Wish You All the Best - Extra Chapter 1

Extra Chapter - Everyday Life of a Couple (Part I)

The sky was high and the clouds thin; wild geese flew toward the south. Across an endless, undulating desert, a sea of golden poplars stretched into the distance.

Autumn outside the Great Wall possessed a grandeur and vastness quite distinct from the scenery within the pass.

On this day, along the ancient road of Ganzhou, a line of travelers approached from afar. Dozens of mounted guards, though dressed as ordinary travelers, were each robust and imposing, escorting several carriages in a long, winding procession.

This group was none other than the Prince and Princess of Jin, heading toward Suye City, along with their retinue.

At the far edge of the horizon, the faint, black silhouette of city walls could already be seen—that was Suye City, formerly the site of the Longyou Jiedushi (Military Governor's) office, and now the location of the Prince of Jin’s residence.

The border had been peaceful for over a decade. Ever since Pei You'an moved the Jiedushi’s office here in the early years, the city’s unique geographical location and the imperial court’s strong support had attracted people from all directions. The population had increased year after year, forcing the city to expand its walls several times. Today, Suye City was like a pearl set in the yellow desert sands, having become the most prosperous city outside the Great Wall. With hundreds of flourishing trades and merchants gathering from all corners, if one did not leave the city gates to see the yellow sands, the bustling scenes within felt no different from the cities inside the Great Wall.

Three months ago, when the people heard the news that Master Pei—the official who had moved the Jiedushi office here and spent over a decade building this peace—was returning, and furthermore, that he was returning as the Prince of Jin to establish his fiefdom, the entire city erupted in joy. The residents had been waiting with bated breath, looking forward to his arrival.

The journey had not been rushed. Pei You'an guarded Jiafu, traveling by day and resting early each night. Whenever they encountered a particularly scenic spot, they would stop to linger for a day or two before continuing on. Because of this, they had departed in early summer and did not arrive until now, at the beginning of autumn.

Jiafu lifted the curtain of the carriage and gazed ahead.

They had been away for over a decade, and in those ten-plus years, great changes had taken place. Starting a few years back, in addition to the regular border trade markets, the annual spring fair had expanded to include both spring and autumn sessions.

As it happened, the day of their arrival fell during the busiest days of the autumn fair. The East and West Markets inside the city could no longer contain the crowds, so the fair had spilled out beyond the city gates.

The caravan gradually drew closer to the city. The road became congested, filled with merchants leading camel caravans and travelers of various skin tones and attires moving to and fro. Upon seeing this group, clearly hailing from within the pass, people stopped and turned to look, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Perhaps because of Pei You'an, Jiafu had always harbored a unique sense of intimacy in her heart for this city where she had lived for several years. Past memories surfaced one by one, and she could not help but feel a slight surge of excitement; the fatigue of the long journey vanished entirely.

She called out to Pei You'an, who was riding alongside, and said she wanted to get down and walk.

Pei You'an had originally been worried about her exhaustion and wanted to reach the city quickly so she could rest. Seeing her look at him with such anticipation, he thought for a moment, then ordered the caravan to stop by the roadside. He took her arm and helped her step down from the carriage.

Having sat in the carriage for most of the day, her legs were sore. After stepping down, Jiafu stretched her limbs, donned the pointed sun hat favored by local women, and walked slowly toward the city gate, side-by-side with Pei You'an.

On the flat ground flanking the road, temporary tents had been erected one after another. Women carried water pots to the government water carts parked by the road to fetch water for cooking, while children played and chased each other, darting in and out of the tents. Their laughter carried on the wind and could be heard from far away. The market extended in both directions, seemingly endless. Merchants hawked their wares before their stalls, bargaining loudly with customers. It was a bustling, crowded scene of prosperity and vitality.

Up ahead was a juggling stall where a man was performing fire-breathing and tightrope walking, attracting a large crowd of onlookers.

Jiafu stopped at the side of the road to watch for a while. She was reminded of that year long ago when she had brought Ci'er to the fair, a scene so similar to today. Over a decade had flashed by, and though Ci'er had grown into an adult, those memories felt as fresh as if they were yesterday. She couldn't help but feel a deep sense of emotion.

"What are you thinking about?"

Pei You'an asked her.

Jiafu came to her senses, shook her head, and smiled at him.

Pei You'an scanned the area and saw a crowd packed ahead, filled with shouting and commotion. Seeing how lively it was, he took Jiafu’s hand and led her over. Upon getting closer, they saw it was an archery competition.

The challenger was a Hu tribesman who had drawn a line on the ground. Several dozen paces away, he had used a thin string to hang a jade she (an ancient archer’s thumb ring) high in the air. The jade was fine mutton-fat jade, of great value. He proclaimed that anyone could come forward to shoot; they were limited to one arrow, and as long as the arrow passed through the hole of the thumb ring and pinned it to the target behind, the ring would be theirs.

The Hu man stood behind the line, nocked an arrow, and aimed. His archery was indeed superb—the arrow flew straight through the hole, pinning the thumb ring to the upright target behind it.

After the surrounding crowd finished cheering, seeing how easily he had done it, those with some archery skill were eager to try. Even those who had never held a bow, tempted by the high value of the jade ring, were stirred to action, taking turns to attempt the shot.

Unexpectedly, while it looked easy, it was incredibly difficult. Each person had only one chance, and the hole in the thumb ring was no larger than a thumb. Fitting an arrowhead through it, especially while it was suspended and swaying in the wind at such a distance, made the task exceedingly difficult.

The stall had been set up for three days. In those three days, no fewer than a hundred people had tried, but not one had even come close. As Pei You'an led Jiafu over, a group of military officers from the Suye Commander’s office were on leave. Having heard of the Hu man’s stall and his arrogant taunts toward the Wei people, they had come together to try. Yet, in the end, none of them could hit it.

The officer among them with the best marksmanship had seen his arrow miss slightly, perhaps due to the wind, knocking the thumb ring and breaking it in two before it fell to the ground.

The entire crowd fell silent.

The Hu man remarked, "I heard that in the Wei army, there are special infantry and cavalry archers, renowned for being able to 'pierce a willow leaf at a hundred paces' and being invincible in battle. I came here during the autumn fair out of admiration to see it for myself, but it seems..."

He shook his head, ordered a servant to tie another identical thumb ring to the string, and laughed loudly: "Broken is broken. My Zhamu tribe has everything; why would we begrudge a mere jade thumb ring? I won’t make you compensate me. Just call someone else to try. As long as someone can pin the ring to the target as I did, I will immediately give it away, pack up my stall, return to Zhamu, and never set foot on Wei territory again!"

Twelve years ago, Pei You'an led the army to defeat the Hu tribes, breaking their royal court and forcing them to submit to Wei as vassals. To make governance easier, the late Emperor divided the Hu lands into more than twenty khanates according to their tribes, appointing a khan for each and using the privilege of trade with Wei as a condition to keep them in check.

The method was indeed effective. Northern Desert was now filled with competing khanates, suspicious of one another. No tribe could unite the region and establish a single, great khanate as they once had. However, after a decade, some tribes began to grow in power. The Zhamu tribe was one of them; their newly ascended khan was ambitious and dreamed of reuniting the Northern Desert to restore the glory of the old khanate.

Three months ago, the various khanates of the Northern Desert received an imperial decree from the Great Wei court: the Prince of Jin was to open his court in Suye City. The decree ordered the various khanates to send envoys to pay their respects, and from then on, the Prince of Jin's residence would replace the imperial court in receiving tribute and conducting diplomatic duties. Now, many envoys had already gathered in the city, awaiting the arrival of the Prince of Jin to pay their audience.

The Zhamu tribe had naturally come as well.

The onlookers, seeing the arrogant demeanor of the Hu man and his mockery of the Wei people, were all annoyed. The dozen or so officers were particularly red-faced, and the more hot-tempered ones were about to rush forward, prompting the Hu man’s attendants to immediately close in.

"This person is the Zhamu tribe's ace archer, known for never missing. He arrived recently with the Zhamu envoys," Yang Yun had already gathered the information and reported to Pei You'an.

Pei You'an told Jiafu to wait for a moment. He stepped forward, patted the arms of the officers to signal them to step back, and walked up to the line. He picked up the bow hanging to the side, nocked an arrow, exerted force, drew the bow to its full length, aimed at the jade ring swaying in the air, and released the arrow.

As soon as he appeared, the crowd went silent, countless eyes fixed firmly on his every move.

Jiafu knew that he had studied archery under famous masters in his youth to strengthen his body, and his skill was quite extraordinary. But in such a setting, she still felt nervous. She opened her eyes wide, watching. The arrow flew out, heading straight for the target, and before she could even blink, the arrow had already struck home.

On the shaft of the arrow, an object was clearly visible—it was the jade thumb ring.

She let out a sigh of relief. After a brief silence, the onlookers erupted in a wave of cheers, each and every one of them beaming, feeling happier than if they had made the shot themselves.

The Hu man, who had initially dismissed the middle-aged scholar-looking man who emerged from the crowd, was stunned. He hadn't expected the man to be so skillful. After being dazed for a long while, he managed to suppress his annoyance and was about to call for someone to retrieve the thumb ring when he saw the man nock another arrow. After two more shots, the very string that held the thumb ring had been cleanly severed, leaving it dangling and swaying in the wind.

The crowd erupted in cheers again, the people looking at the archer and whispering incessantly.

The Hu man’s face turned red and then white, secretly shocked as he stared at the man: "Who are you?"

Pei You'an did not answer. He put the bow and arrow back and said to the officer who had missed his shot: "The ultimate peak of archery does not lie in the continued arduous practice of technique, but in the harmony of heart and eye. With your skill and familiarity, pinning that ring to the target should not have been difficult. You failed because you were flustered under the gaze of the crowd. When you go back, focus on training your heart; if you can do that, what is difficult about defeating this Hu tribesman?"

The officer had long since been swayed. Hearing him speak in such a tone, like an superior officer, he looked at Pei You'an in astonishment, speechless for a moment.

"Master Pei! You are Master Pei!"

Just then, another officer finally recognized Pei You'an and cried out. In his excitement, he used his old title.

Pei You'an smiled and nodded slightly: "It is indeed me."

The officers knelt down to him, and the nearby citizens, many of whom had gradually recognized Pei You'an, followed suit.

Pei You'an asked the people to rise and walked past the dumbfounded group of Hu men back to Jiafu’s side.

Jiafu glanced behind him and said with a low laugh: "It’s all Master Pei's fault. You drew too much attention the moment you arrived, and now everyone recognizes you. The fair is impossible to see now; we should hurry into the city."

Pei You'an smiled, led her back to the carriage, mounted his horse, and the group entered the city gate.

Soon, the Suye commander heard the news and hurried over to greet them.

Accompanied by the thronging crowd, the group finally arrived in front of the gates of the former Jiedushi office, now converted into the Prince's residence.

Jiafu stepped down from the carriage, looked up at the freshly painted lintel, and paused.

Pei You'an followed from behind, gently took one of her hands under her sleeve, and whispered: "We are inside."

Jiafu looked at the man beside her, seeing him lower his head slightly and gaze at her with a smile. She slowly tightened her fingers around his, nodded, and walked with him through the gates and into the residence.