Mei Changsu sat in his gardens under the branches of a banyan tree heavy with greenery, playing a guessing game with Fei Liu as he listened to Tong Lu’s report on the events that had occurred that day during the Princess’ send-off.  Aside from the mention of Yuwen Xuan’s unexpected appearance, during which Mei Changsu appeared to be listening intently, he did not seem particularly interested in the rest of the report.  As for Xiao Jingrui’s compet.i.tion with the Eyun disciple Nian Nian, he didn’t even raise an eyebrow, only giving an absent “Ng” in answer.

Though on careful reflection, his att.i.tude was not really that unusual.  Neither Xiao Jingrui, nor that disciple of Yue Xiuze had much status in martial arts circles, and it was natural that compet.i.tions at this level would not be of much interest to Mister Mei of Jiangzuo, the chief of the world’s greatest sect, who must have seen countless contests of this nature by now.  If it were not for the fact that Xiao Jingrui was his friend, he probably would not even be interested in the result of the fight.

“Left!”  Fei Liu shouted loudly, as he uncovered his eyes.  Mei Changsu smiled and opened his left fist, which was empty.  The youth’s face screwed up immediately, and even Tong Lu, standing to the side, couldn’t help laughing.

“Alright, you’ve lost three times, there must be a punishment.  Go and help Aunt Ji cut the melons, Su gege wants to have a piece.”

“Melons!”  Fei Liu loved fruits, and as the season for tangerines had pa.s.sed, he had moved on to melons.  Mei Changsu often teased that he could finish a whole field of them in a day, and to prevent him from getting sick, he had to pose a limit on the number of melons the youth was allowed to have each day.

Fei Liu darted away, and Mei Changsu’s smile disappeared.  His tone was cool when he spoke again: “Inform Mister Shisan, it is time to make a move against the Crimson Sleeves.  He may initiate the first step, and it must be done cleanly.”

“Yes.”  Tong Lu bowed hurriedly.  “Does the Chief have any other orders?”

Mei Changsu leaned down and rested his head on the pillow, closing his eyes.  “You do not need to come tomorrow….”

Tong Lu paled abruptly and fell to the floor in a bow, saying in a trembling voice, “Has Tong Lu……disappointed the Chief in some way?”

Mei Changsu, startled by his reaction, turned his head to look at him.  “I was just going to let you take a day off, where have your thoughts got to?”

“Ah? ….”  Tong Lu let out a sigh of relief and sat up, scratching his head.  “I thought the Chief was telling me not to come again in the future……it wasn’t easy earning this opportunity to work directly for the Chief, and Tong Lu would be sad to see it go….”

“Silly child,” Mei Changsu couldn’t help smiling as he patted his head.  “Actually, it is I who needs a good day’s rest, without anything to think or worry about….  I want to put aside all troubles and spend a day in serenity and peace, and gather my strength for the days ahead….”

Tong Lu didn’t understand the importance of the days to come, but he was not overly curious by nature and knew when to hold his tongue, so he did not ask further, and only continued to gaze reverently at his chief, waiting quietly for his orders.

“Tell Gong Yu, she must rest well tomorrow too….”

“Yes.”

“There’s nothing else, you may leave.”

Tong Lu bowed deeply, and then got up and left.  Li Gang entered in his wake, holding a large platter with a lid tied shut with red cloth.

“Chief, it’s arrived, here it is for your inspection.”

Mei Changsu sat up and untied the red cloth.  On the platter stood a small bottle carved out of dark green jade.  At first glance, it did not catch the eye, but on closer inspection, there were running horses carved into the surface of the jade , racing with carefree abandon along the natural pattern of the jade itself.  The design was so intricate and the handiwork so delicate and refined that the overall piece was astonishing to behold.

And yet, no matter how beautiful the jade bottle itself appeared, its greatest value lay inside.

“How many?”

“Chief, there are ten.”

Mei Changsu picked up the jade bottle and removed its cork stopper, then lifted it to his nose and sniffed it lightly before replacing the cork and turning the bottle over in his hands gently.

Li Gang’s gaze shifted, as if he was trying to decide whether to speak or not.

“Li dage, if you have anything to say, please say it freely.”  Mei Changsu had not even lifted his head, and it was impossible to know how he had seen Li Gang’s expression.

“Chief, would this gift be a little too much?”  Li Gang spoke softly.  “A jade bottle hand-carved by Great Master Huo, heart protection pills that can save a person’s life – either one of these gifts would be enough to astound any audience, why put the two together?”

Mei Changsu was quiet for awhile, and there was grief and compa.s.sion in his gaze when he finally answered, “After this birthday, I fear that even gifts more precious than these would not hold any meaning for Jingrui….”

Li Gang lowered his head, biting his lip.

“But you are correct, if we send him a gift like this, it would indeed be a little too ostentatious.  I have been thoughtless in my consideration.”  Mei Changsu’s finger traced the surface of the jade as he sighed lightly.  “Put the pills into a plain bottle.”

“Yes.”

The jade bottle was replaced onto the platter, but Mei Changsu’s gaze still lingered on the carving of the sprinting horses.  Finally, he looked away, and then closed his eyes.  When he first chose this jade bottle, it was because of this carving, because he knew that Jingrui had loved horses since he was a boy and so would like the design, and thus he had forgotten all along its staggering cost.

It would appear that his heart, which he had thought as calm as a still pond, was not immune to slight ripples in its surface, especially as that day drew closer and closer.

“Li dage, bring me my zither….”

“Yes.”

Li Gang, who had been watching Mei Changsu’s every expression with concern, retreated quickly with the platter and returned almost immediately carrying wooden zither, which he placed carefully on a small table under the window.

The table was low, and there was no chair before it, only a thin mat.  Mei Changsu sat down cross-legged and tuned the instrument.  Then his finger tips skipped lightly over the strings, and a soft melody drifted through the air, gentle as water flowing down a stream – ‘The Joy of Peace and Tranquility’.

The music soothed the hearts of all who listened, even of the musician himself.  The tune sang of winding brooks in sunlit forests, and open valleys filled with wildflowers.  It cleansed the soul of grief, and wiped the brow of sorrow.  When the music stopped, there was no trace of disturbance left on his face, and his eyes were as peaceful as a lake on a windless day, his gaze clear and steady.

The decision had been made long ago, and there was no use in wavering now.  His sympathy and regret for Xiao Jingrui could not change the plans that had been laid, and so any sorrow that remained was meaningless, even hypocritical, and no matter whether it was for himself or for that young man, it held no practical purpose.

Mei Changsu lifted his face and took a deep breath.  The warm spring sunshine fell onto his face, but he felt no warmth, only a sort of distant coolness.

He lifted a hand and placed it in the sunlight.  A little pale, almost transparent, and weak, without any strength.

These hands had once tamed horses and wielded swords, had once bent a bow to shoot down great birds of prey.  And now, they had abandoned the reins, and relinquished the bows, and could only sit in this dim inferno, stirring the winds.

“Li dage,” Mei Changsu turned his head and looked at Li Gang, standing silently by the door.  “I am sorry, I have caused you worry….”

Li Gang felt a sudden painful warmth well up in his chest, and he could barely control the tremor in his voice as he answered, “Chief….”

“Go and tell Fei Liu to come, how can cutting a melon take so long….”  Mei Changsu did not appear to have noticed his loss of composure, and only c.o.c.ked his head, smiling faintly.

Almost before he had finished speaking, Fei Liu’s slender figure bounded into the courtyard and he streaked into the room, a small white dish in one hand as he said loudly, “Flower!”

Mei Changsu turned and looked.  Five flowers carved out of melon rested in the dish, and though the petals were uneven and the handiwork a bit shoddy, the shape was unmistakable, and was really quite pretty.

“Did Fei Liu carve this?”

“Ng!”  Fei Liu’s eyes were wide and he looked delighted.  “Best!”

“You picked the five best flowers to bring here?”  Mei Changsu’s gaze was fond as he twisted the youth’s ear gently.  “Did Aunt Ji teach you?”

“Ng!”  Fei Liu nodded emphatically.

“Can I eat them?”

“Eat!”  Fei Liu grabbed the largest flower and brought it to Mei Changsu’s lips.

Li Gang couldn’t help laughing.  “Hey Fei Liu, since they’re to be eaten anyway, why did you go to so much trouble carving them into flowers?”

“Su gege eat!”  Fei Liu said firmly, glaring at him.

“Our Fei Liu is so good, he wanted to make them beautiful because they were for Su gege to eat, is that right?”  Mei Changsu bit off a petal, and reached out with his handkerchief to wipe at the youth’s mouth.  “How much did you eat?  There’s melon juice all over your chin….”

“Carved badly!”  Fei Liu said defensively.

“You only ate the ones you carved badly?  That’s alright then.  But you must remember not to eat too many all at once, or your stomach will hurt.”

“Ng!”

Mei Changsu finished the first flower, and then shook his head at Fei Liu.  The youth remembered that eating too much would make one’s stomach hurt, and so did not try to feed him a second piece.  He stared blankly at the plate for a moment, and then seemed to make up his mind, and brought the remaining four flowers to Li Gang.

“For me?”  Li Gang laughed loudly.  “What favour, I’m so honoured, so honoured indeed!”

Fei Liu didn’t understand half of what he said, but he understood the first question and nodded his answer.  But when Li Gang picked up a piece of melon, his eyes, the only part of him that showed any emotion, looked longingly at the melon, as if he was unwilling to part with it.

“You eat as well, we can have half each.”  The innocent child’s feelings were written on his face, and Li Gang held back a smile as he pushed two of the flowers back towards Fei Liu.

Fei Liu turned his head to look at Mei Changsu.

“Just now in the kitchen, how many melons did you carve badly?”

“Three!”

“Did you eat them all?!”

“With Aunt Ji!”

Mei Changsu looked at Fei Liu, his expression stern.  “Didn’t you promise Su gege to only eat one a day?”

“Carved badly!”  Fei Liu’s mouth turned down, his expression clearly looking wronged.

“Ng…”  Mei Changsu thought seriously for a moment.  “Then we cannot blame our Fei Liu, it is Su gege who was not clear enough.  From now on, no matter whether it was carved badly or cut wrongly, as long as it is melon, then Fei Liu can only eat one per day.  Understood?”

Fei Liu’s handsome face still did not show any strong emotion, but his tone clearly conveyed his unhappiness.  “So little!”

“Su gege is afraid Fei Liu will get sick.”  Mei Changsu glanced at him, his smile a little wicked.  “How about we call Lin Chen gege to come over?”

Fei Liu jumped in fear and buried his head in Mei Changsu’s chest, his arms going tightly around his waist, and refused to let go.  Li Gang, who had already been shaking with suppressed laughter, completely gave up at this display and retreated outdoors, clutching his side helplessly.

“You haven’t answered me.”  Mei Changsu showed remarkable restraint as he extracted the youth’s head from his embrace, and repeated sternly, “One?”

Fei Liu was visibly torn between Lin Chen gege on the one hand and melons on the other, and finally, he lowered his head meekly.  “One….”

Mei Changsu ruffled Fei Liu’s hair, his gaze and smile as warm as always.

Li Gang had disappeared from the courtyard.  The earnest and devoted a.s.sistant had gone to find a suitable bottle to hold the pills which were to be a gift.  Just now, the grief had been lifted by the adorable youth’s appearance, but a few ripples still remained nevertheless, a faint pain underneath that resurfaced on occasion.  In the s.p.a.ce between breaths, he pushed the pain away firmly, burying it deep down.

In another day’s time, it would be Xiao Jingrui’s twenty-fifth birthday.

Mei Changsu knew very well that, for this young n.o.bleman, it would be the most unforgettable day of his life….

Translator’s Notes:

She’s giving us fluff before the angst.  (Well, I guess there was angst in this too.)

Board up your windows, everyone.  THE STORM IS HERE.

(And for anyone who noticed – sorry this was a few hours late!  I really rushed this one too so I might go back later for some editing.  But I didn’t want to keep y’all waiting!)