Chapter 44: Wishing You the Best in All Things

The guard and Qiu Ming were stunned for a moment, after which Qiu Ming asked, "Your Highness, what do you mean by you won't leave?"

"It means... if he doesn't come out, I will stay and live right in this courtyard!" Yin Jiaojiao said coldly. "Why don't you go and announce it yet?"

The guard hurriedly ran inside, but came out even faster than the last time, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "The Prince says... says... as she pleases."

What?

Without any hesitation, Yin Jiaojiao gave a wave of her hand. "Set the feast!"

Following her command, the servants filed in one after another, setting up a banquet right in the courtyard. The table and chairs were neatly arranged, with an incense burner beside them, and the table held several small dishes along with a bowl of rice. Yin Jiaojiao sat down in the chair with an imposing and grandiose air, beginning to eat and drink quite comfortably.

This meal lasted from the setting sun until the rising of the bright moon. Yin Jiaojiao dawdled until she finished the very last grain of rice, which had already gone completely cold.

Unexpectedly, throughout such a long period, Xiao Yuanchi did not send a single word out, as if he were in seclusion meditating within the study.

Qiu Ming softly advised, "Your Highness, given the Prince's temperament, if you force the issue like this, I'm afraid he really might make you wait until tomorrow."

Yin Jiaojiao knew well that Xiao Yuanchi indeed had the ruthlessness to do so, but an arrow drawn from the bow cannot be called back. Since she had already come, if she didn't maintain her pride to the end, she couldn't get past her own block.

She looked at the sandalwood box by her hand. Inside was the farewell gift she had intended to give to Xiao Yuanchi. Clearly, just as Gu Xuezhi had said, his coldness toward her stemmed from a lack of love, and his kindness toward her came from a sense of duty, with nothing else besides. Therefore, he held no cherish for her farewell.

"Someone, bring wine!"

Upon receiving the command, the servants brought a pot of Peach Blossom Brew within moments—the most popular wine in the Eastern Capital at present, sweet-tasting and not going to the head.

"Your Highness, drinking harms the body, and your injuries haven't fully healed yet."

"This wine is just sweet little water, with hardly any alcohol taste. It won't harm me."

Yin Jiaojiao lifted the wine pot and poured herself a cup. "Qiu Ming, since I said I would wait, I prepared myself for it. If he has the ability..." she called out loudly toward the tightly shut door, "if he has the ability, the Prince can let me wait until dawn!"

By the time Su Zhengqing hurried over, Yin Jiaojiao had already consumed more than half the pot, her cheeks flushed red as she recited Buddhist scriptures to Qiu Ming.

"Form is emptiness, emptiness is form, Qiu Ming. In the future, if you ever meet a man who is too breathtaking, you must never lose your head. Your Highness here is a cautionary example for you!"

Qiu Ming was extremely worried and could only nod repeatedly. "Yes, yes, Your Highness, I'm listening. Shall we have some tea instead? You've had just about enough of this wine."

Yin Jiaojiao lifted the lid of the wine pot and peered inside with narrowed eyes.

"Indeed, it's just about finished. Someone, bring another pot!"

Throughout the courtyard, as long as the Prince gave no orders, the Princess held the supreme authority. No one dared refuse to serve her wine. Su Zhengqing clicked his tongue inwardly and stepped briskly into the study in two or three strides.

"Your Highness, this is bad!"

Compared to his anxiety and panic, Xiao Yuanchi was the very picture of calm and composure. Unhurriedly, he was painting bamboo at his desk.

The desk faced the window, and right outside the window was the noisy Yin Jiaojiao. The fact that he could block out all the commotion and steady his brush left Su Zhengqing deeply shaken.

Xiao Yuanchi didn't even raise his head, teasing, "Your demeanor is quite something. You shouldn't serve me; you should be out there keeping company with the one outside."

"Your Highness!" Su Zhengqing hurriedly said, "The Princess just drank a whole pot of Peach Blossom Brew and has now asked for another. Her severe injuries have only just healed. Isn't this rather improper?"

"What did Elder Dong say?"

"Elder Dong isn't here. After noon, he took the young medicine boy back to the Apricot Grove Hall, saying he needed to prepare a few more doses of medicine for tomorrow."

Without even lifting his eyelids, Xiao Yuanchi replied, "Since he didn't instruct her not to drink, then she can drink. Let her be."

"Oh." Su Zhengqing closed his mouth with a crestfallen expression.

Xiao Yuanchi dipped his brush in ink and swept a bold, flowing stroke across the canvas. A lifelike section of bamboo sprang to life upon the paper.

Simultaneously, the noise outside started up again.

It sounded like something had shattered, followed immediately by Qiu Ming's startled cry, "Oh my, Your Highness, be careful!"

Then came the sound of a chair crashing to the ground.

Su Zhengqing pricked up his ears to listen, frowning as he muttered, "Your Highness, it seems something has happened to the Princess. Are you really not going to go out and look?"

Xiao Yuanchi's brush continued moving without pause. Though chaos raged outside, not a single sound pierced his ears.

After a brief commotion, quiet descended outside once more.

This time, the silence was absolute—even Yin Jiaojiao's intermittent rambling had ceased.

Su Zhengqing swallowed hard and looked toward Xiao Yuanchi. Years ago, the Prince had once led a small team deep into an enemy camp. To achieve a surprise victory, he had spent half the night hiding in a ditch beside the camp in the dead of winter, enduring the icy slush and howling cold wind entirely on sheer grit without making a single sound. Against such a ruthless man, for the Princess to try and outlast him in a battle of wills was like a pebble hitting a rock!

...

Yin Jiaojiao indeed felt that she was like a pebble hitting a rock. When it came to a hardened heart, who could possibly surpass Xiao Yuanchi?

She had just finished half of her second pot of wine when her hand slipped, spilling half the contents over the sandalwood box. Panicked, she tried to rescue the box, but her fumbling only made things worse. The wine pot slipped and fell to the ground, the chair overturned, and even a small dish by her hand was knocked over.

The clatter and crash left her utterly depressed. Fortunately, only the corner of the items inside the box had gotten wet; she took them out and patiently dried them off.

"I won't wait anymore."

She lowered her gaze. "If he doesn't want to see me, then so be it. Qiu Ming, you're right—I can always see him tomorrow."

Qiu Ming said happily, "Your Highness, you've seen the light!"

"Mhm." Yin Jiaojiao handed the tidied box to her. "Give this to the Prince and tell him... mountains are high and rivers are long, I wish him all the best in every endeavor and a safe journey."

When the guard brought the box in, Xiao Yuanchi's painting was not yet finished. Holding the box, Su Zhengqing didn't know whether to speak or keep silent. Hesitating for a moment, he finally said, "Your Highness, this is what the Princess sent you."

"Set it down."

Su Zhengqing had no choice but to place it aside. Curiosity welled up within him: just how important could this painting be, that Xiao Yuanchi refused to even lift his head and was determined to finish it first?

Yet upon closer inspection, the content of the painting didn't look particularly significant.

It was simply a cluster of lush bamboo stalks, one after another, each rising defiantly from the ground with immense vigor and momentum. It was quite good, but it would have been even better if it weren't painted quite so densely. Though Su Zhengqing didn't understand painting, by following Xiao Yuanchi he had seen many fine works, knowing well that a good painting required blank space.

Clearly, however, Xiao Yuanchi's bamboo painting lacked any blank space. He painted with such haste and force that there was an underlying sense of urgency, causing all the bamboo stalks to crowd and jostle against one another as if vying to be first.

He painted until Su Zhengqing was nearly dozing off before Xiao Yuanchi finally stopped.

Looking at the bamboo painting, his expression was not very pleasant.

"Bring me the box."

Su Zhengqing hurriedly brought the box forward. Inside the sandalwood box, carved with the Immortals of Harmony and Union, lay a scripture booklet with three flying, dragon-like characters on the cover.

*The Lotus Sutra*

The imitation was用心, attentive—at least those three characters possessed half the charm of Xiao Yuanchi's own handwriting.

"So she copied a scripture to send to you. The Princess has truly developed a Buddhist heart." Su Zhengqing exclaimed in admiration.

Opening the scripture, he found numerous characters written in a flowing hand, each character imitated with a high degree of skill, closely resembling the copy he had written ten years ago. It was likely that his old copy served as the model. Because her natural handwriting differed vastly from his, imitating it required far more effort than for an ordinary person, demanding painstaking dedication. Consequently, even the two strokes he had written incorrectly were faithfully reproduced by her, stroke for stroke.

Xiao Yuanchi gave a light, scoffing laugh. "How utterly rigid."

A moment later, he found even more fault: "Lacking patience; the further she went, the more rushed she became."

Not understanding, Su Zhengqing stretched his neck to look, but Xiao Yuanchi turned around and snapped the scripture shut.

He gazed toward the begonia-shaped auspicious window and suddenly asked, "She has left?"

"She has left. The Princess handed the box to the guard and then left."

Xiao Yuanchi remained silent for a moment before asking, "Aside from this, did she not leave any other words?"

"She didn't say anything else..." Su Zhengqing thought for a moment. "Ah, she did say something. The Princess said that mountains are high and rivers are long, and she wishes Your Highness all the best in every endeavor and a safe journey."