After three days of rain, it finally stopped today, but news came that the official road ahead had been crushed by collapsed rocks.
There was only this one official road from Gusu to Jinling, so the procession was delayed once again.
"The mountain road next to the official road really did collapse." Han Shuo rode out to investigate and told Wei Heng upon his return, "There are many large boulders. The prefect of Gusu is currently sending men to move the rocks and repair the road."
"The rain was quite heavy a few days ago, yet there was no collapse. Why did it collapse today?" Wei Heng felt something was amiss.
Han Shuo smiled. "The rainwater accumulated there over the past few days, loosening the soil. Today, a merchant caravan passed by. With so many people, carriages, and heavy boxes taking the mountain path, the sheer weight caused it to collapse."
"Is everyone alright?"
"The people are fine, but I heard a few horses died."
Wei Heng and Han Shuo chatted as they walked toward the courtyard.
Moving past the matter of the collapsed mountain road, Wei Heng pushed open the door to the main room and said, "I recently got some Biluochun tea. Come have a taste."
Gusu's most famous produce was the Biluochun from Dongting Mountain. As soon as Wei Heng arrived at the Gusu post house, he dispatched a young eunuch under his command to go out and procure a box for him.
Entering the main room, Han Shuo immediately noticed the books piled all over the floor.
There were no decorations in the room, only some simple furniture.
A table was set up by the window, bearing a tea set.
With the autumn rain falling lightly outside the window, Wei Heng took his seat. He rolled up his wide sleeves, warmed the vessels, added the tea leaves, poured the water, decanted the tea, and then presented a teacup to Han Shuo.
Han Shuo gulped it down. "Delicious."
He couldn't come up with any other words to describe it.
"Is your case with the dancer closed?" Wei Heng picked up his fragrant tea and took a slow sip. The tea's aroma was subtle and elegant, its taste sweet and mellow.
After Han Shuo returned, he and Zhou Changfeng had been handling Zhao Lingyun's affairs. It was only now that Wei Heng and Han Shuo had the time to sit down and chat.
"You could say it's closed, but you could also say it's not." Han Shuo sighed, then tapped his teacup, signaling Wei Heng to pour him another cup.
Wei Heng lifted the purple clay teapot from the bamboo tea tray and poured Han Shuo another cup.
"Why that dancer wanted to frame me, and who is behind her—none of that has been found out yet."
"Are there any clues?"
Han Shuo shook his head. "None." He paused, his gaze sweeping around Wei Heng's courtyard, before pointing to a cluster of periwinkles in the corner. "I was drunk at the time. I don't even remember what that dancer looked like. I only remember she had a floral applique on her forehead that looked a lot like this flower."
Floral applique makeup was popular in Gusu City. Some were pasted on, others painted. You could find them everywhere on the streets; even within the Gusu post house, the style had caught on. Therefore, this small memory of Han Shuo's was of almost zero help to the case.
Wei Heng frowned, his expression suddenly turning serious. "For a case that even Songjiang Shen finds difficult to investigate, just how big of a fish is hiding beneath the surface?"
Han Shuo also looked serious. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Court of Judicature and Revision are both investigating with all their might."
-
"What's wrong?" Su Zhenzhen stood in front of Mu Dan, tilting her head to observe his cheek. "Did someone hit you?"
The perfectly fine, handsome youth now had half of his face swollen, looking like a kitten stung by a bee.
"Toothache."
Serves him right for loving sweets so much.
"Does it hurt a lot?"
"Mhm..."
As he answered, Lu Hexu reached out to grab the honey mint candy Su Zhenzhen had placed on the table, but she snatched it away. "Your face is swollen like this and you still want to eat candy? Do you want to keep your teeth or not?"
"Rinse your mouth first." Su Zhenzhen took out the mint water she had boiled and had Mu Dan rinse his mouth, then made him brush his teeth with tooth powder.
In ancient times, toothbrushes already existed and were called teeth-brushers, with bristles generally made of horsehair or pig bristles. Tooth powder was mainly made of green salt, combined with pagoda tree pods, mint, gypsum, tuckahoe, and other ingredients. Wealthier families would add pearl powder, agarwood, and the like to enhance the fragrance.
After brushing his teeth, the youth was pressed down onto a small stool by Su Zhenzhen.
"Let me see. Open your mouth."
Lu Hexu sat on the small stool, slightly tipping its front legs up, and opened his mouth toward Su Zhenzhen.
Su Zhenzhen tilted her head to look and saw a tiny tooth tip emerging behind the youth's very last molar.
He was growing a wisdom tooth.
Fortunately, it wasn't a cavity. Otherwise, given the medical conditions of ancient times, there wouldn't be any good treatment methods, and one bad tooth would eventually infect the next.
Su Zhenzhen had already had all four of her own wisdom teeth extracted.
Wisdom teeth that grew straight didn't need to be pulled, but unfortunately, all four of hers had grown poorly, crooked and twisted. Most importantly, whenever they got inflamed, her face would swell up.
Ancient medical technology was limited; without a sterile environment and anesthesia techniques, the mortality rate for tooth extraction was very high.
Su Zhenzhen could actually use acupuncture to relieve Mu Dan's pain, but considering the youth was afraid of needles, she dropped the idea.
She took some borneol, ground it into powder, dabbed it with her fingertip, and gently applied it to the youth's swollen gums.
Lu Hexu looked up at her, slightly tilting his cheek, his nose brushing against her hand.
After applying the borneol for him, Su Zhenzhen cupped his face to observe for a moment.
It really was noticeably swollen.
The youth originally had a small, narrow face, like a crescent moon. Now, half of it was a full moon.
She really wanted to pinch it.
No, no, Su Zhenzhen, that thought is too evil.
But it was really cute.
"Here, eat this."
Su Zhenzhen took out a Bezoar Detoxification Pill.
Lu Hexu raised his hand to take it, popped it into his mouth, and swallowed it down with some tea.
"This is a Bezoar Detoxification Pill. It reduces swelling and clears heat. Take it once a day for the next few days, don't take too much."
"Mhm."
"Rinse your mouth morning and night. It's best to rinse immediately after eating."
"Yeah."
Seeing the youth sitting there listlessly playing with the cat, propping his chin up with one hand, Su Zhenzhen looked up at the weather.
It was no longer raining.
"We still haven't picked up that hairpin we had custom-made last time. Are you free today?"
"Yeah."
The swelling on the youth's face was quite obvious. Since the weather happened to be cold, Su Zhenzhen wrapped a white felt scarf around his neck, perfectly covering half of his face, leaving only the tip of his nose and a pair of dark eyes exposed.
The journey was a bit far, so Su Zhenzhen also put on a white felt hat for herself.
Once inside Gusu City, because Mu Dan had a toothache, Su Zhenzhen didn't buy him any sweets. The two found a small stall, sat down, and ordered two bowls of small wontons.
The small wontons were freshly wrapped and boiled. Fresh pork was minced into filling, seasoned with a little salt, and mixed with scallions and ginger to remove the gamey taste. Then, they were wrapped in dough skins, tossed into boiling water, scooped out into bowls once cooked, and topped with a handful of chopped scallions.
"Here you go, your two bowls of small wontons."
The stall owner carried a bowl in each hand, serving the two bowls of small wontons to Su Zhenzhen and Mu Dan.
The weather was cold, and as the piping hot wontons met the chilly air, a cloud of steam immediately billowed up toward their faces.
Su Zhenzhen scooped up a spoonful of broth and blew on it gently.
Lu Hexu mimicked the woman's actions, gently blowing on the broth.
"Have you ever had small wontons before?"
Lu Hexu shook his head.
The food in the Palace Service Department was very fixed. Steamed buns, rice, and porridge were the most common. Vegetables were generally cheap cabbage and radishes, lacking much flavor, and meat could usually only be tasted during festivals.
When he later became the emperor, his sense of taste deteriorated, leaving him with no interest in food.
Most importantly, commoner food like small wontons would never be served to him.
"It's so delicious."
Su Zhenzhen loved eating small wontons. The skin was thin and the meat was fresh. Especially when the weather was cold, swallowing a bite of small wonton would warm her whole body.
There were many stalls here. After finishing a bowl of small wontons, Su Zhenzhen was almost full. Seeing that the stall next door was selling osmanthus taro, she bought a bowl of that too.
The weather was cold; she needed to store some fat for the winter.
Because of his toothache, Lu Hexu did not have much of an appetite. He ate his small wontons slowly. When he saw Su Zhenzhen walking over with a bowl of osmanthus taro, his eyes slightly flickered.
"Want a bite?"
The young man's cheek was swollen, making his voice sound weak when he spoke. His dark eyes stared at her, rippling under the blowing autumn breeze, making him look rather pitiful.
Su Zhenzhen could least resist a beautiful youth acting spoiled.
She scooped up a piece of osmanthus taro and brought it to Mu Dan's lips.
Lu Hexu pulled down the scarf around his neck and lowered his head to eat the taro the woman offered to his mouth.
The taro was boiled with brown sugar and then mixed with some osmanthus jam. It was sweet and smooth upon entering the mouth, and one bite revealed the soft, glutinous, and dense texture of the taro.
The taro was so slippery that it went down his throat before he could even chew it much.
After finishing their food, the two went to the Golden Ornament Pavilion to pick up their goods.
The young man had his hair tied in a ponytail today. After receiving the cat-ear gold hairpin, Su Zhenzhen examined it for a moment before raising her hands to coil Mu Dan's ponytail up and slide the hairpin in.
"The young gentleman looks so handsome wearing this hairpin," the shop assistant praised, standing there holding a mirror. "We also have many new items arriving today. Would the young lady and gentleman like to take a look?"
"No need," Su Zhenzhen quickly refused.
Raising a beautiful youth had already emptied her savings.
Lu Hexu raised his hand, took the hand mirror from the assistant, and tilted his head slightly to examine himself carefully.
In truth, this hairpin was not considered expensive. For a grand eunuch like Mu Dan, it probably wouldn't even be considered presentable.
The hairpin was indeed beautiful, but the young man's face added much more brilliance to it.
Fresh flowers match beauties.
And a gold hairpin matches a beautiful youth.
Su Zhenzhen adjusted the angle for Mu Dan to make the pair of cat ears stand upright.
[So pretty, so pretty.]
[So cute, so cute.]
Lu Hexu lowered his gaze, landing on the woman's fair and soft cheeks.
"Are you truly giving this to me from the bottom of your heart?"
Su Zhenzhen nodded, "Of course."
Such an expensive gold hairpin, of course she was giving it sincerely.
The young man lowered his eyes, his beautiful fingertips brushing over the cat ears. "You can only give gifts to me, not to anyone else."
She couldn't afford to give gifts to anyone else anyway.
"Okay."
Raising just one took a tremendous amount of effort.
As if hearing a satisfactory answer, a very faint smile appeared on the young man's face.
It started raining outside again. It wasn't raining when Su Zhenzhen and Mu Dan came out, and finding it troublesome, they hadn't brought an umbrella.
The Golden Ornament Pavilion had a dedicated resting area for guests.
Su Zhenzhen and Mu Dan sat together in the corner resting area, and someone even brought over tea and pastries.
The resting area was by the window. Su Zhenzhen tilted her head to look at the street and noticed many young women on the road wearing floral forehead ornaments.
Most wore them between their eyebrows, while some had them on their cheeks. The materials and shapes varied greatly. With a glance, Su Zhenzhen saw that red periwinkle flowers were the most common.
Were periwinkle flowers very popular in Gusu?
Su Zhenzhen lowered her gaze and saw that even men had periwinkle patterns painted on the backs of their hands, necks, or arms.
"Young lady, these are complimentary floral ornaments from our shop." A staff member from the Golden Ornament Pavilion brought over a basket of floral ornaments cut from gold foil. "You and the young gentleman may freely choose two pieces."
There were many patterns of gold foil ornaments in various colors. Su Zhenzhen picked a rosette-shaped one, stuck it on the back of her hand, and then asked Mu Dan, "Which one do you want?"
Due to his toothache, Lu Hexu seemed to lack interest. "Whatever."
Then this one it is.
After making her choice, Su Zhenzhen dipped it in some tea water and stuck it to the center of the young man's forehead.
"What is it?"
"Guess."
Lu Hexu reached up and touched it, feeling the edges of the gold foil ornament.
"It's a little duck."
Damn, how did he guess that!
Lu Hexu raised his hand and tapped the small prism mirror placed on the table.
Su Zhenzhen tilted her head and leaned in front of the young man. Sure enough, the mirror was facing right at him.
Su Zhenzhen: ...
-
The rain stopped. As Su Zhenzhen and Mu Dan came out of the Golden Ornament Pavilion and passed by a pharmacy, she remembered something she had been pondering for a while.
"Previously, I found an ancient prescription on the stone stele at the Temple of the Medicine King. It said it could cure wandering soul syndrome." Pausing for a moment, Su Zhenzhen asked, "I don't know how effective it is yet. Do you want to try it?"
"Okay."
Hearing the young man's crisp reply, Su Zhenzhen was a bit surprised, but then she showed a hesitant expression. "After all, it is an ancient prescription, and we don't know its efficacy. There are also a few highly toxic herbs in it."
This was the reason Su Zhenzhen had been hesitating.
Because there was no clinical experience, whether this prescription would actually work remained an unknown.
"Let's wait until we return to Jinling. Besides, we still haven't found a few of the herbs. When the time comes, you can go ask Godfather if we can get some spared from the Imperial Hospital."
"Mhm."
Looking at the young man nodding obediently, Su Zhenzhen couldn't help but reach out and touch his face.
Lu Hexu's cheek had not yet reduced in swelling, but it hadn't gotten worse either.
The scarf around his neck was pulled up just below his eyes, covering his swollen cheeks, revealing only a pair of eyes and the little duck ornament on his forehead, along with the cat-ear gold hairpin inserted into his coiled hair.
The feelings you have for someone you poured your heart into raising are truly different.
[Sweet boy.]
[Kisses.]
The look in Lu Hexu's eyes as he stared at Su Zhenzhen suddenly changed.
The two were walking down the street. The ground was made of uneven bluestone slabs accumulating water puddles. The soles of Su Zhenzhen's shoes were dampened by the rainwater. She was looking down to check her shoes when she suddenly felt a tightness around her waist, and her entire body was half-carried into the alley behind her.
The alley was very narrow, only allowing one person to pass through.
The two of them squeezed inside sideways, with both their backs pressed against the walls of the alley.
Most of the alleys in Gusu were like this, resembling caves with the top tightly sealed. Walking inside was like entering a dark kiln; without carrying a lantern, one couldn't see the path at all.
Right now, Su Zhenzhen was held in the young man's arms, her back pressed against the damp wall.
She couldn't clearly see the young man's face, but she could feel the scorching breath spraying against her cheeks.
Her tongue went numb from the kissing. Su Zhenzhen wanted to open her mouth to swallow, but the young man pressed the tip of his tongue against her lips, kissing her wickedly and devouring her breath.
Their chaotic breathing was hidden within the alley. Hearing the footsteps of someone passing by outside, Su Zhenzhen was so frightened that she bit Mu Dan's tongue.
The young man grunted softly, but as if encouraged by it, instead of retreating, he advanced, pinching her jaw with one hand and delving deeper.
Su Zhenzhen was kissed to the point of near suffocation, but the young man refused to let her go. Only when she was about to cry did he release her to let her catch her breath for a moment, yet without waiting for her breathing to even out, he leaned in to kiss her again.
The rain stopped, and the streets gradually bustled with activity, making the alleyway seem even quieter by contrast.
Su Zhenzhen came out of the alley, her face flushed, holding Mu Dan's hand.
The woman's lips were bright red, and when she spoke, she accidentally tugged at a bite mark on the corner of her lips. "Don't do this outside next time."
[Ahhhhh, this is too embarrassing!]
"You were the one who let me kiss you," the young man pressed up from behind her, noticing the lingering crimson on the tips of the woman's ears.
"Nonsense."
[When did I ever let you kiss me!]
"Wait a minute, did you sneak some candy?" Su Zhenzhen suddenly stopped in her tracks, poking his swollen cheek through his scarf.
Lu Hexu averted his gaze upward. "It's going to rain."
Changing the subject.
The autumn rain fell once more, pattering endlessly against the windows.
The charcoal basin in the room had been lit, but the temperature had not yet risen.
The sheer pink bed curtains fell to the floor, pooling in ripple-like folds.
After a long day of running around, Su Zhenzhen originally intended to change the bedding, but unexpectedly felt sleepy the moment she touched the bed.
If you're tired, you sleep, rather than forcing yourself to change the sheets.
"The Changchun flower blooms by day and closes by night; the Holy Venerable bestows the raft of rebirth. Wear this immortal blossom to avoid the three calamities, enter our mystic sect, and ascend the lotus throne!"
The clamorous voices exploded in the night sky. On a high bamboo platform stood a man in a moon-white robe, wearing a Changchun flower mask.
The moonlight, like silk, poured over him, gilding him with a layer of divine radiance.
Below the bamboo platform, hundreds of people knelt in prostration, all bearing the mark of the Changchun flower on their bodies.
They looked up to worship their god, their faces filled with obsessive madness.
Venerable Changchun raised his hand and picked up something wrapped in black cloth by his subordinates.
The man's hands were very clean, pale and slender with distinct knuckles. They were hands meant for writing romantic poetry, drinking under the moon with companions, and penning exquisite verses. Yet at this moment, they held a filthy black cloth sack.
He took out a dagger. From the hilt to the tip of the blade, it was entirely entwined with beautiful Changchun flower motifs.
He used this dagger to slit open the black cloth.
The black cloth tore apart, revealing a bloody, mangled head inside.
"This is the tyrant's head. Today, we offer this head to the heavens, to gift the world, pacify the rivers and mountains, exalt purity, and attain immortality."
The man's voice was rough yet powerful, as if done deliberately.
The head was still seeping blood. Thick crimson dripped down through the gaps between the man's fingers. He tossed the head high into the air, throwing it onto a higher tier of the bamboo structure behind him, then picked up a torch nearby and set it ablaze.
A raging fire ignited, and the man slowly walked down from the bamboo platform.
He stood there, looking up through his mask as the head was swallowed by the flames, finally crushed at the bottom by the collapsing bamboo structure, completely reduced to ashes in the inferno.
Such a scalding fire.
Su Zhenzhen jolted awake from her dream. She could almost still feel the thick smoke rushing at her face and the scorching heat of the blazing fire.
Su Zhenzhen remembered that this was a plot point from the original novel.
After Zhao Lingyun chopped that tyrant into mincemeat, Shen Yanci took the tyrant's head and gathered his believers in the suburbs to conduct a sacrificial ritual.
On one hand, it was to comfort the heroic spirits of the previous dynasty; on the other hand, it was to strengthen his own weight among the believers.
After this sacrifice, rumors that "Venerable Changchun possesses boundless magic power and took the tyrant's head from a thousand miles away" fell over the entire Great Zhou dynasty like drifting snow.
The believers became even more convinced by Venerable Changchun, which made Shen Yanci's rule increasingly stable.
The Changchun flower.
In a daze, Su Zhenzhen recalled the men and women she had seen on the street yesterday bearing the mark of the Changchun flower.
If only a small number of people bore the Changchun flower mark, it would indeed be a bit strange. But if the entire city of Gusu was obsessed with floral decals, then the believers hidden among them would not be so obvious.
The marks on their bodies had become a trend that both men and women could imitate.
Even if the authorities sensed something wrong and wanted to make arrests, faced with so many Changchun flower decals and marks, they simply wouldn't know who to catch.
With so many believers gathered in Gusu City, what were they planning to do?
Because of this dream last night, Su Zhenzhen felt quite restless.
She brewed herself a bowl of soothing soup, and only after drinking it did her wildly beating heart feel a bit better.
Then she remembered that Mu Dan's face was still swollen. After the frost descended in September, goldthread was the easiest to dig up. She recalled there was a mountain behind the Gusu relay station and wondered if she could find any traces of goldthread there.
After several days of rain, the sky finally cleared up today.
Su Zhenzhen carried a bamboo basket on her back and headed into the mountains.
The mountain air was clear and cold, the branches and leaves withered and fallen. Morning mist still lingered on the treetops. Su Zhenzhen wore thick clothes into the mountain, yet as she walked, she could still feel the mountain wind piercing into her bones.
It's so cold today. Did the temperature drop again?
Su Zhenzhen shrank her neck, pulled her felt hat down tightly, and used a small trowel to search for traces of goldthread among the mountains. Finally, she found some under a tree.
Because the soil in Gusu wasn't very suitable for wild goldthread to survive, Su Zhenzhen was just trying her luck. She didn't expect to actually find it.
Su Zhenzhen used the small trowel to gently dig down along the green leaves, then slowly pried it up, afraid of damaging the root system.
The loose, moist soil was turned over, revealing poorly developed goldthread.
Having some was better than nothing.
Su Zhenzhen carefully placed the goldthread into her bamboo basket. Just as she was about to look for some other herbs, a sound of footsteps suddenly came from behind her.
She instinctively turned her head and saw a person dressed as a farmer standing behind her. She didn't know when he had gotten there, but he was holding a shiny sickle in his hand.
Su Zhenzhen looked down and saw the mark of the Changchun flower imprinted on the back of his hand.
Her expression tightened, and she instinctively gripped her small trowel tighter.
The farmer looked Su Zhenzhen up and down, then slowly spoke, "The Changchun flower blooms."
A secret code?
What was the code again?
Come on, stupid brain, think!
"Clear dew dampens the clothes."
The surroundings fell silent for a moment, and then the farmer broke into a smile. "We're on the same side. Come, Junior Sister, let's go find the Venerable together."
The believers in the Qingxu Taixuan Society all addressed each other respectfully as senior and junior brothers and sisters.
Find what?
Su Zhenzhen was just about to refuse when she saw over a dozen people walk out from behind the farmer. Obviously, they had been hiding nearby all along. If she hadn't gotten the code right, she would be dead by now.
Su Zhenzhen submissively tagged along. She dawdled and fell to the back of the group, wanting to take the opportunity to escape. Unexpectedly, the farmer brother who had spoken to her earlier walked up to her with his sickle raised. "Junior Sister, where is your mark?"
Su Zhenzhen watched as this big brother showed off the mark on the back of his hand.
She swallowed hard. "On my chest. Venerable Changchun is forever in my heart." As she spoke, Su Zhenzhen reached up and patted her chest.
Hearing Su Zhenzhen's words, these believers instantly turned fanatical. "Venerable Changchun is forever in my heart."
One after another, they pounded their own chests with loud thumps.
Su Zhenzhen: ...
She continued into the mountains with the group until they arrived in front of a cave covered by vines.
Su Zhenzhen took a deep breath and followed them inside.
The cave was very deep, and the ground was wet and slippery. There were lamp stands embedded in the walls on the sides, emitting a faint, eerie light that barely illuminated the path ahead.
Su Zhenzhen tried to slip away several times, but was always called back by the enthusiastic farmer brother. "You're going the wrong way, Junior Sister."
Suppressing the urge to curse, Su Zhenzhen finally arrived at her ultimate destination with the help of a helpful senior disciple.
It was an altar hidden deep within the wild, mountainous forest.
At the four corners of the altar stood five-meter-tall stone pillars, wrapped in thick, heavy iron chains that ended in dark rings. Atop the pillars burned eerie blue flames, casting a ghostly phosphorescent glow that dyed the surroundings in a cold green light. It looked exactly like the set of a massive horror movie.
As the sound of chains being pulled echoed through the air, the altar began to rotate, and countless periwinkle flowers flew out from beneath it.
Amidst the swirling rain of petals, a figure dressed in moon-white was elevated from below the altar.
The believers immediately prostrated themselves on the ground and began to bow in worship.
"The periwinkle opens by day and closes by night, the Holy Venerable bestows the raft to the afterlife.
Wear this immortal bloom to avoid the three disasters, enter our profound gate to ascend the lotus throne!"
Su Zhenzhen tried her best to hide in the furthest corner, kneeling down along with the large group. Her mind was a jumbled mess as she mumbled along randomly, "Uhh... periwinkle... uhh... ascend the lotus throne."
This was exactly how she used to slack off during reading aloud sessions in class.
