Chapter 4: The Virtuous Lady is Scorned, and is Angry
Fu Tangli was suddenly alarmed. In her panic, she ducked her head and bent down, trying to dodge. Losing her balance, she pitched forward with a plop, landing face-first in the snow, a truly wretched sight.
Fortunately, she was nimble. In her disarray, she managed to push herself up and roll to the side, dodging a sneak attack from a bird’s beak with a thud.
It was another white crane. It had flown up behind Fu Tangli at some point. This one had quite a temper; it was likely displeased that an outsider had trespassed on its territory. Flapping its wings, it charged at her menacingly.
“Hah, you feathered beast, how dare you harm me!” Fu Tangli was not one to be trifled with either. Having grown up in the northern lands, she was unlike the delicate noble ladies of Chang’an. A fire ignited in her heart. This time, she did not dodge or retreat. Instead, she met it head-on. Disregarding her injured hand, she reached out and grabbed the white crane’s large wings.
The white crane, naturally, became even angrier, its cries growing sharper.
And so, one person and one bird tumbled together in the snow, a claw from the left, a fist from the right, back and forth, the fight growing more vigorous. Snow flew about with a splat, and even the mud beneath was churned up, smearing all over their heads and faces.
At the height of the battle, Fu Tangli had just plucked the crane’s tail feathers and was about to smack its rump, while the crane’s claws had snagged Fu Tangli’s hair and its beak was about to peck her forehead. At this critical moment, a hand reached out from the side, grabbing Fu Tangli by the back of her collar with one hand and seizing the crane’s neck with the other. With a forceful pull, he promptly broke up the brawl.
A man’s voice, deep and resonant, carried a chill that matched the ice and snow. “Silence. No fighting.”
This person is so rude! How can he just grab me like that? Fu Tangli was incensed, but the hand was immensely strong, choking her so she could not speak.
The zither-playing Daoist was right in front of her. He had now stood up, and only then did Fu Tangli realize how tall he was. Dangled in his hand, she seemed exceptionally small, her legs kicking several times without even touching the ground.
The distance was too close. His features were too handsome, almost celestial, which created a sharp sense of pressure, like a deity looking down from a mountain peak, indifferent and proud.
He wore no expression, but Fu Tangli could clearly see the word “disgust” written all over his face. Holding her felt as if he had a lump of mud stuck to his hand, and he was likely pondering whether to throw it away or bury it.
As for the troublemaking white crane, its neck was caught in the Daoist’s other hand. It had already tilted its head to the side, feigning death. Only the twitching of its claws proved it was still breathing.
“Senior Brother Xuanyan!” a cry of alarm came from the distance. “Senior Brother, what happened?”
Two young Daoists ran over from outside the grove. Seeing the situation, one of them hurried forward. “Senior Brother, please let go! You’re going to strangle Baiyu to death! Please, spare it.”
Xuanyan let out a cold “Hmph,” and with a flick of his wrist, he tossed both person and crane aside.
Fu Tangli stumbled, staggering back several steps until her back hit a plum tree, finally coming to a stop. She clutched her chest. She had been choked so tightly just now that she was seeing stars and couldn’t utter a word.
The white crane, called “Baiyu,” lay on the ground, pitifully rubbing its wing against the tip of Xuanyan’s foot.
Xuanyan’s expression grew even colder, and he moved his foot.
The young Daoist immediately lunged forward, scooping Baiyu up just before Xuanyan could kick it away. “Senior Brother, we’ll take Baiyu back, wash it, comb its feathers, and scent it with some bitter herbs. We guarantee it will be perfectly clean.”
Xuanyan managed to restrain himself. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands again and again, then instructed coolly, “Have someone come and clean up this grove.”
“Yes, yes.” The two Daoists bowed in unison, replying respectfully. “We’ll rinse the surrounding area with spring water and have someone bring snow from the mountaintop to patch it up. We guarantee not a single thing will be out of place. Please rest assured, Senior Brother.”
Xuanyan glanced at Fu Tangli.
His pupils were a light color, like snow falling upon a sea of stars. That single glance was like the cutting edge of a blade through ice and snow, chilling to the bone.
For a moment, Fu Tangli felt the hairs on her body stand on end. The feeling was somehow familiar, but she couldn’t recall why. A little alarmed, she discreetly took a step back.
Xuanyan immediately averted his gaze, as if he couldn’t bear to look at her for even a second longer. He wiped his hands, tossed the handkerchief aside, and left with a flick of his sleeve, leaving behind only a single cold sentence: “Whence came this filth, to disturb my peace.”
The other white crane by his side spread its wings and followed him into the air, causing countless plum blossoms to fall.
He truly had the air of an immortal, but a pity he didn’t speak human words.
Fu Tangli, who considered herself a model of grace and elegance, a paragon among the noble ladies of Chang’an, never thought she would one day be called “filth” to her face. She was so shocked that she stood frozen for a moment. By the time she came to her senses, Xuanyan was already far away.
The corner of Fu Tangli’s mouth twitched. She took a deep breath, and then another.
The two young Daoists exchanged a look. One held the white crane, while the other clasped his hands in a bow. “We are Xuanyan and Xundu from Yunlu Temple. We apologize to the female benefactor. Baiyu and Zhenzhu are accustomed to living in this plum grove and consider it their own. Baiyu is especially ill-tempered. Never mind a benefactor like yourself, even our other senior brothers from the temple are driven away by it. A bird knows no better. We ask for the benefactor’s forgiveness. Please do not take it to heart.”
Baiyu had lost all its earlier vigor. It lay in the Daoist’s arms and let out a feeble “Gaa.”
Fu Tangli glanced at Baiyu’s tail. Poor thing, its feathers are all gone. She forced herself to calm down and replied politely, “It’s nothing. I was the one who disturbed it. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Xuan’an smiled gently and continued, “There is another matter. Our Senior Brother Xuanyan always comes to this plum grove for a short while after his morning lessons. He has an extreme fondness for cleanliness and cannot tolerate the slightest bit of dirt or disorder. It would be best if the benefactor came here less often in the future, to avoid any unpleasantness for both parties.”
What? Is he implying that I am the “dirt and disorder” that he cannot tolerate?
The anger Fu Tangli had just suppressed was stirred up again. She said slowly, “All things are created by heaven and earth, and are part of nature. Why can I not come here?”
Xundu was not as amiable as Xuan’an. With a stern face, he said stiffly, “If Senior Brother does not permit it, then others may not come.”
Fu Tangli frowned. Just as she was about to speak, she heard a voice calling.
“My Lady!” Yanzhi had finally gotten the umbrella and found her way here, running over breathlessly. “You made me search everywhere! Why didn’t you wait for me? Look, the snow has fallen on your…”
Her words caught in her throat, and her eyes widened. “My Lady! What happened to you? You’re so dirty!”
What is this maid saying?
At this moment, the word “dirty” was the last thing Fu Tangli wanted to hear. She whipped her head around and glared at Yanzhi.
Over there, Baiyu let out another miserable cry. Xuan’an and Xundu, preoccupied with the crane, had no time for more words and hurried away.
Yanzhi felt guilty under Fu Tangli’s glare and didn’t dare to finish her sentence. She gave a sheepish smile and awkwardly changed the subject. “Did My Lady find the immortal today?”
Not good. My Lady’s face has gotten even darker.
Fu Tangli sneered. “No immortal, but I did run into a stinking, self-righteous Daoist, all pretentious and affected…”
As she said this, it felt wrong. She vaguely remembered someone using those very words to needle her just the day before. Now, hearing them from her own mouth, it felt exceedingly strange.
She fell silent, vexed. “Forget it. Let’s not talk about that unlucky thing.”
With such a damper on her mood, all her leisurely and refined sentiments vanished. Fu Tangli returned with a grim face.
When she arrived back at the villa, Dailuo and Matron Sun came out to greet her. Upon seeing Fu Tangli, they were both aghast. “My Lady, what happened? Did you fall into a mud pit? Yanzhi, you girl, how are you attending to My Lady? You deserve a beating.”
Fu Tangli lifted her chin, her posture proud and reserved, and looked around. “I merely slipped and fell. It’s nothing. Cease this fuss.”
Seeing that their lady’s expression was off, everyone lowered their heads and murmured their assent.
Once inside the room, seeing that the other servants had withdrawn, Fu Tangli impatiently ordered Yanzhi, “Quick, quick, bring me a mirror.”
Yanzhi, suppressing a laugh, fetched a mirror and held it up to Fu Tangli.
Fu Tangli snatched the mirror and took a look.
It was truly a ghastly sight.
Her chignon had come undone, a hairpin dangling ridiculously from the ends. Her hair was a tangled mess, like knotted weeds. Her nose was red, and her forehead was red, likely from landing face-first. Mud was smeared all over her head and face, sticky and grimy. Perhaps she had rubbed it on herself on the ground, or perhaps the crane’s wings had flapped it on her. In any case, it was covered in suspicious marks, dark and smudged.
Who is this? This was certainly not the Second Lady of the Fu family, renowned for her composure and virtue.
Fu Tangli silently studied her reflection for a moment, then put down the mirror and said expressionlessly, “The ancients said, ‘Be not bound by form, be not enslaved by the heart. All appearances are illusions…'”
Halfway through, she couldn’t hold back any longer. With a smack, she slammed the mirror face down on the table and gritted her teeth. “Why am I in such a sorry state? It’s all because I was bullied by that wretched bird, yet its hateful master calls me ‘filth’! How outrageous! In this peaceful mountain forest, whence came such a vile Daoist, so arrogant and insolent, so utterly detestable!”
The more she spoke, the angrier she became. She gestured with her hands to Dailuo and Yanzhi. “He even grabbed me by the collar, choking me until I nearly passed out! How rude, how audacious! If we were in Chang’an, I would have had his hands broken!”
Yanzhi quickly chimed in, “Yes, have his hands broken.”
Dailuo was a practical person. She asked cautiously, “In that case, My Lady, should we summon men from the residence to come and give that Daoist a beating?”
Fu Tangli grumbled for a long while, but in the end, she sighed. “Forget it. Things are not as they were in Weizhou. I am a proper young lady with a reputation for virtue to uphold. I cannot go around fighting with people over such matters. May the heavens grant immeasurable blessings. Let’s drop it. I only wish never to encounter that stinking Daoist again. Even a single glance at him is infuriating.”
Unfortunately, heaven did not grant her wish. The matter was apparently not over.
That evening, as she was getting into bed, Fu Tangli discovered that one of her earrings was missing.