Xie Xuanying did not enjoy attending banquets. As a child, he had been scooped into the arms of his elders and pinched and petted; now grown, he was praised by men and stared at by women.
It was annoying beyond endurance.
But socializing was a required course for every person of power and nobility.
The Xie and Wang families were not connected by marriage, and civil and military officials were best advised not to associate privately. The Wang family’s plum-viewing gatherings had never had anything to do with him.
However, Minister Wang was the sort of person who, when no opportunity presented itself, would create one and seize it anyway.
He personally sent an invitation.
Though it was a formal calling card, it was little different from a personal invitation. Xie Xuanying was both a junior in the family hierarchy and a newcomer in officialdom – how could he presume to decline such lavish hospitality? He had no choice but to come.
Minister Wang, being a leading figure in literary circles, was naturally no ordinary vulgar man.
His fondness for Xie Xuanying was written all over his face, yet it was not off-putting. Since he had already come, and the minister invited him to the lakeside pavilion to view the snow, there was no reason to refuse.
The snowy scenery was indeed beautiful, and the warmed wine was most fragrant and mellow.
Most importantly of all, the moment Xie Xuanying took his seat, he glimpsed a familiar figure in the water pavilion across the way.
Incredible.
Even though his eyesight was somewhat better than most from practicing archery, he had never expected that with just one glance, he would truly pick her out from among the crowd of beauties.
Today, for the snow and plum viewing, the women’s attire was all much the same -scarlet, rouge red, crabapple red – a uniform sea of red.
In terms of opulent beauty, none could compare to Commandery Princess Jianing. In terms of ingenuity, none could match Wang Yongxu’s goose-yellow front-buttoned jacket. In terms of grace and poise, needless to say, none surpassed Xu Yi-niang’s delicate, willowy charm.
Cheng Danruo’s own dress was in fact rather careless.
She followed the crowd, wearing a jade-red front-buttoned long jacket and a white broad-hemmed skirt, with gold hairpins and gold bracelets. In short, she was presentable enough in every respect, yet she blended indistinctly into the crowd – of the young ladies today, eight out of ten were dressed just like that.
How had he been able to recognize her, then?
Could having someone in your heart truly make such a difference?
Xie Xuanying was baffled and intrigued, and could not help casting another glance toward the water pavilion.
“Xie-lang, how do you find my family’s plum blossoms?” Minister Wang asked.
Xie Xuanying said, “Good.”
“In what way are they good?”
He said, “Pleasing to the eye and delightful to the heart.”
Minister Wang was rendered speechless. This was indeed a very School-of-Mind answer.
“I was a close friend of your teacher,” he quickly changed the subject. “We should associate more in the future.”
Xie Xuanying said, “I am unworthy of your great affection.”
Minister Wang said with a smile, “Rest assured, even if my calling card were delivered to His Majesty, His Majesty would approve.”
Xie Xuanying sighed softly, a trace of helpless amusement appearing at the corners of his lips.
Minister Wang’s calling card really did make its way before His Majesty. It was written exceptionally well, in flowery and ornate prose, and the gist was this:
This winter, my family’s plum blossoms have bloomed especially well. I truly adore the proud, unyielding spirit of plum blossoms that defy wind and snow, and so I wish to invite everyone to my home to view the plums. But plum blossoms alone are like a table with only fine dishes and no good wine – no matter how delicious, it cannot bring full satisfaction.
I thought and thought, unable to sleep at night, until at last I understood what was missing: it is you, Xie-lang. Just imagine – that day of white snow and red plum, if your radiance could be present, then my plum garden would be as beautiful as a fairy realm.
So come, Xie-lang. I have prepared fine wine, fine dishes, and the most beautiful plum blossoms, waiting for you to come and enjoy them with me.
It was, quite simply, very sappy.
But the emperor deeply agreed, saying, “Since Minister Wang extends the invitation, why not go and enjoy it?”
Xie Xuanying had no choice but to come – and moreover had to appreciate it properly, so that tomorrow at work he could relay it all to the emperor.
“I toast you,” he said, holding the pot and pouring wine.
Just in time to steal another glance at the water pavilion.
But this time when he looked, he was startled to see something amiss. The women were scattering in alarm, and no one knew what had happened.
Minister Wang noticed too, and squinted over.
What on earth was going on?
Something had gone wrong with the dog.
Fifteen minutes earlier.
The chow chow Huang’er had received the enthusiastic affection of the young ladies. Cheng Danruo was no exception – she liked cats and dogs too, but considering there were no vaccines, she did not dare rashly pick it up, and instead observed from a distance for a while, wanting to know whether it was friendly with people.
Who would have thought she would discover something slightly abnormal.
As soon as the little dog landed on the ground, it avoided the girl who wanted to stroke it and hid under the table and chairs.
“Can you coax it out?” someone asked.
Cai Huan agreed and crouched down to coax the dog.
The little dog bared its teeth fiercely, a large amount of drool streaming from the corners of its mouth.
Cheng Danruo could not help asking, “Is it usually this afraid of people too?”
“No,” Cai Huan said awkwardly. “Huang’er is usually very obedient and friendly with people. These past few days it has probably seen too many strangers, and that is what frightened it.”
She tried every means to coax the dog out, lest she be scolded by the commandery princess. “Huang’er, come, come here.”
“Does it usually drool this much too?” Cheng Danruo’s brows were tightly knit.
Cai Huan replied, “No, it has only been these last two days… ah!” She had just reached her hand under the table, and now, momentarily distracted, she failed to pay attention and was bitten by the dog.
Dog teeth are incredibly sharp. When it truly bites down with force, it tears straight through to a bloody hole, ripping away skin and flesh.
Cai Huan was in agony, blood pouring from her palm.
“Stay away from that dog.” Cheng Danruo was not certain whether the dog had rabies, but there was no vaccine, and once infected with the virus, there was truly no remedy at all.
She turned her head looking for someone. “Is there a net? Get this dog out of here.”
The maids looked at one another, hesitating and not moving. Cheng Danruo was an unfamiliar face – neither the host nor a person of any authority – and this was the commandery princess’s dog. Who would dare act rashly?
In that moment of delay, it was too late.
Huang’er bit even the servant girl who usually cared for it. It no longer had much reason left. After two savage barks, it darted out from under the table and bit anyone it saw.
The nearest person was a little girl, only twelve years old, who was so frightened she fell to the ground. Just as it looked about to lunge at her face, a maid beside her showed a measure of loyalty. “Miss, watch out!”
She actually stepped directly in front of her.
Huang’er pounced right onto her, its teeth clamping onto her face, tearing away half the skin of her cheek!
“Ah!” the maid let out a miserable scream, blood instantly gushing from her head, making her look like a vengeful ghost.
“Get away, quickly!” Cheng Danruo urgently called for them to scatter. The water pavilion was not large, and though the chow chow was small in build, just biting people’s legs would be trouble enough.
At that moment, many people had been composing poems by the window, brush in hand and lost in thought. When they noticed the commotion over here, some were rather displeased.
“Quiet down, we are composing poems… ah!”
Cries of alarm rose one after another.
It was Xu Yi-niang who remained composed. She had been speaking with Commandery Princess Jianing, but upon seeing the situation, immediately called out. “Catch that dog!”
Commandery Princess Jianing was even more shocked and furious. “Someone! Beat that beast to death!”
Whether Huang’er was unusually perceptive and sensed the killing intent, or was simply drawn by the noise, it actually turned and charged inside.
A mad dog charging straight at them – even if a chow chow was not especially large, it was still not something girls in their teens could handle.
But what could the servant girls do even upon hearing the order?
The maid whose half-face had been bitten off was right before their eyes. Everyone fears death. Even the most loyal person’s instincts would stop them from courting certain death, let alone the fact that most people’s loyalty had never reached the point of risking their lives.
There were, however, a few young ladies of considerable courage who, though they dared not go forward to catch the dog, threw the teacups and inkstones in their hands at it.
Huang’er let them be and fixed its gaze on a girl who was shouting with her eyes closed. “Get away! Go away!! Ahhh!!!”
It turned direction and was just about to pounce when suddenly a basin of water was splashed right onto its head.
Its fear of water made it halt, but also made it even more frenzied. It twisted its head and fixed its gaze on the person who had attacked it.
Cheng Danruo held the copper basin and slowly backed away.
This was serious trouble.
Fear of water, frenzy, drooling – this dog almost certainly had rabies.
Once bitten, no matter how promptly it was treated, it would be useless.
“Shh.” She made a gesture for silence, signaling everyone, “Go outside to a bright place. Don’t scream.”
In a moment of crisis, what people often lack is not courage, but professional knowledge. Several girls she did not know nodded slightly at her, covered their mouths, and dragging and pushing one another, fled outside in a panic without choosing their path.
They were certainly among the clever and quick-witted ones.
But there were still the slow to react and the timid. Never mind running – they could not even stand, collapsing limp in chairs, trembling all over. “Don’t, don’t come over.”
Originally, Huang’er had little reaction to people who did not move, but they were too tense, their eyes fixed intently on it, which the dog instead took as provocation.
It crouched low, baring sharp teeth, looking for a chance to pounce and bite.
Then there was a sound from behind. It twisted its head to dodge – and it was water again, tea water.
Cheng Danruo had found a cup of tea that had barely been drunk and splashed the remaining tea over.
Huang’er was thoroughly enraged.
It abandoned the others and locked its gaze firmly on Cheng Danruo.
Cheng Danruo slowly drew a breath, suppressing the fear at the bottom of her heart.
It was not that she was unafraid of a mad dog, but the girls in the water pavilion – the oldest was sixteen, about to be married in the spring, and the youngest was only twelve, brought by her mother to such a large social occasion for the first time.
This was not a battlefield of thousands upon thousands of soldiers, where a person could be crushed in an instant.
It was just a dog. To turn and run – her conscience would not allow it.
If I get bitten… Cheng Danruo exhaled the air from her lungs and thought, then that is fate.
What was the point of transmigrating to ancient times? To live a dozen or so years in such hardship, and dying would be a clean end. She had no father or mother anyway – no one would grieve for her.
She picked up the fire tongs beside the brazier and gripped them tightly in her hand.
Huang’er wanted to pounce, but was frightened back by her brandishing the iron tongs.
“Grrr.” Its four limbs were stiff, drool dripping steadily, and strange sounds kept coming from its throat, as though it could not catch its breath.
“Miss Cheng.” Xu Yi-niang had already been pulled to the doorway by her maid. “Hurry and come out.”
Cheng Danruo turned her head to look, and realized that at some point Xu Yi-niang had ordered the maids to close the windows from outside, leaving only the door – clearly preparing to shut the dog inside.
She nodded, not daring to expose her back to the mad dog, and slowly edged backward.
Huang’er wove through the space beneath the tables and chairs, always keeping one to two meters of distance from her, refusing to give up. As it saw her getting closer and closer to the light, it grew more and more agitated, eager to try.
“Open the windows,” Cheng Danruo said, suspecting she might not make it out the door, and quickly spoke up.
Xu Yi-niang hesitated slightly. The windows were not high, and if the dog in its desperation leaped out the window, with so many people outside, it would be hard to handle.
“Open the windows!” Wang Yongxu instead ordered. “Open the windows for me!”
This was the Wang household, after all. Her word carried more weight than Xu Yi-niang’s. The servant women opened the windows, and fearing the dog might leap out, they dodged far away.
The water pavilion instantly became much brighter. Huang’er feared the light, and its movements slowed again.
From outside came Commandery Princess Jianing’s voice. “Catch that beast.”
Four sturdy servant women appeared at the doorway, holding wooden clubs.
This provoked the already frenzied Huang’er. It threw all caution to the wind and lunged viciously at Cheng Danruo.
She immediately raised the iron tongs to block.
The dog’s fangs clamped onto the iron, grating loudly.
Drool dripped down. Cheng Danruo quickly let go.
The rabies virus was all in the saliva, and she could not guarantee there were no small wounds on her body.
But once the tongs were thrown away, her weapon was gone too.
Cheng Danruo pressed her back against the wall, groping around for anything she could use to defend herself: the best choice was a stool, but unfortunately it was a bit too far from her. A chair, too – they had been knocked askew, and bending down to set one upright was unrealistic.
The copper basin lay overturned on the ground, impossible to reach. The brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on the shore were of no use either.
There was, however, the incense burner… With her back against the wall, she edged sideways, wanting to grab the copper duck-shaped censer in the corner.
Bright light shone in through the window.
Dimly, she saw something flying toward her.
Almost at the same instant, Huang’er dodged the wooden club swung down by the servant woman and lunged at her calf.
Cheng Danruo slammed down the censer in her hand.
“Clang!” A sharp, piercing sound as it hit the ground.
Did I miss? She looked down and saw Huang’er huddled right at her feet.
Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest.
Fortunately, she immediately realized there was no pain. Looking more carefully, she saw that Huang’er had been pierced through by an arrow, blood spreading outward, but it had not yet breathed its last, its four limbs twitching as it struggled.
Fearing she might be scratched, Cheng Danruo hurried to dodge away. But when she tried to take a step, not only did she fail to dodge as she wished, she was instead yanked off balance and fell to the ground with a “thud.”
Her forehead struck the corner of the censer, hurting so much she nearly burst into tears.
What was going on? She clutched her forehead and turned her head, only then discovering that the arrow which had pierced through Huang’er had not only gone through the dog’s body, but had also, by sheer coincidence, passed through the hem of her skirt, pinning her firmly against the wall.
Cheng Danruo was speechless.
Whose archery was this good – was he tracing outlines?
In the distance, at the pavilion in the middle of the lake.
Xie Xuanying’s movements froze.
Minister Wang exclaimed in admiration. “Your archery truly lives up to its reputation -your aim is extraordinarily precise.”
Xie Xuanying shut his eyes in agony. “Sir.”
Minister Wang asked, “What is it?”
He said, “Could you… not say that I shot that arrow?”
