Chapter 1
September brought crisp air and high skies. Gardenias were past their bloom, but osmanthus flowers were in full glory, their rich fragrance carried on the wind.
During this season, the roads were filled with wealthy idlers out enjoying the autumn scenery. Carriages and horses, spacious and grand, were often seen traveling, making for a lively scene.
However, that morning, the road was less crowded with travelers. This was because it was the year of the Wu, and today was the day the results of the triennial provincial examinations would be announced.
Every family with a scholar who had participated in the exams had gone to await the results. Few people still had the inclination to go out and play.
“Second Brother Cousin is definitely going to pass this time. Auntie said Cousin’s essays have been posted on the notice board outside the academy by the tutor several times for scholars to read.”
“Cousin studies diligently. He has both talent and diligence, so there’s no reason he wouldn’t pass.”
On the official road, two young men were heading towards the city together.
“Once Cousin passes the provincial exam, he’ll probably propose to your family, right? I’ll have to call you sister-in-law from now on. You’ll have to look out for younger cousin brother!”
Ji Taoyu walked along the official road, still feeling a bit dazed.
He had stayed up late the night before, reading medical books by lamplight. Early that morning, he was called by a young man from the Yu family, who passed by his house, to go into the city together.
He didn’t like going out much, and they didn’t have much interaction usually. They only met occasionally in the village and exchanged greetings. Originally, he hadn’t wanted to come out.
However, with the announcement of the osmanthus list today, and thinking that someone he knew had taken the exam, his mother had also subtly urged him to go and see. Only then did he agree to accompany the young man from the Yu family into the city.
It was late autumn, and the morning breeze felt a little cold. He gently covered his face with his hands, finally feeling some warmth.
Taoyu had been walking silently, listening to the young man from the Yu family talk. But as the latter became more emboldened, talking about marriage and “husband candidates,” his cheeks turned red. He couldn’t help but interrupt:
“Marriage is just something the elders joke about. It’s not set in stone yet. Brother Xia, please speak with discretion.”
“Didn’t you have a betrothal arranged from childhood? Doesn’t everyone in the village know about this engagement? Now that you’re both of age, it’s time to talk about getting married. What are you shy about?”
Saying this, the young man from the Yu family nudged Ji Taoyu with his elbow: “What’s wrong? Could it be that you regret not wanting to marry Second Brother Cousin?”
Ji Taoyu’s expression tightened at these words. He, a young man famous throughout the region for being frail, was engaged to a Xiucai of the same age. Others envied him greatly. How could he possibly have the right to regret or not want to marry?
When Ji Taoyu was young, his growth was slower than children his age.
When his peers could walk, he could only crawl. When his peers could speak in full sentences, he could only clearly call out for mom and dad.
In his childhood, his family even thought he had been born with a disability and worried immensely. Fortunately, as he grew older, there were no intellectual deficits. Instead, he learned to read, write, and absorb knowledge very quickly, which somewhat comforted his parents.
It was a pity that while his mind was fine, his weak health was a certainty.
In his childhood, he was fair-skinned and lovable, but he was always thin and small, like a little lamb. No matter how much they fed him, he couldn’t gain weight.
Even a slight bump or scrape would make him cry, even if there was no broken skin. In the height of summer, a gust of wind or a bit of rain could easily catch a cold, making him delicate from a young age.
Several times, if he wasn’t careful, he would fall gravely ill. If his great-grandfather, who was a doctor, hadn’t provided timely medical treatment, he wouldn’t have lived to his current age.
His great-grandfather said he had a weak constitution and his senses were different from ordinary people from birth.
He got sick more easily than ordinary people and felt pain more acutely. He had to put in twelve parts more effort than others to take care of himself.
Ji Taoyu knew that with such a body, he followed his great-grandfather to learn some medical skills, which also saved his parents some trouble.
Unfortunately, he was the only young man in the family. Given his frailty, his parents felt no burden but rather guilt, and took even greater care of him.
Ji’s father was a thoughtful person. He had made plans for his son early on. He had set his sights on a young man from a family in the village and arranged a childhood engagement.
Over the years, he had supported the Yu family’s young man in his studies and examinations, and his efforts had not been in vain. Yu’s second son had already become a Xiucai at a young age and was taking the provincial examination this year, with a bright future ahead.
The family all hoped that Yu’s second son would achieve success in this provincial examination. Once the marriage was arranged, Taoyu would have a stable life for the rest of his days.
Seeing that Taoyu remained silent, the young man from the Yu family confidently said again, “That’s right. You are so beautiful, there must be wealthy families in the city who want to marry you.”
“Where did Brother Tao hear such things?”
Over the years, indeed, there had been dissolute young men in the city who were attracted by his appearance, or old wealthy merchants who had sent people to try and take Ji Taoyu away. However, they were not looking for a proper marriage. They merely wanted to buy a plaything at a high price.
His parents were very wary of such people, and this was also a sensitive point for him. He didn’t know if the young man from the Yu family was being blunt or deliberately teasing.
Just as Ji Taoyu was about to retort, he heard the sound of heavy hooves from behind.
The two turned their heads and saw a black horse with bright eyes trotting onto the wide, flat, yellow dirt road.
The horse was walking slowly, not even running, but Ji Taoyu, seeing such a large animal about to pass by, subconsciously pulled the young man from the Yu family back a few steps to avoid it.
The black horse had a broad chest and strong hindquarters, its coat glossy. As it moved, it exuded a wildness that had not been overly tamed.
Ji Taoyu couldn’t tell good horses from bad, but he felt this horse was more handsome than those he usually saw. And its snorting breath made him feel it was more imposing than the horses he had seen before.
Many well-dressed people on the official road heard the commotion and couldn’t help but crane their necks to look at the horse.
Near the city gate, there were no lack of worldly noblemen. They all stopped and competed to admire the horse. Seeing this, Ji Taoyu guessed that this was no ordinary creature.
It wasn’t surprising that even wealthy individuals found it extraordinary.
There were few horse-breeding grounds in the south, and the northwest frontier was constantly at war. Horses were mostly supplied to the army. Good horses were naturally rare in the south.
Having such a fine horse, which wasn’t in the treasure pavilion of rare birds and exotic beasts, but instead appearing on the road, was indeed eye-catching.
“That person looks so fierce.”
Ji Taoyu saw the young man from the Yu family beside him grab his arm and hide behind him, muttering in a low voice.
He turned his head and looked up the tall horse.
On the back of the black horse sat a man with his legs straddling the saddle, wearing a plain linen tunic. A black cloak was draped carelessly over his shoulder, obscuring half of his upper body. The man had an air of the frontier about him.
This attire didn’t suggest a wealthy and powerful figure. He looked more like someone who had traveled extensively between north and south.
The man was tall and sturdy. The legs that embraced the horse’s belly were exceptionally long. The reins were loosely wrapped around his hand, as if the horse was controlled not by the reins, but by his legs.
His eyes, with their three whites showing, stared blankly ahead. His oppressive aura made people afraid to meet his gaze.
A height of seven feet was considered impressive for a southern man. This man, even seated on horseback, was clearly no less than eight feet tall.
Due to his poor health, Ji Taoyu didn’t meet many people when he went out. This was the first time he had seen someone whose presence was even more imposing than the muscular butchers in the village, who walked with a wide-legged gait.
Fortunately, the man, knowing he was being scrutinized by many eyes, continued forward as if oblivious. If he had cast a sideways glance, Ji Taoyu felt he would have been terrified.
The wealthy individuals, though covetous of the fine horse, dared not send someone forward to inquire, fearing they might offend him and inadvertently cause trouble.
They could only watch helplessly as the man rode his fine horse into the morning breeze and disappeared.
“It’s really rare to see people of that build around here. They’d be half a head taller than everyone else in a crowd. And they look so frightening. Whoever marries him and catches a glimpse of him in a daze half-asleep at night would surely lose half their life.”
The young man from the Yu family reappeared after the horse had gone and chattered incessantly about the departing figure.
“It’s still better to have someone like Cousin, who has refined manners and speaks gently, like a scholar.”
Ji Taoyu pursed his lips slightly. Judging by his appearance alone, this man indeed had too much presence and looked too fierce.
But in this world, how could people be judged solely by their superficial appearance?
“Going by his appearance, he might be a soldier. I heard the wars in the northwest have finally ended, and many soldiers who were conscripted and survived the battlefield are returning home. Those who live on the battlefield are all formidable characters. You should avoid them if you encounter them in the future.”
Ji Taoyu said, “If they are indeed returning soldiers from the battlefield, they should be respected. Without them protecting our land, how could we have peaceful days?”
“Oh, please. They fought for so many years, and they still lost. The imperial court compensated with land and money. It caused our taxes to increase every year. If this continues, we won’t be able to live.”
Ji Taoyu knitted his brows: “Victory and defeat are not the responsibility of one side alone. Taxes are the decision of the imperial court, and it has nothing to do with the soldiers.”
“Sigh, I can’t really understand these national affairs. It’s all what Cousin told me. He’s a scholar, so he always knows about world affairs much faster than we do.”
“You don’t know because you don’t come out often due to your poor health. I come to the city more often than you. I’ve encountered returning soldiers several times in the city recently.”
Ji Taoyu’s brow twitched slightly. He didn’t ask who told him these things, but this young man from the Yu family mentioned Yu’s second son in everything he said.
He called him “Cousin” so affectionately, as if they were very close and interacted often. This made him scrutinize the young man.
However, his face held a carefree expression. Despite this, Taoyu had a rough idea of his character.
But given that the young man from the Yu family and Yu’s second son were related, and he himself didn’t have a clear title with Yu’s second son, it was difficult for him to speak directly about anything.
Thinking that it would be best to have less contact with this person in the future,
Ji Taoyu cut short the conversation: “It’s getting late. Let’s quicken our pace.”
Although they had entered the city early, by the time they reached the notice board outside the prefecture, it was already crowded with people waiting to see the results.
Among them were scholars’ families, servants, and diligent runners.
Ji Taoyu was not tall. He stood on tiptoe and looked twice, trying to see Yu’s second son. Unfortunately, there were too many people. Not only could he not see Yu’s second son, but he couldn’t even see the red list.
The young man from the Yu family, darting around, was unusually excited.
“I see the yamen runners are coming. Taoyu, let’s squeeze in!”
“If we squeeze in with our height, be careful not to get trampled.”
Ji Taoyu quickly called out to him. Stampedes had not been uncommon in previous years.
“It’s okay.”
The young man from the Yu family grabbed Ji Taoyu’s wrist and pulled him forward: “We’ll just walk along the riverbank.”
Before Ji Taoyu could respond, his wrist was pulled painfully, forcing him to move forward.
“Brother Xia, be careful!”
The young man from the Yu family turned a deaf ear and walked along the river railing outside the notice board.
On one side was the surging crowd, and on the other was the river, whose depth was unseen. Taoyu’s heart leaped into his throat.
“Brother Xia, there’s no rush to see the list. We’ll know the results once it’s posted.”
“When will that be? It’s best to see it at first glance.”
Taoyu’s legs felt a little weak. Suddenly, the sound of gongs rang out from ahead, and a yamen runner shouted: “Posting the list!”
He took a deep breath. The surging crowd offered no chance to turn back, so he could only quicken his pace.
However, just as he sped up, the young man from the Yu family stopped and stared at him intently, as if his heart had suddenly hardened.
Before he could react, the hand holding his wrist suddenly exerted force, and he was actually flung towards the river.
Taoyu’s footing was unstable. The words “Yamen runners should watch the list in an orderly fashion, do not crowd” still echoed in his ears. Then his body suddenly became weightless, and his ears were plunged into the green river water of September.
The event happened so suddenly that the splash was drowned out by the noise of people watching the list, and did not attract much attention.
Ji Taoyu only saw the young man from the Yu family look at him from over the railing, and then he was pushed away by the surging crowd, disappearing somewhere.
In his fear, the water from all sides seemed to envelop him like an airtight cloth, tightly wrapping around him. His usually slender body no longer felt light but rather heavy, and he began to sink.
Water quickly entered his mouth and nose, choking his throat and making it impossible to breathe. The water continued to pour in.
Overcome by fear, he struggled to wave his arms in the water but couldn’t utter a complete sentence.
