Looking forward to the spring breeze

【text】

Ripples on the lake

one

Summer of the seventh year of Wude

Qiantang Lake, Qiantang County ①

It's often said that the Qiantang Lake is picturesque, especially in spring, but that's not entirely true. Even in summer, the scenery on both banks is even more vibrant than in spring. Green trees against a blue sky, willows and lotus leaves, and pink and white lotus blossoms floating among the endless lotus leaves—all these elements create an incredibly charming and captivating scene against the shimmering water.

In the sweltering heat of the city in summer, a gentle breeze sweeps around Gushan Island, brushing against the verdant willow branches, stirring up ripples that lap against the shore, and bringing a touch of coolness to the face—it is the most pleasant thing ever.

Boats ply the lake, mostly carrying wealthy and powerful families from the city, seeking respite from the scorching summer sun. Occasionally, a painted red boat glides by, carrying the faint sounds of string and wind instruments. A flowing gauze curtain flutters, revealing glimpses of red and green clothing, a band of emerald green on a jade-like arm, and deep crimson fingertips. The trembling of those fingertips is like a feather lightly brushing against skin, sending shivers down one's spine. The contrast between white and red is dazzling…

Slightly drunk and half-awake, a sharp scream came from the lake. The voice was not loud, but it reached my ears very clearly, "Help! What... what are you doing?" Before the words were finished, there was a "plop" sound, as something fell into the water.

People on the cruise ship leaned against the railings to look around. Someone recognized the cruise ship that had wrecked and exclaimed, "Isn't that the Yu family's ship?"

"Is that Miss Yu on the boat? And who fell into the water?"

"Didn't you hear the scream just now? It was clearly her who pushed someone into the water."

"Yes, I saw it clearly."

"That second young lady is nothing but a concubine's daughter. She usually acts like a proper young lady because of Master Yu's favor. She is always arrogant and domineering, so it's not surprising that she would do such a vicious thing. Poor girl who fell into the water, I wonder who she is?"

……

On the Yu family's pleasure boat, the servants came running upon hearing the news. A maid in a lake-green dress rushed to the railing in a panic, staring wide-eyed at the ripples spreading across the lake. Apart from a pale yellow embroidered handkerchief slowly bobbing on the water, there was no one else in sight.

"Miss...Miss!" the maid called out urgently, but received no response. She called out twice more before suddenly turning around as if she had come to her senses. She shouted at the group of servants who were already stunned and speechless, "What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and go into the water to save them!"

Two servants who could swim hurriedly took off their outer garments and jumped into the lake, while the rest who couldn't swim crowded to the railing, watching anxiously. The surrounding pleasure boats gradually approached, and hearing the commotion, they roughly guessed what had happened and hurriedly ordered their servants to go into the water to rescue her. A young gentleman, upon hearing that the one who had fallen into the water was the eldest daughter of the Yu family, turned pale and jumped into the water without even taking off his clothes.

The group searched the lake for over half an hour, but only managed to retrieve a pale yellow blouse. The maid in the lake-green dress turned ashen-faced upon seeing the garment, trembling all over. After finally regaining her composure, she rushed forward, grabbed the dress, and cried out, "Poor young lady!" before attempting to jump into the river with the dress in her arms. Fortunately, someone nearby reacted quickly, grabbing her sleeve and pulling her back.

The maid recognized him as one of the young masters who had jumped into the water to save someone. She knelt down before him with a thud, tears streaming down her face, and pleaded, "Please, young master, do justice for my young lady."

Gao Heng frowned slightly, exchanged a glance with his friend beside him, and then glanced at the pale-faced Miss Yu outside the crowd. After a moment of silence, he replied, "Please stand up and speak, Miss."

The maid refused to rise, instead straightening her back and staring directly at Gao Heng with her reddened eyes. She said, word by word, "My name is Qingdai, and I am the personal maid of my eldest young lady. Just now, the second young lady asked the young lady to come out and talk. I was serving her when the second young lady said she wanted to drink plum juice and asked me to go get it. I had just entered the cabin when I heard the young lady's cries for help. When I rushed out, I only saw the eldest young lady...she..." She could no longer speak coherently, her eyes fixed on Yu Wan, the second young lady of the Yu family, with eyes that seemed to shoot knives.

"You're lying! That bitch jumped down herself, I didn't push her!" The second young lady, Yu Wan, stormed into the crowd, baring her teeth and claws as she lunged at Qingdai, scratching her cheek. Qingdai didn't dodge, coldly watching her as she watched Yu Wan leave five bloody marks on her face.

The crowd erupted in uproar, and the servants of the Yu family rushed forward to grab the second young lady and pull her aside. Yu Wan, however, was still not satisfied and waved her hand, shouting fiercely, "You bitch, I'm going to kill you!"

The crowd showed expressions of disgust, and someone loudly accused, "That second young lady of the Yu family is a real shrew! She clearly harmed someone first; we all saw that clearly. The eldest young lady of the Yu family comes from a prestigious family, is well-educated and reasonable, and was just engaged to General Xu Wei of Dingyuan. She was about to marry into the capital and become the mistress of the household. How could she throw herself into the river for no reason? It was clearly this shrew who was jealous and pushed her into the water. Such a vicious person deserves to be killed by everyone."

"Take her to see the officials!"

"Yes, send her to see the magistrate. Let's see how Lord Liu decides her case."

...

Some people, mindful of the Yu family's power and knowing that Master Yu doted on his concubine the most, whispered, "After all, it's their family matter; it's best not to speak recklessly."

A clamor erupted among the crowd, most accusing the second young lady of the Yu family of pushing someone into the water, a crime deserving death. Their words were vehement, and some even spat at her in anger. A knowledgeable servant in the Yu family, fearing further escalation, quickly sent someone ashore to inform the mansion. Soon after, the master of the Yu family arrived in a hurry. Whether from the heat or his anxiety, his clothes were soaked with sweat.

Master Yu, Yu Hang, was a classmate of Prefect Liu Chengchun. They both passed the provincial examination in the first year of the Wude era and went to the capital to take the imperial examination. Liu Chengchun passed with flying colors, but Yu Hang failed. He took the exam twice more, but perhaps he was not destined to be an official, as he always failed. Fortunately, the Yu family was quite wealthy, and several of his ancestors had served as officials. With the help of his wife's family, the Cui clan of Qinghe, Master Yu bought a nominal title of acting prefect, making him a figure of some importance in Qiantang County.

Yu Hang boarded the boat, panting, and after apologizing profusely to everyone, he intended to take the second young lady of the Yu family back to the manor. Although everyone felt indignant, it was ultimately a matter within the Yu family. They wanted to stand up for the eldest young lady but dared not say much, and after sighing repeatedly, they all shook their heads and left. Only the maid named Qingdai knelt on the ground, refusing to move, looking stubbornly at Gao Heng, and said, "This servant is not a servant of the Yu family, but a maid that the madam assigned to the eldest young lady. Before the madam passed away, she returned the indenture to this servant, and now I am no longer a servant of the Yu family."

Gao Heng had always liked this loyal maid, and seeing that she was unwilling to return to the Yu residence, he quickly said after thinking it over, "If you have nowhere to go, you can stay in the residence for the time being."

With red eyes, Qingdai kowtowed to Gao Heng and said, "Thank you for your help, young master."

…… ……

One month later, in the outskirts of Qiantang

The dog days of summer have just begun, and the sun is getting stronger every day.

It was midday, the sun blazing down on the ground, not a breath of wind blowing, even the cicadas' chirping sounded weak and listless. Yet, someone hurried past on the usually quiet country road. It was a thin young man, wearing an oversized, dusty gray cotton jacket, a straw hat on his head, his head bowed slightly as if to shield himself from the sun, the brim obscuring most of his face, revealing only a faint glimpse of his handsome chin.

The boy walked along the river for half a mile before suddenly turning into a shady path through the trees along the riverbank. The surroundings suddenly cooled, and a refreshing breeze drifted through the gaps in the trees. The boy exhaled softly and slowed his pace considerably.

At the end of the tree-lined avenue was a small courtyard, surrounded by a wall taller than a person, with only glimpses of greenery peeking out from the top. The gate was tightly shut, and the menacing bronze door knocker had a ring biting into it, the ring bearing mottled scratches.

The boy knocked softly on the door, one short knock followed by three long ones. Soon, soft footsteps could be heard in the courtyard, and the door opened slightly, revealing half of the girl's delicate face. Upon seeing the boy, a smile immediately bloomed on the girl's face, and she said in a clear voice, "You've finally come! You've kept us waiting." Then, she peeked out and looked around.

The young man nimbly slipped through the door, took off his straw hat, and grinned, revealing pearly white teeth. "Don't worry, I was very careful. No one followed me." This young man was none other than Qingdai, the maid who had vowed to seek justice for the eldest daughter of the Yu family on the ship that day.

"How is Miss?" Qingdai asked hurriedly after closing the door.

The girl pouted and said angrily, "Of course it's good. What, you think you're so clever? Can't I even serve Miss properly?"

Qingdai could tell she was joking, but she still coaxed her softly, "Of course I know that Sister Bailing is always clever and loyal. It's just that I haven't seen Miss for a long time and I miss her very much."

Bai Ling smiled and said, "Miss is taking a nap in the inner room. She should be awake by now. I'll go and wake her up, otherwise she won't be able to sleep tonight." As she spoke, she took Qingdai's hand and walked into the courtyard.

The courtyard was extremely small, with only one entrance and three main rooms. The east wing served as the servants' quarters, while the west wing was converted into a kitchen and storage room. Bamboo was planted both inside and outside the courtyard, in clumps, and several potted plants were placed under the bamboo shade. Although they were not in bloom, their branches and leaves were lush.

Bai Ling led the way. When they arrived at the door, Qing Dai stopped and waited. Only after Bai Ling announced her arrival did she enter.

After passing a rosewood screen carved with orchid patterns, they entered the inner room. Yu Youtong, the eldest daughter of the Yu family who was rumored to have drowned long ago, was reclining leisurely on the couch, yawning lazily as she looked Qingdai up and down. Finally, she grinned and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Qingdai, you're back."

Note: ① Qiantang Lake, also known as West Lake, was called Qiantang Lake in ancient times. Before the Tang Dynasty, it was also known as Wulin Water, Mingsheng Lake, Jinniu Lake, Longchuan, Qianyuan, Qiantang Lake, Shanghu, Xizi Lake, etc.

② Door knocker: A ring-shaped ornament on a door, mostly shaped like an animal head holding a ring.

Banditry at the villa

two

"Is that all?" Yu Youtong leaned back on the couch, holding a half-embroidered pale yellow orchid handkerchief between her fingers, and asked as if casually.

"Yes." Qingdai replied with her head down, "They were sent away overnight to Suzhou. They only said to the outside world that he died suddenly. But no one believes it. No one in the Yu family dares to go out, for fear of being scolded."

Yu Youtong smiled, but her eyes were extremely cold. She had long known that the old man would not abandon his beloved second daughter. If this matter hadn't become public knowledge, he would have definitely suppressed it. Everyone knew that he only had eyes for this biological daughter, whether she was alive or dead.

Looking up at Qingdai's face, which seemed to be shrouded in a faint worry, Yu Youtong lightly tapped the table with her slender fingers, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What, do you think I went too far?"

Qingdai was taken aback and quickly said, "How could that be? Compared to what the Second Madam and the Second Miss have done, Miss has already shown great compassion."

If she hadn't made the first move, she would likely be the one ruined and disgraced by now. Thinking about what those two women had done and said to her and her mother over the years, and imagining the current chaos in the

……