White Calculation

T/N: translated this awhile back just for fun, thought I would post it. not planning to continue, TTDFD is more than enough work for me. 

Going into seclusion to reflect is divided into two parts: one, going into seclusion; two, reflecting.

No one would be foolish enough to ask Ji Xiaoli to reflect, so she was actually just punished with seclusion. Other than going to pay her respects at w.a.n.gfei "s residence, she could only stay in her own courtyard. 

Her courtyard was called Langhuan Pavillion. It was a quiet courtyard with two layers and two exits[1]. The Nanhua Court that w.a.n.gfei stayed in was not far. Every day, aside from morning greetings, w.a.n.gfei still had to come once or twice to visit this little girl who was in seclusion. 

In the first two days, the little girl was unhappy. Every morning when she woke up, she would sigh twice, once long and once short. However, she only sighed for two days. On the third day onwards, she forgot about it, setting her heart on causing trouble in the courtyard.  

The little girl just liked playing, moreover, she would be happy playing anything. Her older brothers would bring her out on their breaks[2], they would dig out strange wild flowers and plants as far as the eyes can see, squat by the waters for a whole afternoon to catch a type of transparent little prawn. Now no one is bringing her out, but she was still happy to play in the royal residence (w.a.n.gfu). Usually, young ladies would fly all sorts of exquisite and beautiful kites, but she wanted one that was a few times larger. Ji Xi purposely brought a keel[3]used in the military for her. That kite was st.u.r.dy and could fly extremely high. The little manservants holding the kite spool were almost pulled up to the sky.

Now being confined to her own little piece of land, she still played very happily. When w.a.n.gfei went over, she was lying on the ground with two little servant girls, trying to light a fire. 

w.a.n.gfei saw that she was playing happily and did not disturb her. When the fire was lit, she ran over in high spirits. w.a.n.gfei took a wet handkerchief from the wet nurse and carefully wiped away the ash on her face. After cleaning that white and exquisite little face, w.a.n.gfei asked her gently, "What were you doing just now? Look at your face full of ash."

"Older Brother Ji Xi made a sky lantern for me. In a little white, we"re going to light it and play! What wishes does Mother have? Write them on the lantern and send it to the sky, the G.o.ds will bless Mother"s wishes for them to be fulfilled!" The girl"s forehead was sweating from her exertion, her cheeks rosy, like a peony about to bud. These few days, w.a.n.gfei had felt uneasy due to the princess"s anger. When gazing at the little girl"s healthy and rosy little face that was like a flower bud, her frown eased a little. 

Her finger poked at the little girl"s forehead, w.a.n.gfei smiled gently and said, "Mother wishes that you will be obedient, remain safe and sound and live life as you wish." 

It was the evening spring time now, the sun was setting soon, the golden bright and dazzling twilight pressing on Langhuan Pavilion"s courtyard walls, the light cast obliquely on a bluestone brick in the main hall. The atmosphere was tranquil and dreamy. 

Xiaoli smiled contentedly in this tranquil and dreamlike atmosphere. w.a.n.gfei"s clean and slim fingers caressed her temples damp with sweat. She said softly, "Xiaoli, how many times has Mother told you, don"t go and cause trouble at Princess niangniang"s courtyard. Also, Ji Xi and Ji Bei are older now, you cannot play with them all day long like you did in the past. But why are you always so disobedient?" 

Ji Xiaoli explained with grievance, "I did not go to Princess niangniang"s courtyard. Little White Snake came to find me on its own…" As she spoke, she saw w.a.n.gfei"s expression change. She did not dare to aggravate her fragile adopted mother again and pressed her lips shut and stopped speaking. 

w.a.n.gfei drew her little lady into her embrace and said with a quiet sigh, "You will be fifteen next month... what should we do?" 

The girls of Ye country had to go through a coming of age ceremony[4]once they turn 15. When the time comes, they will invite a guest of honour to comb her hair and adorn it with a hairpin. After the coming of age ceremony, it would mean that that girl was an adult lady and could marry. 

But her Xiaoli was still so ignorant and innocent, frequently driving the Princess into a terrible rage. How could it remain unknown to the outside? Being raised in the Zhennan royal mansion that had an ill.u.s.trious status, yet not a single person had come to propose marriage. 

w.a.n.gfei was very angry.

However when Xiaoli heard this, she was like a puppy who heard the sound of a piece of bone hitting the floor. She stood up from w.a.n.gfei"s embrace, her eyes shining, "I am 15 years old? Then can the brocade purse the Grand Tutor gave me be opened already?" 

w.a.n.gfei smiled and poked her forehead, "You are able remember this clearly instead." 

The little girl wrapped her arms around her mother"s neck and said happily, "I always remembered it! There must be a cultivation method in it!" 

"What is good about cultivating? Mother just wishes that you would cause less trouble and live safely until you"re old." w.a.n.gfei hugged her and patted her back, "You"re a girl, marrying a person that is good to you is the important thing."

"En… Just like how Mother married Father?"

The hand patting her back paused briefly. w.a.n.gfei"s tone carried a melancholic feeling unfamiliar to Xiaoli, "w.a.n.gye… is indeed a loyal person…" 

Separated by half of the Zhennan royal residence, those in Wanqing Courtyard were also talking about next month"s coming of age ceremony.

Yan Yang was dissatisfied with Ji Ting"s perfunctory handling of the matter. Moreover Ji Ting was busy with military affairs and slept in the study room for a few days, thus she was even angrier. 

Qi momo advised her, "The good thing is that girl is turning 15 soon, she has to marry out sooner or later. That person in Nanhua Courtyard is unable to play any tricks. w.a.n.gye merely sees that she is weak and alone. Aside from Ji Nan, she only has that wild girl, that"s why he would protect that wild girl a little. Why would you get angry because of this?" 

Yan Yang heard this and immediately laughed coldly, "That"s right! She is weak and kind, that wild girl is innocent and naïve. In this residence only I alone am ruthless and scheming!"

Qi momohad nursed her since young, she understood her thoughts best. She did not speak too much and only said, "In that case, our Ye country"s first G.o.dly General is muddleheaded and incompetent, unable to judge people clearly!" 

These words advanced through retreat, it was cleverly spoken. Ye country"s top beauty, Her Highness the Princess was briefly startled, her cheeks quietly flushed red. 

Everyone knew that Ji Ting had deep feelings towards w.a.n.gfei. However, if that was really the case, then where did her 3 sons come from? If she really was a ruthless and scheming person, then what would that make the man who had 3 sons with her and tacitly accepted her as a wife? 

Yan Yang"s mood brightened in an instant. 

Qi momo saw this clearly and took this opportunity to advise, "Don"t argue with w.a.n.gye because of this girl. Quickly think of a way to marry her off and put an end to the young masters" distraction[5] so that they will concentrate on learning martial arts and warfare. You will be able to have this residence and w.a.n.gye"s heart in the palm of your hand… Your happy days of living as you wish is right before you!"

Yan Yang leaned on a pile of soft pillows and sighed lightly, "It is easy to say, but who knows what older sister wants? Last time, when w.a.n.gye mentioned Ji Nan"s marriage, I saw her expression at that time, she does not seem that willing to marry Xiaoli to Ji Nan."

"That is natural. Who would want that that little orphan girl to be their daughter-in-law?" Qi momo said laughing. 

Yan Yang shook her head, "I actually feel that she is sincerely looking out for that wild girl. Even though that girl is stupid, but a girl"s whole life is dependent on their husband. After all, Ji Nan…" She almost let it slip. Yan Yang quickly stopped herself. She held the hairpin on her head, bit her lips and stopped speaking. 

Qi momo knew about Ji Nan"s alarming great secret, naturally she also knew that even for Ji Xiaoli, Ji Nan was also not a good match. Thinking about that w.a.n.gfei who loved her only flesh and blood so dearly, yet she actually did not sacrifice her adopted daughter, her heart really was upright and good. 

"In that case, why don"t Princess think of a way to marry her out?" 

"Who would marry her?!" Yan Yang rolled her eyes.

"The Zhennan royal residence"s adopted daughter, those that wish to marry her are many. Only they all heard that Princes you always did not like that girl, no one dares to oppose you, that"s why there isn"t a single family come to propose marriage!" 

Yan Yang burst out laughing at her words. She leaned back and thought about it, her eyes half closed, she lightly rapped the table, "Send my edict plate[6] out! Tomorrow is the day Imperial Mother abstains from meat. I want to enter the palace!" 

"You want to ask Empress Dowager niangniang to bestow a marriage?"

"Bestow what marriage, who has the patience to find in-laws for her! I am going to ask Imperial Mother to conduct her coming of age ceremony. Her status is high and lofty, naturally there will be people coming to propose marriage. When the time comes we can just slowly pick!" Yan Yang said cheerfully.

In Langhuan Pavilion, the sky had turned dark. Ji Xi and Ji Bei have also arrived. A large sky lantern was placed on the around in the courtyard. The three young men and women were talking and laughing while writing and drawing on the lantern, completely unaware that at this moment someone was deciding their fates. 

Ji Bei hogged two sides of the lantern, he drew a… freehand drawing. His marksmanship was good, but his drawing skills were extremely lazy. With difficulty, one would be able to recognise two people riding horses, following behind them were a string of large and small black circles. Xiaoli looked at it for a long time, before pointing and asking him, "Are the horses running and defecating at the same time?"

Immersed in thoughts of a beautiful future, Ji Bei"s face turned black. He threw down his pen and pulled at the light yellow ribbon in her hair. Xiaoli covered her head and ran away. Ji Xi shielded her behind him and glared at Ji Bei. Ji Bei quickly ran away. Xiaoli stuck her head out from behind Ji Xi"s back and asked happily, "Second Older Brother, what are you writing?"  

Ji Xi looked at her with his lips hooked up. He brought her to his side of the lantern. 

On the white cotton paper, the vigorous and lofty Liu calligraphy[7] expressed, "Swallows on the bridge coming and going, gulls in the water chasing each other." 

Xiaoli tilted her head and stared at those two sentences. Ji Xi merely looked at her with a gentle gaze until she turned around to ask, "Second Brother wishes to turn into a bird?"

The light from bonfire at the side was imprinted on Ji Xi"s handsome face. A chest full of deep emotions, playing the lute to a cow. 

He helplessly sighed and rubbed the little lady"s confused face, asking gently, "Little dummy… what did you wish for?" 

Xiaoli excitedly pulled him to see: On the six sided lantern, she scribbled on three sides. On the first side, she drew it for w.a.n.gfei niangniang. The little girl"s handwork was good, her drawing skills were not bad either. In a few strokes, she had drawn her own round face in a lifelike manner. Even though it was black ink, he could tell that she was wearing wedding clothes.  

Ji Xi looked at her with a smile. 

On the second side, there was a large house. Ji Ting was riding a horse and holding a big sabre in his hand. Behind him were his four sons Dong, Xi, Nan, Bei (West, East, South, North), standing or jumping. A good drawing of a general practicing martial arts with his tiger sons! The beautiful Princess Yan Yang and w.a.n.gfei niangniang were arm in arm, amicably looking on at the side.  

Xiaoli smiled and pulled him in front of the third side of the lantern. This is her own wish to the G.o.ds: On top of mountains and rivers, the misty clouds hung in the air. Above the clouds, there was a female, her clothes floating in the air, she was walking against the wind. 

"Really a silly girl." Ji Xi sighed. 

The previous drawing was still better. Her, in marriage clothing, marrying into a happy and blissful family.  

Ji Xi thought: Even though I am not a G.o.d, I will definitely do all I can to fulfil your wish.

During the time they were drawing on the sky lantern in Langhuan Pavilion, a man dressed in black stood against the wind on a cliff on Zixia Mountain. 

The tall mountain in the distance finally swallowed the last bit of light. He descended in one leap. 

Below that cliff, there was a deserted valley. Within the valley, there was a cold pond, 90 feet deep, leading to the 9 layers of the netherworld. The pond water was extremely cold and extremely Yin, many lonely souls and wild ghosts gathered around this cold pond, absorbing the cold Yin energy to live.  

In this type of place, don"t mention living people, even the wild animals in the mountain did not dare approach. Therefore, when a young man in a black ice-silk wide-robes suddenly flew down from the cliff and flit across the cold pond like a dragonfly, all the spirits and ghosts in the valley stared blankly. 

After a short silence, the demon spirits made a racket in sharp voices all at once, excitedly hissing and shouting while rushing towards him. 

The all-encompa.s.sing energy of the demon spirits soared up. That man seemed like he was about to be bitten till nothing was left. Suddenly, the demon spirits let out screams that were even sharper than before. The few that were in front only reached about 10 feet away from that man whose face was as cold as ice, the ghosts present witnessed them turning into extremely faint smoke, in an instant, they disappeared without a shadow… Although those that managed to escape managed to retain their lives, but they had been injured by the ice cold energy surrounding that man, losing many years of cultivation. 

The monsters in the valley fled in disarray. However, Chen Yubai"s cold and stern face was unchanging. To be honest, from the start to end, he had not even looked directly at the ghosts and demons in this valley. Crossing the pond, he slowly walked across the yarrow gra.s.s by the pond. His black cold-silk long robes slowly brushed across the ground. The gra.s.s that had just turned a demon a couple decades ago was so frightened, it turned back into its true appearance. Unable to escape that cold black colour in time, its green body instantly withered. 

Demonic energy pervaded the eerie valley floor. The young Grand Tutor in light and loose clothing walked slowly, demons within 30 feet were eradicated. 

He stopped in front of the yarrow meadow by the pond. 

The smooth and tender yarrow gra.s.s unfurled timidly in the breeze, like the slim waist of a young girl. Chen Yubai stood there quietly for a while, dispersing the cold air around him. His features even smoothed out a little, before he slowly bent his waist to harvest it. 

Yarrow gra.s.s is one of the things that the deities had left behind in the secular world in ancient times. When used in divination, it can make one"s interpretation of the divinatory triagrams to be especially accurate. However, yarrow gra.s.s did not grow easily and had a lot of spirituality. It would die if an ordinary person"s impure energy came into contact with it. There are very few surviving in the world. The patch of marrow gra.s.s here had absorbed the cold pond"s cold Yin energy and had cultivated into a spirit already, it was an even rarer top quality object. 

Carefully keeping the yarrow gra.s.s into his silk purse, Chen Yubai gathered his energy and leapt up, jumping along the cliff, in a blink of an eye, he had flipped himself over the mountain peak. 

At the moment, the crescent moon had just climbed into the sky, hanging mid-air shyly, its light dim. Chen Yubai stopped at the top of the precipice under the moon. Even nearer to the moonlight was a sky lantern. In the night breeze, it drifted silently towards the mountain peak. Afraid that the smoke and flame from the human world would contaminate the yarrow gra.s.s"s spiritual energy, he waved his sleeves and in a flash, that lantern was extinguished and fell down, landing beside his feet. 

Borrowing the cold moonlight, the few brushstrokes ill.u.s.trating a girl"s appearance made the young Grand Tutor frown slightly. 

This foolish round face was a little familiar. 

He waved his sleeves lightly. Without any wind, that lantern rolled a few times on the ground by itself, allowing him to easily see all six sides of the lantern. 

So it was a foolish woman who married into a family, causing trouble till the family had no peaceful days, the whole family took up arms against each other, that woman was abandoned, her feelings like she had fallen to the ground from the clouds, she had ridden a horse back to her maternal family crying. 

A hole had been torn by him when he attacked the lantern in scene of returning to her maternal family. He could only see a person riding the horse seemed to be carrying a traveling bag. It should be that the traveling bag had been torn, so her things had fallen on the ground along the road. 

The final poem vividly described this foolish girl"s miserable life: Aside from herself, the swallows on the bridge came and went, only the gulls in the water chased each other without her.

Chen Yubai lips twitched, for no reason, he felt a burst of delight.

[1]两进两出: two in and two out - can mean two doors in and two doors out - but I saw an explanation the word 进can mean the number of layers a courtyard has. 

[2]休沐: rest and bathe - every 5-10 days officials would have one rest & bath day. (lol I guess people didn"t shower as often back then…?) 

[3]龙骨: literally "dragon bone". Keel is the lengthwise timber or steel structure along the base of a ship.

[4]簪发礼: literally hairpin hair ceremony

[5]念想: this actual means the act of missing someone and thinking about them constantly. 

[6]When joined together perfectly with its matching half, proves the bearer"s ident.i.ty. Edict plates were used to send urgent doc.u.ments and messages, under imperial orders. 

[7]柳体: calligraphic style of Liu Gongquan