Chapter 18: Treading Snow to Overturn the World

  The weather is getting hotter and hotter, Xie San Niang has already prepared many light and thin summer clothes for me. On this day, I put on a blue silk water-patterned skirt, just wanting to take a nap, when suddenly San Niang called me to go to the small island in the center of Mo Chou Lake to deliver iced lotus seed soup to Yuan Fei Bai.

  I arrived at the pavilion in the center of the lake under the scorching sun, and Yuan Fei was concentrating on painting. He only wore a white satin robe with cloud patterns, and his black hair was simply held by a single jade pin, yet he still looked elegant and refined, exuding an air of nobility. Wei Hu was standing beside him as usual.

  "Third Master, lotus seed paste has arrived. You take a rest first and have some to dispel the summer heat before continuing to paint." I said in Xie San Niang's tone, but Yuan Feng didn't realize it was me. He lifted his head, gave me a slight smile: "I knew it was someone with such a loud voice, indeed it's Mu Jin. Come over quickly."

  How annoying, making me sound like a vegetable market auntie. I gave him a sideways glance and walked over to sit beside him as he said.

  For over a month now, his mood seems to have improved significantly. Ever since he last listened to the sound of the sea, he began to take a keen interest in the stories of girls, so I racked my brains and told him all the Grimm's Fairy Tales, Andersen's Fairy Tales, One Thousand and One Nights, Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio and other ancient and modern stories from China and abroad.

  It started out as just a casual chat after tea and dinner, and Su Hui would only call me "Mu Girl" very sincerely at this time. Mr. Han and San Niang gradually joined us, and later I found that Wei Hu was also standing outside the door listening seriously, his eyes on me gradually changed from being defensive and disdainful to becoming more gentle.

  To be honest, the reason I'm willing to tell stories one after another is that I truly enjoy the expression on Nai He's face when he listens. The way he focuses his attention, looking at me with gentle eyes, even when he asks questions that make me want to roll my eyes, such as "Why didn't Sleeping Beauty's parents marry her off earlier?" or "Why didn't the seven swans tell the prince about their wife?" and so on. But at least he's no longer as cold, gloomy, and intimidating as before.

  Out of maternal instinct, I sometimes think that if I had known Yuan Fei earlier, I could have told him these true and kind stories earlier, given him a truly happy childhood, and whether he would not be so cold, whether he would be happier.

  He took the lotus seed soup from me and drank it slowly. I looked at his painting, only to see a lake full of lotuses in the picture, with emerald leaves and crystal-like pearls, delicate faces hiding jade dew. It's no wonder that he is a famous talented scholar in this world. His brushwork is indeed exquisite, with high-quality spirit and atmosphere, clever thoughts and vivid imagery. His use of dense colors with subtle embellishments is not flashy, but rather refined and precise, with a mysterious and ethereal quality to it.

  I couldn't help but look at Yuan Fei and sincerely praised: "Third Master, your painting is really good."

  I suppose he had heard enough praise from people like me, so he just smiled faintly and said: "Can you see yourself in this painting?"

  Wow! I'm delighted, he actually compared me to this full-blown lotus flower!

  I was lost in self-admiration as I gazed at him, but he slowly pointed with his slender jade-like hand to the pair of mandarin ducks beside us, still that female one...

  My smile suddenly froze, but he burst out laughing. This annoying Yuan Fei Bai, I was being a bit too sensitive at times. Then you don't have to be so dismissive of me either.

  I stood up in discontent and was about to leave when he pulled me back: "Really angry, Mugen, I was just teasing you."

  I sat down again, staring at him. He smiled with pleasure: "Good Mu Di, don't be angry anymore, come on, you come and write for me."

  Humph! Dare to laugh at me as an ugly duckling? I got angry and took out a goose feather pen to write:

  Among the grasses and trees, there are many lovely ones. The noble hermits love chrysanthemums alone; since ancient times, people have loved peonies; I alone love lotus flowers that emerge from muddy water yet remain unsoiled, washed by clear ripples without becoming seductive, straight inside and out, not twining or branching, growing more fragrant with distance, quietly planted in elegance, able to be admired from afar but not approached for frivolous play. I say chrysanthemums are loved by those who hide and escape; peonies are loved by the wealthy and noble; lotus flowers are loved by the virtuous and wise. Alas! The love of chrysanthemums is rarely heard in this world; as for the love of lotus flowers, who shares it with me? The love of peonies is indeed suitable for the masses.

  After finishing, I just realized that he had already put on a playful smile and was reading this poem of Zhou Dunyi's Ode to the Lotus with great seriousness. The sharp peaks in his eyes appeared again, and I thought, oh no, this is my first time showing him my literary talent.

  He slowly raised his head and looked at me with an unfathomable depth.

  The weather is really too hot, I'm sweating profusely. I wipe the sweat from my forehead, stand up, and lift the teacup: "Third Master, let me pour you another cup."

  "No need," he withdrew his gaze, and resumed his elegant demeanor, smiling at me: "Mu Ge's writing is truly good. Guang Pian's poetry has been widely circulated, but I didn't expect his literary talent to be so extraordinary."

  Now if I say it's Song Minghui's work again, it seems too abrupt. I can only be uneasy and stammer: "Third Master is mistaken, Mu Xi is inferior, how can Mu Xi be mentioned in the same breath as Song Erge."

  I wanted to take back my goose quill pen, but he held it in his hand and examined it carefully: "I thought you were going to use the feather for something else, but it turned out to be for making such a pen."

  Among the beautiful feathers he gave me, I liked the one with sky blue and bright yellow stripes the most, so I used it to make this long feather pen. He tried writing a few strokes with my goose quill pen, nodded and said: "Indeed clever ideas, how did you think of it?"

  "Hmm! Mu Ge used to live in Jianzhou, my hometown. Sometimes, a big uncle from the same village would take a boat to the Western Ocean and bring back some strange toys. My calligraphy was poor, so I asked Father to help me buy one." This is true.

  His eyebrows rose, and he smiled at me, then seriously used his brush to write the poem I wrote on the painting, only to change "Who is the one who loves lotus with me" to "Who is the one who loves lotus with Mo Yin", and Mo Yin was the original name of Bai Wei. I was shocked, just about to stop him, he had already finished writing and called Xi to sign his name.

  You little rascal, if this painting and Ai Lian's words are spread out, do you want me to be beaten to death by your FANS again, just to protect your dream lover?!

  I slowly walked over, slowly wrote down my name, and with a surge of emotion, I looked at Yuan Fei's worshipful eyes and said: "Third Master, Mu Xi really likes this painting, can you give it to me?"

  He looked at me deeply, unexpectedly, and smiled brightly: "Since Mugun likes it, let Su Hui mount this painting and keep it well!"

  What a great idea! I let out a sigh of relief in my heart, thanked Yuan Fei softly, and blinked my eyes with a surprised expression, beaming with joy as I looked at the painting again. To be honest, he's really good at painting. Once the fuss about him dies down, I'll find a way to get Song Mingyue to help me sell this signature piece, and then we can put it on the market... The masterpiece of Treading Snow Gentleman should be worth a fortune! Then, with that money, I'll invite Yuan Fei and Biying out for a meal, and deposit the rest in the bank...

  As I indulged in my wild thoughts, a scorching heat spread from my waist, and it turned out that Yuan Fei Bai's hands had unknowingly snuck around my waist without me noticing. I suddenly lifted my head, and Yuan Fei Bai took the opportunity to kiss my neck: "Muxin, you're really..."

  I let out a loud cry of surprise, this little guy must have gone mad, I pushed against his chest: "Third Master, you...you...think about that mandarin duck again."

  He suddenly became like a fierce beast, biting and sucking my neck, completely ignoring my struggles, only whispering in my ear: "I alone love the lotus because it rises from the mud but is not stained, washed by the clear water but is not seductive."

  The numbness and tingling sensation along with the endless warmth spread throughout my limbs, I looked around, where was Wei Hu's shadow.

  "Third Master, the flying dove has delivered a message...". Han Xiuzhu rushed into the pavilion, stumbled upon this embarrassing scene, and naturally stopped in his tracks. Yuan Feng finally let me go, I was so embarrassed that my face turned bright red, jumped up and wanted to leave, but he acted as if nothing had happened, stubbornly holding my waist, forcing me to sit down next to him, you little rascal, aren't you hot?!

  Yu Fei said with a smile: "Mr. Han, just say it."

  Mr. Han hesitated and looked at me, then said: "Congratulations to San Ye, Guang Qian's plan has indeed worked, he chose twenty people for the King of Nanzhao, two hundred thousand taels of silver for the Left Chancellor Su Rong of Nanzhao, and Nanzhao withdrew from Jin City yesterday."

  Ah! Song Erge indeed adopted my strategy, great!

  Yuanni was not white, but his face revealed a smile: "What a Song Guangyan! Will he return to Xi'an tomorrow?"

  "Exactly." Mr. Han looked at me again: "Third Master, are you going to set out for the poetry gathering in Luoyang today and then meet with Guang Qian?"

  "Not bad, trouble Mr. Han to help me knock on it."

  Han Xiuzhu gave me a strange look before leaving, while Yuan Feibai smiled at me and said: "It was my fault just now, can you blame me?"

  I didn't dare to look into his eyes, my face turned red with shame, I shook my head and he lifted up my chin, his beautiful phoenix eyes looked at me gently, and he said sincerely: "Ben will take you to see the famous Luoyang together, but I'm afraid your body can't withstand the hardships of traveling by boat and carriage. Moreover, visiting friends is secondary, I'll be busy gathering some literary figures and scholars to create a reputation for our family, so I won't have time to take you out to play. This is also Song Erge's clever plan, I hope you understand."

  I just nodded in agreement and then slipped away quickly, with the sound of Yuan Fei's happy laughter echoing behind me, which made me lose sleep as usual.

  During this time when Yuan Fei was not around, I could move freely between Xifengyuan and Yubeizhai. However, Yuan Jin had mysteriously disappeared with Guo'er again. I had no choice but to spend the whole day comparing the speed of Xiaozhong's message delivery with that of the flying pigeons in Xifengyuan. In fact, it turned out that both sides were equally fast in delivering messages.

  In the second year of Yongye, on May 19th, Nanzhao accepted the peace talks from Dongting and obtained countless wealth in money, silk, and palace ladies. They then plundered Jincheng clean and formally withdrew from Jincheng on May 25th, thus lifting the crisis for the imperial family.

  On June 1, Lu Bangru, the Minister of Rites who had never participated in the struggle between Yuan and Dou factions, proposed a proposal to expand the Imperial Academy, which unexpectedly received support from Yuan's faction. Emperor Xi also expressed his approval for this proposal. However, Dou's faction was worried that the country would have to pay a huge war indemnity, the treasury was empty, and it was impossible to build an academy, so they strongly opposed this decision. Yuan's faction claimed that when the country was in difficulty, they would take the lead, and voluntarily donated their old house in Luling Mansion, and provided funds for books and silk. Emperor Xi was overjoyed and immediately named it Deyi Academy. From then on, the Qingliu faction began to clearly lean towards Yuan's faction, and the freedom of entry and exit of the palace of Prince Zhongxian and Princess Chang was restored.

  On June 6th, the annual grand gathering of literati in the Eastern Imperial Court - the Luoyang Poetry Conference, also known as the "Double Six Literary Conference", was held as scheduled in the picturesque city of Luoyang. This poetry conference was unprecedented in its grandeur, as it welcomed two noble guests from the capital: Prince Wang, Zhong Xianwang Yuan Fei Qing, and one of the Four Great Princes, known as the "Clear Spring Prince" - Song Ming Lei. However, what drove the scholars wild with excitement was the appearance of the leader of the Four Great Princes, the Snow-Treading Prince, Yuan Fei Bai.

  If Yu Fei's visit represents the Yu family's support for contemporary Confucian scholars, Song Minghui's appearance indicates the Yu family's friendly attitude towards various literary schools. Then, Yuan Feibai's arrival is a kind of conquest; he conquered the entire Luoyang city and the pens of the entire Dongting.

  In that era, scholars and gentlemen often wore tall hats and wide belts, while Yuan Fei was a simple white dress with a jade hairpin, his white clothes fluttering in the wind. He didn't rely on his family's prestige to impress others, nor did he elicit sympathy due to his crippled legs. As he conversed, exquisite articles flowed effortlessly from his mouth. Yuan Fei had already gained fame at a young age, and famous scholars of his uncle's generation naturally praised him highly. Younger generations were immediately smitten with his extraordinary talent, and every one of his poems was widely circulated - from the water carriers by the well to the current emperor, everyone could recite his famous lines. Whenever Yuan Fei walked through the streets, old and young people in Luoyang would rush to surround him, all eager to catch a glimpse of his unparalleled elegance. In the city, regardless of gender, everyone vied to imitate his demeanor and attire, causing the price of jade hairpins to skyrocket overnight, with demand far outstripping supply. For a time, the three characters "Yuan Fei" became synonymous with Eastern Courtyard cultural fashion, and the image of the Yuan family as tyrannical militarists began to shift in the hearts of scholars. Public opinion gradually shifted towards the Yuan family due to my clandestine plans with Song Mingyue and Yuan Fei's charm.

  I watched as Nian Junbu and Biying laughed until their stomachs hurt, while Xie San Niang was in the moonlight, flipping out a portrait of Mrs. Xie painted by Yuan Fei himself. She set up an altar in the backyard, tearfully praying to Mrs. Xie, saying "Madam, you have a spirit in heaven, please smile at the nine springs, Third Master has already achieved great success, and will soon help General achieve his great cause. Moreover, Third Master has Wooden Niangzi by his side to take care of him, don't worry about anything." She dragged me to offer sacrifices to Mrs. Xie, I was just sighing in my heart that the person on the painting was so vivid, with clothes and ribbons fluttering in the wind, it can be seen that the painter's skills were high. Then I stared blankly at the signature on the painting, which read "Xin Chou year", this year is Wu Shen year, which means this painting was painted by Yuan Fei when he was ten years old, indeed a child prodigy of his time.

  My heart skipped a beat, this must be the portrait he painted for her in the year she passed away! I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, so I steeled myself and bowed my head to Mrs. Xie, silently praying: Mrs. Xie, you can rest in peace and pride, your son is doing so well, he has conquered the entire academic circle of Dongting, one day he will conquer and obtain the entire Dongting imperial court. I hope you can bless him to stand up soon, to laugh heartily one day, and to find a child who loves him more than me to take care of him as soon as possible. To be honest, your son is really too charming, I don't know how long I can resist, this thought just occurred to me, and I scared myself. I looked up at Mrs. Xie's portrait, she was just smiling warmly at me, as if she were alive.

  June 20th, the lotus flowers were blooming even more luxuriantly. Amidst a lively chorus of cicadas, Yuan Feibai returned with the wind in his face. Behind him stood Song Ergou, whom I hadn't seen for ages. He was gazing at me with a warm and eager smile. I walked towards him with a big smile on my face, but Yuan Feibai held me back and casually told me to go make some tea first.

  Right, right, right, brewing tea, when Yuan Fei and Su Hui were talking, I secretly stretched out two fingers to Song Mingyuan, he also turned his back on Yuan Fei, tilted his head and winked at me with a knowing smile.

  Was I mistaken? Song Minghui has always been handsome, but in my impression he has always been a slender and elegant young man with a clear and transparent image. Now, his good looks remain the same, but under the high crown and embroidered robes, his physique is even more robust and powerful. And between his eyebrows, there seems to be an extraordinary aura that surpasses others! It's almost comparable to that of Yulang Jun!

  I later seriously blamed myself for a while, and I must have been dizzy from the thief's mischief the other day, so it's all because of that damned thief, he deserves to be killed!