Chapter 57

In the midst of floating duckweed, a plant was suddenly uprooted and planted in the courtyard as a banana plant. After finally seeing the scenery outside the courtyard, how could it not be delighted? Yu Youwei rode the horse with great pleasure, getting so addicted that no matter how Xun Fengnian tried to persuade or threaten her, she refused to get off the horse and into the carriage. Seeing her mediocre horse riding skills and her delicate hands already turning red from gripping the reins, Xun Fengnian couldn't help but feel somewhat irritated. Only someone who had traveled through the world like him would know that while the faces of those female heroes might be beautiful, they didn't stand up to close scrutiny. After riding for a long time, their buttocks wouldn't remain smooth and round, and after holding swords and axes for a long time, their hands would be covered in unsightly calluses. Was Yu Youwei going to follow in their footsteps?

Xun Fengnian let out a cold snort, placed his fingers to his lips, and whistled sharply. The Qingbai Luan, which had been painstakingly trained by Lu Qiuer, broke through the dark clouds and directly aimed at the white cat Wu Meiniang in Yu Youwei's arms. The pampered white cat, whose courage was no greater than a mouse's, bristled with its fur standing on end and let out a pitiful scream. Yu Youwei's face turned pale, as the white cat Wu Meiniang had been her only companion since the day she found it and named it. The magnificent bird from Liaodong, the Six-Year Phoenix, only circled around without harming the white cat, but Wu Meiniang was terrified, and Yu Youwei looked at Xun Fengnian with an unusually sad expression. Xun Fengnian, who was chatting with the old Taoist Wei Shuyang, pretended not to notice. With no other choice, Yu Youwei reluctantly dismounted and got into the carriage to face the old man in the sheepskin coat who was too casual.

Seeing this scene, Shu Xiu, who had initially planned to use her beauty to win the favor of the young prince and gain some unexpected surprises, felt a chill in her heart. She had thought that in this traveling group, the young girl in the carriage, though full of spirit, was still too young, and the taste of a ripe peach was far superior to that of a green one. As for the carriage driver, she was not unattractive and had a graceful figure, but her cold personality made her seem like someone who wouldn't provide warmth and comfort. The one who posed the greatest threat was the girl holding the white cat. Her buttocks, which were full and round when she got on and off the horse, were so alluring that even Shu Xiu, as a woman, found them tempting. The young prince was an experienced man in the world of pleasure. Why had he brought this cat-keeping lady along if not for that? If he liked it, why couldn't she join in? A dragon and two phoenixes, a pair of swallows. But why did the young prince not seem to dote on her? It was said that the young prince would do anything for the courtesans of Beiliang, and it was only because of the great achievements of the Grand Marshal that the local aristocratic families could afford such extravagance.

Shu Xiu felt a bit disheartened. Her greatest skill was not her internal strength or assassination, but her ability to transform her appearance and charm in bed. Given a portrait and a complete set of transformation tools, she could become that person in half a day, almost indistinguishable from the real one. Imagine, by getting Shu Xiu, one would have the faces of all the beautiful women in the world. Whether it was a matter of spirit or appearance, it was easy to achieve. The problem was that Shu Xiu was not familiar with the young prince, and she couldn't figure out his preferences. How could she know who he desired? Even with an accurate portrait, what if it was overdone? Thinking of the Grand Marshal, who was said to have hundreds of thousands of ghosts from the Spring and Autumn period haunting him, Shu Xiu shuddered.

If it weren't for the Grand Marshal, who had a hand in everything in Liang, life would be much easier. This disrespectful thought flashed through her mind, and Shu Xiu regretted it so much that she wanted to slap herself.

Entering the territory of Yongzhou, Xun Fengnian, unlike the old scholars of the Astronomical Bureau who could predict the weather, found that the heavy rain came earlier and more intensely than he had expected. Therefore, he took a shortcut instead of the official road to reach the predetermined resting place.

This sudden change in plans by the young prince made a group of enthusiastic people who were trying to curry favor suffer greatly.

The city gates of Yingchuan County in the north of Yongzhou were wide open, and officials from the eighth to the sixth rank had come out thirty miles to wait in a pavilion for the young prince's arrival. The civil officials were led by Zheng Hanhai, a fat old man in his sixties, who, as the deputy clerk of the financial department of Yongzhou, was in charge of the financial records of half the state. He had been vying for the position of chief clerk for many years but always fell short. The chief clerk of the financial department of Yongzhou had changed several times, but Zheng Hanhai's buttocks had remained firmly in the deputy position. As a civil official with a degree, he was on leave in his hometown of Yingchuan County, and he had to take on this arduous task, dragging his aged and ailing body out.

The military officials were led by Tang Yanshan, the deputy commander of the Eastern Forbidden Army, who held a rank of 300 stones. Although not outstanding, what made him not to be underestimated was that he commanded 200 soldiers. In recent years, the political center of the dynasty had seen a shift, with the influence of civil officials growing, and the four academies filled with civil officials who had passed the imperial examinations, overshadowing the military. But that was in the capital. In Beiliang, it was said that one could hear the sound of hooves even in their sleep, and in Yongzhou, the military still held sway over the civil officials. Tang Yanshan, whose family had fallen on hard times, could not compare to the high-born scholars recommended by the powerful families of Yongzhou, and he could not read the classics. So he abandoned his studies and joined the military, accumulating considerable merit in the final battles of the Spring and Autumn period, and obtained the position of deputy commander of the Eastern Forbidden Army, which, though not highly paid, held real power.

The civil and military officials stood separately, with Tang Yanshan looking down on the civil officials' servants holding umbrellas, and Zheng Hanhai disliking the military officials' arrogance in leading their troops. In today's peaceful world, what use were these illiterate military men? War was a national weapon, and during the Spring and Autumn period, millions of people died, mostly at the hands of these military men who destroyed and massacred entire countries. What more could they do? The governance of the country from the court and the military should be left to the literati.

Zheng Hanhai did not give the military men a good face, but he was quite polite to the civil officials of Yingchuan County, who were of a much lower rank. Zheng Hanhai, a fat old man who had spent most of his life in the bureaucracy, knew that when he could no longer manage the finances of Yongzhou, he would be forgotten. It was time to lower his stance and build good relationships, or it would be too late when he retired.

Jin Lanting, the county magistrate of Yingchuan, wiped the sweat from his neck caused by the weather and cautiously asked, "Mr. Zheng, it looks like it's going to rain heavily. When will the young prince arrive?"

Zheng Hanhai smiled and said, "Lanting, you don't understand. Rain is good. This time, the young prince is coming to Yingchuan, and I have managed to arrange for him to stay at your private residence. Your house has lotus flowers in the lake and banana plants in the yard. If it doesn't rain, how can the prince appreciate the sound of rain on the banana leaves? Besides, greeting guests in the rain shows sincerity."

Jin Lanting understood immediately but said, "I am worried that Mr. Zheng will catch a cold."

A torrential rain suddenly came.

The raindrops, as big as soybeans, hit the armor of the military officials with a loud noise. Even the junior officers who had no right to stand in the pavilion remained unmoved, allowing the rain to pour over them. They were all former subordinates of the famous general, who ranked just below the Grand Marshal, and they wanted to show the young prince, who had achieved his position through his father's merit, that not only the 300,000 iron cavalry of Beiliang were fierce soldiers!

The civil officials, like banana plants that could not withstand the storm, trembled, and their umbrellas were useless. Jin Lanting, who was slender, struggled to hold an umbrella for Zheng Hanhai, who weighed about twice as much as him. The servants and attendants were busy, and some of them were already thinking about how to prepare some hot soup to warm their masters.

In the north of Yongzhou, the rain was heavy and thunderous.

In the east of Beiliang, it was drizzling. The Grand Marshal Xu Xiao and his chief advisor Li Yishan were in the same carriage, with 200 heavily armored cavalry riding outside, their hooves splashing mud, presenting a formidable military presence.

Xu Xiao lifted the curtain and looked at the terrain, smiling lightly, "Ying, there's no need to see us off. You and Liu Pu can return to the mansion."

Li Yishan nodded, hesitating to speak.

The Grand Marshal, knowing the thoughts of this national treasure, smiled, "Xu Xiao may be arrogant, but he is not a fool. This trip to the capital is not a whim to argue with the scholars and literati. The current chief minister, Zhang Julu, may make me uncomfortable, but compared to the Zhou Taifu who once hit me with his head outside the Kunji Hall, he is still more respectful. The Zhou old man couldn't even curse as well as me, let alone fight. But Zhang Julu, who spent twenty years as a lackey of the old Taifu before rising to prominence, is different. He is a rare scholar who can achieve great things. He is willing to join forces with Gu Jianchang and even persuade the national general to pacify the military officials, showing that this young chief minister, who has never dealt with me, is very strategic. He is not old, but his patience is top-notch. I must see it with my own eyes. The literati can hurt and kill with their pens, more than anything else. Not to mention whether the Beiliang border army will be targeted, just for the sake of the old soldiers who have only enjoyed a few years of peace, I must go and see, to let these literati who know nothing about the horrors of war know that Xu Xiao is not yet too old to ride a horse."

Li Yishan said lightly, "Back then, you and Gu Jianchang argued over who would be the leader of the full hall of military officials in the court and who would be sent out to bear the name of the second emperor. Even the grand master of the Shangyin Academy was involved in the