Chapter 762: South of the City [Thank You! Again! 38k Words Owed]

Bianjing City,

every Qingming season,

even when no rain falls, the sky remains gloomy—this year is no different.

In the morning,

outside Nanyun Gate,

beside Hulong River,

Xu Zaijing sat astride a small black mare beneath a tree, gazing at the gate beneath the distant city wall.

Through the gate arch, travelers and common folk streamed out in constant succession.

Qingming was traditionally a day for ancestral worship and tomb-sweeping,

but over the years, Bianjing’s people—except those with newly buried kin—usually swept graves several days earlier.

On Qingming itself, most ventured outside to enjoy spring, feasting and reveling in the countryside.

Xu Zaijing watched the budding branches along the riverbank, breathed lightly, and felt the breath of spring.

Today’s spring breeze was gentle, the air moist, the temperature neither cold nor hot—deeply comfortable.

Outside Nanyun Gate,

Xu Zaijing had come here several times before,

In past years, I accompanied British young gentlemen to shoot arrows with Liao envoys right in Yujin Garden, not far from here.

At year’s end, the grand Nuo procession sent out by the palace also exited through Nanyun Gate.

At this moment,

the sound of hooves rang out,

Xu Zaijing turned to see Gu Tingye, Liang Han, and others riding in, followed by personal guards and servants, heading this way.

“Whoa!”

After circling Xu Zaijing in a small arc, the horses halted, kicking up clouds of dust.

This forced Xu Zaijing to wave his hand to disperse the dust before him while guiding his horse aside.

“Hahaha!”

Seeing Xu Zaijing’s expression, Gu Tingye grinned mischievously.

But he’d barely laughed twice when the southern wind blew the dust his way.

“Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!”

Gu Tingye spat repeatedly, choking on dust.

Liang Han glanced at the disgraced Gu Tingye and laughed: “Jingge, you’re here early. Didn’t bring any maids?”

Xu Zaijing smiled: “I had them ride ahead in the carriage and wait outside Huang’s garden.”

“Oh!” Gu Tingye nodded, grinning, and waved toward his carriage behind him: “You all go wait outside Shoushan Bo’s garden too.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Beside them, Liang Han watched the crowds on the road and sighed: “Such a perfect day today—what a waste! So many people on the road; otherwise we could’ve raced a few times.”

On the other side, Gu Tingye, having brushed himself off, grinned: “By the way, Wulang, why didn’t His Majesty keep you locked up on Quyuanjie this year?”

Xu Zaijing shot him a sour look and said nothing.

Liang Han said: “Er Lang, last year Jingge was stuck at home while you went out to play—didn’t you think of giving Zhang’s fellow trouble?”

Gu Tingye glared: “I can still give him trouble today!”

Nearby, Qiao Jiu Lang, chatting with friends while mounted, chuckled: “Er Ge, I heard Zhang’s fellow left the city before dawn to pay respects and returned to the palace before sunrise—you’ll have to enter the palace to find him.”

“Enter the palace? No way.” Gu Tingye frowned, then stood up in his stirrups.

Looking around, he asked: “Where’s that brat? Is he even coming?”

Liang Han turned his head: “Er Lang, Huang’s brother joined the Imperial Guard—today he’s leading the guard cavalry out to patrol, to show off military might. He won’t be here so soon.”

“Patrol out of the city?” Gu Tingye’s voice rose sharply: “Which gate?”

“The western Wansheng Gate!” Liang Han said, watching Gu Tingye’s shifting expression, puzzled: “Er Lang, what’s wrong?”

As he spoke, Liang Han glanced at Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing continued gazing at the scenery outside the gate, calmly: “Liu Lang, isn’t Gu’s third sister supposed to go to your Wulou today?”

“Yes! Several noble ladies from the capital… cough.” Liang Han realized and coughed lightly, stopping short.

While Xu Zaijing and the others spoke,

on Wulou outside the western city gate,

Zhang Fang stood at the third-floor window, pointing outside: “Look, look—the cavalry has returned!”

The girls in the tower rushed to the windows, leaning out to look.

As imperial palace guard cavalry, their mounts were tall, armor gleaming, spears bright, banners vivid,

and this orderly cavalry unit looked imposing when viewed from above.

“Oh oh oh, the lead rider’s raising his flag again—what does that mean?” Zhang Fang said teasingly from the window.

Feeling the gazes of the girls upon her, Gu Tingyi pretended not to notice and kept watching below.

“Hm?” Zhang Fang feigned confusion, leaning closer, lips pursed, staring at Gu Tingyi.

Watching Gu Tingyi’s fixed gaze, her cheeks flushed red, and Zhang Fang laughed harder.

Suddenly,

before Zhang Fang could react, she felt her wrist seized by one of Gu Tingyi’s hands, while his other hand tickled her waist.

Laughter and pleas of mercy immediately rose from the tower.

“Jingge, since Huang’s brother won’t be here for another half-hour or more, why did we come so early?” Liang Han asked again.

“The Huang family’s estate near Yujin Garden is close to the Elephant Training Yard.”

“Before the Lantern Festival, I had nothing to do at home and read a few books—one mentioned elephants, so I wanted to take this chance to see them.”

After hearing Xu Zaijing, the others nodded; Qiao Jiu Lang grinned: “Jingge, why go through all this trouble? Just give a few silver ingots—the Elephant Training Yard will send the elephants to your house.”

Liang Han shook his head: “Jiu Lang, that’s wrong! There’s been no major ceremony in the capital lately—the elephants in the garden won’t be brought out under the excuse of training.”

“Huh? Really?” Qiao Jiu Lang scratched his head, smiling.

Xu Zaijing smiled: “Liu Lang, do you know the way to the Elephant Training Yard?”

Liang Han nodded and called: “Diaochē, lead the way!”

“Yes, Young Master!”

Then,

Xu Zaijing and the others turned their horses and galloped southward.

Along the way,

they rode in fine clothes and spirited steeds, truly riding high on spring’s breeze.

When they rode freely, some would shout now and then, drawing glances from commoners enjoying the spring along the road.

After riding for a while,

they gradually slowed, and by the time they reached the Elephant Training Yard’s gate, their mounts were panting heavily.

Seeing this group of well-dressed young nobles, the guards at the gate hurried inside to report, while others stepped forward with smiles.

The servant Diaochē, riding ahead, bowed and said: “This gentleman, I’m from the Yongchang Marquis’s household; behind me is my Sixth Young Master, and this is…”

“Whoa!” The guard glanced at the group behind Diaochē and bowed repeatedly: “Your Excellencies, please wait a moment—our supervisor will be out immediately.”

Shortly after the guard spoke, a supervisor in official robes ran out.

The guards at the gate quickly explained.

The supervisor bowed with a smile: “Greetings to all the young masters! So it’s Sixth Young Master in person—today is truly an honor to meet you.”

“Hmm, today I and my companions here want to go inside and take a look—is that alright?” Liang Han smiled.

The supervisor shook his head vigorously: “Sixth Young Master, how could you say that? Of course it’s fine! But—I suggest you leave your horses outside, lest they frighten the elephants.”

“Good!” Liang Han nodded.

Xu Zaijing and the others dismounted.

Leaving a few men to watch the horses, they walked into the Elephant Training Yard.

Walking beside Liang Han, Gu Tingye whispered: “Liu Lang, does this supervisor know your family?”

Liang Han nodded: “Whenever something valuable is sold from the Elephant Training Yard, it usually goes through my family’s connections.”

“What else is in there besides elephants?” Gu Tingye frowned.

“Ivory.”

Seeing Gu Tingye’s stunned expression, Liang Han smiled.

As they walked through the yard, the sound of elephants calling echoed occasionally.

“Your Excellencies, please go upstairs,” the supervisor pointed to a wooden tower and smiled.

They climbed the tower,

and saw the elephants in the courtyard below.

Gu Tingye pointed to a deep pit in the yard and asked: “Supervisor, what’s that pit for?”

“Your Excellency, it’s for training elephants; sometimes we use it to trim their toenails.”

Gu Tingye nodded: “Oh!”

As others spoke, Xu Zaijing and Qiao Jiu Lang and the rest nodded.

Then everyone turned to look at the elephant surrounded by people in the courtyard.

At that moment, the elephant was kneeling on its front legs at the trainer’s command, bowing in reverence.

The overseer, seeing everyone’s gaze, quickly laughed and said, “Your Excellencies, this elephant is the most intelligent beast in our grounds—it even has a name: Lingli.”

Hearing this, Xu Zaijing and Gu Tingye turned their heads, their eyes filled with surprise.

Qingyun and Zhi Que exchanged a glance, their expressions unreadable.

Seeing the overseer’s confused, frozen expression, Xu Zaijing smiled faintly and said, “I wonder what prompted you to say that?”

At this, the overseer resumed his smile and said, “Young Master, according to the previous overseer’s account, the barbarians who delivered the elephant claimed its mother was the leader of the herd.”

“It was captured after being injured, and due to its intelligence and trainability, it was presented to our court many years ago.”

Xu Zaijing nodded. “Oh? Where is this elephant now?”

The overseer’s expression froze, and he bowed his head, speaking with regret: “Several years ago, the old elephant died of illness.”

Everyone nodded in turn.

Liang Han, standing nearby, asked curiously, “By the way, weren’t you two or three years ago trying to sell us a baby elephant?”

“Ah?” The elephant keeper raised his head. “You still remember that?”

Liang Han pursed his lips, his expression sour. “Of course I remember. After I mentioned it, I nearly got punched to death by a Jin barbarian—how could I forget?”

Seeing the overseer’s silence, Liang Han waved his hand and added, “Wasn’t it killed by a few sons of dukes and marquises?”

“Ah? How did you know?” The overseer froze, glanced at Xu Zaijing and the others, then mumbled, “Yes, Young Master.”

Seeing Liang Han’s indifferent expression, the overseer smiled.

The wooden pavilion fell quiet for a moment.

From below, the trainer’s shouts, the elephant’s footsteps, and its heavy breathing rose up.

Suddenly,

Qiao Jiulang’s cry rang out from above: “Whoa, what a huge pile!”

The overseer chuckled. “Young Master, elephants do this seven or eight times a day.”

“Truly great eaters and great shitters.”

Hearing this, those upstairs all nodded.

Liang Han laughed. “Jiulang, look at you, so easily amazed. I thought you were about to taste it when you screamed like that!”

Qiao Jiulang made a disgusted face and laughed, swearing: “Go to hell.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

After watching the lazy elephant in the yard a while longer, the group, bored, turned and left the wooden pavilion, heading toward the main gate of the grounds.

The elephant keeper followed behind them, his eyes darting about—clearly formulating a plan.

As they neared the gate, the overseer, having made up his mind, quickened his steps and reached Liang Han’s side. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Xu Zaijing turned to look at him.

“You’ve come at the perfect time,” Xu Zaijing said.

The overseer blinked. “Ah?”

Liang Han frowned beside him. “The overseer has some ties to my family—I’ll say one thing.”

“Young Master, please speak. Your humble servant listens with bated breath.”

“Elephants are rare creatures. You must take care—keep them well, and all is fine; let them die, and you’ll have trouble.”

“I understand. I will treat these beasts as if they were my own kin.”

“Hmm!”

With that said,

Xu Zaijing and the others stepped through the gate, mounted their horses, and rode off amid the thunder of hooves.

The guard who had been standing by the gate, watching them leave, smirked and asked sycophantically, “Boss, new business?”

“New business?” The overseer turned, his expression dark.

“Yeah!”

*Slap!* The overseer struck the guard across the face and roared: “Business? Pfft!”

Dazed by the slap, the guard clutched his cheek and stared blankly as the overseer walked back, muttering, “No money to make? Fine. Why hit me?”

The group rode away from the elephant grounds,

and after their horses galloped for some time, they reached the eastern wall of Yujin Garden.

Circling nearly half the garden’s perimeter, they crossed the official road past Nanxun Gate and arrived at the northwest corner, where to the south lay a cluster of palaces: the Nanshengcheng, the imperial fasting palace for heaven worship.

They rode straight west for a while longer, then arrived near a stretch of connected mansions.

Xu Zaijing and the others reined their horses before one of the mansions.

At that moment, Huang Qingyue, changed into fresh clothes, was pacing back and forth at the gate.

Hearing the hoofbeats, he stepped forward, saw who it was, and broke into a smile.

“You’re finally here! I’ve been waiting so long!” Huang Qingyue bowed with a grin.

Xu Zaijing and the others pulled up their horses, returned his bow with smiles, and dismounted.

Once all had dismounted, Huang Qingyue said, “Jingge, Erlang, Liulang, brothers—come inside.”

As Xu Zaijing passed Huang Qingyue, he slapped his shoulder with a smile and stood beside him.

After some pleasantries, they all entered the courtyard together.

Of course, Gu Tingye’s expression remained sour.

Inside the courtyard,

the scent of charcoal smoke filled Xu Zaijing’s nostrils.

“Dalang, where’s the fire in the courtyard?” Xu Zaijing asked.

Huang Qingyue nodded with a smile. “Today we’re eating roasted lamb. The maids from your homes and the chefs from Pan Lou are all busy out there.”

Hearing this, Gu Tingye involuntarily swallowed.

Liang Han grinned and rubbed his cheek. “Yuege, how did you know Gu—”

Seeing Gu Tingye glare at him, Liang Han corrected himself: “I love roasted lamb the most!”

Huang Qingyue smiled. “Your aunt once told me, and I remembered.”

“My mother?” Liang Han asked, puzzled.

Xu Zaijing chuckled beside him. “Liulang, Yuege means the Lady of Ningyuan Marquis’s household.”

“Oh! I see!” Liang Han laughed.

The others, hearing this, also laughed.

Only Gu Tingye looked helplessly resigned.

Inside the courtyard,

the scent of charcoal smoke and roasting lamb grew stronger.

Xu Zaijing smiled as he watched his own maid, her face streaked with ash and soot, standing before the roasting rack.

Behind him, Qingyun stepped forward with a grin. “Three sisters, you go attend to tea and wine—I’ll handle this.”

Xu Zaijing and the others entered the house and took their seats; cold dishes and hot courses began arriving in sequence.

During the meal,

Huang Qingyue rose, raised his wine bowl, and said earnestly: “Brothers, the Jinming Pond opens its grounds the day after tomorrow. I rely on you all for that day’s affairs!”

Xu Zaijing and the others smiled.

After a moment’s hesitation, Gu Tingye also raised his wine bowl.

Liang Han thumped his chest. “Yuege, rest easy—we’ve hired only seasoned hands. We’ll give it our all!”

(End of Chapter)