Chapter 40 - Unraveling Romantic Intrigue
The sky was overcast, and soon, a drizzle began. The procession from the Pei family, filled with music and fanfare, made its way towards Peony Street.
Inside the mansion of the Earl of Xining, Cui Ti sat dazedly in front of her dressing table. Someone grabbed her and turned her around. A sycophantic woman laughed uncomfortably, her praises also sounding insincere, "Look! Look at our bride today. She's as beautiful as a fairy descending from the heavens."
Echoes of agreement filled the room.
The sound of rain grew louder outside. To Cui Ti, everything was strangely familiar yet foreign. She asked with confusion, "Bride?"
"Yes, M'lord Pei's bride!"
Voices burst forth, clamoring in admiration and envy, marveling at Cui Ti's good fortune to be the object of affection of Xi Jing's most sought-after young bachelor.
Before the bewildered Cui Ti could grasp the situation, the bridal procession reached the front gate. She was ushered into the bridal sedan.
Everything felt so out of place.
How was she... marrying Pei Xuan again?
Wasn't she already Lady Pei?
Is this a dream or reality?
Thinking of Pei Xuan, her mood involuntarily lifted, realizing this was the third time she was marrying the same man.
A smile graced her lips, and beneath her bridal veil, her pretty face flushed with excitement.
"Bow to the heavens and earth---"
Cui Ti's heart raced uncontrollably, like a startled deer. She eagerly anticipated the wedding night, longing to see her refined and elegant 'my husband'.
"Bow to the parents---"
She bent forward.
At the wedding hall, the atmosphere reached its zenith. The matchmaker cried out in a raspy voice, "The bride and groom bow to each other---"
Feeling a slight tug from the red ribbon in her hand, joy flooded Cui Ti's heart. Even if this were a dream, she did not wish to awaken prematurely.
But it seemed like she had been dreaming for a long time.
Sitting on the wedding bed, her veil still undisturbed, Bai Tang whispered incessantly beside her.
"All of you, leave."
"Yes, M'lord."
The footsteps grew fainter. Cui Ti remembered that the first thing Pei Xuan did upon entering the room was to order a bath to be prepared, intending to bathe later.
While waiting for the bath, she lifted the veil with the ceremonial comb.
The veil was lifted.
Suddenly, there was an eerie silence. No one spoke.
Cui Ti's intuition was alert, yet the normally vocal Pei Xuan remained silent.
Waiting and waiting, she grew puzzled.
It shouldn't be like this.
How should it be then?
Pei Xuan would typically greet her with a smile, asking, "Have you been waiting too long?" To which she would reply, "No." Then, following the traditions of Da Zhao, they would partake in a shared drink, intertwining arms. The act of drinking was symbolic --- each would drink half, representing that in this life, they were inseparable.
Lost in her thoughts, Cui Ti noticed the 'Pei Xuan' beside her acted indifferent. He perfunctorily handed her a cup of wine, simply going through the motions of the ceremonial drink, clearly not caring about her feelings.
"M'lord, the water is ready."
Pei Xuan merely grunted in response. It wasn't until she turned to disrobe behind the screen that a sense of dread consumed her. The heavy phoenix crown atop her head felt like a mountain pressing down on her.
The sound of water echoed in the room, intensifying her growing fear.
No.
This was not her Pei Xuan.
This was a dream!
A nightmare!
Desperate to escape this tormenting vision, Cui Ti stumbled, her leg accidentally striking the edge of a table. A sharp pain engulfed her. She went pale, wondering why the immortal riding the plump crane hadn't yet bestowed her with the mystic vision.
This was wrong.
Everything was wrong!
"Why are you so clumsy?"
'Pei Xuan,' dressed in a neat bathrobe, approached nonchalantly, "Does it hurt?"
His voice was emotionless, void of any sympathy.
Why wouldn't this dream end?
This wasn't real; it was too terrifying!
Gripping her chest in anguish, Cui Ti bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Yet, despite her pain, the nightmare continued unabated.
She felt powerless, like someone drowning, adrift in an endless sea, searching in vain for salvation.
There was no sudden pain in her eyes, no immortal arriving on a crane to grant her the mystic vision, no flustered Pei Xuan emerging from the bath with his robe half-open.
There was no tenderness, no shyness, no hard-won fortune.
Only an inescapable dead-end.
She felt ensnared, cries for help falling on deaf ears.
"Xing Guang, Xing Guang, save me... save me..."
The almost delirious murmurs filled the room. Pei Xuan, with trembling hands, wiped away the tear that rolled down her cheek. "Who has cursed my wife? I swear, we shall not rest until this is settled."
"..."
Ning Hehuan didn't want to dwell on this dangerous topic, so he changed the subject, "The power of this dream curse is in giving hope and then snatching all of it away.
"For now, she is still able to differentiate, but soon, she won't be able to distinguish between dreams and reality. She might start doubting if all the beautiful moments shared with you were nothing but an illusory dream.
"The destruction of one's will to live is a grave matter. You must decide quickly."
"Alright."
She made up her mind, "I'll trust you this once."
Seeing the desperate determination emanating from her, Ning Hehuan chuckled lightly, "Never underestimate the soul. The physical union, the mutual resonance, can be the most touching declaration in the world."
"..."
No one came to disturb Pei Xuan after that.
In the deep stillness of the night, as if sinking into a tranquil black pool, Cui Ti kept her eyes shut, curling her body and sobbing softly. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, as if she was made of tears.
What was she thinking, agreeing to such a ludicrous idea?
Pei Xuan, riddled with guilt, softly said, "Ti, I didn't mean to harm you; I wanted to save you."
"Xing Guang..."
"Xing Guang..."
Every call echoed deep in Pei Xuan's heart, each one piercing her so much that she felt pain deep in her core.
The matter of the curse needed long consideration, but the pressing matter was to awaken Ti from the grip of her nightmare.
Her face flushed, her heart seemed to be twisted and turned in all directions, a whirlpool of emotions: Which honorable man would take advantage of his wife's 'illness' in such a maddened manner?
Pei Xuan kept berating herself, her face constantly flushed with heat.
"Ti..."
She swallowed hard, her lips near Cui Ti's ear, soothing every inch of her trembling body.
"Don't be afraid."
"Don't fear."
Their instinctual reactions livened up the serene chamber.
Pei Xuan's face was a shade of embarrassed red. It felt as if her very soul was split by a knife from the top of her head: one half shouting her affection, while the other was draped in worries.
She felt like a rogue without boundaries.
Continuously pushing the limits.
Utterly conflicted.
Cui Ti's tears landed on her shoulder, and Pei Xuan's heart ached more than words could express. With a thought of "let's give it a try" at the back of her mind, that attempt ushered in the bright dawn.
At the Hanlin Academy, the diligent compiler Pei Xuan took a leave of seven days straight.
This was the first day of the holiday.
Song Zizhen and Zheng Wuji had planned to visit Pei's residence in the afternoon for a courtesy call. However, before it even reached midday, a messenger from the Pei household arrived.
"M'lord says there are urgent matters at home, so he is preoccupied and cannot entertain guests today. He invites you both to come for drinks another day."
"Urgent matters? What urgent matters?"
The messenger, with an honest face, replied, "I am not sure."
After delivering the message, he left. Song Zizhen, pondering deeply, came up with a speculative guess, "Could he be ill? Or weakened?"
"..."
"Ah, that's the downside of having a wife. A slight ailment and you can't get out of bed, and then you slack off at work."
Zheng Wuji shook his head, "How Xing Guang is as a person, neither you nor I truly know. If he couldn't come, it must be because he's genuinely tied up. As his friends, instead of hoping for his wellbeing, are we actually hoping he's sick or weakened? Please, shut that mouth of yours!"
After getting scolded, Song Zizhen sheepishly replied, "Of course, I hope Xing Guang is well too. Fine, I'll go vegetarian today, to accumulate some good karma for him."
After a night of tireless work, Pei Xing Guang was surprised to find Cui Ti's fever had receded, tears had stopped, and she was in a deeper slumber.
"Elder!"
Ning Hehuan, while idling beneath the pear blossom tree, saw her approach from a distance. With faint shadows under her eyes, she teased, "Did M'lord's attempt prove effective?"
Eighteen-year-old Pei, the compiler, even with his composed nature, couldn't help but blush at such a question.
Such an intriguing Wenqu was truly rare.
Pei Xuan sincerely asked, "Elder, what should I do next? My wife's condition has improved, but she hasn't awakened. What should I do?"
"Continue what you're doing."
"..."
"But you should rest now."
She looked at the frail frame of Wenqu, tsking in wonder, "You'd better drink a few bowls of soup to nourish yourself, lest you wear out again."
With each word, Pei Xuan's handsome face reddened a bit more. Seizing the moment, Ning Hehuan mischievously attempted to corrupt Wenqu, who was traditionally imbued with strict manners and etiquette.
"In this world, especially when it concerns matters between men and women, tackling the issue head-on can solve a majority of problems. If it doesn't work the first time, try a few more times."
"She loves you, you love her, and both of you are willing. The intense, fervent love can vanquish the evil lurking in the shadows. Dream curses are trivial in comparison."
Pei Xuan pondered, then bowed deeply, "The younger generation will keep that in mind."
"Stop with the 'elder' and 'younger generation' talk."
She feared it would shorten her lifespan.
She playfully touched a chubby jade crane pendant, suggesting gleefully, "How about calling me a 'great sage' instead?"
After all, she was a sage of love and happiness, having achieved the status of immortality. While other accomplished immortals at least held the title of 'minor deity', she was merely a wandering deity, which she felt was quite unfair.
Thinking back to 800 years ago in the heavenly palace, when she had to address Wenqu as 'Eminent Immortal' since he oversaw all literary fortunes of the world, even the grass outside his palace was nobler than that of other immortals.
"Thank you for your guidance, great sage," Pei Xuan said gratefully.
Satisfied, Ning Hehuan squinted her eyes.
That's better.
She wouldn't allow the Wenqu, whom she guided in his reincarnation, to remain an emotionless block of wood.
Nor would she allow a deeply loving couple to miss out on the joys of intimacy because of their shyness.
With her around, the dream curse would surely be broken.
Just do it.
She playfully poked the chubby body of the jade crane, "In life, one mustn't waver, especially during crucial moments."
Had he shown the courage he displayed the previous night, would he not have confessed his feelings in his past life?
It was a pity for the little rabbit spirit, who was awakened to the world of emotions but left unsatisfied. Wenqu, with many admirers, was truly a man who could cause calamities with his beauty.