Chapter 114 The green pond is filled with the wind and the river grass is covered with catkins, all representing longing. ...

The next morning.

When Pei Ji came again, Xue Chan was sitting downstairs, with people around her busy packing her things.

She asked in surprise, "Are you leaving?"

Xue Chan nodded: "Yes, I have urgent business to attend to, so I have to go."

Pei Ji immediately stepped forward: "Please take me with you, I can be your maid. My mother is a very good cook, I can come and be your cook."

Xue Chan said calmly, "I already have a cook and maids."

Pei Ji let go of her hand in disappointment.

"Young lady, I've brought the person." Yun Sheng led a woman over.

She pulled Pei Ji behind her and said cautiously, "I wonder if it was my daughter who offended such an important person?"

Xue Chan shook her head slightly and gestured, "Please sit down, both of you."

The woman seemed confused and didn't dare to sit down.

Yun Sheng stepped forward and invited them to sit down, saying, "Don't worry, my wife has something to discuss with you. Please have a seat."

The two then sat down opposite Xue Chan.

Xue Chan then revealed a gentle smile: "Pei Ji, you must understand that studying may cause you a lot of pain."

Pei Ji said, "I'm not afraid. I'd rather suffer."

Xue Chan glanced at Pei Ji and said to the woman, "A person like her shouldn't be buried here; she should go to school."

The cook gave a wry smile, about to say something, but was interrupted by Xue Chan.

Xue Chan pushed the prepared items in front of them and began to speak in turn.

"Here are two letters, one handwritten by me and the other a letter of introduction, along with some silver. Take my handwritten letter to the capital, then go through Zhuque Street and find the Cheng residence in Zhishu Lane. It's the one with the big locust tree at the entrance. The owner of the Cheng residence is my uncle's family. Show him this letter, and he will make the arrangements for you."

Her words shocked the two of them so much that they couldn't react.

Xue Chan continued, "After my uncle reads the letter, he will arrange for you to go to Changzhou. With my letter of recommendation, she can study at the Li family's academy."

Before she could speak, Pei Ji had already figured out what her words meant.

The cook belatedly realized what had happened, feeling both surprised and apprehensive. Such immense kindness made her instinctively want to refuse.

Xue Chan gently raised her eyes, but Pei Ji stopped his mother, stepped forward, tilted his head back, and took two deep breaths.

"How can I repay you?"

Xue Chan said, "You don't need to repay me. You just need to live up to your own expectations."

"I'm about to set off."

She said nothing more, nodded to the two men, and got up to leave. All that remained were the letter, the escorts, and a painting.

Pei Ji unfolded the painting: a bluebird carrying a flower, seemingly soaring to the heavens.

She looked up.

Xue Chan was about to step down the stone steps when she turned back and said softly.

"Pei Ji, we'll meet again someday."

This little incident slowed down their journey a bit, so they hurried on.

Although the journey was rushed, Xue Chan still managed to see many sights and visit many places.

When she arrived in Yunzhou, she saw the flower drum opera of Tingnan, the sesame cakes of Youyang, and she even bought a set of woodblock prints from Yangliu Town.

After traveling for another half month, they arrived in Yunzhou. They were supposed to go to an official post station downstream via the Canglan River. However, it happened to be the Grain Rain season, and a heavy rain fell. The group had no choice but to knock on the door of the Taoist temple on the banks of the Canglan River.

A young Taoist priest opened the door, half-hiding behind it, and asked them, "What brings you here?"

Yun Sheng said, "Our group is about to cross the Canglan River, but we have been caught in a sudden downpour and have nowhere to take shelter. May we borrow your temple for temporary refuge?"

"Well..." The young Taoist hesitated, then, seeing how disheveled they were, said, "There are guests in the temple right now. I'll go ask if you can wait a moment."

Yun Sheng glanced at Xue Chan, who was wearing a veiled hat, and when she nodded, he responded in kind.

"Okay, thank you."

The young Taoist priest hurried inside to ask the young man and the old Taoist priest who were playing chess under the eaves while listening to the rain.

“Seeking shelter from the rain is not a big deal, but you…” the old Taoist priest asked Xiao Huaiting, who was sitting opposite him, stroking his beard.

Xiao Huaiting said, "There's no reason for me to stop people from entering while I'm here. Please let them in."

The young Taoist priest immediately grabbed his umbrella and ran to open the door, then led Xue Chan and the others inside.

The Taoist temple was not large, just a small building with a few rooms, so when they came in, they saw Xiao Huaiting collecting chess pieces under the eaves.

Chu Tao recognized him first, exclaiming in surprise, "Young Master Xiao!"

Xue Chan lifted her veil and met Xiao Huaiting's gaze as he looked up upon hearing the sound.

To her surprise, she remembered that Xiao Huaiting had been transferred to Yunzhou at the beginning of the year.

Upon seeing their group, Xiao Huaiting asked, "Why is Madam Xue in Yunzhou? And where is she going?"

Xue Chan said, "My father is seriously ill, and His Majesty has granted me permission to return to Yuchuan to visit him."

"I see..." Xiao Huaiting sighed inwardly, but did not say anything to comfort him.

Given our different statuses, it's best to avoid each other.

But the thought of Jiang Ce only intensified his grief.

"It's getting dark. If you don't mind, you can stay at the Taoist temple for the night and leave tomorrow."

Seeing that the Taoist temple was small and couldn't accommodate too many of them, Xue Chan hesitated, "But..."

"Don't worry, I'll be leaving from here. You can stay here without worry," Xiao Huaiting replied softly when he saw her hesitation.

"Then where should you go?"

Xiao Huaiting smiled and said, "I am employed here, so how could I have nowhere to go?"

The situation was really bad, and Xue Chan couldn't let the people who followed her get wet in the rain and go hungry, so she agreed.

Xiao Huaiting had people tidy up the house, and Xue Chan temporarily took shelter from the rain under the eaves.

Although the two were far apart, the small courtyard made them seem close.

Standing in front of the railing, you can even see the Qinglan River on a rainy day. The sky is gloomy and indistinct, the tide rolls in, white egrets and green coins abound.

Xiao Huaiting hesitated for a moment, but finally asked her, "Are you... alright?"

Xue Chan said, "...I'm fine."

He wanted to offer a few more words of comfort, but then said he couldn't think of anything to say and simply kept quiet.

When Xue Chan was led to the back room by a maid, the chess piece he was holding tightly was put back into the chess basket.

When Xiao Huaiting left, he asked someone to pass on a message to her, saying that the old Taoist priest in the temple was his cousin, and that she should not worry.

It was completely dark, but the rain was still falling.

Yun Sheng lit two more lamps to make it easier for Xue Chan to organize the manuscript.

Those were her notes written along the way after she left Beijing. Originally, she painted, but when she couldn't paint anymore, she wrote. She wrote a lot of manuscripts while traveling and stopping. There wasn't much special in her notes; they were just travelogues and descriptions of the local customs and landscapes.

In fact, most of these records are about trivial matters, but Xue Chan felt that she should record something and write something down.

There's another part of the manuscript that's quite unique; the pages are old and yellowed.

That wasn't Xue Chan's manuscript, but rather the last time Consort Xue gave it to her to take with her.

Xue Chan had read through those scattered manuscripts; most of them were about the scenery of Yuchuan, and the rest were about the capital.

According to Xue Chenghuai, when Consort Xue was young, she liked to walk around the mountains and rivers with paper and pen and write. She even said that she wanted to write a local history, but she never did.

Many of Consort Xue's manuscripts were burned; their yellowed and blackened edges resembled withered leaves lying on the ground.

Xue Chan didn't know why it was burned, or why it was left behind.

Consort Xue didn't say anything, nor did she ask; she simply combined her own and hers together.

As the manuscripts were being flipped through, Xue Chan noticed a line of small characters in the corner, wondering when Consort Xue had written it.

"The road ahead is still long, so proceed slowly and do not turn back."

She felt she should compile all these manuscripts so that when she was old and frail, she could look back on them and still remember the cool, fragrant grass by the Wei River in late spring and early summer, and the flowers on the stone wall that she wasn't sure if they were peach blossoms.

Although she hasn't traveled to many places and the manuscript hasn't been compiled yet, she has already chosen a name for it.

"Let's call it 'The Story of Cleansing the Heart'," Xue Chan suggested.

The rain outside the window kept falling, seemingly destined to continue all night. The raindrops pattered on the trees, pattering incessantly, and the sound of the rain seemed to be mixed with faint, intermittent piano music.

Xue Chan diligently organized the manuscript page by page amidst the sounds of rain and the flickering lamplight.

She felt as if her body was beginning to fill out again during this journey of stopping and starting.

The rain fell all night and stopped at dawn.

Yun Sheng and Chu Tao were packing their belongings to leave, while Xue Chan stood in a waterside pavilion below the Taoist temple.

She watched the azure river flow by, the mountains washed clean by the rain, shrouded in mist, and a few green lotus leaves standing by the water's edge. Some had already unfurled into flat discs, while others were still curled into wisps of green, with a few lotus leaves standing gracefully among them.

I imagine it will bloom when the weather gets a bit warmer.

Xiao Huaiting walked to her side.

Xue Chan smiled and said, "Your Highness is going to the Taoist temple to cultivate in seclusion so early."

Xiao Huaiting said, "I'll see you off."

Xue Chan lowered her eyes, and after a moment said, "Thank you."

The two listened to the sounds of the wind and water without speaking.

"Do you miss him?" His voice was already choked.

Xue Chan said softly, "I miss him so much."

Xiao Huaiting looked at the surging river and his eyes reddened: "I miss him too."

He was his longtime friend, like a brother; how could he not miss him?

Xiao Huaiting received news of Jiang Ce's death in battle just as he was returning from escorting a bride in the northern frontier. When he arrived back in the capital, he found only white banners and painted eaves. Even more regrettably, he hadn't been able to see Jiang Ce off on his campaign, and thus they were separated forever by death.

When Zheng Shaoyu returned, he hugged him and wept bitterly, cursing Jiang Ce as a bastard who broke his promise.

Xiao Huaiting smiled bitterly: "Even now, I still feel like he's still here. So this is what life and death separation is like."

Xue Chan smiled: "Life is a journey, a constant cycle of meeting, encountering, missing, and parting. I understood this principle long ago, and I've always been accepting the departures of those around me. But every single time, it's always the same..."

It shatters the heart and breaks the soul.

Xiao Huaiting wiped away his tears with his sleeve and asked her, "What are your plans for the future?"

"I don't know either," Xue Chan sighed, then thought for a moment and added, "But as long as we keep moving forward, maybe we can always find the answer."

She looked up at the flock of birds flying overhead, her eyes glistening with tears, and smiled gently.

"Whether I'm heartbroken or confused, I still have a long life ahead of me and a long road to walk. I can't stay for him for too long."

The wind, the river, the grass, and the catkins are all expressions of longing.

Xiao Huaiting's heart seemed to tremble at that moment. As he carefully examined the slender and upright woman, he suddenly felt as if he were meeting her for the first time.

However, this might truly be the first time he has ever approached Xue Chan so seriously.

A moment later, he suddenly smiled, relieved.

Chu Tao and the others were ready to summon Xue Chan.

Xue Chan bid farewell to Xiao Huaiting and left.

"Miss Xue"

He called her name, and Xue Chan turned around. Xiao Huaiting stood by the water, with the surging river flowing behind him.

He wore a wide belt and flowing sleeves, his clothes were like spring smoke, and his smile was as graceful as the flowing water of a spring river.

"Don't worry about the long journey, the wind will surely come."

Xue Chan bowed to him from afar.

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Author's Note: "Do not worry about the long journey, for the wind will surely come." --- Tang Dynasty, Qian Xu, "One Hundred Untitled Poems on a River Journey"