Chapter 43

As the two engaged in conversation, the servants entered one after another, serving the dishes. This particular dish was a soup, a vivid green, served in a pristine white porcelain bowl, looking extremely refreshing. Upon closer inspection, the green leaves in the soup were either spread out or curled up, looking very appealing; the scent was a peculiar and refreshing fragrance that wafted through the air. Despite being well-versed scholars, Wen Qiao, Xu Run, and the others could not immediately identify the dish.

Everyone began to speculate, but Lu Yao directly picked up the soup in front of him, his hands trembling slightly.

A surge of emotions, like waves, suddenly arose, churning violently in his chest. This feeling made Lu Yao dizzy and disoriented. He frantically searched through all his memories of this era, tracing back to the more than twenty years of turmoil in the life of the military commander of Bingzhou, Lu Yao, trying to find the source of these intense emotions.

He found it... He found it... It was like this... The item before him was clearly the special water shield soup from Jiangdong. The clear and pure aroma was undoubtedly from the pheasant-tail water shield, a specialty of Yangzhou, unique in the world. Although he had been away from his hometown for twenty years, how could he forget this scent? Even though Lu Yao was usually calm, he could not help but show a hint of excitement on his face.

"In the past, Lu Shiheng met Wang Wuzi, who showed him sheep's milk cheese and asked, 'What can your Eastern Wu offer to match this?' Lu Shiheng replied, 'A thousand-mile water shield soup, without adding salt or fermented beans, is enough to match it.' To Lu Shiheng, the deliciousness of water shield soup was enough to rival sheep's milk cheese without the need for salt or fermented beans," Liu Kun's voice sounded leisurely. He pointed at the soup and winked at Lu Yao, then said to everyone, "Dao Ming must know this anecdote, right? This water shield soup is a specialty of Jiangdong, good for digestion and reducing greasiness. If you feel bloated, this soup is perfect. Gentlemen, please don't be shy, and try it."

Lu Yao was startled by these words, but Liu Kun smiled at him, his expression unchanged. He raised his wine cup in a toast, and Lu Yao mechanically raised his cup in return. In that moment, long-forgotten, faded memories surged to the surface.

It had been more than ten years ago. At that time, Lord Shiheng and Lord Shilong were maneuvering in Luoyang among the powerful, but their careers were not going well. One day, the two lords, through Shi Chong's connections, went to pay respects to the high official Wang Ji, also known as Wang Wuzi.

Wang Wuzi's villa was located in the southwestern suburbs of Luoyang, by the Luo River. The garden spanned over ten miles, with mountains and green waters reflecting each other, pavilions and terraces scattered according to the terrain, and the interiors decorated with amber and rhinoceros horns, extremely luxurious. On that day, the villa was filled with distinguished guests: the leading figure was the senior statesman Zhang Hua, followed by the Secretary Supervisor Jia Mi, the renowned and handsome Pan Yue (also known as Pan Anren), and the nobleman from Fanyang, Lu Zhi; the current Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Liu Yu, and his brother Liu Kun (also known as Liu Yuanshi) were also present.

Upon hearing that the two Lu brothers from Jiangdong had come to visit, Wang Wuzi ordered them to be brought in. At that time, Lu Yao had not yet come of age and accompanied the two sons of Lord Shiheng, Lu Wei and Lu Xia, following the elders step by step.

Wang Wuzi, seated in the main position, was clearly already drunk. He pointed to the sheep's milk cheese in front of him and asked Lord Shiheng, "Your Eastern Wu, that uncivilized place, what can you offer to match this fine thing?"

This was a rather impolite remark, but Lord Shiheng smiled and replied, "Just take the water shield from a thousand miles away to make the soup, and even without adding salt or fermented beans, it is enough to match it."

Before Wang Wuzi could respond, Lu Zhi, who was sitting beside him, belched and looked at Lord Shiheng askance. "I heard there are people named Lu Xun and Lu Kang in Eastern Wu. What is their relationship to you two?"

Calling someone's elder by their name in their presence was a serious breach of etiquette, and the entire hall fell silent.

Lord Shiheng's face darkened. "The relationship is like yours with Lu Yu and Lu Ting!" With these words, Lu Zhi covered his face in shame and retreated.

As Lu Zhi retreated, another person stood up. This person, dressed in wide robes and a sash, with a face as fair as powder, looked like a celestial being. It was the Attendant Cavalier, Pan Yue. "During the chaos at the end of the Han dynasty, Sun Ce invaded Jiangnan and brutally slaughtered the local strong clans. The Lu clan, from the clan leader Lu Kang downwards, had hundreds of people killed. Yet, Lu Xun and Lu Kang did not seek revenge but instead served the Sun Wu regime. Your brother, Lu Mian and Lu Jing, resisted the imperial army to the death. The Lu clan of Jiangdong has many who have betrayed their ancestors and stubbornly resisted. What face do they have to come to Luoyang seeking office?"

Lord Shiheng stepped forward confidently and spoke eloquently. "The people of Jiangdong have a saying: 'Lu is loyal, Gu is thick, Zhang is literary, and Zhu is martial.' Our Lu clan has passed down loyalty and righteousness for generations. Once we pledge allegiance to a dynasty, we will serve it with all our might and loyalty, supporting the Sun clan in expanding their territory and contending with the world. As for you, Pan, whose grandfather was the governor of Anping, I wonder which dynasty and which family granted him that position? Your father was the governor of Langya, but I wonder which dynasty and which family granted him that position? The fall of the Han and Wei dynasties, though due to the will of heaven, also involved human machinations. But the Pan clan of Xingyang, enjoying high offices and rich rewards, did they show any loyalty during the change of dynasties? Did they show any integrity? Your entire family is a bunch of opportunists who only care about preserving their lineage. What face do you have to linger in Luoyang?"

These words left not only Pan Yue in a state of embarrassment but also made everyone in the hall pale. The fall of the Han and Wei dynasties meant that everyone in this grand city of Luoyang was a subject of a fallen state. Who had not flattered the new rulers? For a moment, the hall was silent, and no one dared to speak up.

That day, the famous scholars of Luoyang debated one after another, and Lord Shiheng answered each one, citing classics and displaying unparalleled eloquence, subduing everyone. From then on, the two Lu brothers from Jiangdong rose to fame, their reputation shaking the court and the country. They, along with Pan Yue, Lu Zhi, Liu Yu, Liu Kun, and others, became known for their literary talents and formed the "Twenty-Four Friends."

On that day, Lord Shiheng's extraordinary talent was unmatched, and he was the shining star. Liu Kun, who later became a powerful figure in Hebei, listened quietly throughout the banquet, never speaking a word. As a junior, Lu Yao merely stood behind Lord Shiheng, holding his cherished jade ruyi.

The literary and cultural splendor of Luoyang, like the prosperity of the Jin dynasty, vanished in the blink of an eye. In just a few years, the situation changed dramatically. The once prominent figures, such as the two Lu brothers, Zhang Hua, Jia Mi, Pan An, and Shi Chong, all met untimely deaths. Many new talents emerged and then disappeared like waves breaking on the shore. Now, in this desolate city of Jinyang, the two former spectators, Liu Kun and Lu Yao, sat facing each other. One had risen with the times, becoming a high-ranking official and a pillar of the court; the other had lost his entire family of forty-six people to the sword, wandering and displaced, no longer willing to reveal his true identity.

The scenes of the past seemed to replay before his eyes, and for a moment, Lu Yao was stunned, unable to speak for a long time.

Clearly, Liu Kun had recognized his origins.

Lord Shiheng, before his death, was the commander of hundreds of thousands of troops under the command of the Prince of Chengdu, Sima Ying, the Imperial Prince. Due to military setbacks and the slander of treacherous officials, he was killed by Sima Ying, and his family and descendants were also murdered. The Prince of Donghai, Sima Yue, was the main political rival of the Prince of Chengdu. After Sima Ying's defeat, he was imprisoned in Ye City, and the one who issued the false edict to execute him was Liu Kun's brother, Liu Yu, a key minister under Sima Yue.

In this sense, Lu Yao should have thanked Liu Kun for passing on his gratitude to his brother. However, due to the unjust deaths of Lord Shiheng and Lord Shilong, and the deep distrust of the exiled people from the north towards the Luoyang elite, Lu Yao felt no joy at the reunion with an old friend, but rather a slight sense of caution.

After a long time, Lu Yao took a deep breath, pressing his knuckles, trying to calm himself. Why should I be troubled by these things? This feeling was hard to express in words.

He suddenly understood why this simple memory had evoked such deep emotions.

This era was one where the finest music was destroyed and the crudest pots made the loudest noise, an era of moral decay and perilous hearts. In this era, moral scholars could flaunt their luxury without restraint, and government officials could openly plunder the people under their jurisdiction. The highest imperial power was itself seized by bullying orphans and widows, the most despicable of the despicable.

In such an era, morality and law were meaningless. The only thing that could maintain social order was blood ties. For Lu Yao, the military commander of Bingzhou before his modern memory awakened, what he had always remembered over the years was the Lu clan in Wuxian.

After coming to this era, Lu Yao had simply taken on the first twenty years of the life of the ancient person "Lu Yao" as an inheritor. He once thought that he would never be moved by the sentiments of the ancients. But at this moment, he had to admit that Lu Yao belonged not only to the city worker from the future but also to the warrior who had lost his country and family and struggled to survive in the chaos. What "Lu Yao" carried and bore was what he carried and bore.

Lu Yao was not a mere passerby in this world but belonged entirely to it, to the turbulent waves of the late Western Jin dynasty.

******

Thank you, dear readers, for your support. Your clicks, favorites, and recommendations have given me great confidence. I sincerely hope that you will join me in delving into this grand era, and together we can experience the brilliance of our nation and civilization in the dark ages.