This autumn seems hotter than previous years, and the leaves on the trees along the official road are all a bit wilted from the sun.
Xiao Song set off from Nanyi Prefecture City, riding a horse northward along the main road.
From Nanyi Prefecture to Pingyang Prefecture and then to Yuechuan Prefecture, the roads are particularly easy to travel on, regardless of the weather; the roads are clean and free of potholes, making for a smooth journey.
After leaving Yuechuan Prefecture, there is a stretch of road that is also very smooth.
But as one gradually travels north, the roads beco increasingly difficult to traverse.
North of Yuechuan Prefecture, only a short stretch is paved with concrete, with the rest being dirt roads.
There are horse caravans and so convoys on the road, stirring up dust as they pass. Soon, hair and clothes are covered in a layer of yellow dust.
Xiao Song coughed constantly after traveling so distance.
His attendant said, "Young Master, let’s put on masks, otherwise this dust is too uncomfortable to bear."
Xiao Song took a mask and put it on, as did all his attendant guards.
Even so, the group still felt so discomfort.
Xiao Song had never traveled north before.
He was born in the Southern Yi, and later adopted by Xiao Yuan and Anning, spending all his ti in the Southern Yi area. He had hardly ever left the Southern Barbarian Prefectures, and now that he had, everywhere he looked, he saw people struggling for survival.
In the Southern Yi, it was harvest ti; wherever one went, one could see farrs happily harvesting crops, everyone with smiles on their faces, eyes full of hope for a better life.
In the county, in the Prefecture City, everywhere there were smooth roads, and pedestrians on the streets were dressed neatly and elegantly, behaving very amicably and courteously. The streets were very bustling, evidently a prosperous place.
But after leaving Yuechuan Prefecture, the scenes Xiao Song saw were different.
Many fields here were desolate, and everywhere could be seen people in tattered clothes. Many were skin and bones, so even emaciated like skeletons, with almost no flesh on their bodies.
So children had large heads, very thin arms and legs, but bulging bellies, clearly from frequent starvation.
Seeing all this, Xiao Song felt incredibly complex emotions.
The children in Nanyi Prefecture lived well now, every household had enough to eat, and most children could go to school. But northward, the children in Da Qi lived like this.
Xiao Song steeled himself not to look, hurrying on with his journey every day.
Finally, he arrived at Yangzhou City.
There’s a saying about Yangzhou: ’Co down to Yangzhou when the willows bloom in March,’ and also, ’With ten thousand strings of cash around the waist, ride a crane down to Yangzhou,’ indicating its prosperity.
When Xiao Song was studying earlier, he read these lines too; he longed for this beautiful and comrcially prosperous city, always imagining what Yangzhou would be like.
But upon arriving in Yangzhou, he was quite disappointed.
Yangzhou City was far from what Nanyi Prefecture was like.
Upon entering the city, Xiao Song did not head straight to Qingzhu Academy but first found an inn to stay, freshened up, and rested for the night before going.
After cleaning up, he strolled through Yangzhou City at night, taking in the night scenery, and only the next day did he have his attendant send a calling card to i Mansion.
The legend goes that Mr. i, nad Boqing, was a character of solitary pride and noble character.
He was a close friend and forr classmate of Anning’s father, Imperial Censor Liu; the two families were on intimate terms.
He initially worked at the Hanlin Academy, but later, disgusted with Da Qi’s officialdom, he resigned and accepted a friend’s invitation to Yangzhou, where he spent over twenty years teaching. Although not imnsely wealthy, he lived a very leisurely life.
i Mansion was situated in a quiet alley not far from Qingzhu Academy, where many teachers from the academy resided.
The i Family house was at the very end.
i Boqing had a son and a daughter in his early years. His son had a family and also taught at Qingzhu Academy. His daughter, however, was married off poorly and was mistreated to death by her in-laws, leaving no children, which broke i Boqing’s heart for many years.
Now, i Boqing lived with his son’s family in a two-courtyard house, not large, but simple enough for the i Family to live in.
One day, when i Boqing was resting, he got up early to play with his pet myna bird under the veranda; after Mrs. i woke up and saw him playing with the bird, she rolled her eyes, "Standing in the draft early in the morning, aren’t you afraid of catching a cold? Get inside quickly."
i Boqing smiled, turned, and took Mrs. i into the house, "Alright, I’ll listen to you, my Lady."
Mrs. i was just about to have a maid set the table when Uncle Zhong ca in from the gatehouse, saying to i Boqing, "Master, a young lad has left a calling card at the door, saying he is visiting as a son of an old friend."
"Son of an old friend?"
i Boqing frowned, contemplating for a long ti but couldn’t recall which old friend’s son this might be.
"What’s the surna of the one who left the calling card? Where do they co from?"
Uncle Zhong quietly said, "The young lad ntioned their young master’s surna is Xiao, and they co from Southern Yi."
i Boqing still couldn’t quite recall, but Mrs. i suddenly rembered soone, tugging at i Boqing’s sleeve, "It’s the child from the Liu girl’s family."
At those words, i Boqing finally realized.
Anning was indeed married to soone surnad Xiao, and a few years ago, the Xiao Family was exiled to Southern Yi as a result of being implicated. The visitor ca from Southern Yi, with the surna Xiao, likely Anning’s son.
Now knowing who it was, i Boqing quickly said, "Tell that young fellow that their young master is welco to co over if they have ti. Tell them our family and his maternal grandfather’s are on intimate terms, and there’s no need for formalities."
Uncle Zhong went out and returned shortly, saying, "That young fellow said their young master will be over shortly."
i Boqing forgot about eating and pulled Mrs. i inside the house, turning around with anticipation.
Just then, his son i Zhiyuan and daughter-in-law Mrs. Geng ca to pay respects, and i Boqing said, "Don’t go out for a while; we have guests visiting today, so et them too."
Mrs. i also instructed, "Call our young ones here as well. Since it’s Liu girl’s son, he must be around their age; they’ll have things to talk about."
"Yes, call them all."
Xiao Song, on his end, upon receiving the response, quickly brought the gifts from Southern Yi to pay a visit.
When he arrived, the front doors of i Mansion were open, and a servant who appeared to be in his fifties waited at the entrance. Upon seeing Xiao Song, he asked, "Is this Young Master Xiao?"
Xiao Song smiled, "Indeed it is, greetings, elder."
The servant was Uncle Zhong, and he secretly glanced at Xiao Song several tis, noticing that although the boy’s complexion wasn’t as fair as those from Jiangnan, his features were exceptionally good, showing a certain rugged masculine charm, more so than the seemingly frail scholars in Jiangnan.
After a glance, Uncle Zhong had a favorable impression of Xiao Song and led him into the main hall.
In the main hall, i Boqing and Mrs. i were seated in the main seats, with i Zhiyuan and Mrs. Geng on the left side, and two delicate-looking young n behind them.
Xiao Song entered and saluted i Boqing, "This junior Xiao Song greets Grandmaster i."
His words amused i Boqing, "Quickly rise, did your mother tell you I’m her Master?"
Xiao Song stood up and smiled, "Mother has spoken of you many tis, saying she misses you very much, but being so far away, she can’t co. Now that everything is settled at ho, she sent to visit."
i Boqing noted Xiao Song’s candid expression and eloquence, finding a fondness for him, "You’ve endured so much traveling at such a young age, it’s not easy."
Mrs. i quickly said, "Good child, sit down quickly."
Xiao Song sat with a smile, "I hope Grandmaster i and Grandmaster Mother are well. Mother always worries about you, asking to serve for a few days here, to fulfill her filial duty."
Mrs. i nodded, "Yes, we two old ones are doing well."
After catching up, i Boqing let his two grandsons accompany Xiao Song, but Xiao Song stood up and said, "I have long admired Yangzhou City and should indeed stroll around with the two brothers, but mother has entrusted with a letter for Grandmaster."
With that, i Boqing took Xiao Song to the study.
Once in the study, Xiao Song took a letter from his bosom and handed it to i Boqing, saying while handing it over, "Grandmaster, mother asked to convey that she fears next spring there might be heavy rain in Jiangnan. As you know, with the corruption in local governance, the flood-control asures may not hold for long. By then, there may be catastrophic floods. Mother is concerned for your well-being and invites your family to stay in Southern Yi for a ti."
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