Chapter 10 You must observe mourning for me!
The charcoal fire in the inner hall was burning very hot, and the frost on Xiao Xun's eyebrows and eyelashes instantly turned into glistening water droplets. He pulled out a plain handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe them.
Su Chan's hand, which was holding the handkerchief, hovered in the air before slowly retracting it.
Several eunuchs were carrying two black lacquered wooden boxes that Su Chan had brought back from the north into the inner hall.
"Upon learning that my elder sister was coming back, the weaving workshop has been cutting out many new clothes for days, and rouge has also been prepared."
Xiao Xun's gaze shifted from the boxes back to Su Chan. "However, elder sister seems to have lost some weight since two years ago. If you are not satisfied or if there is anything missing, just give the order and we will redo it. Elder sister doesn't really need to travel all that way to bring her old clothes and belongings back to Chang'an."
He suddenly laughed and said, "It was my oversight; I forgot to write it in the letter."
Su Chan thanked His Majesty for his consideration, saying, “I have lived in Yangyi, Shangjun for many years. The wind and sand there are strong, and the days are bitterly cold. I also have no one to travel with, so I rarely go out. I have long since stopped caring about clothes and makeup.”
She coughed lightly twice, and Xiao Xun raised his hand.
The maidservant understood and quickly stepped forward to pat her back to help her catch her breath.
“Especially after my mother passed away, all I wore every day was a set of mourning clothes.”
Xiao Xun was at a loss for how to comfort her when he saw Su Chan smile lightly and walk straight toward the two boxes: "These things have been with me during those days."
The box was opened by a palace servant.
Contrary to Xiao Xun's expectations, the contents were not clothes or dressing cases.
What came into view was a box of books.
He casually picked up two scrolls and flipped through them. One scroll contained new songs from the Yuefu (a type of folk song) that he had sent to Shangjun (another county) a few years ago.
The other volume contains poems that were probably written by Su Chan herself.
Seeing that he wanted to examine it closely, Su Chan quickly closed the scroll he had just opened, blushing, "It's not well written."
Xiao Xun only saw four lines: "The bright moon shines on the silk curtain, I cannot sleep through the long night, I stand alone with my shadow, I wonder if my old friend has returned."
There was another box full of dazzling items—Xiao Xun walked closer to look and saw bronze dove-shaped chariots, gambling equipment, cuju (ancient Chinese football), bows, and pitch-pot equipment, one after another.
His gaze fell on the pot, where he saw that the copper pot had peeled off its color, with the character "思" (si, meaning to think) engraved on one of its handles, while the character on the other was no longer legible.
He turned his gaze away and looked at a seven-stringed lyre.
Su Chan picked up the zither. A maid tried to come forward to help, but Su Chan waved her away, saying, "Does Your Majesty remember? This was a gift from Your Majesty in the second year of the Jiaping era."
Xiao Xun saw that the zither was a deep green color, with the paulownia wood shimmering with iridescent hues. He remembered that the zither was named "Luqi," the very one that Sima Xiangru had played in the past.
Su Chan said she would compose a new melody for Sima Xiangru's poem and sing it to him, so Xiao Xun had someone find this zither and gave it to her, renaming it "Seeking the Phoenix".
However, before the music was even composed, Su Dan and Qu Yang reached a point of irreconcilable conflict, which affected Su Chan, who subsequently rarely entered the palace.
Xiao Xun smiled and said, "Sister, you've been composing this piece for eight years. Is it finished now?"
Su Chan blushed: "I can only play a tune for now. I will sing it for Your Majesty after I recover from my cold. I just don't know if it will please Your Majesty."
It was originally just a joke, but Su Chan was returning to her old haunts and was moved by the scenery. Now that she had finally managed to smile, Xiao Xun did not stop her and let her place the zither on the table, sit up straight, and start plucking the strings and tuning it.
The sound of the zither began.
It resembles a secluded spring in a valley.
Xiao Xun was taking a colorful cuju (ancient Chinese football) out of the box.
The football rolled down amidst the sound of the spring.
It rolled leisurely a long way.
Several children of preschool age quickened their pace, vying to catch up.
That was in the former Crown Prince's Siqi Garden.
Siqi Garden is located in the southern suburbs of Chang'an and was the Crown Prince's villa.
It is said that this was a gift from the late emperor to the crown prince upon his coming-of-age ceremony, hence its extreme magnificence.
It draws water from eight rivers, extensively adorns sandbars, and is dotted with pavilions and towering buildings, adorned with magnificent rafters and jade pendants. There are also towering mountains and deep forests with giant trees, making it seem like a dwelling place for immortals.
What is even more commendable is that the Crown Prince made friends with heroes and people of great ambition from all over the world here, regardless of their social status; even commoners were welcome to set foot here.
Xiao Xun did not have a deep impression of the late emperor's deposed crown prince.
This elder brother was much older than him; when he was born, the crown prince was already over thirty.
In an ordinary family, the crown prince would be old enough to be his father.
The Crown Prince does indeed have several children who are around the same age as Xiao Xun.
His eldest daughter, Xiao Yan, and second daughter, Xiao Gui, were five and three years older than Xiao Xun, respectively.
The eldest son, Xiao Yu, was born in the same year as Xiao Xun. To be precise, he was born at the beginning of that year, while Xiao Xun was born at the end, so he was ten months older than Xiao Xun.
Because the Crown Prince had a child the same age as Xiao Xun, he looked at Xiao Xun with the same eyes he would look at his own child.
Xiao Xun vaguely felt that this elder brother was more like a real father.
He always had a smile on his face, and his eyes were always smiling.
He lifted Xiao Xun high up to reach the bright red persimmons on the branches of the Jianzhang Palace garden, and even demonstrated to Xiao Xun how to draw a five-stone bow.
However, Xiao Xun thought that his discussions of classics, history, and philosophy were more engaging, even better than Su Dan's.
At that time, Su Dan was also a guest of honor of His Highness the Crown Prince.
However, in the Siqi Garden, where learned scholars abound, he would not stand out if he had not married the eldest princess and held the title of imperial consort.
The Crown Prince was learned, erudite, broad-minded, and prudent, quite unlike his—their—solemn and dignified emperor father.
Whether in Chang'an or in the court, the Crown Prince's reputation was at its zenith.
Xiao Xun also respected and admired the Crown Prince.
He felt a pang of envy for the Crown Prince's children. Most of the time, they didn't live in the North Palace, but rather in the Siqi Garden.
Xiao Xun was also invited by the Crown Prince and often went to Siqi Garden.
He felt that it was better than Weiyang Palace, Jianzhang Palace, and Shanglin Garden.
Of course, a six- or seven-year-old child cannot distinguish between good and bad flowers and gardens, nor can he see the difference between lakes and mountains.
For them, playmates are more important.
There are many playmates in Siqi Garden.
The children of the Crown Prince, the second brother, the Prince of Huaiyang, the third brother, the Prince of Yan, and the fourth brother, the Prince of Guangling, as well as the children of the Eldest Princess, are all here.
Sometimes, among them would be the children of court officials, the children of retainers, and the children of commoners received by the crown prince.
They rode horses, played football, practiced swordsmanship, and played pitch-pot together.
The Crown Prince's daughters, Xiao Gui and Xiao Yan, have reached the age of 12 and look very much like the Crown Princess, who always smiles gently.
They sat upright in the pavilion by the Xiushui River, playing the zither and reciting poems, refusing to play the games of these children.
Su Chan was young and mingled among the boys. After playing for a while, she would get tired and go to the pavilion next to her to drink sweet soup, eat malt candy and almond cake, and cheer for them.
The Prince of Yan's son, Xiao Yue, was two years younger than Xiao Xun and could only hobble along behind his elder brother and uncle.
The Prince of Guangling's child was even younger, and soon after, his mother took him away.
Xiao Xun's closest friends were the Crown Prince's son, the Imperial Grandson Xiao Yu, and the Prince of Huaiyang's heir, Xiao Jin.
Especially Xiao Yu.
He was ten months older than Xiao Xun. As the undisputed future crown prince, he had been taught by the Crown Prince and countless scholars and knights of Siqi Garden since childhood. He excelled in everything from academics and archery to simple activities like pitch-pot and chess. Therefore, he seemed more like a capable older brother than Xiao Jin, who was a year older than them.
This also made Xiao Xun, who was only good at a few things, feel ashamed of himself.
Xiao Yu was always surrounded by a group of admirers, including Su Chan and Xiao Jin.
But he had to respectfully address Xiao Xun as "Uncle".
This pleased Xiao Xun greatly.
It's clear that behind every "Uncle" Xiao Yu called out was a hidden resentment, which is why he didn't call him that often. He preferred to call him "A-Xun" rather than "Uncle."
But he had no choice but to accept it, otherwise, Xiao Xun would have told his elder brother, who was also Xiao Yu's father.
His Highness the Crown Prince values propriety above all else, especially the principles of filial piety and brotherly love. He and his elder brother, the Crown Prince, uphold the virtue of brotherly love and respect, and Xiao Yu should uphold the virtue of filial piety towards him.
Upon hearing this insight, especially the words "filial piety," Xiao Yu lost all his usual solemnity and almost spat water onto Su Chan.
Su Chan screamed and jumped up.
"How dare you! How can you be so disrespectful to your aunt?" Xiao Xun slammed his hand on the table, laughing so hard he bent over.
Su Chan was the daughter of the late emperor's sister, and in terms of seniority, she was a generation older than Xiao Yu. However, she preferred Xiao Yu to call her "A Chan" instead of "cousin aunt".
"Otherwise, it would sound like I'm in my seventies or eighties," she said to Xiao Yu in a serious tone. "That wouldn't be a good match!"
"Oh, who do you want to be paired with?" Xiao Xun asked with a grin.
Su Chan blushed and snatched a plate of candy from Xiao Xun's hands: "Hmph, who told you to be disrespectful to your elder sister?"
"There are still some here. You can't take them."
Xiao Xun made a face, pointed to his sleeve, and nimbly leaped out of the stone pavilion.
Siqi Garden was really huge. He climbed to a high platform, which was dozens of feet high, and looked down.
The lake stretches to the horizon, its waters vast and boundless. Islets dotted with cranes and ducks, like stars in the sky. Officials and commoners alike come and go among them.
There was also a little girl, who appeared out of nowhere, wearing a pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and eating candy.
"Shall we play here together from now on?"
"good."
As the words fell, on the day of Gengyin in the tenth month of the third year of Tian Shou, the Crown Prince committed suicide in the North Palace for the crime of treason.
At that time, he was already in his forties and had been the crown prince for almost forty years.
The Crown Princess, Xiao Gui, Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yu—all became names buried in the ruins along with the raging fire at Siqi Garden.
When Qu Qingchuan installed a false emperor in Shangjun and claimed that he was Xiao Yu, Xiao Xun was momentarily dazed, but after calming down a bit, he knew that it couldn't be him.
Like his father, Xiao Yu was upright and virtuous, and even at a young age, he showed the qualities of a gentleman.
Xiao Xun was not a skilled rider, but he took a fancy to a white Ferghana horse colt with a coat as white as satin, which had just been presented to him by the Ferghana Kingdom in Siqi Garden. As a result, he almost fell off the horse, but Xiao Yu helped him tame it and generously gave him the valuable horse.
When questioned by the Crown Prince afterward, Xiao Yu cleverly replied, "A heart of benevolence and filial piety is worth more than a thousand or ten thousand pieces of gold," which became a popular topic of conversation.
The late emperor also learned of this matter and called his grandson a "sacred grandson".
The horse named "Xueying" is still kept in the stables of Weiyang Palace and has become a twenty-year-old old horse.
If it weren't for the time he took Lin Yuan horseback riding and she took a liking to this Snow Shadow, Xiao Xun would have almost forgotten about it.
Only two months after obtaining the horse, the eldest brother of the crown prince, who had taught him the principles of filial piety and brotherly love and was praised by all, conspired with court officials and students of the Imperial Academy to assassinate the emperor and usurp the throne.
Xiao Xun was too young at the time to know the whole story. He only knew that his father was getting weaker and more suspicious in his later years.
In addition to the charge of treason, the imperial edict ordering the death of the crown prince also included the phrase "not like himself".
...
The football rolled to Su Chan's feet.
"bass".
The string broke.
The music stopped.
*
What was that sound?
Lin Yuan heard a "click-clack" sound coming from outside the door.
"The students aren't in the schoolhouse during the holidays, could they be bandits?"
"It's because of the heavy snow that the branches were broken," Lin Yu said, glancing outside.
He Ji's eyes lit up, and he became excited: "Four years ago, this academy was indeed attacked by bandits."
Lin Yuan's heart tightened as He Ji vividly recounted, "Thinking back to that day, it was a dark and windy night, all was silent except for the rustling of the bamboo, the grinding of teeth, and the sucking of blood. Your brother and I reined in our horses, swords in hand, and slowly approached, heading straight into the bandits' den."
Lin Yuan listened intently, so nervous she forgot to breathe: "Did you see a wolf? A tiger or leopard?"
"..."
"Just a few starving country bumpkins," Lin Yu chimed in, giving He Ji a sideways glance. "A Yuan is timid, don't scare her."
Lin Yuan asked, "And then?"
"The band of more than ten bandits, upon seeing us approach, revealed their ferocious nature, their faces blue and fangs bared. A battle ensued, but outnumbered, they were overwhelmed and fled. Your brother and I spurred our horses and galloped away, leaving a trail of dust in our wake. All night long, swords clashed, their sounds like a torrential downpour, blood gleaming in the moonlight, bright as day, until finally—"
Lin Yuan's expression changed, Lin Yu glanced sideways, and the room fell silent. He Ji smiled, clapped his hands, and said, "We've captured a bandit leader."
Lin Yuan exclaimed in surprise, "Did they cut off the thief's head?"
"..."
He Ji scratched his head and said awkwardly, "We captured the bandit leader alive."
Lin Yuan looked at Lin Yu: "Is your brother injured?"
Lin Yu coughed lightly twice: "He Laosi, it's snow, not blood. You're a teacher, so please pronounce it clearly."
But then the clicking sound came again.
Lin Yuan hid her face behind her brother: "The bandits won't come again, will they?"
Upon hearing this, He Ji also took a step back behind Lin Yu.
The door moved, and there was a knock.
A note from the author:
----------------------
A little girl, who appeared out of nowhere, wearing a pink dress and eating candy.
The answer at the end of Chapter 8 is the male protagonist.
Xiao Xun: I was once a bright and promising young man. (To Xiao Yu): You must observe mourning for me.
Two months later: I never imagined I'd be the one "mourning" you. [Heartbroken]
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