Consort 42’s First Snow

After receiving a nod from Mingyue, Chuxue spoke a few more words about related matters before leaving the Yearning Pavilion. Mingyue stood at the doorway, watching as four of the black-clad guards quickly carried the elegant palanquin away, while the rest of the guards silently followed. She remembered that when Chu Xuan had secretly returned after reclaiming his identity as Luo Yanke, he too was accompanied by only a dozen or so attendants. Yet now, this esteemed Lady Chuxue commanded an entourage almost equal to that of a prince, perhaps even more heavily guarded.

Who could she be? Mingyue knew of no consort or noblewoman named Chuxue, not even among the imperial princesses.

Once the group disappeared from sight, Mingyue turned and entered the pavilion. In the courtyard, Qin Shi had already arranged all the newly purchased items according to their purpose.

"Qin Shi, have you ever heard the name Chuxue?" she asked.

Qin Shi shook his head, handed her a cup of tea, and inquired, "Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing. The person who just stopped at the door was Chuxue. She came to commission the Love's Yearning Elixir, but set the timing for some point in the future; today, she merely left a deposit," Mingyue explained, setting the hairpin Chuxue had left on the table.

Qin Shi took the hairpin and turned it over in his hand for a while before remarking, "This is a hairpin worth a fortune. The black pearl alone is equal to two years’ salary for a hundred officials. As for the jade, its quality is also extraordinary. The person who crafted this hairpin was either meticulous or deeply cared for her. Besides, ordinary people could not afford such a thing."

"If that's the case, why does she still seek the Love's Yearning Elixir? And why would she so casually part with something so valuable?" Mingyue was puzzled, but she took out a silk handkerchief and carefully wrapped the hairpin.

Qin Shi shook his head again. "Just keep it for now. When we see her again in the future, it’s best to return it or exchange it for another. I imagine, if the one who gave her this hairpin saw it in your hands, he would be furious."

Mingyue’s hands trembled; compared to wealth, her life was obviously more precious. She had no wish to lose her life over a hairpin. After wrapping it up, she quickly locked it away in the small wooden box in her room.

"So, should we take this commission?" For the first time, Mingyue hesitated about the Love's Yearning Elixir.

"Let’s observe a while longer. If we can learn more about this lady’s background before starting, it would make things easier to judge. But for now, I fear that may be difficult."

Mingyue scratched her head; she truly disliked dealing with such mysterious affairs. After a moment’s silence, she said, "Forget it, she’ll inform me when the time comes. We’ll take it one step at a time then."

With that, Mingyue put the matter out of her mind for the time being. Apart from the hairpin, there was no trace proving that the noble lady had ever visited. In a month or two, there was still no sign of any movement. Gradually, Mingyue completely forgot about it.

But three months later, one night, Qin Shi had just prepared hot water for Mingyue. Before she could take off her outer robe, a dart flew through the window paper, grazing her cheek and embedding itself firmly in a wooden pillar. Startled, Mingyue wrapped her robe back around herself and went to examine the dart, removing the cloth strip tied to its tip.

A month and a half later, in the imperial palace of Que Country.

Mingyue’s heart gave a jolt as the forgotten noble lady floated back into her mind. She never expected that person to have any connection to Que Country. Ignoring the cooling bathwater, Mingyue took the cloth strip straight to Qin Shi’s room.

"Qin Shi..." She could say no more after his name, because—because at that moment, Qin Shi’s upper body was bare, and his usually tied hair was let down. While Mingyue stared in surprise, Qin Shi nonchalantly put his robe back on, approached, and took the cloth strip from her hand.

"Was it her?"

Mingyue collected herself and nodded, knowing exactly whom he meant. She lowered her eyes, feeling her cheeks growing warm, and silently scolded herself—why rush? Couldn’t she have waited a little longer before coming over? She said, "You finish washing, I’ll come back later."

As Mingyue turned to leave, Qin Shi caught her wrist. She looked back in surprise and heard him say, "No need. The journey to Que Country is a long one, and the imperial palace there is known as a labyrinth of stone chambers. Clearly, it won’t be easy to infiltrate. We’d best set out as soon as possible. Is the hairpin coming with us?"

"Yes... let’s bring it. Didn’t you say we should exchange it?"

Qin Shi frowned and said in a low voice, "If we bring it, you’ll need to keep it well hidden along the way. We leave at first light tomorrow. Go pack up your things."

Mingyue nodded dazedly and went back to her room to prepare some simple luggage.

At dawn the next day, Qin Shi hired a carriage. They locked up the Yearning Pavilion and set out for Que Country. Que Country lay to the north of Luo Country, separated by a great river. Last time, they had taken a detour returning from the House of Gentry, but now, eager to reach the capital Yongzhou quickly, they left the carriage behind and took a boat, intending to buy another carriage after crossing.

Mingyue had never traveled by water before. Though it was novel, she soon succumbed to the rocking of the boat, and after a few hours, she retreated to the cabin, unable to bear it. Qin Shi obtained some seasickness medicine from the crew and mixed it with porridge for Mingyue, which made her feel a little better. Still, she spent most of her time lying in bed, never daring to venture onto the deck.

One night, in a daze, Mingyue heard some noise and thought Qin Shi had returned. Holding her forehead, she asked, "Qin Shi, what time is it?"

Receiving no answer, she sat up, only to see several masked, black-clad figures rifling through their belongings.

"Who are you..."

They all stopped at once, and one turned to her, stepping closer to ask in a low voice, "Where is the hairpin?"

Startled, Mingyue was more surprised than alarmed, as if she had expected something like this. She steadied herself and replied, "Which one do you mean? I’ve received plenty of deposits since I started my business."

"The one with the black pearl. I advise you to hand it over quickly, or you’ll suffer for it later."

Mingyue lowered her gaze, allowing her hair to veil her face slightly. Her hand, hidden under the quilt, clenched tightly as she hoarsely asked, "Could you tell me why?"

"You’ll understand when you meet our master," the figure replied, striding forward to yank away her quilt as the others continued their search.

Mingyue’s hand moved behind her back, but she was swiftly grabbed by the arm and pulled out of bed. The hairpin, clutched tightly in her hand, was quickly snatched away. Only after the intruders vanished did Mingyue lean against the cabin wall, breathing heavily. Fortunately, Qin Shi had foreseen this and had a craftsman make an imitation; otherwise, she truly wouldn’t know how to deal with them.

Soon after, Qin Shi entered with a tray of porridge, frowning at the mess.

Mingyue shrugged. "The hairpin was taken."

"Let it be, then. Eat something first, I’ll tidy up here." Setting the tray by her bed, Qin Shi began to gather the scattered clothes and luggage.

While eating her porridge, Mingyue asked, "They said if I didn’t hand over the hairpin, I’d suffer for it later. Do you think the ones threatening us are the noble lady’s enemies, or the one who gave her the hairpin?"

"If they meant you harm, they wouldn’t have left you unscathed. If they were enemies, would they have been so merciful?" Qin Shi finished straightening up and sat beside Mingyue. "Are you feeling any better?"

She shook her head, still pale.

Qin Shi pressed a hand to her forehead. "At least you’re not feverish. The boatman says we’ll be ashore in a few days."

"How much time do we have left?"

"About twenty days. It’ll take roughly fourteen to reach Yongzhou, and the rest will be spent figuring out how to sneak into the palace."

Mingyue handed him her bowl and rinsed her mouth with the tea he offered. "I suppose she’ll make arrangements for us."

Qin Shi nodded hesitantly, tucked her in, and went to the next cabin.

Four days later, the boat docked as promised. While Mingyue wanted to press on, Qin Shi insisted they rest a day at an inn before hiring a carriage and resuming their journey. By the time they finally arrived in Yongzhou, less than nine days remained.

Soon after their arrival, a large contingent of soldiers came to clear the main road, holding back the crowd with long spears and leaving the central avenue empty. Mingyue squeezed in among the townsfolk, curious, and saw an ornate phoenix carriage approaching, escorted by maids and guards.

Just as she wondered who could command such a display, she heard the onlookers discussing, "Is Noble Consort Qi going to Tianguo Temple again to pray?"

"Indeed. I hear that ever since Qi Country was divided between our emperor and the Luo emperor two years ago, Noble Consort Qi has become devout, visiting Tianguo Temple every week or two. But our emperor truly favors her, granting her every wish, always sending enough guards to ensure her safety."

"That’s right. She may not be empress, but her favor surpasses all others in the harem. I heard our emperor spends every night either in his study or her palace. Fortunately, she’s kind-hearted, often praying for the emperor and the people of Que Country. It’s a good thing, really."

Listening, Mingyue looked toward the carriage just as a gust of wind lifted the beaded curtain, revealing the profile of the woman inside.

So that’s it… Noble Consort Qi, Chuxue.