Birthday Elegy

With Pei Qingwu setting an example, and the merchants also understanding that if one of them were to fall, the other would be in danger, and if they didn't contribute, the refugees would riot, and no one's business would be safe.

He then followed Pei Qingwu's example, setting up a soup kitchen and distributing soup to starving refugees.

Those with large families and businesses naturally have servants to help them; those without, Zhao Jue mobilizes soldiers to prevent any accidents.

The situation in Qinzhou City has finally stabilized.

But relying on a few merchants is not a long-term solution.

No matter how wealthy and powerful they are, their surplus grain is limited; how could they possibly cope with such a crisis?

It seems that the only option now is to report to the imperial court.

However, whether it was Zhao Jue or the princess, their memorials were all ignored, like stones sinking into the sea.

That day, when Pei Qingwu went to the princess's residence as usual, he saw the princess holding a letter and looking very unhappy.

"What's wrong? Who's been so blind as to offend our princess?" Pei Qingwu stepped forward with a smile to comfort her.

The princess, however, showed no change in expression and remained solemn.

Pei Qingwu also sensed something was wrong.

He immediately suppressed his smile and asked cautiously, "Princess, what exactly happened?"

The princess handed her the letter: "Look, my mother had someone deliver this to me."

It was a letter from the princess's birth mother, Consort Qu.

Although Qu Jieyu was not a favored concubine, she was still a noblewoman in the palace and someone close to the emperor, so she naturally knew more about her.

Pei Qingwu respectfully accepted it, unfolded it, and began to read.

My dear son, please read this carefully:

"Seeing this letter is like seeing you in person. I heard that the situation in Qin Prefecture is urgent, and I am also worried in the palace. However, the Imperial Concubine's birthday is approaching, and His Majesty is very pleased, indulging in feasts and revelry all day long. Any report of calamities or anomalies is considered taboo. The other day, an urgent report from Longyou was detained, let alone documents from the prefectures and counties. At present, the palace values ​​auspicious words, and it is not the time to speak of important matters. You should protect yourself and not offend His Majesty."

"I am writing this with trepidation, and I humbly request that you take good care of yourself."

After Pei Qingwu finished reading, he felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet.

She looked up in disbelief, meeting the princess's helpless gaze.

"Is that why we haven't received any news from the imperial court?"

The princess nodded.

That's absurd.

Because the birthday of the imperial concubine was approaching, all bad news was avoided.

Not only was the news of the flood in Qin Prefecture withheld, but even military reports from Longyou were intercepted and not delivered to the Emperor's desk.

Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste; on the roads, the bones of those frozen to death lie.

Pei Qingwu could not have understood the meaning of those words better than he did now.

"Princess, that..."

Pei Qingwu knew that the princess had no say in the matter. Not to mention that she was not favored at all, even if she was, what could she say at this time?

“Mother is right, I really shouldn’t have said so much.” The princess said, clenching the handkerchief in her hand. “I’ve never been valued by Father, and now, even my fifth sister, whom he once doted on, can only swallow her anger when facing the Imperial Concubine…”

"But……"

Right now, perhaps not far from them, innocent people are teetering on the brink of starvation.

To protect oneself is something no one with a conscience can do.

Pei Qingwu read the letter again; every word was filled with helplessness.

Even sending this letter out was likely a huge risk for Qu Jieyu.

Ultimately, no agreement was reached.

Pei Qingwu dragged his heavy steps away, without saying a word the whole way.

Gu Heng followed her at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

He could tell she was very upset, and he felt bad too, but there was nothing he could do to help.

Seeing the dark clouds hanging low and a few drops of rain falling from the sky, Gu Heng quickly stepped forward, opened his umbrella, and held it over Pei Qingwu's head.

"Master, it's raining, be careful not to catch a cold."

Pei Qingwu hummed in agreement: "You're very thoughtful."

Gu Heng carefully held up the umbrella, afraid that even a single drop of rain would fall and wet Pei Qingwu.

However, the rain grew heavier and heavier, weaving a fine curtain of rain that blurred everything in the world.

Then the wind picked up again. The northwest wind is inherently strong, and as it passed through the narrow alley, it howled and wailed, sounding like even God was crying.

Gu Heng quickly moved to the direction from which the wind was blowing, blocking it for Pei Qingwu.

The umbrella was only so big and couldn't hold back the rain, so Gu Heng kept tilting it towards Pei Qingwu.

Before he knew it, most of his shoulder was exposed to the rain, which quickly soaked him, and he shivered from the cold.

Pei Qingwu noticed something was wrong and looked up, saying, "Oh dear, how did you get soaked? Quick, quickly tilt the umbrella towards you."

"It's okay, I'm not afraid of getting wet." Gu Heng smiled, touching his head.

However, the next second, he sneezed.

Solid and solid.

Pei Qingwu smiled, gripped the umbrella handle, and moved closer to him.

"Don't be stubborn. Your previous injury has just healed. Don't catch a cold again."

"No, no need..." Gu Heng hurriedly pushed her towards him: "I'm really fine, as long as the master didn't get wet."

"This silly child..."

He was so stubborn that Pei Qingwu couldn't do anything about it.

But this umbrella is indeed too small; it can't cover both of them.

Pei Qingwu thought for a moment, then patted Gu Heng's hand that wasn't holding an umbrella: "Here, put your arm around my shoulder."

"Huh?" Gu Heng was taken aback.

"What do you mean 'ah'? Put your arm around my shoulder! If we get closer, maybe this umbrella can fit both of us."

Gu Heng blushed deeply at those words.

Should we embrace our employer?

"What are you waiting for?"

Seeing that Pei Qingwu was urging him on, Gu Heng had no choice but to put his arm around her shoulder.

In an instant, a warm, fragrant, and soft body entered his arms.

The wind, with a hint of malice, blew through Pei Qingwu's hair, softly brushing against his cheeks, making him feel itchy inside.

As they blew on each other, their hair became tangled together, inseparable.

Gu Heng tried desperately to control himself and stop his wild thoughts, but his hands couldn't help but pull Pei Qingwu even tighter.

Let him be greedy for a while.

This method worked perfectly. The two squeezed under the same umbrella, wading through the rain, and ran all the way back to the courtyard.

"Aheng, put away your umbrella and go change your clothes. Don't catch a cold. I'll ask Yinlan to cook for you..."

The words "ginger soup" stuck in Pei Qingwu's throat before he could say them.

The conversation abruptly ended because she saw a mother and daughter huddled against the wall of the shop.

They were pale and emaciated, barely clothed, and were likely refugees displaced by the floods.

The little girl looked no more than five or six years old. She was as thin as a withered willow in the wind, with deeply sunken cheeks that made her eyes appear exceptionally large.

Her mother wasn't much better off, but being an adult, she could still manage, holding her tightly in her arms, futilely trying to ward off the chill brought by the rain.

"Mother...it's cold, so cold..."

The little girl murmured unconsciously.

The mother tightened her arms, choking back tears, as if comforting her daughter, but more like comforting herself: "It's alright, Mother will hold you tighter, then you won't be cold..."

"Mother, what time is it...?"

"I remember Grandpa saying that the day I was born would be when the sun was about to set..."

"I'm so hungry, Mom... For my birthday this year, I don't want candy, I just want to eat..."

As the little girl spoke, her voice gradually lowered.

Pei Qingwu suddenly remembered Qu Jieyu's letter.

Qinzhou is so close to Chang'an, and it's the same birthday. The imperial concubine in the palace, living a life of luxury, still has her servants racking their brains to present her with rare treasures in order to please her.

The little girl's only request was to have enough to eat.

She could no longer bear it, so she stepped forward and helped the mother and daughter up: "Come, come in with me."

The woman was startled and instinctively hugged the child in her arms tighter.

He glanced at Pei Qingwu warily, and only when he found that she was a kind-looking young woman did he feel relieved.

Who are you? What do you want?

Pei Qingwu had to coax her a lot before she finally calmed down and nodded, saying in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, thank you, young lady..."

Pei Qingwu and Gu Heng quickly helped the mother and daughter into the shop.

It was much warmer inside than outside, but the mother and daughter were still shivering from the cold.

Seeing this, Yinlan and Jinniang quickly found dry cloths to wipe them down, and then wrapped them in clean, thin blankets.

"Is today your birthday?" Pei Qingwu squatted down and asked the little girl who was barely breathing.

The little girl barely opened her eyes and nodded weakly.

Pei Qingwu felt a pang of sadness, but forced a smile: "That's great, you have to eat longevity noodles on your birthday... Wait a minute, I'll go make you a bowl right now. If you eat these noodles, you'll live a long and healthy life."

After saying that, she got up and walked quickly to the kitchen, and Gu Heng silently followed her in to help start the fire.

Mixing dough, kneading dough, rolling out dough...

Soak the lamb bones and lamb meat, then put them in a pot of cold water with only scallions and ginger as a side dish, and add the prepared spices: pepper, Sichuan peppercorns, angelica root, sand ginger, and licorice.

Finally, add the chopped white radish, and after it boils, turn off the heat and slice the meat.

Season the bottom of the bowl with salt, pepper, chopped green onions, and cilantro. Add the sliced ​​lamb and cooked noodles, then pour in a spoonful of hot broth...

A steaming bowl of clear broth mutton noodles is ready.

The broth was clear and the noodles were snow-white; it was a rare delicacy.

Pei Qingwu placed the noodles in front of the little girl and said softly, "Here, have a taste."

The woman was moved to tears, thanking him repeatedly. She carefully took the bowl, picked up a few noodles, blew on them to cool them, and fed them to her daughter.

The little girl's eyes seemed to light up for a moment when she smelled the aroma of the food. She opened her chapped lips and tried to swallow.

She ate slowly and laboriously, but a satisfied expression appeared on her face, and she even managed a faint smile: "Mother...it's delicious...so delicious..."

She ate only half a bowl intermittently, seemingly having used up all her strength.

"Eat slowly, there's more..." The mother choked up, wanting to feed him again.

However, the little girl gently shook her head, nestled in her mother's arms, and said in a voice as soft as a whisper, "Mother... I... I don't think I'm hungry anymore... and I'm not cold anymore..."

As she spoke, her watery eyes gazed at a point in the void, and she murmured, "The sun... is it about to set...? My birth time... has come..."

Her voice gradually faded, and her large eyes, which had just been sparkling with the sight of food, slowly closed.

Her small, thin body completely relaxed in her mother's arms, as if she had simply fallen asleep.

The mother's feeding motion froze in mid-air, and the bowl fell to the ground with a "clatter," splashing soup everywhere.

She stared blankly at her daughter, who was no longer moving in her arms, as if she couldn't understand what had happened.

Then, numbly, she got up and went to get another bowl of noodles.

"Here, the noodles must be too long, the little girl can't swallow them..."

She held the chopsticks shakily, using the edge of the bowl to break the noodles into small pieces, then scooped them up and fed them to her daughter.

"Eat, eat slowly, eat more..."

Jinniang couldn't bear to watch any longer and turned her head away.

Pei Qingwu also silently clenched his fist.

The rain was still falling outside, pattering against the windowpane, as if playing a lament for this prematurely lost life.