Summer departed, and autumn arrived. Crimson leaves blanketed the entire city of Chang’an, and everyone had begun new lives. Ah’man opened a store selling musical instruments like the pipa and the yao zither. She and her sisters from the Teaching Academy had no possessions and knew no other trade except playing instruments, so she simply made this her livelihood. Ah’man would boldly play the pipa in her shop to attract customers. Her pipa skills were already quite good, and with her reputation preceding her, customers soon flooded in like clouds, and she no longer worried about business.
Guo Xu returned to his hometown, burying Guo Qinwei’s head in the ancestral grave. When Guo Xu returned home, he brought along the spy from the Investigation Department named Lü Mei. Guo Qinwei’s elderly mother had already died of grief when Guo Xu was exiled, leaving only Guo’s wife at home. Guo’s wife did not look down on Lü Mei’s humble origins and arranged for the two to marry. Lü Mei soon became pregnant. Guo Xu brought Lü Mei to Guo Qinwei’s grave, where they kowtowed together, tearfully sharing this good news with Guo Qinwei.
He Shisan and the other youths used their elder brothers’ bereavement allowances to find masters, studying martial arts daily. They were only waiting until they came of age to enlist at the border and continue serving the Great Zhou.
The imperial court had also changed. With no more obstacles to the new policies, His Majesty decreed that examination papers would be submitted anonymously and allowed merchants and their descendants to participate in the imperial examinations. This policy, on one hand, eliminated the possibility of cheating in the examinations as examiners could no longer select candidates based on family background and reputation. On the other hand, it expanded the range of commoners who could participate in the examinations. From this point on, the Great Zhou truly entered an era where talent was the only criterion for selection.
Yu Fuwei was delighted upon hearing this news. He ceased his ghost merchant business and chose to seclude himself, reviewing poetry and literature daily with great ambition, preparing to win first place in the jinshi examination in the first month.
Yu Fuwei’s aspiration had always been to support those in danger and stabilize the nation, serving with utmost loyalty. After waiting for more than twenty years, he finally had the opportunity to display his talents. He would not miss it again.
Compared to such major changes in the court, the mysterious disappearance of Wang Xuan, the Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate and Court Diarist, whom the Metropolitan Prefecture searched for without success, was merely an insignificant matter.
In early autumn, new fermented wine in green bottles and a small red clay stove should have made for an elegant occasion. However, Li Ying did not permit Cui Xun to drink, so only a pot of White Dew tea was warmed on the small red clay stove.
Li Ying rested her chin on her hand, watching Cui Xun write in semi-cursive script. After Li Ying’s consolation, Cui Xun had decided to leave the past behind and follow Li Ying to find solace in mountains and waters, traveling to every corner of the Great Zhou to help her assist the common people. His mindset had undergone some changes, no longer as depressed and tense as before, but gradually becoming unburdened. The semi-cursive script he couldn’t write before, he could now produce. Li Ying took the White Dew tea from the small red clay stove, scooped an orange-red cup of tea with a long-handled silver spoon, and handed it to Cui Xun, saying, “This calligraphy has seven or eight parts of Liu Songbai’s elegance. It’s much better than the piece you wrote for Zhang Hongyi back then.”
Cui Xun put down his wolf-hair brush, accepted the White Dew tea, and sipped it slowly. He examined his semi-cursive script and said, “What I wrote before was better.”
Li Ying said, “When we go to Yangzhou and Wu Commandery, you will become the Cui Xun from six years ago.”
What was Cui Xun like six years ago? Li Ying had never seen him then, but she had heard about him from Guo Qinwei’s accounts. He was probably like a silver saddle gleaming on a white horse, galloping like a flowing star. She hadn’t met him at his most splendid moment, but rather at his most wretched time. She didn’t feel regretful about this. Whether splendid or wretched, he was still himself. She wouldn’t dwell on past glory and lament present misfortune, as that would only hurt him and herself. What deserved her attention should be their present and future together, not the past.
Cui Xun smiled slightly and nodded, “Yes.”
He also eagerly looked forward to going with her to Yangzhou and Wu Commandery soon, to begin a new life.
In the lingering fragrance of White Dew tea, Li Ying looked at Cui Xun’s writing of “Leisure dreams of Southern rivers on the day plums ripen” and said, “Isn’t the next line ‘Night boat listening to flutes as rain whispers’?”
“Yes.”
Li Ying smiled, “Then let me write the next line.”
Cui Xun smiled and picked up a pine-smoke ink stick to grind ink for her. But before the ink was fully ground, an unexpected visitor arrived at the mansion.
It was Lu Huai.
After Lu Yumin’s death, Lu Huai had been quite melancholy for a period. People at court constantly impeached him to the Empress Dowager and Emperor Longxing because he was Lu Yumin’s nephew. All these memorials were suppressed by the Empress Dowager. Under her full protection, Lu Huai gradually reorganized his emotions. With such an enlightened ruler, if he continued to dwell on the past, he would not only fail the Empress Dowager and himself but also Lu Yumin, who had regarded him as the hope of the Lu clan from Fanyang.
So Lu Huai returned to his position as Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, continuing to uphold his principle of “rewarding those who serve loyally and beneficially, even if they are enemies; punishing those who violate laws and are negligent, even if they are relatives.” However, when he heard that Cui Xun had suddenly resigned from office, he was quite astonished.
He hesitated for many days but finally brought a pot of wine to visit Cui Xun.
Li Ying saw the wine in Lu Huai’s hand from the raised window and immediately warned Cui Xun, “You are not allowed to drink.”
Cui Xun’s health had just improved, and she didn’t want all their efforts to be wasted.
Cui Xun’s lips curled up as he promised her. He rose to welcome Lu Huai, recalling that the last time Lu Huai entered the Cui mansion was when Cui Xun had become a prisoner, supervised by the Court of Judicial Review. Although only a few months had passed, everything had changed.
Upon entering the study, the first thing Lu Huai saw was the small red clay stove and the White Dew tea on it.
He raised the green fermented wine in his hand, “With a small red clay stove, why not have some green fermented wine?”
Cui Xun shook his head. “I apologize, but I’m unwell and cannot drink alcohol.”
Lu Huai was stunned for a moment, then awkwardly said, “When I was promoted to Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, I sent Deputy Minister Cui a lotus wine vessel. That was my mistake. I hope Deputy Minister Cui can forgive me.”
He thought Cui Xun held a grudge against him for this, but Cui Xun replied, “Was there such a thing? I’ve forgotten.”
Lu Huai looked up in surprise. Cui Xun’s expression was as calm as water. Lu Huai suddenly smiled, “Oh, I remembered wrongly. There was no such thing.”
He then noticed the white hemp paper on the table with the words “Leisure dreams of Southern rivers on the day plums ripen” and said, “Is Deputy Minister Cui already planning to go to the South? The South is wonderful. ‘Spring waters bluer than the sky, painting boats sleep to the sound of rain’ – it’s a good place for seclusion.”
Cui Xun sighed deeply and said, “Deputy Minister Lu, you and I have never had much of a relationship.”
Lu Huai was startled. Cui Xun continued flatly, “So, what have you come to ask for my help with today? Just state it directly.”
Cui Xun’s bluntness made Lu Huai immediately feel embarrassed and awkward. This made Li Ying, who was watching from the side, burst into laughter. Though Cui Xun didn’t talk much, when he did speak, he could be quite harsh, often infuriating upright gentlemen with thin skin like Lu Huai. But since Cui Xun had been extremely gentle with her after they fell in love, she had almost forgotten this side of him.
Lu Huai’s face turned red. Looking at him, Li Ying felt a bit sorry for him. After all, Lu Huai had contributed greatly to the Heavenly Guard case. Although he was Lu Yumin’s nephew and had repeatedly humiliated Cui Xun before, one thing is one thing, and his merits probably outweighed his faults.
So Li Ying leaned forward and gently blew into Cui Xun’s ear, saying, “Don’t be too harsh.”
Cui Xun felt a tingling sensation in his earlobe, and his face also reddened instantly. With Lu Huai present, he couldn’t reveal his feelings, so he just coughed lightly, signaling Li Ying not to tease him anymore.
Fortunately, Lu Huai was lowering his head to drink the White Dew tea, completely immersed in his embarrassment, and didn’t notice Cui Xun’s unusual reaction. After taking several sips of the tea, Lu Huai put down the cup and determined, “Indeed, I do have a matter requiring Deputy Minister Cui’s assistance.”
Cui Xun asked, “What matter?”
“Wang Xuan, the Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate, has been missing since he attended court seven days ago. He only left a letter saying he was eloping with a courtesan. Deputy Minister Cui, are you aware of this?”
“I’ve heard something about it.”
“His Majesty was furious and appointed the Metropolitan Prefect to investigate Wang Xuan’s whereabouts, but after seven consecutive days of investigation, they found nothing.” Lu Huai was deeply worried, “I also sent armed attendants to investigate, but to no avail.”
Lu Huai sighed, “Boyan is my close friend. His elderly mother, wife, and children at home are crying uncontrollably. I truly can’t bear it. I know the Investigation Department has eyes and ears throughout Chang’an, so I want to ask Deputy Minister Cui to help me find Boyan’s whereabouts.”
Is Lu Huai coming to ask for his help? This was like the sun rising from the west.
Despite Lu Huai’s plea, Cui Xun politely declined, “I have resigned from office, and although my replacement has not yet taken up the position, I should not interfere in court matters. Moreover, with the Metropolitan Prefecture and Court of Judicial Review already involved, I cannot overstep my boundaries.”
Lu Huai became somewhat anxious, “Although the Metropolitan Prefecture and Court of Judicial Review are involved, when it comes to gathering intelligence and surveillance, none can compare to the Investigation Department.”
The Investigation Department was established precisely to monitor officials’ activities, specializing in covert operations. It could be said that even if a court official hosted a few guests for dinner at night, the Investigation Department could find out every detail. This was why Lu Huai had put aside his pride to seek Cui Xun’s help.
Cui Xun still shook his head. He had no interest in investigating the whereabouts of an official who had eloped with a courtesan. Lu Huai gritted his teeth, “Deputy Minister Cui, I know I’ve wronged you before, but Boyan’s disappearance is suspicious. He is a timid and cautious person. How would he abandon his wife and children to elope with a prostitute? I can guarantee that the elopement story is false! I hope Deputy Minister Cui can set aside his grudge against me and help me find Boyan.”
Hearing this, Cui Xun frowned slightly. If what Lu Huai said was true, and Wang Xuan hadn’t eloped with a prostitute, then the sudden disappearance of an Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate was indeed suspicious. But was what Lu Huai said true? So he asked, “Deputy Minister Lu, how long has it been since you last saw Wang Xuan?”
Lu Huai hesitated, then lowered his head, “Since my uncle’s death, I’ve had no heart to attend court. It’s been over a month since I last saw Boyan.”
“Then how can you judge that the elopement story is false?”
After all, Lu Huai was someone who couldn’t even discern whether his uncle was loyal or treacherous. He placed too much emphasis on sentiment and loyalty, but sometimes, these often blinded his eyes.
Lu Huai pressed his lips together. “No, the elopement story is false!”