Chapter 27: Awaiting the Eighth Day of the Ninth Month, When Autumn Arrives

The next morning, Li Yi was awakened by the blinding sunlight.

“Ah! To wake up naturally, to count money until your hand cramps. What a life—truly delightful!” Li Yi sighed contentedly, stretched lazily, and got out of bed to wash up.

“Brother Yi, are you awake?” As soon as he finished dressing, Li Yi heard Li Xueyan’s voice from outside.

Li Yi’s face twitched; with a voice like that, even if you weren’t awake, you’d be startled up. He rubbed his nose, suddenly overcome by a sense of foreboding. Walking to the door, he opened it to see Li Xueyan, her face red from the cold, holding a basin of water.

“You silly girl, how did you get so cold? Come inside, quickly!” Li Yi took the basin from her and set it on the table, then gathered her hands into his and breathed warmth over them, hoping to help her thaw.

“Oh! I wanted to heat some water for you to wash your face, but when I brought it over you were still asleep. I didn’t want to disturb you, but I was afraid you’d wake and have no water, so I…” Li Xueyan’s cheeks flushed deeper—whether from shyness or the cold, it was hard to tell.

“So you stood out there freezing? You’re going to break my heart.” Li Yi couldn’t help but laugh at her foolishness. This silly woman! Still, having someone fuss over you like this was quite a pleasant feeling.

“Brother Yi, I’m fine! Last night Sister Changle told me I should learn to take care of you, since now you’re someone of importance. If I’m not a bit more virtuous, people will laugh at me, so I…”

“So you got up at the crack of dawn to freeze outside? Where’s the logic in that? All this business about noble families—me, I’m just a rogue at heart. Why should you force yourself to learn these things? As for being mocked, do you think I care about a few wagging tongues? I like you for who you are. If you change yourself for me, then I don’t truly love you, do you understand? Don’t listen to her nonsense—she hasn’t figured out her own life, much less how to teach others. What does she know?” Li Yi was indignant. Damn it, the thing he despised most about ancient times was this so-called “womanly virtue.” A woman like that was little more than a walking corpse. To find someone as spirited as Li Xueyan in these times was a rarity; if he let her change, he’d be alone forever.

“Brother Yi, you truly don’t care about those things?” Joy lit up Li Xueyan’s eyes. For once, she felt she’d made the right choice in her life—and once was enough.

Li Yi looked at her seriously. Today, he needed to make himself clear so she wouldn’t brood over such things again. “First, I love you—everything about you. Your beauty, your stubbornness, your bright laughter, your bold crying, your innocence and freedom, your disregard for trifles. I like your willfulness and your clumsiness. However you are, that’s who I love. Second, you’ll be my wife. Your job is to be beautiful at home and spend freely outside. No need for formalities in public or worries in private. What others say or think is my concern, not yours. You only need to be Li Xueyan—nothing else matters.”

“Mhm! Brother Yi, you’re so good.” With that, Li Xueyan flung herself into his arms.

“Oh, my little ancestor, take it easy! My poor old back!”

“Hmph! I won’t! If I’m slow, you’ll run off!”

“Silly girl, where could I possibly run? All right, enough, get down now—I need to get home!”

At that, Li Xueyan suddenly remembered something. “Oh no! I almost forgot. Brother Yi, hurry and wash your face while the water’s still warm!”

“While it’s warm?” Li Yi’s mouth twitched again. “Now I know why Yiyi is so scatterbrained!” Looking at the so-called “warm water,” he closed his eyes and plunged his hands in.

“Hiss!” Chilled to the bone—that was all Li Yi could think.

“Eh? Brother Yi, what’s wrong? Is it too hot? That can’t be, I made sure…” Li Xueyan stuck her hand in. “Ah! How did it get so cold? Wait, don’t wash yet!”

But Li Yi quickly splashed his face, wiped it with a towel, then smiled at her. “This is the first time you’ve brought me water to wash—how could I not use it? A little cold is nothing.”

“Are you two done yet? At this rate the sun will set before you finish!” Just then, Changle’s voice came from outside.

“Well, if it isn’t Her Highness! You couldn’t have picked a better time!” Li Yi’s mood soured at the sight of Changle.

“Brother Li, don’t be mad at me. I know I was wrong, okay?” Changle had overheard most of their conversation and understood what had happened.

“Hmph! I can’t even be bothered. You women—if I were a petty man, you’d all drive me mad. By the way, Xueyan, where’s my bundle?”

“Oh, it’s in my room!”

“Fine! Let’s talk in your room, then!”

Before long, Li Yi and the two women arrived at Li Xueyan’s room, where Jiang Lichen and Li Zixuan were already waiting. They all went in together, and Li Yi retrieved his bundle, taking out the perfume.

“Changle, the palace gates are open now. You’d better hurry back! I have four bottles of perfume left—take two. Keep one for yourself, give the other to your mother. That should be enough to quell her anger. The other two are for Xueyan and Zixuan—don’t worry, there will be plenty more in the future, so don’t be stingy with them.”

Li Yi had made six different scents, two bottles of each. He planned to take one of each with him; last time, he’d already given one bottle each to Li Zixuan and Li Xueyan, so four were left.

The three women pounced on the perfumes like hungry tigers, and in the blink of an eye, all four bottles vanished.

“So this is the perfume you spoke of? It smells wonderful! Amazing!” Changle was utterly intoxicated by the fragrance.

“Mhm! I couldn’t even bear to use the last bottle. Brother Li, will there really be more in the future?” Li Zixuan was conflicted—she wanted to use it, but couldn’t bear to part with it.

“You silly girls! I made them—of course there’ll be more. But enough of that.” Li Yi took out the seven fans he’d made yesterday, selecting the one with a dragon-scale pattern and handing it to Changle.

“This one’s for your father. I’ve already inscribed a poem on it; all you need to do is add your signature: ‘From your daughter, Changle.’ That, and the perfume, should ensure your safety.”

Changle opened the fan and stared, dumbstruck.

“Brother Li, you wrote this? It’s beautiful!” On the front, written in elegant script, were four bold characters: “Sovereign Over All.” The calligraphy was powerful and righteous. On the reverse, in flowing hand, he had written: “When autumn comes, on the eighth of September, My flowers bloom and all others wither. Their fragrance fills Chang’an to the skies, The city clad in golden armor.” The poem exuded a chilling grandeur.

“Brother Li, you’re not even human!” Everyone stared at the imperial fan, awe-struck by both the poem and the calligraphy—a shock beyond words.

“Ahem! Do you want it or not? If not, I’ll destroy it!” To be honest, Li Yi hadn’t intended to write such bold words—for they were fit for an emperor, and might be misinterpreted—but he wanted to test the emperor’s magnanimity. If he could accept the poem, then Li Yi would have greater freedom going forward. If not, well, it probably wasn’t a capital offense.

“I want it! Why wouldn’t I?” Changle quickly put the fan away with astonishing speed.

“Ahem, big brother, where’s mine?” Jiang Lichen craned his neck, eyeing Li Yi like a hungry wolf.

“Yours? Hold on!” Li Yi searched for a moment before picking out Jiang Lichen’s, which had a golden star motif.

Jiang Lichen snatched the fan, caressing it reverently before slowly opening it at everyone’s urging.

He first looked at the front, where three bold characters read: “Ballad of the Knight.” The calligraphy was airy and elegant, dreamlike. Then he turned to the back, where, in a flowing hand, was written:

Zhao’s guest in a trailing crimson sash,
Wu’s sword gleams like frost and snow.
Silver saddle on a white horse,
Galloping swift as a shooting star.
Ten steps, one kill; a thousand miles, no trace.
Business done, he flicks his robe and departs,
Hiding his name and self from sight.
Leisurely drinks at Lord Xinling’s,
Lays his sword across his knee.
Roasts meat for Zhu Hai,
Urges Lord Hou to drink deep.
Three cups to pledge a promise,
The five mountains weigh as nothing.
Eyes swim, ears burn, spirit soars.
With a golden hammer, he saved Zhao,
Startling Handan first.
Two heroes for a thousand years,
Their fame blazes in Daliang.
Even in death, the knight’s bones are fragrant,
Never shamed among heroes.
Who can write your story,
Old and gray, with the mysteries of the world?

“Chivalrous in bone, tender in heart, laying down one’s life for justice, acting on behalf of heaven, for the country and the people! What a ballad of the knight! This is truly the creed of our kind, the very reason for our existence! Thank you, big brother! You’ve given us new life!” Jiang Lichen had been raised in the martial world, so his reaction was intense—he felt he’d found the true meaning of chivalry.

“Damn! Did you just say that? Haven’t you never read a book? Did you just open your meridians or something? Unbelievable!” Li Yi gaped at Jiang Lichen. “A true knight serves the country and people”—that was wisdom from a thousand years later, yet he’d just said it. Oh my god! It must be a fluke.

“Brother Li, did you really write a poem for every fan?” Changle felt she was becoming numb to Li Yi’s miracles.

“Uh, more or less! That’s why these seven fans are so significant—after this, unless necessary, I won’t inscribe poems on fans again.”

“Why not?” everyone cried in unison, their voices blending as one.

“Fools! Don’t you know that rarity brings value?”

At this, everyone’s eyes locked greedily onto the five remaining fans. They knew, without a doubt, that these were priceless treasures—not just for the materials, but for the words and poems inscribed upon them.

Li Yi quickly stashed them away. “Don’t get any ideas! Each of these fans already has an owner! What, are you planning to rob me in broad daylight?” He pressed himself to the wall with his arms crossed, wary of a heist.

“Brother Yi, where’s mine?” Li Xueyan puffed her cheeks, upset that everyone else had one but her.

“Don’t worry! How could I forget you? You’ll get yours soon!”

Hearing this, Li Xueyan’s mood brightened at once.

“All right! It’s getting late, listen to my instructions. Changle, just sign your name on the fan: ‘From your daughter, Changle.’ With these two gifts, you should be safe. Lichen, you and Zixuan go buy a house near the Li estate—get a big one, don’t worry about the money. There’ll be plenty more to earn soon!”

Changle, Li Zixuan, and Jiang Lichen all nodded in agreement.

“Lastly, Xueyan, this fan is for your father. He should be back soon! I’ll find a chance to visit you.”

“What? Brother Yi, you tricked me! The fan is for my father? What about mine?” Li Xueyan puffed her cheeks again in protest.

“Heh, what’s mine isn’t yours? Besides, these are men’s fans—I’ll make you a ladies’ fan in the future.”

“But didn’t you say you wouldn’t inscribe fan poems unless absolutely necessary?”

“I did, but for you, anything is necessary!” Li Yi said tenderly. Li Xueyan was moved, while Jiang Lichen and Li Zixuan both got goosebumps. As for Changle, her expression was rather complicated.

“All right, everyone! Go home to your families! Let’s hope all goes well today—let’s move out!” Li Yi shouted, then hoisted his bundle and the purple box, took up his ancient ink sword, and strode out first.