The people on Ling Long Boat were all young ladies of noble families. On seeing these two remarkably talented and handsome young men[1] board Qing Song Boat, all of the young ladies blushed and chattered away furiously.
[1] Ren zhong zhi long ( 人中之龙 ) – lit., they are dragons among men.
“How is it that Eighth Prince and Jinying Wang are here this year?” Zhao Jin’s suspicion-tinged voice was heard.
While there were princes and noblemen aplenty on Qing Song Boat during the annual Lantern Festival, Eighth Prince and Jinying Wang had never attended the festival before. Firstly, there had never been talk about these two looking for a wife or concubine. Secondly, neither of them had expressed any interest in relationships with the opposite sex.
From the time she had glimpsed the two men, Jiang Ruan’s brows had been deeply furrowed. It was bad enough that seeing Eighth Prince had stirred up a complex net of thoughts and emotions which were difficult to describe; discovering the identity of the black-clad youth had left her reeling in shock.
When the music of the pipes plays nine times, the legendary phoenix will appear[2]. The current Jinying Wang, Xiao Shao, had an extraordinary existence in the Great Jin Dynasty.
[2] Xiao shao jiu cheng, feng huang lai yi ( 萧(箫)韶九成，凤皇来仪 ) – either the author has made a mistake, or has deliberately substituted 萧 (the black-clad youth’s surname) for 箫 (an ancient Chinese instrument, similar to the panpipes). The original quote comes from 尚书·益稷 (a reference book used by the ministers for the rites and such) and refers to the beauty of the music, which reaches such heights that the phoenix – a legendary bird, and auspicious symbol – appears. It seems that Jiang Ruan is thinking about the mysterious black-clad youth. She views the fact that he has appeared before her several times as an auspicious omen. There is a possible pun (or author error) as 箫韶 (music of the pipes) has become 萧韶 (the youth’s name).
He was born into an aristocratic Wang Jue[3] family. His father had once led his troops in a rebellion, which had been put down, but the Emperor had surprisingly not said anything about it. When Xiao Shao was ten years old, the previous Jinying Wang had led a military force to attack the Xirong[4]. He had taken it upon himself to spy for the expedition and died in the battle. Xiao Shao’s mother had hanged herself in order to follow him in death. Thus presently, the only member of the family remaining in the huge fu of the Jinying Wang was Xiao Shao.
[3] Wang jue ( 王爵 ) – appears to be a noble title granted by the Emperor, which can apparently be passed down to future generations. This title is just below the Emperor himself in status/ rank.
[4] Xirong ( 西戎 ) – the Xirong, an ancient ethnic group of Western China, from the Zhou Dynasty onwards.
Xiao Shao himself was exceedingly outstanding. At such a tender age, he was already in charge of 300,000 Jin Yi guards of the Great Jin Dynasty. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager were highly indulgent towards him, even allowing him to dispense of formality when with them. Initially, the Emperor had intended to make a change by designating Eighth Prince as the Crown Prince, but Xiao Shao had categorically opposed this in front of the entire imperial court. When the officials discussed imperial matters, they avoided this taboo topic. Strangely, the Emperor himself said nothing about the situation, and the proposal to designate a different Crown Prince was dropped. Among the people, there were those who speculated that, in order for Xiao Shao to be able to behave in such a way without qualms in front of the Emperor, he must certainly be in possession of some dirt on the Emperor and was threatening him. Added to all this was the fact that the previous Jinying Wang had led a rebellion against the Emperor. Hence, Xiao Shao had earned himself the reputation of a rebellious scoundrel.
However, no matter how much the people gossipped, Xiao Shao’s status in the imperial court was still formidable, no matter what his reputation was. He willfully refused to take sides or gather supporters, and seemed to be of a totally different species. In Jiang Ruan’s previous life, Eighth Prince had expressed goodwill towards him several times, but Xiao Shao had flatly rebuffed him every single time. At the time when the old Emperor died and Eighth Prince had ascended the throne, Xiao Shao had been with his troops, dealing with the Xirong, and Jiang Ruan had no idea what had happened to him thereafter.
In her previous life, Jiang Ruan had only seen Xiao Shao once, in the distance at a palace banquet where she had caught a glimpse of a person clad in black. However, at that time, she had been totally focused on the Eighth Prince, Xuan Li, and had no place in her heart for anyone else. According to the current time frame, Xiao Shao was barely out of his twenties.
When the people on Qing Song Boat saw Xiao Shao and Xuan Li arriving, a chorus of greetings arose. A nobleman clad in green stood up and walked over to Xiao Shao. Smiling, he said, “This is the first time I’ve ever seen you attend the Lantern Festival. Could it be that you’ve taken a fancy to some girl?”
This was Mo Cong. Xiao Shao looked at him coolly, and, without speaking, found a seat by the window and sat down.
On the other side, Fifth Prince’s eyes grew wide as he noticed Xuan Li. “Lao Ba[5], what wind blew you here?”
[5] Lao ba ( 老八 ) – 老 = old, also used as a term of familiar address for an older male; 八 = eight, referring to Eighth Prince.
Xuan Li smiled politely and said, “Our imperial father commanded me to get out and about. He realised that I’ve spent so many years in the capital, but have never once observed the elegance of the Lantern Festival. So, here I am.” Naturally, to Fifth Prince, these words had a deeper significance. It was common knowledge that the Emperor was inclined towards Eighth Prince. That he should give such an order, coupled with the fact that Ling Long Boat was full of ladies from high and noble families, could perhaps indicate that the Emperor intended to give Xuan Li a helping hand in finding a consort.
Fifth Prince’s smile had hidden depths of meaning as he said, “That’s wonderful. Tonight, you’ll have to take a good look around. Every single one of our Great Jin Dynasty’s ladies is outstandingly beautiful and charming.” Having said this, he smiled vaguely at Xuan Li, who responded with a warm smile of his own.
Meanwhile, Ling Long Boat was experiencing turbulence on no small scale. This year, the arrival of Eighth Prince and Jinying Wang had stirred the ladies to great excitement, leading to many secret resolutions to strive fervently for fame on Ling Long Boat.
Wen Fei Fei shook her head and commented, “Really, it’s just two men. To get carried away to such an extent is simply ridiculous.”
She had spoken without thinking, but she then noticed Xu Ruo Xi turning pale. It was only when Zhao Jin shoved her gently that she hurriedly gathered herself to say, “Ruo Xi, I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about those girls who are really lacking in manners . . .” Since she was from a military family, it was not surprising that she had no clue what she should say, and her explanation was phrased awkwardly. She could see Xu Ruo Xi’s face becoming even more pale.
While Dong Ying’er felt somewhat helpless, Jiang Ruan smiled and said, softly, “Wen Jiejie is right, but today’s situation is a horse of another colour. Jinying Wang and Eighth Prince are both remarkably talented young men. To be able to see their noble visages today is indeed an incredible blessing[6]. To be startled thus by their imperial graces into doing something that one does not customarily do is certainly pardonable. In any case, these actions were inspired by the imperial family, so it does not matter one jot whether they are to be considered silly, or not.”
[6] San sheng you xing ( 三生有幸 ) – lit. the blessing of three lifetimes
She had equated admiration for the young men to respect for the imperial household, so Xu Ruo Xi’s face gradually regained its colour. Wen Fei Fei looked at Jiang Ruan gratefully, but Jiang Ruan herself was looking a little pensive. The current situation had shown beyond doubt that Xu Ruo Xi liked Xiao Shao. However, in her previous life, she had never heard any rumours about the girl whom Xiao Shao liked. Thus, she was worried that Xu Ruo Xi’s affectionate heart would be misplaced.
At the same time, she was a little suspicious. In her previous life, she had never seen Xiao Shao during the Lantern Festival. How was it that he would suddenly appear in this life?
Could it be that some situations were quietly changing because they were a few years ahead of the original timeline?
As she pondered the matter, everyone had boarded Qing Song Boat and Ling Long Boat. The boatmen called out sharply, and the boats set off, moving slowly towards the middle of the moat.
The water reflected the myriad coloured lantern lights on the boats. The lanterns lit up the space between the heavens and the human world with dazzling light, making it seem as if one were living in a time that had long passed. The two boats sailed along next to each other, so Jiang Ruan was able to have a good look at the people aboard Qing Song Boat from her position on board Ling Long Boat.
Xuan Li was entirely clad in white, like snow. Time seemed to have turned back for Jiang Ruan. In her previous life, it had been on precisely this boat that she had met this modest gentleman, warm and gentle, like jade, and offered her life to him.
Xuan Li, currently seated and drinking tea, felt an icy-cold gaze upon himself. When he turned his head to look at Ling Long Boat moving in line with them, the young ladies on board the boat were all talking and laughing softly. Not a few admiring glances were cast his way, but none had the intensity he had previously felt.
He shook his head, silently berating himself for being overly sensitive. However, he did not notice the girl in a red dress sitting by the window, bowing her head in a seemingly disaffected manner in order to hide the gleam in her eyes.
A young noble lady on Ling Long Boat suggested, “This year is the same as in previous years. Since we have already reached the centre of the river, let’s start the competition. The person who wins will have the most beautiful lantern on the boat.”
Her charming tone was persuasive as she stole a glance at the people on board Qing Song Boat, but the deeper meaning behind her words was hard to discern.
Jiang Ruan smiled slightly. As she did so, she observed Jiang Su Su, who was sitting on the other side, involuntarily sit upright, a faint smile upon her face.
Jiang Su Su would not let go of this opportunity, especially as both Eighth Prince and Jinying Wang were in attendance that night. A hint of a sneer flashed across her eyes. At the beginning, she had never considered the fact that she and Jiang Su Su were both di daughters of the Jiang fu. So, how was it that back then Xuan Li had taken notice of her alone, she of the bad reputation, and completely ignored the devastatingly beautiful Jiang Su Su.
On thinking about it now, it was all simply a joke, and one that was not particularly brilliant.
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