Looking at the Sword by Lamplight (Thirteen)
Meng Shizhuang stood in the hall. The magnolia flowers in the courtyard had all withered, leaving only a single proud branch quietly imprinted on his thin shoulders.
Bian Hongqiu looked at him wearing a light blue gown, as if he had walked into a clear river bank, and her heart was beating uncontrollably.
Meng Shizhuang waited for a while, then said in dissatisfaction, "What are you daydreaming about again?"
Bian Hongqiu came back to his senses awkwardly: "I, I was just thinking about your body..."
Meng Shizhuang interrupted him: "It's better than you always being distracted."
He thought about it for a moment and felt that his attitude seemed a bit too arrogant, but he didn't know how to make amends, so he had to continue to ask stubbornly: "Can't you take me with you?"
Bian Hongqiu's heartbeat was pounding in his ears, and he vaguely heard himself answer, "Okay."
He was lost in the brilliant aquamarine, his eyes unblinking. The bright light nourished the lush, growing tree within his heart, and his mind wandered again. Did Ah Shi come here because Qi Ziyu persuaded him? Qi Ziyu and Ah Shi weren't close friends, so how could he have come simply because of Qi Ziyu's persuasion? Did Ah Shi come here because of him?
Meng Shizhuang got the answer and was about to ask for details of the operation when he looked down and saw Bian Hongqiu staring at him in a daze again. His words got stuck in his throat. Song Jingyan, who had rushed over after hearing the news, stepped into the front hall and saw Meng Shizhuang turn around, point at Bian Hongqiu, who was daydreaming, and then leave with a flick of his sleeve.
Song Jingyan sighed, "Your Highness!"
Bian Hongqiu did not respond.
Qi Ziyu didn't understand why Bian Hongqiu was distracted again, and he didn't understand why Meng Shizhuang left like that, but he was very obedient and called Bian Hongqiu to "wake up" on behalf of Song Jingyan. He cleared his throat and shouted in his loud voice: "Your Highness!"
Bian Hongqiu shuddered suddenly and immediately realized that Meng Shizhuang had been angered and left.
General Qi stared at him with eyes as big as copper bells. Song Jingyan was like a parent who had caught her child making a mistake. Everything was said without words, but she didn't say anything to embarrass him. Continuing with the discussion from last night, she said, "Your Highness, besides Ah Shi, bring Hengbo with you as well. He'll be there to look after you if anything happens."
Bian Hongqiu nodded repeatedly, "I'll listen to my sister."
Song Jingyan dismissed Qi Ziyu, who knew nothing, and Hengbo, who only half understood, and asked, "Your Highness, have you and Ah Shi expressed your feelings?"
Bian Hongqiu sat back up at the head, picked up his tea to hide the expression on his face, and said perfunctorily, "Hmm."
That said.
Song Jingyan was very sincere: "Your Highness, if you have already expressed your feelings, then dodging will only make you look stupid and unromantic. Since you can cling to someone openly, the right thing to do is to cater to their preferences."
Bian Hongqiu pricked up his ears: "Ah, let me stop wasting my time."
Song Jingyan took a sip of tea and said, "I advised Your Highness not to go into the Tiger Cave alone, but Your Highness may not have listened to me."
"Your Highness, Ah Shi has lived in Huangque Island for many years. I heard from Liu Lang that countless people in the neighborhood tried to match him up with a woman, but in the end, they all ended in failure. For ordinary people, a peaceful life is a blessing. If he shows even a hint of uncertainty about his future and peace, most people will shy away from him." Song Jingyan's voice was calm, with a hint of nostalgia. "No matter how ambitious a person is in this world, no matter how lofty their ambitions are and how unwilling they are to be ordinary, no one wants to live a turbulent life. No one wants to have both the power of calling the shots outside and the comfort of a lamp and a bed at home."
"Ashi hasn't figured out what he wants to do, but he won't live a muddled life. Your Highness, didn't you visit Renjitang? He has a willow tree in the courtyard behind the pharmacy, and the flowers and weeds outside are all neatly tended. There are brand new paper-cut window decorations on the windows, and there are bamboo tubes in the well for storing fresh fruits and vegetables."
"Your Highness, he will never like someone who hesitates and has to say everything before taking action."
Bian Hongqiu held the teacup and looked at the bare magnolia tree in the courtyard.
He recalled that day when he eavesdropped outside the main courtyard window and heard Meng Shizhuang tell Liu Lang that she could snatch Madam Li away to live with Liu Lang.
He suddenly laughed out loud.
The first time Meng Shizhuang caught his eye was as a bandit. Now his arrogance and hostility seemed to have disappeared, and he looked discouraged, as if he was letting others do whatever they wanted. In fact, he was still very casual in his bones, doing whatever he wanted and not caring about what he wanted.
Song Jingyan looked at Bian Hongqiu who was grinning foolishly again, and stopped reminding him. She shook her head and left.
Bian Hongqiu sat alone for a long time, finally coming to his senses. He returned to his room to change his clothes, then spent the day in his study. The gates of the garrison were wide open, and countless people in various attire came in and out, bearing tokens and secret letters. Song Jingyan, along with a group of Liang Wangfu staff, sat at the long table with Bian Hongqiu.
Guards at Huangquezhou's west gate drew their arrows at the ready. Behind the gate, solemn-faced Western Border troops formed their ranks. Boats ferrying troops along the Huai River kept chugging along, the ground-shaking sound announcing the impending outbreak of war. That night, the last batch of Western Border troops from Kailanzhou assembled. The rebels, sensing unrest outside the city gate, were interrupted by a barrage of arrows from the city walls before they could send word back to Yuechanzhou.
Bian Hongqiu dispatched his troops with lightning speed.
Several officials dispatched from Lanzhou to Huangquezhou to stabilize the situation were horrified. They heard the raging battle outside in their dreams. Dressed in their undergarments and dragging their shoes and socks, they rushed to the garrison to inquire about the situation, only to be forced back to their respective residences by Yan He's men. Having received the news from an unknown source, Cui Yue hurriedly delivered it to the capital and tried to ferry himself there, but even the Huai River bank was unreachable. Xi Zhongting sent cavalry to order them to halt their actions, but Bian Hongqiu tied them, their horses, to the front of the battle line. He watched as they advanced over twenty miles west of Huangquezhou in just half a day, and the massive Western Border Army reached the outskirts of Chunxiangzhou.
Xi Zhongting led his troops to camp outside Yuechan Island, with the tents brightly lit.
The imperial military supervisors and his personal guards were enraged. "Is the King of Liang planning a rebellion? Sending troops like this recklessly will put the King of Jingxi in a desperate situation. Where will the reputation of Your Majesty and the imperial court be?"
"You really grew up in a remote village! You're shortsighted and don't know what the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues are!"
"He has a wolfish ambition! I'm afraid he has big plans..."
Xi Zhongting's face was as gloomy as water, and in his hand was a letter written by Bian Hongqiu "requesting" to send troops.
The young Prince of Liang copied the letter he had sent earlier word for word, using both soft and hard tactics, and using a tone that was both polite and impolite. But at the end of the letter, he specifically said, "I am fortunate to have Your Majesty behind the scenes. I wish Your Majesty great empires. If it is God's will, I will draw a picture with my blood on my sword, and Your Majesty will see that the Great Yu Kingdom is unified and forever secure."
The argument in the tent became more intense. Xi Zhongting frowned heavily and said, "Shut up!"
Everyone had already stood up and was jostle and dance, but when Xi Zhongting impatiently interrupted them, they all sat down, knowing that the headstrong general was about to speak. Xi Zhongting crumpled up the letter Bian Hongqiu had sent him. "Please ask Madam Luo to come here. Continue to send a team of cavalrymen to bypass Yuechanzhou to deliver the letter to King Liang, one rider per day. Do not argue with King Liang."
"The rest of you remain where you are and wait for orders. Do not act on your own!"
One of his personal guards immediately responded and went out of the main tent to invite Miss Luo.
Madam Luo was originally from the Lingdi Palace. After the Forty-Nine Immortal Palaces were overthrown, she was ordered by Emperor Xue to go to the Western Border to assist Xi Zhongting. Since then, she has been with the army. She is best at disguise and can dress up any person of any age vividly.
As soon as Xi Zhongting said he wanted to invite her, everyone understood what he was going to do, but no one dared to dissuade him.
General Xi was arrogant and arbitrary, neither trying to persuade nor listening. "Seal off all exits from Yuechan Island. If any rumors spread in the city, kill them on the spot, no matter who they are." Then, turning to the imperial military supervisor, he said, "Sir, this is a trivial matter, based on hearsay. There is no need to report it to His Majesty or the Crown Prince."
The military supervisor wiped the sweat from his chin with his sleeve and responded repeatedly.
Xi Zhongting sighed deeply as he stepped outside the tent. In the distance, beacons blazed from the towering walls of Yuechan Island. The King of Jingxi, with his scraped-together forces, struggled to hold off the sudden surge of troops from the imperial court. A land, shattered for decades, his resentful king, far away in the capital, labored tirelessly to deal with the mess left behind by his father, bearing the stigma of ignorance.
He looked back at the dim light inside the tent, where silent figures were gathering.
Figures gradually retreated from behind the study window, the shadows of the trees clinging motionlessly outside. Finally, Mr. Liu yawned and withdrew, leaving only Bian Hongqiu and a small oil lamp at the long table. He rubbed his brow, a belated exhaustion washing over him.
Files and letters lay scattered across the long table, and several brushes had been plucked bare, their ink stains smeared all over the paper. Bian Hongqiu felt hesitant to start, so he picked up a few books he'd used as pads and shoved them haphazardly into the library. Besides the original books from the Garrison, there were also those they'd moved from Lanzhou, making the library seem quite crowded.
Bian Hongqiu couldn't fit it in, so he had to take out the folded book from the cabinet and straighten it. A light piece of paper fell out of the book. He picked it up and saw that it was a piece of yellow paper folded in half. He unfolded it and took a closer look. It was a blueprint for a garden design. A few small words were written in the lower right corner: "Drawn in the 23rd year of Pingde, Wen Jiyun presents it to his wife as a dowry of ten thousand gold, hoping for a wedding date."
He looked at the line of words for a moment, turned the paper at the lower right corner, and what caught his eye was a handwriting that he was very familiar with. It was written by Song Jingyan, "Next spring will be auspicious, and the monthly salary will be thirty stone. I will borrow a thousand taels of silver from the Liang Palace to buy a mansion as a betrothal gift to welcome you into the palace."
Bian Hongqiu flipped the scroll open again. It was a collection of poems compiled by an unknown poet from the previous dynasty. The style was natural and fresh, and the poems mostly described the beauty of the mountains, rivers and countryside he visited in his youth. It was a book that Song Jingyan had often read.
They had been dispatched from Lanzhou in a hurry, leaving them with little time to pack up their belongings. He had other things to attend to on his return trip, so he had them packed up in boxes and brought back without properly packing them up. He thought for a moment, then put the poetry collection and blueprints away, tucking them into the drawer of the small table Song Jingyan had bought him.
Bian Hongqiu's fatigue suddenly froze. He returned to the main courtyard and retrieved the sword case he had brought from his temporary residence in Kailanzhou. Song Jingyan had searched for this sword for him for a long time, finding it in Daohai City, where he and Meng Shizhuang had met. All the sword masters in the palace and the Western Border Army praised it as a fine sword. Forged with black iron and steel and special materials, it could make the blade as white as snow, cut through iron like mud, and remain as new for years. The blade was engraved with sharp yet soft water ripples, a perfect combination of hardness and softness.
Except for the broken buckle on the scabbard, it is a good sword with no flaws at all.
Bian Hongqiu personally searched for materials, measured the size of the sword, and made a scabbard that fits the sword perfectly. It is already a treasure worthy of being given away.
He carried the sword case with ease, not wanting anyone to follow him, as if he had not met Meng Shizhuang just now, and went to Renjitang eager to go home.
Renji Hall was completely silent. Bian Hongqiu, holding the sword case, wandered outside for a while. The moon was at its zenith. He could hear the sound of the wind, the rustling of willow leaves behind the hall, and the surging of the well water in the courtyard. Bian Hongqiu carefully studied the sky, not caring how long he had to wait. He knew Meng Shizhuang would open the door to Renji Hall around 3:30 am.
He could walk around the streets a few times and then naturally start visiting people.
Liu Lang wouldn't have come out to follow Meng Shizhuang around at that time, he could have...
A stone flew over and interrupted his thoughts.
Bian Hongqiu looked up and saw Meng Shizhuang bending down under the dim crescent moon, holding a tile. "Your Highness Prince Liang, do you have nowhere to go? What are you doing sneaking around outside my house?"
Bian Hongqiu's first reaction was to grab his sword and leave. Song Jingyan's words rang in his ears. He struggled to suppress his complicated feelings of being caught and looked up at her: "It's late at night, why aren't you sleeping?"
The roof of Renjitang was damaged in places, and leaks were common during rainy days. Meng Shizhuang, anticipating that she wouldn't be back for long after accompanying Bian Hongqiu on his errands, decided to repair the damaged areas. She worked until midnight, deciding to rest after finishing the last few tiles. Just as she was removing the broken tiles, she saw someone approaching from the street.
He didn't take it seriously at first, until the other party stopped outside Renjitang and lingered, refusing to leave.
Meng Shizhuang: "How can you catch a thief when you're asleep?"
Bian Hongqiu pretended not to hear clearly: "Doctor Meng, I wonder if you will be welcoming guests tonight?"
Meng Shizhuang finished patching up the plaster and said in a neither light nor heavy voice: "No welcome."
Then he flew off the roof carrying the load.
Bian Hongqiu continued to wait, holding the sword case. He heard the sounds in the backyard subside. Meng Shizhuang must have been washing her hands with water, pushing open a door but not closing it. Then came more footsteps, seemingly moving a few pots of mixed flowers and plants under the eaves, casually sprinkling them with water. Then, there was the sound of willow branches being snapped...
It was not until dawn that the merciful Dr. Meng finally came to open the door.
Meng Shizhuang, who had been busy all night, did not show any sign of fatigue, and her face was full of an expression of "Why are you haunting me?"
Bian Hongqiu followed him and watched him place a porcelain vase on the front stage of the hall. Inside the vase was a fresh willow branch, dripping with water droplets. She took the curtain Meng Shizhuang had lifted and walked into the backyard. The kitchen was already lit, and a pot of hot tea sat on the stone table in the courtyard. Meng Shizhuang poured tea for Bian Hongqiu in a cracked old bowl.
"Drink quickly and leave after you finish."
Bian Hongqiu drank the tea but refused to leave. "Yes, I heard that your knife was broken, so I came to give you a sword."
He placed the sword case on the stone table and said, "This is your reward for protecting me this time."
Meng Shizhuang then wiped the water droplets off her hands with a rag and asked, "What sword?"
Bian Hongqiu used the light from the kitchen to try to see the expression on his face: "Nice sword."
Then, he saw Meng Shizhuang casually opening the sword sheath, but his expression gradually solidified, becoming increasingly uglier. In the end, the darkness in his eyes almost made him shed tears.
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