When I Was Young (1)

The starlight was dazzling as Qi Qingzheng walked alone in his family courtyard.

The night was peaceful and beautiful, tranquil like a dream.

In the ink-dark night, a small white dog, pure white like jade, with a luminous glow all over its body, was running and barking ahead of him, as if trying to lead him somewhere.

The deep courtyard of the Qi mansion seemed to become vast and boundless, just like when he was a child, no matter how far he ran, he couldn't reach the end.

Maybe he was dreaming? Qi Qingzheng thought hazily.

Only in dreams was he always alone, without his little brothers, without Brother Afu, without his parents, elder sister, and younger siblings, and without the servants.

That loneliness made him want to cry, as if he had been the only person in the world since its creation.

Everyone said that the second young master of the Qi family lived a wealthy and carefree life, as happy as a god. Only he knew that it wasn't true, at least not entirely. His happiness came and went quickly. If he didn't "find some fun," he couldn't endure a single night in peace. He liked teasing the girls but didn't truly like any of them; many people flattered him, but he had no real friends; he liked causing small troubles, but it seemed it was just to prove he was different from others. That bit of "difference" was quite important because only that proved he was Qi Qingzheng and not just the son of Lord Qi.

Being "Lord Qi's son" was a tough job, meaning he was born a failure, destined never to surpass his father.

He couldn't bear that, and deep down in his dreams, he knew it clearly.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked the little dog as he followed it, running.

The little dog turned back, tugging at his clothes and barking anxiously, its four little legs running fast.

He followed, twisting and turning, as if going down a long slope, into a deep and dark corridor. On both sides of the corridor were narrow, closed doors. He counted them as he walked. The little dog stopped in front of the seventeenth door on the left, looking up at him.

Its round, bright, and pure eyes were full of trust.

So Qi Qingzheng pushed the door open and went in.

He saw a girl, half-kneeling on a pile of coarse straw mats, weeping softly.

The girl's clothes were disheveled, wearing a coarse outer garment with a pair of pale yellow thin trousers underneath, slightly wrinkled, with a pair of white, tender legs curled up inside. Below the white legs were white feet, with a cute golden anklet on the ankle.

The girl cried heartbrokenly, tears streaming down her face, her messy hair sticking to her cheeks, with a drop of clear snot hanging at the tip of her small, red, swollen nose, almost falling.

Qi Qingzheng was mesmerized—he had never seen a girl who even cried so beautifully.

She cried freely, heart-wrenchingly, as if her small body was filled with grievances, as if she was crying all the tears of her life in this moment.

Qi Qingzheng was also entranced by her crying, wanting to cry along—no one in the Qi family cried, let alone cried like this, men or women, masters or servants.

Their crying and laughing were the same, like wearing a mask, silent and always ready to conceal.

He couldn't help but want to reach out, to ask, "What's wrong?"

Just as he reached out, the dream ended.

Did he touch the girl? It seemed not, but his fingertips still felt the soft and warm touch of her face.

Qi Qingzheng lay on the bed in a daze for a long time before he finally woke up.

The window was half-open, with a green vine stretching inside, covered with dewdrops. The autumn afternoon sunlight shone on the bed, warm and mild. One boot was thrown on the desk, the other lying on the floor—yes, he came back in the middle of the night, fell asleep without taking off his clothes, and slept like the dead.

Qi Qingzheng rubbed his eyes and found his cheeks wet. He laughed at himself—who did he cry for in that dream?

There was no time to think about it. Footsteps and a maid's voice came from outside, "Young Master, are you up?"

"Mm." Qi Qingzheng sat by the bed, still thinking of the girl's face. That dream felt too real, the girl's face seemed imprinted in his heart.

"Young Master, Jia Xi has been waiting for a long time, says it's urgent—"

"Mm." Actually, that girl's hands were also beautiful, really like spring onions, tender and fresh.

"Young Master, Jia Xi says it's important—"

Qi Qingzheng finally reacted, jumped out of bed barefoot, and opened the door: "What happened to Brother Afu?"

Jia Xi was waiting outside, with the maids and servants having already prepared the morning essentials.

"Brother Afu is fine, thank you for your concern, Young Master." Jia Xi's expression was slightly strange, holding a box wrapped in brocade with a note "To Qi Qingzheng" and sealed with a black wolf bone. Jia Xi looked around hesitantly: "Young Master, it's sent by the He family, instructed to be opened by you personally."

The black wolf bone was the He family emblem, also used on the banner of the Wolf Fang Seventh Regiment, typically used only for important family communications. Women didn't have the authority to use it. The He family, known for their military prowess, resided in Mulan Prefecture for generations. Currently, in Changxiang City, only General He Langfei and his son He Peiyu were present. Among the sixteen prominent families in Changxiang, the rules and protocols were stricter than national laws, and events like marriage and mourning strictly adhered to customs. It was unheard of for a general to send a letter to a young, unranked man.

So the instigator could only be He Peiyu, a person Qi Qingzheng couldn't afford to provoke.

Qi Qingzheng was notoriously ill-mannered, always avoiding significant occasions whenever possible. Though he usually acted fearless, seeing such an important family letter for the first time made him somewhat apprehensive. He looked at Jia Xi, seeking help, and laughed dryly.

"Young Master, since the box is delivered to you, you have two choices." Jia Xi replied respectfully, "First, you open it."

"Isn't that obvious? There's never anything good in a box. If I wanted to open it, I wouldn't have asked you. What's the other option?" Qi Qingzheng laughed awkwardly.

"You hand it over to the Prime Minister—"

"Good!" Qi Qingzheng clapped his hands.

"Young Master, I haven't finished. If you don't open it, the Prime Minister will take it to the Sacrificial Altar, summon the eldest master from our family and the old master from the He family from Mulan Prefecture, then invite another respected clan leader from the sixteen families, and perform a seven-day sacrificial ceremony to open it publicly." Jia Xi's eyes twinkled with a faint smile, "But I must say, Young Master, this seven-day ceremony, while simple, requires nine horses, eight bows, seven family records, six bronze and five jade items, four male and three female slaves—our four brothers would be perfect—plus lighting an eternal lamp during two simultaneous sunrises. Then…"

Qi Qingzheng's ears twitched, and he immediately tore off the wolf bone seal.

Inside the brocade was a two-foot-long, one-foot-wide brass box. Qi Qingzheng lifted the lid, and the maids behind him screamed—

Inside the box were two heads of young girls, around fourteen or fifteen years old, their hair styled in twin buns, with lifelike features. Their necks were cleanly severed with one stroke.

Qi Qingzheng recognized the two girls. Jia Xi, though he didn't know them, could guess—they were He Yining's personal maids.

Qi Qingzheng's hands trembled as he picked up one of the heads. The twin buns were intricately styled, tied with aqua silk ribbons embroidered with snow lotus, adorned with several lapis lazuli stones. He had given these trinkets to the maids while pursuing He Yining, hoping for a few good words or secret tips about her. He took these ribbons from his sister's room and gave them to the maid, who had been delighted.

That time, the maid had secretly opened the main gate for him, letting him climb the osmanthus tree facing He Yining's window. He laughed, making He Yining lose her composure and costing the maids their lives.

"What does this mean?" Qi Qingzheng asked sternly as he slowly untied the ribbon.

No one answered. They dealt with their own servants. What it meant was up to them.

"Dress me." Qi Qingzheng commanded.

"Young Master…" The maid brought the clothes, hesitant to advise but afraid to speak.

"Young Master, inform the Prime Minister." Jia Xi came to fix his belt buckle.

"My father is busy."

"What about the Madam?"

"My mother is pregnant, can't be frightened."

"At least inform your eldest sister."

"She can't handle men's affairs."

"I'll gather men."

"No need. We can't win a fight, and it's disgraceful to try."

Jia Xi took a sword from the wall and placed it on Qi Qingzheng's belt: "Let me accompany and serve you, Young Master."

Qi Qingzheng paused as he put on his boots.

"When Ah Fu was injured, I always covered for him," Jia Xi adjusted his own belt: "If he were awake, he wouldn't let the young master go alone."

Qi Qingzheng grabbed half a cup of tea and two pastries from the table, pouring them into his mouth: "Let's go!"