Spring Remains the Same - Chapter 77

A scroll of yellow paper, upon which were written several names.

Wei Xiu leaned in her wheelchair, turning to the side to accept it with one hand. She lowered her gaze, carefully examining the names one by one.

Xiao Dewen was still young, after all, and had no notable virtues, so few people paid him any mind. Consequently, he had no useful individuals around him. There were nine names in total on the yellow paper, none of whom were men of outstanding talent or virtue. She had never even heard of most of them.

Wei Xiu’s hands were as white as fresh snow. Her thumb, holding the paper, slowly slid over the names. Of the nine, one had been secretly assigned by Puyang, a fact she had mentioned before. Apart from that one, the remaining eight had all appeared in her dream.

They all matched.

Before investigating, she had wondered how a mere dream could be so detailed. After investigating, she was even more bewildered—how could a mere dream be so real?

Wei Xiu’s doubts deepened. The pad of her finger traced lightly over the paper, aimlessly, again and again.

Seeing this, Yan Huan knew she was deep in thought and remained silent, waiting quietly by her side.

Wei Xiu pondered for a while but still came to no conclusion.

Without Puyang’s experiences, even those who believed in reincarnation would likely hold a vague and reverent view, not daring to be certain. As open-minded as Wei Xiu was, she would never have considered past and present lives. She only felt that, because of this list, the dream had become a prophecy, and the names on the list were its fulfillment.

Wei Xiu was dressed today in a moon-white, wide-sleeved robe with black piping. Her elbow rested on the arm of the wheelchair, and the paper in her pale fingers seemed exceptionally thin. Her brow gradually furrowed, her expression growing somber. The scene of Puyang drinking poisoned wine to kill herself had become a thorn embedded in her heart. This thorn grew sharper with the prophetic list, leaving Wei Xiu feeling unmoored and deeply uneasy.

Perhaps those who have nothing cherish what they possess all the more.

Wei Xiu had walked a solitary path for many years before unexpectedly meeting Puyang. Puyang was like a bright lamp, illuminating and warming her. At first, she resisted this warmth, but gradually she came to rely on it. Today, in her heart, Puyang’s importance was no less than that of her parents and brother.

At the thought of her parents and brother, a dull ache spread through Wei Xiu’s heart. Looking up at Yan Huan, she set the paper down and said to him in a gentle voice, “Do you remember, back on the border, we often heard a little verse…” She focused, trying to recall. “Barbarian horse, barbarian horse, set loose far below Mount Yanzhi. Neighing alone in roaring sand and snow, looking east, looking west, the path is lost. The path is lost, the path is lost, amidst endless border grass at dusk.”

Yan Huan’s usually composed expression softened. “Sir, you still remember that? It was a tune the soldiers often sang when we were under the Grand Marshal’s command, filled with longing for home. There’s a second half…”

Wei Xiu had been very young then and couldn’t remember much. She recalled the first stanza only because the barbarian horse and border grass it described were such vivid images, leaving a splash of color in her childhood memory. But Yan Huan had been older at the time and remembered more. He recited softly:

“River of Stars, River of Stars, hanging vast over the autumn city at dawn. The sorrowful rise to gaze in longing, separated south of the river, north of the passes. Parted, parted, though under the same River of Stars, our paths are severed.”

As he murmured the words, Wei Xiu recalled the borderlands, where yellow sand filled the sky. The army tents were pitched on the Gobi. Those times were hard, but they were also happy, for all her family was still alive.

She closed her eyes, and her mind was filled with the image of Puyang. She drank the poisoned wine, collapsed to the ground, bl00d trickling from the corner of her mouth, utterly silent.

Must everyone she cherished meet such a desolate end?

Wei Xiu’s heart was heavy with grief.

But she was not one to wallow in self-pity, much less sit and wait for death.

In the following days, she constantly recalled the scenes from her dream and compared them with reality. Soon, Wei Xiu discovered that many things were already different. She had not traveled far away but had come to the capital with the Princess. She had not entered Xiao Dewen’s service but had remained by the Princess’s side, helping her resolve her worries. Her spirits lifted. Since so many things had already changed, the outcome would not necessarily unfold as it had in the dream.

Many of those she cherished had perished when she was powerless to protect them. She had suffered, helpless, able only to watch as that night of bl00d and slaughter became her eternal nightmare. She no longer had the strength to bear watching another loved one fall before her eyes.

Wei Xiu’s will hardened. She had to protect the Princess and not allow her to suffer the slightest harm. However, as she made this decision, her brother’s face appeared in her mind. He had hidden her in the woods, telling her not to come out, telling her to avenge their parents. He had gone to lead the pursuers away and had never returned.

A matter she had clung to for half her life was not something she could simply let go. For the first time in her life, Wei Xiu deliberately avoided thinking of her deceased family, not daring to even recall them in her heart.

Wei Xiu was the sole master of the Wei residence, so New Year’s Day was not celebrated with much fanfare.

Grand Tutor Wei visited once more. He was no longer in a hurry to have Wei Xiu return home with him, but instead mysteriously asked a couple more times what the Princess’s intentions were and where the Emperor’s favor lay.

Wei Xiu, as before, did not reveal a single word. Grand Tutor Wei could do nothing about it. In fact, her tight-lipped demeanor only deepened his conviction. Upon returning, he began to mislead the Prince of Zhao, while also plotting his own escape from the Prince’s camp.

Wei Xiu scoffed at his opportunism, but since Puyang could not declare her ambitions as openly as the imperial princes did to win over court officials, she had no choice but to keep the Wei clan in line this way for now, making them follow the Princess’s lead.

After New Year’s Day, the Emperor went to the Circular Mound Altar to offer sacrifices to Heaven. Accompanying him, besides the various princes and high ministers, was Puyang. This was like a signal, a sign that Princess Puyang’s status at court was growing increasingly prominent, far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Wei Xiu was naturally pleased to see this. But because of it, Princess Puyang’s residence became as crowded as a marketplace, with nobles and dignitaries coming and going. Even her own residence received visits from many princes and dukes. In the blink of an eye, the two of them had not seen each other for more than twenty days.

The Lantern Festival.

Before night had fully fallen, Puyang entered the palace for a banquet. Wei Xiu had a light evening meal, took two or three servants, and went out.

There was no curfew on the night of the Lantern Festival. The streets and alleys were open, filled with fine horses, ornate carriages, and the floating shadows of people.

The sky was still faintly lit, but the Vermilion Bird Avenue was already hung with colorful lanterns.

Although there was no curfew, order was still maintained on the streets. The Gold Guard had increased its patrols, maintaining order everywhere.

A servant pushed her wheelchair as Wei Xiu, a small hand warmer tucked in her sleeve, leisurely watched the bustling prosperity of the city. Before long, a man in armor approached and bowed to her. “Greetings, Sir Wei.”

Wei Xiu had her servant stop. She studied the man for a moment, then a smile touched her lips. “General Zhou, have you been well?”

Zhou Qi straightened up, one hand resting casually on the saber at his waist. He smiled. “Thank you for your concern, Sir. I have been well.”

A squad of armored soldiers stood behind him; they must be the Gold Guard on patrol tonight. Wei Xiu glanced in their direction, then said to Zhou Qi, “General Zhou, you are on duty. Please go about your business.”

Zhou Qi readily agreed. Their eyes met. Zhou Qi gave a slight nod and quickly departed.

Wei Xiu watched him walk away before continuing forward.

Her residence and the Princess’s residence were on opposite sides of the Imperial City, not close to each other. Wei Xiu was in no hurry, letting the servant push her along at a slow pace.

The moon rose above the branches, and the night sky descended. The moonlight tonight was exceptionally clear; tomorrow would surely be a fine day.

The deeper the night grew, the livelier the streets became. All kinds of colorful lanterns hung from branches and eaves, and pedestrians each carried a lantern, all heading in the same direction. Among them were many young men and women, walking side by side, carefree. Though they observed propriety and made no physical contact, the way their eyes met and quickly darted away filled the air with a hazy affection.

Wei Xiu watched, and before she knew it, she had arrived outside the Princess’s residence.

She glanced at the sky, roughly calculated the time, and then ordered her servant to wait under a tree, not wanting to disturb the household.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the sound of rolling carriage wheels accompanied by countless hoofbeats emerged from the darkness.

Puyang’s carriage slowly approached from the end of the inner lane.

Wei Xiu signaled her servant to push her forward, out from the shadows. When the carriage reached the front of the Princess’s residence, Qin Kun hurried forward to lift the door curtain, and Puyang emerged. She was dressed in magnificent attire, with swaying phoenix hairpins in her hair and a light touch of powder and rouge on her cheeks. Illuminated by the palace lanterns held by her attendants, her elegance was unparalleled.

In that instant, Wei Xiu’s eyes could see nothing else.

Puyang seemed to sense something and, as if by instinct, looked in her direction. Surprise instantly blossomed in her eyes.

Author’s Notes:

That poem, “Barbarian horse, barbarian horse,” is a ci poem by Wei Yingwu, titled “Tiaoxiao Ling.”

Not seeing each other for several months before the wedding is too cruel, they must meet!

Also, it would be too much of a stretch to think of past and present lives just because of a dream. A normal person would, at most, think that the dream was very accurate and likely some kind of premonition.

To Wei Xiu, Puyang is no longer the daughter of her enemy, but rather someone she wants to cherish, in the same category as her parents. She was powerless to protect her parents back then, but now that she has the ability, she is unwilling to let Puyang be harmed again. She doesn’t want tragedy to repeat, doesn’t want to be filled with regret. Also, she knows that even if she succeeds in her revenge, she will be unhappy, just as she was in the dream.