Chapter 18 Wen Jie, Wen Tinglan
"Hengbo?"
The young master's face gradually came into focus in her vision; it turned out she had just gone back.
"What are you spacing out for? You didn't answer me when I asked you a question."
Hengbo gave him an innocent, questioning look. The young master had no choice but to repeat what he had just said: "Want to go and join in the fun?"
Hengbo was still immersed in the emotions she had just experienced and did not yet understand what he meant. However, she felt that if she stayed any longer, she would be overwhelmed by the smell of rouge, so she nodded and absentmindedly followed the young master away.
It wasn't until he saw the throng of heads ahead that Hengbo finally realized what kind of excitement he was going to join.
The young master tried to stand on tiptoe but couldn't see the notice. He muttered to himself, "I should have brought Ah Cai with me."
Hengbo's ears twitched. After a moment of internal struggle, he finally decided to serve as the young master's servant for free, considering that the young master had already given him 50,000 taels of silver.
"Hey! Who?" The young master almost shouted "Someone is molesting me!" when he suddenly felt a pair of slender but strong arms wrap around his waist. Fortunately, when he turned his head, he saw Hengbo's beautiful face with a calm and expressionless expression.
His face turned bright red, as if it were about to bleed, making him look like a boiled shrimp, utterly pitiful.
He looked around first, and seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he said in a hesitant voice, "What are you doing? It's not appropriate here."
Hengbo:? ? ?
Hengbo returned his gaze with a puzzled look, and at the same time, exerted force in his arm and lifted him up.
The young master, who suddenly felt himself about ten inches off the ground: ? ? ? . . .
He finally understood what Yokobo had been trying to do, and for a moment he didn't know whether it was more embarrassing to be lifted up like that by Yokobo or to say those words.
He simply closed his eyes, pretending that none of this existed.
However, the commotion they made finally drew the attention of the people in front.
The man in front, seeing that Hengbo was such a thin girl and was carrying "her younger brother" to see the place, immediately felt pity for her and quickly made way for them. At the same time, he pulled the man in front of him and gestured for him to look at the poor brother and sister behind them.
As for why it's siblings? What older brother would have the nerve to let his younger sister carry him?
Of course, this excludes the young master who closes his eyes to avoid embarrassment and Hengbo who is willing to be a servant for money.
So, inexplicably, the two were made way for by people one after another. When they passed a child riding on his father's shoulders, they even heard the child pleading with his father, "Daddy, give me a sister too!"
Hengbo hadn't yet realized what the child meant by his words, and was still thinking to himself, putting aside whether his father could have children or not, even if his father could, he couldn't possibly have given birth to an older sister for him.
However, the young master, who hadn't missed a thing despite closing his eyes, now wished he could disappear into a hole in the ground. He finally understood the consequences of trying to avoid embarrassment: it would only make things more awkward.
Before long, the two reached the front of the line. Hengbo's hands were temporarily tied up, so she could only toss the young master around, as if asking him if he was satisfied.
The young master finally opened his eyes, his tone calm and collected, as if he had seen it all before: "Put me down, I can see now."
Hengbo did as she was told and put him down, but she was not sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that the young master swayed when he landed, as if he was about to fall.
If the young master knew what she thought, he would definitely tell her: "Is it my body that's teetering on the brink? It's my dignity!"
Although he didn't say it that way, he praised Hengbo from another angle: "You really should be Ah Cai's cousin."
Transverse Wave: ? ? ? Is it because I'm also very strong?
Without the young master's obstruction, Hengbo could naturally see the list of successful candidates on the notice. She had only glanced at it casually, but the name of that person was hanging at the top of the list, making it difficult for her not to see it.
The list is in black ink: Wen Jie, the top scholar in the imperial examination.
Wen Jie's grandfather was a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and also served as the Crown Prince's tutor.
His father held the official position of Minister of Rites and was also a tutor to the Crown Prince.
The Wen family has a close relationship with the Crown Prince's faction. The Crown Princess and the Wen family matriarch even joked about arranging a marriage between their two children.
It's a pity that all of this happened during the Zhengping era.
...
"Who is this Wen Jie? I think I've seen him in the previous official gazette."
An elderly man who looked like a scholar stroked his beard and said, "This is Wen Jie, Wen Tinglan, the grandson of the former Grand Secretary. He has already achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations five times in a row."
"The former Grand Secretary? Grand Secretary Wen? Wasn't that the deposed crown prince back then..."
"Shh!" The old scholar glared at him. "You can't say that. Don't you want your head?" The man quickly covered his mouth and dared not speak again.
Hengbo, standing right next to them, didn't even blink, as if everything they were saying had nothing to do with him.
Whether it was because years had passed since they last met, or because the emotions that had just been stirred up had not completely faded, she did not feel much emotional fluctuation when she encountered an old friend on this list again.
The handsome young man from my memory can no longer be clearly remembered, not even his face. All that remains in my heart is that phrase, "Princess, please slow down."
However, knowing that he is doing well is enough, even though it's hard to imagine them being as close as they were as children.
"I don't know a single person." The young master was quite bored, while Hengbo found his words strange.
Seeing the doubt in her eyes, the young master was so angry he wanted to jump up and down: "What do you mean by that? I studied at the academy for a few years, after all."
Thus, the surprise in Hengbo's eyes turned into sympathy. Heaven knows that she hated studying since she was a child. If it weren't for her father coaxing her, she wouldn't have been able to sit still for a moment.
Young Master: ...
"Well, studying is really boring. By the way, when are you leaving? I have something for you."
Hengbo originally planned to leave after the young master's father's funeral banquet, but in her mind it was just a matter of eating a banquet. However, the young master told her that it would take at least ten days to half a month to finish.
Hengbo decided to set off in three days. She entrusted the young master to bring Jufeng and the 50,000 taels of silver notes he had given her back to Biyun Mountain, keeping only 100 taels for herself as travel expenses.
The young master thought to himself that this was for the best, so that she, a mere maid, wouldn't be tricked and sold off one day while carrying a fortune. It was clear that he still harbored resentment about Hengbo following someone else before.
Hengbo had no idea what he was thinking; if she had known, she probably would have been helpless.
Now that he knows she will be leaving in three days, the young master has been even more attentive these past few days. He would probably try to pluck a star from the sky for her if she wanted one.
Unfortunately, Hengbo didn't give him any chance to show his skills and simply stayed on the mountain where Ruan Wangshu lived.
Of course, it was in the luxurious two-story wooden cabin that the young master had ordered to be built.
Three days later, on a clear morning, at the entrance of Hidden Sword Manor.
"Are you sure you don't want me to take you? No, I'll take you to the ferry myself." The young master was a man of action, taking the bundle off Hengbo's back and carrying it on his own.
Hengbo quickly stopped him, saying it was ridiculous; she knew the way perfectly well, why should he make the extra trip?
Ah Cai also chimed in, "Young Master, the Grand Elder said you still need to make an appearance today. Why don't I deliver it for you?"
Young Master: ...
If you could stop blushing so much, I would really take it as a sign of kindness.
After being stopped by the two in succession, the young master had no choice but to give up his idea of spending more time with Yokobo.
He took the wooden box that Ah Cai had been holding in his arms and handed it to Heng Bo: "This is a parting gift for you. Open it and take a look when you get on the ship."
Hengbo thought that the many clothes and jewelry the young master had prepared for him were already parting gifts, but he didn't expect there to be another one today. However, seeing his solemn attitude, he still nodded and accepted it.
Having finished speaking and given the gift, the young master had no reason to keep Hengbo here any longer. He simply waved his hand, turned his head away, and said, "You can go now. If you have any trouble, feel free to write back."
Seeing his arrogant demeanor, Hengbo felt a strange softening in her heart. She stepped forward and gave him a brief hug, then turned and left before he could react.
Before the young master could even properly savor the sudden hug, the warmth of the waves was already dissipated by the wind, leaving him momentarily unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.
He turned around and stared blankly at Hengbo's back, muttering, "Did she just hug me?"
Ah-Cai, whose eyes were red with envy because he didn't receive a hug from Hengbo, rolled his eyes where the young master couldn't see, "No."
The young master, however, paid no attention to his answer and continued, "She must be very reluctant to part with me too!"
Ah Cai: ...
Ah Cai finally got smart this time and didn't respond.
When Hengbo walked several dozen meters and looked back, she saw the figures of the master and servant gazing at each other from afar in the misty haze. She waved and left completely.
A few days later, in the evening, Yokobo finally arrived at the nearest ferry crossing.
After boarding the ship and properly settling her belongings, she took out the antique-style rectangular wooden box that the young master had given her. In fact, based on the shape of the box, she had already guessed what was inside.
Gently prying open the clasp of the box, inside lay a sharp, imposing longsword. This sword was unlike any other sword Hengbo had ever seen before; it was not made of metal, but rather of a milky-white jade, yet its toughness and strength were in no way inferior to the former.
In addition, the sword has a thin and narrow blade, and the junction between the blade and the spine is smooth and fluid. This streamlined structure is quite different from the sharp-edged style commonly used by swordsmen today, but it suits Yokoha's taste better.
The moment Hengbo saw the sword, it was as if a tyrant had seen a beautiful woman with skin as white as ice and bones. He was immediately captivated by it, took it out and placed it in his palm. He felt that the sword was cool to the touch, as if he were holding a piece of unmelting ice. He was so fond of it that he couldn't put it down.
After playing with the longsword in his hand for a while, Hengbo noticed the scabbard of the same material but with a silver color next to it, as well as a letter and ten silver notes of one hundred taels each that had been pressed under the sword at the bottom of the box.
Unfolding the letter, it unsurprisingly contained the young master's lengthy instructions and explanations. Hengbo glanced through it at a glance until the end of the letter, where the young master finally got to the point.
"This sword is named Snow in the Human World. Several years ago, I encountered a piece of jade in the far north and carved it into a piece. Its hardness is comparable to meteorite iron, second only to Kunwu. I did not give this sword on a whim. I was inspired by your sword and then engraved and carved it."
Snow falls on earth, frost fills the heart; ice travels a thousand miles, jade is forged in the heart. The road ahead is bitter and cold, I hope you take care.
...
A note from the author:
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