Chapter 123
After they finished dressing, Hua Lu and Xiao Songzi brought in their breakfast. The breakfast in the South was considerably light: small wontons with thin skin and tender stuffing, fluffy rice balls and sweet bean curd with brown sugar syrup. Although they could also eat these in the palace and the ones the palace made were a lot more refined, the ones served in the inn had a lot more local flavor.
Hua Lu seemed not to have slept well last night and she couldn’t stop yawning. Seeing this, Jiang Xing asked, “Were the beds in the inn uncomfortable?”
Hua Lu hurriedly knelt down and said, “This servant has been disrespectful in front of their Majesties. I ask that you forgive me.”
“We’re all on vacation. It’s fine to not be as formal as we are in the palace.” Lin Qingyu said, “Just treat us as young masters from an ordinary family”
Xiao Songzi couldn’t help laughing. “Young Master, Hua Lu was reading a novel late into the night and that’s why she probably didn’t get enough sleep.”
Hua Lu, pale faced, said anxiously, “Eunuch Song!”
Jiang Xing smiled and said, “Why? Was the novel really that interesting? How about you let me have a read?”
Hua Lu blushed, “Replying to the Young Master, this servant was reading “The Story of King Ding’s Pampered Wife”.”
Hearing the title, Jiang Xing laughed out loud. “Hua Lu is now at the age when she’s gotten an interest in romance novels!”
Lin Qingyu asked, “Where did you get this kind of book?”
Hua Lu whispered, “Replying to Shaojun, it’s one of the novels Young Master bought yesterday.”
Lin Qingyu looked at Jiang Xing. Jiang Xing put on a look of innocence. “I just grabbed books at random. How could I have known there was such a book in there?”
Lin Qingyu exposed him, “Then why do I distinctly remember that you have an interest in these kind of books?”
Jiang Xing refused to admit it. “How could that be possible? I’m not Hua Lu.”
Lin Qingyu hit the nail on the head. “Then why have you read “Huai’s Refusal of the Monarch”?”
Jiang Xing: “…”
After breakfast, their group set off for Kuangsu Mountain. At the foot of the mountain, the carriage couldn’t go any further so they could only go on foot. There were many rivers, streams and waterfalls in Kuangsu Mountain, which was famous all over the world for both its peril and grandeur. The mountain was densely forested and shrouded in clouds and mists. When ordinary people entered the mountains, they could easily lose their way.
When Xuanhu Tang learned that Lin Qingyu was going to go deep into the mountain, they introduced him to a mountain villager to serve as his guide. This villager had grown up in Kuangsu Mountain and he was very familiar with the mountain terrain. Although he was already sixty years old, he was still healthy and strong. His temperament though was a bit eccentric. After walking for two hours, the villager still walked as though he were flying, like path before them was flat ground.
Lin Qingyu walked in front, chatting with the villager about the rare and exotic herbs in Kuangsu Mountain. He heard Jiang Xing say, “Qingyu, we have been walking for a couple of hours, let’s rest.”
Lin Qingyu turned to look at Jiang Xing. Jiang Xing’s breathing was steady and he seemed fine. He probably just wanted to be lazy. “I have a few places to go to before dark. Time is tight and we can’t delay.” Lin Qingyu whispered, “Why don’t you have the shadow guard appear and carry you up?”
Jiang Xing smiled bitterly and said, “Forget it, I can’t afford to lose face with them.”
The village man glanced at Jiang Xing, shook his head and continued walking on. The closer they got to the top of the mountain, the colder it became. Not long after, it began to rain lightly. It is rainy in spring and Xiao Songzi came prepared with enough rain gear. Jiang Xing took an umbrella and said, “Shaojun and I shall share one. Xiao Songzi, you take care of Hua Lu.”
At this time, Jiang Xing was still able to keep up with Lin Qingyu and the villager. Ever since entering the mountain, Lin Qingyu has been wholly focused on his medicinal herbs. But now that he was under the same umbrella with Jiang Xing, he became a little dazed.
The spring rain pattered against the umbrella and wet the ground. The smell of wet earth filled his nostrils but still, he could smell Jiang Xing’s fresh, natural, warm and lazy scent.
The mountains were made deep green in the rain. It dampened their clothes. Ignoring the difficult mountain road, it was a scene of elegance.
After walking for an hour more, there came the sound of rushing water in front of them. They saw a waterfall cascading down thousands of feet, splashing water at its foot. The broken cliff face, like a natural screen, blocked the spray.
Xiao Songzi was met head-on with this sight and he exclaimed, “It’s so beautiful!”
Jiang Xing said, “Flying curtains are like a jade screen; a sea of stars in the nine heavens.” It turns out that the ancient poems hadn’t been exaggerated.
The villager squinted his eyes to look at the opposite cliff and suddenly shouted, “Glazed Grass.”
Lin Qingyu’s eyes lit up. “Where?”
The villager raised his hand: “There, on the cliff opposite.”
In the rain and fog, it was difficult to see. Lin Qingyu took a few steps forward, almost reaching the edge of the cliff. Finally, he saw a solitary tuft of grass growing on the cliff face. Lin Qingyu said softly “It really is Glazed Grass.”
Jiang Xing took Lin Qingyu’s hand and asked, “What is Glazed Grass?”
Lin Qingyu explained to him, “It’s an herb unique to Kuangsu Mountain. It prefers a humid environment. It usually grows on cliffs and near waterfalls. It is extremely precious. It is used as medicine in its dried state and has a miraculous effect on heart palpitations.”
“Extremely precious? How precious is that?
Lin Qingyu’s voice went slightly cold, “Even in the Imperial Medical Office in the capital, there are only two specimens and they had been requested by King Heng last year.”
The villager snorted and said, “You are quite lucky to come across Glazed Grass your first time here. The last time I saw it was two years ago.”
Jiang Xingyuan looked at the small spot on the cliff and asked, “Qingyu, do you really want it?”
Lin Qingyu nodded. “I really want it. It’s just that Glazed Grass grows on the cliff faces, so picking it is very difficult. And it’s even raining.”
Jiang Xing said with a smile. “So what? If the Madam wishes it, I will go up a mountain of swords and into a sea of fire. I will get it for you even at the risk of my own life.”
Lin Qingyu’s heart sank and he said coldly, “You just shut up.”
Hua Lu remembered the scene she had read last night in “The Story of King Ding’s Pampered Wife”. King Ding and Queen Ding went for a spring outing in the mountains together. Queen Ding praised the wild flowers blooming on the cliff and King Ding rushed to get it for her. While picking it, he slipped, almost losing his life. The queen’s face turned pale and she cried, like a pear blossom made wet with rain. King Ding gently wiped away his wife’s tears and said affectionately, “So long as the queen wants it, even the stars in the sky, this king will get it all for you.”
Such deep affection moved her to her very core. Unexpectedly, the emperor regarded the empress like King Ding regarded his queen. No wonder he would willingly act as a substitute for the other two men. It wasn’t an easy feat for the ruler of a country to reach this stage.
Just as Hua Lu was being moved, the emperor’s tone changed: “– Do you think I would say that?”
Lin Qingyu: “…”
Hua Lu: “???”
Jiang Xing estimated the height and distance of the cliff and concluded that the risk was too high. It was true that he could have the shadow guard give it a try but the rain made everything slippery and even with Shen Huaishi’s skill, they wouldn’t be assured of success. The life of a shadow guard was also a life.
Good medicine was precious but life was even more so. Jiang Xing coaxed, “Listen, Baobei. This is too dangerous, we don’t want it.”
Hua Lu froze.
Lin Qingyu smiled. “Alright, we don’t want it.”
The villager’s face turned ugly. “Are you sure you don’t want it? The picking period for Glazed Grass is only a few days. If you miss it today, it’ll be gone the next time. Do you know how much gold a tuft of Glazed Grass can sell for?” According to the rules of the trade, he as their guide would be entitled to a portion of the sale.
Jiang Xing said, “We are not short of money.”
The villager asked anxiously, “Why are young people so afraid of death?”
When Xiao Songzi heard this, his face changed suddenly, “Presumptuous! Do you know who you are talking to!”
Jiang Xing stopped Xiao Songzi and smiled casually: “Calm down, the old man is right. I really am afraid of death.”
The villager stomped his foot. “If you don’t want it, I want it!” He said and turned around, going off to find someone to help him.
Jiang Xing said lightly, “I advise you to think twice.”
Lin Qingyu smiled silently. He knew that Jiang Xing wasn’t afraid of death.
When Jiang Xing was still Lu Wancheng, he took the matter of his life and death very lightly. During the first half of the year, he had almost no desire to live. Later, when he had something to concern himself over and a person he cared about, he didn’t hesitate to use strong medicine to fight poison with poison, just to live a few more months.
Afterwards, he experienced death as Gu Fuzhou and now he cherished his life more than even before. Even if there was only a little risk, he will not try it.
It was a good thing for Jiang Xing to be afraid, so that he wouldn’t put himself in danger. He hoped that Jiang Xing would always cherish his life and be afraid of death forever.
Although he had missed out on the Glazed Grass, Lin Qingyu still gained a lot of other herbs. As they were going down the mountain, their basket was packed full. The next day, Lin Qingyu heard from the staff of Xuanhu Tang that by the time the villager who was their guide found helpers and reentered the mountain, the Glazed Grass had withered due to the rain. The villager went ballistic on the spot and fell ill after returning home.
Lin Qingyu felt quite sorry for him but didn’t think much about it. For the next few days, he continued to visit famous doctors in Yuzhang and benefited a lot. Jiang Xing summoned the prefect of Yuzhang to inquire about the taxation reform.
The group stayed in Yuzhang for five days, after which they continued their way south. It was a day’s journey from Yuzhang to their next stop. In the carriage, Lin Qingyu flipped through a book “Kuangsu Medicinal Herbs”, comparing the medicinal herbs recorded in the book with those he had seen. When he turned to the page that recorded the Glazed Grass, Lin Qingyu paused, remembering the rare grass that he had missed.
When he turned to the next page. A tuft of Glazed Grass, dried out in the sun, appeared in front of his eyes.
Lin Qingyu was slightly taken aback and then he looked at Jiang Xing. Jiang Xing was slumped on the bed, holding “The Story of King Ding’s Pampered Wife” reading it with gusto. Sensing Lin Qingyu’s gaze, Jiang Xing raised his head and asked knowingly, “What’s the matter?”
“How did you get it?” The one on the cliff had obviously withered, so where did the one Jiang Xing gave him come from?
Jiang Xing tilted his head to look at him and smiled. “What are you talking about, Baobei? I don’t understand.”
…
Lin Qingyu realized that Jiang Xing seemed to like creating all kinds of small surprises for him in the course of their everyday lives.
Like that engagement ring he thought he would have to wait for half a month to receive; slipping it onto his finger the next day; like the Glazed Grass that he thought had no chance of getting suddenly appearing unexpectedly in front of him.
It was obviously just a trivial matter but it always made him feel very, very good.
He really liked Jiang Xing very much. What a privilege it was to be able to spend the rest of his life with such an interesting soul.
Lin Qingyu’s chest turned hot and his body heated up along with it. He stopped talking nonsense, pushed open the window of the carriage and called, “Xiao Songzi.”
Xiao Songzi said, “Empress?”
Lin Qingyu said, “Find a place with no one around and stop the carriage. Have everyone—including the shadow guards who are secretly guarding the carriage, fall back half a mile.”
Xiao Songzi felt that the empress’ order was strange but didn’t dare think too much about it. He hurried off to prepare. Jiang Xing turned thoughtful and said slowly, “Qingyu, you don’t mean to…”
Lin Qingyu laughed lightly, “Just doing it in your thoughts is too boring.”
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