Chapter 55

Chapter 55

The convoy traveled for another three or four days, finally entering Suzhou City slowly and leisurely.

The soft dialect of Wu, the fragrance of lotus seeds.

In Yu Jing Shui Leng Street, gold, jade, rouge, and powder piled up to create overwhelming wealth and luxury, while inside the city of Suzhou in Jiangnan, it's the pools of water and swirling mist that conjure up a sense of delicate tenderness and gentle emotions.

Wang Xiuyu had sent a letter early on to the manager of their Suzhou estate. Rong Tang, not wishing to stay at the estate, had them purchase a house in the city for him, as per his request, just across the street from the residence of the Suzhou Prefect.

On the second day after Rong Tang moved in, the Suzhou Prefect, Jiang Shanxing, came to visit early in the morning but was turned away.

Rong Tang, excited about the new environment, couldn't sleep all night. As soon as dawn broke, he eagerly dragged Su Huaijing out to roam around Suzhou City.

Back when he was in the capital, he often opened the system space map, sneakily marking and discussing with the system where he hadn't visited yet, where he could visit again, and where he should go purely for leisure, without any official business.

Rong Tang always thought this task was simple. Once completed, he believed fate would grant him a new body, and he could travel the great Jiangnan all by himself.

But each time, his plans fell through midway. Forget about going out for fun; whether enduring hardships for a few days or facing life-threatening situations, fate might make him cough up blood to heighten his sense of crisis, leaving Rong Tang with no leisure time to wander the streets.

Yet, when he finally went out, he was so happy. Sitting in the largest restaurant in Suzhou City, gazing out the window at the graceful dance and singing on the distant lake boats, and then looking down at the vendors selling lotus pods under straw hats, his good mood from the morning dissipated instantly.

In the building, there was a specially brewed green plum wine. Su Huaijing sniffed its fragrance and, for the first time, poured a cup for Rong Tang.

The sweet aroma of the wine brought Rong Tang back to his senses. He blinked, looking somewhat dazedly at Su Huaijing, yet he didn't touch the slender wine cup.

Su Huaijing said, "It won't intoxicate you, you can have a little."

When he said a little, it was always just that. Except for the day of his marriage on March 18th, when Rong Tang had a bit of wine, he hadn't dared to touch it since, fearing it might again provoke the villain to coldly interrogate him in madness.

But Su Huaijing had personally poured him the wine, and it seemed a loss not to drink it.

Hesitating, Rong Tang picked up the cup and sipped lightly, his eyes constantly observing Su Huaijing, ready for any sudden change in his expression.

Su Huaijing, feeling scrutinized, couldn’t help but laugh and asked, “What kind of person do you see me as, Tang Tang?”

Rong Tang thought for a moment: “A very fierce person.”

Su Huaijing’s brows quirked slightly, his eyes playfully amused, “When have I ever been fierce to Tang Tang?”

Rong Tang silently counted in his mind:

When I went to meet Shen Feiyi, during my wedding when I drank, when Rong Zheng brought gifts to my courtyard, when I fainted in Song Garden... and you even locked me up recently!

You say I have a poor memory, but your memory is even more outrageous!

The more Rong Tang thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. He glared at him and, feeling indignant, turned his head and took an unusually large sip of wine.

Su Huaijing watched in shock, his eyes flashing, beginning to doubt himself somewhat.

Could it be that he was truly harsh to Tang Tang?

Before he could finish recalling, Rong Tang put down his wine cup, still seemingly longing, licked his lips and said softly, "Forget it, I was just joking."

Su Huaijing: “?”

Rong Tang said, "You're a very cute and kind little friend."

In the scorching summer, the blazing sun scattered the clouds, willows on the riverbank drooped, the lake's surface reflected glimmering light, vendors called out in the local dialect below, while soft Wu songs and music filled the inside.

Su Huaijing watched Rong Tang for a moment, then smiled softly: "Thank you for the compliment, my lord."

Rong Tang's ears gradually turned red. He told himself it was the alcohol's doing, unprincipledly blaming it on the possibly less than five degrees green plum wine.

The cuisine in Jiangnan tends to be sweet. Rong Tang found it decent but unremarkable. Remembering Su Huaijing's preference, he specifically asked the waiter to recommend several sweet dishes, and after the meal, they had two plates of desserts.

One plate was crispy fried lotus pastries, the other was golden shrimp balls.

Rong Tang ate the shrimp balls one by one, contentedly watching Su Huaijing pick up a lotus pastry and eat it slowly and methodically.

He noticed that Su Huaijing ate very elegantly, much more refined than himself – neither wolfing down food nor being pretentiously delicate. Just sitting there eating a common pastry, he was a pleasant sight.

Rong Tang observed that when Su Huaijing ate the lotus pastry, even the crumbs fell less than others.

He remarked to the system that Su Huaijing, having received royal etiquette training since childhood, truly stood out. The system rolled its virtual eyes at him, increasingly unwilling to entertain its host.

Su Huaijing didn't speak. After finishing a lotus pastry and seeing Rong Tang push the plate towards him again, a smile appeared on his face. He didn’t eat more, instead asking, "Does Tang Tang want to continue shopping in the afternoon?"

They had spent the morning shopping, buying fashionable Jiangnan fabrics, jewelry, and makeup as gifts for the princess consort. The rest of their purchases were storybooks and snacks.

Rong Tang, sitting in the chair, saw Su Huaijing had no intention of eating more and, with a slight sense of regret, lowered his eyes. He swallowed the last of his golden shrimp ball, then shook his head: "No, I want to go back and sleep."

Su Huaijing, ever indulgent, passed him a napkin to wipe his mouth and nodded, "Then I'll take you back."

As Rong Tang rubbed his stomach, about to agree, he sharply sensed an underlying meaning in Su Huaijing's words and furrowed his brows, asking, "Are you going out this afternoon?"

Su Huaijing smiled and nodded, prompting Rong Tang to ask, "Where to?"

"Jiangnan is known for its fish and rice. In Suzhou, there are many grain shops that have been in business for generations. Now, as we approach the season of abundance with the autumn harvest nearing, rice is cheap. I thought to take Shuangshou out to buy some," Su Huaijing candidly explained.

Rong Tang was stunned for a long while.

Outside, the singing over the water continued, while inside, the comings and goings never ceased, with silks and satins flowing endlessly. The water level of the Lianhu Lake rose, unbeknownst to the city's people, unaware of what was to come.

Rong Tang's throat felt dry, his head slightly dizzy. He wondered if it was because of that cup of green plum wine.

He asked, "Why buy rice?"

With the autumn harvest imminent, the rice on the market would soon become old. Although grain merchants were eager to sell, the prices wouldn't be much cheaper. If Su Huaijing wanted to do business, buying rice from them wasn’t as good as purchasing the latest crop directly from the villages.

Su Huaijing's eyes curved with a smile. The villain from the original novel, who regarded human life as worthless, asked with a laugh, "Has Tang Tang not realized yet?"

"I said I wanted you to be happy, I said we are spouses, and I should bear half of all your burdens." He spoke the answer slowly, his smile calm and natural, adorning his stunningly clear face. It was more captivating than the misty waters of Suzhou, "You wanted to come to Jiangnan to escape the heat, and I strive to ensure that's all you have to do."

"If I can't manage that, don’t blame me, and don't feel guilty," Su Huaijing softly told him, his phoenix eyes clear, seeing things more clearly than any mandarin in the Golden Hall.

He knew they couldn’t save many people.

A natural disaster couldn’t be changed. They held no official positions. If Prince Ning Xuan himself came to Jiangnan, he might be able to influence the governor, but a twenty-year-old heir coming from afar was expected only to be well-hosted. Interfering in political affairs would be overstepping.

The two of them, with four hands combined and not even forty years of age between them, trying to save tens of thousands of lives, would be a delusional fantasy, far beyond their capabilities.

Rong Tang wanted to try, and Su Huaijing agreed to try with him, reminding him beforehand, "If we can't do it, don't feel guilty."

If they could save even one person, their long journey would not be meaningless.

Rong Tang gazed at Su Huaijing, the early summer sun in June streaming through the window, casting a glow on Su Huaijing’s face. He suddenly realized that even when he thought he knew Su Huaijing well, this man could still surprise him immensely at unexpected moments.

He couldn’t understand why such a person should be repeatedly hurt until forced into darkness.

A wave of bitterness swept over Rong Tang, and swallowing hard, he said, "I’ll join you in this."

The system silently sighed, becoming increasingly humanized.

In its three-dimensional virtual space, watching the two pixel-like figures, it wanted to ask its host, [Didn’t you say you weren’t going to be a savior anymore?]

Why burden yourself again with so much?

But it couldn’t ask, instead once more scrutinizing the great villain who was supposed to stand against the heavenly way.

It realized it no longer knew what was right or wrong.

-

On the fourth day after Rong Tang moved into the city, the Prefect of Suzhou, Jiang Shanxing, was finally allowed into the hall by the doorman.

At the third quarter of the Chen hour, the sun was already high in the sky, and the chirping of birds in the yard was much livelier and more complex than in the capital.

Rong Tang wrinkled his nose as he gulped down a bowl of bitter medicine, glancing resentfully at Su Huaijing.

The latter gently adjusted his collar and asked softly, "Does Tang Tang want to faint again?"

Rong Tang immediately caved in.

Collecting grain was not an easy task. Su Huaijing originally didn’t want to bring him along, but Rong Tang was so insistently stubborn that the great villain had no choice but to relent.

He could never be harsh with Rong Tang, but he knew Tangtang’s body couldn’t withstand such mistreatment.

Rong Tang had mostly worked behind the scenes for Sheng Chengli in his past lives, skilled in dealing with officials and scheming, but in Jiangnan's water towns, bombarded by dialects and merchants' exaggerations, he felt out of his depth in negotiations.

Not that he couldn’t; he was wealthy enough to buy several rice shops in Suzhou, but no amount of stored rice could alleviate widespread suffering.

For the first time, Rong Tang, the son of Ningxuan Wang, felt constrained by his vast economic resources in the face of impending disaster.

He found himself missing Ke Hongxue.

With Ke Hongxue's silver tongue and family business acumen, he had built Sheng Chengli's commercial empire in previous lives.

Unfortunately, Ke Shao Fu had just returned to the capital after ancestral worship and was unlikely to visit Jiangnan again.

Rong Tang paused, suddenly realizing this was an event that hadn’t occurred in his previous lives.

Busy with maintaining Sheng Chengli's presence before Ren Shou Emperor, Mu Shaocing wouldn’t have taken leave to accompany Ke Hongxue home.

Rong Tang furrowed his brow, feeling as if the butterfly effect in this life was happening too rapidly.

He and Su Huaijing entered the hall, where the Suzhou Prefect had been waiting. The official quickly stood up and bowed, “This subordinate greets Ningxuan Wang's son.”

There was no hint of displeasure from being neglected, even though they had been turned away at the door multiple times.

Jiang Shanxing, over fifty, had a lean body. Under his official hat, streaks of gray hair were visible in his disheveled beard, giving the impression of days without proper grooming.

Rong Tang felt relieved, knowing he had chosen the right destination.

He returned the greeting with a smile, offered tea, then took the seat of honor, looking directly at Jiang Shanxing and bluntly asked, "Prefect Jiang, is the flood season approaching?"