My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

"Who should I look for?"

"The person who wrote this poem." The woman looked towards the shore; the figure in the blue robe was almost disappearing among the willow trees. "The one who just walked under the willow tree, the one in blue. Go find him and ask him what this poem means."

The girl tilted her head: "Why me?"

"Because you're young," the woman said calmly. "No one will pay attention to a seven or eight-year-old girl."

The girl thought about it and agreed, holding out her hand: "Then give it to me."

The woman handed her the poem and then instructed her, "Come back after you've found out the truth, and don't say anything more."

"Okay."

The girl, carrying the poem, disembarked from the side of the painted boat, rowed to the shore, jumped ashore, and ran off towards the willow tree.

The sheds on the shore were still bustling with activity. Young men from prominent families gathered in small groups, some reciting poetry, others chatting and laughing. No one noticed a little girl with her hair in two buns running past them.

The girl ran to the willow tree and looked around.

The woman in blue was tall.

She saw it at a glance.

Li Ju was walking eastward along the riverbank. He wasn't walking fast, but each step was large, as if he were in a hurry, or as if he just wanted to get as far away from that place as possible.

"Hey!" the girl called after him, "Hey you, the one in the blue robe, stop!"

Li Ju turned around and saw a beautiful little girl, panting, running towards him, the ribbons on her double buns bobbing up and down.

He stopped in his tracks.

The girl ran up to him, looked up, and examined him carefully.

Hmm, he's quite good-looking. He has sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a straight nose, and a strong jawline. He's also tall; she has to tilt her head back quite high to see his face.

"What's your name?" she asked, her tone more like an interrogation than a question.

Li Ju looked down at the tiny figure, frowning slightly: "Whose child are you?"

"I asked you first," the girl said, hands on her hips.

Li Ju remained silent for a moment, then decided it wasn't worth arguing with a child: "Li Ju, courtesy name Huairun."

"Li Ju..." the girl read aloud, then pulled the crumpled manuscript from her sleeve, unfolded it, and asked, "Did you write this?"

When Li Ju saw the poem manuscript, his pupils contracted slightly.

He recognized it. It was the one his father had crumpled up and thrown into the Luo River.

"Where did you get it?" he asked, his tone a few degrees more somber than before.

"You tell me first whether you wrote it."

Li Ju stared at the poem manuscript, then looked at the little girl in front of him. She was dressed in luxurious clothes, made of Shu brocade, and the beads on her hairband were South China Sea pearls—things that second-rate noble families could not afford.

He spoke more respectfully: "Yes. May I ask where you obtained it, young lady?"

The girl was secretly delighted, but didn't show it. She waved the poem manuscript, pointing to the middle line: "What does this line, 'The fortified city is impregnable, yet ants burrow within,' mean?"

Li Ju's expression changed slightly.

This line is the crux of the entire poem. It alludes to the story of how the fortified city of the previous dynasty was eventually breached by internal strife, implying that the Sui Dynasty was outwardly strong but inwardly corrupt.

The fact that she asked means that someone has already figured it out.

If it gets out, people will say it was written by Li Ju—

Losing your head would be the least of your worries.

Cold sweat beaded on his back, but his voice remained steady: "May I ask, young lady, who sent you to ask this?"

"Explain first."

Li Ju did not answer.

He quickly considered: anyone who could discern the profound meaning in this poem was no ordinary person. The fact that the other party sent a little girl to ask was either a test, or—

Neither of them should be accepted.

"I copied this poem," he said calmly. "The original author is unknown; I just thought the language was beautiful, so I copied it down. If you ask what it means, I don't know either."

The girl blinked: "Copied? Copied from whom?"

"I don't know," Li Ju shook his head. "I read it in an old book, but I've forgotten the title."

The girl stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly laughed: "You're lying."

Li Ju's expression remained unchanged: "If you don't believe me, young lady, there's nothing I can do. This poem manuscript—"

He reached out to grab it, intending to take the opportunity to retrieve it and destroy it.

The girl quickly withdrew her hand, hiding the poem behind her back, and took two steps back: "You're so stingy! You won't even tell me a single line of the poem!"

After saying that, he turned and ran.

Li Ju reached out to stop her, but the girl was small and quick, and in a few turns she disappeared into the willow grove on the bank.

Li Ju stood still, his hand still outstretched in mid-air.

He slowly withdrew his hand, his brows furrowing into a knot.

That poem must be retrieved.

He glanced at the river. He couldn't get on those painted boats and multi-story ships in the distance; as a son of a concubine, he would only be driven away if he dared to approach them rashly.

But since they sent someone to inquire, it means they are interested in this poem. They will come again.

Li Ju turned around, found a tea stall on the bank, chose a spot where he could see the river clearly, sat down, ordered a bowl of tea, and slowly drank it.

and so on.

A river breeze blows across the water, carrying the scent of spring flowers and grasses.

People came and went around the tea stall, but no one noticed the young man in blue sitting alone.

The girl ran back to the painted boat, climbed onto it using both hands and feet, rowed to the side of the boat, and was pulled aboard by a maid.

"You're back?" The woman was still sitting by the window, the book in her hand barely turned a few pages.

The girl, panting, plopped down opposite her and took a big gulp of tea from the teacup on the table.

"Slow down," the woman said, frowning.

The girl put down her teacup, wiped her mouth, and began to complain: "Sister, that person was so rude!"

"Oh?"

"I asked him what that poem meant, but he wouldn't tell me. He even said it was copied!" The girl stood with her hands on her hips, her face puffed up with anger. "I asked him whose poem it was, and he said he forgot. Forgot? Who would believe that! It was clearly his own writing, but he wouldn't admit it!"

The woman didn't reply, but just looked at her quietly.

The girl continued, "And also, when he saw I was dressed nicely, his attitude changed completely; he became so respectful. Humph, what a snob!"

"Did he see what you were wearing?" the woman asked.

"Yes, he looked at it. He even stared at my hairband for a few moments." The girl pouted. "You can tell at a glance he's a poor illegitimate son who's never seen anything good before."

The woman paused for a moment, then asked, "What else did he say?"

"Just say the poem was plagiarized, that's all." The girl thought for a moment, then added, "Oh right, he tried to steal my manuscript! I didn't give it to him, and he ran away."

"Ran away?" The woman's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"He chased after me for a few steps, but couldn't catch up." The girl proudly raised her chin. "I ran so fast!"

The woman didn't praise her; instead, she lowered her head and looked at the rolled-up book on the table.

Seeing that she didn't speak, the girl leaned closer and asked, "Big sister, are you angry?"

"no."

"Then why didn't you ask?"

The woman looked up at her, her gaze calm: "You said he refused to explain, that the poem was plagiarized, and that he even tried to steal the manuscript."

"Yes."

"This shows," the woman said slowly, "that the meaning of the poem really cannot be casually shared with others."

The girl blinked, not quite understanding.

The woman continued, "If he really copied it, why would he steal it? If he really forgot where it came from, why would he chase after you? An adult chasing after a child to get a piece of paper back only shows that he doesn't dare let what's written on that paper fall into someone else's hands."

The girl nodded, seemingly understanding, "So... he actually knew the meaning of that poem?"

"I know, but I dare not say."

"Why wouldn't you dare?"

The woman did not answer.

She got up and walked to the window, looking at the crowds coming and going on the shore.

"What does he look like?" she suddenly asked.

The girl paused for a moment, then perked up: "Tall and big, a head taller than everyone else. As for his looks..." She tilted her head and thought for a moment, "He's fairly decent-looking, with nice features, but he's dressed shabbily."

"What about his character?"

"Character?" the girl scoffed. "Stingy! He won't say a word when I ask, yet he's pursuing me! What kind of good character can someone like that have?"

Upon hearing this, the woman's lips curved slightly, the curve being extremely faint.

"He said his name was Li Ju, and his courtesy name was Huairun," the girl added.

"Go see him again."

======

About 15 minutes later, the small figure with double buns emerged again from the willow grove.

The girl ran back to the tea stall and immediately spotted Li Ju.

Li Ju also saw her. He stood up, walked around the tea table, and subtly blocked her way back.

"Where's the poem?" he asked.

The girl looked up at him, completely unfazed: "It's not on me."

Li Ju frowned.

The girl took something out of her sleeve and handed it over: "My elder sister said that if you want your manuscript back, go to Dujia Causeway on the south bank of the Luo River this evening, and she will return it to you and explain everything to you."

Li Ju took the item.

It is a jade pendant.

The jade is warm and smooth to the touch, and cool to the touch; it is top-grade Lantian jade. The front is engraved with two characters—永固 (Yong Gu). The back is engraved with one character—泽 (Ze).