Chapter 3: Son of the Treacherous Minister (Part II)

Hu Xiaotian secretly wondered, could this girl know lightness kung fu, planning to turn the tables with a Lingbo micro-step? After all, she's a beauty—even her tumble is stylish.

When the red-clad girl saw the lake beneath her, she let out a scream loud enough to burst many nearby eardrums, then dove into Cuiyun Lake with a reverse-turn dive. Her entry was poor—clearly her butt hit the water first, sending up a large spray of white foam. Two ducks swimming nearby innocently got drenched, looking pitifully at the rippling lake as they twisted their plump buttocks and swam away quickly.

The scene suddenly fell silent; nearby sightseers rushed over, one after another—nobles, scholars, literati—pointing and shaking their heads at where the red-clad girl fell into the water, yet no one voluntarily jumped in to rescue her.

Hu Xiaotian naturally pushed his way in as well, with four servants helping him clear the crowd to reach the front of the lakeshore, an excellent viewing spot.

"What a huge splash! Who would have thought that the red-clad girl's fall could cause such a commotion—landing butt-first is a major diving faux pas, obviously she can't control the splash; if she entered the Olympics, the judges would surely all give her zero."

Splash, splash… the water sounded as the red-clad girl emerged with her hair disheveled, arms flailing wildly, head shaking like she'd taken a dizzy pill: 'Save… glug…' She wasn't saying 'glug'; she wanted to shout 'save me,' but before the word left her mouth she swallowed a mouthful of lake water. Distance creates beauty—Cuiyun Lake is best admired from afar; getting too close is neither pretty nor safe, especially for a total landlubber like the red-clad girl.

Liang Da Zhuang chuckled beside Hu Xiaotian, saying, "Young master… this girl can't swim!"

Hu Fo furrowed his brows, looking deep in thought: "Strange, how did she just fall into the lake out of the blue?" He of course knew the reason, but nobody wants to admit involvement in a matter of life and death.

The other two servants also gaped and laughed foolishly; their schadenfreude aside, it's not that the Hu family lacks sympathy—who let you, blind to Mount Tai, provoke our Hu family? Do you know who our master is? A third-rank official, Minister of Revenue Hu Sir. As the saying goes, even when beating a dog you look to its owner—daring to strike our young master serves you right! A powerful master's servants are just as formidable; under a treacherous minister there are many wicked lackeys.

There were indeed many onlookers, and some shouted, "A beauty fell into the river—quick, save her!"

The loudest caller stood to Hu Xiaotian's right; while urging others to jump in and save her, his eyes fixed on Hu Xiaotian, who stared back. "Damn, you're shouting with gusto—why don't you jump in yourself? Such hostility, so much hostility—I never used to swear like this!" He couldn't help sighing, "Human feelings are cold, worldly sentiments fickle."

The red-clad girl's head surfaced again, hair disheveled, all beauty gone—she looked like a female ghost crawling out of a midnight bell; this time she couldn't even shout for help, only managing a "glug."

Hu Xiaotian glanced left and right: "Save her!"

Liang Da Zhuang swallowed, "glug!" Hu Fo and the other two servants also swallowed, three more "glugs"—all four servants were total landlubbers.

Hu Xiaotian felt stifled: "Damn, they're all useless idiots!" So he could only take off his blue long robe and thin-soled boots.

Liang Da Zhuang hurried forward, grabbing his arm: "Young master, the water's deep and dangerous—you're of high station; it's not worth risking yourself for a willful girl!" Hu Fo and the three servants all nodded.

"Go cool off elsewhere!" Hu Xiaotian snapped. He quickly stripped down to just his shorts, then jumped into the clear lake before everyone's eyes. Liang Da Zhuang merely gave a token tug, knowing the young master's swimming ability—the newly dug Hu family pond sees him swimming laps almost daily, and when in the mood he'll float belly-up, back-and-limbs spread; his skill is definitely that of a veteran duck.

The lake was much shallower than Hu Xiaotian expected. Swimming to the red-clad girl's side, he saw she was still struggling, but clearly out of breath. He found the water there was only about seven feet deep; given her height of roughly one meter, her nose should just be above water—how could she be in such a dire state? He scooped her up, held her horizontally against his chest, and stepped along the lake bottom toward shore. At this point the girl went limp, lying motionless in his arms, one arm dangling, swaying in the air like a corpse.

The lakeside onlookers began to whisper among themselves, wondering if the girl had drowned.

Hu Xiaotian of course knew the girl wasn't dead, just choked unconscious by the water. The surrounding female spectators, seeing this bare-chested youth step ashore, couldn't help blushing and their hearts racing, turning their heads away. His four months of training hadn't been in vain—his skin was a glossy chestnut, his muscle lines beautiful, full and elastic with strength.

In such feudal times, even men rarely displayed their physiques publicly; April weather was still a bit chilly, so whether scholars or aristocratic heirs, they all wrapped themselves in various long robes, flowing sleeves needed to show their refined elegance—each era has its aesthetic, yet appreciation of bodily beauty remains eternal.

Hu Xiaotian's fit physique on display was a rare sight. The watching women, though feeling shy and thinking it improper, still felt an itch to look; women too have the right to admire beauty, and the same desire— the more they sneak glances, the more their faces flush and hearts race with excitement.

Over a dozen pleasure boats, drawn by the sudden incident, gathered on this water; many wealthy daughters and official ladies hidden inside peered through bead curtains and gauze to spy on Hu Xiaotian's fit back, his trousers soaked through, his firm, full glutes partially revealed beneath the fabric, naturally causing many beauties to feel a spring stir; bold girls lifted the curtains to admire openly, while others quietly inquired into Hu Xiaotian's origins.

Hu Xiaotian hadn't meant to show off his fitness; he was no exhibitionist, and in his haste to dress he carried the red-clad girl to a shady spot, having the four servants drive back the crowd and stand with their backs to them, shielding Hu Xiaotian and the girl.

A doctor's benevolence—although Hu Xiaotian had resolved after regaining his memory never to practice medicine again, when faced with someone truly needing his rescue, he hesitated not at all.

First, Hu Xiaotian untied the red-clad girl's sash; waist-binding was the fashion, her waist already slim, yet she'd cinched it tight with a palm-wide gold-trimmed tortoiseshell brocade belt, which was quite a hassle to undo.

While Liang Da Zhuang chased off the onlookers, he stole glances at the young master's actions; seeing Hu Xiaotian untying the girl's belt, he felt his mind reel: "This is broad daylight, with everyone watching—young master, you really ought to have some restraint! Only a fool would do such a thing—undoing clothes and belt, what comes next…"

Hu Fo had the same thought, gesturing to Liang Da Zhuang to advise him, but Liang Da Zhuang gestured back: "What sort of person is the young master? Why, he's just an idiot who's been foolish for sixteen years—he might well pull some stunt; otherwise the Minister of Revenue wouldn't have them four shadowing him constantly. But the Sir only ordered them to guard him closely, not to stop his behavior, so it's best to let things be."

Although the onlookers had stepped back, they still watched from afar; the four servants, though not weak in build, couldn't completely block Hu Xiaotian and the girl from view.

As Hu Xiaotian undid the girl's sash, someone spotted it and began to mutter angrily: "The utmost shamelessness—in broad daylight, to dare do such a heaven-defying, reason‑defying act." "Is there any heavenly principle left? Any royal law?"

Someone already knew Hu Xiaotian's identity: "Better to keep trouble to a minimum—he's the son of Minister of Revenue Hu Buwei, said to be a fool; even if he did something, they wouldn't jail him…" "Truly outrageous!"

There were those who muttered curses, pointed and stared, lingered to watch, or waited for an eyeful, yet nobody dared step forward to stop the young master and his servants' misdeeds. "What's not my concern I hang high"—being able to utter two sentences of condemnation was already considered a strong sense of justice.

Hu Xiaotian cleared a few strands of waterweed from the girl's mouth and plucked several snails stuck to her face—clearing mouth and nose debris is essential. Seeing her belly slightly bulge, he realized she'd swallowed a lot of lake water. He then knelt on one leg, bent the other, laid her abdomen across his raised thigh, supported her head so she faced down, and pressed his other hand against her back.

From afar the crowd could just make out the Minister's son pressing the girl's head between his thighs—"Damn, this guy is shameless, forcing her… in broad daylight!" "Ah, truly disgraceful to scholarship!" "I can't bear to watch!" Yet none of the watching aristocratic heirs and literati closed their eyes; instead they muttered curses while harboring a tiny anticipation—this scene was indeed somewhat stimulating.

On the book's first release, the gate stood deserted, few horses and carriages—Zhangyu felt dejected, unable to promote it in the old work, relying solely on word of mouth. Zhangyu here offers his respects: brothers and sisters, please recommend, click, collect, spread the word—thank you!