Chapter 78 Ambiguity You'd better quickly piece together some allusions to praise me and coax me into opening up...

“My brother said he hasn’t been to Mangshan in a long time and wants to see the scenery and pay respects at the imperial tombs. So we’ll first climb Phoenix Mountain to see the panoramic view of Beimang and pay respects at Changling at the top. Now I’m about to lead my brother and the others to the riverbank to see the wagtails. Vitiha, would you like to come with us?” Changsun Qingjing blocked Changsun Minxing’s way and replied nonchalantly.

“It’s all my fault. You looked so listless, as if you were suffering from a mental illness, which caused you to lose face in front of your husband and Master Zhang… Please forgive me! If things go wrong, the Duke of Tang might find out that you have a distant and unworthy relative like me. That would only make you more vulnerable to the Li family’s disdain.” Changsun Minxing apologized in a low voice.

“Brother, you are a man of noble character and averse to corruption, upholding the Way and clarifying your principles. What does a moment of anger matter?” Changsun Qingjing comforted him, “Don’t take it to heart, I’ll help you out of this predicament.”

“Brother, do not worry! If the Li family’s reputation is as people speculate, and they continue to follow the trend and pursue fame relentlessly, I will follow my uncle to Zhu Yuan even if I am left destitute for the rest of my life. Even if my uncle and mother beat me to death, I will not marry him.” Changsun Qingjing said to Changsun Minxing with feigned seriousness, while occasionally glancing at the reactions of the others.

"Since Minxing is in such a good mood, I will naturally go with him..." Li Shimin deliberately called out loudly, then stepped forward and walked hand in hand with Changsun Minxing. "You should discipline your willful sister. You've only just arrived at Mangshan, and she's already deliberately trying to take you to see wagtails. It's like an otter offering fish as a sacrifice, deliberately trying to annoy me by not having any brothers with me..."

When Changsun Qingjing heard Li Shimin compare him to an otter that lines up its catch of fish on the shore and shows it off to others, he was not angry. Instead, he found it amusing: "I never expected you to be so jealous of me."

"So, I've also decided to take this opportunity to think of my brothers far away in Chang'an while watching the wagtails." Li Shimin's jest carried a hint of sadness. Changsun Qingjing guessed that these "brothers in Chang'an" not only referred to Jiancheng, Yuanji, and Zhiyun, but also included the deceased Xuanba.

She casually mentioned wagtails, but it took him several hours to calm down; it was also he who noticed Minxing's unusual behavior before her that allowed her to persuade Minxing to change his mind at the critical moment.

Changsun Qingjing felt guilty and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"However, Qingjing is right. Minxing, the white wagtails on the Mangshan Riverbank have returned north especially early this year. They skim across the water in flocks, like a huge white silk covering the river surface, making it hard to tell whether the birds are mist or the mist is birds... It is definitely worth seeing."

Even just listening to them chatter about their shallow ambitions to save the nation could soothe Zhang Houyin's withered heart.

"I couldn't ask for more." The other three also gave Zhang Houyin answers that satisfied and pleased him.

"I heard from my sister that you've traversed almost all the mountains and rivers of Beiman in the past two weeks..." Changsun Minxing asked curiously. He was unsure whether using nature to relieve depression was Li Shimin's idea or Changsun Qingjing's.

"She is kind and compassionate, and treats me with kindness and generosity. This first month of the lunar year has been quite difficult for me, as I observe mourning for my mother and deal with the emperor's unannounced visits. She has also had a difficult time, enduring a long and bumpy journey with me to Luoyang, dealing with the unexpected trivial matters that have arisen since our mother's passing, dealing with my unpredictable moods, and dealing with my opportunistic and eccentric thoughts." Li Shimin turned to look at Changsun Qingjing, who was asking Zhang Houyin about the story of Duke Ai of Lu's western hunt in the Spring and Autumn Annals.

The old man and the young man were engrossed in their conversation, completely oblivious to the fact that the servants behind them had started discussing their drinking and revelry. Of course, they had no intention of eavesdropping on Li Shimin and Changsun Minxing's private conversation.

Li Shimin was relieved that Changsun Qingjing hadn't noticed that he and Changsun Minxing were praising her virtuous and graceful appearance.

Otherwise, if he had just mocked Changsun Qingjing as an otter that neatly stacked the carp it caught, and then turned around to praise her to others for her virtuous conduct, she might easily be ridiculed if she found out.

Amidst the crisp forest breeze and the cries of birds, fragments of the conversation between Changsun Qingjing and Zhang Houyin reached Li Shimin's ears. Since Changsun Qingjing was merely asking Zhang Houyin about the *Zuo Zhuan*, it wouldn't hurt for him, as Zhang Houyin's student, to listen.

Clearly, Changsun Qingjing naturally regarded Zhang Houyin as his teacher as well.

"Was it Zuo Qiuming who insisted on its death?" Changsun Qingjing pressed for details, "The Zuo Zhuan contains too many passages about the resonance between destiny and spirits."

"Lady Changsun, I can't answer that." Zhang Houyin just smiled. He began to wonder if Gao Shilian had also been shocked by his adopted daughter's unusual idea.

"What should I do if I don't want Bai Lin to die?" Changsun Qingjing recalled the abruptly ended dream. What should she do if the unicorn hadn't been killed by the Yu people in the next dream?

“The white unicorn is a match for a sage king’s rule, so it is destined not to survive in an era of moral decay.” Zhang Houyin’s tone clearly carried a perfunctory or helpless tone that even he could not fool.

The problem has backfired again.

Changsun Qingjing was not a stubborn person; he merely hummed in response, which could be considered a form of relief. After all, the Sage King and the Qilin were figures and benevolent beasts that were very distant from him, existing only in his imagination and in ancient books; and the Five Classics scholar in front of him had no idea that he was divining the dreams of a woman with unrestrained and whimsical ideas.

"Zuo Qiuming's writing is full of a perverse sense of the correspondence between destiny and human affairs..." Zhang Houyin said dismissively.

"Huh?" The Five Classics Doctor's unorthodox statement surprised Changsun Qingjing, and he even wanted to burst out laughing.

Therefore, she temporarily set aside these profound historical records and the strange dream she experienced after the Lantern Festival in Luoyang.

"Let's look at the wagtails first!" Her tone carried a wild and untamed spirit, like a pine tree breaking through a rock.

Even so, the thought of the unicorn in the dream, whose fate was unknown, still filled Changsun Qingjing with melancholy, and he gradually fell behind the crowd.

The servants and maids, however, were infected by the joy that Changsun Qingjing had just experienced when he came down the mountain. They shouted and jumped for joy as they rushed down the slope, leaving the scent of pine needles and wildflowers behind.

Several boys deliberately stepped on the puddles on the stone steps, splashing strings of water droplets onto the girls, causing them to be startled and angry.

Even Guoniang and Acai forgot whether Changsun Qingjing was walking alongside the other young men in the front row or had quietly fallen behind.

They were simply talking freely about the most fashionable style of jackets and skirts in Luoyang recently, and even commenting on the appearances of several young troupes during the variety show performances.

Two young maids nestled together, their dark hair like intertwined vines. They kept their voices extremely low, occasionally letting out a soft laugh, like the clear sound of wind chimes on the eaves. The brief moment of pleasure made the two girls completely forget their duty to care for their mistress, who was the same age as them.

Zhang Houyin and Changsun Minxing casually discussed the 193 rhyme categories of the Qieyun dictionary. Their words flowed like pearls, and their breaths carried an aura of unyielding strength and authority.

At first, Li Shimin understood a little about their argument, but as their emotions ran high, he gradually became puzzled, yet he refrained from interrupting.

He turned around but couldn't see his wife, so he followed the stone steps back to the higher ground.

Separated by a veil, he couldn't see her face clearly, but he could truly feel her loneliness. Li Shimin simply stood quietly on one side of the stone path, waiting for Changsun Qingjing to join him, and then they would descend the mountain side by side.

The stone steps gradually ended, and the earthen path sloped slightly. A pile of pebbles rolled down beneath Changsun Qingjing's feet. She slipped and flew towards the lower part of the phoenix-wing-shaped slope. With the screams of her maids, and just as the sharp edges of the pebbles were about to pierce her cheeks, her back was suddenly lifted into the air.

"You can't even handle a low mountain without any steep peaks, yet you used to climb rocks and climb vines in the Zhongnan Mountains every day when you were young. How did you manage to stay safe and sound?" Li Shimin jokingly teased Changsun Qingjing, but his right hand tightened around her waist, as if afraid of another accident.

"Because Lord Zhongnan and Lord Mangshan are secretly protecting me," Changsun Qingjing stubbornly argued. Just now, in her desperation, she had gripped Li Shimin's collar tightly, but now she quickly pulled it back.

"Wasn't it Lord Mangshan who saved my life through your help this time?" Changsun Qingjing's veil tilted to her shoulder, and her newly styled hair almost touched Li Shimin's cheek. Surprisingly, he didn't seem bothered by the strands of hair sticking to his face.

The scent of styrax on Li Shimin was pungent yet invigorating, bringing her an unusual sense of peace. She lowered her eyes and remained silent, feeling the tip of his nose accidentally brush against her loose hair.

She realized that during the mourning period, excessive intimacy in front of everyone would attract criticism and damage the reputation of both families, so she tried to break free from that iron-like arm.

Changsun Qingjing subconsciously looked up, only to meet Li Shimin's expectant gaze. The two were incredibly embarrassed!

"Let go... of me..." Her palm pressed against his chest, trying to push him away.

"Wait." Li Shimin's gaze did not leave her peach-blossom cheeks, which were neither painted nor painted, yet still as white as snow under the morning sun. Instead, he used his other hand to gently stroke her hair.

Li Shimin turned his head to the side, but tightened his grip on his arm even more.

Changsun Qingjing's anger carried a touch of childishness, and even when he feigned ferocity, it only added to his charming naivety.

"Do you know what it's like for a young tiger to bare its teeth or for a new lotus leaf to curl its blade?" Li Shimin teased. "It's probably similar to your current appearance."

Changsun Qingjing's cheeks flushed crimson, the rosy hue of a peach blossom transforming into the fiery red of a pomegranate. Overwhelmed with shame and indignation, she imitated a fierce bird of prey, pressing her sharp, outstretched fingers close to that shameless face like a fledgling hawk testing its wings.

Li Shimin stood there, like a withered pine tree, seemingly oblivious to the menacing fingernails, letting Changsun Qingjing's fingernails leave a bloody mark on his face.

Changsun Qingjing saw her own panicked and helpless reflection in Li Shimin's calm and unwavering eyes.

They simultaneously withdrew their unintentionally hurtful fingertips and the hand that had been touching their temples.

A withered pine needle, taken from Changsun Qingjing's temple, fell between Li Shimin's fingers.

"Be careful." He released his grip.

Changsun Qingjing felt a loosening around his waist, and his feet finally landed firmly on the junction of the stone steps and the earthen slope.

"Is your face alright...?"

He shook his head and deliberately avoided the two flustered maids.

Ah Cai and Guo Niang quickly stepped forward to straighten Changsun Qingjing's clothes and fasten his veil.

"I'm fine." Changsun Qingjing awkwardly turned her back to the crowd. The lingering scent of styrax lingered around her, making her both expectant and afraid.

Zhang Houyin coughed a few times as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, deliberately avoiding the ambiguous yet restrained lovers, and said loudly to Changsun Minxing: "Little White Barbarian, remember to attend the banquet tonight and keep this old island barbarian company with me to keep watch over the torch for everyone."

Changsun Minxing laughed and said, "Master Zhang, is your bonfire a proper courtyard fire?"

"What's improper about it?" Zhang Houyin said, feigning seriousness. "Ensuring that people are well-fed and clothed, that men have their roles, and that women have their homes, is the most important thing in the world. It's just as proper as you tone critics' pursuit of tonal harmony!"

"Your teachings are correct," Changsun Minxing said, bowing.

"Let's sit by the campfire and chat about Lu Fayan's book. That barbarian is untrustworthy; he just abandoned his family and friends and left so easily. How infuriating! Although you are his beloved disciple, you are not allowed to follow his example. You must live to be seventy or eighty years old and clearly explain all 193 rhymes of this rhyme book to the world. Do you understand?"

"I dare not disobey. If I do not complete the compilation of the rhyme schemes, I will be beaten to death again by the ancient sages of phonetics when I reach the foot of Mount Mang!"

Ah Cai and Guo Niang chuckled softly behind her. Changsun Qingjing turned around suddenly, somewhat annoyed. Ah Cai suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes curving into crescent moons, her shoulders trembling slightly, clearly amused by some secret. Guo Niang, on the other hand, put her index finger to her lips, her clever eyes glancing left and right, afraid that her whispers would be overheard by others.

The sunlight tinted the ends of their hair with a glassy sheen, making their cheeks glow slightly.

"Did you just use all your strength to pull Changsun Minxing up from a pine tree hanging between cliffs?" Seeing that Zhang Houyin and Changsun Minxing had left the "Phoenix Wing" slope and were almost on the new path leading to the riverbank, Li Shimin reverted to his usual carefree and humorous demeanor and made harmless jokes with Changsun Qingjing.

"No."

"King Wen?"

"No."

"And what about Emperor Taizong of Han? He didn't appear in my dream to praise me either?" Li Shimin crossed his arms, seemingly making a great concession.

Still no.

The young couple laughed together.

"I know your dreams never quite match mine," the spirited young man said confidently. "But it doesn't matter. Heaven sending the Dragon Girl to my side is the greatest blessing and entrustment..."