Mo Sang – CH 196

Chapter 196. River Lanterns

Gu Xi and Wen Cheng were busy with the military and civil affairs of Xiangyang and Fancheng, while Li Sangrou was busy with her shop and business. It was not until May that they finally managed to get things moving.

The day before the Dragon Boat Festival, Ru-Yi arrived in Fancheng to convey his commander’s invitation to Li Sangrou: He invited the boss and all the brothers to Xiangyang on the day of the festival to celebrate with everyone.

Li Sangrou readily agreed.

Li Sangrou did not stay in Xiangyang. She preferred the open roads and disliked feeling confined. In comparison, Fancheng, separated from Xiangyang by only a river, offered her more freedom and comfort.

This Dragon Boat Festival, Li Sangrou and her friends ate zongzi they had made themselves for the first time.

While Da Chang and the others did not know how to wrap zongzi, about ten members of the Yunmeng Guard knew how and wrapped them exceptionally well.

Da Chang bought glutinous rice, bamboo leaves, and various ingredients, wrapping zongzi in the traditional style of Xiangfan, those from Jianle City, those from Jiangdu City, and others from an unknown region. He cooked several large baskets of zongzi of all shapes and flavors.

On the morning of the Dragon Boat Festival, naturally, zongzi were eaten.

Li Sangrou ate two zongzi.

The zongzi they wrapped varied in appearance; some were savory, some sweet, and some bland, and the fillings were incredibly diverse.

Li Sangrou picked up two and peeled them open, finding one a salted egg yolk and the other an alkaline water zongzi. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She had personally witnessed them using pork belly marinated in white sugar as filling! Thank goodness.

At noon, they ate the Dragon Boat Festival meal prepared by Da Chang: a large basket of eggs, duck eggs, and goose eggs boiled with garlic and mugwort leaves, a large pot of braised pork belly and eel, and a large basket of steamed buns with mugwort sauce. Li Sangrou, along with Da Chang, Meng Yanqing, and others, left Fancheng, crossed the river, and headed towards Xiangyang City. On the Dragon Boat Festival, Gu Xi and Wen Cheng were to solemnly commemorate the fallen soldiers of Northern Qi and Southern Liang. She, however, never participated in such ceremonies.

Ru-Yi waited inside the Xiangyang city gates, stepping aside to lead Li Sangrou and the others towards Qingyun Tower.

Qingyun Tower was already bustling with activity.

Chu Xing stood outside the threshold, patting a commander inside and laughing heartily. Glancing at Li Sangrou and the others, he exclaimed and quickly turned to greet them.

“The Boss is here!” Chu Xing bowed in greeting and immediately turned to shout inside, “The Boss is here!”

A group of people poured out of Qingyun Tower. Chu Xing, who had stepped aside to walk in front of Li Sangrou, stood guard, waving from side to side, forming two rows.

Chu Xing pushed through the crowd, stepped over the threshold first, and bowed deeply, saying, “Please, Boss.”

Two rows of generals and commanders, bowing in greeting, called out in unison, “Boss!”

“Do not be like that; I do not deserve it, I really do not deserve it,” Li Sangrou said, bowing and returning the bow.

Hei Ma followed closely behind Li Sangrou, his dark face flushed, his hands clasped above his head, twirling around, repeatedly saying he did not deserve it. Before he could say more, Da Chang grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the back.

Meng Yanqing suppressed a laugh and slapped Hei Ma’s still-clasped hands down. “I think you deserve the title of Boss, and so do you. No need to be so polite.”

“That’s right! I think so too. We still have to be polite; there’s no way around it. They are just full of formalities. We have to be polite too.” Hei Ma drew four circles with his fingers, furrowing his brows to appear distressed.

Dong Chao, standing beside him, chuckled and patted Hei Ma. “There will definitely be a lot of toasts coming up, so do not drink too much.”

“Do not worry, do not worry, my alcohol tolerance… Boss said we can drink as much as we want today. I’ve already told Da Chang that if I get too drunk, he can carry me home.” Hei Ma did not dare say he could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk; his alcohol tolerance was rather average.

“No need to trouble Master Chang, I will carry you home,” Meng Yanqing chuckled and patted Hei Ma’s shoulder.

After Li Sangrou, Da Chang stood firmly outside the threshold, blocking Hei Ma, Xiao Lu, and the others. He was determined to let the generals and commanders go in first. Once everyone entered the hall, Da Chang stepped over the threshold, and Hei Ma, Xiao Lu, and the others squeezed in without any distinction.

Wen Shunzhi stood inside the threshold and bowed deeply to Li Sangrou.

“You flatter me!” Li Sangrou quickly returned the bow.

In the spacious hall, Gu Xi, dressed in a long, bright red robe with a dragon and water ripple pattern, stood in the center, smiling as he greeted them, “Why are you so late?”

“I heard the morning’s ceremony was very grand, lasting until around noon. I timed my arrival perfectly,” Li Sangrou explained earnestly.

“It did just end. Hanlin Academician Qiao’s eulogy was a bit long,” Gu Xi complained.

Standing next to Gu Xi, Hanlin Academician Qiao looked at her. Li Sangrou met his gaze and smiled, “Hanlin Academician Qiao is skilled at using allusions.”

Hanlin Academician Qiao sighed, bowed respectfully, and said with a wry smile, “That’s why it is so long—I did not dare use any allusions.

Master Wen instructed me to mention this and that, and to make it easy to read aloud, ideally understandable even to women and children. But women and children do not understand allusions… no, I mean, the women and children of Xiangyang City—no, I mean the women and children Master Wen was referring to.

To mention this and that, and to keep it simple and clear, there was simply no way to make it shorter.

I stopped using allusions a long time ago.”

“That’s true, I can testify. Hanlin Academician Qiao can even write letters now without using a single allusion,” Wen Shunzhi said, patting Hanlin Academician Qiao on the shoulder and praising him.

“Sigh!” Hanlin Academician Qiao sighed painfully. “Writing letters! I do not use a single allusion, and they will not ask me to write any. I even asked, and they said, ‘It’s clearly ‘Elder,’ but they insist on writing ‘Father.’

Letters are also literature, right? What does ‘Elder’ become? Sigh!”

“You are absolutely right!” Hei Ma leaned forward. “Literature is an eternal affair; it should be universally applicable!

Father is father; everyone knows it. ‘Elder’ is not universal, so why use ‘Elder’? This Xiangyang city is not called ‘Elder.’ You are right, you should write ‘Father’!

What’s using allusions?”

Hanlin Academician Qiao stared at Hei Ma, speechless at his last question about using allusions.

Wen Shunzhi raised an eyebrow, then burst into laughter.

Wen Cheng patted Hei Ma on the shoulder, suppressing a laugh. “Using allusions is just showing off your erudition. You should learn that from Hanlin Academician Qiao.”

“Erudition? Never mind,” Hei Ma chuckled dryly. “It’s not that I look down on Hanlin Academician Qiao; I am always humble.

It’s just that, while there’s no absolute first in literature and no second in martial arts, my knowledge is only slightly inferior to our boss’s.”

Wen Cheng was speechless at Hei Ma’s extremely blunt remark.

Hanlin Academician Qiao burst out laughing.

Wen Shunzhi, laughing, nudged Hei Ma. “What are you laughing at? Really!

Master Ma is absolutely right. Master Ma’s knowledge is unmatched by any of the Hanlin scholars. Master Ma’s knowledge is comparable to General Chu’s.”

“Compare what?” Chu Xing, standing nearby, rushed over upon hearing his name mentioned, craning his neck to ask.

“Knowledge!” Hei Ma replied proudly.

“What’s the point of discussing scholarship? Come here! Taste this wine. It is similar to the one I drank in Hefei last time. Come and try it.” Chu Xing quickly waved his hand at the mention of scholarship; he really was not good at it, he’d rather drink.

“Hefei? Where in Hefei can you find good wine? Impossible! This is wine sent by Privy Councilor Pang; you definitely have not tasted it!” Xiao Lu chimed in, standing next to Chu Xing.

“That’s right!” Chu Xing pulled Hei Ma over and patted Xiao Lu’s shoulder a few times. “Back in Hefei, General Qiao, General Qiao of the Yunmeng Guard, you definitely know him! He brought the wine, saying it was Privy Councilor Pang’s private stash that he got from your boss.

Everyone, come here! Come and taste this wine the boss brought; it is Privy Councilor Pang’s private stash!”

Chu Xing shouted, holding a wine jar.

“You are wrong! This jar belongs to Prime Minister Wu’s family. Look, look, there’s a label on it!” Mazha patted the wine jar in Chu Xing’s arms.

The generals stood up and surged forward.

Gu Xi, Wen Cheng, and Li Sangrou sat against the wall in the main hall, watching the generals and commanders, bowls in hand, crowding around a pile of wine jars, eager to taste this and that, nodding and shaking their heads in delight.

“You brought all the wine they sent?” Gu Xi asked, looking at the table already overflowing with wine jars, and more being carried in one after another.

“Yes,” Li Sangrou smiled, watching the bustling hall. Suddenly, she exclaimed, “Oh!” and stood up, taking a brocade bag from Da Chang. She sat back down at the table. “Have some melon seeds. Your Elder Brother gave them to me.”

Gu Xi, hearing “your Elder Brother gave them to me,” paused, then realized what she meant. He looked at the melon seeds in Li Sangrou’s hand, then at the brocade bag, grabbed it, and examined it from left to right, then back to the melon seeds. He turned and glared at Wen Cheng.

Wen Cheng reached for the brocade bag, examining it from left to right, then glanced at Li Sangrou, who was holding an empty plate of melon seed shells, before looking at Gu Xi.

“Brother, what’s this…” Gu Xi held the melon seed bag with obvious disdain.

His Elder Brother had written that he had already arranged everything for her great achievement. Was this how it was arranged?

“These melon seeds are quite good; try some,” Li Sangrou said with a smile, seeing Gu Xi’s disgusted expression.

“The Emperor is really…” Wen Cheng sighed, then laughed.

These melon seeds—the boss was referring to your Elder Brother, so they definitely were not a reward. Hmm, they were indeed very good.

“Fancheng is very lively right now; all the inns and hotels are full, mostly merchants. I just entered the city and saw that Xiangyang is also very lively,” Li Sangrou changed the subject.

“Xiangyang is even more bustling. Although the battle resulted in heavy casualties, the people were not greatly disturbed. This city connects Jingzhou and Shu, and was previously cut off from Northern Qi. Now that it is, merchants are naturally flocking here.”

Gu Xi smiled.

Even during the peaceful twenty years or so, Xiangyang and Fancheng, as important cities in the Central Plains, had never been open to Northern Qi.

“By the way, the Emperor appointed Wang Zhang as the Prefect of Xiangyang and Fancheng, and I recommended Hanlin Academician Qiao as the Education Commissioner of Xiangyang and Fancheng. In a few days, Wang Zhang will be in Xiangyang. Regarding the military postal service, Shouzhen has chosen another person; you can meet with him later and see if he’s suitable.” Gu Xi continued with a smile.

“Good!” Upon hearing that Wang Zhang had been appointed Prefect of Xiangyang and Fancheng, Li Sangrou raised her eyebrows and smiled.

She felt that Wang Zhang was qualified for the position of Prefect of Xiangyang and Fancheng, but according to the promotion rules, this position was practically a meteoric rise for him.

“Zhou Jinchang, the eldest son of Minister Zhou, formerly the Transport Commissioner of Lizhou, has been transferred to Jingzhou as the Pacification Commissioner, in charge of Jingzhou’s civil administration. He will be arriving in Xiangyang soon. After meeting the Commander-in-Chief, he will be stationed in Suizhou,” Wen Cheng said with a smile.

“Minister Zhou, is that Lady Fu’s father-in-law?” Li Sangrou asked with a smile.

“Yes,” Wen Cheng chuckled. “I heard Commander Zhou is quite proud of this daughter-in-law.”

“Zhou Yanting has been appointed magistrate of a small county in Jingdong East Circuit. I told him to wait until his father arrives and they meet before he sets off.

These men accompanying the army have all been assigned to their posts. After today, they will all be going to their respective posts.

The court is currently in dire need of manpower.” Gu Xi looked at the Hanlin scholars mingling among the generals, drinking wine from large bowls, patting each other, and even cursing.

He was very satisfied with their training over the past six months.

The dishes were all served, and the hall bustled with activity. Some people had already stood up, bowls in hand, to offer toasts.

“Let’s go for a walk,” Li Sangrou immediately said, alert. She needed to get out of there before the first wave of toasts arrived!

“Let’s go!” Gu Xi immediately stood up, tugged at Li Sangrou’s sleeve, and the two headed straight for the small side door used for serving dishes.

“Sigh!” Wen Cheng, behind them, only managed a sigh before the two of them squeezed past the tea and wine vendors bringing in the zongzi and rushed out of the side door.

Gu Xi and Li Sangrou burst out of the back door of Qingyun Tower in one breath, standing in a small alley, both letting out a long sigh of relief.

“Where do you want to go for a stroll?” Gu Xi lightly dusted off his clothes, his expression relaxed.

“Your outfit,” Li Sangrou said, looking Gu Xi up and down in his red and gold embroidered brocade robe. His attire was far too conspicuous; it would not be convenient for him anywhere.

“Let’s go for a walk on the city wall,” Li Sangrou said, pointing to the dimly lit wall.

“Let’s go outside the city. The east gate is open today, so everyone can release lotus lanterns,” Gu Xi gestured to the city gate not far away.

Li Sangrou gave a soft “Alright.”

The river lanterns for the Dragon Boat Festival were beautiful. She had seen them in Jiangdu City, Jianle City, and Wuwei Prefecture. Back then, they were mostly bright red lanterns for blessings.

Now, in Xiangfan and Xiangyang, they were probably releasing white lotus lanterns.

Qingyun Tower was very close to the east gate, so the two went out through it.

Many monks and Taoists were squatting on the steps leading to the water outside the east gate, receiving lotus lanterns one by one, silently chanting, and carefully placing them on the water.

There were not many steps leading to the water. More monks, Taoists, and ordinary men and women stood on the high stone banks, using poles to lift the lotus lanterns and carefully lower them into the water.

In the middle of the moat, dozens of small boats lay across the surface, placing lotus lanterns one by one.

On the opposite bank, people were obscured; only small, yet incredibly bright lotus lanterns could be seen, placed on the water, pushed away from the shore, swaying gently, merging into the river of lights, and flowing southward, transforming the wide Han Shui into a shimmering river of light.

Li Sangrou and Gu Xi stood in the shadows beneath the wall, watching the crowd release lanterns and the countless lotus lanterns in the river.

“How many died?” After a long while, Li Sangrou asked softly.

“More than sixty thousand, more than thirty thousand of the Southern Liang garrison,” Gu Xi answered heavily after a moment of silence.

Li Sangrou sighed softly.

She had always wanted to ask, unwilling to ask, even afraid to ask.

That day, blood truly flowed like a river.

“Shouzhen had ten thousand lotus lanterns made,” Gu Xi said, looking at the flowing river of light. After a moment of silence, he looked at Li Sangrou. “The Battle of Xiangyang was a battle for the life and death of the Great Qi. From now on, we do not need to besiege cities like this anymore.

Do not be too sad.”

In the darkness, Gu Xi could not see Li Sangrou’s expression, but intuitively, he felt she was very sad.

“Yes. The lights are beautiful.” After a long while, Li Sangrou sighed softly.

………………………………

May the nation be prosperous and the people at peace.