Chapter 20 This is called turning one's hand to make clouds, and turning it back to make rain...

The bow, weighing five stones, had its string pressed against Xiao Xun's knuckles.

Even with calluses, the long, clean fingers still bore faint marks from the pressure.

This was used by the late emperor when he conquered the four barbarian tribes and quelled internal strife within the vassal states. Its name was majestic and imposing: Dingbang.

When he saw Xiao Jin just now, tall and slender, standing in the wind with a dazed look, he was reminded of his childhood.

Xiao Xun was not outstanding in any of the six arts at that time, but he was competitive in everything he did.

In Siqi Garden, he lost to Xiao Jin in pitch-pot and was mercilessly mocked by him: "Uncle, you've lived a whole generation in vain, you can't even beat your nephew in pitch-pot."

Xiao Xun was provoked into rebellion by these playful words. Ignoring his mother's explanations that "Xiao Jin is a year older than you, and has started to grow taller, with longer arms and greater strength," he returned to Weiyang Palace and practiced diligently. Finally, three months later, he narrowly defeated Xiao Jin in one round.

His father heard about this from his mother and praised him, saying, "This child resembles me."

Ever since that day when he almost fell off "Snow Shadow," Xiao Xun has been riding his horse at Jianzhang Palace every day as soon as he opens his eyes.

He also had several newly arrived foals from the Western Regions brought from the imperial garden to train. His clothes were always soaking wet, and you could wring water out of them.

So much so that his mother initially thought he had fallen into the Taiye Pond. Wang Fu was scolded for no reason and fined many years' salary.

However, he never got to see the day when he could finally compete with Xiao Yu.

With a "whoosh," a thunderous sound, the bowstring snapped.

The strands of hair at her temples trembled and fluttered.

He cut what he saw into three pieces.

He saw Xiao Jin walking briskly towards him from below.

In the middle of it all, he saw some of the disaster victims sitting on the ground spot Xiao Jin's figure passing by. Suddenly, they stood up, raised their arms, and shouted, "Young Master! Young Master! Young Master!"

The sound quickly changed from a thin, single note to a deep, resonant one.

More and more people stood up behind him, gradually forming the walls of the continuous thatched huts he had just seen, which then became a solid fortress.

He heard someone drumming on a basin and singing, beginning with the song "No Clothes".

The lyrics that reached my ears were truly strange: "How can you say there is no food? We will share it with you."

Above and to the side, the sky seemed to tear open with a sliver of clear light amidst the deafening singing.

The bright sunlight fell on the pale headlights and into the lingering heat.

Among them, he saw a hairpin, its jade gleaming faintly.

Look again.

there is none left.

A sharp pain shot through my palm.

The second arrow, after leaving the bowstring, brushed past his palm and was clenched in his hand.

Yesterday at midday, before even reaching Yingchuan, Xiao Xun dispatched Imperial Guards to disguise themselves as farmers and travel along the official roads of Jingzhao, Hongnong, and Yingchuan, searching for inns along the way so they could find lodging without being checked.

Seven such guesthouses were found.

Fortunately, it was during the New Year holiday, so there weren't many guests. The imperial guards checked each place one by one and found that there was a place five miles from Yingchuan where a woman and her uncle, who was over forty years old, had stayed for one night five days ago. The next day, they rented a carriage from the innkeeper and went to Huaiyang.

The shop owner, seeing that the woman was ill and very anxious, took pity on her and, despite the New Year holiday and heavy snow, personally drove her to safety.

Ling Feng arrived upon hearing the news and found the inn to be simple and sparsely populated, yet the innkeeper was dressed in silk and brocade, and the room smelled of abalone soup. Suspicious, he searched the innkeeper and found gold ingots on his person.

Turning around, the shop owner was charged with three crimes: failing to check identification tags, extorting customers, and stealing coins. He was taken to the county government, imprisoned for life, and fined 100,000.

...

"Your Majesty, the investigation has been completed. It is indeed Huaiyang."

Ling Feng's words caused Xiao Xun's brows to relax instantly.

In some mysterious way, he and Lin Yuan were getting closer and closer.

He will definitely find her.

I will definitely win her back.

They left the county residence overnight.

The lamplight was dim, and darkness enveloped him.

A portrait? He asked himself.

Do they look alike?

It doesn't seem like it.

It doesn't resemble it at all.

He said to himself.

He knew it when Lin Yuan carefully picked up the fledgling bird, and the golden sunlight from the treetops fell on her.

The edict drafted by the Minister of State for bestowing titles upon Su Chan was shelved and placed on his desk.

It was not stamped and has never been announced.

He had never even read it once.

When he arrived at the main chamber of the Jiaofang Palace, he ordered the chief craftsmen to replace the old screen with a glazed landscape screen.

Mountains and rivers—those were things Lin Yuan loved.

What does Su Chan like?

Pitch-pot? Cuju (ancient Chinese football)? Poetry? Seven-stringed zither?

He didn't know. Or perhaps he had already forgotten.

I don't want to know anymore.

Wang Fu, you say you understand me, but how much do you really understand me?

Xiao Xun's hands clenched tightly involuntarily.

The carriage swayed and bounced, causing the lanterns inside to sway gently.

Swaying and swaying, in my drowsy eyes, it turned into several lanterns, and into stars on the branches.

He saw, in the hazy light, his lips pressed against Lin Yuan's.

He saw Lin Yuan's eyes widen, as if she had fallen into countless stars, into the entire Milky Way.

The night wind picked up, and her face felt cool. When she touched his flushed face, she trembled and fell backward into his arms.

...

“Li Shun.” Xiao Xun stared intently at the crowd outside the carriage curtain. “Did you see that woman wearing a jade hairpin? Was that Lin Yuan?”

Li Shun's eyelids drooped as low as his body bowed.

Last night, because Wang Lu stayed in Yingchuan, he drove the carriage alone all night.

Li Shun was exhausted and cold, his eyelids felt incredibly heavy.

I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly my whole body warmed up. I opened my eyes and saw a thin line of white sky. It was dawn, and the sun had come out.

If you lift it up a little more, you almost roll off the car.

It wasn't the warm sun; it was the hot breath coming out of the horse's nose and mouth, right in his face.

That sun, isn't it Ma Tulingling's eye?

Ta Yun, who was originally in the carriage, was extremely restless because he hadn't ridden in the wild for two or three days. He spurred his horse and, after not looking at him for a while, found himself standing side by side with him.

If they had come to their senses any later, the horse would probably have vanished without a trace.

Li Shun wasn't afraid of being kicked off the carriage; a Ferghana horse was worth far more than a palace attendant.

There are very few Akhal-Teke horses, but the number of eunuchs in the inner court is more than the number of hairs on a horse's body.

Xiao Xun's words were carried to Li Shun's ears by the snow wind, and Li Shun respectfully took his leave.

Until the real warm sun shone on him, turning the snowflakes that had been accumulating in his collar and shoes all night into a cold spring that poured over him.

He jolted awake and came to his senses.

"A person wearing a green jade headdress".

He saw it at a glance.

A warm, lustrous jade hairpin hangs horizontally on the golden crown.

The man strode forward, sending shards of jade flying up from his body.

Xiao Jin arrived at the carriage.

He concealed the arrow in his sleeve, looking uneasy.

This is Huaiyang, within China.

The arrow was fired without restraint, and it struck right in front of the heir apparent of the Prince of Huaiyang.

He didn't know who was so bold and arrogant, but he had heard some hints from the Prince of Huaiyang and Lin Yu before, so he could guess that whoever came, this arrow was meant to intimidate.

The Imperial Guards were directly under the emperor's command.

This is the intimidation from that person.

Thinking this, he nervously stopped in his tracks.

The person inside the carriage had most of their face obscured by the carriage curtain.

The remaining half is murky, with only the sharp jawline faintly visible.

Those standing respectfully beside the carriage recognized the Crown Prince of Huaiyang and bowed to him.

Before he could ask who the newcomer was, he heard a playful voice coming from inside the car:

"How is it? Have my pitch-pot skills improved?"

The voice was young, with a relaxed, playful laugh, "Nephew?"

Xiao Jin was stunned for a moment before subconsciously performing the kowtow.

Just as he was about to kneel down, he heard Xiao Xun say, "No need for formalities. There's no need for such formalities between us."

An arrow was thrown out as soon as he spoke.

Bloodstains were faintly visible on the arrow shaft.

Xiao Jin felt a chill run down his spine and changed his posture to cupping his hands in greeting: "Filial piety and brotherly love are principles that cannot be neglected. Uncle, you hit the target perfectly in the hundred-step pitch-pot game. Not only are you skilled in pitch-pot, but you are also skilled in archery. I admire you greatly."

Xiao Xun laughed heartily, lifted the carriage curtain himself, and jumped out of the carriage.

"I heard that your father sent you to oversee the disaster relief efforts."

The singing in the snow continued unabated, shaking the gray clouds apart slightly, and a sliver of clear sky turned into a golden light. But the jade pendant seemed to have been a figment of the eye, and could no longer be seen.

Xiao Xun withdrew his gaze. "It seems they've done a good job. The Prince of Huaiyang and his heir are deeply loved by the people."

"Uncle, is it because you are worried about the snow disaster that you have come all this way? Today is the eve of the Lunar New Year."

Xiao Jin, who had been pampered since childhood and was simple-minded, was overjoyed and relaxed when she heard His Majesty's affirmation.

He and Xiao Xun grew up together until he was fifteen.

He was well aware that there was little familial affection in the royal family, but the feelings of children were unguarded.

Over the years, he and his father had moved away from Chang'an and settled in Huaiyang. From his father's unrestrained and unconventional ways, he had learned some ways of dealing with the world.

Sometimes, childlike unguardedness is the best protection.

Being too smooth and flawless makes one seem as solid as a fortress, unfathomable, and thus inspires fear.

Qu Yang had been in and out of the palace for forty years. During those forty years, it was said that even the length of each step he took was predetermined. Now, his entire family had been almost wiped out, and he himself had fallen into the imperial prison.

Xiao Xun smiled and replied, "On New Year's Eve, we should have a family banquet. I am widowed and alone in Chang'an. It's not too much for me to come to Huaiyang to reunite with my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew, is it?"

A few words brought Xiao Jin back to her childhood.

Xiao Xun lost his mother and then his father. His personality changed drastically; he became taciturn and lost his playful nature.

In Xiao Jin's view, it wasn't just playfulness; it had even lost the nature of a living person.

He was distressed and anxious, unsure how to comfort her, but he also knew that words of comfort would be of no use.

Just like when a mother is depressed, no matter how much the father tries to persuade her, it's all in vain.

Father would cause a scene in the bedroom, which would provoke Mother to fight with him for half a day.

Even with the doors tightly shut and the curtains drawn, one could still hear the two of them fighting until their voices were hoarse and their groans were constant.

The water in the cups splashed, and the pear wood bed creaked.

"This is called turning your hand to make clouds, turning it back to make rain. After the clouds and rain, everything will be over," his father told him proudly.

Xiao Jin secretly slipped in to take a look afterward.

Sure enough, the floor, the mat, the pillows were all in a mess, and the table, the dressing mirror, and even the bed were covered with puddles of water, as if they had been hit by a sudden rain.

But the rain had stopped and the sun was shining on Mother's face.

Those profound and mysterious words were thus deeply etched into his heart.

Xiao Jin then caused a great disturbance in the Heavenly Palace at Chengming Hall.

He pulled Su Chan's braids, drew her ugly face, and gave Su Dan the nickname "Shudan" to describe him as aloof and cold, and whose lectures were bland and tasteless.

They even replaced the fire-avoidance diagram that Qu Qingchuan had secretly hidden with a silk book cover of the Book of Changes, thus blatantly exposing it to Su Dan.

Even the most aloof and indifferent person would blush with anger or embarrassment at this moment.

The commotion was so great that it naturally caught Xiao Xun's attention.

Xiao Xun and Su Chan chased after him, beat him, laughed and cursed, and made sarcastic remarks, finally giving him a bit of a living presence.

When he saw the painting that Xiao Jin had made for Su Chan, he smiled, a smile he hadn't shown in a long time.

This enraged Su Chan even more, and she insisted that Xiao Xun paint a portrait of her until she was satisfied.

Xiao Xun couldn't refuse, so he had no choice but to start practicing his painting skills diligently. This made him more lively, at least he no longer buried himself in books all day and became a detached person.

His paintings are not much better than Xiao Jin's.

Su Chan's face darkened immediately upon seeing this.

Xiao Jin laughed so hard she almost burst out laughing, pointing to the pitch-black blob in the painting and saying, "Hey, this is more like it!"

...

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Xiao Jin's lips.

He put his arm around Xiao Xun's shoulder and leaned against his back, lowering his voice: "I heard that my aunt has returned to Chang'an. How can my uncle still be considered a widow?"

Before Xiao Xun could answer, he continued, "Nephew congratulates Uncle first. By the way, when does Uncle plan to announce it to the world for the whole country to celebrate? When the wedding is held, Huaiyang Kingdom will definitely present the best songs and dances."

Xiao Xun scoffed, "Nephew, you're a year older than me. When are you planning to marry your wife? Who have you taken a fancy to? Your uncle will arrange a marriage for you."

Xiao Jin's face turned half pale, and she waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, I don't want to. My father, the dignified Prince of Huaiyang, is arrogant outside, but he doesn't even dare to raise his voice in front of my mother."

He raised an eyebrow: "How can it compare to my current happiness? In Huaiyang, I can bring any woman I fancy into my mansion."

Xiao Xun laughed: "Just how many women have you taken in?"

Xiao Jin gestured with his hand: "Not much, not much, not much at all."

His other hand was on Xiao Xun's back, so Xiao Xun didn't see it.

In his smiling eyes, he saw a woman with her head bowed and eyes lowered, her hair tied up in a bun and adorned with a green jade hairpin, following behind Li Shun.

It was the jade hairpin he gave to Lin Yuan. He couldn't possibly be mistaken.

That day, Lin Yuan happily thanked them and then inserted the hairpin into her hair.

He chuckled to himself, thinking, "It's just a hairpin. Who knows how many more there are in the Imperial Treasury?"

He didn't seem to care and didn't look up.

The words on the scroll seemed to be dancing on the bamboo slips, their arrangement disordered and meaningless.

It wasn't until Lin Yuan said her goodbye and bowed to close the palace door that Xiao Xun raised his eyes and looked at the emerald hairpin that was hanging diagonally on her black hair, falling down like white jade dew, just like the glistening snowflakes that flew on her hair when he first saw her.

His lips involuntarily curved into a smile.

Yes, there are countless jade hairpins in the Shaofu's storeroom; he has examined at least hundreds or thousands of them in the past few days.

This one is the one that suits her best.

Just as I expected.