Changes in the sky
Volume 2: The Edge of Heaven
Chapter 151: The Bank of Luo River
The windows around the central hall were all open, and as the night wind blew, the gauze curtains in the room fluttered sadly, like wisps of lingering fog on the water, surging with waves, occasionally covering this "him". "He" would sometimes grab a corner of the curtain that was blowing beside him, and then casually throw it away with force, trying to break free from this disturbing bondage, but soon this layer of lingering fog would continue to quietly swallow him up again.
Seeing the scene in front of me, I didn’t know what to do.
It was “he” who found me first. He put his hand on the hilt of the sword, and stood up with his right hand supporting a wine jar. He looked at me with a pair of pretty eyes, which were bloodshot and slightly red. He stared at me for a while, sobbing, but smiling: “So Zirui… is here, and sister didn’t go to greet you… I’m sorry Zirui.”
She started crying again.
She staggered forward two steps, as if she stumbled, and actually lowered her head to rush in front of my body, just like that, with her hands hanging there, waving twice, and her whole body bent in front of me. I knew that my sister was drunk, and she seemed to know it herself: "Zi Rui, accompany me for a drink... No, accompany me out."
Then, she suddenly came to life, raised her head, straightened her body, smiled with tears on her face, took my hand, walked straight to the door, and ordered the people below to bring two horses. She turned around and filled a large water bag with wine, and said she would drink it slowly with me.
It seems that alcohol is a good thing. Although the teachings of the third uncle are not wrong, if you can't resist the current things when you are sober, you might as well vent some of them with alcohol. But in the end, you still have to bear everything, and you can only seek that moment of peace and comfort after drinking. Since my sister just needs this, why should I stop her. In fact, I didn't mean to stop her. Sometimes I think I should have rushed out like this, regardless of everything, such as when I was in court before. I had this thought today. Before leaving my father's place, I took off the tall hat, wide belt, wide robe and big sleeves, and only wore the ordinary clothes I wore in Yue State. Now, it's just right to accompany Sister Qi out, and I can also avoid certain people I will "happen" to meet on the road.
I just feel a little uncomfortable when I think of my former "sister", who is now my Lady of Pingguo. I don't know what to call her better. I lost a sister, but God gave me one more. Moreover, my "sister" was supposed to marry Meng De, but my "real" sister married Meng De. This event is really a coincidence. God really dotes on me a little too much. But if he really wants to dote on me, he should let Yinling and I live in seclusion in the mountains of Yue for the rest of our lives as an ordinary couple, but he arranged so many things for me.
Leaving the city was more difficult. In fact, I had been worried about this matter when I arrived at the city gate. However, the "Princess of Zhao" and the Marquis of Yue appeared at the same time, so the captain of the city gate had to break the rules for once. And my constant apologies made the captain of the city gate feel flattered.
But I was even more frightened. I hesitated for a while and asked the lieutenant how he dared to call my sister a princess. He replied that a new decree was issued at the end of December last year, and the daughters of dukes and above can be called princesses, just with the name of the country in front. The daughters of barons and below can be called princesses, and they also need to be called the country name and the name of the fiefdom. I felt relieved a little. When I was the lieutenant of Sili, I knew that only the emperor's daughter can be called princess, and the Liu surnamed king can only be called princess. The arrangements for princesses and county princesses below are very detailed, and no more than that is allowed. It's okay for you to call her at home, but if you go out, you will have to follow the king's law.
This time the ancient system has been completely restored. Our Han Dynasty has really gone back to the old ways. If you think this move can really restore the Zhou rituals and rule the world with rituals, it is really naive and ridiculous.
Two miles to the south was the Luo River. The two of them rode their horses for a while and arrived at the water's edge. The Luo River was still very wide in winter, but it was very quiet, gurgling down, as quiet as a woman's whisper. Note 1 The elder sister laughed all the way, and when she got close to the water's edge, she continued to drive the horse into the water.
My heart tightened, and I spurred my horse forward and grabbed her bridle with my hand.
"Sister doesn't want to die, she just wants to cross the river. You see, the mountains ahead are interrupted and the Yi River flows out, which is Longmen. There are many wonders there, and I want to go there to take a look." She was still smiling as she looked at the vague foothills in the distance ahead. Her face did not look like she was drunk, but her words sounded a bit drunk.
It was close to the Lantern Festival that day, and the moon was still bright. My sister really looked like a handsome and beautiful man.
"Longmen, I will accompany you to the upstream ferry tomorrow, so let's forget about it today, okay? Why do you want to dress up as a man?" I quickly changed the subject, and my hands were not idle either, leading her horse back to the shore: "But, you look so pretty in this costume, I'm afraid all parents in the world will want to marry their daughters to you."
"Sister, I really envy you... for being a man..." She turned her face away, her smile faded slightly, and she sighed softly: "If I were a random man in the world, I wouldn't care about the title of princess."
After hearing this, I have understood a little. But I still feel that it is not a good idea to talk about this matter. It is better to avoid talking about other things, and it is better to blame yourself than to blame others. I thought to myself: Brother Meng De, you owe me a favor.
"My brother is less than 20 years old and has already married two wives. Although I feel uncomfortable, I can't do anything about it. I just know that I have to marry, but I don't know how to treat my wives. I deserve to die." I felt sad: "Brother Mengde is over 30 years old and has already married. It's not surprising to have a child. If my sister doesn't want to marry him and share a husband with him, I will go find Mengde. I'm not a good person either. I deserve to be scolded. Being a whore is also a brother's duty."
"Silly brother, what are you talking about?" My sister still laughed, but I didn't understand: "Also, how come you are not yet twenty? I calculated that you should be twenty. The last time you came to our house, weren't you...already nineteen?"
"At that time, I didn't mind my age, so I used my virtual age. But since I became the Marquis of Yue, I have to calculate my real age. I was born in the twelfth month, so I was one year old when I was born, and I will be two in a few days. In the past, I would grow one year older every year, but now I have to grow one year older every time I celebrate my birthday. So, I will be nineteen years old in two years." Suddenly, I remembered that the Grand Historian Zhu had said that I would have a terrible tragedy when I was twenty, but I didn't know whether it would be counted this year or next year. My heart tightened, but when I thought about the fact that I had broken my own palm lines twice, I guess only God knows what will happen to me in the future, or maybe even God doesn't know.
My sister laughed and said that it would be two years before you turned nineteen, so I wonder when you can have your coming-of-age ceremony. Thinking about it, I laughed, and my mood suddenly improved as if my laughter revealed it.
"So what does sister think about this?" I asked Xin Xin, and while she was still happy, I quickly got back to the original question.
My sister must have drunk a lot of wine. She has been laughing non-stop since she came out. She is not as serious as she used to be at home, and she is not as shy as when she is with Brother Meng De. Her laughter is also louder than before, which makes me look around worriedly.
Nothing should happen outside Luoyang during the Lantern Festival. After all, it is the emperor's home and it is also the New Year period. Any bandits or robbers should just stay at home and live a quiet life.
Besides, there was a patrol team outside the city. The moonlight was bright, and when they saw two people acting suspiciously by the water, they naturally came over to check them out. Obviously, they left immediately.
Strange, they also like to honor me as Ping An Feng Yun Hou, it seems that this title is much more famous than Yue Hou. Thinking about it, the things that happened when I was Ping An Feng Yun Hou really fit the two characters of Feng Yun in my title, but it has nothing to do with Ping An, although the titles of my two wives are Ping An when put together, and Shang He also changed his name to Ping An, other than these two things, nothing can be called these two words.
My sister waited until the patrolling horse hooves faded away before she said quietly, "I love him and I love him, but I can't bear it."
I naturally know what embarrassed my sister. I knew it in the pond before I came. I don't know what the Ding family has done to convince Brother Meng De's father. Instead of arranging the marriage between the Princess of Zhao and his son, they welcomed Ding first. The old man didn't care about which was more important.
"What about Brother Meng De?" I thought Brother Meng De should give my sister some advice.
"His son lost his mother when he was young, and Mrs. Ding treated him as her own son. Moreover, this child is already over ten years old, so it is not convenient for me to be his mother. So I took him in as the mother of the eldest son."
The Ding family was originally a big family in Jizhou, with many talented people in the family, and some of them were officials in several major princes. When Meng De was a teenager, he had a wife who was a few years older than Brother Meng De, which was normal. Unfortunately, she died early and left a son. Since then, Brother Meng De has been busy with various official affairs and has not remarried for a while. The Ding family was originally a big family in Jizhou, with many talented people in the family, and some of them were officials in several major princes. However, there was a daughter who had been taking care of this child, just like a maidservant and a nurse. His son was very close to her, and Mr. Cao (Cao Song, author's note) could not be regarded as a heartless person. When the elders of the Ding family mentioned this, Mr. Cao agreed.
This time, listening to her words, it was obvious that my sister didn't take it as an offense, but she couldn't let it go.
"What are you worried about, sister?"
Yiren sighed, raised her pretty face, and looked at the bright moon. The sun and the moon are nearly round, with only a few flaws, but there is a halo (halo, author's note) surrounding the moon, which is still very beautiful. If I didn't have to comfort my sister and not allow me to do so, I would still lie on the grass and enjoy it slowly.
"Meng De is sentimental and I'm afraid he may not be loyal. I don't know when he will change his feelings. What can I do? Qi cannot control what others do. If I were a man, I should spend my whole life with the one I love. How could I let other people in, like our parents did?" The second half of this sentence was quite heroic and he looked at me again. I was already feeling guilty, and after seeing and hearing this I felt so ashamed that I had to lower my head.
"Don't be embarrassed, listen to mother. I thought you were really cute at the Guangxin dinner that day, you were at a loss and silly. Don't you know how many men in the world consider this a blessing?" My sister suddenly smiled again.
"I really don't know where blessings come from." I was telling the truth and could only smile bitterly.
"Then tell me the truth!" My sister stopped laughing and her tone suddenly changed to become extremely sharp, but she also changed the subject of the embarrassing words before: "What is going on between you and Sister Yinling and Sister Pei? I think there is a lot of hidden secrets. It is definitely not what you said before."
It turns out that my sister doesn't know everything about me, and my father may have concealed a lot of things from her, but I can't remember them for the moment. What she knows is the part after I lied that I was a Hu person. There is nothing about Pei'er in that story, and I don't know what Pei'er said to her! This is very troublesome. I want to make up something, but I don't know where to start. But I feel relieved for avoiding the topic that I was worried about before, and my mood is a little better.
"The hidden truth here is that it involves so many people, so I'm sorry I can't tell you the truth. I hope you'll forgive me." I quickly tried to make it clear, and then I told her with a dignified and solemn face. Moreover, if it was really as I worried, Sister Qi might not know that her parents were dead, and we were actually cousins. My identity has been a big deal for so many years, and it's better to let her keep the thought of a perfect home. Even if she thinks I'm a barbarian, I'll accept it. My parents might be afraid that Sister Qi would be burdened with this matter, so they never mentioned it.
My sister looked at me left and right for more than a long time. She must have felt that I didn't look like a vicious and cunning person, so she gave up the idea of asking me more questions. However, she couldn't let it go, so she kept nagging for a while.
"I always find it strange that since you went to Yue State, your mother has been uneasy and often misses you. She always wants to go to Yue State to visit, but she is in a much happier mood. Your father is also always in a very happy mood and mentions you to everyone he meets. Zirui is my elder son, and Yuehou is my shorter son. But this has never happened when you visited Yue State several times in the past." Of course, I laughed secretly in my heart.
"I always feel that there are some questions, but when I ask, both father and mother just smile, and either remain silent or perfunctorily answer. Some even avoid the question and talk about other things. Isn't it suspicious?" My parents are not as quick-witted as I am. If they had some, they wouldn't have made my sister so suspicious. But I don't know where my quick wit comes from. Perhaps it's because I have been living in crisis since I was born, and God took pity on me and gave me these.
"I do know something about this. My mother told me about it when we were in Yue State. She was hoping that I would have time to discuss with my two wives about the issue of succession to the two countries of Zhao and Yue." I pretended to look sad and almost made Sister Qi whip me.
I didn't need to hide, because my sister bent over with laughter when she raised the whip halfway.
But she quickly said to me with a serious face: "Sister Pei is really pitiful. I should help her to relieve her pressure and spend more time with her."
"Why do you say that, sister? Is there something I don't know?" I was sure that it was what Pei'er said when she saved me and my sister from the sword that day.
"That day, Sister Pei talked to me. You were engaged when you were young. You swore to stay with her to fulfill your parents' wishes. But she was not the one you loved in your heart. Although you insisted on marrying her first, you could not let go of Yinling. That's why I strongly encouraged you to find Sister Yinling. It was obvious that she was quite sad in her words, but she always greeted me with a smile. In fact, I don't understand why Sister Pei seemed to have never seen you before, but she has such deep feelings for you. She seems to care little about fame and fortune, and she hasn't seen you much, but she is so infatuated with you. What's going on? There must be something hidden here. I thought about it over and over again, but I couldn't figure it out. Maybe Sister Pei..." She didn't go down, fearing that she would hurt Sister Pei, but I thought that Pei was like that that day to save me. Besides, my heart is now divided into two halves, one for Pei and the other for Ling. Only I know the pain of this torn heart, and only I can understand the happiness and pain of the harem of Yue State.
"Well, let's not talk about this." I took advantage of my sister's hesitation and changed the subject, "How is the matter between my sister and Brother Meng De going?"
"The engagement period for the princes is half a year, and I will go there when the time comes. In the future, I will also serve in the army, just like General Hongxiu. I can also be with Meng De at any time, so I naturally cannot let those vulgar women snatch Meng De away." My sister has a bit of a masculine temperament, probably because her father taught her, but lied to her that he would pass on the door to her for her to experience. But my heart is much more stable. It seems that my sister has made up her mind, but there is still a resentment in her heart that cannot be vented. But after talking with me, she has relieved it a little. Naturally, I have to find other things to talk about, so that she can completely resolve these things.
"Zhou Yu also asked me to thank you very much. If it weren't for you, she would never be able to control those old ladies..." I suddenly realized that I was wrong, and my head shrank half an inch, but of course I still couldn't shrink it back.
"Haha, I don't know who taught you this word. I heard from father that many of your subordinates are Yellow Turban surrendered, just like Cheng Laomu. Zirui, please be careful in the future and don't mention this word in front of the ministers and ladies."
"Yeah." I quickly agreed. In fact, I was thinking, you are still lecturing me. The way you call Cheng Yuanzhi is not suitable for others to hear.
"You, will Meng De fight with father or you in the future?" My sister suddenly mentioned this matter, which really scared me: "This time, according to the opinions of father, Meng De and your teacher, there has been a disagreement on the selection of the crown prince."
"Isn't it?" I felt a little uneasy, but I immediately threw this difficult question back, but my tone had to change slightly: "If a war really breaks out, will sister help father and me or help Brother Meng De?"
"I'll help whoever is right." My sister laughed and said, "I'm just being casual. It shouldn't be possible."
But I suddenly began to think that was not entirely true.
My sister seemed to sense that I was worried and wanted to talk. Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves and laughter gradually became louder. After a while, several girls in hunting costumes stopped their horses beside us and looked at us, just as we looked at them.
They didn't say anything for a while, just looked at us, and I wondered if they were Zhou Yu's men. But if they were, they should know Sister Qi; and if they were, it seemed that they shouldn't be here at this time of year.
They suddenly began to chatter with each other with laughter, and a cheerful bird-like chirping sound came into the ears. It was vague and not very clear, but it seemed that the man was very handsome.
Just when I was about to feel proud, I suddenly remembered how my sister was dressed behind me, and then I realized that this compliment should have nothing to do with me.
"You women are so rude, second brother, follow me." This man was very sanctimonious, and his voice was deliberately lowered. If you were dressed as a woman, you would be my sister, and I would have nothing to say, because I am already more than 20 days older than you; but if you were dressed as a man, you would look much younger than me, and your voice would not be as deep as mine, and you would still want to take advantage of me, but you still had to agree and follow me.
"Oh, this handsome guy is the older brother of this big silly guy with a mustache. This is really interesting." They didn't argue about it, just laughed and rode away.
But my self-esteem was hurt. What is a big stupid beard? I mōmō and saw that there was some accumulation under the chin. I should have inherited it from my father, who also has a thick beard.
I asked my sister who these people were; she said she didn't know, but she guessed they were relatives of the Liu clan or sisters from powerful and wealthy families. Why were these women still wandering around in the middle of the night? She said they had nothing to do, playing all day and all night, sleeping when they were tired, and continuing when they woke up. Most men drank and had fun at home, dragged maids for fun, or went out hunting, walking dogs and hawks; but these women were also like this, which was indeed a little different, but during the New Year, the situation would be a little special. I guess I have the same temperament as my sister. I provoked this woman to whip my horse's butt hard, and the beast ran away with its legs up in pain, almost throwing me off. This person then slowly caught up with me, and her mood was much better, and I naturally didn't dare to be naughty again.
We ran a lot to the west and entered a forest. It was different from the grass under the moon. It was darker and only a few spots of moonlight were shining. I could only vaguely see the outline of Sister Qi beside me. I was a little worried and my hand unconsciously pressed on the flute hanging from my waist. In the end, it was suggested that we go back, at least to the grass, where the moonlight was brighter.
But my sister didn't seem to be scared. She must have drunk too much and didn't know how to be afraid. She just let the horse slowly move forward to find the way in the forest. Even if a few vicious crows screamed a few times, as if they were very annoyed by our uninvited visit, they couldn't stop this brave girl from drinking.
"It's dark and quiet here, and I need quiet. This place is under the feet of the emperor. Even if there are strong men, it won't be difficult for you and I to fight them out. You and I are both commanders. Those who are afraid of the dark will be laughed at." You are relieved. It's okay if I'm alone, but I'm really worried about you. Besides, your brother has always been a little afraid of the dark. I naturally blame Yinling for this disease. She is afraid of the dark. When I was very young, she always came in front of me. There were so many evil demons and monsters in the dark, and told me not to go to the dark place. Even when I grew up, I was still a little scared when I saw the dark place. Seeing her continue to move forward, I became more and more worried, and I pulled the horse's head first, "Sister, let's go back."
"Do you really look down on me?" These elegant words sounded familiar. Brother Fengxian seemed to have said this before. I didn't even have time to answer that time.
"I dare not, I dare not. It's just that I am not familiar with this road and I don't know where it leads. If I get lost and come back very late, my father will not punish you, but I will definitely scold you. Besides, I will probably have a lot of trouble tomorrow. What's more, if I can't go back early, my father will definitely send someone to look for me, which will be even more troublesome." This time he had time to reply, and the reason was very reasonable.
"Let me see what I can do." Suddenly, a black thing flew towards him from his sister's direction. Before he could think of anything, he passed by with the flute in his left hand and knocked the thing down. He heard a muffled sound of water and thought that his sister had thrown the water bag filled with wine towards him.
"A wine bag has frightened you so much that you don't even dare to take it. Zirui must be letting down his reputation." Yiren was very proud. She watched a black ball twisting in front of her and heard the horse neigh slightly, as if it had turned its head.
"It's dark at night and things are fast moving. We can't see clearly, so it's better to attack than to engage." He felt relieved and dismounted to search for the water bag on the ground.
"No wonder you are so talented, father. You can think so carefully in such a critical moment." My sister said, "Everyone would do the same thing, but not everyone would be able to open the water bag in time, and not everyone could come up with a good reason like me. I was afraid that my sister would think that I had thought it through before I acted."
Finally, I found a bulging thing and picked it up. I felt a little thirsty after chatting for a while, so I drank some wine to quench my thirst, so I unscrewed the lid and took a sip.
"Okay, sister, we'll go first." He then jumped on his horse, invited her to go back with him, and let her sit in front.
We walked out of the forest to an open area and asked my sister to stop. I asked how many water bags she had brought, and she said one. I handed it to her and asked if it was this one. My sister said, "How much difference can a water bag make? The moonlight is not so bright, how can I distinguish it clearly?" She took it and drank a sip. Suddenly, the water bag fell to the ground and gurgled all over the floor.
She and I looked towards the dark forest.
Because what we drank was not wine, but water!
There were obviously people in the woods, and of course someone could have dropped it in passing. However, this was too coincidental, so coincidental that I could only assume that there was someone there; and even if there was someone there, it was too coincidental.
I knew the problem as soon as I drank it, but I didn't want to make it public. The other party didn't attack us actively, obviously they didn't want to expose themselves, or didn't want to hurt us, or they didn't think they could take us down. However, if they smelled the alcohol in the water bag and thought about us, the matter would become a matter of course, and we would have to fight a fierce battle for no apparent reason. The more I thought about it, the more frightened I became. Who are these people, what do they do, and why do they stay in the woods at this time of year. My sister asked me if I should find the night watchman to go into the woods to check, but I didn't think it was necessary. When they found the water bag, they would definitely know that the matter was exposed and would definitely leave.
My sister suddenly had more respect for me. She said I would definitely make immortal achievements in the future, but I shook my head. My sister was puzzled and asked me if I didn't want to make achievements. I asked what achievements and careers I could make. My sister mentioned several major events I had done in the past, such as the Battle of Hanzhong, the suppression of the Wuhuan, the attack on Mufu Mountain, the suppression of the rebellion in Wu, the suppression of the banditry in Jingxi, and the defense of Mingzi. These were all things that were passed down by word of mouth among officials and even civilians. I shook my head again.
Wisdom does not regard this as merit. Those who fought with me were all the people of the Han Dynasty; my special merits were all based on the corpses of the people of the Han Dynasty. Although I may have made some contributions to the country, I feel sad and do not feel happy. Today, the world is divided among various surnames, and the army of the whole country is divided among the strong. If a strong foreign enemy invades at this time, wouldn’t we be tying ourselves up in knots? However, the princes have different intentions, and sooner or later there will be a move to reduce the vassal states and eliminate the country. It is inevitable that there will be turmoil. At that time, it is not my Han Dynasty and my people who suffer. If I could choose my birth, I would rather be a general guarding the border in the early days of my Han Dynasty. Singing in unison with Gaozu’s words "How can I get brave men to guard the four directions", he spent his whole life in the northern border to protect the Han Dynasty and my people. He raised the Heavenly Wolf and rode his horse to the north and shouted: As long as wisdom survives in the world for one day, you will never be able to step into this world in your lifetime. Isn’t it happy
My sister looked solemn, as if she had just been frightened and then touched by my words. Now her movements and tone did not seem to be drunk at all: "Brother, you are so righteous. I am ashamed of you. I will definitely help you with Meng De."
"I'm afraid that I need to help Brother Meng De. Brother Meng De's talent is above mine, and I am willing to help Brother Meng De to reorganize the government." I have always had confidence in Brother Meng De, although I always have a vague sense of foreboding. But I added twelve points of respect in my tone.
The woman immediately became somewhat proud, but I didn't know what she was proud of. I looked at her face and suddenly had the idea of kicking her. Of course, I didn't really kick her, but I felt in my heart that she flew far away, flying higher and higher, flying farther and farther, and then fell far into the Luo River, splashing a burst of water, slowly calming down, and finally, just like my mood, finally calmed down.
"Why doesn't my sister want to see my father?"
"Father never speaks for me, but helps Meng De persuade me. I understand the reason, so I can't hold it in." My sister does have a childish temper.
"In fact, father did it for you. Given father's temper, he would definitely criticize Meng De in front of him. Father and mother stayed together until old age, and they were never as affectionate as my brother-in-law."
"How do you know?" She suddenly perked up.
I naturally don't know, but since it's just advice, it's just well-intentioned speculation and it won't kill anyone.
"Father is in the court, and he asked Meng De to come and persuade my sister. He should talk to my sister. Brother Meng De promised, if he can go tonight, then he will go." Brother Meng De will come to see me tonight. If he really comes, father should point out my mansion, Meng De should get the news that we are not there, and then leave; and as long as we are not there, tomorrow when we ask the soldiers guarding the mansion, if Meng De comes, we can say that he is here to see my sister, not me. Even if Meng De does not come in the end, anyway, I have not made a final decision. I will go to Brother Meng De to have a good talk tomorrow, and then invite him to come to see my sister.
Suddenly, another dozen riders passed by. They were not patrolling guards. When they saw us, they suddenly stopped. The leader dismounted and saluted us politely, saying, "Gentlemen, please stay. My master invites you. If you don't mind, please come to my master's courtyard to be my guest."
"Excuse me, who is the owner of your house?" It was this "big brother" again, who lowered his voice and asked seriously, but I felt that he could definitely tell that this was a woman.
"The son of Lord Yuan, the Marquis of Pingyin, the current imperial clan." His tone was very polite, but his voice was a little arrogant, as if he didn't think highly of us, but only came here at the request of his master. I always thought that in the capital, except for the emperor, others who proudly claimed to be the official positions and fiefdoms of their own backers were really overestimating their own abilities. However, the three sons and nephews of the Yuan family were all awarded and established kingdoms, which was considered to be quite strong. Moreover, this person's fiefdom was actually in Henan Yin, and the emperor obviously thought highly of him.
It seems that I have seen this Mr. Yuan before. When I first went to Situ's house, I didn't bring any credentials. I was also unfamiliar with him in Luoyang. The gatekeeper didn't let me in and said that I didn't look impressive enough. I pointed at a fat man who was about to go in and said, "Could this man look impressive?" This was quite hurtful. Afterwards, I apologized to this person. It must be the fat man.
"Oh, Master Gang." My sister obviously knew this person. Suddenly she turned her head and looked at me: "Second brother, do you dare to go?"
Although I am not as smart as Master Kuang, I can also understand the elegant intention by listening to the strings. It is obvious that she wants to go. In fact, I also want to see what the homes of these prominent family children are like. Moreover, I am also very interested in why these people want to invite us. Obviously, from this word, they don’t know us. I suddenly thought of those women. Could it be that they are also guests of this family? They came over and seemed to be interested in the people who were still hanging around the Luo River at this time. It seems that these wealthy families like to keep guests. Yuan Benchu of his Yuan family is like this. He wants everyone and will recruit them. Maybe this Mr. Yuan is also planning to recruit us, but I bet they can’t recruit the two of us, although no one will bet with me.
"Let's do as my brother said?" I bowed and invited the visitor, then, protected by a dozen people, I headed east.
They didn't say anything to us along the way. My sister and I looked at each other a few times, but nothing happened. The emblems on their horse bridles showed that they were indeed from a family of some status. Moreover, the guards passing by didn't even pursue us. The leader of this group only said hello to the leader of the other group. Then they passed by, looser than the two of us. I looked at my bridle, it didn't look like my father's emblem, it should be my Yuehou or Ping'an Fengyunhou's.
After walking eastward along the river for about a minute, I saw a large house along the river. This house was very new, probably just built. I remember when I led people to rob the Huangmen Temple, even when I was the lieutenant of the Sili later, I didn't notice such a large house along the river in the southeast of Luoyang. At this moment, the lights in the courtyard were brilliant, and the sound of stringed instruments could be heard faintly. Wisps of smoke reflected the lights and shaded this brand new residence of the rich and powerful.
"When was this house built?" I couldn't help but ask.
"After the current emperor divided the world, he also gave generous rewards to court officials. This piece of land was awarded to our Lord Zongzheng at that time, and he also ordered the chief architect to help build the house."
"This is being built really fast." I looked from one end of the wall to the other.
"Well, we worked day and night during the fall and winter of last year in order to finish the work before the start of spring. That means we were all done in the twelfth lunar month." The man's tone became respectful. Obviously, my words showed that I was not an ordinary person.
"Lord Zongzheng and Lord Sikong must have a deep friendship." This house is indeed well built. It was built so quickly, and it was not shoddy. It obviously needs the help of Lord Sikong. The three ministers, Zongzheng, Shaofu, and Da Si Nong, should all be under the control of Sikong. The chief architect should also be under the management of Sikong. However, the chief architect has nothing to do with Zongzheng, Shaofu and other officials in terms of division of duties. Lord Yuan seems to be very compatible in this officialdom. His connections in this system can be seen from this newly built mansion.
The man seemed to be afraid to speak for a moment. It was obvious that my understanding of the court system seemed to have exceeded that of an ordinary person. Not to mention that I mentioned Lord Zongzheng and Lord Sikong casually. Just thinking back on this sentence, it also revealed the tone of someone from the court or the censor, which naturally made him feel that he had to deal with it carefully. He told us that he was going in to report, then apologized and left, his attitude was already very humble.
"I'm your brother, let me do it. Don't just enjoy yourself and not let your sister have fun." The "brother" whispered in my ear, "You should be quiet to avoid suspicion from others. Follow me and don't say anything, otherwise it won't be fun."
Sister Qi was in a playful mood, but I felt a little troubled.
After a while, the door opened wide, and a fat man came out with a group of people. As soon as he came out, he looked at us. I hid behind the horse very tactfully, loosened the horse's bit and adjusted the bridle. This time I wanted to let my "brother" have a good "fun".
"Excuse me, who are these two people?" The fat man was quite polite, and his tone was much more respectful than that of Yuan Shu when he first met me.
"I dare not trouble you, Master Yuan, to ask. We are both from the Fengyun Marquis clan." I personally think this sentence is not very clever, but it is not stupid either, at least it is not very interesting.
"Oh, you are a relative of Lord Fengyunhou. I didn't know you were here. Do you have time to come to my humble home to rest?" He was really polite. This courtyard is my humble home, and my palace is just a pile of rubble.
But I have good ears, and I immediately heard someone around him muttering, "You're not Marquis Fengyun, what's so great about you?"
"Second brother, Master Yuan is so hospitable. It would be disrespectful for us not to come in. So we can go in and be his companions to witness Master Yuan's magnanimity." This last sentence didn't sound good at all, as if we were here to watch the fun, and with bad intentions. This woman really enjoyed playing.
"Bend down and don't let anyone see you." This was the last instruction before entering the yard.
There is a special fragrance in the garden. I seem to have smelled it before, light, like the incense in the house when I was left to rest in the palace that day. The smell gradually became thicker, and the warmth penetrated into my nostrils, making my whole body and mind, even my hair and bones, feel comfortable. Passing by an incense burner in the courtyard that was as tall as a person, the smell was emanating from here. The lights were bright all around, and the curtains hanging under the corridor were not bamboo curtains, but whole pieces of heavy white silk with special patterns, reflecting the lights, making the courtyard as bright as day, showing the extremely exquisite and complex patterns on the incense burner. After entering the courtyard, there were fewer lights, and the corridor was also replaced with red silk, reflecting a red glow around, which was very festive. There were already men and women hugging each other in the corridor, leaning against the railing, pulling aside the curtain and looking at us coldly.
Going further in, I saw the people in front of me taking off their shoes and entering the hall. Sister Qi and I did the same, but we were not allowed to take off our swords. Below is a bridge over water. The water is gurgling. Looking at the stone lamps erected in the water, the water seems to flow to the southeast. The corridors on both sides of this section are also built on the water with huge wood as pillars and pathology as the foundation. I was secretly surprised that such a magnificent pavilion on the water was built so quickly. If this money was given to the Kingdom of Yue, I am afraid it would be enough to build a road from Cangwu to Jiaozhi. As far as I know, the road from Guangxin to Jiaozhi is very bad, and there are often some sections that are not built, so the documents of Jiaozhi Shi Xie are always late.
After a while, we arrived at a huge hall. When we stepped on it, we could hear the sound of our feet and knew that it was hollow underneath. It should also be built on water. The shrine added two more tables to our right. I sat down on the table without looking up. People were whispering around us. Some mentioned that I was tall, but most of them praised the beautiful face of the person next to me. I looked down and sideways, and he looked up, very happy.
"I wonder if Lord Fengyun Hou is here this time." It seems that this group of noble young men and women have been having fun here at least this afternoon and didn't know I was here.
"Master Yuan, Lord Fengyun Hou just arrived tonight, and we are here to find a place for him to hunt in the next two days. It seems that Xilin Garden in the west is not bad, there are some birds and beasts." The man would also bow his head and reply respectfully.
"It would be better to go to the bank of Yishui River south of Luoyang or south of Longmen. You can't just go to Xilin Garden if you want to."
"The Emperor favors Lord Fengyun very much and allows him to go hunting in any garden." Hearing the praises, it is obvious that the treatment here is very enviable.
In fact, I really wanted to ask her if this was true, but I couldn't say anything. I just focused on eating meat and drinking wine. The meat was really well cooked, and the sauce was rich, which was very much to my liking.
"To be honest, I have some friendship with Marquis Fengyun. Brother Zirui is also a polite person, calling me brother. Once he accidentally got fat and apologized to me for a long time. I wonder if Marquis Fengyun has mentioned this to you?" This man is really good at flattering himself. Although the facts are generally correct, he always feels a lot worse when he says this. This last question is quite sophisticated. If we answer no, he will say that it seems that you are not very close to Marquis Fengyun, and then he can pass it off; if we answer yes, he will be very proud. My sister didn't know about this at all. I was very worried about how she would answer, but I couldn't say anything.
"Marquis Fengyun did mention this matter, but what we heard seemed to be slightly different from what the young master said." My sister's words this time were very much to my liking.
"Haha, it seems that Brother Zirui is still very concerned about his reputation." Everyone laughed.
This Young Master Yuan was quite a sly fellow and he began to take him seriously.
"In fact, there are several swordsmen in this hall, all of them are sons of officials, and they all want to learn martial arts from Marquis Fengyun. Do you know when Lord Fengyun is free? Well, I, Yuan Gang, would like to invite him here as a guest." He paused, and said to the people below: "You, why don't you demonstrate and let everyone see the skills of you four swordsmen of Luoyang."
The name of the Four Swordsmen of Luoyang sounded loud, but I had never heard of them. Seeing that the crowd was noisy, four young men came out one after another, gathered in the middle hall to discuss, and then divided into two groups. Fortunately, the hall was very spacious, so they separated into pairs at the upper and lower seats, drew their swords and began to perform.
After just a few glances, I started to disapprove and even wanted to laugh. I wanted to burst out laughing, but the person in charge made a gesture and suppressed me.
The weak and limp movements were secondary. His steps were shaky, his body movements were frivolous, and his waist was weak. In such a fight, any soldier who had fought for a few years and put one hand behind his back could easily defeat the so-called four swordsmen. He just threw away his sleeves and raised his sword to fight. It was a bit cool. I don't think I can do it for dancing, let alone practicing sword. I heard the people around cheering, and I didn't understand why these people, who were also the descendants of the court, were so shallow.
After this round of practice, I guess my "brother" felt that it was really unbearable, and after watching for a while, he lowered his head and drank quietly. But some people might not accept the way we looked, and they might think we were too rude.
So, when these four people heard someone say something, they stopped what they were doing, slowly walked up to us, and asked us for "instructions". The voice of this instruction was a bit harsh and the tone was obviously different.
Naturally, I would take the lead in this matter, so I was about to stand up, but immediately a scabbard pressed down on my arm, and then I heard a voice saying, "Brother, come here."
In a few moments, the hall was filled with surprise and there were several screams of fear. The "brother" knocked away a sword of a certain swordsman with a few moves. Fortunately, the sword just flew out of the hall and stuck on the corridor bridge. Another person rushed out, but he didn't get out of the hall for a few moves before the "brother" pressed his sword to his neck. The remaining two "swordsmen" were immediately a little surprised and doubtful. It was obvious that the small, handsome and beautiful "man" in the middle of the field had much better skills than them. It was even more embarrassing, so they didn't dare to move. The woman below was talking louder, and some of the words in the conversation made me embarrassed.
"How does Lord Fengyun Hou's swordsmanship compare to yours?" I was also very interested.
"Marquis Fengyun is a great general on horseback, he can gallop on horseback and fight on horseback. Looking at the world today, I am afraid that only General Lu Fengxian of Yan can be better than him." These words flattered me, but of course I knew that they were just flattery. Suddenly, she changed the subject: "How about swordsmanship? Even my clansmen have never seen him use it."
This is the truth. I think I have used many weapons, but I have rarely used a sword. Playing with a wooden sword should not count. This can give those four people a little face. If I am much stronger than her, these four people will really lose face.
"Can you two shoot?" Yuan Gang felt a little embarrassed and proposed another competition item. Immediately, the familiar hunting women came out and took out bows and arrows. Several pairs of eyes kept looking at a calm and handsome young man next to me, laughing non-stop. Several servants immediately put a human-shaped target on the other side of the corridor bridge, but I didn't think so. How could this place less than forty steps be called shooting? These women didn't seem to be the same as the four swordsmen. They had some skills, and they seemed to have telepathy. They took turns shooting arrows. The target was a straw man's head, neck, heart, liver, lungs, arms and legs, and was hit by arrows alternately. There were cheers in the hall, and then the last arrow hit an indecent place. I think all the men who saw the last arrow would unconsciously protect it with their hands. In addition to cheers, there was also laughter in the hall.
At this time, someone handed a bow and a quiver to the two of us, obviously wanting us to show off our skills. I asked for advice, and Sister Qi didn't play around, but, I think the bow is too weak, a little uncomfortable, second brother, give it a try, don't worry about breaking it. I was happy in my heart, this kind of hard work is really my taste, immediately put it in my hands, one hand pulled the bowstring, the other hand pulled the bow body, a little force, the bow body broke first, only a broken piece of the bow body hit my chest. It was a little painful, but I didn't raise my head, but I lowered my voice, a little hoarse, brother, please forgive me, it's a little weak, I couldn't hold it.
There was no one talking in the hall for a while. The women looked at the bows in their hands with some doubt. One of them even pulled hard once, then let go. It should be because she felt the string was a little tight on her hand after pulling the bow to the full. Soon, the sound of bowstrings being pulled was heard nearby. Apparently, many people with similar bows were trying. Their bows were indeed weak. The bows of the ordinary soldiers of Yue State under my command were much stronger than theirs, not to mention Lie Ya and my bows.
They probably couldn't find a stronger bow, so they didn't let us try again. But Yuan Gang still introduced these women. It was because of them that Yuan Gang sent people to invite us along the river. These women are descendants of Xiongnu nobles who surrendered to me. They came from their tribe these days because of the Lantern Festival. They showed great admiration for us and saluted respectfully in front of us, but it was not the etiquette of us Han people. When they were about to return to their seats, they still smiled at my brother. I thought to myself, if my sister were a man, I'm afraid she would be a mistress of thousands of people. It would be rare if she didn't want to enjoy the blessing of having many wives.
Yuan Gang paused and clapped his hands rhythmically. Several musicians appeared with their instruments not far to my left. Occasionally, there were soft tuning sounds. Among them was a woman who coughed lightly a few times and then waited in silence.
"Last winter, Lord Cai, the Minister of Rites, was in a tavern in Luoyang and heard a woman walking by the window singing a erotic song. He praised her talent and wrote down the lyrics. Lord Cai never saw the woman again, but the song became known in Luoyang. Recently, whenever there are banquets for celebrities and prominent families, people are often ordered to sing erotic songs. I would like to invite you to enjoy it together." After he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and the hall became silent. The woman in the middle began to sing erotic songs in a low voice along with the zither.
"The bleak frosty sky, the fallen leaves are pitiful, there is no end of autumn, but new sorrows, I am buried in the dust, only tears are reflected on the curtains; I am about to die, entrusted to the wind, waiting for the new year, Luoyang's white hair, the fragrance is floating between the lattices, who will lean on the curtains again?" The woman seemed to be leaving this place, and she was sad. She saw the bleakness of early winter behind the curtain, but she was guessing who would be where she was when the flowers bloomed next year. But when I heard the middle sentence of the fragrance floating between the lattices, my heart suddenly tightened.
"I sing sadly, but no one responds. The green lamp is on the wall, and the horse is alone in the carriage. The fields are vast, the mountains and rivers are boundless, and I have to say goodbye to the gentleman, and we are separated by the world."
I had never thought that I could change the rhyme so smoothly. Suddenly I heard a change in the tone and I quickly focused my attention.
"Your green collar is always in my mind. I am afraid that your sister will return home, and I feel sad now." I felt sad, and from this sentence I knew who did it.
"My heart was broken when I was alive, who knows who will be with me after I die? The feasts of the kings and princes have been urging me for days, I can't bear to get drunk with you in one night." I suddenly wanted to find Mr. Cai very much. I always felt that there were many deletions in the middle, some places seemed to be missing, and the content jumped too fast and was not tight. I was afraid that some of the content related to me was not included in the song by Mr. Cai for the sake of taboo; but then I thought, if I go to him, would it be a bit inappropriate
The music was still playing, but someone walked over quickly, walked straight to Yuan Gang, and whispered to him for a while. He even handed over a water bag. Yuan Gang looked at the water bag carefully, but glanced at us. I looked at Sister Qi from the side, and Sister Qi was also peeking at the scene above, and turned her head to look at me in the middle.
Yuan Gang stopped the music, and the musicians left slowly. He ordered the man to bring the water bag to us, but asked if it was from the mansion.
Sister Qi looked at it and pointed at a pattern on it. It should be, because there is a Xiezhi pattern, which is the emblem that the emperor gave to Fengyun Hou. She also pulled out the cork and smelled it. I could smell it next to me, too, a distinct smell of alcohol.
"I'm afraid I have to hand this over to the Supreme Court, and you two may have to go to the Supreme Court as well. Someone was just killed in the woods outside Xilin Garden! This is what's next to me."
Note 1: The Luo River is still there, but a rubber dam is needed to create a vast water surface upstream and downstream of Luoyang city. The author is very worried.
Note: The previous sentence comes from "The Book of Songs - Zheng Feng Zi Jin". Many people, both ancient and modern, have quoted this sentence, and I am afraid that some people still do not understand its origin.