After sending Madam Lou to rest, Xu Jiang did not return to her own courtyard. Instead, she stayed in Lou Yunchun's study, slowly finishing the jar of plum wine. As it got dark, Yinyin came in to light the lamp. Xu Jiang looked up and saw the ugly donkey lantern on the shelf. She stood up, took it down, and examined it carefully.
Yin Yin asked, "Do you want some?"
Xu Jiang nodded.
Yin Yin lit the lantern, and seeing her staring at it in a daze, she tiptoed out.
The candle is fading and the moon is bright in the dark room.
It was not until the half candle in the lantern burned out that Xu Jiang came to her senses and put it back on the bookshelf. In addition to the lantern, there were also various items of varying sizes that Lou Yunchun had picked up from her bookstore.
She saw the "Notes on the Journey South" she had written, Yue Nu's cat tag, and the box that Lou Yunchun had bought for one or two taels of silver at the night market. She opened the box and saw that it was indeed the bunch of persimmons.
Thinking of how he carefully held the persimmon that day, she couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth.
"fool."
There was a scroll of painting next to the box. She took it down and opened it. After staring at it for a long time, her face gradually became red.
This was the painting they had done together in the tile shop in Liquanfang, and it was also the first time she expressed her feelings.
Xu Jiang pointed at Lou Yunchun in the painting and said angrily, "He's like a rat, picking up everything and putting it in his nest."
The person in the painting only showed a silhouette, but Xu Jiang could see the person looking at her silently with affection. She looked at the painting over and over again, then reluctantly rolled it up and put it back on the shelf, then chose a copy of "Kyoto Hakka" to take back to her room as a sleeping companion.
When changing clothes and washing up in the evening, the letter received in the afternoon fell on him. Xu Jiang stared at it for a moment, then kicked it under the table, and then rolled into the bed with the book in his arms.
When Yinyin came in to see her, she had already fallen asleep with the book in her hand.
In the dream, Xu Jiang and Lou Yunchun rode on the same horse, passing through the brightly lit forest, rushing towards the Yunshui Stream, and hand in hand to welcome the giant dragon walking in the abyss.
————Dividing Line————
Lou Yunchun stayed at the Huining Pass Post Station for three days, not because of his injury, but to make a plan with Captain Zhao to eliminate the assassin sentries along the way and clear the way ahead.
According to the confessions of assassins previously captured, this organization had originally roamed around the capital, calling itself the Hundred Falcons. Later, they were recruited by the wealthy families in the capital and provided with financial support, gradually expanding their influence to various regions, specializing in crimes of robbery and murder.
The Hundred Ferns have sentry posts in every prefecture, which are managed by the Sparrow Head of each prefecture. Their communication token is the Sparrow Talisman seized by Lou Yunchun.
Captain Zhao united the government offices and garrisons in various parts of the state, used the Sparrow Talisman to find out the assassin's outposts, and destroyed them one by one. The captured criminals were all thrown into the state prison, awaiting their punishment.
Then, based on the confessions of the captured criminals, they followed the clues and arrested many assassins. They also posted arrest warrants and offered a reward for their capture.
No matter how fierce and cunning the assassin is, he will be like a piece of soft tofu and vulnerable to any attack from the government.
Soon, Quetou in Huizhou was captured alive by the government and brought before Lou Yunchun.
Lou Yunchun personally interrogated this Quetou, but he was stubborn and had to be tortured before he could pry the name of Qingque Garden out of him.
After clearing the roadblocks, Lou Yunchun set out for Wulan under the escort of the Huining Army. Once they passed Wulan, they would enter the territory of the Hexi Army and would soon reach Liangzhou.
Over the past three days, Lou Yunchun's injuries had healed considerably thanks to the doctor's careful care. However, his leg injury prevented him from riding a horse. The postmaster harnessed him to a carriage and provided two fast and fine horses as replacements. Lou Yunchun didn't refuse, believing that only by recovering could he face more dangerous situations.
Before leaving Huining Pass, he sent the first memorial and letter to his family since leaving Beijing, and ordered the post station to rush them for 800 miles across the yellow sands of the northwest and return them to Kyoto.
——Dividing Line——
Great Heat, Great Heat, steaming from above and boiling from below.
There are three signs of the Great Heat: the first is that rotten grass turns into fireflies, the second is that the soil becomes moist and the heat becomes sultry, and the third is that heavy rain occurs.
At this time of year, all the high-ranking officials, nobles, gentry and wealthy families in the capital city took refuge in the mountains and rivers. Xiaozhuxi had many gatherings recently, and even Xu Jiang received many invitations, but she rejected them all on the grounds of being busy.
She had experienced the strongest sun, so she could still endure this little bit of heat. Moreover, in half a month, the Imperial College and various academies would resume classes, and she had to publish Hu Xu's collected works and Wen Hui's orchid album before that.
There is a lot to do.
The court was on holiday for the past two days, and Lou Jing finally had some free time. He took his wife Qingqing to a Taoist temple in the mountains to escape the summer heat. The two of them had originally invited Xu Jiang to go with them, but Xu Jiang was too busy at work to go, so she had to stay in the city.
In previous years, Yin Yin always went with Xu Jiang to escape the summer heat, but this year she only followed Xu Jiang. She went wherever Xu Jiang went. Xu Jiang couldn't persuade her, so she just let her go.
While the rich and powerful enjoyed a cool retreat, the common people had to endure the hardship. Men carrying loads or herding livestock on the streets, unconcerned with appearances, either bare-chested or simply topless, strolling through the sweltering summer heat with drooping brows. Women also dressed coolly, wearing short-sleeved gauze skirts and constantly fanning themselves. The tea shops, wine shops, and ice cream parlors along the streets were packed with guests, and five-colored drinks, five-spice drinks, cold syrups, cold tea, iced yogurt, and iced rice wine were highly sought after.
When Lou Jing learned that Xu Jiang was going to hold a small banquet to cool down the heat at her bookstore, he sent someone to the ice shop early to ask Ling Ren to order some ice, and had them deliver it to Xu Jiang's bookstore on the day of the Great Heat. If he went too late, it would probably have been snatched up.
Ice is readily available in winter, but a rare commodity in summer. It's usually harvested during the previous year's Great Cold and stored in deep cellars for use during the following summer. In its early years, it was only available to the imperial court and high-ranking officials. Later, as the imperial court expanded trade, wealthy merchants flocked to Beijing, capitalizing on this opportunity to generate revenue. They built ice cellars, which were later connected to restaurants, wine shops, and teahouses, creating a variety of summer treats, bringing a sense of coolness to the common people.
However, ice cream is expensive and ordinary people cannot afford it. Even if the children at home clamor for it, they can only indulge in it once or twice in the hottest days of summer and cannot afford to eat it more than that.
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