Chapter 279: Leaning on the Bridge on Horseback, Sleeves Waving in the Wind

Chapter 279: Leaning on the Bridge on Horseback, Sleeves Beckoning from Every Tower

In just an instant, Lu Mingchao dismissed the thought.

When it came to matters of love, Lu Yao was nothing but a heartless, unfeeling brute.

Someone as dazzling as Princess Lerong County shouldn’t go looking for trouble.

If asked which woman Lu Yao cared about most, the answer was undoubtedly Lu Minghui.

Cared so much that he wished her dead.

Call it ‘care’—if you could call wishing her dead ‘care.’

Besides, there was still Wei Tang in Lotus Town, pining away.

"By the way, let me tell you about the amorous tales of Chamberlain Shu," Princess Lerong County cleared her throat and tugged at Lu Mingchao’s sleeve.

Her mouth quirked, her tone laced with an indescribable complexity. "You’re sure they’re amorous tales?"

Princess Lerong County gave a grave nod.

Lu Mingchao cast a glance at Amber.

After placing the brocade box into the low cabinet, Amber bowed, lifted the carriage curtain, and stepped out.

"Chamberlain Shu’s roots were in Jiangnan. Gifted from a young age, he became a disciple of Master Yu and, aside from his travels, spent most of his time in Jiangnan."

"The ten-mile Qinhuai River in Jinling—lanterns glimmering on the oar-stirred waters—was a place of endless charm."

"Courtesans along the Qinhuai vied for attention, shelling out hundreds in gold just for a single poem or calligraphy from Shu Yuan in his youth."

"Young nobles vied for her smiles, a song repaid with silks beyond count."

"This line was no exaggeration when describing the courtesans of Qinhuai, yet even such renowned beauties begged to shell out fortunes for Shu Yuan’s favor."

"Shu Yuan was a connoisseur of wine, not women, and lacked for no silver."

"The top courtesan of Jinling’s Red Sleeves Pavilion—famed brothel—took a different approach, painstakingly mastering the art of brewing until, by sheer luck, she crafted a wine that was potent yet mellow, sweet with a lasting finish."

"With a single jar of this wine, she exchanged for a couplet from Shu Yuan."

"Just a couplet."

"No one knew the exact content of those two lines."

"All that was known was that, half a month later, the courtesan bought out her contract, left the splendor of Jinling behind, and faded into a backwater town, where she opened a modest tavern with what little savings she had left."

"She named it 'Leaning on the Slanted Bridge.'"

"Such was Shu Yuan as a young man."

Lu Mingchao lowered her gaze, lost in thought.

Back in his youth, clad in light spring silks...

Leaning on the bridge on horseback, sleeves beckoning from every tower.

From the balcony, she waved her scarlet sleeves— and Shu Yuan’s verses came at her call.

The poem satisfied her heart's longing, and the courtesan bought her freedom to brew wine, waiting for the nobleman who once leaned against a bridge on horseback.

On the day of their reunion, they drank fine wine.

Lu Mingchao could imagine how dashing and free-spirited Shu Yuan was in his youth.

At the very least, the young Shu Yuan was free—the freedom to reach for the heavens, to sit debating with immortals.

A freedom no one could contain, nor make Shu Yuan sacrifice it.

In A Yan's words, the Shu Yuan who served with the northern frontier army was a scholar of noble character—drinking strong wine, composing poetry, his sleeves stained with ink, his spirit unyielding.

Still full of scholarly pride.

Yet the kite's string was no longer in Shu Yuan's own hands.

Shu Yuan could have become a worldly immortal.

Was it Shu Yuan who wove his own trap, willingly handing over the string, or...?

The Shu Yuan she knew was a tragic figure who could ascend to great heights yet also descend to the depths, self-redeeming.

The courtesan of Red Sleeves back then, reborn from the ashes—it turned out to be the story of Shu Yuan's life.

How strange fate can be.

Lu Mingchao sighed softly.

Princess Lerong County, unaware of Lu Mingchao's wandering thoughts, blinked her starry eyes, her face filled with admiration and melancholy.

"What a shame that I never had the chance to meet that Shu Yuan."

From the time Princess Lerong County could remember, Shu Yuan had always been the silent eunuch constantly at Emperor Jingxiang's side.

With cherry-red lips and jade-white teeth, his delicate features stood out like red plums on snow.

Yet, Shu Yuan always kept his head bowed and his back bent.

Humble and respectful.

As a child, she didn’t understand.

During the New Year's palace banquet, she watched Shu Yuan meticulously serve dishes and pour wine for Emperor Jingxiang, his expression cold as he observed the noisy revelry, the light songs and graceful dances in the grand hall.

She asked her grandmother, "Doesn't Eunuch Shu like the noise?"

Her grandmother replied, "This isn't the kind of celebration your grandmother knew."

At first, she didn’t understand.

Later, as she grew older and learned of Eunuch Shu's past, she finally grasped her grandmother's words.

After his castration and palace entry, Eunuch Shu could only be Eunuch Shu.

That once dazzling, illustrious past had now turned into forgotten dust and silent earth, quietly buried by time.

Eunuch Shu was but a man who, after the dust had settled, struggled to crawl out of the mire—his face covered in grime, barely surviving.

Eunuch Shu was no longer welcome at any glamorous events.

All Eunuch Shu could do was live out his days in a dark corner.

"What happened next?" Lu Mingchao gathered her thoughts and asked softly.

"Later..." Princess Lerong hesitated for a moment before lowering her voice. "Later, Shu Yuan followed Headmaster Yu to the capital."

"Headmaster Yu briefly served as the Crown Prince's tutor."

"Shu Yuan was the study partner whom Headmaster Yu assigned to the Crown Prince."

"Shu Yuan outshone all others. In the Wenyin Hall, he was an insurmountable peak, a dazzling yet unreachable sun."

"The masters in Wenyin Hall couldn't stop praising Shu Yuan."

"A single light outshines all others."

"My grandmother said she had never seen a young genius with such an astonishingly sharp intellect as Shu Yuan."

"Who could remain indifferent to such brilliance?"

"You either destroy it or join it."

"No one anticipated what would happen between Shu Yuan and the Crown Prince..."

Princess Lerong hesitated, avoiding the topic, and continued, "After Shu Yuan underwent castration and entered the palace, scholars across the land condemned him for willfully debasing himself, shaming him."

"Headmaster Yu disowned Shu Yuan, no longer acknowledging that he had ever had a disciple named Shu Yuan."

"You must have vaguely heard some of this."

"What I want to talk about is that former courtesan from the Red Sleeve Pavilion, the owner of Yixie Bridge Winery—Mr. Lu."

Lu Mingchao's heart raced.

"She traveled thousands of miles to the capital."

"Three months after Shu Yuan underwent castration and entered the palace."

"Calculating the time, she must have set off immediately upon hearing the news."

"She never saw Shu Yuan. Shu Yuan didn’t even know she had come."

"She observed fasting, prayed, wore mourning clothes, and copied Buddhist scriptures one hundred times over at Chengchan Temple, praying for Shu Yuan’s well-being."

"For a full six months."

"As the year ended, she braved the wind and snow to leave the capital."

"She died."

"She smashed all the wine at Yixie Bridge and took her own life by fire."

"My mother once spoke with my grandmother about the brewer."

"My mother said the brewer was praying for Shu Yuan’s peace and safety in the years to come."

"My grandmother said, she said, the brewer was mourning the Shu Yuan who had changed beyond recognition, guiding his spirit to the Pure Land that he might find peace."

"She came, and Shu Yuan didn't know."

"She died, and Shu Yuan didn't know either."

Did Shu Yuan truly not know?

Lu Mingchao asked herself inwardly.

The words *Leaning Bridge* (Yi Xie Qiao) had appeared in Shu Yuan's manuscripts.

Lu Yao once asked with a laugh, "What horse are you riding by, what leaning bridge, waiting for whom?"

Shu Yuan replied with a smile, "Life is just about going here and there—east, west, south, north—a cup of wine to lift the spirit."

Perhaps Shu Yuan learned the truth later.

"My grandmother warned me never to follow the example of Emperor Jingxiang, nor to emulate Shu Yuan."

"They could have served as a model of ruler and subject, leaving a glorious legacy in history, celebrated for generations."

"Yet in the end, they were mired in disgrace, trapped for life."

"Even if he hadn't been buried alive, there was no place left for him in this world."

"Xie Lu Shi—which 'Xie' is it?" *(Referring to different Chinese characters pronounced "Xie.")*