Klares Wasser und wunderschöne Berge

Kapitel 129

He was a student who lived off the tuition and stipends of the county government. He also had to sell some calligraphy and paintings to make ends meet. Therefore, the famous courtesans refused to accept his money and only asked him to write poems and lyrics for them as a token of their gratitude.

Now, Qiao Yunnu, the head of the "Tongquechun" brothel, did the same. She first declared to him that she only asked for a poem as payment. But in bed, she caught a glimpse of the gold bracelet he always carried. She picked it up and examined it carefully, then smiled and said, "Feng Lang, please give this gold bracelet to me."

He immediately snatched it from her hand and said bluntly, "No!"

Qiao Yunnu was taken aback, then smiled again: "I only wanted to take something that belonged to Feng Lang as a keepsake, but I didn't know it was such a precious treasure that Feng Lang cherished it so much and was unwilling to give it to anyone."

He took off the jade ornament from his turban and handed it to Qiao Yunnu: "If you don't mind, sister, keep this."

That was also the most valuable thing he owned. Qiao Yunnu took it and looked at it, then laughed and said, "Feng Lang has made a bad deal. The gold bracelet is nice, but it's too light. It's not as valuable as this jade."

He smiled faintly: "It's because the gold bracelet is too light that I refused to give it to my sister."

**************

Leaving "Tongquechun," Feng Jing felt inexplicably depressed. He went to a riverside restaurant, ordered a pot of wine, and drank alone by the window.

Without realizing it, he took out the gold bracelet, and as usual, held it in one hand and gently stroked it.

Several years have passed since they last met, and he wondered whose wife the owner of the golden bracelet had become. He thought wistfully, then poured wine with his other hand, raised the cup, drank it all, and poured again, cup after cup, completely unaware that the long day was about to end.

Soon people noticed him and whispered, "That's the poor boy that Director Qiao has his eye on..."

Suddenly, someone sneered and said loudly, "Just as I thought, a gigolo who lives off a woman!"

Feng Jing glanced sideways and saw that the speaker was a clerk in official robes. Judging from their tone, they must be trying to get close to Qiao Yunnu but failing. He didn't bother to pay them any attention, refilled his cup, and continued drinking alone.

The man, however, had no intention of letting him go. Staring at the gold bracelet in his hand, he shouted, "You still have the nerve to flaunt women's jewelry? I wonder which pimp you swindled it from..."

Before he could finish speaking, a muffled thud was heard, and the clerk had been struck hard in the face, falling straight backward.

The clerk sat up and saw Feng Jing standing in front of him, staring at him coldly. A murderous glint flashed in those eyes that were too beautiful for a man.

The clerk shuddered, and his tongue trembled as he stammered, "Quickly, quickly, take him down!"

The price of that punch was ten days of freedom. Feng Jing was arrested and imprisoned in the county jail, where he was released ten days later.

Upon returning to Jingshan Temple, where he was staying, the monk in charge came to inform him: "It is not convenient for anyone to stay in the temple these days. Please pack your belongings as soon as possible and move out tomorrow."

He frowned: "Was it because I didn't give enough money for incense?"

The monk waved his hand, repeatedly saying no, but refused to explain why. Feng Jing wanted to give him a few coins, hoping for some leniency, but his purse was empty; all his money had been taken by the jailers.

The following day, the monks repeatedly came to urge him on. Left with no other choice, Feng Jing packed his belongings and prepared to leave. Before departing, looking at the desolate little room where he had lived for months, he couldn't help but lament the coldness of the world, having nowhere left to stay. He then picked up a brush and inscribed a poem on the temple wall: "Han Xin lingers, Xiang Yu is impoverished, both holding long swords and drinking in the autumn wind. Alas, the eyes of the common people do not recognize the unfulfilled ambitions of men."

*************

After a whole day of running around the county town, he finally found a fellow student willing to take him in and found a humble room to stay in.

Unexpectedly, a few days later, the clerk who had imprisoned him came to the school to find him, politely addressing him as "Scholar Feng," and somewhat awkwardly saying that the county magistrate had invited him.

He was quite surprised, but he accepted the invitation anyway.

The magistrate of Yuhang County invited him to a banquet, where they drank and chatted amiably, showing him great hospitality. During the banquet, the magistrate listened to his conversation and admired him even more, even saying with a half-joking smile, "If I become rich and powerful, I will not forget you."

Feng Jing sensed there must be more to this than met the eye, so he deliberately probed. The magistrate, in a moment of drunken revelry, revealed the truth: "A distinguished person from the capital came to Jingshan Temple to burn incense and fulfill a vow. Upon seeing the poem you inscribed on the wall, he inquired about your situation from the monks and then said: 'Although this scholar Feng is currently very poor, judging from the poem he left behind, one can see that he possesses profound wisdom and will surely achieve great things in the future.'"

When Feng Jing asked who the important person was, the magistrate became wary and evaded the question without answering.

After the banquet, the magistrate said that he had found him another suitable place to stay, which he could move into the next day. He also gave him several strings of cash and sent someone to escort him back safely.

Feng Jing quickly put the money to good use. By bribing a familiar monk who had gone down the mountain to buy supplies, he learned that the noblewoman who had come to the temple to burn incense was a lady from the capital who had been staying at the temple for the past few days, but the monk said he did not know her specific identity.

Seeing his curious expression, the monk said, "Don't even think about going to see! No one knows who that lady is. As soon as she arrived at the temple, the magistrate sent many soldiers to guard it, surrounding the temple. No outsiders could get in at all."

Feng Jing smiled and pushed another string of coins in front of the monk.

He changed into a monk's robe and put on a monk's hat, disguising himself as a monk in the temple, and sneaked into Jingshan Temple at night.

That lady must have been of extraordinary status, as the gate was heavily guarded, and curtains were set up along the path she might take inside, preventing ordinary monks from entering.

When Feng Jing entered the temple, the lady was performing a prayer ceremony in the main hall, while he retreated to a corner behind a curtain against the wall. After the ceremony, the lady rose, and he quickly stepped forward, approaching the curtain that had been obscuring her path.

The lady walked slowly forward, and the bright lamps in the curtains cast her shadow clearly on the cloth that was meant to keep people away.

He followed her shadow slowly, step by step, outside the dimly lit curtain.

The curtain revealed her profile: her features were delicate and beautiful, her hair was styled in a high bun and tied with a simple crown, revealing a slender and graceful neck. Her chin was slightly raised as she moved with composure and elegance...

The figure before him gradually matched his deepest memories. He felt a ringing in his ears, difficulty breathing, and his consciousness seemed to be swaying lightly with the leaping fireworks.

Through the thin veil, she continued forward, and he continued to follow, their steps silent, but his heartbeat quickened. He was even a little afraid that the person behind the veil would hear the uneasy sound emanating from his chest.

His heart pounded wildly amidst the lingering chanting and the sound of the wooden fish drum in the courtyard. Several times he wanted to tear down the curtain to confirm his suspicions, but he restrained himself. Finally, when she reached the junction of the two curtains, he lifted one side of the cloth with slightly trembling fingers and peered inside.

All those elusive, unspoken hopes and emotions settled with that one glance. He knelt down behind the curtain she couldn't see, silently weeping and smiling amidst the shifting light and shadow.

It really was her.

He closed his eyes, but his heart was suddenly at peace—so what if he was ignored and scorned by the world? As long as she knew him, understood him, and was the eternal bride he enshrined on the mirror of his heart.

The Lonely City Closes (The Princess Who Fell in Love with the Eunuch) Side Story: Feng Jing's Chapter - Drunken Flower Shade (3)

Chapter word count: 1307 Update time: 08-08-21 17:24

3. Mengze