Chapter 7 Wei Qin, do you believe me?
The remaining snowflakes fluttered down like blossoms, falling into the chill of dusk.
That night, the group would stay in the mountains.
Jiang Yinyue looked at the topographical map drawn by Wei Qin and pointed to a spot, "Once we cross the snow-capped mountain ahead, we can reach the post station by the official road. We can find an excuse to cross it then."
She picked up a wild fruit that Wei Qin had picked from somewhere, took a crisp bite, and squinted her almond-shaped eyes because it was so sour. Then she took a bite of the sesame seed cake in her left hand, and ate the wild fruit and sesame seed cake alternately.
After Wei Qin retrieved the dead wood, she jumped off the carriage, squatted down a short distance away, blew on a tinderbox, and lit the small fire she had built.
Along the way, Wei Qin took on all the work except for tending the fire.
A young official from the Imperial Household Department happened to pass by and saw Wei Qin standing in an open space away from the bonfires, looking at Jiang Yinyue meaningfully. "Is this still the young lady Jiang who never lifts a finger? Editor Wei is so lucky to have young lady Jiang cook for him."
Jiang Yinyue, who was boiling water, raised her eyes and recognized him as the noble young man from a prominent family who had repeatedly asked matchmakers to visit the Jiang family before she became the laughing stock of the entire capital. However, after learning of the Crown Prince's "intentions," he immediately gave up the marriage proposal and soon married the seventh young lady from the household of the Vice Minister of Works.
"It's just lighting a fire and boiling water, does Lord Zhao find it strange?"
“It’s not surprising that other women do these things, but it’s certainly surprising that my wife does it.”
Jiang Yinyue sensed the mockery in the voice.
The once unattainable noblewoman has become more down-to-earth, which probably gave him, from a slightly lower-class family, a sense of satisfaction and vanity in catching up with the difference in their circumstances.
The face of a petty person.
"Where did Lord Zhao get the chicken leg in his left hand?"
The man smiled and said, "It's a secret recipe from the imperial chef."
"Where's the wine on your right?"
The man deliberately sniffed the aroma of the wine, saying, "I got it from a colleague."
"Where was the car you were in?"
“Driven by the hand.”
Jiang Yinyue poked at the fire, glanced at the ministers and attendants accompanying the Crown Prince, and said in a casual tone, "I still find some value in making fires and boiling water along the way. What value does Lord Zhao have to Your Highness besides being a figurehead?"
The man seemed a little slow to react, so Jiang Yinyue continued unhurriedly, "It's been three years. Lord Zhao has been stuck in the Ministry of the Imperial Household, unable to be promoted or given a title. Even just being a member of the entourage for this trip must have taken a lot of effort to secure. Why haven't I seen him by His Highness's side?"
"you......"
Jiang Yinyue feigned sudden realization, "Oh, so all that fancy talk is useless."
The man's face turned ashen, alternating between pale and flushed. The wine and chicken leg in his hand suddenly lost their appeal. He scoffed, no longer bothering to maintain appearances. "Still so quick-witted," he said, "but three years ago, when faced with doubt and ridicule, why didn't my wife respond so fluently? Was she in the wrong?"
Seeing Jiang Yinyue's face turn cold, the man didn't stop and strode forward, saying, "A stain can never be washed away in a lifetime."
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a sinking sensation at the back of his shirt and instinctively turned around.
Jiang Yinyue pointed to her back and laughed, "There's a stain on it. It's a pity for this expensive brocade robe. Lord Zhao, why don't you wash it? It would be a valuable thing to do something yourself on the way, and you could also see if the stain can be washed off."
The man's forehead veins bulged. How could a noble lady be so undignified as to throw snow mud at someone!
A grown man shouldn't stoop to the level of a woman. He gritted his teeth, turned and left.
On the other side, the imperial chef prepared the ingredients and heated the oil in the wok.
The aroma is wonderful.
Wei Xichen sat in the sandalwood carriage and instructed Fu Zhongcai to prepare some food for Jiang Yinyue and Wei Qin.
Fu Zhong then gave the order and, holding a silver basin and cloth for washing, prepared to wipe the prince's body.
Being away from home can be inconvenient, but Wei Xichen is a clean person and meticulously wipes things down every night.
His robust body gleamed warmly under the lantern light. Wei Xichen took the damp cloth that Fu Zhongcai had wrung out and gently wiped his chest.
Near his heart is an old scar, left from when he took an arrow for his childhood sweetheart.
But then, Little Green Plum escaped on her own.
Fu Zhongcai glanced at the prince secretly, then stepped down from the carriage after helping the prince change his clothes. He nodded to Yan Zhuyi, who was waiting outside the carriage.
Why doesn't Your Highness return to your own carriage?
Yan Zhuyi always treated the Crown Prince's favorites with courtesy, handing them a bronze hand warmer and saying, "You are getting old, please take care to keep warm."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
Fu Zhongcai did not refuse this kind offer. He readily agreed and ordered two dinners to be prepared and sent to the prince's carriage.
The night wind raged, sweeping across the towering mountains and fields. Snowflakes fell like flying flowers, pure and exquisite. Time passed and winter came again, yet the white snow remained unchanged.
The people who had been sitting around the campfire in twos and threes, chatting and keeping warm, gradually dispersed and returned to their carriages.
Jiang Yinyue nestled on the small couch inside the carriage, reading by lamplight, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Wei Qin, who was taking a water bag off the carriage wall.
The man took only one sip, then hung the water bag back on the side of the car and silently took out his bedding to make a makeshift bed under the car.
Jiang Yinyue was speechless. She secretly added hot water to Wei Qin's water bag, just to see if Wei Qin would feel hot without realizing it.
The temperature was neutralized and tended to be moderate. Others would not have had an extreme reaction, and Wei Qin did not have a big reaction either. He would rather be thirsty than drink.
Quirks.
Jiang Yinyue blew out the candlestick in her hand and used the book as a pillow behind her neck.
The night was cold, and the thick quilts that the maids of the Jiang family had prepared for the young couple were all draped over Jiang Yinyue alone, making her feel suffocated and causing her to have nightmares.
"I didn't...you're making baseless accusations..."
"Miss."
Unable to defend herself after being the target of public criticism, the woman opened her sleepy eyes upon hearing a familiar voice and stared blankly at Wei Qin in the dim light.
"They don't believe me."
The dead of night releases the pent-up frustrations of the day, and the walls of forced smiles crumble, revealing vulnerability and sensitivity. Jiang Yinyue's voice was thick with nasal congestion, as if she were both muttering to herself and pouring out her heart.
Wei Qin raised his hand, but hesitated to strike. Finally, he patted the woman, who was still not fully recovered, through the blanket. "They are not important."
Do you believe me?
"letter."
After waiting for a long time without any sweet dew, Jiang Yinyue's parched heart was suddenly greeted by a drop of rain. She sat up and stared at the man who seemed to be missing some of his seven souls and six spirits. She felt that he was somewhat unreal, his body being pulled by the remaining remnant soul, walking in the world by his obsession.
"You don't seem to have smiled at all."
Wei Qin lowered his eyes, oblivious to the fact that his thin nightgown offered little protection from the cold, and sat silently by the couch.
Jiang Yinyue leaned weakly on his shoulder, trying to draw some warmth, but was driven away by his body temperature.
She pulled away and smiled, "You're still half asleep, aren't you used to skin-to-skin contact?"
But the next moment, a large hand gripped the back of her head.
Her forehead rested against Wei Qin's shoulder again.
"Except for Miss."
Jiang Yinyue's misty almond-shaped eyes flickered slightly as she struggled to straighten up, staring curiously at Wei Qin's pale lips.
What did he just say?
“Say it again…”
Wei Qin felt uncomfortable under her gaze and looked away. The woman showed no shyness, only pure curiosity: would she understand after hearing it one more time?
"Is it because Miss is not used to it?"
She's not used to being touched by him.
Being bitten in return, Jiang Yinyue grabbed Wei Qin, who was about to get up, and tried to refute him, but instinctively dodged when they were almost nose to nose.
She belatedly realized that Wei Qin was proving who was rejecting the intimacy that should exist between husband and wife.
Otherwise, how could his tall, strong body have fallen to her with a single pull?
Jiang Yinyue froze, recalling the scene on her wedding night when Wei Qin removed her wedding dress and she felt repulsed and called for a stop halfway through. She couldn't tell whether it was because Wei Qin disliked being touched by others, or because she was not used to being touched by Wei Qin.
"I......"
"It's alright, it's late, go to rest."
Wei Qin lay back down on the floor, his resentment from being neglected for three years gone, as calm as a deep pool that would never be stirred.
It is bottomless.
**
As the morning clouds dispersed, the first rays of sunlight poured down, illuminating the snow-covered mountains and fields.
The soldiers who regularly exercised in the mornings mostly got up earlier than the civil officials, some walking in circles, others practicing martial arts.
Wei Xichen was also among them, dressed in white that blended seamlessly with the snow-capped mountains.
He took the arrow from the guard, drew his longbow, and was about to aim at the straw target when the arrow tip turned and pointed directly at Wei Qin, who had just stepped off the carriage.
Both pairs of equally narrow eyes closed in unison.
Wei Qin did not avoid it.
An intangible and inexplicable tension subtly flowed between the two men.
Wei Xichen drew his bow to its fullest extent, but just as another person appeared in the direction the arrow was pointing and blocked Wei Qin's path, he turned the arrow around and shot it through the bullseye.
Jiang Yinyue didn't know why Wei Xichen had pointed an arrow at Wei Qin so early in the morning. Although she knew the arrow wouldn't come, she still stood in front of Wei Qin and glanced at the person opposite her.
Amid cheers, Wei Xichen threw out his bow, turned and left, leaving no one able to fathom the reason for the tense standoff that had just occurred.
The guard who took the bow with both hands asked in confusion, "Your Highness only shot one arrow today."
Fu Zhongcai sighed, "Yes."
"Manager Fu?"
"Take it."
Fu Zhongcai followed the Crown Prince without daring to say a word.
Jiang Yinyue turned to look at Wei Qin, finding the Crown Prince's behavior puzzling. "How are you?"
Wei Qin shook his head, took out some grain, and fed it to the horses.
The other horses were all eating with their heads down, except for that crazy and agitated mongrel horse.
The scraggly horse was tied to a wooden peg, and no one paid it any attention.
Jiang Yinyue walked over, but before she could get close, she was forced back by its raised front hooves.
Clearly, someone taught it a lesson last night.
They taught him a harsh lesson.
The angry horses neighed, attracting a lot of attention.
A horseman came over and kindly reminded him, "This little beast is too wild. He was whipped about twenty times by Han Jian, the swordsman by the Empress's side, but he still hasn't given in."
Cold letter...
Jiang Yinyue knew that this person was a servant brought by Yan Zhuyi from Yangzhou. He also had two younger sisters, Han Yan and Han Xun, who were the two maids.
The three of them obeyed Yan Zhuyi's every command.
After Empress Dong prevented Yan Zhuyi from becoming the Empress Consort, she granted special permission for the three siblings from the Han family to enter the palace and become Yan Zhuyi's personal attendants.
By employing a combination of firmness and leniency, and by using both kindness and severity, Yan Zhuyi's sense of loss was soothed, and at least on the surface, she accepted this favor.
We had no choice but to accept it.
Jiang Yinyue looked at the scraggly horse and shook her head.
After breakfast, everyone got up and set off. The snow-capped mountains ahead were not steep, but the frost made travel difficult, and it was even more difficult for carriages carrying people to move. The Crown Prince ordered everyone to walk or ride to reduce the burden on the horses.
Jiang Yinyue followed behind the caravan, glancing every now and then at the scraggly horse being led by Han Jian.
With its front hooves bound, the horse hopped and jumped, falling forward several times, inevitably resulting in a beating from Han Jian.
Han Jian was burly and fierce-looking, but he couldn't suppress the arrogance of the mongrels. The man and the horse fought fiercely behind, leaving the caravan far behind.
The stray mixed-breed horses, lacking pure bloodlines, were not favored by the accompanying generals and cavalry, and were almost forgotten.
Jiang Yinyue walked over and said, "If you hit it again, you'll kill it."
The usually silent Han Jian, who was as quiet as a shadow, said something startling: "It's better to be dead, no one will care."
Jiang Yinyue sneered, "Go back to your young lady's side."
Han Jian glanced at him sideways, "The Empress ordered me to discipline this horse."
"So, if you beat her into submission, you can let her ride you around as she pleases, thus saving face?"
"Madam Jiang, please be careful with your words."
Jiang Yinyue ignored the warning hidden in Han Jian's gaze, drew the sword from his waist, and with a swift stroke, cut the ropes binding the horse.
The scraggly horse immediately reared up and kicked off the cold paper.
Han Jian was furious at Jiang Yinyue's recklessness. He tried to take back his sword, but was kicked a zhang away by a figure that suddenly approached from the side, and almost rolled down the hillside.
Wei Qin glanced indifferently at Han Jian, who was slowly getting up. He sensed the anger that had been provoked in the other party, but he didn't care at all. He took the sword from Jiang Yinyue's hand and threw it at her, saying, "This is none of your business."
The tone was as if he were looking down on a brutal warrior.
Han Jian clenched his fist. Ever since he followed the Empress into the palace, which official below the seventh rank hadn't treated him with utmost respect? Today was the first time he had been looked down upon by a mere seventh-rank editor.
But fighting over a horse would ruin the Empress's reputation. Han Jian sheathed her sword and walked past the two without expression, as if she didn't intend to care. But just as she brushed past Wei Qin, she threw a punch at Wei Qin's side.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; the matter is settled.
His fists could shatter stones and break jade, enough to break two of this civil official's ribs.
It will take three months just to recover.
The fist that had been thrown was tightly clenched and could not be pulled back.
A sharp pain shot through my joints.
He looked at the young civil official beside him in astonishment, incredulous.
Wei Qin remained calm. Just as he was about to break the cold paper with his clenched fist, he suddenly released his strength and pulled Jiang Yinyue aside to make way.
The commotion attracted the attention of the people in the back of the convoy. Han Jian left without lingering, her face grim.
Jiang Yinyue noticed the two struggling against each other. Surprised, she then noticed the untied scraggly horse trying to escape. Quick as a flash, she grabbed the reins and a tuft of mane, and mounted the horse.
"Whoa!"
The horse resisted, leaping up and twisting its hips, as if to throw the woman off its back.
Wei Qin did not stop him in time; he stepped aside and watched Jiang Yinyue train the horse.
The commotion caused by the horses attracted more and more attention, and discussions of watching the spectacle spread throughout the convoy, kept outside the human wall formed by the Crown Prince's guards.
The discerning confidants would not disturb His Highness the Crown Prince by watching a good show.
Wei Xichen rode forward on horseback, his Akhal-Teke horse gliding effortlessly along the rugged mountain path.
A bright white horse, one in a million.
But for some reason, he seemed to sense something, and suddenly turned around. His gaze followed the curve of the downhill slope, swept over the crowd, and fell on the pink-clad young woman who was struggling to tame the horse.
Her sharp, scolding voice intimidated the unruly horse, and her figure moved lightly and gracefully on its back.
Just like a vivid memory.
A note from the author:
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Some readers asked when there will be extra chapters. Please wait a little longer; there will be more chapters after it becomes a paid subscription, but that's still a long way off [doge emoji].
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