Chapter 5 of 10

Chapter 5

14 min read3,484 words

Liu Yu naturally took a piece of fruit from the bag and put it in his mouth, chewing while saying, "However, Meng Chang's heart is not very broad. This person is very capable, but it seems he doesn't want to show his talents so quickly. Or perhaps, now that the country needs people and is recruiting soldiers, Meng Chang doesn't want to be noticed so soon for military service."

"So, he pushed Tan Pingzhi to the front. If these three families are really settled, it's likely that Tan Pingzhi and Wei Yongzhi will join the military, while Meng Chang will just observe."

"However, it seems that Meng Chang is not from a northern aristocratic family. If there were really northern aristocrats coming, they would probably go to Guangling City to see the officials first. These people, who are to be escorted by General Xie, who guards Guangling, wouldn't come to find the governor themselves."

Xu Xianzhi nodded: "But didn't that Meng say that a noble person would come later?"

Liu Yu's gaze fell on the river: "They should have arrived."

A ferry had already crossed the river, and with the strong river wind, a clear and melodious voice clearly reached Liu Yu and Liu Mu's ears: "With a boat full of hundreds of hu of wine, the four seasons' delicacies placed at both ends, holding a wine cup in the right hand and a crab claw in the left, floating in the wine boat, one can live a fulfilling life!"

As the song came with the wind, the smell of roasted crabs also wafted over. Liu Yu shook his head: "Even on a ferry, he doesn't forget to eat crabs. It seems that a noble person has indeed arrived."

The ferry steadily docked at the shore, and the boatman jumped off the bow, lowering the gangplank.

There weren't many people on the boat, only about ten, all dressed properly, none of whom looked like the northern refugees who had just arrived.

After seven or eight people dressed as merchants disembarked, the last two people who came down drew everyone's attention, even making them hold their breath.

The first person to disembark was in his early forties, wearing a green robe and a headband, holding a feather fan, with wide sleeves. Although he was wearing ordinary silk clothes like a scholar, he still exuded a god-like aura.

His face was as smooth as jade, with delicate features, phoenix eyes, sword-like eyebrows, and a long beard that reached his chest. The river breeze gently blew, and compared to the young men of this era who habitually powdered their faces, this middle-aged man, despite not using any makeup, was still incomparably handsome. The elegance of a famous scholar was no more than this.

The second person, wearing a white robe, was also in his forties. He remained in the cabin, sitting on a Hu bed (an ancient seat, similar to a modern bench).

His appearance was even more remarkable than the first, with a face like a painting, a prominent nose, large eyes, and skin as white as jade. He wore a jade hairpin, and his hair fell to his waist. The river breeze blew, making his robe and hair flutter, as if he were a celestial being.

In his right hand, the white-robed scholar held a crab shell, gently licking the crab roe from it, while his left hand held a silk handkerchief, occasionally wiping the roe from his mouth. Beside him stood a strong servant, dressed in simple clothes and boots, holding a porcelain spittoon.

Every time the white-robed scholar ate a bit of crab roe, another servant would offer a bamboo tube of clear water. He rinsed his mouth and spat into the spittoon held by the servant on his left, then continued to eat.

After six or seven rounds, the white-robed scholar finally finished the crab shell, satisfied, and said with a smile: "Drinking wine by the river, savoring the roe, life is fulfilling, and I am both dreaming and mad! Hahaha, Youdu, it's a pity you didn't eat with me!"

The green-robed scholar smiled slightly: "Aning, as Huan Xuanwu (a powerful minister of the Eastern Jin, posthumously known as Xuanwu) once said, the wine in Jingkou is worth drinking, and the soldiers are worth using. The charm of this place goes beyond just the delicious river food."

As the white-robed scholar got up and disembarked, he said with a smile: "Fine, this time I'll accompany you on a tour. I want to see what's so special about the wine in Jingkou."

Liu Yu walked forward, looking at the two scholars. Now he was certain that these two, with their extraordinary appearance, must be from a high-ranking aristocratic family.

These aristocratic children, either held high positions and controlled the government, or indulged in nature and traveled the world, completely different from ordinary people like himself.

But the more so, the more he couldn't be rude to them. At least as the local chief, he had the responsibility to welcome and send off guests. Their accents didn't sound like they were from the north but rather from the local Jiangdong area. Asking about their origins was his duty.

The green-robed scholar had already noticed Liu Yu. While the white-robed scholar was eating the crab shell, he had been sizing up this bear-like strong man, nodding slightly. Seeing Liu Yu walk forward, he smiled gracefully: "This brave man, what can I do for you?"

Liu Yu said solemnly: "I am Liu Yu, the chief of the Garlic Mountain Village in Jingkou Town, Southern Yanzhou, in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. I am here to check and welcome merchants and settle northern refugees. May I see your travel permits?"

The white-robed scholar's face darkened, somewhat displeased: "Do you need to check our travel permits just by looking at us?"

The green-robed scholar smiled slightly: "Aning, they are just doing their job, nothing wrong with that." He said, unfastening a wooden plaque from his waist and handing it over: "This is my travel permit."

The white-robed scholar reluctantly unfastened his travel permit and handed it over. Liu Yu took it and began to read the words on it. Fortunately, the characters on the wooden plaque were not in small seal script but in standard regular script, which he could recognize.

The green-robed scholar's name was Liu Linzong, and the white-robed scholar's name was Yang Linzi, both common names (in this era, scholars often had single-character names, while double-character names with 'zhi' indicated a family belief in Celestial Master Daoism, such as Wang Xizhi, while commoners and merchants used double-character names, and even Liu Yu, a low-ranking scholar, had a single-character name). The other servants all followed their masters' surnames. The travel permits were issued by the Jianwu General's office in Guangling, with official marks, clearly not forged.

After checking, Liu Yu returned the two wooden plaques and said: "May I ask what business you are here for and what brings you to Jingkou?"

Liu Linzong smiled slightly, taking back the travel permit: "We are both merchants and enjoy traveling. This time we came to Jingkou to explore. Is there a problem, Chief Liu?"

Yang Linzi did not take back the travel permit. He glanced at a servant beside him, who stepped forward to take it, holding it in his hand. Yang Linzi said coldly: "Since the travel permits are correct, Youdu, let's go."

He walked forward without looking back. Liu Yu watched him as he walked, taking out a silk handkerchief from his pocket, taking the travel permit from the servant, and wiping it vigorously. Then he threw the silk handkerchief into the grass by the roadside, as if the travel permit had something on it that he couldn't touch.

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