Han Ji

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lu Zhi still had his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. Liu Bei, feeling a bit stiff from sitting, gently got up, walked to the corridor, and stretched his slightly numb legs.

The rear garden of the Xun residence is serene and secluded. Although it is the dead of winter, a few hardy flowering trees still adorn the area. The withered vines of wisteria entwine the pergola, offering a glimpse of the magnificent scene when the flowers bloom in spring.

Just as he was gazing absently at the withered vines, a gust of wind blew by, bringing with it the faint sound of a zither.

The music was initially very faint and intermittent. He listened intently, and the music gradually became clearer, coming from the neighboring courtyard.

The melody is aloof and solitary, carrying an indescribable chill and...suppression. It is "Yilan Cao".

The musician's skill wasn't top-notch, but it seemed as if they poured a deep, melancholic energy into their fingertips. The music was like a spring flowing beneath ice, cold and stagnant.

Liu Bei found himself listening intently. The loneliness and resentment in the music inexplicably touched him. He thought of himself, of the seemingly bright but actually thorny road ahead, and of the shocking record in yesterday's official gazette.

As the music drew to a close, the notes began to fade. Just as the lingering sound was about to dissipate, a girl's voice came from the other side of the wall.

Her voice was clear and melodious, tinged with a touch of childishness, yet she recited ancient verses in a mournful tone, as if filled with endless sorrow:

"The orchid is graceful and its fragrance is far-reaching. If it is not picked and worn as an adornment, what harm will it do to the orchid?"

The resentment and invisible constraint in his voice were so real, as if they had created a wonderful resonance with the music he had just heard and with Liu Bei's own state of mind.

He gazed at a single orchid in the courtyard, shivering in the cold wind yet still standing tall, and felt a pang of emotion. Almost instinctively, he whispered a response towards the wall:

"It is not that no one picks them, but that they await the arrival of a gentle breeze. If the gentle breeze does not arrive, the secluded valley will still bloom with fragrance."

As soon as he finished speaking, the music and chanting from the neighboring courtyard abruptly stopped.

A dead silence.

Liu Bei suddenly realized his mistake, understanding his rashness. This was, after all, the inner courtyard of Xun Yu's residence; the other side of the wall…

Just then, a figure suddenly turned around from behind a moon gate on the side.

It was a young girl dressed in a plain, dark-colored robe, about thirteen or fourteen years old. Her figure had not yet fully developed, but her elegant features were already evident. Her cheeks were slightly red from the cold, and her large eyes, clear as a mountain spring, met Liu Bei's gaze with undisguised astonishment and inquiry.

Eyes facing each other.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

Liu Bei could see the clear reflection in her eyes and her lips slightly parted in surprise.

In the next instant, like a startled fawn, the girl's cheeks flushed crimson, more vibrant than her frostbitten earlobes. She abruptly lowered her head, quickly turned to the side, and with a flash of her plain white robes, disappeared behind the moon gate, leaving only the empty entrance and a faint, almost imperceptible fragrance in the air.

It was as if that fleeting glimpse was just a hazy illusion after the snowstorm.

Liu Bei stood there stunned, his heart belatedly pounding.

That fleeting glimpse of his figure still lingered in Liu Bei's mind.

Until Lu Zhi's voice came from the study, calm and even: "Xuande."

Liu Bei jolted awake, realizing he had been standing in front of the empty moon gate for who knows how long. He took a deep breath of the cold air, suppressed the inexplicable restlessness in his heart, and turned to walk quickly back to his study.

"Teacher." He stood with his head bowed, his posture respectful, but his ears still felt a little warm.

Lu Zhi had already opened his eyes and was slowly straightening his sleeves, as if his nap had never happened. He glanced at Liu Bei, his gaze sweeping over Liu Bei's slightly reddened ears, without saying anything.

"Let's go." Lu Zhi stood up. "Lord Xun is busy with many matters and it's inconvenient to disturb him any further."

The master and apprentice bid farewell to Xun Shuang, who had returned after handling his affairs, boarded their carriage, and left the Xun residence.

The carriage rumbled along, the interior quiet. Liu Bei leaned against the carriage wall, his gaze fixed on the receding street scene outside the window, but his thoughts were still lingering on the back garden of Xun's residence, that wall, that moon gate, and those clear, astonished eyes.

Xun Ciming's daughter... Xun Cai?

It turns out that behind Master Lu's words, "It's a pity she was born a woman," was a girl of striking beauty, yet bound by invisible shackles. The source of the aloofness in the music and the resentment in the recitation was found.

"Have you seen Lord Xun's youngest daughter?"

Lu Zhi's voice suddenly broke the silence. He still had his eyes closed, and his tone was unreadable, as if he were talking about the day's weather.

Liu Bei's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously sat up straight, his throat feeling dry: "...Yes. This disciple...this disciple was in the corridor, and by chance...heard the sound of a zither."

"Hmm." Lu Zhi responded lightly, and after a moment, he slowly said, "This girl is exceptionally intelligent, and her talent is no less than her brother's."

Liu Bei held his breath, waiting for what would follow.

"However, his fate," Lu Zhi opened his eyes, his gaze as deep as an ancient well, looking at Liu Bei with a coldness that seemed to understand the ways of the world, "is probably beyond his control."

These five short words, like a block of ice, struck Liu Bei's heart, which had just begun to ripple, instantly freezing that hazy stirring within him.

He got it.

What good is exceptional intelligence? What good is a photographic memory? In this era, she was a noblewoman of the Xun family, and her marriage and her future were never matters of her own choosing. The resentment in the music and the sorrow in the recitation all stemmed from this.

Lu Zhi was reminding him, and also warning him.

The cruelty of reality was not only reflected in the official gazette of the Beizhou uprising, but also in the grand mansions and in the fleeting glimpse of that young girl.

"Disciple...understands." Liu Bei lowered his head, his voice somewhat hoarse.

The slight arrogance he had felt earlier due to his emerging talent and the favor he received from his teacher was now completely shattered. The road ahead was arduous, and he himself was already walking on thin ice; what right did he have to be distracted by anyone or anything?

The carriage swayed and rocked as it headed towards Mount Goushi. A heavy silence fell once more inside, even more so than on the way there.

Liu Bei turned his gaze from the window to his hands on his knees, slowly clenching them into fists.

That fleeting glance was both a meeting of kindred spirits and a wake-up call.

It was already evening when we returned to the hermitage on Mount Goushi.

The mountain wind was fiercer than in Luoyang city, howling and howling through the bare branches. Liu Bei jumped off the carriage, wrapped his winter coat tighter around himself, and bowed to Lu Zhi: "Teacher, this disciple takes his leave."

Lu Zhi glanced at him, nodded, and then turned and walked towards his courtyard. His figure appeared particularly solitary and upright in the twilight.

Liu Bei stood there, watching his teacher's figure disappear behind the courtyard gate, before turning around and walking towards his own dormitory, his feet sinking into the frozen, hard ground.

His heart felt like it was stuffed with a damp, cold wad of cotton, heavy and chaotic. The bloodshed of the Beizhou uprising, the gloom of court infighting, Xun Cai's astonished, shy yet inquisitive gaze, Lu Zhi's cold words, "I'm afraid it's beyond my control"... all intertwined, making his chest feel heavy.

"Xuande!"

A loud, boisterous shout interrupted his thoughts. Gongsun Zan, wrapped in a thick fur coat and resembling a burly bear, leaped out from the side, grabbed his shoulder, and the force was so great that he stumbled.

"What are you daydreaming about? You went to Luoyang with Master Lu, and your soul's been left there?" Gongsun Zan chuckled, leaning closer and lowering his voice. "I heard you went to see Xun Ciming? How was it? Are those bigwigs in Luoyang worrying about the country and its people, sighing and lamenting?"