Chapter 88: Black Hair Token
As the breeze blew between spring and summer, soon only two faint tear marks were left on Shen Yichen's face.
He and Zeng Aniu had to go to the Yangtze River to take a boat, then go down the Yangtze River to Zhenjiang Prefecture and join the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Then they would go north along the canal and go all the way to the capital.
Relatively speaking, in ancient times, taking this direct waterway was much more convenient than traveling by land.
Because it was still early, the Yangtze River was still filled with thick mist and only a number of small boats could be vaguely seen docked at the pier.
Zeng Aniu pointed at one of the boats and said, "Brother Chen, did you see that boat? It's the boatman I'm looking for. It has a hard canopy to protect it from the wind and rain, and it has oars and sails to increase speed. It will definitely not delay the trip."
The que boat is a kind of ancient inland river boat, and its name is taken from the meaning of "small but complete". Compared with the common black-sailed boats in the water villages of Jiangnan, the que boat is slightly larger and more comfortable to ride.
Another more important point is that the que boat is equipped with sails, which eliminates the need for human rowing and makes it much faster than the wupeng boat.
Aniu also knew that Shen Yichen had to go to Beijing for the imperial examination in a hurry, and this was the most suitable civilian ship he could find in such a hurry.
"fine ."
Shen Yichen nodded. He didn't know much about ancient ships, but after listening to Zeng Aniu's explanation, it seemed that they were quite good.
He also realized that why Aniu changed his name again, this time it was Brother Chen?
"Aniu, I noticed that you have become quite a bit more cunning recently. How did Brother Chen come here? You are obviously older than me."
Hearing Shen Yichen's question, Ah Niu showed a simple smile on his face: "Hehe, my mother said that scholars can't be addressed by their names, and Master Shen, you don't allow me to, so after thinking about it, I can only call him Brother Chen."
"That's because you can't call him by his given name after he has a courtesy name. I haven't given him a courtesy name yet."
"So when did you get your courtesy name?"
"I……"
Suddenly, Shen Yichen felt that Zeng Aniu's name was not wrong at all, and he felt like he was playing the lute to a cow.
"Never mind, you can call me whatever you want."
Without arguing with Aniu about these details, Shen Yichen continued to move forward. Just as he reached the dock, a carriage came roaring over.
“Oh…”
The driver pulled the reins hard, and with the sound of people moaning and horses neighing, the carriage braked urgently in front of Shen Yichen.
Before the carriage came to a complete stop, the curtain on the sedan was already opened and several young girls jumped out.
"Qingtong, you're here like this?"
After seeing clearly who the visitor was, Shen Yichen's tone was very surprised. He never expected that the visitor would be Chen Qingtong.
Compared to Shen Yichen's surprise, Chen Qingtong grabbed his sleeve tightly after getting off the carriage, and asked with a choked voice: "Brother Yichen, why didn't you tell me you were leaving? Will I never see you again in the future?"
Hearing this, Shen Yichen couldn't help laughing. What was this little girl thinking? He was just going to the capital to take the exam, but she made it seem like a farewell to life and death.
Besides, even if I wanted to tell him, I couldn't enter the door of Taining Marquis' Mansion.
"How could that be? I'm just going to the capital to take the exam."
Shen Yichen did not mention the letter from Duke Cheng. Before the situation was settled, the fewer people who knew about this kind of thing, the better.
"Isn't there also a Jiangnan Imperial Examination Hall in Yingtian? Why do we have to go so far to the capital?"
"Because I haven't decided whether to take the exams consecutively, if I'm not well prepared, I might go to the Imperial Academy in the capital to study."
"Brother Yichen, if you were leaving, please tell me. I thought I would never see you again."
Chen Qingtong accidentally learned from Li Tingxiu that Shen Yichen was going to the capital.
Given Li Tingxiu's personality, he naturally wouldn't tell the details. Plus, Chen Qingtong was also quite anxious. When she heard that Shen Yichen was going to the capital, she hurried to the dock. She thought that Shen Yichen would never come back.
"Don't worry, Yingtian is my home, my mother is still here."
Shen Yichen wanted to smile and pat Chen Qingtong on the head to comfort her, but when he raised his hand halfway, he remembered the barriers between men and women in this era and had to put it down in disappointment.
After confirming that Shen Yichen was only going to Beijing to take the imperial examination, Chen Qingtong finally put his mind at ease.
At the same time, a young woman behind her stood up, saluted and said, "Mr. Shen, it's our first meeting. I'm sorry to bother you."
"Who is this lady?"
As for the people around Chen Qingtong, Shen Yichen only knew a maid named Xueer, and knew nothing about the others.
"I am Guo Yongxin, the daughter of Marquis Cheng'an. I happened to be with Sister Qingtong today. I learned that Master Shen was going on a long journey, so I came together to see him off."
The daughter of Marquis Cheng'an?
Shen Yichen had no impression of Marquis Cheng'an. At the flower-viewing party, the nobles and relatives were sitting inside the house, while the young ladies from noble families were separated by a veil. He had never seen Guo Yongxin's appearance.
It seems that this should be Chen Qingtong’s best friend, who happened to come here together.
"Ms. Guo, nice to meet you."
"Since we have met, I happen to have an item entrusted to me, so I will hand it over to Mr. Shen."
Go ahead, Guo Yongxin received a brocade box from the maid behind her.
Shen Yichen took the brocade box with doubts, opened it and saw a memorial and a sachet inside.
"Ms. Guo, what is this?"
"This is something Liu Wan'er asked me to pass on to you. She is currently having difficulty traveling and cannot personally hand it to you. I hope you can forgive me, Mr. Shen."
Liu Waner?
One is the daughter of Marquis Cheng'an, and the other is currently a courtesan. How did they become related?
Perhaps seeing Shen Yichen's confusion, Guo Yongxin explained, "I have known Wan'er since childhood. Back then, my father was stripped of his title for a crime, and all the civil and military officials in the court avoided him. Only Liu Hanlin spoke frankly and saved my father from the dire situation."
"I will never forget this kindness. Now that the Liu family is in trouble, I have limited abilities and can only do my best to help."
Hearing this, Shen Yichen suddenly realized that there was such a story between Cheng Anhou and Liu Qiu.
But then again, this outspoken way of doing things is quite consistent with Liu Qiu's personality.
"Okay, I'll take it then."
Shen Yichen did not refuse. He always remembered the promise he made on the night of the Winter Solstice Poetry Festival.
If one day I can really become the most powerful person in the world, I will definitely uphold justice and clear Liu Qiu's name!
"Wan'er really didn't make a mistake. I wish Mr. Shen all the best."
"Thank you."
Chen Qingtong listened to the conversation between Shen Yichen and Guo Yongxin. She had already learned about Liu Wan'er's affairs after the flower viewing party that day.
However, the moment Shen Yichen opened the brocade box, Chen Qingtong caught a glimpse of the sachet inside. In ancient times, when a woman gave a man a sachet, it was a personal item that went beyond the scope of ordinary thanks, and it was hard to say that it had no other meaning.
Thinking of this, Chen Qingtong became anxious and didn't know what to give Shen Yichen as a commemorative gift.
So she simply took off the double-strand hairpin on her head, split it in two, handed one half to Shen Yichen and said, "Brother Yichen, I came in a hurry and didn't prepare any farewell gifts. You can keep this hairpin. Seeing the hairpin is like seeing the person."
After saying this, Chen Qingtong's cheeks flushed and she didn't dare to look directly into Shen Yichen's eyes.
After taking this half hairpin, Shen Yichen looked a little surprised, because he was now considered to be well-read and understood what this practice meant in ancient times.
Hairpins are not only ornaments, but also symbols of love. In ancient times, when lovers or couples parted, the woman would split the hairpin in her head into two, giving half to the other and keeping the other half for herself, waiting to put them together again.
The lines "Baochai separates, Taoye Ferry, smoke and willows darken the south bank" in Xin Qiji's poem "Zhu Yingtai Near Late Spring" express this kind of feeling of separation.
In the past, Shen Yichen and Chen Qingtong 's relationship was a combination of childhood sweethearts and ignorant ambiguity. Now Chen Qingtong's actions, with the euphemism of an ancient woman, were undoubtedly a direct expression of her feelings.
"Okay, I'll keep it and wait for Baochai to finish it someday."
Shen Yichen is not the kind of person who likes to play with ambiguity. Since Chen Qingtong has already expressed her feelings, it would be unmanly of him to remain indifferent.
Seeing Shen Yichen accept it and say something like "Baochai is good", Chen Qingtong understood that the other party had also revealed his true feelings.
This mutual affection made her overjoyed, but she was restricted by etiquette and could not do much at the moment.
I could only nod affectionately and said, "Brother Yichen, I'll wait for you to come back."
"Um."
Shen Yichen smiled and nodded, then clasped his fists and bowed to the others, saying, "See you all."
After saying that, he took Ah Niu onto the boat, and with the sound of oars hitting the water, they disappeared into the dense fog.
"Miss, don't look anymore, Mr. Shen has already gone far away."
Seeing Chen Qingtong still looking at the direction where the ship was leaving with reluctance, the maid Xue'er joked to her.
"No, I was just enjoying the river view."
On the other side, Guo Yongxin also turned sideways and bowed, saying, "Sister Qingtong, thank you for today's help."
"Sister Yongxin, you're welcome. I'm also very angry about Liu Hanlin's case. I hope that one day the Liu family can be vindicated."
"I hope so. Go back."
Guo Yongxin showed a bitter smile on his face. It was more difficult for Liu Qiu to clear his name than for his family to restore their title.
None of the nobles and ministers dared to say anything to offend Wang Zhen. In the entire Ming Dynasty, only Shen Yichen dared to make a promise with his passion for justice.
But in a sense, the pressure on Shen Yichen was too great, and this was not something he should bear.
On the vast river, Shen Yichen stood at the bow, gazing into the distance at the riverside, holding the half hairpin in his hand.
If the window paper is not broken, there will not be much feeling in the heart. Once the boundary of love between men and women is broken, there will inevitably be more concerns.
After gazing for a while, Shen Yichen put the hairpin in his arms and picked up the brocade box that Liu Wan'er had someone pass on to him.
Shen Yichen opened the brocade box and wanted to see the contents of the memorial, but found that the sachet pocket was not tied tightly, and one end of the paper was exposed.
With curiosity in his heart, Shen Yichen took the sachet in his hand and untied the red rope that bound it. There was indeed a note inside.
But in addition to the note, Shen Yichen also saw a strand of black hair in the sachet.
Black hair? Love?
When Shen Yichen saw this thing, he was stunned. He never expected that he would encounter two feelings in one day.
