Chapter 16: A Turn of Fortune
It was another bitter autumn. The cold weather came too quickly, and the crops froze in the fields before they could be harvested. The people inside the pass suffered as a result, and the barbarian tribes outside the pass were also affected, making their incursions into the land inside the pass even more frequent.
Since late autumn, several small-scale clashes have broken out on the northern border with barbarian raiding forces.
In the Liangzhou army, some were terrified by the constant warfare, fearing for their lives, while others repeatedly distinguished themselves in battle, accumulating huge rewards and rapid promotions.
Soon after, a transfer order filled with military merits was handed to the Marquis of Jing'an, awaiting his decision.
Marquis Jing'an glanced at it only once before tearing up the transfer order.
“Ordinary criminals are one thing, but this person is accused of both witchcraft and treason. How dare you bring this up? You don’t want your heads, but I do want to keep my own head in front of the Emperor.”
He casually found an excuse to demote the guerrilla general, who should have been promoted to the rank of brigade commander, by one rank and ordered him to be the city's garrison commander. He also specifically instructed the deputy general that this man should not be given important responsibilities.
Two years later, the bright yellow imperial edict was placed in the main hall of the Marquis's residence.
Marquis Jing'an remained silent, invited the imperial edict into his study, and only after closing the door tightly did he slam his sleeves shut.
It was early spring, and the border tribes were still raiding. It was the perfect time for military operations in Liangzhou when the Emperor sent him an imperial edict from afar, ordering him to bring his military seal to the capital to report on his duties.
The title of Marquis of Jing'an was inherited from his father. More than 20 years have passed since then, and he has only been to the capital ten times. All of these trips were when the emperor was young and strong. He went to the capital to receive rewards and occasionally receive some reprimands, reminding him to be loyal to his duties.
Things are different now. He only has a son and a daughter. His daughter is of marriageable age, and his son is only ten years old, far from being old enough to shoulder heavy responsibilities.
The Emperor is getting old. He has heard rumors circulating in the capital that many civil officials have been demoted to distant places in recent years, and the military power of the prefectures surrounding the capital has been reduced by more than half. Now it is his turn, this marquis who is far away on the frontier.
If they were to go to the capital to report on their duties, at best they would lose their military power but still have their lives spared; at worst, their entire family would be executed, and they would suffer a fate worse than death.
Marquis Jing'an paced anxiously in his study, vaguely recalling someone in the Liangzhou army who seemed quite capable, burdened with a criminal charge, and somehow connected to the palace...
He urgently dispatched people to check the records in the Zhou government office, and also summoned the army general. After several rounds of coordination, they finally found the person.
—The deposed crown prince, Pei Heng.
*
Spring breezes paint the north green, and warm east winds sweep through the streets and alleys of the capital, lifting the hem of women's flowing robes and carrying a delicate fragrance.
In the alley, a young girl was carrying a wooden basin for washing clothes home. When she saw a tall man standing outside her courtyard gate in the distance, she frowned, suppressed the smile on her lips, and ran to meet him.
"Why are you here again?"
Hua Qing leaned against his door, holding the wooden basin, and glared fiercely at the visitors, but his eyes betrayed his undisguised joy.
"I've already told you, no matter how many times you come, my cousin will never marry my sister to you. You might as well give up on that idea."
Wang Qiushi touched his hair blankly, then took out a purple velvet flower from his pocket. Two tiny pearls adorned the flower's stamen, making it delicate and adorable.
Hua Qing's eyes lit up, then she turned her face away.
She proudly declared, "My cousin bought my sister much nicer jewelry than this, and besides, my sister doesn't like purple, so she wouldn't care about this little trinket of yours."
“I was thinking you like wearing purple clothes. When we came to town, I saw this flower in a jewelry shop and thought it suited you very well.” He handed the velvet flower to Hua Qing. “If you want it, keep it. If you don’t like it, I…”
Before she could finish speaking, the velvet flower was snatched away.
Hua Qing looked at Ronghua, then at Wang Qiushi, who was as strong as a bear. She thought to herself that he was not as handsome as her cousin, nor as skillful as her sister. He was only a little bit simple-minded and honest, which made him different from others and impossible to dislike.
"Since you bought it and sent it to me, of course I'll take it." She said, tucking the velvet flower into her hair and raising an eyebrow at him. "Does it look good?"
Wang Qiushi smiled and nodded.
Hua Qing smiled shyly, coughed lightly, and then resumed her serious demeanor, saying, "Gifts are gifts, but I still won't let you get close to my sister."
Wang Qiushi had heard similar words for more than two years. At first, he tried to explain that Yuezhi did not like him and that he had no intention of pestering her. It was just that the two families had been neighbors for six years, and he had watched her grow up and cared for her like a younger sister.
Hua Qing was even more spoiled than Wang Miaomiao. She was stubborn and wouldn't listen to his explanations, and she would always tease him about it.
At first, Wang Qiushi felt depressed, but gradually he found her to be playful, bold, and extremely cute.
He asked, "My mother and Miaomiao went shopping. I'm planning to go for a walk by the lake outside the city. There are a lot of people flying kites there. Would you like to go and see?"
"A kite?!" Hua Qing exclaimed excitedly, opening the courtyard gate to peek inside. Seeing Yue Zhi in the yard, she asked, "Sister, Brother Wang said he'd take me outside the city to fly a kite. Can I go?"
Yuezhi was sewing shoe soles when she overheard most of the conversation between the two men outside the courtyard gate.
Hua Qing is about the same age as Pei Heng, seventeen this year. She doesn't usually talk to men, but she acts like a child in front of the honest and simple-minded Wang Qiushi, and has endless things to say.
Seeing how enthusiastic they were, Yuezhi was happy. "Go ahead, just be sensible and don't make Brother Wang worry about you."
"Okay!" Hua Qing happily carried the basin inside and went back to the west wing to change her clothes.
Seeing Wang Qiushi waiting blankly outside the door, Yuezhi got up to invite him in and brought him a stool to sit on.
"Hua Qing has a bit of a temper and doesn't get along with the neighbors here, but he's willing to talk to you. He used to always ask me, 'Why hasn't Brother Wang come to the city yet?'"
Wang Qiushi lowered his head shyly, "She loved to laugh and didn't mind that I was clumsy and couldn't speak well."
Yuezhi smiled and said, "Yes, it's best if the two of you can be happy together. I'm not in a hurry to marry my sister off, but if you're interested, you should start preparing sooner rather than later."
It was practically an explicit statement.
Wang Qiushi immediately sat up straight. "I bought a few acres of fertile land outside Yanjing City. I can't afford a house in the city now, but if I scrape together the money, I can rent a house in the city for twenty years... I'm just afraid that she will suffer if she follows me."
"Go and tell her what you think. If she's willing to be with you, I won't stop her."
Yuezhi didn't say anything definitive, after all, it was their business, they were in love and willing, and she shouldn't interfere too much.
As they spoke, Hua Qing changed into a new purple outfit and applied lip rouge to her lips. She happily opened the door and jumped down the steps.
Seeing Wang Qiushi sitting in front of Yuezhi, she quickly went up to pull him up from the bench, took his arm and led him outside. In Yuezhi's eyes, it looked like a little rabbit dragging a big grizzly bear, which was unexpectedly cute.
Once outside, Hua Qing muttered, "I've told you not to get close to my sister, but you never listen. It'll never work out between you two."
Wang Qiushi's mind was filled with Yuezhi's advice. He steeled himself, turned his arm, and took her hand.
Hua Qing froze, her eyes becoming pure.
"I came here specifically to see you. I said I was here to see Yuezhi before, but that was just an excuse..."
"oh."
"If you don't like it, I won't touch you."
"I don't dislike it..."
The two quietly held hands in the alley, whispering to each other, their footsteps gradually fading into the distance.
Yuezhi sat in the courtyard, reminiscing about how Huaqing had said when he first came to the family, "All men in the world except my cousin are no good," and now he had his own beloved lover.
Wang Miaomiao got married last year, and He Zhiyan got engaged to her cousin in Beijing this spring. She is currently preparing her dowry at home and will be getting married soon as well.
Judging from how sweet Hua Qing and Wang Qiushi are, they'll probably get married this year.
All her friends have settled down and started families, but she's still foolishly waiting for Pei Heng to fulfill his promise.
"Knock knock knock".
The knocking at the door brought her back to her senses. She got up to look and saw a beautiful carriage through the crack in the door. The person waiting at the bottom of the steps was dressed in silk clothes and looked much more presentable than the steward of the He family.
"Excuse me, is this Pei Heng's home?"
Judging from their tone, they must have come to discuss serious matters. Yuezhi opened the courtyard gate. "Yes, may I ask who you are?"
The visitor was a middle-aged man who said kindly, "I am the steward of the Marquis of Jing'an's residence. I have been sent by our Marquis to invite General Pei's family to a banquet at the residence. This is the invitation."
Yuezhi accepted the invitation with both hands, puzzled. "Why did the Marquis invite me to the banquet? I haven't heard of any achievements Aheng has made recently."
The steward smiled and did not respond, only saying, "I am just a servant of the Marquis's mansion, and I only know how to follow orders. If you have any doubts, you can ask the master yourself at the banquet."
He had no intention of revealing the information, so Yuezhi had no choice but to give up.
I wanted to wait for Pei Heng to return before discussing it, but he was in the army and sometimes only came back every three to five days, and most of the time he only came back once every half month or once a month.
This time, after waiting for three days, there was still no sign of him. With the banquet time on the invitation approaching, Yuezhi had no choice but to dress up properly and take Huaqing with her to the Marquis's residence for the banquet.
*
The last time she entered the Jing'an Marquis's residence was many years ago. At that time, she was entrusted by the Marquis's daughter to embroider a birthday celebration picture for the old lady.
When they entered the mansion, they went through a small back alley gate. Only a maidservant led the way to the young lady's boudoir to report to her. They were not allowed to enter the room and did not even get a glimpse of the noblemen of the Marquis's mansion.
"The Marquis of Jing'an is a powerful and influential family. Why would they invite just the two of us to a banquet?"
Hua Qing's doubts were exactly what Yue Zhi was thinking.
The two boarded the carriage that the Marquis's mansion had personally come to greet them. Before they even left the alley, all the neighbors heard the commotion and came out to see what was happening, looking at the two with envy.
Others only thought that they had climbed up to the Marquis's mansion and would be promoted and enjoy wealth in the future, but Yuezhi was not happy. She always felt that the Marquis of Jing'an's move was aimed at Pei Heng, which made her uneasy.
The carriage stopped in front of the Marquis's mansion gate, and the steward came out to greet them personally, accompanied by two maids from the inner courtyard, who helped the two of them down from the carriage.
The two were invited into the mansion.
The steward explained, "Since you two young ladies are women, it's inconvenient for our Marquis to personally greet you. He has instructed the Madam and Miss to prepare a banquet for you in the backyard. These two nannies will take you there; just let them know if you need anything."
Yuezhi politely replied, "Thank you."
Two maids, one leading the way and the other listening to instructions, were bowing low, clearly treating the two as honored guests.
Seeing the attitude of the servants in the mansion, Hua Qing gradually went from being wary to being delighted. She quietly asked Yue Zhi, "Sister, the Marquis's mansion is treating us so politely. Could it be that my cousin has been promoted?"
"Perhaps," Yuezhi said, unable to say for sure.
When Pei Heng first joined the Liangzhou Army, he did indeed rise through the ranks quickly. However, in the past two years, he has received more rewards home, but his military rank has not been promoted. He was even demoted to a city garrison commander at one point. Later, due to a shortage of manpower at the front, he was promoted to vanguard general.
She couldn't figure out what these high-ranking officials and nobles were thinking. She only knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch. It was really unusual for a noble family to host a banquet for two commoners like them.
The Marquis's mansion was adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, its opulence dazzling the eye.
In early spring, new buds sprouted in the back garden, and through an archway, a graceful figure walked past the sparse shadows of the trees.
The woman, dressed in red and green and adorned with flowers in her hair, stood among several women of similar build, speaking with a smile. When she crossed her arms, her thin sleeves fell down, revealing a long scar on her arm.
Yuezhi rubbed her eyes, and after confirming that she hadn't misread it, she frowned.
She stopped and asked the old woman beside her, "Do you recognize that person?"
“I recognize her.” The old woman glanced over there. “That’s the concubine of Lord Qi of Pingzhou.”
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