Thinking of this, I shuddered.
The storyteller continued, "This is not true. During the war in Yanmen County, the Princess Consort of Xuan was about to give birth, and the Prince requested to return to the capital. He certainly had no intention of getting involved in the war."
If I tremble again, they'll laugh and ask if I want to become a stepmother.
After that, I didn't hear anything else the storyteller said. I was thinking about how I should comfort Qi Xiao when she returned.
That day, Qi Xiao didn't return all night, which made me very anxious.
What was even more alarming was that the following day, news spread that the Prince Xuan's residence had been attacked by assassins at night, and the number of dead and wounded was unknown.
I waited anxiously for Qi Xiao to return in the inn, my mind racing with the possibility that Qi Xiao was the assassin.
Perhaps it was because of a falling out with Princess Xuan, that in a fit of anger they pulled out their hairpins and stabbed each other, wrestling and fighting, and were mistaken for assassins who wanted to kill Princess Xuan; or perhaps it was because of a falling out with Prince Xuan over the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox, that in a fit of anger they pulled out their hairpins and stabbed each other, wrestling and fighting, and were mistaken for assassins who wanted to kill Prince Xuan.
After thinking about it for a long time, I retracted the above because Qi Xiao wasn't wearing a hairpin, didn't have a weapon, and didn't know kung fu, so the assassin definitely wasn't her.
As night fell, Qi Xiao returned.
She told me, "The nine-tailed silver fox in Prince Xuan's mansion is dead."
I asked her, "So the assassins raided Prince Xuan's residence at night to assassinate this fox?"
She curled her lips slightly, but remained silent, her expression indifferent.
I probed, “Xiaoxiao, sometimes feelings can make you lose yourself. You just feel like you trust him, rely on him, and want to stay by his side all the time. But you can’t tell if it’s love or just a habit. This kind of loss of self often occurs during adolescence.”
Qi Xiao looked at me and chuckled softly, "You're just habitually trying to stay by Young Master Xia's side?"
I waved my hand and said, "No, I want you to think clearly about what kind of feelings you have for Prince Xuan."
Qi Xiao looked at me quietly, the candlelight casting her silhouette on the window paper. Her profile was cool in the night, and there was a hint of unfamiliarity about her.
She got up and walked to the couch, lay down on it, and whispered, "My beloved is not Prince Xuan."
Qi Xiao blew out the candle, and the room became eerily quiet, as black as ink.
I heard Qi Xiao say, "Sister, I'm tired, let's go to bed early tonight."
Something I couldn't quite put into my heart felt heavy. I sensed that Qi Xiao had a secret, and that she was very distant from me.
I wanted to find a day to have a deep conversation with her, but when I woke up the next day, she was no longer there.
She left me a note that read: "Sister, I have to leave for a few days on important business. Let's meet in Yangzhou in three months."
The farewell was so sudden; before I could even react, Qi Xiao was gone again.
Another unexpected event occurred: Prince Xuan was assassinated and killed by having his throat slit.
It turns out the assassin's target wasn't just the fox, but also the fox's owner.
I've only been here for a day, and such a shocking murder has occurred in the capital. It makes me realize that this place of power struggles is not a place to linger.
After much thought, I decided to go to Northern Xinjiang.
Since the nine-tailed silver fox in Prince Xuan's palace has already perished, I have no choice but to personally travel north to capture a live one. However, this journey is truly lonely, so I found a镖局 (escort agency) in the capital to write a letter to express my feelings.
He picked up his pen and wrote a letter, full of deep thought and emotion, and brimming with literary flair:
Master, have I reached the capital? Is this place treacherous? Has the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox perished? Has the Prince died as well? I must head north to find medicine. A day without seeing you feels like three autumns; ten days without seeing you feels like thirty autumns. I will surely bring the antidote for wolfsbane back to the valley. Da Feng, do not return. Master, take care.
I intended to hire a镖局 (armed escort agency), but because Medicine King Valley is located in a remote area and few people visit it, the镖局 charges a high price for the travel expenses along the way. After delivering this letter, I faced the destitute situation of having to set up a medicine stall again.
After some deliberation, I crossed out the word "Master" and replaced it with "Lou Xiyue".
After inquiring about routes in the city, I traveled to the outskirts of the city near the river, intending to take a boat to the northern frontier.
The sky was overcast, and soon it started to rain.
I waited for the boat at the ferry crossing. The river flowed swiftly, and the fine rain wove into countless threads before my eyes, filling me with the sorrow of parting.
People were seeing them off, and a girl in a simple dress with a hairpin was saying goodbye to a young man who looked like a scholar. He helped her straighten her hair and said gently, "Wait for me."
The girl nodded slightly, handed him the bundle in her hands, lowered her eyes, and tears soaked her sleeves.
Watching the people seeing each other off at the ferry crossing, I felt a sense of melancholy and sadness, and I felt very lonely.
[36] The Official's Gauze Boat
Moss creeps up the bluestone steps of the ferry crossing. The sunset glow fades on the horizon, and a gentle breeze stirs along the river, brushing against the hair of the woman in the west of the building.
Willow catkins fluttered behind him, each one landing in the heart of the river, while layers of mist and rain veiled the green mountains.
He walked over to me and reached out to brush the wet hair from my forehead.
The misty rain blurred my vision, and under the oil umbrella, the western moon's features were as beautiful as a painting.
I said, "What a coincidence."
He chuckled softly, "I've come to the ferry to pick someone up."
I said, "How come you're in the capital?"
Lou Xiyue looked at me and slowly said, "It is currently the Tea Plum Poetry Gathering, and I have come to the capital to appreciate the plum blossoms and make friends."
I said, "Oh, I'm going to the northern border to catch foxes to cure your third uncle's poison."
He nodded slightly. "Thank you for your help."