Chapter 174: A Warning Word
The sky on the mountain brightened earlier than elsewhere. Sang Er got up, put on her clothes, and poured out the remaining embers from the charcoal basin, relighting the fire.
“It’s snowing heavily outside, almost knee-deep,” Sang Er said, rubbing her hands as she entered. “We’ll probably have to stay on the mountain for a few days.”
Wen Mingqian also got up and said while combing her hair, “I really didn’t expect such heavy snow. Let’s have breakfast in the room! Go get it, but don’t get too much, and be careful.”
After breakfast, Wen Mingqian, dressed neatly, went to pay respects to the Grand Princess.
Aunt Cui Zhen said, “Your Highness is not awake yet. She woke up in the middle of the night with discomfort in her stomach and tossed and turned for a long time before resting again.”
Wen Mingqian asked anxiously upon hearing this, “Has Your Highness harmed herself with alcohol?”
Cui Zhen nodded, “Your Highness only likes this kind of wine, yet this wine is very harmful to the spleen and stomach.”
“Aunt Cui Zhen, I know how to make a mild hangover soup that is gentle on the spleen and stomach, but I don’t know if it will suit Your Highness’s taste,” Wen Mingqian said.
“We’ve also made some, but Your Highness doesn’t like to drink it. Madam Wen, you could try,” Cui Zhen said. “Your Highness only likes to drink on an empty stomach and refuses to eat anything after drinking.”
Wen Mingqian knew this was the most damaging to the stomach, but anyone who drank like this had too much heartache, forcing them to do so, to alleviate the pain in their heart with pain elsewhere.
Even someone as noble as the Grand Princess was, in the end, just a heartbroken person.
Wen Mingqian then took Sang Er to the kitchen. They selected the ingredients to be used and slowly simmered them over a small stove with a silver pot. This was a skill she had learned from Zhang Ma.
After it was cooked, it was handed over to Cui Zhen, and Wen Mingqian and Sang Er returned to their room.
After noon, Jade Pot came to invite Wen Mingqian, “Madam Wen, Your Highness requests your presence for a game of chess!”
“Is Your Highness feeling better?” Wen Mingqian asked.
“Much better. Madam’s hangover soup is excellent and quite to Your Highness’s liking,” Jade Pot said with a smile.
Wen Mingqian arrived at the Grand Princess’s room and stepped forward to pay her respects.
“No need for formalities, come and sit,” the Grand Princess said, a hint of weariness still on her brow. “Your zither playing is very good. I haven’t slept so deeply in a long time.”
“Your Highness is too kind. This humble one is merely showing off in front of an expert,” Wen Mingqian said modestly.
“Your hangover soup is also very good. When I drink it, I always feel a sense of déjà vu,” the Grand Princess said. “But I can’t recall where I might have drunk it before.”
“I learned it from a recipe in my spare time. If it suits Your Highness’s taste, you can copy the recipe and leave it with Aunt Cui Zhen. If you need it in the future, you can follow the recipe,” Wen Mingqian said.
“The snow is so heavy, you can’t go down the mountain, so you’ll have to stew it,” the Grand Princess smiled. “Come and play a couple of games with me to pass the time in the mountains.”
The Grand Princess played chess slowly. After two games, the sky had darkened.
“Your Highness should have dinner now. The weather is cold, so your diet must be carefully managed,” Wen Mingqian said with concern.
“Alright,” the Grand Princess did not refuse. “What incense did you burn for me yesterday? I haven’t used warm incense for years, but I didn’t expect it to help me sleep so soundly. It’s quite good.”
“I’m glad Your Highness doesn’t blame this humble one for acting on her own initiative. That incense is called ‘Fragrant Dream Deep Slumber’ and is meant to be burned before sleep,” Wen Mingqian said, taking out the remaining incense from the sachet she carried. “I only brought this much with me. If Your Highness wants more, I can make it again when I return.”
Upon returning from the Grand Princess’s room, Wen Mingqian did not go back to her own lodging.
At the summit of Bowang Mountain, there was a grove of ancient plum trees. Although there were only five or six trees, they were still a spectacular sight.
It was dusk, and with the white snow as a backdrop, it was the perfect time to admire the plum blossoms.
The steps leading up the mountain were cleared to a narrow path. Wen Mingqian ascended, and from afar, she could smell a plum blossom fragrance in the cold wind.
This scent stirred her emotions, inexplicably giving rise to a deep melancholy.
On this deserted mountaintop, her heart sank heavily.
Standing beneath the blooming plum trees, Wen Mingqian reached out to gently touch the delicate plum blossoms, as radiant as ice silk and a moonlit sea, that grew on the dark, gnarled branches, as if gently caressing the face of a departed loved one.
“Sister, look how beautiful these plum blossoms are, as beautiful and noble as you…”
“Sister, the wind on the mountaintop is so cold, but I can’t stop. I have to go higher, even higher…”
“Sister, are you watching us from heaven? Then you must be protecting us all the time, right…”
“Sister, look, the moon is rising over the eastern mountain, just like that year we were in the mountains, admiring plum blossoms under the moon like this…”
Wen Mingqian murmured in her heart. She was not without loneliness or hardship, but she could not stop, nor could she confide her difficulties to anyone.
As the sun set, the mountain wind slowly subsided. Under the illumination of a mountain moon, the plum blossoms appeared even more vibrant.
Wen Mingqian gazed upwards, motionless, as if she had turned into a stone statue.
She didn’t even notice the person approaching from behind.
“Shouldn’t one compose poetry when admiring plum blossoms under the moon?” the newcomer’s voice was sharp and sarcastic.
Before turning, Wen Mingqian wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. When she looked at the person, her gaze was calm, and she was once again the dignified and composed Madam Wen in front of others.
“It’s the Prince. This humble one was rude,” Wen Mingqian said, bowing to Prince Changliu, Ying Wuchou.
“I heard you are skilled in both zither and chess, and adept at incense blending. You are indeed talented,” Ying Wuchou appraised Wen Mingqian without concealment, just as he had on their first meeting.
Wen Mingqian naturally saw the wariness and scrutiny in his eyes, and even the barely perceptible disgust. “Your Highness’s praise is humbling. It is getting late, and this humble one must descend. I ask Your Highness to let me pass.”
However, Ying Wuchou stood there motionless. His tall figure blocked the narrow path completely.
“Descend? Are you returning to the city?” Ying Wuchou smiled. “Are you truly willing to leave?”
The path up the mountain was originally impassable, but Ying Wuchou’s presence here indicated that he had already had it cleared.
So she said, “The plum blossoms here are indeed captivating.”
“It’s not just the plum blossoms you’re captivated by, is it?” Ying Wuchou pressed further. “You’ve been meticulously trying to please the Grand Princess, and you must have an ulterior motive. I advise you not to disturb Your Highness’s pure cultivation. If you wish to climb the social ladder, find another way.”
“Did Your Highness hastily order the mountain path cleared just to drive me down the mountain?” Wen Mingqian smiled. “However, I am staying here at the command of the Grand Princess. How could I obey Prince Changliu?”
Prince Changliu suspected Wen Mingqian of having ill intentions. Wen Mingqian could not prove her innocence to him, as she did indeed have a purpose in approaching the Grand Princess. However, she could not back down because of his words, as she had no other recourse.
Seeing that Ying Wuchou would not let her pass, Wen Mingqian simply stepped into the accumulated snow and began to walk down, her steps sinking deep.
Ying Wuchou narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched her retreating figure.
This woman must have a secret she cannot reveal. Not long ago, rumors about her were rampant, but then the Lu and Cui families suffered misfortunes.
While others were unaware of the source of the rumors, Ying Wuchou had the means to investigate. He did not believe it was a coincidence.
