He Bai laughed softly, taking Shen Wan's words as yet another excuse. After thinking carefully for a while, she shook her head. "This servant doesn't really know His Highness's preferences."
Shen Wan was a little disappointed, but she knew He Bai was telling the truth. Given Lu Zhan's status, even without palace rules restraining him, simply for the sake of living a few more years, he would never allow his likes and dislikes to become common knowledge.
Perhaps seeing Shen Wan's dejection, He Bai hesitated before adding, "His Highness seems to have some interest in novel things. In the past, when His Majesty or the Empress bestowed items from foreign tribute, His Highness never said much, but he was always pleased."
Her words suddenly reminded Shen Wan of a detail—
In Beloved, the very first reason she liked Lu Zhan as a character was a small detail the author had glossed over: after Lu Zhan and the original Shen Wan were bestowed in marriage, they exchanged tokens of affection. The original Shen Wan produced a handmade mandarin-duck pendant. Lu Zhan, having grown up in the palace, had never seen such a clever little trinket. Though he maintained a cold, aloof demeanor in public, in private he quietly played with and admired it for quite some time.
Back then, many readers only thought the scene was the author sprinkling sweetness. Shen Wan, however, felt it was more likely that Lu Zhan was simply intrigued by the novelty of the trinket, all while stubbornly maintaining a frosty exterior. The contrast alone had struck right at her soft spot.
He Bai's casual remark brought that detail back to mind.
"Novel… interesting…" Shen Wan muttered to herself twice, her head starting to ache.
She wasn't the original Shen Wan. Although she had some fondness for Lu Zhan, it was based largely on his looks and his portrayal in the book. That shallow fondness wasn't enough to make her lose her head or try to use her transmigration advantage to pursue him. That made choosing a thank-you gift even more restrictive—
It had to be novel without being commonplace, sincere without seeming suggestive.
Shen Wan mentally ran through every gift she had ever received or given. In ancient times, they would all be novel enough, but either she lacked the conditions to make them, or they were simply beyond her abilities.
So absorbed was she in pondering the gift that she nearly forgot the time. Seeing that the bathwater was about to cool, Zhi Chu urged her, "Miss, the water's almost cold."
Shen Wan glanced outside at the pitch-black night and realized how late it had gotten. Setting aside her extra thoughts, she slowly sank into the warm water. The humid steam eased the fatigue of the day just right. As her tense nerves relaxed, she waved her hand comfortably, scooping up a handful of hot water mixed with grains of sand.
Shen Wan: "…"
Finding bits of soil or sand mixed into well water wasn't anything unusual. Since transmigrating, Shen Wan had grown used to it and normally wouldn't mind such details. But this time, it sparked an idea.
Before transmigrating, Shen Wan's financial situation hadn't been great, and her daily entertainment options were limited. To give herself something to do—and to learn a skill she could earn some extra money with—she had taught herself sand sculpting for a time. Later, as the college entrance exams approached, she practiced less, but the basic skills remained.
She remembered that sand sculpture didn't seem to exist in ancient times, and it was never mentioned anywhere in Beloved. That meant it truly counted as something novel—though the homophonic implication wasn't exactly auspicious.
Shen Wan cleared her throat, silently suppressing her guilt. After bathing, she called Zhi Chu in. "Zhi Chu, do you know where we could find a carpenter and some sand?"
Zhi Chu immediately grew alert. "Miss, what are you planning this time?"
The original Shen Wan had left behind too many misdeeds. Unable to clear her name, Shen Wan could only reveal part of her plan. "Prince Yong helped us on the way down the mountain and even fell ill because of it. I want to privately send him a thank-you gift."
"So why do you need sand?" Zhi Chu remained wary.
Rubbing her temples, Shen Wan said helplessly, "He Bai said His Highness likes novel things. I happened to come across a method for making sand sculptures a few days ago and wanted to try it."
Zhi Chu blinked. Seeing that Shen Wan had even consulted He Bai, she immediately believed her and eagerly offered help. "If you need a carpenter, the residence guards can do that. As for sand, that's easy—I'll find it for you tomorrow!"
Though Zhi Chu spoke with confidence, Shen Wan didn't hold out much hope. Sand suitable for sculpting was hard to find, with specific requirements for cohesion. Back when she practiced, she'd searched several times before finding the right kind. So when she saw that the sand Zhi Chu brought back was perfect, Shen Wan was momentarily incredulous.
Zhi Chu, however, smiled brightly. "Miss, even Heaven is helping you! Now we have sand and the wooden box is finished—you can start preparing the gift!"
Shen Wan shot her a helpless look.
Fortunately, although Zhi Chu was pleased with herself, she remembered to keep things quiet. To outsiders, she only said Shen Wan was bored and wanted to play with sand. Old Madam Shen and Madam Shen doted on Shen Wan, Shen Chuan was rarely home, and the rest of the residence consisted of guards who scattered like mice at the sight of her.
With no one daring to interfere, Shen Wan diligently set about preparing her gift.
She had a detachable wooden box made, about two inches wide and a foot long. She poured loose sand into it, added roughly the same amount of water, then used a board and hammer to compact the sand firmly.
Zhi Chu and Mu Su stood behind her, craning their necks curiously to see what she would do next. Shen Wan lifted the board to check, then shoveled in more sand. The two exchanged puzzled looks. Shen Wan repeated the process—adding sand, adding water, compacting—four times before stopping.
Zhi Chu cautiously peeked at the densely packed sand inside the box. "Miss, is that it?"
"How could it be?" Shen Wan laughed. She fetched a brush from the study, had someone bring over a small stool, and sat down under the tree shade to begin the next stage of design.
Shen Wan was exceptionally patient. Even the meticulous, monotonous work of shaping and sweeping sand didn't bore her—instead, she found it enjoyable. Her favorite sand sculptures had always been koi, with their auspicious meaning, making them suitable for gifting to an ailing Lu Zhan.
Having not practiced for a long time, she was a bit rusty. She wasted some time before her speed gradually picked up, but it didn't arouse suspicion among the maids.
Zhi Chu had already cleverly closed the courtyard gates, leaving only He Bai, Mu Su, and herself to watch. As the shape of a lifelike fish slowly emerged, growing vivid and full, all three of them stared wide-eyed. When Shen Wan finished by using a twig as a carving tool to hook out the final scale, their expressions were nothing short of spectacular.
Mu Su was steady by nature; aside from astonishment in her eyes, she showed no exaggerated reaction. He Bai, mindful of her status, also kept silent. That left only the lively Zhi Chu to exclaim, "Miss, I thought you were just talking! I didn't expect you to really make it—and it's so beautiful!"
Shen Wan herself was quite satisfied with the result, though a bit regretful. "If only I could add color."
She'd once made a colored sand sculpture, and the result had been stunning. But without the conditions, she had no choice but to let it go. Picking up the brush, she carefully swept away the loose sand from the wooden base, assembled the sides, then turned to He Bai. "Can this be delivered to the manor?"
He Bai nodded stiffly—since she'd written the previous day about Shen Wan wanting to send a thank-you gift, she'd already received two reminders from Qing Su in just one day.
Though Qing Su hadn't said it outright, He Bai could guess that Lu Zhan must be anxiously waiting. Now that the gift was finished—and so exquisite—she finally relaxed. "Miss, will this fish collapse?"
"If you're careful when moving it, it won't," Shen Wan said, gently lifting the assembled wooden box and handing it to He Bai. "Don't mention that I previously asked about His Highness's health. Just quietly deliver it and say it's a thank-you gift. If His Highness doesn't accept it, then forget it."
He Bai wanted to say, "That's impossible," but only nodded silently.
Seeing how late it was getting, Shen Wan frowned. "Wrap the box in silk cloth. It's getting dark—send it early."
Cradling the wooden box, He Bai bowed carefully and withdrew. Half an hour later, the tightly wrapped box appeared on Lu Zhan's desk. He Bai stood to the side and recounted Shen Wan's entire crafting process in detail.
Lu Zhan listened in silence. The corners of his lips lifted almost imperceptibly. His usually strong fingers relaxed, treating it like a fragile treasure as he patiently unwrapped the silk and opened the wooden box himself.
The moment the koi, tail swaying at ease, was exposed to the air, Qing Su sucked in a sharp breath. "This was really made from sand?"
"Yes," He Bai replied steadily. "This servant watched Miss Shen make it with her own eyes."
Lu Zhan pressed a finger to the wooden base and slowly turned the sculpture, only asking after he'd admired it to his heart's content. "What kind of fish is this? Did Miss Shen say?"
He Bai glanced at him. "Reporting to Your Highness, it's a koi."
"Koi." Lu Zhan pondered it, then examined the sculpture again, smiling. "Auspicious and fortunate. Very good."
Qing Su nodded as well and added quietly, "A golden-scaled fish is no thing of the pond. Given wind and cloud, it transforms into a dragon. Miss Shen has keen eyes."
Lu Zhan froze, then suddenly looked at the sculpture again, his eyes lighting up.
Author's Note:
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Wanwan, weakly: I really was just giving a sand sculpture! You people and your wild imaginings, you sand sculptures!!!
Note: "A golden-scaled fish is no thing of the pond. Given wind and cloud, it transforms into a dragon" comes from Ma Rongcheng's Feng Yun.
I spent too much time researching sand sculptures today and ended up late—kneeling apology. It's very late and my brain is a bit muddled. If there are any mistakes in the sand sculpture descriptions, please point them out gently and kindly—many thanks.
Thanks to Passerby for the landmine and nourishing support—lifting you up and spinning in circles, sending you a big heart! Thanks as well to Mee Mee Mee and Blackcurrant Milk for the nourishing support. Wishing everyone good night and sweet dreams~
TL:
Regarding the note,
The most likely interpretation:
The golden fish = Lu Zhan himself (currently "just" a prince) The dragon = Emperor (his ultimate destiny) "Miss Shen has keen eyes" = She recognizes his imperial potential
Why this matters in the story:
Political significance: In Chinese palace novels, succession is always a bloody game. By giving him a koi (already associated with the carp-leaping-Dragon-Gate legend) and Qing Su invoking this specific quote, it suggests Shen Wan is subtly acknowledging that Lu Zhan isn't meant to remain a mere prince - he's destined to ascend the throne.