Chapter 5: Disgust Deepens, Infuriating
It was a pair of white gemstone earrings, a gift from her maternal grandmother. The white gemstones, from Persia in the Western Regions, were rare and splendid. Set into earrings by the hands of a master craftsman, they had always been a favorite of Fu Tangli’s. Because the earrings were small and delicate, they were not usually noticeable when worn, and it was only now that she discovered one was missing.
The servants, each holding a lamp, searched high and low, inside and out, but could not find it.
Fu Tangli’s brows were knitted in a knot. She said dejectedly, “Stop searching. Ten to one it was dropped in the plum grove today when I was fighting with the bird.”
Dailuo comforted her, “It’s alright. We’ll go look for it tomorrow. It’s just a small area; we’ll be able to find it.”
“That’s the only way,” Fu Tangli said helplessly, biting the corner of her quilt in frustration. “If by some misfortune I run into that stinking Daoist again, that would be truly unlucky.”
She turned over in a huff and went to sleep, but her dreams that night were not peaceful.
***
The next day, the snow had just stopped. The sky was clear and fine, and the sunlight reflecting on the snow was almost blindingly white.
Early in the morning, Fu Tangli took Yanzhi to the plum grove to search for the earring.
However, just as they reached the edge of the grove, they saw from a distance the two Daoists, Xuan’an and Xundu, standing there with their arms crossed, one on the left and one on the right, clearly on guard to prevent outsiders from approaching.
Yanzhi hid in a corner by the temple’s outer wall, tugged on Fu Tangli’s sleeve, and whispered, “Those two Daoists look tall and formidable, not to be trifled with. Why don’t we come back this afternoon?”
Fu Tangli looked around, then shook her head hesitantly. “It’s such a small object. If we look for it early, we might still find it. If we delay any longer, I’m afraid there won’t even be a trace of it left.”
She nudged Yanzhi and gave a decisive order. “You go. Chat with those two Daoists for a bit to hold them up. I’ll take the opportunity to slip in and look. It’ll only take a moment. If I can’t find it, then so be it.”
Yanzhi had always been loyal and bold. She nodded obediently, summoned her courage, and strode over.
Seeing Xuan’an and Xundu stop Yanzhi and begin to argue, Fu Tangli tiptoed around the edge of the wall and slipped into the plum grove.
She followed the same path as yesterday, and before long, she heard the sound of a zither coming from ahead.
The melody was clear, cold, and lofty, like floating clouds brushing past mountain peaks, or a stream gliding through a gorge, possessing an almost celestial quality.
Fu Tangli grew wary and did not dare to go any further. She pushed aside the layers of plum branches and surveyed her surroundings.
Xuanyan was sitting under the same plum tree as yesterday. His bicheng-colored Daoist robe was long and flowing, its sleeves trailing in the snow. His features were strikingly beautiful and intense, yet they carried a clear, cold chill.
Just feigning aloofness. In reality, he’s a rude ruffian.
Fu Tangli snorted coldly and turned her head. Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to something nearby.
A little further away, a white crane was digging in the snow. From time to time, it would lower its head and peck once or twice with its long beak. As it dug, something glittered brightly in the sunlight, catching her eye.
Hah, isn’t that my white gemstone earring?
As for the white crane, Fu Tangli took a careful look. Mm, very good. The feathers on its tail are intact. It’s not yesterday’s “Baiyu.” Its temper should be better.
She lifted her skirt, held her breath, and crept out from behind the tree, moving step by step closer to the crane.
The zither music did not cease, but it suddenly rose in pitch, becoming rapid and urgent, like a sudden gust of wind, a swirl of clouds, a waterfall plunging from a cliff, clanging with the intent of blades and halberds.
Fu Tangli’s heart pounded. She stole a glance and saw that Xuanyan had not looked up; he was still sitting quietly, playing the zither.
She relaxed and continued her stealthy approach. Finally, she was close to the crane. Not daring to lean out too far, she just stretched out a hand, reaching, reaching, reaching.
The white crane was pecking at the white gemstone. All of a sudden, a hand reached out from behind the tree and poked its claw. This was a timid one. It jumped in fright and with a “Gaa,” it swallowed the tiny white gemstone.
“Ah?” Fu Tangli was dumbfounded. In her panic, she lunged forward, grabbing the bird’s beak and trying to pry it open. “Spit it out! Spit it out now!”
The crane was terrified, squawking wildly, its large wings flapping up snow and mud from the ground, flinging it all over her head with a splat, splat.
“Stop squawking! Give me back my thing!” Fu Tangli fumbled, trying to hold down its wings.
The crane shrieked, thrashing even more violently, and tumbled into a heap with Fu Tangli.
Just as they were locked in an inextricable struggle, the same hands from before reached out, grabbing Fu Tangli by the back of her collar with one hand and the crane’s neck with the other, and forcefully pulled them apart.
With a rip, the person and the bird were separated, half a sleeve left dangling from the bird’s claw.
This white crane was truly no match for yesterday’s. With a “Gaa,” it fainted dead away, limp and motionless in Xuanyan’s hand.
Xuanyan’s beauty was celestial, his bearing august and noble. Coupled with his tall frame, cold and stern expression, and an aura that pressed down like a mountain, he was overwhelming.
Fu Tangli was not a timid person, but she couldn’t help but shiver.
“You again?” Xuanyan’s brows furrowed. He dropped Fu Tangli, tossed the white crane aside, and immediately took out his handkerchief to wipe his hands.
His voice was like snow that had not melted for years, cold to the bone. “Disheveled and unkempt. Have you no self-awareness? Why do you repeatedly come here? What is your scheme?”
Disheveled and unkempt?
Who is he talking about? Fu Tangli’s eyes widened. She pointed a trembling finger at herself.
Xuanyan glanced at her, his meaning perfectly clear.
How… dare… he!
Fu Tangli was so furious that she quickly calmed down. She nodded, took a long, deep breath, and said simply and directly, “Yesterday, Daoist Master, you incited your white crane to injure me without cause, causing me to lose an earring here.” She pointed at the one on the ground. “Today, it has swallowed my earring. If I cannot retrieve it, I will have no choice but to trouble you again tomorrow.”
She gave a radiant smile, becoming even more composed. Tucking her hands into her sleeves, she asked with perfect calm, “I would like to ask you, Daoist Master, what is your scheme in luring me here again and again?”
This young lady, with a corner of her sleeve missing, her clothes wrinkled and dirty, her hair a messy tangle, and her face smudged with snow and mud—when she smiled, her eyes were like the light of spring, bright and bold.
Like a gray sparrow, perched on a branch, wings akimbo, issuing a defiant challenge.
Xuanyan’s face darkened. He barked, “Xuan’an! Xundu!”
Hearing the summons, the two Daoists came running. “Senior Brother, what are your orders?”
When they arrived and saw Fu Tangli standing there, Xuan’an and Xundu were both shocked. “Female benefactor, why are you here again?”
Xuanyan brushed a fallen blossom from his lapel and raised an eyebrow. “Mm, why is she here again?”
His expression was placid, showing no obvious anger, yet Xuan’an and Xundu broke out in a sweat. They dropped to their knees with a thud, bowing their heads low, not daring to speak.
Fu Tangli remained perfectly composed. She slowly repeated what she had just said and, on Xuanyan’s behalf, asked his two junior brothers, “How do you intend to compensate me for my earring?”
Xuan’an and Xundu exchanged a look.
Xuan’an cleared his throat and stammered, “Actually, it’s alright. Zhenzhu and Baiyu often swallow small stones. They’ll pass them out in a couple of days…”
“Silence!” Xuanyan’s face had turned black. He looked as if he wanted to throw both Xuan’an and Zhenzhu away.
What little patience he had was completely exhausted. He pointed a finger at Fu Tangli and said simply, “Make her leave. If she comes again, you two will go and receive your punishment.”
With that, he flicked his sleeve and left, walking even faster than the day before.
Yanzhi had been hiding under a plum tree, too intimidated by Xuanyan’s presence to show herself. Now she hurried over. “My Lady, how did you get your clothes in such a state again? You poor thing.”
Xuan’an and Xundu got up from the ground, their faces long. “We’re the poor ones,” they complained. “If the benefactor comes one more time, we’ll be facing the rod.”
Leaning on Yanzhi’s arm, Fu Tangli lifted her chin. Though she was a mess, her posture was still dignified. Her voice was soft and gentle, and she spoke with great sincerity. “I will certainly not come here tomorrow. The two Daoist Masters can rest assured.”
Xuan’an was skeptical. “Really? Then the earring…”
“Oh, you can owe it to me for now,” Fu Tangli replied nonchalantly. She started to leave, then thought for a moment, turned back, and added with a slight smile, “I’ll get it back sooner or later. I’m not in a hurry.”
…
On the way back, Fu Tangli wore a constant smile, as gentle as a spring breeze, indescribably warm and serene. It made Yanzhi’s heart pound with fear.
When they returned to the villa, Fu Tangli’s smile did not waver. Even when she picked up a mirror, she smiled so broadly that her small, snow-white teeth showed, a truly brilliant sight. “Mm, disheveled and unkempt, is it?”
Sweat beaded on Yanzhi’s forehead. She shook her head vigorously. “Not at all! Our lady is proper and graceful, the noblest of all. Who would dare to spread such slander?”
Dailuo quietly tugged on Yanzhi’s sleeve. “What happened? Did you run into that Daoist from yesterday again?”
“Indeed. Fated people always meet.” It was a wonder that Fu Tangli could continue to smile while gritting her teeth. “A wild Daoist from the deep mountains, ignorant of human decency, devoid of etiquette, with his nose in the air. Where does he get the audacity to look down on me in every way, and even question my motives towards him? That such an arrogant person exists in this world is truly beyond belief.”
Dailuo, being more level-headed, tried to console her. “My Lady, don’t be angry. You are a person of noble birth. It is only because you are excellent in every way that you attract the jealousy and slander of such frivolous people. You never cared about such things in the past. Why are you so angry this time? This is only elevating that Daoist. How is he worthy? We can just ignore him. It’s nothing.”
As she spoke, Dailuo and Yanzhi helped Fu Tangli change her clothes. The junior maids brought hot water and towels, attending to Fu Tangli as she washed her face and hands, and then re-combed her hair.
A small Boshan-style glazed censer was lit on the dressing table. Inside, “Spring Tidings in the Snow” incense was burning, its sweet fragrance soft, the smoke curling up in wisps, creating a faint, graceful illusion.
Fu Tangli tapped her finger on the small glazed censer, making a crisp ding-dong sound. She suddenly smiled. “You see, I am a particularly petty person. I simply cannot tolerate this kind of treatment. The days in the mountains are boring. Since that’s the case, why not find a little fun?”
Dailuo and Yanzhi looked at each other, not understanding what she meant.