Lu Ying was a noble lady from a prominent family who knew nothing of worldly affairs. Her hastily set up surveillance post was immediately spotted as flawed by Wang Daxia, who was well-versed in marketplace dealings.
However, Lu Ying had a straightforward personality. She knew her mistakes and could correct them, not minding that Wang Daxia had just mocked “that brainless person.” Of course, she was also unmoved by his flattery, only knowing how to solve problems. She asked, “It was indeed my poor consideration. In your opinion, what would be better to replace the tea stall with?”
Having such a humble supervisor who sought advice, Wang Daxia didn’t hold back secrets. He said, “The tea stall is already set up. Changing the proprietor twice in one day would arouse suspicion. Better to transport a few carts of watermelons there—sell big bowls of tea and also sell melons. In this hot weather, watermelons have customers morning, noon, and night. They quench thirst and provide cooling relief.”
Lu Ying instructed her subordinate, “Buy several carts of watermelons to transport there for sale.”
Wang Daxia added, “Remember to buy Daxing watermelons. We Wanping people all like eating Daxing melons.”
Lu Ying said, “Do as he says.” After thinking, she asked Wang Daxia, “What’s the difference between Wanping and Daxing watermelons?”
“You just knock.” Wang Daxia curved his palm and used his knuckles to knock the air. “You just ask, ‘Hey, are you from Wanping or Daxing?'”
Lu Ying was startled, then realized Wang Daxia was teasing her. She kicked the boat oar toward him. “Go row your dragon boat!”
Wang Daxia walked away grinning, shouldering the oar.
Lu Ying went to pay her respects to Lu Bing. His facial expressions had largely recovered, he could walk freely, and after more than half a month of recuperation, his complexion had even become somewhat ruddy. He looked at himself in the mirror, “Tonight we’ll go home together. If we keep staying at the office, the family might become suspicious. It’s just that my complexion is too good. If I say I’ve been so busy with office work every day that I haven’t had time to go home, Yiren might become suspicious.”
Lu Bing had lost four wives in succession. The Yiren he mentioned was Li Shi, the birth mother of Lu Ying’s five sisters. Though Li Shi was a concubine, she held a fifth-rank imperial mandate. In the Ming Dynasty, a fifth-rank mandate was called Yiren, so she was usually called Li Yiren.
Li Yiren was also the niece of Lu Bing’s stepmother, Grand Madam Li. When she was elevated to the Lu mansion, she was already a favored concubine.
Lu Bing’s birth mother had been Emperor Jiajing’s wet nurse and died early. Though Grand Madam Li was his stepmother, she had carefully raised Lu Bing, cultivating him to success and achieving the military jinshi degree. Lu Bing deeply respected his stepmother. Lu Bing was cursed with bringing death to wives, and his eldest and second sons had also died young. For the sake of offspring, Grand Madam Li had elevated her niece Li Shi.
Li Shi had given birth to five daughters in succession, and all had survived, which was no small feat. Lu Bing had therefore requested the fifth-rank Yiren mandate for her.
Lu Ying said, “I’ll tell Yiren that I supervise father’s meals daily and have made him quit drinking, so his health is better than before. This Dragon Boat Festival, he won’t be allowed to drink realgar wine either—we’ll all accompany father in drinking fruit juice instead.”
Fortunately, his daughter provided cover. Lu Bing laughed, “That’s what we’ll do. Tonight we’ll go home together. Tomorrow is Dragon Boat Festival—no need to work.”
Seeing her father in good health, Lu Ying was in great spirits. After finishing official business, remembering how Wang Daxia had immediately spotted the tea stall’s flaws, she deeply understood her own weaknesses. She changed into civilian clothes and personally went to see the tea stall.
The tea stall was piled with watermelons, and customers sitting down to eat melons outnumbered those drinking tea. Those fried goods like peanuts and sunflower seeds couldn’t be sold at all.
In the height of summer, except for wealthy households with ice, ordinary people wouldn’t touch such heat-inducing fried snacks.
Lu Ying found a seat, ordered two slices of watermelon, and when paying, quietly instructed her disguised subordinate selling melons, “Remove all the peanuts and sunflower seeds.”
Lu Ying ate her melon while observing in all directions and listening carefully, experiencing the atmosphere of marketplace life. The world of ordinary common people was completely different from the environment where she’d grown up—busy with three daily meals, troubled by things she considered trivial, yet having to give their all…
Actually, even someone who climbed to her father’s position, or even the emperor, had troubles and things they couldn’t obtain. Perhaps this was what Buddhist scriptures meant by “all sentient beings suffer”—only by emptying all attachments could one escape the sea of suffering?
While pondering this, a familiar person came to buy melons—it was Ding Wu.
Seeing Lu Ying, Ding Wu was first startled, then understood that the Jinyiwei were monitoring him. He was an exile awaiting repatriation to his place of banishment.
Ding Wu selected a watermelon and, using the excuse of resting his feet, sat beside Lu Ying, saying quietly, “Today I’ve been home helping Banxia make medicinal pills. Except for coming out to buy some food, I won’t go anywhere else.”
Lu Ying said, “You went to the bathhouse last night.” Lu Ying always spoke this directly. The Jinyiwei had been monitoring him and knew his every move clearly.
Ding Wu was speechless. Last night’s bathhouse visit wasn’t really about bathing—it was because at dinner he’d discovered the neighbor boy had obvious “ill intentions” toward Banxia, so he went to the bathhouse to investigate Wang Daxia’s background.
But he couldn’t explain this reason to Lu Ying. Ding Wu said, “I won’t go to the bathhouse tonight.” He’d wash at home.
Lu Ying said, “You, an exile, went to the bathhouse to gather information about my subordinate? Don’t do such things again in the future. Return to Tieling with peace of mind. Wang Daxia is my man. Though he’s unreliable, he’s not a bad person.”
Lu Ying was protective of her own. Even when her father complained about Wang Daxia, she would gently push back, let alone against Ding Wu, an exile.
Ding Wu silently bowed his head, picked up the watermelon, and took his leave.
Returning home, Wei Caiwei was making Red Flower and Angelica Powder for women’s menstrual irregularities. Ding Wu cut up the watermelon: “Rest a while, eat some melon first.”
Wei Caiwei ate the watermelon while Ding Wu told her about encountering Lu Ying at the Tianshui Alley melon stall. “…Didn’t expect them to follow me even to take a bath.”
Not knowing Lu Ying was a woman, Wei Caiwei said, “Commander Lu speaks and acts in a rigid, methodical way. Sometimes she doesn’t show consideration for feelings, but she’s actually quite decent. When I disguised myself as a widow practicing medicine, she didn’t expose me.”
Ding Wu looked at the spirit tablet on the altar that read “Spirit of Deceased Husband Wang Erlang” and said, “Did you have to write Wang Erlang? It’s too much of a coincidence. Wang Yanei didn’t object when he learned the truth?”
Ding Wu would leave the day after tomorrow and was truly worried about this “big wolf dog” neighbor who was eyeing his little sister Banxia with predatory intent.
“The character ‘er’ is the simplest to write, so I just wrote it down casually.” Wei Caiwei said, “He didn’t ask me to change the spirit tablet’s name, so he probably doesn’t mind.”
Ding Wu was still worried: “Is it that he doesn’t mind, or does he have ulterior motives?”
“Stop overthinking and eat your melon.” Wei Caiwei stuffed a piece of watermelon into Ding Wu’s mouth. “I’m the flower of Tieling’s Xiangya Mountain. You’ve seen plenty of people who like me in Tieling. It’s not my fault that I’m beautiful and can make money. It’s perfectly normal for the young man next door to want to look at me more. But he’s the son of a Qianhu, and I belong to the category of female doctors among gossiping women. Like you, I remain single, don’t think of marriage, and we both understand clearly what we want. We’re not trapped by worldly concerns or going with the flow to marry and have children. So why, when it comes to Wang Daxia, does Big Brother Ding not trust me?”
Ding Wu, with a mouthful of watermelon juice, said, “Concern leads to confusion. I was wrong.”
Wei Caiwei had passed another test. She thought to herself: Wang Daxia, please behave yourself for a while and don’t make Ding Wu suspicious again.
The two were busy all day, with even their three meals bought by Ding Wu from outside despite the sweltering heat, having no time to cook.
Wang Daxia came home again in the evening, originally wanting to mooch dinner, but the two hadn’t cooked today and had already eaten the food Ding Wu bought. They were sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air and chatting.
Wang Daxia invited them again: “Tomorrow is Dragon Boat Festival. The capital’s twenty-four guards will compete in dragon boat races on the moat. You must come watch me win first place.”
Ding Wu, remembering Lu Ying’s warning, said, “I won’t go.”
Since Ding Wu would leave the day after tomorrow, Wei Caiwei naturally wouldn’t go either, saying, “The Jinyiwei have won first place every year recently. With you helping this year, I don’t need to watch—you’ll still be first.”
Wang Daxia was very disappointed: “Didn’t we agree yesterday? How did you change your minds?”
Because yesterday they didn’t know Lu Ying had set up a tea stall to monitor Ding Wu! Even going to the nearby bathhouse was inappropriate, let alone going to the crowded moat to watch dragon boat races.
Tomorrow would probably be packed with people.
Ding Wu wasn’t unreasonable and explained: “Exiles awaiting repatriation shouldn’t move around freely.”
Wang Daxia was determined to show off in front of Wei Caiwei, displaying his championship prowess—this was a rare opportunity not to be missed. He said, “You’re exiled, not imprisoned. You don’t need to draw a circle around yourself as a prison.”
Wei Caiwei said, “You’re a Jinyiwei member. You understand best what that tea stall in Tianshui Alley is about. ‘Don’t adjust your shoes in a melon field, don’t straighten your hat under plum trees.’ Big Brother Ding stays home with doors closed to avoid suspicion and not cause trouble for the Jinyiwei. How can you turn around and blame him for drawing a circle as his prison?”
Him, him, him—it’s always him!
Wang Daxia stamped his foot and actually ran away in a flash!
Such behavior… Only then did Ding Wu truly feel relieved. A restless half-grown boy—sister Banxia wouldn’t like him.
Wang Daxia didn’t go home next door but ran to the watermelon stall at the entrance of Tianshui Alley—due to too many customers buying watermelons, Lu Ying had given up selling tea and switched to selling watermelons.
Wang Daxia found Lu Ying: “Won’t the Jinyiwei allow Ding Wu to go out for a walk?”
Lu Ying said, “There’s no prohibition.”
Wang Daxia said, “This kind of surveillance makes Ding Wu afraid to go out. If Ding Wu doesn’t go out, Doctor Wei won’t go out, and tomorrow no one will watch me row dragon boats.”
Lu Ying pointed at herself: “Am I not a person? Isn’t my father a person?”
After all, it was a competition among the capital’s twenty-four guards concerning honor. The commanders of each guard would still make time to show their faces.
Wang Daxia said, “There’s a place by the moat with pavilions set up—it’s where the families of high officials and nobles watch the dragon boat races. Please ask Commander Lu to arrange two spots for them. I’ll be responsible for picking them up and dropping them off. That way there won’t be any problems, right?”
Lu Ying was somewhat hesitant—after all, it was better to avoid unnecessary complications.
Wang Daxia continued pleading with her: “I’ve been practicing hard for over ten days just to win once in front of people I know and gain some face. Look, I’m agitated and restless. What if it affects my performance and I fall behind? The Jinyiwei win first place every year—we absolutely cannot lose our reputation this year.”
Wang Daxia’s silver tongue finally moved Lu Ying’s sense of honor: “What nonsense are you talking? We must be first this year. I’ll arrange the seats, and you handle the transportation.”
Wang Daxia was overjoyed: “Commander Lu shows consideration for subordinates’ feelings. This subordinate will definitely serve Commander Lu faithfully, through fire and water, without hesitation!”
“I’m not asking you to go through fire—just row the dragon boat well first.”
Wang Daxia ran off happily to share the good news: “…It’s settled then. Tomorrow morning I’ll drive a carriage to pick you up.”
Since it was Lu Ying’s arrangement, Ding Wu didn’t decline.
Dragon Boat Festival.
Both banks of the moat were packed with people. The capital’s twenty-four guards were first divided into six groups for preliminary rounds of four-way competitions, selecting the first place from each group, with the final six dragon boats participating in the finals.
Wei Caiwei and Ding Wu didn’t have to squeeze together with common people. They sat in a viewing area by the riverbank with pavilions shielding them from the scorching sun.
The weather was particularly hot today. Even under the pavilions, sweat poured continuously. Several vendors selling ice bowls pushed carts and called out their wares, with customers flocking to them.
Ding Wu got up to buy ice bowls, but by the time the dragon boat races began, Wei Caiwei still hadn’t seen him return.
Author’s Note: I was 12 minutes late today, so I’m sending out 100 red envelopes to make up for it. First come, first served~