Chapter Ninety-One: Brothers Reunited

Qingfeng saw that peach tree from afar. Blooming among the blue hills and jade waters, it seemed so alluring, so dreamlike that he wandered over at once. Along the path, fallen petals lay scattered everywhere, each one glazed with sparkling raindrops. It brought to mind a line by Lu You: though they fall and are ground to dust, their fragrance remains as before. He closed his eyes and drew in a breath, and it almost seemed that a faint scent still lingered in the air.

Just then, Achun came out with wrapped medicinal ingredients in her hands. Smiling, she handed them to the woman who had come with her and said, "Madam, take it three times a day. Come again in three days."

The old woman answered, "All right."

Achun watched her go farther and farther with a pleased smile, then turned back only to catch sight of Qingfeng standing beneath the peach tree.

Her heart gave a sudden jolt. He had a bright, handsome face and an air of such detached elegance that he was easy to mistake for one of those immortal beings untouched by mortal dust. Yet there was also something about his features that reminded her, in part, of her husband. Could he have some connection to him? While she was still wondering, he stepped forward and asked, "May I ask whether Zhuge Liuyun is here?"

Achun looked at him. "May I ask what business you have with him?"

At once, Qingfeng knew he had come to the right place. Smiling, he said, "I am Zhuge Qingfeng. I heard that Zhuge Liuyun was here, so I came to pay a visit. May I ask your name, miss?"

Achun lifted her eyes and took a quick look at his face. Her cheeks reddened at once, and she said a little shyly, "My name is Achun. I am his wife."

Qingfeng's heart sank. So it really was true. So that was how it was.

At that moment, Liuyun came out of the clinic. "Achun, the clinic is running low on eucommia bark. Tomorrow..." He suddenly froze.

Qingfeng was smiling at him. Liuyun quickly recovered himself, strode out over the threshold, and the two of them embraced tightly.

Achun let out a quiet breath of relief. Her husband had scarcely smiled at all these past few days. To see him like this now was better than anything else.

The three of them went into the room together. After Achun served tea for them, she withdrew again. Brothers must have much to say to one another, and she could not let their reunion be burdened with unnecessary restraint.

After she left, Qingfeng looked Liuyun up and down. "I never expected this, Liuyun. So you've already married. No wonder you never came back."

Liuyun lowered his head and sipped his tea, ignoring him, and only asked, "How did you find me here?"

Qingfeng set down his cup. "I ran into Qianran in town. She told me."

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Liuyun's lips. "Is she well?"

Qingfeng laughed. "Do you take her for a three-year-old child? She's fine. You needn't worry."

Liuyun raised his head to look at his younger brother. No matter how much time passed, no matter how the world changed, it seemed Qingfeng had never changed at all. Suddenly, that felt rather comforting, and he smiled as he asked, "How is the family now?"

Qingfeng sighed. "Half a year ago, the Sixth Prince led his troops into the capital. The emperor hanged himself on Jing Mountain. When the city fell, Father took up his sword and killed himself, and Mother followed him soon after."

Liuyun frowned and looked into the distance, his voice as distant as if it came from cloud-wreathed heights far beyond the horizon. "Father owed deep gratitude to the former emperor. He once swore to remain loyal to the throne for life. Now that the emperor has died for the state, given Father's temperament, of course he would do the same."

Qingfeng smiled, but the smile was filled with unspeakable disappointment. "In truth, whoever sits on that throne, the empire is still the Liu family's empire. Why should Father and those ministers who died with the state have been so stubborn? I often cannot understand such conduct. And yet, from the bottom of my heart, I respect them deeply. They may have been blindly loyal, but they also embodied a kind of spirit. The nation was good to me; now that the nation has fallen, I shall give my life to follow it."

Liuyun lowered his gaze and toyed with the teacup, his voice low. "Yes. That was the integrity cherished by their generation. It is hard for us young people to understand. Or perhaps even when we understand it, we still cannot do it."

"When the capital was breached and word came that the emperor had hanged himself, Father bathed calmly, shaved his beard, put on a brand-new court robe, bowed toward the north, and then drew the sword at his waist and killed himself. I had not even time to react. I was utterly stunned. After that, I watched Mother follow Father in death, and still I could not stop her, or perhaps I could not bear to stop her." As he spoke, Qingfeng's hands at his sides clenched unconsciously, as if he were still trapped in that day.

Liuyun bit his lip, and in his mind the scene seemed to rise before him as well: the city gates flung open, warhorses trampling over corpses as they came on, smoke and fire rising everywhere inside the city, chaos in every direction, everyone busy fleeing for their lives. Father calmly changed his clothes. Perhaps he had known this day would come long ago and was already prepared. No sorrow, no fury, only calm.

"Afterward, I dismissed the servants, sent Luoyu to our maternal uncle's home in Langya, Shandong, and came south alone to look for you," Qingfeng said, forcing a light tone. "I knew I would find you somehow. And sure enough..."

Liuyun smiled. "After I married Achun, I had meant to take her back with me, but then I learned from Mr. Wei that Father had taken his own life. I also heard that you had dismissed the servants and taken Luoyu to Shandong, and I understood then that the past had truly become the past. The Minister's Residence was entirely in the past."

Qingfeng was about to say something when he suddenly remembered. "Mr. Wei? Which Mr. Wei?"

"Wei Zhuang."

"How did you end up with him?" Qingfeng asked in surprise.

Liuyun walked to the doorway and looked into the distance. "After I was rescued by Achun a year and a half ago, he came. At the time I didn't know he was Qianran's husband, nor did I know all that had happened between them. Only two days ago, when Achun chanced to save Qianran, did I finally understand everything."

Qingfeng lowered his head and thought for a moment, then let out a laugh. "Fate really is a marvelous thing. After all that wandering and circling, in the end the three of you still found one another."

Liuyun also laughed, though his was a wry laugh. "It truly is a marvelous thing."

"So what do you plan to do?" Qingfeng asked as he stepped beside him.

"I promised Achun's grandfather that I would take good care of her. Besides, she is carrying my child. Beyond the grace of having saved my life, I also owe her responsibility."

Qingfeng patted his shoulder. "I understand. I imagine Qianran understands this too; otherwise, she would not have been hiding away all this time."

After that, the two of them spoke of what had happened during the year and more since they had last met: how they had encountered Ye Qianran, how they had been saved by Achun, what had happened during their recovery, and their meeting with Wei Zhuang. Without noticing it, the sun had already set. Seeing the brothers speak so happily, Achun did not interrupt them. Instead, she quietly went to prepare the meal. Only at a certain moment did Qingfeng realize how late it had become, and he said, "We talked so much we lost track of time. I never realized it had been this long."

Liuyun smiled. "We haven't seen each other for more than a year. Of course we have a great deal to say. But there is no hurry. Stay here tonight."

Qingfeng immediately waved his hand. "No. I won't stay here and disturb you two. Besides, Qianran is alone in town, and I don't feel at ease. I'd better go back down the mountain."

Liuyun knew his temper well and did not press him further. He only said, "Then at least have dinner before you go. It won't matter if you descend the mountain a little later."

Qingfeng shook his head. "I won't eat. You know I am used to doing as I please, and eating with strangers is a torment. If you truly have my best interests at heart, let me go down the mountain."

Liuyun gave him a sidelong glance. "Qingfeng, are you not afraid of offending me by saying that?"

Qingfeng laughed and draped an arm around his shoulder. "If it were anyone else, no matter how hard it was to eat that meal, I would stay. But since it's you, I won't pretend to be proper. We're family. Why be so concerned with ceremony?"

Liuyun shook his head. "There's nothing I can do about you."

When Liuyun escorted Qingfeng out, Achun happened to come calling them to dinner. Seeing that he was leaving, she was momentarily taken aback and grew a little flustered. Qingfeng, however, eased her unease on his own.

"Sister-in-law, it's already late today, so I won't stay for dinner. Another day I'll pick a good date and come specially to visit you and my brother. I only hope you won't look down on this younger brother of yours for being lacking in manners."

Saying this only made Achun more uneasy. She looked to Liuyun in confusion. Liuyun smiled, patted her hand, and signaled that it was all right. "Then be careful going down the mountain. Come sit with us whenever you have time."

Qingfeng laughed. "Don't worry. I will bother you often in the future. Oh, and Qianran said her bundle is here. I'll take it back with me this time when I return."

Achun silently looked at him twice, then turned back inside to fetch the bundle. Liuyun watched him with the look of someone who wanted to speak but held back. Qingfeng patted his shoulder. "I know what you want to say. Don't worry. I'll take good care of her. You needn't be concerned."

Liuyun neither admitted it nor denied it. Achun brought the bundle out and handed it to Qingfeng. Qingfeng clasped his hands in salute. "Sister-in-law, Qingfeng takes his leave."

Liuyun nodded to him, and Qingfeng turned and went down the mountain.

The afterglow of the setting sun burned like blood, and the sky was splashed with multicolored clouds. Birds returned to their nests, and wisps of cooking smoke rose from the village. Qingfeng had walked a long way before he turned back to look. In the fading light, he could still make out Achun leaning against Liuyun at the end of the road. He raised a hand to them, then kept walking. Yet a flood of thoughts rose within him: envy, regret, relief, helplessness, and all the rest. In the end, every one of them melted into the faint curve of a smile at the corner of his lips.