The imperial examinations held in the capital once every three years had always taken place in spring.
The south was unlike the north, where spring would hastily make a brief appearance before disappearing without a trace. Spring in the south was truly like the “misty spring of the third month” described in books—flowers blooming everywhere until they dazzled the eyes, willow branches swaying gently in the breeze.
These past few days, at the ferry crossing of Huzhou Prefecture, scholars dressed in long robes and carrying travel bags had gradually begun bidding farewell to their friends and relatives before boarding boats bound north. Following the current eastward for a little over a hundred li would bring them to the Grand Canal, built during the previous dynasty. From there, they could travel all the way north along the waterway and reach the capital directly.
In the past, these examinees would have found it difficult to take this route. But ever since Lord Shu from the capital had come here at the beginning of the year before last to oversee the river works, the accumulated problems had been completely cleared away. The land was peaceful and the rivers were calm. By this year, the Yellow River had almost ceased flooding and ships could finally travel upon it.
“…Three years!”
At the ferry, several scholars in long robes walked together toward the boat. One of them, a scholar whose temples had already turned white, sighed.
“Three years ago, that examination fraud case disrupted everything and delayed an entire generation of examinees from Huzhou. Who knows how many people were worn down or even ruined over these three years? And now, we can finally enter the examination hall safely!”
Another examinee agreed, “Exactly. A scholar studies for ten years through bitter hardship, exhausting his heart and blood. Who could afford to wait another three years?”
Another sighed. “Now we must seize this opportunity and not let these three years of time go to waste.”
Just then, a scholar beside them said in surprise, “That person… seems to be Lord Shu!”
There was no one in Huzhou who did not know Lord Shu Changyu. In Huzhou, there was only one person who could be called those resounding three words—“Lord Shu”—without any other title or designation.
It was none other than Shu Changyu.
Hearing this, several scholars hurriedly turned around and saw a man standing gracefully beneath the swaying willows along the riverbank.
He wore a crab-shell-green, wide-sleeved long robe, with a cloak over it and a somewhat worn moon-white cape draped around his shoulders. His figure was tall and slender, like a green bamboo stalk. Most striking of all was his handsome, refined face. The bridge of his nose was particularly elegant, and his brows were straight and well-defined. Standing there, he was filled with a clear, graceful charm.
A jade jue hung from his waist. Its design was simple and archaic, looking as though it might have come from the pre-Qin era. Yet hanging from him, it did not seem out of place at all, almost blending perfectly with his clear and tranquil bearing.
It truly was Lord Shu.
Shu Changyu stood beneath the willow tree. Before him was Fang Yuqian, the man who had once gone to the capital to retake the examination and, in doing so, helped Shu Changyu resolve the knot in his heart and saved his life.
“This time, Fang, you must place high in the examination, or you will have failed to live up to my hopes for you!” Shu Changyu said with a smile, cupping his hands. He then took Fang Yuqian’s luggage from Kong Qing beside him and handed it to him.
“I certainly won’t disappoint your expectations, Jingchen!” Fang Yuqian replied with a smile.
Fang Yuqian’s family was from Huzhou Prefecture. They were considered a scholarly family and an established local clan. After Shu Changyu came here, Fang Yuqian had gone out of his way to fulfill every aspect of his duties as a host and had taken particularly good care of him.
The two of them already held similar views and could be called confidants. Before long, they had become bosom friends, as close as brothers.
“Then be especially careful on the journey.” Shu Changyu nodded. “Although traveling by water is smoother than traveling by land, water and fire show no mercy. Don’t hurry on the way. Take your time. There is always enough time.”
Fang Yuqian nodded in agreement. After a pause, he asked, “Jingchen, you came to Huzhou the year before last, and it has already been three years since you returned home. Now that the flooding in Huzhou has basically been brought under control, you don’t need to worry too much anymore. You should return to the capital and report your work soon, so you can reunite with your family.”
Hearing this, Shu Changyu froze for a moment.
A person immediately surfaced in his mind.
Back then, that person had blocked him inside a dark carriage, gritting his teeth as he told him to wait.
But he had waited for three years.
Not the slightest bit of news had come.
Not even a single letter.
There were, however, reports he had secretly had people investigate from the capital, through which he could piece together that person’s circumstances from scattered fragments.
Shu Changyu had spent three years taming the unruly waters of the Yellow River. He had earned widespread praise throughout Huzhou and the imperial court, along with a reputation that had spread across the realm.
And Jing Mu had needed only three short years to seize a firm grip on the imperial court, becoming a figure whose might shook the Four Seas and Eight Wastelands.
In the first year after Shu Changyu left, the Dali Temple cracked several major Qi cases. Quite a few implicated the foundations of the Empress’s and Noble Consort Hui’s families. Those involved without exception suffered the destruction of their families and separation from their wives and children.
The commotion left the officials of the court terrified. Quite a few ministers gradually began secretly pledging allegiance to Jing Mu in order to seek his protection.
That same winter, the Xiongnu launched a large-scale invasion of Yumen Pass. Jing Mu volunteered to lead a great army in support. He defeated the Xiongnu, drove them back more than eight hundred li, and recovered the five northern frontier cities that the previous dynasty had lost.
The entire court was shaken.
Now, Jing Mu dominated the Ministry of War and held military tallies commanding most of the army. His influence extended throughout both the civil and military officials, and he had almost completely suppressed the Empress’s faction until they could barely breathe.
More astonishingly, the suspicious and jealous Emperor Qian Ning had been completely won over by him. Despite Jing Mu holding such enormous power, the emperor trusted and favored him more and more.
This was also due to the changes in Emperor Qian Ning’s health over the past few years.
It was said that the half-immortal on Mount Zhongnan did not even open his eyes when he saw Emperor Qian Ning, and merely swayed about, let alone bothering to offer a formal salute.
But the moment he divined the emperor’s fortune, that half-immortal was suddenly horrified, knelt down, and repeatedly called out, “Long live Your Majesty!”
Afterward, the half-immortal prescribed a medicinal pill for Emperor Qian Ning. The ingredients in the formula were bizarre and varied, and talismans had to be affixed to it before it was refined in a furnace for forty-nine days.
It was called the “Nine-Turn Soul-Calming Powder.”
After taking it, Emperor Qian Ning became radiant with vitality, almost returning to the vigor of his prime, perhaps even surpassing it.
Over these past few years, everything had gone smoothly for Emperor Qian Ning. The realm was peaceful, and he had capable ministers at his side. As a result, he was in high spirits and his temperament changed drastically.
Shu Changyu held the secret letters that had flown back from the north one after another. As he read every word, he unconsciously picked out all the information related to Jing Mu and secretly pieced together the events of his past three years.
The more he looked, the more he felt that he no longer knew this person.
Jing Mu seemed to have become an entirely different person.
From that innocent, clingy, lively young man, he had transformed into a page from a legendary history book.
And as for Shu Changyu, Jing Mu had completely severed every connection with him.
All their ties seemed to have been cut off abruptly.
Only Shu Changyu himself continued to pretend indifference while keeping a close eye on the other’s life.
Sometimes, Shu Changyu even mocked himself and wondered if perhaps he had been blocking Jing Mu’s path.
In his previous life, Jing Mu had spent more than ten years as a puppet. In this life, as long as Shu Changyu had remained by his side, Jing Mu had accomplished nothing.
But the moment Shu Changyu left, Jing Mu had suddenly gained wings like a fierce tiger and soared straight into the heavens.
Looking at it now, his decision back then to go south in order to save him seemed particularly ridiculous.
It was as though he had paid an exorbitant price for something utterly insignificant.
Shu Changyu himself was unwilling to admit that although he appeared to have been flourishing these past three years, in truth, he had suffered more torment and sleepless nights than anyone.
He was unwilling to admit that Jing Mu had truly seemed to cut ties with him completely.
The person who had once wished to cling to him all day long had simply vanished without a trace, leaving no news behind.
He had always been trying to convince himself that he had not lost Jing Mu.
But for these three years, he had never found a suitable excuse.
He was already utterly alone.
Whenever he thought of this, Shu Changyu felt a pain in his heart that was almost impossible to suppress.
“…Jingchen? Jingchen?”
Fang Yuqian saw that he had been standing there dazed and silent for a long while, so he called out to him.
Only then did Shu Changyu come back to himself. He forced a smile and nodded.
“There are still a few matters that haven’t been properly settled. It will take another month or so. Once everything is settled, it should be around the beginning of summer. If the Yellow River remains free of disasters, I will return to the capital as well.”
Fang Yuqian smiled and nodded.
“Then by that time, I’ll be waiting for you in the capital, Jingchen.”
Shu Changyu nodded.
Fang Yuqian frowned again.
“I heard from my classmates that even this time, the waterway can only be traveled halfway. Shandong suffered a drought last year, and this spring there hasn’t been a drop of rain either. I heard the land has already cracked. In such circumstances, I’m afraid the rivers will be dry as well, making it impossible for boats to pass.”
Shu Changyu smiled and shook his head.
“You can rest easy about that. The Grand Canal was built lower in the north and higher in the south, drawing water from Jiangnan and the Yellow River. Although the canal passes through Shandong, it does not pass through the areas suffering from drought. There will probably be many disaster victims there, but it is absolutely impossible for the river itself to dry up completely.”
Fang Yuqian nodded, his smile already fading.
As he listened to Shu Changyu, his brows drew tighter and tighter before he sighed.
“The people of Shandong are truly pitiful. Their tax burden was already heavy, and now they have suffered drought for one year, followed by another. I heard that the relief funds for the victims were all embezzled by the local officials, while the taxes were never reduced by even a single coin… How are they supposed to survive?”
In his previous life, this drought had not become so severe.
At that time, Shu Changyu already held power. He had mobilized the entire nation to provide relief to the disaster victims and exempted Shandong from taxes for three years before finally bringing the disaster under control.
But in this life, the only person with the ability to do so—the Qian Ning Emperor—apparently had no such plans as Shu Changyu had possessed in his previous life.
Thinking of this, Shu Changyu patted Fang Yuqian on the shoulder.
“That is why you must become an official. The common people have no choice. They depend on heaven for their food. If you become a good official, you can protect them from both drought and flood.”
Fang Yuqian nodded heavily.
“That’s right! Jingchen, I have always admired you. I dream of becoming an official like you. You don’t know, nowadays the people are saying…”
At this point, he lowered his voice.
“The great drought in Shandong and the flooding in the south are because His Majesty has failed to accumulate virtue, employs sorcerers, and uses the Great Qi’s national fortune to extend his own lifespan. Originally, these years were supposed to be the time when our Great Qi’s destiny would come to an end and the realm would descend into chaos. But fortunately, there is you, Jingchen. They say you are a star descended to earth, here to protect the mountains and rivers of Great Qi.”
Shu Changyu frowned upon hearing this.
“Who said such nonsense?”
As a subject, he could actually make up for the emperor’s virtue and even descend to earth to save the world?
It was utterly absurd.
If it had been an inexperienced official, hearing such words might have caused his heart to swell with pride.
But Shu Changyu knew that words like these could lift a person into the clouds, only to hurl him down and smash him to pieces.
Fang Yuqian, however, did not take it seriously at all. He smiled.
“It’s only a rumor among the common people. They’re praising you for your achievements in controlling the river.”
Just then, the boatman aboard the vessel began calling out.
Fang Yuqian hurriedly cupped his hands in farewell before turning and hastily boarding the boat.
The boatman untied the vessel, pushed off with his pole, and sent the boat drifting away from the riverbank.
Fang Yuqian swayed unsteadily on the boat, waving toward Shu Changyu.
Behind him were verdant mountains layered one upon another, the surface of the water glittering beneath the light, mist swirling through the air.
It looked exactly like an ink-wash landscape painting.
The direction Shu Changyu faced happened to be north.
Amid the hazy mountains and shimmering waters, he seemed to see the capital, Zhaojing, through layer upon layer of landscape.
His eyes suddenly grew somewhat sore.
He steadied his gaze, turned around, and walked back against the crowd seeing the travelers off.
“Go investigate,” he instructed Kong Qing. “Find out where that rumor about me descending to earth to save the world came from.”
Author’s Note: Prime Minister Shu’s behavior of secretly checking up on Jing Mu Mu is kind of like a girl snooping through her ex-boyfriend’s Weibo, isn’t it? ←_←