Chapter 94 – The Painted Boat

Xu Chun picked up his brush and, following Li Meiyai’s suggestion, casually sketched a few strokes of a lotus flower swaying in the wind and half a lotus leaf. A servant promptly took it away. Most of the other guests were writing poems, but the other Daoist simply sat there unmoved.

Soon, the inner chamber’s pearl curtain rustled slightly, and a girl with two buns sauntered out. She wore a pale yellow gauze blouse, her features still youthful, and she bowed deeply, “Esteemed gentlemen, your elegant gathering tonight has been graced by your poetry, and my lady is most grateful. However, this gentleman who painted the lotus did not write a poem. What is the meaning behind this?”

Li Meiyai stepped forward and said, “My young master intended: ‘The upright green lotus is pure, the sincere heart is clear. Amidst trials and tribulations, he transcends the five turbidities.’”

The girl bowed again and went back inside. Then, the Daoist in the hall chuckled, “I find this verse old-fashioned and not something a young man would write.”

Li Meiyai sneered, “I see that the Daoist is still entangled in worldly affairs, stepping into the whirlpool of gossip and slander, committing verbal offenses, and thus making it difficult to achieve the great path!”

The Daoist’s expression remained unchanged as he laughed heartily, “The young master’s intent precedes his pen, his charm lies beyond the rules, his elegance is innate, why must the scholar add unnecessary embellishments?”

The pearl curtain swayed, and a soft, melodious voice rang out, “The old Daoist committed a verbal offense and deserves punishment. The young master is graceful and refined, yet his intention was not for Dada. I dare not steal his credit.”

Xu Chun looked towards the source of the voice, seeing only a pair of slender hands with skin white as jade, slowly lifting the pearl curtain to reveal an enchanting maiden. Her eyebrows were finely drawn, her skin whiter than snow, her beauty dazzling, truly a stunning beauty. She smiled and bowed deeply, “Dada greets all the gentlemen.”

The remaining guests in the room stood to return the bow, and Dada smiled again, bowing to Xu Chun, “This young master, we have never met before. Your purity and detachment from the mundane world are evident. You are not someone stained by the ways of the world. You came here today for another reason. Seeing this poem and understanding its refined intent – the lotus refers to the Lotus Crown, having endured trials and transcending the five turbidities. Young Master, do you wish to see my master, Xuanwei Yuke?”

Xu Chun glanced at Li Meiyai, who had already declared boldly, “My young master has always had an extraordinary disposition, pure and refined. Hearing that Xuanwei Yuke excels in tea preparation, he came for a visit.”

But Dada smiled and said, “Not so, young master hesitated when he put pen to paper. The lotus, if blooming, holds half its charm, yet the lotus leaves are already withering and decaying. There seems to be a question in your heart. May I ask, young master, what do you seek?”

Xu Chun looked at Dada, hesitating before asking, “I wonder, if one loves someone, but has nothing to offer, what should they do?”

Dada laughed, “Young master, please wait, esteemed gentlemen, please also wait. A banquet will be prepared later to entertain all the gentlemen as an apology.” After saying this, she bowed again and went back inside.

A short while later, Dada emerged again, leading two maids dressed as female Daoist acolytes. She smiled, “Please wait, let me escort this young master to meet my master first. Please have the other sisters entertain everyone.” After saying this, she extended her hand with a smile, inviting Xu Chun inside and guiding him downstairs into the backyard.

It was already dusk, twilight was descending, and the river was filled with the faint sounds of music. The unique debauchery of the Golden Powder River began anew.

When Dada reached the bridgehead, she said, “May I ask the young master’s distinguished servant to stay here? We will prepare a banquet to entertain him. The young master can go on board alone.”

Dinghai stepped forward and said solemnly, “No! My young master is of noble status; how could he go on board alone!”

His tall stature and commanding voice, like thunder, made Dada take a few steps back involuntarily, her heart pounding. Li Meiyai said, “If anything happens to my young master, no one in your entire building could afford to pay the price.”

Dada’s gaze flickered as she looked at Xu Chun, but seeing that he did not stop his servant, it became clear he did not intend to yield. She could only smile softly and say, “Then, may the young master please board the ship.” She led the way herself.

But Dinghai walked ahead confidently, Xu Chun following him, and after Li Meiyai caught up, four guards closely followed behind. Dada boarded the painted boat, and indeed, a female Daoist came out of the boat. She wore a Lotus Crown and was draped in a pure white feather cloak. Though she was past thirty, her features and eyes still radiated a captivating beauty. Graceful in posture, she smiled and bowed, “Blessings upon the young master. This poor Daoist is Xuanwei. Please come in and sit down.” Indeed, she was Chu Wei, whom Li Meiyai had been seeking.

Seeing that Li Meiyai did not move, Xu Chun could only harden his resolve and walk up to sit down. Chu Wei also sat down and smiled, “The young master’s question earlier was truly that of a true lover. Unless one loves to the utmost degree, such a question would not arise.”

Xu Chun, feeling uncomfortable at the sight of the woman’s breathtaking beauty, asked, “May I ask if Daoist has an answer?”

Chu Wei replied, “If one loves to the utmost degree, they have already given their body and soul to the other. How can they say they have nothing to offer?”

Xu Chun lowered his eyelashes, but Li Meiyai suddenly asked from behind him, “In the case of Prince Regent’s treatment of Lady Chu, one could say that his kindness and righteousness were profound. But when he died, how did Lady Chu repay him?”

Chu Wei laughed coldly, “Old man, don’t talk about loyalty, filial piety, chastity, and righteousness. What nonsense about pure lotuses and sincere hearts. I can tell from a glance that you wrote that poem, old man. You owe Prince Regent kindness and righteousness, so you should repay it yourself. Prince Regent merely treated me like a plaything. His harem was filled with countless concubines. How could I be expected to remain chaste and die for him? Pah! You went through great lengths to see me, so what is it? If it weren’t for Young Master Xu’s face, I wouldn’t have bothered to see you.”

Xu Chun was stunned, and Li Meiyai was speechless. After a while, he said, “Prince Regent’s death was very suspicious. Before his death, Prince Regent had told me that although he held great power and lived a life of luxury, he had a desire to return to simplicity and retire from politics. He had once told me that if something happened to him one day, I was to ensure Lady Chu’s safety. But Prince Regent’s fall from his horse was too sudden. By the time I searched for the concubines of the Prince’s mansion, they had already been sold off one by one. I’ve searched for years and couldn’t find you.”

Chu Wei laughed coldly, “Crown Prince has always seen us as thorns in his eyes. As soon as Prince Regent passed away, Crown Prince immediately ordered that all our hairpins and accessories be removed, our fine clothes stripped, and we were locked in empty rooms. He immediately sent for madams to lead us away one by one, not even giving us a coat to keep warm. Even those with children were sold separately, to the farthest places possible, leaving none behind. On that day, the number of concubines who cried blood and tears as they parted from their children is unknown. Since you’re so righteous, why didn’t you help Prince Regent find his illegitimate sons and daughters who were sold off?”

Li Meiyai was silent for a moment and said, “Crown Prince was young and impetuous, it was a bit excessive… but now he is also dead…”

Chu Wei spat, “Good riddance! Anyway, we were treated like objects to be bought and sold. I got used to it, but if you came looking for me all these years just because of that one sentence from Prince Regent, I don’t believe it.”

Li Meiyai said, “I’m suspicious that Prince Regent might have left something for you on that day, like a personal note or order. I’m trying to find it to uncover any clues Prince Regent might have left.”

Chu Wei said, “Prince Regent treated me no differently from the other concubines in the harem. When I was sold away, I was only wearing my underclothes and didn’t take a single thread from the Prince’s mansion. Even if he left something, I wouldn’t know about it.”

Li Meiyai’s face fell, and Chu Wei looked at Xu Chun, who had been silent all along, and asked, “Did I scare the young master?”

Xu Chun forced a laugh and said, “So you were with Prince Regent… That Prince Regent, wasn’t I told that he caused trouble for the country, instigated border unrest, and wanted to negotiate with foreign tribes, making him quite despicable? You are clearly virtuous and upright, why did you specifically investigate Prince Regent’s death? Do you suspect…” it was the Emperor’s doing? He dared not ask further.

But Li Meiyai said, “No.” He understood the unspoken meaning behind Xu Chun’s question.

Xu Chun was taken aback. Li Meiyai bowed and said, “The sage is open and aboveboard.”

Xu Chun felt a slight warmth in his heart. Even the foul-mouthed old man praising his Ninth Brother’s integrity seemed particularly impressive. But then he silently thought: the sage is selfless, but now Ninth Brother is privately loving me… His heart became complicated.

Li Meiyai continued, “I suspect that someone else was sowing discord over the years, but I haven’t found that person. In his youth, Prince Regent was virtuous and above the common, with aspirations for governance and territorial expansion. Later, deceived by traitors around him and repeatedly provoked in his relationship with the emperor, it led to an irreparable rift and a tragic end for both.”

Chu Wei laughed coldly, “He was surrounded by people flattering him, and he had a son. Of course, he wanted his own son to be the emperor. There aren’t many Zhou Gong figures; they’re all Wang Mang types.”

Li Meiyai was silent.

Chu Wei remembered her years of hardship, her eyes reddened, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

For a moment, the scene was somewhat stagnant, and Xu Chun was at a loss, asking, “Daoist… do you need me to buy your freedom?”

Chu Wei, originally moved to tears, couldn’t help laughing when she heard Xu Chun’s words. She gently wiped her tears and said, “It’s alright, I can no longer be a virtuous woman. If I still cling to hope and rely on men, it would only lead to greater suffering. It’s better now, teaching for a living, providing for myself, relatively free.”

Xu Chun felt a sense of melancholy. Li Meiyai was still reluctant to give up, “Could Lady Chu please think again… is there any overlooked clue?”

Suddenly, the boat shook violently, followed by a loud crash. The boat tilted sharply, and Dinghai behind Xu Chun suddenly embraced him. “Go!”

Everyone changed color and stood up as the boat tilted sharply. A maid outside shouted, “The boat is leaking!” Then, the sound of swords and water mines could be heard, and outside, Xu Chun’s guards roared, “Escort Master away! There are assassins! They’re also underwater!”

Everyone turned pale, indeed, they saw water rushing in below, flooding the deck of the boat. Water quickly reached their knees. Chu Wei glared at Li Meiyai and said, “You old man, it was right not to see you! You really brought trouble! Think about it!”

Dinghai made a quick decision, “Get to the top of the boat! It’s easy to be ambushed in the dark water!”

But Li Meiyai said hoarsely, “It’s definitely aimed at me and Chu Wei. Take Chu Wei away. Chu Wei, you must have some secrets. Otherwise, why would others go to such lengths to kill you? Think about it!”

Chu Wei’s eyes gleamed with fierce light as she angrily said, “Let’s save our lives first! If there really was something, why didn’t they kill me for so many years? They only did it after you came! I was living perfectly fine!”

In a moment, all three climbed to the top of the boat. Chu Wei was stunned, “Oh my god.”

She saw that the shore of the Golden Powder River was ablaze with torches, forming a fiery dragon-like line. People stood shoulder to shoulder on the shore, each holding a long sword. Around their painted boat, a large ship had approached at some point. People on the ship held torches and appeared to be wearing soldiers’ uniforms, brandishing weapons.

People near the boat were casting nets, and others were shooting arrows at people surfacing in the river. Someone shouted, “Don’t use firearms! Avoid using bombs to prevent casualties! Cast fishing nets, Team C, enter the water! Capture alive!”

On the deck of the sinking painted boat, grappling hooks had already flown over and hooked onto it. Someone placed a soft ladder on it, and then someone quickly laid down wide wooden planks. Dinghai led Xu Chun across the planks first.

Chu Wei saw that someone was quickly ready to receive them on the opposite side. Through the flickering torchlight, she could see that the opposite side was crowded with guards and servants. A group of people welcomed them in.

Chu Wei stared at Li Meiyai and asked, “Who is this Young Master Xu? Which influential family does he belong to?”

Li Meiyai was also somewhat bewildered, “Probably… his family is very rich?”

Chu Wei said, “Is this just wealth? It’s almost comparable to the Prince’s aura back then…”

Li Meiyai frowned, “It doesn’t seem like something their family could mobilize…” The Marquisate could barely muster a few hundred household troops according to regulations, let alone after so many years of decline, they shouldn’t have the resources to train soldiers anymore. They should mostly consist of household servants. The people on shore looked like they belonged to the Five-City Military Commission, which could only be mobilized by the Capital Governor.

But the people on the opposite large boat didn’t seem to be soldiers of the Military Commission.

The guards quickly came over to carry Chu Wei and Li Meiyai across. As soon as Li Meiyai crossed over, his hands were tied and he was taken to a cabin. Li Meiyai tried to explain his identity, but his mouth was quickly gagged.

Under the firelight, Li Meiyai saw clearly the cloud and qilin uniforms worn by these guards, and his heart sank. Fang Zixing came over and looked at him, “Prime Minister Li, it really is you.” He raised his eyebrows, “Prepare to meet the emperor.”