White Robe

Chapter 37

After laughing, I took out a brocade pouch and handed it to Yun Yiyang, saying, "I have carefully considered the matter of the traitor you mentioned. My opinions have been written down and sealed inside the pouch. I cannot return to Yun Manor with you this time. You must make your own decisions and pay more attention. The word 'caution' must be kept in mind at all times... Young Master Shang, wait for me. I... I'm leaving now!"

I turned and walked out of the courtyard, and heard Yun Yiyang call out behind me, "Sister Bai, when are you coming back?"

I turned back and smiled, "When it's time for me to come back, I will."

Xiao Lü hugged me tightly, tears falling onto my shoulder. "Sister Bai, don't forget Xiao Lü!" Xiao Lü wiped her eyes vigorously with her sleeve, pouting, "Sister Bai is the worst! Brother Shaozhang is the worst of all! You don't want Xiao Lü anymore!"

A pang of sadness welled up in my heart, but I forced a smile and said, "Nonsense! We all love you the most, how could we abandon you? Your elder brother is just sending me to learn some martial arts, he'll be back soon. Little Green must stay with Yun Yiyang and wait for Sister Bai to return, then we'll go to Guiyun Manor to find you!"

Little Green burst into laughter through her tears: "Is what Sister Bai said true? You can't go back on your word!"

I smiled wryly and said, "Your sister Bai always keeps her word. If you don't believe me, ask Xiaoyunzi!"

Xiao Lü made a face at Yun Yiyang, who was standing to the side, and said in a sweet voice, "I don't believe Xiao Yunzi... Sister Bai, these are earrings I made especially for you. You must wear them every day and never take them off!" She then took out a small jade box from her bosom, about the size of a palm, and placed it in my hand. Her expression turned serious, and she said softly, "Sister Bai, you must remember, this contains various antidotes and some other elixirs... I told you how to use them a few days ago. You must always carry this jade box and earrings with you! Don't discard them lightly!"

I took the earrings and put them on. The earrings were inlaid with two gray pearls. Although they were exquisitely crafted, I couldn't immediately see anything special about them. I then put the jade box in my bosom. Shang Shaozhang took the luggage and said with a smile, "Ready? Let's go." He leaped onto his horse, put his arm around my waist, and lifted me onto the horse as well.

I turned back to look at Yun Yiyang and Xiao Lü, who looked reluctant to part, and forced a cheerful smile, saying, "Don't see us off. We'll meet again someday, so why be so sentimental?"

Yun Yiyang's body stiffened, but he didn't answer. Xiao Lü cupped her hands into a megaphone and shouted loudly, "Sister Bai—Brother Shaozhang—you all need to come back soon—"

"Sister Bai—Brother Shaochang—" Xiao Lü's voice echoed through Yanliang Valley, lingering for a long time.

Chapter Twenty-One: Longing is Most Desired by the Moon Over the Qin Tower

Young Master Shang led the two of us on horseback, heading south. The black horse carried us at a steady pace, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, but the fear of being chased earlier was gone, replaced by a subtle, alluring feeling. What gentleness? What gray-clad assassin? The experiences of the past few months seemed like a distant nightmare, almost forgotten.

I glanced furtively at Shang Shaochang, who had his arm around my waist, and a thought suddenly popped into my head that I never dared to even consider:

If things could always be like this, wouldn't that be wonderful?

I was helped off the horse by Shang Shaochang. I casually broke off a willow branch and said softly, "It'll sprout soon... Time flies so fast, two months have passed in the blink of an eye..." I brushed my wind-blown hair and said slowly, "I wonder if Yiyang will be able to run the Guiyun Manor business well after I leave."

Shang Shaochang laughed and said, "Even a mother hen won't protect her chicks forever. Only when you're not at Guiyun Manor will his abilities truly be revealed. Otherwise, no matter how talented he is, he can only live in your shadow and will likely end up being mediocre."

I chuckled and said, "You're right, it's good for him to train on his own now... No, wait!" I saw a sly smile appear on Shang Shaochang's face, and suddenly a thought struck me. In a fit of anger, I swung the willow branch at Shang Shaochang's head:

"Damn you, Young Master Shang! You called me an old hen!"

A roaring campfire, and the aroma of roasted rabbit.

Shang Shaozhang handed me a skewer of roasted rabbit meat and said with a smile, "Be careful not to burn yourself."

I smiled slightly, took the rabbit meat, and blew away the steam emanating from it. I watched as he skillfully skewered the rabbit meat, which he had sliced with a fine knife, onto a branch, sprinkled it with the salt and pepper seasoning he carried with him, and placed it over the fire to roast. Before long, the rabbit's fat slowly seeped out, sizzling as it dripped onto the fire. Shang Shaozhang turned the meat occasionally, and seeing that I was practically drooling, he laughed and said, "These will be ready in a bit. You eat what you have first."

I stuck my tongue out at Young Master Shang and began to devour the rabbit meat with gusto. Before long, we had eaten most of it. It was incredibly enjoyable to be here under the open sky, eating heartily and having a good time. After we finished eating, neither of us wanted to move, so we found a large tree to lean against and chatted casually. I watched as Young Master Shang used his Autumn Water Knife to hunt the rabbit, skinning it, gutting it, skewering it, and roasting it—his movements were fluid and efficient, seemingly more skilled than even seasoned chefs. I couldn't help but laugh, "The Autumn Water Knife is your personal weapon, but I never expected you to use it to roast rabbit. If your knife had a spirit, it would probably be crying its eyes out."

Shang Shaochang turned his head, smiled slightly at me, and said, "The knife has always been a weapon for hunting. This Autumn Water Blade in my hands is constantly soaked in blood. Perhaps only now can it enjoy a moment of peace..." Shang Shaochang casually tore a piece of cloth from under his long robe and slowly wiped the blade, as if comforting an old friend. The dark, unrefined blade seemed to respond to his tender gesture, and suddenly, in the sunlight, it emitted a bright glint of light—

Shang Shaochang murmured to himself, as if talking to himself, or perhaps sighing inwardly: "Autumn Water Blade... when will you be able to slaughter chickens and rabbits like a real blade, becoming an ordinary blade, and I, like an ordinary person, roasting meat and herding horses? Such days are truly indescribably joyful..."

“But you are an extraordinary person!” I looked up at Shang Shaochang’s somewhat confused eyes and said firmly, “You are destined to be an extraordinary person, so the Autumn Water Blade can never be an ordinary blade—” I said slowly, “People say it is difficult to go from ordinary to extraordinary, but how easy is it to go from extraordinary to ordinary?”

Looking at my earnest gaze, Shang Shaozhang smiled gently: "So, does the brilliant and intelligent Prime Minister in white wish for an ordinary life, or an extraordinary one?"

I said leisurely, "I just want to be a free person, whether ordinary or extraordinary—" I stood up and brushed the withered leaves off my clothes: "As long as I am free, whether ordinary or extraordinary, I will live a carefree and happy life!"

Shang Shaozhang looked at me, his eyes slightly narrowed: "Sometimes, it's really hard to imagine that you're a woman!"

I laughed and said, "So many people have said that already, it's nothing new!" I stuck my tongue out at him playfully and said, "You know what? Only old people repeat what others say!"

Young Master Shang laughed heartily, stood up, and gently pinched the tip of my nose: "Little girl, don't you think I'm already very old?"

You really don't look old at all. Seeing your smile makes me feel like I'm in the warmest sunshine in March.

But I said, "Yes, if you keep sighing, you'll be as old as a sixty-year-old grandfather!" I looked up and laughed, "Didn't you say that if we walk a few dozen miles more, we'll reach Qinhuai? It's said that there, 'their clothing and cultural relics are the most outstanding in Jiangnan; their literary talent and elegance are unparalleled in the country.' We've come all this way, we must see it!"

Young Master Shang laughed heartily and said, "Aren't you afraid that I'll become engrossed in pleasure and abandon you to seek my own enjoyment?"

Even though I knew he was joking, I couldn't help but reach out and pinch the assassin hard, saying angrily:

"You lecherous bastard!"

My voice unconsciously lowered, and I felt my face burning.

—This time, however, I really blushed.

As the saying goes: "The sound of oars and the shadows of lanterns stretch for ten miles, and singing girls play on flower boats amidst the turbid waves."

With one hand reining in his horse and the other pointing with his whip, Shang Shaozhang laughed and said, "See that? Ahead lies a row of flower boats and embroidered barges. That's the Qin-Hun River in Baixia (present-day Nanjing) that you've always wanted to see. There are countless singing girls and flower boats on the river. That's where men spend their money."

I smiled slightly and shifted my body a little on the horse.

Without even looking, the sounds of swallows and orioles filling the air told me that the pleasure boats on the river were the very same pleasure dens and dens of debauchery that Shang Shaozhang had spoken of.

"It truly is as the ancients described, 'Painted boats and the sounds of flutes and drums, never ceasing day and night!'" I laughed out loud. "Perfect! I've never seen so many interesting and wonderful people before. I absolutely have to go see them today!" I made a face at Young Master Shang and said, "And I bet you want to see them even more than I do!"

Shang Shaozhang laughed heartily and said, "I knew it, Yiyi is still the one I like the most."

I laughed and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Shang Shaochang chuckled softly, tightened his grip on my waist, and with a light kick to the horse's flanks, the black horse leaped off like an arrow with a long neigh!

"Come quick, come quick!" I squeezed through the crowd, finally managing to pull Shang Shaochang to the riverbank. Several pleasure boats were moored directly in front of us, each exquisitely decorated. The one in the middle was even larger, more than twice the size of the others. It was newly decorated with the finest silks and satins, and freshly lacquered, making it shine brilliantly. From a distance on the river, it looked incredibly impressive. These decorative fabrics alone would have cost a middle-class family four or five years! Above the pleasure boat hung a red silk banner with four large, flowing characters: "Spring Festival Melody."

I nudged Shang Shaozhang: "What does 'Spring Festival Refreshing Voice' mean?"

Shang Shaozhang said, “There are famous brothels along the Qinhuai River. Every year in early spring, they select the most talented and beautiful courtesans to sing on the largest pleasure boat on the Qinhuai River. Local officials and gentry then judge their performances. This is called the ‘Spring Festival’. The brothel whose courtesan wins the competition and outshines all the others is called the ‘Spring Contest’. The brothel whose courtesan wins the spring first will have a prosperous year and great business! Today happens to be the day of the Spring Festival. You can see that the famous courtesans from each brothel will be on stage soon.”

I nodded, then suddenly looked at him with a half-smile and said, "How come you're so familiar with this?"

Seeing the sly look in my eyes, Shang Shaozhang smiled and said, "You wait here for a while. It seems the Spring Festival celebration won't start for a while. I'll go buy some dry food so we can eat on the road!"