Chapter 244: Disaster (Part 1)

The clouds in the sky were soft and continuous, like tiny fish scales. As the afternoon sun diffused from the clouds across the sky, flocks of birds flew over the lake. The waters of West Lake were calm, with Xiaoyingzhou island situated serenely within. It was the most beautiful garden on the water, surrounded by lush, verdant trees along its banks. Pavilions and winding bridges dotted the landscape. As crowds gathered on the surrounding embankments, the lotus flowers in the water bloomed profusely, each petal a vibrant pink.

At the very center of Xiaoyingzhou was Baoning Temple. Some people, taking advantage of the remaining time, entered to offer incense and pay respects to the Buddha.

Such a layout would no longer be seen in later generations.

A crescent-shaped formation of pleasure boats and multi-story ships now embraced one side of Xiaoyingzhou. A considerable number of people had already gathered on the largest ship at the center. Following the procedure of previous events, around the 'Shen' hour (3-5 PM), guests would board and take their seats. Then, the Prefect would speak, followed by a few elders. After that, everyone would engage in discussions and exchanges. As the sun set, chefs from Fuqing Tower would serve exquisite meals. The evening would involve feasting, drinking, composing poetry, admiring the night view, and releasing sky lanterns and water lanterns. This was essentially the customary process.

At this point, there was still some free time before everyone boarded the ships. In reality, the 'Shen' hour was from 3 PM to 5 PM. However, it was usually after 'Shen' hour's second quarter, or 4 PM, when everyone was officially seated and the Prefect and other dignitaries emerged. Before then, figures like the current Hangzhou Prefect Lu Tuizhi, and great scholars Qian Xiwen, Mu Bochang, and Tang Xiuxuan, would typically pay courtesy calls or meet privately with certain individuals. The nature and depth of the interests exchanged during these meetings were not for outsiders to know.

This Autumnal Equinox poetry gathering in Hangzhou, which began during the great drought of the Jinghan third year of the Wu Dynasty, had at times determined many overt and covert matters. Of course, for those who had only recently arrived in Hangzhou this year, such as Ning Yi and his wife, even with great talent, it would be difficult to understand the true nature of these events. Furthermore, they would have no opportunity to understand what truly transpired afterwards.

The poetry gathering of Jinghan Year Nine did not conclude as planned. The event that suddenly occurred during the poetry gathering's timeframe subsequently shook the entire Southeast region in an unexpected manner, and prevented many other matters from reaching their conclusion. Of course, at this moment, everyone was still carrying on with their affairs as usual, anticipating the customary progression of events. In the shade of the trees along the embankment, a woman played the guqin with rolling fingers, singing softly, allowing the wind to carry her voice across the small island.

On the Qian family's boat, Qian Xiwen had just met with a nephew from the Chang family. He now spoke a few words to his steward, subtly including a question or two about Ning Yi and his wife. He had given Ning Yi an invitation and had previously indirectly inquired about Miss Su and Ning Yi with Lou Jinlin. If Ning Yi were to visit him now, he would receive him. However, the fact that Ning Yi and his wife were reportedly already present but had not directly boarded to request an audience amused him somewhat. He simply smiled and instructed Qian Yu to go invite other people to come and sit.

In truth, he was fond of scholarship, lecturing widely in his daily life. Beyond family interests, he sought the grand principles of the Golden Mean. While he could understand others' eagerness, he might not necessarily appreciate it in his heart.

On the other hand, after leaving the Qian family's area, the current head of the Chang family began to visit Mu Bochang, Tang Xiuxuan, and others. Along the way, he was greeted and exchanged pleasantries with many people. He responded to each, making the area around him a focal point for the crowd. This almost blocked the narrow path on the embankment.

The heads of Hangzhou's genuinely prominent families were all highly learned individuals. After all, this was an era dominated by scholars; if a family could not pass down literary traditions, it could not truly establish itself. Earlier this year, Chang Yu'an of the Chang family passed away. However, thanks to a strong foundation, the Chang family in Hangzhou did not decline at this time. Instead, because the current family head was Chang Yu'an's son, all the elders treated him with the regard due to a nephew or son. At this poetry gathering, all acquaintances among the elders couldn't help but offer warm regards and inquire after his well-being. Those of the same generation or younger would inevitably recall Duke Chang's achievements with sighs of admiration. At the upcoming banquet, the Prefect would certainly touch upon this theme. If managed well, the Chang family would become the focal point of the banquet.

All this polite small talk, in the eyes of true scholars, was largely seen as mere sycophancy. Meanwhile, under the shade of trees and in the cool breeze, elegantly dressed scholars and students were already fanning themselves. They listened to the guqin music played by several young women, while spontaneously composing poems inspired by their surroundings. Occasionally, a fine piece would emerge and quickly spread among those present.

Moored among the many boats, on the Lou family's pleasure boat, Lou Jinlin had just seen off an elderly visitor. His face was wreathed in smiles, but his mind was pondering recent events. A moment ago on the lake, the Qian family's boat had deliberately approached theirs. Qian Xiwen had cordially invited him over for a chat, and this incident now left him feeling perplexed.

The Qian and Lou families had not had much interaction before. The Qian family was known for its literary heritage and was a prominent landowning family rooted in the region. The Lou family, at best, was a prominent family that had risen due to its extensive connections in officialdom. In the eyes of outsiders, the two families' statuses might seem to differ by only a narrow margin. Yet he knew that this narrow gap, without the diligent efforts and good fortune of one or two generations, would likely be impossible to bridge. Qian Xiwen was not much older than him, but if they met, Lou Jinlin still had to address him as Duke Qian.

Two families that originally had little interaction suddenly approached each other for a scattered, casual chat. Though he was a seasoned man of the world, he couldn't immediately discern their intentions or if it was an overture of friendship. Or was it because Chang Yu'an had passed away, and those elders, for some reason, were preparing to take action against the Chang family? If those people genuinely acted at some point, and the Lou family seized the opportunity, such ambiguous hints would indeed be sufficient. However, no matter how he thought about it, it seemed rather unlikely.

During Qian Xiwen's casual conversation, he did mention Ning Yi and Su Tan'er, the couple. But Lou Jinlin, of course, did not believe this was the reason for the interaction. The distance between the Lou and Su families was actually similar to that between the Qian and Lou families. The previous mention of Su Tan'er marrying Lou Shuheng was purely based on the idea that she could be a capable wife for his second son. Even so, at the time, there was a sense of condescension, and it was common for both sides to laugh it off and drop the matter later.

This time, when Su Tan'er and Ning Yi arrived, they had been warmly entertained once. But there was no particular sentiment; the original engagement was considered a jest. Lou Jinlin did not consider this couple to be particularly remarkable. Of course, Su Tan'er had some abilities, but his own daughter did too, and their friendship was their own affair. Ning Yi might be the "Foremost Scholar of Jiangning," but even his own son-in-law, Song Zhiqian, could probably claim to be the "Foremost Scholar of Hangzhou" if he went to Jiangning. Who knew? At his status, being a scholar was not a particularly astonishing identity.

It was nothing for the "Foremost Scholar" to approach a great Confucian like Qian Xiwen. But even if he were the Foremost Scholar, it was inconceivable that Qian Xiwen would personally take the trouble to inquire about their relationship. Hence, Lou Jinlin did not include these possibilities in his considerations.

In the side hall of the main ship at the gathering, a group of officials and scholars were assembled. Leading them, naturally, was Lu Tuizhi, the current Prefect of Hangzhou. Prefect Lu had an easygoing temperament; at least, he particularly liked those who appeared unrestrained. As this was not a very formal social occasion, everyone spoke happily, exchanging words freely. A large group of men gathered together, and if they weren't discussing football, they were essentially discussing politics.

"…As the beacon fires lit up in the North, I, a humble scholar, threw aside my pen for the sword, joining the army to march north with our royal forces to expel the Tartars and reclaim Yan Yun…"

"…Brother Liang's integrity is admirable, but the Jin and Liao have been at war for a long time now, yet no definitive news of military action has come from the capital. Could it be that…"

"…Ziran worries too much. In fact, the northern region has been reorganizing its six armies recently, and there's news of Prime Minister Qin's return. This clearly shows our Emperor's foresight; he has prepared for this for eight years and will certainly not abandon it halfway. In my opinion, within a month or so, the outcome will be clear…"

"…It appears our dynasty's military action was deliberately chosen to be before the autumn harvest. After the campaign, new grain will be available, preventing any shortage in provisions…"

"…Our Suzhou-Hangzhou region has always been a land of fish and rice. Undoubtedly, the responsibility for warehousing and transporting supplies will be heavy. At that time, Prefect, you will have a difficult task."

"…Alas, there are still bandit troubles in the Southwest, and recently, they seem to be escalating…"

"…Ah, Brother Chen, that's not quite right. The Fang bandits are but a minor nuisance, in my opinion…"

The liveliness here, the thoughts and ideas there—these were just minor, unremarkable interludes, one after another, on the eve of the poetry gathering. They collectively formed the grand scene of people gathering on Xiaoyingzhou.

At the same moment, Lou Shuheng stood on the ship's rail platform, looking down. The platform on the second floor of this pleasure boat was quite high. From here, the embankments of Xiaoyingzhou were covered in lush, green trees. In the distance, one could see Baoning Temple situated there. The sun shone down from the sky, warm upon him. For this reason, most people at this time preferred to walk in the cool shade of the path below.

Lou Shuheng had just extricated himself from a group of flattering people. Now, alone, he suddenly felt a peculiar sense of ennui, finding the current events rather boring.

In truth, he often felt this way—perhaps everyone did—but his recent mood was primarily due to one thing: he had just encountered Su Tan'er.

The details were as follows:

He and some friends had come from that direction and encountered people writing poetry. At that moment, his poetic inspiration surged, and he composed a poem on the spot. The poem's style was relatively uninhibited and unrestrained, and it was completed in one fluent burst. His consistent style had always been praised as having the lingering charm of the Tang Dynasty. After writing for so many years, this current piece could also be considered one of his representative works. What was most important was not merely the poem itself, but his demeanor and mood during composition, as well as the uninhibited grace of his literary talent. In his pride, he also noticed that while he was composing, Su Tan'er and another woman were watching nearby. That woman was likely Wen Haiying, Luo Tian's wife. Both clearly appeared to be greatly impressed by him.

They exchanged greetings, and then the women left.

This was typical. For Lou Shuheng, writing poetry and being admired was also routine; nothing out of the ordinary. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but later, as he came over for water and found himself alone, a series of thoughts began to surface in his mind.

These thoughts mainly revolved around Su Tan'er's appearance, her smile, her business acumen, and her busy activities over the past few days, among other things. He hadn't initially been particularly moved by Su Tan'er; after all, he had dallied with many women over the years. Su Tan'er was beautiful, but Lou Shuheng had certainly seen women more beautiful than her. However, none of them were as independent as she, nor did they possess her unique temperament. The most important point was that the feeling from when his father had jokingly remarked a month earlier, "That Miss Su almost became your wife…" resurfaced in his mind.

There was a possibility that conquering such a woman would feel entirely different from conquering other women. Just thinking about it now inevitably brought a surge of excitement to his heart. For instance, when his sister sometimes teased him, he didn't think the possibility of a past engagement was a big deal, but these feelings were always present.

Now that she had seen him compose a poem, what did she think? He had certainly noticed her serious gaze earlier; admiration for scholarship must have been there. What a pity, she was already married, and to some "Foremost Scholar" who had married into her family. Even if he had some talent, their temperaments and presence were completely different; how could they compare?

With these emotions swirling in his mind, he suddenly felt disinclined to mingle with the others. After his recent performance, his heart now felt lonely, much like the sentiment "A tiger in the heart, delicately smelling a rose, tears streaming down after the grand feast." He then walked down leisurely.

As he walked among the crowd, for a moment, his friends did not approach. Even if someone greeted him, he merely smiled and nodded casually, not really wanting to speak at that moment. As he neared a fork in the path ahead, he saw a woman singing and playing an instrument under a tree. Two other women were chatting and laughing with her, and a crowd had gathered around. He recognized those women, having patronized them before. Although they were still courtesans, he felt no desire to challenge or offer them lavish attention at this moment; there was nothing interesting to see.

He looked to the other side, where there were also people walking, how boring... But then, he spotted two figures by the lotus pond.

Those two were also listening to the music, but because this area was too crowded and unpleasant, they stood on the other side of the lotus pond. Looking diagonally from under a tree, one was indeed Ning Liheng, and the other was a well-behaved maid by Su Tan'er's side, whose name he didn't know.

He could have gone over to greet them, but after watching for a while, he slightly furrowed his brow. The master and servant were talking; the little maid sometimes laughed, sometimes looked dejected, sometimes showed slight annoyance, sometimes acted playfully, and even occasionally hopped around. She would glance at the woman playing the instrument by the pond, and Ning Liheng's face was also full of smiles, quite different from his reserved demeanor when with Su Tan'er. Then Lou Shuheng noticed that at one point, Ning Liheng even held the little maid's hand.

How intimate...

He fanned himself, chuckled to himself, then looked around, thinking: What if Su Tan'er saw this scene? He disdained secretly informing her, but Su Tan'er was also not in sight. With complex thoughts, he walked towards them, planning to startle them, which seemed rather amusing.

A live-in son-in-law getting involved with a maid was no different from the stableman who got a maid pregnant in his family's past...

This was what he thought. And as he drew closer, certain ideas in his mind suddenly sprouted and expanded instantly.

He had always been a debaucherous and unrestrained person; if he thought of it, he would simply do it...

Here, the backs of Ning Yi and Xiaochan were also a small interlude on this grand stage, and were about to become a slightly larger, medium-sized interlude.

Lou Shuheng approached them from behind and patted Ning Yi's shoulder.

"Ning Liheng!"

The moment Ning Yi turned his head, he threw a punch...