Chapter 91: Hello Chang’an
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Chapter 91: Her Only Hobby
"What else can I do? Go back, eat, and sleep!" Cui Lang said confidently. "Grandfather already punished me by sending me to the Imperial academy, so Father’s order to kneel in the ancestral hall doesn’t count anymore. If I keep kneeling, wouldn’t that make me a fool?"
Cui Tang was speechless.
One could say he lacks ambition, but he does have some cunning.
"Ah Tang, why don’t you go and speak to Grandfather for me? Ask him to let me postpone my entry for a few more days," Cui Lang, having accepted his fate, began bargaining. He pointed to his forehead. "I got injured on my forehead. Wouldn't it embarrass the Cui family if I showed up like this?"
Cui Tang wanted to roll her eyes. "Was Brother really injured by someone? I heard that when you tried to punch someone, you missed, lost your footing, and hit yourself."
At these words, Cui Lang kicked his servant's behind. "Didn't I tell you not to spread that around?"
The servant looked aggrieved. "I didn’t tell anyone outside, just inside..."
"You idiot! Daring to teach me about inside and outside!" Cui Lang kicked him again.
The servant pouted, rubbing his sore backside, but dared not say another word.
"Anyway, until my injury heals, I can't go to the Imperial academy," Cui Lang declared brazenly. "Tell the kitchen to prepare some of my favorite dishes. I need a good boost!"
Cui Tang eyed him skeptically. "Brother, are you confusing a criminal with a hero?"
"Didn't you just say that Grandfather must have his reasons for everything? If Grandfather personally named me to go to the Imperial academy, it means I must have something special!" Cui Lang wore an expression of sudden enlightenment. "Who knows? Someday, I might actually become a hero."
Cui Tang couldn’t help but twitch her mouth.
Confidence is good, but let’s not overdo it.
Cui Lang’s confidence soon turned to mild melancholy. "But once I go, it might really be like stepping into an abyss of learning..."
"Last time, I invited Eldest Brother back to celebrate Father's birthday, and things ended badly. I still owe him an apology that I haven’t managed to say."
"That's easy. Just visit Eldest Brother at the Xuanzhe Manor tomorrow," Cui Tang suggested.
Cui Lang pondered for a moment, then cautiously replied, "Writing a letter might be safer."
He was already nervous around Eldest Brother, and just hearing about Xuanzhe Manor made him uneasy. Putting the two together felt like signing his own death warrant.
"I'll write the letter when I get back. Yi Hu, deliver it to Xuanzhe Manor first thing in the morning," he instructed.
Then, he continued with a list of errands. "On your way back from Xuanzhe Manor, stop by Xiangyun Pavilion and explain to Shaohua, Qingju, and the others. Tell them not to worry; I'll visit as soon as I'm free."
"And let the musician at Wen Hall know I can’t come to listen to her play for a while."
"Also, inform Liu Qi and the others that our archery contest in five days is off—but make it clear I’m not afraid of them! I simply can’t spare the time!"
"And that guy named Xue from last night—tell him to clean himself up and wait for me. I’ll be back to settle things with him."
Cui Tang: "..."
Not a single serious matter.
She finally understood. The only remarkable thing about her second brother was his lack of anything remarkable. Sending him to the Imperial school wasn’t to teach him, but so the Cui family wouldn’t have to see or hear from him. That alone was a blessing.
Though…was this trouble being passed on to someone else?
Cui Tang couldn’t help but worry for the Imperial academy.
On the day of enrollment, Cui Lang looked even more solemn than when he visited the Cui family’s ancestral tomb on Qingming Festival.
A few days later, he found solace after befriending a few like-minded noble youths, feeling he wasn’t alone in his pursuits.
In time, he discovered that the Imperial academy wasn’t a place where one was forced to study under the threat of a sword. Even the classes on rites, music, archery, and charioteering were quite interesting, and there were plenty of young men his age, all vigorous and high-spirited.
Although he was a bit of a playboy and not a typical noble son, his status here came with certain privileges.
Now he was like everyone else, dressed in scholar’s robes, walking among sons of aristocrats and commoners alike. He experienced a camaraderie he had never felt before.
Of course, the classes on classics and mathematics were boring, but that didn’t bother him. He’d often nap through half the lessons, and when necessary, he’d feign a stomachache to skip them entirely.
This made him feel as if he’d entered a new world, like a fish released into the sea. He realized that the capital, with its limited entertainment, had far more interesting people, hidden in this place all along!
This was such a great place—why hadn’t Grandfather sent him here sooner?
After all, he had caused plenty of trouble before. Grandfather should have punished him by sending him here ages ago!
Cui Lang felt he’d finally found his calling at the Imperial academy, while the professors there saw him as a burden from past sins. Yet, Cui Lang didn’t care about their disdain; he was just happy to have found this place.
One day, Cui Tang received a letter her second brother had sent home.
“What does it say?” asked Lu shi, casually stroking the lion cat on her lap.
Cui Tang read it twice and then replied, "Second Brother says he won’t be coming home for the holiday tomorrow."
Was this really the same second brother who had wept when leaving?
"He seems very content there." Lu shi nodded with satisfaction. "It’s ideal—he’s happy there, and we’re happy here."
Cui Tang agreed wholeheartedly.
"But he also invites Father and Mother to the Imperial academy in five days to watch a polo match," Cui Tang added. "Second Brother will be competing, and he’s staying on during the holiday to prepare for the match."
Polo was hugely popular in their day, much like how the people of the north celebrated holidays by eating dumplings. Every holiday in the capital brought a grand polo match, and after each imperial examination, a polo event was held at the Moon Lantern Pavilion to celebrate the success of the new scholars.
The late emperor had been a big fan, and so were the young noblemen of the imperial family. The palace even maintained a team of a hundred elite players.
Each year before the Dragon Boat Festival, the Imperial academy hosted a polo tournament. Since the Imperial academy was closely linked to the imperial examination and officialdom, the tournament was highly regarded by the court.
On match day, numerous officials would come to watch, and some noblewomen would join to enjoy the spectacle.
"Second Brother’s skills might not bring honor to the family, but he likely won’t embarrass Mother either. Will you go and watch, Mother?"
Lu shi nodded indifferently. "It’s a free day; we may as well go."
Cui Tang hesitated. "Should we ask Father if he wants to go?"
Lu shi responded with a question, "Do you think he’ll go?"
Cui Tang shook her head.
Lu shi then asked, "Do you really want to go?"
Cui Tang nodded.
"Then why bring him into it?"
She sighed and continued, "Your father is different from ordinary people. If someone dislikes a dish, they usually just don’t eat it. But your father—what do you think he’d do?"
Cui Tang thought for a moment. "He’d probably flip the table."
Lu shi nodded. "Exactly. If he saw someone enjoying the food, he’d feel like he couldn’t survive." This was her husband, a man difficult to please.
Lu shi lifted her chin, glancing at the letter in her daughter’s hand. "What else does it say?"
"It’s just small matters at the academy..." Cui Tang skimmed through, skipping her brother's rambling, until her eyes stopped at the last line. She gave a small exclamation. "Second Brother even said, if possible, he’d like to invite Eldest Brother to the match."
Lu shi was surprised. "The Imperial academy really has changed him…he actually dares to dream now."
Cui Tang also thought his second brother's idea was somewhat far-fetched. "Should we send someone to pass a message to eldest brother?"
Lu shi thought for a moment and said, "We should still send a message. What if your eldest brother, working hard at the Xuanzhe Manor, happens to want some light-hearted entertainment like watching a monkey performance to relax?"
Cui Tang: "…That’s true."
…
By May, even the breeze in the capital carried a trace of warmth.
"Ning Ning, with this scorching weather, even the White Snake Miss in *The Legend of the White Snake* would seek refuge from the heat. You should rest as well." Early in the morning, Qiao Yumian sat under the veranda, being fanned by a maid, gently advising Chang Suining, who was practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard.
Xi'er couldn’t help but laugh and said, "The White Snake Miss sought refuge to avoid revealing her true form; my lady has no such true form to reveal."
Qiao Yumian joked, "I’m worried she’ll melt in the heat!"
Chang Suining had just finished a set of sword techniques, and now she held her sword by her side, exhaling a deep breath.
She did, in fact, have a true form, but this little bit of summer heat wasn’t enough to force her to reveal it.
She handed the sword to Xi'er, who had come over, but didn’t take the towel Xi'er offered to wipe her sweat.
She was already drenched in sweat, her clothes sticking to her skin, with nowhere dry to wipe. After all, she was about to bathe and change.
Hearing Qiao Yumian’s well-meaning advice to wait until the weather was cooler to practice, Chang Suining explained, "Training in the summer is grueling, but it’s also a great opportunity to build endurance."
Endurance is connected to willpower, and certain extreme environments are often perfect for honing it.
But even on the edge of extremes, one must be mindful of limits; otherwise, one’s spirit might be broken before it can be tempered.
"You… why put yourself through such hardship?" Qiao Yumian spoke with a mix of puzzlement and heartache.
Initially, she thought Chang Suining was only training on a whim, but after watching her efforts these past days, she realized her Ning Ning was truly putting in the hard work.
Martial training was arduous as it was, let alone training like this.
As the young girl passed by, Qiao Yumian felt a cool breeze and heard her spirited, lively voice, "Sister Mianmian, if you love it, it doesn’t feel like hardship!"
Chang Suining sat down on the veranda next to Qiao Yumian to rest, propping her hands beside her and letting her feet dangle.
The morning breeze brushed across her damp brows as she looked out beyond the courtyard walls at the faintly visible academies.
In her previous life as Li Shang, she had indeed always been used by those so-called dearest to her.
But she knew very clearly that she hadn’t been entirely coerced. She wanted to protect Ah Xiao, and at first, even her mother, with a sincere heart, never expecting anything in return, nor seeing it as a sacrifice—she was someone who innately desired the power to protect others.
To don armor and face the enemy, to defend the borders, to guard the land and its people—this, too, was the calling in her heart.
In this world, everyone has their own loves; some love illusory splendor, some the warmth of domestic life, and others the freedom of traveling mountains and rivers—
She loved all these things, too.
But her love differed from most people’s.
"Indeed, as long as you truly love it, you’ll find joy in it," Qiao Yumian said with a smile from her seat on the stool. "In life, after all, one must have some passion."
Chang Suining nodded in agreement, swinging her legs slightly. "Yes, in life, one must have some passion."
Her passion was to take this world’s mountains, rivers, seas, and all of creation as her own.
If she were to say it out loud, Sister Mianmian would likely be frightened—
Even if she told Old Chang, he’d probably gently suggest, "That’s a fine goal, but maybe something simpler would be better."
After all, it was quite an endeavor.
But she was rather dull; if you shook her upside down, her only passion would still be this one.
How would she know if it was impossible unless she tried?
After resting enough, the single-minded Chang Suining leaped down from the veranda and headed to the bath.
Qiao Yumian called after her, "Ning Ning, you should hurry with changing and fixing your hair. The polo match is about to start; if we’re too late, we won’t get a good spot."
Without looking back, Chang Suining replied, "I know, I’ll be quick."
With a smile, Qiao Yumian instructed a maid, "Go and remind Mother to bring some of Ning Ning’s favorite fruits, prepare some chilled drinks, and bring extra towels—Ah Xiong might need them."
Today was the annual polo match at the Imperial Academy.
Since Qiao Yubai would be participating, Qiao Yumian and Chang Suining had planned to attend together, and their mother, Wang shi, would also be joining.
After washing, Chang Suining had Xi'er dry her hair, tie it into a simple bun, and then she changed into a light, simple green ruqun before stepping out of her room.
Wang shi and Qiao Yumian were already waiting outside, and the group set off with their maids to the venue.
As they passed various academies, Wang shi explained their functions to Chang Suining along the way.
Unbeknownst to her, the seemingly obedient girl beside her, nodding along, already knew all this inside out.
Though she lived at the Imperial academy, being a girl meant she couldn’t wander freely—at least not officially. But that didn’t stop her. She had already disguised herself as a male student multiple times, with Xi'er acting as her page, freely exploring the premises.
By the time they arrived, the match was about to begin, and the area around the polo field was packed.
The best viewing spots had been reserved for the academy’s professors and government officials, with shaded pavilions cooled by ice basins, providing comfort and a spacious respite from the crowd.
The female guests also had their own shaded area, reserved for officials’ families. As the wife of the academy head, Wang shi was naturally invited in, so Chang Suining followed and took a seat. The view here was somewhat limited, but at least they didn’t have to endure the crowd and scorching sun.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out among the crowd.
Following the sound, Chang Suining looked over and saw the crowd parting to both sides, with even the officials seated under the pavilion beginning to stand up.
Who had arrived?
(End of Chapter)
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