Chapter 131: The Eight Trigrams of the Tower Ship

It was clear the dragon girl didn't know where her father had sent Ji Yuan to the Water Mansion. Consequently, she released Ji Yuan and the sampan onto the river, only about a dozen *li* north of the Water Mansion's exterior.

As Ji Yuan continued rowing, he looked around at the mountains through his blurred vision. When he saw the snow-covered farmlands along the river and the snow-laden forests, he gradually realized he might have to row a considerable distance to reach his previous fishing spot.

Unsure of the exact distance, Ji Yuan gradually increased his paddling speed. With more power applied, the boat moved much faster.

In truth, an experienced fisherman could achieve Ji Yuan's current speed and maintain it for a while. However, unlike Ji Yuan, they couldn't sustain it continuously with almost no expenditure of energy.

As he rowed, Ji Yuan also made an effort to observe the scenery along the banks. The blanket of white indicated that the "first snow" three days prior must have fallen for quite some time.

At this moment, the sampan was moving at roughly the speed of a person jogging. Ji Yuan, having already put on his straw cape and hat, was in no rush to accelerate further. After all, he had eaten so many delicacies and even consumed dragon's essence at the Water Mansion; he felt he could maintain this pace all the way to the end of Tongtian River.

Furthermore, perhaps because of the chess piece, Ji Yuan had a distinct feeling that Master Yin wouldn't have reached Zhuangyuan Ferry yet.

He rowed until evening, estimating he had covered seventy or eighty *li* of waterway, yet still hadn't reached Zhuangyuan Ferry. Instead, he spotted a multi-decked boat slowly making its way upstream.

Setting sail in such cold weather, he wondered if they were out to admire the snow along the river.

The massive stern oar at the back of the multi-decked boat swayed from side to side, suggesting that the boatmen operating the treadmills inside weren't pedaling particularly fast.

The sky hadn't fully darkened, but servants on the multi-decked boat had already begun hanging lanterns. Through their glow, Ji Yuan could see characters on each lantern; though blurry and indistinct, he could tell they were all the same character.

This suggested the multi-decked boat was likely the private property of a prominent family, and the characters on the lanterns were their surname.

Ji Yuan, feeling bored, continued rowing to catch up while trying to decipher the surname on the lanterns, gauging the difficulty based on their distance.

After two hundred strokes, he had closed a significant distance. The characters were no longer a blurred mass in his vision, but still indistinguishable.

Another two hundred strokes, and outlines began to emerge. The characters appeared square and upright, suggesting they had many strokes.

After three hundred more strokes, Ji Yuan finally made a guess. Considering the limited number of common surnames, and observing the radical at the top and the structure below, he thought it might be the character "Xiao."

By now, the sampan was not far from the multi-decked boat. Even with the cold wind howling as evening drew in, he could clearly hear melodious music and the sound of conversations drifting from the vessel.

On the aft section of the multi-decked boat's top deck, several individuals stood or leaned against the railing: a man draped in a thick greatcloak and wearing a square cap, a younger gentleman wrapped in a cape and wearing a fur hat, and two servants who were also heavily dressed.

The older man held a cup of wine. As he watched the sampan rowing from a distance, he drained his cup, and a servant immediately refilled it.

"Zhonglou, some matters don't unfold simply as you wish. You grew up in luxury, cared for by your mother and me. Although you studied literature and martial arts, how many times have you truly experienced hardship?"

The young gentleman beside him seemed rather displeased upon hearing this.

"Father, practicing martial arts requires considerable hardship. Is it fair for you to say that when you've never trained yourself?"

The old man smiled, then extended his hand to point at the sampan on the river behind their vessel.

"During freezing weather, on a frigid river, a fisherman toils for his livelihood, perhaps catching nothing for days. His stomach aches from hunger, his body is numb with cold, yet despite the gnawing hunger and cold, he dares not rest... Have you ever endured such suffering?"

The young gentleman followed his father's gaze to the small boat on the river. The boatman relentlessly plied his oars, appearing to chase the multi-decked boat's lights with a desperate, almost powerless effort in the deepening twilight.

For some reason, his rebuttal remained unspoken.

This young gentleman had previously heard from his servants that fresh fish hadn't been available in the market for days; any fish that appeared had been transported from elsewhere. Rumors circulated that no fish could be caught or even hooked in Tongtian River for quite some time. While this was certainly strange, it didn't impact dignitaries like them. But what about those who depended on the river for their livelihood?

‘This fisherman must have traveled a great distance along the river, hoping for a catch, right?’

"Zhonglou, you and I still feel cold even wrapped in furs. Look at that fisherman; his clothes are thin beneath his straw cape and hat. He must keep paddling; stopping might mean his own sweat could take his life… Hmm, he is rowing surprisingly fast, though…"

The old man was in the middle of his lecture when he suddenly noticed the small sampan was surprisingly close to their large multi-decked boat. Its speed indicated it was intent on paddling past them.

From his sampan on the river, Ji Yuan glanced at the people on the multi-decked boat. An aura of officialdom rose above their heads, suggesting they belonged to a family with significant authority in the capital region.

What he overheard was the kind of trivial gossip and anxieties that only high-ranking officials and nobles possessed.

The young gentleman, after a glance at Ji Yuan's sampan, finally turned to retort to his father.

"But I never intended for Hong Xiu to be my principal wife. Is it not even possible to take her as a concubine?"

His father took another sip of wine to warm himself, then sneered.

"What is your status, and what is hers? A courtesan entering my Xiao family's household? How do you expect your mother to arrange your marriage? How would the court view my Xiao family? Your future career would inevitably be impacted!"

"Father! Which law in our Great Zhen dynasty dictates that a scholarly-official family cannot marry a woman from a courtesan house? Besides, Hong Xiu sells her art, not her body!"

The young gentleman was clearly growing angry, his voice rising a few notches.

"Hmph, she's merely of ignoble status! Furthermore, 'sells her art, not her body' is just a rumor. Didn't she open her robes for you?"

"You... Father, you are simply resorting to sophistry!"

The old man merely scoffed a few times, then paused before speaking.

"I brought you out onto this cold river to clear your head. If you choose this path, the suffering you endure in the future may be no less than that of the fisherman on this sampan; in fact, it will likely be even more agonizing. Your father never lies to you!"

As Ji Yuan's sampan glided past, he could even hear the "creaking" sound of the young gentleman clenching his fists, revealing his immense anger and frustration.

‘Ha, the troubles of the powerful and wealthy...’

Shaking his head, Ji Yuan applied a little more force. The sampan picked up speed, now half a boat-length ahead of the multi-decked vessel.

On the multi-decked boat, the young master's fingers dug shallow indentations into the wooden railing. His gaze followed the sampan, watching the small boat, which seemed to be struggling, as it was about to overtake the larger vessel. A sudden realization seemed to dawn on him, and the strength in his fingertips immediately relaxed.

At that moment, Ji Yuan felt a sensation. He tilted his head upwards and looked at the young gentleman. The latter, whose eyes were already fixed on the small boat, was slightly taken aback when he suddenly saw the fisherman, who had been paddling with his head down, turn his head as if looking directly at him.

Ji Yuan gave him a slight nod, smiled, then turned back to continue paddling, murmuring to himself:

"Quite interesting, quite interesting!"

But it was only "a bit interesting." This temporary change in Young Master Xiao's demeanor didn't signify a lifelong transformation. Perhaps in the future, Ji might be interested to learn the outcome.

The sampan seemed to accelerate once more. Though not overtly noticeable, it swiftly overtook the multi-decked boat, leaving it behind.

On the Xiao family's grand multi-decked boat, the young gentleman frowned, watching the sampan for a long time.

"Zhonglou, is there anything you wish to say?"

"Father, I cannot win an argument with you. I will simply aim to secure the title of *Zhuangyuan* first!"

The old man finally smiled, stroking his beard with his left hand and patting his son's shoulder with his right.

"After we return to the capital, I'll go have tea with your Uncle Liu!"