Chapter 216: That Waist, Those Legs—Slurp! [Many Thanks for Everyone's Support!]

Early third month

Third quarter of the Chen hour (around eight in the morning)

Bianjing City

Quyuan Street,

On the roadside, Shu Bo, an old acquaintance of Hou Fu who often set up a stall, had not appeared.

The half-grown boy Chu Zhan, dressed in fairly new clothes, looked anxiously toward the main gate of Hou Fu:

"Grandpa Shu, what are we waiting for? Uncle Ren and the others left before dawn; if we don't go now, we won't be able to get into that big pond!"

Shu Bo, about the same age as Old Lady Sheng, stroked his whitening beard and smiled:

"Silly boy, you'll know in a moment."

Before his words had faded,

"Creak—"

The Xu family's main gates swung wide open.

Xu Xu Zaijing, mounted high on his black horse, walked out of Marquis Marquis Yongyi's residence together with Xu Zaizhang.

Behind them came the carriages of the Xu family's three Da Da Niangzi, followed by several flatbed carts laden with various supplies.

Once outside the gate, Xu Xu Zaijing spotted Shu Bo standing by the road; seeing the old man and the youth bow respectfully together, he nodded slightly and asked, "Shu Bo, what is this?"

"Han Wulang, we were just preparing to head to Chengxi with this lad to join the fun!"

Sun Shi, overhearing their exchange, lifted the carriage curtain and said, "Make room for the carts carrying goods at the rear."

"Thank you, Da Da Niangzi!"

Shu Bo strode robustly toward the back.

Beside him, Chu Zhan watched Brother Qingyun with an expression full of envy.

Brother Qingyun glanced at Xu Xu Zaijing and asked, "Young Master?"

Xu Xu Zaijing smiled faintly and nodded; immediately, Brother Qingyun extended a hand toward Chu Zhan.

Chu Zhan's eyes widened instantly, filled with disbelief.

On the other side,

Shu Bo walked toward the rear carriages, saying as he went:

"Lad, there's still much for you to learn!"

"They may be early, but can they be earlier than the people of Xicheng?"

"Hmm? Usually you're so smooth with your flattery and comforting words; why the silence now?"

Turning his head, he saw Brother Qingyun hoist Chu Zhan onto the horse, his tall figure blocking the view.

"This—"

Just then, a rather tall woman descended from the carriage:

"Shu Bo, please sit here with me."

"Oh? Qing-Hua Jie'er? We meet again!"

Hearing Shu Bo call her "Qing-Hua Jie'er" repeatedly, Hua Qing nodded somewhat bashfully.

"You take the seat; I don't need it; I'll sit at the rear of the carriage. The fried fish I sent over a few days ago—I wonder if your mother liked it?"

Hua Qing, whose face rarely changed even atop a banner pole dozens of zhang high, now nodded awkwardly, then shook her head, saying:

"Shu Bo, you needn't keep sending things in the future."

"No trouble at all; it's only a few steps from Hou Fu."

Seeing Hua Qing's expression, Shu Bo also felt somewhat embarrassed; he took a few steps toward the carriage's rear and happened to spot an elderly man of similar age on the cart behind.

"Shu Dingkai, I say, you shameless old fool! How old are you? How old is that Mother Hua? And yet you... an old ox eating tender grass!"

Shu Bo replied, "Oh, relying on your son being in Hou Fu, you've managed to find yourself a prime spot."

"Hmph!"

Listening to the two elders' banter from behind, Hua Qing boarded the carriage and looked ahead at her husband, who was currently speaking in a low voice to Chu Zhan.

After Brother Qingyun's marriage, he took charge and brought Hua Qing's mother from Lao Ya Lane to live near Hou Fu.

Although Mother Hua still worked, supported by her daughter and son-in-law, in her forties, over the course of several months without exposure to wind or sun, her complexion gradually improved.

During the New Year, when she came to pay respects to Hou Fu's Da Da Niangzi, somehow Shu Bo caught sight of her; since then, fried chicken and rabbit, pan-fried fish, skewered mutton, and other delicacies frequently appeared at Mother Hua's residence.

It was said that the Hua family wished to sell their house in Lao Ya Lane, and this Shu Bo actually intended to buy it without even asking the price.

However, the purchase never happened, because Brother Qingyun, following Xu Han Wulang's advice, used his own funds to repair and renovate the property before renting it out.

Recalling Shu Bo's rather robust build, and her mother's repeated hesitant, unspoken glances, Hua Qing sighed.

On the way to Shuntian Gate,

Brother Qingyun released the reins and handed them to Chu Zhan.

Listening to Brother Qingyun instruct on various horsemanship techniques, Xu Xu Zaijing smiled.

After walking for a while, Chu Zhan recovered from his excitement at driving the horse; nestled in Brother Qingyun's arms, he gazed at the black horse beside them, which stood considerably taller than the mounts beneath the two men... Looking closely:

Such a powerful waist,

Such long, slender legs,

Such a bulging chest,

Such a round, plump rump—

A one-character poem: Beautiful!

"Slurp—"

"Smack, smack"

The Li horse blinked its spirited eyes,

Snorted loudly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable under the stare,

Xu Xu Zaijing's ear twitched; he turned his head to look at Qing Yun, and at the boy Chu Zhan in his arms, who was whipping his head around quickly.

Xu Xu Zaijing stopped smiling.

As they drew closer and closer to Shuntian Gate,

Sounds of "Long live the Emperor" or auspicious blessings occasionally drifted from afar,

When the Xu family convoy reached a street corner still one block away from Shuntian Gate,

The shouts of "Long live" became much clearer.

Subsequently, the convoy was halted by the Great Zhou Imperial Guards blocking the intersection and the Kaifeng Prefecture Yamen Runners assisting in maintaining order.

In the crowd,

Li Li Mubai, a young Yamen Runner from the Kaifeng Prefecture Office, watched Xu Xu Zaijing riding atop his horse amidst the throng.

After signaling his master, the master and disciple squeezed through the crowd, intending to step forward and scold them.

Getting closer, the old Yamen Runner's eyes narrowed as he clearly saw Xu Xu Zaijing's splendid and ornate spring robe, the leather belt at his waist, and the items attached to that belt.

Just as Li Li Mubai drew in his breath, ready to shout a reprimand, his master grabbed him firmly, causing the words to stick in his throat.

"Master, what is wrong? He is merely a wealthy Young Master from Kaifeng dressed in valuable clothes."

The elderly Yamen Runner, seeing Xu Xu Zaijing looking over, offered a somewhat ingratiating smile and nod, then tugged Li Li Mubai's clothing and said, "A wealthy Young Master? Did you not look at the gold and jade gems inlaid in his belt, nor that exquisite token?"

Knowing his master's experience, the young Yamen Runner hurriedly adjusted his expression, then froze in surprise when Xu Xu Zaijing nodded in return greeting.

Withdrawing his gaze from the two dutiful Yamen Runners in the crowd,

Xu Xu Zaijing adjusted his somewhat heavy belt: there were too many items, weighing him down uncomfortably.

Relying on his Li horse's tall and straight posture to gain a superior vantage point, Xu Xu Zaijing saw the Emperor's procession marching in formation:

The sky was azure, dotted with a few white clouds,

Amidst the bright sunlight,

Upon the extremely wide road surface,

Tall and imposing soldiers from the various Imperial Guard units rode magnificent, towering steeds,

Brightly colored flowers adorned the topknots of their hair, swaying in the spring breeze, causing petals to occasionally drift down beside the onlooking commoners;

The soldiers' armor was draped with brightly colored, ornate capes, their armor further covered by robes embroidered with golden threads, their waist belts wrapped in golden-yellow silk brocade, holding gleaming golden spears, carrying golden crossbows on their backs, and wearing golden melon-shaped maces and bronze batons at their waists.

Every horse beneath them wore brocade bridles and magnificent saddles and pads, with red-tasseled silk drapes covering their backs,

Others in identical attire held aloft colorful flags,

Amidst rings of horse-head bells and the sound of hooves, the Dragon Carriage within the Emperor's procession passed this location.

"Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live forever!"

"May Your Majesty enjoy health and auspiciousness!"

"May Your Majesty live for a million years!"

The surrounding sounds erupted like a mountain shout and a tidal wave.

Xu Xu Zaijing and the others hurriedly bowed their heads from atop their horses to pay respects.

Upon the Dragon Carriage, the Emperor wore a full smile, thoroughly enjoying this very moment.

Seeing Zhao Fang beside him staring with wide eyes, looking at him with immense admiration one moment and scanning the soldiers and commoners on the road the next, the Emperor happily patted Zhao Fang's head.

All along this route, Zhao Fang's eyes had not stopped moving,

This view was far clearer than what could be seen from the Xuande Tower on the night of the Lantern Festival.

While scanning, Zhao Fang happened to see Xu Xu Zaijing bowing in respect at the street corner and waved his hand, but Xu Xu Zaijing, being bowed in respect, did not see it.

Behind the Dragon Carriage, riding horses and dressed with great solemnity, were the civil and military ministers of Kaifeng, protected in the center by the Imperial Guards,

Among them, following not far behind the Dragon Carriage, were Marquis Marquis Yongyi, Xu Minghua, and his eldest son, Xu Xu Zaiduan.

Under the clear sky,

The majestic and solemn cavalry, the formations of colorful flags and golden light, the flags fluttering in the wind, and the petals dancing lightly in the breeze—all this scenery reflected in the eyes of Qing Yun and Chu Zhan in his arms just as it did in Xu Xu Zaijing's.

As the Emperor's imperial procession departed this place,

Once the tail end of the imperial convoy had passed,

The Great Zhou Imperial Guards maintaining order fell in line behind the imperial convoy one by one; occasionally, an Imperial Guard cavalryman cast a glance of attention at the tall and handsome Li horse beneath Xu Xu Zaijing.

When the street corner was opened up,

The Kaifeng Prefecture Yamen Runners hurriedly maintained order,

Seeing a few short-sighted, show-off ruffians blocking the path before the convoy, the Yamen Runner Li Li Mubai kicked one down and, together with other runners, dragged them away.

Meanwhile, the old Yamen Runner skillfully accepted the reward money tossed over by Qing Yun, cupped his fists, and smiled.

The Xu family convoy continued toward Shuntian Gate; by now, there were already quite many commoners on the road.

Chu Zhan, held in Qing Yun's arms, lifted his head to gaze at the towering, majestic high city walls and the surrounding scenery,

Hearing Shu Bo was also looking at the city walls, yet his eyes held a somewhat different expression; he scanned the Xu family convoy from back to front, his gaze settling on Xu Xu Zaijing riding the Li horse at the very front,

For some reason, Hearing Shu Bo recalled the depths of his memory, when the Hou Fu was at its most glorious.

He still remembered that year when his father and brothers returned to the estate following the Old Marquis on campaign, radiating an aura of killing intent; it was said they even frightened a female servant attending to the Miss.

"At least the Hou Fu is slowly regaining the appearance it had in those years,"

Hearing Shu Bo said in a low voice, leaning comfortably against the carriage.

The convoy passed through the tall gateway of Shuntian Gate, then crossed Xinzhen Gate,

Traveling west less than one li, the convoy followed the flow of people, turned north, and arrived at the Dongmen of Jinming Pool.

By now, large numbers of Imperial Guards were already stationed along the roadside maintaining order,

The noble officials and ordinary wealthy commoners were guided by the Imperial Guard into separate streams, entering from different directions.

After Brother Qingyun displayed the plaque of Marquis Marquis Yongyi's Hou Fu, the Xu family's convoy was allowed to pass.

In the noisy environment,

Chu Zhan, mounted on his horse, suddenly heard someone call his name; turning to look, he saw Vendor Ren Xiaoqiang, Ren Shu, who had departed early. Ren Shu was waving at him from within the crowded throng; judging by the position, it would take another hour to enter Jinming Pool.

Chu Zhan waved back, then cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone:

"Ren Shu, I'm going in first."

Then he looked back with a face full of joy.

Brother Qingyun helplessly rubbed Chu Zhan's head.

After the Xu family entered through the Dongmen of Jinming Pool,

the first thing they saw was the eastern bank of Jinming Pool, stretching over two li in length, where a row of tents for various families had been sectioned off by fences along the shore.

At this moment, quite a few carriages and horses were already parked behind the tents,

creating a scene of bustling activity:

Da Da Niangzi and noble young ladies, dressed in brocade and adorned with kingfisher feathers, were shielding themselves from the spring breeze with round fans as they slowly stepped into the tents;

female servants and attendants were busy yet orderly moving things about;

white steam rose from behind some tents, suggesting tea was being brewed;

Young Masters and noble young ladies behind other tents were playing pitch-pot;

children beside the tents were flying kites in the spring breeze;

flower-adorned youths near the tents were clapping folding fans together, seemingly composing poetry and matching couplets.

There were also noble young men riding slow-paced horses to visit friends.

Such scenes were too numerous to list.

This location happened to be on the eastern side of Jinming Pool; the tents here were highly sought after, not something just anyone could possess. Similar to the tents beside Wu Da Da Niangzi's polo ground, yet even more precious and rare.

The reason lay in the view, which was second only to the Lishui Hall where the Great Zhou Emperor resided; from here, one could clearly see the Emperor's great dragon boat in Jinming Pool today, the various performances by the naval forces, and the climactic, thrilling competition among the small dragon boats for the banner.

Moreover, the positions of the various family tents were rearranged each time; sometimes, one could deduce a family's standing at court simply by observing their tent's location.

Once inside the fence,

the convoy was guided to a spot near the front, beside a tent with an excellent view and scenery.

Xu Xu Zaijing dismounted and patted the neck of his black horse; Chu Zhan, who had followed behind Brother Qingyun, nimbly helped Brother Qingyun settle the horse.

Xu Xu Zaijing looked at Chu Zhan with an expression of wanting to speak but hesitating.

Seeing that people from Marquis Marquis Yongyi's Hou Fu tent had arrived, the female servants and young attendants beside the surrounding tents hurriedly entered their own tents to report the situation.

Soon, the Xu family's three Da Da Niangzi and one noble young lady were invited into different tents.

Sun Shi took her two daughters-in-law to the tent of Lady Ningyuan Marquis's Hou Fu to join Wu Da Da Niangzi, where they once again congratulated Bai Shi on receiving her title of honor while exchanging gossip about Bianjing.

An Mei was led away by a female servant of Han Wu Niang from the Zhang family, Duke of Britain, who said they were to go pet cats together.

Xu Xu Zaijing shook his head helplessly as he watched his elder brother, whose eyes were following Hua Lan's figure.

Xu Zaizhang turned around and said, "Little Five, shall we go find Brother Ye to discuss essays?"

"Uh..."

Just as Xu Xu Zaijing was hesitating, Liang Han and Qiao Jiu Lang, accompanied by several noble young men, walked in from outside, bowing with clasped hands as they said:

"Ha, Brother Jing, my family's tent is just like yours; has Da Da Niangzi gone to the Gu family?"

The noble young men behind them also followed suit with bows.

After nodding and returning the bow, Xu Zaizhang said, "Little Five, you all play; I'll go find Elder Brother Yu to discuss scholarship." With that, he exited the tent.

Seeing Xu Zaizhang leave, Liang Han and Qiao Jiu exchanged a glance, then said with excitement: "Brother Jing, let me tell you some news we just got."

Speaking thus, Liang Han waved at the young attendant Diao Che.

All the young attendants inside the tent withdrew.

Seeing this scene, Xu Xu Zaijing's curiosity was piqued:

"Speak."

"Just now, Qiao Jiu and I went to find Rong Rong Xian to play and saw the young master from the Bao family of Ruyang Marquis's Hou Fu talking with Rong Rong Xian."

Xu Xu Zaijing blinked his eyes, waiting silently for what came next.

"He said that during the dragon boat banner competition, Miss Rong Feiyan of the Rong family must absolutely remain in the Rong family's tent."

"Huh? That's it?"

Liang Han and Qiao Jiu exchanged a glance of surprise and confusion: This reaction shouldn't be happening!

Then Liang Han slapped Qiao Jiu, saying:

"Tsk! Oh my! Jiu Lang, we forgot; last year, Brother Jing had already gone to Yang Zhou."

Qiao Jiu Lang also slapped his own head with some regret, saying, "Right, right, right."

Seeing Xu Xu Zaijing's expression, Liang Han quickly explained: "Brother Jing, last year when Jinming Pool opened, the Empress requested an edict from Your Majesty to add a carved jade peony to the banner flag for the dragon boat competition; the small dragon boat that wins the colored banner may then present this jade carving to the person they admire."

"And so?"

"Brother Jing, the Bao family of Ruyang Marquis asked the eldest branch of the Hu Yan family to find retired soldiers from the Tiger Wing Naval Force, preparing to seize the prize and give it to Miss Rong Feiyan of the Rong family!"

Just as they were speaking,

Hu Seeing Hu Yanjiong, dressed in a naval performance costume, arrived outside Marquis Marquis Yongyi's tent with several others, rubbing his hands together, obviously somewhat nervous and at a loss.

Fuding, a young attendant familiar with Brother Qingyun, came over to say a few words; after Fuding conveyed Brother Qingyun's message to Hu Seeing Hu Yanjiong and learned that only Xu Xu Zaijing was inside the Xu family's tent,

Hu Seeing Hu Yanjiong immediately stopped being nervous and hesitant; leading the few people behind him, he entered the tent with great composure:

"Brother Jing, hehehehe... I'm not here to ask for your help! Hehe."

(End of Chapter)