Chapter 84 Autumn Waters: "With me here, I'll make sure you don't fall off the boat..."
Jiang Ce was overjoyed, feeling that all the waiting was worthwhile.
Xue Chan's voice sounded soft and urgent as she rushed over: "I... I could have come earlier... but... I was just a little delayed."
Jiang Ce said, "It's not important, none of that matters. It's good that you're here."
What are you holding in your hand?
He looked down and immediately hid his flower basket behind his back.
I thought my flower basket was pretty, but when I saw Xue Chan, I thought it was terribly ugly, and giving it to her would be a shame.
only......
"When I was here, I wove a small flower basket. I was thinking of giving it to you, but it wasn't very pretty."
He still handed the flower basket to her, and the look in her eyes as she took it was always expectant yet slightly nervous.
Xue Chan looked at the small, exquisitely woven flower basket in her hand, which was filled with various flowers and had two tiny butterflies inserted inside.
Her heart softened: "It's beautiful, I like it very much."
Jiang Ce fetched the horse, walked up to her, and patted the horse's snow-white belly: "Come on, I'll teach you how to ride."
He led the horse, and the horse looked at her; both of them were equally serious.
Xue Chan's eyes and lips parted slightly: "It really is riding a horse..."
Jiang Ce nodded very seriously: "That's right, didn't I say I would teach you how to ride a horse the other day?"
Xue Chan pursed her lips, looked at her outfit, and fell silent.
"Don't overthink what you should overthink, and don't overthink what you shouldn't overthink." She muttered to herself, then sighed silently and said softly, "I'm afraid it's not convenient for me to ride a horse today."
Jiang Ce paused for a moment, his gaze falling on her carefully chosen attire. He instantly realized what was happening and quickly tried to smooth things over.
"It's alright, it's alright. It doesn't matter if we don't ride horses, we can just walk."
Xue Chan walked to his side and looked at the horse he was leading.
This wasn't the first time she'd seen this horse; it had even saved her life last time.
Jiang Ce said, "You get on the horse, I'll lead it around for a bit."
She didn't refuse and, with his help, mounted the horse: "Is this your horse?"
Jiang Ce stroked the horse: "Its name is Green Eyebrows. It was a birthday gift from my older brother when I was twelve years old."
"Green Eyebrows?" Xue Chan looked at the pure white horse, which was extremely graceful, with some doubt. "Why was it named that?"
"This is actually a long story..."
Jiang Ce stroked his hair, then led Lü Mei and Xue Chan forward slowly, explaining to Xue Chan as they walked: "Lü Mei was a twelfth birthday gift from my elder brother. He had just given it to me and hadn't had time to name her yet. Coincidentally, Xiao Huaiting and I skipped school to play, and we climbed over the wall. Zheng Shaoyu, being undergrowth, couldn't climb over the wall and was caught. He was furious, so he took a girl's eyebrow pencil and drew two curved willow eyebrows on Lü Mei's face, which is why she has this name."
Xue Chan laughed: "So that's how it is."
"This isn't over yet." As Jiang Ce spoke, he recalled those events and found them amusing.
"I don't know what he did to Green Eyebrow back then, but Green Eyebrow would chase and bite him every time it saw Zheng Shaoyu. Once, Zheng Shaoyu rode Green Eyebrow, but Green Eyebrow carried him and ran wildly. In the end, it threw him into the Golden Willow River. After that, Zheng Shaoyu never dared to ride it again."
Xue Chan reached out and wiped her hand; the horse's fur was smooth and rubbed against her palm.
"That's pretty bad, isn't it?"
He stroked Green Eyebrow: "Actually, Green Eyebrow is very intelligent, but it has a bit of a bad temper and likes to tease people. The more Zheng Shaoyu is afraid of it, the more it likes to tease him."
The two walked along the water's edge, and Xue Chan bounced the small flower basket.
Jiang Ce said, "Time is short. I'll make you an even prettier one when spring comes and the flowers are in bloom."
Xue Chan responded, "Okay."
"Actually, I can also make kites. If you like, we can go for a spring outing, go horseback riding, and fly kites together. Would you like to go to the Wei River? There are apricot blossoms there, which are very beautiful when they bloom in spring. There are also places to fish there, so we can go fishing together. Do you know the Wei River?"
Xue Chan shook her head: "I don't know any of that."
Jiang Ce replied, "You've only been in the capital for a year, so there must be many places you haven't been to yet. But that's alright, there's still plenty of time. I can take you with me. We can even go to places beyond the capital, like Jiangnan and the border regions, as long as the time is right."
"Looks like you've been to a lot of places?"
"When I was young, I loved to play and went on study tours. I didn't go to many places, but I remember most of them."
Xue Chan thought for a moment and asked him, "What is Liangzhou like?"
Jiang Ce hadn't expected her to mention Liangzhou, and said softly, "Although it's not as prosperous as the capital, it's still very good. The Jiang family's ancestral home is in Chaoxi, Liangzhou, and I was born there."
"Chaoxi?"
He nodded, and the water reflected his voice.
"Chaoxi is a wonderful place. You might not believe it, but it's very similar to Jiangnan, and is even called 'Little Jiangnan.' In spring, there are lush willows and crimson peach blossoms. In summer, the ground is covered in greenery, and the fragrance of lotus blossoms fills the air. Autumn is even more beautiful, with vast fields of orange-red mountains stretching endlessly, and you can even see snow-capped mountains at higher elevations. Chaoxi also has a place called Bailuting, which connects to a vast, misty lake. The lake is beautiful with fragrant grasses and flowing water, and egrets fly about. In winter, after the snow falls, the lake is covered in a blanket of frost, and you can drink wine at the Yanyu Tower or even go boating on the lake."
When he mentions his birthplace, his expression is always infinitely gentle. He describes a place name that is originally just two characters as if it were a painting, and it sounds beautiful just by hearing it.
Jiang Ce looked down at her.
I really want to take you to see it.
“There will be an opportunity,” Xue Chan said softly, her head bowed.
The two walked halfway along the lake when Xue Chan remembered that each of the letters she gave him had a seal on it: "I know you carve seals, but from whom did you learn this skill?"
"Become an apprentice?" Jiang Ce thought for a moment, then said modestly, "I have never become an apprentice. I was just carving for fun, so it doesn't count."
"So it seems you figured it out on your own?"
"Hmm...not really."
Xue Chan looked puzzled.
Jiang Ce simply led his horse forward, saying, "When I was in Liangzhou, I went to Bailuting to ride and fish once, and I met an old man who was also fishing. We were close by, so I shared some of the wine I had brought with him. Who knew he would say that we were destined to meet and insisted on teaching me seal carving. I couldn't refuse, so I learned for three days and then left. Later, I thought it was a good way to pass the time, so I often carved seals for fun."
Xue Chan smiled and said, "It's fine."
The two walked along the water's edge and saw several grayish-brown withered lotus leaves standing in the water.
She suddenly sighed, her words tinged with regret: "Actually, I haven't had a proper chance to appreciate the lotus flowers this year. In previous years, when I was at home, my father always loved to take me boating and picking lotus flowers."
Jiang Ce: "You want to see lotus flowers?"
Xue Chan nodded, knowing full well that there were no lotus flowers in autumn, it was just a minor flaw.
"Even if I wanted to, what could I do? Mid-Autumn Festival has already passed, so all I can do is admire the withered lotus leaves."
To everyone's surprise, Jiang Ce laughed smugly: "It's just an autumn lotus, what's so difficult about that?"
"Um?"
He looked at her and asked, "Just tell me if you want to or not."
Xue Chan nodded: "I want to."
Jiang Ce smiled and mounted his horse.
"I'll take you to see the lotus flowers, but I wonder if you dare to come with me?"
Xue Chan smiled: "Why wouldn't I dare?"
The two rode away on Green Eyebrows, and stopped by the water after a short while.
Jiang Ce dismounted first, and after settling down, he helped Xue Chan dismount. He tied Green Eyebrows' rope to a tree next to the pavilion and led Xue Chan to sit down in the pavilion by the water.
"Please sit here for a while, I'll be right back."
He turned to leave, but Xue Chan grabbed his sleeve, somewhat puzzled.
Jiang Ce smiled and gently patted his hand: "Don't worry, I won't keep you waiting too long."
After saying that, he went into the shadows of the branches and leaves.
With Jiang Ce gone, the place became unusually quiet without the person who had been talking to him.
Xue Chan leaned against the balustrade, propping her face up as she watched the water ripple several times, counting the concentric circles of ripples. Even after counting one hundred and thirty ripples, Jiang Ce still hadn't arrived.
She sat up straight and sighed softly.
"Why are you sighing?"
As soon as Jiang Ce uttered his cheerful voice, Xue Chan immediately looked up.
He arrived in a covered boat and was now standing at the bow, paddling past the pavilion with a long pole. Before Xue Chan could react, the boat had already stopped at the water's edge.
"Let's go, I'll take you to pick lotus flowers." Jiang Ce jumped off the boat and extended his hand to Xue Chan.
Before Xue Chan could react, she reached out her hand.
Jiang Ce grasped her hand and gently led her on a step. Xue Chan felt as if she were a bird flapping its wings and leaping onto the boat.
Two people were left behind, and the small boat immediately rocked on the water. Xue Chan also swayed with the boat, and she subconsciously tried to grab something. In her panic, her outstretched hand was gently taken by Jiang Ce.
Jiang Ce remained as steady as a pine tree, completely unaffected while standing on the boat, and even managed to help Xue Chan sit down inside.
He stood at the bow of the boat, holding a long pole, and rowed away. The small boat gradually moved into the lake, and he turned back and laughed.
"With me here, I'll make sure you don't fall off the ship."
The small boat glided more and more smoothly on the water, propelled only by a single oar, meandering along the green water. A gentle breeze blew across the lake, stirring the clothes and skirts.
Xue Chan asked, "Where did this boat come from?"
Jiang Ce: "Originally, it was used by palace servants to travel between Tongxin Lake and the West Suburbs Water Pavilion, and they often stopped around here."
"You seem to know this so well..." Xue Chan chuckled softly, teasingly drawing out her words, "You must have done similar things quite a few times before."
Jiang Ce said, "In the past, when we came to Jiuhua Mountain for the autumn hunt, I would always sneak away with a few friends to attend the banquet, ask the palace servants for a small boat, and then go boating under the clear full moon to pick lotus flowers."
Xue Chan laughed and said, "You are quite mischievous."
He couldn't resist teasing her, so he turned around and looked at Xue Chan with a smile.
"What, are you scared now that you've boarded my pirate ship?" He raised an eyebrow and said jokingly, "Even if you regret it, it's too late. You're already on my ship."
Xue Chan slightly raised her chin: "I'm not afraid at all."
"Aren't you afraid?" Jiang Ce laughed again, his eyebrows already curving like crescent moons. "On this Tongxin Lake, it's just you and me."
Xue Chan also laughed: "So what? At worst, we can just jump ship."
"Besides..." Her eyes flickered as she asked him earnestly, "Would you hurt me?"
Jiang Ce smiled with his head down, his expression gentle and calm.
"Won't"
Jiang Ce moved the long pole in his hand, and the small boat suddenly started to rock again.
Xue Chan sat calmly, her body swaying gently with the boat, never falling over, but rather as free as a fish in clear water.
"Oh? You learn very quickly." Jiang Ce couldn't help but be a little surprised.
Xue Chan smiled but did not answer. She simply leaned against the boat, relaxed her posture, and was even able to reach out and touch the ripples created by the small boat.
Where are we going?
"Of course, you'll go steal fragrance with me, the unparalleled 'flower thief'."
He joked before saying, "We're almost there."
The small boat traversed a slightly narrow waterway, and after a short while, the view suddenly opened up before it.
The green lotus leaves are crowded together, their curls unfurling, and the lotus flowers stand gracefully in the water. The lotus blossoms are fading, yet their fragrance lingers in the air.
"So there really are lotus flowers..."
Jiang Ce put down the long pole and reached out to break off two lotus flowers for Xue Chan: "Of course, I wouldn't lie to you."
He picked flowers and lotus leaves at the bow of the boat, while Xue Chan sat on the boat and accepted the flowers he offered.
The two were not in a hurry; they simply chatted as they picked lotus flowers.
As he poled his boat deeper into the lotus blossoms, she stood in the boat and plucked lotus flowers, some pink and some blushing, and even picked a few newly ripened lotus pods.
The two of them cut out a section of lotus blossoms from the autumn pond, and the small boat gradually filled it.
Xue Chan looked at the prow of the boat and quickly called to stop Jiang Ce, who was engrossed in folding paper.
"Stop breaking it! If you keep breaking it, the boat will sink and we won't be able to get back."
Jiang Ce was in high spirits, so he quickly broke off the half-broken stem and hugged the flower to his chest.
"Since you're rarely out here, why not spend more?"
Xue Chan smiled and shook her head: "Boating and picking lotus flowers is a fun activity. Even if we pick all the flowers here, we can't become flower sellers."
Jiang Ce's eyes lit up, and he said, "You know, selling flowers is quite interesting."
“Even if you were to sell them…” she chuckled, a hint of helplessness in her voice, “you’d still need someone to buy them.”
Jiang Ce then used the oar to row the small boat back through the lotus leaves. He stopped rowing when the boat was halfway out of the lotus and half stopped in the water.
He laid the long oar horizontally, and Xue Chan moved it aside for him. The boat was divided in two, one half fully loaded, the other half occupied.
Xue Chan took a lotus seedpod and sat at the bow of the boat to peel it.
Lotus seeds are hard to peel, so Jiang Ce noticed that her fingers were red and took a lotus pod to break it open, leaving his hands with a pleasant fragrance. He was quick, and in no time, he had peeled a handful of tender white lotus seeds.
The lotus seeds, broken into small pieces, were returned to Xue Chan's hands. She lowered her head and slowly peeled the lotus seeds, carefully removing the bitter lotus hearts one by one.
He broke off lotus pods, she peeled lotus seeds, and the two of them sat leisurely at the bow of the boat, eating lotus seeds and enjoying the autumn scenery.
Jiang Ce then took out the short flute he had brought with him, and its clear, low notes floated amidst the green waves and the fragrance of lotus blossoms, blending seamlessly with the scenery before him.
Although it is autumn, there is no sense of desolation or bleakness typical of autumn. Amidst the blooming lotus flowers, it is not as vibrant as it is in spring and summer.
In autumn, the clear waters nestle against the mountains, two or four wispy clouds drift by, and five or six egrets fly and rest on the jade-like fields; even the vitality here is so sparse.
When the song ended, Xue Chan glanced at Jiang Ce, then looked down at the small boat beneath her.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he burst out laughing.
Jiang Ce chuckled and said, "I know what you're laughing at."
"Oh? What am I laughing at?"
"It's nothing more than laughing at the word 'mooring boat'."
They are mooring their boats on the water.
Xue Chan said, "Your name is Ce, but you have chosen the courtesy name Bozhou. I didn't think much of it before, but it's quite interesting now that it's appropriate for the occasion. I just wonder who gave you this courtesy name."
"It is Your Majesty."
"Actually, there's another reason..." Jiang Ce continued, seeing that Xue Chan was listening to him quietly with a serious expression.
"Your Majesty and my father were childhood friends. After Your Majesty ascended the throne, my father was rewarded for his pacification campaigns and was called his right arm. But my father said, 'I only wish for peace in the world, so that one day I can invite my friends and wives to moor our boats on the river and enjoy the clear breeze and bright moon.'"
He lowered his eyes and spoke softly, his hand that was peeling lotus seeds also stopped.
"But..."
Xue Chan did not ask any further questions, but simply placed the lotus seeds she had just peeled into his hand.
Jiang Ce watched the lotus seed exhale, and when he looked up again, his face was full of smiles.
He changed the subject and asked Xue Chan, "I heard the people around you call you 'Qiao Niang,' who is that...?"
Xue Chan said, "It's my childhood name."
Which word?
Jiang Ce leaned closer to her: "Is it the 'Qiao' of 'tall trees' or the 'Qiao' of 'bridges'?"
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