As for Ye Lingbo — returning to the Wutong Courtyard, she was like the opera line: the brilliant phoenix breaking free of its jade cage, the mighty dragon bursting loose from its golden lock, returning like a general fresh from a resounding victory. She had always treated those below her with generosity, and she even teased Yang Niangzi and Luo Niangzi: “I have implicated you all today — going without your New Year’s Eve reward.”
“Not at all,” Yang Niangzi said with a laugh. “Young miss gave us a thorough satisfaction of that old score, and on all our behalf at that. We all came over with the Lady originally, and we’ve ground our teeth over Pan Yurong for years. Had we known she would turn out so vicious, I would have done everything I could to warn the Lady not to buy her. This is exactly like the story of the Eastern Wall gentleman and the wolf — the Lady saved her life, and she only used it to climb higher, and in the end she bit the hand that rescued her. Is there any worse a person in this world?”
“The fault is mine,” Luo Niangzi sighed as well. “I was the one who vouched for her — her mother worked alongside my sister-in-law in the washing workshop, and knowing the Lady’s generous nature, they asked someone to make the introduction. Before the Lady passed, I felt so uneasy about this matter that I brought it up. The Lady even comforted me and said it was none of my fault… And yet the world does turn out this way — the good die young, and the pestilence endures for a thousand years.”
Her words brought tears to everyone’s eyes. Lady Ye had truly been a good person. Ye Qinglan’s kindness, Ye Lingbo’s capability, Yanyan’s purity — all three daughters bore her imprint. Even in the most difficult times, she had been like a mother hen shielding her chicks, protecting everyone in the entire courtyard. So the three sisters had taken after her — the moment conditions improved even slightly, they immediately set about gathering their people back. The day they tracked down Luo Niangzi, who had been turned out to that washing workshop, everyone had clung to each other and wept bitterly.
“Enough — this is supposed to be a victory celebration. Luo Niangzi insists on making everyone cry.” Ye Lingbo could not stand this kind of gloom settling over things. “Luo Niangzi has always been a crier — alright, I understand the sentiment. No need to say more. Following my mother’s old custom: once the fireworks are done, we distribute reward money. And I am doubling it this year. What does everyone say?”
Everyone burst into smiles at once. Yang Niangzi said with fond exasperation, “The young miss is giving out rewards again — she’s already given them out several times this New Year’s season. Does the young miss still have any spending money left at all?”
“It doesn’t matter!” Ye Lingbo said with great spirit. “The young miss is in good spirits today. Besides — my silk shop had a whole warehouse of embroidered satin fabric stockpiled this year, and I gambled right: the price doubled. What I am giving you in rewards is not even the tiniest fraction of what I earned. Yang Niangzi, go and fetch Liu Ji quickly — let’s all set off fireworks, make some noise, and drive away all the bad luck! And just let that other courtyard watch — even Old Madam’s fireworks can’t match ours!”
And so the Wutong Courtyard erupted in merriment, everyone bursting with joy. The servant boys carried the fireworks into the courtyard and set them up. Although Ye Lingbo had said she wanted to let the other courtyard have a look, the truth was that the finest ones she could not bear to set off without Ye Qinglan and the others — she wanted to save them to enjoy together when they returned. Though only boys of thirteen or fourteen could enter the inner courtyard, she still directed everything through Liu Ji alone: “Go, move those ‘Silver Flower Trees’ over to the side — let’s light one of the small pagodas first and see how they look…”
“I want to watch the small pagoda too,” a voice said from behind her, smiling warmly.
Ye Lingbo turned around and saw Pei Zhao. Liu Ji had just lit a small pagoda, and the firework spun in circles in the snow, its light catching Pei Zhao’s smiling peach-blossom eyes — naturally stunning.
But Ye Lingbo was unimpressed all the same. “And you just got to waltz right into the inner courtyard like that? I am going to give Liu Ji a beating.”
“Why would the young miss beat my brother?” Xiao Liu’er immediately sprang to defend him. “It was the young miss herself who asked him to come — and besides, Old Yang Fifth Uncle has grown quite familiar with General Pei. Even a few of the gate servants are hoping to follow him into military service.”
“Let them go then — since even the young general has been reduced to his beggar-like state, they are in for a good time,” Ye Lingbo said dismissively. “It is the New Year’s season and you come dressed like this — aren’t you ashamed?”
“This is what beggars look like,” Pei Zhao only smiled.
Xiao Liu’er was young after all, and too straightforward to hold back: “But young miss had new clothes made — all to General Pei’s measurements. General Pei, come with me quickly to change…”
“Oh?” Pei Zhao looked at Ye Lingbo with a smile. “Is that so?”
Ye Lingbo’s face went a little warm, but the night was dark outside, so it could not be seen. She scolded, “Stop talking nonsense. Are you going to change or not — even the servant boys are better dressed than you.”
Pei Zhao, agreeably, went and changed his clothes. Books say that even plain garb cannot conceal true beauty — Ye Lingbo had only seen this to be true of A’Cuo and of him.
He had already been eye-catching enough in that old battle tunic — but then Ye Lingbo had no shortage of anything this year except embroidered satin, and knowing he was a soldier who favored the nomadic-style garments for ease of movement, she had made him a broad-sleeved round-collar robe in celadon-green and gold brocade, embroidered all over with patterns of flowering trees, flowing water, and peacocks in two-toned gold and silver, dazzling to the eye. The peacock’s tail feathers spread across his shoulders and back like arrow-feathers. His hair was uncrowned, only a gold-threaded hair-ribbon of ink-black dancing in the wind and snow, brushing against his face — a face as beautiful as a divine statue. It was impossible not to be reminded of that day at the lookout tower, when he had fired three arrows and overpowered Cui Jingyu.
To say nothing of the maids — even the children and the household matrons stood transfixed. It was proof enough that beautiful things please everyone.
He pushed the curtain aside himself and came out. Seeing Ye Lingbo staring at him, he smiled and said, “What is it? Is Ye Young Miss reluctant to part with it?”
“In your dreams,” she shot back — then realized he meant reluctant to part with the clothes, not reluctant to part with him. Her ears suddenly felt hot. Fortunately Xiao Liu’er was right there, and immediately said, “Hmph — General Pei is far too modest about our young miss. Our young miss even had a white set made. We’ll have it sent home with General Pei later.”
“She even prepared a change of clothes for me,” said Pei Zhao with a smile. “Then I must thank my benefactor for her grace.”
Ye Lingbo immediately started scolding him again.
“Stop joking around. The embroidered satin cannot be washed in water — when you’re done wearing it, send it back here and let Yang Niangzi take care of it for you,” she said. The scolding was secondary — her main concern was not wasting good fabric.
“Such a costly gift — I had no idea,” said Pei Zhao, still smiling.
“Of course not — in all of the capital, aside from ducal and marquis households, which ordinary noble family would wear embroidered satin for everyday use?” Xiao Liu’er rushed to explain. “The young miss is thanking General Pei for his news the last time. General Pei will come to know soon enough — our young miss is most generous to those who are hers…”
Xiao Liu’er was likely in for trouble. She had already been a little flustered around Pei Zhao, and now, seeing him in this outfit, she was unable to stop herself from chatting with him. Ye Lingbo watched this and understood it all perfectly.
And Pei Zhao, that infuriating person, had stirred things up without even knowing it — still listening to her with a warm smile, tilting his head slightly toward her as the firecrackers rang outside, treating Xiao Liu’er the way he had treated Er Ya of Peace Lane Courtyard, playfully indulging her. Watching this, Ye Lingbo had half a mind to kick him straight into the snow.
“Enough of this showing off — the food is getting cold,” she said with irritation. “Go and call Yang Niangzi in. The reunion dinner is what matters.”
The warm inner chamber had long been set with two tables of food — one sent over from Old Madam’s side, and one prepared by the Wutong Courtyard itself. Yang Niangzi and the others, having served Lady Ye in their years, were older and kept to the old proprieties, unlike the lively younger maids. Ye Lingbo asked them to sit down, but no matter how she urged, they simply refused, saying, “Second Young Miss, truly there is no such custom. Master and servant eating at the same table is not seemly for outsiders to see — even when the Lady was alive, it was not done this way.”
“Yes — the young miss’s kindness toward us, we all know,” Lin Niangzi agreed. “But we would not feel at ease sitting down. Better to let us eat on our own outside, and leave a few people to attend the young miss.”
“Very well, then,” said Ye Lingbo, conceding. “Go and eat in the outer room. Xiao Liu’er — you need not stay in here either. It is the New Year’s season — you don’t need to attend on me. If I need anything, I will call you.”
And so everyone dispersed to the outer room — in truth, with the distinction of master and servant, they were all more at ease eating on their own. Among them were mothers and daughters and aunts and nieces who were family to each other, and Xiao Liu’er had even taken Yang Niangzi as a sworn godmother. Outside, she and Luo Niangzi and Lin Niangzi were all trying to get Yang Niangzi to drink more wine, laughing like ringing bells: “Godmother only drinks with Yang Hua and not with me — so it is clear who matters more and who matters less to her. I am going to be heartbroken!”
Ye Lingbo could hear it from inside and smiled. It was their noise, but she was happy listening to it.
Done smiling, she naturally turned back to scold Pei Zhao: “Why are you just standing there? Do you expect me to serve your rice for you?”
Pei Zhao smiled and sat down, and in turn ladled soup into her bowl for her. Fortunately he was dressed in the nomadic style, which was suited to riding and movement — the sleeves gathered tight at the wrist. Otherwise, like this, they would have dragged straight into the soup. Ye Lingbo said dismissively, “Look at you — have you never served anyone in your life?”
Pei Zhao looked up at her with a smile curving his eyes. “Then might the young miss teach me?”
In truth, Ye Lingbo herself had never served anyone either — but she was clever, and watching how Xiao Liu’er did things every day, she helped him to a bowl of her own and instructed him with great authority: “Watch carefully — the movement should be gentle, don’t fill it to the brim, keep it level when you carry it…”
“And what is the secret to serving rice?” Pei Zhao teased her.
Ye Lingbo had actually been about to serve it, and when she caught herself, she snapped, “Are your hands broken?”
Pei Zhao burst out laughing. No wonder he favored teal — green truly suited him. Dark had its own appeal: that deep green was rich and solemn, which made the silver-white of the peacock embroidery shine even more brilliantly by contrast. The whole of him was like a priceless ornament.
A face like his — like the storied Prince of Lanling in the old tales — must have required far greater effort than Cui Jingyu to command respect and establish authority in a military camp, for beauty alone could invite contempt as easily as admiration.
And yet he was so hopeless — having earned merits, he would not go claim his due rewards. Otherwise he would long since have been wearing an imperially-bestowed python-dragon robe, like Cui Jingyu.
But his temperament truly was good. A full general, of all people, had now genuinely started serving rice for Ye Lingbo — still in that helpless, inexperienced way that showed he had no idea what he was doing, carefully molding the rice into a round shape in the bowl and patting it down with the spoon, completely absorbed in the task. Ye Lingbo watched him, caught between exasperation and amusement: “Are you piling a grave mound?”
Before her last syllable had faded, she felt a sudden flick against her forehead — something that had never happened to her before. Her mother had never done it, nor had Ye Qinglan, and even Shen Biwei would not dare. So for a moment she forgot entirely how to respond, and only stared at Pei Zhao: “You—!”
“We don’t say inauspicious things during the New Year,” said Pei Zhao, smiling at her. “Considering that Ye Young Miss speaks without thinking, I shall forgive you this once.”
Ye Lingbo wanted desperately to give him a few good flicks in return, but she knew she could not overpower him. She could only glare. The two of them were locked in a standoff when Xiao Liu’er, who had been happily playing drinking games with Yang Niangzi in the outer room but had not forgotten what was happening inside, came flushed and bright-eyed through the curtain, her face red with wine: “Young miss, don’t forget to let General Pei try that dish!”
“Which dish?” Pei Zhao smiled as he asked.
“The one in the yellow gourd-shaped cup,” Xiao Liu’er had given away the whole game. “General Pei — the young miss went to so much trouble over it.”
Pei Zhao lifted the lid and looked, then smiled: “Fish maw?”
“What do you know — this is dried golden fish maw,” Ye Lingbo said dismissively, giving his hand a tap with her chopsticks to settle the score for the flick on her forehead. She served him a portion and said, “Since you can’t handle the high and mighty things in life, have a taste of the civilian version. Don’t go around saying you’ve never even had dried golden fish maw — how pitiable that would be.”
Pei Zhao tasted it. Ye Lingbo had spoken offhandedly, but she was in fact watching his expression carefully. After a long silence from him, she asked, “Well?”
“It is rather greasy,” he said with a smile.
“No taste at all!” Ye Lingbo said dismissively, and helped herself to a spoonful to try — but she couldn’t really tell good from bad either. “Where is it greasy? This is the finest dried golden fish maw in all of the capital. They say it was stolen from the tribute stores by a palace eunuch — priceless on the open market. I only managed to get my hands on it with great difficulty.”
“Oh — Ye Young Miss stealing tribute goods? I’m going straight to the palace to report this,” Pei Zhao said with another teasing smile.
Ye Lingbo was so irritated she wanted to pinch him.
“Go on and report it then — and I won’t break your legs, you ungrateful wretch.”
Pei Zhao was genuinely insufferable — he loved to tease Ye Lingbo, and once he had teased her to the point of exasperation, when she refused to pay him any attention, he would come seeking peace. Even that was entertaining. He did not offer soft words — he simply refilled his own bowl of rice and, while filling it, said, “This time I’m going to pile a proper grave mound…”
Ye Lingbo could bear it no longer. She reached out immediately and pinched him hard — once, then again — and demanded between pinches, “Now who is saying inauspicious things? Now who should be getting beaten?”
“I beg the young miss for mercy,” Pei Zhao cooperated very nicely, laughing as he pleaded, “The embroidered satin is going to get damaged.”
Ye Lingbo pinched him a few more times with great satisfaction before finally relenting. “And you still have the nerve to mention it?” she scolded. “No conscience at all. You know perfectly well how good the embroidered satin is to wear…”
“In that case, I like the cut-silk brocade even better,” Pei Zhao said with another smile.
“In your dreams!” Ye Lingbo said disparagingly. “Cut-silk brocade has been worth more than gold these past few years. Even Princess Pingjun wears old brocade. The Grand Princess, now — she did have two new sets made, I’ll grant her that. And when the Emperor rewards Cui Jingyu, it’s always embroidered silk he gives.”
But Pei Zhao bringing up the subject did touch on something that had been turning over in her mind. She had privately thought this through herself — Pei Zhao refused to strive, perhaps because he had never had a taste of wealth and splendor. And so her intention had been to gradually awaken his ambition with fine things. In the language of old texts, this was “nurturing a worthy man with gold.” She had the means now, and Pei Zhao had already done her a great service with that one piece of intelligence — if she could push Pei Zhao further up, even not necessarily to Cui Jingyu’s level, just enough to be on equal footing with Wei Yushan, there would be no shortage of useful information going forward.
She was, after all, always generous with those who were hers.
So she took the opportunity and said, “As for wearing cut-silk brocade — it’s not impossible. I’ve heard that after the New Year, the Emperor intends to go hunting. All the princes and lords’ sons are to accompany the imperial retinue, and the generals of the Northern Frontier Army are also expected to attend. Your archery is so exceptional — taking first place would be no difficult thing. And when the Emperor rewards you with an imperially-bestowed python-dragon robe of cut-silk brocade, how magnificent would that be?”
But Pei Zhao was, as ever, the most aggravating sort of person. Hearing this — words that would have set any ordinary young man’s blood stirring — he only stirred his soup with lazy indifference: “Dull. I won’t go.”
Ye Lingbo wanted to knock some sense into him.
“If that’s dull, what is interesting? What is interesting about spending your days below everyone else? That day at the lookout tower, your archery was extraordinary — you outshot Cui Jingyu. How gratifying that was, how brilliant, how much admiration it won from every young lady in the capital. That was such a fine thing — how can your mind not be made to turn around on this?”
Pei Zhao was thick-skinned enough to take her lecture as one might take a religious incantation — something to listen to with perfect tranquility while going about one’s business. He ate, and he was infuriating about that too: all the fine dishes Ye Lingbo had prepared went untouched by him. He found the golden fish maw too rich, found the imperially-bestowed sturgeon from the Shen household’s gift too fishy, and would not eat the venison tendons either. In the end he brewed a bowl of rice in tea and ate some of the Ye household’s own vegetable and chicken dishes, and called that a meal.
Ye Lingbo had not imagined he could be kept so easily. When she thought about it — what did a person need in life but food, clothing, shelter, and travel? His desires for food and drink were minimal; he could not tell good clothes from bad ones; truly, there was no compelling reason for him to strive for anything greater. If only Cui Jingyu were not so easy-natured with him — if he had truly oppressed Pei Zhao, perhaps that might have been enough to goad him into rallying himself.
She had held back once, twice, three times, and at last she could hold back no more. When the fireworks were set off outside and the two of them stood watching beneath the eaves, she finally opened her mouth and asked.
“Is it because of what happened at the Mingsha River?”