Cry of the Midnight Jackdaw

Chapter Forty-six,
Picking Flowers

The two of them leisurely walked to the side of the lake, and saw there were a few small boats docked on the pier, approximately enough for four or five people to sit across from each other. The center of the small boat was set with a long table, with the top placed with a sparse few white porcelain bottles, probably containing the boatman’s own brewed wine.

Seeing the two of them take a leisurely stroll here, that boatman passionately waved his hand at them, his voice was very loud, “The two sirs there, are you guys Lord Qin’s friends?”

The lake boating this time turned out to be organized by the Pine Wind tea party’s right hand man, Qin Liang, Lord Qin. He was originally born close to a town by the mountains, so at this time, he naturally could not pass on being the host, and busied himself the entire way, but his arrangements were also appropriate. To play to their utmost, he even extremely generously reserved all the boats at Yan Xian Lake today, so the boatman would ask this.

Xiao Zuo glanced at He Xuan, seeing him lift his hand up distantly glancing at the scenery across the pier, he answered, “Yes, we will be troubling you then, Boatman.”

“Not at all, not at all.” That boatman was slightly dark in the skin, at this time, he simple-mindedly grinned, and reached out to beckon to them, “Please sit here.”

At this time, most of people were still at the Bao Chang Mansion having a meal, the fairly big Yan Xian Lake only had them two, and had a rare tranquility to it. The two sat across from each other, while the boatman rowed the boat for them at the end, and slowly rowed towards the middle of the lake.

The time right now was evening, unknown which artist weaved an endless brocade of clouds in the skies, it covered over half the mountain’s sunset, and that which illuminated half the lake waters all dyed with a gold colour, all glistening like it was going to burn up.

As winds from the middle of the waters brushed past the face, it brought up half the rustling lake’s humid air, dispersing [the fatigue from] this day’s destitute travelling, like the ripples surfacing on the quant, spreading in circles and circles, circling away.

He Xuan extended his arm and propped them on the seat, the light and shadows of the clouds fell into his eyes, the sunset’s highly dense remnant glows also fell into his eyes, he looked at the range of mountains quietly with his head turned just like this, watched the occasionally startled white herons, then turned his head to speak with Xiao Zuo.

“Do you like lotuses? I’ll pick one for you.”

When he turned his head, his eyes were filled with a slightly lazy, nonchalant smile, his tone was that bright, faintly making Xiao Zuo feel that the chaos and departure in this half a year was merely a big dream. He Xuan was never some crown prince able to flip the clouds and bring rain wielding absolute power, he was also not the young emperor bearing the lives of the innumerable common people, they were only young lords who came here one day to relax, then accidentally entered the deeper parts of these lotus flowers and encountered each other out of surprise, then, the amorous and elegant wealthy young lord picked a lotus bearing some clear dew, with his bright-red cheeks even redder than the lotus.

How great it would be if they could always be like this- no national grudges, nor any schemes to use one another, only the eternal, unchanging scenery of lake and mountains, as well as summer night winds that understood people well.

He Xuan saw Xiao Zuo blankly looking at him, with his gaze adrift, and did not know what he was thinking. He slightly impatiently knitted his eyebrows, and stretched out to pick a red lotus that was half-opened on the side of the boat, then handed it to him.

Xiao Zuo blankly accepted it, He Xuan lifted his head up and looked at him, then suddenly reached out and grabbed that red lotus back, with his tone bearing some disappointment, “Never mind, it is not as good-looking as you, it’s enough to look at you, why look at it.”

As he spoke, before Xiao Zuo reacted, he lifted his wrist, then tossed that red lotus out, and let it distantly drift on the surface of the lake, still spread with red sepals and delicate stamens in the links of lotus leaves

“You……” Xiao Zuo’s face was completely flushed red, and found it awkward to meet gazes with He Xuan, he simply moved his eyes away, and stammered.

The north’s summers were always particularly long. On this side, the half of the moon already fulfilled its duties and hung on top of the mountain, yet the heat from the daytime still lingered around, with glows from the golden crow still unwilling to part. The two drifted in the middle of the lake for a long time, so long that the incoming night winds already faintly lulled people to sleep, Xiao Zuo moved to He Xuan’s side, nodding his head again and again, clearly looking drowsy.

He Xuan reached out and leaned his head onto his own shoulder, “Have a nap, there will be many people later on.”

Once Xiao Zuo received permission, his body relaxed as well, and immediately got dragged into the realm of dreams. Once there were more boats around, the waves struck again and again, and the small boat they sat on also started slightly swaying. He Xuan also slightly narrowed his eyes, and intermittently patted Xiao Zuo’s back, like he was coaxing him to sleep.

“Sir Xiao!” Xiao Zuo was sleeping, so when his ears resounded with a thunderous voice all of a sudden, he was shaken with a startle, and abruptly lifted his head up. The top of his head struck right at He Xuan’s chin, He Xuan was originally a bit drowsy as well, so when struck by him like this, he completely woke up, and painfully rubbed his chin, then lifted his hand up and pinched Xiao Zuo’s waist in revenge.

Xiao Zuo naturally held in some anger from being shouted at in his dreams, his waist was also his most sensitive area, his eyes were all teary after being pinched by He Xuan, so Xiao Zuo held in these tears and mercilessly bit down on He Xuan’s shoulder, silently complaining with reddened eyes.

“Are you a dog!” He Xuan’s stomach fire did not have any place to spread, and when he lifted his eyes up, he just so happened to meet eyes with the main culprit Fu Zhan Chuan- at this time, this person was secretly bending his back preparing to escape from this place of troubles, and was directly caught by He Xuan.

“Fu Zhan Chuan!”

He Xuan’s gaze went dark, and pretty much squeezed out the few words from his mouth after grinding his back teeth, Fu Zhan Chuan immediately escaped with the wind[1], clipped his tail and grabbed the oar from the person beside him, and desperately rowed in the opposite direction.

Xiao Zuo’s gaze passed by He Xuan, and hurriedly glanced at the profile of the person beside Fu Zhan Chuan. He felt it looked a bit familiar, but was unable to recall immediately, and wanted to stand up to figure it out.

At this time, the body of the boat swayed, Xiao Zuo’s legs were unsteady, and fell towards He Xuan’s body, but steadily got pulled by the waist into He Xuan’s embrace. [He Xuan] took the chance to also bite his shoulder, and took advantage while the night’s colours were getting deeper, and openly took a mile for an inch, and got close to the side of Xiao Zuo’s neck and sniffed, then spoke with a hoarse throat, “You smell nice.”

Xiao Zuo’s right hand was grabbing He Xuan’s hair, though he long already knew this fellow He Xuan was accustomed with saying these obscene words of romance, he still got so bashful his whole face was as red as blood each and every time, and stuttered so much he couldn’t form a complete sentence, “Th…… there’s people all around, hurry and get up.”

He Xuan was merely playing with him too, and let go of his hand as asked. Xiao Zuo then jumped up like he was pricked by a needle, and looked all around- seeing the people beside them all be occupied with conversing, and did not pay attention to them, he then let out a sigh of relief, then properly sat to one side far away from He Xuan, and turned his head over and no longer paid attention to him.

Xiao Zuo did not like He Xuan like this, though his title as a duke right now only existed in name, but all things considered, he was merely just a captive prisoner, so he originally did not hope for anyone to take him taken seriously. But what flowed inside his bones was the blood of Nan Liang’s Xiao family, pieces and pieces of noble and royal adornments, pride that had been piled up from the precious royal decrees and orders, he originally should have been a king who looked down on all life, the most respected one underneath the skies.

Xiao Zuo gripped his palm tight, and faintly thought, if it was a few years ago, when He Xuan saw him, he would also need to pay respects to him as one does a subject to the monarch. He did not know what kind of thoughts He Xuan held towards him, Xiao Zuo dejectedly let go his hand, and vacantly watched the boat strike the dim and serene lake waters, perhaps, just merely a good-looking toy.

What about himself? Xiao Zuo shook his head, the messy and chaotic feelings seemed like the dense lotus leaves’ roots intertwining beneath, on the surface, it looked to be clear and bright, but in reality, it was buried in the decaying mud, never to see the light of day.