After the Great Dao Died

Government slaves were mostly the descendants of condemned officials. Their status could not be any lower.

Under the Great Li Statutory Code, this status was strictly hereditary. Generation after generation, they had almost no chance to turn their lives around. In the eyes of the law, they were equivalent to livestock.

The law offered government slaves no protection; they could be bought, sold, gifted, or awarded at will.

In many strictly regulated noble estates, government slaves were forbidden from coming into direct contact with the main family. They were restricted to grueling physical labor. Even roles like personal maids or attendants would never fall to them.

Because of this, initiating contact with the main family without orders was a grave crime.

Here and now, amid the drifting snow, Chen Lingxi stood outside the octagonal pavilion. Lin Longyue cast only a single glance at him before several guards stepped forward, silently waiting for her order to dispose of him.

Chen Lingxi gritted his teeth and lowered his head.

Lin Longyue took another sip of tea and remained silent, as if waiting for him to speak.

A few breaths passed before the official bondservant standing in the snow finally seemed to muster his courage.

”Forgive my offense, Young Miss!” he said, keeping his head bowed. ”I, Chen Lingxi, was originally a scion of the Linchuan Chen family. I am well read in poetry and literature, and proficient in the art of flower arrangement.”After my maternal family incurred the emperor’s wrath, I was reduced to an official bondservant.”

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath, letting the freezing snow drift into his collar. Though his voice carried a hint of trepidation, it remained clear and steady:

”This official bondservant has languished in the reverse-facing quarters for roughly two years, never daring to step out of line.

”However, while clearing snow yesterday, I happened to see the vigorous old locust tree in the garden, the wintersweet braving the frost, and the white calyxes buried under the snow. They grow in bitter cold, yet their unyielding character does not wither. Their essence perfectly matches the aura described in the Ode to Snow: the steadfast pine and sturdy cypress are revealed only in the cold of winter.

”Having heard that you and the County Princess share a refined taste for flower arrangement, this bondservant acted presumptuously. I gathered plants from the garden and used wet clay as a base to attempt this vase... It was not meant to offend. I merely felt that the vitality of heaven and earth is eternal, and wished to offer my meager skills to grace an esteemed person’s desk.”

He paused slightly. His voice lowered, yet every word rang distinct:

”This official bondservant knows his status is lowly, and I would never dare shirk the crime of offending you. However...”

He suddenly lifted his head, his gaze piercing through the swirling snow to meet the icy eyes in the pavilion.

”Young Miss, have you ever looked closely at those white calyxes?”

Lin Longyue raised an eyebrow, finally looking directly at him.

Chen Lingxi continued, ”They grow beneath the snowbanks at the foot of the wall. Their stems are as thin as hair, their petals as sheer as cicada wings. To an ordinary person, they are nothing but weeds.

”Yet their roots dig three chi deep into the frozen earth. They do not wither under the snow, nor do they break in the wind. When this official bondservant brushed away the snow this morning and saw their buds were still green... this lowly thing sparked a will to struggle within me.”

He fell silent for a moment, but then seemed to make up his mind. ”As an official bondservant, death is inevitable.

”Since presenting a flower arrangement might earn me a sliver of hope, then much like those white calyxes beneath the snow... I might as well risk it all and try.”

Having said his piece, Chen Lingxi suddenly stopped and offered a deep bow. ”Lingxi asks the Young Miss to issue my punishment.”

The pavilion was quiet for a moment.

The charcoal fire crackled; the snow fell without a sound.

Lin Longyue set her teacup down, the bottom clinking against the stone table with a soft click.

Her gaze swept past the guards waiting with bowed bodies in the distance before returning to Chen Lingxi.

”You do possess some literary talent.” Her voice was still cold, but it had lost a bit of its previous bone-chilling edge. ”Using flora to symbolize strength of character, using the lowly to express an unyielding spirit... No wonder the County Princess liked that arrangement, and even said the nobles in the palace would fancy it.”

She stood up, her crimson cloak brushing against the stone stool as she slowly paced to the edge of the pavilion.

The snow’s reflection illuminated her face, revealing a very faint trace of amusement on her pale complexion.

”The Linchuan Chen family... I know of them. There are only a handful left in your entire family,” she said, tilting her head slightly. ”Your father, Chen Yanzhi, formerly served as a director in the Ministry of Rites. Years ago, he composed the Ode to the Winter Plum at the Imperial Banquet, and His Majesty personally praised him, calling his ’pure bones and unyielding spirit commendable.’ Is that right?”

Chen Lingxi’s shoulders tensed. ”...Yes.”

”Then do you know...” Lin Longyue’s gaze suddenly turned as sharp as a knife. ”A mere government slave has no right to speak of pure bones, much less an unyielding spirit.”

Chen Lingxi remained silent for a moment before whispering, ”This official bondservant knows.”

”If you know, why take the risk?”

Chen Lingxi lifted his face. Snowflakes landed on his eyelashes, melting into fine glimmers of water.

”Because this bondservant wants to live.”

His voice was very soft, yet exceptionally earnest. ”Chief Steward Zhao has been using the government slaves to test medicine. Out of eleven official bondservants, only two remain. There is no other path. If I do not strive to survive, then when Chief Steward Zhao returns, I will undoubtedly die.”

Lin Longyue stared at him.

A few more breaths of time passed. Then, she suddenly stood up straight, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

She walked out of the octagonal pavilion and stopped in front of Chen Lingxi, locking her eyes onto him. ”You know that I am at odds with my eldest brother?”

Chen Lingxi remained silent.

Lin Longyue asked again, ”You know that I have always despised Zhao Yong?”

”You know that in this Baosu Marquis Residence, I am the only one who can spare you from death?”

Chen Lingxi remained silent throughout.

Lin Longyue was half a head shorter than him, but it felt as if she were looking down on him. ”A mere government slave, confined to the northern courtyard’s reverse-facing quarters, interacting with only the most lowly figures in the marquis estate on a daily basis... yet you were able to see all of this...”

”Furthermore, you possess talent in flower arrangement... You even managed to break free when the County Princess’s guard, Wu Zheng, suppressed you with the might of his Silver Bone... That proves your root bone is also exceptionally good. You are capable of practicing martial arts!”

”You truly are a rare official bondservant!”

Her tone seemed to carry a hint of admiration. Not far away, the guards quietly backed away a few steps.

They likely assumed that Lin Longyue would no longer punish Chen Lingxi.

But in the next instant, Lin Longyue’s face abruptly turned as cold as frost, and her qi and blood surged like a tidal wave!

Crimson streaks of light could faintly be seen surging beneath the skin on the back of her hand, like molten copper flowing through her veins.

The drifting snowflakes instantly dissipated before they could even land around her body!

A formidable pressure crashed down onto Chen Lingxi!

”But since you presumptuously speculated about my intentions, how do you know... that I won’t kill you!”

Murderous intent swirled in the eyes of the marquis’s daughter.

Chen Lingxi took a deep breath...

”Because the Young Miss has the ambition to take charge of the household!”

Facing the boiling killing intent in Lin Longyue’s eyes, Chen Lingxi’s spine pulled taut like a bowstring as he uttered those shocking words!

”If you want to kill this bondservant, it would be no different from crushing a mere ant! But even an ant has its uses!

”If you spare me today, you might gain a fraction of assistance in the future. But if you kill me, you will only see a bit of filth and stain the snow in front of this pavilion.”

The wind whipped up a flurry of snow, throwing it into the pavilion as the charcoal fire popped.

The qi and blood around Lin Longyue slowly retracted, the crimson light gradually fading.

”You do have some guts.” She turned and walked back into the pavilion. Her sleeve swept over the stone table as she picked up her teacup. ”From today onward, you will move out of the reverse-facing quarters and temporarily reside in the West Courtyard Servant Quarters. You will be given a courtyard space so you can work on your flower arrangements. You do not need to pay any attention to Zhao Yong.

”Every three days, deliver a vase of flowers to my courtyard. The style must be novel, the underlying meaning clever.”

Chen Lingxi’s shoulders relaxed. He bowed. ”This official bondservant receives your command.”

Lin Longyue paused. Her gaze fell upon the gradually subsiding snowstorm outside the pavilion. Her voice was still cold, but it carried an unquestionable tone. ”Additionally... I permit you to go to the Martial Arts Courtyard. Have Instructor He Duan select a martial arts manual for you, and practice it on your own for now.

”I want to see if you truly have any talent in the martial arts. If you are worth cultivating, I might find a way out for you in the future.”

Hearing this, Chen Lingxi’s heart leaped. He forcefully suppressed the joy welling up inside him and gave a deep bow. ”Thank you, Young Miss!”

Amidst his pleasant surprise, he immediately thought of Liu Changle, his fellow sufferer who was still trapped in the reverse-facing quarters.

Over these past two years, if it weren’t for Liu Changle’s care, even if he hadn’t died, his life would have been vastly more difficult.

Just two days ago, Liu Changle had been brewing medicine to look after him.

So, taking advantage of Lin Longyue’s seemingly decent mood, Chen Lingxi gathered his courage, lifted his head, and tried to speak. ”Young Miss, this official bondservant has one more request... In the reverse-facing quarters...”

”Enough.”

Before he could finish, Lin Longyue mercilessly cut him off.

She turned around, her gaze sweeping over Chen Lingxi like blades of ice. The faint, barely discernible gentleness from moments ago had completely vanished.

”Chen Lingxi, you must remember your status. Granting you a chance at survival is already making an exception. As you are now, you have no right to ask for anything more.”

Her tone was flat, yet it carried an indisputable oppressive might. ”Do what I ordered well and prove your worth. Put away all your other thoughts for now.”

With that said, Lin Longyue no longer looked at him. She merely spoke to the maid waiting outside the pavilion in an indifferent tone. ”Take him to the West Courtyard to settle in. Tomorrow at the Hour of the Dragon, lead him to the Martial Arts Courtyard.”

She then waved her hand, gesturing for him to withdraw.

Chen Lingxi swallowed his unspoken words.

The snow weakened, and daylight leaked through the gaps in the clouds, bringing a bit more brightness.

Lin Longyue stood, pulling her crimson cloak around herself as she headed into the depths of the covered corridor.

Halfway there, she seemed to suddenly remember something and told the maid following her, ”Send some tea and snacks to guest minister Jiang Yuan. Do not be negligent.”

The two walked away.

Chen Lingxi looked in the direction of the West Courtyard and slowly let out a puff of white breath.

The evening drums echoed from a distant bell tower, the deep, heavy sound waves rolling over the marquis residence.

A lingering pain still ached in his internal organs, but that near-death chill had finally dissipated.

—

Upon returning to the northern courtyard’s reverse-facing quarters, it seemed Liu Changle was still laboring and had not yet returned.

The maid from the West Courtyard was waiting just outside the door.

Chen Lingxi looked around the room he had lived in for nearly two years, only to find there was nothing he could take with him.

He wanted to leave a letter for Liu Changle, but there was neither paper nor pen in the reverse-facing quarters.

After a moment of thought, Chen Lingxi poured out the ash from the Incense Burner and shaped it into a short message...

”Live on.”