Old Stories
When Zhao Youyi recalls learning about weapons in his childhood, he always thinks of Zhao Youli. Back then, the two of them were raised in his grandfather's house in Jiangzhou. His family was quite wealthy from their business dealings and owned an entire piece of land with a mountain behind it, which was known locally as Yongliu Villa.
Zhao Youyi learned swordsmanship amidst the flying willow catkins, and with a swift stroke, he cut off a drooping willow branch, which landed squarely on Chu Chanyin, who was resting against the tree.
Zhao Youli laughed heartily, pulling her along to apologize to Chu Chanyin while saying that Huai Cong wasn't vigilant enough.
Zhao Youli is two years older than Chu Chanyin. When they were young, he would always call him Huai Cong, his younger brother, in a nonsensical way. Zhao Youyi is two years younger than Chu Chanyin. He was influenced by his older brother and always liked to tease people. He called him things like "little ice cube," "little serious," and "little silly," but he rarely called him "Cong brother."
Zhao Youyi doesn't like to remember these things, perhaps because her past memories are always shadowed by her mother's early death. After she had a serious illness, she forgot them all.
All she remembered was that it was a morning not long after she and her brother moved back to Shenjing. Zhao Youli was already a young man starting to grow taller, and in less than two years he would be joining the army. He said to Zhao Youyi, "Your brother Cong wrote a letter, asking if you've been sleeping well and eating well lately. Look at this guy, he misses you but doesn't write to you. Why beat around the bush?"
What did she say back then?
She unconsciously fiddled with her hair, but couldn't remember who this person was. She vaguely remembered that there was such a person. At that time, Zhao Youli already had enough burdens on his shoulders, and she didn't want to cause him any more trouble. She simply said, "It's probably because we've grown up. There's a difference between men and women. It's not reasonable for us to exchange letters anymore."
Zhao Youli was busy, so he quickly wrote back a letter and went to the backyard to practice his skills. Zhao Youyi picked up the letter he had placed on the desk, took it back to her room, and put it in the exquisite little box. Inside was a thick stack of letters, all of which were sent to her by Chu Chanyin after they returned to Shenjing.
She wanted to reply, but when she picked up her pen, she didn't know what to say. She couldn't remember any of the memories he mentioned in his letter, whether it was her snatching the carrot he was feeding the pony or the willow branch she cut while practicing her sword that woke him up.
Those memories were veiled in a thin mist; she was like an outsider, unaware of the details, and therefore unable to put pen to paper.
Perhaps seeing that she hadn't replied for a long time, he turned to writing to his elder brother instead. So she asked her brother to pass on a message to him, telling him that they were both no longer children and that there was a difference between men and women, so he should stop writing to her.
So Chu Chanyin's letter to Zhao Youli went from asking about her recent situation, to discussing military strategy with Zhao Youli in the letter, to subtly asking if she was in good health at the end, and finally only one sentence remained: "Is your sister well?"
When Zhao Youyi opened her eyes, she saw unfamiliar gauze curtains. Turning her head, she saw the simple furniture and realized that she was in an inn. It was just dawn, and it was a fine day since it hadn't snowed.
Perhaps it was because she had been spending a lot of time with Chu Chanyin lately, but she suddenly remembered the time when the three of them were at Yongliu Manor when they were young. It was so long ago that she felt a little dazed.
She finished washing up and opened the door, just in time to see Chu Chanyin about to knock.
"My cousin is awake. I was just about to call you down for dinner." Chu Chanyin's face was gentle. When he smiled, he seemed especially reliable, much like the towering mountains behind the manor. But Zhao Youyi, who had just experienced that dream, suddenly realized that this man was not yet of age and was still a young man. If he had been born in a prosperous era, he should have been a young man riding through the streets, making countless girls blush with embarrassment.
"Chu Huai Cong." Zhao Youyi called out his courtesy name, which seemed abrupt in this situation. She suddenly realized that she only knew his courtesy name but not his given name. She felt strange but didn't want to ask him directly.
It wasn't until the old folks in the village mentioned that this prince's son was not favored by the prince and princess. He was hastily sent to a house next to the villa without even being given a name, and was raised by his uncle, who was still a boy. His uncle, at a young age, experienced the troubles of being a father. He and his newlywed wife searched through books to name their infant nephew.
Cong is a type of auspicious jade, used in ancient times to worship deities, signifying good fortune.
My nephew was not well-liked at birth. A Taoist priest even said that he was born with weak family ties and would bring misfortune to his father and mother. As his uncle, all he could do was give him a good name and wish him a smooth future.
"Hmm?" Chu Chanyin lowered his eyes to look at her, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
"I remember now. I'm sorry I couldn't reply to your letter." Zhao Youyi opened her mouth, hesitated, and finally managed to say those words.
I'm sorry for making you talk to yourself for so long.
Upon hearing this, Chu Chan smiled and tapped her forehead with his finger. "Silly girl, it's all in the past. There's no need to apologize."
Zhao Youli had mentioned this matter in a letter to him back then. Zhao Youli naturally cared about his only sister and soon discovered the matter. He secretly consulted a doctor, who repeatedly warned him not to agitate her and that she should only remember it when she wanted to. Therefore, Chu Chanyin did not mention the past, pretending that he had also forgotten, pretending that he did not know that she had practiced martial arts since childhood, and pretending that the two of them were just cousins who had met a few times when they were young.
He doesn't need her to remember him; he can still give his all.
She realized that he seemed to always be like this, able to casually say "it's nothing" about anything, that it's all in the past, whether it was using her, deceiving her, or simply forgetting.
This person's emotions are detached from worldly affairs, as if it is difficult to touch his true feelings.
She had never understood why he would go to such lengths to help her. Was it just because of her best friend's dying wish?
It turns out that it wasn't just that; they had known each other since childhood, catching fish and shrimp together in the river. She threw mud at him, and he was so angry that he released all the fish and shrimp she had caught. When they were flying kites, the kite strings got tangled, and they bumped into each other and fell. When she was practicing swordsmanship, he was playing the zither beside her, playing the tune "High Mountains and Flowing Water".
"I've forgotten a lot of things." Zhao Youyi said this subconsciously, as if explaining what had happened earlier. She thought Chu Chanyin would show some other expression, but he just touched her hair as usual.
"I know you've suffered," Chu Chanyin sighed.
She suddenly longed to throw herself into his arms and cry her heart out, but she simply lowered her head slightly to stop the tears from falling. "Cousin, I was rude. I'm sorry."
“Youyi.” His voice was very soft, as if he was sighing, “Niao Niao, what’s the big deal? You can still be the same as before, and I can still be your Cong-gege.”
Zhao Youyi moved closer to him, listening to the strong heartbeat beneath his chest. After hesitating for a moment, she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Chu Huai Cong, I don't want you to be my brother," she said, then belatedly realized that her words were somewhat ambiguous, and hurriedly added, "I only have one brother, Ah Xiong."
Looking at the person in his arms, Chu Chanyin patted her back gently with a hint of helplessness. "Alright, then I'll do whatever you want me to do."
"Ahem, Miss, Your Highness," Xiao Xuan said as she went upstairs and saw the two of them embracing. She instinctively turned around and knocked on the door. "The food is getting cold."
Upon seeing the person approaching, Zhao Youyi quickly stepped out of his embrace, saying, "Okay, we'll be right there."
Xiao Xuan nodded and hurried downstairs, as if some ferocious beast was chasing her.
"Nianwan, we have your favorite almond cookies today, go down and try some." Chu Chan smiled and ruffled her hair. She flinched uncomfortably. "Chu Huai Cong, don't mess up my hair, don't ruffle it!"
Chu Chanyin spread his hands and took a few steps back. "Alright, you have no manners. When we were little, you called me 'Brother Cong' so affectionately. Now you call me by my courtesy name."
"You're lying," Zhao Youyi reached out and pinched him. "I clearly called you something like 'little old-fashioned, little serious, little silly'!"
Chu Chan smiled without saying a word and took the first step.
After the group finished breakfast, Chu Chanyin specially packed a portion of almond cookies for her to eat on the way. Zhao Youyi remembered that Chu Chanyin had said he wanted to play a game of chess with her before going to bed last night, so she pestered him to play chess in the carriage.
While being pulled along by her, Chu Chanyin kept shouting that it was unreasonable and improper.
Enraged by the stares from everyone, Zhao Youyi pinched him hard and threatened in a low voice, "Chu Huaicong, if you shout again, I'll really strip you naked."
Chu Chanyin obediently shut up and looked at her with a smile.
When Zhao Youyi was young, she devoted herself to weapons and became proficient in all kinds of martial arts, especially spears and swords. However, she was not good at music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and mostly just brushed them off. Especially chess, she was terrible at it. She would hesitate for a long time while holding a chess piece, then hurriedly say that she wanted to take back her move, which often made Zhao Youli so angry that he had a headache.
Chu Chanyin, being good-natured, patiently waited while drinking tea and enjoying the scenery. Zhao Youyi secretly glanced up and saw him lift the curtain to look outside before quickly taking the chess pieces back. Unexpectedly, Chu Chanyin caught him red-handed.
"Nianwan, why are you being so cheeky?" he said, his eyes crinkling with a smile, his tone unexpectedly gentle.
Zhao Youyi feigned ignorance: "What? Your Highness, I don't understand what you're saying."
Chu Chanyin picked up the brush and tapped her hand with the other end. "Speak properly."
“Alright,” Zhao Youyi said seriously, “Let’s get down to business.”
Chu Chanyin, who was drinking tea, raised an eyebrow, signaling her to continue.
“I want to go to Yunzhou.” Zhao Youyi looked at the chessboard in front of him and put the black piece he had just picked up back in its place. “Since my brother died in Yunzhou, I have to go and see him.”
Chu Chanyin pondered for a moment, then nodded, picked up a white piece, and put it down. The game changed dramatically; what was once a sure-win situation was now on the verge of collapse. "Thank you for the concession, cousin."
“Ah,” Zhao Youyi lowered his gaze, “I always thought that only someone as exceptionally talented as you, cousin, could reach the pinnacle of power. What do you think, cousin?”
Chu Chanyin paused as he was putting the chess pieces back in their places, his tone calm as still water: "My cousin should also remember who gave me my courtesy name, right? My uncle always wanted all the good fortune in the world to fall on me, but that's never what I wanted."
Seeing that he avoided answering, Zhao Youyi simply smiled and asked, "Who named my cousin?"
“When I was a child, I was flipping through a collection of poems in my uncle’s study when I came across a line that read, ‘Since ancient times, many have been hermits and Zen masters. I have always loved this journey.’” Chu Chanyin smiled slightly, his gaze drifting into the distance. “I love this line very much.”
Zhao Youyi suddenly realized something, and her gaze fell on him with surprise. "I really didn't expect that my cousin, born into royalty, would have such a broad mind..."
Chu Chanyin shook his head as if sighing, "I was born into royalty, but raised in the countryside. What I yearn for is a life of leisure and freedom."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Zhao Youyi understood. It was just a pity that in such chaotic times, how could one remain untainted? The life of a carefree hermit was merely a pipe dream.
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