El cielo sobre los ríos y lagos está despejado

Capítulo 15

After the roaring sound subsided and the smoke cleared, he took my hand and led me back to Jihong Pavilion, saying, "Now, rest easy."

I woke up a little late the next day, changed into new clothes, and went with him to the palace to pay New Year's respects. When I arrived, Qi Long was already there, talking with Brother Yuan. After the formalities were completed, Brother Yuan said, "Let's stay in the palace for lunch, and in the afternoon, let's play with the Empress and the others for a while."

After the meal, Yi Ge said to me, "I'll go ahead and meet with the brothers in the Thousand Bull Guards first, and then pick you up at Qingxin Hall after Shenshi (3-5 PM). You don't need to rush, I'll always be waiting for you in front of that hall." I nodded.

During the New Year holidays, the games played in the palace were nothing more than pitch-pot, hide-and-seek, and riddles. Pitch-pot was just a minor skill for me, and even if I won all the time, it wasn't very interesting, so I stopped playing after a few times. Seeing me yawning, my sister-in-law teased, "Your Highness looks tired today. Did you sleep in late last night? The young couple is really getting intimate." The concubines also smiled knowingly. Just then, I heard Brother Yuan ask from outside, "What's making you so happy?"

I said, "It's a riddle."

Brother Yuan stepped in and said, "What are you guessing? Let me guess too."

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "We'll have to let Wu'er set the questions."

I lazily picked up a chess piece and said, "Here's a riddle. It's neither flower nor mist; it comes at midnight and goes at dawn. Guess who it is."

The Empress Dowager said, "Isn't this frost flower? It's hard to guess who it is."

Brother Yuan said, "When Wu Bao gives you a question, you absolutely must not think about it in a serious way."

Everyone in the room was lost in thought when Brother Yuan suddenly said, "Human? Why does that sound so much like an adulterer to me?"

His newly promoted Consort Yun said, "Alas, what Your Majesty said sounds plausible. It seems Your Majesty is indeed experienced."

Someone inside couldn't suppress their laughter and let it out, followed by a soft giggle. I shook my head and said, "Only half right. He's not an adulterer, he's a husband."

Yuan Ge said, "Which husband acts like an adulterer?"

I threw down the chess piece and said, "He is the prince consort."

The Empress Dowager clicked her tongue and said, "Wu'er, you're amazing. You can't even let the Prince Consort get a full night's sleep."

I said, "It's not me. Doesn't the princess's residence have tutors and nannies? They always come to supervise me at night, forcing the prince consort to act like a thief. How can I sleep well at night? I'll go back to Qingxin Palace to catch up on my sleep later."

What kind of words are most believable? Seven parts truth and three parts lies, of course. When I said that, Brother Yuan stroked his chin and said, "That's quite annoying. Let's call Eunuch Qiu to announce the decree later and have Granny Lan come back to teach the Third Princess and the Fifth Princess."

I secretly rejoiced; that deity had been sent away. Third Princess, Fifth Princess, your aunt is so sorry.

In the afternoon, a number of female members of the royal family came to visit, and I also got some gossip, but one piece of news made my heart ache.

I can no longer tolerate anyone looking down on Yi Ge.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Spring Hunt

I was originally going to Qingxin Palace, but then I remembered that I hadn't given the little pottery figurines I brought from Yunyang to my sister-in-law and the other concubines, so I turned back with Chunman. But then I heard those gossipy women talking about the talented people in the court. I heard them say that before the new year, the emperor had rewarded Prince Huaiyi, the son-in-law, and several generals of the Shence Army.

Someone laughed and said, "It's said that Prince Huaiyi handled the border dispute quite skillfully this time, truly a young hero. General Wang of the Shence Army is a martial arts champion, so one can imagine his abilities. I never thought our Prince Consort would be so capable." It sounded like a compliment, but something felt off.

Another person said, "Dolan, did your elder brother say something? The prince consort seems quite handsome, but I wonder about his talents?"

Someone else said, "She's from a military background, what talent does she need? The Emperor and the Emperor Emeritus both dote on the Princess, so they'll naturally think of her needs."

The first person said, "My elder brother said that the prince consort's martial arts skills are passable, but he hasn't read enough books. Military strategy and tactics are not something that can be mastered simply by having martial arts skills."

At this moment, the Empress coughed and said, "The princess is able to marry the prince consort, and the prince consort must have extraordinary qualities. I heard the Emperor say that the prince consort is good at scouting enemy positions and is a good vanguard general. Besides, this is not something we need to worry about."

I coughed lightly and went to the palace entrance. Everyone was surprised to see me return, and their smiles became somewhat awkward. I pretended not to see them, gave them my small gift, and left.

When I stepped outside, I felt a tightness in my chest. When Yi Ge came to pick me up, I didn't look much better. He assumed I hadn't slept well the night before and said, "If you're tired, you can take a nap before you go. I'll wait for you."

I, however, couldn't wait to get back to the manor. On the way, I asked him if anyone had bullied him while he was on patrol in the Northwest, and he shook his head and said no. I turned to look at him, but I still couldn't discern anything from his face or eyes.

I was not giving up, so when I went to the Prince Huaiyi's mansion, I took the opportunity to ask Qi Long.

Qi Long said, "It's nothing. It's to be expected that some people will make things difficult for him. There are always some self-proclaimed loyal and virtuous officials who earn their living through their own abilities and will find fault with him. If he had started from the ranks, no one would have questioned him."

I asked, "Didn't Yi Ge earn his living through his own abilities? Did Brother Yuan only reward him because he's the prince consort? I'd like to know who it was, and how they made things difficult for him?"

Qi Long said, "Of course not. During this border inspection, we encountered several surprise attacks from small groups of Western barbarian troops. If it weren't for Yi Ge's intelligence gathering and our preemptive strike, how could we have won so easily? They're just jealous. Do you remember Martial Arts Champion Wang Canjun? He's the nephew of General Weiguo. Brother Xuan originally wanted to assign him to you, and he probably knows this, but on the Dragon Boat Festival, you assigned him to Yi Ge instead, so he's naturally resentful. Wang Canjun, relying on his status as a Martial Arts Champion, proposed a martial arts competition during a rest period, and everyone who went with us participated. He knew he couldn't match Yi Ge's lightness skill, because..." This was a contest of swordsmanship and archery. I think Yi Ge wasn't much worse than him. In archery alone, Yi Ge's accuracy was certainly good, but he couldn't draw a large bow like him. Several adjutants who were close to Wang, the military advisor, mocked him, saying that light-footed skills were something only petty thieves and scoundrels did, and that warriors should focus on horseback skills—in reality, they were mocking his lack of masculine strength. That was the only major event; the rest were just everyday veiled criticisms, like occasionally asking him to write a poem, or deliberately seeking his advice on battle formations—always choosing things he wasn't good at. However, although Yi Ge hadn't read any military books, he did have some talent in troop deployment.

I retorted angrily, "Bullshit! So, this princess is also skilled in light-footed kung fu, which makes her a petty thief? That's right, I really am not worthy of that Military Advisor Wang. Luckily, I didn't betroth him."

I don't believe that Yi Ge can't draw a big bow. Last time he got excited, he suddenly lifted me up from my seat. I'm not a child, how could I not be able to draw a big bow with that much strength?

I knew his personality all along, and that betrothing him to the emperor would put pressure on him, but I never expected him to be ridiculed like this.

Back at the manor, I was still feeling rather listless. Yi Ge, knowing the reason, came to comfort me: "I had expected this. If I don't do well, people will mock you for marrying a good-for-nothing, and if I do well, people will naturally think that I'm relying on you and the prince. I can't worry about all that; I'll just do what I'm supposed to do."

I said, "That's true. In my heart, he only won the title of Martial Arts Champion by taking advantage of the General Wei Guo's influence. You are better than him."

He silently hugged me tighter and gave me a light kiss.

After the Lantern Festival, Fourth Uncle left the capital, but Qianqian stayed behind. It was Qilong who took the initiative to ask her to stay, saying that he would take care of her for Fourth Uncle. I could only laugh and say nothing.

Qianqian asked, "Awu, what are you laughing at?"

I laughed and said, "I'm just laughing at myself." While muttering "This is a case of hiding something, a hundred taels of silver here," I strolled to the side.

Qianqian, embarrassed and angry, said she wanted to move to the Princess's residence and continue Granny Lan's work. I said, "Great! I'll have someone to keep me company, and my brother can come to the Princess's residence more often." Qianqian's face turned red.

After the Lantern Festival, there was another important event: the royal spring hunt. The hunting grounds weren't too far from the capital, only a three-day journey. This was, after all, a royal pastime, and Qi Long was obliged to participate. As for me, I could do as I pleased. But that day, Qi Long came to see me, repeatedly inquiring whether I would participate in the spring hunt. He had never been so hesitant before, so I smiled even more maliciously.

I said, "If you tell me how □ happened, I'll definitely go," and even asked Brother Xuan to bring people with me.

He glared at me and said, "Aren't you blind? It's been a connection since childhood."

I laughed: "Qianqian has always seen you as a thorn in her side."

He said, "Have you ever seen me regard her as a thorn in my side?"

Yes, he always gives in to Qianqian, even more so than he gives in to me. I said, "She's your treasure, more precious than me. I'm so heartbroken."

He said, "You still complain that no one cherishes you? Who in your family doesn't spoil you? Even Yi Ge, though he's always three feet away from you, you can tell from the little things that he cares about you. Alright, what do you want? That jade bracelet from Baohezhai? I'll buy it for you."

That was something Qianqian and I saw while shopping. We thought the shopkeeper was asking for too much, and we weren't good at bargaining, so we didn't buy it. It seems Qianqian really doesn't hide anything from him.

Since he was so proactive, when Brother Xuan asked me, I said I wanted to go and bring my cousin along, and he naturally agreed.

The hunting grounds were very large, enclosing two hilltops. Before we went, the area had probably been cleared. It was supposed to be a spring hunt, but given the freezing weather, there weren't many wild beasts out. It was just common foxes, rabbits, deer, and roe deer; I doubt there would even be a wolf.

This spring hunt was also a prime time for the women of the Northern Barbarians to showcase their charm, with a women's horse race on the first day. Uncle Yu from the Prince Huaiyi's mansion in Duanzhou was a skilled horse trainer, and I had learned to ride from him since I was a child. Horse racing was also a joy for me, so I happily participated. I didn't return to the capital every year, and upon closer inspection, this was actually the first time I had seriously participated in a royal horse race. I wasn't usually this competitive, but that day, when I looked at Yi Ge, who was serving as the Right Guard General of the Thousand Bulls Guard and accompanying Xuan Ge, I suddenly had the idea of winning the deer-slaying knife in front of everyone and giving it to him.

I really did it, surpassing even the Consort Shu, who came from a military family. When I turned back to hand the deer-slaying knife to Yi Ge, I saw his outstretched hand tremble slightly. The Empress laughed, "The princess and the prince consort are truly in love." Yuan Ge chuckled and whispered in my ear, "Wu Bao, you blind cat really stumbled upon a dead mouse."

The next day, everyone dispersed into the mountains to hunt. Yi Ge and I followed Brother Yuan, while Qianqian went with Qi Long, though we did run into her once in the forest.

Yuan Ge was surrounded by a large group of men, including members of the Shence Army such as Wang Canjun, which annoyed me. Following Yuan Ge was the First Prince, Xuan Ge's eldest son, who was fourteen years old at the time. He had several guards with him and had already hunted some rabbits. This boy was very competitive, and he gradually led his guards quite far ahead. In the distance, I could hear a guard calling, "First Prince, slow down, slow down!" His horse was good; the guards might not be able to keep up. So I spurred my horse and followed. Yuan Ge and his group were still quite far behind.

Half an hour later, the roars of wild beasts and the cries of the guards suddenly echoed from the forest ahead. The roars were quite loud, clearly not from an ordinary small animal; they sounded like bears, but shouldn't bears be hibernating at this time?

Thinking that the eldest prince had gone in that direction, my heart tightened, and I spurred my horse to gallop in that direction.

As we got closer, the shouts of people and the howls of beasts became clearer. I even heard a guard shout, "Your Highness, step back!"

The eldest prince shouted, "I hit it!" followed by another earth-shattering roar.

Good heavens, where did he hit? If the arrow missed the mark, the bear's counterattack would be terrifying.

I spurred the horse and charged into the forest, but the sight inside sent chills down my spine.

Two of the Crown Prince's four guards were already wounded. One lay prostrate on the ground, his life hanging in the balance. The other two were desperately trying to block the Crown Prince's path. Before them stood a black bear, taller than the guards, let alone the Crown Prince. An arrow was lodged in the bear's hind leg, blood seeping out. Smelling the blood, it went berserk and lunged at the guards blocking its way. I watched helplessly as it struck down with its paw. The guard dodged, but was still struck in the right shoulder, instantly turning it into a bloody mess, and he fell to the ground. With him down, the Crown Prince was exposed to the bear. The guard on the left had already drawn his sword, but the bear's massive paw swept it away.

There was no time to nock an arrow, so I drew my Swift Shadow and flicked it away. I leaped from my horse, grabbed the eldest prince by the waist, and pulled him backward. He flew off the ground, staggering back a dozen paces, barely avoiding the bear's swatting claws. He turned and saw me, his face pale as he cried out, "Auntie!" I released him, shielding him behind me, and retreated step by step towards my horse. It seemed the bear knew who had shot it, for it ignored the guard and charged straight at us. Seeing this, I grabbed the eldest prince and leaped up. However, the Qi family children were all tall, and although he was only fourteen, he was already taller than me. He was also quite far from the horse (actually, the horse had run far enough away, since all the other horses had fled). I couldn't land on the horse, so I could only forcefully lift him onto it and lash the horse's rump with my whip. Thus, I was left alone to face the charging black bear with its bloodshot tongue lolling out.

Although the trees were sparse, there were still trees, but I was afraid it would turn around and seek revenge on the wounded guard, so I dared not climb any trees, only using my Shadow Slash to lash it. But it wasn't human; its skin was thick and its flesh was thick, and it was very strong. I couldn't pull it up, nor could I seriously injure it. I regretted not having brought a knife or something to kill it with one blow. So I circled around the trees, and it chased after me, dripping blood and howling wildly. Fortunately, I was always faster than it. But as I circled, the guard whose sword had been knocked away appeared in front of me. He wasn't injured, but he was clearly terrified, not knowing how to run or make way. I shouted, "Go!" Seeing that he didn't react, I had no choice but to use Shadow Slash to grab him and throw him away, not caring where he landed.

As I was running, I suddenly heard someone shout, "Princess, move aside!" I nimbly scrambled up a big tree to the side. Just then, an arrow whistled through the air and pierced the bear's chest with a "thud." It crashed headfirst into the tree I had climbed and finally fell to the ground.

I had a moment to look up and saw Yi Ge standing at the edge of the woods, his face ashen, holding a large bow. A few steps behind him was Military Advisor Wang, and further back were Brother Yuan, looking anxious, and the First Prince, his face deathly pale. Seeing the bear had fallen, he suddenly threw down the bow and ran towards me, reaching the tree in an instant. Suddenly, my nose stung with tears, and I let go of the branch and jumped down. He caught me steadily. As I landed in his arms, he asked, his nose a little stuffy, "Wu Bao, are you alright?"

Author's Note: After today's update, I'll be taking a break for a few days. I'm going back to my hometown for Qingming Festival to sweep the tombs, so internet access might be inconvenient, and I might not have time to write. Dear readers, I apologize for the inconvenience.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Mystery

Even after I told him that nothing had really happened, he still looked me up and down carefully before letting me go before Brother Yuan arrived with a large group of men.

Later, Brother Yuan said that he could finally rest assured and no longer worry about whether I would remarry.

Yuan Ge said that after hearing the beast's roar, by the time they reacted, I had already galloped away. Yi Ge immediately apologized to him and chased after me, but his horse wasn't very fast, so Wang Canjun and the others followed closely behind. When they reached the edge of the forest, they encountered the horse that I had whipped and that was now running wildly, along with the eldest prince on its back. The eldest prince only said one sentence: "Auntie is still in the forest." They walked a little further and saw me being chased by a bear, having also shaken off the guard.

Yi Ge, who had been leading the way, suddenly rushed back to Wang Canjun's side, snatching the bow from his back with a swift and decisive motion that caught Wang Canjun completely off guard. He later realized that this bow was specially made, with a range far exceeding that of ordinary bows and arrows. Before even reaching the edge of the forest, Yi Ge dismounted, drew his bow, and fired.

After returning from the spring hunt, Wang, the military advisor, stopped openly or secretly harassing Yi Ge. I heard that during the martial arts competition in the Northern Frontier Army, Yi Ge never drew his bow, and on that day, the distance between the forest edge and the bear was always about ten zhang, so without drawing the bow fully, he couldn't hit the bear at all.

Yi Ge, there are still many secrets.

After the spring hunt, my beloved father came to the capital to see me again.

After looking me over carefully, he nodded and said, "You look good. It seems your son-in-law treats you quite well; he looks like he's let go of that Bai fellow. Your mother said you went to Hengshan before the New Year; how was it?"

I described the ridiculous martial arts tournament to him, and added that I was only there for the Rainbow Chasing Blade, and that I would have to go again in the spring. He said rather nonchalantly, "Oh, alright, I have also heard of the legendary Rainbow Chasing Blade. If you find it, let me have a look at it before you give it to Xiaolong."

My husband has a fondness for precious and exquisite items. I remembered the boxwood jewelry box that Yi Ge made for me, so I proudly presented it to him. Inside were various pieces of jewelry I had received during the New Year. My husband opened the box and looked through it, saying, "Apart from that red coral hairpin, there's nothing special. But this box is quite exquisite and pleasing to the eye."

I rolled my eyes and said, "I showed you this box, Yi Ge made it himself."

Now he picked it up and examined it closely. His long, slender, snow-white fingers held the box in a way that sparked the imagination; it was far more elegant and graceful than when I handled it. He nodded and said, "Hmm, excellent craftsmanship. I haven't seen such meticulous workmanship in a long time. Is my son-in-law's family carpenters?"

I burst out laughing: "Carpenter? You can't he have a hobby or anything?"

He became sentimental: "Hobbies, ah, many years ago I knew someone with such a hobby. He was incredibly skillful; there wasn't a single architectural trick he couldn't master. And, surprisingly, he was also a swordsman."

I retorted, unconvinced, "Kun's father can do it too! Half of the house on Xuefeng Mountain was built by Kun's father, and it's very sturdy and beautiful."

He scoffed, "Your father only knows these rough and clumsy tasks. When it comes to the exquisite craftsmanship of carving and woodworking, he is far inferior to that man. However, he suddenly disappeared twenty years ago."

Speaking of family background, I thought about it and decided to tell Meiren's father about Yi Ge's origins.

He seemed slightly surprised, so he fell silent for a moment. After a while, he tapped the box with his finger and said, "No wonder, I always felt a strange sense of familiarity when I looked at him, but I didn't know where it came from. He's her son, so that makes sense."

I was shocked: "Beautiful Father, do you know Yi Ge's mother?"

He added, "We met only once, but I know his maternal grandmother, who was the runaway concubine of Prince Nandan Huda."

This... this... Yi Ge's background is really complicated; I'm afraid even he himself doesn't know it.

The beautiful father said that no one in the martial arts world knows the origin of Young Master Jingyu. In fact, he is from Nandan.

I looked at his snow-white skin in surprise. Are there people from Nandan this fair-skinned?

He smiled and said, “Of course, I’m not a pure-blooded Nandan person. My mother was also a princess of the Daru Kingdom. Over the years, only two people from the Daru Kingdom have been sent to Nandan for marriage alliances: my mother and Princess Tan Qiyun. She married Prince Huda of Nandan five years after my mother came to Nandan. If I’m not mistaken, Yi Ge’s mother is Ai Yina, the daughter of Tan Qiyun and Prince Huda. Prince Huda is the regent of Nandan. He was quite fond of Tan Qiyun when he first married her, but his affections faded later. Not long after, Tan Qiyun eloped with someone else with her daughter. Prince Huda searched for her for a long time without success and then gave up. My mother and Tan Qiyun were cousins, so I saw the princess and the three-year-old Ai Yina when I was a child. I don’t know what Ai Yina looked like when she grew up, but Yi Ge’s eyes and lips have the shadow of Tan Qiyun. It seems to be more than that, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

I opened my eyes wide: "Beautiful Father, you are actually a prince of Nandan, right? But why have you stayed in Yunyang Beidi for so many years and never returned to Nandan?"

He tapped my head and said, “How do you know I’ve never been back to Nandan? I just haven’t been back very often. I was only eighteen when I left. My mother had already passed away by then, and I didn’t fit in with the Nandan court. I didn’t want to get involved in the power struggles, so I found a business opportunity and left for Yunyang.”

I sighed deeply: "It must be because you're too good-looking, and they're jealous of you."

The beautiful father nodded repeatedly: "Yes, all the people of Nandan are dark-skinned, so they can't stand the white ones. My existence is an anomaly."