Chapter 37: Falling into the Water Part 1

As winter brought the biting cold, Gu Xiaodeng found himself confined until November. One night, a tapping sound came from the window. He swept aside the messy prescriptions covering his desk and opened the window. In an instant, a lean, scarred gyrfalcon, carrying the scent of blood, crashed into his arms.

His heart lurched in shock, and his eyes instantly reddened. He fumbled to catch the gyrfalcon. Xiao Pei, who had been lying at his feet, suddenly stood up. Just as he was about to signal it to be quiet, he saw it sticking out its tongue, eyes shining, with an excited expression as if seeing an old friend.

Gu Xiaodeng was speechless.

This dog-son of his was quite familiar with Uncle Hawk.

The night was deep, and the servants and guards outside the inner room had not noticed the commotion. Gu Xiaodeng carefully scooped Blossom Ashes, the gyrfalcon, out of his arms, inwardly muttering. This bird of prey wasn’t as sturdy as before; it had lost a circle of weight, its feathers were no longer sleek and glossy, and its once bright, beady black eyes were now somewhat cloudy. Half-battered, utterly exhausted, it seemed on the verge of collapse.

When Gu Jinyu had left, it was only the end of spring. Before leaving, he said that even if he couldn’t return by winter, he would send the hawk. Now, with light snow falling, it had finally arrived.

Seeing Blossom Ashes now was like seeing an incarnation of Gu Jinyu. Xiaodeng felt both anger and grievance. The tears he had held back for a month, trapped and unable to move, surged up. Eyes brimming with tears, he gently shook Blossom Ashes. “Coo coo?”

The travel-worn Blossom Ashes shook its bird head, its crest feathers in disarray. It seemed to rearrange its brains with the shake, its little eyes becoming much clearer. It nuzzled vigorously against Gu Xiaodeng’s hand, rubbing dirt and flecks of dried blood onto his fair skin. After its affectionate greeting, it lifted a large claw as if seeking credit, shaking the letter tube tied to it.

Gu Xiaodeng sat down, holding it. With trembling hands, he untied the letter tube, larger than any before, and pulled out two rolled letters tucked inside.

One was a letter from Gu Jinyu, stained with patches of blood:

“Xiaodeng, upon seeing this letter, know that though we’ve been apart for a long time, Senqing’s thoughts are with you.”

“Regarding the matters within the Prince Mansion, Zhu Mi has already informed me. Xiaodeng, do not fret. I have negotiated with the Mansion for a deadline. Before the new year arrives, they cannot dispose of you. Xiaodeng, confine yourself to the Academy and absolutely do not leave the residence. Wait for my return in the new year, when I shall beg your forgiveness for my countless sins.”

The other was a family letter from Zhang Dengqing. The handwriting and tone were as familiar as ever:

“Xiaodeng, your Big Bro followed your Brother Heir’s army southwest. We’re dealing with the sinister Thousand Schemes Tower, that evil sect tangled up with us back then. Wait until your Big Bro flattens those scum of the martial world and opens up our path, then I’ll head north to Changluo to get you.”

“Xiaodeng, be good. The winter is cold, wear more clothes. Wait for Big Bro by the warm stove.”

After reading Gu Jinyu’s letter, Gu Xiaodeng set it aside. Clutching Zhang Dengqing’s letter, he silently went to find his small letter box. Inside were the birthday gifts Gu Jinyu had given him four years ago—a hairpin he had never worn—and all the family letters collected over the past five years. Zhang Dengqing was his sworn brother, and Gu Jinyu was also family. At least, that’s what he had always believed.

Gu Xiaodeng took the letters out one by one and laid them on the floor. He compared the family letters with Gu Jinyu’s letter. From crouching to kneeling, his fingertip traced every stroke, discerning every character.

He compared them late into the deep night. There was no problem. The handwriting and tone of Zhang Dengqing’s letters over the past five years were consistent, and the content contained no falsehoods.

One hundred and sixty-seven family letters covered the floor. Zhang Dengqing’s recounted experiences in the letters correlated chronologically without a single contradiction. The details of military camp life were so vivid they couldn’t be more real.

This didn’t seem like something that could be faked. Surely Gu Jinyu wouldn’t deceive him about this? Deceiving him for five years to invert the relationship between the Ge and Guan families was one thing, but his sworn brother’s family letters, arriving monthly—he surely wouldn’t fabricate a tedious lie spanning five years about this matter?

Gu Xiaodeng had doubted Zhang Dengqing’s whereabouts for a month. Only now did he finally put his heart back in his chest. Wiping his tears, he put the box full of letters away.

He didn’t sleep all night. His reply letter to Zhang Dengqing was quickly finished, but the one for Gu Jinyu was repeatedly edited and rewritten. Only when he saw dawn approaching and knew Blossom Ashes would be discovered if it didn’t leave soon, did he hastily scribble a few lines and a couple of drawings. He rolled up the letter and tucked it onto the claw of the fully rested Blossom Ashes, opening the window to send it off.

Whether it was related to the “negotiated” and “deadline” mentioned by Gu Jinyu in his letter, three days after releasing Blossom Ashes, the guards watching Gu Xiaodeng no longer strictly confined him to his room. He was allowed out during class time at the academy. Only then could he step outside, leading Xiao Pei. Although he didn’t encounter a single fellow student, it was still better than imprisonment.

When he silently walked to a pavilion, there was someone waiting for him.

Spotting her from afar, Gu Xiaodeng immediately asked the guard following closely: “May I go and talk to the Second Young Lady?”

The guard’s silence was tantamount to a nod of consent, so he led Xiao Pei over.

Gu Ruhui wore an ochre-colored dress. She stood tall and slender, her frame so thin and fragile it seemed almost brittle. When she turned at the sound, it was her pair of cold, resolute eyes that suppressed the innate weakness of her frail constitution with sheer presence.

Gu Xiaodeng’s vision blurred, his entire focus drawn to the pair of pearl ear studs on her earlobes.

Xiao Pei suddenly grabbed its leash in its mouth and tried to run away. Helpless and amused, Xiaodeng dragged the unwilling dog into the pavilion and proactively greeted Gu Ruhui: “Second Young Lady, what brings you here?”

It had been a long time since he’d spoken to anyone other than Feng’en.

“To see you both.” Gu Ruhui smiled gently and looked down at Xiao Pei, whose dog face was full of wariness. “So this is the herding dog Jinyu exchanged for those dancing girls.”

Gu Xiaodeng was stunned. “Dancing girls?”

Seeing his expression, Gu Ruhui explained with a light laugh: “Last year, during the tribute offerings from the four borders, the Crown Princess privately bestowed a batch of beauties upon the East Palace Staff. Only Jinyu exchanged his for a herding dog.”

Gu Xiaodeng made a sound of understanding, his attention caught by odd little details. Gu Jinyu hadn’t told him this backstory, and Gu Ruhui also said it was something the Crown Princess did privately. So how did she know?

If the Gu Family were to split into two factions, she would likely be opposed to Gu Jinyu.

“It seems it’s quite averse to me.” Gu Ruhui looked at Xiao Pei, who was growling low, alert and wary, and smiled. “Shanqing, I’ve only come for a few idle words with you.”

“Then please speak, I’m listening.” Gu Xiaodeng bent down and scooped Xiao Pei up. Changing its tune, the dog howled softly and licked his chin.

“Your situation remains uncertain. I can’t help you much.” Gu Ruhui said this somewhat disjointedly, then took a small, exquisite piece of Blood Jade from her bosom and handed it to him. “Take this with you for now. Perhaps it may come in handy.”

Gu Xiaodeng held back Xiao Pei, who wanted to snap at her, and accepted the Blood Jade with overwhelmed surprise. “Wow, thank you…”

“No need. Regarding the matter of the Second Prince, you took the disaster in my place.” Gu Ruhui’s brows and eyes were shrouded in shadow. “Shanqing, I only come to see you this time. Is there anything you want me to do for you?”

Gu Xiaodeng’s eyes lit up. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked: “Then may I ask about a person?”

Gu Ruhui thought he would ask about the Su Family, or perhaps the Ge Family. “Alright, who?”

“Zhang Dengqing, the one who entered the mansion with me five years ago.” Gu Xiaodeng seized upon his initial memories to describe him, seeking to confirm his whereabouts.

Gu Ruhui’s expression became somewhat complex. “I’m not clear on that. It was the Prince and Jinyu who handled it.”

“Alright then.” Gu Xiaodeng looked at her. “Second Young Lady, what kind of person is that Second Prince?”

Gu Ruhui fell silent for a good while before a coarse, slang term slipped from her lips and teeth: “Perennial second fiddle.”

“Huh?”

“So are both he and I.”

Gu Ruhui didn’t elaborate. Gu Xiaodeng felt a difficult-to-describe desolation from her subtle silence. The conversation between the two couldn’t be sustained any longer, so Gu Xiaodeng asked her to wait a moment. Carrying Xiao Pei back to his residence, he took out several prescriptions and a jar of medicine and gave them to her.

After hearing his explanation, Gu Ruhui was taken aback. “Why not let me take you to my Mother Consort’s courtyard? You can tell her yourself.”

Gu Xiaodeng shook his head. “No need. I said quite a bit to the Princess Consort last time. I’ve realized I’m also a deep-seated affliction in her heart. It’s best if I appear before her less in the future. As for the Prince, I haven’t seen him in a long time… Just now in the pavilion, when you asked if I had any needs, I originally wanted to ask you to take me to see him, but quickly thought better of it.”

“Do you resent us?”

Gu Xiaodeng shook his head again. “I will be afraid, but there’s nothing much to resent. Different paths do not warrant scheming with one another.”

“Then what is your path?”

“Probably the path you all would consider the most useless.”

She pressed the question with some persistence. Gu Xiaodeng scratched his nose and chuckled lightly. “I don’t want to say. Speaking it out would only add one more reason for you all to reject me.”

The very night Gu Ruhui left, Gu Xiaodeng finished writing a new volume of his Record of Observations. An unexpected little visitor then arrived in his room.

Su Xiaoyuan, wearing a false face disguised as Feng Huan, came bouncing in, calling out “Brother Shanqing.”

Gu Xiaodeng’s shock overshadowed his delight. He pressed down on Su Xiaoyuan’s shoulders and looked him over repeatedly, but couldn’t see any flaw. The disguise was a living, breathing copy of the real Feng Huan.

“How did you get here?”

“You haven’t attended classes at the academy for ages, and your house is surrounded by a bunch of people—like a wall of iron or bronze. Anyone with half a brain would know something happened to you!” Su Xiaoyuan pinched his own flawless fake face. “These past couple of days, the guard around your place finally loosened up a bit. I quickly used my signature skill, Disguise Art, to come see you.”

Gu Xiaodeng hadn’t expected this young boy’s skill to be so solid. Even more incredulous, he looked towards Feng’en, who was standing not far away. “Feng’en, you usually guard Feng Huan like the apple of your eye. How did you collude with an outsider this time? You even dragged your little brother into this?”

Feng’en looked at him, then stepped forward and said something that shocked Gu Xiaodeng even more—they were actually there to help Su Xiaoyuan swap him out.

Gu Xiaodeng felt like he was dreaming, dazedly listening as Feng’en quietly explained to him. They were all trying to persuade him to leave the Gu Family. Taking advantage of the lax period in the current guard, with the Su Family providing support outside, they would use Su Xiaoyuan’s Disguise Art to help him escape without delay.

Without time to weigh the options, Gu Xiaodeng was pushed into disguise under Su Xiaoyuan’s hands. Su Xiaoyuan disguised himself as Xiaodeng, while Xiaodeng was made to look like Feng Huan. Feng’en led him out of the Student Courtyard. Everything within the Vast Marsh Academy was covered for by them. He was only required to change his disguise three times midway. Through a winding, circuitous route, he fled the Gu Family deep into the night.

The escape was so hurried it was akin to fleeing. Xiao Pei, behind him, was muzzled to stifle its low barks. The Blood Jade in his bosom pressed painfully against his chest. He couldn’t believe he could escape a cage. Even if he was running into another cage, there was no other way.

When he was led by the Su Family servants to the Star-Picking Tower and entered the Bright Candle Room, seeing Su Mingya sitting at that familiar desk, Gu Xiaodeng’s dreamlike state finally fell away.