He raised his eyebrows and asked me, "Is the medicinal ingredient very difficult to find?"
I nodded emphatically, "I'll risk everything for your third uncle."
He took a very elegant sip of his wine. "Xia Jingnan has also been poisoned. You're working so hard because of him, aren't you?"
I paused for a moment, then said seriously, "I did it for the sake of all living beings."
Lou Xiyue squinted, holding a stone in her palm and playing with it.
I went over to take a look and saw that the stone in his hand looked like the Persian jade that I had pawned earlier.
Then it dawned on me, and I asked, "How did you know I pawned the stone?"
He didn't answer directly, but brought the wine glass to his lips, "This stone isn't worth more than a hundred taels in your heart?"
I originally wanted to say that people have times of poverty and hardship. Back then, Qi Xiao and I couldn't even solve our basic food and clothing problems in Anding Town. I really couldn't agree with the idea that a rich young master like me would use collecting stones as an elegant hobby to squander his youth.
But I noticed a hint of displeasure in Lou Xiyue's eyes, so I said, "I originally planned to earn some money and then redeem it."
Lou Xiyue frowned and casually tossed the wine glass overboard.
With a "thud," the cup fell into the rolling river.
I could tell things were going badly. Lou Xiyue was indeed furious and started throwing things, making the situation difficult to control.
I said firmly, "The stone with the inscription personally written by Young Master Lou is priceless. Why don't you name your price and I'll buy it back from you?"
Lou Xiyue turned to look at me, paused for a moment, and said with a hint of mockery, "Since it is a priceless treasure, it must be exchanged for something precious."
I said, "I'll draw up a written agreement. Whatever you want, it's no problem."
He rested his forehead on his hand and said casually, "You."
I looked at him, "Huh?"
Lou Xiyue thought for a moment, then said again, "The luminous pearl on your body."
Finally, I reluctantly agreed to the trade. This deal was a huge loss for me.
When we reached Wulong, we changed boats and headed north across the Wulong River.
This is an official boat, decorated very grandly, with a three-story boat building, smoked gauze and carved railings. Lou Xiyue paid the boatman with silver taels before he could even give us a corner.
I looked up and saw a middle-aged man in a black long robe sitting on a wooden table by the mast, holding a book in his hand, with a refined and scholarly appearance.
Lou Xiyue said to me, "He was originally the prefect of Taizhou, but now he is going to Wuli to become the governor, succeeding Wen Tang."
He chuckled, "There's a romantic story about this Wen Tang, the Prefect Wen. Would you like to hear it?"
I think waterways are boring, so listening to a story would be nice.
Lou Xiyue got up and asked the boatman for a pot of hot tea. It was late autumn, and the water breeze was getting colder. The further north they went, the sparser the scenery became. There were water birds perched on the river, drooping their necks and pecking at their feathers.
He poured tea into a cup and handed it to me, saying, "Warm your hands."
As I gazed at the young nobleman's reflection in the clear tea, something suddenly occurred to me. I said, "Lou Xiyue, weren't you supposed to disembark to pick someone up? Why did you come aboard with me?"
Lou Xiyue paused for a moment after hearing this, looked at me quietly, and said with a half-smile, "I'll finish telling you this story. I'll go down at the next ferry crossing."
I rested my hands on the steaming celadon tea cauldron, and sat cross-legged with Lou Xiyue in a corner of the boat, watching the scenery on both banks change from dark green mountains to small bridges and rooftops, and from surging waters to lush grasslands.
Lou Xiyue said, "Wen Tang was a very refined and talented man. When he served as the governor of Wuli, he often held banquets at his residence, where he would sing, dance, and compose poems. At that time, there was a courtesan in the army who was beautiful and talented. She was skilled in playing string and wind instruments and could sing and compose poems. Her name was Qingdai. Wen Tang appreciated her very much and often sent people to bring Qingdai to his residence to entertain the guests at banquets."
Later, a governor came to Wuli for inspection. He already had a grudge against Wen Tang, so he fabricated a charge, claiming that Wen Tang and Qing Dai had an affair. Qing Dai was imprisoned and interrogated daily, but even under torture, she remained unconvinced. The matter remained unresolved. Now, Wen Tang has been transferred away from Wuli; it is unknown whether this is related to this incident.
I asked him, "Why was Qingdai the only one punished? If it was out of personal favoritism, what about Wentang?"
Lou Xiyue took the teacup from my hand, poured out the tea, replaced it with a new one, and handed it to me. He said, "Firstly, even though Qingdai was flogged, she absolutely denied having any affair, so this crime cannot be added to her list; secondly..."
Lou Xiyue glanced at me. "It's windy here. Is it a bit cold?"
I shrank into the corner. "A little."
He reached out and cupped my hand in his palm, which was much warmer than the teacup. He smiled slightly and said, "The tea in the tea bag is cold; let me warm it up for you."
I asked him, "You haven't finished speaking yet, what's the second point?"
Night had fallen, and the cool, silvery surface of the river shimmered. The distant green mountains were gradually darkening in color, as if splashed with thick ink, like a brushstroke mark left on the tip of a brush.
Lou Xiyue's eyes seemed to gleam, and he smiled, "Secondly, after Qingdai was imprisoned, Wen Tang, in order to prove his innocence, drew a line between himself and her and had no further contact with her."
I said, "Did the wolves eat Wen Tang's conscience?"
Lou Xiyue remained noncommittal. He stood up and said, "We've arrived at Changyu. I'll disembark here."
I then realized that the ferry crossing was near, and I could see the dim lights of houses in the distance.
I looked up at Lou Xiyue; his profile was quite handsome in the dim light.
The ferry crossing was deserted, as the official boats could not freely pick up passengers.
He handed me a money pouch, saying, "There's some silver in here; you can use it on your journey."
The water rippled gently, and I heard the muffled thud of a bamboo pole supporting the stone steps. A sudden pang of sadness gripped my heart. I grabbed the hem of his robe and whispered, "No."
Lou Xiyue looked down at me. "Xiao Xiang, what did you just say?"
I said, "Why should I go find medicine by myself to save your third uncle? I won't do it. I'm not a bodhisattva. Do you think it's easy for me to travel all over the country and overcome all obstacles by myself? If it weren't for my good reading skills, I would have been beheaded long ago."