Chapter 73 Returning to Yangzhou: A horse, a sword, and a heart still yearning for more…

The last time she saw him cry was when he disguised himself and entered the palace to save her. She never imagined then that he would be the one to cruelly let her go. Wang Yan smiled through his tears, "I told you, I hate that place the most. What makes you think—"

"Okay." Shen Minghuai couldn't hide his disappointment and was about to withdraw his hand.

"etc!"

Wang Yan leaned out the window again, leaving a salty, wet kiss on his lips. It turned out that not all kisses were sweet; this kiss was like eating an unripe persimmon, bitter and astringent. Before Shen Minghuai could recover, the curtains were drawn tightly shut, and the instruction to drive reached Li Changling's ears. This time, no one looked back.

The day they entered Yangzhou was also the day of the Crown Prince's investiture ceremony. The Marquis of Anxi had launched a rebellion in Yanzhou, and Xie Ding, indignant, submitted a memorial to the throne. The Emperor of Yue was furious and issued an edict exiling Xie Ding to Yongzhou. In the vast court, no one dared to speak out again. With the Prince of Yi completely out of power, the establishment of the Crown Prince of Wei was a natural progression.

Li Changling originally planned to return to Yunxi Mountain for a while, but Wang Yan insisted on staying in Yangzhou City so that she could know the news from the capital as soon as possible. Often she would send ten letters and only receive one reply, as if everyone else was too busy to even have a moment to spare, and only Xu Ning'an had time to write her some trivial words.

Since returning to Wanchun Garden, Wang Yan has rarely left her home, except when she personally inquires about any undelivered letters. She spends her days practicing martial arts, brewing tea, tending to the garden's flowers and plants, and the rest of her time eagerly awaiting the letter from the capital. Peach blossoms and magnolias are in full bloom, spring has already blanketed every corner of the city, yet she remains dressed in a fur coat; the harsh winter still refuses to melt away in her heart.

Marquis Anxi still couldn't escape death. All of Xie Xuan's sons were executed, and the rest of the Xie family were enslaved and stripped of their official positions. It turned out that this was the future the Xie family had planned for Xie Ji. Wang Yan still didn't know what conditions they had offered that would make his usually thoughtful father agree to the marriage. Fortunately, the Wang family wasn't implicated. Only after this matter was settled did Wang Zhen reply with his first letter.

Seeing that she was finally no longer sitting in front of the quiet peony field all day, Li Changling invited Shangguan Yu over, and also called Zhu Yao, who had somehow come to Yangzhou again, so the four of them went to the countryside for a spring outing. Four days later was Qingming Festival.

Wang Yan led Li Changling to the kitchen to prepare the Zitui Swallow dish. Her hair was meticulously styled, adorned only with a single jade hairpin featuring floral and cloud patterns. "Senior brother, do you still remember that two years ago today, Master and Mistress held my coming-of-age ceremony on Yunxi Mountain?"

Li Changling glanced at her. "How could I not remember? That hairpin was given to you by your master's wife, wasn't it? It's a family heirloom."

For the first time in months, a faint smile appeared on Wang Yan's lips. "Yes. You are all my family, always have been."

Li Changling laughed at her, "Nobody said otherwise. Master and Mistress must have treated us like their own children."

Wang Yan, who was kneading dough, suddenly stopped and solemnly told him, "Family members cannot abandon each other."

Li Changling paused upon hearing this, realizing what she meant. He turned to her earnestly and said, "Aying, no one has abandoned you. I haven't, neither have your master and mistress, neither have your uncle, aunt, or your brother, Chen—"

“I know.” Wang Yan placed the “swallow” he had made on the steamer. “After Qingming Festival, let’s go back to Yunxi Mountain.”

The book says: At this time, all things grow, clean and bright. Hence the name Qingming (Pure Brightness). In this auspicious season for spring outings, offering sacrifices and sweeping tombs, and sending distant condolences are also Qingming traditions. That year, Wang Yan erected a grave for the snow fox on Yunxi Mountain. Last year she returned to the capital, and although she is in Yangzhou this year, she hasn't gone back. I wonder if her master and mistress will go to weed it.

After paying respects to their ancestors and visiting He Li, Shangguan Yu finally came to Wanchun Garden to meet them. The gardens were sure to be bustling with activity, so they chose a particularly elegant spot with flowing water and surrounded by flowers, but they still couldn't escape the crowds. Fortunately, they were left with a tree.

The four sat under a large tree with new leaves interspersed with old ones, clinking glasses and eating freshly bought dates and steamed buns, chatting about everything under the sun and about life. Shangguan Yu and Zhu Yao's marriage was settled, and she shyly and smilingly extended an invitation to Wang Yan and Li Changling.

Wang Yan clinked his glass with hers, already slightly tipsy, and said, "I will definitely be there."

Zhu Yao quickly raised his wine glass, "You and Young Master Shen—"

Shangguan Yu glared at him, about to explain, when Wang Yan waved his hand and raised his wine cup.

"There's no Young Master Shen here, only me, Wang Yan, cheers!"

Zhu Yao tugged at Li Changling's sleeve, asking worriedly, "Has she drunk too much?"

Li Changling watched as Wang Yan refilled her glass, but did not stop her. "Getting drunk once is a good thing."

"Huh?" Zhu Yao thought he was drunk too, so he didn't understand.

Li Changling put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Drink up! What's the point of being sober every day? You'll be happy when you're drunk."

Shangguan Yu pulled Zhu Yao back to her side, "Drinking is bad for your health, drink less."

"What's wrong with indulging once? Let's drink." Wang Yan filled Shangguan Yu's cup with wine, took her arm and walked to the water's edge, pointing to the stream and then to their feet.

"These grasses and flowers grow so lushly and bloom so beautifully. Although they don't exist for us, we see them, we are happy, and that's enough."

Shangguan Yu steadied the swaying woman, saying, "Be careful not to fall into the water."

Wang Yan patted her shoulder and laughed, "Don't worry, I can swim."

Before Shangguan Yu could react, Wang Yan indeed fell into the shallow stream.

"ah--"

Wang Yan sat in the water, splashing around vigorously, "But the water is so cold!"

Li Changling rushed over and, together with Shangguan Yu, pulled her out. As expected, Wang Yan fell seriously ill. She returned to Yunxi Mountain and stayed for half a year before her health improved somewhat.

Summer, clearly the longest of the four seasons, passed by in the blink of an eye. She had only eaten locust leaves ten times when they turned yellow and began to fall in a rustling sound. It was as if the west wind was blowing through a loosely bound ancient book, the pages of the past scattered and turned into soil, forever buried beneath her feet.

Aside from letters home, she paid no more attention to any news from that city, and Xu Ning'an hadn't written for a long time either. As long as the words "peace and safety" were written on the Chengxintang paper, she could stay here in peace, after all, this was what they hoped for. One day, Wang Yan returned from gathering herbs with Ying Juntang, and Li Changling quickly stuffed the familiar sealed letter into her hand, left a few words, and went down the mountain again.

Inside this envelope were two letters. Her sister-in-law, who had never inquired about her affairs before, had actually written her a letter, something that was quite unusual for her. Calling her "sister-in-law" was rather awkward, and Xie Ji was a year younger than her, but fortunately, there was no longer a need for her to say it, and she wouldn't need to anymore.

Xie Ji and Wang Zhen divorced last month, but due to public opinion, they plan to announce it publicly next year. She is the first person besides her parents to know this news. Xie Ji has already left the Wang residence and come to Yangzhou. She is very curious about just how good the place that has kept Wang Yan living there for so many years must be.

In just one year, everyone has scattered and parted ways. As we journey through life, how many people will remain by our side at the end? He Fan is being transferred to the position of Prefect of Jingzhao, and the officials are to depart for him the next day. Wang Yan, however, decides to meet with her one last time.

They arranged to meet at Linjiangxian. Strictly speaking, they had only met once, and that one time was when Wang Yan stormed in angrily, only to leave after saying a few words. Nearly a year had passed, and Xie Ji had lost a lot of weight.

"This huge restaurant, is it all yours?" Xie Ji, with his hair in a simple bun and dressed in plain clothes, went upstairs with her, his eyes full of envy.

Wang Yan laughed and said, "It belongs to the Wang family. I'm just settling accounts here."

"That's wonderful." Xie Ji accepted the hot tea she offered and said gratefully, "Yi Heng asked me to come to Yangzhou, so I came. But I heard you've been living in the mountains all this time. I hope my sudden visit hasn't bothered you?"

Wang Yan smiled and said, "I'll be back soon too. Yangzhou is indeed a wonderful place. Would you like me to show you around?"

"Okay." Xie Ji held the teacup in his hand. "Anyway, I don't know where I'll go in the future, so I'll just take it one step at a time. Since we're here, let's go and see everything."

"You can go and see all the places in Jiangnan." Wang Yan looked out the window at the sparse golden osmanthus trees, smelling the last wisp of osmanthus fragrance of the year.

"Father and Mother...are they alright?"

They are all well.

Xie Ji followed her gaze, remained silent for a long time, and then sighed, "You've changed."

Wang Yan looked back, resting her chin on her hand. "You've changed too. Everyone changes eventually."

Xie Ji nodded in agreement, still somewhat surprised, and asked again, "You've really let go? (Sigh)"

"Now that we've come to Jiangnan, let's talk about the present. You'll be staying here for a while—" Before Wang Yan could finish speaking, Mai Zi called out anxiously from outside the door.

"Master! There's trouble downstairs; they've smashed all the dishes!"

Wang Yan's heart tightened. After explaining to Xie Ji, he quickly went downstairs with Mai Zi, only to find a few scoundrels dressed in gold and silver.

"Oh, so this is your Linjiangxian's owner, quite a beauty."

Wang Yan suppressed his disgust and asked in a kind voice, "What complaints do you four have about my shop? Please tell me. Why did you throw things all over the ground?"

The tall, thin man pointed at Wang Yan and said, "You actually put seafood in the Immortal Soup! Don't you know my brother is allergic to seafood? Are you trying to kill him?!"

Mai Zi was indignant at his accusation, "When you asked me, I told you everything. Whose fault is it if you didn't hear me clearly? Besides, that young master didn't eat anything either!"

The tall, fat man stammered, "What if...what if he...he ate it?"

Maizi bent down and pointed to the dishes scattered on the ground. "You can't ask for compensation for something that hasn't even happened yet, can you?"

He had said something similar in Yangzhou years ago. Wang Yan unconsciously tightened his sleeves, quickly regaining his composure, "Since the dishes at our humble establishment don't suit your tastes, we can find another chef. Before that, please settle the bill for this meal."

Mai Zi immediately started calculating, "A total of ninety-four taels of silver plus three hundred copper coins, which is equivalent to one hundred and twenty-two strings and three hundred and sixty copper coins."

Upon hearing this number, the four panicked and shouted "Black shop!" They threw a tantrum, demanding that Wang Yan give them justice, attracting all the other customers in Linjiangxian.

After listing the prices of each dish, Wang Yan continued, "These lotus-shaped wine bowls are worth ten taels of silver a set, and you broke two sets; these sky-blue glazed dishes are three taels of silver each, and you broke four; the black-glazed hare's fur cups are fifteen taels a set, and you broke four sets—"

The shorter man said, "It's just a bluff! These are just some ordinary plates and cups, how could they be so expensive? Everyone come and be the judge! This big shop is bullying its customers!"

The new customer remained silent, observing the situation, while the old customer stepped forward to speak on behalf of Linjiangxian.

"Is this your first time eating at Linjiangxian? A set of plates and bowls here is worth a hundred taels of silver. Look at that hibiscus pattern. Where else could you make such porcelain if it weren't Ding kiln white porcelain? You really don't know its value!"

"Just now I clearly heard the waiter explaining to the four of them, and he thought they were country bumpkins who didn't know that all the Immortal Soup in Yangzhou was made with seafood? They were just shameless scoundrels trying to freeload!"

"They look quite well-off, but I didn't expect them to be unable to afford this much money."

“No need for further explanation,” Wang Yan said loudly from the crowd, “Take off their clothes and bring out the Linjiangxian.”

The four men lunged at her desperately, only to miss and fall heavily to the ground. Wang Yan leaped lightly and instantly sat on the steps. With a flick of her finger, several guards rushed in from all directions, carried the four men out horizontally, and threw them onto the main road ten feet away from Linjiangxian.

Xie Ji came down from upstairs and couldn't help but praise, "You're so imposing."

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Not bad. Come on, I'll take you to tour Yangzhou."

"Hey—" Xie Ji glanced at the mess on the ground, "Don't you need to clean up this mess?"

"Isn't there a deputy manager too?" Wang Yan strode out of Linjiangxian, her brocade peony robe billowing in the wind, like a colorful butterfly dancing on a branch.

"That...child?"

Mai Zi had already called over a few waiters, who took bamboo brooms, cotton cloths and buckets to start cleaning up the mess, while the assistant manager, who still looked like a child, went to appease the diners at each table.

"...Perhaps he's a little adult."

Xie Ji stayed at Wanchun Garden for several days, ate his way through the morning market with Wang Yan, went to Daming Temple, and toured Yanqingfang. He even sat down at a teahouse on the riverbank to watch the grain boats come and go, a sight he had never seen before.

Envoy Yang left, Prefect He left, and Yangzhou saw off many people with chrysanthemums in autumn—wanderers and travelers alike—and Wang Yan was one of them. Xie Ji moved out of Wanchun Garden a day early and accompanied Li Changling to the city gate to see her off.

This was her first time traveling alone. A horse, a sword, and her heart, still unsure of its home.

Li Changling was still uneasy. "You really don't want me to come along?"

Wang Yan leaped onto his horse and smiled, "Senior brother, you've been protecting me for so many years, aren't you tired of it? You clearly have things you want to do, but you've been stuck by my side for so long because of protecting me. You're not like yourself anymore."

Li Changling put his hands on his hips and snapped at her, "What are you saying! It's just my duty. I can't protect the common people, but protecting you is more than enough. I feel quite accomplished."

“One day, the one who is being protected will also grow into someone who protects others.” Wang Yan took the reins and rode away.

After standing there for a long time, Li Changling turned to Xie Ji and asked, "Why haven't you said anything?"

“She has already chosen her path, what more do I need to say? I should also take a look at my own path.” Xie Ji turned and walked into the city, while Li Changling remained where he was.

"Young Master Li, do you know? You are like a loving father who dotes on his son."

The half-colored sash, fluttering in the distance, completely disappeared from sight before Li Changling finally turned around. "Father? Wang Yiheng repeatedly told me he was my elder brother, so how can I be my father?"

As she arrived in Jiangning Prefecture, snow, as cold as salt, began to fall, adorning her hair with a snow plum blossom. Ice shards floated on the water; it was winter again. In the silent forest, the sounds of rolling wheels and hurried footsteps mingled. Wang Yan approached and saw several masked men in black surrounding an inconspicuous carriage; inside appeared to be a woman.

"Kang'er is my lifeblood, and I will never let your Jiang family take him away!"

A man in black said, "Madam An, we only want the young master."

"Kill me all you want, then take the rest back!"

The little child huddled in his mother's arms, shivering. The carriage had fallen apart at some point, and was drafty from all sides.

In the blink of an eye, several streaks of blue light appeared. The four men in black only managed to exchange one move with Wang Yan before collapsing to the ground, clutching their hands and feet. The red flowers in their hair fell away, and Wang Yan, wearing a mask, left with his sword in hand, leaving behind a trail of crimson plum blossoms blooming in the snow.

"Th...thank you!"

The little boy, holding his mother's hand, ran out of the carriage and asked, "Wow, that's amazing! What kind of swordsmanship is your sister using?"

"Fallen flowers".

At the border of Shuzhou and Jiangzhou, the river water was gradually warming. Several bandits, knives and all, fell into the river and, enduring their injuries, swam towards their bandit boat. Another bandit, terrified at the sight of Wang Yan, dropped his weapon and clung tightly to the wooden plank, trembling as he picked up his knife, pleading, "Don't...don't come any closer...I'm not...not afraid of you!"

Wang Yan squinted and slowly draped the cloud-like robe around his neck. "Do you know the name of my sword technique?"

"Wh...what name?"

A cloud-like garment brushed against his face and settled on his left shoulder. Wang Yan's thin lips parted slightly, "Fallen flowers. Aren't they beautiful?"

The bandit didn't dare look her in the eye, constantly glancing to the side, "Beautiful..."

"The falling petals are full of longing, but the flowing water is heartless. Will you admire them one more time, or will you jump yourself?"

"I'll jump myself!"

With a splash, he nimbly plunged into the water.

Wang Yan waved to them, "The water's warm enough, isn't it? They really know how to pick their days."

At the foot of Longshan Mountain, Wang Yan, with a blade of grass in his mouth, looked at the lush greenery before him and felt relaxed, except that a mouse was approaching.

"Wang Qingyue, today is your death day!"

"Is it really necessary to go to such lengths to wipe out someone just because they read a book from your Nan family?" Wang Yan sighed softly, her peach blossom eyes wide open, looking quite innocent.

"Knowing the Nan family's secret means death." The Nan family has sent various assassins to pursue us, and this is the last one.

Wang Yan spat out the grass in his mouth and said disdainfully, "Are you talking about the secret that the Nan family head actually has the blood of the Dongfang family flowing through his veins? I didn't find out on purpose, and I certainly wouldn't tell anyone—"

"Stop talking nonsense, prepare to die!"

He had pursued her the longest, and she was indeed quite persistent, employing deadly tactics without leaving a trace. His blade came straight at her, and Wang Yan dodged by leaning back. The man suddenly changed his attack, forcing Wang Yan to retaliate with her own sword. The speed was so fast, like a blur, that before he could react, a crescent-shaped gash appeared on his neck, blood gushing out. Sometimes you don't want to kill, but someone wants to kill you, and one of you must die; then you can't help but want to live.

Wang Yan wiped the blood from his face, washed his hands by the river, and entered the city at dusk. Although he was not seriously injured, he was quite weak. He found a fine restaurant and sat down. He had just finished a cup of tea when he heard someone at the next table say: Shen Dingchen is dead.