The Red Mansion in its bustling glory

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Jia Jue laughed and said, "I've made a fool of myself."

Liu Xianglian said, "Brother Jue's swordsmanship far surpasses mine!"

"Not at all!" Jia Jue repeatedly declined.

After chatting for a while longer, everyone parted ways.

Jia Jue and his party stayed in Zhenjiang for three or four days. During these three or four days, Jia Jue also had fun with Liu Xianglian.

On this day, the two were riding horses when they arrived at the outskirts of Hangzhou.

Suddenly I saw a teahouse, its bamboo curtain half-rolled up, wafting out a faint aroma of tea.

Jia Jue had enjoyed many fine teas in the Rongguo Mansion throughout his life, and now, upon smelling the aroma of this tea, he found it to be even better than the tea offered as tribute.

He thought to himself, "To find such wonderful tea in this remote place!"

On a whim, he invited Liu Xianglian to go for tea together.

Liu Xianglian is perfectly acceptable.

The two entered and ordered two dishes of tea and a pot of pre-rain Longjing tea.

As they were drinking, they suddenly heard several women's laughter, clear and melodious like pearls falling onto a jade plate.

Jia Jue was puzzled, wondering which young lady was so disregarding etiquette.

But then the tea curtain fluttered, and a group of people came in.

The one in the lead, dressed in plain clothes, with a kind face, radiant spirit, and graceful demeanor, was none other than Abbess Huixin.

Looking further back, all that could be seen were nuns, among whom only one had hair—it was Miaoyu.

Jia Jue quickly rose and bowed to the nun, saying, "I was unaware of your presence, nun. I am honored to greet you!"

The nun nodded and smiled, "Meeting is fate."

Jia Jue then asked, "Where does the nun intend to go on this journey?"

Master Huixin clasped her hands and said, "Amitabha. This old nun has heard that a new Buddhist stele has been unearthed in Jinling, with ancient and profound inscriptions and a long-standing Buddhist charm. Therefore, I have brought my disciples to pay homage to it."

Jia Jue's heart stirred. He had heard a little about the Buddhist stele. It was said that a farmer unearthed a stele on the site of an abandoned temple while plowing his field. The stele was engraved with ancient Sanskrit characters, which attracted monks from all directions to come and see it.

Jia Jue then smiled and said, "Master, your journey is long, why don't you travel together?"

Liu Xianglian also said, "That's right, it'll be good to have someone to look after you on the road."

The nun nodded slightly and said, "That is indeed my wish, but I dare not ask you to."

So everyone packed their belongings, and Jia Jue's fleet gained a few more small boats.

The group then returned to the shore to prepare to board the boat.

Upon reaching the river, the vast expanse of misty water was truly magnificent.

Standing on the boat, gazing at the rolling Yangtze River, Jia Jue couldn't help but recite: "The mighty Yangtze flows eastward, its waves washing away the heroes of the past—"

Before the recitation was even finished, a shout of "Bravo!" was heard.

It turned out that Liu Xianglian had already stood next to Jia Jue at some point, and said with a smile, "Although I am a rough man who only knows how to wield a sword, I can still tell whether a poem is good or bad. Brother Jue's line is full of lofty sentiments, just like the surging river. It is a very good line."

Jia Jue simply smiled and remained silent.

Miaoyu, of course, also heard Jia Jue reciting poetry.

Although she was also standing on this large ship, she deliberately kept her distance from the others.

Fortunately, there are only Jia Jue and Liu Xianglian on the boat now. If the servants were also on board, Miaoyu would never have come, even if her master ordered her to.

She listened to Jia Jue reciting poetry and felt a sense of wonder. However, unlike Liu Xianglian, she was not extremely excited; she simply listened silently, hoping that Jia Jue would continue reciting.

However, seeing Jia Jue laughing and joking with Liu Xianglian, it seems the rest of the poem will never be seen.

Thinking of this, Miaoyu couldn't help but purse her lips.

Master Huixin did not come over; she stood alone at the stern of the boat. A gentle breeze blew, causing her monk's robes to flutter, making her appear ethereal, like a celestial being reborn.

Just looking at the nun's back, one could tell she was a highly accomplished person.

It was precisely for this reason that Jia Jue became even more curious about her past story with the retired emperor.

As night fell, the moon was bright and the stars were few, with sparse clouds obscuring the moon.

Since leaving the capital, Jia Jue has enjoyed going to the deck at night to admire the moon and watch the clouds.

There are no rules here like in the Rongguo Mansion. In fact, you could say that the person with the highest status here is Jia Jue, and he can do whatever he wants.

Xi Ren and the others tried to persuade him, but he refused.

Where Jia Jue couldn't see, there was another person also looking up at the moon.

This person has a graceful figure, like a fairy. Who else could it be but Miaoyu?

Miaoyu saw Jia Jue, but Jia Jue did not see Miaoyu.

After hesitating for a long time, Miaoyu finally stepped forward and said, "Young Master Jia, instead of sleeping at night, you come here to admire the moon. How refined of you!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Jue turned around and saw that it was Miaoyu. He smiled and said, "It is Master Miaoyu. I just couldn't sleep and came out for a walk."

Miaoyu listened in silence for a long while, before finally saying, "I wonder if there's any follow-up to the poems and essays you spoke of during the day?"

"Poetry?" Jia Jue was taken aback, then remembered that it was the poem "Linjiang Xian" that he had spontaneously recited today when he was deeply moved by the scenery of the Yangtze River.

Jia Jue then smiled and said, "This poem naturally has a sequel. Would Master Miaoyu like to hear it?"

Miaoyu nodded.

Jia Jue then said: "The mighty Yangtze River flows eastward, its waves washing away heroes of the past. Right and wrong, success and failure, all vanish in the blink of an eye. The green mountains remain, witnessing countless sunsets. White-haired fishermen and woodcutters on the riverbank watch the autumn moon and spring breeze. A pot of wine brings joy to our meeting. How many events of the past and present are all consigned to laughter and conversation."

Miaoyu savored the verses of "Linjiangxian" and felt the lingering charm and fragrance on her lips and teeth.

In particular, the line "So many things, past and present, are all just tales told with a smile" gave Miaoyu the feeling of meeting a true scholar.

After a long pause to reflect, Miaoyu bowed and said, "I misunderstood you before, sir. I mistook you for a worldly person driven by profit. I never imagined you were such a virtuous person!"

Jia Jue quickly said, "Master Miaoyu, you must have misunderstood. This poem was not written by me."

Miaoyu asked, "Then who wrote it?"

Jia Jue said, "This person is a talented scholar from the previous dynasty, a lyricist named Yang Shen."

"Yang Shen?" Miaoyu thought to herself, "I didn't know there was such a talented man in the previous dynasty. If he could write such good poems, he would probably be famous throughout the world by now. How come I have absolutely no recollection of him?"

He was determined to go back and ask his master if she knew of this person, "Yang Shen".

The two exchanged a few more words, and then Miaoyu took her leave and went back.

When Miaoyu arrived at the door of her master's room, she knocked and entered, only to find Master Huixin meditating.

Hearing a noise at the door, the nun slowly opened her eyes.

His eyes were like a calm lake, without a ripple.

"My disciple is back."

"Yes," Miaoyu replied. "Does Master know of a talented scholar from the previous dynasty named Yang Shen?"

"Yang Shen?" Master Huixin thought for a moment. "Since he is called a talented scholar, he must be quite famous. I have never heard of him."

Upon hearing that her master had never heard of this name, Miaoyu roughly had an answer to the question of whether "Yang Shen" existed.

My master was a renowned talented woman and famous monk in the world back then. Since she said she had never heard of her, she probably doesn't exist.

But—Miaoyu thought to herself, "Why would he lie to me?"