Chapter 625: Pin an Mugwort Man [Many Thanks! Bowing Again! 41k Chapters Owed]

Time flowed on,

It was already May,

The Dragon Boat Festival was approaching,

In the early morning,

At the hour of Mao (5 AM),

Though the hour was early, many commoners who had risen early to enter the city for work were already on the main streets.

Xu Xu Zaijing rode his horse along the road to Jiying Lane.

By the roadside, willows and poplars swayed gently,

There were shops and stalls selling various breakfasts; whenever pot lids or bamboo steamers were lifted, great clouds of white steam would billow up, then quickly drift away and vanish in the morning breeze.

The morning breeze of this day and age had long lost its chill, and it still carried many scents of smoke and fire from daily cooking.

Riding his horse onto the bridge,

Xu Xu Zaijing reined in his horse briefly at the bridge's midpoint, gazing out over the surface of the canal below.

It was now the high-water season for the canal, and the abundant river water carried ship after ship laden with cargo or grain.

These ships,

Some continued onward under the boatmen's control, while others slowly drew near the shore.

Beside the ships moored at the dock, people were already loading and unloading goods.

Withdrawing his gaze from the busy riverside dock, Xu Xu Zaijing lightly tapped his horse's flanks and proceeded down off the bridge.

Jiying Lane,

The Sheng family residence,

In the academy courtyard, the bamboo was growing just right, its branches and leaves dense and lush.

The cloth curtain at the entrance had already been taken down,

Without even entering the room, Xu Xu Zaijing could see that Sheng Changbai, as on every other day, was already seated behind his desk, studying diligently.

Arriving at the doorway,

He could see into the depths of the academy,

Xu Xu Zaijing paused in surprise, then smiled: "Yuan Erlang, it has been quite some time since you arrived earlier than I."

Gu Gu Tingye lifted his head, raising his chin with some self-satisfaction: "Brother Jing, just you wait; from now on, I will arrive earlier than you every single day."

Xu Xu Zaijing smiled and nodded: "Good! Then I shall wait and see!"

So saying, Xu Xu Zaijing walked over and took his seat behind his own desk.

Outside the academy,

The sky gradually brightened,

Sunlight first struck the rooftops,

Then, as the sun climbed higher, its rays began to spill into the courtyard,

By the time the sunlight brought warmth, it was already the first mark of the hour of Wu (11 AM).

Nurse Liu, who had come to the academy to deliver lunch accompanied by a female servant, also carried an exquisite bamboo basket slung over her arm.

Upon seeing Nurse Liu and the others, the young attendants and female servants at the very back of the academy hurried forward, took the lunch, and carried it over to their respective Young Masters.

Nurse Liu offered a formal bow to everyone present and said, "Tutor, honored Young Masters, with the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, these are small tokens of regard from our Old Lady and Wu Wu Da Da Niangzi."

So saying, Nurse Liu began distributing the colorful hundred-strand cords from the bamboo basket, each symbolizing good fortune and health, one by one.

The order was first Sheng Changbai, Qi Heng, and Sheng Changfeng; then, at the very back, Xu Xu Zaijing, Gu Gu Tingye, and Xu Zaizhang.

When it came Xu Xu Zaijing's turn, he accepted the colorful hundred-strand cord and smiled: "Many thanks to my great-aunt and my aunt! Trouble you, Nurse Liu."

"Young Master Jing is too polite," Nurse Liu replied with a bow and a smile.

Looking at the colorful hundred-strand cord in his hand, Xu Xu Zaijing said, "Nurse Liu, judging by this year's weaving pattern, it seems to have changed again?"

"Han Wulang has a keen eye," Nurse Liu replied.

Just as Nurse Liu handed a cord to Gu Gu Tingye, Xu Xu Zaijing narrowed his eyes, watched Gu Gu Tingye bare his arm, and smiled: "Let me ask you, Yuan Erlang, you already have one on your wrist, so why do you need another!"

Gu Gu Tingye moved his wrist with some pride, accepted the cord Nurse Liu offered, thanked her with a smile, then turned to look at Xu Xu Zaijing: "Brother Jing, one more hundred-strand cord means one more measure of good fortune; one can never have too many."

Xu Xu Zaijing looked at the lover's knot on that cord, smiled, and nodded: "That is true! When did the Yu family send theirs?"

Gu Gu Tingye raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Yesterday afternoon."

While the two were speaking,

Xu Zaizhang, seated at the very front, shook his sleeve, also revealing a hundred-strand cord with a lover's knot on his wrist, then smiled and thanked Nurse Liu.

The three Lan girls seated on the other side,

Hearing the conversation between the two and watching Xu Zaizhang's actions in front, all burst into laughter.

Minglan, in particular, looking at the hundred-strand cord with the lover's knot on Gu Gu Tingye's wrist, smiled brilliantly.

Without needing to guess, Minglan knew that was the one her sister Yu Yanran had woven and sent to Gu Gu Tingye.

Minglan's smile also left Qi Heng, who had deliberately turned sideways to tie a cord onto his own wrist while 'stealing a glance,' stunned for a full breath.

These colorful hundred-strand cords, when given by elders, carried hopes for healthy growth and the warding off of evil and disaster.

When given by members of the opposite sex of the same age, especially those woven with a lover's knot, they carried the meaning of mutual love and longing.

In the afternoon,

Just before classes ended,

Tutor Zhuang, fanning himself with a folding fan, said, "Tomorrow your teacher has matters to attend to, and the day after is the Dragon Boat Festival; you shall all have two days of rest."

Hearing this, everyone in the academy smiled, bowed, and replied in assent.

The crowd filed out of the academy,

As they reached the outer courtyard, preparing to mount their horses and carriages to leave the Sheng family estate, Wang Wang Wang Ruofu, accompanied by Nurse Liu, hurried out with rapid steps.

"Greetings, Auntie / Eldest Lady."

Xu Xu Zaijing, Gu Gu Tingye, and the others hastily bowed and offered their respects.

Wang Wang Wang Ruofu smiled, nodded in return, and waved her hand, saying, "Children, attend to your own affairs!"

Speaking thus, she quickened her pace to reach Zhang, who stood beside the carriage.

As Xu Xu Zaijing mounted his small black colt and looked back, he saw Wang Wang Wang Ruofu placing two braided colored cords, one long and one short, woven with gold thread and jade stones, into Zhang's hands.

Presumably, the shorter one was intended for Hua Lan, while the longer one was meant to be worn around the neck of her grandson, Xu Xu Xingzhong.

On the road back to Hou Fu,

the sun slanted westward, bringing a cool and pleasant breeze.

The sounds of street vendors hawking their wares, shouting, and calling out to customers filled the air incessantly, painting a scene of bustling prosperity.

"Sniff, sniff."

Xu Xu Zaijing twitched his nose, catching the fragrance drifting on the wind; he glanced toward the source, lifted his chin slightly, and said, "Brother Qingyun, buy some to take back."

"Yes, Young Master."

With that, Brother Qingyun walked toward a stall by the roadside selling zongzi.

Upon reaching Quyuan Street,

Xu Xu Zaijing nodded in return to old acquaintances who bowed and greeted him from the side of the road.

Brother Qingyun then distributed the zongzi among those old acquaintances.

When Xu Xu Zaijing rode his horse to the front gate, he saw that a straw figure woven from mugwort had already been nailed onto their main gate.

East of the Imperial City,

in the Chai family residence,

within the Main Mother's Courtyard,

the flowers and trees in the yard emitted a rich fragrance, some of which even served to repel mosquitoes and insects.

In the corridor,

female servants and matrons were lighting the lanterns hanging beneath the eaves.

After a burst of conversation approached, Chai Chai Zhengzheng arrived along the winding gallery, accompanied by her female servants.

Upon seeing Chai Chai Zhengzheng, the matrons and female servants hastily stepped aside to bow and offer their greetings.

Chai Chai Zhengzheng smiled and waved them off, then led her entourage into the main hall at the center of the courtyard.

"The Miss has returned."

Along with the female servant's announcement came the sound of pearl curtains being lifted.

"Mother, I have only just entered the gate; why are you so eager to summon me to your quarters?"

Chai Chai Zhengzheng asked, smiling as she looked at Lady Chai inside the room.

Lady Chai gazed at her daughter, whose hair was bound up like a man's, adorned with a golden crown, delicate earrings dangling from her ears, dressed in male attire with a jade belt at her waist; her eyes were filled with appreciation.

"Zheng'er, did you go out today dressed like this?"

"Mm!"

"You look quite excellent!"

Chai Chai Zhengzheng spun around on the spot to display her outfit, smiling proudly, "Does it not look good? Today, I imitated the attire of that young lady from the Xie family!"

Lady Chai smiled and nodded.

Chai Chai Zhengzheng added, "Mother, if there is something you need to say, please speak quickly!"

Lady Chai smiled slightly and said, "Her Majesty the Empress sent word that His Highness the Imperial Prince wishes to take advantage of the Dragon Boat Festival to present several hundred-thread cords to the noble families of the capital and the sons of the Shen Shen Daxianggong household."

"For other families, it is easy enough, but His Highness is dissatisfied with the hundred-thread cords intended for the Xu family."

"The four ladies soon entering the palace naturally possess skilled hands and know how to braid hundred-thread cords, yet they are unsuitable to be gifted to the Xu family."

Chai Chai Zhengzheng's eyes rolled about as she asked, "Mother, is His Highness dissatisfied even with those braided by the Institute of Literary Design?"

Lady Chai nodded, saying, "It is said that His Highness finds them too artisanal and lacking in spirit."

Chai Chai Zhengzheng: "Oh!"

"Therefore, Her Majesty the Empress is asking families like ours whether we possess any hundred-thread cords worthy of being sent into the palace for His Highness to select one or two," Lady Chai continued.

Chai Chai Zhengzheng pressed her lips together somewhat bashfully and said, "Mother, did they only come to ask our family? I do happen to have a few useless hundred-thread cords."

Lady Chai took a deep breath, shook her head gently, and said, "I heard that others were also sent east of the Imperial City; Her Majesty the Empress dispatched people to inquire at the Lu and Rong families as well. Perhaps they were also sent to Xingguo Ward, south of the Imperial City."

"When must they be sent into the palace?" Chai Chai Zhengzheng asked.

Lady Chai: "Before you hour tomorrow (5:00 PM)."

Chai Chai Zhengzheng nodded repeatedly, turned somewhat hastily, and walked outward, saying, "Mother, your daughter will go search for them! We must not delay His Highness's affairs!"

(End of Chapter)