Princess Xiangsi - Chapter 51
"Is that Pear Mirror?" Feng Xue asked.
Jun Wuhen nodded, stepped forward, and pulled down the red silk cloth.
Suddenly, a brass mirror appeared in the air. Pear blossoms were carved along the edge of the mirror, forming a string that surrounded the smooth surface. The mirror was smooth and clear, yet it could not reflect any human image. Instead, four lines of crooked characters were displayed on it: "The essence of pear blossoms, the prime of life, if not revealed, will fade away like a beautiful flower."
Feng Xue read it aloud softly, and suddenly, a strange chill seemed to come from the glass bead on her wrist, and Feng Xue was stunned for a moment.
After a long silence, she whispered, "What does 'the essence of pear blossoms' refer to?" Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she jolted, looked up, and stared at Jun Wuhen in disbelief: "You don't actually think 'the essence of pear blossoms' refers to jewelry made of pear blossoms, do you?"
Jun Wuhen nodded quite seriously.
Feng Xue rolled her eyes. "So that's why you've been collecting pear blossom jewelry everywhere?"
Jun Wuhen nodded, "Perhaps the woman wearing pear blossom jewelry is the person Li Jing is looking for."
Feng Xue was taken aback. She noticed that he said it was the person Li Jing was looking for, not the person he was looking for.
"If you find one, will you marry her?"
Jun Wuhen gave a bitter laugh. "As the master of Li Palace, I must continue the lineage of Li Palace, and only the woman designated by Li Jing can bear the child of Li Palace. If I were the master of Li Palace, I would marry her. But if I am just Jun Wuhen, the only person I want to marry is Yun'er."
Feng Xue bit her lip slightly. They were both very similar, burdened with much helplessness and inescapable constraints. After a long silence, she changed the subject: "How can we find out the age of the woman Li Jing is looking for?"
Jun Wuhen stroked the pear blossom on the edge of the mirror, "Every time a woman's birthday comes around, a pear blossom will grow on the edge of the mirror. One just grew the day before yesterday."
Feng Xue blinked and saw the pear blossoms by the mirror; there were exactly nineteen. "Then there's only one year left until I turn twenty."
Jun Wuhen nodded heavily. "If we haven't found her by her birthday next year, then she will die as Li Jing said. And the Li Palace will be destroyed in my hands."
A soft sigh escaped his lips, and Feng Xue was somewhat at a loss.
After a long while, she finally spoke, breaking the dull atmosphere, "May I touch the pear-shaped mirror?" The mirror in the palace was quite different from this one; it had no pear blossom decorations and was not much different from an ordinary mirror.
Jun Wuhen nodded, his blue eyes filled with a gentle, doting affection.
With his permission, Feng Xue reached out and gently stroked the pear blossoms beside the mirror, her eyes gleaming softly. She and Li Ge both loved pear blossoms; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many pear trees in Juechen Valley.
"Cluck—cluck—cluck cluck—"
Hearing the rooster crow, Feng Xue was startled and quickly withdrew her hand. "I'm going back."
Jun Wuhen sighed helplessly and said, "I'll take you out."
At the door, Jun Wuhen suddenly stopped, staring intently at Feng Xue, and said earnestly, "Yun'er, I will handle everything. When that day comes, once you arrive at the Li Palace, I will never let go!" Not even in death!
A brilliant blue light suddenly flashed in his blue eyes, domineering, persistent, and resolute!
Feng Xue sighed inwardly, did not answer him, and used her lightness skill to leave the Li Palace.
However, neither of them noticed that after Feng Xue left the basement, the nineteen pear blossoms beside the mirror emitted a captivating light, and all the characters on the mirror disappeared, with two large characters faintly emerging from the mirror—Qingyun!
But a moment later, Li Jing returned to her original appearance.
Only the desolate moonlight knew all this.
Volume One: A Woman Named Qingyun with Flaws in the Folklore
The next day, the sun shone exceptionally brightly, sweeping away the chilly moonlight of the previous night. Feng Xue lazily climbed out of bed, glanced at the sun outside, and suddenly remembered that in her drowsy state, she seemed to have heard Qingyi and the steward's voices. They seemed to be calling her out to have breakfast with Situ Xingyun, and then she seemed to have said… she would go later… and that no one was allowed to disturb her…
But now...it's noon now...
A quick thought struck her, and Feng Xue gave a self-deprecating smile. Newlyweds, they probably wouldn't wait for her.
Stretching, Feng Xue walked to the bronze mirror and sat down. Looking at the woman's lips in the mirror, she gently stroked the remaining teeth marks. Feng Xue felt somewhat annoyed.
Jun Wuhen was too rough last night!
However, she was willing to exchange it for the Soul-Dew Pill. After this month, Li Ge's month of good deeds would end. She would go find him then!
Without summoning Qingyi, Fengxue changed into a dress recently sent by Zhiyun Pavilion—white as snow, red as fire, and light as a feather. After arranging her hair in a simple bun and inserting a snowflake hairpin, Fengxue stepped out of the Snow Pavilion.
Along the way, the servants looked at her with the same respect as usual, but today their gazes carried a hint of pity and a strange look that she couldn't understand.
It wasn't until she entered the hall and saw Situ Xingyun's ashen face, Shuangdie's radiant beauty to his right, and the cold breakfast on the table that she understood the strangeness in the servants' eyes.
Today, Shuangdie was dressed in fine silks and satins, her hair styled in a woman's bun, the hairpins shimmering. Her silver eyes were bright and clear. Compared to the day before, she possessed a more dignified air and had lost some of her worldliness. If the circumstances weren't so inappropriate, Feng Xue would have liked to offer her high praise.
Shuangdie's skin was like solidified cream, with two rosy blushes on her face, and her eyes shone with an alluring silver light. Fengxue's face was covered with scars, and although she was not dressed in glamorous attire, she possessed an inherent air of elegance and nobility, and her clear eyes were as calm as still water.
Upon seeing Feng Xue, Shuang Die rose, bowed gracefully to her, and sweetly said, "Your Highness," instead of "Your Sister."
Perhaps noticing her form of address, Feng Xue didn't make things difficult for her. She nodded slightly and sat down in the remaining seat, to Situ Xingyun's left.
The atmosphere was somewhat harmonious at this moment, and Situ Xingyun's complexion improved slightly. He instructed the servant beside him, "Steam the breakfast."
After the servants left, Situ Xingyun sighed softly, placed a large hand on Feng Xue's hand, and gently asked, "Xue'er, are you still feeling unwell?"
Feng Xue lowered her eyes, concealing a hint of disgust in them, and subtly moved her hand away, saying calmly, "Thank you for your concern, Xingyun. I'm much better now."
Sensing her aloofness, Situ Xingyun felt a little irritated, but then he thought that she was just throwing a tantrum, and he felt a little relieved.
Soon after, the servants brought up the steamed dishes one after another.
Situ Xingyun scooped a bowl of congee and handed it to Feng Xue, saying, "Xue'er, you've just recovered from your illness, drink more congee."