Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 139: The Great Waves Sift the Sand

The dinner was simple, held right in Tang Buqi’s waterside pavilion. They had not gone to any sort of “nice place” as Tang Buqi had initially said, but Zhao Changhe felt that this was the nicest place they could have gone.

Tang Buqi had a large courtyard all to himself. The pavilion they were in was built on top of water and there was a winding wooden bridge that led to it. It was clean and elegant, and the sound of water flowing could be heard from all directions, along with the faint sound of woodwind instruments. When Zhao Changhe arrived here, he felt as if were seeing the Water Pavilion of Still Reminiscence[1] from his dreams come to life before his very eyes.

I really was asking around like a lost donkey, huh? I even asked if there was a Murong Clan of Gusu, but it turns out, Yanziwu was yours[2] this whole time.

The maid led him to the pavilion and made a slight bow. “I will now be taking my leave.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Zhao Changhe pulled his gaze away from admiring the scenery and called her back with a smile. “Your young master invited a guest to dinner, aren’t you supposed to be serving him?”

The maid waved her hand and backed away. “Everyone has their own duties within the clan. It isn’t my place to serve the young master.”

“Then what is it that you do?”

“I’m just a servant girl in the guest house...”

“So you’re here to welcome the guests, right? And that’s why you’re showing me around?”

“Yeah... Well, that’s not really it. I’m responsible for cleaning the guest house, and not welcoming the guests. It’s just that there wasn’t anyone else willing to go with you, and I wanted to slack off for a bit...”

Zhao Changhe found her quite amusing and was about to tease her again when Tang Buqi popped his head out from the pavilion and said, “Hey, who are you talking to? Tsk... Are you flirting with my maid?”

Zhao Changhe responded, “How can exchanging a few words with this little girl be considered flirting? Do you think everyone is like you?”

“Alright, alright. Who is that?” Tang Buqi looked at the maid, but she seemed unfamiliar and he could not recall her name. He did not dwell on it, however. There were too many servants and servant girls in their estate. He simply said, “You’re from the guest house, right? Well, since it’s technically your job anyway, you can join us for dinner and attend to Mister Zhao.”

After saying that, he popped his head back in.

The maid: “...”

“Hah...” Zhao Changhe nearly burst out in laughter. He then asked, “Hey, since we’re somewhat acquainted now, what’s your name?”

The maid hesitated for a moment before finally saying, “Sisi.”

Zhao Changhe smiled and said nothing else.

This does not fit the style of the Tang Clan at all. Look at the maid next to Tang Wanzhuang, whether it was carrying the guqin or listening to it... Anyway, the style should be similar. What kind of uncultured name is this?

He did not say this out loud, simply heading into the waterside pavilion together with “Sisi.”

Inside the hall, there was a small round table, and several maids and musicians playing gentle and soothing music on the zither and other instruments, creating an atmosphere of bourgeois elegance.

But at this time, Tang Buqi was no longer indulging in grapes hand-fed by a maid. He sat alone by the window, pouring wine in his own cup and looking rather preoccupied. Seeing Zhao Changhe come in, he casually gestured for him to come toward him, “Sit down, it’s just us brothers. Let’s have a meal and drink together.”

“...” Hearing his eldest nephew change their manner of address to brothers made Zhao Changhe feel a bit weird.

However, Zhao Changhe also knew that referring to Tang Buqi as his eldest nephew was his own personal problem, and Tang Buqi definitely didn’t see things that way. So, despite feeling a bit awkward, he sat down opposite Tang Buqi and asked, “Did you get scolded?”

“No,” replied Tang Buqi. “My father actually praised me. He said that I did well in Yangzhou... Although I know that I didn’t really do much, I was on the frontlines during the siege of the White Lotus Temple. So I can’t say that I am completely undeserving of some praise.”

“Not completely underserving of praise, eh...” Zhao Changhe chuckled helplessly. “Then since you’ve been praised, why do you look so pensive?”

“What’s the use of a few words of praise at home? Am I really going to live my whole life at home?”

Zhao Changhe was stunned for a moment.

“You and Wan Dongliu offended Ji Chengkong. He didn’t dare to trouble either you or Wan Dongliu, so he came after me instead. My Tang Clan’s influence is obviously larger than yours and the Cao Gang combined, but in his eyes, I’m the easiest target,” Tang Buqi said softly. “When you scolded me for sucking my aunt’s blood, I felt uncomfortable ever since. I wanted to refute you, but I couldn’t find anything to say... Others respect me because I am a young master of the Tang family, and they respect the Tang Clan because of Tang Wanzhuang, not some ancestor who died who knows how long ago.”

Zhao Changhe fell silent and poured himself a drink, then slowly took a sip from it.

Tang Buqi said softly, “I also know that when I went out to gain experience, I shouldn’t have brought maids, I shouldn’t have had a caravan, I shouldn’t have stayed at Uncle Wu’s house, and I shouldn’t have even settled in Yangzhou... I should have been like you, along with a sword, leaving Jiangnan. But...”

Zhao Changhe sipped his wine and raised his head to look at him.

“But I might have ended up dying if I did that. Even you may end up dying at any time, brother Zhao.” Tang Buqi gripped his cup of wine tightly. “I can die... When there are still so many things I can enjoy...”

Zhao Changhe finally raised his cup. “Here, here’s my toast to you.”

Tang Buqi was taken aback. “You still raise your cup to me? Aren’t you supposed to laugh at me?”

“Why would I laugh at you? Am I not afraid of death? It’s just that, unlike you, I don’t have much of a choice,” Zhao Changhe said with a smile. “If we were to switch places, maybe you would be doing exactly what I do and I would be doing what you do. Then who would be laughing at whom?”

He did not say what should be done in such a situation...after all, it really wasn’t something that he was supposed to say. Even so, his words were indeed very comforting.

Tang Buqi’s troubled expression eased significantly, and he regained his previous carefree smile. “Thanks. By the way, it’s quite strange that someone like you doesn’t have many friends in the jianghu...”

“There will be more and more from now on.” Zhao Changhe grinned. “Nobody can survive in the jianghu without making some friends. Dear nephew, you’re a good person. But next time, don’t knock on doors whenever you want. You’re my friend now.”

Tang Buqi made a face again. “I don’t want to be friends with you.”

Zhao Changhe was taken aback for a moment. “Why?”

“When you change the way you address me from ‘eldest nephew’ to ‘brother Tang,’ then I’ll be fine with being your friend.”

Zhao Changhe rolled his eyes, “Well, I think I’ll stick with calling you ‘nephew.’”

Tang Buqi rolled his eyes.

“Drink, drink, you talked so much that my arm is getting sore from holding my wine cup,” said Zhao Changhe with disdain. “I heard that you were drunk in Xunhua Lane for five days? It looks like not only are you terrible at fighting, but even your alcohol tolerance is garbage.”

“Fuck you!” Tang Buqi rolled up his sleeves, “If I don’t drink with you to death today, I will keep my mouth shut from now on!”

This dinner, which should have featured a discussion about whether any discoveries were made at Tiger Hill Sword Pond and how they should go about exploring the mysteries of the Gusu area, did not touch upon the topic at all.

Sometimes, relieving worries with a friend over some drinks was just as important as discussing serious matters.

Both of them were martial artists with good physiques and high internal energy, so having a high alcohol tolerance was expected. But while Tang Buqi could indeed hold his liquor well, compared to Zhao Changhe, he clearly fell short. This was especially since Zhao Changhe suspected that the maids present could be dangerous, so he never really intended to get drunk. His internal energy was quietly working to dissolve the effects of the alcohol. After half an hour of drinking, Zhao Changhe was still perfectly fine, but Tang Buqi was already heavily intoxicated.

Then, he reverted to his old ways, embracing one of the maids who had been standing by and refilling his wine, “Qiqi, come here and give me a hug...”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

“Hey, you, whatever your name is,” Tang Buqi pointed at Sisi. “You, you, you, go accompany my brother!”

Sisi: “...”

Zhao Changhe’s heart stirred with the intention to test this woman. He pretended to be intoxicated and grinned as he embraced her with a smile, “Sisi...”

Sisi jumped back with a start and said, “Young master, it is against the clan’s rules to force a maid—”

“Tsk!” Tang Buqi waved his hands drunkenly. “Then let my father punish me. What’s the big deal?”

Sisi straightened her neck and said, “Then you can just beat me to death, young master!”

“Huh?” Tang Buqi looked at her drunkenly. “She isn’t much to look at, but she’s surprisingly spirited. Brother Zhao, if this kind of girl is fine with you, then go ahead. I can’t force her to do anything, but you should be able to deal with her.”

Zhao Changhe smiled slightly and said, “I won’t force things either. I’ve had enough to drink, you should rest. Sisi, would you mind accompanying me back?”

“That’s her job. Of course, she shouldn’t mind!” Tang Buqi waved his hand. “Go on, go on, serve my brother well!”

Zhao Changhe pretended to stumble clumsily, even knocking over his chair as he made his way to the door. Sisi hesitated for a moment, then went over to help him. Zhao Changhe leaned heavily on her shoulder, putting most of his weight on her.

Blushing, Sisi struggled like a little child carrying a big bear as she dragged him outside.

Zhao Changhe became even more confused at this time.

Weird, I originally thought that she might be that fake celestial maiden, the one who even casually kissed me. But now, it doesn’t seem like it...

Is she going so far in playing the role of a spirited maid? Or is this maid another person entirely?

Tang Buqi’s singing suddenly came from the pavilion, “With innate talent, I am bound to be useful...”

Then, he burst into laughter, followed by tears. “The morning breeze brews wine, laughing at the bright moon; the great waves sift the sand, but fail to recognize their true lord!”

1. The actual words were “听香水榭,” which is once again a reference to the Murong Clan of Jin Yong’s Eightfold Path of the Heavenly Dragon. The literal translation would be Incense-Listening Water Pavilion. ☜

2. In the Eightfold Path of the Heavenly Dragon, this was the residence of Murong Fu. ☜