Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 30

The first snow fell, leaving the myriad mountains vast and empty.

Puyang arrived at the small courtyard. The courtyard was low and small, seeming as if it had sunk into the white snow. It was filled with accumulated snow, with only a narrow path cleared by servants. The snow was piled high on both sides, making the path resemble a secluded, solitary trail between high mountains—lonely and treacherous.

Puyang stood outside the courtyard, finding the sight interesting. She paused for a moment before ordering an attendant to go inside and announce her.

A moment later, the attendant returned and reported that the Sir had gone to the bamboo grove after rising in the morning.

The bamboo grove was nearby. Puyang gathered the collar of her cloak and slowly strolled over.

This snow had fallen heavily; overnight, the world had become a vast expanse of white. Walking amidst this uniform whiteness, one’s heart seemed to connect with heaven and earth, feeling vast and open.

Puyang walked at a leisurely pace. As she approached the bamboo grove, she saw Wei Xiu outside it, quietly gazing at the dense forest of tall bamboo before her.

The bamboo leaves were proud, not withering in winter. Frost and snow had accumulated on the long, slender leaves, weighing them down and making the entire grove appear tall and substantial.

Wei Xiu sat alone in her wheelchair, wearing a silk kerchief and a crane-feather cloak. She seemed otherworldly and detached, as if at any moment she might drift away and become an immortal.

Unconsciously, Puyang stopped, watching Wei Xiu from a distance of about ten paces.

Her background and origins had been thoroughly investigated, yet for some reason, Puyang still felt that the person before her was an unsolvable enigma. Knowing her history or not knowing it made no real difference. For Puyang, it was merely a comfort to herself; for Wei Xiu, it changed nothing. She was still the same person, as elusive and intangible as the clear wind and bright moon.

“Your Highness has arrived. Why do you watch from afar without a word?” Wei Xiu suddenly spoke.

Puyang returned to her senses and casually told a white lie: “Sir was observing the bamboo with such focus, I couldn’t bear to disturb you.” She walked over to Wei Xiu’s side. Recalling how Wei Xiu often wandered among the bamboo on Mount Mang, she said, “Sir truly is fond of bamboo.”

Wei Xiu smiled, a smile that seemed veiled by a layer of fine gauze, hazy and elusive. A deep sense of nostalgia showed in her eyes. “It was my late father who was fond of bamboo.”

Puyang immediately felt she had been tactless. The Sir had come here in the morning, perhaps to remember her ancestor; her arrival was a true disturbance. Puyang became a little reserved. Wei Xiu, however, spoke gently, “Did Your Highness seek me out to discuss something?” She intended to ease Puyang’s awkwardness.

As she spoke, she turned the wheels of her wheelchair to face Puyang. The ground was covered in snow, making the wheels difficult to move. Puyang stepped behind her and helped push, answering her question, “Nothing of great importance. Last time, I helped the Prince of Jing out of his predicament in the palace. After a long while, he suddenly sent a thank-you gift this morning, along with a formal calling card.”

“If he were sincerely grateful, why wait until today?” Wei Xiu said faintly.

Puyang agreed. “I’m afraid the calling card is the main event.”

Snow began to fall again, landing on the two of them. Wei Xiu looked up at the dark, oppressive sky and sighed, “The bond between brothers, I fear, is about to become like that of strangers.”

She was speaking of the Prince of Jing and the Prince of Jin.

The Prince of Jing had always acted according to the Prince of Jin’s cues. There was a rift between Puyang and the Prince of Jin; though others didn’t know, the Prince of Jin himself was well aware of it and would certainly not visit her lightly. The Prince of Jing’s sudden arrival must be for his own sake.

Puyang recalled how, in her past life, these two had been as close as glue and lacquer until the very end. That they would become estranged in this life made her sigh with emotion.

“That wager—Sir has won.” Once the two princes became like strangers, the Prince of Dai would be unable to withstand the Prince of Jing’s power. Puyang conceded her loss gracefully.

Wei Xiu only smiled and did not acknowledge it. Between the two of them, one a ruler and one a subject, it was truly inappropriate to bring up that wager. After a moment’s thought, she brought up a matter she had been pondering recently. “Your Highness.” As she spoke, she turned her head, her gaze falling right into Puyang’s focused, gentle eyes.

Wei Xiu froze for a moment. Had Her Highness been watching her this whole time?

Puyang had been pushing the wheelchair, but her head was bowed, her eyes fixed on the person in it. Now that Wei Xiu had turned her head, their eyes met. Puyang showed no discomfort, a smile touching the corners of her lips. “What is it?”

Her attitude was so composed; even caught staring, she showed no sign of embarrassment. The love of beauty is common to all. There were no outsiders here, so there was nothing to hide about her enjoyment of looking at the Sir.

Such frankness left Wei Xiu, the one being stared at, at a loss for words. She silently turned her head back to face forward. “It is about Your Highness’s marriage.”

Once Wei Xiu turned away, Puyang could no longer see her face. Puyang didn’t mind and said, “My marriage?”

“Precisely. Your Highness is already seventeen. In a year or two at most, you will have to choose a Prince Consort. It would be better to start looking now, to avoid being unprepared when the time comes,” Wei Xiu said.

Standing behind her, Puyang could see the hair ornament on her head bobbing slightly as she spoke, her smooth cheeks, and her slender yet not frail shoulders. From these details, she could picture Wei Xiu’s usual gentle eyes and her earnest, serious lips as she said these words.

At this thought, Puyang smiled, and her words were tinged with a soft amusement. “It is indeed imminent.”

As they spoke, the small courtyard came into view. When Puyang had gone to find Wei Xiu, she had left her attendants and maids waiting outside the courtyard. Now, seeing the two return with the princess deigning to personally push Sir Wei, two attendants hurried forward, intending to take over for the princess.

Puyang gave them a faint glance.

The two attendants’ hearts trembled, and they quickly bowed their heads and retreated.

Wei Xiu couldn’t see Puyang drive the attendants away with a look and was still speaking of business. “Does Your Highness have anyone in mind?”

Puyang pushed her into the small courtyard, followed the path cleared through the snow, and entered the house. “Not yet. Perhaps Sir could look on my behalf.”

The room was cozy and warm from the brazier. The snow clinging to their clothes melted in an instant, turning into little damp spots. Puyang took a neatly folded blanket from the side and placed it over Wei Xiu’s legs, while Wei Xiu had someone come forward to help Puyang remove her cloak.

The door was closed, shutting out the wind and snow. The charcoal in the brazier burned brightly. Wei Xiu extended her hands to warm them by the fire, her gaze fixed on Puyang as she said earnestly, “This concerns Your Highness’s entire life. It is better to be cautious.” Besides, she didn’t know Her Highness’s preferences, so how could she choose for her?

Puyang’s mind was not on this. She had never cared much about a Prince Consort. In her previous life, for various reasons, she had never married, and she had lived just fine. Thus, she cared even less about having a Prince Consort now. Compared to worrying about a consort who didn’t even exist yet, she would rather sit here quietly and share a small drink with the Sir.

With this thought, she turned her head to look at the window. The windows and doors of the room were tightly shut, and the vast expanse of falling snow was reflected on the window paper. The snow would likely be even thicker tomorrow. At this time of year, to always stay in the residence would be to waste such beautiful scenery.

She said, “I hear the red plum blossoms on the Western Mountain are in bloom. It would be a pity to miss such a beautiful sight. Why don’t you join me to admire them, Sir?”

Wei Xiu could see she was rather nonchalant about her marriage, so she didn’t insist on the topic and went along with her. “The Western Mountain is far. I’m afraid we wouldn’t be able to return in a single day.”

“Then we’ll stay the night,” Puyang said, unconcerned. She had a villa on the mountain; she just needed to send people ahead to prepare it. Compared to the travel arrangements, Puyang was more concerned with having Wei Xiu accompany her.

Wei Xiu had intended to refuse. Her mobility was limited, and traveling back and forth would be a great hassle. But the thought of the beautiful scene of red plum blossoms against white snow filled her with longing. Seeing the anticipation in Puyang’s eyes, she pondered for a moment and then agreed, “In that case, it would be more respectful to obey than to decline.”

Hearing her consent, Puyang’s face broke into a joyful smile. She began telling Wei Xiu about the beautiful scenery on the mountain. “I’ve been there once or twice in past years. To say the Western Mountain’s scenery is a new view with every step, full of graceful charm, is no exaggeration. Especially in winter, when the green mountains are covered in a layer of white snow…”

It was as if she feared Wei Xiu would regret her decision and was trying to entice her with the beautiful scenery.

Although Wei Xiu had only just come of age, she had already set foot in many beautiful places. When speaking of the scenic mountains and rivers in various locations, she could do so with ease. After listening to the princess, she also described some of the wonderful places she had been. The listener and the speaker soon reversed roles.

Just as the two were engrossed—one listening with great interest, the other speaking with vivid detail—a palace eunuch came to report that the Prince of Jing had arrived at the gate.

Puyang frowned, saying unhappily, “He really came at a bad time.”

Wei Xiu was also in a good mood. Hearing Puyang’s words, she gave her an amused look, as if looking at a willful little princess. Her smile was full of indulgence.

Puyang’s heart skipped a beat, and she unconsciously averted her gaze. A moment later, however, she couldn’t help but look back at Wei Xiu, feeling a sense of longing for the smile she had just seen.

“Your Highness should go. After you’ve sent the Prince of Jing away, you can come back.” Wei Xiu thought she was reluctant to leave the boundless scenery she was describing, so she coaxed her.

The Prince of Jing was a prince, after all; she couldn’t keep him waiting too long. Two maids, with great perceptiveness, took the cloak hanging on the side and helped Puyang put it on. Once the cloak was fastened, Puyang looked at Wei Xiu and said in a calm tone, “Sending the Prince of Jing away will likely take a while. Sir need not wait for me.”

Wei Xiu said no more and saw her to the courtyard gate.

Puyang left in a hurry.

Wei Xiu watched her walk away, the smile in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by a bottomless, somber depth.

The wind and snow had subsided by now. Snowflakes drifted down, leisurely and unrestrained, like carefree scholars in the mountains and wilds.

She returned to the room. A Rong was adding charcoal to the brazier. Seeing her enter, she said worriedly, “The princess is a bit too close to you, Young Master.” So close that it seemed she no longer cared about the distinction between men and women.

Wei Xiu remained silent. After a moment, she turned and went to the study. Seeing that she seemed unwilling to discuss it, A Rong dared not say more and simply attended to her respectfully.

The Prince of Jing had indeed come for his own sake.

Ever since the Prince of Jin was reprimanded, he had been having a difficult time. First, the Prince of Zhao bullied him for being isolated and helpless, and then the Prince of Dai suddenly came to provoke him. He was exhausted from dealing with it all, and the Prince of Jin himself was also struggling and couldn’t offer much help. He had thought to endure this period and then plan a counterattack.

He had assisted the Prince of Jin in his struggles for nearly a decade. His power at court, if not deeply entrenched, was not something the Princes of Zhao and Dai could easily shake. He had only wanted to grit his teeth and endure. The Prince of Jin had been facing setbacks recently, so it was only right that he should offer more support.

But who would have known? It was one thing for outsiders to move against him, but even the Prince of Jin had grown suspicious, thinking he harbored ambitions of his own. Even the Prince of Dai knew he was wholeheartedly devoted to the Third Brother, that everything he did was for his grand enterprise. Yet, the Prince of Jin himself did not know, and was suspicious of him. As for the matter of the Xu clan, he had clearly entered the palace to rally military support for the Prince of Jin, but when he told the Prince of Jin about their father’s anger, the prince had only offered a few lukewarm words of comfort before dismissing the matter.

Thinking of their father’s fury that day, if the Seventh Lady hadn’t happened to come for a visit, he might have been given the cold shoulder. The Prince of Jing was truly disheartened. He even suspected that the Prince of Jin had deliberately sent him to bear the brunt of their father’s anger.

Since the Third Brother no longer trusted him, he would not force it. His visit to Princess Puyang’s residence today was for his own sake.

He had already developed the ambition to stand on his own. Befriending Puyang had advantages and no disadvantages. Using the pretext from their last encounter in the Hall of Proclaimed Virtue, he had personally come bearing gifts.

Puyang was annoyed by his ill-timed arrival. Whatever the Prince of Jing said, she would respond with a smile, but whenever he revealed any intention of asking for a favor, she would change the subject, refusing to engage.

Seeing the smile on the Prince of Jing’s face gradually stiffen, Puyang spoke as if she were naive and ignorant of worldly affairs, “I haven’t seen the Third Brother in a long time. Is he well recently? Since the Sixth Brother is here, why didn’t you invite him to come along?”

The Prince of Jing thought of how his loyalty had still aroused the Third Brother’s suspicion. Now that he intended to stand on his own, the Third Brother would surely try to trip him up. With the Seventh Lady, even if he couldn’t forge a strong alliance, he must not make an enemy of her. So he smiled more deeply. “I came to see you, yet you insist on asking about him. It seems I came at the wrong time.”

“I was just asking casually. My elder brother is truly overthinking things,” Puyang replied with a grin, but her gaze drifted into the distance. It was a good thing she had told the Sir not to wait. The way the Sixth Brother was talking, a little about this and a little about that, who knew when he would be willing to leave.