Dao Yun's Family Home

Xie Daoyun replied casually, "I'll stay for a few days and then return."

Wang Ningzhi paused, then his expression suddenly became serious: "Since you insist on going, I will not stop you, but you must have Aqi accompany you to take care of you."

He had never dared to be too restrictive towards Xie Daoyun.

Last year, after Huan Wen's death, the Eastern Jin court was jointly governed by Xie An and Wang Biao. Xie An was the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and concurrently head of the Ministry of Personnel, equivalent to a prime minister, while Wang Biao was the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. Xie An was Xie Daoyun's uncle, and Wang Biao was her cousin.

Under these circumstances, he dared not restrain Xie Daoyun too much.

Ah Qi was his trusted confidante and his eyes and ears. He often sent Ah Qi to keep a close watch on Xie Daoyun, and Ah Qi followed wherever Xie Daoyun went.

Xie Daoyun was dissatisfied, but she did not refuse. She knew that refusing would be useless. Wang Ningzhi might be ambiguous about other matters, but he was unwavering on this point.

She simply nodded slightly.

Seeing that she nodded, Wang Ningzhi turned and walked to the door, then turned back to look at her again. Her figure appeared exceptionally simple and elegant, yet also exceptionally distant, in the sunlight streaming through the window.

He hesitated.

In the end, he just walked out.

……

……

Wang Ningzhi returned to his study and knelt down behind a low table.

A short while later, a middle-aged woman walked in. She was about forty years old and slightly plump.

She bowed to Wang Ningzhi and asked, "Did you call me, my lord?"

Wang Ningzhi looked at her and said, "Qi, Madam is going to Shining. You will accompany her and take care of her."

Aqi responded and waited for the rest of the story.

Wang Ningzhi paused, then lowered his voice: "Take good care of Madam and prevent her from associating with unrelated people. If anything else happens, report back to me."

Ah Qi smiled, a hint of pride in her expression, and said, "Don't worry, my lord, I will take care of my mistress."

Wang Ningzhi nodded, gave a few more instructions, and then waved his hand.

Aqi bowed again and withdrew.

Only Wang Ningzhi remained in the study.

He sat alone, looking down at the whisk in front of him, feeling somewhat irritated. He picked up the whisk and then put it down again. Then he picked up a scroll of Wang Bi's commentary on Laozi from the low table, read a few lines, but couldn't concentrate on it anymore, so he threw the scroll aside.

……

……

Not only were oxcarts smooth and comfortable, but they were also more economical and practical in the context of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, where there were more oxen than horses. They even became a popular fashion, especially favored by scholars who pursued refined conversation and a life of leisure.

Even a noblewoman like Xie Daoyun usually traveled by oxcart for daily outings or private long journeys.

For formal occasions where it was necessary to display her status, Xie Daoyun's carriage was a "painted carriage" pulled by two horses. This type of carriage was covered with tung oil and draped with curtains, representing the highest level of luxury.

At this moment, Xie Daoyun, accompanied by her maid Qingxiao, boarded an oxcart.

Although it was an oxcart, it was decorated quite luxuriously.

The four walls of the carriage were painted black, with a smooth finish and inlaid with several openwork copper pieces.

A thick, fine blue curtain hung over the window, which could both block out the wind and cold and allow light to pass through.

The shaft was made of sturdy wood, with copper ornaments covering the ends, and the yoke was mounted on top.

The room was lined with plain felt, and contained a brazier and a small table.

The charcoal in the stove was burning, and the room was filled with warm air.

Xie Daoyun knelt on the felt mat, her shawl gathered around her shoulders, and sat beside the stove.

The cart was pulled by a blue ox with copper horns, a blue cloth saddlecloth covering its back, and straw sandals on its hooves. It walked steadily and clattering.

A group of guards accompanied the carriage, some carrying swords and others carrying bows.

The maid, Aqi, followed beside the carriage, carrying a bundle on her back, her expression cold.

The driver gave a soft shout and tapped the ox's rump lightly with a thin bamboo stick. The ox flicked its tail and started to move.

The oxcart slowly drove out of the manor gate and onto the official road.

The snow on the official road had not yet completely melted, and it was mottled by the passing carriages and horses.

Occasionally, pedestrians would pass by the cart: peddlers carrying loads, village women with bamboo baskets, and farmers leading oxen. When they saw the black oxcart, they would step aside to make way, some even lowering their heads.

Xie Daoyun sat in the carriage, rolled up the green curtain, and gazed silently at the world after the snow and the slowly receding scenery.

The Wang Family Manor in Shanyin and the Xie Family Manor in Shining are only about a hundred miles apart.

She has traveled this hundred-mile stretch of road countless times over the years.

Each time I walk this road, my mood is different. Sometimes it's the joy of returning to my parents' home, sometimes the melancholy of returning to my husband's home after the visit, sometimes the eagerness to return home for business, and sometimes it's anger, like today.

She suddenly remembered what her uncle Xie An had said to her when she married Wang Ning that year.

That day, Xie An ordered someone to summon her to his study.

When she arrived, Xie An was playing chess alone by the window. The black and white pieces on the chessboard were intertwined, and the game was already in the middle stage.

Xie An pointed to the empty seat opposite him, gesturing for her to sit down.

She knelt down as instructed, placing her hands on her knees and keeping her back straight.

Xie An placed a black stone before speaking, his tone both casual and lecturing: "Now that you've married into the Wang family, you'll be a woman of the Wang household."

She lowered her eyes and didn't speak.

Xie An looked at her with gentle eyes and said slowly, "I know you're not very willing. Wang Ningzhi is a devout follower of the Five Pecks of Rice sect and is not very knowledgeable about worldly affairs."

He paused, then continued, "You're not marrying him to compete with him for anything. Just be yourself. He can believe in his ghosts and gods, and you can read your books; he can draw his talismans, and you can write your poems and essays. Don't force him to understand you, and don't get angry because of him."

He suddenly smiled, a smile tinged with affection: "Life is simply about self-preservation. With a broad mind and profound understanding, external things cannot harm you. You have the world in your heart, and your writing will naturally encompass it all. No one can take these things away from you."

She looked into her uncle's eyes, which were unfathomable.

Her lips moved, as if she had many things to say, but in the end she only said softly, "Uncle, I'm afraid that if I marry into the royal family, I will be unhappy for the rest of my life."

Xie An remained silent for a long time before saying, "The importance of marriage lies in uniting the two families. You are a daughter of the Xie family, and he is a son of the Wang family. This matter is not just between the two of you, but truly concerns both families."

She didn't say anything more.

At this moment, the oxcart continued to travel along the official road, as smoothly as a small boat on a lake.

Outside the car, the snow-covered fields continued to recede slowly from view, while the outlines of distant mountains appeared and disappeared on the horizon.

Xie Daoyun lowered the green curtain, withdrew her gaze, and lowered her head.

She suddenly remembered a time from her childhood, after a snowfall, when her father held her hand and they admired the plum blossoms in the courtyard. Her father pointed to a winter plum tree in front of the courtyard and said to her, "This flower does not compete for spring but blooms alone in the snow. It is not that it cannot compete, but that it disdains to."

When she heard that, she just nodded as if she understood but not quite.

Looking back now, she might spend the rest of her life like that winter plum blossom, blooming alone in the wind and snow, unappreciated and uncompetitive, simply dying in solitude.