Two Elder Brothers, Are You Teaching Sheng’er to Practice Archery?
The maidservant of Yu-shi heard her mistress ask about the young master of the Yong-Shen Marquisate, and after a moment of thought, she lowered her eyes and replied, “Replying to you, Madam, she did manage to speak with him, but…”
Yu-shi withdrew her gaze from the Qu Marquisate’s carriage and asked, puzzled, “But what?”
“But, it seems the conversation was somewhat unpleasant,” the maidservant answered cautiously.
Hearing this, Yu-shi’s expression remained unchanged. “Xizhao’s temperament is a bit fiery, but that will improve with more interaction. It’s no matter. Let’s go back, too.”
To outsiders, Lin Xizhao’s temperament had always seemed gentle, but she was, in fact, incredibly strong-willed to the bone. On this point, Yu-shi was not wrong. When Lin Xizhao decided to do something, almost no one could persuade her otherwise.
But when it came to matters of the heart, how many young ladies from the capital’s noble families could truly resist? Success depends on human effort, after all. Yu-shi mused to herself that the young master of the Yong-Shen Marquisate was handsome and from a good family; given enough time, Lin Xizhao would surely have a change of heart.
Not long after Lin Xizhao got into her carriage, another one from the Qu Marquisate pulled up, carrying Jin Yunfei. Qu Ting and Qu Yu rode alongside on horseback. As the carriage passed, Jin Yunfei lifted the curtain and called out, “Zhao’er, Sheng’er.”
Hearing her voice, Lin Xizhao and Qu Sheng also lifted their carriage curtain, revealing their faces. Jin Yunfei then said, “Let’s go, we’re heading back to the residence.” She had already arranged with Yu-shi at the banquet today that Lin Xizhao would stay at the Qu residence for the night.
Upon hearing this, Lin Xizhao’s eyes curved into a smile. “Alright.”
As Jin Yunfei’s carriage moved ahead, Lin Xizhao exchanged glances with Qu Ting and Qu Yu behind her, giving them a nod before lowering the curtain.
Lin Xizhao sat back down beside Qu Sheng. When she looked up, she found Qu Sheng staring at her and asked with a smile, “Are you hot?” They had been waiting here for so long, and with no breeze outside, it was sweltering. Yet, there wasn’t a single drop of sweat on Qu Sheng’s face.
Qu Sheng shook her head. “Not hot. Jiejie is hot.” Qu Sheng wasn’t hot, but Lin Xizhao, having rushed over to her without restraining her pace, had broken into a sweat.
With that, Qu Sheng picked up the hand fan beside her and began to fan Lin Xizhao gently. Seeing this, Lin Xizhao’s eyes softened. “Jiejie can do it herself.” As she spoke, she reached out and touched Qu Sheng’s cheek.
Qu Sheng was fair-skinned, and her face was so smooth and tender that it made one want to keep touching it. But not just anyone could touch Qu Sheng’s face. In fact, besides Lin Xizhao, no one dared to. After she grew up, not even her own mother, Jin Yunfei, had done so. Zhao Jiayu had tried a few times, but Qu Sheng had either brushed her hand away or dodged her.
From this, Zhao Jiayu came to understand that the bond between Lin Xizhao and Qu Sheng was mutual, so she never tried to touch her again and invite rebuff.
Qu Sheng didn’t fight Lin Xizhao for the fan. After Lin Xizhao took it, she fanned from the side, sending a cool breeze over Qu Sheng as well.
Although Qu Sheng’s public image was that of a simpleton, in Lin Xizhao’s eyes, she was exceedingly well-behaved. This wasn’t some fantasy born of Lin Xizhao’s favoritism; it was a fact that Qu Sheng was only ever this docile when by her side.
Qu Sheng sat on the carriage bench, her feet together and her hands clasped, fingers fiddling back and forth. Lin Xizhao glanced down, chuckled softly, and reached out her free hand to hold hers.
“Just a little longer, we’ll be at the residence soon,” Lin Xizhao said with a gentle smile. The Qu Marquisate was much closer than the Prime Minister’s residence, and Lin Xizhao guessed that Qu Sheng must be hungry.
They had been out for so long, and apart from the prepared sour plum soup1, there was no other food in the carriage. Even though they had eaten breakfast, it was now past Wu Shi2. Qu Sheng had a hearty appetite, so making her go this long without eating was truly hard on her. Lin Xizhao’s heart ached for her, but it wouldn’t have been appropriate to pack food at the Prince’s residence to give to her, so she could only let her endure it for now.
Qu Sheng nodded, and Lin Xizhao squeezed her hand tighter. Qu Sheng looked up at Lin Xizhao. The light in the carriage was somewhat dim, and although Qu Sheng could see in the dark, she felt that at this moment, Lin Xizhao’s eyes were shining with an unusual brightness.
The carriage soon arrived at the residence gates. Qu Sheng got out first and helped Lin Xizhao down. From the moment they alighted, their hands seemed to be glued together, and Lin Xizhao only reluctantly let go when they had to part to bathe and change their clothes.
While Lin Xizhao went to the bathing chamber, Qu Sheng was elsewhere, listening to a report from Feng Qi.
“That young master from the Yong-Shen Marquisate did indeed see Miss Xizhao before, but Miss Xizhao has never seen him. When Lin-shi was alive, the mistress3 of the Yong-Shen Marquisate sent someone to sound out the possibility of a marriage alliance between Miss Xizhao and the young marquis, but Lin-shi refused on the grounds that Miss Xizhao was still too young. After that, the mistress of the Yong-Shen Marquisate brought it up several times, both overtly and covertly, until Lin-shi finally rejected her outright, stating that a match had already been made with another family. She said that because Miss Xizhao was still young, the formal betrothal gifts had not yet been exchanged, but once she came of age4, the engagement would be finalized.” Feng Qi reported every detail of the information he had gathered that day.
Qu Sheng frowned slightly upon hearing this. “A match had been made? Do we know with which family?” The first thing that concerned Qu Sheng was the matter of Lin Xizhao’s engagement.
Feng Qi blinked and replied, “We do not know.”
“You couldn’t find out?” Qu Sheng was a little puzzled. Feng Qi had always been thorough in his work; how could he have failed to uncover this?
Feng Qi lowered his head. “It is truly unknown. It seems Lin-shi never spoke of this to anyone. Perhaps it was merely an excuse to refuse the Yong-Shen Marquisate at the time.”
Hearing this, Qu Sheng’s gaze drifted toward the door. Her eyes flickered as she pondered for a few moments before saying, “Alright, I understand. You may go and rest.”
Feng Qi looked at his young mistress, who seemed very concerned about Lin Xizhao’s marriage prospects, and asked again, “Does this servant need to investigate further?”
Qu Sheng turned to look at him. “No need.” Zhao Jiayu had once shared some boudoir talk5 with Lin Xizhao and asked if there was anyone she fancied. Lin Xizhao had said no, nor had she ever heard that Liang-shi6 had arranged any verbal engagement for her. It was likely just an excuse Liang-shi had used to fend off the Yong-Shen Marquisate.
After Feng Qi left, Qu Sheng went to the washroom. When she finished her bath, Lin Xizhao was already waiting for her in the room.
“Why did you take so long?” Lin Xizhao had thought Qu Sheng was hungry and would be out sooner. She herself hadn’t dared to linger, afraid of keeping Qu Sheng’s little stomach waiting for too long.
Qu Sheng didn’t speak. Her face was flushed a cute pink from the bath. Lin Xizhao couldn’t resist reaching out to touch her cheek again and placed a kiss on her forehead. Gazing into Qu Sheng’s big, round, ink-black eyes, her own eyes curved into a smile without her realizing it. “Let’s go eat.”
The weather was too hot, so the two of them ate in their small private chamber instead of joining the adults at the main table.
After dinner, Lin Xizhao sat in the room, fanning Qu Sheng as she practiced her calligraphy. Watching Qu Sheng’s brushstrokes, which were vigorous and powerful, Lin Xizhao’s gaze unconsciously shifted to the fingers gripping the brush.
“Sheng’er, did the tutor teach you this calligraphy?” Qu Sheng was personally instructed by their tutor, but her script was vastly different from theirs. She had wondered about it before, always assuming the tutor gave her special private lessons, but in all these years, she had never seen the tutor write in such a style.
At her words, Qu Sheng’s ink brush paused for a second. Her eyes flickered. “No.”
“Then who taught you?” Lin Xizhao was curious as to who could teach such calligraphy. This was not the kind of script a girl ought to have.
“Eldest Brother.” Qu Sheng’s brush paused for a moment before it began to move again. There was no harm in telling her now. Even if Lin Xizhao knew, she would only assume she started practicing after enrolling in the academy.
“Eldest Brother?” Lin Xizhao was momentarily confused when Qu Sheng mentioned Qu Ce. Qu Ce had passed away before Qu Sheng was even born. How could he have taught her?
Hearing Lin Xizhao repeat her words in a questioning tone, Qu Sheng affirmed with an “mhm” and said, “A copybook7.”
Of course, Qu Ce couldn’t have taught Qu Sheng. It was from a copybook he had left for Qu Ming, which Qu Ming later gave to her. She had brought it with her when she came to the capital. All these years, Qu Sheng had been copying Qu Ce’s script. You couldn’t say it was similar; it was simply identical. Their mannerisms and ways of doing things were also nearly the same—this was something the entire Qu family agreed upon.
The word “copybook” cleared up Lin Xizhao’s confusion. She nodded and said, “Sheng’er’s calligraphy is the most beautiful I have ever seen.” Her own was certainly not bad, but compared to Qu Sheng’s, it was more delicate and lacked the same force.
Qu Sheng stopped her brush and turned to look at Lin Xizhao. Blinking, she said softly, “Jiejie’s is also beautiful.” It wasn’t flattery; it truly was beautiful. And it wasn’t just the calligraphy that was beautiful—the person was, too.
Lin Xizhao’s eyes curved into a smile. “Our Sheng’er is still more beautiful.” As she spoke, she reached out again to touch Qu Sheng’s smooth cheek, finding it hard to let go.
As they complimented each other, whether they were talking about the beautiful calligraphy or the beautiful person seemed to no longer matter.
The calligraphy was beautiful, but in each other’s hearts, the person was even more so.
Early the next morning, Lin Xizhao, who had slept soundly, reached out for Qu Sheng but found only an empty space. Her eyes fluttered open. Seeing that Qu Sheng was gone from the inner side of the bed, she rubbed her eyes and looked around.
There was no sign of Qu Sheng in the room. Once she was fully awake, Lin Xizhao got out of bed. The maidservants outside heard the movement and came in to help her dress and wash up.
While her hair was being combed, Lin Xizhao asked, “Where is my sister?” This was Qu Sheng’s residence, so she wasn’t worried that anything would happen to her.
The maidservant replied, “Replying to the Eldest Miss, the Young Miss went to practice archery with Guard Feng[ early this morning.”
Ever since Lin Xizhao had become the Qu family’s adopted daughter, the servants here had changed their form of address, calling Lin Xizhao “Eldest Miss” and Qu Sheng “Young Miss.”
After her hair was styled, Lin Xizhao waited in the room for a while. When Qu Sheng didn’t return, she headed to the training grounds8 in the rear courtyard of the Qu Marquisate. She had seen Qu Sheng practice archery before and knew where the grounds were.
Lin Xizhao went alone, without an escort. Before the Qu family moved to the capital, this courtyard had been overgrown with weeds and was quite dilapidated. It was only after extensive renovation that it looked as it did today.
Lin Xizhao was very fond of the layout. Although the Qu family was a lineage of military officials, the residence possessed the refined elegance of a scholar’s home, much like the people of the Qu family, who were all very gentle with her.
Lin Xizhao followed a winding path for a long time before she neared the training grounds. The Qu family’s training grounds were vast and separated from the front courtyard by a water channel. As she walked onto the bridge, she spotted Qu Sheng’s figure from afar. And it wasn’t just Qu Sheng; Qu Ting and Qu Yu were there as well.
Qu Sheng stood to the side, holding a bow. Her expression wasn’t serious, but it also wasn’t the usual vacant look she often wore. Qu Ting was facing her side-on, seemingly talking to her nonstop, while Qu Yu chimed in from time to-time.
For some reason, Lin Xizhao’s feet stopped of their own accord.
Lin Xizhao watched as Qu Sheng nodded. Just as she was about to speak, her peripheral vision seemed to catch sight of her in the distance.
Qu Sheng looked over, and the moment she confirmed it was Lin Xizhao, her eyes showed a flicker of surprise, but she quickly returned to normal. She raised a hand and waved, her face unable to hide its delight as she called out, “Jiejie.”
Hearing the soft voice call out to her, Lin Xizhao’s eyes curved into a smile, and she started walking forward.
After Lin Xizhao approached, Qu Ting and Qu Yu both bowed in greeting, and Lin Xizhao returned the courtesy.
“Two elder brothers, are you teaching Sheng’er to practice archery?” Lin Xizhao asked softly. From the looks of it just now, it didn’t seem so.
Qu Sheng was holding a bow, but there were no arrows.
“No, we can’t compare to Sheng-meimei’s archery, so we’re in no position to teach her. She wanted Third Brother to teach her swordsmanship,” Qu Yu said, making a gesture in the air. “A sword, not a bow. Third Brother was just teaching her.”
Teaching her swordsmanship? Lin Xizhao was clearly skeptical. Who practices swordsmanship while holding a bow?
Feng Qi’s archery was the best in the Qu Marquisate; he had been personally trained by Qu Ce back in the day. Because of his extremely high aptitude for archery, he was greatly valued by Qu Ce. After Qu Ce’s death, Feng Qi was reassigned to be Qu Sheng’s guard. Lin Xizhao knew this much. Qu Yu wasn’t wrong; their instruction would naturally not be as good as Feng Qi’s. Besides, Qu Sheng’s archery had already surpassed that of her two elder brothers.
Seeing that Lin Xizhao seemed unconvinced, Qu Ting explained with a smile, “Sheng-meimei already knows some basics, but there’s a huge difference between a bow and a longsword, and there are too many types of swords. I was advising her to master one type instead of learning too many things at once. I was just introducing her to the different kinds of swords.” This explanation was, at least, plausible.
Qu Sheng listened as her two brothers spun this fabrication, but she could only let them continue. Just moments before, Qu Ting had been telling her about a new development in the case of her mother Lin Xizhao’s fall from her horse.
News had come in this morning that people had been spotted scouting out a section of road near the capital for some time. If they hadn’t arranged for men to be stationed there in disguise9 ahead of time, they might not have discovered them so quickly.
Lin Xizhao listened to the brothers’ explanation, but Qu Sheng remained silent. Still, since both brothers had given an explanation, she couldn’t very well expose them, even if they were just humoring her.
Lin Xizhao nodded. “Then has Sheng’er chosen what kind of sword she wants to practice?”
Just as Qu Ting and Qu Yu were about to answer for Qu Sheng, they heard Qu Sheng’s slow voice reply, “A heavy sword.”
Qu Yu blinked, seemingly in disbelief at Qu Sheng’s choice. A heavy sword was not something an ordinary person could wield. Moreover, Qu Sheng was still so young, and a girl at that; she definitely wouldn’t be able to lift a heavy sword weighing dozens of jin.
Qu Yu smiled and tried to persuade her, “I think a light sword would be better. It’s easy to carry and fast. Later, I’ll have someone forge one for you, and I can teach you personally, how about that?”
“No.” Qu Sheng refused without the slightest hesitation.
Hearing her refusal, Qu Yu was momentarily unsure if she was rejecting his suggestion of a light sword or his offer to teach her. He blinked and said, “Sheng-meimei, do you not want me to teach you, or do you not want to practice with a light sword?”
“I want a light sword.” This time, Qu Sheng made it clear she was rejecting Qu Yu’s instruction.
At this, Qu Yu’s face instantly took on a look of mock grievance. “Alas, even Sheng-meimei despises me. It seems I really must practice harder.”
Everyone burst into laughter at his words. It wasn’t that Qu Sheng didn’t want him to teach her; rather, compared to Qu Yu, she wanted Qu Ming to teach her more. Qu Ming’s swordsmanship had been taught to him entirely by Qu Ce, and she wanted to be more like Qu Ce.
Everyone always praised how heroic and brilliant her eldest brother was. In all the years Qu Sheng had been growing up, although she had never met Qu Ce, his traces were everywhere.
Qu Sheng didn’t find the traces of Qu Ce’s existence to be a bad thing at all. It was precisely because of Qu Ce’s influence that she held herself to a stricter standard, because she wanted to become a person like her eldest brother, to become another source of pride for her father and mother.
Afterward, Qu Sheng practiced archery on the training grounds for a while, with Lin Xizhao sitting and watching from the side. Her two brothers from the Qu family didn’t leave either; they found longswords and began to spar with each other.
Seeing her two brothers sparring, Qu Sheng stopped practicing her archery and pulled Lin Xizhao over to the foot of the platform to watch and learn. Qu Ting’s swordsmanship was more rigid than Qu Yu’s, but it lacked Qu Yu’s flexibility. Each had their own strengths.
As Qu Sheng observed them, Lin Xizhao found herself looking at Qu Sheng more often than not.
Apart from being a bit slow in daily life, Qu Sheng was exceptionally intelligent when it came to skills. Whether it was calligraphy, painting, reading, chess, or even martial arts, she seemed to grasp things almost instantly. Sometimes, even Lin Xizhao felt inadequate in comparison. But a Qu Sheng like this, however, made Lin Xizhao feel more and more that she wasn’t real.
Especially lately, she had discovered that the way Qu Sheng sometimes looked at her was not a look a girl her age should have.
The author has something to say:
Qu Sheng: “What kind of look?”
Zhao Jiayu: “A lecherous look.”
Qu Sheng: “Nonsense! It’s clearly a look of deep affection.”
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