Tongjing Prefecture was one of Western Chu's most prosperous places, and its landscapes of mountains and rivers were no less remarkable.
Though both had water, separated by only a mountain, Southern Jin was delicate and tender, graceful and enchanting—a misty-rain world of rivers and lakes where heavy makeup and light powder each had their own charm.
Tongjing Prefecture on this side of the mountain was the exact opposite. There was no painstaking carving, no gentle elegance. Its mountains and waters were vast, bold, and unrestrained, laying bare their feelings with heroic grandeur and extraordinary magnificence.
Xiang Yuan and Yue Huanjiang took a boat downstream, fulfilling the promise they had once made to drift upon the river together.
The great river was broad, filled with luxurious pleasure boats. Especially those with red curtains hanging from them—young ladies in every shade and color leaned against the railings, while music, laughter, and the scent and hues of rouge drifted out from within. Xiang Yuan watched with endless curiosity.
A newcomer unfamiliar with the local customs, he curiously asked, "Brother, what are those pleasure boats? They don't look like they're doing any honest business."
"Tongjing Prefecture has many merchants. Vast family fortunes breed idle folk, and with a little book learning added in, scenes such as this naturally arise." Yue Huanjiang sat in the boat, burning incense and brewing tea.
This was how gentlemen cursed people—without ever uttering a foul word.
Xiang Yuan came equipped with his own translator and understood instantly. "Brother means Tongjing Prefecture has plenty of merchants whose families produce nothing but idle young dandies. Relying on a bit of stinking money and a few sour old books they've read, they spend all day forming groups on the river to play at being cultured?"
Put simply, rich young masters throwing silver