Chapter 148 – Perfect Match

The carriage rolled to a stop at the side gate of Helan Mansion. An elderly servant hunched over and opened the door. Helan Jingjiang personally helped his sister out of the carriage and led her inside. The old servant took the carriage away.

Helan Jingjiang said, “Baozhi, I should buy you some maidservants. At the Duke’s mansion, it’s not convenient without a maid following you.”

Helan Baozhi replied, “Brother, didn’t you say before that you didn’t want to stay in the capital and wanted to petition His Majesty to return to the border army? Since we’re leaving, why bother buying more people?”

Helan Jingjiang looked at his sister with a calm expression and sighed. “I see that the Duchess of the Duke’s Mansion likes you very much. You’ve been through hardships with me, and there’s no place for us to settle down.”

Helan Baozhi responded, “How many high-ranking families in the capital can compare to the Duchess? It’s freer on the frontier.”

Helan Jingjiang asked, “What did you think of Prince Xu today?”

Helan Baozhi was unaware that Lady Sheng had previously asked her brother to counsel him about his preference for men. She simply said, “The rumors were incorrect. He’s not some debauched son of an aristocratic family. Clearly, he has been carefully cultivated by a master and trained by a famous teacher. Now, every gesture he makes is elegant and refined; a faint aura of nobility has formed around him, like the purest spring snow or a rare gem, transcending the mundane. The Duchess entrusted you, Brother, to teach him, obviously afraid that he was too innocent and didn’t understand the dangers of human nature, fearing that he would suffer in the future.”

She paused and continued, “It’s the third son of the Sheng family beside him who is quite similar to you, Brother. Although silent and reserved, his eyes shine with bravery, like a sharp sword or a swift spear, revealing a fierce and bold demeanor, with the image of a dragon coiling and a tiger crouching. He bears a resemblance to you, Brother.”

Helan Jingjiang fell silent for a moment before whispering, “I’ll go and find out if he’s married.”

Helan Baozhi turned to look at her brother with clear, cold eyes. “It’s rare for the Duchess to treat us kindly. If we rashly reveal our intentions of forming a marriage alliance, even she, who has shown us kindness, might think us ungrateful. Brother treats me like a precious gem, but the rest of the world doesn’t necessarily see me that way. Regardless of what kind of noble lineage or distinguished family it may be, they all fall apart in the face of the wind and rain. Brother, let it be. I’ll just spend my days with you, Brother. If Brother marries a sister-in-law, I’ll become a nun.”

Helan Jingjiang forced a smile. “I’m afraid you might find Brother too dull, and the mansion too quiet.”

Helan Baozhi whispered, “I hope Brother can meet a good sister-in-law to carry on the Helan family line.” Her gaze shifted to look at the empty and quiet Helan Mansion, as if she could still vaguely recall the bustling prosperity from her childhood.

The remnants of firecrackers in the snow at the entrance during winter, the biting cold wind, her mother holding her hand while she wore a red brocade robe and a gold lock, stepping over the high threshold and running towards her father. Her father would lift her up and toss her high into the air, tickling her little face with the stubble on his chin, and then burst out laughing.

Now, however, the mansion was desolate and vast. The Helan residence was never in a prime location. After being confiscated, it remained abandoned, and upon its return, it became even more dilapidated and desolate. There were only the two siblings living there. They hadn’t bothered to clean up much after moving in; they merely let their attendants tidy up enough to make it habitable.

Seeing his sister’s sadness, Helan Jingjiang felt gloomy as well. He tried to change the subject, saying, “After the Emperor’s birthday celebration, I’ll resign from the military department again. Sister, please bear with me for a few more days.”

Helan Baozhi smiled. “Brother, you should make more friends among the officials in the capital. Once we’re in the frontier, there should be someone to speak on our behalf in the capital, so that our family doesn’t suffer the same fate again. I think Prince Xu is a good choice. He is favored by the Emperor, simple and pure. Fortunately, he’s still young and hasn’t experienced betrayal. He remains sincere and passionate towards others. I believe that after a few years of experience in the bureaucracy and becoming a high official, he’ll be attacked by political rivals multiple times, making it difficult for him to form new friendships.”

Helan Jingjiang also smiled. “Alright, tomorrow I’ll send invitations to Prince Xu and Young Master Sheng. Sister, please write the invitations for me.”

Helan Baozhi smiled. “Alright.”

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Xu Chun had no idea how many people in the capital knew he was back and were eager to invite him. The next day, the Duke’s Mansion would be flooded with a flurry of invitations.

In the evening, he accompanied Xu Anlin, Xu Wei, and Sheng Changtian for a family dinner. He endured Xu Anlin’s long-winded lecture with patience. After the banquet ended and he checked the time, it was still early, but he was itching to do something. Despite the increasing snowfall outside, with thick snowflakes swirling in the air like goose feathers, he quietly put on his cloak and hat and entered the palace under the cover of the blizzard.

Snow pellets pelted against the glazed tiles and windows, making the Su Yu Palace eerily quiet inside. Su Hua came over several times to check on Xie Yi, who was still reading memorials under the lamp, his expression calm. She quietly brightened the candlelight.

She went out and ordered hot water to be prepared and had it heated on the incense burner in the inner chamber to warm the quilts, adding a piece of dragon brain incense to fill the air with a fragrant mist, like the fragrance of spring flowers and summer dew, spreading a pleasant aroma far and wide.

A faint sound of wheels and whispers seemed to come from the front courtyard. Xie Yi put down the memorial in his hand, placed the powder-green paperweight on top of it, and looked up slightly toward the window.

The attendant serving on one side, Suede, hadn’t realized what was happening yet. Five Blessings ran out and returned with a smile after a while, saying, “Your Majesty, Prince Xu has arrived. He’s just getting out of the carriage at the courtyard gate and taking off his snowy cloak. Eunuch Su is instructing people to bring hot water to help him change his clothes and boots.”

Xie Yi said, “Bring him some ginger soup to drink. What’s the rush in such heavy snow? He could have come in tomorrow.”

Five Blessings replied with a smile, “It’s already prepared.”

The Su Yu Palace suddenly seemed lively. People brought hot water and outerwear. Outside in the courtyard, the guards took the carriage away, the warm glow of lanterns illuminating the falling snow, giving the goose feather-like snowflakes a warm hue.

Xie Yi walked to the courtyard gate himself and indeed saw a group of palace attendants surrounding Xu Chun, helping him take off his clothes and remove his boots at the gatehouse. Su Hua was directing the attendants, “Bring over the Ten Fragrance Pearl Ointment and apply some on the young lord’s face and hands. Look at how the wind has blown his skin raw.”

Xu Chun haphazardly dipped his hands in the ointment from the jade bottle and rubbed them together, clearly distracted. But his face was flushed from the wind and snow. Just as he was about to say that he didn’t need any on his face, everyone suddenly grew quiet around him, and the people seemed to step back. He looked up and felt warmth on his face. It turned out that Xie Yi was personally applying the ointment to his face with his own hands.

Xu Chun’s eyes lit up. He slightly raised his head and smiled. “Ninth Brother.”

Xie Yi’s fingers, coated with ointment, slowly spread it evenly across his face. Seeing that his lips were somewhat chapped, Xie Yi’s fingers also dabbed the ointment on them gently. “Why are you in such a hurry in this heavy snow? You could have come in tomorrow.”

Xu Chun scooped a large amount of ointment into his hand and, under the guise of official duties, grabbed Xie Yi’s finger as if to rub it for him. He laughed and said, “Ninth Brother, let me do it for you.” As he spoke, he smeared the ointment onto Xie Yi’s wrist, his fingers rubbing it with ill intentions.

Xie Yi held his mischievous hand in return, a smile playing on his lips. “Let’s go inside and have some ginger soup.”

Inside the palace, it was warm as spring, with faint mists of fragrance. The green silk and white satin quilt was placed on the incense burner to be warmed, becoming soft and filled with a delicate and fragrant aroma.

Xu Chun leaned against the warm couch and incense burner, placing his feet on it to warm them. He sipped the hot soup slowly while stealing glances at Xie Yi, asking with a grin, “Ninth Brother, did you read the memorial I sent in for Prince Nong today?”

Xie Yi replied, “I read it. It was written with such eloquence. Did you revise it for him?”

Xu Chun feigned innocence. “How could I have that literary talent? It was all revised by Brother Helan… Prince Nong is the young general Xiao Ji I saved when I went to Nanyang. How coincidental.”

Xie Yi gave a half-smile. “Drink your soup. Now that you finally have a break, why are you busy with other people’s affairs?”

Xu Chun was radiant. “Ninth Brother, you don’t know. This young general Xiao Ji… no, this Prince Nong, is truly skilled in battle! When it comes to naval tactics, he speaks fluently and has fought against pirates from various countries in Nanyang, gaining extensive experience. Even the principle of the paddlewheel ship, he understands, explaining it to me in detail. Such a talented person, Ninth Brother, you should recruit him.”

Xie Yi said, “My subordinates are full of capable warriors.”

Xu Chun was a bit deflated. “Is that so?”

Xie Yi saw his dispirited expression and comforted him, “However, there aren’t many trustworthy and capable generals. Most have some flaws. For example, Qin Jie knows some tactics and cares about preserving his troops, but precisely because of this, he becomes cautious and hesitant in battle, tending to be cowardly and afraid of death. He also likes to embezzle military rations and supplies, lacking proper conduct.”

“Like Lei Ming, he is brave and skilled in battle, but he’s also stubborn and doesn’t listen to advice easily. When he gets carried away by his emotions, he doesn’t care about casualties, insisting on fighting to the bitter end, which is somewhat regrettable.”

“Fang Zijing is clever and strategic, steady and thorough, but such a person is often suspicious, doesn’t trust others easily, thinks too much, and risks missing opportunities due to hesitation. In short, it’s hard to have everything.”

Xu Chun listened intently and hurriedly asked, “What about Helan Jingjiang? I can’t imagine what he’s like leading troops based on his scholarly appearance.”

Xie Yi looked at him. “Didn’t you just arrive in the capital? When did you meet Helan Jingjiang again?”

Xu Chun explained, “Today, when I returned home, I saw a very impressive dark blue horse in the second gate courtyard! You didn’t see it; it was so robust and muscular, with legs that reached this high! It looked incredibly fast! I was envious, and since it didn’t seem to belong to the household and such a fine horse wouldn’t be used for pulling carriages, I went over. That’s when I met General Helan. His sister was visiting our house as a guest invited by Mother. He came over to pick her up when he saw it snowing. We exchanged a few words.”

Xie Yi said, “Oh, I see. He’s the son of a famous general, so he inevitably has the problem of talking about warfare in theory. However, he’s able to endure hardship and wait patiently for opportunities, making him capable of strategizing. The Helan family holds great prestige in the border army, and he values righteousness. He quickly won the hearts of many border army generals in the past. In the last two years, he pushed the northern Tartars back significantly during the autumn campaigns, achieving commendable results.”

“Now that his case has been overturned, I’ve ordered his family’s residence and assets to be returned to him. I wanted to keep him in the capital for a few years, hoping he would get married, have children, and continue his lineage before returning to the frontier. I didn’t expect him to be unwilling. He submitted a memorial earlier, still wanting to return to the border army.”

Xu Chun thought about the Helan siblings he had seen today. Although they were extraordinary in beauty, they both had a hint of melancholy in their expressions. He said, “Staying in the capital, looking at familiar places but with no one left, is bound to be heartbreaking. Furthermore, these high-ranking families in the capital, which one doesn’t have a pair of snobbish eyes? Now that he’s doing well, there may be many people trying to associate with him, but who knows what they really think behind his back. If I were him, I wouldn’t want to stay in the capital either.”

Xie Yi said, “Well, let’s see his intentions after the festival. But it’s so late, why are we discussing state affairs? You came to the palace in this heavy snow, not to serve the emperor, but to present matters to me?”

Xu Chun chuckled, set aside the bowl he had finished drinking from, and moved closer to Xie Yi. However, he was attracted by the light green dragon pendant hanging from Xie Yi’s waist. He reached out to touch it and compared it to the one hanging from his own waist. Indeed, his coiled dragon pendant perfectly fit in the center of Xie Yi’s dragon pendant. One dragon looked downward from above, while the other flew upward from below. Their heads faced each other in the center of the dragon pendants, their manes fluttering, and auspicious clouds gathered around them, forming a perfect pair of dragon pendants.

He was pleasantly surprised. “So these are actually a pair?”

Xie Yi said, “They were made from a single piece of material. Whatever you have, I have here as well. Why do you think it took so long? Selecting such a large piece of material took a lot of time.”

Xu Chun felt a surge of sweetness in his heart. His hand reached for Xie Yi’s waistband to undo it. “Thank you, Your Majesty. Your servant will serve the Emperor to bed.”