......
"Ah~ Ah~ Ah~ Ya~"
The melodious and lilting singing drifted continuously from the passing boat.
The Jing River surged on.
Young Master Liu was a bit excited, pouring out his heart in the night.
"In spring, there's a patch of pear blossoms in my family's backyard. When they bloom, they're as white as snow, so beautiful, with a delicate fragrance. You'd surely love them. Those flowers are as lovely as you."
"In summer, we can go to the countryside estate to escape the heat. There's a river there too, and we can watch people fishing. In the evening, fish leap from the water's surface, their scales glistening."
"In autumn, many fruits ripen. People in the Capital City also love to eat crab. My father has a subordinate who sends us many excellent crabs every year, extremely fatty."
"In winter we can watch the snow. We'll brew tea in the snow, or we can hide indoors to read books, with steam rising, watching the snow outside the window."
"I have many friends, and they'll surely envy me for marrying the woman I truly love. After I bring you back, I'll introduce you to all of them."
The young man was in the throes of passion, his body warm, his voice warm, his breath warm.
Even the wind couldn't disperse it.
Jiang Wan looked at the dark river. She actually wanted to ask: When do you study? How do you make a living? Will you rely on your parents forever? When a woman marries, she follows her husband. The Capital City has clear social hierarchies. If you don't have an official position, I'll have to bow and kneel to everyone in the future. How am I supposed to cope with that?
But all of this was too distant, too disheartening, and impossible to begin with.
She couldn't do it. There were flowers in the courtyard of Ming County too, they also had a countryside estate, she had seen people fishing before - it was a bit dirty. She had brewed tea in the snow before, and she was excellent at brewing tea. But now, even in Jingzhou, people preferred to steep kung fu tea; there was no need to brew it anymore.
She had staked everything not to live a repetitive life, not to accompany him in fighting against his parents.
She just wanted to escape. She believed that if she told cousin Chu Xi about the things she knew from her dreams, he would surely keep her, even if she was in a miserable state now.
In her previous life, she had been miserable too.
So she said: "Liu, you should go back tomorrow. I don't want you to argue with your parents for my sake. My background is unclear; I'm not a suitable match. You and Miss Dong have grown up together; how could you let her down? I love you deeply, so I don't want anything bad to happen to you. Go back, listen to your parents, get married. Forget about me, I'm not worth it."
At this moment, Liu Tong was truly moved, not just physically aroused, but touched in his heart and soul. He had been hesitating and dawdling these past few days, secretly pleased but also panicked. He was also worried about regretting his decision, but he had to face it eventually. He never expected that Qingqing would love him so much that she couldn't bear to see him suffer even the slightest grievance, willing to sacrifice herself instead.
"No, a real man must take responsibility for his actions. Have you heard of the young general Meng, Meng Shaoxia? He fell in love with a country girl and was willing to stay at his father-in-law's house for three years just to marry her. I, Liu Tong, am no worse than him. If he can do it, so can I."
Liu Tong steeled his resolve.
At the bow of the boat stood Chu Xi, facing the river. He had come to Jingzhou and seen a different side of it. His heart surged with excitement. He wanted to tell his father, he wanted to go back and govern Pan City. He could do it too. This was how the world should be.
The common people living in peace and contentment, everyone with work to do, everyone with aspirations for the future.
That Jiang Er was a capable person, and would also be a true enemy.
As the large boat brushed past the smaller one beside it, Chu Xi seemed to see a pair of lovebirds on the neighboring boat. The woman appeared to notice him and looked a bit nervous. He couldn't help but find it amusing, and also felt that Jingzhou was indeed quite good, but perhaps a bit too open. The men and women were too casual. Who knew whose backyard was on fire?
The night boat swayed.
Jiang Wan steeled her resolve to leave.
Liu Tong steeled his resolve to love Miss Qingqing.
He released Miss Qingqing. Since he loved her, he couldn't bear to take advantage of her. He had to respect her more.
He could wait.
As the night deepened, they returned to their respective rooms.
Liu Tong was very excited, lying down but still thinking about many things.
Jiang Wan was also a bit excited. She didn't regret coming out with Liu Tong. If she hadn't come out, she might have been confined in Ming County forever, unable to leave for her entire life. She had seen Chu Xi, and she wanted to leave with him. It was a bit risky, but she could do it. After all, they had an unbreakable connection.
......
Inspector He was He Chen's uncle.
Meng Shaoxia and He Chen were good friends, so he also called him uncle.
That's how these family relationships were established.
This kind of intermarriage and complex relationships were common in the Capital City.
A pile of dung on the street in the Capital City might have been stepped on by at least three leaders.
Since they were all uncles, Inspector He was invited to the Jiang family tonight.
After many years, Inspector He barely recognized these juniors when he saw them again.
The food at the Jiang family must be too good; their faces had become round.
This young Meng didn't seem to have suffered any hardship at his father-in-law's house; he hadn't lost weight at all, but had gained so much.
The others were fine, probably because they saw each other day after day, so the weight gain wasn't very noticeable.
When Inspector He tasted the food at the Jiang family - Madam Meng had personally cooked tonight.
Even Inspector He, who didn't indulge in food pleasures, inwardly exclaimed, "Good heavens!" Young Meng's round face was well-earned; it was too delicious.
This cooking skill was even better than the imperial chefs in the palace.
Young Meng not only had a rounder face, but he also looked much stronger and more mature after marriage.
Poor nephew of his still wasn't married, with no prospects.
Looking at young Meng's wife, she was also a round-faced girl. When she smiled, her cheeks puffed up. She had nothing to do with the rumors in the Capital City that claimed she was as beautiful as Daji and could bewitch souls. Before coming, his old wife had asked him curiously about it. At first, when he saw Commander Jiang and his young daughter, he really thought young Meng's wife was exceptionally beautiful.
He finally met Jiang Feng.
Inspector He patted Jiang Feng's arm and couldn't help but squeeze it. It was so hard. He praised, "It's good to be young! This is truly a youth with a body of bronze."
Jiang Feng showed a simple and honest smile and said, "Uncle He, you flatter me. I started practicing swordsmanship after meeting Chen Ge and Shaoxia. They said they persevered through summer and winter, practicing daily, which inspired me. Since then, I've been practicing every day. Eventually, there were results. I heard Chen Ge ranked third in the imperial exams. I'm really happy for him. We even exchanged letters before the exam. Finally, my mind is at ease."
With this conversation, their relationship grew closer.
Inspector He remembered that when his nephew was preparing for the exam, he had sent him a piece of high-quality felt. In winter, he could sit on it to write, keeping his whole body warm. His nephew said he also had one, a gift from a friend.
Now that he thought about it, it must have been from Jiang Feng.
They hadn't seen each other for several years. Except for the chaos in Jingzhou at first, when there was no correspondence, they had maintained contact afterward. It wasn't easy.
This young man wasn't bad. He seemed better than his black-hearted father.
Inspector He had eaten a hot meal and also observed the Jiang family.
Although it was comfortable to sit and lie down, it wasn't luxurious or extravagant. Overall, it seemed less lavish than the wealthy merchant's house he had stayed at on the way.
Where had all the Jiang family's money gone?
Even if it was for his daughter's dowry, it couldn't be that much idle money.
As for social connections, Inspector He calculated that at most there was the in-law Meng family, his own nephew could count as one, and it seemed there was also a eunuch in the palace. The last time he came to Jingzhou for pacification, the relationship was quite good.
Inspector He suddenly realized that the Jiang family really had charm. Those relationships he had cultivated initially were just from a single meeting.
Now that he thought about it, in the court, whether civil officials, military officials, or palace officials, they all had some connections, silently forming a network. Their scheming was truly profound.
The bed he slept on at night turned out to be the same as the one in the thousand-tael-per-night Inspector's suite. What a loss! If he had known earlier, he would have come directly to find Jiang Er.
In other places, the official circles all knew to directly reimburse, and even give extra.
But with Jiang Er, he was a sensible person who didn't mention this matter at all.
At night, when he should have slept soundly, he inexplicably tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Perhaps he had slept too much yesterday?
Inspector He got up in the night and went to the toilet to solve his physiological problem. As he was preparing to go back to sleep, he saw a place in the Jiang family home that was brightly lit, with muffled sounds coming from it.
Although a guest shouldn't be too curious,
Inspector He was really curious about Jiang Er, whom he had determined to be a great villain.
Now that he was in Jiang Er's lair, he would regret it for life if he didn't look.
Is it really peeking if a scholar does it? That's called a thirst for knowledge.
Inspector He slowly walked towards the light.
Before he got close, he heard voices.
"Dad, Dad, children need to sleep early. If I don't sleep now, I'll become stupid. Dad, calm down. It's normal not to be able to memorize that text. Big brother inherited your brain, sister inherited your cooking skills, I inherited your face, I don't have a brain. Dad, Dad, don't be angry.
Mom, Mom, don't use your hands.
"Father, Mother, I was wrong.
I won't be naughty anymore.
Great-aunt, save me.
Big brother, big brother, save me.
Sister, brother-in-law, save me."
Inspector He's face twitched slightly. He was about to turn and leave when suddenly a figure darted out. A pretty little girl threw herself in front of him, grabbing his clothes and shouting loudly, "Uncle He, save me! Please persuade my father. A kind father makes a filial child. Look at him! He's supposed to be teaching, but he's using a stick!"
Looking up, he saw Commander Jiang, usually calm and cunning, with disheveled hair, chasing after her with a stick in hand.
Inspector He's face split into a grimace.
Then, the father and daughter chase ensued, circling around him. Inspector He was inexplicably hit several times, hearing Commander Jiang cursing as he chased: "I asked her to explain 'Time flows away like water.' She said, 'For truly formidable people, they just stand by the river, and their enemies' corpses float by on their own'... Doesn't she deserve a beating?" (Note 1)
Inspector He thought to himself: She does deserve it, but why are you hitting me instead of her? You clearly touched her, but in the end, you're hitting me...
He shouldn't have been so curious; he should have gone to bed earlier.
...
...
