Chapter 22: The Clown (Part 1)
Winter came faster in the capital than in Nanjing. The weather was getting colder, but the love between Yanru and Liu Xiang was burning more and more fiercely in the cold.
Liu Xiang stubbornly believed that frequent private meetings between men and women were inconvenient and bad for Yanru, so they could only continue as before, writing letters daily to encourage Zheng Sirui to interact, sneaking out for strolls on the academy's days off when the academy was less crowded. Yanru wasn't well-versed in poetry or allusions, so Liu Xiang couldn't express his feelings through poetry, so he could only write plain language. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and while he always prided himself on being a "talented man," he never tired of such simple and tedious communication. Despite Yanru's unsightly handwriting, full of jargon and jargon, Liu Xiang saw her as "spontaneous and lovely, unconcerned with details."
If I can become a pair of mandarin ducks, I would rather die than be an immortal.
While You and Liu exchanged sweet nothings, their affection unwavering. Meanwhile, Zheng Sirui was consumed by anxiety, her eyes reddening from sleepless nights. Hearing that Yanru and Liu Xiang were eagerly awaiting spring so they could hike the mountains and see the flowers together, Zheng Sirui's head shook like a rattle. Spring was approaching, and the imperial examinations were imminent, yet her grades remained mediocre. The rare improvements they made were only followed by a drop. Lately, it's been even more bizarre. During quizzes, her mind went blank, and she couldn't fill in a few blanks in the "Tie Jing" section. But after handing in the paper, she suddenly had a revelation, reciting the sutras by heart. She was so anxious that she developed an unidentified winter rash that itched and made her scratch. A doctor explained it was caused by qi and fire stagnation. After taking a few doses of Chinese medicine, the rash subsided, but her mind remained foggy and her grades plummeted.
This can't go on any longer. Yanru and Liu Xiang discussed it and picked a sunny day and dragged Zheng Sirui out to relax.
The most visited temple in the capital is undoubtedly Tiekan Temple. Built atop Qingxiu Mountain, nestled near the Imperial College, it draws a constant stream of visitors year-round. Early that morning, after breakfast, You, Liu, and Zheng gathered at the Imperial College gates and headed towards Qingxiu Mountain. Liu Xiang remarked that flowers bloomed on this mountain in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, with orchids planted at the foot of the mountain and small peach and plum groves lining the mountainside. At this time of year, the plum trees should already be laden with blossoms. Coming to Qingxiu Mountain, one can both enjoy the mountain and the flowers and burn incense and worship Buddha—killing two birds with one stone—how wonderful!
Burn incense and worship Buddha? Yanru recalled that back in Qiushui Academy, the kitchen maid Xue Gu had told her fortune and said that she would "start her life early, easily be favored by noble people, but be poor and destitute for the rest of her life". In reality, she met Ji Mingxiu. Although she had sacrificed a year of her youth, she got a large sum of money and came to the capital to study. She met the talented young man Liu Xiang and was sure to pass the imperial examination and become the wife of a Jinshi scholar - not only that! She could even become the wife of the number one scholar! She would only be rich and powerful in the future. How could she be poor and destitute? She shrugged and said with a wry smile, "I no longer believe in those ghosts and gods. They are all wrong..."
Before she could finish her words, Zheng Sirui covered her mouth with her hands in a flash: "If you don't believe it, just don't believe it in your heart. Don't say it out loud. The gods and Buddhas in the temple are watching us from the mountain."
Liu Xiang remained silent, chatting and laughing as the three of them reached a fork in the road halfway up the mountain. Yanru tugged at the clothes of the person next to her: "Liu Lang, there are two roads here. Which one should we take?"
Liu Xiang said, "Both paths lead to Tiekan Temple. There are plum blossoms at both ends, but the path on the left is wider and has more plum blossoms. The one on the right is steeper and narrower. There's a spring there, and in summer you can even see lotus flowers. Which way do you want to go, Yanru?"
"Of course it's the easier way!" Yanru thought without hesitation, "Why go to the right? It's freezing cold at this time of year, where are the lotus flowers? Liu Lang, let's go to the left!"
Zheng Sirui heard Yanru calling her "Liu Lang" and "Liu Lang" in such a cheesy way that she didn't want to be an eyesore. She quickly pointed to the right and said, "Okay! Then you two take that path, and I'll take this one. Let's see who reaches the top of the mountain first!"
Liu Xiang looked over there, seeing women walking up and down the path from time to time. He thought that it was a bright day, and there were many people coming and going to see the flowers. There was also a nunnery in the middle of the road, so it was not untraveled. Even for a young girl like her, she would not be in any danger. He did not object. After watching Zheng Sirui turn into the path, he and Yanru headed towards the top of the mountain in a close manner.
There had been a light snowfall the night before, and the accumulated snow had not yet dispersed. The snowflakes pressed down on the plum blossoms, the cold white wrapped in the warm red, making Yanru keep chirping, "Beautiful!" "Very beautiful!" She struck several poses among the branches and leaves of the red plum blossoms, pulling Liu Xiang, insisting that he quickly draw her charming figure under the flowers, and then take it back and slowly add other scenery. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the lovers pretended to be posing, and he squatted beside them to draw, attracting the attention of many passers-by. Yanru's back was still shaded by the flowers, but Liu Xiang was facing the road, feeling very embarrassed. He bit the bullet and drew three or two pictures, and discussed with Yanru: "Yanru, we came to see the plum blossoms and climb the mountain, the main thing is to see and appreciate them. Don't draw less, and walk around more, isn't it better?"
Yanru was unhappy. She knew full well that her so-called beauty was different from Zheng Sirui's. Even with her hair all over her face, Zheng Sirui still had a lazy and languid air. Yanru, on the other hand, needed atmosphere, makeup, and constant affirmation from others to feel truly beautiful. Ji Mingxiu had been so enthusiastic about painting her that she gradually became accustomed to, even dependent on, having small portraits to prove her appearance. Yanru pouted: "Do you dislike me? Do you think I'm not good-looking? That's why you don't want to be painted?"
"I swear to heaven and earth! I never did! I, Liu Xiang, love You Yanru. Even if your face was replaced by Zhong Wuyan or Dong Shi, I would still be happy." Liu Xiang swore to the heavens and the earth. Suddenly, he saw an unknown insect on Yanru's shoulder and quickly swatted it away: "Don't move, there's a bug."
"There are no bugs in this winter, and you took the opportunity to hit me! I'm going to hit you back!" She sounded angry at the beginning of her words, but her tone was full of joy, and she shouted and slapped Liu Xiang. The two laughed and cursed, and fought back and forth. Liu Xiang accidentally hit her veil. The style she was wearing today was strung with small beads, and it hurt a little when it hit her face. Yanru was offended, gnashing her teeth and walking straight into the depths of the plum forest, sitting on a large rock. Liu Xiang was at a loss, and hurried forward, half-knelt in front of her knees to admit his mistake and comfort her.
Yanru snorted, twisted her neck to the side, raised her leg sideways, and kicked the plum tree beside her, sending red plum petals cascading down onto Liu Xiang's head and shoulders. She turned her head and looked directly at Liu Xiang, who was adorned with plum blossoms. The jade-faced young man was more beautiful than any flower, and his eyes were moist as he looked at her.
Yanru's anger immediately subsided, and she became inseparable from her lover again.
Over there, Zheng Sirui walked up the stone steps, step by step, towards the top of the mountain. The path was a little steep and difficult to walk on, and the branches and leaves of the plum trees were sparse, but fortunately, with the faint fragrance and sparse shadows accompanying her, she didn't feel the steepness or difficulty walking alone. Halfway through, she turned a corner and saw more plum trees. The north wind whistled, and in the vast expanse of white, it was a glass world, with the winter plum blossoms standing proudly and brightly. Zheng Sirui thought of the story in "Peach Blossom Spring", where the man from Wuling accidentally entered the valley, walked to the end in darkness, and suddenly saw the light. She sighed at the beauty of the colorful fallen petals and said to herself, "Fortunately, I took this path, so that I can be a man from Wuling again. Although I am only looking at plum blossoms, I can also steal some of what Tao Yuanming knew and felt."
Picking off a red plum blossom and sniffing its unique fragrance, Zheng Sirui suddenly felt her five senses suddenly connected. Intrigued, she lifted the hem of her skirt, kicked the snow, and ran between the plum trees. Not far away, there seemed to be someone. Zheng Sirui stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. Deep in the plum forest, hidden by the branches and leaves, there was a beautiful young face. Zheng Sirui felt strangely familiar and slowed down her pace to get closer. From a distance, she asked in surprise: "Yanru? Why are you sweeping the snow here? Where's Liu Xiang?"
The man was startled by the cry and looked up to meet her gaze, his eyes filled with unfamiliarity and curiosity. He tucked a broom handle under his arm and clasped his hands together. "Amitabha, benefactor, I guess you've got the wrong person."
Zheng Sirui gathered herself, passed through several plum trees, parted the branches, and leaned forward. She saw the man wearing a wide-waisted, round-necked, square-lapeled cassock, and a hat. Her gaze met Yanru's, cold and serene, a stark contrast from the inside out. Zheng Sirui smiled apologetically. Unaware of Buddhist etiquette, she could only imitate Yanru, clasping her hands together. She said awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Master, your appearance bears a passing resemblance to my friend. Staring at you for so long against the white snow has made my eyes blurry. And just now, through the crimson plum blossoms, I couldn't see Master's clothing or hat, only your face, and I mistook you for someone else. I didn't mean to offend you, but I hope you'll forgive me."
The nun didn't seem angry, but simply nodded slightly, her lips raised politely, her gaze remaining icy and calm. Suddenly, a loud laugh echoed from a side path beside her: "This young nun came to Mantou Temple two years ago. She's definitely not the eldest daughter of the You family in Jinling!" Zheng Sirui looked up, her face beaming with joy. She quickly stepped forward and took the visitor's hand: "Yi Bin?! Why aren't you in Jinling?"
Yi Bin was followed by his maid, Cai Yuan. With a smile on her face, she descended the steps and saluted the young nun. The nun, broom in hand, walked into the woods. Zheng Sirui followed her figure, realizing that it was a nunnery with yellow walls and green tiles above. After the nun had gone far enough, Yi Bin replied, "It's only been a year since we last met, and you've forgotten my father is an official in the capital? I'm a true Beijinger, and it's strange for me to be home for the New Year."
Zheng Sirui knocked her head apologetically. "Blame me, blame me. I forgot that Jinling is only your maternal grandparents' home. Don't be upset. I've been studying at Guanyan for the past year. I was so dizzy from studying that Yanru often laughed at me and called me a fool. Just now I thought that the master was Yanru, but after a closer look, apart from a slight resemblance to Yanru's face, there's nothing like her."
Yi Bin explained, "Haha, my mother had contact with the nun at this Mantou Temple. It's said that the nun had encountered some major love affairs and was disheartened, so she came to Mantou Temple to become a nun. When she came, her body was covered in wounds, bruises all over. That's why the nun gave her the Buddhist name Xinmian. I don't understand what it means."
"Xin means suffering and sorrow, and mien means removal. Using it as a Buddhist name suggests a time of sorrow and grief." Zheng Sirui said, "By the way, Master, how is he? How is Master's wife? How is Qiushui now? Let's take the imperial examination together in the spring. Your father is serving in the capital, so are you now a student of Jinling or the capital?"
Yi Bin seemed to have been struck by something, his eyes dimmed. "Don't worry about you laughing at me, I won't take the imperial examination. I came back to the capital this time to get engaged. My parents have chosen many men and want to choose a husband for me, so they asked me to drop out of school and go home to choose carefully. They recently found a suitable one, but they were afraid I wouldn't like him, so they took the opportunity to come here to burn incense and let me meet him. My mother and his mother are both here. Oh, and I also changed my name. My family said the word Bin is not good, because it sounds like a man, so they changed my name to Yi Luofu."
"Luofu? Yi Luofu? Tsk tsk." Zheng Sirui found it rather awkward to pronounce. Seeing the man's dejected expression, she guessed he didn't like the new name, so she consoled him, "Very good. The Qin family has a beautiful daughter who named herself Luofu. Throughout history, only beauties could be called Luofu. From now on, when I recite 'Picking Mulberry Leaves' or 'The Peacock Flies Southeast,' it will all be 'The Dongjia has a virtuous daughter who calls herself Yi Luofu.' Hahaha, hey, what about that man? How's he? Let me see if he's worthy of your new name—character—?"
Before he could finish his words, a man emerged from the path, muttering, "I'm so bored, so bored." Yi Bin rubbed his brow in pain and gave Zheng Sirui a look. Zheng Sirui was full of interest, looking forward to seeing this handsome man again. When she took a closer look, her breath suddenly stopped.
A burly man emerged from the glazed white snow and pretty red plum blossoms—no, it seemed hard to find an appropriate word to describe his appearance. Green face and fangs? No, no, no, his teeth weren't long enough, sticking out from his gums like garlic sprouts just emerging from the soil. Rat-like eyes? Not quite right either, his head was huge, and from a distance, it looked like a crooked pumpkin. Prisoner's head and dirty face? Tsk, that's somewhat fitting. He did look slovenly, his face wrinkled with a slight grease sheen, his eyebrows untrimmed, tangled and lush, piled high above his brow bone. But his clothes were sharp, his sturdy frame wrapped in silk and satin. Hmm... After pondering for a long time, she couldn't find a suitable idiom to describe the man before her. Zheng Sirui despairingly admitted that all her years of studying had been in vain.
"Oh! Miss Yi actually came out first? Oh hey! How come there is such a beauty here!" Zheng Sirui was not wearing a veil, and the hood of her cloak hung on her shoulders. Her big almond-shaped eyes, high hump nose and delicate jaw were exposed to the north wind without any sense of danger, and she was frozen pink. He was like a cockroach smelling sugar, making a sound of slurping saliva, approaching with his teeth and claws bared, like a crab swaggering towards food, and came straight towards Zheng Sirui. The light focused in his small eyes licked her face, and then drilled into the gap of her cloak on her chest. Yi Bin pushed Zheng Sirui behind him and blocked her. Caiyuan understood what he meant, and immediately put her girl's cone hat on Zheng Sirui's head. The man finally realized his inappropriateness and vulgarity. He scratched the headscarf on his head, raised his chin, and asked:
"My name is Xue Jia. What's your name?"
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[Random Thoughts]: Family, this week I have been writing about the emotional life of You and Liu. Unfortunately, I found that the data was not good, so I had to speed up the story process. I originally thought that I could finish it in one go, but I am a little tired... I decided to divide it into two parts, and continue writing tomorrow...
Also, thank you all so much for your support~ Because of you all, I was able to go from being a fuzzy little writer to a fuzzy little writer. However, as I've already stated in the first chapter, this story is inspired by the Yu sisters from "Dream of the Red Chamber," and many characters are also derived from them. To avoid misunderstandings and trouble, I hope that when discussing this, everyone will focus only on our story of Sui Dynasty (madly winking, winking, begging, winking)~
Finally, I want to give a heart as big as a KFC family bucket and a Cha Baidao Super Fruit Cup to all the sisters who read this article. Thank you for your support. Listen to me saying thank you, because of you, the four seasons are warm.
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