Chapter 48 What Exactly Is a Surprise!

The Princess of Chu dipped her brush into the ink and readied herself to write the very moment she turned to look at Li Cheng.

However, after Li Cheng slowly recited this "Treading on the Waves," the Princess of Chu made no move to put brush to paper.

She maintained her posture—holding the brush, her head tilted, and looking at Li Cheng—frozen as if struck by an immobilization spell, staring at him in a daze.

For her, the entire world seemed to grow completely quiet at that moment.

The scene before her eyes seemed to transform accordingly—

Dark clouds gathered heavily, a torrential downpour struck abruptly, and fat raindrops the size of soybeans plummeted in disarray from the sky, drumming a clamorous tattoo against the leaves on both sides of the path.

Faced with this sudden, pelting deluge, the crowd scattered in disarray, scurrying everywhere to seek shelter.

Only a single youth, wearing straw sandals and holding a bamboo staff, walked slowly through the vast, hazy veil of rain as if taking a leisurely stroll in a tranquil courtyard.

He paid no mind to the torrential rain whatsoever.

Before long, the clouds retreated, the rain ceased, and the slanting rays of the setting sun illuminated the mountain peak.

The youth, holding his bamboo staff, paused and looked back at the place where the rain had fallen, where neither wind nor rain remained anywhere...

Time seemed to stand still in that instant. The Princess of Chu wore a dazed expression, her lips parted slightly and unconsciously.

This state lasted for dozens of breaths. At the tip of the brush, the drop of ink that had clung on for quite a while finally gave out and fell onto the paper with a soft pat.

Only then did Zhao Runniang snap back to her senses.

She turned her neck, paying no mind to the slight ache, and prepared to write immediately.

Xiaodie wanted to fetch a fresh sheet of paper to replace the one soiled by the ink, but the Princess of Chu shook her head to stop her.

Sometimes, an extra drop of ink that made things less than perfect had its own unique appeal.

Her fair wrists turned, and characters sprang to life upon the paper.

Yet, compared to her usual neat and rigorous calligraphy, the characters she wrote at this moment possessed a rare, untamed detachment and unconstrained grace.

Having finished, she stopped her brush, lifted the paper with both hands, looked at the lyric upon it, and read it through carefully twice. For a moment, she was completely enraptured.

What is called a pleasant surprise?

This was a pleasant surprise!

She had originally thought that with the previous piece "Impermanence," even young master Li would find it difficult to ever write another masterpiece of that caliber again.

Yet who could have imagined that the lyric Li Xiaolang provided this time was not the least bit inferior to "Impermanence"!

It was even more captivating than "Impermanence"!

Exquisite!

Truly a fine lyric!

Indeed a magnificent lyric!

For a fleeting moment, it even gave her the sensation of reading a masterpiece by the Dweller of Qinglian.

"May I be so bold as to ask, Mister... Li, what is the title of this lyric?"

When she asked this, the Princess of Chu had risen to her feet.

Her form of address for Li Cheng had also changed from the previous "young master Li" to "Mister Li."

This striking change caused the young Imperial Guard of the same surname not far away to widen his eyes in astonishment.

His expression toward Li Cheng changed entirely, filled with utmost reverence.

As expected, writing good poetry and prose truly allowed one to do as they pleased!

"I am hardly worthy of being called a mister; I merely scribbled down some random verses," Li Cheng said, waving his hand. As a literary plagiarist, how could he dare accept the title of mister?

"If even your work is considered merely scribbling, then the vast majority of poetry in this world ought to be thrown away."

The Princess of Chu, Zhao Runniang, spoke these words with utmost seriousness.

Li Cheng thought about it and decided not to argue further with her on the matter.

If she wanted to call him mister, then mister it was.

The poems and lyrics of Dweller of Dongpo were truly worthy of such a designation.

"I've named this lyric 'Treading on the Waves: Encountering Rain at the Southern Ridge of Li Family Hollow.'"

Li Cheng stated the name of the piece.

He was not lying; he was indeed the one who had given it this title.

There was no help for it; for the time being, only Zhao Kuangyin and his son Zhao Dezhao knew his identity as a time-traveler.

To avoid exposing himself at this juncture, he could only reluctantly alter the title to something more fitting for his current identity and experience, providing a measure of cover.

*Treading on the Waves*? That title was indeed fitting.

Zhao Runniang sat back down on the stone stool, picked up her brush to write the title onto the paper, and weighted it down carefully with a paperweight.

Waiting for the ink to dry, she intended to treasure and preserve it.

Such a peerless and wonderful lyric deserved to be treated with such solemnity.

"Mister Li is so unfettered. No wonder you remain so joyful and content living here."

Putting down her brush, Zhao Runniang stood up, looking at Li Cheng with a mixture of admiration and envy in her eyes.

Li Cheng caught the gleam of light in her gaze.

He smiled, shook his head, and said, "What is there to be unfettered about? It's merely finding joy amidst hardship and taking things as they come.

You must never try this yourself. It looks quite carefree, but the price is also heavy. The time I walked back in the rain, I came down with a high fever afterward.

I almost didn't make it."

Li Cheng wasn't entirely making things up, because historically, after Dweller of Dongpo performed this exceptionally dashing act, he indeed returned home to suffer a high fever and fell gravely ill.

If one were to place Dweller of Dongpo's unrestrained love for freedom, his utterly detached poetry, and his subsequent high fever side by side, it was truly enough to make one chuckle.

However dashing one was while caught in the rain, one looked equally pathetic when falling ill afterward.

It was necessary for him to make this clear and give the Princess of Chu a preemptive warning.

Why had he chosen this "Treading on the Waves" to recite to her?

One major reason was that he knew Sister Lin was sickly, had suffered misfortune at a young age, and possessed a depressed spirit.

Therefore, he had brought out this lyric by Senior Scholar Dasu to show her, in order to balance her mood and broaden her mind.

It was a kind intention.

Should she be infected by the spirit of this lyric and decide to go out and gallantly brave a downpour on a rainy day, given her constitution, something serious might easily happen.

Then a good intention would have resulted in a bad outcome!

This point had to be raised.

Senior Scholar Dasu's lyric was truly bewitching.

Even Li Cheng himself, back when he first learned this lyric in his youth, had specifically done such a thing, getting drenched like a drowned rat by a heavy rain while still feeling exceptionally dashing.

Upon hearing Li Cheng's words, the Princess of Chu was startled, then couldn't help but chuckle. Halfway through her smile, remembering something, she hastily covered her mouth with a handkerchief.

Yet the amusement in her brow could not be concealed.

As expected, she looked much prettier when smiling.

Li Cheng nodded inwardly.

"Mister's kind intentions, Chu Guo has noted them down and will certainly not do such a thing."

A moment later, the Princess of Chu reined in her smile, bowed slightly to Li Cheng, and spoke obediently.

After lingering a little longer, the Princess of Chu took her leave of Li Cheng.

After all, she was an unmarried maiden, and staying here for too long was indeed improper.

"Mister, will there be more in five days' time?"

Before leaving, Zhao Runniang looked at Li Cheng and asked.

"There will be. Just come whenever the time arrives."

"Thank you, Mister, for allowing me to read such a masterpiece."

She bowed to Li Cheng with the utmost solemnity before turning to depart.

At this moment, the sky was overcast and the light dim, yet Zhao Runniang felt the universe was exceptionally bright.

Even her chest felt broadened as a result.

In the past, she had only thought of taking medicine to cure her illness, living as long as possible so as to spare her imperial father a little sorrow.

But now, she had acquired a new, powerful desire to live on as long as possible—and that was Mister Li's poetry and lyrics.

What kind of pleasant surprise would Mister Li bring her when she came back in five days?

Watching Sister Lin depart—whose demeanor and movements clearly revealed a mood vastly different from before—Li Cheng wore a smiling expression.

A moment later, he let out a faint sigh.

If the history books clearly recorded what illness she died of, and if he were a skilled medical practitioner capable of curing her affliction, how wonderful would that be?

After a good while, Li Cheng gathered his emotions and shifted his thoughts back to Zhao Kuangyin.

He wondered how Zhao Kuangyin was doing right now, and whether he had managed to take down the God of Donkey Carts.

Presently, he was dying to know the latest developments and watch the drama unfold.

It would be best if Old Zhao could drag the God of Donkey Carts right before him to thoroughly deal with him.

Watching the drama face-to-face and witnessing history like that would be the most gratifying thing of all.

However, he didn't harbor too many worries.

Even if Old Zhao hadn't resolved the God of Donkey Carts by this point, it was only a matter of time.

If he had provided him with so much inside information and Old Zhao still managed to flip his chariot, it could only be said that he deserved to be destroyed by the God of Donkey Carts.

While Li Cheng was having these thoughts, Zhao Guangyi was also welcoming Zhao Kuangyin.

Leading his son, who was draped in heavy mourning, he knelt and wept before Zhao Kuangyin.

Afterward, he ushered Zhao Kuangyin—whose fierce eyes glistened with unshed tears—into the Prince of Jin's mansion...

(I beg my lords for a monthly ticket!)