Chapter 35 Before Nanhu could react, he left the ground...
Nanhu Lake is a wide body of water that extends into the canal at its end.
Now is the prosperous season for water transport, with ships traveling from the north and south, merchants and goods from all over the world gathering here, and people coming and going on both sides of the river.
There are also fragrant towers and treasured pavilions, pleasure boats and painted boats, where singing and dancing continue until nightfall.
Yu Qing took off his official uniform and changed into casual clothes prepared in the carriage, while the princess put on a veil.
When we were halfway there, we could faintly hear the sound of drums and music. We got off the bus and saw that it was indeed a scene of flowers and brocade.
The last time Yu Qing came here was five or six years ago. At that time, the canal had not even been built. After that, he had been living outside the Great Wall and had not paid much attention to it.
Qingjia moved closer: "There are so many people."
Yu Qing walked on the outside of Qingjia to block others from passing by.
She herself rarely experienced such a flourishing occasion, and was dazzled by the sight. She sighed, "To the northwest, the markets are most numerous near Tielin Pass. Trade routes were cut off during the war, but they've gotten much better since the truce. I went there once before the New Year, and it was a novelty. Compared to this place, it's shabby."
When Xie Jing heard Yu Qing talk about his experiences in the northwest before, he didn’t think it was a big deal.
Now he couldn't help but wonder how Yu Qing had gotten through all these years?
The northwest wind and sand are so strong, and the frontier is so desolate.
Yu Qing not only lived there, she also led troops, fought battles, and guarded the pass... but she never mentioned any hardships.
She was only in her teens at the time. Why did she choose this path? Was it out of helplessness, or was it her own will?
He couldn't help but glance sideways. Yu Qing always had a calm and composed demeanor. Any doubts about her were impossible to discern from her appearance.
Neither of them brought any followers. The coachman was watching the carriage, and a servant followed a few steps behind, responsible for handing over silver and taking things later.
At first, there was still some distance between the two of them. Seeing the large number of tourists, Yu Qing took a small step towards Qing Jia. Then, she felt a touch on her arm, and Qing Jia took her arm: "Let's not get separated."
“…”
Yu Qing subconsciously stopped, and Qing Jia said, "Hmm?"
It is not uncommon for ordinary couples to snuggle together, but for Yu Qing, it was the first time for them to be so intimate.
"Nothing... Let's go."
Although Qingjia was just loosely resting his arm on hers and was almost weightless, his presence was very strong.
I just took a quick look and didn't take anything in my mind.
A drop of cool water fell on my skin. It was not an illusion, it seemed like it was raining.
The wind by the lake was exceptionally moist, and it was a bit stuffy just now. As it cooled down in the evening, drizzles began to fall.
The princess seemed to sense something and stretched out her other hand, feeling the presence of rain with her palm.
Yu Qing said: "Shall we hide for a while?"
She didn't care about the drizzle, but she couldn't let the princess get wet.
Yu Qing thought: What's going on? I finally got to go out and play with Qingjia, but the weather wasn't good.
There was a Baoyue Pavilion not far away, which she thought was quite good. She booked a private room overlooking the terrace, where she could also see the lake.
The princess said, "The rain isn't heavy, it might stop soon. Shall we continue our stroll?"
Half of Yu Qing's body was accustomed to the princess's warmth, so how could he say "no"?
The servant who followed behind went to buy two oil umbrellas. Yu Qing did not let the servant follow, but only took one of them and opened it. The umbrella was wide enough to cover the two of them.
There were many restaurants and small stalls with tents on the roadside. A small vendor saw this elegantly dressed young couple, who looked like a young master and young mistress out for a trip together, and he quickly recommended his sweet-scented osmanthus wine dumplings. He scooped two small bowls and said, "Young master, try it. If it's not delicious, you can get it for free!"
Yu Qing took it with one hand and gave the first bowl to Qingjia.
The fermented rice wine is cooked until thick, and the glutinous rice balls are translucent and plump, with golden petals floating on top.
Xie Jing had never tasted this kind of street snack before. He untied the veil on one side and tasted a small spoonful. It did not have a strong smell of alcohol and was very sweet and delicious.
Yu Qing asked, "How?"
Xie Jing said: "Not bad."
Yu Qing was holding an umbrella with one hand, so it was not easy for him to hold his small bowl. He simply didn't taste it first and planned to ask the servant behind him to come and buy two jars directly.
At this time, Qingjia put down his bowl, picked up the other one on the table, and fed it to her mouth with a small wooden spoon.
Yu Qing: “…”
She was stunned for a moment, then took a bite from the princess's hand. Her first reaction was, "Hmm, sweet."
The princess' eyes curved slightly and she said, "Of course it's sweet."
But Yu Qing felt it was exceptionally sweet; after just one bite, the aftertaste seemed to linger on the tip of his tongue.
Qing Jia said: "Don't lean towards me, your shoulders are wet."
She adjusted the umbrella handle, allowing the umbrella, which had been tilted, to straighten towards Yu Qing.
Yu Qing didn't think much of the light rain. It didn't soak through her clothes, only leaving some water marks. Qing Jia said, "Then let's get closer."
Originally, she was holding Yu Qingqing's arm, but this time she leaned over. The two of them were of similar height, so their shoulders and upper arms were touching.
It’s so close, Yu Qing thought.
After walking most of the way along the bustling main street and buying some odds and ends of food and playthings, the princess took a fancy to some beads and knots. She said, "Your sword is so bare; it would look nice with a tassel."
Yu Qing's sword was not the fancy swords of those young masters, which were worn at the waist just to look good. Her sword was used to kill people and was never decorated.
But when the princess mentioned it, she nodded repeatedly: "Yeah, okay."
A huge pleasure boat was moored at the shore, and one could vaguely see the colorful lanterns and silks on the boat, which looked so bright and beautiful.
Yu Qing thought that he could go on board for a tour, but he found that there were many beautiful girls standing on both sides, talking and laughing to coax the guests to go on board for fun. When he listened carefully, he found that the tunes coming from them were all soft and lewd. Yu Qing coughed lightly and turned Qingjia in another direction.
Next time I have to charter a boat in advance and not take the princess around.
Walking along the river bank, we gradually passed the most prosperous area and the surroundings gradually became quiet. Smaller cruise ships and cargo ships were sailing slowly along the canal.
Yu Qing's eyes lit up and he thought that such a small boat was not bad.
There were no outsiders, just the two of them.
She asked Qingjia, and Qingjia nodded, so the servant went to find an empty cruise ship.
In fact, it was not small at all. It could easily accommodate more than ten people, including the boatman, the musicians, and the servants serving tea. Yu Qing did not keep that many people, and let the rest go ashore.
She jumped lightly and stood steadily in the boat.
Xie Jing followed Yu Qing and looked down. Although there was a wide wooden plank between the boat and the shore, it was not fixed, and one side of the plank was sunk into the wet mud on the shore.
He considered where to step safely and cleanly.
Then Yu Qing leaned over and put her arms around his waist. Before he could react, he was lifted off the ground and placed directly on the boat.
Xie Jing: “…”
Xie Jing: “…”
Yu Qing said to the princess considerately, "Be careful not to get your skirt wet."
He was completely unaware of the princess's complex and incomprehensible gaze.
The boatman rowed the boat, and the zither girl played a gentle and graceful melody. The boat slowly moved towards the center of the lake.
Since they were just two people, Qingjia took off her veil.
The clouds had been light in the evening, but now, blown away by the wind, the rain soon stopped. Yu Qing peeked outside the boat awning, confirming there were no drops of rain, and called Qingjia out as well.
The sun has set, and the moon and stars appear on the horizon.
Qing Jia said, "I remember you once said that the stars beyond the Great Wall are very bright."
Yu Qing said: "Yes, sometimes when I can't sleep at night, I go outside the tent and watch for a long time."
Qing Jia: "Why can't you sleep? Is something bothering you?"
This question stumped Yu Qing. She always felt that she was in a good mood and did not feel overwhelmed, but sometimes she did have difficulty falling asleep.
"Only occasionally... I don't know," Yu Qing said, "but I'm fine now. I fall asleep right away every day."
The princess smiled and asked, "It must be very hard after all these years in the Northwest."
The first one or two years after joining the battlefield were a bit difficult. Yu Qing not only had to adapt to the military camp, but also had to find ways to conceal his identity. It was okay at other times, but he was most afraid of external injuries and could not have ordinary military doctors see him. Fortunately, Qiying also went to the frontier with him at that time.
Later, when the war became intense, she could not care about anything else but fighting, and gradually she became more and more proficient in it. When her father was injured and retired to the capital, she took on the responsibility alone, and there was no room for retreat.
She didn't talk about the hardship, but just recalled the past and told the princess about the things happening at the frontier.
When I was a child and followed Mrs. Lu to the army, the neighbors were all children of military families, and they would fight very fiercely.
Later, Yu Lang was seriously injured, and Yu Qing returned to Beijing with his mother and brother. Not knowing that children in the capital were very pampered, Yu Qing had a dispute with someone's young master in the Wen family's school. Yu Qing lifted the other person's arm and dislocated it.
Later, Mrs. Lu took her to the house to apologize. Many years later, the young master also entered the court as an official. Every time Yu Qing saw him, she remembered his crying face when he was a child.
The princess laughed at this, and Yu Qing continued, describing the coldest year when water turned to ice. In the middle of the night, snow collapsed half of the tent while they were sleeping. Northern barbarian men were generally tall and strong, with a body odor. It was unknown what they ate, and Yu Qing despised them greatly. However, in the small kingdoms further west, both men and women were very good-looking, with fair skin, blue eyes, and curly hair.
"What about the battlefield?" Xie Jing asked.
Yu Qing had deliberately avoided it just now. She felt that it was not appropriate to talk about some cruel topics with Qingjia, for fear of scaring her into having a nightmare. The princess was the kind of person who would be scared to tears even by thunder.
During the fight, arms and legs flew all over the ground, blood was flowing everywhere, it was terrifying no matter how you describe it.
Xie Jing: "The old marquis suffered injuries when he was young. What about you? You've also suffered a lot of injuries."
"Well... I should be stronger than my father. The injuries I've had are not serious." Yu Qing said lightly.
Xie Jing pressed on, "If it's not heavy, how heavy is it?"
"They were just ordinary knife and arrow wounds," Yu Qing said. "I didn't feel anything when I was injured, but the pain only started afterward. One time, I was holding a gun, but I couldn't lift my hand. I looked down and saw an arrow tip sticking out of a crack in my armor..."
The princess's expression changed. Yu Qing said, "It's just a flesh wound! He wasn't hurt anywhere else. Flesh wounds don't count."
An arrow pierced through his shoulder blade from the back to the front, and Xie Jing was terrified at the thought.
Yu Qing smiled and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Have you ever tasted wine from the Western Regions? I remember paying tribute to the palace before..."
The zither girl in the boat couldn't hear the two people's whispers, she only saw a pair of figures standing side by side very close to each other, playing a love ballad.
Yu Qing listened for a while, then turned around and gave her some silver, saying, "What song is this? It's quite nice."
The zither girl smiled and said, "My lord, this piece of music is called 'Nan Ge Zi', and it is about the love between two people."
The zither girl came from the south with the boat owner, and her voice and the sound of her zither were full of the charm of the water town.
Xie Jing glanced at Yu Qing and asked, "Do you like listening to the piano?"
He asked the zither girl, "Can I borrow your zither?"
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