Many years ago when Qiu Xinran was studying at the academy, she had once read Xia Xiuyan’s physiognomy. At that time, Princess Qinghe was still alive. The eleven or twelve-year-old little girl wore her hair in two small horn buns, propping her cheek and asking her with a face full of curiosity, “Xinran, can you tell a person’s destiny at a single glance?”
Qiu Xinran shook her head, but Princess Qinghe didn’t believe her. She leaned close and whispered by her ear, “Look at the Xia heir’s physiognomy—what will become of him in the future?”
Qiu Xinran followed her gaze toward the southeastern corner. That was the position in the entire room with the best sunlight. Xia Xiuyan was weak and often ill, so he habitually sat there. However, despite this, he was still much paler than the other Imperial Princes in the palace, perhaps because he didn’t normally attend riding and archery classes.
Probably sensing something, the person in the corner raised his head from the books on his desk, meeting her gaze directly, raising an eyebrow slightly. Qiu Xinran looked at him steadily for a while, then turned away as if nothing had happened, “Why are you asking about him?”
Princess Qinghe said distressedly, “A few days ago, Xiao Ling told me that when she grows up, she wants to marry the Xia heir. But I see the Xia heir’s body is so weak—what if he doesn’t live until she grows up?”
The little princess had an innocent and adorable face, worrying about this matter for her little friend with utmost seriousness. Her two thin eyebrows were twisted together like two caterpillars, making Qiu Xinran unable to suppress a smile, “Then Your Highness should persuade Miss Han to like someone else.”
Upon hearing this, Princess Qinghe was greatly shocked and leaned in even more nervously, saying worriedly, “He… is he truly short-lived?”
“Whether he’s short-lived or not is hard to say,” Qiu Xinran lowered her head, writing characters on paper stroke by stroke. “But judging by his physiognomy, he’s a heartless one.”
…
The Marquis Dingbei, who possessed the physiognomy of a heartless person, now stood by the lakeside with an ambiguous smile, asking her, “Clerk Qiu, have you been well since we parted?” Qiu Xinran always felt she could detect several notes of regret in it, and for a moment didn’t know what answer would make him feel happier.
“All is well. The Marquis also appears to be in much better health.”
“Thanks to the Clerk’s blessing,” Xia Xiuyan said meaningfully, “a sick body cannot lead troops.”
Qiu Xinran gave a dry laugh, “The Marquis left the capital in earlier years and probably doesn’t know—I no longer hold a position at the Bureau of Astronomy.”
Xia Xiuyan paused slightly, with a hint of sarcasm, “His Majesty was actually willing to let you leave the palace?”
If these words got out, they could be considered greatly disrespectful. But his position today was different from the past—presumably even if Emperor Xuande truly heard them, he would mostly just laugh it off and not take it to heart. Qiu Xinran, now a commoner without official position, naturally also pretended not to have heard. She only lowered her head to look at the lake water by her feet and shuffled a small step forward.
Xia Xiuyan seemed to perceive her thoughts. He paused before saying strangely, “The Daoist’s courage has grown increasingly smaller these past few years.”
Qiu Xinran awkwardly cupped her hands, “The night wind is cold. This humble Daoist will not disturb the Marquis here any longer…”
Before she finished speaking, a figure appeared on the garden path not far away. Dark and indistinct, his appearance unclear, but that voice when it rang out immediately revealed his identity, “My lord! They’re looking for you inside!”
He Zhong had drunk quite a bit tonight. He wasn’t drunk exactly, but his spirits were certainly quite elevated. Xia Xiuyan turned around, and only then did He Zhong see clearly that there was another person behind his Marquis. Judging by the attire, he couldn’t tell if it was male or female. On an ordinary day, he should have tactfully withdrawn, but at this moment, his mind clearly couldn’t quite turn the corner yet. He just stood there blankly and squinted to look more carefully in this direction.
Qiu Xinran suddenly recalled the words he had spoken earlier at the banquet with Zhou Xianyi, and couldn’t help but stand a bit more behind Xia Xiuyan. He Zhong, not receiving a response and thinking perhaps he was too far away and the Marquis hadn’t heard his words clearly, walked forward several more steps.
Seeing this, Qiu Xinran couldn’t help but retreat two more steps. Xia Xiuyan was just about to speak to He Zhong when from the corner of his eye he saw that with these two steps, she was now standing at the lake’s edge. His eyelid twitched slightly, “Stop—” Before his words fell, a startled cry came from behind him, followed immediately by a splash of someone falling into the water.
Before Qiu Xinran’s foot stepped into empty air, she saw the person with his back to her seem to turn around, reaching out to try to pull her. Unfortunately, today she wore narrow-sleeved foreign dress. She watched helplessly as those hands brushed past her sleeve and grasped at nothing. Immediately after, she fell despairingly into the spring pool where February’s ice water had just thawed, splashing up a great spray of water.
He Zhong was so startled by Xia Xiuyan’s “Stop” that he froze in place. Only when the sound of someone falling in the lake attracted the surrounding guards did he react—that cry from the Marquis just now had not been directed at him. By the time he reacted and rushed to the lakeside, someone had already jumped into the lake and fished the person in the water out.
Xia Xiuyan stood on the shore, looking at the woman who had been fished out, his expression somewhat unpleasant. The hairpin on her head had been knocked off during the struggle after falling in the water. Now her hair hung loose and stuck to her face—her appearance was truly somewhat wretched. However, she usually kept her hair bound and dressed as a Daoist. Now with her hair loose, she revealed some feminine air. Moreover, today she had already been wearing narrow-sleeved foreign dress. After falling in the water, her wet garments clung to her body, outlining her graceful figure, causing people to look sideways.
Qiu Xinran sat on the ground, her breath not yet even, when suddenly someone threw an outer robe over her head and face. By the time she pulled the garment down and draped it over herself, before her eyes were already three layers inside and outside of guards and palace maids, clustering around her to escort her to a side hall to change clothes. After she was made to drink a bowl of ginger soup and was attended to for rest, remarkably no one summoned her to the front for questioning.
The events of that night after, she learned later from Zhou Xianyi’s account.
At that time, Lord Zhou sat in the private parlor on the second floor of He’s Eatery, holding hot tea with lingering trepidation, “Originally it was a perfectly good birthday banquet for the Empress Dowager, but this kind of incident occurred—His Majesty was very displeased. However, later when he heard it was Marquis Dingbei who lost propriety after drinking two cups too many, he didn’t place blame.”
Qiu Xinran was puzzled, “If Marquis Dingbei lost propriety after drinking, can he not be blamed?”
Zhou Xianyi glanced at her with a meaningful look, “Of course it’s not only that. Mainly, when he heard the one who fell in the water was you, only then did His Majesty’s anger subside. He even asked you to enter the palace for an audience when you have time.”
Upon hearing this, Qiu Xinran couldn’t help but feel some gratitude in her heart, “His Majesty is benevolent.”
After Zhou Xianyi waited for her to finish her sentiments, he held his teacup and leaned closer, lowering his voice, “Since that’s the case, can you tell me the truth?” Qiu Xinran raised her head and saw him ask with a completely serious face in a low voice, “That night, was it truly Marquis Dingbei who pushed you into the water?”
“…”
The purple-robed female Daoist raised her hand to press her brow, “What is the palace saying?”
Zhou Xianyi gave a dry laugh, “This matter can’t really be blamed on the palace for spreading rumors. After all, as soon as they heard the one who fell in the water was you…” He reached up to scratch his face, confused, “Moreover, at that time only you two were standing by the lake. You couldn’t have just fallen into the lake perfectly fine on your own, could you?”
Qiu Xinran made no sound. The two looked at each other, silent for a long time. “It truly wasn’t him who pushed you?” Zhou Xianyi couldn’t help but confirm once more.
“When have you ever seen him use such a conspicuous method to torment people?”
Zhou Xianyi could not deny this. He looked at her with considerable sympathy, “Then you take care of yourself. As things stand now, he probably hates you even more.”
After a few days, a summons truly came from the palace.
This time when Qiu Xinran rode the carriage to the palace gates again, the guards truly no longer obstructed her. However, the gazes they cast at her couldn’t conceal their curiosity. In fact, it wasn’t only them—all along the way, the little eunuch leading the way walking ahead also kept glancing back at her from time to time.
Qiu Xinran kept her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart all the way, pretending not to know. All the way to the Imperial Study, only when she entered the hall did she discover that besides the Emperor, there was actually another person in the hall—Marquis Dingbei sat to one side holding clear tea. Hearing the commotion of her entering the hall, he didn’t even raise an eyelid.
Compared to seven years ago, Emperor Xuande had aged considerably. When he commanded Qiu Xinran to rise, he couldn’t help but sigh with emotion, “I still remember when I first met you, you were no more than a child with hair hanging down. Now you already have something of an immortal’s bearing.” Qiu Xinran reciprocated in kind, “Not having seen you for several years, Your Majesty remains just as when we first met—handsome and extraordinary.”
Hearing this, Emperor Xuande laughed. Qiu Xinran acknowledged that in many ways she didn’t resemble a renunciate. Her entire being exemplified the word “worldly,” without half a touch of “refinement.” However, in divination and fortune-telling she truly had some ability, and these had made her three years in the capital quite pleasant.
Now it was the same. Emperor Xuande quickly found the sense of intimacy from when they used to discuss scriptures and the Dao, and couldn’t help but exchange a few more pleasantries, “After you returned to the mountains, I also asked the Director about you. Jingming said that Baoyu Daoren of the Nine Sects thought very highly of you and intended for you to inherit her mantle. I couldn’t force anyone against their will. But has your return to the capital this time meant you’ve changed your mind?”
At this time, Qiu Xinran again assumed a rigorous and solemn appearance, saying respectfully, “When this subject entered the capital ten years ago, only then did I know how vast the world is. This time I also have no intention of residing long in Chang’an. I will only read physiognomy for common people in the marketplace. Though not serving in the palace, I am also willing to use my meager strength to share Your Majesty’s worries.”
After she finished this statement, the person to the side who had not spoken a word let his gaze fall on her for one second, then quickly moved away. Emperor Xuande said with relief, “That you have this heart brings me deep comfort.”
Emperor Xuande inquired about her circumstances cultivating in the mountains these past few years, and finally entered the main topic, “Two days ago when I heard you had returned to the capital, I was still thinking of inviting you to the palace for the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet. I didn’t expect an accident to occur.”
Qiu Xinran immediately said seriously, “Disturbing the Empress Dowager’s birthday, this subject deserves death ten thousand times. But this matter has nothing whatsoever to do with Marquis Dingbei. It truly was this subject’s momentary carelessness—I lost my footing and fell in the water. This subject is willing to accept punishment. I only hope Your Majesty will discern clearly.” As she spoke, she cupped her hands and bowed deeply.
The hall was quiet for a moment. Emperor Xuande smiled, “Regarding that day’s events, Xiuyan has already reported the circumstances to me. Finding you today is not about this matter.”
Qiu Xinran’s bowing hands had not yet been withdrawn, and she couldn’t help but feel somewhat awkward. From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the person sitting to the side looking at her with an ambiguous smile. Steadying herself, she asked, “May this subject ask for what matter Your Majesty has summoned this subject here?”
“Marquis Dingbei has not been back in the capital long. Residing in the official residence is always inconvenient. The Empress Dowager’s intention is to help him select a marquis estate, but Xiuyan does not wish to make a great commotion and plans to first find a residence to settle in. You are also quite knowledgeable in geomancy—entrusting this matter to you would be most reliable.”
“This…” Qiu Xinran hesitated, “Though this subject has studied some arts of reading land, in the end it is only superficial knowledge. I fear I cannot shoulder this great responsibility.”
“Xinran need not be modest. How much ability you have, I know most clearly. Since we’re not selecting a marquis estate, it’s also not appropriate to alarm the Ministry of Rites. The main thing is still Xiuyan’s own intentions.” Emperor Xuande said this while turning to look at the young man seated at the side, saying with a kind expression, “As the saying goes, establishing a household and career—an illustrious Marquis Dingbei doesn’t even have a residence in the capital. Which noble lady would be willing to marry you, right?” As he spoke, he laughed. Xia Xiuyan also smiled along, rising to express his gratitude, “Then I first thank Your Majesty for this grace.”
As the two spoke, they settled this matter, clearly leaving no room for Qiu Xinran to refuse further.