Wanyan Shuo looked at her, after giving a bitter laugh, he said: “Remember, do not let him know that I was the one who sent the food to him. He will… he will surely find it laughable.” With that, he waved a hand and said: “Go on, I will also go back to my palace.”
Zi Nong felt immensely moved; she knew that although the little Crown Prince still ached when he saw Su Yi suffer, but he was also still bitter over his defection. Furthermore he felt that it was a sign of weakness to send cakes and snacks to Su Yi, which was why he had given her such instructions, lest Su Yi found his actions worthy of ridicule. She stood stock still for a while, lost in thought, before hurrying out the door. By then, Su Yi had already gone far away.
She hurriedly chased after Su Yi. When Su Yi heard the sound of quickly approaching footsteps coming from behind him, he could not help but to turn back for a look. When he saw that it was Zi Nong, he was immediately rooted to the spot. When Zi Nong saw that, she could only halt her own steps. The two of them stood there staring at each other; neither the servant nor the master [1] knew how to begin speaking, or what they should say.
After Su Yi had been deposed, he had had the opportunity to interact with both Wanyan Xu and his son; of the people he had been close to, Zi Nong was the only person left whom he had not had contact with since his disgrace. When he saw that she was holding a tray of pastries, he could not help but to be reminded of that fateful day on the Imperial Boat when he had sent her off to fetch him a box of snacks so as to give Zi Yan an opportunity to say those words to him in private. Now that he thought of it, it all seem to have happened yesterday, but in reality the blue seas had turned to mulberry fields; while the situation may be familiar, the people had undergone great transformations.
Zi Nong was also afraid that other people will witness their encounter. If people with ill intentions, for example Concubine Yin, should see what Zi Nong was doing, she would certainly take the opportunity to create trouble by going in front of the Empress Dowager to raise an ill wind. Zi Nong wan"t afraid for herself, after all she was Wanyan Xu"s personal attendant, but she was afraid on Su Yi"s behalf. Although the Empress Dowager was kindly and benevolent, she was deeply disgusted with Su Yi for betraying the Emperor. If she wasn"t fast, among the courtiers, there would not be one who would hesitate to take advantage of the situation to persecute Su Yi who had long ago lost the veneration he commanded from them when he had been the Empress. When she thought of this, she had to force a smile onto her face as she said: “The weather has turned cold, Young Master should put on more layers of clothes. Please take these snacks with you and enjoy them. They will help to warm you up some.” So saying, she hung her head. A tear had already trickled down her cheek. Without further explanation, she thrust the tray of snacks into Su Yi"s hands before turning. She left so fast that she seemed to be flying.
Su Yi stood there holding the tray of snacks. Although the weather was cold, and he had been chilled to the bone, the encounter left him with a very warm feeling in his heart. Although human feelings could be said to be as changeable as the weather, but even up to the present time, Wanyan Xu and Wanyan Shuo still remained concerned about him. Even Zi Nong, who by right should hate him, also could not bear to do so. Su Yi did not know where else he could look for such loyalty, or what he had done to deserve it. At this thought, although he could feel moisture creeping into his eyes, a trace of a smile began to play around the corners of his lips. Unable to help himself, he picked up a piece of food with his fingers and put it into his mouth. The scrumptious pastry seemed to melt in his mouth; tendrils of sweetness began to weave through his body and concentrated in Su Yi"s heart, which felt steeped in warmth. Even the bitterly cold weather did not seem to be as difficult to endure as it had previously. He carefully covered this cherished tray of snacks with a layer of his clothing and went to his room to hide it before returning to the laundry room to resume his tasks.
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On the second day, sure enough, the Empress Dowager and various concubines including Concubine Yin went to tour the Plum Tree Grove. Wanyan Xu originally did not pay the matter much mind but the Empress Dowager was keenly interested and even dispatched an attendant to send for him. Under these circ.u.mstances, he had to make an appearance. When he arrived, he took a look around and saw that Wanyan Shuo was also present. He could not help but to smile and say: “You must have found an excuse to shirk your studies and slip here to have fun? You only know how to play...”
Before he could finish, the Empress Dowager rushed to Wanyan Shuo"s defence, saying: “What are you scolding him for, it was I [2] who told him to come here. It is a happy day today, n.o.body is to say anything to dampen the atmosphere.”
Wanyan Xu quickly agreed, and they walked around the grove leisurely while admiring the plum blossoms. After they had walked around for a long time, the Empress Dowager was finally satisfied and said that she was tired. Only then did they proceed into the small hall to take a seat. Inside, the stove had already been lit, and the room was as cosy and warm as spring. Like a flowing steam, servers were bringing around dozens of trays of snacks and osmanthus flower brews and distinguished female storytellers was sent for to come and entertain them. As they began to eat and drink, the atmosphere was lively and cheery.
After some time, the two storytellers had already narrated two tales, and Concubine Yin could see that the Empress Dowager was beginning to lose interest. She quickly smiled and said: “Empress Dowager, we would get bored quickly if we only listen to stories. Why don"t we send for a troupe of entertainers as well? We can listen to music and watch some dances, wouldn"t that be nice?”
The Empress Dowager nodded as she said smilingly: Why haven"t I thought of this idea myself? But I think that we should not ask for dancers today. Dances are at their best when the performers can wear light clothes, so that their sleeves and skirts can sway with their movements. Wouldn’t it be a sin if we make people dress that way on such a cold day as this? I loved to listen to the flute when I was younger, now I am old and I have not heard it for many years. Why don"t we just send for an exceptional flute player instead and have that person play a few masterpieces for us? What do you all think?”
Of course, no one among the a.s.sembled crowd would dare to be a spoilsport, and they all hurried to express their agreement. Wanyan Xu promptly ordered someone to send for the flutist and a while later, an ordinary looking woman came into the hall. After she had formally greeted the Imperial family, someone set up a chair for her and the Empress Dowager said: “Pick a song that you are proficient at and play it for us.” Holding her flute horizontally, she began to play a tune, and a mellifluous melody began to radiate from her flute to fill the room.
At first, Wanyan Xu was highly entertained by the music, but he was soon lulled into a trance, remembering that during the autumn of the previous year, when he was in the sandy desert, he had also heard a tune with a melody that tugged at his heartstrings. To remember that tune now, he felt that there was something even more heartbreakingly poignant about that melody. As he was reminiscing, he happened to glance out the window. Whether it was fate or coincidence, Wanyan Xu immediately saw the very flutist that he had been thinking of, who had now become the lover whose face haunted his dreams every night. Gazing at that distant silhouette when he was in the midst of the warm hall which was bustling with cheer and sounds of merriment, he found that Su Yi seem to cut an especially lonely figure in contrast. He took a closer look. Although they were separated by a long distance, he could still see clearly that Su Yi was carrying two large buckets of water and was shuffling with much difficulty along the snow-covered stone path.