Uncle Xu and Xu Lingyue noticed her unusual behaviour and turned to look towards the entrance hall.
In the night, Xu Qi’an, dressed in an azure brocade robe, was carrying a jar of wine as he walked into the glow cast by the lanterns beneath the eaves.
With a further step, he would cross the threshold and enter the inner hall.
“Ningyan!”
Joy blossomed on Uncle Xu’s face. He stood up abruptly and strode forward to greet his nephew.
Auntie and Lingyue also broke into smiles. The former, however, immediately gave a cold snort and put on a stern attitude, while the latter, as happy as a little girl, rose with her father to greet her eldest brother.
“Uncle, I’m back,” Xu Qi’an said with a smile.
For a wandering son returning home, a simple “I’m back” was more than enough.
“As long as you’re back,” Uncle Xu said, patting his nephew on the shoulder as he took the wine jar from his hands. He then turned to Auntie’s close maid, Lyu’e, and said,
“Bring bowls and chopsticks for Dalang.”
Seizing the opportunity, Xu Lingyue softly called out,
“Big brother~”
Her light and cheerful tone revealed the joy in her heart at this moment.
Xu Qi’an studied his little sister, his smile gentle,
“I haven’t seen you for a while. You’ve grown even more beautiful.”
Having perfectly inherited Auntie’s beauty, she stood out among her peers, fresh, elegant, and with delicate features.
Xu Lingyue’s smile grew even sweeter. In a soft voice, she complained,
“Big brother, you returned home today without sending word in advance, I could’ve made some of your favourite dishes as accompaniment for the wine.”
The three of them then sat down at the table. When Lyu’e brought the bowls and chopsticks, Xu Qi’an and his uncle started to drink and chat, speaking of Erlang in far-off Yongzhou.
“Ningyan, since you’ve returned to the capital, you must have heard about Qingzhou’s fall,” Uncle Xu said, drinking a small cup of wine.
“Then you must have gone to see Erlang in Yongzhou? Your Auntie has been worried about him all this time. I told her that even if Erlang were to suffer a misfortune, you would have come back long ago to tell us.”
Xu Qi’an’s expression stiffened for a moment:
“It’s been some time since Qingzhou fell. Uncle, didn’t you write to ask about Erlang’s situation?”
Uncle Xu’s face stiffened a little as well.
Nephew and uncle stared at each other in awkward silence.
Though the timing is odd, why does this sense of déjà vu feel so familiar, has something similar not happened before…? Xu Qi’an pondered for a moment and then said,
“It’s fine. The three Great Scholars of Cloud Deer Academy are all in Yongzhou. They’ll look after Erlang.”
Uncle Xu could only comfort himself this way,
“You’re right.”
At this moment, Xu Lingyue found a chance to interject,
“Big brother, why do you smell of powder and rouge?”
On hearing this, Uncle Xu at once gave his nephew a look that seemed to say, “A man without a moustache is unreliable.”
“Is it that strong?” Xu Qi’an sniffed himself in surprise, before replying calmly,
“I just drank with a few colleagues from the Nightwatchers Constabulary, and there were young ladies at the table, but all I wanted was to return and see you, Uncle, Auntie, and you, little sister. So after sitting for a while, I came straight back.”
Xu Lingyue ‘oh’d in response, her face breaking into a satisfied smile.
Mainly, there’re no green oranges to buy at this late hour, and Lingyin isn’t at home, I can’t watch her tear into green tangerines with a grimace… Xu Qi’an thought to himself.
With this distraction from Xu Lingyue, the family soon set aside thoughts of Erlang once more.
Xu Pingfeng mulled for a while and then said,
“I’ve heard the Eldest Princess is to ascend the throne.”
Xu Qi’an then recounted the general situation, including why he absolutely had to depose Yongxing.
“What stormy times,” Uncle Xu sighed.
“Once the Eldest Princess has ascended, what do you intend to do?”
Xu Qi’an thought for a moment, then replied with care,
“I will first head to Qingzhou to meet Xu Pingfeng, and formally draw the line between us in a true contest of life and death.”
This would see him, officially as a player, represent the Great Feng and himself, challenging Yunzhou and Xu Pingfeng.
Xu Pingzhi’s expression was complex; sadness, helplessness, wistfulness, and pain all flitted across his face as he muttered,
“Brother slays brother, father turns on son, how did it come to this…”
Xu Qi’an shook his head,
“Uncle, he isn’t my father. You’re my father.
“Between us, one must die. He won’t spare me, and I won’t spare him. I’ll pursue him to the ends of the earth, until one of us is dead.”
He poured wine for Xu Pingzhi and said with a grin,
“Xu Pingfeng has no way out now. He knows I won’t spare him, and, clearly, neither will I.”
Auntie added,
“I’ll see to it that his name is struck from the family records, and he is expelled from the Xu clan.”
Of course Auntie would support her nephew without a second thought, even if he was both annoying and poor with words, he was, after all, the child she had raised.
Xu Pingfeng was her husband’s Big brother, not hers.
“Thank you, Auntie,” Xu Qi’an said, for once speaking proper words, before continuing,
“Uncle, I have a younger brother and sister in Yunzhou. The two of them came to the capital with the Yunzhou delegation purely to spite me.
“They’re currently detained in Sitianjian.”
He then told his uncle about Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai, including what had happened between them in Yongzhou.
“They don’t sound like bad people, and are still of Xu blood at least,” Uncle Xu said in a heartfelt tone. “When there’s time, bring them back for a visit. Don’t mistreat them.”
Suddenly Xu Lingyue said,
“Father, how could Big brother mistreat them? Even if they’re hostile to him, and follow the rebellious Yunzhou clique in opposing and trying to kill him, Big brother, no matter how much he suffers or is wronged, would never harm is own kin.”
Xu Pingzhi was just about to nod when he was startled by Auntie’s furious slap on the table.
“Bah, those two are nothing but bad seeds, why bring them back?”
Auntie snapped, “Do not bring them to our house.”
“What are you getting angry for out of nowhere…” Uncle Xu tried to reason with his wife.
Xu Qi’an glanced at his little sister and hurriedly said,
“Alright, alright, it’s not worth arguing over them. Uncle, let’s drink.”
Xu Lingyue smiled beautifully,
“Big brother, have some wine,”
and obediently filled his cup for him.
See, that sister from Yunzhou only ever thinks of harming you, not like me, who only ever cares for big brother.
…
At the hour of dawn, when the sky was barely light.
Drums and music rang throughout the imperial palace, forming a magnificent overture.
The accession ceremony was exceptionally complex. First, the Minister of Rites led the officials in offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth on behalf of the new sovereign.
After this, the new sovereign, clad in mourning attire, offered sacrifices in the Imperial Ancestral Temple to her forebears.
Only when these two rites were complete did the official accession begin.
The Minister of Rites, with his officials, went to the Temple of Heaven, the Altar of Agriculture, and the Imperial Ancestral Temple to inform the gods and the emperors’ spirits of the new ruler’s impending succession.
When the group returned, the ceremonial music started up in full force, the grand sound of bells and drums echoing beyond the Jinluan Hall.
The Eastern Palace.
With the help of palace maids, Huaiqing donned her grand ceremonial robe and crown.
This apparel was highly complex, consisting of crown, undergarment, grand cloak, black upper robe, and light-red lower skirt. The ceremonial crown was decorated with gold and hung with twelve strings of jade beads.
The upper garment was embroidered with images of sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragons, and mythical beasts, while the lower skirt displayed marsh plants, fire, grain, sacrificial vessels, battle-axes, and ceremonial garments, twelve patterns in total, hence their name: the twelve insignia robes.
Fully dressed, two maids brought out a bronze mirror as tall as a person and set it before Huaiqing.
In the mirror, the Eldest Princess, lightly made-up, her long brows prominent, emanated an air of martial valour.
She was always a girl of aloof nobility, but now, dressed in the twelve insignia robes with the twelve-stringed crown, the sense of grandeur and majesty was overwhelming.
Even the normally smiling and cheerful chief palace maid dared not breathe too loudly at this moment, but rather bowed her head and lowered her gaze, as meek as a quail.
There were few women in the world with such presence.
A Ministry of Rites official entered the Eastern Palace. Through the beaded curtains, he respectfully announced,
“Your Highness, the time has come.”
Huaiqing gave an acknowledging reply and, surrounded by maids and eunuchs, left the Eastern Palace for the Jinluan Hall amid the resounding music.
She crossed the Jinshui Bridge and the plaza, ascending the vermilion stairs. Her gaze rested on the Jinluan Hall ahead, where the throne sat in dazzling splendour.
Passing flashes filled her mind: Emperor Yuanjing, suspecting by nature and incapable of allowing any able heir to gain power; the white-haired military god Wei Yuan; the Jianzheng, the Great Feng’s protector, always a master of strategy; the weak and indecisive Yongxing.
When her flowing sleeves swept up and she firmly settled herself on the throne, these people vanished from her thoughts.
All had passed into history.
Now began her era, no, hers and Xu Qi’an’s era.
The two of them stood now at the very apex of power in the Great Feng.
Led by the Ministry of Rites, all civil and military officials filed in through the Meridian Gate, crossed the Jinshui Bridge, and arranged themselves according to rank along the imperial thoroughfare.
The Grand Secretary and Prime Minister, Qian Qingshu, then carried out the edict of accession, handing it to the Minister of Rites, who in turn passed it to a protocol officer, who placed it on a tray and delivered it to the Chief Chamberlain.
The Chief Eunuch of the Eunuch Supervisory Office, dressed in a crimson python gown, accepted the tray with a bow and read the imperial edict aloud for all to hear:
“The Edict declares:
“In days of old, Emperor Gaozu soared as a dragon on Ji River, pacifying all lands, east to Mount Jing, west to the domains of Buddha, spreading benevolence and righteousness that resounded through the realm, uprooting the evils of the great Zhou, and restoring peace to the land. For six hundred years, the empire has known tranquillity; the glories of his achievement are those of the true lord of men.
“Our brother, Yongxing, though born of secondary rank, inherited the great enterprise, but was unfilial by nature, muddle-headed and weak. He neither honoured his ancestors above nor cared for the people below, flattering treacherous cliques, stirring the wrath of men and gods.
“We, though born a woman, have received Heaven’s favour and the spirits of our ancestors, and have accepted the charge amid crisis, gathering worthies and advisors to our side. Now, with all civil and military officials, every department, and the masses united in their plea, We are respectfully acclaimed as Emperor, ruler of the people.
“We obey the public will, and on the seventeenth day of the first month, ascend the imperial throne, adopt the era name ‘Huaiqing’. When the grand rites are complete, all governance shall be ordered and all appropriate affairs handled jointly.”
And so it was declared!
On both sides of the imperial thoroughfare, all officials knelt and chanted in unison,
“Long live Your Majestly! Long live! Long live!”
The cries were like a tsunami, shaking the heavens and deafening to the ear.
Upon the throne, Huaiqing looked down upon her officials, sovereign of the realm.
…
At the Stargazing Tower, atop the Bagua Platform,
Mu Nanzhi, draped in a lotus-coloured, elegant long gown, stood at the platform’s edge and gently removed the string of beads from her right wrist.
The wind lifted her dress and jet-black hair. She seemed a celestial maiden descended to earth, peerless in beauty.
Raising her right arm, her sleeve slipped down, revealing a wrist as white as snow.
With fingers poised as if to pluck a flower, Mu Nanzhi closed her eyes and chanted softly,
“May blossoms fill the capital, may their fragrance delight the world!”
In the invisible void, unseen by mortal eyes, seeds of life emanated from her and drifted on the wind.
They floated past the riverbanks, where willows sprouted new buds.
They drifted through courtyards, bringing a riot of colour; along streets and alleys, plants grew wildly and flowers blossomed in an instant.
From high in the sky, one could see the riotous colours spreading throughout the capital, the scent of flowers filling the air and gladdening the heart.
…
In later historical records:
In the first year of Huaijing, on the seventeenth day of the first month, the female Emperor ascended the throne. In an instant, flowers bloomed throughout the capital, a subtle fragrance spread for ten li, auspicious signs descended from the heavens, and the people of the capital were overjoyed, rushing out of their houses, kneeling in the streets, and loudly proclaiming ‘Long live the Emperor’.
What the histories did not record was that, on the day when the whole city blossomed, Silver Gong Xu spent the entire day arranging flowers in the Sitianjian’s Stargazing Tower.
…
Mu Nanzhi’s vision went black, and she collapsed limply.
She did not fall to the ground, but into Xu Qi’an’s arms.
“Have a rest!”
Xu Qi’an held the little waist of the charming older ‘Auntie’, thinking that in this world, nothing else could feel as wonderful to the touch.
Mu Nanzhi lay limply in his arms, dizzy and murmuring,
“It’s… it’s all your fault, you’ve given me such a headache…”
Half-complaining and half-coquettish, she could melt any man’s resolve.
Xu Qi’an lifted his hand and gently massaged her brow, sighing,
“There are countless beauties in the world, but there is only one Flower Goddess. There must not be none, and there cannot be another.”
Mu Nanzhi frowned slightly,
“Don’t try to sweet-talk me, no matter how you wheedle, I won’t dual cultivate with you again. After helping you advance to second rank, we’re even. If you try to force me, I’ll become a nun.”
Xu Qi’an could not tell if she was just being contrary or if their first night had left such a mark as to cause lingering dread.
“Alright, alright!”
He picked up the beautiful forty-year-old Auntie and left the Bagua Platform via the stairs.
Mu Nanzhi was not seriously unwell, only extremely drained, her Qi depleted and strength exhausted, so her body felt wretched.
The spiritual essence of the Undying Tree was still awakening, and the power she could use was limited. Making blossoms bloom throughout the city was a stretch for her current strength.
“Still feeling unwell?”
Xu Qi’an poured her a cup of warm water and channelled some Qi into her.
Mu Nanzhi, still dizzy, softly groaned,
“I want to rest…”
“Let’s dual cultivate. It will restore your energy and spirit much faster,” Xu Qi’an suggested.
He was not lying, when one’s Qi was depleted, dual cultivation could indeed bring a quick recovery, far faster than by natural means.
“No! If- if you touch me, I’ll become a nun!” Mu Nanzhi shook her head frantically and muttered,
“Shameless.”
She lay weakly on her side on the bed, her feet kicking feebly as if trying to remove her embroidered shoes, but failing.
Xu Qi’an took her foot and helped take off her shoes and silk socks.
“I’ll give you a massage. It will make you feel much better…”
“You may only massage my feet, nothing else!”
“Would I be that sort of man?”
“Mm… mm, gentler…”
…
Cloud Deer Academy.
Zhao Shou fasted for two days, bathed today, changed into a brand new robe, combed his hair meticulously, and put on a Confucian cap.
His grizzled beard was also carefully trimmed with a razor.
Instantly, his whole demeanour was transformed, utterly unlike the wild, unrestrained scholar he usually was.
From a long-unopened cabinet, Zhao Shou took out a bamboo bookcase. He carefully wiped the dust from it with a sweat cloth, slung it onto his back, and left Cloud Deer Academy.
Just as he had, many years ago, travelled with it on his back to study at the academy on the outskirts of the capital.
After all he had experienced, it felt as if he were once again a young man.
On the road to the capital, the sound of reciting students could be heard:
“…While young, one must study diligently. Literature is the path to status, all the officials at court rose through study… Never say the Confucian cap is a useless thing, those who study are never failed by it…”
…
When Mu Nanzhi woke up, it was already dark, and there were no candles lit in the room, it was pitch black.
It’s dark? I’ve slept so long? She was woozy, struggling to sit up and steady her head with a hand. After more than ten seconds, her cloudy thoughts gradually became clearer, and she recalled using the flower-blooming spell during the day.
I never thought I’d recover so quickly… Mu Nanzhi felt that apart from some grogginess, her body felt excellent. Her dantian was warm, as if she were hugging a stove.
Just as she was about to throw back the quilt and get up, she suddenly sensed something was wrong: her back was chilly. Only then did she realise she was completely undressed, her clothes and skirts stripped away.
Then she remembered what had happened after returning to the room with Xu Qi’an.
He had started by massaging her feet, then moved to her legs, and then… for some reason, they had ended up dual cultivating.
“You shameless scoundrel,” Mu Nanzhi growled as she yanked the pillow from behind her waist and threw it angrily on the ground.
“How am I supposed to sleep on that pillow now!”
She threw off the quilt and felt around in the darkness by the bed for ages before finally finding her skirt, which she pulled on in a hurry, only then did she notice the inside of her thighs was damp.
The Flower Goddess was both a lover of cleanliness and a lazy woman. Just thinking she’d have to fetch water herself to bathe sent her anger spiking.
Once dressed, she fumbled her way to the table, lit a candle, and drove away the darkness.
The room was quietly empty: Baiji was not there, neither was that damned sabre, nor the stupa tower relic, making Mu Nanzhi guess that the wretched man was probably still at the Sitianjian.
She lit every candle in the room one by one, then went behind the screen. Bathed in candlelight, she saw that the bathtub was filled with clean, clear water, certainly not the dirty water left from last time.
The corners of Mu Nanzhi’s lips lifted slightly, but she quickly composed her face, and sniffed,
“The scoundrel is not completely heartless after all…”
…
The Sitianjian, underground.
Xu Qi’an sat cross-legged in front of Zhong Li, suspiciously asking,
“Are you sure that if I just strike enough times, I’ll get the Jianzheng’s trump card?”
Zhong Li sat before him, knees tucked up like a duck, to make sure she was just a bit higher than Xu Qi’an. She timidly said,
“The Fate-scattering Hammer is connected to fortune and destiny. Teacher’s notes on refining mention that for those favoured by fortune, striking them can cause enlightenment. So it’s definitely meant for you.”
“But apart from playing a prostitute in the brothel, martial big brother, and a scholar, nothing about me has changed,” Xu Qi’an frowned.
Zhong Li said in a small voice,
“That’s not the point. The point is the teacher’s intention. Why did he leave behind the Fate-scattering Hammer? Was it just to help you achieve enlightenment? But you’re second rank, you don’t need enlightenment.”
Having said this, she tilted her head, as if testing him.
Flick! Xu Qi’an snapped his finger against her forehead and scolded jokingly,
“Are you testing my reasoning?”
He immediately curbed his smile and, after pondering for a moment, analysed,
“Although the Jianzheng suffered a setback, with his wisdom, he must have left behind contingency plans. Even ordinary people know to prepare for a rainy day, let alone him.
“So, if the Great Feng lost him, our greatest shortcoming would be the lack of first-rate beyond-mortal fighting power. From that angle, it’s not hard to deduce that the Jianzheng must have found some way to make up for the disparity.
“The Fate-scattering Hammer is tied to fortune, and can enlighten…”
The more he thought, the clearer it became. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him like a bolt of lightning.
He looked at the small wooden hammer in Zhong Li’s hands, his eyes blazing and his body trembling with excitement.
Now he understood the Fate-scattering Hammer’s true purpose.
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