A Figure on Jade Steps in the Wind and Snow 64

Chapter 64: Noble

Perhaps it was the strong scent of cedar, but Shen Zhishu dreamed of that pine forest again tonight.

The person who claimed to be from the Rebirth Sect came to live in their mountain sect, and she stayed for half a year. She watched flowers and teased birds every day, and the elders in the mountain sect also provided her with good food and drink.

Shen Zhishu saw her every day and had already become familiar with her. Strangely, she never knew her name.

She only heard the elders call her “benefactor.”

The moment before she woke up from her dream, Shen Zhishu was chatting with this “benefactor” in the pine forest.

And she suddenly realized that she did not know what this person looked like. The face of the person in the dream seemed to be always covered with a layer of clear and light mist, which could not be seen or touched.

The sky was still gray, and the winter sun rose late.

It had probably snowed again in the middle of the night, and a patch of white spread on the window paper.

Jiang Yu was lying by her side, and the head that was exposed outside the blanket was so small that it was not even as big as her palm.

This time, she was lying straight, and not half of her body was pressing on her.

Like a small cedar tree.

Just as Shen Zhishu was about to get out of bed lightly, she suddenly saw the cedar tree turn over and then slowly open her eyes.

“What time is it?” Jiang Yu asked.

Her voice was hoarse with sleepiness.

“Judging by the sky, it should be the Hour of the Rabbit (5-7 AM),” Shen Zhishu poked her head out of the bed curtains and looked for a while, then retracted it and patted Jiang Yu through the blanket. “It’s still early, Your Highness can sleep a little longer.”

“Is the General up so early today?”

“I suddenly felt like doing some morning exercises,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “One hour of morning exercise can be equivalent to two hours at other times. I’ve been lazy recently, and I should be practicing every day.”

Jiang Yu said, “Oh.”

She propped herself up on the bed, lifted the blanket, and got out of bed.

Shen Zhishu was a little surprised, “You’re not sleeping anymore? I’m going to do my morning exercises. Your Highness can rest a little longer, it won’t be a bother. The garden is far from here, so it won’t disturb Your Highness.”

“Four hours is enough sleep,” Jiang Yu picked up the outer robe on the rack and said in a faint voice. “I’ll watch the General’s morning exercises.”

The snow on the stone path in the garden had already been swept clean by the attendants, but it was still a little slippery.

Shen Zhishu stepped into the snow, pulled out the sword at her waist, and casually twirled it.

“What does Your Highness want to see?” she asked.

As her voice fell, the long sword was sheathed, and the loquat leaves a few feet away were cut off by the sword qi, and a few of them fell fluttering.

Jiang Yu asked in return, “What are there?”

“Why is it like ordering food in a restaurant?” Shen Zhishu smiled. “There’s everything, sword practice, knife practice, archery, but I can’t practice horsemanship, there’s not enough space here.”

She paused, thought of something, and changed the subject, “But it’s also possible to go to the suburbs of the capital to ride horses now. It all depends on whether Your Highness is willing.”

Jiang Yu was wrapped in a cloak, and her face, which was exposed outside the fur collar, was tinged with a crimson color by the wind. She was quiet for a while, as if she were considering, and after a moment, she said in a faint voice, “If we go to the suburbs of the capital, it will be too much trouble for the General.”

“It’s no trouble, the suburbs of the capital are not far from here,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “Alright, just by hearing Your Highness’s tone, I know that Your Highness is tempted. Then let’s go, let’s go to the suburbs of the capital.”

**

The State Preceptor was not a night owl today and entered the palace during the day.

When she walked gracefully to the entrance of the Imperial Study, she heard a strange and faint voice from inside.

The State Preceptor frowned almost imperceptibly and turned to ask the eunuch who was waiting respectfully by her side, “Who is inside?”

“It’s Noble An who is with the Emperor at the moment.”

“Noble An?”

“The daughter of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, she just entered the palace yesterday. The Emperor has enfeoffed her as a noble and given her the title An.”

The State Preceptor nodded in understanding and let out a low laugh, “This title is very good. This Noble An…”

She stopped there, and the second half of her sentence did not come out for a long time. The eunuch, trying to guess her meaning, said carefully, “This Noble An is somewhat similar to Her Highness Huai’an.”

“Just somewhat similar?”

“Yes. Her features are somewhat similar, but the rest is just average, far less stunning than in the portrait.”

The State Preceptor said, “I know,” in a faint voice, and heard the Emperor’s voice from inside, “Who is outside?”

Before the eunuch could announce her, the State Preceptor had already gracefully stepped into the hall and said in a loud voice, “It’s me.”

The Emperor blinked, clearly a little surprised, “Why is the State Preceptor here at this time?”

“I was bored at home, so I came to the palace for a stroll,” the State Preceptor said slowly and methodically, cupping her hands at Jiang Chu. “This minister has not yet had the chance to congratulate Your Majesty on getting a beauty. Seeing is better than hearing, Noble An is indeed of extraordinary appearance.”

“I just finished the morning court, and Noble An came to bring me soup,” the Emperor smiled. “The State Preceptor has come at a good time. Noble An just told me that she has learned a new dance and wants to dance it for me. Why don’t you watch it with me, State Preceptor?”

“Your Majesty…” Noble An bit her lip. “This consort’s dance is prepared for you, I don’t really want…”

“You don’t want others to see?” Jiang Chu waved her hand cheerfully. “It’s alright, the State Preceptor is not an outsider.”

“This…” Noble An’s eyebrows were twisted into a knot, and she looked really troubled.

Her sleeves were already wrinkled, and she was holding them in a ball in her hand.

“Alright, why make things difficult for a beauty?” The State Preceptor smiled and shook her head. “I suppose this dance is a little special, so this minister will not watch it. Since Your Majesty is busy, this minister will go for a stroll and not disturb Your Majesty and the noble from chatting here.”

“Oh, I don’t have that much time to chat with Noble An anyway,” Jiang Chu picked up the memorial, opened one at random, and turned to Noble An, saying in a gentle voice, “An’er can go back first. I will come to see you when I have time.”

Noble An lowered her head and replied, “Yes,” and her face was not very good when she left.

“Your Majesty is being a little too ruthless,” the State Preceptor skillfully sat down on a chair. “When can’t you mark memorials? A newly entered noble has come to offer a dance, but you won’t watch.”

“What’s the point of watching that?”

“Hmm?” The State Preceptor frowned. “Why does Your Majesty seem to be so uninterested in Noble An?”

The Emperor dipped her vermilion brush in ink, circled and marked on the memorial, and said casually, “The person sent by the Empress, her intentions are clear. This is clearly a stain on the friendship between me and A’Yu. If she behaves herself, it’s fine, but if she does something else, don’t blame me for being heartless.”

She paused and turned to the State Preceptor, “You’ve seen her, how much do you think she looks like her?”

The State Preceptor raised an eyebrow and smiled, shaking her head, “Not at all.”

“That’s it. Not just anyone can be compared to A’Yu,” the Emperor sighed. “It’s just a pity for that girl. Her family is not prominent, and the deep palace is lonely. The only ones she can rely on are me and the Empress. Sometimes I think that I have no affection for them, and I’m still keeping them here without freedom. It would be better to let them out of the palace. But then I think, who would dare to talk about marriage with them after they leave the palace? So I just feed them and clothe them well, and don’t let them suffer, and that’s it.”

The State Preceptor listened with her head down and thought quietly, Jiang Chu’s harem is indeed very stable. There has not been a single death in twenty years.

That’s right. The women in the harem were only fighting for that little bit of imperial favor. But Jiang Chu treated everyone equally, with no love, only polite comfort. She had even given everyone a child, and only the Empress had been unable to have one due to her health.

She had originally thought that Noble An would be the special one, but now it seemed…

The State Preceptor lowered her gaze and continued Jiang Chu’s words, “Your Majesty is wise and compassionate towards the consorts, and this minister is greatly impressed. But Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and it is their duty to follow Your Majesty’s lead. Your Majesty does not need to feel sorry for this. And Your Majesty has really treated them very well.”

“A’Li, there’s no need to say such grand words,” Jiang Chu picked up another memorial. “They have left their homes, and they are already miserable.”

“That’s right,” the State Preceptor said no more.

Jiang Chu marked memorials quietly for a while, and the State Preceptor sat on a chair and read a book.

Only the sound of writing and flipping pages could be heard in the room.

The eunuch lowered his head and ground ink with his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, thinking to himself that the Emperor and the State Preceptor were really on good terms.

After she had finished grinding the ink, she served tea and was about to retreat lightly when she suddenly saw the Emperor cover her mouth and yawn.

Although this sound was very light, it was still a little obvious in the hall where you could hear a pin drop. The State Preceptor suddenly looked up from her book and asked with concern, “Is Your Majesty tired? What time did you go to bed yesterday?”

Jiang Chu waved her hand and said vaguely, “I went to bed when it was time. I didn’t stay up late, so don’t worry, A’Li.”

“Going to bed is one thing, but whether you can sleep is another,” the State Preceptor snorted and turned to the eunuch, “You tell me, what time did your master go to bed last night?”

A thin layer of sweat appeared on the eunuch’s forehead.

“Alright, don’t make things difficult for her. She wouldn’t dare to tell the truth,” Jiang Chu shook her head. “I’ll just tell you the truth. I really didn’t sleep well last night.”

The eunuch bowed and tactfully retreated outside the hall.

“Why?” the State Preceptor asked in a faint voice.

“Because of A’Yu,” Jiang Chu said frankly, slumped in her chair, and said with a bitter smile, “A’Li, you have to give me some time to adjust.”

The State Preceptor slammed the book on the table, stood up, and gracefully walked behind the Emperor.

She lowered her eyes very lightly and slowly, and her slender ten fingers caressed the back of the dragon throne, then slid onto that person’s shoulder.

She called out, “Your Majesty.”

“Hmm?” Jiang Chu turned to look at her.

“This minister can do magic, Your Majesty knows that.”

As her voice fell, Jiang Chu’s eyes suddenly flashed, and when she opened them again—the person standing behind her dragon throne had become Jiang Yu.

Or rather, the State Preceptor with the same appearance as Jiang Yu.

Jiang Chu took a breath and said in a low voice, “No.”

“Why?” the State Preceptor asked softly. “Is it not like her?”

“It’s precisely because it’s too much like her that it’s not,” Jiang Chu said in a low voice. “Firstly, it’s too much of a grievance to A’Li, and secondly… I personally think that I can’t continue the previous mistake, so even a person with A’Yu’s appearance is not okay. It’s better to just break it off completely. It will be sad for a while, but it will be fine.”

The State Preceptor said, “Oh,” and her eyebrows gradually faded.

In a few breaths, she had changed back to her original appearance.

She seemed a little sad, standing there with a blank expression, without a word.

Jiang Chu looked at her quietly, and after a moment, she tugged on the sleeve that was hanging by her side, which did not belong to her.

She got straight to the point, “Why are you sad?”

The State Preceptor said, “Mm,” “I can’t help Your Majesty, so I’m sad.”

“A’Li has helped me too much, and now you’re belittling yourself here,” Jiang Chu smiled. “I have no way to repay you. Every time I ask A’Li what you want, A’Li doesn’t say.”

“Then can Your Majesty fulfill your promise now?”

“Hmm?”

“Your Majesty once promised me that you would grant me one thing, no matter what it was.”

“The Son of Heaven’s word is his bond, that’s natural,” Jiang Chu was even a little eager to try. “I’ve been waiting for mountains, water, stars, and the moon, and I’ve finally waited for A’Li to open your mouth. Quick, tell me, what does A’Li want?”

The State Preceptor was quiet for a moment and then spoke in a peaceful atmosphere.

“Your Majesty,” she said. “This minister would like to stay at the Hall of Mental Cultivation tonight.”