The fat mouse clutched his chest, overcome with joy.jpg
Meng Qi used his hands as a pillow, comfortably leaning against the wall of the carriage.
Though their lightness skills allowed them to move faster than a horse carriage, these days, where no effort was needed except to handle the reins and let the horse follow the road, with a loved one by their side and sugar-roasted chestnuts in hand, were truly leisurely.
The downside, perhaps, was that he and the doctor always had to take turns being outside; otherwise, the horse would run wild, going wherever it wished. There was one time, if they hadn’t pulled it back quickly, it would have charged into a field.
Throughout the journey, Meng Qi had not stopped scolding it.
“How did you know there were secret codes in the ‘Golden Lotus Chronicles’?”
Mo Li sat on the shaky shaft of the carriage, still somewhat in disbelief.
He had only read the beginning of that erotic novel, which he had quickly skimmed through, not wanting to look closely. Could it really contain hidden secrets? The only odd thing seemed to be—
“The repeatedly mentioned flower shop?”
“It’s so obvious… unless the author of this book is the owner of the flower shop, and his lotuses were unsellable, completely stuck in stock, hence this desperate measure.”
Mo Li thought to himself, that was indeed his thought.
Meng Qi stroked his chin, smiling, “The doctor isn’t familiar with the streets of Taijing, naturally, he wouldn’t become too suspicious. Everyone who flipped through this book, when visiting the East Market, couldn’t help but check out that address, not necessarily to buy any golden lotuses, but couldn’t contain their curiosity.”
“So you went?” Mo Li was quite surprised; he wouldn’t have specifically thought about this. Now that Meng Qi mentioned it, he couldn’t help but ponder what “ordinary people” might do.
Could understanding these things mean he was becoming more like a “person”?
Old Master Qin only taught Mo Li how to interact with others, how to uphold the way of the gentleman—simply put, all the “right” things, whether it was erotic stories or stirring up trouble, were not included. Yet, Meng Qi brought these novel experiences.
Zhushan County was too small, people were too familiar with each other, and it was hard for major events to occur.
It was also hard for complex, interest-tangled events to happen.
The so-called traveling the world was precisely to witness these things that one could never learn from books—like the unexpected addition of Meng Qi.
They had many similarities, but also many differences, and Mo Li was getting to know him.
He liked the fat mouse’s triumphant look, liked how Meng Qi discussed the pros and cons of matters as if he had seen them firsthand, with confidence. Mo Li was quite regretful that he had not seen the last years of the Chen dynasty, when Meng Qi led his troops in battle, playing the enemy like a clap of his hands.
Thinking about it, Mo Li passed another peeled chestnut over.
Not knowing what Mo Li was thinking, but confident in his own charm, Meng Qi happily opened his mouth to receive it.
He was lying on his back, his head resting on this side of the carriage curtain. The jolting of the carriage, along with the wind, caused the curtains to flutter back and forth, allowing Mo Li to glance at Meng Qi.
Doctor Mo glanced at the carriage curtain and thought it needed washing.
He reached out and drew the curtain back a bit, to keep it from brushing against Meng Qi’s face.
Meng Qi thought this meant Mo Li wanted to keep looking at him, thinking the doctor wouldn’t say it out loud but actually liked him very much, considering this gesture!
He felt like he had eaten a piece of ice-cold watermelon in the dog days of summer, from head to toe, not a single pore wasn’t relaxed.
Happy as he was, Meng Qi decided not to show it; the doctor was thin-skinned, he had to restrain himself, not to break the silence!
Mo Li, noticing the changes in his expressions, said nothing.
It was just one chestnut; was it worth being so overjoyed? Was he suppressing his elation because he was afraid of being laughed at?
Thus, Doctor Mo considerately pretended not to notice, continuing the earlier conversation.
“Did you go to that flower shop?”
“There’s no flower shop, as far as I know, it’s actually a shop selling shoe insoles in the East Market.”
Mo Li paused upon hearing this; he had visited the East Market of Taijing with Meng Qi, and indeed it had been an eye-opening experience. Before this, he hadn’t realized that shops could be so specifically categorized, with shoe shops alone being divided into seven or eight types, and one shop strictly not selling another’s merchandise. There were also many insole shops, with a variety of patterns, from melon vines and auspicious designs of many children to patterns that invite wealth and ensure steady promotion.
“That shop is called Yuanbao Ji,” Meng Qi knew Mo Li wouldn’t think of the connection, so he explained directly, “There was a saying in the previous dynasty, ‘three-inch golden lotuses resemble yuanbao,’ and although it doesn’t sell shoes, it barely hangs on to the word ‘golden lotus.'”
Mo Li frowned slightly, puzzled, “Could there be something strange about this shop?”
“When I was in Taijing, I also couldn’t understand what the author of the storybook was trying to play at with these mysteries. To say they’re completely unrelated, yet he repeats the location several times, it can’t be just for a reader to follow the address and chuckle upon seeing the shop’s name.”
“Brother Meng, don’t joke,” Mo Li was particularly averse to the term ‘golden lotus.’
Qin Lu had taught him in his early years that the practice of crippling young girls by binding their feet, not considered shameful and widely prevalent across the south and north of the great river, was unrivaled by footbinding. Zhushan County didn’t have this bad custom, not because the people understood the reasoning behind it, but because the families were too poor and everyone needed to work, making footbinding impractical.
“…The Chu Dynasty once explicitly prohibited the binding of women’s feet, but it wasn’t smoothly enforced,” Meng Qi looked at the carriage roof and sat up, saying, “The government couldn’t search every household, it was manageable in Taijing alone, but in remote places where ‘the sky was high and the emperor far away,’ local officials merely went through the motions. This affliction has persisted for many years, deeply ingrained in people’s hearts. ‘The Golden Lotus Chronicles’ being an erotic storybook, using it as a hint, presumably aims to make people seek it out.”
He paused, then continued, “Since I stayed in Taijing, I wasn’t aware of the embezzlement case, so I didn’t think much about what the hint in the storybook meant. Now that we are hundreds of miles away from the capital, it’s even less likely we’ll understand the mystery of that shop, it’s up to the deputy commander of the Jinyiwei now.”
“How do you know Lu Huan will hand this matter to Gong Jun?” Mo Li asked with confusion.
It seemed that Gong Jun already had the task of investigating the crimes of Prime Minister Zhang’s clique, which wasn’t easy; could he handle another embezzlement case as well?
“Do you remember how the identity of the abbot of Liuhe Temple at Dragon Claw Peak was exposed? Gong Jun, this man, may be best at unraveling clues, finding the thread in a tangled mess. If it were me, I would rely on him too,” Meng Qi folded his arms and chuckled, “I guess he won’t have time to go home and cuddle his pet civet. To desire a high position and a leisurely life, how could that be possible?”
Mo Li sensed Meng Qi’s unfriendly attitude towards the deputy commander of the Jinyiwei, and he wanted to laugh.
Fortunately, he had already left Taijing, no longer needing to witness the shock brought by eight cats.
“If he weren’t an official, he’d still be the number one expert in swordsmanship and lightness skills,” Mo Li reminded.
“He took office to support his pet civet,” Meng Qi scoffed.
Holding back a laugh, Mo Li said, “In this world, everyone has different ambitions, not necessarily thinking about saving the country or the people. As long as one is dutiful, and not in office for wealth or pleasure, what’s the harm?”
Meng Qi admitted that Doctor Mo was right, but he was still displeased and simply lay back down in the carriage.
“Don’t lie on the medicine pouch!” Mo Li turned back and cautioned worriedly.
Hearing this, Meng Qi moved aside, looking at the medicine pouch, thinking that in the doctor’s heart, it might be more important than him, after all, herbs could cure people, he couldn’t.
—Wake up, herbs are consumed all the time.
Knees against the carriage wall, Meng Qi irritably blamed the carriage, muttering, “This carriage is too small, it should at least have a low table for the doctor to sit and read or write.”
“Preferably big enough for you to lie down completely?” Mo Li added.
Meng Qi blinked and swallowed back what he had just said, pretending as if nothing had happened, and decisively negated, “No, no, how could that be? A carriage of this size is most convenient; any larger would be cumbersome, and one horse would struggle to pull it.”
Mo Li casually responded, “As long as you turn into a sand mouse, the horse would definitely run faster.”
Meng Qi: “…”
What’s wrong with a sand mouse? Even a sand mouse has its weight.
Taking Meng Qi’s silence as opposition, Mo Li continued, “While it’s different for me, if you were to put a barrel of water in the carriage, it’s debatable whether the horse could pull it, and I guess the carriage wouldn’t get far before breaking down.”
Meng Qi thought, why not just prepare a basin instead of a barrel?
Feeling the degree of jolting and shaking of the carriage, Grand Master Meng had to revise his thoughts; indeed, it had to be a barrel, otherwise the fish and water in a basin would likely fly out.
“This road in Yuzhou is even bumpier than a mountain path.” Meng Qi hurriedly packed away the sugar-roasted chestnuts and the book the doctor had just been looking at.
The carriage couldn’t go fast on a mountain path, but it was different on a smooth main road.
The faster the wooden wheels turned, the more severe the jolting.
They couldn’t use the imperial road, and these merchant-used tracks, trodden by many, had their own kinds of imperfections.
“There are people ahead.” Mo Li pulled back the carriage curtain and peered ahead, spotting a long line of carts, apparently with small flags fluttering in front.
Flags and banners had strict regulations in the ritual system, being a part of the ceremonial display. Common escorts could only use very small triangular flags, and even their colors were restricted.
Yuzhou, located in the heartland of the Central Plains, housed many large cities.
It wasn’t as desolate as Yongzhou; with large and small farms stretching continuously, roads crisscrossing, and the sounds of chickens and dogs heard from neighbor to neighbor, it truly resembled the peaceful and prosperous times where people lived and worked in happiness. On the road, scattered merchant convoys and escort guards were commonly seen. There were still over ten miles to the next city, which wasn’t much for Mo Li who, if he used his lightness skills, could arrive in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. But for ordinary people, it meant they had to hurry to reach the city before the gates closed at sunset.
The cargo was heavy and progress slow; gradually, Mo Li and Meng Qi’s carriage caught up to the merchant convoy.
The armed escorts and guards looked over warily.
Mo Li had been scrutinized many times along the way and had grown accustomed to it; for this journey, he had even changed his attire, dressing as a traveling scholar in a greyish-brown robe, draped in a faded cloak, and wearing a conical hat on his head.
Though he appeared cleaner and not like someone hurriedly traveling, he wasn’t conspicuous since scholars often cherished their appearance of poverty.
The ruts left by the wheels weren’t deep, indicating the carriage wasn’t heavily loaded,
at most carrying a person or a box of books.
The unusual aspect was probably the horse pulling the carriage.
It looked more spirited than the typical tired horse, and although its mane and hooves were muddied, its good condition and well-fed appearance were apparent, even the horseshoe nails were freshly changed, leaving clear and complete hoof prints.
Anyone who brightened up seeing this lively trotting horse would quickly be disappointed.
Because it was unmistakably a nag.
No matter how well a nag is cared for, it’s still a nag and not fast.
Looking spirited might just be because it’s young or because the owner spends money on good fodder. Once the supply runs out, this horse would be just like any other. Perhaps its owner was duped by horse traders! Such situations are common in the horse market, where attractively presented horses are used to deceive inexperienced buyers, often fetching several times their actual worth.
The escort shook his head, feeling this was another case of a buyer tricked.
Some know the goods, others don’t.
“Hey, nice horse you have there, what breed is it?”
A frivolous young man peered over, his face brimming with a grin, like a young master out to see the world. He sensed an unusual aura about Mo Li, not resembling a poor scholar.
In fact, Mo Li was already making an effort to sit casually. He glanced at the young man, noticing he was in good health with no need for medical attention, thus he ignored the attempt at conversation.
The carriage curtain hung down, and there was no response from inside. The young man, finding no one engaged with him, became somewhat embarrassed.
He didn’t continue to shout in this direction, but his interest seemed piqued by the seemingly ordinary carriage, and he followed leisurely alongside, occasionally observing the “coachman.”
Now it was Meng Qi’s turn to be displeased; through the gap in the curtain, he could see the young man on his horse, getting closer.
“Whinny!”
The horse under the young man suddenly reared and neighed, as if sensing something terrifying, and bolted away, refusing to come near the carriage despite the owner’s urgings.
“Brother Meng, restrain yourself a bit,” Mo Li advised resignedly.
Horses are more sensitive than humans; even a slight emanation from an internal martial arts expert can be quickly detected by them.
“It’s his horse that’s timid; see, our horse isn’t bothered at all,” Meng Qi argued confidently.
Mo Li mercilessly pointed out, “That’s because it’s been frightened by you all along and has gotten used to it. It was even scared to get on a boat at first.”
It got so scared that it ran off course several times. If they hadn’t asked for directions, they might still be squatting in the wilderness!
Author’s note:
Fat Mouse: Overcome with joy.jpg,
Fat Mouse: See, the doctor likes me so much.
Mo Li: …What exactly is there to be happy about? Just gave him a chestnut, and kept the dirty curtain from hitting his face. Truly searching for a needle in a haystack, Fat Mouse heart.
Mo Li: Nevermind, as a fish, I suppose I could fish out the needle from under the water.
