July 15th is the Ghost Festival, one month after the flood in the south of the Yangtze River.
Rong Tang occasionally went out for a walk around Suzhou City with Su Huaijing or Ke Hongxue in the evening.
The shadow of the disaster is still there, but more people have returned to normal life.
The soft Wu dialect sounded again, shops along the street were hawking their wares, and the pleasure boats on Lianhu Lake were lit up with warm yellow lights.
As they strolled leisurely along the street, they met Lu Jiaxi, who was walking in a hurry. The baby fat on the face of the sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy had completely disappeared, leaving only the mature experience gained from his trip to the south of the Yangtze River.
But Ke Hongxue would always stop him, buy two pancakes or a string of candy figures from the stall next to him, and give them to Lu Jiaxi.
Little Master Lu was shy and embarrassed to ask for something that looked like something that was meant to please a child. Master Ke smiled and pointed at Mu Jingxu, who was dragged out by him to relax. He said, "What's the big deal? When your senior brother Mu first entered the court, he was so tired that he didn't even sleep. Was there ever a time when I wasn't there to feed him a mouthful of porridge and a piece of candy?"
Lu Jiaxi blinked, quite incredulous. Mu Jingxu remained motionless. He just glanced at Ke Hongxue with his cold peach blossom eyes, and a rare hint of anger flashed in his eyes.
Ke Hongxue smiled like a fox. She was not afraid at all when he glared at her. Instead, she came closer with a smile and started calling him "senior brother" again.
Mu Jingxu ignored him and just said to Lu Jiaxi: "Don't forget to eat no matter how busy you are."
Lu Jiaxi and Ke Hongxue still dared to act coquettishly, but Mu Jingxu's words always sounded like an imperial decree to him. Hearing this, he didn't care whether Master Ke was holding sesame seed buns, wontons or candied fruits. He took them all at once and smiled naively at the people who could be regarded as his brothers.
Su Huaijing seldom joined in their efforts to amuse little Lord Lu. He usually stood aside holding Rong Tang's hand. Whenever he saw something delicious or interesting on the stalls, he would let Rong Tang take a look at it, and then happily buy it all at once.
If Ke Hongxue didn't let Lu Jiaxi go after the shopping, he would remind him indifferently: "I heard that the epidemic quarantine area in the west of the city is running out of medicinal materials. Where are you going this time, little Master Lu?"
Lu Jiaxi would immediately remember why he was in such a hurry, and he would slap his head and say goodbye immediately, not daring to delay even a minute.
Su Huaijing knew much more about the resettlement of disaster victims and dam maintenance in Suzhou City than the officials in charge. Sometimes Rong Tang would get up in the middle of the night and see candles burning in his room all night long, and he would worry that he would faint from overwork.
But Su Huaijing didn't care at all. In front of Rong Tang, he always looked like he had nothing to do, as if he had devoted all his energy to his sweetheart, as if he was working so hard in an unknown place just to squeeze out more free time to accompany Rong Tang.
During the Ghost Festival, the sky in Suzhou was filled with flying paper money, and the air was filled with the lingering smell of cigarette ash. Pedestrians on the long street returned home early, and shops were locked. Every few steps on both sides of the street, you could see piles of burnt yellow paper money, some of which still emitted a faint red light, indicating that they had just been used for worship.
Rong Tang walked out of the house and bought two large stacks of paper money and gold ingots. He also wanted to buy a few pairs of golden boys and jade girls from the paper-making shop, and he also wanted to buy carriages, horses and mansions, but in the end he gave up.
It would have been strange if it was too grand, so he only picked out some funeral supplies that would not go wrong, paid the bill and asked Shuangfu to take them back, while he slowly walked to the provincial government office to pick up Huaijing.
Su Huaijing was not a regular official and rarely came to the prefecture. It just happened that the disaster relief money came a few days ago, Lv Junxian was also escorted back to Beijing, and Jiang Shanxing was still in Hangzhou. Sheng Chengming really didn't know how to handle such a huge project of disaster relief for the entire Suzhou Prefecture. He had no choice but to run to Rong Tang's yard every morning to say hello and pull Su Huaijing out of Linyuan with a smile.
Rong Tang was indifferent, Sheng Chengming had a smile on his face, and both of them were in a normal mood. Only Su Huaijing, every morning when he was dragged by the second prince and then driven away by Rong Tang, looked at Rong Tang with a sad face and turned back every few steps, which made him feel particularly uneasy.
There was no other way, Rong Tang could only go to Suzhou Prefecture to pick up Huaijing at dusk every day, and then walk back together.
The cultural customs and practices of Suzhou city gradually seeped into their minds during their short journey back home at sunset day after day.
When Rong Tang arrived at the gate of the provincial government, the guard at the gate was already familiar with him. Seeing him, he greeted him with a smile and was about to welcome him in.
Rong Tang waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to trouble. After staying at the door for a short while, several people in official uniforms came out together, still talking loudly as they walked. Their conversation was all about the latest policies in Suzhou City.
The person surrounded by them in the middle was Su Huaijing. He was the only one not wearing an official uniform. However, every time the others finished speaking, they would look at him intentionally or unintentionally. It was unclear whether they wanted to get his response or rebuttal, but they just wanted a response from him.
Su Huaijing raised his head slightly, and the person who was speaking immediately became excited, as if he was encouraged, and immediately spitted and talked nonstop. When the excitement died down and he looked at Su Huaijing with sparkling eyes, the latter hurried his steps and walked straight out of the state government office, trotting to Rong Tang, lowered his head and asked gently: "Have you been waiting for a long time?"
Rong Tang gave him a look. Su Huaijing was slightly startled, then smiled helplessly. He turned around and gave his own opinion on what the adult had just said. Then he smiled and said, "My lords, my husband is here to take me home. See you tomorrow."
The setting sun melted gold, and the fireworks and the sunset glow scattered accordingly. After Su Huaijing finished speaking, he turned around and took Rong Tang's hand without caring whether they reacted or not, and walked towards Linyuan together.
Rong Tang was stunned for a moment, his ears slightly red, and he looked at Su Huaijing with a bit of frustration. He endured it again and again and asked, "Why do you always emphasize to them that I am your husband?"
Su Huaijing was even more surprised than him and asked, "I am telling the truth, how can it be considered as emphasis?"
Rong Tang: “…”
Men in Dayu can get married, and their male wives can serve as officials in the court. This is a rule passed down from hundreds of years ago, but in reality, it is quite rare for men to serve as male wives in the court.
After Emperor Renshou ascended the throne, some officials even made a memorial in court, stating that men would lack masculinity if they married, and that if they stood in the court and discussed state affairs with other officials, they would inevitably be too soft-hearted. What's more, the male wife's sexual orientation was male, and she would not be at home all day, but would live with male officials day and night, which might lead to family discord. Therefore, it was suggested to abolish the system that allowed male wives to serve as officials in the court.
Although this proposal was rebuked in court by a group of officials headed by Ke Wenrui, it is still a bombshell. It will be brought up from time to time and there is no guarantee that it will not be adopted by Emperor Renshou.
Although Rong Tang thought that this was nonsense, it was inevitable that over time, a kind of invisible chain of contempt would be formed in the court. He was afraid that if Su Huaijing repeatedly told Sheng Chengming's subordinates about his identity as a male wife, they would be disrespectful to him.
Su Huaijing saw through his thoughts and said with a smile, "Your Majesty will never change the rules related to the ancestral system. He cares too much about the evaluation of him in history books a hundred years later. Tangtang doesn't need to worry about me. As for the respect of others, it has nothing to do with identity. I am just a commoner who lives in a dilapidated temple every day. I can also make them respect me. This has never been a difficult task."
He paused and smiled, "Compared to those, how to make Tangtang open her heart to me is a difficult task."
The villain smiled faintly, as if he was just chatting casually, but Rong Tang immediately felt that his palms were burning hot, making him want to pull them back.
It was a long and warm summer, and autumn was about to come after the Zhongyuan Festival. There was a slight chill in the air, and Rong Tang was silent for a long time.
He could not convince himself and had to give up.
"Go back," he said, "the kitchen has made pear and white fungus soup today."
Su Huaijing's eyes darkened slightly, but he still responded with a smile, pretending that he was not disappointed at all.
-
Dinner was served in Rong Tang's yard. Ke Hongxue had eaten here a few times before, and would come over whenever he had time.
When Rong Tang returned to the courtyard, Ke Hongxue was already sitting at the dining table, peeling nuts for Mu Jingxu to satisfy his hunger. When she saw him, she smiled and said, "My Lord, you are finally back. I am starving."
Rong Tang rolled his eyes at him and said, "If you're hungry, why don't you go eat in your own yard?"
"That won't do." Ke Hongxue smiled softly, "Today is the Zhongyuan Festival, the whole family should have a meal together."
Su Huaijing was stunned for a moment when he heard that. He looked over and saw Mu Jingxu also frowning and looking at Ke Hongxue. The two of them glanced at each other briefly and then looked away.
Rong Tang didn't understand Master Ke's twisted logic, and frowned and said, "Zhongyuan Festival is not Mid-Autumn Festival, how can there be a family reunion? Besides, who is your family?"
Ke Hongxue: "We are brothers in times of adversity. We have struggled together in this disaster city for so long. How can we not be considered to have shared adversity?"
Rong Tang ruthlessly exposed him: "Does your struggle mean listening to music and drinking in Suzhou every day?"
"I spent a lot of money on it." Ke Hongxue said with a sad heart, "That's my life."
"… "
The four of them were eating in the restaurant, with the door open. Shuangfu cleared the weeds in the corner of the yard and circled out a piece of open space. Ke Hongxue asked, "What are you doing?"
Rong Tang glanced over lazily and replied casually, "It's the Zhongyuan Festival. I bought some paper money to offer sacrifices to the ancestors later."
Ke Hongxue understood: "Is it prepared for Old Master Rong?"
Rong Tang was slightly stunned and almost didn't react. After a moment, he pretended to be calm and said, "Well, some of it was prepared for my grandfather, and some was bought for Huai Jing's parents."
Su Huaijing and Mu Jingxu froze at the same time. Their eyes met inadvertently, and then Su Huaijing asked Rong Tang: "Did you buy it for me?"
Rong Tang was a little flustered, but he didn't show it on his face: "I heard from you that your parents, brothers and sisters all died a long time ago. I guess no one except you would remember to pay homage to them. You have been busy these days, so I prepared it for you."
He paused, and forced a smile, "It's impossible that everyone else has descendants paying tribute to them in the underworld, leaving your parents alone to look at others with envy, right?"
Su Huaijing was slightly stunned, then he smiled: "Thank you for your hard work, Tangtang."
Rong Tang breathed a sigh of relief: "It should be."
After dinner, Ke Hongxue saw the two large piles of paper money that Shuangfu brought out, and shamelessly asked Rong Tang: "My Lord, can you give me some?"
Rong Tang looked at him suspiciously. Ke Hongxue smiled and said, "To be honest, my fellow student was from a poor family in his early years. He was fostered in a wealthy family. The owner of the family took good care of him. Unfortunately, he met with an accident later. His entire family died, and there is no one to pay tribute to them. When I heard what you said just now, I thought about the other ghosts in the underworld who were celebrating the New Year. I felt really bad for their pitiful appearance."
Rong Tang didn't quite believe him, but since he had bought too much paper money anyway, he gave some to Ke Hongxue.
The moonlight was cold and the full moon hung high in the sky. The night of the Ghost Festival was particularly desolate. Three piles of yellow paper money were burning. Su Huaijing put them on the fire one by one, as if he was picking them at random. He asked, "Master Mu, what is the surname of the family you are staying with?"
Rong Tang became suspicious when he heard the question, because Su Huaijing was never a gossipy person.
But Mu Jingxu's answer surprised him even more: "Same as you, last name Su."
Rong Tang was slightly stunned and looked at Su Huaijing, strange emotions surged in his heart.
Su Huaijing lowered his eyebrows and didn't look at him. With his clean white hands, he burned paper money ingots one by one and asked again, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"have."
"several?"
"Two older brothers, four younger brothers, and four younger sisters." Mu Jingxu answered slowly.
Rong Tang stood beside the pile of paper money burned for Old Master Rong and looked down at Su Huaijing.
His face was illuminated by the firelight, half bright and half dark, and all the emotions in his eyes were obscured, making it impossible to see clearly at all. However, Rong Tang just felt that it must be a dark sea with surging waves.
Su Huaijing smiled gently: "What a coincidence, I happen to have six brothers and four sisters in my family."
"I am the seventh male. My eldest brother and I are born from the same mother. My second brother was raised outside the mansion since he was young. My third brother... is a liar." Su Huaijing said.
Mu Jingxu's Adam's apple moved slightly, and a trace of broken emotions appeared on his expression that never changed. He lowered his eyes and mechanically burned paper on the flames: "Really? He is really an incompetent brother."
He responded to Su Huaijing's words, but who knew that the latter's face darkened and he was not very happy. After a moment of silence, he asked him, "Where is Lord Mu?"
Mu Jingxu: "My eldest brother is dignified, my younger sister is spoiled, and my youngest brother is smart. We are a very ordinary family."
"The elder brother is majestic, the younger sister is spoiled, and the youngest brother is smart..." Su Huaijing repeated in a low voice and laughed gently, which was not clear or ironic.
The more Rong Tang listened, the more strange it sounded. It was as if there was a tangled mass of threads in his head, with the ends of the threads hiding here and there. Whenever they were about to appear in front of him, they would suddenly slip back into view and he could never quite grasp them.
When the paper money was burnt out, Mu Jingxu looked down at the ash on his hands and asked, "Master Su, can you take me to the bathroom?"
Rong Tang subconsciously wanted to follow, but Ke Hongxue pulled him back.
He frowned and looked back. Ke Hongxue looked serious for the first time, with a gloomy look on his face.
In the blink of an eye, Mu Jingxu and Su Huaijing had already left. Rong Tang was unhappy and shook off Ke Hongxue's hand. Just as he was about to follow them, he heard him call softly, "Rong Tang."
Rong Tang turned around.
Ke Hongxue smiled sadly, looked at Mu Jingxu's back, and said softly: "You know, I used to think that my senior brother should be the most romantic person in the world."
He has drunk the cold wind of the northern frontier and walked through the insect valley of Lingnan; he has seen the jewels from the shipwreck in the Jinfen River in Yujing and the tea houses flooded by floods in Huizhou.
He is a wanderer who plays around in the world, a natural poet, a nobleman, and a passionate talent.
He could lead troops into battle and compose poems when retreating. He always had a fan in his hand, drank at every meal, spoke with a smile, and his peach blossom eyes were always filled with a bright light.
He is the most romantic and passionate playboy in the world, making countless noble ladies shy when he goes in and out; he is also the most naughty and mischievous prince in the Yujing Palace, full of honors and favors, but he yearns for the freedom.
But he died forever in the 25th year of Yuanxing.
He gained the freedom he wanted, but he walked step by step back toward the cage he had dreamed of leaving.
Rong Tang froze in place, and all of a sudden all the conclusions had their original reasons.
-
There was no light in the bathroom, and there was clean water in the tub. Mu Jingxu bent down, scooped out a bucket of water and washed his hands, then instinctively scooped out another bucket and turned back to wash Su Huaijing's hands.
The latter stood there without moving, his figure hidden in the darkness, like an old pine or cypress, tall and majestic.
They stared at each other in silence for a long time. The moonlight came in through the window. Mu Jingxu's voice was slightly hoarse: "Xiao Qi, you have grown up."
So the pine and cypress trees trembled, and Su Huaijing had a smile on his face, but his eyes suddenly turned red.
He was silent for a long time, and finally he asked, "Brother, where is my rabbit?"
You promised to take me to the hunting ground to catch rabbits when you came back.
(End of this chapter)