0031 Lady's Shadow Grass (Part Two)
Most of the records about the southern border that can be found today are just a few words in historical books from various dynasties, as well as a note from a wandering knight of a previous dynasty when he passed through the southern region.
When the new dynasty was first established, Emperor Taizu ordered the compilation of the old dynasty's book catalog. The Hanlin Academy and Lanshan Academy then joined forces to compile and refine these scattered books.
Therefore, what she was reading at this moment was the most comprehensive and authoritative record of the tribes in the southern border region within the Dali Kingdom.
The great Confucian scholars who participated in the compilation followed the order of "clothing, food, housing, and transportation," and used their exquisite and profound writing to depict a wondrous and magnificent world before her eyes.
Shu Fu initially approached the text with a humble attitude, studying it word by word. However, the more she read, the more she felt something was amiss.
Because none of the books on this case mentioned the unique social structure of southern Xinjiang.
If the wandering knight-errant of that time was unaware, because he was a foreigner, that important matters such as sacrificial rites in the southern border were traditionally led by women, that would be understandable. But if he had experienced it firsthand, how could he not have included it in his writing?
Such a grand event is one that no one who witnessed it will easily forget.
So many bright and radiant young women, their dances, their words, their confidence and romance—all of these are merely glossed over in these books.
“In spring, the tribes west and south of Wulong Mountain play by the You River.”
Compared to the detailed accounts in other aspects, this sentence seems so weak and thin.
Could it be that what she saw in her dream was merely her imagination?
Is there truly no place in the world different from the Dali era, where, just like in a dream, women govern?
Shu Fu's brows furrowed slightly, her thoughts almost tangled into a knot, but then a bright light suddenly entered her field of vision.
Zhan Yaoguang placed a cluster of beautifully blooming crabapple blossoms on her desk and pushed it next to the book she was reading with her finger.
"These flowers are for you to play with."
She put down her book and curiously picked up the crabapple blossom to examine it closely: "How did you pick it?"
She did indeed have several crabapple trees in her yard, which were in full bloom right now, but they were quite a distance from her Spring Festival Gala building.
As Shu Fu asked the question, she peeked out from behind the pink flowers.
The boy avoided her gaze, first glancing at the painting on the wall, then turning to look at the golden bell at the corner of the curtain.
His gaze lingered on many places in the room, but he avoided looking at her.
“I didn’t pick it; it just blew in from the wind and landed on my face.”
I'm not trying to please you.
He added in his mind.
Shufu: "..."
What a strong gust of wind it must have been to blow flowers from a tree more than ten feet tall to a building more than twenty feet tall.
Shu Fu: "Could you pick a few more for me? I want to crush them and mix them into the ink."
Zhan Yaoguang didn't notice anything amiss. He agreed and followed his own example, removing the silver crescent moon from his hair crown, tying it with a ribbon from the dressing table, and using the weight of the silver moon to throw it at the crabapple tree in the courtyard below the window. He tied a knot around a few of the flowers, broke off the branches with a slight effort, and pulled the flowers back.
When he returned to her desk with the crabapple blossoms, he was met with a mischievous smile.
Zhan Yaoguang belatedly realized—
She tricked him again!
He saw that she was unhappy, so he picked flowers to coax her, but she teased him like this again!
Zhan Yaoguang was genuinely angry this time. He refused to speak to her anymore. After placing the flowers in front of her, he got up with a sour face, jumped up, and lay down on the roof beam without saying a word.
Shufu could only see the hem of his clothes hanging down from below.
“Feifei”.
The other party remained unmoved.
Shufu said helplessly, "I really have something to ask you."
It remained as immovable as a mountain.
After a long while, Zhan Yaoguang finally said quietly, "Is what you want to ask important?"
"Extremely important!"
Zhan Yaoguang then jumped down from the roof beam, pulled up a small sandalwood chair, sat down beside her, and said expressionlessly, "Ask away."
"You've traveled all the way north to Chang'an; you must have heard many strange and wondrous tales along the way. So I want to ask you, does such a place exist in the world?"
“It is different from Dali. All the affairs there are handled by female leaders. Women are in charge of many important matters such as sacrifices, music and rituals, and government affairs. Apart from that, the whole tribe is not bound by strict etiquette and marriage is entirely voluntary.”
Zhan Yaoguang looked at her with surprise.
"Why are you asking this?" But seeing her eager gaze, he still tried to recall, "The kind of place you're talking about, apart from my hometown, the Miao region inhabited by five ethnic groups and sixteen branches in western and southern Hunan, I've never seen anywhere else like ours." (Hong Shaorou + Group Zero)
Shu Fu's eyes immediately brightened, and her fingers involuntarily hooked onto his sleeve: "Tell me more! Why is it that in other parts of the world men are considered superior to women, but your hometown does the opposite?"
“This problem is very simple.” He looked down at the hand that was holding his sleeve, and tried to hook her hand with the index finger of his other hand. When she didn’t react, he boldly climbed up and grabbed her hand completely.
“In ancient times, weren’t women in charge of government in your Central Plains region?”
"At that time, agriculture and sericulture were not yet developed, and people lived by gathering, so the differences between men and women were not obvious. When the three dynasties were established, iron tools were gradually available and oxen were domesticated, and the advantage of men's strength became apparent, so the status between men and women began to change."
"But the situation in the southern border region is different. Our area is characterized by high mountains and deep ravines, which have historically been unfavorable for farming. As a result, this advantage of men has been greatly diminished. At the same time, the Gu techniques we rely on for survival and self-defense have always been more suitable for women to learn, which is why we have developed a unique landscape that differs from other places."
Shu Fu seemed lost in thought, her gaze fixed on the books on the table. Each book had two lines of extremely neat handwriting written on the last page—
"A joint compilation by the Hanlin Academy and Lanshan Academy"
"Copying in Jingyuan Study"
Hanlin Academy, Lanshan Academy, Jingyuan Study.
These are all places with a strong Dali ink culture.
Shu Fu was lost in thought when suddenly the ground became wet. Her eyes widened and she turned her head, the stray hairs hanging down her forehead rippling in her shock, countless youthful and charming strands.
Zhan Yaoguang's eyes were clearly shining because he had kissed the beauty's cheek, but he deliberately put on a fierce look and spoke first: "You are not allowed to be fierce to me. I have told you everything you want to know."
The golden bells at the corner of the tent jingled, and the girl's heart pounded with their sound.
A young person's love is as clear as a pool of water; it is obvious at a glance.
...
Zhan Yaoguang could tell that Shu Fu really had important things to do, so after kissing her in the morning, he stopped bothering her. Shu Fu, meanwhile, wielded her rabbit-hair brush and wrote with such power that she had never felt her writing so strong before.
She wrote a thick stack of papers, and later she didn't care about elegant language anymore; she just wanted to express the meaning.
Shu Fu only put down her pen when dusk fell and A-Jian came to deliver the afternoon meal.
She found a wooden box and put all the manuscripts in it. She also took out the letter she had written to her father and put it in as well. Then she called A-Jian over and solemnly instructed her.
"You must deliver these things to Princess Huayang's residence as soon as possible; this matter should not be delayed!"
The next morning, A-Jian delivered the items to Li Miao's residence and also brought back news that Li Miao would personally visit the Shu residence after reading her policy essay.
However, before Li Miao could even arrive, Shu Fu was greeted by something else—
Madam Li sent a message from the nunnery, saying she would be returning soon.
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