. She saw that today’s banquet consisted of more than just Wei Jinshu and herself, host and guest; several other imperial consorts were present as well. Only Jiang Ningyan was absent. Wei Jinshu seemed to notice her confusion and said with a smile, “I sent someone to invite Consort Shu, but Consort Shu said that she was feeling unwell today and could not go outside in the wind. So she had her maidservants send over several jugs of fine wine for us to enjoy ourselves.” After saying this, Wei Jinshu ordered her maidservants to help her to her seat at the banquet. The banquet had been arranged among the plum trees of Fangfei Court. A brocade canopy had been set up outside to block the wind, and braziers had been placed on the ground for warmth, so it should not have been cold. Yet when Shaoyin entered, it felt as though frost and blades of wind were pressing in on her from all sides. The consorts attending today’s flower-viewing banquet clearly had little interest in the fine wine or plum blossoms. Instead, they kept asking her about her past in Shuobei, and most of their questions were rather biting. One asked whether the people of Shuobei never bathed. Another asked whether they liked eating raw meat. With everyone chiming in one after another, they made Shuobei sound like a completely uncivilized land of savages who lived on raw meat and blood. Having spent five years in Shuobei, Shaoyin naturally became, in their eyes, an uncultured barbarian from beyond the frontier who knew nothing of propriety, fit only to receive their lofty condescension and pity. As for the host of the banquet, Consort Yi Wei Jinshu, she did not stop the consorts’ contemptuous and disparaging questions. She reclined leisurely on the seat of honor, drinking wine and watching with an amused smile. Shaoyin could have responded calmly. Even though the curiosity behind most of their questions was laced with contempt and ridicule, she could tolerate it—until they began asking about Helan. Shaoyin could not tolerate anyone mentioning Helan with malicious intent, nor could she listen to any words that mocked or slandered him. So when they began turning their questions toward Helan and her marriage, she stopped enduring it. She immediately rose and excused herself to Wei Jinshu, saying that she felt unwell. After all, she held the title of County Princess Yongning, and on the surface, she had shown Wei Jinshu every due courtesy. As long as Wei Jinshu was not drunk out of her mind, she could not use force to keep Shaoyin there. What Shaoyin had not expected was that, after failing to persuade her to stay, Wei Jinshu offered to escort her out personally. She even came straight over and intimately linked arms with her. Shaoyin was naturally unaccustomed to Wei Jinshu treating her this way. She tried to withdraw her arm without making it obvious, but she could not pull free. On the surface, Wei Jinshu was merely holding her arm affectionately as they walked. In reality, however, she was gripping Shaoyin tightly, forcing her to follow her pace and leave with her. When Shaoyin saw that Wei Jinshu had chosen a path across a bridge beside the water while escorting her from Fangfei Court, she more or less understood what Wei Jinshu intended to do. Shaoyin was not alarmed. She merely sighed softly inwardly before saying, “I remember that when I was young and foolish, I pushed you into the water here, Your Highness. Fortunately, someone nearby pulled you out in time. Otherwise, I might have taken your life.” Wei Jinshu had assumed that Xue Shaoyin had committed so many wicked deeds that she had long since forgotten this one. She had not expected her to remember. That was fine, too. Since Xue Shaoyin remembered, Wei Jinshu would not need to waste her breath reminding her of what she had done. Wei Jinshu stopped on the bridge, which had no railings, and said as though she were being magnanimous, “There’s no need to bring up things from the past.” “No. I have always owed you an apology for this matter.” After all these years, Shaoyin finally apologized to Wei Jinshu for what had happened. She also knew what Wei Jinshu intended to do today, and with a faint smile, she said, “Your Highness, after today, can we consider the old grievances between us settled?” Wei Jinshu’s plan had naturally been to make Xue Shaoyin “accidentally” fall into the water while escorting her away, thereby repaying the grudge from all those years ago. But she had not expected Xue Shaoyin to remember the past. She had not expected Xue Shaoyin to actually apologize to her. She had not expected Xue Shaoyin to... seem to know what she intended to do... It was close to noon. The boundless surface of the water shimmered with rippling light, which reflected in Xue Shaoyin’s calm eyes, making them clear as mirrors, as though they could see straight into a person’s heart. Wei Jinshu’s resolve wavered for an instant. In the end, however, hatred overwhelmed everything else. She hardened her heart and, just as she had planned, pretended that her foot slipped. With a scream, her hand failed to find a firm hold, and she “carelessly” pushed Xue Shaoyin into the water.