Mo Sang – CH 359

Extra Chapter – Scenic Beauty

The empire, from south to north, boasted countless scenic wonders. While there was much debate about which was the best, the top three were always undisputed.

These three wonders were the Peonies of Jianle City, the Qionghua flowers of Yangzhou City, and the Osmanthus of Hangzhou.

This order wasn’t based on superiority or inferiority, but rather on the order in which they bloomed.

In the third month of spring, the peonies of Jianle City were a riot of color. Not only Jianle City, but the entire capital region was filled with peonies. Even in the fields and corners of the land, clusters of peonies bloomed in the wind, defiantly displaying their beauty—delicate, bold, solitary, or in swarms—a diverse array of varieties, truly a breathtaking spectacle.

While the peonies were still in full bloom, the tree peonies had already blossomed. This unrestrained display of the King and Empress of flowers would continue until the fifth month.

However, discerning and wealthy enthusiasts would not wait until the fifth month. After the peonies were fading and the peonies were in full bloom, with the “King of Flowers” and the “Four Beauties” complementing each other, crowds would begin their journey to Yangzhou City.

Inside and outside Yangzhou City, the continuous stretches of Qionghua blossoms were already full of buds, about to burst into full bloom.

The magnificent Qionghua floral scenery in Yangzhou, compared to the “King of Flowers” and “Four Beauties” of Jianle City, possessed a different kind of charm and grandeur.

The most beautiful spot for Qionghua blossoms in Yangzhou was along the moat outside the old city.

The moat was clear and wide, its banks lined with massive bluestones covered in moss. Sweet flag, prized elsewhere, grew freely along the cracks in the stones.

The large, bushy-flowered Qionghua had thick, old branches and tender new shoots. The old branches, topped with enormous flower heads, faced upwards to receive the sunlight, while the tender new shoots, unable to support the heads, drooped downwards.

Boating on the moat, the clear water, and the endless rows of Qionghua flowers resembled countless fairies, some standing quietly, others swaying gently in the breeze—a scene of dreamlike beauty.

Appreciating Qionghua flowers was best done at dawn, at dusk, or under the moonlight. A small boat with a few close friends—truly a dreamlike experience.

In Yangzhou, every household had one or two pots, some even ten or dozens, of Qionghua flowers to display prominently outside their gates, showcasing their wealth and thrift. Besides its beautiful Qionghua flowers, Yangzhou also boasted a culinary delight.

Seventh Master Pang, the youngest son of the renowned Prime Minister Pan, famous for his discerning palates, once said: “If the world’s finest food were only a shi¹, Yangzhou would take seven dou².”

This spoke volumes about the abundance of Yangzhou’s cuisine.

Yangzhou’s delicacies were not confined to luxurious restaurants with grand entrances; they were found in countless small shops and stalls scattered throughout the streets and alleys, even on humble food vendors’ carts.

The people of Yangzhou, accustomed to fine food, had discerning palates, valuing every bite.

A decades-old inn, under a young manager who had not quite mastered the craft, went from bustling with customers to deserted within days.

Once, a woman, burdened by mistreatment from her in-laws after giving birth to three daughters, angrily divorced them. She borrowed a patch of rooftop and set up a stall selling egg pancakes. The pancakes were exceptionally delicious, and within days, her reputation spread. Even before she set up her stall, people were already lining up.

By the middle of the seventh month, reluctant tourists began their journey to Hangzhou.

Early autumn in Hangzhou was marked by two major events: tidal bore watching and the lively festivities along West Lake, especially the crab feasts hosted by entertainers along the Long Causeway.

………………………………

With autumn nearly halfway over, the Mid-Autumn Festival was just around the corner.

The city and its surroundings were already filled with a festive atmosphere.

Early in the morning, outside the Beishui Gate, a dozen or so simple yet incredibly sturdy boats squeezed into the bustling dock.

The captain of the lead boat was clearly a shrewd and capable man. He shouted and yelled, sometimes bowing and smiling obsequiously, sometimes yelling and cursing, and soon he had directed the dozen or so large boats into the almost impenetrable dock, where they anchored and moored.

Twenty or thirty strong attendants disembarked first, surrounding two women and two men who were getting off a middle boat.

The two women and two men were clearly siblings.

In the center was the eldest sister, in her early twenties, with a gentle demeanor and dignified bearing. She was slightly bent over, gently pulling her six- or seven-year-old brother along, speaking to him.

Beside her stood a girl of twelve or thirteen, with bright, lively eyes and a lively expression. She was pointing and talking to her brother.

The brother was very tall, perhaps a little thin due to a growth spurt. He had straight eyebrows and bright, piercing eyes. He twirled a folding fan in his hand, listening to his sister while carefully observing the bustling scene at the dock.

Large and small boats, merchants coming and going, porters carrying goods, running and shouting for space.

These four were the Emperor’s two daughters and two sons: eldest daughter Gu Pei, eldest son Gu Lang, second daughter Gu Lin, and youngest son Gu Zan.

Four siblings were ordered to travel. Half a year ago, after the spectacular sight of peonies and tree peonies, they secretly set off from Jianle City, traveling south along the Grand Canal. They strolled and explored, seeing the Qionghua blossoms of Yangzhou and savoring its delicacies, before finally arriving in Hangzhou to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

“I’ll just take one look!” The youngest brother, Gu Zan, suddenly broke free from his Elder Sister Gu Pei’s grasp and tried to run away. Gu Lang, who was twirling a folding fan, swiftly stepped forward and grabbed him.

“I’ll just take one look! One look!” Gu Zan’s feet were almost off the ground, but he still stretched his head forward, swung his arms forward, and kicked his legs forward, struggling and shouting.

“How long does it take to get to West Lake from here?” Gu Lang, still holding his brother tightly, turned to ask the middle-aged man dressed as a steward beside him.

“Going around from outside the city is a longer route, taking one and a half to two hours by fast horse. Even going through the city at the fastest, it will still take two hours,” the steward replied with a slight bow and a smile.

“Did you hear that? Either I go with you, in which case we can’t go back into the city and muster our strength for West Lake, or we have to get into the city now. You tell me, go or not?” Gu Lang tapped his younger brother on the head with his folding fan in his other hand.

“Then forget it, let’s go into the city.” The younger brother, who had been struggling, immediately turned around.

Beside them, the older sister, Gu Pei, smiled, while Gu Lin, only twelve years old, stood beside her, watching her brother turn and head up the steps, giggling incessantly.

Twenty or thirty strong, burly servants surrounded the four, with about ten middle-aged and young men dressed as stewards following behind, all heading towards the dock steps.

As the first few people made their way onto the steps, an elderly man in his fifties or sixties, wearing a long robe and clutching the front of his robe, hurried down the steps and rushed to Gu Lang and his entourage, bowing respectfully to each of them.

Gu Lang gestured for the old man to go first.

The group reached the top of the dock steps. Gu Lang stood at the city gate entrance, looking down at the entire dock.

“Alas, this dock is all because of my limited knowledge!” The old man was Pan Dingshan, the current Director of the Maritime Trade Office and former Transport Commissioner of Jiangnan Circuit and Prefect of Hangzhou. Looking at the dock, he was once again filled with regret.

Seven years ago, Pan Dingshan was transferred to the Maritime Trade Office, overseeing nine branch offices and managing all the empire’s overseas goods.

In the past twenty years of peace, the scale of the empire’s maritime trade had grown to an astonishing size. Pan Dingshan, as the Director of the Maritime Trade Office, wielded considerable power and wealth, earning him the nickname “Minister of Finance” from the court.

At this moment, the gleaming, wealthy Pan Dingshan looked at the dock and was once again filled with regret.

“I’ve seen you five times, and you’ve mentioned it every time.” Gu Lin, always lively and energetic, waved her hand back and forth at Pan Dingshan.

“Master Wang is just like you. Every time he sees Father, he always sighs, ‘My knowledge is too limited,'” Gu Lang laughed.

“Once you’ve seen the Hangnan and Nantong docks, you’ll know my limitations are truly profound.

As for Master Wang, he’s much better than I am. He’s only slightly less knowledgeable than the Grand Boss. Besides, what can he change? He’s already tried to change it, but this dock, you see, it’s beyond repair.” Pan Dingshan sighed repeatedly.

“This only connects to the inland waterway; that’s enough. That’s what Third Uncle said.” Gu Lang smiled.

“Your Highness…” Pan Dingshan chuckled dryly. “When the Boss dislikes me, he always says: ‘The scenery at Beishui Gate Wharf is quite nice.'” Pan Dingshan lowered his voice, his eyes downcast.

Gu Lang chuckled and quickly coughed, “The scenery is indeed nice. Let’s go into the city.”

Pan Dingshan followed beside Gu Lang, introducing the sights as they walked. Gu Zan, holding his Second Sister Gu Lin’s hand, would occasionally stand on tiptoe to look at the dazzling array of goods displayed in the shops on both sides, his eyes darting around, unable to take it all in.

Gu Pei had to look after the two younger children while also wanting to see the bustling streets; she simply didn’t know what to look at.

“This place is much more lively than Jianle City,” Gu Lang remarked, equally overwhelmed by the sights.

“In the future, Fuzhou’s prosperity will probably rival that of Hangzhou.” Pan Dingshan was both moved and proud. “So, the eldest master is going south from here?” Pan Dingshan glanced around, not daring to ask.

“Yes, to see the sea. This is the idea of ​​my third uncle and aunt. Father thinks it’s excellent,” Gu Lang said calmly.

“What about the Boss?” Pan Dingshan was startled, then blurted out the question, pointing forward and glaring at Gu Lang.

“Yes, at the mansion by West Lake. Otherwise, why would my siblings and I be in such a hurry to get to West Lake?” Gu Lang smiled.

“Oh! The eldest master should have said so sooner!” Pan Dingshan’s face turned pale.

“What’s wrong?” Gu Lang leisurely sized up Pan Dingshan.

“Last month, I had a financial lawsuit with Master Ma.” Pan Dingshan lowered his voice.

“You won?” Gu Langming looked at Pan Dingshan with understanding.

Pan Dingshan gave a dry laugh.

When it came to negotiating money with Da Chang, he could win six or seven out of ten times, and against Hei Ma, he always won big.

“It’s just that you get a little ostracized,” Gu Lang laughed.

The group walked for a while, then rode in the carriage for a while. Even in the carriage, they were reluctant to lower the curtains. By the time they reached West Lake, it was around noon.

The area around West Lake was teeming with people. Because the road was very wide, the carriage could still move quickly. The group was tired and hungry and no longer able to watch, so they let the carriage speed along.

After traveling across a small part of West Lake, the carriage turned into a slightly narrower tree-lined path. At the end of the path was a large mansion.

When the carriage was still a short distance from the mansion gate, among the old men sitting at the stone table and benches playing cards and those watching the spectacle, Dong Chao, whose hair was completely white, was facing out of the mansion. Seeing the carriage, he slammed his cards down on the stone table, pointed at the carriage, and shouted, “Quick, quick, it’s here! It’s here!”

“Trying to cheat again! Ah, it’s really here?”

“Hey, Old Dong didn’t cheat this time; it really came!”

“Quickly, just in time for the meal!”

“Quickly, tell them inside, they’re here!” Meng Yanqing patted Wei Fu.

Wei Fu pulled out a small whistle, blew it a few times, and a string of cheerful bird calls flew out.

A group of large carts stopped about ten paces from the mansion gate, reining in their horses.

From Gu Pei to the youngest Gu Zan, all four stared wide-eyed at the group of white-haired old men pouring out of the mansion, some of whom had colorful paper strips stuck to their faces.

Pan Dingshan laughed heartily. “Old Meng, with your card skills, what’s the point of playing cards? Aren’t you ashamed? Look at you! Every time, you have the most paper strips on your face!”

“Oh, my face! I was letting them win!” Meng Yanqing hurriedly pulled the notes off his face.

“Hello, Uncle Meng! Hello, everyone!”

Gu Pei and Gu Lang quickly bowed in greeting.

“You flatter me! You flatter me! Eldest Master is so handsome!”

“Truly majestic!”

“The Eldest and Second Young Ladies are so beautiful, and Second Master is so handsome!”

“How can I praise him? He’s majestic! Truly majestic! Truly brilliant!”

“Yes, yes, yes! Majestic and handsome! So handsome!”

…

A group of old men returned the greetings haphazardly, showering the group with incoherent praise and flattery.

Gu Lin laughed out loud at their indiscriminate flattery.

The group had not gone far when a boy of about eighteen or nineteen strode out to greet them.

“Elder Sister, Elder Brother, Second Sister, Second Brother.”

From about ten paces away, the boy bowed respectfully.

“Auntie’s here too?” Gu Lin exclaimed in surprise.

The one who came to greet them was Wen Shuo, the eldest son of Princess Ninghe.

“Mother didn’t come; I came with Father,” Wen Shuo answered Gu Lin’s question with a smile, then bowed to Pan Dingshan.

Gu Lin let out a disappointed “Oh”; she adored her aunt.

“Why are you here?” Gu Lang, a step behind, looked at Wen Shuo and asked in a low voice.

According to the plan at the beginning of the year, Wen Shuo should be heading north now to train under Commander Wen Shunzhi.

“Father said he wants me to go with you first,” Wen Shuo said in a lower voice.

Gu Lang gave a soft “Oh” and then smiled. “What about Uncle? Is he coming with us too?”

“Third Uncle told him to coordinate along the coast. Third Uncle said he’d be a burden once he’s on the ship,” Wen Shuo said, laughing.

“Uncle’s strength is in overall coordination,” Gu Lang said, laughing as well. “When are we leaving? Has Fourth Uncle said anything?”

“It’s all arranged by the Boss. She said…” Wen Shuo looked around, then leaned closer to Gu Lang’s ear, “Everything’s ready. We’ll leave as soon as you arrive.”

Gu Lang raised an eyebrow in surprise. Wen Shuo blinked at him several times, then coughed.

“It’s never too much to be cautious; that’s what the Boss said,” Wen Shuo said vaguely.

“Then?” Gu Lang gestured with his chin towards Gu Pei and the other two in front of him.

“I don’t know, she didn’t tell me. I only know that I’m following you,” Wen Shuo said, spreading his hands.

Gu Lang hummed in agreement and didn’t ask any further questions.

The group entered a courtyard house nestled among layers of green trees. Two quarters of an hour later, Gu Lang and Wen Shuo, dressed as ordinary scholars after changing their clothes, emerged from the side gate of the courtyard house.

Outside the side gate was the dock, where a medium-sized merchant ship was moored.

The two boarded the ship, and Hei Ma poked his head out from the cabin, waving at them with a beaming smile.

“Uncle Ma, thank you for your hospitality. You came to pick us up yourself.” Wen Shuo laughed when he saw Hei Ma.

“Of course, how could I trust anyone else? For such a big matter, I, Old Ma, have to handle it personally.

Eldest Master, you’re really tall. Come in and sit down. I can tell at a glance that your stance isn’t very stable; being too tall is common.” Hei Ma ushered Gu Lang and Wen Shuo in.

Gu Lang was both amused and exasperated by Hei Ma’s comment about being too tall and having an unstable stance.

“How will Eldest Sister and the others get there? And Second Master, they don’t even know I came out with Master.” Wen Shuo looked at the small dock rushing past outside the gauze window.

“They’ll be a little later. Chuantiao and Xiao Lu will come to pick them up soon.”

“If I don’t keep it a secret, I’ll lose my life. How can everyone know? It’s enough that the Boss knows.” Hei Ma stuck his head out, sniffing the air.

West Lake smelled increasingly fragrant.

“Will we travel together again when we get to the sea?” Gu Lang asked with a smile, curiously examining the various novelties on the boat.

“We can’t travel together even at sea!” Hei Ma pulled his head back. “Boss said we need to coordinate from beginning to end; we need to… something like that.”

“Uncle Ma, what is something like that? You have no idea what Third Aunt arranged, do you?” Wen Shuo, familiar with Hei Ma, glanced at him sideways.

“How could I not know? When I say something like that, it means I cannot say it! It’s a big deal, right?” Hei Ma retorted with unwavering confidence.

Gu Lang laughed out loud.

The boat was moving very fast, too… The sun still hung low on the horizon, and the ships ahead grew ever larger, making Gu Lang’s small boat appear smaller and smaller.

The small boat weaved through the massive ships, anchoring beside a colossal vessel whose bow and stern were practically invisible.

A ladder was lowered from the giant ship. Gu Lang climbed halfway up, looked back, and felt a wave of dizziness from the sharp sea breeze—it was simply too high.

“Don’t look down! Don’t move! I’ll pull you up!”

On the giant ship, Da Chang shouted, pulling the ladder and hoisting Gu Lang onto the massive vessel.

Standing on the deck, Gu Lang stared in astonishment at the enormous deck.

No matter how exaggerated the descriptions of the massive ships in the reports, they couldn’t compare to what he was seeing with his own eyes.

“Are you muddled?” Gu Xi waved his hand in front of Gu Lang’s eyes.

“Third Uncle,” Gu Lang gasped. “Yes, it’s huge! It’s so nice!” Gu Lang took another breath, becoming excited.

“Let’s go up and take a look first. Your third aunt is up there. We’ll set off now.” Gu Xi pointed to the watchtower, indicating to Gu Lang.

“Alright!” Gu Lang jumped a few times on the spot; the deck was as stable as the ground.

Behind them, Wen Shuo also boarded the ship.

Wen Shuo had often trained on ships since childhood and was already used to it. He followed the excited Gu Lang towards the watchtower.

Wen Shuo quickly walked ahead and pulled open the elevator leading to the watchtower, and they smoothly ascended, taking the three of them to the watchtower.

Gu Lang stepped off the elevator and saw Li Sangrou standing outside, smiling and waving at him. “Come and see, we’re about to set off.”

Inside the watchtower, Chief Ma smiled and bowed to Gu Lang.

“General,” Gu Lang quickly returned the bow and, following Chief Ma’s directions, stood on the watchtower. He watched as massive ships, their sails rising around them, turned at varying angles, and the fleet cleaved through the waves, sailing into the vast ocean. Seabirds perched on the masts took flight, chirping merrily, brushing past Gu Lang.

Gu Lang gripped the railing tightly, shouting and laughing excitedly.

His father had said he should see how vast the world was.

Now, he had seen it!