Chapter Ninety-One: Palindromic Couplets, Capturing the Beauty Alive, Part Two

At dawn, a sliver of sunlight slipped into the tent, and Li Wei opened his eyes on time.

Li Lingyue was already wearing a pale moon-white undershirt, clinging tightly to his arm. At first she had meant to hug his whole body, but her arms were not long enough, so in the end she could only seize one of Li Wei's elbows.

"Get up," Li Wei said softly, twisting her ear.

It was rather gratifying, really. This was the future Princess of Peace and Tranquility.

"Big Brother, I want to sleep a little longer," Li Lingyue muttered, crawling onto him and rolling about. Half amused and half exasperated, Li Wei simply lifted her up by force.

As for dressing and washing, he need not help at all. A whole retinue of palace attendants and eunuchs came to serve, making everything neat and proper for Li Lingyue, and with even greater attentiveness than they showed Li Wei. Who would dare be careless? Could one not see it? The emperor and empress doted on her, and the crown prince did not merely like her—he spoiled her rotten. Though she was only a tiny little girl, her prospects shone brighter than the sun.

Not only the eunuchs and maids, but even the son of the famed General Xue, Xue Dingshan, was privately thinking that this little girl must on no account be offended.

By the latter part of the fourth month, the days had grown long and the sun had become industrious too, leaping in one flash from beneath the horizon and drawing out its radiant body.

The imperial carriage resumed its journey, and all along the way things seemed very peaceful.

In truth, they were not. The crown prince preferred to keep a low profile and did not wish to disturb the common people, so he traveled in plain clothes. Yet the local officials did not actually know this. And how far was this from Luoyang, after all? Even Mount Song was not far from Luoyang. Since even the travel documents had been forged, it would not do to come out and offer a formal welcome. That would no longer be flattery; it would be bootlicking the horse's hooves.

But no one dared be negligent. When the crown prince traveled, there was no need to spread yellow sand on the road, but at the very least water had to be sprinkled to settle the dust. No one dared make too much of a display. After roughly estimating the route the crown prince would take, the officials cleaned the roads accordingly. All the way to Mount Song, several counties mobilized every hand they had, governing within their borders, arresting lawless men, and even the great monks of the Shaolin Temple grew busy.

Yet Li Wei could not see any of this. What he saw was all beautiful: the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, the customs were simple and honest, and things left on the road were not taken by passersby ...

The principle was like that of a besieged city: those inside see the world outside as carefree, while those outside see the life within as lively and spirited. He longed only to flee, yet did not know how many in the world would envy his position. Truly, to be a wealthy man in his own right was a fine thing. If someone like Zou Fengchi were dealt with by Xu Jingzong, then in the blink of an eye his whole family would be gone. Or one could become a minister, living in equal terror, or else learn from Xu Jingzong, wipe off all pretense of dignity, and contentedly become Li Zhi and Wu Zetian's watchdog, ready at any moment to bite on behalf of the master. Even if Li Wei were beaten to death, he would never deign to do such a thing. Unless one became emperor—yet that too required ability. In the late Eastern Han and the late Tang, many emperors had lived even more bitterly than he, this crown prince.

In truth, crisis and hope are born together; there was no need to be so pessimistic.

"The bamboo has softened again; it's starting to rot," Liu Qun said with delight.

Ignoring the thick, scummy water, Yang Min also stretched out her fair hand and picked up the bamboo to examine it. Then she said, "I wonder what sort of paper can be made from it?"

"I don't know either, but I heard His Highness say it will be very thin—so thin that in sunlight, one may see objects behind the paper through it."

"How thin would that be?" Yang Min covered her mouth with a little hand and exclaimed in surprise. It was an exaggerated way of speaking, but if one could at least see blurred shadows through the paper, then compared with the present sort of paper thick enough to wear as clothing, it would indeed be extraordinarily thin.

"His Highness is very clever, little lady of the Yang family. Let me tell you a secret: that milk candy of the crown prince was invented by the crown prince himself, not a notion I came up with."

The workshop had changed hands once more. The Jiang brothers had not been promoted very high, after all they had not studied much. One became a seventh-rank officer of the Left Palace Guard, and the other a lower seventh-rank assistant military officer in the armor bureau of the Thousand-Autumn Guard. Since they now held official posts, they could no longer manage the workshop. So it was transferred to Liu Qun's elder brother, and fortunately Wei Yuanzhong also sent over two or three experienced managers from his own household to help.

The Jiang family's fate made others green with envy. But this was only the beginning. The farther the crown prince went, the higher the Jiang family would rise.

Yet the crown prince was a man of conscience. He might not necessarily compare with the Jiang family in ability, but so long as the tasks he had ordered were carried out well, there would not necessarily be no good future ahead.

"How does His Highness know so much?" Yang Min asked in astonishment.

"His Highness is the crown prince; naturally he is different from ordinary people."

Hearing this, Yang Min said nothing. She put the bamboo back into the water and then said, "His Highness has been in the eastern capital for nearly half a month now. I wonder how he is faring?"

Little by little, concern began to grow, along with anxiety and worry. Just as Li Wei had thought, she was only a fifteen-year-old child, half-understanding things and half not, and after hearing a few words from her mother she had developed some ill feeling toward the former crown prince. Yet in the end she was still only a child. As for Yang Min, the emperor and empress had given no clear statement, and the wedding day drew closer with each passing day. But when rumors from the capital reached his ears, Yang Shijian became deeply uneasy. It was not merely his daughter's happiness at stake. Once the marriage was settled, the Yang family's rise to prominence would follow at once—unless the crown prince underwent some sudden change. Yet the crown prince was benevolent and loving; could the emperor really bear to depose him? If the marriage failed, then the Yang family would fail as well.

Because of this, the daily anxiety caused a feeling of unease throughout the household.

Liu Qun did not know all this. Looking at the pond, he said, "In just over a month, the new paper will be ready. Little lady of the Yang family, and your wedding with His Highness is not far off either. Perhaps this will add a great deal of joy."

As he spoke, his eyes were full of hope.

Even without understanding, one could see the significance of the new paper. Besides, bamboo and lime—what place had not seen such things?

Since there was no running, they replaced exercise with walking, and Li Lingyue certainly could not last long if this continued. So Li Wei carried her on his back as they walked, treating it as weighted running and a way to train the body. Li Lingyue laughed happily on his back, then rubbed her baby-soft little face against his hair.

"Your Highness..." Eunuch Jin began and then hesitated.

"Eunuch Jin, what is it you want to say?"

Eunuch Jin had wanted to say that his body had not yet fully recovered, and that this was not in accordance with ritual, but fearing that the little princess would be displeased, he did not dare say it. So he changed his words and said, "Your Highness, you are far too good to the little princess."

"Eunuch Jin, I'll reward you with a piece of milk candy," Li Lingyue said happily, taking a piece of milk candy from her bosom.

"Many thanks, Princess," Eunuch Jin said, taking it with both laughter and tears.

Yet Eunuch Jin's words voiced the thoughts of most of them: the crown prince was not merely too good to the little princess. If I had such a big brother, how happy would I be? Some of the elder boys had already secretly made up their minds that when they returned this time, they would certainly be a little kinder to their younger siblings.

It was against ritual, yet it made for a very tender scene.

Only the pampered Xu Yanbo suffered for it, forced to walk again ...

Li Lingyue suddenly bit Li Wei's ear and whispered, "Big Brother, that Shireman, you dislike him, don't you?"

"Mm. Why do you ask?"

"You let me down."

Li Wei set her down, and Li Lingyue ran up to Xu Yanbo and said, "Big Brother says your talent is good. Tell me a story."

"A story?"

"What, you don't want to?"

"I would not dare," Xu Yanbo said respectfully. This was the little princess cherished by thousands of favors; even if his grandfather were here, he would not dare offend this great young lady. So he racked his brains for stories, but what good stories could he possibly tell? He could only recount various allusions, or things that had happened in history.

"I don't want those. I want stories. The lamp of Aladdin, Sindbad."

"Aladdin? Sindbad?"

Even if Xu Yanbo were killed, he still could not have told them!

"You really are a fool. In the lamp of Aladdin there is a spirit; once the lamp is rubbed, the lamp spirit appears and can grant whatever you wish. Sindbad wanted to steal the book of peace from his friend, but it was stolen by a wicked witch. He and his friend sailed through many dangers and took the book of peace back. You can't even tell that story?"

A lamp spirit? A book of peace? Xu Yanbo was drenched in sweat. Very well, I admit I am a fool. His feet were already covered in blisters, and with Li Lingyue's torment of the spirit as well, his misery was beyond words.

In this way, the procession moved very slowly. By afternoon they had not gone far at all, and instead had worked up a sweat under the sun. Not far ahead they saw a tea pavilion.

"Let's have some tea, everyone."

All responded with cheerful assent. The crown prince was not in a hurry, so neither were they. In any case, this was not the Guanzhong region, and supplies were no concern.

When they entered the tea pavilion, the tea owner this time was a little younger, around forty, and came out courteously to greet them. Unlike the tea pavilions around Luoyang, business here was much quieter.

Suddenly, Ximen Chong said, "Look."

Everyone followed the direction of his finger and saw that another sheet of paper had been pasted onto the bamboo support of the tea pavilion. The handwriting was the same, though the line had changed: green hills after rain, and rainy hills are green and fair.

This area did not have very large mountains, yet the ridges stretched on without end, and many trees grew upon them. After a rain had fallen, the whole mountain range would indeed be lush and green. Another palindrome couplet.

Xue Na became alert. Do not think that because Xue Rengui had come from a peasant background he lacked learning; precisely because he had come from a peasant background, he felt a hunger for knowledge. When he later became a general, he studied with great diligence and was strict in educating his children. Xue Na himself, though fond of martial arts and exceptionally skilled in archery, and though especially proficient in military texts and battle strategies, was also well versed in scholarly learning. In matters of classics and meaning, Li Wei was not necessarily his equal at present.

A young man accomplished in both civil and military arts.

To be able to devise such paired lines, there could not be many people in the whole world. One line might be coincidence, but two lines could not be. Besides, though their party was keeping a low profile, an observant person could still learn where they were headed.

He immediately asked, "Who left this couplet?"

"It was left by two young gentlemen. They said they wanted to add a touch of refinement to our place."

Hearing this, everyone grew wary.

Once they set out again, Xue Na ordered the guards to bring out their weapons: single-edged swords, bows and arrows, quivers filled with arrowheads. He even placed shields at the front of the carriage, ready to snatch them up at any moment and form a shield wall. He also had four guards, regardless of exposing their identities, put on armor and ride ahead and behind to scout the road.

It was not that he was overly alarmed by every rustle in the grass; the matter on Mount Zhongnan had happened once before. There were many mountain paths in this area, and no one could afford to be careless.

Li Wei dared not be negligent either. Not only was there himself, but also Li Lingyue. If anything happened, the emperor and empress would blame the guards, but they would also blame him. If he had not tried so hard to remain low-key, there would have been no danger at all.

As the light gradually neared dusk, and because their pace had already been slow, it became slower still. By day's end they had traveled no more than fifty li. The scouts returned and reported, "This subordinate discovered two suspicious-looking people ahead."

Xue Na said in a low voice, "Take them down."

Li Wei added, "Be sure to capture them alive."

This time they came prepared, so there was no need for concern. This was not Mount Zhongnan. Whatever these two men's purpose might be, they had to find out who stood behind them.

More than ten fully armed guards mounted up and gave chase. Before long, they brought back two people. One of them twisted about on horseback, shouting, "You filthy men, don't touch me! Don't touch me!"

Today is Saturday, and the day of release is drawing ever closer. I had originally meant to repay everyone's support, but unexpectedly this has become the earliest book to be put on sale. Next week I'll see whether I can hold it back for a day or two and then release a little more of the public version. Alas, I still have no saved chapters, and with the book going on sale, I feel uneasy about monthly tickets and subscriptions and all that. I wonder whether, by then, it will be the computer that gets flung, or my head ...