Chapter 1
In late spring, the elegant fragrance of Biluochun tea wafts through the street-side "Zhiwei Teahouse", and the crabapple petals outside the window lattice are blown by the wind and gently fall on the bluestone slabs.
In front of the elegant seat near the inside, a man in plain clothes was pinching the edge of the teacup, his knuckles slightly white, and his brows were filled with an inextricable sorrow. He even forgot to taste the tea leaves floating in the cup.
He is A Yuan, a servant from the Shen Mansion in the west of the city. He has come to this teahouse today specifically to ask for advice from the famous "love strategist".
The man sitting across from him raised his eyes. His eyes, shining like cold stars beneath his sword-like brows, were accentuated by his white robe, making his face even more handsome. It was Luo Sanrong. He tapped the table with his fingertips, his voice clear yet steady. "What do you mean by 'strange thing'?"
A Yuan's Adam's apple moved, and he spoke carefully, his tone full of confusion: "He... He hasn't been able to eat lately, and he can't sleep at night. A few days ago, he even went to a tavern at the corner of the street to drink strong liquor, and even fought with a thug for a strange child." As he spoke, he unconsciously touched the scab on his forehead.
Luo Sanrong glanced at the wound on his forehead, a knowing smile curled up at the corner of his lips. He picked up the teacup and took a sip: "Could it be that he gets angry whenever someone mentions a certain woman?"
"Exactly!" Ah Yuan stood up abruptly, slamming his palm down on the table. A few drops of tea splattered from the cup, leaving a faint stain on the plain tablecloth. His eyes were filled with surprise and eagerness, as if he had found a soulmate. "How did you know that, sir? Sure enough, what others say is right. When it comes to matters of the heart, I still have to consult you!"
Luo Sanrong put down the teacup, gently stroking the rim with his fingertips, and said with a certainty, "I guess it's because of the unrequited love you've been pursuing, and the dissuasion from your friends around you, that's why you're so unhappy, right?"
The surprise on A-Yuan's face instantly turned to embarrassment. He scratched his head and lowered his voice a bit, "Sir, please understand... Actually, that 'friend' is me."
He lowered his eyes, his voice growing deeper. "I'm a servant in the Shen Mansion, responsible for sweeping the courtyard every day. The young lady in the mansion... Miss Shen, she's as beautiful as peach blossoms in spring. I can't take my eyes off her. But I'm of low status, so I can only quietly sweep the road cleaner and lead the horse more steadily when she goes out. But she always treats me coldly, never even smiling."
At this point, his eyes reddened slightly, his fingers tightly clutching the corner of his clothes. "I've lost my appetite lately, and at night, my mind is full of her. My friends have advised me not to be so obsessed with her, but I... I just can't let her go. I came here today to ask you, sir, if she has any feelings for me at all?"
Luo Sanrong looked at his distraught appearance, a trace of pity flashing in his eyes. He then moved closer and said in a low voice, "I have a solution. It will only take ten days."
"Ten days?" A Yuan raised his eyes, his eyes full of confusion.
"During these ten days, you don't have to do anything," Luo Sanrong said slowly. "You don't have to clear the path for her, you don't have to quietly fix her saddle, and you don't have to follow her from a distance."
"How can this be possible!" Ah Yuan stood up in shock, his tone full of panic, "If I don't stay at her side and be attentive to her, what if she forgets me? What if another young man appears by her side, then I..."
"What are you panicking about?" Luo Sanrong interrupted him, her tone firm. "If she had you in her heart, how could she not notice the sudden disappearance of the person who usually lingered before her? If she didn't have you in her heart, even if you were diligent every day, it would be a waste of effort."
A Yuan was stunned, his brows furrowed as he pondered these words carefully. The panic in his eyes gradually faded away, and there was a hint of hesitation.
Seeing this, Luo Sanrong continued, "On the tenth day, find an opportunity to stage a 'hero saving the beauty' scene. She's always been timid, so if she runs into any minor trouble, you'll show up in time and protect her. Then tell her that you will always protect and love her..."
Before he finished speaking, A Yuan's eyes lit up, and the clouds of worry on his face disappeared, revealing a knowing smile.
Yes, what woman could resist a man who stood up for her in times of crisis, and how could she refuse such a sincere confession? He bowed deeply to Luo Sanrong: "Thank you for your guidance, sir. Ayuan will take note of it!"
Luo Sanrong looked at his departing back, picked up the teacup, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
*
In the palace, the morning light began to shine through the corridor, and the gilded light slanted across the vermilion pillars, but was mostly blocked by a crowd of servants standing with their hands hanging down.
Eunuch Ma's forehead was covered in sweat, and the hem of his blue satin palace robe was wrinkled by his hurried steps. He roughly pushed aside the servants blocking his way, and his bony fingers tapped hurriedly on the carved wooden door. "Your Highness! Your Highness, are you awake? This servant deserves death. This is really an urgent matter. Please allow me to come in and answer the questions——"
Before he finished speaking, he pushed the door open and walked in, followed by maids and eunuchs holding copper basins and brocade fabrics. The sound of his footsteps instantly filled the still warm bedroom.
A corner of the curtain was lifted by the morning breeze. The man on the bed sat up, rubbing his brow. His dark hair fell messily over his shoulders, and even through his sleepy eyes, his handsome features could not be concealed. "What are you panicking about?" His voice was hoarse, just waking up, and his fingertips were still stained with the brocade thread on the pillow.
Eunuch Ma walked up to the bedside, his knees almost touching the footboard. He lowered his voice but couldn't hide his urgency. He leaned over and whispered in the man's ear, "Your Highness! Don't sleep! His Majesty is here and wants to check your homework!"
With a "swish", Li Yin suddenly sat up, and his sleepiness disappeared in an instant.
He stepped barefoot on the cashmere-covered floor, and the eunuchs hurried forward to help him dress. The moon-white lining made his shoulders broad and his waist narrow. The outer brocade robe with a gold cloud pattern made his figure even taller. He was almost two heads taller than the short and fat eunuch Ma. It was Li Yin, the Crown Prince of Xia'an.
"Why are you saying it now?" He held the mouthwash in his mouth and stared at Eunuch Ma vaguely. The water slid down the corner of his mouth and dripped onto the fabric, leaving a small wet mark.
"Your Highness, I just received the news and came to report it without even having time to catch my breath." Eunuch Ma tied the jade belt for him while explaining, his fingertips constantly adjusting the wrinkles on his collar.
In the blink of an eye, it was noon, the sun was hanging overhead, and the glazed tiles of the palace were shining brightly.
Eunuch Ma was waiting outside the palace gate early. When he saw the bright yellow ceremonial procession from afar, he hurried to greet it.
His Majesty, Xia Anguo, was nearly forty years old, sporting a neatly trimmed beard and a slightly plump figure. Though still in his prime, he possessed a certain gentleness in his expression. The power of the court now lay in the hands of Prime Minister Ji Ke and the Empress. He held the title of emperor in name only, but he paid particular attention to the Crown Prince's studies, often personally checking on them.
As His Majesty reached the corridor, he encountered Ji Ke, dressed in a crimson official robe. As they exchanged pleasantries, they heard a conversation coming from a nearby pavilion. It was Li Yin and his tutor.
"Your Highness, do you still remember the chapters and verses from the Analects of Confucius that you learned yesterday?" The Grand Tutor's voice was gentle, with some expectation.
Li Yin stood in the pavilion, holding a scroll in his hands, and said aloud: "The sages once said that if you review the old to learn new things, you can become a teacher; when you see a virtuous person, you should strive to emulate him; when you see an unvirtuous person, you should reflect on yourself." His tone was steady and his logic was clear.
"Then does Your Highness know how to put this into practice?" the Grand Tutor asked again.
"Scholars should take humility as their foundation, diligence as their practice, and the world as their concern, then they will be close to the gentlemen of ancient times." Li Yin answered without hesitation, and even his eyes were firm.
His Majesty stood in the corridor, listening to his son's answer. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up. He turned to the eunuch beside him and boasted, "Look, Yin'er has such insight now. He has really grown up." The ministers and attendants around him quickly echoed, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is extremely intelligent. He will definitely be a wise ruler in the future."
Only Ji Ke stood aside, with no smile on his face, but instead a thoughtful look.
Just as everyone was praising him, a gust of wind suddenly blew, rolled up the papers in the pavilion, and swirled them to the feet of His Majesty.
The eunuch bent down to pick it up and handed it to His Majesty. His Majesty looked down and his face instantly darkened. The handwriting on the paper was neat, and it was exactly what Li Yin had just said, even the pauses in his speech were clearly marked.
Li Yin in the pavilion hadn't noticed anything unusual yet. He continued to look down at the note quietly passed to him by the Grand Tutor, repeating it word for word: "This is the foundation of a gentleman's conduct. Your Highness must always keep it in mind..."
"Evil creature!" His Majesty threw the paper to the ground, his voice full of anger. "You are so unambitious that you use such tricks to deceive me!" After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and left. The corner of his bright yellow robe swept across the stone steps, leaving behind a burst of hurried footsteps.
Li Yin panicked and stood up to chase after him to explain, but his clothes got caught on the leg of a stool and he fell to the ground with a thud. When he got up, the emperor's procession had already disappeared at the end of the corridor, leaving only silence in the courtyard.
When Ji Ke passed by the pavilion, he stopped and looked at him, a smile on his lips, and without saying anything, he turned and walked away. That look was like a fine needle, making Li Yin feel uncomfortable.
Li Yin sat back on the stone bench dejectedly, looking at the trembling Taifu in front of him, his tone filled with a bit of grievance: "Teacher, I clearly did what you said, why did it turn out like this? You should have taught me properly, why did you let me deceive His Majesty in this way?"
The Grand Tutor fell to his knees with a thud, his forehead resting on the cold stone slab, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty...your Majesty is terrified! Your Majesty deserves death!"
Li Yin stroked the scattered papers in his hand, looked up at the Grand Tutor, and suddenly grinned, revealing two small canine teeth. He said in a light tone: "I was just teasing you, how could I blame you? If there is anyone to blame, it should be that blind wind."
As soon as he finished speaking, another gust of wind came roaring in, sweeping up the papers on the table and sending them flying all over the sky, as if in response to his words. Li Yin looked at the flying papers in the air, his smile gradually fading, and a subtle hint of helplessness flashed across his eyes.
At the same time, on the bluestone road in the town, Luo Sanying was carrying an oil-paper bag, humming a little tune, and walking briskly.
Inside the oil-paper package was the freshly bought cloud cake, soft and still steaming. This was the master's favorite snack. Today, the man and woman who asked her to write a love letter for them specially gave her an extra ten cents as a reward, so she thought of adding to the master's joy.
She was sixteen years old, had a boy's bun, and wore a washed-out blue cloth gown. If you didn't look closely, no one would know that she was a girl.
When she was ten years old, she and her mother were pursued and separated in the panic. Fortunately, she was adopted by her current master, a wandering actor. Before leaving, her mother held her hand and repeatedly warned her, "Don't reveal your girlhood, or you'll be in great trouble." For all these years, she has always dressed as a man, and no one except her master knows her true identity.
Three years ago, the master contracted a cough and could no longer wander around, so the master and his disciple settled in this town.
Luo Sanzhen learned some fortune-telling skills from her father since she was young, and she also knew a few words. At first, she made a living by writing letters for others. However, the old scholar in the town who used to write letters excluded her everywhere, and the locals also trusted acquaintances more, so her business was always slow.
Until half a year ago, she accidentally wrote a love letter for a girl from the neighboring village. The girl read the words in the letter to her lover, and it actually came true.
As time went by, more and more people asked her to write love letters for them. The people in this town were conservative, and unmarried men and women were shy to express their feelings directly, so they were willing to ask her, a "stranger", to write for them.
Luo Sanrong was a man of delicate mind, and his writings could always express the feelings hidden in his heart in a gentle and moving way. Thus, the reputation of "Mr. Luo" spread.
"Aunt Wang, are you going to pick out the vegetables?"
"Brother Zhang, didn't you go to the market today?"
Whenever he met someone he knew, Luo Sanrong would greet them with a smile and a cheerful tone, just like a passionate young man.
As she was walking, she suddenly caught sight of three burly men standing at the corner of the street, knives tucked into their waists. They were the loan sharks. Luo Sanrong's heart tightened, and she quickly dodged between two houses, her heart pounding.
Last year, her master's cough worsened and she had no money to buy medicine, so she had to borrow two taels of silver from this group of people.
Now the interest has compounded, and it has already become five taels. Even if she tries her best to write letters for others, it is only enough to pay the interest. The last time she failed to repay the money on time, she was hung upside down on the old locust tree by the group. She still shivers when she thinks about the feeling of the cold wind blowing through her collar.
"Fortunately I hid quickly." Luo Sanying patted his chest and was about to stick his head out to see what was going on, but his eyes fell on the notice posted on the wall.
It was a notice from the government office, black words on red paper, particularly eye-catching. "The palace is recruiting eunuchs. All men between the ages of fifteen and twenty who are in good health are welcome to apply. Those selected will be rewarded ten taels of silver."
Ten taels of silver! Luo Sanrong's eyes lit up.
If I had these ten taels of silver, I could not only pay off the high-interest loan, but also get some good medicine for my master. Maybe I could even save some money and find a chance to find out the whereabouts of my mother.
But the next second, she looked down at her collar and her face darkened again. She didn't have a man's body, so even if she wanted to go, she was not qualified.
The wind blew up the corners of the notice, making a rustling sound.
Luo Sanrong looked at the four words "ten taels of silver", his Adam's apple moved, and he finally sighed.
After the big man at the corner of the street walked away, she picked up the oil-paper bag and walked slowly home. However, her steps were no longer as light as before, and her back was stretched out in the setting sun, with a bit of indescribable melancholy.
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