Chapter 33: I want to eat crab roe in autumn!

To Zhou Xian's surprise, Zhou Heng did not scold him in the letter.

Zhou Heng simply asked if he was well and how he was getting along with the monks, then brought up matters in the capital. According to Zhou Heng, Emperor Yongchang had drafted a title for him: "Rui." After the New Year, Sixth Prince Zhou Heng would become His Royal Highness Prince Rui. Zhou Heng also complained about the court's pressure on him to marry. He had been a monk for years, still a member of the Quanzhen sect, abstaining from meat and fish and not marrying. Even if he had been a fake Taoist priest before, he was now a true Taoist priest. How could he be forced to break his precepts?

Speaking of this, Zhou Xian couldn't help but recall the ill-fated relationship between Sixth Brother and Mu Guang, and sighed deeply at the letter. The two had met in their youth, riding horses to the capital together, and were quite close. But Mu Guang, possessed by his own desires, had offended Sixth Brother, and since then, they've parted ways, a relationship that continues to this day. Sixth Brother, to avoid Mu Guang, had lied about his Taoist roots, retreating into the mountains and wandering the world. Years of cultivation had made him a complete detached person. If it weren't for the turmoil in the court, Sixth Brother might never have returned to the capital.

It's all love sins.

Zhou Xian picked up his pen, pondered for a moment, and then wrote a greeting on paper. He first recounted what he had seen and heard outside, describing the sound of rain in the temple and the bright moon over the vast river. He then reassured Zhou Heng that the monk was doing well and asked when he had made the friend Monk Yu... He wanted to pour out his worries, but fearing the letter would be opened and monitored by the people from the East and West Factories, he could only cryptically inform his sixth brother that his fate, and that of his sixth brother, was in the hands of his father.

He finished writing the letter, stood up and walked out the door, just in time to meet Wang Xiang's eunuch, who asked him to send the letter to the Sixth Prince in the capital. The eunuch agreed.

The autumn sun was shining brightly, the sky clear and blue. After Zhou Xian had given his instructions to the eunuch, he turned around and saw Zhang Jinwei approaching with a big smile on his face. He didn't know what made him so happy.

Zhou Xian still remembered what he said yesterday and said angrily, "Didn't you say you would take me out yesterday?"

Zhang Jinwei came over and tried to hold his hand: "When have I ever broken my promise? The sedan chair is already ready. Seeing someone lingering in the room for a long time, I thought she didn't want to go!"

Zhou Xian said, "I'm writing back to Sixth Brother."

Zhang Jinwei smiled. "I see. I was wrong about Xianxian. Let's go! The crab market in the south of the city is already open. Let's go and join in the fun."

As he said this, he tried to pull Zhou Shan out.

After passing through the hanging flower gate, they saw a sedan chair parked steadily in front of the gate. A flattering eunuch took Zhou Shan's hand and helped him into the sedan chair. Zhou Shan saw that the eunuch looked unfamiliar and did not look like someone from his courtyard, so he asked, "Where are you from, eunuch?"

Xia Fu quickly said, "In reply to the princess, Lord Feng heard that the princess was going out, so he specifically ordered me to come and take care of her. Yingtian Prefecture is bustling, but a little too busy. The princess is unfamiliar with the place, so I'll lead the way. I'll take the princess and her husband to the crab market first, and then to a horse farm in Zhongshan to enjoy the autumn scenery. I hope the princess has a great time, and I'll be happy too."

Zhou Xian said calmly, "You are quite good at talking."

Xia Fu bowed his body, his posture humble, and said, "I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. I was just talking nonsense. Please forgive me, Princess."

Upon hearing that the eunuch was Feng Gui's subordinate, Zhou Xian's curiosity waned. He climbed into the sedan chair with a sullen expression. Suddenly, he caught sight of Zhang Jinwei, a man riding a horse and known for his indigo clothing. Before he could even glance at him, the eunuch beside the sedan reached out and lowered the curtain.

…

The crab market is prosperous.

This was a market in a district in the southern part of Yingtian Prefecture. Zhou Xianfang had just stepped out of his sedan chair when he was met with a strong, fishy aroma of freshwater fish. He was about to move forward when Zhang Jinwei grabbed him and held him in his arms. Zhang Jinwei tied a veil on his head, but he complained, "I don't want to wear it!"

Zhang Jinwei was helpless: "Just wear it for a while. There are too many people in the Crab Market. When we go to Zhongshan later, even if the princess lets her hair down, I won't stop her."

Zhou Xian reluctantly obeyed.

Of course he knew that he was being unreasonable, but when he saw Zhang Jinwei, he couldn't help but lose his temper when he thought of the previous man's bad behavior. After all, Zhang Jinwei was the only one around him who could make him act coquettishly.

Hand in hand, they walked into the bustling crab market, like any other couple walking arm in arm. The eunuchs followed not far behind, and the shrewd Xia Fu looked left and right, closely watching the passersby, conscientiously fulfilling his duties, fearing that someone would cause trouble.

Crabs are sensitive to light, so crab vendors set up long sheds at the market. Crabs are packed into spindle-shaped crab cages, lined up in rows and rows, as people come and go. The crabs left exposed are tied with straw ropes and rest quietly in the cool water, bubbling from their mouths, waiting for people to pick them. The area is spacious, crabs are plentiful, crab vendors are plentiful, and even more people buy crabs. This demonstrates the widespread popularity of crab-eating in the Jiangnan region.

Zhou Xian was amazed; it was his first time seeing such a grand live animal market. He suddenly heard a few exclamations and turned to see that a crab cage at a nearby stall had collapsed, sending dozens of crabs scrambling to escape from the tiny cage openings. The crab vendor, an elderly woman, was crying out, "Aiyo aiyo," trembling as she bent down to catch crabs.

At this time, Zhang Jinwei on the side spoke up: "The crabs of this old woman are quite fresh. Princess, look, it has been out of the water for about a day, and it can still run so far. Let's go and ask the price." As he said, he bent down and picked up a crab that crawled on the ground and handed it to Zhou Shan to see.

Zhou Xian moved closer and saw the little creature baring its teeth and claws, its claws dancing vigorously. He reached out to grab it, but almost got his fingers pinched. Zhang Jinwei smiled and said, "When catching a live crab, you have to grab its back and belly, otherwise you will get pinched!"

Zhou Xian followed his instructions and held the crab in his hands. The crab shells were smooth and cool, a delightful sight. He returned the crabs to the old woman, who smiled and said, "Thank you so much! I'm an old woman, my hands and feet are rusty. I'm deeply grateful to you for helping me catch these creepy-crawlies."

"Excuse me, old lady, how much is that basket of crabs worth?" Zhou Xian asked.

The old woman was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood what Zhou Xian meant. She said eagerly, "My crabs are all caught from Yangcheng Lake. They cost three cents per catty. A basket of crabs weighs about ten catties. If I round off the difference, it'll be three taels of silver for you, young lady!"

Zhang Jinwei said to Zhou Xian, "You have a cold constitution, so I'm afraid you won't be able to eat too many crabs. We're leaving tomorrow, so are you sure you want to buy a whole cage?"

Zhou Xian nodded with a determined look.

Zhang Jinwei asked again: "Why don't you go look somewhere else?"

Zhou Xian said, "You said this place's crabs are fresh, so they are fresh. Wouldn't it be the same if you went to another place? They're all crabs after all, so as long as they're edible, that's fine!"

This shows that even after his trip, Zhou Xian still had a vague understanding of money. He was fine with calculating the household bills, but when it came to the actual daily necessities, he became a complete spendthrift, buying anything he liked.

Fortunately, this trip was fully supported by Governor Feng, so Zhang Jin didn't have to worry about it. As soon as Zhou Xian finished speaking, the eunuch beside him swiftly took out a silver ingot, weighing five taels, handed it to the old woman, and told someone to pick up the crab cage and leave.

The old woman, seeing the scene, knew she had met an important person. Eating crabs was a popular custom in Jiangnan, and officials and wealthy merchants sent people to the crab market every day to buy them. She was not surprised by this, but simply smiled sincerely and said, "Go home and eat them, young lady. My crabs are big and rich. If you like them, please support my business!"

Zhou Xian smiled shyly when he heard that. He thought that he would be leaving Yingtian Prefecture tomorrow and would not be able to eat it anymore.

After buying the crabs, Zhou Xian was tired of wandering around the crab market; it was nothing but crabs. While it was still early, he changed carriages and rode for half an hour to a farm on Zhongshan Mountain outside Yingtian Prefecture. The farm had a racecourse, and the stables were filled with many valuable horses. It was obvious at first glance that they were Feng Gui's favorites.

The people in the village received the crab cages, but did not go into the kitchen. Instead, they built an earthen stove in the autumn forest, brought out the crab steaming baskets from the house, chopped some green onions and ginger, tied up the crabs one by one, neatly stacked them in the baskets, lit the fire, and began to steam them.

While waiting for the crabs to cook, Zhou Shan sat on a stone bench. Frosted red maple leaves scattered across the ground. On the stone table before him, a crab, having escaped disaster, slithered sideways across the crimson leaves. Zhou Shan teased it for a while. When the crab tried to pinch him but couldn't, Zhou Shan smiled and flicked it with his fingertips.

As soon as the crabs were cooked, the eunuchs hurriedly brought them out and used special tools to peel out the crab meat and crab roe. Zhang Jinwei, who liked to peel and eat the crabs at the same time, opened a crab in front of Zhou Xian. Wow, the old woman hadn't fooled them. It was indeed full of roe.

Zhou Xian pointed at himself, opened his mouth, and said in a very domineering tone: "I want to eat crab roe!"

He left the crabs that the eunuchs had peeled and refused to eat them, insisting on sticking to Zhang Jinwei. He ate a little bit as Zhang Jinwei peeled a little. After he finished a whole crab, Zhang Jinwei tapped the tip of his nose with his chopsticks and said with a smile, "You can't eat any more. You have a cold body. If you eat any more, you'll probably have a stomachache tomorrow."

Zhou Xian said pitifully, "Then I'll just eat the crab roe, okay?"

Perhaps it was because his expression was so pitiful and adorable, with a pair of cat-like eyes full of water, that it softened people's hearts. Zhang Jin, willing to admit defeat, fed all the crab roe in his bowl to Zhou Xian.

The eunuchs also cooked rice wine to neutralize the coldness of the crabs. The small stove for cooking wine was steaming on the earthen stove, white mist was floating, and the aroma of wine was everywhere.

After having a good meal and a good drink, Zhang Jinwei took Zhou Shan to go horse racing again.

The eunuchs led a docile chestnut horse with a glossy coat and a pair of gentle eyes. Zhou Xian approached and gently stroked the horse, which then lowered its long eyelashes and looked at him affectionately.

Xia Fu, standing by, said, "This horse's name is Rounu. It has a very gentle temperament. When the princess calls its name, it even responds!"

Zhou Xian called out, "Rounu?"

The rouge horse heard the call, bobbed its head up and down, and came closer, nuzzling Zhou Shan affectionately. Zhou Shan laughed at the nuzzling. The horse was so strong that it made him unsteady on his feet. He took a few steps back and almost fell into Zhang Jinwei's arms.

Zhang Jinwei smiled and said, "It likes Xianxian. Does Xianxian want to ride it?"

Zhou Shan nodded. This was his second time riding a horse. The first time was on the way to escape Yan'an Prefecture, when Monk Yu's horse had gone mad and made him want to vomit. But Rounu was different. It was born and bred to entertain the ladies. A special seat was attached to its back, allowing Zhou Shan to sit sideways in a skirt. Zhang Jinwei carried him onto the horse's back. Rounu was extremely docile, carrying them both slowly along.

After they walked a distance, among the layers of maple leaves, where the eunuchs could hardly see clearly, Zhang Jinwei drove the horse while kissing Zhou Shan.

Zhou Xian felt dizzy, perhaps because he'd drunk too much. The hidden sadness from the day before surfaced again. He leaned against Zhang Jinwei, panting slightly, and suddenly asked, "If... I weren't a woman, would you still kiss me?"

Zhang Jin paused as he was pulling the reins.