A Figure on Jade Steps in the Wind and Snow 33

Chapter 33: The Past

The Eldest Princess’s guest room was in the northernmost part of the manor, adjacent to a small garden filled with pine trees.

As they passed through the garden, the sharp scent of cedar rushed to meet them.

It was very similar to the scent on Jiang Yu, yet there was a subtle difference—

The scent in the pine forest was grounded in the earth, with the unique bitterness of plants. But the scent on Jiang Yu was lighter and clearer, blended with the fresh spring air of the hills.

Thinking this, Shen Zhishu asked casually, “Your Highness’s garden has no flowers, but pine trees?”

“Pine trees don’t need much care and are evergreen all year round.”

Shen Zhishu smiled, “Your Highness is very clever. When I go back, I’ll have someone pull out all the flowers and trees in my courtyard and replace them with green pines.”

“…” Jiang Yu glanced at her, “The General is too easily influenced. Or is it… a casual remark to humor me?”

“How could that be?” Shen Zhishu was in a daze for a moment in the familiar scent. After a moment, she shook her head, “I really think so. I don’t know how long I’ll be in the capital. As soon as there’s a war, I’ll have to leave the capital. It’s a pity to just leave those rare flowers and plants in the General’s Manor, and it’s also a lot of trouble to have someone take care of them. It’s better to replace them all with various pines and cypresses. They’re also beautiful when they’re green, and it saves the cost of gardeners for cultivating flowers and watering.”

Jiang Yu said in a faint voice, “I don’t think the General is short of the gardeners’ monthly salary.”

“I’m not,” Shen Zhishu said with a smile. “Your Imperial Sister has rewarded me with so much, I can’t spend it all in several lifetimes. But it’s better to save where you can, to accumulate for future generations, that’s a long-term plan.”

Jiang Yu, whether she had heard “Imperial Sister” or “future generations,” her gaze was lowered, and she didn’t answer immediately.

Before they knew it, the two of them had already reached the entrance of the guest room.

The hand warmer in Shen Zhishu’s hand was indeed cold, and she was holding it in one hand. She lifted the hem of her long gown and took the steps two at a time. Standing under the eaves, she stretched out her arm into the room, “Your Highness, please.”

Jiang Yu’s gaze withdrew from the hand warmer. She did not rush to enter the room, but instead looked around and said, “This hand warmer, being held by the General, seems to have shrunk a circle.”

“Is that so?” Shen Zhishu held it up to her eyes and shook it, then squinted and smiled, “It does seem a little smaller than the one in Your Highness’s hand. It’s probably because my palm is large, which makes it look smaller.”

“Is that so?”

“It is so,” Shen Zhishu opened her hand, palm up. “If you don’t believe me, Your Highness can compare?”

Jiang Yu blinked lightly and didn’t move for a long time.

Just as Shen Zhishu was about to withdraw her hand, she finally handed the hand warmer to the attendant following behind her, also opened her five fingers, and, at a short distance, placed them gently, almost tentatively, on Shen Zhishu’s palm.

It was a hand that was completely different from Shen Zhishu’s. Slender and fair, with moist skin, as if it had never touched spring water.

Their palms were level, and Jiang Yu’s fingers were clearly a section shorter than Shen Zhishu’s.

“Is that so?” Shen Zhishu slowly withdrew her hand. “I wouldn’t lie to Your Highness.”

Jiang Yu’s hand hovered in mid-air. After a moment, it slowly fell and hung by her side.

She didn’t answer Shen Zhishu, was quiet for a moment, and then suddenly asked, “Where did the General’s scar come from?”

“Hmm?” Shen Zhishu was a little surprised.

“The one on your index finger, it’s a full inch long.”

“Hmm…” Shen Zhishu thought for a moment and smiled, “I don’t remember either. I’ve been injured too many times, and the ones that heal in a short while, who would bother to remember them.”

“What about the one on your little finger? You don’t remember either?”

“I really don’t remember,” Shen Zhishu said. “Every time I go to the battlefield, I get ten or eight cuts on my body. Some leave scars, some don’t, it’s really a mess.”

Jiang Yu nodded slightly, her gaze on the scar on her fingertip. It flashed by, and it was unclear what emotion it held.

She took the hand warmer that the attendant had handed her again, which had been refilled with charcoal, and said in a faint voice, “Please come in, General.”

The room was already lit, and the charcoal fire in the center was burning brightly. With the Xiang curtain down, the cold wind outside was completely blocked.

The room was not scented, and a faint scent of cedar lingered elusively.

An attendant served tea. Shen Zhishu looked at the furnishings in the room, but was a little unsure of where to step—

Apart from a chaise lounge and a common wooden chair in front of the dressing table, there were no other chairs or stools in the room, and she had no place to sit—the chaise lounge was clearly where Jiang Yu usually lay, and the wooden chair was where Jiang Yu usually sat. If she took them, it would be against etiquette.

Jiang Yu said, “Ah,” and reacted, “I haven’t prepared a chair for the General. I’ll have someone move one from the storeroom.”

Shen Zhishu waved her hand, “It’s alright, no need to trouble you. Don’t you have a cattail hassock there?”

“It would be too much of a grievance for the General to sit on a cattail hassock,” Jiang Yu said. “Please understand, General, I don’t usually stay in the inner room except for resting, so there are fewer tables and chairs. Why don’t you sit on the chair in front of my dressing table, and I’ll lie on the chaise lounge.”

Shen Zhishu had already dragged the cattail hassock over and sat down on it with a plop, smiling, “Your Highness is too kind, it’s very good to have a cattail hassock to sit on. When I was fighting in the military camp, I often sat on the ground, I’m used to it.”

Jiang Yu did not insist. After a few breaths, she suddenly dragged over another cattail hassock and sat down on it as well.

Shen Zhishu got straight to the point, “Your Highness, please speak.”

“Hmm?”

“Didn’t you tell me before that if I came to your room, you would tell me everything?” Shen Zhishu raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is Your Highness going back on your word?”

Jiang Yu shook her head slightly, “The General has missed half a sentence. I said that I would tell you later. It is still too early now.”

“Is there a time limit for this or something?” Shen Zhishu smiled. “For example, if you say it too early, you will die?”

The Eldest Princess said matter-of-factly, “The General is joking, I will not die. But this is not a small matter, I need to brew for a few breaths.”

“Then I’ll wait,” Shen Zhishu nodded. “But what if Your Highness is brewing and brewing, and suddenly plays a trick and says you can’t brew it?”

“There will be no such thing. If there is, I will give you the entire manor.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely true.”

Shen Zhishu nodded slightly and suddenly held out her hand to Jiang Yu.

“Hmm?”

“The deed, of course,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “What, is Your Highness just all talk and no action?”

Jiang Yu sat cross-legged and stared at her intently. After a moment, she ordered the attendant in a faint voice, “Go and get the deed.”

“Your Highness…” The attendant was a little hesitant.

“I always do what I say,” Jiang Yu turned to Shen Zhishu. “Now do you believe me, General?”

Shen Zhishu was just joking, but this time she was really surprised. She hurriedly called out to the attendant who was about to leave, “It was just a joke. How can I accept something that the Emperor has bestowed upon Your Highness?”

Jiang Yu glanced at her and put her legs down from the cattail hassock.

Her expression did not change, and her upper body was still as straight as a cedar tree, but Shen Zhishu felt that her spirits had suddenly dropped.

Shen Zhishu waited quietly. After half an incense stick’s time, Jiang Yu said softly, “Is it good just because the Emperor bestowed it? But I don’t like to live here.”

Shen Zhishu propped her knees and looked down at her, replying, “Mm, I know.”

Jiang Yu’s eyelashes cast a semi-real shadow, “How does the General know?”

“The courtyard is only planted with green pines that don’t need to be taken care of. The furnishings in this room are conventional and not Your Highness’s style. When I ran into Your Highness at the night market, Your Highness said ‘I came to the bustling city to seek peace and quiet.’ Just now, you were not in your room at night, but went outside to play chess…” Shen Zhishu leaned forward slightly, “Your Highness, I am not as observant as you, and I don’t see the big picture from the small details, but all of this is too obvious.”

A red candle in the corner was about to burn out, on the verge of extinguishing, emitting a faint light.

The attendant finally served tea for the two of them and tactfully withdrew.

Jiang Yu said softly, “I… I said I didn’t like it, but Jiang Chu still wanted to give me this manor. She is always like this. For example, I said I don’t like to participate in court affairs, but she often comes to my study to mark memorials and reads the contents of the memorials to me.”

“Mm.”

“Shen Zhishu, do you know what I was like before?”

“Before?” Shen Zhishu thought for a moment, “I can’t guess.”

Jiang Yu said, “Actually, I don’t have any impression either. All of this was told to me by my wet nurse when I was young. She said that I used to love to laugh and make trouble, and I had a lively personality.”

Shen Zhishu smiled, “I really can’t tell.”

Jiang Yu took a breath and continued, “I also found it incredible, so I asked my wet nurse, is that so? My wet nurse said it was so.”

“Later, I slowly thought about it and finally remembered some fragmented images of the past. I used to love to cry and laugh, but every time I cried, Jiang Chu would ask me, why are you crying; and every time I laughed, Jiang Chu would ask me, why are you laughing.”

“At first, I would answer properly. I would say, because the grand tutor reprimanded me, so I cried; because the palace servant fell down and it was very funny, so I laughed.”

“Jiang Chu would then say, the grand tutor had good intentions, I shouldn’t cry; the palace servant falling down is not a happy event, I shouldn’t laugh.”

“Every time I showed my emotions, there would be a long lecture waiting for me. Gradually, I learned to not show my joy or anger.”

Shen Zhishu rested her head on her hand and listened quietly. She asked, “And then?”

“And then?” Jiang Yu said, “I have been inscrutable until now.”

Listening to a not-so-familiar person talk about her childhood was a very mysterious thing, as if she had suddenly been allowed to participate in the other person’s past years.

Just as Shen Zhishu was thinking about whether she should also talk about her past to return the favor, she heard Jiang Yu ask again:

“I once suddenly exposed the General’s lie. Is the General still holding a grudge about this matter?”

“Hmm? What time was that?” Shen Zhishu was a little surprised.

“That time in the restaurant at the night market.”

That time, Jiang Yu had asked her to tell the truth and then calmly exposed the fact that “her friendship with Xie Jin was faked.”

“So it was that time…” Shen Zhishu smiled, “I wouldn’t say I’m holding a grudge, I was just a little bothered. It’s all in the past now, I wouldn’t even remember if Your Highness hadn’t brought it up.”

Jiang Yu shook her head, “I didn’t realize that my actions would bring unhappiness to the General. Because that’s how Jiang Chu has always treated people.”

“How?”

“She wouldn’t expose your lie on the spot, but would mention it casually at a later time, so you would know, oh, she knew I was lying all along.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Yu said, “So I also treat her like that.”

“How do you treat her?”

Jiang Yu picked up her teacup, took a light sip of tea, tucked a stray strand of hair from the side of her face behind her ear, and said in a faint voice:

“I knew long ago that her sisterly affection for me was a little off—she was too obvious, but she didn’t realize it herself—but I didn’t say anything, and then I told her frankly during a meal—”

“Told her what?” Shen Zhishu asked.

The candle wick burst, making a very light crackling sound.

Jiang Yu looked directly into Shen Zhishu’s eyes:

“I said. I am in love with General Shen. There is no possibility for you and me.”