Peony Pond lay on the north bank of the Huai River. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, a hundred pleasure boats of all sizes had already gathered by the lake, and crowds thronged the shore.
From inside a pleasure boat moored beside the bank came the faint, lilting laughter of women:
"Cloud shadows and distant hills enter a painting; the setting sun spills rosy light. Whose home lies by the little bridge and winding bank? Beside the hedge, a few horses neigh..."
"What literary talent, Miss Wang! Truly worthy of being Chongwen Academy's number one big-titted-"
"Pah!"
"Hahahaha..."
The Commandery Princess's Manor had booked the pleasure boat. Inside were young ladies from the Chongming River and female students from the Academy, while Prince's Manor Guards stood watch outside.
Liu Qingzhi was famously henpecked among the prince's personal guards. Every day, his wife exhausted his reserves with some unorthodox method she had begged from who knew where. He had no interest whatsoever in the women's dirty jokes aboard the boat and simply stood at the edge of the deck, listening to Chief Steward Hou spout nonsense.
With his pointed mouth and monkey cheeks, Steward Hou looked so bizarre that going inside would spoil those unhinged young ladies' refined amusement. He stood on deck waving a folding fan, and the sight of "vitality burgeoning, all things vying to flourish" along the lakeshore made him stroke the drooping mustache above his mouth and sigh.
"Each generation brings forth its own talents. When I attended the Mid-Autumn Gathering back in the day, I counted as a handsome young fellow, at least. Now that I'm old and my looks have faded, I probably wouldn't even rank in the top ten here at Peony Pond."
?
Liu Qingzhi felt that Steward Hou's earth-shaking, ghost-weeping looks could make even the monkeys kept by wealthy households on Wencheng Street seem handsome. He might not place in the top ten at a Monkey Mountain beauty contest, let alone at Peony Pond.
But as this was the chief steward of the Commandery Princess's Manor and the princess's trusted right-hand man, Liu Qingzhi hardly dared mock him. He offered his compliments with perfect seriousness.
"No need to belittle yourself, Master Hou. Attractive faces are everywhere, but how many people can win the princess's appreciation? A man makes his place in the world chiefly through talent, and yours comes but once in a thousand years!"
Liu Qingzhi was not entirely making things up. Steward Hou's peerless beauty alone, capable of subduing Xie Jinhuan, qualified as something seen once in a thousand years.
Steward Hou did possess some self-awareness, however, and waved a hand.
"You flatter me. If all the talent under heaven amounted to ten measures, Her Highness alone would possess eight..."
At this point, Steward Hou realized he had forgotten the prince, which was most improper, and added:
"His Highness would possess eight as well, while I and everyone else under heaven would share one..."
"Uh..."
Liu Qingzhi felt that Chief Steward Hou alone was responsible for the seven measures now owed, but he truly dared not say so and merely kept smiling apologetically.
While the two were whiling away their boredom with this nonsense, Steward Hou suddenly craned his neck and narrowed his beady eyes, looking just like a weasel hunting chicks as he peered toward the outskirts of Peony Pond.
"Well, now! That Xie boy from Back Alley has come to join the fun too. Is that Doctor Lin beside him?"
"Hmm?"
After witnessing Xie Jinhuan's abilities, Liu Qingzhi held him in considerable esteem. At these words, he searched the riverside and indeed spotted a carriage parked on the outskirts of Peony Pond. Nearby, two people and a bird were heading toward a large boat by the river.
The man wore white robes, with two weapons hanging at his waist. He was clearly Xie Jinhuan.
The woman beside him had a graceful figure. Although she was too far away to make out clearly, Liu Qingzhi's wife visited the Lin Family Clinic every day, so he knew her well: she was the clinic's female Divine Physician.
"It really is Doctor Lin. Could those two have gotten together?"
"Possibly. That lad's quite something. He's only been here a few days, yet he's already managed to coax such a great white peony into his hands. Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
While the pair watched from afar and gossiped, they suddenly noticed Xie Jinhuan reach a large boat and exchange a few words with someone aboard. An argument broke out, and from the looks of things, they were even preparing to fight.
"Huh?"
Liu Qingzhi frowned. "What's going on?"
Steward Hou had not figured it out either. As he watched curiously, a sound suddenly came from behind him.
Tap, tap~
He turned to see Commandery Princess Changning emerging from the Boat Tower with her maid.
Dressed for the banquet, Commandery Princess Changning looked exquisitely put together. She wore a pale-gold, chest-high hezi skirt with gold-beaded tassels at her waist and peacocks and hibiscus embroidered on her bodice. Her petite figure was round and lustrous as a pearl, yet her fuller parts boasted impressive dimensions.
Such city-toppling beauty naturally attracted plenty of admirers. On the surrounding boats and even along the lakeshore, young gentlemen and scholars craned their necks and flaunted their charms, trying to catch the attention of "Dan Prefecture's foremost fair-skinned, rich beauty."
Steward Hou asked:
"What brings Your Highness outside? Did the Academy Gambling God rout you again, leaving you without helmet or armor?"
Commandery Princess Changning had just lost seven straight rounds of dice and was feeling disgruntled. Ignoring his remark, she raised her eyes toward the riverside.
"What's happening over there?"
"Oh. That Xie lad renting a place in Back Alley has gotten into an argument with someone, for some reason."
"Xie Jinhuan?"
Commandery Princess Changning grew interested. Taking a telescope from her maid Duoduo, she studied him from afar.
"Heh... He is rather handsome..."
A little earlier.
Following the trail, Xie Jinhuan had pursued his quarry all the way from Cockscomb Ridge to Peony Pond. He frowned at the densely packed riverside crowds and pleasure boats of every size.
"So many people?"
In full public view, Lin Wanyi did not dare rashly employ Witch Cult techniques again. Her gaze was fixed on a large boat beside the river.
"He seems to have escaped onto that boat. What do we do?"
Xie Jinhuan briefly examined the vessel. A flag hung aboard it, and judging by its emblem, it belonged to Essence Splendor Manor.
Essence Splendor Manor was a local Danyang power. Its standing in the martial world fell short of Purple Emblem Mountain's, but its business was quite extensive. Almost all the boat gangs around the Huai River operated under the Bao Family's banner.
Having chased his quarry this far, Xie Jinhuan certainly had to board and search. He immediately led Lin Wanyi and Coal Ball through the dense crowd to the pleasure boat.
As one of the Dan Prefecture Magnates, Essence Splendor Manor had rented a sizable pleasure boat. From its Boat Tower came the laughter of guests exchanging toasts, along with singing and zither music.
"Ding, ding~..."
Since all their guests were scions of Dan Prefecture's powerful families, the Bao Family took security extremely seriously. Over a dozen martial artists stood on shore, and others patrolled the deck.
Xie Jinhuan first had Coal Ball keep watch overhead, then strode toward the boat. The steward receiving guests at the foot of the gangplank came forward to inquire:
"Young master, you are?"
Xie Jinhuan could hardly force his way aboard. He approached and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Xie Jinhuan. My father was formerly the Legal Clerk of Wanan County. I encountered several Demon Bandits at Cockscomb Ridge just now, and one fled here. I'd like to board and take a look."
"Uh..."
The steward looked bewildered.
Wanan County adjoined the Capital. Its Legal Clerk and County Commandant held Principal Eighth Rank, already very high officials in the eyes of martial-world folk. But this "formerly"...
The steward scrutinized him for a few moments, though his manner remained polite.
"Do you have any official documents or credentials, young master?"
"I hold no official post. I merely encountered Demon Bandits on the way and tracked them here..."
"Young master!"
The steward raised a hand to interrupt him, his bent back straightening somewhat.
"This is no insignificant place. Essence Splendor Manor has booked this boat, and everyone attending the banquet aboard is an honored guest. Leaving aside that 'formerly,' even if your father really were the Capital County Commandant, you're a commoner and have no authority to conduct searches or investigations here."
Xie Jinhuan indeed had no authority to search, so his manner remained calm.
"A Demon Bandit has taken refuge here and could attack at any moment. If something goes wrong..."
"What's going on?"
Before he could finish, a voice suddenly rang out aboard the pleasure boat.
Xie Jinhuan looked up to see a window in the Boat Tower open, revealing a figure.
The figure appeared to be in his twenties and wore a young gentleman's robes. Fair-skinned and plump, with a full beard, he could even count as a mature beauty in certain circles...
At the sight, the steward hurriedly cupped his hands toward him.
"Young Master, this Young Master Xie claims to be the son of Wanan County's Legal Clerk. He says a criminal is hiding aboard and wants to board and search."
"Wanan County's Legal Clerk?"
Bao Fei, the Young Manor Lord of Essence Splendor Manor, frowned slightly and turned back toward the room.
The room was full of young gentlemen drinking and making merry. Quite a few had relatives in office, and a reply soon came:
"Wanan County's Legal Clerk is called Fei Ji. The one three years ago was surnamed Xie, but I believe he was exiled to Lingnan for embezzlement and taking bribes."
Xie Jinhuan frowned.
"Who's spouting nonsense up there?"
"How dare you!"
As the host, Bao Fei was entertaining gods of wealth. His expression changed sharply at those words, and he leaped down onto the gangplank.
Watching from behind, Lin Wanyi truly had not expected these wastrels to be so heedless of their lives. She hurriedly caught hold of Xie Jinhuan.
"Xie Jinhuan, don't get angry. You mustn't hit this one. There'll be serious trouble if you beat him to death..."
"?"
Bao Fei stumbled the moment he landed, while the surrounding guards and steward found this even more inconceivable.
After all, seeing the great beauty behind him hurry forward, they had assumed she meant to restrain this reckless young hothead. Never had they imagined she was coming to fan the flames!
Right in front of Essence Splendor Manor, she was telling a youngster not to get angry lest he beat their young lord to death. Wasn't that treating them as beneath notice?
With so many dignitaries nearby, Bao Fei could hardly resort directly to violence. Naturally, he ignored this long-haired, short-sighted woman and merely stared coldly at Xie Jinhuan.
"Do you know who's seated up there? If Peony Pond weren't full of distinguished guests, making violence inconvenient, I'd teach you a lesson in how to conduct yourself today! I'll give you a chance now. Apologize and make amends to the young gentleman upstairs, or else..."
Unfortunately, Xie Jinhuan paid Bao Fei no attention whatsoever. He looked toward the window above.
"My father was transferred to Nanning County in Ruizhou, not exiled for embezzlement. Mind your words from now on. If there's a next time, this man will serve as your example."
Seeing things take a bad turn, Lin Wanyi hurriedly tried to wrap her arms around Xie Jinhuan and carry him away, "benevolent weapon" in hand, but unfortunately, she was already too late!
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