Chapter 58: Avoidance
In an even more remote parlour in the Prince's manor, Yang Zhuofei's expression was slightly anxious. The day before, Feng Puzhi had had someone deliver a letter saying that she'd be coming to the manor, but now, the skies had already darkened, and her figure had yet to be seen. Feng Puzhi was a link in Yang Zhuofei's plans that couldn't be done without, and there absolutely couldn't be any mistake.
Finally, just as the sun was about to set, a maid led an woman who looked as ethereal as an immortal in. Already nearing her seventies, Feng Puzhi's hair was as white as snow, but her face didn't have much in the way of wrinkles to match her age.
"Feng-daozhang."
Seeing she'd entered, Yang Zhuofei hurried forward to lend her an arm. Yet Feng Puzhi seamlessly dodged her, and as she did so, she placed a porcelain bottle on the table, and said, "This is the very last bottle of medicine; use it up according to prescription, and the traces on the face won't be able to be seen even by an immortal."
"Thank you, Daozhang," Yang Zhuofei said, hastily taking the bottle, and, looking at Feng Puzhi, her face had something like a fawning smile. "Has Daozhang eaten dinner yet? Perhaps it would be best to eat some here?"
The man in the rear courtyard, propped up on crutches, had only looked slightly like Jiang Mingyou in appearance, and in stature, he was shorter than the true Jiang Mingyou by a great deal as well. From broken bones being healed to the fine-tuning of his senses, each had come from Feng Puzhi's hand.
Feng Puzhi could be counted as the most famous fengshui master in the Great Li; it was such that even her disciple, Qin Anhe, now had an important position with the Board of Astronomy. If not for the fact that, many years ago, Yang Zhuofei's mother had done a favour for Feng Puzhi, and that Feng Puzhi had pledged to aid her descendants thrice, it was quite likely Yang Zhuofei wouldn't have been able to call on such an important figure.
As for the three times of aid, now two had already been used.
The first time had been when Jiang Changbai had only just ascended the throne. A displeased Yang Zhuofei had sought out Feng Puzhi, and she'd asked her to work her magic and find someone who most resembled Jiang Mingyou. Feng Puzhi had agreed, working her magic, and by her guidance, in a mass grave in Boyang, Yang Zhuofei had found a dying person. He really had looked somewhat similar.
The second time had been used a month ago. The man she'd brought back had come back from the gates of the underworld, his vital signs steady. Yang Zhuofei had asked Feng Puzhi to perform a cosmetic operation on the man, breaking his bones and lengthening them, making every effort to bring him closer to the Jiang Mingyou of before. Feng Puzhi had agreed as well. Besides that now, this person's head was empty as anything, he was no different from the Jiang Mingyou of before.
Her visit today was to finish the second request.
"There's no need," Feng Puzhi said, shaking her head. "There are many matters left for me to attend to in the mountains; I came today to deliver the last of the medicine to you; I ought to return."
Yang Zhuofei blinked. "I've head speak of young Qin-daozhang's name; she's already called rained down to Boyang to end the months-long drought in Boyang. Now she's with the Board of Astronomy, and rising even more rapidly in the world; her prospects all look excellent. Perhaps it would be best for me to act as a host, and gather at Honghailou—how would that be?"
Yet hearing this, Feng Puzhi's expression grew dark in a flash, and she chided, "I know what plans you've made, and it would be best for you to abandon them at the first possible opportunity. I've warned you; no matter what, you can't involve Anhe."
But facing Feng Puzhi's chilly expression, Yang Zhuofei seemed as if not to have seen it. "Ah, what are you saying—I merely want to strike up a friendship with young Qin-daozhang; how could I be planning on involving her?"
If it were anyone else, right now, Feng Puzhi would most certainly flick her sleeves and leave. But looking at Yang Zhuofei's face, Feng Puzhi could remember her mother. If it weren't for Yang Zhuofei's mother's help then, Feng Puzhi would most certainly not have been able to live til now. Thinking of this, her heart softened a bit, and she said, "This path is no good."
Yang Zhuofei startled. "What do you mean?"
Feng Puzhi shook her head. "Stopping now, you'd still be able to protect your riches and honour for the latter half of your lifetime. If you proceed, it's not certain what the results will be."
Yang Zhuofei's temper had been aroused as well, and she scoffed. "How come she has this right, and I don't? You can't be blindly revering her because the young Qin-daozhang is working for her now, can you?"
Seeing she'd grown combative, Feng Puzhi didn't try and advise her any further, and merely sighed, turning around and leaving. Only once she'd left Prince Yu's manor did she shake her head and thought, I fear that the last request, I won't be able to pay back.
Song Juguang felt that Jiang Changbai was avoiding her.
It wasn't unfounded wind in an empty cave in the slightest. In the past, though Jiang Changbai could be said to be incredibly busy with official matters, she always remained in the imperial study. Regardless of when Song Juguang arrived, she could always find Jiang Changbai bent over the desk and working. But now, Song Juguang could only see the imperial study as empty as anything, and stare blankly.
This was already the third time that week.
Qing Huai, seeing her, seemed to have sensed something strange about the situation as well. "Wangjun, Bixia just left…"
Hearing this, Song Juguang felt vexed, and her gaze on Qing Huai grew sharp, and without thinking, she asked, "Where did she go?"
Qing Huai hemmed and hawed, not daring to answer. According to the rules, the maids waiting on the Emperor couldn't inform anyone else of the whereabouts of the Emperor. But Qing Huai also knew that her majesty and the Regent before her had a relationship that truly wasn't the usual; if she were to offend the Regent, she couldn't say whether or not her future would go well.
Having struggled for a while, she pointed out the direction for Song Juguang. However, Song Juguang arrived at the Board of Astronomy, and found Qin Anhe fiddling with a copper coin on her desk. The others at the Board of Astronomy had all seen Song Juguang before as well. Though they couldn't guess why her majesty and the Regent had come in succession today, they could only apprehensively pay their respects. Yet Qin Anhe's eyes, seeing Song Juguang, brightened, and hearing Song Juguang call out her name, walked over quite happily.
Even now, Qin Anhe remembered when, in Boyang, Song Juguang had appeared out of nowhere like a god to extinguish the fire, and then stormed off, hiding her meritorious actions away. Though her skills weren't advanced, she could tell that all of the methods that Song Juguang had used were of the same school as her own. But regardless of if it were Qin Anhe or Feng Puzhi, neither of them had had any shijies or shimeis. As a result, she had a stomachful of questions she wanted to ask Song Juguang, but she'd never been able to find an occasion. The last time Qin Anhe had seen Song Juguang, it had been when she'd returned to report from Boyang. That time, Song Juguang had stood, hands behind her back, at Jiang Changbai's side, and when she'd looked at Qin Anhe, her gaze had been so distant, even if she'd been a fool, she'd have been able to see. It was as if they'd never met before.
But Song Juguang really had gone to Boyang; Qin Anhe remembered it—and they truly had met; Qin Anhe remembered it as well.
This time, she'd finally found an opportunity. But before she could speak, she heard Song Juguang ask, "Did Bixia just come to look for you?"
Qin Anhe was somewhat at a loss, but she nodded. Song Juguang pressed again. "What did she say?"
A guardedness rose on Qin Anhe's face. Like Qing Huai, she didn't understand why Song Juguang was so fervent in asking about Jiang Changbai's whereabouts. But she thought better of it; just then, she and her majesty had only spoken of daily matters—there didn't seem to be anything that could be hidden. So, Qin Anhe shook her head. "She didn't say anything; we just chatted about some mundane matters." Qin Anhe wanted to pass by this topic as quickly as possible, and turn to asking Song Juguang some thing she was interested in—such as, which school and which sect had she studied magic with, who did she call her master, and where where her shijies and shimeis now? But when she met those eyes of Song Juguang's, which carried a bit of an oppressive aura, she couldn't help but speak a bit excessively.
Qin Anhe said, "Bixia really didn't say anything to me; she only asked whether I'd grown used to working with her, and whether or not my colleagues had mistreated me—and she asked about my shifu."
Song Juguang frowned. "Your shifu?"
"That's right—my shifu, Feng Puzhi." Qin Anhe assumed that Song Juguang was interested in her shifu, and hurriedly gave her shifu's name. When she finished speaking, she looked at her with a fervent expression, wanting to find some clues on her face, like spider's threads or horse's tracks.
But in the end, Qin Anhe was disappointed. Song Juguang merely nodded, looking as if she'd never heard the name before. Qin Anhe was still clinging to her, and she strove to unobtrusively mention her own shifu a few more times. "Bixia and I spoke about how I didn't even know where my shifu is. She said she went into seclusion in the mountains, but the last time I went back, I only saw that she'd left a letter, saying she'd gone travelling, and telling me not to worry. But with her skills, no matter where she goes, she wouldn't be treated badly."
Song Juguang didn't have any interest in listening to Qin Anhe speak; after all, she truly hadn't heard of the name "Feng Puzhi" before—and she'd only called Qin Anhe over because among the crowd of officials in the Board of Astronomy, she was the one she was most familiar with. "I understand," Song Juguang replied without thought, and then, without looking back, turned around and left. She was increasingly more certain that Jiang Changbai was avoiding her, but she didn't know why.
There wasn't anyone within the Board of Astronomy who knew of Jiang Changbai's whereabouts. Song Juguang didn't press and chase for answers either, merely picking a few leaves off the potted plants along the way. The leaves were lifted up by the wind, and then floated down, and the person who'd tossed the leaves had found her answer as well.
When Song Juguang caught up to Jiang Changbai, Jiang Changbai had just returned to the imperial study. "A Guang's come," Jiang Changbai greeted her the same as ever, but the beads of sweat on her forehead that had yet to subside abruptly declared where she had been. "You look in a rush—is there something important?"
Yet Song Juguang's expression was dejected. "When the person one looks for has disappeared, naturally one will be a bit worried."
"Is there someone in this world who A Guang couldn't find?" Jiang Changbai teased, still smiling, but her mind was on edge, as if she'd guessed what Song Juguang was about to say.
"If I'm determined to find them, then I can," Song Juguang said, approaching as she did so. "But if someone were to intentionally avoid this minister, then this minister wouldn't be sure whether or not to find them." As she finished speaking, she had already come to stand before Jiang Changbai.
Jiang Changbai smiled somewhat awkwardly, yet she didn't retreat even a single step. The two simply gazed at the other, face to face, until, when they breathed, their breaths puffed against the other's face. A few breaths' time passed like this, and two pairs of jet-black eyes could see their own reversed image in the other's eyes. It was Song Juguang who spoke. "How about Bixia helps this minister decide?"
"Go ask the person you want to find—what are you doing asking me?"
"Alright," Song Juguang said, still gazing at Jiang Changbai. "Could it be that Bixia isn't willing to see this minister?"
Though Jiang Changbai had a bit of a guilty conscience, her expression didn't change. "Why would you say so?"
"These past few days, this minister sought Bixia's audience day after day, and couldn't find her. As soon as this minister entered the Palace, you'd go somewhere else—if it isn't that you aren't willing to see this minister, what could it be?"
Jiang Changbai lowered her gaze, not looking at her. "It was just some matters I had to attend to—I can't always sit here day after day. If I were to only face memorials day after day, I fear I'd become a deaf, blind Emperor."
"So when you went to the Board of Astronomy, it was only to chat with Qin Anhe about her shifu whose whereabouts are unknown?"
Hearing this, Jiang Changbai suddenly raised her eyes. "You followed me?"
"I didn't," Song Juguang shook her head. "This minister merely wished to see you."
Comments
Post a Comment