A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 9

“Princess Jiangning is coming to our house to learn martial arts?” Chen Liangyu’s pupils trembled slightly, rejection written all over her face.

Chen Yuanqing calmly replied, “That’s right.”

“Who will teach her?”

“Naturally, you will.”

Chen Liangyu put down her bowl and chopsticks and said, “I’m not idle. Where would I find the time to teach her? Besides, the palace isn’t without Grand Tutors, so why must she come to our house? And why must I be the one to teach?”

She knew perfectly well whether she was idle or not, and her voice naturally dropped a notch as she spoke.

Chen Yuanqing said, “I don’t know. It’s the Crown Prince’s decision.”

The reason was simple upon closer thought: Xie Wenjun was the Emperor’s only princess. Since the training grounds often had male attendees, and the royal family prioritized reputation, it was naturally impermissible for Xie Wenjun to have excessive contact with men. Sending her to the Xuanping Marquis Residence to be tutored by Chen Liangyu, who was also a woman, was arguably the optimal solution.

But what use was martial arts to a delicate royal princess? After much contemplation, it could only be related to the Spring Hunt in the third month after the start of spring next year.

Chen Liangyu cast a pleading glance toward Chen Linjun: “Big Brother, Big Sister-in-Law recently…”

Chen Linjun flatly refused, “Busy.”

Chen Liangyu frowned, “Big Brother.”

Chen Linjun grunted, “A mess you got yourself into, don’t dump it on your sister-in-law.”

Chen Liangyu raised her palm to swear, “Heaven and earth as my witness, when did I get myself into it? I absolutely do not want to get involved with this esteemed Princess of the Eastern Palace. I’m trying to avoid her!”

“I can help you, but go ask your sister-in-law yourself. However, if you invite your sister-in-law to teach, then the reward silver must naturally go to her. Don’t you try to pocket it yourself,” Chen Linjun tutted, raising his voice. “Someone in our family was penalized half a year’s salary, you know.”

Chen Liangyu leaned toward Chen Linjun, her expression earnest, and asked, “Is the reward silver… a lot?”

“Hard to say.”

Chen Liangyu picked up her bowl and chopsticks, took a bite of rice, and decided to go all out: “It’s just teaching a princess martial arts, a mere trifle. No need to bother Big Sister-in-Law; I’ll do it myself.”

The next day, Princess Jiangning arrived punctually at the entrance of the Xuanping Marquis Residence. The Imperial Guards escorting her dispersed in formation. The sheer scale made passersby think the Marquis Residence was in trouble.

It was completely unnecessary. The seemingly tall and mighty Imperial Guards, mostly for show, were inferior to the Xuanping Marquis Residence’s private soldiers, each seasoned in combat, by more than a notch.

Even at her young age, Xie Wenjun’s looks and demeanor were exceptional. Her soft features, especially her brilliant eyes, looked innocent and harmless.

Chen Liangyu looked over, letting her gaze linger on that face for a moment.

They faced each other across a doorway, their eyes meeting from afar, as if separated by the Milky Way in the heavens and the River of Forgetfulness in the Nine Springs. The distance was a mere hundred meters, yet it seemed so vast.

Stepping down from the copper carriage, Xie Wenjun smoothed her temples and casually adjusted her attire.

Chen Liangyu trusted her own judgment. That gaze always gave people a bottomless feeling, which was inconsistent with Xie Wenjun’s seemingly calm and elegant facade.

Beautiful, but highly disliked!

This seemingly innocent Princess Jiangning was actually extremely shrewd.

As Xie Wenjun walked towards her, Chen Liangyu averted her gaze, no longer looking directly at her, and stepped forward to greet her with her parents.

The young eunuch Wei followed behind Xie Wenjun, his whole being strangely unsettling.

From afar, this young eunuch Wei looked like an aged man, but up close, he was merely an undernourished child of seven or eight. Yet, both his voice and actions were those of a mature adult. It was as if a middle-aged man had seized the body of a boy and sustained himself by consuming the child’s essence, thus appearing withered and spiritless.

He trailed closely behind Xie Wenjun with short, mincing steps.

Both the mistress and servant were bizarre. Look at the wonderful task my father has taken on for me!

He Yunzhou settled Xie Wenjun in Guan Ju Tower, separated from Chen Liangyu’s Liangyuan by a two-fold winding corridor. After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the sky became cloudy, the air turned cold, and the heat exhaled from their mouths condensed into white mist.

The escorts had been sent back to the palace, leaving only the young eunuch Wei, the two personal maids, Yuanrong and Daiqing, and a few common palace servants.

Chen Liangyu and Xie Wenjun sat facing each other across the stone table and seats in the rear courtyard pavilion, simply staring at one another.

“What does the Princess wish to learn?”

“It should be me asking you. Where should we begin?”

Basic skills always start from the foundation, which meant standing in the horse stance. Chen Liangyu looked at her in her embroidered, luxurious attire; she did not look like she had come to learn martial arts. The image of Princess Jiangning in those clothes, straddling her legs in a full horse stance, formed in Chen Liangyu’s mind, and it truly felt inappropriate.

“Has the Princess ever practiced martial arts?”

“No.”

Chen Liangyu rubbed the back of her neck in distress. For the first time in her life, she immensely missed the extremely strict Uncle Yan.

Uncle Yan? Suddenly, a thought flashed in her mind.

“Princess, please wait a moment.”

She searched up and down the study, turning it inside out, and finally pulled out a thin booklet from the bottom of an old chest.

“Pff~” The smell of damp paper.

Xie Wenjun looked at the small booklet handed to her, puzzled, and tilted her head at Chen Liangyu.

“This is what your subject saw when I first began learning martial arts. It contains some basic martial arts knowledge. Take it back and read it first. The Princess’s attire today is not suitable for practice. I hope the Princess will dress more simply tomorrow and avoid wearing so many cumbersome ornaments.”

Xie Wenjun picked up the wrinkled, barely-a-book item, flipped through a page, and dutifully asked, “Alright. Do I need to memorize it?”

“That would be best.”

The sky in winter darkened exceptionally early. By the hour of You (5-7 PM), the sun had already set in the west.

The sky was especially dim today, and the servants had lit the lanterns in various places early on. A cold wind began to blow in the courtyard, causing the dry branches and leaves of the plants in the rear garden to rustle.

It looked like a thunderstorm was brewing.

After dismissing Princess Jiangning, Chen Liangyu returned to Liangyuan. Deep in the courtyard grew a delightful ginkgo tree, its crown reaching to the sky. After the heavy snow, only a few golden-yellow leaves remained. They were being battered by the strong wind, stubbornly swaying on the branches, refusing to be blown off.

She forbade people from sweeping the fan-shaped dry leaves on the ground, as having some autumn scenery in the winter was a wonderful thing.

She dropped the door latch, walked alone down the corridor, and casually took a flint from the stone basket to light the candle.

She was the only person in this courtyard. She had no attending maids and did not allow anyone to disturb her.

Entering the inner chamber, she lit the oil lamp by the bed, took off her outer robe and hung it on the clothes rack, and used cold water to wet a cloth to wash her face. Having completed all this in an orderly fashion, she changed into her undergarments, took off her boots, and lay on the bed.

It was dry and cold in winter. The rain that was threatening to fall did not, drawing several flashes of lightning across the night sky and a few loud, dry claps of thunder on the flat ground.

Around midnight, someone knocked loudly on the door of Liangyuan. Chen Liangyu, with sleepy eyes, threw a cloak over herself and went out to open the door. Under the cloak, she wore only a single layer of inner clothing, and the cold wind immediately began to penetrate her clothes. Yuanrong first bowed and then said, “General Chen, the Princess has sent this servant to request your presence.”

“Now?”

Chen Liangyu glanced at the dark night; it was likely almost the hour of Zi (11 PM – 1 AM).

“Yes.”

“Did the Princess say why?”

“The Princess is afraid of thunder. Perhaps she has read too many ghost stories. In the palace during a thunderstorm, she needs a dozen people on guard to fall asleep, but now there are only Daiqing and me. The Princess said to please ask the General to come and suppress the fear.”

Suppress the fear!

This was treating her like a door god.

Chen Liangyu nodded and said, “Please wait a moment. I’ll change my clothes and be right there.”

She casually put on a common dress, tightened her cloak, and stepped into the gale. Yuanrong held a lantern in front to light the way. The light flickered and swayed precariously, as if it might be blown out at any moment.

Daiqing was turning the charcoal in the brazier with an iron shovel. The charcoal in the tower was sufficiently supplied. The moment she stepped in, a rush of heat surged from her feet to her head, causing her to feel slightly sweaty.

Xie Wenjun had buried her head under the bedding, trying to use the quilt to block the terrifying sound of the thunder.

The young eunuch Wei was waiting by the curtains. Seeing Yuanrong bring Chen Liangyu in, he immediately drew aside one side of the curtain and announced, “Princess, Commander Chen has arrived.”

Xie Wenjun poked her head out from under the quilt. Her startled, fawn-like eyes were filled with panic, which only slightly subsided when she saw Chen Liangyu follow Yuanrong into the inner chamber. She sat up, her soft hair cascading over her shoulders. Her hands tightly clutching the edge of the quilt revealed that she was still afraid.

Chen Liangyu sat cross-legged on the elevated platform outside the bed curtains. “Princess, please rest. Your subject will sit outside the curtains.”

Daiqing brought a cushion. Chen Liangyu rested her arms on her bent knees, staring blankly ahead, lost in thought.

Xie Wenjun lay back down.

The young eunuch Wei lowered the bed curtains and consciously retreated to guard outside the inner chamber door. Yuanrong and Daiqing also closed the door and went to rest in the outer room’s compartment. The inner chamber was quiet and peaceful.

Chen Liangyu glanced around the inner chamber. The decor and furnishings were extremely simple. On the incense table by the bed, there was an exquisite crane-shaped incense burner, silently wafting a smoky fragrance. A few light red plum blossoms were simply arranged in a white porcelain vase, looking cool and elegant.

Although this tower was not far from Liangyuan, this was only the second time she had been here.

The first time was when she returned to Yongdu and was familiarizing herself with her new home. Madam He found the tower to be delicate and refined and planned to make it her maiden’s room, but she immediately preferred the small courtyard next to it with a gate.

Her mind was wandering.

“A’Li.”

The person behind the bed curtains called out softly. This was the first time Xie Wenjun had called her by name. Her voice was always soft and weak, but to Chen Liangyu, it sounded like a needle hidden in cotton, ready to unexpectedly pierce her.

“Mhm.” She responded. In an instant, feeling she was perhaps too cold, she added, “Your subject is here.”

There was no follow-up. She waited quietly. After a long while, as if she had finally made up her mind, Xie Wenjun spoke again, saying, “I’m truly sorry to trouble you so late.”

“The Princess is too polite. Since the Princess resides here, guarding the Princess is your subject’s duty.”

A perfunctory answer, cold and devoid of warmth.

The glaring white light, flickering on and off, illuminated the entire inner chamber. Another peal of thunder, which shook the earth, sounded. Xie Wenjun covered her ears, waiting for the thunder to pass.

After the tremendous and prolonged roar ceased, the room returned to silence. Xie Wenjun spoke again, saying, “You seem to harbor deep prejudice against me?”

Chen Liangyu was stunned. She believed she had never been negligent towards Princess Jiangning, so why the question?

She had underestimated the child’s keen intuition and insight.

Chen Liangyu was debating how to answer when Xie Wenjun spoke again: “After thinking about it, was it because on that day in the Emperor’s Chongzheng Hall, you saw me smile at Consort De?”

“Yes, your subject saw it.” She admitted it frankly. Fearing she might hurt Xie Wenjun’s adolescent feelings, she added, “Your subject holds no prejudice against the Princess.”

She wasn’t good at lying, so she simply told the truth.

“What kind of person am I in your eyes?” Xie Wenjun asked.

Chen Liangyu searched for a few diplomatic words to brush her off. Xie Wenjun then said, “You don’t need to be perfunctory. I want to hear your honest thoughts.”

Chen Liangyu’s heart felt like cavalry charging across the border. She had never learned to be deceitful, and with Xie Wenjun’s plea to ‘hear her honest thoughts,’ she cautiously spoke the truth.

“Deeply scheming, and not suitable for association.”

Xie Wenjun hadn’t expected her to be so sincere. Silence hung in the curtains for a long moment.

The sound of the rain enveloped Guan Ju Tower. Their voices were muffled by the approaching wind and rain. Yuanrong and Daiqing leaned against the door, half-asleep.

Before long, Xie Wenjun seemed to let out a slight chuckle, so faint that Chen Liangyu thought she imagined it. “May I take that to mean you are afraid of me?”

Afraid? Chen Liangyu didn’t think she was afraid, but she certainly intended to avoid her. Frankly, if the Crown Prince hadn’t sent her to the Marquis Residence, she wouldn’t want any involvement with this calculating princess.

She could not see through this person. Understanding someone requires a long period of interaction and association. Through back-and-forth, one fully comprehends the other’s personality, which naturally allows one to predict that person’s code of conduct. All things considered, they had only met three times, and Xie Wenjun’s previous two impressions were honestly not good.

The first time, she was ruthless.

The second time, she was sinister.

Now, on the third meeting, she had become timid and docile.

Chen Liangyu championed integrity, yet growing up in a situation stained with blood over a thousand miles, she could only play games of strategy and calculate hearts again and again. Rather than saying she wanted to avoid Xie Wenjun, it was more like she wanted to shake off her own cunning, deceitful, and morally compromised self.

To some extent, they were the same kind of person.

“Princess, sleep,” she said after a long silence.

“I can’t sleep. If you are willing to listen, I can tell you what’s on my mind.”

“If the Princess wishes to speak, please do. Your subject is listening.”