Chapter 34: Beauty
Jin Sui’s guess was mostly accurate; Grandpa Ling and the other two were indeed trapped, but not in mortal danger.
They happened to be trapped in Jiang Nansheng’s Huai Prefecture, which also allowed Gu Changxiao to evade Commander Huo’s pursuit.
While the plague spread in Luocheng and Huai Prefecture City was sealed off, Grandpa Ling and the other two were staying at a Taoist temple, busy distributing porridge and medicine to the disaster victims alongside the Taoist priests.
At the same time, they inquired about Jin Sui’s whereabouts. Amusingly, Grandpa Ling had met Jiang Nansheng once and found that both his hands were intact, with only a scar on one palm.
He returned to complain to Jin An, “Storytellers really know how to brag. They said King Li cut off General Jiang’s hand, only to make a single cut.”
Jin An, however, admired, “That King Li is also very formidable! He came to Huai Prefecture alone to demand the person.”
Mentioning King Li, Jin An couldn’t help but think of his father. His father had died implicated in King Li’s case, but he didn’t resent King Li.
Because his mother had said that King Li was not to blame for this matter, only the one surnamed Huang was, as he had made his father take the blame.
Gu Changxiao noticed that the grandfather and granddaughter became very dejected whenever King Li was mentioned. His heart skipped a beat. Had the old Taoist priest already realized that King Li was his grandson?
But he soon realized things were not that simple. He intentionally asked, “Why is the Taoist priest so interested in King Li’s affairs?”
Grandpa Ling, wise from years of experience, chuckled, “Everyone in the world is interested in King Li’s affairs; an old man like me can’t be an exception!”
“On the other hand, Young Master Gu, we commoners are merely interested, but you seem very familiar with King Li’s matters!”
Gu Changxiao immediately dared not ask any more questions, fearing that if he said a few more words, he wouldn’t get any information and would instead be completely figured out by the Taoist priest.
Just then, even though Huai Prefecture City was sealed, news of King Li selling treasures in Wei Prefecture still arrived.
The common people discussed how King Li, a dignified imperial prince, had fallen to the point of selling treasures!
Furthermore, what kind of treasure was worth five thousand taels of silver?
Grandpa Ling soon discovered that Gu Changxiao was more concerned about this matter than anyone else, eagerly inquiring what King Li had sold.
He was so anxious that he couldn’t sleep at night. Anyone who didn’t know would think King Li had sold his own treasure!
How could Gu Changxiao not be anxious? The little Taoist priest had taken his bronze token, and looking at the little Taoist priest and his two companions, they didn’t seem like they possessed any supreme treasures.
What if the little Taoist priest, in a moment of impulse, sold his token?
He wished he could sneak into Huai Prefecture City at night and chase after Jin Sui.
Fortunately, Grandpa Ling learned from a retainer at the Jiang residence that King Li had sold a mirror.
Grandpa Ling returned, shaking his head, “The great clans of Yandi are truly wealthy, spending five thousand taels of silver on a mirror! Is it Erlang Shen’s demon-reflecting mirror?”
A Taoist priest chuckled, “Perhaps it’s a royal treasure mirror, inlaid with gold and jade.”
Grandpa Ling glanced at the disaster victims outside the Taoist temple. It was said that disaster victims outside Luocheng were densely packed, waiting for relief grain and plague medicine from the Imperial Court.
Seven out of ten households in the city had hung white banners, and the remaining three households were completely wiped out.
But these disasters seemed to have no relation to the powerful families. Even though King Li was exiled to the borderlands, he still possessed treasures.
In the sixteen prefectures of Yandi, the young master of the Jin family in the not-so-large Wei Prefecture could casually spend five thousand taels of silver to buy a mirror.
Alas, while rich families feasted, the poor starved on the streets!
Upon learning that the treasure King Li sold was a mirror, Gu Changxiao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then asked Grandpa Ling:
“Does Little Taoist Priest Ji have any treasures? In case she runs out of travel money, she could pawn them.”
Grandpa Ling was about to say that besides taking his things, Jin Sui had nothing else.
But he suddenly remembered that Jin Sui always managed to ‘find’ good things.
Thick floral blankets, never-before-seen vegetables and fruits, endless brown sugar cubes, sweet clear water…
That child had been extraordinary for a long time!
But he naturally couldn’t tell Gu Changxiao this, only shaking his head:
“Does the young master think we look like we have treasures? However, that child is always clever; she definitely won’t go hungry.”
At the same time, he kept a close eye. Every time Gu Changxiao heard news of King Li, he would follow up by asking about Jin Sui. And Gu Changxiao was very familiar with King Li. Could there be a connection?
Meanwhile, Hao Duojin and his four companions galloped out of Yandi overnight. Coincidentally, none of them were willing to enter Huai Prefecture, as their prince had just beaten up Jiang Nansheng.
Moreover, the armor and equipment they were wearing had been extorted from Huai Prefecture. To enter so brazenly would be like walking into Jiang Nansheng’s hands to be beaten!
Hao Duojin suggested, “The Prince said her benefactor is near Luocheng. Huai Prefecture City is also sealed, so we don’t need to linger here. Let’s head directly to Luocheng.”
The other four nodded in agreement and executed it even more thoroughly, not lingering at all, not even for a moment.
Jin Sui and her group, heading towards Yanzhou, were unable to enter cities to procure supplies due to the sealed city policies in various prefectures. Han Xing then led people to purchase supplies in passing towns, so they did not lack food or drink.
However, Jin Sui clearly sensed that the officials in the prefectures and cities of Yandi were not only enforcing the plague sealing policy but also trying to stop her.
No, it should be to stop King Li’s people from entering the city.
Was it because she had beaten up Jiang Nansheng, or because she sold treasures in Wei Prefecture? Or perhaps the prefectures of Yandi simply disliked King Li, the imperial prince.
Han Xing tried his best to conceal this, not wanting to sadden her. She also feigned ignorance and continued her journey calmly.
By the time they reached the Yanzhou territory, it was already the end of May, the height of summer heat.
Jin Sui thought about how she had transmigrated in early March, and in less than three months, her experiences had been nothing short of spectacular.
Arriving in the Yanzhou countryside during dinnertime, Han Xing sent people ahead to deliver the message to Yanzhou City: King Li had arrived.
Meanwhile, he had people prepare food, wash horses, and clean tools. Jin Sui, with Hei Hu, leisurely strolled around the vicinity.
She thought of going to a high place to see if she could spot Yanzhou City, or even the scenery beyond the borderlands.
Hei Hu, eating wild sour fruits, followed her with the horse. They didn’t go far, just through the forest and onto another small path, where a lake came into view.
A patch of clear lotus was planted, the lotus leaves verdant, half the lotus flowers in bloom, and the other half still buds.
Dragonflies danced among the flowers, and occasionally frogs jumped onto lotus leaves, causing a few drops of crystal-clear dew to splash.
A line from a poem instantly flooded her mind: ‘The lotus leaves stretch endlessly to meet the sky, and the lotuses reflecting the sun are exceptionally red.’
The roads she had walked with Grandpa Ling, the spring mountain forest scenery, though beautiful, at that time she was only concerned with survival, being chased by wolves and tigers, how could she have the leisure to admire the scenery.
Since transmigrating, it was only at this moment that she felt a sense of appreciation for the ancient natural scenery.
With a ‘snap’, a lotus leaf was broken. Hei Hu held it above his head, chuckling,
“Does Your Highness prefer lotus seedpods or roots? We’ll come back in autumn to pick seedpods and dig for roots.”
“Oh my, Your Highness, do you see those loaches? I’ll call the brothers to catch some and stew them.”
Jin Sui chuckled. She was looking at the scenery, while Hei Hu was looking at delicious food.
And the horse he was leading had already poked its head out and chewed the lotus leaf above his head.
Just then, a woman’s bell-like laughter came from the lake. Jin Sui walked a few steps forward and saw that the lotus only covered half the lake. The other half had a long corridor and a pavilion.
Two young girls were rowing a small boat towards the lotus pond. One of them, a round-faced girl with a slightly fuller figure, was rowing with great effort, sweat on her face and head.
The other was dressed in red, slender, with a small face the size of a palm, a high nose bridge, and phoenix eyes – a rare beauty.
This beauty, while giggling, used her fan to reach for a lotus flower, saying to the round-faced girl:
“Row closer, Baozhu, row closer.”
As she spoke, she wanted to stand up to pick the flower. Jin Sui was alarmed. In such a small boat, if she stood up, it would sway and capsize.
She quickly shouted, “Be careful, don’t move!”
It was better if she hadn’t shouted. As soon as she did, the two girls looked over in unison, and then two screams were heard, and the small boat capsized.
The lake was quite deep. As the two capsized, their clothes tumbled in the water for a few moments, and after struggling and shouting a few times, they sank to the bottom of the lake.
Without a word, Jin Sui kicked off her shoes and jumped into the lake to save them. Her swimming skills were excellent, and she swam towards the two in a standard freestyle stroke.
Hei Hu threw away the sour fruits in his hand. Without even taking off his beloved new clothes, he also jumped into the water. However, he swam in a doggy paddle style, not as fast as Jin Sui.
Thank you, darlings, for the votes, thank you very much.
