Chapter 12
Shen Yi put all the tail feathers he had picked when teasing the birds into the box, and then he had the leisure to treat them as an apology to himself from those greedy pigeons. He placed the long feathers of various colors on the silk cloth, so that people could see at a glance that the birds were of excellent quality.
White pigeons filled half of the courtyard, chasing the servants who were feeding them. Shen Yi opened the window to let the light in, bringing in some warmth.
He sat at the table, still in a daze, somewhat lost as to where to go. Mrs. Huo was recuperating, and he couldn't afford to visit every day to greet her and entertain her. The Huo family only had a few elderly servants with limited mobility left, and all the capable horses in the stable had followed his grandfather westward. It was almost the end of the year, and Xue Congzhi had just left Chang'an; Wei Qianyu had seen him yesterday.
As for Shen Yi, he sat at the table, staring at the empty cups and reaching out to put them back in their places. As for Liu Qianshan, he felt a bit of resentment in his heart.
The other party's drunken appearance that day was indeed funny, but by some coincidence, the person who was most worried about going to Longxi was sitting comfortably in Chang'an City, continuing to drink and have fun, while someone else was working hard for him.
Shen Yi felt that this grudge was somewhat inexplicable. Speaking of it individually, Liu Qianshan and he were playmates who grew up together. They were of similar age and family background. Shen Qian and the Liu family's head of the clan didn't interfere too much with their relationship, instead using the younger generation's interactions to encourage them to visit more frequently.
But since the old man has spoken, he should exercise. He must not let Liu Qianshan know about quitting drinking, otherwise he would probably make a scene like before.
He thought of his daily pursuit of pleasure and feasting, and even if Liu Qianshan had no intention of persuading him, he would stay by his side and watch him love wine like his life - just thinking about it, Shen Yi felt his throat was thirsty, and thinking of the taste of wine, he raised his hand to pour himself a cup of tea.
The tea I'd been accustomed to recently suddenly tasted bitter, and I'd rather try some alcohol. Whether it was the light sake, the kind reserved for the distinguished guests in the singing hall's side rooms, its lingering taste mingled with a hint of sweetness and the aroma of cosmetics; or the murky wax wine, mixed with the salty and fishy aftertaste of smoked meat roasted on the stove under a knife, swallowed down with a bitter aftertaste tinged with a hint of sourness, it was never as bland as the tea in my mouth.
He shook his head, trying to dispel the inexplicable thirst that came up, but he couldn't forget the aftertaste of the wine for a while, so he could only let the thirst torment him.
Only after finishing the entire pot of tea did he feel less uncomfortable than before. He smiled wryly and muttered to himself, "Even if I wanted to see Liu Qianshan these days, it would have to be a casual chat at a teahouse. If he had even a drop of alcohol, my two-week sobriety would be completely undone." Not to mention Liu Qianshan's ability to drink easily after just one glass, making anyone want to drink for him.
Without wine, the pursuit of pleasure was naturally more boring. These days, Chen Yi's most common activity was nothing more than horseback riding in the suburbs. The clusters of double-petaled chrysanthemums outside Chang'an City had withered, and the hooves of horses trotting along the paths created a constant, crisp sound.
He let the horse run freely on the flat ground, holding the reins loosely between his fingers, and only when they were almost entering the mountains did he exert force to turn the horse towards Chang'an City.
Often, Shen Yi would wait until dusk, when the birds returned, before he was willing to take his horse and head for the city. The lights in the city lights were lit one after another, and the cold wind blew across his face, the biting chill lasting only a moment. Occasionally, when he returned to the mansion, he would run into Shen Qian. Even though he was reluctant, he could only pretend nothing happened, greet him, and then turn around and leave.
Chen Qian was used to Chen Yi's temperament, or perhaps he felt that there was nothing to worry about, so he would often sit alone in the study room after getting dressed.
Sometimes Shen Yi would glance over casually and see the shadow of a person reflected in the candlelight, but the door was still tightly closed and no sound could be heard. At this time, even the servants on night watch had to keep their heads down to avoid missing anything.
As he thought, his fingertips traced a blurry black shadow. Chen Qian had been keeping it a secret, not even his mother knew who he had met or what he was planning.
It was probably the factional strife he mentioned, the chaos in the court. Shen Yi withdrew his gaze and stared at the brightly burning oil lamp on his desk.
The words and phrases from the classics that once slipped through his ears gradually faded from his memory, and he comforted himself that there was no need to worry about it. Even Chen Qian, whom his grandfather disliked the most, never spoke in a way that followed the teachings of the sages.
The wind blew through the courtyard, making a few strange noises. Shen Yi closed his eyes, willing himself to forget his previous conjecture. The court should be filled with officials of all ranks from the Shang Dynasty, earning titles and ministerial positions with generous annual salaries. If they were all evil spirits in human skin, where would the real flesh come from? Wouldn't that mean even the ordinary people in Chang'an have become cooked meat in a cauldron, piles of white bones?
He thought it was just his imagination, and also thought that Chen Qian's recent behavior had made him suspicious. After drinking a cup of hot tea to warm himself up, he stopped thinking about the secret.
If Chen Qian wants to protect himself, he must protect the entire Marquis' Mansion. For the sake of the Marquis' Mansion, even if he argues with the old man in private, he will rely on the power of the Huo family in public and will never cut ties with the General's Mansion.
Shen Yi sneered. He was afraid that the recent visitors to the study were all villains who fawned on the powerful. When they were together with Shen Qian, they naturally had endless things to talk about. They could talk until dawn and talk about the time when their grandfather came back. As long as they didn't get into trouble, they would just pretend that it had nothing to do with them.
The moon, a thin crescent, hung just above the clouds, dimly obscured by the bright lights of the city. All the white doves had returned to their cages, huddling together for warmth, their fight for food once again, while the west wind blew the few remaining leaves from the treetops.
In early winter, the wind blows even more fiercely, sometimes blowing up sand on the ground and covering the gloomy sky together with the clouds.
The messenger in the palace hadn't been heard from for the time being, so Shen Yi chose a time to sit in Mrs. Huo's room for a long time. The stove in the room was emitting warm air, and he took off his cloak and poured Mrs. Huo a cup of tea.
He raised his eyes to look at Mrs. Huo's appearance. Perhaps because she didn't need to go out, she didn't put on any makeup. The cloak wrapped around her body made her look even thinner. When he looked at her again, she seemed to look just like Chen Qian when she left.
Chen Yi smiled to hide his inappropriate emotions and went to do the most important things first. "Mother, have you received any news from the palace recently?"
Mrs. Huo was sitting by the stove to keep warm. When she heard his question, she looked up at Shen Yi's attire. Seeing that he was holding the cloak, she finally stopped reminding him not to catch a cold again.
Her voice was faint, drowned out by the roaring charcoal fire. "I'm a spy for the Huo Mansion, so I don't spread news from the palace very often." Mrs. Huo was too lazy to sigh. "Food, clothing, and other expenses in the palace are no worse than those in the Marquis' Mansion. If there's no news, then everything is fine."
Chen Yi saw the fatigue between her eyebrows and eyes. She said she was resting, but she was probably worried about other things. But... she was not able to move around like herself, or maybe she listened to Chen Qian's words and closed herself off to the news outside the mansion.
He handed the teacup to Mrs. Huo and wanted to ask about something else, but suddenly felt that there would be no more news. He nodded and said, "Mother, you are right. You have been staying indoors for a long time recently. Would you like to come out and walk around?"
Mrs. Huo took the teacup and held it tightly, then turned and pushed open the door, facing the empty courtyard. "If you want to play, go ahead. Your father doesn't care about you." She added new charcoal to the stove.
"Mother is really afraid of the cold, so closing the door is just a natural thing to do. Don't worry. Your mother won't neglect other things."
Seeing Mrs. Huo like this, Shen Yi had no choice but to take his leave, closing the door for her and standing in the courtyard. The birds that used to love to perch on the trees were nowhere to be seen. Even after passing the stove, Shen Yi still felt a chill even with his cloak on.
This year's winter seems to have gotten much colder earlier.
Chen Yi returned to his room. After all, no matter how much he worried, he was helpless. His fingertips traced the map, calculating the days - but unfortunately, these were places he had never been to. No matter how much he calculated, he couldn't figure out the distance, nor could he see what Longxi looked like today.
The curved moon slowly filled the gap, and during this time, Wei Qianyu handed him a visiting card and invited him to visit the Supreme Court.
The so-called banquet was just an excuse made by Wei Qianyu. When Shen Yi arrived, he saw him sitting at the table, eating with a plate of smoked meat and drinking tea.
"Young Marquis, you've arrived just in time." Wei Chen took out a neatly folded silk cloth from his wide sleeves, shook off the sand on it, and then handed it to Shen Yi.
Chen Yi unfolded the silk cloth, not caring about the dust on his fingertips. The words on it were simple. However, he recognized Xue Congzhi's handwriting before Wei Chen said anything. It was very similar to the annotations he had seen on the bamboo slips that day.
Xue Heng, perhaps feeling the urge to hurry, only mentioned his destination in his letter, saying nothing more than that they had already crossed the pass. He heard from the refugees that the army had reached Yumen, but he knew nothing else.
Chen Yi held the silk cloth tightly, and his eyes scanned every word on it from the right side down. He read it two or three times before folding it again and putting it into his sleeve.
Wei Qianyu seemed to have a copy as well. Seeing him put the letter away, he stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, "Young Marquis, don't worry. We are escorting the grain and grass, and Longxi is surrounded by mountains. It will take some time to catch up with the old general and his men."
Shen Yi smiled at him, saying that it was good to have some news, and that he would naturally feel at ease. Just as he was about to leave, he turned back and said that he would give Wei Qianyu a few trained white pigeons, so that if he wanted to send messages to Longxi in the future, he would not have to go through so much trouble.
Wei Chen thanked him and walked with him for a while out of the mansion. Only after seeing him ride on a horse did he feel at ease and go about his own business.
Chen Yi gripped the reins, which were cracked from the cold, and remembered that he hadn't had time to ask the old steward for a new bridle. He was still a little hesitant, wanting to take out the silk cloth from his sleeve and read it carefully again, fearing that he had missed something.
He then realized that he was still on the long street, and if he wanted to read the letter again, he should go back to the mansion and find a quiet place to read it. So he exerted force on his legs and hurried back to the mansion on horseback.
But he hadn't made any mistakes. He read the poem several times in his room by candlelight, finding the same words. The road to Longxi was long, the weather was freezing, and Xue Congzhi was even further from Yumen and the main army.
The letter did not specify how far it was. Shen Yi took the map again, looked at it, and kept calculating the distance, but it was just a rough calculation without any basis.
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