Chapter 15 The Gift of the Pearl
Chapter Fifteen
Heavy snow in the capital.
The entire city was covered in a blanket of white, and even the double-eaved hip roof of the Taichang Hall was covered with a thick layer of snow.
To prevent frost and snow from seeping into the plum blossom-patterned windows, the palace eunuchs brought out a snow-blocking carpet early in the morning and laid it on the carved wooden windows inlaid with glass.
The palace doors were half-closed, and not only was the floor heating system on, but braziers filled with burning silver charcoal were also placed in every corner, which caused the few budding winter plum blossoms on the jujube wood incense table to bloom.
Consort Pei took the bowl of thick medicinal soup from the chief eunuch Zhou Bao, then personally helped Emperor Yuanqing to his feet and handed him a spittoon for coughing. "Your Majesty, please be gentle. It will break my heart if you cough and hurt your throat."
Emperor Yuanqing coughed until his face turned red. After he finally recovered, Consort Pei hurriedly stuffed a calming pillow filled with dried chrysanthemum and lily petals into his mouth to support his back.
After Emperor Yuanqing was seated, Consort Pei carefully fed him another spoonful of medicine and said with a smile, "Your Majesty seems to be in good spirits today. Should we have someone set up the windows later so you can enjoy the snow scene for a while?"
Emperor Yuanqing shook his head: "No need."
He looked at Consort Pei's young and pretty face, then at his own old and frail hands, and sighed, "Lanfang, you've really suffered a lot lately."
Consort Pei's maiden name was Lanfang. In the past, when the emperor was in love, he would call her "Lanfang" again and again.
Upon hearing this, Consort Pei felt a pang of sorrow, tears welling in her eyes. She put down her soup bowl and nestled into Emperor Yuanqing's arms, saying with deep emotion, "Your Majesty, you must recover quickly. Your Majesty and I are both longing for your well-being..."
Emperor Yuanqing also embraced his beloved concubine, repeatedly sighing, "I know I cannot abandon you and your son."
Consort Pei stayed close to Emperor Yuanqing and spoke earnestly for a long time until he fell asleep. Only then did she tiptoe out of the bedchamber.
The wind and snow blurred her vision. After Consort Pei stepped into the sedan chair, she put her hands into the white fox fur sleeve to warm them before wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, dispelling all traces of sorrow.
With a stern face, she ordered her attendants to return to the palace.
Consort Pei rested her forehead on one hand, and couldn't help but recall the tender words Emperor Yuanqing had uttered to her before, "Lanfang."
When she first entered the palace, His Majesty was in his prime, tall and imposing, exuding imperial majesty. Consort Pei was indeed captivated by his supreme demeanor, but as time went on, she realized that the Emperor's favor towards her was simply because her bright and beautiful eyes resembled those of the deceased Empress Shen.
Empress Shen was the first wife that Emperor Yuanqing married when he was still a prince.
At that time, Emperor Yuanqing was not favored by the late emperor and was born into a family of maids, so he did not even have the qualifications to seize the throne. However, he did not feel sorry for himself. Instead, he hid in the fiefdom for many years, biding his time until the day he held military power. Then, he stormed into the capital and ascended the throne.
Emperor Yuanqing and Empress Shen had been married for many years and were a loving couple who should have been the envy of everyone.
However, Empress Shen came from a humble background and had lived a simple life with Emperor Yuanqing, enduring hardship together. She could not bear the fact that Emperor Yuanqing had multiple wives and concubines and spent his nights with other women. After giving birth to the eldest prince, Empress Shen chose Emperor Yuanqing's birthday to burn down her palace and commit suicide in the forbidden palace.
Emperor Yuanqing denounced Empress Shen as a jealous woman, causing him to lose face in front of his ministers. He also took his anger out on his wife's family and neglected his eldest son, Chen Wenjin, for many years.
It was at this time that the understanding and considerate Consort Pei caught the eye of Emperor Yuanqing.
Consort Pei was young and beautiful, and her personality was as charming as a flower that understands words. Among the three thousand beauties, she was the only one who enjoyed the emperor's exclusive favor. In just two years, she gave birth to the second prince, Chen Yishan.
Emperor Yuanqing not only doted on the second prince born to Consort Pei, but also frequently brought the second prince, Chen Yishan, to court to listen to government affairs.
Not only that, Emperor Yuanqing also promoted the Pei family members and cultivated Pei Zan, as if he wanted to pave the way for the second prince to ascend the throne in the future.
But only Consort Pei knew that if Emperor Yuanqing truly hated Empress Shen, why would he cancel court every year on the anniversary of Empress Shen's death and lock himself in Kunning Palace for one night?
If he only harbored hatred for Empress Shen, why would he often mistake Consort Pei for his "Lan'er" in his midnight dreams, and then hold her tightly in his arms while he was asleep?
If Emperor Yuanqing did not still hold a place in his heart for his deceased wife, why would he choose those agate earrings and rabbit fur red silk cloaks that Empress Shen cherished during her lifetime, to dress Consort Pei in a way that resembled her, so that she could remember her by looking at the objects?
Consort Pei knew perfectly well that Emperor Yuanqing could not forget his deceased wife.
She was nothing more than a substitute for Empress Shen.
Emperor Yuanqing's act of harming his eldest son stemmed from resentment born of love; he wanted his wife, now in the underworld, to know that without her protection, her son would not fare well either...
This was Emperor Yuanqing's resentment, and also his punishment for Empress Shen's self-immolation.
Even Emperor Yuanqing's cultivation of Pei Zan was likely driven by a deeper purpose: to create a target for public criticism and to bring the Second Prince Chen Yishan to the forefront, thus protecting Empress Shen's eldest son, Chen Wenjin, from harm.
The deeper the hatred, the stronger the love.
The living are like fish eyes or rotten pearls; how can they compare to the bright moonlight emanating from the dead?
Consort Pei returned to the plum garden and waited quietly for a long time.
Soon, an unannounced eunuch sneaked into the plum garden and whispered to Consort Pei, "Your Majesty, you were right. News came from Eunuch Zhou that His Majesty had just recovered somewhat when he secretly summoned the cabinet ministers to the palace to draft the imperial edict and even had Scholar Lü draft the decree on his behalf... Judging from His Majesty's intentions, the matter of establishing an heir will naturally follow the ancestral system."
The flower branch in Consort Pei's hand snapped with a snap. She opened her beautiful eyes and said in a chilling tone, "So this is what you call following ancestral rules."
Wouldn't that mean appointing the eldest son instead of the most virtuous?
As expected, the emperor intended to make his eldest son the crown prince!
He was truly heartless, actually wanting to use her second son to shield Empress Shen's eldest son from those open and covert struggles, and then push the eldest son to the throne once the imperial path was smooth. Where in the world is there such a good thing?
No wonder Emperor Yuanqing urgently summoned Pei Zan to the capital to report on his duties... He wanted to take the opportunity to break her left and right arms!
Consort Pei gave a cold laugh.
What does a will matter? As long as her nephew Pei Zan is capable, even if it's just a forged will, her son can still ascend the throne.
Emperor Yuanqing was reckless. He had already raised Pei Zan into a vicious wolf who drank blood and ate raw meat. How could he expect him to restrain his bloodthirsty nature and turn back into a domestic dog that could be beaten and scolded at will?
Emperor Yuanqing had driven Pei Zan to such a dead end that if he did not raise an army in rebellion, he would lose the spirit of the Pei family.
With the Second Prince in her grasp, Consort Pei hoped that her nephew would soon come to her senses and help her achieve her goals.
What troubled Consort Pei was why Pei Zan had not replied to her letter for so long... Was Pei Zan too vigilant and meticulous in his actions, or had he truly encountered a trouble that was difficult to resolve?
-
Jiangzhou.
Pei Zan remained inactive, indeed waiting for the right opportunity.
Thanks to Governor Xu Junmao, Pei Zan intercepted a shipment of hundreds of thousands of shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain, which was used as military pay to feed his powerful army.
During the month that Pei Zan was "recovering from his injuries," he received countless secret letters from his aunt, the Imperial Concubine.
However, Pei Zan held each letter between his long, pale fingers, placed it on a candlestick, and burned it completely.
It is said that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Even if he is a lackey of Consort Pei, he should not be targeted at any place.
Besides... there are many people who are even more anxious than him.
Pei Zan lowered his phoenix eyes and glanced indifferently at the intelligence report sent by Black Falcon.
The letter still bears the two characters "King of Qin".
Soon, the paper was also consumed by the flames, curled into dark ash, and disappeared into the charcoal brazier.
-
That night, Madam Shen ordered someone to send a bowl of sweet soup to Yuchen Courtyard, saying it was to nourish Pei Zan's body.
When Uncle Feng saw the bowl of soup, he immediately stopped it and splashed it in front of Lin Rong.
Lin Rong was dumbfounded; she didn't have the guts to ruin the master's soup like that.
Uncle Feng smiled and taught her: "No matter who tries to curry favor with us, we must always put our master first. To put it presumptuously, even if it's soup sent by the Emperor himself, it should not be presented to the Grand Commander before it has been tested for poison."
Having learned her lesson, Lin Rong asked again, "Will the young master still have soup?"
Uncle Feng, intending to elevate Lin Rong, struck her with a stick and then offered her a candied date.
Uncle Feng: “Hey, go to the kitchen and make a new bowl of sweet soup. Remember, you have to check all the ingredients yourself and don’t let anyone else do it. After the soup is cooked, you have to taste it for poison before you can present it to the young master.”
"knew."
Lin Rong was an honest girl; she did whatever Uncle Feng told her to do.
When a bowl of soup was brought into the room, she seemed to wake from a dream, took out another bowl from the food box, took a small sip in front of Pei Zan, and then offered it to her master.
"Young Master, it's not poisoned, you can drink it."
Needless to say, Pei Zan also knew that Lin Rong's cautious manner was taught by Uncle Feng.
Pei Zan was still reviewing the military defense documents. Without looking up, he said, "There's no need to be so cautious. No one in the inner quarters dares to harm me."
Moreover, there are few colorless and odorless poisons in the world. If it weren't for those aphrodisiacs that dissolve in wine, Pei Zan wouldn't be able to distinguish ordinary, potent drugs.
Lin Rong nodded, somewhat bewildered.
She wanted to leave and rest, but Pei Zan did not let her leave. Instead, he said, "Bring the 'Martial Arts Classic' from the cabinet."
He needed to send a letter to his deputy, Zheng Zhiming, to offer military advice. To prevent the letter from being intercepted, he decided to tear off a page from a military treatise as a reply, using it to provide guidance on battle tactics.
Zheng Zhiming is surely intelligent enough to know his plans.
However, Lin Rong lingered in front of the bookshelf for a long time, but couldn't decide which book to choose.
Pei Zan, growing impatient, glanced at him and scoffed, "I forgot, you can't read a single word."
Lin Rong gave an awkward smile: "I've recognized a few... and I'm still learning from some others."
Pei Zan stood quietly for a moment, closed the file, and then unfolded a brand new sheet of Xuan paper.
After the paper was laid out, Pei Zan tucked his sleeves in, took out a rabbit-hair brush, dipped it in ink, and placed it beside the inkstone. "Come here, I'll teach you."
Lin Rong was flattered: "Teach me?"
Pei Zan had thrown down a huge windfall, leaving Lin Rong stunned and somewhat incredulous. She suspected she was hallucinating and dared not act rashly, fearing she might misunderstand.
Until Pei Zan frowned slightly and his eyes darkened.
Lin Rong hurriedly stepped forward and carefully touched the thin, white Xuan paper... She couldn't afford brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Even when she practiced calligraphy, she only dared to write and draw on the snow with withered branches or smear on wood ash with burnt firewood.
Pei Zan placed the pen in Lin Rong's hand and taught her how to hold the pen and how to draw.
Finally, after Pei Zan finished writing the two characters "Wu Jing" (武经), he gave her several sheets of Xuan paper so that she could copy the calligraphy like a child learning to write.
Lin Rong couldn't understand Pei Zan's writing, but she knew that Pei Zan's brushstrokes were unrestrained and vigorous, with characters as beautiful as silver hooks and iron strokes, so he must be a master calligrapher.
After dismissing Lin Rong, Pei Zan continued to peruse the documents, ignoring her completely. Lin Rong, however, remained trembling with fear as she traced the beautiful Chinese characters, not daring to utter a sound.
Lin Rong enjoyed this time practicing calligraphy, but she was also afraid that her clumsy practice would be too much of an eyesore and would disturb Pei Zanwu.
She was uneasy, glancing at Pei Zan every now and then.
The man glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and caught Lin Rong stealthily peeking at him. Pei Zan closed the document and asked her in a cold voice, "What is it?"
Lin Rong's act of peeping at people was discovered, and she immediately lowered her head in embarrassment.
Lin Rong was completely flustered, staring blankly at the string of dark, lustrous Buddhist beads on Pei Zan's wrist. In a moment of desperation, she asked, "Young Master, do you believe in Buddhism?"
Pei Zan was taken aback for a moment: "Why do you ask?"
Lin Rong gazed at the string of prayer beads on the man's exquisite bones. "You've always worn this string of prayer beads."
Lin Rong had seen Pei Zan wear this string of Buddhist beads when she was young.
Even after all these years, that string of dark Bodhi wood prayer beads still hangs on his wrist.
Pei Zan lowered his eyes, examined the arm bone for a moment, and said indifferently, "It's just a relic left by a monk. It looks nice, so I took it."
Lin Rong exclaimed earnestly, "Young Master is a person with a karmic connection to Buddhism."
Pei Zan narrowed his long, beautiful eyes. He could actually see a deep sense of admiration in the eyes of this seemingly dull little girl.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a little interested.
Pei Zan said slowly and deliberately, "Is that so? But that monk seems unwilling to part with what he has..."
After she finished speaking, it was Lin Rong's turn to be stunned.
She didn't understand. If these were the deceased's belongings, how could there be any question of "whether or not to give them up"?
Pei Zan curled his lips slightly, his eyes flashing coldly: "When that monk died, his hand bones were stiff and he was unwilling to loosen the beaded string. I had to break a few fingers to retrieve his belongings."
Pei Zan still remembered the past. The bandit, disguised as a monk, attacked him with a knife. The monk intended to capture Pei Zan alive and then use him to extort money from the wealthy Pei family in Jiangzhou. However, Pei Zan had practiced martial arts since childhood, and with a simple twist of the knife hilt, he killed the man.
This string of prayer beads is what the monks hold in their hands.
The simple Bodhi wood, soaked in blood, is interspersed with patches of red and black, creating a strange and eerie beauty.
Pei Zan thought it was good, so he cut off the finger bone that the man was tightly gripping the string of beads and picked it up.
Lin Rong's head was buzzing, and she vaguely guessed the whole story... The string of beads was not a gift from the monk, but rather something that Pei Zan killed and then deliberately took for himself.
He is not a compassionate Buddha at all, but clearly a Yama, a demon with heavy karmic debts of killing.
Lin Rong was speechless.
The look of reverence for her teacher vanished from her face, leaving only a stunned and horrified expression.
Pei Zan rested his chin on one hand, held his hand up to her eyes, and asked seductively, "You want it?"
Lin Rong's gaze darted around, glancing at the alluring and handsome young master, then at the string of malevolent Buddhist beads.
She understood the meaning behind Pei Zan's gift and hurriedly shook her head: "No, no, this item has immense power... I'm afraid I'm not worthy of receiving it."
"Really? That's a real shame."
A note from the author:
I recommend a completed Xianxia novel by Dengdeng, mwah!
After the substitute bride left, the Sword Master's Dao Heart was shattered. (by Cao Deng Daren)
High-class beauty breaks vows | Both virgins | Broken mirror mended
Honest junior sister who was forced to marry in place of another x Ruthless, abstinent senior brother
Senior Brother Jiang Muxue is a prodigy, the number one swordsman.
I am just an ordinary outer disciple with extremely poor aptitude, and I have not even reached the Foundation Establishment stage after ten years of cultivation.
I know that I am worlds apart from Jiang Muxue.
If Jiang Muxue's fiancée, Tang Wan, hadn't eloped with the Demon Lord, I wouldn't have had the chance to get close to my senior brother.
That day, Jiang Muxue fought the Demon Lord to win back his fiancée, but accidentally shattered his sword bone and was forever trapped in a dreamlike illusion.
The sect leader cherished talent and couldn't bear to see Jiang Muxue die in the dream array.
Because I bear a resemblance to Tang Wan, the sect leader asked me to impersonate Tang Wan and give my senior brother a beautiful dream to lure him out of battle.
After the matter is accomplished, the sect leader will help me establish my foundation and grant me cultivation.
From then on, I was ordered by the sect leader to enter the illusion and take meticulous care of my senior brother who had lost his soul.
-
In the dream, I shared a bed with Jiang Muxue, chatting about everyday things. I fulfilled all the duties a wife should have, even our physical intimacy.
I knew perfectly well that Jiang Muxue's tenderness and affection for me was nothing more than because of my face, which was imbued with illusion magic, resembling Tang Wan's.
He had absolutely no personal feelings for me.
I must always be vigilant, stay true to myself, and not get caught up in the drama.
Once Jiang Muxue has recovered her divine soul, I will be able to retire gracefully.
-
However, for the senior brother, that illusion was merely a dream full of springtime beauty.
For a low-level cultivator like myself, it is to enter the realm in my true form.
Jiang Muxue's gentleness, my senior brother's kiss, my senior brother's body temperature—all left their marks on me.
I was my senior's wife for seven years.
-
Seven years in the dream world, but only one month abroad.
A month later, Tang Wan admitted her mistake and returned to her family.
Tang Wan inherited my memories from the illusion and showed great care for Jiang Muxue.
The senior brothers and sisters were a perfect match, and after going through various trials and tribulations in their love, they finally became a couple, truly an enviable pair.
They're getting married soon, and I'm just an insignificant substitute.
My senior brother has long since abandoned his past.
He woke up from his dream, and I shouldn't get lost in it either.
-
On the day of Jiang Muxue's wedding, I watched as the sky was ablaze with fiery red clouds, and hundreds of birds came to offer their congratulations.
It turns out they were such a perfect match that even the Heavenly Dao celebrated their union.
I desperately want to go home, and I've heard that if my soul is scattered, I can find my way home.
I felt no fear and walked straight into the killing formation.
I thought I would die alone, but at the moment I turned to ashes, a long sword made of solidified snow pierced through the air.
I recognized it as Jiang Muxue's natal sword.
My senior brother, dressed in a scarlet wedding gown, was as graceful and charming as if from a dream.
He walked towards me step by step.
On this joyous day, Jiang Muxue abandoned his wife and chased after her with his sword.
"Senior brother." I didn't understand why Jiang Muxue had come.
It's really difficult to personally wish him happiness.
I forced a smile, but the pain had made it impossible for me to speak clearly.
I racked my brains but could only manage to come up with one sentence.
"Wishing you a happy marriage, senior brother, and a long and happy life together... May we meet again in the future."
I should go, even if it's not in a very dignified way.
Jiang Muxue's phoenix eyes were cold and clear. "Liu Guanchun."
"You are my wife, so why did you leave me?"
He finally remembered everything, but I didn't even have a remnant soul left.
I wanted to apologize to him, but I didn't have time... I died in the year my senior brother loved me the most.
(The main text is written in the third person and includes a rebirth plot. It's a pure love story with both characters being virgins.)
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