Top Scholar

Chapter 229 Lovesickness

After that day, the Pang family took the old abbot back to their residence to recuperate, and Su and Lu's morning lessons were forced to be suspended.

The two were very worried about the old academy master's condition and visited him at the Pang residence several times. Fortunately, the old academy master was not seriously injured. After venting his pent-up emotions that day, he was able to pull himself out of his emotional dead end.

This terrified the Pang family's descendants, who refused to let their ancestor return to the academy. The old headmaster couldn't persuade his children and grandchildren otherwise, so he had to allow Su Lu and Zhu Zihe to come to the mansion once every five days, only then was he allowed to continue teaching them.

The Pang family couldn't understand why their ancestor had been so concerned about these two boys from other families, something their ancestor had never done for his own children and grandchildren.
The old headmaster smiled but did not answer...

~~
July arrived in the blink of an eye, and the national mourning period ended. Shops reopened, and young women and wives once again donned their colorful clothes; it seemed everything was back to normal…

Su Lu and Huang E also resumed exchanging letters... In fact, the two did not stop corresponding during the national mourning period, but they maintained restraint in their correspondence.

After all, the little messenger has already been exposed, and he might be caught by Huang Ke and his son one day, which would add another 'unforgivable' charge to their list.

Of course, Huang E also complained about her father and brother quite a bit, but in a rather subtle way. For example, she would deliberately quote a line from "I have a father and brother, whose tempers are as violent as thunder, and I fear they will not do as I please, and will torment my heart" to express her dissatisfaction while discussing "The Peacock Flies Southeast" with Su Lu.

However, their communications remained secure for two months, and Huang Ke and his son never discovered them. Now that the national mourning period was over, they grew bolder and began flirting with each other using love poems…

A heavy rain fell, and countless petals drifted down in the garden. Huang E, saddened by the sight, composed a melody for Su Lu:
The accumulated rain has brought a slight chill, and the once vibrant flowers are now withered.

Sorrow is tangled in a thousand strands; how can I bear to look at the broken red petals?

Unable to find a way to express my longing, I am separated by misty waters and towering mountains.

I gaze until my eyes are weary, tears streaming down my face.

Su Lu then composed a poem in response to comfort his sentimental beloved:

The rain has cleared, dispelling the lingering chill, yet the fallen petals refuse to fade.

Let not sorrow fester, but wait for the spring mud to settle.

When the east wind blows, new flowers will bloom on the branches.

Holding hands, we gaze at each other, our hearts intertwined.

In early August, as the nights turned cool, Huang E wrote another poem for Su Lu:

"Frost has settled on the letter, the night is not yet over, and the lonely lamp flickers, casting a cold light on the hairpin."

The dream of Bashan is shattered by a thousand layers of clouds; the soul of Shu Road is lost in a crescent moon.

The old score is turned again, the zither's bridges are stiff; new words are wanted to be sent, but the wild geese's cries are fading.

If the blue phoenix could understand the meaning of longing, it should not gaze alone at the autumn river.

Su Lu couldn't let her remain sad, so he responded with a positive attitude:
The morning lamps illuminate the night as it draws to a close; warm sleeves gently drape the body, keeping one unafraid of the cold.

The Wu Gorge is shrouded in perilous clouds, and the Qin Pass is shrouded in endless fog.

The zither is tuned again, its strings resonating brightly; the first characters are inscribed on the brocade, and the wild geese fly in joyful formation.

If the blue phoenix is ​​allowed to soar through the mist, then the clouds and seas will surely return with the tide.

Feeling comforted and encouraged by her young lover, Huang E's mood improved considerably, but she became even more deeply infatuated with him, unable to extricate herself. She then playfully wrote a poem, "Tian Jing Sha":
"Big Brother Juanjuan, so charming and elegant..."

I long for it every moment, my heart is set on it forever.
A perfect pair, like mandarin ducks!

My dear brother, my girl! He is handsome and charming, and everything about him pleases me. I think of him constantly and long for him. Our hearts are already intertwined, and we will be like a pair of lovebirds, inseparable forever!

After reading it, Su Lu couldn't help but jump onto the bed and writhe in pain, laughing uncontrollably...

Su Youcai and Su Tai were stunned. They exchanged a glance and both felt that if they didn't intervene, the child would go crazy.

Su Lu, however, was completely unaware. He got up, picked up his brush, and composed a poem in response, "Tian Jing Sha":
Big brother Juanjuan, weak girl Duoduo,

Each item was barely acceptable, hidden away and concealed.
Grandma, forever and ever.

My brother's daughter is beautiful and gentle. She stands tall and graceful, delicate and lovely, with countless virtues. Everything she does is just right, everything she does is pleasing. Sometimes she hides away secretly, with a touch of shyness, wishing only to be by his side every moment, for all eternity!

After finishing writing, Su Lu picked up two more poems of "Tianjingsha" and looked at them from left to right, laughing incessantly, completely forgetting that his father and brothers were still beside him.

It took him quite a while to finally include "Tianjingsha" in Huang E's book and put it in his book bag.

It's kind of weird, but the moment he tied the ribbon, Su Lu detached himself from his romantic feelings and continued reading his book as if nothing had happened, as if he wasn't the one who had just said "give, give, give".

Su Youcai and Su Tai continued to exchange glances, and Su Youcai felt even more that Su Tai was acting strangely.

~~
So, in the middle of the night, after Su Lu fell asleep, Su Youcai got up and woke Su Tai up as well. The two of them then tiptoed out of the bedroom.

Back in his study, Su Youcai lit the lamp and found the book bag that Su Lu had kept in the drawer. He carefully untied the ribbon and picked up a short hair that Su Lu had clipped to the knot.

Su Tai looked surprised, not expecting his father to be so meticulous, even noticing his younger brother's little trick.

"These are all things I've already mastered..." Su Youcai smiled smugly, tucking his short hair into a notebook. Only then did he open his book bag, take out the "Miscellaneous Texts of the History of the Five Dynasties," flip through it, and find the Xue Tao paper that Su Lu had tucked inside.

On the front was a woman's delicate handwriting, while on the back was Su Lu's familiar Gaoliang style. The two were singing a duet of "Tianjingsha"—"Big brother Juanjuan, so charming and graceful... a perfect couple, that... that..." Su Tai muttered, "What is Miss Huang writing? It looks strange to me."

"Is what your brother wrote normal? 'Big brother Juanjuan, Tingting weak and helpless. Each item barely passable. Hiding and dodging, babbling babbling grandmother...'" Su Youcai finished reading and was also covered in sweat. "What a mess, really, you've driven the child crazy!"

"What are we going to do?" Su Tai was frantic. "If my brother gets brain damage from all this stress, I'll fight Huang Bingxian to the death!"

The two were fretting over each other when they suddenly heard the study door creak open. Startled, they quickly hid the books and Xue Tao stationery behind their backs, only to find that it was the proprietress who had come in.

"Hey, that scared me to death! I thought it was Qiu-ge'er." Su Youcai breathed a sigh of relief.

"Qiu-ge'er is sleeping soundly," the landlady said. "I heard the noise and came to check. What are you two doing here instead of sleeping?"

"I can't sleep!" Su Tai said in a muffled voice, "My brother is going crazy!"

"What?!" The proprietress was stunned. "Brother Qiu? How could that be?"

"Hey, take a look." Su Youcai then handed the Xue Tao letter to the proprietress.

"Oh dear, she's so sick?" The proprietress took a look and her expression changed. She asked, "Is that girl Miss Huang?"

"Yes." Su Tai nodded and said, "Ever since Miss Huang was placed under house arrest, the two of them have only been able to communicate through Xiao Tiantian sending letters."

"How long has it been since they last saw each other?" The proprietress looked at the overflowing longing and unstoppable affection on Xue Tao's letter, and her eyes couldn't help but redden.

“I haven’t seen him since after the Dragon Boat Festival,” Su Tai said sadly.

"It's almost the Mid-Autumn Festival," the landlady said with great heartache. "Huang Bingxian is such a sinner! Why does he have to break up this loving couple?!"

The men and women of Erlangtan are deeply influenced by the Luoluo and Miao people, and they value mutual affection more than their parents' wishes.

“Huang Bingxian is just looking down on people and underestimates our son!” Su Youcai said angrily.

"What's wrong with our Qiu-ge?" the landlady said indignantly. "His looks and talent are both top-notch. Several wealthy families in Luzhou have sent matchmakers to inquire about him! But he just can't catch Huang Bingxian's eye!"

"I'm so angry, I'll send a matchmaker to propose marriage tomorrow!" Su Youcai said angrily.

"Stop fooling around, the girl isn't even fifteen yet, what are you trying to do by proposing marriage?" The landlady said speechlessly, "Aren't you going to kick her out?"

She understood Huang Bingxian's decision to raise her daughter, but her son's illness was the more important thing!

"Then I'll find him another school!" Su Youcai said angrily. "When Qiu-ge'er passes the imperial examination in the future, let Huang Bingxian regret it!"

"Yes, say two!" Su Tai retorted indignantly, "Let him regret it twice over!"

"Shh, keep your voice down, don't wake Qiu-ge'er up." The landlady quickly told the father and son to calm down.

He sighed again and said, "I understand how you all feel, but can we stop talking nonsense? Put yourself in Qiu-ge'er's shoes and think about what he needs most right now?"

"Of course, we're going to see Miss Huang!" Su Youcai and Su Tai said in unison.

"So now we should think of a way to help him achieve his wish!" The proprietress was indeed a great leader, pointing the confused father and son in the right direction.

"Hmm." Su Tai nodded, stroking his chin as he pondered, "Then what should we do? The Military Governor's Office is heavily guarded; a direct assault would be difficult."

"You actually dare to think like that?!" Su Youcai slapped him on the head: "You can't just force it, you have to use your brain!"

"Oh..." Su Tai covered his head, not daring to utter a sound. Actually, he had another plan: to capture Huang Feng and force him to become an inside man...

"It's not difficult at all." The proprietress had already made up her mind and clapped her hands and laughed, "But we still need Brother Xia to step in."

"I'll do anything you ask!" Su Tai was overjoyed upon hearing this.

"As the saying goes, you can guard against a thousand things, but it's hard to guard against a thief within your own family. You have to persuade Miss She to help us," the proprietress said to Su Tai.

Su Tai glanced at Su Youcai and whispered, "My father won't let me talk to Miss She."

"Did you hear that? You talk in your sleep every day calling people's names, and now you're pretending you don't know them?" Su Youcai said irritably.

"Hey hey..." Su Tai chuckled twice to mumble it over, and said to his godmother, "Don't worry, Mom, if I tell her to go east, she won't go west; if I tell her to chase the dog, she won't chase the chicken!"

"You're so awesome..." Su Youcai pursed his lips, not bothering to argue with him.

"Wow, impressive, Brother Xia!" The proprietress looked at him with newfound respect and laughed, "This makes things much simpler."

He then whispered to Su Tai, "My trick is called 'Deceiving the Heavens to Cross the Sea'! The date is set for the fifteenth of August..."

Su Tai's face lit up with joy after hearing this, and he gave a thumbs up, saying, "Mother is really amazing! She even knows military strategy."

"I learned this from your grandfather," the proprietress said with a smile. "He used this trick with unparalleled skill."

“That’s right, this is our Su family’s ancestral secret technique, we can’t lose it!” Su Youcai nodded emphatically.

(End of this chapter)