The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

A small town in the south of the Yangtze River, shrouded in mist and rain.

The waterways are interconnected, forming a dense spider web through which small boats can shuttle.

At this time, the moon was at its zenith, casting a dim halo in the thin and thick clouds. In the small buildings on both sides of the river, there was constant laughter, pleasant music, and a peaceful atmosphere.

Suddenly.

Under the cover of night.

A loud "plop" was heard from an unknown direction. After the sound of someone falling into the water, there were some fragmented and noisy voices along the river. Many people living on the boats quietly stuck their heads out, trying to look for the possible person who fell into the water.

However, the sound of water only occurred once, and the object that fell into the river sank to the bottom of the river without showing any sign of struggle.

"...Did someone fall into the water?"

“That doesn’t sound like it.”

"Why doesn't it look like that? The movement is clearly..."

"If someone really fell into the water accidentally, they would definitely struggle and call for help. Listen again, is there any other movement on the water surface or under the river?"

"......Too."

"It's late at night, who knows what's in the river? Don't think about it, don't worry about it, and don't let it crawl into our house."

.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ...

The next day.

It's another misty and cloudy day.

Small boats from various families started to shuttle back and forth early in the morning, and the river was suddenly full of life.

An ordinary little boat with two pointed sides slowly passed by the small boats that were selling all kinds of food on the river. Every time it passed a house, the girl on the boat would ask the boatman to stop for a while, and then take the money to buy a fresh and hot meal. Not long after, her arms were filled with all kinds of snacks, and there was no room for even more on the low table in the middle of the boat.

"Miss, can you finish all the food you bought?" The boatman couldn't help but ask worriedly.

He is the most ordinary boatman on the river. In his early years, he helped people transport goods on the water. Occasionally, he would take foreign tourists around the city for a few rounds like today and earn money as a runner and tour guide.

After years of hard work, he had saved up enough money to buy two small boats like this, a medium-sized black-sailed boat, and a small yard that could barely accommodate a family of four.

The boatman had seen many foreign tourists, but he had never seen a girl who was so eager to buy everything she saw. He guessed that this girl might be the child of some very old adult, otherwise she would not be so generous.

But years of hard work and financial difficulties made the boatman worry that she would not be able to finish the food she bought and would waste it.

"I can finish it." Lu Weiyuan replied with a smile, "I am not here alone, I have companions waiting for me on the shore."

"Old man, the water here is so nice and clear, and the food is so interesting." Even without the help of her companions, Lu Weiyuan could eat all the things she bought in one go. She picked up a bunch of food, wrapped it in banana leaves, and tied it together with colorful silk threads. It looked a bit like rice dumplings, but when she peeled it open, it was a white and sticky ball inside.

The boatman looked back at her and then smiled: "Life on the water is not very convenient. Over time, we have become accustomed to wrapping up food like this and hanging it up so that we can take it whenever we want. It's simple."

When Lu Weiyuan was about to bite open the white glutinous rice ball, a stream of honey with a fresh plant fragrance flowed out. She recognized it as osmanthus flowers pickled in mountain honey. No wonder it was much more expensive than other foods.

While eating, Lu Weiyuan chatted with the boatman about the interesting stories of this water city.

More than a month had passed since they left the capital, and they had just entered Tongzhou. This small Jiangnan city that seemed to float on the water was not large in area but very prosperous. Although it was not a provincial capital, it was the most famous in Tongzhou.

When they entered the city, it was already very late and they were tired, so they found an inn and stayed there.

Before dawn today, Lu Weiyuan sneaked out while everyone was still asleep, found the boatman on a waterway closest to the inn, rented his boat, and took a tour around the town in advance.

She was not worried that her companions would wake up and look for her in a hurry.

Hu Ziyi, her childhood sweetheart, is already accustomed to Lu Weiyuan's behavior of suddenly disappearing for no reason. When she finds that she is not there, she will do what she is supposed to do according to the earlier arrangements.

Although Bai Queci was not familiar with Lu Weiyuan, she came out on a mission of her own, and there were naturally things she needed to deal with in Tongzhou Water City. As for the rest... Hu Ziyi would help with them.

As for the remaining one, the guest from Luochuan who got in along the way... Lu Weiyuan was waiting for her to catch up.

After spending more than a month together, Lu Weiyuan discovered that Luo was knowledgeable, humorous, and able to keep up with her thoughts most of the time. If they were just friends, he would be the kind of friend she would feel very comfortable with.

But this "friend" had the word "suspicious" written all over his face from the first time we met.

Bai Queci was older after all, and the difference in status forced her to be more concerned about this person's background. She once suggested to Lu Weiyuan not to bring this person along casually.

However, Lu Weiyuan, who was the most influential person in the team, behaved like a little kid who finally had a close friend. He turned a deaf ear to Bai Queci's hints and ignored the suspicious look of Luochuanke. He allowed such a person with unknown origin and purpose to easily sneak into the team.

For the first time in her life, Bai Queci realized that there were people in this world who were so difficult to please. After Hu Ziyi's consolation several times, she no longer worried about the rationality of Luochuanke's existence, but still secretly kept an eye on this person to prevent her from making any unusual moves.

Lu Weiyuan, holding a glutinous rice cake in her mouth, could imagine how shocked and frantic Bai Queci would be when she found out that she and Luo Chuanke had disappeared. As she thought about it, she couldn't help but smile, muttering to herself that she would have to ask her reliable Xin Sui to help her clean up the mess this time. She turned around and waved to Yi Ye Xiao Zhou who had finally caught up with her, "Sister Xiao Chuan, let's have breakfast together!"