Though winter lasted only three months, to Qingnu, it felt like more than half a year.
At first, she saw a blanket of snow almost every time she woke up.
Watching the palace attendants struggle to wade through the white drifts, Qingnu ground her sharp teeth, her mood growing increasingly irritable.
'This damn weather is a personal vendetta against snakes!'
Eventually, Qingnu decided to simply stop waking up at all, choosing to sleep through the entire winter.
She commandeered the main hall where Jiang Ziya handled government affairs for her hibernation. To avoid disturbing her, Jiang Ziya moved all his bamboo scrolls to another palace chamber to conduct his business there.
It wasn't until the spring chill turned biting and the rising sun began to melt the snow that Qingnu finally returned to life.
She stretched lazily and kicked the door open as she walked out.
When Jiang Ziya returned, he found one door hanging precariously on its hinges and the other shattered into pieces. With a sigh of resignation, he called for someone to repair the entrance.
Once Qingnu left, she didn't return for five or six days.
Jiang Ziya had intended to send men to look for her, but just as he had gathered his party to set out, Qingnu reappeared.
She was carrying half a deer over her shoulder.
"Quick, quick, get the pots ready and light the fires!"
Jiang Ziya looked on in astonishment as Qingnu returned carrying a deer nearly as large as herself. He hurriedly gestured for his men to help.
The men he had gathered to search for her became the perfect laborers, helping to haul the half-carcass.
"Master, what is the meaning of this? Where did this deer come from?"
Qingnu handed the deer to the palace servants and loosened her stiff joints. She said to Jiang Ziya, "I got it from a hunter. Don't worry, I didn't steal it; I paid him."
"That is not what I meant," Jiang Ziya said, shaking his head. "If you craved venison, Master, you only needed to say the word. I would have sent men to find some for you! Why trouble yourself with a personal trip?"
"I’ve been asleep for so long. If I don't move around, I'll turn to stone!"
Qingnu waved her hand at the nearby servants, urging them on. "Roast half of this venison and stew the rest! Off with you."
"Yes, Master!"
The servants bowed hurriedly, and several of them worked together to carry the venison away.
While waiting for the meat to be prepared, Qingnu looked at Jiang Ziya and asked, "I don't see you buried in paperwork today. Have you finished gathering the craftsmen needed to build the new capital?"
"They have been gathered. We set out in half a month," Jiang Ziya nodded.
Qingnu said, "I'm going too."
Jiang Ziya looked at her, puzzled. "You are going as well, Master? For what reason?"
Qingnu nodded firmly. "Yes. I need to secure some property in the new capital."
"Secure property?"
Jiang Ziya was even more bewildered. Matters of food, clothing, housing, and transport were never things someone of his status had to worry about. He hadn't expected Qingnu to care about such trivialities.
"You wouldn't understand. For someone like me, being able to have a nest in the capital is the mark of a successful person. I have to go early. If I wait too long, housing prices in the new capital will skyrocket. If I can't afford it then, I'll be forced to sleep in a tree. This little snake's constitution can't handle being left out in the wind and rain."
A smile played on Qingnu's lips, revealing a small fang as she wagged a finger in front of Jiang Ziya.
Despite her explanation, Jiang Ziya still didn't quite grasp her concern.
"If you require a residence, Master, you only need to inform the King. He would surely prepare an excellent palace for you."
"No thanks. Getting too deeply involved with those in power is never a good thing."
Qingnu shook her head, her resistance clear. In the past, she might have scoffed at things like providence or karma, but she had transformed from a snake into a human. Furthermore, over the last two thousand years, she had felt the tangible existence of providence. It was only natural for her to keep a respectful distance from those who bore the dragon-aura of the realm.
Unless absolutely necessary, Qingnu didn't want too much interaction with them.
Who knew? If something went wrong with the dynasty one day and the monarch decided he needed an auspicious 'true dragon,' the whole world might be scoured to hunt down every snake in existence. She wasn't about to risk her peaceful life for that!
Jiang Ziya said nothing more. He respected all of Qingnu's decisions.
Half a month later, Qingnu set out with the party of craftsmen from the State of Qi, heading toward the banks of the Luo River.
Some of the craftsmen recognized Qingnu as the fabled Immortal Maiden in green from Yingqiu. Some grew bold enough to ask her to tell their fortunes, and Qingnu turned no one away.
However, this time it wasn't free.
Want your fortune told? No problem!
One wild rabbit per reading. If someone could offer a whole ox, she would cover their fortune-telling for the rest of their life.
The rabbits along the road suffered greatly.
After a month of traveling with plenty of food and drink, the party arrived at the construction site of the new capital.
On the plains north of the Luo River, a vast area had already been demarcated. Many craftsmen were already hard at work.
In the future, a towering capital city would stand here!
A nobleman in lavish attire was inspecting the site from atop a mound. He held a scroll of animal hide depicting the layout of the capital once completed.
Qingnu approached the young noble from behind and craned her neck to peek at the drawing on the scroll.
"How long will it take to finish Luoyang?"
The young noble was startled by her voice. The guards at his side only then realized that a woman had somehow approached without them noticing. They immediately surrounded her!
The young noble steadied himself. Seeing that Qingnu's attire was extraordinary, her skin fair, and her appearance far removed from that of a commoner, he assumed she was a noble lady raised in luxury. He gestured for his guards to stand down.
"I am Ji He, a kinsman of the King, tasked with overseeing the construction of the new capital, Luoyi."
Ji He bowed slightly to Qingnu with his hands clasped to show courtesy, then asked, "May I ask from whence the lady comes?"
"I came from the State of Qi," Qingnu replied.
Recalling that the craftsmen sent by the State of Qi had arrived earlier that day, Ji He asked, "Did Taigong Wang send you?"
"No, I came on my own."
Qingnu shook her head. Her answer made Ji He certain of her noble status; he assumed she was a lady of the ruling Jiang clan of Qi.
Ji He bowed again.
"Please put Taigong Wang's mind at ease. The craftsmen sent by the various lords have all arrived. At this rate, Luoyi can be completed in just two years!"
Qingnu then pulled several cowrie shells from her pouch and handed them to Ji He.
"I'll be staying here. This is my rent."
"This..."
Ji He looked at the shells she offered with a bewildered expression.
"Not enough?"
Seeing that Ji He didn't reach out to take them, Qingnu assumed he thought it was too little. "This is for one day. I'll give you tomorrow's payment tomorrow."
She wasn't sure how many days she would stay. If she paid up front and didn't stay, wouldn't that be a loss?
A poor snake couldn't afford such waste.
Ji He quickly shook his head. "No, that is not what I meant. Since you are a lady of the Jiang clan of Qi, it is no trouble for you to stay here. There is no need for payment."
'A lady of the Jiang clan?'
Qingnu blinked, looked Ji He up and down, and then, realizing his mistake, gave a beaming smile and nodded.
"Very well then. Thank you."
Only a fool turned down a freebie.
Qingnu carefully tucked the cowrie shells back into her pouch. Since he didn't want the money, she saw no reason to force it on him.
Ji He, for his part, was struck with admiration. It was said that the people of Qi were wealthy and particularly skilled in commerce. It seemed the rumors were true! Even a lady of the ruling clan spoke of cowrie shells the moment she opened her mouth.
Rate on N.U.
