chapter 3

The yamen runners unfurled the crimson celebratory exam results list, and the crowd surged forward noisily to view the results, momentarily drowning out the splashing and cries for help from someone in the river.

Even if some noticed, they were pushed ahead by the throng behind them.

On the opposite riverside, however, a lone man seated in a teahouse had spotted the drowning person early on, yet he paid no heed.

Sprawled lazily by the railing with a view of the small bridge and flowing water, he had removed his plain black cloak and draped it aside. He lifted a blue-patterned teapot, poured a cup of autumn tea, and took a sip.

Tongzhou was refined in its tastes, treating even tea-drinking as an elegant affair. Compared to the large earthen bowls of bitter tea gulped down in the northwest to quench thirst, the delicate cup in his hand—barely holding any tea—was the very picture of leisure.

The northern war had ceased in May, and the army returned to court in June. After resigning from the military, Jungkook journeyed south in July.

Traveling at a leisurely pace, he had moved from the height of summer into autumn. Nearly two months later, he finally arrived in Tongzhou—a place praised by the world for its white walls and black tiles, clear waters, and lush mountains.

The rivers of Jiangnan meandered endlessly, threading through the city’s wide streets and narrow alleys.

Along the banks stood towering buildings and resplendent palaces, shops and inns packed tightly together like fish scales, merchants bustling like a group of fish crossing a river.

Men dressed in fine robes with jade pendants at their waists, women with jeweled hairpins adorning their buns. Whether the scenery or the people, everything dazzled the eyes of an outsider.

His comrades hadn’t lied to him—Jiangnan was prosperous and flourishing, a truly splendid place.

Jungkook drank three cups of tea in a row, the faint fragrance lingering on his lips, finally easing his thirst. Though the relief was slow, there was a refreshing aroma to it.

Amidst such scenery in this southern city, his spirit felt adrift. As an outsider, it was hard to muster the will to move, let alone jump into the water and get soaked.

Yet when Jungkook set down his cup, his peripheral vision caught sight of the figure in the river still flailing, unable to climb ashore, with no one coming to the rescue.

He frowned.

People from Jiangnan were born by the water—they ought to be strong swimmers. Who’d have thought there’d be such a land duck among them?

In broad daylight, drowning in the river by the bustling prefectural yamen would be nothing short of a joke.

Seeing the person beginning to sink, Jungkook’s eyes flickered.

Amidst the floating blossoms on the green water, a sudden splash erupted as a dark figure plunged into the river.

In the end, he couldn’t sit back and watch the spectacle unfold.

The person in the river was like a drifting weed, pushed wherever the current took them.

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