Imperial Weight Chapter 37
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 37
After the court session ended, Little Phoenix came sniffling to find Xingyi to lodge a complaint. He carried a silver tray in his beak, hopped onto Xingyi's knee, set the tray down with a clang, and showed him the note tucked underneath.
Black ink on white paper, plain as day:
"A phoenix who does not eat lianshi fruit is not a good phoenix."
"A phoenix who eats persimmons is a bad phoenix."
"Little Phoenix is a bad phoenix."
Little Phoenix pulled a long face and cried his grievances, "Weijian, my snacks have been stolen two days in a row! The thief even slandered me, saying I'm a bad phoenix! He must have been spying on me eating persimmons with Little Coal Ball, and who knows, he might have been eavesdropping on our conversations too!"
Xingyi reached out and flicked him on his little forehead. "What's wrong with that? Aren't you just a bad phoenix?"
Little Phoenix hopped up to his shoulder and rubbed his cheek affectionately. "I'm not. Weijian, I am a good phoenix."
Xingyi looked at him all puffed up yet busy trying to clear his name, and inexplicably felt his mood lift a little — even his voice turned gentler. "Then shall I have another fifteen lianshi fruits brought to you? I'll catch the thief for you. I guarantee he won't come stealing your snacks tomorrow."
Little Phoenix half-believed him and poked his head forward to ask, "Really — can you catch him?"
Xingyi said, "Whether I can catch him or not is hard to say, but I will protect your snacks for you."
Little Phoenix began to hem and haw. "Then if you do catch him, can you send him to me so I can give him a good beating?"
Xingyi paused, glanced sideways, gave him a measured look, and reproached. "About to become an Empress, and still thinking about fighting all day — what is the meaning of this?"
Little Phoenix flexed his little claws, bounced once on his shoulder, and said, a little crestfallen. "All right, fine."
Xingyi glanced behind him again, and seeing that the Golden-Winged Bird had not followed, asked, "Where is your little younger brother?"
Little Phoenix blinked. "You mean Little Coal Ball?"
Xingyi said patiently, "I mean the Golden-Winged Bird."
Little Phoenix understood at once. "Then you said it wrong — the Golden-Winged Bird is my big younger brother; my little younger brother is Little Coal Ball. Just a moment ago I was making a flower wreath for Little Coal Ball, when the Golden-Winged Bird suddenly came running over, all teary-eyed, asking me if I didn't want him as my little brother anymore."
Xingyi asked, "And what did you say?"
Little Phoenix squatted down round and plump, and answered honestly, "Of course I said no! He has been very busy these past few days — I considered that he and Brother Tanlang were helping the Phoenix Ming Zun collect ingredients for a wellness tea, so I didn't go looking for him to play. But I don't know why he suddenly felt I didn't want him anymore. Aii, that vexing little imp. The reason he didn't follow me here is because I sent him off to wash the flower petals clean and dry them."
Xingyi: "......"
He asked, "But if you never stopped wanting the Golden-Winged Bird, and the Golden-Winged Bird never abandoned you, why did you still go looking for Little Coal Ball to play with?"
Little Phoenix thought about it. "Because he looks just like me — very young, with no family or friends. I want to look after the physical and emotional wellbeing of my juniors. He always seems very lonely to me, so I went over to keep him company."
Xingyi was rarely caught off guard, but he paused for a moment. "With the Golden-Winged Bird away and me without much time to keep you company, aren't you lonely? What if it is he who came over to keep you company?"
Little Phoenix pondered for a while. As though he genuinely could not quite understand the question, he blinked his pair of innocent little beady eyes and replied, "I'm not lonely, Weijian. When you and the others have no time for me, I go play with the fairy sisters, and there are the companions on the back mountain — they're everywhere, and they all listen to me very well. Besides that, I can go back to Fan Tian too. I've made many friends in the mortal world as well, and I still haven't found the time to go back and visit them — next time I'll bring you along."
"As for Little Coal Ball—" Little Phoenix tilted his little head — "he always wears such a cold, aloof expression, and he doesn't chirp along with everyone else. He looks to be the lonely one. That little bird has no liveliness whatsoever — nothing like a bird should be. I've been teaching him slimming exercises and singing lately, and he's been learning with great enthusiasm. You see, everyone treats me very well and likes to play with me. Weijian, there is one more thing I'll tell you in secret — in the grove outside the palace, there is an old persimmon tree spirit, a demon of some age, and he is very kind to me. Last time I went to trade him three feathers for one small sour persimmon, but he gave me two of the biggest and sweetest ones instead."
Upon hearing the part that concerned himself, Xingyi was at a loss for words, and in the end simply looked at him and said, "He was taking advantage of a bargain, and you think it's because he likes you."
Little Phoenix brought his little wing down on Xingyi's forehead with a smack and rebuked him sternly. "Weijian, this is your fault. He is clearly being kind — why would you say he was taking advantage of a bargain? Besides, there is nothing here for him to take advantage of."
Xingyi thought to himself that what the old persimmon tree spirit had his eye on was not any benefit from Little Phoenix, but rather from him, the Lord of Fuli Palace — but after turning it over in his mind, he swallowed the words back down. After much consideration, he finally only tapped lightly on Little Phoenix's small head with one finger. "You silly little thing."
This little bird was silly, yes — but strangely, he always had good fortune, and there was always that cluster of people willing to coax him and dote on him. This creature had a big heart, so big that he could only see a blade when it was pointed at his face, and would readily flap his little wings into a fight on a moment's notice — but the petty schemes people harboured behind his back were completely beyond him. He took them all as kindness.
"As long as you're not lonely, that's good." Xingyi looked at him and let out a quiet sigh. "Am I not a rather dull sort of person?"
Little Phoenix chirped softly by his ear. "Not at all, Weijian." He sneaked a look at Xingyi's expression, a little curious and a little shy. "Weijian, you've been asking me so many things — are you worried I'll be lonely, or are you upset that I have too many companions and not enough time to keep you company?"
Xingyi denied it at once. "No. I am the master of the Star Disc. I have no time to play with little birds."
"Oh." Little Phoenix let his small head droop again — then, a moment later, seemed to remember something, and told him, "But even though I have many companions, Weijian will always be first!"
Xingyi's eyes held a smile. "Oh? If I were to steal your lianshi fruits, would you fight me?"
Little Phoenix blinked. "Ah? I wouldn't fight you, Weijian — but a thief I would absolutely fight. Wait, no — why are you supposing you stole my snacks?"
Xingyi lifted him down from his shoulder and cupped him in his palm, keeping him safe and secure. He ruffled his snow-white down into a mess and rubbed his round, plump little belly. "You fibbing little bird — you say you like me, yet behind my back, you'd fight me over even one bite of your snacks. Little Phoenix is a bad phoenix, isn't that right?"
Little Phoenix came back to himself. "Ah?"
Xingyi said placidly, "These past two days, when I passed through the garden and felt a dryness in my mouth, I helped myself to some of your lianshi fruits. To think you'd regard me like this — calling me a thief. This husband of mine is truly a thankless role."
Little Phoenix's mouth fell open. He stood there utterly dumbstruck, round and plump as a dumpling, looking as though he could hardly believe what he was hearing. "I — I — I... Weijian, you must make it up to me — thirty... sixty... no, one hundred and twenty lianshi fruits, and I'm charging interest!"
Xingyi remained unmoved and poked him. "Snacks or husband — which do you choose?"
Little Phoenix underwent a bout of painful deliberation, then said with great reluctance, "I choose husband."
Xingyi asked again. "Little Coal Ball or me — which do you choose?"
Little Phoenix looked at him pitifully. "Weijian, you're being unreasonable. I like you both very much. A good husband would never ask his wife such a question. If you're so capable, answer me this — if me and your Star Disc both fell into water at the same time, which would you choose?"
Xingyi grabbed him and gave him a squeeze. "The Star Disc. If the Star Disc is safe, you're safe. You bad little phoenix — all your pretty words, and it turns out I'm not truly first in your heart after all. I'm merely equal to Little Coal Ball?"
Little Phoenix said shamelessly, "You and all my companions share the first place. I could not do without any of you."
Xingyi traded barbs with Little Phoenix for a good while — played enough, teased enough — and after romping with him for a spell, sent him off to go back and finish weaving the flower wreath.
He then sat alone in the smelting chamber, and stared at the Star Disc in a trance for some time.
A moment later, he heard a knock at the door. He opened it to find Yue Lao, whom he had not seen for many days, dressed festively from head to toe in red, with a snow-white, round, and chubby little bird perched atop his head — the very one Xingyi had just sent away.
Little Phoenix greeted him brightly, "Hello, Weijian. I ran into Brother Yue Lao on my way back, so I came along with him again."
Xingyi rubbed his temple. "Why are you here again? Be good and go play outside."
Yue Lao also smiled and patted Little Phoenix on the head. "Little Yuan Yuan, thank you for showing me the way. I have proper business to discuss with the Emperor today — why don't you help me sneak out his moonstone chessboard and set it up in the garden? We'll come play a game of chess in a little while, how does that sound?"
Little Phoenix chirped several times with delight and happily scurried off, leaving Yue Lao standing alone at the doorway.
He listened attentively for a moment until the sound of little wings flapping grew gradually fainter and the surroundings fell into complete silence.
The red-robed young man's gaze swept over the Star Disc before he spoke at last. "I heard from Tanlang that you are going to the Wangchuan River tomorrow."
Xingyi said, "Mm."
Yue Lao let out a sigh, "Pojun is a forceful person, but he is not one who is beyond reason. Since you're going, have a good frank talk, and let everyone lay this matter to rest. As for something like the Star Disc — who can really say who is in the right? In the end, no one was truly wrong; everyone had their own difficulties. And you — stop keeping that cold face of yours all the time. When the time comes, everyone will have a proper talk, and sit together all reunited — then have Little Yuan Yuan dance for us, and chirp a few songs or something... wouldn't that be lovely? Peace and prosperity, singing and dancing — it would certainly be very cheerful. I'd wager Little Yuan Yuan will adore playing with the Moon Palace Jade Rabbit. Small creatures like them always get along famously."
Xingyi listened to Yue Lao paint this picture of harmony and warmth for quite some time, stared at him for a long moment, and then said, "Are you dreaming?"
He drew his gaze back and fixed it unwaveringly on the Star Disc. "I am not bringing Little Phoenix."
Yue Lao smiled with a hint of knowing amusement, "Oh? And why not bring Little Phoenix? Are you afraid that once he learns of what happened three hundred years ago, he might suddenly discover you are a man without a heart or feelings — that he will fear you, and think you’re too cold and unfeeling?"
Xingyi extended a hand to summon the Star Disc, his gaze settling on a particular point upon it, and said lightly, "That I have no heart — he has known that for a long time. What I'm thinking is that if the talks break down and Pojun wants to come to blows with me, Little Phoenix will cry when he comes back."
Yue Lao was taken aback for a moment. Then he spoke again, "So you already know the talks will break down? Phoenix Ming Zun and I have already discussed it — he will go to Pojun's side to put in a good word, and I will come here to persuade you. But there is one thing I must tell you: regardless of whether you go or not, that little phoenix you've been raising must go — because Pojun and the Jade Rabbit have extended a personal invitation to him."
This time it was Xingyi who was startled. "What did you say?"
Yue Lao spread his hands. "I found it very strange as well. But they seemed to have known all along that there was a phoenix by your side — they specifically asked the Phoenix Ming Zun whether he knew a white-feathered, round and plump little bird. Apparently the Jade Rabbit and the Rabbit God have prepared a great many snacks and treats and are inviting him to come visit the Wangchuan River for a while."
