The two scholars, both top in both literature and martial arts, were extremely cautious throughout the journey, and there was no mention of them composing poems or exchanging verses. After boarding the boat, they sat silently by the window, gazing at the river view outside.
Upon arriving by land, the group bid farewell to the two "top scholars." The two young men no longer displayed their initial arrogant demeanor, but instead bowed respectfully.
Once inside the carriage, An Ke began to laugh unrestrainedly. "Uncle, did you see that? The way those two looked at each other was hilarious."
"Is that so? None of the sharp, round, and An'an went against the grain today. Uncle feels it's a great pity." The master glanced at An'ke, shook his folding fan, and said meaningfully.
"It's such a simple question, it would be beneath me to answer it," Anke said arrogantly, arms crossed and head held high. "But they really are shameless, claiming they've met Uncle."
Qing'er also found it extremely interesting. "Yes, they haven't said those words since they boarded the ship. They must have overheard our conversation with Master Ji. They should now have a general understanding of our identities."
Anke nodded silently, unable to deny it.
Outside, people were also discussing the two top scholars, though the atmosphere wasn't as pleasant as inside the carriage. Benjamin kept his distance from Xiao Yanzi the entire way, pondering the princess's words and trying to understand his own heart. However, Xiao Yanzi kept drawing closer to him, and after he said a few slightly harsh words, she spurred her horse forward.
Benjamin didn't walk away alone like in the show, and then get teased by the group of kids who called him a water ghost or a foreign ghost.
I don't know if it was because we traveled by water, but the scenery along the way consisted mostly of water and mountains.
We arrived at the foot of another mountain, which was probably also a mountain stream. The river flowed slowly from top to bottom, and there were many strangely shaped rocks in it.
Seeing this scene, the master naturally wanted to appreciate it. Benjamin also took out his paintbrush, ready to create a painting. Most of the people sat with the master in the pavilion; where there was a master's pavilion, there was naturally tea, learning, and pastries.
Little Swallow had finally found such a nice place, so naturally she wanted to go down and have some fun. She sat on a rock, slowly pulling off her shoes and socks. Then she soaked her feet in the cool water and invited Qing'er and Ziwei to have a water fight.
An Ke maintained the same expression, still indifferent, like an ice lotus flower on the Tianshan Mountains. She merely glanced lightly at Xiao Yanzi and the others before turning back to talk to her uncle.
It wasn't that Anke was particularly feudal, but rather that in this feudal era, how could a woman be allowed to expose herself barefoot to a man? Besides, playing in the water there would inevitably get their clothes wet sooner or later, and Anke had no desire to go down with them to do such a game that required drinking medicinal soup.
Qing'er politely declined, showing that the two of them had a good understanding of each other.
"Isn't An'an going down to play?" the old man asked mischievously. Although all sorts of things had happened along the way, the old man still felt that his niece was still a little girl and should be able to play with people her own age. Not to mention, Xiao Yanzi was the kind of person who would seize any opportunity to go wherever there was excitement.
“No way, my clothes will get wet.” An Ke shook her head, looking at him with a “Do you think I’m stupid?” look. “It’s so nice to stay with Uncle, there’s tea and pastries.”
The old man didn't say anything, nor would he force his niece to go down and play with Xiao Yanzi. He knew that his niece was a person with her own opinions.
Watching Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei having a water fight, the master laughed heartily and said, "This Xiao Yanzi really can't stop for a moment. I wonder which family will want her as their wife in the future."
Master Ji quickly chimed in, "This little swallow is naturally bold and unrestrained. In the future, she must be matched with a prince of Manchu descent who has an extraordinary temperament and a magnanimous demeanor."
The master merely glanced at Master Ji, saying nothing, only a smile of enigmatic meaning appearing on his lips.
Yongqi didn't say anything this time, and didn't even look at Xiaoyanzi.
Only An Ke and Qing'er were present. Did they know what was going on? The two exchanged a glance, smiling silently. A prince of Manchu descent? Forget it. She wasn't worthy.
Putting aside the issue of her status, she hasn't even mastered the proper etiquette, let alone any housekeeping skills. If you were to send her to be the mistress of a household, wouldn't she just turn it upside down?
Or, as Little Swallow said, whoever has a grudge against the master, then let him give her to him.
The master had already instructed the people around him to prepare a bonfire. Although he was not satisfied with his daughter Xiao Yanzi, who did not know the rules, she was still his daughter after all, so how could he ignore her?
Anke saw small fish and shrimp swimming in the crystal-clear river. Without taking off her shoes, Anke found a net and two small planks, preparing to catch the fish.
The old man watched An Ke's busy figure and asked, "An An, what are you doing?"
Anke heard her uncle's question but didn't turn around. "An'an saw a lot of fish in this stream, and since she was a little hungry, she had to catch some to fill her stomach."
Watching Anke's busy figure, the master's eyes flashed with heartache. He put down his teacup and walked towards Anke. "An'an, if you're hungry, just let them go fishing. The river water is so cold. You'll catch a cold," the master earnestly advised.
Anke let it go in one ear and out the other. With quick eyes and hands, he spotted a fish and immediately cast his net. After catching it, he said to his uncle, "Uncle, there are techniques to fishing. Besides, it's a very proud thing to catch a fish yourself and then eat it."
Seeing that he couldn't persuade his niece, the old man had no choice but to find a net and fish with her.
How could the ministers stand idly by and watch their king go fishing? They all took nets off the carriage, ready to join in the fishing.
With such a large group of people moving around, how could Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei not notice? Ziwei stood blankly in the water, staring at her beloved master, finding it hard to believe that An Ke possessed such power that she could make the king of a nation go fishing. As she watched, Ziwei's eyes began to redden. The carefree Xiao Yanzi also noticed, though she hadn't paid much attention when she saw her master go into the water.
The scene shifts, and we see Yongqi, Benjamin, and Ertai all fishing in the water. Xiao Yanzi's heart is filled with a jumble of emotions, like spilled seasonings. Seeing Ziwei's lonely figure, Xiao Yanzi quickly scoops up a handful of water and splashes it towards Ziwei.
This splash of water immediately shattered Ziwei's thoughts. Ziwei disregarded her own feelings and continued to have a water fight with Xiaoyanzi.
The military officials Fuheng, Emin, and Fulun, needless to say, were all skilled and naturally caught a few fish. As for the civil official Ji Xiaolan, he could do nothing and even got himself splashed with water.
“Master Ji, there’s a technique to fishing. You’ve been paddling this net back and forth in the stream. How can you expect the fish to obediently go into your net?” An Ke teased.
"Confucius said, 'Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me.' As for fishing, I am really not good at it. It seems that I can only rely on you all to catch fish for me." Master Ji was not annoyed. He stroked his goatee and cheered on the fishermen from the side.
After catching a few fish, Anke lost interest in catching any more in the icy river. He did catch a few shrimp, though.
After getting ashore, even though Anke wasn't wet at all, the master still handed her a silk handkerchief.
"How are we going to grill this fish?" The old man frowned. He had been so focused on catching fish that he had completely forgotten what to do with them after they were caught.
“Uncle, just you wait and see,” Anke winked mischievously at the old man, “Wake up and go to the carriage to get the little box that I’m in.”
Xingxing ran towards the carriage and jumped off a roughly made box.
Yongqi looked at the small box and was overwhelmed with emotions. "An'an, you still have this small box?" The small box immediately triggered Yongqi's memories.
This was on Anke's seventh birthday. He heard her say that she didn't want any rare treasures, but only a gift that could represent her feelings. So he found a piece of fine wood and carved it out himself, bit by bit.
At the time, he was only eight years old and had no aesthetic sense or skills. He carved out an ugly little box and spent the night on it, tossing and turning, afraid that his sweet and well-behaved little sister wouldn't like it.
Seeing the small box again after many years, Yongqi felt a surge of sweetness in his heart.
An Ke didn't deny that the little box had indeed accompanied her all over the country. "Yes, I'm so glad that Fifth Brother made this little box for me. It's so convenient to carry small things like that."
The master was extremely pleased to see the affectionate way the siblings treated each other. Being born into royalty was not something they could choose, but the relationship between siblings was something they could work out.
The old man is probably getting old; he just likes to see the whole family living in harmony.
Anke carefully scraped the fish scales off with a knife, then used the same knife to remove the shrimp veins. She then made a couple of slits in the prepared fish with the knife to help it absorb the flavors better. She found a clean stick and used the knife to whittle it into the shape of a skewer.
They skewered them all up, tied them together with two pieces of wood, and sandwiched them on top to grill. Anke sprinkled them with pepper and salt and pepper, instantly bringing out the flavor of the fish.
Anke then took a small bowl from the small box to make her secret seasoning.
Anke took out a small iron plate and lined it with a piece of paper that wouldn't leak oil or soup. Then she placed the prepared shrimp on it and poured in her secret sauce. She then stirred it continuously with a small wooden spatula.
Only when the aroma filled the air did Anke use two wooden boards to place the small plate on the table. "Uncle, you have to give me face."
Without Anke saying anything, the old man already knew. No matter what his niece cooked, even if it was awful, he would swallow it against his will and offer wildly imaginative praise. The grilled fish was simply placed on a piece of paper.
"I never expected to be able to taste the Princess's delicious food while following the Master! I am truly blessed." Chef Ji looked at the grilled fish and shrimp in front of him with great anticipation.
As luck would have it, Little Swallow and Ziwei probably also felt that the water fight was no longer interesting, so they patted the water droplets off their bodies and walked over here.
After warming herself by the fire for a while, Little Swallow skipped over to the master, "Master, you caught so many fish? There must be some for me and Ziwei, right?"
The old man glanced at Xiao Yanzi indifferently, but she didn't see the deep displeasure in his eyes. The fish was caught by everyone; she hadn't helped at all. An'an had also grilled the fish, and she hadn't even thanked them, immediately asking for food.
The master naturally wouldn't make the decision for Anke, since it was Anke who suggested catching the fish, and it was Anke who did the cooking. Only with Anke's permission would the fish be distributed to the two of them.
Seeing that the master remained silent, Xiao Yanzi scratched her head, not knowing what to do.
Anke brushed off the lingering smell of smoke from her clothes and washed her hands by the river before coming over. However, to her surprise, everyone was waiting for her, and no one touched their chopsticks first.
"Is it not good? Why hasn't anyone touched it?" Anke asked playfully. Actually, she knew that how could it not taste good? She just changed the subject because the atmosphere was too tense.
"You're the chef in charge of cooking. How can we start eating before the chef arrives?" the master said with a smile in his eyes.
"Oh, I see," Anke nodded in sudden understanding. "Don't be shy, everyone, let's eat together!" She didn't catch the fish by herself; who knows whose fish were among them? Anke certainly couldn't take over someone else's fish and eat it by force.
Little Swallow watched longingly from the side. Benjamin sighed softly and gave one of the two fish he had caught to Little Swallow, as a way of settling their past friendship.
Little Swallow smiled broadly as she looked at Benjamin. Since Fu Erkang hadn't gone into the water to fish, Ziwei could only stand quietly to the side.
Fu Erkang had been so focused on watching Ziwei play in the water that he was now starving. But his father had only caught two fish, and he didn't have the face to ask for more.
Turning to look at her adopted younger brother, a thought flashed through her mind—she remembered he'd caught five or six fish earlier. She moved closer to him with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Ertai, how many fish did you catch?"
"Six articles, what's wrong?" Voltaire replied succinctly.
"There are so many fish, you can't possibly eat them all by yourself, can you?" Fu Erkang looked at the fish.
Ertai glanced at his brother's expression casually. "So, how many fish do you want, brother? There are many people here who haven't caught any. I wonder whose fish you'd like?"
No wonder Ertai is so cunning; how could she slander the princess behind her back? And yet she has the nerve to shamelessly ask him for fish? If she does ask, I wonder whose fish she wants.
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