Chapter 11: The Mountain Sealed by Heavy Snow (Part One)

The heavy snow had passed, and the winter solstice was approaching.

Inside Jingzhou City, the servants of the Cui family bustled in and out in a flurry of activity. Cui Miao, half-mad and half-senseless, lay in bed drooling, his lower body useless. After examining him, the famous physicians invited by Cui Lie shook their heads in dismay. The eldest among them, Physician Qi, approached the anxious Cui Lie, cupped his hands, and said, “I fear your son has become a ruined man. Please…”

Cui Lie’s eyelid twitched. He seized the wine jar from the table and smashed it upon Physician Qi’s head with a crash, splitting it open and sending him sprawling, blood flowing freely. The remaining doctors recoiled in terror, not daring to offer aid or utter a word.

“Speak!” Cui Lie slammed the table with a thunderous bang, his eyes bloodshot with rage. Beside him, Cui Hao and Cui Sheng stood with bowed heads, not daring to speak a word.

After a long silence, the old physician on the floor slowly struggled to his feet, gray hair hanging over his bleeding forehead. He grinned, baring his teeth. “Cui… Cui Lie, your second son, firstly, his eyes are vacant, as if his soul has left his body—he is witless; secondly, one of his vital organs is gone—he’s crippled. Heh, heh, I’ve long heard of his lewd and unscrupulous ways. Today’s disaster is nothing less than deserved…”

Cui Lie, hearing this, flew into a greater rage. He knocked the old physician down again and beat him half to death before ordering the servants to drag him out. He looked with pain at the foolishly grinning Cui Miao on the bed, then at Cui Hao and Cui Sheng, his anger unabated. “Next winter, you two must give me grandsons! If not, I’ll break your legs!”

Cui Hao lifted his pudgy chin and snuck a glance at Cui Lie, only to meet his flaming gaze. “What are you looking at! If you don’t continue the family line, you won’t eat!”

Cui Sheng raised his eyebrows but wisely only glanced sideways at his sweating, pale-faced elder brother. Cui Lie caught this too. “And you! If you don’t give me grandsons, forget about playing ball!”

Both brothers quickly agreed, standing meekly as Cui Lie paced the room, sitting and rising in agitation. Annoyed by the presence of the physicians, he waved them away. After a moment’s thought, he made a decision. “Hao’er, go open the family vault and bring out a thousand taels of gold. Sheng’er, go fetch Yuchi Yang and tell him I have matters to discuss!”

“Yes, Father!” both replied in unison, as if granted amnesty, and hurried out.

Yuchi Tuo lay in bed, gravely wounded in the chest, pain throbbing within him. He had been unconscious for three days. Yuchi Yang had been guarding his brother, hearing him mumble about thunder from the heavens, possession by spirits, and a young lady descended from the gods, but he had no idea what had actually happened. Clearly, though, just like Cui Miao, his brother had been gravely injured after returning from Ten Mile Village.

At this moment, Yuchi Yang, his eyes fierce and brooding over revenge, heard the voice of Third Master Cui calling for him and realized it was the head of the Cui family summoning him.

When Cui Lie saw Yuchi Yang, he laid his plans bare: Yuchi Yang was to contact the mountain bandits at Yiju Ridge, promising them a large sum to once again sell their lives for the Cui family. Having given these instructions, Cui Lie left for the governor’s office to pay respects to Prefect Liu.

As for Wu Yueling, she had just received an invitation from the Gu family to attend their midday banquet. The celebration was in honor of the 'fake' jewelry in their new shop selling so well, and since Wu Yueling had offered advice, she was invited too. Gu Yi held the banquet in the family’s inner hall, also to celebrate the success of their pickled fish business along the Yangtze. Only now, with business secure, could Gu Yi return home for the New Year, and so he hosted all the shopkeepers.

That day, fireworks burst over the Gu household. Though it was daylight, the festive explosions could be heard from afar. Wu Yueling arrived at the Gu residence, showed her invitation to the gate servant, and was allowed inside.

At the door, however, she saw some beggar children shivering in thin clothes, trying to beg for food from the servants, only to be kicked away. Wu Yueling frowned at the sight but said nothing. As she approached the entrance, she caught the savory aroma of dishes and grew curious about what delicacies the banquet might offer; after all, she’d rarely tasted such things.

Inside, she saw a charming woman pacing the main hall, seemingly arranging something—a pipa, as it turned out. The woman was captivating, about Wu Yueling’s age, and drew her attention. The woman, too, sensed Wu Yueling’s gaze and was startled by the sight—how could anyone be so ethereal, appearing like a lotus unstained by the world’s dust? Envy stirred in her heart.

Wu Yueling smiled gently. “Hello.”

“Ah?” Lan Xiaojing started, then, seeing Wu Yueling did not look like a servant, quickly bowed, “I am Lan, the chief entertainer of the Red Silk Pavilion. May I ask your name, miss?”

Wu Yueling replied with ease, picking a date from the table, “From the Lu family of Ten Mile Village.”

Lan Xiaojing froze, then turned away, continuing to arrange the pipa with the Gu family’s maid, ignoring Wu Yueling. Amused, Wu Yueling eyed the old instrument, tempted to try it but a bit embarrassed, as it belonged to someone else.

Seeing Wu Yueling’s interest, Lan Xiaojing, having learned she was from the countryside, said bluntly, “What are you looking at? Never seen the world, country girl?”

Wu Yueling opened her mouth and laughed softly—so she was being dismissed as a country bumpkin. She sat at a side couch by the food table, eating sweet dates.

“Hey, you’re so rude! My master hasn’t arrived and you’re already helping yourself? Get up! Get up!” A maid came and pulled Wu Yueling away from the seat.

Wu Yueling smiled helplessly, pocketing two dates that were promptly snatched back by the maid. She walked outside to the hall, gazing up at the sky as voices drifted from within.

“Xiaocui, why did you tease her? What if she’s an important guest of Young Master Gu?”

“What do you know, Ahong? Our Gu family is the richest in Jingzhou! That girl is pretty, but so rude, dressed in plain linen—she really is the ‘country bumpkin’ Lan called her!”

Wu Yueling listened to their laughter and laughed at herself. Country bumpkin, country bumpkin, you really are a country bumpkin, ignorant of etiquette. These ancients and their endless rules—so tiresome.

“Hey, who are you? Why are you slacking here instead of helping in the hall? The shopkeepers will be here soon.”

Wu Yueling saw a young man in white robes, good-looking but full of airs, frowning as he looked at her.

“Are you new?”

She sighed, mimicking Lan’s earlier bow, and answered politely, “Yes, I’m new.”

“Ah, that explains it. Get familiar with the household and go help out!” The young man turned toward the vegetable garden, bending to inspect it. He was a favored shopkeeper under Gu Yi, handling the Yangtze fish trade, which, being hard to transport fresh, had to be salted and dried before bringing to Jingzhou for sale—a venture that had proved quite profitable.

Wu Yueling went into the hall and asked Xiaocui, “Do you have any wheat or barley?”

“Huh?” Xiaocui, tidying up the couch, looked at her in confusion, then handed her a rag impatiently, “I heard what the white-robed shopkeeper said. You’re new, so I’ll let it go this time. Go wipe down the tables—and no snacking!”

Wu Yueling shrugged and began wiping down the tables. Xiaocui, a girl of about sixteen, was pitiable as a maid but still better off than the beggars outside—at least she had food and shelter. The Gu family treated their servants decently; Wu Yueling had heard tales of the Cui family’s maids suffering abuse when she’d scrounged meals at their building. Did being bought make one less than human?

After cleaning, Wu Yueling noticed the self-important Lan was still tuning her pipa. Taking advantage of Xiaocui’s distraction, Wu Yueling stealthily popped a date into her mouth, only to be caught again and scolded.

Just then, voices at the door announced the arrival of the master and shopkeepers. Xiaocui stopped her ‘lesson’ and hurried Wu Yueling to stand respectfully at the side, warning her not to eat dates before the master.

Gu Yi entered, his voice loud and cheerful, very different from his usual stern demeanor. The mood was bright, and alongside him came the shopkeepers, including the white-robed one who had scolded Wu Yueling. Gu Yi took the chief seat, with the white-robed shopkeeper sitting close by.

Wu Yueling discreetly observed—there were nine shopkeepers, only two of whom she knew. She wondered if, as an outsider, she’d be seated in a side room, but the reality was otherwise.

The young shopkeeper noticed an extra seat and asked curiously, “Master Gu, why is there an empty spot at the table?”

Gu Yi, with a mysterious smile, laughed heartily and looked to Shopkeeper Fang, “Has Miss Yueling arrived?”

“Master Gu, I notified her earlier. She should be here,” Shopkeeper Fang replied, scratching his chin.

Shopkeeper Zhao, always quick-witted, spotted Wu Yueling standing by Xiaocui and signaled to her. This did not escape Gu Yi’s notice. He looked in that direction, making Xiaocui nervous.

“Ah, Miss Yueling, come here! That seat is yours—no need to stand or be so polite!”

Wu Yueling looked up, meeting several scrutinizing gazes. She imitated Lan’s earlier bow and greeted Gu Yi awkwardly.

“No need for formality, please be seated. Let me introduce her—she’s the remarkable young woman who gave our family the idea to sell ‘imitation’ goods, giving us the edge in the jewelry business. Shopkeeper Fang has also tested her bookkeeping, and her skills are extraordinary. The ledgers are flawless, and she organizes accounts so clearly that I believe she’s a born talent.”

Gu Yi’s praise drew admiration from the shopkeepers. The white-robed shopkeeper, who’d earlier scolded Wu Yueling for slacking, now looked embarrassed but couldn’t bring himself to apologize.

Lan, clutching her pipa, quickly stood, bowed to Gu Yi, then to Wu Yueling, her face anxious—worried that Wu Yueling would make her pay for calling her a country bumpkin. After all, it had been her own ignorance.

The scene puzzled everyone, including their host.

Wu Yueling smiled at her apology, poured wine into a bowl, and raised it. “Unknowing fairy, I uttered foolish words. Today I drink this as penance; let the pipa’s melody be a tribute to your grace.”

Lan downed the bowl in apology, praising Wu Yueling’s beauty, earning approval from the shopkeepers and Gu Yi.

Wu Yueling cared little for the ‘country bumpkin’ slight. Accepting the sincere apology, she let Lan return to her seat, and soon the hall was filled with the music of the pipa.

Lan breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully, her counterpart was kind. Still, she lamented her own fate as a courtesan, unable to truly befriend such a woman, envying Wu Yueling’s prospects with the Gu family.

Xiaocui, having learned Wu Yueling’s identity, was dumbfounded. She’d bossed her around like a new maid, yet Wu Yueling had helped with the chores without complaint.

The banquet grew lively as everyone toasted each other. Gu Yi, shedding his usual stiffness, even danced among the guests before returning to his seat.

Wu Yueling drank several cups of warm green wine, finding it pleasant—much like modern red wine. She was toasted repeatedly, but her face remained unflushed. The host served a whole roasted lamb, and Wu Yueling tasted the rare, precious pepper powder—deciding to pocket a little for herself.

Other guests recited poems with their toasts. As the only woman and a first-time guest, Wu Yueling was not put on the spot, but Shopkeeper Fang encouraged her to learn, explaining that toasting was an important social art for a future family steward.

Wu Yueling treated it as a spectacle, watching the drunken antics of the shopkeepers, including the now-inebriated white-robed one.

The banquet over, Wu Yueling quietly took some pepper powder from the table, thinking it would be perfect for grilled meat. She bade farewell to the master and left, only to find Xiaocui hurriedly catching up, head bowed as if expecting a scolding. Wu Yueling eyed the taller girl curiously—was she about to be caught for pilfering the pepper?

“I didn’t steal an—er, I didn’t steal any food,” she blurted.

“Please don’t be angry, miss. I was wrong,” Xiaocui apologized.

Realizing it wasn’t about the pepper, Wu Yueling patted her head and walked away, leaving Xiaocui bewildered—had she been forgiven or not? Since Lan had been forgiven, surely she had too.

Returning to the village, Wu Yueling borrowed a hatchet and went out to cut bamboo. Besides burning it to extract the juice for drinking, she planned to make skewers, forks, knives, chopsticks, and plates—she’d long wanted to try making grilled meat. She’d searched all over the southern market but found no chilies; only pepper powder had any heat.

After making the bamboo utensils, Wu Yueling went up the mountain, hoping to reap some luck, having set a few snares as Lu Feng had taught her. Checking the traps, she found nothing until the last pit—there, to her delight, a large grey rabbit was hopping helplessly.

Returning home, she followed Lu Ziji’s remembered method to skin and butcher the rabbit, marinate the meat with salt, sauce, and vinegar, then skewer it on bamboo and roast it over a fire pit, sprinkling pepper powder over it as it cooked.

Madam Lu, warming herself by the fire, watched Wu Yueling at work and felt deeply gratified—the Lu family had truly found a treasure in this girl. They’d made the right choice in taking her in; she was a child with a good heart.

“Here, Mother, try this,” Wu Yueling offered a skewer of roasted rabbit.

Madam Lu smiled, took a bite, and sighed, “I haven’t tasted pepper like this in decades. When I was little, a merchant from the Western Regions once stayed with us and gave us a packet—this is something only the wealthy can afford.”

“I got it at the Gu family banquet,” Wu Yueling replied, feeling a little guilty. Pepper was imported from the West, out of reach for ordinary folk—only great merchants like the Gu family could procure it.

As the rabbit was roasted, the smell of rice cooking drifted from beneath the pot lid—dinner was ready.

Madam Lu doted on Wu Yueling, believing the Lu family’s fortunes would rise, Lu Feng would pass the imperial exams, and Wu Yueling would marry into the family as a rightful daughter-in-law.

Yet, the north wind still howled. Heaven remained cold and indifferent, never showing mercy to any struggling life below—treating people as it did the rabbit in the trap.

Snow began to fall, silent and ceaseless, blanketing the world in white.

At the end of the first year of Tianbao, General Gao Xianzhi defeated the Tubo and retook Lesser Bolü, washing away the shame of three failed campaigns. Scholars in snowbound Chang’an rejoiced, spreading the news of Tang’s victory.

Through the snow, Lu Ziji and Gu Renyi rode on, continuing their journey toward Chang’an.