Heaven is the shore of mortal dust - Chapter 48
Li Tianqi, overjoyed at finally finding a worthy opponent, urged Wei Zijun to play another game. More cautiously, Li Tianqi narrowly won the second game by one and a half points. The next two games were also played, each resulting in one win and one loss. After four games today, both players had two wins and two losses, a truly even match, a testament to their skill and talent.
Li Tianqi was overjoyed by this discovery. He thought he had few rivals in chess skills, and now he had found someone to play against, and this person was his beloved fourth brother. He was so happy that his appreciation and love for Wei Zijun increased even more.
It was evening when the boat reached Qiantang Lake, where the lake was brightly lit and dazzling, with a constant stream of pleasure boats and painted barges. I didn't expect West Lake to be so crowded with tourists at this time, although the three pagodas of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon had not yet been built.
Qiantang Lake, which later became West Lake, was called Qiantang Lake in this era because it was adjacent to the Qiantang River. It is located in the center of Yuhang County, which is modern-day Hangzhou. It was named Hangzhou by Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, and later changed from a prefecture to a county by Emperor Yang of Sui, Yang Guang, and named Yuhang County, which is still used today.
The October wind was already cool, and as night fell, it grew even chillier. Wei Zijun and Li Tianqi, both skilled in martial arts, stood at the bow of the boat and felt incredibly refreshed by the wind, their hearts filled with joy. Lianwu, however, needed to wear a cloak to feel comfortable.
As the boat reached the middle of the lake, a soft, seductive melody drifted from the river. A government boat adorned with large red lanterns passed by on the opposite bank, from which songs drifted out:
...
Ascending Kunlun and gazing into the distance, my heart soars with boundless joy.
As the sun sets, I am filled with sorrow and longing to return home; only at the distant shore do I find solace in my thoughts.
Fish-scale houses and dragon halls, purple shell palaces and vermilion palaces.
What is the spirit in the water? Riding a white turtle, chasing after patterned fish.
I wandered with the girl on the riverbank, where the flowing water was turbulent and would soon come down.
My friend travels eastward, and I see off my beloved at the southern shore.
...
Upon closer listening, it turned out to be a Chu Ci poem, suggesting that this area, which once belonged to the Wu and Chu states, also retained some folk poems from the Chu state.
The two boats passed each other, the opposite boat bustling with people, making Li Tianqi's boat seem extremely deserted.
A breeze blew by, and Wei Zijun felt refreshed, but Lianwu beside her shivered.
"Are you cold, sister-in-law? Let me warm you up." With that, Wei Zijun turned around and reached out to hold Lianwu's hands. Lianwu was shocked. Her fourth brother's actions were too bold. Although the world was more open-minded, this was still very improper between an uncle and his sister-in-law, especially with Li Tianqi present.
But Wei Zijun didn't seem to care about etiquette or feel anything was wrong. She held Lianwu's hands and slowly channeled her inner energy into him.
Just as Lianwu was still in surprise, he suddenly felt a surge of heat flowing into his hands. This heat quickly spread throughout his body, even warming his cold toes. He looked at Wei Zijun in surprise and saw her bright eyes sparkling like the starry night sky. For a moment, he didn't know if it was because of the sudden heat or something else, but a blush spread across his cheeks.
Wei Zijun released Lianwu's hand. "Sister-in-law, are you warm now?"
"Thank you, Fourth Brother. I didn't expect you to know martial arts." Lianwu's eyes flickered, and he didn't dare to look at Wei Zijun's face. He turned to Li Tianqi and said, "I knew that Fourth Brother should be more considerate than you. Look at you, you have unfathomable martial arts skills, but you have never passed on any of your internal energy to me to keep me warm."
Li Tianqi laughed and said, "It's inevitable that I, a grown man, am a little careless."
"Isn't Fourth Brother a man?" Lianwu laughed. "You, your heart is more than just rough. If you had something in your heart, how could you be so rough? I saw you transport an ice-cold watermelon from a thousand miles away."
"Ah? Hahahaha... My beloved concubine, are you perhaps jealous of your fourth brother? He just helped you warm up; should I be jealous?" Li Tianqi laughed loudly. Was he jealous just now? Yes, he was. But why? He had never been jealous of Lianwu before. He only liked her for being knowledgeable, reasonable, and sensible. So why was he jealous today? That was his dear fourth brother! He knew perfectly well that his fourth brother had no ulterior motives. Could it be? Was he jealous of his fourth brother? Could he not bear to see his fourth brother being kind to someone else? No! No! How could he be jealous of a man?
Just as Li Tianqi was puzzled, he suddenly heard someone call his name, "Brother Li—" Li Tianqi looked up and looked around, only to see the official boat that had just passed by following behind, with someone on the bow shouting his name.
"Stop the ship," Li Tianqi ordered.
The boat slowed down, and as the official boat behind caught up, Li Tianqi could see the group of people on board. The leader was Su Li, the prefect of Yuhang County.
"Brother Li, I never expected to meet you here today. Please come aboard the boat for a chat. It's such a coincidence that so many talented men from Jiangnan have gathered here today." Su Li invited him with a cupped hand.
“It’s a good coincidence, Brother Su. I also have a great talent to introduce to you,” Li Tianqi said, bowing respectfully.
Su Li ordered his men to bring the boat closer so they could place the planks on it, but Li Tianqi stopped him, saying, "No need to come any closer." Turning to Wei Zijun, he said, "Let's jump over, brothers." With that, he grabbed Lianwu and leaped, his robes fluttering, like a nimble eagle carrying its prey, bathed in the soft moonlight, soaring through the sky. In the blink of an eye, they landed steadily on the deck of the official boat. The crowd cheered loudly; these well-read, frail scholars had never witnessed such skill.
Li Tianqi turned to Wei Zijun and said, "Zijun, jump over here!"
Upon hearing this, Wei Zijun spun around and leaped into the air, swift as lightning, graceful as a white phoenix, light as a willow catkin, and drifting like a floating cloud. Her movements were so beautiful, like a dance breaking through the air, or a feather falling gently. Everyone sighed in admiration.
"What a magnificent sight!" Su Li exclaimed.
Wei Zijun cupped his hands in greeting and said, "This humble student, Wei Zijun, greets Brother Su."
"Brother Su, this is my fourth brother, the talented scholar I want to introduce to you." Li Tianqi patted Wei Zijun on the shoulder, his tone full of pride.
"That's wonderful! It's truly a grand gathering of talented men and beautiful women today." Su Li looked at Lian Wu beside Li Tianqi, "This must be your wife."
“It is indeed Xijun.” Li Tianqi pulled Lianwu over.
Lianwu bowed slightly, while Su Li gave a deep bow. The crowd was surprised, thinking that this couple must be of higher rank and power than Su Li.
After exchanging pleasantries, everyone entered the cabin.
[Volume 1, Deer City Chapter: Chapter 43, Quatrain]
After several rounds of drinks, Su Li stood up. "Today, the talented scholars of Yuhang have gathered here. It would be a waste of this beautiful night if we didn't compose poems and lyrics. Since ancient times, countless poems have been written about the beauty of Qiantang. Why don't we have each of you compose a poem and have a competition? The winner will be awarded ten taels of gold and the title of the number one talented scholar in Jiangnan. I was just about to use this grand gathering to determine the number one talented scholar in Jiangnan. I just happened to meet Brother Li here, so I would also like to ask Brother Li to see how talented the scholars of Jiangnan are."
Everyone agreed and were eager to try it.
“Lord Su! I have a suggestion.” A young gentleman stood up. “Since we are having a competition, why not make it a little more difficult? If everyone’s poems need to contain a common object or word, that would be more interesting.”
“Alright!” Su Li agreed, then looked at Li Tianqi, “Brother Li, you will design this item.”
“In that case, I, Li, will not stand on ceremony.” Li Tianqi looked up at the sky. “Since ancient times, night and moon have been inseparable. This lake should also be matched with the moonlight. Tonight, with such a bright moon, let’s not waste it. Let’s use the word ‘moon’. Everyone’s poem needs the word ‘moon’.”
“Very well! Then let’s first invite the descendant of Jiang Zong, a famous poet from the Southern Dynasties. Young Master Jiang has already passed the provincial examination and will be going to the capital to participate in the metropolitan examination next February. He is one of the most talented men in Jiangnan.” After Su Li finished speaking, he turned to a young man dressed in a moon-white scholar’s robe and holding a folding fan. “Young Master Jiang, please!”
Young Master Jiang stood up, closed his folding fan, frowned, pondered for a moment, and then recited a poem: