Sunset Smile

"The brothers are leaving today, let's see them off." Jin Tao took a sip of wine. He had been sweating in the fields for the past few days, and his throat was always dry. The wine stung and burned. He looked back and saw that Duan Houqi had disappeared without a trace. Jin Tao got up and started looking for him in a panic.

"The weapons in the tomb are all made of the finest materials. Although they have been worn down in battle, they are more than enough for everyone to use in defense. Take care after we leave." Zhao Peiming stood on a large rock, personally giving instructions. His face was obscured by the thin sand.

All the able-bodied men, women, and children of the village came, gripping their farm tools tightly, their determined eyes fixed on the road ahead. Xiao Hanjin also arrived, casually picking up a piece of animal bone and banging it on a basin, the sound deafening. As the rhythm grew stronger, people began to shout slogans, and a round sun rose from the mountains of Ganjiang, radiating thousands of golden rays.

At this moment, the others pushed open their doors and walked from the courtyard to the main road. Some of them were leading their young children, while others were being helped forward. Streams of water flowed into the pool in the training ground.

Zhao Peiming jumped off the boulder, picked up a wooden stick, and joined the crowd in their sword dance. The people cheered. At the last moment, he planted the stick into the ground, leaped up, and saluted the crowd. Then came the loud crash of farm tools being thrown to the ground. The crowd rushed forward to help Zhao Peiming up, remaining silent in thought.

"You brat, you're such a coward again!" Jin Tao broke the silence, grabbing Duan Houqi's ear. He had intended to find Zhao Peiming, but since everyone was there, Duan Houqi took advantage of Jin Tao's momentary lapse in concentration to break free and secretly wiped away tears with his sleeve. Jin Tao hurriedly chased after him, but Zhao Peiming stepped between the two, saying, "Take your time, don't ruin our brotherly harmony." Jin Tao stood on tiptoe to glare at Duan Houqi, but Duan Houqi knelt down and said, "National affairs are of utmost importance, I dare not linger. I thank the general for his guidance on military strategy."

"It's the Governor, the Governor!" Jin Tao exclaimed anxiously, rushing forward to remind Zhao Peiming as he helped the man.

“It’s alright, my good brother, it’s more important to get your body in good shape so you can have the strength to farm and protect the village,” Zhao Peiming leaned closer and lowered his voice, “and you’ll also have the strength to fight back, right?” He raised an eyebrow, which amused Duan Houqi so much that he temporarily forgot his sorrow.

"Brother, brother!" Zhao Peiming, who had just taken the reins, turned around and squatted down when he heard the call.

The child ran into his arms, stroked his stubble, and said, "When will Young Master Jiang come again? I'm still waiting for him to teach me!"

Zhao Peiming grasped the child's small hand in his palm and said, "When your brother goes to the capital, he will definitely ask you when Brother Jiang will come. He will send you a letter then. It's a promise."

"Jiang Heng should come back more often. Now that he's got an official position, he shouldn't forget about us." "How long has it been since Young Master Jiang returned? Is he planning to stay in Tiansong and enjoy a life of luxury?" "If it weren't for his desire to become an official, no one would know that there's a village called Banrihua, and we wouldn't have to pay taxes at all!" People started gossiping.

Zhao Peiming thought to himself that it was good that he knew the source of the people's grievances before he left, otherwise Jiang Heng would be alone and his safety would be in danger if he returned to the village. He grabbed the child, stood up and said sternly, "If you don't feed the government wolves, the food in your hand will be the food of the bandits!"

Upon hearing this, the villagers froze on the spot. Suddenly, Jin Tao shouted, "I'll fight them to the death! I've been struggling in Tiansong for decades, I'm not afraid of them anymore!" Before he finished speaking, Duan Houqi grabbed Jin Tao, pursed his lips, and shook his head. Jin Tao's words ignited anger in the eyes of the villagers, who raised their farm tools and disrupted the order.

At this moment, a woman walked up to Jin Tao, opened her left sleeve to reveal her severed arm, and said, "Brother Jin, you can't beat them. Every time you said you would lead us to fight, but in the end, I lost my only child." She slowly knelt down, two lines of tears falling like jade chopsticks. "We can't afford to fight anymore."

Zhao Peiming frowned, helped the woman up, and said with a look of almost pity in his eyes, "We can't afford to fight anymore." The swift cavalrymen lined up and slowly walked forward, their eyes equally murky—each of them had eyes filled with the blood and tears of family members being separated by death, their starlight obscured by the smoke of war.

Jin Tao loosened his clenched fist, shook off Duan Houqi, and sat down on the large rock by himself.

“If we pay our taxes on time, the court will send people to guard the farmland, and we can live and work in peace!” The child suddenly spoke up, startling everyone. People stared at the child, who remained neither humble nor arrogant. “The government sends troops to protect us! It’s much better than living in fear every day and having to fight to the death against the sand soldiers.”

"What are you saying, little kid! You're delaying their journey. Come here, come here!" A man ran over from afar and pulled the child away. "What's the use of studying? Stay home and behave yourself! Don't go astray!"

“Wait a minute,” Zhao Peiming took out a wooden ornament carved with a silver pheasant from the side of his bag. “Officials who recognize this bird can pay three dou less in grain tax after the autumn harvest!”

"San Dou?!" the villagers exclaimed, crowding around to identify it, but apart from knowing it was a bird, they couldn't recognize it.

"Did you hear that? Teach your dad how to recognize birds!" The man suddenly changed his attitude, patting the child's head excitedly.

"Daddy, after learning to recognize birds, I want to learn to recognize characters too!"

"Good, good. Now that we can read, our village won't suffer the same fate as Tian Song, where we miscounted the number of people and had to suffer in silence." The man's brows relaxed, no longer as impatient as before.

"Lord Zhao! I want to learn to read too! Although I'm old, I'm still very clever!" "If you can't learn to read, you can at least learn to recognize birds!" "Can my little girl learn too!" People carefully grasped the wooden handle, scrambling to touch it as if it were a precious treasure.

Zhao Peiming answered them one by one, and everyone's resentment suddenly turned into hope: "Governor, please remember to call Young Master Jiang back!" "If he comes back, we'll stew a big lamb to entertain him!"

Once they reached the red railing, Xiaohan reined in his horse and moved closer to Zhao Peiming, raising his voice to say, "Brother Zhao, you have quite the skills! I wonder who taught you?"

A smile appeared under the blazing sun, with only the sound of horses' hooves remaining.

—————

At this moment, a person ascended the throne, holding a seven-jeweled glass pipa in his hands. Along with the light, there were two hairpins slanted into his hair, still adorned with jade pendants. With each step, he trembled, as if he were about to dance like a butterfly.

The dancers and musicians on both sides were envious, and the emperor's personal guard raised his hand and said, "Please come forward."

Liu Zhiluo took two steps forward, lifted her clothes, and knelt down at the foot of the steps.

"You do know etiquette, but why are you wearing a veil? Why don't you take it off to show respect?" The speaker was Xu Liaoxiang, who always wore a hairpin with the seasonal flowers bestowed by the emperor, which swayed in the wind with his movements.

Liu Zhiluo lowered her head and removed the veil.

It was a gap, a wound with a fresh scab.

It's practically a destruction of a beautiful jade.

The emperor's gaze swept over the slightly lowered neckline, over the bruised collarbone peeking through the thick powder, and then settled on her jade-like face. Beneath her long eyebrows, her eyelashes trembled in the shadows, now tinged with gold powder, exuding an air of regal elegance. Liu Zhiluo possessed a charming appearance, yet her face rarely displayed a fawning or ingratiating expression, making her a cold beauty nonetheless. Thinking of this, the emperor glanced again at the fissure-like scar and shook his head, saying, "What a pity. I grant you permission to have music played during your daily baths and bestow upon you a newer style of veil; this will not diminish your grace."

The emperor looked at Jiang Heng, about to speak, but then froze—at that moment, Jiang Heng's collar was soaked with tears.

Jiang Heng had anticipated his mother would avoid the emperor's favor, but he hadn't expected her to do it in such a way. His mother's fiery temperament explained why she and his father had met and fallen in love; there was a reason for it. But now, seeing his mother again, his eyes held no tenderness; she had likely been heartbroken for a long time and no longer held any hope for his incompetence. Although he hadn't managed to raise enough money to redeem his mother, his position as an official had, in a way, brought her out of misery, repaying her for raising him.

“Jiang Heng, your son, pays his respects to Mother.” Jiang Heng stepped out from the ranks and bowed to Liu Zhiluo.

Liu Zhiluo raised her eyes, trembling. She hadn't seen Jiang Heng since Jiang Zhong's mysterious death seven years ago. At an age when he should be studying and riding horses, she wondered where her child was suffering. Seeing him nearing adulthood, yet his face was pale and his eyes dim, he must have endured much hardship and been utterly alone. A thousand words welled up, but only sorrow remained—she had failed in her duties as a mother, and deserved to be torn to pieces. In front of everyone, she couldn't show even a hint of sadness or vulnerability, nor could she add to her beloved son's troubles. Liu Zhiluo's eyes remained calm, her expression composed, and she returned the greeting without a word.

Fu Qinxiang looked at the two of them, completely bewildered. If the two had not seen each other for a long time, they should have been moved, but Liu Zhiluo's reaction was neither joyful nor hateful. It was probably because all the feelings and ties had been exhausted after Jiang Zhong's death.

"Shuangyue, don't you find it strange? Since Jiang Zhong only loved one person in his life, why didn't he marry her? That way, Liu Zhiluo could rightfully give birth to Jiang Heng and have a stable life." The guards escorted Fu Qinxiang back to the mansion and asked in confusion.

“I don’t understand love. But since Liu Zhiluo is unmarried, she probably has some kind of contract with the music hall, and she’ll be redeemed when the contract expires—it’s a pity that Jiang Zhong probably died before the contract expired and couldn’t really redeem her,” Fu Qinxiang said, playing with a pill in her hand. “She died at just the right time.”

"What tricks does that old fogey have that can make such a beauty so infatuated with him that she even disfigures herself to avoid his favor..." The guard looked up at the sky and then stole a glance at Fu Qinxiang.

"Don't worry about things that aren't your concern... How's the medicine you made for Tang Yao coming along?" Fu Qinxiang changed the subject, quickly shaking off the guard and avoiding his gaze.

“Every day someone would deliver it to her, and Tang Yao, being naive, drank it all as a tonic.”

"really?"

"It's absolutely true. Tang Yao smacked her lips and tasted it, and even praised the Imperial Preceptor highly. She asked me to pass on a message that she hopes you can visit her more often and teach her some poetry, painting, and scriptures to relieve her boredom."

Upon hearing this, Fu Qinxiang said anxiously, "When did this happen? Tell me quickly, or I'll hold you accountable if she gets tired of waiting."

The guard hurriedly knelt on one knee and said, "Just two days ago, she asked me to convey her message, but I dared not disturb the Grand Preceptor because he was busy with affairs. That's why I was delayed. I deserve to die."

Fu Qinxiang raised her hand to gesture for her to stand up, her tone softening slightly: "It's alright, no matter how harsh the words, no one will touch you. It's just that Tang Yao is really crucial, so next time we must report it immediately and not miss the opportunity again. Also, next month we'll replace that medicine with a tea that tastes similar, otherwise drinking it will be fatal."

Konoe was pleased, but suppressed a laugh and replied, "Yes."

However, the guard was actually worried—what if her master was truly deceived by the concubine's innocent appearance? Wouldn't that cause a major problem? No, her master wouldn't have any extraneous feelings. Since she had served him diligently for so many years, and was a childhood sweetheart-like companion, even that hadn't swayed him. What did it matter if the concubine had some beauty? Thinking of this, she felt relieved. Since she had a "get-out-of-jail-free card" privilege, she must have a better chance than the concubine. In short, she would accompany her master for life. Even if it was destined to end badly, being able to stay by her master's side and have occasional contact would be good enough. Thinking of this, she became obsessed and started teasing Fu Qinxiang again.