C77 – Arrive
Qu Changqing laughed out loud as he watched Zuo Shaoqing dress up in a flurry. He joked, “I thought that Shao Qing was reading every day, but I didn’t expect that you, a slob, would be able to live for half a day.”
After Zuo Shaoqing put on his clothes, the awkwardness passed. Then, he let Luo Xiaoliu take care of his loose long hair, returning to his refined and clean scholarly appearance.
“I’ve let you two down. I’m used to staying in the south. I’m really not used to the cold in the capital, so I woke up a bit late.”
Luo Xiaoliu secretly twitched his mouth. You’re not just getting up late? You don’t get up much, okay?
“That’s true. It’s just that this coldness has the beauty of being able to witness the snow that fell this morning. It makes one feel an endless amount of nostalgia.”
Zuo Shaoqing made Luo Xiaoliu serve tea and then apologized to the two of them, “Brother Qu, Brother Jiung, please take a seat. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”
Qu Changqing didn’t think much of it. He waved for him to wash up, picked up his tea and started eating. He did not forget to greet Jiung Hengzhou, “Brother Hengzhou, try this green bean cake. It’s no worse than the Cauldron Food Pavilion!”
Jiung Hengzhou had been silent ever since they entered the house. Zuo Shaoqing noticed that his eyes dimmed after he looked around and thought darkly: This great scholar didn’t come for Lu Zheng did he?
Unfortunately, how could Lu Zheng live in this kind of place?
After he finished washing his face and rinsing his mouth, he sat down facing the two of them and asked, “When did the two of you arrive in the capital? Where do you live? How did you know I live here?”
“You really have a lot of questions! However, even if you didn’t ask, I would have told you. After we parted ways with you that day, our group stayed at the Cang State for an entire night before we set off on our journey. It has already been four or five days since then, and we lived at the Immortal Landing Inn that is two streets away.”
“So that’s how it is.”
Jiung Hengzhou finally opened his mouth and said, “Luckily, we came a few days earlier. If we were to encounter snow on the road, it would be difficult to leave.”
“I didn’t expect it to be snowing in March in the north. I’m afraid a lot of students will be delayed on their way here.” Qu Changqing said worriedly.
“There’s still about half a month before the exam begins. There’s still enough time.” If it’s too late, Zuo Shaoqing thought, it’s better not to come.
“Indeed, Changqing doesn’t need to worry too much. The imperial government has already ordered the distribution of quilts and bedding to the poor students. It won’t be so cold in another half a month.”
Zuo Shaoqing was surprised. The imperial court was actually this humane?
“I heard that it was played by the officials of Ministry of Personnel. Quite a few students have traveled to the capital for a long time, and they have used up all their energy. If they don’t eat enough, they might not even be able to eat comfortably.”
Upon hearing that it was an official from Ministry of Personnel, the image of Jiang Che immediately appeared in Zuo Shaoqing’s mind. He raised his eyebrows and thought to himself: Doesn’t that Jiang guy love to do such famous things?
Jiung Hengzhou’s expression was also a bit agitated. He lowered his voice and said, “The Emperor just ascended the throne, so he’s unstable. There will always be a few officials eliminated. This is a good opportunity for us to show off our skills!”
Zuo Shaoqing didn’t really want to go, but he knew that this kind of gathering would definitely bring together the most outstanding students in the entire Great Yang.
Half a quarter of an hour later, Zuo Shaoqing walked out of the room as if he was brand-new. He cupped his hands towards the two people waiting outside and said, “Sorry to have kept you two waiting.”
He was wearing a mink hat, eyes like a star, beautiful face like jade, a mink coat of the same color, a five-colored silk pendant around his waist, and a pair of deer boots.
Jiung Hengzhou had obviously heard about Zuo Shaoqing’s situation. He knew that Zuo Shaoqing was just a bastard son of a declining family and was not someone he liked. However, judging from his clothes and temperament, it would be reasonable to call him a direct son.
He did not believe that Qu Changqing would lie to him, so, either Zuo Shaoqing had some other fate or had already obtained all the support from Zuo Family.
Zuo Shaoqing saw that the two of them had not moved for a long time, so he asked in confusion, “What’s wrong with it?”
Qu Changqing recovered and touched his nose awkwardly, “No, no, I thought...” He did not say the rest of the sentence, but everyone present understood what he meant.
Zuo Shaoqing shrugged and did not explain further. He just reminded him, “Isn’t it time to go? It will probably take some time to get out of the city.”
Jiung Hengzhou and Qu Changqing came in a carriage, so Zuo Shaoqing didn’t need to prepare another carriage and got in the same car as them.
After chatting for two hours, the three finally arrived at Lu Ming Residence before noon.
After handing over the post, the gatekeeper neither humbly nor arrogantly accepted it, and then pointed out the path for the three of them before taking them to the next guest.
“As expected of the famous garden. Look at the scenery, it doesn’t have the slightest hint of winter.”
Zuo Shaoqing looked at the scenery in front of him and nodded in agreement. This garden was obviously built in the style of Jiangnan. There were pine trees, camphor trees and green bamboo growing inside, so even though it had just snowed, it didn’t completely cover up his greenery.
After passing through the arch of the bridge, the three of them did not need any special guidance as they headed in the direction of the voices.
“Fragrant Snow Garden.” Qu Changqing raised his head and glanced at the signboard on the arch, then walked inside. He stopped after taking two steps and muttered, “Looking at the vast sea of snow, it is a good title for our family. Sure enough!”
Zuo Shaoqing was also shocked by the beautiful scenery in front of him. How was this a garden? It was simply a sea of flowers. From afar, he couldn’t tell if it was snow or flowers.
“So beautiful!” Zuo Shaoqing sighed.
“The owner of this Lu Ming Residence is probably not an ordinary person.” Jiung Hengzhou whispered.
“Hey, Jiang Top is here...” When some people saw Jiung Hengzhou, more and more people came to greet him.
However, many of them were familiar with Jiung Hengzhou. Some of them also knew Qu Changqing, but no one knew Zuo Shaoqing’s origin.
Zuo Shaoqing was getting impatient with the greetings from the group of strangers. He walked alone towards a road where there were fewer people. The fragrance of plum blossoms lingered at the tip of his nose, and the snow-white color in his eyes actually made his mood a lot brighter.