Painted boat
"how?"
Xie Lingxi pondered carefully and indeed sensed something strange. "Floods are a major issue. How could His Majesty entrust such a greenhorn like you with this responsibility?"
"Why can't those prefects and ministers go?"
Liu Xu smiled and said, "I'm afraid someone is stirring things up."
"His Majesty has finalized the list, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, there is no possibility of further changes."
Xie Lingxi frowned: "What about Grand Tutor Du?"
How could a teacher push their students into a fire pit? Unless, in Du Min's view, this is the right path to uphold one's aspirations.
"Oh right, I forgot, he teaches the way of sages and saints."
The difference in philosophies between Du Min and Shi Kun, both renowned Confucian scholars of their time, can be glimpsed in their interactions with their two students.
Having endured hardship in his previous life and received teachings from Master Shi, Xie Lingxi was accustomed to cultivating his own virtue.
But this young man had traveled all the way from the mountains and rivers to take the imperial examination. His original intention was to serve the country and its people. Even though this matter would harm his interests, he dared to venture into this mountain of knives.
She lowered her gaze. "How many others are traveling with you?"
"The officials from the Ministry of Revenue, and His Highness Prince Jin."
Liu Xu had already been planning his strategy when Xie Lingxi surprised him with her words: "I want to go too."
When did he receive such deep affection from his wife?
If it weren't for the need to keep him company, Liu Xu couldn't understand why Xie Lingxi would make such a request.
He was so shocked that he didn't even notice the wine in his cup spilling onto the floor.
But Xie Lingxi wasn't making a request. After saying that, she went into the house, rummaged through the bookshelves, and packed her bags, clearly ready to leave at any moment.
Liu Xu quickly tried to stop her, "Lingxi, it's three days from now!"
Xie Lingxi raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong with being prepared?"
Liu Xu's heart pounded with anxiety. Would the Emperor really allow him to bring his newlywed wife along?
Thinking it best to persuade him, he said, "This is for official business. Jingzhou is flooded and there is a shortage of food and cotton, which is quite inconvenient."
Although the words were phrased tactfully, Xie Lingxi was still taken aback. Moreover, the words, spoken with such quick thinking, revealed how Liu Xu viewed her usual behavior.
So she put down the dress in her hand, raised her eyes and said, "You think I'm too well-fed and clothed, picky about food and clothes, afraid that I'll become a burden to you and ruin your plans?"
The bamboo house, used for cooling, instantly froze all the flowers and plants in the northwest corner of the desk.
Liu Xu broke out in a cold sweat, feeling as if he had entered an ice cellar, and his hand, which he wanted to pull Xie Lingxi to his side, trembled slightly.
"...Lingxi"
He lowered his eyes and said sincerely, "I swear I never thought of that."
Xie Lingxi glanced at him briefly before lowering her head to fiddle with the lotus flower on her sleeve. "Yes, you never dare to say it to my face."
Even someone as quick-witted as Liu Xu was rendered speechless by Xie Lingxi's convoluted thinking, and helplessly asked, "How can my wife trust me?"
Xie Lingxi's hand suddenly stopped: "I am not your wife."
Looking up, she saw Liu Xu looking at her gently, his eyes filled with a restrained admiration.
Xie Lingxi thought for a moment, and seeing that the sun was obscured by white clouds and it was still early, she suggested, "I have never gone boating on the lake with Chengzhi before. If we go together today, we can put this matter behind us."
...
The lotus leaves stretch to the sky, and the lotus flowers resemble rosy clouds.
Beside Cuncao Lake stands an octagonal pavilion, where two or three ladies are resting. On a painted boat moored on the shore, several gentlemen are playing chess and raising their cups, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
As soon as Xie Lingxi and Liu Xu finished tidying their clothes, they were greeted by several women who smiled and said, "Third Sister, this is your husband!"
Another person looked on with envy, "What a handsome husband! No wonder Lord Xie took a liking to him at first sight. He is indeed a talented and good-looking young man, just as the rumors say."
Xie Lingxi playfully scolded, "How do you know he's both talented and handsome, sister?"
The lady sighed, "As the saying goes, 'A person with a wealth of knowledge naturally exudes elegance.' Lord Liu is indeed a picture of refined grace, unlike my old man, who always has a stern face. Anyone who doesn't know better would think we're arguing every day!"
This lady's husband was like Mo Shen in the court, always ready to remonstrate to the death by banging his head against a pillar. Perhaps he always put on a stern face, but at home he just couldn't change his ways.
"Lord Cheng has spent all his arguments with His Majesty. He is naturally tender and affectionate towards his sister, but he is not good at expressing it."
These words made Madam Cheng beam with joy.
She never complained; why should others judge how she lived her life? Praising Liu Xu wasn't for comparison; it was just a friendly chat between the women, a way to find enjoyment.
Under the light shade of lotus leaves, Lord Cheng, holding an ice bowl, waved from afar. Madam Cheng and Xie Liu bid each other farewell and walked briskly over.
After they left, Liu Xu couldn't help but sigh, "They are truly a match made in heaven."
Xie Lingxi had been smiling from the beginning, gazing at the painted boat on the lake, as if she hadn't heard him clearly, and asked, "What?"
Liu Xu shook his head.
"Nothing—which pleasure boat do you prefer?"
...
Cuncao Lake is named after the phrase "a heart devoted to one's country," and lotus flowers stand gracefully in it, like jade emerging from the mud, a fairy spirit in the water.
Xie Lingxi was particularly fond of that small boat painted with lingzhi mushrooms and cranes.
Liu Xu instructed the waiters to prepare fresh fruit and flower cakes. As he was pondering what was different about this painted boat, he heard Xie Lingxi say, "Lingzhi is considered precious, and cranes are already rare. Both are rare items and symbolize longevity. Who wouldn't love them?"
Liu Xu: "..."
He reached out and touched the lake water, and a gust of wind blew by, lifting the stray hairs at Xie Lingxi's temples.
I thought you would love that wild orchid.
Xie Lingxi took a bite of the lotus cake, looking completely satisfied: "Those are patterns embroidered on clothes. Putting them on a boat, while elegant, lacks practicality."
Then the Ganoderma lucidum and crane would be useful?
Liu Xu recalled Xie Lingxi's words about "prolonging life" and remembered the past. He vaguely felt that his wife seemed to care a lot about her life.
He then tentatively asked, "Does Lingxi wish for a long life?"
Xie Lingxi replied as she had hoped, "Yes."
"Who doesn't want to live longer? It doesn't matter if you're destitute. Human life is cheap. Once you die, it's like being scattered with ashes. You have nothing left."
Liu Xu was taken aback and was about to say something when he heard Xie Lingxi say, "I have heard that there is a fairy island overseas called 'Penglai'. If possible, I would like to ask for a few immortal pills and swallow them whole so that I will never have to worry about losing my life again."
"Died?"
Liu Xu frowned. "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Could it be that he has made some enemy who has become a threat to Xie Lingxi? How could such a beautiful woman utter such weathered words?
The time was perfect; a gentle breeze caressed the lake's surface, stirring its mirror-like surface. Xie Lingxi smiled, lifted her jade-green lotus-patterned skirt, and leaned against the bow of the boat, listening to the songs that echoed across the shore.
That was a piece called "Autumn Water Lyrics".
It tells the story of a couple's sorrow at parting in late autumn.
Xie Lingxi commented, "It's out of step with the times."
Liu Xu looked over and suddenly realized, "It's the actors from the opera troupe practicing their lines."
“Yes,” Xie Lingxi said as she got closer and saw that the child was holding a colorful booklet. However, the singer was too young, and the child’s tender voice could not express the meaning of the song.
She suddenly remembered something, "I sang this song when I was a child. I wonder if Chang'an still loves to listen to it after all these years."
"Your childhood?"
Liu Xu was shocked. This opera was not included in the six arts of a gentleman at all. It could be considered a strange skill from the streets. How could Xie Lingxi, as the wife of a high-ranking family, learn to sing such a thing?
"Alas, this is a long story."
Seeing Liu Xu tilt his head, Xie Lingxi smiled and continued, "Do you know that ten years ago, there was a period when mountain bandits roamed freely in Jingzhou?"
Liu Xu nodded.
How could he not know—
At that time, due to the bandit sworn brotherhood, the trouble spread to the surrounding four counties. He was kidnapped by the bandits and forced to work as an accountant and cook because he had only studied for a few years.
A robust teen-year-old is at the perfect age to be bossed around.
Later, the imperial court sent people to suppress the bandits, and he was finally able to escape the days of being unable to eat or wear properly while guarding the kitchen, and being beaten and scolded every day, and was able to return home.
After thinking for a moment, Liu Xu's gaze sharpened. "How old were you then?"
Xie Lingxi: "Six or seven years old?"
"I can't remember."
Under Liu Xu's watchful gaze, Xie Lingxi slowly recounted this little-known experience: "At that time, Chang'an was not peaceful either. The two factions were fighting each other and accidentally injured my father. When my brother and I went out, they sent people to kidnap us. On our way, we accidentally fell into a bandit's den."
"I was forced to perform in operas, do manual labor and beg... If I hadn't met a young man there, I don't know where I would be now."
This is an understatement. The bandits of that time were different from those of today. Their banner was "Establish a new king and change the old system." They started their power in Jingzhou and wanted to march all the way north to Chang'an to seize the Great Yan.
They plundered many people, young and old, and forced them to work like cattle and horses.
Liu Xu found the whole thing absurd, but his attention was drawn to the last few words Xie Lingxi wrote—
"Young master?"
He increasingly felt that this matter was not simple. Why would Xie Lingxi suddenly tell him this? She was always proud, how could she easily reveal her scars to others?
Moreover, he knew that he had not yet won Xie Lingxi's heart and made her willing to entrust her life to him.
So he hurriedly asked, "Did that person hurt you? He wasn't just pretending to be nice to you so he could lie to you later, was he?"
Xie Lingxi chuckled, "He's a good person."
"I told you this because I thought you grew up in Jingzhou, and perhaps you could help me find something?"
"Searching?"
Looking for this young man?
Liu Xu couldn't bear to listen any longer. "You mean, this person is yours—"
Xie Lingxi smiled radiantly, her beauty blooming in an instant, so stunning that it reminded people of lotus flowers swaying in a pond, revealing that such beauty could indeed be found.
"The person in my dreams".
"I will always remember him."
It's like this... it's like this...
Liu Xu slumped against the railing, thinking that Xie Lingxi's invitation to go boating on the lake today was probably a prelude to this matter.
He flatly refused: "Jingzhou is so big, how could I possibly know a young man whose name and appearance I don't even know? Besides, at that time, bandits were rampant in the mountains, so it's not impossible that this person was captured from elsewhere."
Xie Lingxi replied decisively, "No, he must be from Jingzhou."
Liu Xu was annoyed.
"What does it matter to me whether he is from Jingzhou or not? Xie Lingxi, do you really not know what I mean?"
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