A sleepless night.

Early the next morning, just as the rooster crowed, the Medical Officials’ Court came alive with activity.

Chang Jin rose before dawn, dressed, and went to the kitchen early to brew a large pot of medicinal water. It contained herbs to strengthen the body and dispel evil influences, like peach leaves and fangfeng root. When the bitter fragrance wafted up from the decoction, he called for the medical officials staying in the court to come with their silver basins—bathing one’s hands in herbal water on the morning of the ceremony was tradition.

When Lu Tong went to fetch the medicinal water, she also brought a basin for Lin Danqing.

After returning to the room and placing the copper basin of medicine on the table, someone emerged from behind the screen.

Lin Danqing wore a light blue robe and skirt, her long hair tied high with a matching ribbon. A black belt cinched tightly at her waist, and as the hem of her robe swayed, black boots peeked out. The scholarly medical official’s robe looked elegant and refined, but on her, it had the flowing grace of a brush painting.

She spun in a circle before Lu Tong and asked, “How do I look?”

The Tianzhangtai ceremony would be grand and lively, keeping them busy for an entire day. During the day there would be red boat races at Changle Pool, with His Majesty watching the water games from the tower and hosting a feast for his officials. After the ceremony, there would be Nuo rituals at night. Most medical officials in the Medical Officials’ Court—especially the new ones—rarely had the chance to see His Majesty’s face, and were already getting excited.

The water pavilion was some distance from the water hall’s long seats, so people couldn’t hear clearly what the two of them were saying, but they could see their movements.

Just as they reached the doorway, they saw Chang Jin waiting outside with a group of medical officials. Upon seeing Lu Tong and her companion, Chang Jin urged, “We’ve been waiting for you two, hurry and get in the carriage.”

Her pride felt as if it had been doused with cold water, and she could barely maintain composure. However, Qi Yutai beside her was unaware of her dejection and chatted with others, seeming to be in a good mood today.

After Chang Jin checked everyone’s names, he led the group inside.

Crown Prince Yuanzhen was not among them.

However…

There were also two flying fish boats, decorated with intricate gold-lacquered paintings. On board were ceremonial officials in performance costumes, waving gongs, drums, and other musical instruments.

More and more officials took their seats around them, and guards began moving about on the red boats on Changle Pool. After some time, amid the bustling atmosphere, a ceremonial official announced loudly that His Majesty had arrived—

Just as she was thinking this, someone gently nudged her arm.

The red boats with banners gradually returned to the water pavilion. A music official in red robes emerged from the pavilion, holding a golden tray. He respectfully approached Pei Yunying and said with a low laugh, “These are hairpins with flowers. Please make your selection, Official Pei.”

Lu Tong: “It’s beautiful.”

These wildflowers looked extremely unremarkable, easily overlooked at first glance. And due to wind and rain, or perhaps deliberate trimming by the ceremonial officials, some flower stems had been cut, with scattered petals on the ground like a layer of fine snow.

The water pavilion was near the shore, with a long awning above and grassy ground below. Behind the music official, amid smoky green vegetation, there were untrimmed shrubs dotted with pure white, pale flowers swaying stubbornly in the wind.

Suddenly the crowd gasped again. Looking up, everyone saw that the two soldiers in red were already no match. With one thrust of Pei Yunying’s spear, the two had no chance to dodge and fell into the water with successive splashes. Seeing this, the young man under the flagpole smiled, casually flicking his spear to knock down the golden arrow hanging at the top of the pole, along with a small golden bow that both fell into his arms.

Hearing this, the Empress sitting beside the Emperor’s expression shifted slightly as she replied with an insincere smile: “Why is Yao’er so impatient? In the battle between two armies, the outcome isn’t certain until the very end. What’s the point of settling it so early? The one who laughs last wins.”

Beautiful buds of smoke struggle to bloom, and red pistils touch a spot of sandalwood at heart. The young lord returns drunk beneath lantern light, while the beauty pins flowers before her mirror at dawn… She had specifically worn this long dress embroidered with magnificent peonies because only such dignified and resplendent colors could do her justice.

On Changle Pool below the platform, among the competing red boats, two gradually pulled ahead of the pack, neck and neck with each other. As they drew closer to the marker boat, the lead soldier on one boat suddenly stood up and leaped toward the golden arrow on the marker boat’s flagpole.

Seeing this, the lead soldier on the other boat refused to be outdone and also jumped onto the marker boat, grabbing the first man’s leg and yanking him down from the flagpole.

The Imperial Medicine Court and Medical Officials’ Court had always had a delicate relationship. When the two sides met, their greetings were exceptionally polite. Then everyone pretended nothing had happened, turned away to talk amongst themselves, and stopped exchanging pleasantries.

“Wildflowers catch the eye, no need for peonies.”

Lu Tong also knelt in respect. When she raised her eyes, she caught a distant glimpse of Emperor Ming of Liang surrounded by people in the elevated hall.

At the water hall’s long seats, Qi Huaying sat beside Qi Yutai, her dress adorned with large magnificent peonies that made her shine like the most eye-catching beauty at the feast, drawing stolen glances from the male guests in the distance.

Soon after, the two soldiers that Pei Yunying’s spear had knocked down swam to the red boat and climbed aboard, both somewhat embarrassed. It was truly humiliating that the soldiers who had been expected to win the contest had been thrown into the water after just a few moves from the Commander.

“My Lord?”

Lu Tong turned her head as Lin Danqing nodded toward the distant seats: “Look.”

He hadn’t noticed her at all.

Emperor Ming of Liang looked very young.

“How about this one?” he asked the music official with a smile.

Lu Tong, who had been coldly observing since he entered the water pavilion, shifted her gaze slightly.

“Excellent! Excellent!”

Pei Yunying had already removed his official hat and replaced it with a black embroidered headband. He moved incredibly fast, treating the red boats beneath his feet as if they were solid ground. People only saw a blur before the young man appeared on the “contest” boat.

The Empress Dowager smiled: “This year is more lively than previous years.”

Chang Jin’s voice had changed pitch from excitement, and Lin Danqing was also cheering while pounding the table. All around Changle Pool, there was a cacophony of gongs and drums.

What’s interesting about just watching boats race? You need to see some action—it’s better when they fight!

The two soldiers on the boat were evenly matched in skill. Just as one would reach for the arrow, the other would follow closely. The red boat rocked back and forth, splashing water droplets into the air. Soldiers on both sides waved flags and shouted encouragement, while other boats moved forward to block them. The spectators on shore cheered and applauded, but the golden arrow on the red boat remained unmoved.

The Empress stroked her fingernail guards and joined in the laughter, saying: “Mother Empress speaks true. This one still remembers the third day of the third month of military review years ago, when willow branches were arranged around the polo field and soldiers on horseback shot at them. Commander Pei hit the ball with every arrow, unmatched in showing off.”

Even with a veil covering her face, and even though due to Qi Qing’s connections this seating area had no outsiders except for Qi Yutai accompanying her, she still felt uncomfortable and unwilling to share space with these mixed crowds. Those admiring gazes brought her no pride, only increasing irritation.

Lu Tong gazed intently.

Pei Yunying stood indifferently, not looking over.

“Wonderful! Beautiful! How spectacular!”

Being closer to the water pavilion, Qi Huaying also saw the peony on the golden tray in front of Pei Yunying.

Lu Tong sat among the water hall’s long seats, expressionlessly listening to the deafening cheers beside her. Suddenly hearing exclamations from the front and an especially high-pitched scream from Chang Jin next to her, she frowned and looked up, then froze.

Qi Huaying in the water hall seats also stared wide-eyed.

The woman raised her eyes, but the person high in the tower had never once looked in this direction.

Another round of applause and cheers erupted from the surroundings.

Truly fully engaged.

Lin Danqing pressed something back to her: “Sister Lu, you should eat too. The ceremony will keep us busy all day, and with so many people at the feast, sometimes for appearance’s sake, we can’t eat properly. You don’t know since this is your first ceremony, but I came once before with my father and was starving by the end. My stomach was touching my back!”

The soldier said with a laugh: “My Lord, why not choose this peony? Noble and elegant, extraordinarily beautiful—it’s the most gorgeous flower on this tray!”

During celebrations, feasts, and ceremonial banquets in the Liang Dynasty, it was customary to bestow royal flowers to be worn on silk caps or chests. Today these royal flowers were granted by the palace to the water game soldiers as a mark of honor.

“Be careful.”

The spectators grew even more excited.

Lin Danqing sat up straight and sighed: “Love brings harm to people.”

Qi Huaying had arrived too.

Pei Yunying looked for a long while, then suddenly reached past the music official and bent down to pick up a fallen white flower from the ground.

Lin Danqing watched excitedly, nearly rolling up her sleeves to join in herself, her screams making even Lu Tong somewhat uncomfortable. Looking at Chang Jin beside them, he too was excited, raising his cup and repeatedly shouting praise, no longer maintaining his usual refined and proper demeanor.

Next door sat people from the Imperial Medicine Court.

The cheers from the crowd suddenly grew more intense.

She had deliberately dressed up today, choosing a dress that was both magnificent and elegantly dignified. When taking her seat, she had carefully calculated every inch so that when she sat down, the person up in the tower would catch her most beautiful profile.

The blue-robed oarsmen rowed hard, pulling the red boats carrying the red-robed soldiers forward. Gongs and drums rang out over the pool as multiple red boats surged forward together, like arrows shooting toward their target. The red boats crisscrossed in the first half, like two armies engaging in battle.

The atmosphere suddenly became heated.

In his early forties, wearing a bright yellow robe embroidered with colored clouds and golden dragons, crowned with a golden ceremonial hat whose hanging pearls obscured the emperor’s expression but couldn’t diminish his imperial presence. His complexion was somewhat pale, giving him a somewhat gloomy appearance.

“In that case, Official Pei should join in and teach these soldiers what ‘competing for the marker’ truly means.”

As the years passed, he had grown more handsome, though his temperament had become more steady, making one somewhat miss how he used to be.

The red boat competition on Changle Pool grew intense, the situation becoming clearer when viewed from above.

Actually, by rights, although Cui Min had gotten into trouble, Lu Tong’s previous suspension and the handling of her earlier incident had been rather ambiguous. But now that she was diagnosing Qi Yutai, and the Medical Officials’ Court was temporarily under Chang Jin’s leadership, Chang Jin thought it over and decided that since the ceremony was just for entertainment anyway, after consulting with Ji Xun, he added Lu Tong’s name back to the list.

“Bang—”

He smiled and raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping almost imperceptibly over the crowd in the water hall seats before returning to rest on the hibiscus flower between his fingers.

In his brocade official’s hat and straight, heroic bearing, he was remarkably handsome and distinguished. Though appearing modest and courteous, he had effortlessly overshadowed the princes at His Majesty’s side without seeming to do anything.

He cupped his hands: “Yes.”

Pei Yunying stepped back and said with a smile: “I shouldn’t be competing for the marker today. Since His Majesty is in high spirits, the flower pins should be left for the red boat soldiers.”

A neighboring medical official laughed: “Lin is just scaring Lu. How could the palace let you go hungry?”

Emperor Ming of Liang raised his hand to excuse everyone from paying respects and took his seat on the high platform. To his left and right were the Empress Dowager and Empress, followed by the Third Prince, Second Prince, Fourth Prince, and several princesses.

The music official was taken aback by his unexpected choice of not selecting from the golden tray, and could only remind him hesitantly: “My Lord, that’s a hibiscus flower…”

Currently, the court was divided into two factions, with supporters gathering around the Crown Prince and Third Prince respectively, and relations were far from cordial.

The golden ball fell in a splash of color and struck true with one hit.

A trace of disappointment flashed secretly in Qi Huaying’s eyes.

Pei Yunying looked up, but Emperor Ming had already turned away, listlessly watching the pool below.

Lu Tong paused slightly.

Young men of Chang’an serve in the Imperial Guard, riding and shooting arrows while attending to the wise emperor.

When the obvious and hidden struggles were brought to the surface, Emperor Ming’s expression turned displeased. The Empress Dowager beside him spoke up to smooth things over: “Although the red boat competition is exciting, this year’s competing soldiers truly aren’t as good as in previous years.” She glanced at the young man standing beside Emperor Ming and smiled as she spoke: “In this old one’s view if Commander Pei were competing, he would have captured the golden ball and ended the contest with the burning of an incense stick.”

On the table, the porcelain pot still contained some chrysanthemum wine, chrysanthemum cakes, and Double Ninth Festival cakes—the Double Ninth Festival had just passed. Each jar of chrysanthemum wine had a vase of small chrysanthemum bouquets, yellow and red, particularly gorgeous.

The imperial family sat high in the pavilion above the water hall, where they could view all of Changle Pool’s scenery—the perfect position for watching the water performances.

Third Prince Yuan Yao laughed and said, “Two incense sticks have burned, yet these two soldiers still haven’t determined a winner—this is dragging on rather long.”

As they chatted idly like this, the journey passed quickly, the carriage swaying gently until they soon reached their destination.

The two of them walked side by side whispering, not noticing that up in the tower, the young man had briefly glanced in their direction before quickly averting his gaze.

No one expected Pei Yunying to pick up a flower.

In the water pavilion, the young man looked down at the array of flower pins before him, pondering for a moment before reaching toward the golden tray.

This was Lu Tong’s first clear view of the legendary Son of Heaven’s sacred countenance.

Up in the pavilion, Emperor Ming of Liang stood with his hands behind his back, watching the scene below. Infected by the intense drumming, his pale face gained a touch of color.

The crowd instantly fell silent as the officials bowed and knelt.

Lu Tong pulled back from her thoughts and looked toward the distance.

Seeing that she seemed genuinely hungry, Lu Tong gave her egg to her as well.

The young man held the hibiscus flower between his fingers, giving it a slight turn. The snow-white blossom was as delicate as moonlight, unfurling gracefully in his hand.

The winner of the “marker competition” should be the first to choose a flower pin.

At the shore guard’s command, suddenly “multiple arrows launched together”—the surface of the water filled with an unending chorus of drums, cheers, and performance songs. Changle Pool became a spectacular scene, with drum music like metal and stone, churning waters like leaping fish, and clashing dragons.

Perhaps now it wasn’t about love, but rather a touch of unwillingness. She had always been the one looking down on others—how could others look down on her first?

She had already seen Pei Yunying.

Now the red boats surrounded him in a circle, with intense drumming from the boats and cheers from the crowd on shore. In the distance, the bank was a sweep of green with pomegranate flowers competing in beauty. The handsome young man with fine eyebrows held his bow with arrow nocked, aiming at the golden ball hanging on the distant shore—

The music official was stunned, unsure what to do for a moment, then thought and said: “But my lord has hit the golden ball, you should choose a flower pin.”

The water hall competition was established by the late emperor, and every year during the hundred performances at Shenbao Hall, this event had to be included. The late emperor had been bold and forthright in temperament, while Emperor Ming of Liang was completely different—quiet and reserved. After the late emperor’s passing, each year’s ceremony felt somewhat diminished without an emperor enjoying the water hall festivities with his subjects. As for this year, with the ceremony and Nuo rituals combined, preparations had been made more grandly.

“Commander Pei, Commander Pei is joining in!”

She became proud: “Of course, you’re not bad yourself.”

Hearing this, everyone in the pavilion turned to look at the young man behind Emperor Ming.

Everyone in the pavilion paused.

Behind Emperor Ming stood a young man.

With her reminder, people suddenly recalled Pei Yunying’s gallant figure years ago, riding and shooting on the polo field. He had been even younger then, like a newly unsheathed precious sword, unable to conceal his dazzling brilliance.

On these red boats, each carried fifteen to twenty soldiers in red robes, with large red banners at the prow, accompanied by dozens of tiger-head boats whose crew wore blue short garments and blue headbands, rowing in unison.

The young man smiled and raised his hand to remove the black gold-embroidered headband from his forehead, his spirited appearance gleaming in the sunlight, bringing to mind a line of poetry—

The audience fell silent for a moment, then erupted in tremendous cheers and applause.

Pei Yunying wore a dark green brocade official robe with dark hawk patterns, and an official hat on his head. His figure was as clean-cut as the beautiful silver-mounted sword at his waist, radiating heroic spirit, sharp and handsome—truly outstanding at first glance.

The group hurriedly boarded the carriage, with Lu Tong, Lin Danqing, and several other medical officials sitting together. Having risen a bit late that morning, Lin Danqing peeled several eggs with green shells in the carriage to fill their stomachs beforehand.

“That Miss Qi never used to attend the ceremony celebrations, yet today she’s here in full dress. I noticed earlier she stole five or six glances up at that tower. Surely she couldn’t have been looking at His Majesty! That would be quite interesting.”

The two immediately engaged in combat on the marker boat.

That hand with its distinct joints was long and jade-like, pausing for a moment over the purple-red silk peony before withdrawing.

If Pei Yunying had taken that peony…

Lin Danqing sat beside her and explained: “The flying fishboats carry music officials who will perform water puppet shows and such. The tiger-head boats are towing the red boats—the ‘marker competition’ is about to begin.”

Tables had been set up at the martial arts grounds, laden with fine wine and dishes, with designated places for each department. The Medical Officials’ Court’s location was rather remote. Chang Jin led everyone to sit at the corner table, and as soon as they sat down, greetings came from the neighboring seats.

The audience watched intently, with even refined officials shouting until their faces turned red and their necks swelled. Qi Huaying sat amid the hall’s cheers, suddenly feeling her heart flutter like the red tassel on that spear, rising and falling with its bearer’s movements.

“Excellent! Excellent!”

The golden tray held various delicate flowers arranged by rank—silver-red large silk flowers, mixed-color Phoenix tree branches, silver-red large silk flowers… There was also a purple-red silk peony, its petals full and luxuriant like a beauty’s drunken countenance, of national beauty and heavenly fragrance.

This Commander Pei accompanied His Majesty’s left and right—from his position, he should easily be able to see her.

In an instant, Lu Tong understood that as Commander of the Palace Guards, Pei Yunying naturally should accompany Emperor Ming of Liang’s side during banquets, protecting the emperor’s safety.

She looked toward Emperor Ming again.

This was far more exciting than the water puppets on the dragon boats earlier.

The young man raised his eyebrows, about to say something when his gaze suddenly paused.

Lu Tong scanned the surroundings but didn’t see Ji Xun’s shadow. She figured Ji Xun’s position wouldn’t be here—given his rank, he might be seated closer to the front.

Lu Tong’s thoughts stirred slightly.

Changle Pool stretched boundlessly, with performance officials from the Music Bureau giving introductions at the front of a large boat. Then the drummers in the pool’s water pavilion began their drumming, and amid the intense beats, dozens of small red boats dispersed, arranging themselves neatly along the edges of Changle Pool.

Some people held wine cups while watching the young man on the distant red boat, complimenting those beside them: “The young master’s bearing is peerless, with the air of one who could pierce the heavens. Commander Pei has truly done well in raising his son.”

The light shone with full brilliance.

Suddenly, a figure swept across the surface of Changle Pool, wearing familiar dark green patterned brocade robes. His movements were light and beautiful, like a bluebird spreading its wings across the water—as the wind passed and the water stirred, only ripples remained on the surface.

She unconsciously looked down at her dress.

The carriage stopped, and as Lu Tong’s group alighted, they saw numerous carriages already parked outside the palace corridor.

The Commander’s skills were too good—you can’t blame them!

Following her gaze, Lu Tong saw a young lady sitting gracefully in the inner part of the long hall, not far from the high tower. Though wearing a veil, it couldn’t diminish her elegant nobility and refined fragrance—one glance showed her distinguished background.

Upon entering the martial grounds, Lu Tong looked up to see a vast pool stretching endlessly before the spacious plaza, with water pavilions already constructed above. Dozens or hundreds of elaborately decorated red boats were moored at the water’s edge.

Emperor Ming of Liang looked at Pei Yunying for a long while, then suddenly twisted his lips into a smile, his tone somewhat strange, thinking of something unknown.

As he approached, the two who were fighting fiercely under the bamboo pole seemed to sense the approaching crisis. They immediately set aside their differences to face the common enemy, grabbing performance spears from the shore and charging at him from left and right.

The “marker competition” was the highlight of the water performance.

On the other side, Lin Danqing was whispering in Lu Tong’s ear.

Pei Yunying lowered his gaze to look.

Seeing Lu Tong’s silence, she consoled her: “Though the food may be sparse, the entertainment is excellent. In the water hall at Changle Pool, you can see all sorts of water performances—water puppets, water swings… and the Nuo rituals, which you can’t see anywhere else!”

Pei Yunying stood listening to the Empress Dowager’s praise without other reaction, only smiling and nodding: “Thank you for your kind words, Empress Dowager.”

Long spears thrust at him from both sides, but Pei Yunying remained unconcerned. Without using his sword, he casually picked up a red-tasseled spear from the performance rack to block them. The spearhead moved like a meteor, its red silk brilliant as brocade, leaving viewers dazzled by its rapid movements.

The music official was stunned.

Lin Danqing turned her head: “Though not lacking, it’s still not as comfortable as being at home.”

Now that the Crown Prince was under house arrest and His Majesty had divided military power to give to the Chen family of the Third Prince’s maternal relatives, the Empress was very anxious.

Today was the Tianzhangtai ceremony. Lu Tong had returned to the Medical Officials’ Court the night before to depart with everyone early in the morning.

Duke Zhao’ning Pei Di lowered his head to drink, his expression bland, offering no response.

Before long, the cluster of red boats on Changle Pool began to stir with activity. A medical official beside them excitedly exclaimed: “Look, the water performance is about to begin!”

The hibiscus is lowly, blooming in the morning and falling by dusk, withering in an instant. The gardens of wealthy families would not deign to keep such wildflowers, which was precisely why the wild hibiscus along Changle Pool had all been cut away.

Around the water hall on the shore were banner-shooting ceremonial guards and the like—this would be where the various departments would compete later.

Qi Huaying frowned uncomfortably.

In the center of Changle Pool, a military student held a long pole with a golden arrow hanging from it. Whichever red boat reached the destination first and obtained the golden arrow, then shot the colored ball on the shore with it, would win the “marker capture.”

Sadly, though all the male guests at the feast were struck by her beauty when she raised her sleeve to lift her cup and secretly glanced up at the tower, she still felt deeply disappointed.

“I just like hibiscus,” he said.

“Wildflowers catch the eye, no need for peonies”—from “Notes from a Small Window”