Translated by Dandan-mein

Edited by Jules

“Elder Brother Zhaoran, no need to be so polite.” Mu Hanzhang came forward to help Qin Zhaoran up and invited him to sit wherever he wished (remember seating in reception halls has rank). “I haven’t seen you since the qionglin banquet. Unexpectedly, you went to Luzhou and became the county magistrate there.”

Qin Zhaoran lowered his eyes. “The politics in the capital are complex. I don’t want to wade in those muddy waters.”

“That’s true.” Mu Hanzhang smiled. “Wang Ye also considered this, so he didn’t urge you to stay.” At that time, Jing Shao heard that they were classmates. It was entirely out of respect for his Wang Fei that he invited the top scholar to their house for a drink. Later, although Qin Zhaoran didn’t come, Jing Shao didn’t really care (it is generally disrespectful to refuse the invitation of someone above you in status). Such words demonstrated Mu Hanzhang’s habit of pushing all the good deeds onto Jing Shao.

Hearing this, Qin Zhaoran sighed. “Zhaoran was insolent, and failed to live up to Wang Ye’s good intentions.” He was able to come to Luzhou, a populous and affluent place, completely because Jing Shao specifically asked someone to take care of him so that he could achieve good results. He knew this very well, so he wasn’t in a position to say anything. 

Mu Hanzhang smiled. The two had studied together when they were young. Even if they hadn’t seen each other for several years, they still felt close in their hearts. He asked about Qin Zhaoran’s situation after he left schooling under the Mu family.

“We made a promise to study for another three years and try together, but unexpectedly, you got married.” Qin Zhaoran lowered his eyes and covered the melancholy in his eyes.

Mu Hanzhang smiled but didn’t respond. He took a sip of tea. There was a freshwater spring that flowed in the new residence, and the tea made with it was particularly fragrant. “How did you know I was in Pingjiang?”

Speaking on this topic, Qin Zhaoran’s face suddenly became serious and he looked around.

Mu Hanzhang saw that he had something to say, so he waved the servants out. A guard left by Jing Shao was unwilling to leave. However, he was glared at until he slowly moved to stand outside the door.

“Don’t go to Luzhou for the time being.” Qin Zhaoran frowned and looked a little worried.

“Why?” Mu Hanzhang put down the tea cup and also turned solemn.

“Someone threatened my career as an official and told me to arrest you,” Qin Zhaoran said slowly. 

Mu Hanzhang immediately tensed and his right hand subconsciously went to the handle of his Hanzhang treasure sword.

“Don’t be afraid.” Qin Zhaoran naturally saw Mu Hanzhang’s defensive action and smiled bitterly. “I’m just a scholar, not to mention how strict Cheng Wang’s guard is here. If I wanted to hurt you, why would I come here in person…” Speaking up to this point, he couldn’t help but lower his voice.

Mu Hanzhang returned to his senses and looked at Qin Zhaoran a little apologetically. “I was on the battlefield with Wang Ye for a long time; some habits die hard. Brother Zhaoran, please excuse me.”

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Mu Hanzhang turned to see a furious Jing Shao, and couldn’t help but be a little startled. It was only noon. How was Jing Shao done fighting already?

From Jing Shao’s point of view, his expression was obviously one of guilt. He grabbed his wrist and asked, “Who is this man?” 

“This lowly official Qin Zhaoran, greets Your Highness Cheng Wang.” Qin Zhaoran frowned when he saw Mu Hanzhang’s wrist turn white in Jing Shao’s grip.

Jing Shao frowned and looked at him for a moment. He then remembered the new top scholar.

“Why are you back already?” Mu Hanzhang’s wrist hurt a little in Jing Shao’s grip, and he twisted his wrist before pulling it out of Jing Shao’s hand.

“Came back for lunch,” Jing Shao said naturally. 

“Brother Zhaoran, stay for lunch.” Mu Hanzhang got up and told the servants to add some more dishes to the meal. He had thought that he would be eating by himself. Now that Jing Shao had come back, however, along with both the left and right protectorate generals who had obviously come to freeload a meal, it definitely wasn’t enough.

Qin Zhaoran didn’t stay since he had troubled others to take care of his work while he came over. He had to go back quickly, and Mu Hanzhang also didn’t force him to stay.

During the meal, Jing Shao’s expression wasn’t good. He knew that Qin Zhaoran and his Wang Fei had been classmates when they were young. At that time, when Qin Zhaoran won the spot as the top scholar, Jing Shao had felt that it was just an ordinary relationship when he saw that his Wang Fei didn’t dwell on it, so he didn’t care. Who would have thought that now, no matter how he looked at it, something felt wrong.

The right protectorate general poked the left protectorate general’s side and whispered, “Is Wang Ye being jealous?” 

The left protectorate general looked at him and stuffed the chicken leg he had just picked up into the right protectorate general’s mouth. “Eat.”

“Wu…” The right protectorate general’s mouth was blocked and he could only eat the chicken leg obediently.

Mu Hanzhang saw that Jing Shao was unhappy. He thought that the battle hadn’t gone well today, so he picked up some food which Jing Shao liked to eat with his chopsticks and put them into his bowl, and told him what Qin Zhaoran had said.

Jing Shao’s expression eased when he ate the food which his Wang Fei gave him. After listening to his words, he couldn’t help sweating. It was a good thing he hadn’t let Jun Qing go there by himself. “I’ll have Lu Zhanpeng investigate this matter. Don’t go out for now.” 

For the next few days, Jing Shao went out to fight Gu Huaiqing every day, while Mu Hanzhang called the several officials sent to Luzhou by Emperor Hong Zheng to Pingjiang. The first order of business was mainly to modify the articles of regulation to align with local customs and to repair the docks. Jing Shao left the left and right protectorate generals to him, so he left the matter of repairing the docks to the two men.

“The governor of Jiangzhou?” Mu Hanzhang frowned at the sheets of paper which Lu Zhanpeng gave him; this information had been found according to clues from Qin Zhaoran.

Pingjiang and Luzhou were part of Jiangzhou, so the governor of Jiangzhou was Qin Zhaoran’s immediate boss; it was this person who wanted to capture Mu Hanzhang.

“Luzhou was originally a harbor. Foreign boats have always docked there. The foreigners sold their goods to Jiangnan, and these officials all embezzled that money.” Lu Zhanpeng sneered. “It must be that the governor of Jiangzhou has been making quite a lot of money from this.” 

Mu Hanzhang frowned. He hadn’t expected this matter to affect the interests of local officials. Now that he wanted to set up a trading port in Luzhou, it must seem like he was snatching resources away from these people; no wonder they had resorted to such a lowly method. However, the man knew his identity and dared to threaten Qin Zhaoran so blatantly. There had to be someone supporting them from behind. Moreover, since they could threaten Qin Zhaoran, did that mean that this person was also involved in siphoning the profits from the maritime trade?

The situation was still tense on the battlefield outside Jiangzhou City, but the people in Jiangnan were relieved to hear that Cheng Wang had come, and the morale of the Jiangnan soldiers was also greatly boosted.

Jing Shao told the soldiers to remain calm before he rushed to the front with his pike.

The Huainan army slowly gave way. Gu Huaiqing rode his horse forth slowly. “His highness Cheng Wang came to battle in person. This inferior Wang is really flattered.” 

“Benwang doesn’t have the patience to waste time with you today,” said Jing Shao, casually carrying the pike on his shoulder. “Why don’t we make a bet?”

Gu Huaiqing smiled and spun the long sword in his hand a few times. “How are we betting?”

“We’ll fight one bout. If I win, you’ll retreat ten li, and we’ll fight again tomorrow.” Jing Shao dropped the long pike from his shoulder and pointed it slowly at Gu Huaiqing.

Gu Huaiqing raised his eyebrows and said, “If Wang Ye is willing to fight, then naturally I am as well.” When he said the second half of the sentence, the long sword in his hand had already shot forth to slice at Jing Shao at a crafty angle. 

Jing Shao moved sideways and brandished his pike, pushing away the blade in front of him and causing the long sword to falter as he stared into Gu Huaiqing’s eyes.

For a moment, the two commanders on the battlefield were at a standstill. Several generals looked at each other. They didn’t know why they were fighting like this. They were clearly trying to either attack or guard the city; how did it turn into a competition between the commanders?

“What’s your hurry today?” Gu Huaiqing whispered as he blocked Jing Shao’s silver pike.

“I need to hurry home for dinner.” Jing Shao shot him a glance and stabbed at him with the shaft of his pike. 

“Wu…” Gu Huaiqing was hit in the ribs by the shaft of the silver pike, and he took advantage of this to grab onto the pike. “I’m going too.”

“There’s no portion for you!” Jing Shao seemed to be in a bad mood, and started fighting more ruthlessly.

The new residence in Pingjiang City was named Ruoshui Garden by Mu Hanzhang, who drew its meaning from the Book of Dao. The ideal was to be like water, which benefited all living things and didn’t struggle against them. However, Jing Shao insisted on believing that the name was his Wang Fei praising him for his deep feelings of love and “only drinking one ladle’s worth of water from the three thousand li long Ruo River (this comes from a Buddhist quote about not being greedy but it evolved to mean something like only choosing one companion out of so many potential lovers).”

Jing Shao would always come back on time for dinner every day, but after the first day, he never came back for lunch; he had probably realized that it was too unreasonable to go home for every meal. 

Today, Qin Zhaoran brought over Luzhou’s account books and records. It just so happened that Mu Hanzhang had wanted to ask for his thoughts on the success of overseas trade, so he had him stay for lunch in Ruoshui Garden.

The two had similar interests, and were able to talk endlessly.

“The ink stone you sent last time is very useful,” Mu Hanzhang smiled and said to Qin Zhaoran.

“I always remembered what I promised you back then.” Qin Zhaoran heard him mention the ink stone and thought of them reading together when he was a child. He couldn’t help the smile which emerged on his face. 

Mu Hanzhang smiled without saying anything, and personally filled his wine cup back up. He remembered that Qin Zhaoran wasn’t a good drinker. According to Jing Shao, it was easier to worm facts out of a person once they were drunk.

“How… have you been in the last few years?” Qin Zhaoran looked at the jade-like hand holding the wine jug and couldn’t help asking the question.

“There’s been good and bad; didn’t brother Zhaoran see it for yourself?” Mu Hanzhang also filled his own cup and squeezed it between his fingers, but he didn’t drink it.

“I didn’t expect your official mother to be so cruel,” Qin Zhaoran tilted his head back and drank the wine, then filled his cup again. He drank a few cups before stopping. He looked at Mu Hanzhang’s handsome face which was almost within reach and sighed heavily. “I kept waiting for news of you becoming the top scorer, but I never thought, after waiting and waiting, it would be the terrible news of your marriage…” As he said this, Qin Zhaoran fell over onto the table. He groaned a few times like he was both crying and laughing. 

Mu Hanzhang was stunned and looked down at the cup in his hand. “I thought you would take the test first.”

“Ha ha ha.” Qin Zhaoran seemed to be rather drunk now. “I knew your official mother wouldn’t let you marry a woman, so I always still had this delusion…”

Mu Hanzhang stood up and said, “Brother Qin, you’re drunk.”

“Hanzhang…” Qin Zhaoran murmured before he fell asleep on the table. 

Outside the window, Jing Shao, who had been standing there for a long time, gradually clenched his fists.

No wonder Mu Hanzhang had passed the provincial exam at the age of 17, but hadn’t participated in the national imperial examinations at 18; it turned out that they had been waiting for each other to become top scholars before they married? This was actually the tragic love story of a gifted scholar who spent years studying and waiting to marry his beautiful true love, who in the end was married off to someone else! Then, what did that make him, Jing Shao? An evil tyrant who wanted to break up this pair of mandarin ducks (mandarin ducks represent soul mates/happy couple because they mate for life!)?