Zisui Zhi Chen

Chapter 6: HandkerchiefSince Xin Yi had insisted that he was alright, it wouldn’t be appropriate for He Anchang to continue wiping so he handed the handkerchief over to him. Xin Yi was still smiling at him, rendering He Anchang at a loss for words.Zhang Taiyan’s topic was stopped here and seeing that it was not fitting to continue, he could only turn to a new topic and say, “The tea was boiling hot, how is it alright since His Highness was hurt? Ruxu, later when going back, give one of the ointments bestowed by the Imperial Academy of Medicine’s Liu Yuan to His Highness.”He Anchang gave an acknowledgment and said nothing more. Looking at Xin Yi’s expression filled with guilt, Zhang Taiyan said with an affectionate smile, “It was His Highness who got burned, what is there to feel guilty about? It worries this elder greatly. Today, this elder merely wanted to meet His Highness to see the flair of Bei Yang Prince Yan once more and now that I've seen it, my heart has been put to ease. Is His Highness staying in Prince Ping Ding’s manor as a guest at the moment?”Xin Yi nodded, appearing almost like a timid youth who had just entered the Capital and did not know his way from left to right.Zhang Taiyan said eagerly, “How splendid if so. In the future, His Highness would be of a higher royalty1 being the king of princes with ten thousand years of wealth and longevity. Prince Ping Ding has only been conferred to a second rank prince as of recent and with this inferior prestige, Your Highness will have to suffer quite a bit. Not to mention, Prince Ping Ding is young and unrestrained. In court, he’s the type who does as he says he would once he’s adamant, how could he possibly attend to His Highness in the manor? If His Highness really takes this elder as an old acquaintance and tea friend, why not stay at Prince Qin’s manor for a few days? Once His Majesty dwells upon the hardships of His Highness, an official residency would surely be arranged early. What does His Highness think?”Xin Yi appeared to have wavered a little but he still shook his head. He wrote on the table with his fingers: I owe Prince Ping Ding for his saving grace.Zhang Taiyan shook his head, “To kill Prince Ping was an imperial edict from His Majesty and Prince Ping Ding was only following orders so it should not be counted as an initial intention of his. If His Highness is not one to forget gratitude, His Majesty should be remembered as well.” Xin Yi nodded and Zhang Taiyan continued, “Now that matters of court in the Capital are complicated, to have a close knitted relationship with courtiers out of nowhere is not something His Majesty would take a liking to I'm afraid. Prince Ping Ding himself is an enigma and is most definitely not someone you can confide in overnight. Allow this elder to give His Highness a piece of advice. Come what may but I beg of His Highness to not betray the expectations of the army of Bei Yang’s Sanjin.”This last sentence unfortunately must’ve been the main purpose of today’s meeting. Xin Yi finally understood why Zhang Taiyan wanted to meet him here. He wanted to say it himself that the honorable left faction did not intend to pry on Bei Yang’s military power in the slightest and that even if this military power could be given to Prince Qin, he would never allow Bai Jiu any share of it.Xin Yi hung his head in contemplation as if moved.Zhang Taiyan also did not persist and only poured his tea for a sip. The storyteller startled the room with a slap of his wooden stick at this immediate moment and asserted, “That Wang Zang was of poor and humble birth from the outskirts, with the conduct of a street hoodlum, severing his manhood to enter the palace, exhausting all his eighteen eloquencies2, coaxing ordinary gentlemen to enter a sweet drunken dream, unable to distinguish from black to white! Allowing that measly castrate to sit atop the court, disrupting the peace of all those loyal in court! Truly lamentable! Detestable to the bone!”Xin Yi finally lifted his head, his gaze like the deliverance at the end of a difficult decision. Zhang Taiyan took out a handful of copper coins from inside his sleeve, stacked them on the table and said to Xin Yi, “Your Highness is truly dauntless.”The meeting up till this point has been concluded. The three of them listened to the storyteller criticize Wang Zang until his spit flew all over. On the outside, Xin Yi appeared to be engrossed as he listened but in actuality, his mind had wandered off elsewhere. Bai Jiu’s birthright was not even considered to be from a poor background. People rarely bring this up at the present time out of concern for their own safety but whenever there is a dispute in court, the left faction frequently likes using this as a method of humiliation. And eventually, they couldn’t hold themselves back from bragging about the prestige of their family with pride and gratification. Bai Jiu initially joined the Imperial Bodyguards and he was able to climb his way up. It was undeniably because he was appointed as the Commander of the Imperial Bodyguards that he became His Majesty’s most trusted aide.But what of it?Everyone in court could only rely on their own abilities to be as stable as Mountain Tai3. Those born from high ranking noble families could, so why is it that Bai Jiu who was born from a humble family could not? The Emperor never had to worry about the sharp knives in the palm of his hand. He would sharpen and use every knife until it could no longer be used before he breaks them. This world would never have a shortage of people who were willing to be his knife. All that Zhang Taiyan thought about was loyalty to the throne but Xin Yin couldn’t stomach any of it.When it was time to return home after it ended, He Anchang had accompanied Xin Yi downstairs. Just as Xin Yi was about to get into the carriage, He Anchang gave him a sealed porcelain bottle of ointment. Xin Yi reached for it with a smile only to hear He Anchang warned, “Bai Jiu is evil in nature. He’s not a good person.”Xin Yi’s fingers suddenly stopped and he looked at him, at a loss. He Anchang looked into his eyes and said, “Even if Your Highness is young, do not let his appearance deceive you.” He took a few steps back after he finished and bid, “Until next time.” He turned around and left.How did Bai Jiu even manage to provoke someone so upright…… Xin Yi got into the carriage and went home.It started raining en route and when the carriage arrived at the entrance of the manor, he was coincidentally met with a returning Bai Jiu. He was riding Chi Ye today and having seen the carriage turning in from afar, he had stopped at the entrance to wait for its arrival. After hearing the carriage coach’s greeting, Xin Yi lifted the curtain to see Bai Jiu on horseback, completely soaked from the rain.“Come into the carriage, my lord.” Xin Yi popped his head out and called. Bai Jiu got off his horse and up into the carriage.The interior of this carriage was undoubtedly spacious but Xin Yi felt that as soon as Bai Jiu got in, the air that he had tinged with a distinctive scent of frost had occupied the entire carriage, making it difficult for one to ignore. Xin Yi moved to the side to make room for Bai Jiu. Bai Jiu’s hair was fairly wet, most likely from having ridden back in a length of a breath. He raised his hand to undo the button of his upright collar, exposing the inner white lining underneath. His movement was so smooth that it made it hard for Xin Yi to see any signs of asceticism. Xin Yi slightly turned his gaze away as the tip of his ears reddenned.“Where did you go?” Bai Ju’s body was still wet so Xin Yi readily handed him a handkerchief clutched in his hand. All of a sudden, Bai Jiu grasped his wrist and pulled it in front of him, looking at the burned red mark on the back of his hand. His eyes turned cold and the atmosphere in the carriage sank. Xin Yi said out of realization, “The teacup slipped today so I got burned by accident. It’s no big matter.” Bai Jiu let go of Xin Yi’s hand without saying anything. He accepted the handkerchief but did not use it to wipe the water away. Xin Yi couldn’t make anything out of his expressionless face at this moment and after sneaking a few more glances, he still couldn’t make anything of it. With nothing left to say, he said merely, “Since my lord was drenched by the rain, have some ginger tea once you’ve returned.”Bai Jiu’s finger flipped over the corner of the handkerchief and surely, he saw an upright character He. He clenched the handkerchief into his arms in an instant and only sounded in acknowledgement. Xin Yi saw this action of his…… Sigh. It was somewhat uncouth. As expected, this He Anchang must’ve had some past conflict with him, he thought. His eyes had become this ruthless just from seeing this handkerchief.“This handkerchief belongs to Lord He. It was given by Lord He when I got burned.” Xin Yi somewhat tried explaining before he switched to another topic, “It’s rare to see my lord go to court on horseback.”Bai Jiu lowered his eyes a little and droplets of water dripped down following suit. His expression remained the same but there was a slight sense of him easing up. He said, “I didn’t go to court today. I went to Luyi Mountain outside of the city.” But he still came before going up the mountain.“Ah.” Xin Yi’s face brightened, “I've heard about this mountain before. The red maples on top of the mountain resemble a painting and there are many deers, right? I heard that the deers on this mountain aren’t afraid of people and are deers that bring enlightenment.”Bai Jiu saw how ecstatic he was and said in return, “It’s not as exaggerated as the rumors but it is indeed a mountain inhabited by deers and the maples are also beautiful.”Xin Yi laughed, “Does my lord frequent there?”Bai Jiu was not a frequent visitor and it was only merely because he had a motive to today but when words reached his lips, it had turned to, “Sometimes.” Xin Yi’s eyes were suddenly filled with envy and Bai Jiu bore with it in equanimity without any guilt until they got down the carriage.Old Qu was already waiting at the entrance of the courtyard with a row of opened umbrellas. It wasn’t surprising to see Bai Jiu getting down from Xin Yi’s carriage and he held the umbrella to send both of them back. Bai Jiu’s courtyard was not that far off but when he reached Xin Yi’s, he stopped. He looked at Xin Yi, “My clothes are soaked through.”Xin Yi immediately said, “My lord, this way please.”Bai Jiu nodded and at the same time of taking the umbrella from the person holding it behind Xin Yi, he said to Old Qu, “I need some ginger paste and cold water, have it sent over quickly.”Xin Yi looked at him holding the umbrella up beside him and thought to himself that this was not appropriate. Hearing his order, he couldn’t help but to let out a sound in confusion and asked, “Cold water to drive out the cold?”The umbrella wasn’t big so naturally, Bai Jiu huddled together with him, answered, “It’s necessary for burns.” After he was done, he said again to Old Qu, “Have some hot water and warm soup sent over.”Old Qu gave an acknowledgement and immediately passed down the order as Bai Jiu and Xin Yi went in together. The sound of the rain gradually grew louder, drumming against the oil-paper umbrella as if eager to penetrate it. It was only after entering that he realized his shoulder was dry while one side of Bai Jiu’s shoulder was dripping wet. He was at a complete loss for words. Bai Jiu took off his outer robe straight and told him, “It’s because the umbrella was too small.”Everything arrived quickly and Bai Jiu used the cold water to rinse the burnt area of Xin Yi’s hand. Even though it really wasn’t that serious, he rubbed it with ginger paste regardless.Xin Yi’s hand was not white and soft but his long fingers were graceful. He had calluses on his palms and even subtle scars at the center and despite that, Bai Jiu still handled them with extra care. Xin Yi sat in front of him, his eyes wandering about. He felt a burning sensation on his hand and he was unsure if it was from rubbing ginger paste. After finishing at long last, he withdrew his hand in a haste and picked up the ginger tea with both hands and emptying it.This indescribable mood somewhat has the meaning of face blushing red and heart beating fast.“My lord……” With his voice sounding somewhat hoarse, Xin Yi quickly let out a soft cough and said, “The jade my lord carved that day has fa here.”Bai Jiu was drinking his tea at the moment and when he heard him, he turned to look at him. Xin Yi retrieved it from the top side of the shelf and handed it back to Bai Jiu. With it in his hand, Bai Jiu asked for someone to fetch his carving knife. He sat down on the daybed that he had sat the other day and began to work. Wide clean robe draped over shoulders, slightly wet hair and a look of him so wholly absorbed had once again made Xin Yi fixate his eyes.Xin Yi knew that one side of the jade was carved with the image of him taking an afternoon nap that day but he had no idea what Bai Jiu was going to carve on the other side. Bai Jiu looked up at him and with lips extending to a smile, he patted the seat beside him. Xin Yi had no choice but to sit down. Both of them had gotten so close that he could smell the scent from Bai Jiu's body again. “Does My Lord carve jade often?”“No.” The carving knife in the palm of Bai Jiu’s hand moved very quickly, “What I carve often is wood.”Xin Yi couldn’t help but to lean in a little as he watched his busy fingers work on the white jade. After a while of watching, those fingers suddenly stop moving. Xin Yi let out a soft sound in confusion and lifted his head to ask, “Why stop……”He was so close that he could even clearly see the smile in Bai Jiu’s eyes. He said, “Got blocked.” Xin Yi reddened at once and he immediately stood up, wanting to apologize. Bai Jiu unexpectedly switched the carving knife to his other hand and quickly used his hand to block Xin Yi’s receding head, saying to him, “What are you running for? I have to see clearly to carve properly.”Xin Yi thought this man was teasing him at first but Bai Jiu was really looking with all his attention focused as his narrow eyes seemed to be observing all parts of his face in great detail. The forefinger that stopped the back of his head grazed him ever so lightly. Xin Yi could only run about with all he had with his eyes and it was merely after Bai Jiu let go of him that he gradually let out a breath.Bai Jiu stayed until both of them ate dinner. The fish that Xin Yi had been thinking a lot about was served again so he had eaten more rice as well. After dinner, he leaned on a small desk for a short read as Bai Jiu, who was opposite of him briefly carved. Time flew by and by the time that Xin Yi had come to, the room had already gotten dark.It was still heavily raining outside. As Xin Yi listened to the sound of the rain, he suddenly felt a little lightheaded. The sound from Bai Jiu’s carving knife was particularly rhythmical as it gritted in his ears. It was truly soothing when paired with the sound of rain. The more Xin Yi listened, the more sluggish he became. When Xin Yi came to his senses, he realized that the room was completely dim. He got down from the couch and said, “I missed the time to light the lamp.” There was a footrest below the couch and Xin Yi lost his footing and with a stagger, he was about to bump into the small desk. A hand stretched out from behind him and firmly supported him in a hold.“Be careful with your steps.”Bai Jiu retracted his hand and Xin Yi uttered in a dazed, “Yes……”After the lamp was lit, Bai Ju kept his jade as well. Seeing that it had gotten late, it was about time for him to leave. Xin Yi sent him up till the entrance as Old Qu held a lantern by the side. Bai Jiu opened the umbrella and said, “The night is cold with rain, you should head back inside.”Xin Yi agreed and also said to him, “The road is slippery, my lord be careful as well.” After both of them finished talking, they looked at each other. Xin Yi turned his eyes away first and said, “Go ahead, my lord.”Bai Jiu hummed with a smile and turned around, walking into the rain. The air of the night was dyed by the pounding of the downpour rain and in the dark, Bai Jiu’s lantern flickers every so often. Xin Yi stood and stared for a while then retreated into his room and went to sleep after taking a bath.After that, several days passed without Xin Yi seeing as much as Bai Jiu’s shadow and needless to say, he did not see He Anchang’s handkerchief again either.One day after retiring from court and He Anchang was about to walk down the stairs, someone suddenly emerged beside him. He turned for a look and without changing the expressionless look on his face, he paid no attention and continued walking.“Official He.” Bai Jiu’s eyes swept over He Anchang’s face and he said drily, “It’s really not easy for me to meet with you.”“Time flies like an arrow so it must not be wasted.” He Anchang had always been unwilling to exchange any words with Bai Jiu.The ends of Bai Jiu’s lips curved upwards, “To have my lord exert himself for the greater good of the people is truly worthy of respect.” And switched to another subject the very next moment and said, “I heard the black-striped dog from the house of Court of Judicial Review’s Official Zuo had given birth to a pup. I’m aware that your esteemed father loved dogs so he must really be determined to have one.”He Anchang frowned a little and said, “Prince Ping Ding, simply say what you want.”Bai Jiu patted He Anchang’s shoulder and chuckled, “I adored this dog as well and I thought I wouldn’t mind giving it to your esteemed father. But I changed my mind after seeing it yesterday.” With eyes half raised, he said with half of a smile, “Since it belongs to me, my lord best not peered about. If there’s something that I have fondness for, others are not allowed as much as a glance.”He Anchang's head rose at once. Bai Jiu fished a handkerchief out from his sleeve, wiped the hand that he had patted him with just now and proceeded to put the handkerchief on top of He Anchang’s shoulder. He let out a soft chuckle, turned around and left. He Anchang’s brows furrowed as he took the handkerchief off his shoulder. He flipped the corner over and remarkably, it was the character He. This was originally given to the Hereditary Prince to use but it was now in his hand more so having passed through Bai Jiu’s hands.He stood there and pondered.Feeling that there was more to Bai Jiu’s words than what it seems.-Notes:1. 金册金宝 (jin ce jin bao) is referring to the gold book (jin ce) that is used in recording history of the country or the gold book of edict which an emperor uses while jin bao refers to the golden seal the emperor uses. It is used to symbolize the power of the royalty ⤴2. 十八般口才 eighteen (form of) eloquencies is a wordplay on eighteen arms of wushu which is a list of main weapons in martial arts ⤴3. 稳如泰山 (as stable as Mountain Tai) is an idiom. Mountain Tai is a famous mountain known as one of five Sacred Mountains of China ⤴