Chapter 54

Before departing for the south, Rong Tang and Su Huaijing made a trip back to Duke Ningxuan’s Palace.

Rong Mingyu was incredibly busy. Most of the time, if he wasn’t discussing matters in Qinzheng Hall, he would be patrolling around the Six Ministries and the cabinet. When Rong Tang came home, he wasn’t in the palace. The young prince was extremely happy and took his Boyboy to have a meal with Wang Xiuyu.

Before deciding to leave, Su Huaijing sent someone to the palace to inform the Wang Fei. Therefore, although Wang Xiuyu was somewhat reluctant, she wasn’t too surprised. On the contrary, because her son brought her daughter-in-law home to have dinner with her, she put off many trivial matters in the palace and contentedly spent an entire day with them.

Rong Tang wanted to urge and remind her of many things, but after pondering about it carefully, he discerned that there was no need.

Unless there are characters and plots related to the male protagonist, there will probably not be many inconsistencies, even if there is a butterfly effect.

In the previous two lives, Wang Xiuyu died in the eleventh year of Qingzheng. The imperial doctor from the palace diagnosed that she had died from overwork and mental exhaustion. At that time, the Dayu court was in the midst of its most turbulent period, and Ningxuan Palace was on the verge of collapse. Wang Xiuyu died during a bleak autumn. Although Rong Tang had urged her both times, he remained with the Wang Fei every step of the way prior to her death.

But he still had tasks to do. Even if he escaped the original work or the time of death of his previous life, Wang Xiuyu would still pass away during that time.

This sort of circumstance had occurred too many times, and Wang Xiuyu was not the only one.

He’d thought about saving Mu Jingxu but wasn’t able to.

The system told him that every character in this world has a predetermined fate that he cannot save or change.

So Rong Tang began to copy scriptures.

He still doesn’t know what sort of variables there will be in this life or if things can improve in the direction he hopes for.

But at least Su Huaijing has improved a great deal.

After thinking about it over and over again, Rong Tang had once told Wang Xiuyu not to overextend herself. He originally wanted to have Shuang Fu remain in the capital to take care of her, but the Wang Fei was adamant that he didn’t and even assigned a few more servants and maids to wait on him. Rong Tang didn’t know if he should laugh or cry at the point of rejecting, but Su Huaijing squeezed his hand and agreed.

Rong Tang was a little puzzled and asked him why on their way back. Su Huaijing smiled and said, “You’re going on a long journey, and Mother will definitely worry. Regardless of how much staff and money you bring, she still fears that you will suffer hardships along the way. If you continue to disagree with her assigning a few people around you, I’m afraid Mother will fret about you for as long as you are away. It will then lead to excessive worry, which is bad for her health.”

Su Huaijing said these words unhurriedly and calmly. Rong Tang was stunned and suddenly thought that he seemed to be more considerate of Wang Xiuyu than he was, and he was a little embarrassed.

But before he could express what he meant, Su Huaijing squeezed his hand again, unassumingly pressing the acupuncture points on his hand to relax his veins, and said, “Tangtang, there is no need to reflect. You and Mother are the two closest people in the world. There’s no need to think twice when it’s about the people you’re close with; it’s better to just do whatever you want.”

Or rather, while familial affection needs to be maintained. Ultimately, the bonds of blood and motherhood are natural gifts in this world. If one becomes overly constrained in such relationships, it can easily lead to estrangement.

Su Huaijing had lost his family since childhood; he understood matters more clearly than Rong Tang, and he even instinctively thought about and considered things for him.

Rong Tang pondered it. Outside the carriage, the night market in Yu capital was as before. There were lights on high buildings, operas, songs of lament, and the moon is soon to be whole. Lanterns on high pavilions reflect the moonlight and starlight, their shadows drifting into the carriage on the summer night breeze.

With candle beans and incense burning on the table, Rong Tang asked softly, “Are we close?”

The movements of Su Huaijing’s hands paused slightly. He raised his phoenix eyes and stared quietly at Rong Tang. His lips opened and closed, and his tone was gentle: “What does Tangtang want to say?”

Rong Tang pursed his lips and said, “I want to tell you to relax a little when you’re with me.”

You can lower your guard a little, you can rely on my favour, you can be arrogant, you can be unreasonable, and you can request more.

I will always go along with you.

Su Huaijing heard the unfinished meaning in his words, and his eyes curled up into a smile. The light in his eyes was brighter than the moon glowing in the sky. His lips curved and he said, “To me, Tangtang is the beaming moon of the mortal world.”

It is not a simple “closeness”; it’s cherishing, rejoicing, admiring, and obsessively wanting to hold him in an embrace, to secretly possess the moon’s brilliance.

–

In the early morning of the fifteenth of the fifth month, the carriage set off from Yong’an Lane, passed through the city gate, and headed south.

There are still many things left in the capital. For example, they still haven’t seen so much as a hint of Qin Pengxuan. For example, every time Wukang’s Young Lord sees Sheng Chengming, he will be asked neither casually nor seriously by the Second Highness, “Have biao xiong and biao sao forgiven you?”

But Duke Ningxuan’s Palace has Rong Zheng, and Rong Tang doesn’t want to worry about that. He and Su Huaijing merely journeyed and rested all the way, slowly travelling from the capital to Jiangnan, and finally set foot in Huizhou on the final day of the fifth month.

Rong Tang was in a daze for the entire journey, but when they passed the mountains, he woke up, asked the driver to stop, and bent to get out of the carriage.

Su Huaijing was with him. Huizhou had many mountains and rivers, and the scenery was breathtaking, but it wasn’t the destination of this trip. Rong Tang stood beneath the shade of an old elm tree, overlooking the tea shops and houses and admiring the mountains.

The timing was perfect; it was approaching noon. Here and there, white smoke rose from the low, earthen houses in the mountain village. Occasionally, the crowing of roosters and the barking of dogs can be heard. Children play at the village entrance; a cicada is enough to keep them entertained all day long. These young ones are unaware of the hardships of the world.

There are lush, green tea trees covering the hills as far as the eye can see. Each one is the foundation for these families’ livelihoods.

Rong Tang stood there, watching quietly. Su Huaijing came over, held his hand, and asked softly, “Tangtang wants to live here?”

Rong Tang shook his head and looked away. “I just consider that the scenery here is very good.”

The scenery is good, and the weather is good. After entering the mountains, the weather suddenly cooled down, making it perfect for escaping the heat, unlike the scorching summer.

Rong Tang turned around and was about to get on the carriage to continue the journey. They wanted to go to Suzhou on this trip and wouldn’t be passing by here to begin with. It was when Rong Tang was passing by the intersection of the two provinces that he abruptly came up with the idea and casually mentioned that he wanted to see the mountains. Su Huaijing then ordered the carriage to alter its course.

When he desires something, Su Huaijing will never refuse him.

Therefore, as soon as Rong Tang turned around, Su Huaijing held onto his hand to prevent him from moving.

Rong Tang was startled and looked back at him, but Su Huaijing led him straight through the trail of the tea plantation and all the way to the houses.

“I’m hungry.” He said, “Let’s find somewhere to eat before leaving.”

Rong Tang watched in bewilderment as he energetically led him along the way. He carefully selected a yard, knocked on the wooden door, and stood outside politely and presentably to chat with the owner: “My husband and I passed by here while enjoying ourselves, and started feeling hungry near meal time. I would like to ask if we can prevail upon you for a simple meal?”

By coincidence, this house belonged to a same-sex couple. The husband went out to work on the farm, and the male wife was cooking at home. When he heard this, he was stunned for a moment, then blushingly acquiesced. He welcomed them into the courtyard, turned around to head back to the stove, and added a handful of rice to the pot.

A small green vegetable garden is flourishing in the courtyard. Cowpeas are climbing up bamboo poles, and Chinese cabbage is being harvested in batches. A young man in coarse linen clothing is picking a basket of fresh vegetables in the courtyard, and then his eyes fall on the corner where free-range chickens are pecking at insects. His expression was very hesitant.

Rong Tang noticed his expression and immediately wanted to stop him, but the other party seemed to have already made up his mind and was heading that way.

Su Huaijing said, “Thank you, bro. Unfortunately, my husband is not in good health. The doctor instructed him to eat less greasy and meaty foods, so there’s no chance to taste the delicacies.”

He said it with great regret, his eyes sweeping past the scattered chickens, before turning to the young man’s face.

The latter was obviously startled, and he stopped in his tracks. His regretful gaze fell on Rong Tang. Su Huaijing discreetly gave Rong Tang’s hand a squeeze. He immediately turned his head and coughed for a long time. When he raised his head again, his eyes were all dewy, his cheeks were red, and he looked extremely weak at first glance.

The young man was visibly alarmed, and hurriedly poured him some tea. As such, he didn’t pay the chickens any further heed. But before leaving, he was still unsatisfied and went to the chicken coop to remove a couple of eggs.

Rong Tang looked at the palms of his hands and couldn’t help but shake his head and release a sigh.

Su Huaijing put the tea in front of him and asked in a warm voice, “Tangtang wants to eat chicken?”

Rong Tang was slightly stunned and shook his head. “I think he took too many eggs. I can see that he’s saved them for many days. If he exchanges them at the market, he can get a few coins. Letting us eat them is a terrible waste.”

They come from a wealthy family in the capital. They’ve tasted all manner of delicacies, so how could they be greedy for these eggs?

As Rong Tang spoke, he still felt a little bit unhappy and wanted to go to the kitchen to stop him.

Su Huaijing laughed all of a sudden, and it was then that he knew his little Buddha’s disposition.

He squeezed Rong Tang’s hand, brought the teacup in front of him, and said, “He can see from our clothes that we’re not lacking, but he just wanted to put all the food he has at home that is suitable for entertaining guests on the table. Tangtang doesn’t have to feel guilty.”

The cup for the tea was also a large, coarse porcelain bowl, in no way comparable to the priceless jade cups used by Rong Tang in Ningxuan Palace or even Yong’an Lane. However, Su Huaijing handed it to him, and he casually took it. Before drinking, he muttered in a low voice, “I know, I just feel—”

He didn’t say the next words, instead lowering his head to take a sip of tea to conceal the look in his eyes. The moment the tea entered his mouth, his gaze brightened.

Su Huaijing then smiled: “It’s very sweet, isn’t it?”

Rong Tang nodded. “Ng ng!”

Su Huaijing was patient and diligent: “Then let’s buy some from them before we leave?”

Rong Tang was startled, and in an instant, he understood what he meant. That pinch of guilt mostly dissipated.

He wasn’t feeling guilty because of a few eggs; he was feeling guilty for knowing his fate but not being able to express it.

After the flood season, large areas in the south of Jiangnan were affected by floods. Tens of thousands of acres of tea estates in Huizhou were immersed in floods. Entire families of tea farmers had to move. Those who did not have time to escape died together with tea trees that had been cultivated for generations.

Although Rong Tang felt sad when he read it in the novel, there weren’t any concrete feelings—no one would really empathise excessively with a novel.

At this time in the previous two lives, he was too preoccupied with the internal palace affairs of the previous dynasty. Whether for him, Sheng Chengli, or even Heavenly Law, the floods and plagues in Jiangnan were merely tools for the protagonist to suppress political enemies.

Rong Tang was distracted when he saw the report and also sat in front of the lamp all night. He even wanted to enter the system space and have the system transport him to see what Jiangnan looked like under the cover of floods, despite the vast wealth and treasures of Yu capital.

A few brief words and a couple of enormous figures would make him sad, but there is no sense of reality.

But the system told him that the anchor point was not unlocked and he could not be teleported. The male protagonist was facing a crisis at the moment, and he could not leave the capital. The ultimate goal of the mission was to ensure the stable operation of this minor world. He mustn’t ruin the plan just because of a moment’s soft-heartedness.

The flooding of Jiangnan is an unchangeable fact. Based on this fact, what he wants to do is unseat the governor of Jiangnan in one fell swoop and then insert Sheng Chengli’s people inside.

Rong Tang is Heavenly Law’s chess player. Before reaching the final outcome, all sacrifices are meaningful, and all sacrifices are absolutely necessary.

Compared with the calamity faced by millions of people, the demise of the entire world is a typical example of a “trolley problem”*. Even if Rong Tang does not want to choose, he will still be pushed by the system and Heavenly Law to make a choice.

(*TN: The “trolley problem” is a philosophical thought experiment in ethics and moral psychology. It involves a hypothetical scenario where a person must choose between two morally difficult options. The trolley problem explores questions about utilitarianism (the greatest good for the greatest number), the ethics of action versus inaction, and the moral implications of making decisions that harm some to save others.)

Rong Tang still doesn’t know whether his choice is correct or not. However, the courtyard was filled with the fragrance of fresh vegetables and fruits, the kitchen had wisps of white smoke, and the sizzling sound of rapeseed oil being poured into a hot pan was sharp and lively. The man who went out to work returned home. When he saw the strangers in the yard, he was stunned for a moment, but after hearing their purpose, he gave a laugh and greeted them to sit down. He carried a hoe on his burly shoulders, and his hands were covered with soil. He was holding a handful of small wild flowers.

He scooped water in the courtyard, washed his fingers and the flower stems. Then he headed into the kitchen with a simple smile and gave the flowers to his husband.

This is a reality that isn’t written about in the novel.

A reality that Rong Tang had not witnessed before when he was stirring up trouble in Yu capital.

And also a reality that he is still unconsciously evading when passing by Huizhou.

Su Huaijing dragged him out of the hiding place under the elm tree to this world of dazzling fireworks.

The farmer’s food is lightly flavoured. They’d arrived unexpectedly, yet the other party actually prepared a tableful of dishes.

Eggs that have been scalded golden in hot oil, ham that had been cured in salt at the end of last year and is only eaten occasionally, freshly picked vegetables and cowpeas from the ground, accompanied by a warm bowl of gourd egg soup.

There was only a little meat, but Rong Tang ate it happily. If he wasn’t worried that it would make people think he was eating too much, he would even want to have a third bowl.

But he couldn’t conceal the way he glanced subconsciously at the table after putting down his bowl. The man laughed loudly and said, “If you want to eat, take another bowl. Your appetite is not as much as what I had in the morning. How can you be healthy? If you want to recover from illness, you must first be able to eat!”

His persuasion was simple and sincere, and Rong Tang was somewhat moved. He immediately turned his head to look at Su Huaijing. The latter couldn’t help smiling when he saw this. He took his bowl and went to the kitchen to fill half a bowl of rice for him before coming back out. “Eat slowly; no one is snatching it from you.”

Rong Tang happily began shovelling the rice.

After lunch, the man washed the dishes, and Su Huaijing told the young man that he wanted to buy some tea.

The other party was somewhat flustered and, inexplicably, a little flattered. He took out a small jar of tea, saying that he would gift it to them.

Su Huaijing took it, opened it to take a whiff, then handed it back and said with a smile, “Thank you for your kindness. It’s just that there are too many people in my family, so it would be unseemly to keep it to ourselves. Your tea is so sweet. If I don’t share some of it with each courtyard after bringing it back—”

He paused, with a slightly troubled expression on his face, and said, “Sometimes, gossiping in a large family can surpass that of an entire village. I am an outsider. If I do something inappropriate, it would easily invite criticism.”

Rong Tang was almost immune to the glib lies coming from his mouth as well as his acting, and he was taking a walk nearby to aid digestion. He unexpectedly saw the young man frowning, then taking out two large cans of tea from the house to give to Su Huaijing.

It appeared that he wanted to lower the price even more, but the man came over after washing the dishes, and when he heard the reason, he was very forthright: “Just sell it at the regular price. Our tea is the best in the region, with a renowned fragrance. If you sell it cheaply, others won’t be able to make a living.”

The young man frowned, walked over, and whispered, “But they are such nice people.”

“It’s irrelevant if they are nice.” The man took the tea and handed it to Su Huaijing, “It’s precisely because they are nice that they don’t want you to suffer losses. Don’t worry ba.”

Su Huaijing took the two jars, smiled and nodded to reassure the other party, then took out money and handed it to them.

Before leaving, Su Huaijing asked offhandedly, “Bro, have you ever thought about moving to the city?”

The man was startled and asked doubtfully, “Why would we move to the city? In the village, we have our tea fields and relatives. Our lives are very comfortable.”

Su Huaijing smiled, raised his hand, and pointed to the farmland and mountains in the distance, then turned around and pointed in one direction, asking, “The river over there is connected to a larger river. There has been flooding in Huizhou, right?”

The man’s face stiffened, and Su Huaijing said: “In the second year of Qingzheng’s reign, it rained heavily, and Huizhou was flooded. I know a little about meteorological phenomena. The stars and tides have been turbulent since last year. If Bro is not in a hurry for this season’s harvest, why not take your husband to higher ground for the summer?”

The other party was doubtful, and his face bore an expression of uncertainty. Su Huaijing said: “If I am mistaken, it would naturally be a great thing; but if I truly have the ability to interpret the stars, and I can only save one, so be it. To say the least, even if what I told you is a lie, you’ll just be taking a short break and won’t suffer many losses.”

After he finished speaking, he brought Rong Tang away. Rong Tang was stunned since he heard what he said while chatting with the other party, and he remained silent for a long time. Just then, his Adam’s apple rolled slightly. He still didn’t know where to start, but asked, “How can they have the money to settle down in the city?”

Su Huaijing smiled slightly and said, “When the young man handed me the small can of tea just now, I took advantage and stuffed two banknotes into it.”

Rong Tang was surprised. He didn’t expect him to have that ability.

The convoy was still waiting beside the elm tree, as before. The afternoon sun was a little dazzling. Su Huaijing passed by a wild pond and casually plucked a large lotus leaf before handing it to Rong Tang to block the sun.

Rong Tang’s heart trembled, and he didn’t speak for a long time. In the end, it was Su Huaijing who couldn’t stand it. Just as they were about to ascend the slope along the path, he pulled Rong Tang to a stop, bent his waist to squeeze under the lotus leaf shading Rong Tang’s head, and said frankly, “What does Tangtang want to say?”

Rong Tang: “……”

I want to say that your character seems to have collapsed.

He pursed his lips and asked, “Will there really be floods this year?”

Su Huaijing curled his eyes, smiled, and asked, “Tangtang also knows, right? Otherwise, why would you change the route midway, and why were you staring at the tea house in a daze?”

Rong Tang felt that all his thoughts had been seen through by him.

“How did you know?” he asked, pointing to the sky again. “Heavy rain and floods.”

Rong Tang knew this because he’d read the original work and had indeed lived through two lifetimes in this world, repeatedly witnessing every segment of history during these four years.

But how would Su Huaijing know?

He isn’t Heavenly Law’s male protagonist. Who would favour him and let him know these things?

Su Huaijing paused after hearing this, staring straight at Rong Tang with his bright eyes. After a moment, he got out from under the lotus leaf and led Rong Tang to walk along the road.

“Tangtang told me a secret, and I’ll tell you one too.” Su Huaijing said, “You said you’ve never been stupid, but it’s not completely true if I said I never went to school.”

He said, “My uncle’s family has a private school teacher. When my biao xiong di at home attends the classes, although I can’t sit at the desk with them and listen to lectures, my biao mei.” Su Huaijing paused and chuckled, “Li Panyan, whom Tangtang gege met in Songjing Lane.”

Rong Tang frowned, remembering the scene when he went to Li Mansion to find Su Huaijing, who was kneeling next to Li Panyan and grinding ink for her.

He was afraid that Su Huaijing would feel ashamed.

Su Huaijing smiled: “I don’t feel embarrassed. On the contrary, I am very grateful to her. After losing my parents, I can still read the Four Books and Five Classics and a great deal of books.”

The teacher appointed by Li Changfu was mediocre, and most of the children in his family hadn’t made much progress. However, he was a man who cared a lot about his reputation. The books in his library were admired by many common students.

Su Huaijing had spent nine years in Sichuan, and he knew almost every book in the Li Mansion’s library by heart.

He smiled and said, “If you read more books like the ‘Waterways Classic’ and ‘Chronicles of Major Events’, you will find droughts, floods, even insect plagues, epidemics, and even wars——”

“They all follow a pattern.” Su Huaijing’s voice drifted lightly through the air.

Rong Tang was stunned for a long time and then suddenly realised what he was doing. He unconsciously felt distressed and turned to look at him.

Yet Su Huaijing’s expression was as calm and unperturbed as ever, with no visible flaws or, much less, any superfluous emotions.

He merely slowly and patiently explained to Rong Tang why he thought there would be a flood this year and how he’d come to that conclusion.

Rong Tang inadvertently wondered why he would have wanted to read these books.

But it seemed that Su Huaijing himself had given him the answer: even wars.

He was too young at the time and had been living in an ivory tower. He had no idea why his sky had collapsed overnight.

All his relatives died, and Li Changfu didn’t know his true identity. No one could give him an accurate answer, so he could only try his utmost to seek out and investigate, to find a reason that could convince himself to accept the fact.

Then he discovered that these things actually have their own patterns.

He is many times smarter than his imperial father.

Rong Tang’s lips were a little dry, so he couldn’t help but stick out the tip of his tongue and lick them gently, and then he held Su Huaijing’s hand in his own.

Su Huaijing was slightly astounded; his gaze revealed joy. He tossed the earlier topic aside and naturally shifted closer to Rong Tang.

Rong Tang asked him, “Why do you need to bring it to their attention?”

The carriage was right in front of them. Shuang Fu saw them from a distance and quickly stood up to inform the accompanying convoy to get ready. The coachman patted the horse, the tamed beast, which was grazing with its head down.

Su Huaijing smiled, feeling perfectly justified, calm, and collected, with even a hint of inexplicable elation: “Because I told you before. Tangtang has forgotten again, but it doesn’t matter; I don’t blame you.”

He said, “As long as I remember it.”