Cry of the Midnight Jackdaw

Chapter Ninety-eight,
Deep Grief

“You……” Xiao Zuo looked at Zi Wan beside him smiling like a flower, and wanted to say something. Zi Wan’s hand hung a basket, and hummed a song quietly while in a very good mood, the weather was good today, the people on the streets were particularly numerous, so the two slightly arduously passed through the crowded red vermilion street, and headed towards the east of the city.

“What is it?” Zi Wan tilted her head, “If the duke has anything, just ask.”

Xiao Zuo moved his eyes away, his gaze fell onto the parasol tree on the side of the path sprouting green leaves, “How…… are things with Liu Zhong?”

“Ah.” Zi Wan paused, a thin red colour instantly spread from her collar to her cheeks, she moved her gaze and suddenly stuttered, “Ju…… just that he plans on telling his family next month, I…… I was thinking of telling Duke you in these two days.”

“His Highness already checked, Liu Zhong has a clean background, his job right now is also stable too, he is someone reliable.” Xiao Zuo pursed his lips, “Don’t…… don’t worry, I will definitely let you marry off grandly.”

“Duke!” Zi Wan’s eyes turned slightly red, she sniffled, then stared at the limestone tiles beneath her feet, “Zi Wan actually…… does not want to leave Duke.”

The slightly tipsy sunlight dyed the lifted spines of the layered eaves into a light yellow colour, the entirety of the red vermilion street saturated with the warm fragrance of the sun, like a cotton blanket just dried in the sun spanning across the world.

Xiao Zuo absentmindedly thought, since that day Father and Mother passed away, he seemed to always be leaving. Leaving the palace he was accustomed living in, leaving the home country he had lived in many days and nights, leaving Sister who he had grown with together since young…… it seemed his own bones got broken, his flesh and blood scraped away, and in the end, was only left with a shell able to breathe, wandering around in this human realm.

Of those which strikes one with grief, the one that strikes most is parting[1].

Xiao Zuo fixed his emotions, and forcefully squeezed out a small smile, “Silly girl, if you always stay in the residence, then it would be my turn to get concerned.”

“Duke! You’re making fun of Zi Wan again.”

Xiao Zuo moved his eyes away, his heart was sour and astringent, like he had eaten a jin of unripe green oranges.

“Let’s go, the store is just to the front, let’s go in and look.”

The owner of the store was a southerner, fellow villagers with Xiao Zuo, and pulled him aside and spoke with him for a long time with much appreciation, insisting on giving him a discount, acting so enthusiastic Xiao Zuo almost could not take it.

Once they were bid farewell by the owner many times, the two each held a big bag with various snacks, and helplessly sighed.

“Duke, what are you looking at?”

Xiao Zuo knitted his eyebrows, and raised his eyes, “Look at that lady up front, doesn’t she look like Qing Xing?”

“Qing Xing?” Zi Wan paused, “Didn’t she leave the residence to marry later on?”

“This servant will go look.” Zi Wan steadied the bag she held in her hands, then hurriedly walked up.

That lady was kneeling on the corner of the street, a wooden plaque was standing in front, written messily that she was selling her body to bury her mother. Xiao Zuo fell one step back, and turned to carefully observe this lady with loose hair, the more he looked, the more he felt she seemed like Qing Xing.

Just when he was pondering, Zi Wan already walked back, “Duke, this servant just saw, it is Qing Xing, how unfortunate, who knows what hardship she faced after leaving the residence.”

“Let’s bring her back to the residence.” Xiao Zuo slightly sighed, “It’s been hard for her too.”

The tall paper bag in Zi Wan’s hand blocked her face, so Qing Xing did not recognize her at first glace, and only thought they were nobles of the capital. She kowtowed towards them continuously, but got persuaded by Zi wan, and obediently took back the wooden plaque and put it in her chest, then hesitantly asked if they needed help holding the bags.

“Take the ones in Duke’s hand then, I don’t need help with this one.” Zi Wan gestured to the back with her mouth, Qing Xing lifted up her sleeve and wiped her face, then accepted and walked to the back.

Xiao Zuo saw her stalk-like, small stature that seemed like it would fall with a blow of the wind, and couldn’t bear to have her hold them, then excused it with a few words, and had her just follow beside them. Qing Xing then no longer said anything, and shrunk her head in and quietly followed to the side, like she did not even dare breathe.

Xiao Zuo recalled that time the first time he saw her, she was dressed in green cotton clothes, tied up with a nimble double hairbun style, and when she spoke, her eyes were big and bright, full of longing and desire towards life. Now, the one following by his side…… Xiao Zuo hung his eyes down, fate in the end was the best at trampling people.

The three walked all the way back to the entrance of the crown prince residence, Qing Xing clearly stiffened for an instant, and she quickly glanced at the plaque on top of the doors, asked with a shaking voice, “Milord…… Milord is the crown prince residence’s……?”

Zi Wan lightly laughed, “Follow me, I’ll bring you in first and change clothes.”

Today just so happened to be He Heng’s fiftieth birthday celebration, so He Xuan already entered the palace in the morning. Xiao Zuo handed the paper bag he was carrying to a maid to the side to tidy up, then first returned to the room to lay and rest for a while.

“Duke.” Zi Wan knocked on the door, “She’s been tidied up.”

Xiao Zuo was leaning on the couch, his body was covered with a brocaded blanket, lazily flipping through a picture book, “En, I’m coming.”

Clearly, Qing Xing already recognized Zi Wan, and once she saw Xiao Zuo, she knelt by his feet shaking, and quietly whimpered and said intermittently, “Du…… Duke…… Qing Xing did not have the face to see Duke again…… Duke, please don’t care for this servant anymore, this servant…… this servant……”

“Alright alright.” Xiao Zuo bent his waist, and lightly patted her trembling shoulders due to her sobbing, “Get up first.”

Zi Wan helped Qing Xing from the side, “Let’s talk inside.”

“It’s like this.” Qing Xing dried her tears, then spoke with a dry throat, “Thank you Duke for still be willing to take in this servant, this servant will definitely do her utmost to serve Duke.”

Turns out after Qing Xing married, her husband got addicted to drinking- after drinking, he would beat her out of anger, and even also like gambling, and bet away all the dowry she brought. Qing Xing could not take it, so she fled back to her maternal home, but did not think that that person would chase her, and insist on taking her back. Her older sister and brother-in-law at that time was at home, her brother-in-law lost his temper, and actually accidentally killed her husband, then got caught and jailed, then her mother had a heart attack due to this, and could not be saved.

This was even harsher than the stories in books, Zi Wan long already started secretly wiping away tears, and even Xiao Zuo could not help but sigh too, and said what evil.

The tea Zi Wan brewed for him was this year’s newly-gifted An Yuan Tea, particularly bitter to the taste, after swallowing it down, that bitter taste would lie across the throat, linger in the tongue, just like a hundred monks sitting around singing the Great Compassion[2], making people anxious to immediately die by sitting and ascend to the skies.

Xiao Zuo knitted his eyebrows and put down the teacup, suppressed the bitterness in his mouth, then spoke up, “It’s already gone by, from now on, just stay in the residence, and if you want to get married again, I will help arrange it for you too.”

Qing Xing hurriedly shook her head, and prostrated her body, “This servant no longer wants that, and only wishes to serve the duke the rest of the life, that would be this servant’s greatest fortune.”

Xiao Zuo then no longer said anything, and had Zi Wan bring her down. Since He Xuan would not come back for today, he then went out to look for Fu Zhan Chuan to drink.

❀

“You hear? Yesterday his Majesty conferred a Noble at the birthday banquet!” Fu Zhan Chuan was peeling a lychee in his hands, and spoke in a muffled voice. Xiao Zuo was sitting by the side watching Qing Shuang brew tea, and when he heard this, he lifted his eyes up, and said with curiosity, “Is that so? Empress Liu will probably be so angry she can’t sleep again.”

“How could Empress Liu be compared to before.” Fu Zhan Chuan tossed a round and smooth lychee into his mouth, and sighed in revel, “Aiya, this lychee is so delicious, and it’s all thanks to you.”

Xiao Zuo glanced at him, and pulled the fruit tray in front of him over, “Leave some for Qing Shuang, you’re the only one eating it all.”

“Whatever, wouldn’t his Liu Wen Xuan have these too? Only I can’t afford to eat it, yet you don’t even let me eat.” Fu Zhan Chuan even complained, and wiped his mouth like he didn’t have enough, and moved to Qing Shuang’s side, “Aye, how is it recently with that fellow?”

Qing Shuang only faintly glanced at Fu Zhan Chuan from the corner of his eyes, and randomly replied, “The same.”

“But for a’Zuo, the doctor you asked me to find has been found.”

“Really?” Xiao Zuo was beyond happy, and hurriedly asked, “What is the doctor’s name, where do they live, when do they have time to take a look?”

Fu Zhan Chuan interjected from the side, “Has De Qing’s illness not recovered yet?”

Xiao Zuo paused, “En, he is of old age, his body is not good.”

Qing Shuang told Xiao Zuo the doctor’s address, “Just go, he is typically there.”

Fu Zhan Chuan secretly glanced at Xiao Zuo, and unnaturally coughed, and attempted to console him, “Don’t get too sad.”

Qing Shuang heavily pushed a cup of tea he just poured in front of him, and lifted his chin, “Drink tea.”