Chapter 9 Alone If I were to forcibly force her down the mountain, there would be no connection between us…
The three men were overcome with grief as they thought of the deceased Li Xuanba. Changsun Qingjing recalled that the weather was similar on the day Li Xuanba left, and how the three of them had imagined a reunion of the four of them when Li Shimin was in Zhuojun.
Now, the white clouds are hazy and indistinct, and the person is no longer here; for a moment, everyone is filled with sorrow and speechless.
Changsun Qingjing timidly spoke of Xuanba's lament over the injustice of fate, the soaring fighting spirit in the five-stringed pipa, and the chaotic dust that could not escape the pillar of light.
Her concern, lamentation, sorrow, and resentment were directed not only at the boy buried deep in the earth, but also at the powerless situation and the future shrouded in gloom.
Li Shimin murmured, "Among my brothers, Xuanba was the most gentle and mild-mannered. I never expected that he would have such courage on his deathbed, surrounded by wild horses and the heavens and earth! How pitiful and lamentable." He circled the rock for a moment, confirmed his location, and pointed to the bank of the Wei River: "He is there, at the highest point of the family cemetery. I erected a tombstone for him a few days ago... With the gentle breeze, flowing water, and the sound of pine trees as companions, he probably wouldn't be afraid."
The mountain breeze in the early morning was chilling. Changsun Qingjing wrapped his Hu clothing tighter around himself and bowed respectfully in the direction Li Shimin pointed.
Li Shimin bent down and picked up a few colorful pebbles and put them away: "I had originally agreed with him to climb Nanshan when I returned to Daxing, but unfortunately he went. I will send them to him in a few days and chat with him again."
Following the direction Qingjing pointed, Shimin and Wuji saw an eagle circling in the air a few times before flying over the mountaintops and heading towards the distant towering mountains.
In an instant, a clump of hemp fibers blocked the chests of the three men, and they could not move it at all.
"Let's have a mountain climbing contest. Whoever reaches the top first wins, and the loser treats us to drinks next time." Changsun Wuji also felt it was inappropriate to dwell on the painful past, especially since the deceased was a close friend of all three. The best remedy to ease their sorrows was, of course, to do something exhilarating and exhausting.
Yes, even Changsun Wuji himself didn't realize that, by some strange twist of fate, Changsun Qingjing had also been included among his close friends.
Li Shimin, looking completely at ease, said, "Good idea. Although we've missed the sunrise, it's better than nothing. However, your sister doesn't need to compete with us, does she?"
Changsun Wuji glanced at Changsun Qingjing mischievously: "The elders have repeatedly instructed me to protect her, and she herself has sworn not to cause trouble, so naturally I won't take her with me." He straightened his clothes, dusted off the dirt, and adopted the air of an elder brother who was like a father to Changsun Qingjing, who was pursing his lips: "You can just play the pipa here, enjoy the breeze, and drink some tea with double the pepper. If you're really bored, play a few rounds of backgammon with the maids... In a short while, Shimin and I will be back. On the way home, I will tell you in detail about the scenery at the summit."
Changsun Qingjing didn't respond, only pouting, standing like a stone statue blocking the road in front of her brother, not forgetting to give Li Shimin a fierce glare. Only her eyes were darting around, each glint of her gaze like a gleaming claw. Clearly, she was extremely angry.
She watched the two young men gracefully ascend the heights with this invisible knife, feeling quite resentful.
After the two had walked away, Changsun Qingjing finally calmed down from her maddening anger. She took a few deep breaths and then gently nudged Acai, who was supporting her and was almost asleep, awake: "Come with me, let's go to the top."
A Cai glanced timidly at the servants sprawled out on their backs, reluctantly opened the package, and hurriedly found Xie Gong's clogs to help Changsun Qingjing put them on.
Now that no one is watching her anymore, it's truly worth celebrating with a Zhezhi dance. Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, Changsun Qingjing dragged Acai along, chasing after her brother's whereabouts.
After traveling about a mile along the winding, steep mountain road, they saw Li Shimin stumbling and looking around, hesitant and uncertain. When Changsun Qingjing caught up, he was clearly surprised: "Qing...Madam, you promised your uncle and brother that you would never take any risks!"
"My brother has left the young master far behind, hasn't he?" Changsun Qingjing found Li Shimin's disheveled appearance quite amusing. The thought of repeatedly reminding Wuji not to let his entourage look so disheveled made her even happier.
"Don't beat around the bush!" He tried to project an air of elder brotherly authority, but only appeared more bluffing. "The last stretch of mountain path is treacherous; it's best for the girls to wait safely halfway up the mountain..." he said softly, trying to coax the mischievous Changsun Qingjing back to his senses. Acai nodded in agreement.
Seeing that Changsun Qingjing was determined to go up, Li Shimin could only tentatively call out "Wuji" a few times, hoping that his friend, who had rolled into the bushes and disappeared, would miraculously reappear. However, all that answered him was a series of overlapping echoes in the empty valley.
“I won’t compete with him anymore. I’ll take you home first.” After thinking for a moment, he made a decision that went against his competitive nature. “I wonder where your brother went. He was laughing and joking one moment and turned into a tree the next. I can’t worry about him now. I’ll take you home and wait for him… I’ll take good care of you for him!”
Changsun Qingjing laughed and said, "My brother isn't a tree spirit, he can't transform. That's a shortcut to the top of the mountain, my brother and I have walked it before. A few years ago, because he took me out of the mountain, we were both punished by kneeling in front of our mother. So my brother and I are very familiar with this mountain path... Young master, you'd better hurry up and catch up, lest you be punished by having to treat her to drinks."
She looked at Li Shimin's arms, which seemed to have nowhere to go, and said with a half-smile, "Why don't you beg me, and I'll forgive you and take you along that steep path where the blue sky is only a sliver? Maybe then you won't lose too badly!"
But he had other plans in mind: "Since things have come to this, I might as well go with her. I'm sure she's not lying; she's just being playful. If I force her down the mountain, it would be inappropriate for us to be so entangled, since we're not related by blood. These gossipy maids and servants would spread rumors, which would be a great loss to the reputations of both our families and all three of us. It would be better to just go with her and let Wuji explain himself. Sigh, what am I thinking about all day? Why would a grown man like me be so greedy for time with a girl who hasn't even reached marriageable age?"
He cleared his throat, pretending to have thought it over carefully before reluctantly agreeing: "Then it's settled. This time I won't insist on sending you down the mountain, but will take you to the summit to meet up with Wuji. But you must promise to stay by my side for a moment."
"Of course!" The lynx, which had been baring its teeth and claws, transformed back into a docile kitten.
"How about we have a contest? I'll give you a hundred paces' advantage."
Changsun Qingjing leisurely sat down on a rock that was still big enough for a person to pass through: "You go first!"
Li Shimin looked at her straight in the eye, frowned and said, "What kind of behavior is this? If something happens to you behind me, won't your brother blame me?"
Changsun Qingjing was getting impatient: "Since I've already agreed to go together, I won't go back on my word. Do you believe I can catch up with you within a hundred paces?"
"Anyway, you can't escape far." Li Shimin was afraid that if they continued to argue, the girl would escape like a wild horse, and then it would be uncontrollable. So he walked towards the top of the mountain with some doubt.
To ensure the other party believed in his sincerity, Changsun Qingjing ordered Acai to loudly count off the numbers. Sure enough, less than a hundred paces later, Li Shimin heard the clattering sound of wooden clogs behind him.
The two walked side by side the whole way. When they reached a place where only a sliver of blue sky could be seen, Li Shimin wanted to reach out and help Qingjing, but seeing that she was walking lightly and even dragging along Acai, whose face was full of sorrow, he withdrew his outstretched hand with a self-deprecating smile.
The three of them began to climb the steep and narrow ladder to heaven. Qingjing casually asked, "How does the scenery of Zhuojun compare to that of Guanzhong?"
"The difference isn't significant, just slightly smoother."
"What a boring answer," Qingjing thought to herself.
"Have you seen the magnificent dragon boat water palace? Tang Gong and the emperor are cousins, you must have met him, right?" She was very interested in the water palace jointly built by the extravagant emperor Yang Guang and the genius designer Yuwen Kai.
“I’ve seen it from afar, but I’m not qualified to get close to the imperial carriage. The boatmen on the shore have no interest in admiring these ornately decorated palaces,” Li Shimin said. “I am a person standing on the shore, not someone on the dragon boat pavilion.”
"Oh, I've also heard about the miserable conditions of the laborers who dug the canal..." Changsun Qingjing probably realized he had spoken out of turn and felt somewhat ashamed, so he slowed down his climbing speed.
"Your Majesty's ambitions have been too extravagant, haven't they?" Li Shimin casually pushed aside a few bushes by the roadside, using walking as a cover for his resentment.
The conversation began to become heavy and uncontrollable, and the two traveled in silence through the steep, narrow passage.
Li Shimin suddenly cried out, "Ouch!" He clutched his left wrist and said, "I've been scratched by a tree branch. You go up first, I'll be there soon."
Changsun Qingjing turned around and glanced around at him: "Stretch out your hand."
"What are you doing?" Li Shimin instinctively pulled his hand into his sleeve.
Changsun Qingjing lowered his eyes and smiled inwardly, ignoring him and walking straight up the mountain.
"Why is the young man slower than his wife?" Ah Cai asked with some concern. "Could they have gotten lost?"
Changsun Qingjing tilted her head and chuckled, "A-Cai feels sorry for her husband." She casually pointed to the strangely shaped boulder at the highest point of the mountain, "Let's go up there and give my brother a fright!"
Seeing the steep cliffs and craggy rocks, A-Cai felt dizzy and disoriented. Half persuading and half fearful, she said, "My lady, please let it go this time. If Madam Xianyu knew how naughty you were and I didn't stop you, she would skin me alive and sell me to slave traders... Please, just stay here and wait for your husband to come."
Changsun Qingjing placed his finger on a protruding spot on the rock, but failed to jump up several times. He then gestured for Acai to hug him.
Li Shimin stepped forward, estimated the height of the rock, stepped aside the frail A Cai, and squatted down, saying, "There's no need to make things difficult for this maid. Just step on my back and jump up!"
Seeing Changsun Qingjing hesitate, Li Shimin urged, "I promise I'll keep my head down and eyes closed and won't look at your pathetic state. Have you thought it through? When your brother catches up, how are you going to get up there?! At that time, you'll really be doomed to lose."
Upon hearing this, Changsun Qingjing gave a soft "humph," decisively took off her wooden clogs, and carefully climbed up Li Shimin's back. Once she was settled, Li Shimin, carrying the oddly shaped clogs, climbed the craggy rocks with his bare hands, brushed the dust off his palms, removed the heel teeth from the clogs, and attached them to his toes. He asked, "Shouldn't the clogs look like this when we go down the mountain?"
Changsun Qingjing nodded and said, "Mm." He reached out to take the wooden clogs.
"Don't move, you'll slip." Li Shimin gently slipped Xie Gong's clogs onto Changsun Qingjing's toes. Qingjing swung his legs, quite pleased with himself.
“Wife, please settle down and don’t move around. I’ll rest here; it’s fine. Your hood is about to fall off…”
At midday, the distant mountains are graceful and charming, and the nearby trees are covered with layers of green, vaguely resembling a fairyland.
The mountain breeze tousled Changsun Qingjing's hair, and occasionally a few lively strands brushed against Li Shimin's face, tickling him and feeling strangely comfortable.
"My hood fell off," Changsun Qingjing stammered, shyly fixing her hair and turning her face away to tidy her sideburns.
"Oh." Li Shimin moved aside, making room between them, and asked softly, "Are you cold?"
"I'm alright." She was exhausted, and her bravado had resulted in the distant peaks and nearby trees becoming a blur. She curled her arm up as a pillow and fell into a deep sleep. A warmth and security she had never felt before enveloped her. Her dream was strange yet fulfilling, just like the mountaintop—it had everything, yet none of the scenery belonged to her, except for the faint scent of alfalfa.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she felt some pain in her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw Li Shimin poking her with a pine branch: "Wake up, look at the solar halo."
A cloak had been placed over Changsun Qingjing's body at some point, while Li Shimin sat obediently a distance away from her.
The sun was surrounded by a rainbow of colors, and Qingjing clapped her hands happily, feeling that the trip had been worthwhile. The midday sun made the faces of the young man and woman radiant, and they couldn't help but smile at each other.
"Thank goodness, the solar halo is waiting for me." Changsun Wuji's panting voice came from not far away.
Changsun Qingjing and Li Shimin subconsciously sat further apart.
"Brother, why are you late because you took the shortcut?"
Wuji jumped onto the rock, standing between the two of them, and complained, "My path was blocked by rocks that rolled down from who-knows-where and tree trunks struck by lightning, so I had to turn back and take the right path. Qingjing, don't laugh at me, I knew you wouldn't be honest! Acai, go home and kneel for your wife for half an hour!"
The word "dishonest" truly made Qingjing's voice falter and her breath catch in her throat. But in the blink of an eye, Changsun Wuji's arm was on Li Shimin's shoulder again, and the two of them went on and on about the celestial connection of the sun halo. Only then did Changsun Qingjing realize that she had worried too much. Changsun Wuji was just complaining that she hadn't waited properly on the mountainside and had instead ventured into danger on her own.
"Brother, the loser has to treat everyone!"
Changsun Wuji glared at his sister, who was secretly smiling, then patted Li Shimin on the shoulder and said, "Of course, what would you like to eat?"
Li Shimin said, "The game at this country inn isn't very interesting. Why don't you owe me your wine for now, and we can go hunting together another day and roast it ourselves? Wouldn't that be better?"
“That’s fine then. But I have to take Qingjing home now; Mother must be worried sick.” With that, he jumped off the rock and urged Changsun Qingjing to hurry. Changsun Qingjing reached out for his help to get down. Changsun Wuji said, “Stop being so cute! Come down the same way you came up!”
Changsun Qingjing pouted and tossed Xie Gong's clogs into his arms. Changsun Wuji chuckled and sized her up, then noticed Li Shimin's cloak on her, his expression turning quite strange...
But he had no time to think about these strange, trivial things, because his sister, like a darting kitten, used him as a cushion when she fell, and pounced straight at him...
A note from the author:
Let's keep the sweetness going. The romance was an accident, but the older brother is her biological son.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
