Life living in the mountains was actually quite pleasant. Ever since Li Rong had arrived, the father and three sons entered the mountains, drawing water, chopping firewood, gathering grass to feed the horses. The days passed harmoniously and peacefully.
During this time, Yun Ye thoroughly explained to his two sons the general shape of this world, its products, and the distribution of nations. Pointing to the simple map he had drawn, he said to Li Rong: “That demon woman is hiding here. This place is called the Red Sea. Not far away is a place called the Mediterranean Sea. If someone could dig through and connect these two great seas, they could reach the westernmost lands.”
“Rong’er, don’t underestimate that woman. The fact that she could escape from the death trap Father designed shows her willpower is extremely tenacious. Father estimates there’s a very good chance Qiu Ran Ke died at her hands.”
“I know you have a question—you want to know whether or not you actually have a brother named Yun Hai.”
Speaking to this point, Yun Ye smiled and continued: “No, you don’t. This was a preparation that demon woman made to leave a way out for her child. So don’t worry about it. Father only has you three brothers.”
Li Rong felt somewhat embarrassed. Before coming, he had asked his father about this in a letter. Although Steward Liu had asserted this long ago, he still wanted to confirm whether this was another arrangement Father had made.
Yun Ye raised his foot to erase the map on the ground, tapping his head with his finger, meaning for his two sons to remember it in their minds and not commit it to writing. The two sons nodded in understanding.
The sound of axes rang out as the valley echoed with the noise of the father and three sons chopping wood. After shedding all worldly splendor and returning to the most simple life, people also become simpler. What Yun Ye wanted now was a simple life, not something complicated.
A military rebellion had completely torn apart the thin veil of warmth on the Great Tang’s surface. After all the ugly behavior was exposed in broad daylight, Yun Ye didn’t even have the interest to take one more look at Chang’an.
The father and three sons had lived in the mountains since early summer, continuing into autumn. By the looks of it, Yun Ye still had no intention of leaving the mountains. Xinyue reported to the court that after her husband coughed up blood, his body was weak and he needed quiet recuperation. Unexpectedly, the court actually approved this, but forbade Yun Ye from leaving Chang’an.
The father and three sons, carrying firewood on their backs, walked into those several thatched cottages. Xinyue and Xiao Miao came out from inside with beaming smiles to greet them, followed by two young wives—one was Feng Yuan, the other Li Yanrong. After Li Rong returned home, Yun Ye stubbornly insisted on holding their wedding ceremony again, and afterward Yun Shou’s wedding was also held as scheduled.
This time the Yun family only invited a handful of close friends and relatives to observe the ceremonies. After the family closed their doors and celebrated happily for three days, they moved the household to these thatched cottages in the mountains.
After several months of mountain life, not one person requested to return to the Yun family estate. The women all knew this was the most critical moment for a father to transmit the family’s teachings to his sons. No matter how long it would take, they would have the patience to wait.
So when at the dinner table they heard their father-in-law speak of some strange matters, while their own husbands sat in contemplation or nodding, Feng Yuan felt incomparably delighted. Li Yanrong very much wanted to understand her father-in-law’s words but discovered she couldn’t comprehend a single character.
The script they used for communication was also extremely strange—tadpole-like things. Even when placed before Feng Yuan and Li Yanrong, they knew nothing of it.
Whenever Feng Yuan and Li Yanrong showed any inquiring expression, Xinyue would tap the table with her chopsticks, warning them these were not things they should be listening to.
“This world is actually a sphere. It doesn’t float on water, nor is it supported by four giant turtle legs. It simply floats in endless void, rotating in motion around the sun. Each circuit is one year. Each rotation of this great sphere we inhabit is one day and night.”
“Shou’er, you should have learned many new subjects at the academy. Among them, the principle of gravity can very well explain these issues that seem very abstract to you. You might think, if we live on a sphere, when the great sphere rotates to the underside, wouldn’t we fall into endless void? Actually, it’s not like that. There’s a force we call universal gravitation. With its constraint, we won’t fall down. Furthermore, these directional senses of up, down, left, and right actually only exist as concepts on this great sphere. When you reach the void, there are no such directional senses…”
“Shou’er, don’t just focus on listening to Father ramble—a fish is biting… Not bad, very plump. Tonight we’ll eat braised carp…”
By the water pool, the father and three sons wore bamboo hats while fishing. Continuous laughter rang out. In the distance, Xinyue, who was keeping watch for them, smiled even more happily.
This was right. If there was time to teach the sons, why waste all one’s thoughts on the imperial court? After exerting so much effort, still being looked down upon by others—this time the Emperor was prepared, the Crown Prince was prepared, only her poor husband knew nothing and was angered to the point of coughing blood. What was the point?
Now fierce rumors spread throughout Chang’an. The reason Li Zhi rebelled was actually because the Emperor secretly instigated it. Although this explanation also didn’t make sense—if the Emperor wanted to kill his son, there was no need to indulge his brother like Duke Zhuang of Zheng, right?
But there was no need to care. Imperial family members were all a bunch of deviants. Good people who stayed with them long enough would also become bastards. Li Huairen had been such a good person, usually calling “sister-in-law, sister-in-law” so enthusiastically. When the time came, he turned into someone black-hearted and rotten-gutted. Xiao Miao had nearly been killed by him. Thinking of Old Jiang and Old Xia, Xinyue hated the imperial family even more.
Her husband was in high spirits. Perhaps the father and sons were chatting very happily. When a light rain began to fall, the three people showed no intention of moving. Just as she was about to go call them, Feng Yuan walked over holding a red umbrella to shield Xinyue from the rain, smiling as she said: “Mother, you needn’t call them. Father, husband, and second brother are speaking happily. This is a kind of refined pleasure. The rain isn’t heavy—no need to worry.”
“What do you know? Your father-in-law was recently angered to the point of coughing blood by those imperial family bastards. His body still hasn’t recovered. He can’t get caught in the rain. No matter how happily one is speaking, there must be limits.”
Xinyue was about to go call them but stopped in her tracks, watching through gritted teeth as two women carrying umbrellas walked up the mountain path. This woman had already come to disturb her peaceful life for the second time.
“The mysteries of heaven and earth lie in this—just like the rain threads falling now, it’s merely a cyclical process. The sun transforms water on the ground into vapor, then this vapor floats up to high altitude. After encountering cold air above, it condenses into clouds. When the water vapor becomes saturated, it transforms into rainwater and once again falls to the earth to nourish all things…”
Xinyue couldn’t stop Zhangsun, nor did she dare to. She could only watch helplessly as Zhangsun stood behind the father and three sons eavesdropping. As if you could understand anyway! Xinyue thought viciously.
Yun Ye turned his head and saw Zhangsun. He smiled and stood up, removing the bamboo hat from his head and inviting the Empress to wear it. Yun Shou and Li Rong also stood up, but their eyes no longer held the joyful expression from when they were small.
Zhangsun sat down on the small stool Yun Ye had just been sitting on without saying a word, picking up Yun Ye’s fishing rod to continue angling. Yun Ye smiled and also sat down, accompanying her in fishing.
Yun Shou placed his bamboo hat on his father’s head, then left the water pool with Li Rong. Yun Ye looked at the scattered white hairs appearing at Zhangsun’s temples and sighed, saying: “My heart ailment has not yet healed. This is not a suitable time to leave the mountains.”
Zhangsun said woodenly: “I know. That’s why I haven’t come to ask you to leave the mountains. I only want to ask you—is there any good medicine to treat heart ailments? I’m also ill.”
Yun Ye looked with distress at the countless ripples stirred up by raindrops on the water pool’s surface: “In those first few days, I somewhat hated myself. Why did I come out from the valley? Living foolishly with Wang Cai in that valley where human traces were rare wasn’t so bad—just like now, very good, very comfortable. Wang Cai could also obtain the greatest freedom. Who knew that after leaving the mountains, I would become unhappy, Wang Cai would also become unhappy, and we’d be an eyesore to others.”
Zhangsun didn’t respond to Yun Ye’s words. Turning her head to look at those several thatched cottages, she said distantly: “Clear out a room for me. I also plan to live here. Perhaps Qing Que will also come over. You should have built several more rooms here from the start. The Great Tang has too many heartbroken people. There’s always a need for a place to heal wounds.”
“That’s fine too. I can imagine how tormented you must be in the imperial palace. We’re all people without great ambitions. Hiding in a mountain valley isn’t bad either. You know my skills are good. You’ve developed white hairs—you should eat more things like black sesame and fleece-flower root. We’ll eat them tonight. Sesame paste is very good. I harvested a big bag of it last year.”
Zhangsun nodded to show her approval, then lifted her fishing rod. A palm-sized crucian carp was pulled up. Looking at the crucian carp jumping vigorously on the fishing rod, Zhangsun indifferently caught the fish, removed it from the hook, and said to Yun Ye: “Braise this little fish called Zhinü for me tonight.”
There is no sorrow greater than a dead heart. This statement from Zhangsun made Yun Ye understand that Li Zhi was merely a small fish lured onto the hook by bait. However, what did this have to do with him? It was just a game of big fish catching small fish.
Looking through his own fish basket, he said to Zhangsun: “The rain is getting heavier. Let’s go back. Today we’ve caught enough fish. When we return, I’ll make you braised crucian carp. Actually, you should drink the soup. The soup made from crucian carp, milky white and most nourishing to the body—braising only satisfies momentary appetite.”
Zhangsun turned her head to look at Yun Ye, brushed aside her disheveled hair hanging down, and laughed, just like long ago. She patted Yun Ye’s head, except now patting his head required raising her arm quite high. With tears glistening in her eyes, she said: “At least there’s still one person who cares whether I live or die.”
“Actually, it doesn’t matter. At worst, we’ll give them the whole world. I’ll take you and the people we care about to the distant islands. There it’s summer all year round. We won’t think about anything—we’ll just be foolishly happy there all day. Once there are too many things to think about in one’s head, one won’t be happy. Look at those fools on the streets—each one lives so happily.”
Zhangsun chuckled and then carried the fish basket back to the thatched cottage with Yun Ye.