Prince Bei Jing of the Red Chamber, starting from saving Qin Keqing

This domineering aura instantly enveloped Qin Keqing. She pressed herself tightly against his chest, listening to the pounding of his heart, her voice firm yet choked with emotion:

"I will only love you, my prince..."

The two embraced and lingered like that, and before they knew it, evening had fallen.

During this time, Shui Rong personally went to fetch food from the Prince's residence, sat by the bed, and fed her spoonful by spoonful.

Qin Keqing nestled obediently in his arms, swallowing as she opened her mouth. Occasionally, she would raise her hand and gently wipe away the rice grains from the corners of his mouth with her fingertips, her eyes filled with deep affection.

As the sun set and dusk deepened, Shui Rong had to get up and say goodbye.

He helped Qin Keqing pull the fox fur scarf around her neck, wrapping her up tightly, his tone full of instructions:

"Qing'er, from now on, your safety will be our top priority. It would be best if we could win over Grand Secretary Qin, but if we can't, there's no need to force it. Don't wrong yourself."

"Anyway, with the power of my Prince Bei Jing's mansion, supporting you for the rest of your life is more than enough. Do you understand?"

Qin Keqing leaned against him, her cheeks flushed, and nodded vigorously, her voice weak: "Yes, Your Highness, I understand."

"It's windy outside, don't come out to deliver it, go back inside."

Shui Rong gently hugged her, feeling her softness, before turning to leave.

"Your Highness..."

Qin Keqing called out to him softly, but did not go back into the house. Instead, she stood at the entrance of the temple, like a wife waiting for her husband to return, quietly watching his back.

The north wind whipped snowflakes through her hair, but she paid no heed, her eyes filled with reluctance and dependence, until his figure disappeared around the corner of the temple.

On the third day at dawn, the north wind subsided slightly, and the study of the Prince of Beijing's residence was warm and cozy.

The crackling charcoal fire in the silver-threaded brazier made the map of Jiangsu and Zhejiang spread out on the table even clearer.

Shui Rong, dressed in a plain brocade robe, was looking down at the canal wharf marked on the map when a servant announced from outside: "Your Highness, Lord Lin has arrived."

"Please come quickly."

Shui Rong straightened up, and as soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ruhai, dressed in a dark blue official robe and holding a folding fan (a scholar's habit even in winter), slowly walked into the study and bowed respectfully.

"Ru Hai greets Your Highness."

"Father-in-law, there's no need for such formalities. Please have a seat."

Shui Rong raised his hand to help him up and led him to sit down at the table. The eunuch served him tea and then withdrew.

Shui Rong tapped the map with his fingertip and got straight to the point:

"I'm grateful for your visit today, Father-in-law, because I'd like to ask you to teach my nephew some Jiangnan dialect and slang—I'll be heading south in a few days to investigate a case."

"The Qinghefang and Suzhou area is a mixed bag. Without knowledge of these things, it would be difficult to conceal one's identity and investigate the truth."

Lin Ruhai stroked his beard and nodded with a smile:

"Your Highness has considered everything carefully. The Jiangnan region is mostly Wu dialect, and there are also guild slang in the streets. If one speaks only Northern Mandarin, one will be exposed as soon as one opens one's mouth."

"Today we'll start with the most practical dialects and slang; Your Highness, please take good notes."

As he spoke, he picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said:

"Let's start with everyday dialects. People from Jiangsu and Zhejiang call 'me' 'Ala' (the core term of address in Wu dialect, which was already prevalent in the Ming Dynasty), and 'you' 'Nong'."

“‘晓得’ means ‘to know’, ‘勿要’ means ‘don’t want’, ‘朆’ means ‘no’, and ‘覅’ means ‘don’t want’.”

"For example, in the north, people say 'Have you eaten?' while in the Jiangnan region, they say 'You've eaten?' If you're refusing someone, you say 'Don't bother me.'"

Shui Rong closed his eyes and silently recited it twice, then opened his eyes and tried to say:

"Have you eaten yet? Don't bother me!" Although the tone was slightly stiff, it was pretty much the same.

Lin Ruhai clapped his hands and laughed:

"Your Highness is intelligent and learns quickly. Let me also tell you some common slang used in the streets, mostly by gangs, merchants, and even thieves. You need to pay extra attention when investigating cases."

He cleared his throat and began to explain in detail, counting on his fingers, providing context for each word:

"First, let's talk about their identities: porters at the docks in Jiangsu and Zhejiang were called 'footmen,' but were also slangly referred to as 'shoulder carriers.'"

Thieves are called "three-handed," and more euphemistic terms include "pickpocket" or "wallet thief" (which refers to stealing wallets and was commonly used by bandits in Jiangsu and Zhejiang during the Ming Dynasty).

"Government spies and informants are called 'spies' in the marketplace and 'informants' or 'eyes' in gangs; if they are accomplices who make contact, they are called 'fellow travelers' or 'partners'."

Shuizhong quickly scribbled on the paper with his pen, then nodded and said:

"'Haircutter' and 'footwork'—I've got those. When investigating cases, we inevitably come into contact with the slang of money changers and pawnshops. What about the jargon used by those trades?"

"Your Highness's question is very apt."

Lin Ruhai continued, "Money shops are called 'money shops' or 'piaohao' (in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, rudimentary forms of piaohao already existed in Jiangsu and Zhejiang). Depositing silver is called 'depositing silver,' and withdrawing silver is called 'exchanging silver.' In slang, they are called 'depositing head' and 'exchanging head.'"

"Pawnshops are called 'pawn shops,' pawning things is called 'pawning goods,' and in slang it's called 'pawning' or 'pawning goods.' Pawn tickets are called 'pawn tickets' or 'pawn slips.'"

"If you encounter stolen goods being pawned, people in the industry will secretly call them 'stolen goods' or 'robber's goods.' If a pawnshop dares to accept them, it's called 'cheating.'"

He paused, then added, "There are also slang terms for place names and scenes: inns are called 'zhanfang' in slang, and 'resting place' in slang."

"Casinos are called 'gambling dens,' but are also known as 'treasure games' or 'places for gambling'; the hideouts of bandits are called 'nests' or 'nests,' and even more secretive ones are called 'hidden kilns';

"Smuggling boats on the river were called 'black boats' or 'privately transported'. The common code for meeting at the dock was 'The boat has arrived at the dock, but the tea is still warm' (a common code among smuggling gangs in Jiangsu and Zhejiang during the Ming Dynasty)."

Shui Rong tapped the notes on the table with her fingertips, then suddenly asked:

"If someone questions my identity, how should I respond using dialects and slang? For example, if I'm pretending to be a silk merchant, what should I say?"

Approval flashed in Lin Ruhai's eyes. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "If you pretend to be a silk merchant, you can say, 'I am a silk merchant from Suzhou. I am here in Qinghefang to meet with a partner to exchange goods.'"

"If someone tests you by asking 'Is the goods genuine?', which means asking if the goods are authentic (or stolen goods), you can answer 'Very pure, honest and trustworthy, young and old.' In code terms, you would answer 'Dry goods, not a drop of moisture.'"

As he spoke, he stood up, walked to the map, and pointed to the location of Suzhou Prefecture, saying:

"Especially in the Changmen area of ​​Suzhou Prefecture, there are many shops, a mixed bag of people, and even more slang."

"For example, 'ordinary goods' refers to regular goods, 'hot goods' refers to high-quality goods that are in high demand, and 'rotten goods' refers to inferior goods or stolen goods; 'giving secret signals' is called 'matching points,' 'turning against someone' is called 'breaking the relationship,' and 'running away' is called 'slipping away' or 'fleeing by water' (not referring to fleeing in a fire, but in the Jiangzhe market during the Ming Dynasty)."

Shui Rong repeated "matching the point," "breaking the face," and "running the water" several times, then asked:

"If someone asks for help or wants to inquire about information, how should one begin the conversation in their local dialect?"

"If you want to inquire about information, you can say, 'Do you know anything about such-and-such pier? Please let me know, and I will reward you handsomely.' In slang, you would say, 'I'm asking for directions. It'll be good for you.'"

Lin Ruhai laughed and said, "People in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are generally docile. If you speak in their dialect and are polite, they will most likely tell you the truth."

"But remember, if you encounter someone from a gang, do not show weakness easily, and do not use slang indiscriminately. If you don't know what to say, you will only get into trouble."

The two taught and learned, and two hours passed in the blink of an eye.

Shui Rong folded and put away the paper filled with dialect and slang, then stood up and bowed to Lin Ruhai:

"Thank you for your careful guidance, Father-in-law. I have benefited greatly from what I have learned today. I will definitely be of great use after I go south."

Lin Ruhai quickly stood up and returned the greeting: "Your Highness is too kind. It is only right that I share Your Highness's burdens. Moreover, Your Highness's trip to Jiangzhe is not only to investigate the case, but also to ensure the stability of the court."

"Your Highness needs to practice these dialects and slang more. Practice makes perfect, and you will be able to handle them with ease."

He paused, then added, "There are a few more crucial emergency slang terms that Your Highness must memorize: 'Wind is strong' means the situation is critical, escape quickly;"

"'Having eyes' means someone is watching; 'having no eyes' means it's safe and no one is watching; 'giving a helping hand' means asking for help, and in slang it's called 'give a hand' or 'help out'."

Shui Rong noted everything down and then simulated several dialogues with Lin Ruhai: sometimes pretending to be a silk merchant to make contact with members of the guild, sometimes pretending to be a commoner to inquire about information, and sometimes pretending to be a secret agent to answer questions.

At first, Shui Rong's tone was a bit stiff, but after practicing a few times, she was able to use dialect and slang fluently, and her tone became more and more in line with the flavor of Jiangzhe city life.

The snow started falling again outside the window, and a eunuch came in to report that lunch was ready.

Shui Rong smiled and led Lin Ruhai to the dining hall: "Father-in-law, you've worked hard all morning. Let's have dinner at the Prince's Mansion today. We can chat while we eat, and then I'd like to ask you to teach me some Jiangnan food idioms."

Lin Ruhai smiled and agreed: "That is indeed my wish, but I dare not ask. The food slang in Jiangnan is quite particular. For example, 'eating tea' means drinking tea, 'eating wine' means drinking alcohol, and 'eating snacks' means eating snacks..."

Their laughter drifted out of the study of the Prince of Beijing's mansion, mingling with the wind and snow outside the window.

Holding a piece of paper filled with local dialect and slang, Shui Rong felt confident enough to head south. With this knowledge, and the help of his secret guards, he was certain that this trip to Jiangsu and Zhejiang would clarify the case, stabilize the situation in the south, and add another important piece to his plan.