Yan Xun was furious. He kicked Feng Mian on the leg and shouted, "You little monkey, try saying that again?"
Feng Mian groaned twice, turned his horse around and ran towards Zhuge Mansion, not daring to say it again.
Yan Xun panted heavily for a while, and when he saw his subordinates all looking at him, he immediately shouted, "This prince can do whatever he wants!"
Everyone quickly turned their heads to look around, no longer daring to look at Yan Xun. They all sighed in their hearts: The prince is only thirteen years old after all, it’s nothing for him to be childish occasionally.
It was already late at night when they returned to Zhuge Mansion. The gatekeeper was slightly surprised when he saw Chu Qiao, but knowing that she was the favored servant of Qingshan Court, he did not make things difficult for her and even gave her a lantern for lighting.
The Zhuge Mansion seemed a little cold at night. Without the noise and bustle of the day, it was as quiet as a dark cage. Occasionally, there were a few jackdaws, but they were quickly shot down by the archery slaves who could shoot accurately from a hundred steps away.
When the masters are sleeping, no noise is allowed, even if the offenders are just some beasts.
When passing by the high wall outside Lanshan Courtyard, Chu Qiao heard a suppressed crying sound. It seemed that a little slave girl who had made a mistake was beaten and was hiding under the opposite wall crying.
Chu Qiao slowly stopped walking. The moon was hanging high in the sky, a pale and round circle, casting her small shadow on the red wall. She looked so slender and tall, just like her own tall and straight figure in the past. The child's eyes were a little confused. He stretched out his hand unconsciously, getting closer and closer, but his fingertips only touched something cold.
A chill of sadness suddenly welled up in my heart. Perhaps, there will always be a moment of trance, thinking that everything is just a dream, and as long as I wake up from the dream, nothing will have happened. Those fallen corpses, those flowing blood, and those sad tears...
The crying of the child in the opposite wall continued, but she was too short to climb over the wall. She was cold herself, so how could she warm others? Just like the bodies buried in the snow, her grief was of no use.
Chu Qiao was a little surprised when she unexpectedly pushed open the gate of Qingshan Courtyard. She had originally planned to spend the night in the woodshed, but she didn't expect that the courtyard was still unlocked so late. Zhuge Yue was a man who was very good at preserving his health. When he was not attending classes at the Dianjiang Hall, he would tend to flowers and orchids in the courtyard, drink tea and burn incense. He also had high requirements for sleep, unlike other young masters in the mansion who indulged in women and stayed up all night.
As soon as she carefully stepped into the yard, a lantern quickly approached. Huan'er hurriedly grabbed Chu Qiao's hand and shouted in a low voice: "Hey, where have you been? I've been waiting for you all night."
Chu Qiao stuck out her tongue in embarrassment and said, "My horse got scared and I just came back. Where's the master? Why haven't you locked the door yet so late?"
"You're lucky." Huan'er curled her lips and said with a smile, "The young master is reading in his room. He has been reading for most of the night and didn't ask me to lock the door or go to bed. That's why I dare to wait for you here."
Chu Qiao nodded and walked towards Zhuge Yue's room. Huan'er hurriedly held her back and said, "The young master didn't look very happy when he came back. I don't know who made him angry. It's so late now. If you have anything to say, you should talk about it tomorrow. The young master didn't tell you to come back to the pavilion anyway. You go and rest first. I'll go and tell the young master."
Chu Qiao nodded and said, "That's fine." She turned around and walked towards her room.
Huan'er hurried into the pavilion, said a few words and left.
Chu Qiao was the head maid in Xuan Pavilion, and her room was next to the main courtyard. The child had just walked to the door and hadn't pushed it open when she saw the lights in the room behind her go out and it was suddenly plunged into darkness.
Chu Qiao was a little stunned, and half turned her head to look in the direction of Zhuge Yue's room. As the last light went out, the entire Zhuge Mansion fell into a deep sleep. Chu Qiao stood on the corridor for a long time. As the night wind blew, Chu Qiao twitched her nostrils slightly, and she seemed to still be able to smell the blood from underground.
It seemed as if he had just closed his eyes and had a nightmare. When Zhuge Yue woke up, the third drum had just been struck outside. The night watchman's voice was long and drawn out, with a soft tail, and it drifted melodiously far away in the silent night.
For a moment, he thought he was still dreaming. In the dream, the spring breeze was gentle, the peach blossoms were as beautiful as rainbows, and the mother's hands were as soft as the water in a hot spring, gently passing through his hair and combing it into a neat bun for him. But in a flash, the cold air attacked him like a knife, waking him up suddenly.
He sat up, his moon-white pajamas were already wet with sweat, the window was not closed tightly, the night wind blew through the gaps onto his body, feeling icy and cold. The teapot on the bedside table had gone cold. A few pieces of osmanthus cake were placed on a small blue and white porcelain plate. Even from such a distance, one could still smell its light fragrance. He was no longer sleepy, so he put on his coat, took a long flute, pushed the door open and walked out.
The little maid serving in the outer room was sleeping soundly and was not disturbed by him at all. He walked leisurely and pushed open the door, only to see a large patch of white moonlight in the yard. The moonlight shone through the flowers and trees onto the ground, creating mottled silhouettes, as if snow had fallen out of nowhere, and there was that gentle light everywhere. The night wind was a little cold, blowing up his sleeves, making a rustling sound like butterfly wings. Stepping out of the yard and heading east, you will be greeted by vast expanses of plum blossoms, red, pink and light white mixed together, and even the wind carries a sweet scent.
This mansion might only be so quiet at this time. Without those noisy sounds, the world was so quiet as if he was the only one left. He found a high pavilion and walked up along the mottled gravel road. Frost had just fallen at night and the road was a little slippery. He walked very slowly with his head down, as if he was looking at the road, but also as if he was not looking at anything.
"Fourth Young Master?"
Suddenly a clear cry was heard. He looked up and saw a little girl sitting on a tree next to the pavilion. She was wearing emerald green clothes, with a circle of snow-white camel hair around her neck. Her eyes were big and round, looking at him darkly, and a pair of light green boots were swinging in the air like two dancing grass crickets.
He raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "Why are you here?"
"I can't sleep." Chu Qiao was also a little surprised to see him at this time, and asked honestly, "Fourth Young Master can't sleep either?"
Zhuge Yue did not answer, but walked slowly up to the pavilion.
Zhuge Mansion was originally built on the hillside, and the view from this place is even better, almost the entire Zhenhuang City can be seen at a glance. The hazy moonlight was like a layer of white gauze, gently brushing across every corner of the imperial city, suppressing the hostility that had been cut by the cold and hard north wind for hundreds of years in this city. Even the thick city walls that had been stained with the blood of countless people seemed a little softer.
Chu Qiao looked at his back standing against the wind, and for a moment she was suddenly dazed. The calm after the killing made her feel tired. She leaned against the tree trunk, looking at the silent boy, watching the wind blow up his colorful sleeves, like two huge butterflies fluttering against the mountain breeze.
"Fourth Master, I lost my little red horse."
Zhuge Yue did not reply, as if he had not heard anything. He held the flute in his hand but did not play it. He just stood there quietly for a while before turning around and walking down the mountain.
When Chu Qiao saw that he was about to leave, she hurriedly climbed up the tree to follow him, but she was in such a hurry that her foot slipped and she immediately lost her balance. She hurriedly hugged the tree trunk in a panic, and with a snap, her clothes were torn by the branches and the back of her hand was also cut, and blood immediately oozed out.
Zhuge Yue stopped walking, looked up at the child who was clinging to the tree trunk like a monkey, thought for a moment, and suddenly stretched out his hands.
Chu Qiao was stunned and asked in surprise: "Fourth Young Master, what are you doing?"
Zhuge Yue said: “Jump down.”
"Ah?" After a while, Chu Qiao finally understood what he meant. She said quickly, "Don't bother. Xing'er can come down by herself."
Zhuge Yue frowned slightly, and seemed quite impatient. He said stubbornly: "Jump down."
Chu Qiao had no choice but to let go of his hand, and in a flash, she fell into Zhuge Yue's arms. She was small, only reaching his shoulders, and he held her in his arms like a kitten.
"Let's go."
Putting her on the ground, Zhuge Yue walked ahead and Chu Qiao quickly followed. The road was surrounded by plum trees, with flowers falling to the ground. The soles of my shoes stepped on the soft white snow, leaving two lines of shallow footprints.
When they returned to Qingshan Courtyard, all the servants in the courtyard had woken up and were anxiously looking for the two people. Zhuge Yue didn't say much and went straight back to his room. Huan'er ran to Chu Qiao's room and asked a few questions.
As they were speaking, a maid came to report that the young master had caught a cold and someone had been sent to call a doctor. Now the entire Qingshan Courtyard became busy. Huan'er and several maids and servants rushed in and out to boil hot water and change face towels. They only felt relieved after the doctor came, examined their pulses and prescribed medicine.
Chu Qiao had some midnight snack and was about to go to bed when she heard someone knocking on the door. When I opened the door, I saw Huan'er standing at the door, followed by an elderly man in his fifties. Huan'er said, "Xing'er, the master said you were scratched. The doctor is here, so I'll take a look at you."
Chu Qiao was slightly stunned, then she stepped aside and let the doctor clean and bandage her wound. After everything was settled, Huan'er said, "Also, the young master said he would sleep a little longer tomorrow morning, so we don't have to get up so early to work."
Chu Qiao nodded and agreed, and Huan'er went happily.
The moonlight was hazy, shining on this quiet courtyard, as if it was covered with a layer of white frost.
The next morning Chu Qiao went to see Zhuge Yue, but the young and mature Fourth Young Master was not in the room. Chu Qiao thought to herself that she had to give him an explanation for the lost little red horse. Just as she was thinking about going out to ask someone, she saw Zhuge Yue walking into the yard in a black and gold robe, holding a long sword, followed by a line of followers. They were very agile and looked like someone Chu Qiao had never seen before. Zhu Cheng bent over, with a cloak draped over his arm, and followed behind at a trot.
Huan'er and other maids hurried forward, serving tea and water to Zhuge Yue, burning incense, wiping his hands, and preparing things for bathing.
Chu Qiao retreated to the side of the gate, and when she saw Zhuge Yue sitting down, she stepped forward and said, “Fourth Young Master, I lost my little red horse.”
“Hmm.” Zhuge Yue snorted softly as a sign of agreement. He took Huan’er’s tea and took a sip. Then he said to the servant beside him, “Go and get the two pots of black orchid that were delivered yesterday. Remove this incense burner. It smells pungent.”
The servant quickly agreed and retreated. Chu Qiao stood still, and seeing that Zhuge Yue had no intention of punishing her, she tactfully stopped talking. Just as she was about to quietly walk out, she heard Zhuge Yue put down his tea bowl, pointed at her and said, “Xing’er, wait a moment.”