Chapter 16 March, a Cruel Coincidence
On the day of the Shangsi Festival, Fu Sui invited Qiao Zhenzhen and Yan Shan to go out of the city for a spring outing.
Qiao Zhenzhen's older brother was worried about her and insisted on accompanying her. Tian Ganyou was also worried about Fu Sui and the other two, so he left his group of drinking buddies behind and went with them.
When Prince Fu Sheng of Xiping heard that Princess Yanshan was leaving the city, he was already worried about her safety. However, since Qiao Zhenzhen, a woman from another family, was traveling with her, it was inconvenient for him to accompany her. After learning that the Qiao family had a young master, Prince Fu Sheng of Xiping hurriedly caught up and carefully protected Princess Yanshan's carriage all the way.
It was the height of spring, and the riverbank outside the city was packed with people. Fu Sui led the group along the Jingyue River toward Lingwei Mountain. This place was close to the royal villa, and ordinary people rarely went near it.
Unlike the yellow earth and sparse trees outside the city, this place is lush with vegetation, with all kinds of weeds growing wildly. Some vines intertwine and entwine, while others stand tall and upright, almost as tall as a person. Among the green foliage are large clumps of low-lying wildflowers, interspersed with a few early-ripening wild fruits.
Fu Sui and the other two got off the carriage and ran around happily in the grass. The Prince of Xiping followed closely behind, whispering to Yanshan not to get hurt by the thorns in the grass.
The Jingyue River wasn't a thin stream; though the water was calm, the bottom was invisible. Qiao Zhenzhen threw a pebble into the water, waited a few moments, and when nothing happened, turned and asked, "Are there any fish in this river?"
"Yes, they're quite plump," Tian Ganyou replied. "Why don't we catch a few and cook them later?"
Qiao Zhuo knew that Tian Ganyou was not a patient fisherman, and since he could tell the fish were fat or thin, he must have seen them before. He was curious: "What other entertainment is there in and around the city that you don't know about? You can even tell the difference between the fish in the river."
In front of Qiao Zhenzhen, Tian Ganyou didn't want to appear too preoccupied with trivial pursuits, so he explained, "I only discovered fish when I was a child, playing in the river with Uncle He. I fished here a few times afterward. Not many people come here, and the fish are fat and silly, so they're easy to catch. If you don't believe me, you can ask Uncle He. I really don't know if there are fish in other rivers; I'm not a fisherman."
Qiao Zhuo and Tian Ganyou were a few years apart in age, and they got along well only because they were cousins. He was not familiar with Yue Shanling, and he did not take Tian Ganyou's explanation to heart. He just smiled and replied, "If you are a fisherman, I would like to ask you where your paradise is."
The river water was cool and refreshing in spring. Fu Sui squatted on the bank and splashed the water a couple of times. He then casually broke off a piece of withered grass and dipped it into the water to probe, but couldn't find the bottom no matter how he looked. Fu Sui dared not go into this river; that man must be a good swimmer.
Yanshan saw Fu Sui squatting by the river playing with the water, so he came over, squatted down next to Fu Sui, picked up a small stone, and threw it along the water's surface. The stone bounced twice on the water's surface, then sank into the water without a sound.
Yanshan exclaimed in frustration, "Oh dear!" and threw another pebble. The pebble quickly created two ripples on the water before sinking back into the depths. Unwilling to give up, Yanshan got up to look for another pebble.
Yanshan's actions caught the attention of the young men still playing energetically by the river. Tian Ganyou shouted, "Watch this!" and threw a pebble, sending it flying towards the river. Tian Ganyou's pebble flew a little farther than Yanshan's, but unfortunately, it only bounced three times, just barely surpassing Yanshan's.
Qiao Zhuo saw this and pointed in the direction where Tian Ganyou's stone had fallen into the water, laughing loudly. Tian Ganyou shouted, "This doesn't count!" and picked up another stone to throw, trying to throw it farther to save face.
Seeing them having so much fun, Qiao Zhenzhen and Fu Sui also picked up small stones and threw them. Each time they threw a stone, it went "plop," skipping across the water and splashing quite a bit.
Seeing this, Yanshan came over to teach Fu Sui and Qiao Zhenzhen how to make a move. Qiao Zhenzhen tried a few more times and actually managed to skip a stone across the water. She was so happy that she jumped up and down, forgetting all about the principles of "gentleness, prudence, chastity, and tranquility, with proper methods of movement and stillness."
Seeing that the Prince of Xiping was standing quietly to the side, Tian Ganyou pulled him over and asked him to try it too.
The Prince of Xiping could not refuse, so he bent down and searched along the riverbank. He found a thin, smooth stone, weighed it in his hand a few times, and, satisfied with its shape and weight, threw it into the water. The stone flew across the water like an arrow, cutting through the surface and heading towards the opposite bank.
Fu Sui stared intently but couldn't count how many times the water had floated; all he could see was a long trail of water.
A chorus of exclamations rose and fell as several people crowded to the water's edge, staring incredulously in the direction the stone had disappeared into the distance.
"You have this special skill? One more, one more!" Tian Ganyou shouted excitedly, and took the initiative to find those thin stones.
The others also scattered to search, and soon found three or four similar stones, which they gave to the Prince of Xiping. The four pairs of eyes eagerly awaited the Prince of Xiping's attempt to skip stones.
Princess Yanshan already knew that her brother was good at skipping stones, and she herself had learned it from him. Unlike the others, she was not surprised. Instead, she found the expectant looks of the others amusing and covered her face with a smile.
The Prince of Xiping rubbed his hands together, picked up a stone, and threw it. Immediately, shouts of "Wow!" rose and fell, and the noise gradually subsided only after all the stones had been thrown.
Tian Ganyou grabbed onto the Prince of Xiping and wouldn't let go, insisting on becoming his disciple. Qiao Zhuo followed suit, hoping to learn a few tricks from him. Fu Sui and Qiao Zhenzhen surrounded the Princess of Yanshan, praising her brother's skills until the Princess blushed with embarrassment.
After a while of commotion, everyone remembered the fishing trip. Qiao Zhenzhen and the Princess of Yanshan had only planned to go for a spring outing and hadn't made any other preparations. Tian Ganyou, thinking that they might go to the water's edge while out of town, simply had his attendants bring fishing gear.
Qin An and Doumiao prepared everything for Fu Sui's trip. Her carriage was spacious, she had many attendants, and there was even a small carriage specifically for carrying travel items. Seeing that there were many people and enough carriages, Qin An simply prepared a set of supplies for climbing mountains and going down rivers.
Tian Ganyou and Fu Sui pooled their resources and managed to put together three sets of fishing gear, which were just enough for the three girls to play with.
Qiao Zhuo helped tie the fishhooks and bait them. Neither he nor the Prince of Xiping knew much about fishing, so Tian Ganyou had to bait the area and cast the line. The three young ladies each guarded a rod. Qiao Zhuo also instructed them that if they couldn't pull the rod, they should ask him to pull it, and not try to pull it themselves, lest they be dragged into the water by the fish.
This place is close to the royal villa, so while ordinary people don't come here, the sons and daughters of officials and nobles often come to visit. As long as they don't go up Lingwei Mountain, it's fine for them to enjoy the spring scenery at the foot of the mountain. The Prince of Xiping saw some carriages and horses heading this way from afar, so he took out a curtain to set up for cover.
Fu Sui turned his head and saw the Prince of Xiping carrying out some bamboo poles and curtains, and told Kouyun to arrange some people to help.
Fu Sui had a very good impression of the Prince of Xiping. Although he was not particularly talented in his studies and not particularly clever or quick-witted, he did not have any vices such as cockfighting, dog racing, drinking, or brothel visits. He was honest and straightforward and also took great care of Yanshan.
He and Yanshan were born in Pengzhou, and when they arrived in the capital, they were completely unfamiliar with the people and affairs of the city. Yanshan, a young woman raised in seclusion, had no familiar female elders by her side, and it was even inconvenient for her to leave her house. She spent her days writing, drawing, and doing needlework, wandering around the Prince's mansion, without even a playmate. The Prince of Xiping felt sorry for her and shamelessly went to the Princess's mansion to beg Fu Sui to take Yanshan to play with him. Only then did Yanshan become acquainted with Fu Sui, and Fu Sui took her to the Princess's mansion, where she accompanied Fu Sui to banquets and outings with the Grand Princess Pingyang or the Grand Princess Linhai.
Tian Ganyou was also very satisfied with this cousin. He thought that the Tian family had many sisters, and it would be great if he could become a brother-in-law. He was just thinking of finding an opportunity to invite the Prince of Xiping to the Tian family for a drink when he heard Qiao Zhenzhen exclaim "Oh dear!"
Everyone turned to look, and even the Prince of Xiping put down his curtain and ran to see what had happened.
Qiao Zhenzhen gripped the fishing rod tightly with both hands, her whole body tense and unsure of what to do, the fishing line thrashing wildly in the water. Qiao Zhenzhen had always fished for light fish in ponds, and had never witnessed the strength of a large, wild fish in a river. The fish plunged into the water, pulling Qiao Zhenzhen forward.
Yanshan, who was nearby, quickly reached out and grabbed Qiao Zhenzhen. Qiao Zhuo ran over and grabbed the pole, telling Qiao Zhenzhen and Yanshan to let go and step aside. Tian Ganyou directed the unwinding and reeling in of the line. Seeing that everything was alright, the Prince of Xiping first turned back to signal his attendants to continue setting up the tent before coming over.
Everyone was watching Qiao Zhuo reel in his fishing rod, and no one noticed that Yan Shan's rod was slowly sliding into the water. By the time Yan Shan caught a glimpse, the rod was already more than halfway submerged. Yan Shan only had time to point at the rod and say "Hey!" before it disappeared into the water with a whoosh. The Prince of Xiping was walking over there when he lunged forward, grabbed the end of the rod in the water, and flipped over to pull it out of the water.
"Haha, another one!" Tian Ganyou shouted, abandoning Qiao Zhuo to help the Prince of Xiping.
With a combination of dragging and pulling, Qiao Zhuo finally managed to pull the fish ashore. The fish was indeed large, as long as Fu Sui's arm, its tail slapping against the ground with a loud crackling sound. Fu Sui and Qiao Zhenzhen huddled together, backing away to avoid it.
Qiao Zhuo was overjoyed when he saw the fish and laughed, "Brother Xu is absolutely right, the fish in this river are truly delightful."
Several attendants stepped forward and held the fish down. Qiao Zhuo took a handkerchief from one of the attendants and casually wiped the water splashed on his hands and body, instructing, "Find something to put it in, we'll grill it later."
Over there, the Prince of Xiping also caught a fish, though not as big as this one, it was a rare mandarin fish. Tian Ganyou exclaimed three times, "We're in for a treat today at noon!"
Qiao Zhenzhen and Yanshan re-set their rods. With two big fish on the hook, the young women were quite pleased, chattering away while hoping to catch another one.
Tian Ganyou discussed with Qiao Zhuo and the Prince of Xiping how to cook the two fish. Fu Sui's carriage was fully equipped with an oven and cooking utensils, so Tian Ganyou asked Kouyun to go to the carriage and bring the oven over.
"Zerui, what a coincidence." Tian Ganyou's voice came from outside the tent.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Zhuo lifted the curtain and went outside. The Prince of Xiping hesitated for a moment, then followed him out and carefully closed the curtain again from the outside.
Fu Sui heard intermittent greetings of "Brother Tian" and "Brother Qiao" coming from outside. Unlike Tian Ganyou, who addressed the person outside as "Zerui" with familiarity, Qiao Zhuo addressed him as "Brother Chen" with a slightly more distant tone. After Tian Ganyou informed the person outside of his identity as the Prince of Xiping, he heard the sounds of bowing and greetings.
Fu Sui hadn't quite made out the chaotic calls of "Brother Qiao" and "Brother Chen" earlier, but now he realized there was more than one person outside. Fu Sui vaguely felt that one of the voices sounded familiar, so he moved to the edge of the tent and peeked out through a small gap.
Two young men stood opposite Tian Ganyou and his two companions. One had delicate eyebrows and narrow eyes, while the other was aloof and solemn. They were the same two men they had met at the Zhuangyuan Tower.
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