Autumn has passed, winter has come, and with the approach of the new year, the atmosphere in the Marquis’ Mansion has finally become slightly more festive.
In the room of the third miss, Xiao Zaner, a maid, stood on tiptoe to stick window flowers on the windowpane. The accumulated snow on the frame fell with her movements, prompting her to quickly withdraw her hand. She blew on her cold fingers, saying, “It’s been snowing heavily for several days. It’s finally stopped for a while, but it’s still so cold.”
Xiao Zhixuan raised her gaze from her book, watching Zaner’s fair face flushed from the cold, illuminated by the bright red window flowers. Xiao Zhixuan smiled faintly and looked out the window, where the sun was timidly peeking through the azure sky, casting a warm glow on the snowy roof ridge. She closed her book gently, murmuring to herself, “I wonder where my elder brother and sister-in-law are now.”
Zaner stoked the charcoal fire in the stove to make it burn brighter, then turned to look at her young mistress. She suddenly felt that in just a few months, the third miss had changed a lot. She no longer heard her noisy shouts inside and outside the house, nor did she seem as playful as before. It was as if her temperament had suddenly become more serene. Even when His Highness and the madam went out for a stroll today, she didn’t clamor to go with them, choosing instead to stay indoors and read. Zaner withdrew her gaze, quietly thinking to herself, “The third miss seems to have grown up.”
Meanwhile, on the long streets of the capital, the trees were adorned with crystal flowers, and the buildings were draped in silver. The original bluestone road seemed to be sprinkled with thick salt grains, making it impossible to discern its original color. There were few pedestrians on the street, only a few vendors wearing thick cotton clothes, guarding their steaming stalls. At this moment, several sleek black horses trotted on the white snow, kicking up a layer of white mist in the air. In the carriage behind the horses, Yuexi gently lowered the curtain on the window and hugged the porcelain hand warmer in her hands.
Seeing her shrinking into her fur collar, her chin buried deep within, Xiao Du, knowing her aversion to the cold, smiled and set down his teacup. He took her hands and placed them inside his coat, saying, “This will warm you up faster.”
Xiao Du, accustomed to martial arts since childhood, had always been robust. Even in such weather, he only wore a thin inner garment and a light fur. Yuexi felt the warmth on his chest and immediately warmed her hands, leaning against him like a koala for warmth. Xiao Du smiled and pulled her closer, and the two of them remained silent, nestled together amidst the sound of horse hooves and falling snow, occasionally accompanied by a few snowflakes drifting in from outside, blending into the quiet warmth.
The carriage continued on its way, gradually slowing down as it reached the outskirts of a plum forest. It turned onto a small path, and Yuexi quickly sat up, lifting the curtain to look outside. She saw sparse plum shadows against the cold, with snowflakes swirling in the air. The jade-like snow piled on top of the red plums, scattering in the breeze. She couldn’t help but feel entranced. Xiao Du, afraid she might catch a chill, quickly draped the fox fur over her, saying, “This plum forest looks best in the snow, which is why I’ve always wanted to bring you here.”
Yuexi leaned against the window sill, murmuring, “I’ve only read about the ancient poet Meng Haoran’s snow-searching for plum blossoms in books. Now that I see it in person, I understand that without poetry and prose, such a splendid scene would be wasted.”
Xiao Du gently brushed the snowflakes from her eyebrows and smiled, “We may not be poets, but brewing a pot of wine to enjoy the snow and admire the plum blossoms is also quite charming.”
Finally, the carriage arrived at the end of the path, stopping in front of a pavilion. Nestled in the center of the plum forest, the pavilion was surrounded by plum blossoms, with pear blossoms covering the top, as if blending into the white world.
Several maids and servants got off another carriage, quickly lighting a charcoal stove and warming up a pot of “Tu Su” wine. After clearing the snow from the table and stools in the pavilion and laying out brocade cushions, they took out the wine utensils they had brought and set them up properly before returning to the carriage to head back the way they came.
Xiao Du helped Yuexi down from the carriage, instructing the coachman to follow the others to wait outside the plum forest. Then, he led Yuexi slowly into the pavilion.
By this time, the “Tu Su” wine on the stove was bubbling with heat. Xiao Du seated Yuexi on a stool, then strode over to place the wine jug on the table. Afraid Yuexi might feel cold, he added more charcoal to the fire and said to her, “I specifically had them all leave, leaving just the two of us here. So, shall I serve you today?”
Yuexi took the wine jug from him and filled his cup, smiling, “I’m not disabled, why would I need you to serve me? Today, neither of us will serve the other. We’ll just enjoy the snow and drink like old friends, how about that?”
Xiao Du looked at her smiling face, feeling that the plum shadows behind her paled in comparison to the brightness in her eyes. He raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp. Yuexi, unable to hold her liquor, only took small sips. Xiao Du drank several cups in a row, his eyes already a bit unfocused. He looked at the pure white scene before him, exhaling and saying, “The snow in the capital is nothing compared to the majestic snowstorms on the border. It’s unforgettable.”
Remembering what he had said earlier, Yuexi poured him another cup and said, “Tell me about your experiences on the border, how does the winter there differ from that in the capital?” Xiao Du immediately perked up and began recounting many anecdotes from his time on military expeditions. Whenever it was bitterly cold, the soldiers would hunt together in the woods, then gather around the fire to roast deer meat. As they drank and ate, they sang marching songs, their hearty voices shaking off the snow on the trees, with flags fluttering in the distance, and the setting sun over the long river.
Xiao Du took a few sips, feeling that it was still not enough. He sighed and said, “If only we could grill some venison and pair it with strong liquor at this moment, it would be most appropriate.”
Yuexi was captivated by the scenes he described, her eyes filled with longing. She said, “I want to see what the border and the wilderness you speak of are like. It’s a pity that as a woman and the lady of the Marquis’ Mansion, I must always adhere to etiquette and cannot show my face. Not to mention the borderlands, I fear I may not even be able to step out of this city.”
Xiao Du took her hand and smiled, “What’s so difficult about that? In the future, I’ll lend you my clothes, and you can disguise yourself as a man. We’ll travel all over the mountains and rivers together. Wherever you want to go, I’ll take you.”
Yuexi laughed, leaning into his embrace and teasingly brushing his face, “You must be drunk. How can I wear your clothes?”
Xiao Du seemed to realize this only now, furrowing his brow. “Then forget about dressing as a man. If my wife Yuexi wants to go somewhere, who dares to say otherwise?”
Yuexi heard the implicit determination in his words, knowing he was already somewhat intoxicated. She then finished her drink and softly said, “From now on, wherever you go, I’ll accompany you. We can be each other’s company.”
Xiao Du kissed her hand gently, feeling calm and content inside. With the alcohol coursing through him, he suddenly became enthusiastic and said, “Just drinking like this is boring. Since you mentioned wanting to see the scenes I described, how about I sing a military song for you?”
Yuexi straightened up, surprised, but also finding it amusing. “You still know how to sing?”
Xiao Du felt a bit embarrassed by her scrutiny and coughed awkwardly into his fist. “These are tunes we used to sing together. I’ll hum a few lines for you.”
Glancing at the wine utensils on the table, he chuckled, “In ancient times, they sang with drums. Since I don’t have any musical instruments, I’ll use this table as the drum. But, if Lady Bo smiles at me.” With that, he lightly tapped the table’s edge with his jade chopsticks and began to sing, “With Wu’s weapons and rhinoceros armor, chariots clash and short weapons meet. The sun is covered by banners, enemies are like clouds, and arrows fall like rain…”
At first, he hummed softly, but as the tapping on the table became more urgent, he seemed to recall the sounds of war drums and the battlefield’s turmoil, and his tone gradually became more passionate. “Scaling the remaining formation, trampling the remaining paths, the left cavalry is defeated, and the right swords are injured. Both wheels are muddied, all four horses are restrained, with a jade pendant, he beats the drum.”
His voice, rough yet imbued with the spirit of iron and mountains, evoked a scene of a vast battlefield. As Yuexi listened, it was as if she could see a battlefield shrouded in banners and flying arrows, where warriors fought desperately to defend their city until the very end.
But suddenly, Xiao Du’s singing stopped, and after a long pause, he spoke in a somber and tragic tone, “The heavens are angry, and the spirits are furious. The strict order is to kill all, abandoning the wilds. We cannot go out, nor can we return. The plains are suddenly vast, and the road is far. Truly brave and martial, yet unyielding. Even in death, our spirits are strong, becoming heroic ghosts.” His singing had lost its melody, almost on the verge of tears.
Yuexi knew he was reminiscing about past events, and her eyes also welled up with tears. She gently held his arm, staring into his sorrowful eyes, and then softly began to sing along with him. She didn’t know the song well, but she followed his words softly as if using this imperfect melody to mourn the souls of the fallen.
After the song ended, Xiao Du closed his eyes and poured the wine from his cup onto the ground. Yuexi, fearing he might be lost in memories again, tightly held his hand and remained silent, accompanying him in drinking silently to ease his sorrow.
But she was truly unable to hold her liquor. After drinking several more cups, she felt a bit drunk. Xiao Du lowered his head and saw her face and neck flushed with alcohol, her eyes seemingly veiled in mist, making it impossible to resist being intoxicated in her presence. So, he gently took the cup from her hand and lifted her, saying, “Feeling cold? How about we change locations?”
Yuexi’s mind was already somewhat foggy, but she was suddenly lifted by him, passing through the thickets of plum trees. Occasionally, snowflakes fell from the branches, landing on Yuexi’s neck, causing her to shiver. Seeing her shiver, Xiao Du simply picked her up and walked a short distance before setting her down, pressing his hand against her face and pointing ahead, saying, “Look.”
Yuexi widened her eyes and found a steaming hot spring before her. Mist rose from the pool, with white snow surrounding it, and a few plum blossoms floating in the water, making it seem like a fairyland.
Yuexi rubbed her eyes, finding it hard to believe what she was seeing. Xiao Du chuckled and said, “This hot spring pool belongs to the Marquis’ Mansion, so no one will intrude. Shall we go down there and continue drinking?”
Yuexi was still somewhat dazed, turning her head in astonishment. “Together? You mean both of us?”