Several years passed, and Xiao Nanyuan grew much taller.
The first time Bai Qingxue noticed this was when she returned from the ruins and pushed open the courtyard gate to find Xiao Nanyuan waiting for her under the old locust tree.
Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, falling on that face that was gradually maturing. As Bai Qingxue walked over, she realized the top of the girl's head now reached her own eyebrows.
Xiao Nanyuan stood before her, her head tilted up—no, nowadays, Xiao Nanyuan no longer needed to look up.
Xiao Nanyuan's gaze met hers levelly, her eyes dark and bright, with a hint of a smile within them.
“Immortal Sister, I'm taller than you today,” Xiao Nanyuan said, standing on her tiptoes for a moment before settling back down.
Bai Qingxue gave her a glance. “You are not.”
Xiao Nanyuan’s lips curved slightly, but she did not argue.
She turned to brew tea, her steps light and her skirt fluttering as she moved.
Watching her back, Bai Qingxue suddenly remembered how thin, small, and incredibly restrained she had been when she first arrived; she was like a completely different person now.
I suppose this is what they mean by the little girl of the house having grown up...
Bai Qingxue withdrew her gaze and sat down at the stone table.
Xiao Nanyuan came out carrying a tea tray and poured two cups of tea.
She placed one in front of Bai Qingxue and held the other herself.
She sat down opposite her, meeting Bai Qingxue’s eyes.
Her sitting posture was the same as before, but her whole being had opened up, like a small tree that had finally spread its branches and leaves, each leaf finding its own direction.
Looking at Xiao Nanyuan like this, Bai Qingxue occasionally thought it would be nice if she were just a small tree in the guest courtyard.
But Xiao Nanyuan was not. She was the daughter of the King of Nanhuai.
As that thought settled, the undercurrents of the Nanhuai dynasty surfaced along with it.
Bai Qingxue had long heard of the affairs within the Nanhuai dynasty.
Since reaching adulthood, the Heir Apparent, Xiao Chengyuan, had become tyrannical and depraved. He would have palace servants beaten to death at the slightest provocation, and the court officials dared not speak out despite their anger. The King of Nanhuai was old and frail, and state affairs were gradually being seized by the Heir Apparent's faction. The treasury was empty, taxes were heavy, and the common people were filled with resentment.
Bai Qingxue did not care about these things.
To whom Nanhuai belonged was of no concern to her.
She was here because of the ruins, not because of a change in dynasties.
But the King of Nanhuai cared.
One afternoon, the King of Nanhuai personally came to the guest courtyard.
Though only a few years had passed, he had aged abruptly. His hair was entirely white, his back was more hunched than before, and he needed a palace eunuch to support him as he walked.
He sat down before Bai Qingxue and rubbed his fingers for a long time before speaking.
“State Preceptor, I have a request.”
Bai Qingxue looked at him. The King of Nanhuai lowered his eyes, his voice raspy. “That child, Chengyuan... is useless. I have no sons, only one daughter.” He paused. “Nanyuan has been by the State Preceptor's side for years; her temperament and insight are far beyond those in the palace. I want... her to participate in state affairs and gradually take over.”
Bai Qingxue picked up her teacup and took a sip.
“She decides for herself.”
The King of Nanhuai froze, seemingly not expecting Bai Qingxue to say that.
He looked at Bai Qingxue's face, trying to find more meaning in that cold expression, but there was nothing. He lowered his head, nodded, and rose to take his leave. As he reached the gate, he stopped and spoke.
“State Preceptor, I know I have owed Nanyuan too much over the years. I do not ask for her forgiveness; I only ask that Nanhuai is not destroyed in Chengyuan’s hands.”
Bai Qingxue did not speak. The King of Nanhuai walked out of the courtyard gate.
Xiao Nanyuan thought about it for several days.
During those days, she was quieter than usual. Sitting across the stone table, she would stare blankly while holding her teacup, not refilling it even after the tea went cold.
Bai Qingxue did not say anything.
After all, such a matter should be decided by the girl herself.
On the evening of the fourth day, Xiao Nanyuan walked out of the side room. She walked up to Bai Qingxue and stood still.
The twilight fell on her face, making her eyes shine brightly. She looked at Bai Qingxue, her lips moving slightly before she pressed them together.
Bai Qingxue looked up.
“Have you decided?” Bai Qingxue asked.
Xiao Nanyuan gave a small nod, her voice soft but clear: “I want to try.”
Bai Qingxue looked at her.
At this moment, there was a light in Xiao Nanyuan’s eyes, but it was neither ambition nor desire; it was something called responsibility.
Xiao Nanyuan continued, “If I do nothing, Nanhuai will fall into my brother's hands. I don't want more people to suffer because of it.”
Bai Qingxue looked at her for a moment.
“Fine.”
From then on, Xiao Nanyuan began traveling back and forth between the guest courtyard and the royal palace.
Bai Qingxue did not know what happened in the royal court, nor did she ever ask.
But Xiao Nanyuan would always take the initiative to tell her.
It wasn't complaining or venting; in fact, most of it was just snippets and fragments that escaped from the edge of her teacup.
For instance, whom she had met today, which laws needed to be revised, or that her father's spirits were better today than last week.
Sometimes Bai Qingxue would respond, and sometimes she wouldn't.
Xiao Nanyuan didn't mind any of this; in truth, she simply wanted to talk more with Bai Qingxue.
Meanwhile, Bai Qingxue occasionally thought of something else.
That was the fact that Xiao Nanyuan still slept in Bai Qingxue's room.
Bai Qingxue sometimes wondered if she should have her sleep in the side room.
After all, no matter how one looked at it, Xiao Nanyuan was no longer a child. It wouldn't sound good for a young lady to sleep in someone else's room.
But on second thought, between her and Xiao Nanyuan, there had never been a need to care about what others thought.
This was Nanhuai; she was the State Preceptor, and Xiao Nanyuan was the princess.
Furthermore, in this life, she was a woman, so there seemed to be no need to avoid suspicion anyway.
Soon, Bai Qingxue set the thought aside.
One evening, Xiao Nanyuan returned later than usual. Twilight had already crept in by the time the courtyard gate was pushed open.
Xiao Nanyuan walked in with fine beads of sweat on her forehead. A few strands of hair had come loose and clung to the side of her face. She was carrying a stack of bamboo slips and walking quickly.
Seeing Bai Qingxue sitting at the stone table, she didn't curve her lips in a smile first as she usually did. Instead, she sat down on the stone stool and took a large gulp from the cup of tea.
“Immortal Sister, the argument in court today was quite fierce.”
Bai Qingxue looked at her.
Xiao Nanyuan did not look away. Her finger slowly traced a circle around the rim of the cup.
“But I won.”
Only then did the corners of Xiao Nanyuan’s mouth curve up. It seemed that amidst her exhaustion, a spark of pride had also emerged.
Bai Qingxue didn't say anything, but simply reached out and refilled Xiao Nanyuan’s empty cup with hot water.
Watching Bai Qingxue’s movements as she poured the tea, that bit of pride slowly dissolved, transforming into something else.
She picked up the teacup but didn't drink, only holding it. The steam from the tea infusion rose, blurring her features.
“Immortal Sister,” she called out.
“Mm.”
“Why did you come to Nanhuai in the first place?”
Bai Qingxue picked up her own teacup and took a sip. “You’ve asked that before.”
“But what if the sect hadn't sent you?”
Bai Qingxue was silent for a moment. “Why think of such things?”
Xiao Nanyuan smiled and didn't ask again.
She knew Bai Qingxue was avoiding the question, but she didn't need an answer.
Her Immortal Sister was here, and that was enough. As for why she was here, it didn't matter.
At night, Xiao Nanyuan lay on the low bed with the blanket pulled to her chin, her eyes open.
Moonlight filtered through the window lattice, falling on Bai Qingxue's face. Bai Qingxue sat cross-legged on her bed with her eyes closed, her breathing steady.
“Immortal Sister,” Xiao Nanyuan’s voice drifted through the darkness, very light.
Bai Qingxue did not open her eyes. “Mm.”
“Do you think I can do it well?”
Bai Qingxue was silent for a moment. “You don't need me to make that judgment.”
Xiao Nanyuan’s lips curved slightly as she pulled the blanket up a bit higher, covering half her face. “I want to hear it.”
Bai Qingxue opened her eyes and looked down at the lump of blankets on the low bed. Xiao Nanyuan only showed her eyes, dark and bright, like two stars in the moonlight.
“You can,” Bai Qingxue said.
Xiao Nanyuan didn't speak. She pulled the blanket over her head, tucking herself completely inside.
After a while, a voice came from under the blanket: “Goodnight, Immortal Sister.”
Rate on N.U.
