CH 5

“The assembly’s taking place ahead of time?” Liang Feng asked, leaning against the rest.

Ah-Liang responded, “It seems so. I asked around, and everyone said that Controller Wang, being eccentric and unconstrained, changed it to tomorrow at Sushui Pavilion, right beside Mt. Wei.” 

Upon receiving orders, ah-Liang had gone about trying to gather information using the unexpectedly effective method imparted to him by his master. It turned out that all it took for the stewards and stable boys to spill everything they knew was a small bribe. Several of them had all said that their young master was going to Sushui Pavilion tomorrow. A few, who were particularly knowledgeable, said that the controller wanted to hold the scholars’ assembly by the mountainside because he didn’t like being cramped indoors.

That was several days ahead of what the original’s memories told him. With Li Lang purposely hiding it, he’d likely be too late even if he’d insisted upon going. Liang Feng pondered a moment and suddenly asked, “Is Sushui Pavilion nearby?”

“Mt. Wei is just west of the official road, not far from here.” Ah-Liang, familiar with the roadways, responded crisply.

“Excellent. Start packing the luggage, quietly. Tomorrow after Li Lang leaves, we’ll head back home as well.” 

Lüzhu blinked her eyes in surprise, “Master, are you attending the assembly? But your health….”

“Who said I was going to attend?” Liang Feng chuckled as he propped himself up, “I suppose it can be counted as saying goodbye.”

※

The next morning, Liang Shu watched as her son left the Li Manor. For this day, the Li family had exhausted all its efforts preparing an exquisite attire, a fine zither, an incense burner, and a clever page for Li Lang. All to let Li Lang, who was only a five or six, get up to about seven or eight thanks to his demeanor. As long as he didn’t mess up too badly when answering questions, the evaluation should turn out well.

It was only a pity that Liang Shu couldn’t go and send him off herself. She anxiously watched until the sun began to rise, her unease increasing. Controller Wang should have arrived already right? He was from the main branch of the Taiyuan Wang Clan, who knew how many young, promising scholars he’d met? Would Li Lang be able to impress him?

Just as she was busy fretting, Jianjia suddenly entered and agitatedly reported, “Madam, Master Liang is coming over to bid farewell!”

“What?!” Liang Shu stood up abruptly, “At this time? Did the servants let anything slip?”

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Jianjia received her orders and left. After a while, Liang Feng, under Lüzhu’s support, slowly walked through the door. The sight of his sickly pallor reassured Liang Shu. He was so thin that he was nearly swimming in his plain, unadorned clothes. It seemed more like he’d dressed to travel than to go to the assembly.

Liang Shu kept her true thoughts off her face, putting on a frown and scolding, “Feng-er, your body is still unwell, you should be resting in bed. The Liang Estate is so far, how could I bear it if anything happened to you on the way?”

Liang Feng steadied himself with Lüzhu’s help and bowed shallowly, “Aunt, I’ve been thinking it over these past few days, and felt that, since I’m unable to attend the scholar’s assembly, it’d be better to go home sooner, so that I can take my mind off of it.” 

Liang Shu paused, there really wasn’t a good way to refuse him. According to the original schedule, the assembly was due to take place the day after tomorrow. It was understandable if he wanted to leave early to avoid being vexed. But it was too coincidental! Liang Shu sighed faintly, “I understand what you’re thinking, but is it really worth it to risk your health over such a rash impulse?”

Liang Feng laughed bitterly, “To tell you the truth, aunt, it’s precisely because I’m worried that I won’t last much longer that I want to return as soon as possible. Rong-er is still waiting for me at home, I must go to see him.”

Although he was pretty much jinxing himself, Liang Shu’s eyes brightened. Of course! The ordeal of rushing back, being shaken and jolted the whole way, might be enough to make him keel over. And if he left immediately, then he’d be ignorant of the assembly’s rescheduling. It’d save her the effort of concealing it. Two birds with one stone!

After weighing up the pros and cons, Liang Shu made a show of sighing, “It’s all because auntie was careless that you got so sick. Alright then, I’ll send people to see you out of the city. You’ll be traveling quite far, so you must take care of yourself. After a few days, I’ll send Lang-er to visit you.” 

As long as the servants kept an eye on Liang Feng and kept away from Sushui Pavilion, then the cat would stay in the bag.

“Thank you aunt.” Liang Feng said as he cupped his hands.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Liang Shu, noticing that he seemed to be on the verge of collapsing, saw him out the door and sent two trusted aides to send him off.

After everything had been put into order, Liang Shu finally breathed easy upon seeing the cow-drawn carriage depart. Everything had gone smoothly. 

Liang Feng’s carriage had been modified to let him lie down in it, on account of his illness. Still, it wasn’t extravagant; half the space inside was taken up by a soft couch and there wasn’t even enough space to light a censer. However at that moment, instead of tea or snacks, there was a bronze mirror and a powder box placed on the small table. Lüzhu looked at the man reclining lazily on the couch and worriedly urged, “Master, it only takes several minutes to leave the city, if you’re going to attend the assembly, there’s not enough time to prepare. Your clothes are too shabby, how about I go get the pink brocade robe with white frost-pattern embroidery? And then apply some powder to cover up your complexion….”

What kind of customs were these, that Even men wore makeup and flowery clothes? Liang Feng resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He reassured, “The powder is unnecessary, it’ll be enough to just fix my eyebrows, make the ends slant up slightly.”

His face was still too feminine, but at least angled brows would make him look a bit sharper.

Lüzhu was stunned, her master usually liked makeup and ornamented hairpins, why had his preferences suddenly changed? She dazedly asked, “Then, what about attire….” 

“Find a dark blue outer coat, preferably one that’s unpatterned and unadorned as possible.” Although Liang Feng wasn’t too familiar with the Jin Dynasty’s beauty standards, he knew that the color black was timeless. He was already so sick that no amount of dressing up would hide it, so he figured he might as well emphasize it.

Even though these Sima Princes were warring so fiercely that people were dying in droves, Controller Wang still found the leisure to put on airs, turning an examination into a poetry conference. All that Wei Jin elegance and exceptionalism was bull. In reality, it was all just a pompous facade. Liang Feng wasn’t too familiar with history, but he knew more than his fair share of how to grandstand. If he didn’t grandstand to the fullest using his gorgeous face, wouldn’t he be wasting all the Li family’s painstaking precautions against him?

Liang Feng raised his eyebrow at the confused servant girl and said, “What’re you waiting for? Hurry and find it.”

※ 

The ox-drawn carriage creaked its way out the city gates and onto the official roads. The Li family’s servants sighed in relief. If they continued on the path for another few miles, they’d bypass the side road that led to Mt. Wei. They would soon be able to go and report back after completing their master’s orders. However, just after letting their guard down, a voice cried out from within the carriage, “Master, look! There’s a bunch of carriages over there!”

The Li family’s servants tensed up immediately and blurted, “Maybe some family’s young master is on an outing, it’s best if we avoid them….”

“Which family’s?” Lüzhu asked persistently, “It looks to me like there’s servant girls from lots of different families! Ah! Isn’t that the Li family’s carriage?”

The servants instantly started panicking, trying to find a pretext to dismiss her, when the other occupant of the carriage spoke, “Seeing as my brother is here as well, we should go over to bid farewell.” 

“Master Liang, there, there’s no need……” The Li family’s servant had turned an odd color as he tried to stutter something out.

Lüzhu lifted the carriage’s bamboo curtain, stuck her head out, and chastised angrily, “You dare disobey my master? Who do you think you are!? Ah-Liang, take us over there!”

With the difference in status and the difference in numbers – the Liang family had three carriages and nearly a dozen people – the two Li family servants couldn’t physically block them even if they tried. The carriage changed direction and began heading towards the foot of Mt. Wei. Though it was called a mountain, it couldn’t be described as tall, especially in a mountainous region like the Shangdang Commandery. Fortunately, its lush forests and clear streams made it a tasteful retreat. Sushui Pavilion was set atop hundreds of winding steps, halfway up the mountain, giving it a hidden and mysterious air.

There were already many carriages parked at the base of the mountain. Most of them were light and simple. A few were somewhat lavish, guarded by several servants. Upon the arrival of another carriage, a neatly dressed petty official walked over and stopped them, politely notifying them, “Controller Wang is holding a scholar’s assembly, please choose another day to visit, sir.” 

The carriage remained strangely responseless. Did they not hear him? The petty official was about to repeat himself when he suddenly heard someone ask hoarsely from inside, “The assembly was rescheduled?”

Though the voice wasn’t very clear, it was full, mellow, and extremely moving, the sound of bewilderment and dismay especially so. The petty official’s sense of pity was instantly aroused. It seemed some family’s young master hadn’t gotten the news in time. However, he didn’t dare neglect his duty so he repeated, “The assembly’s already begun, I’m afraid you can’t proceed, sir.”

He was still dismissing them, but the carriage didn’t turn away. On the contrary, a young servant girl lifted the bamboo curtain and hopped out, quickly setting a stepping stool by the side of the carriage. The petty official was just about to say something when he saw a foot clad in cloud-embroidered shoes step lightly on the footstool.

“I am Liang Feng from Zhe County of the Chen Commandery, here to pay my respects to Commander Wang. If I could trouble you to lead the way?” 

The petty official’s words stuck in his throat as he stared at the young man who disembarked from the carriage.

The author has something to say:

Hahaha, in the next one, Liang Feng is going to strike back, look forward to it =w=