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墨書 Inktalez
At that time, there was Poetry Cloud: The beacon fire lights up the western capital, and my heart is restless; the jade tablet bids farewell to the phoenix hall, while iron cavalry circles around the dragon city. The snow darkens the carved flags, and the wind carries a mix of drum sounds; I would rather be a hundred-man leader than a mere scholar.
Although this poem was written by the literati Yang Jiong during the reign of Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi, it also reflects the martial spirit of the Tang Dynasty. Thus, upon hearing news of another victory from Songzhou, the city of Chang'an immediately erupted in excitement!
In recent years, there have been consecutive battles, achieving victory after victory—subduing the Turkic, conquering Gaochang, and annihilating the Tuguhun. Now, with an expedition against Liao imminent, only a small force was dispatched, yet they managed to repel Tuguhun. The soldiers' morale is high, and everyone is united in support.
As they approached Chang'an, the army set up camp as usual to reorganize their military discipline and appearance. The Xu Zhen's contingent naturally took the lead, exuding an imposing presence. Li Daozong had already stated in his report that Xu Zhenzhi deserved the credit for their success, earning admiration from all the generals.
The Tang army was indeed proud, while Lu Dongzan felt dejected.
Early on in the campaign for the Battle of Songzhou, he had advised Qizong Nongsan, but then a figure named Murong Hanzhu appeared out of nowhere and swayed the ruler's heart.
When the great Tang soldiers were at the city gates, Murong Hanzhu strongly advocated for war. Yet now that he has surrendered and apologized, he has become a guest at Li Daozong's table. At every banquet, he is invited, while Lu Dongzan is treated merely as someone to apologize to.
How could Lu Dongzan not harbor resentment towards Murong Hanzhu?
However, despite his hatred, now that Lu Dongzan has entered Tang Territory, he still needs guidance from Murong Hanzhu regarding various customs and figures. As they say, when one is under a low eave, how can one not bow their head?
At this moment, Murong Hanzhu did not intend to make things difficult for Lu Dongzan. He had been away from Tang Territory for many years. Although he returned today as an envoy of Tuguhun, he could still feel people's respect for the Cui Clan, which made him proud and eager to reconnect with his roots.
After a brief period of organization, the army appeared rejuvenated. The fatigue from their journey vanished; everyone looked radiant in their fine attire on spirited horses, marching in unison with great military might.
Since there had been no large-scale conflict with Tuguhun, only the battle at Songzhou, it was merely a small victory for the nation. Therefore, it did not require the Sovereign to personally welcome them back.
However, with an expedition against Liao approaching and needing to win public support, the Sage sent King Wei Li Tai and Prince Li Zhi to greet the triumphant troops, with Changsun Wuji overseeing everything.
Murong Hanzhu witnessed the prosperity and strength of the Tang Dynasty firsthand; one could tell from the scale of their welcome that the Tang People valued martial prowess. He also saw both Li Chengqian and Li Zhi coming to greet them. Considering matters related to succession disputes, he understood that there was still no clear conclusion regarding who would inherit power; it seemed that the Sovereign was trying to maintain balance.
After a series of welcomes and ceremonies were completed, everyone finally settled down. Murong Hanzhu, along with Lu Dongzan and others, were accommodated at Honglu Temple. After settling in there, Lu Dongzan went to handle matters at Honglu Temple while Murong Hanzhu left his companions behind and stepped out of the guesthouse to explore the capital on his own.
Though far from his homeland, Murong Hanzhu always kept his heart tied to his native city. This return to familiar ground inevitably stirred emotions within him. As he sighed lightly and glanced at the bustling scenery along his path, he soon found himself wandering into a restaurant in the Eastern Market.
The steward of the restaurant was greeting customers when he saw Murong Hanzhu enter. He hurried over, eager to engage, but noticed Murong Hanzhu narrowing his eyes and lowering his voice, saying, "Chilled Dew, Cold Soaked Silver Rabbit Shadow."
The steward's heart tightened as he scanned Murong Hanzhu from head to toe. He then excitedly replied, "West Wind Brings Down the Osmanthus Branch!"
This place was not a gathering of scholars like Chongren or Pingkang Fang; the restaurant was filled with rough and boorish men. Even if they heard this exchange of poetry, they would not recognize it as Sui Yangdi Yang Guang's Looking South, nor would they suspect that Murong Hanzhu and the steward had already made contact.
"Welcome, esteemed guest! Your presence brightens our humble establishment. Please, allow me to lead you to a private room!" the steward announced loudly, guiding Murong Hanzhu into the inner hall. They passed through the elegant seating area and entered a small courtyard at the back of the restaurant. There, the steward suddenly knelt down and trembled as he said, "Cui Young Master, you have finally returned!"
Murong Hanzhu had not heard a servant call him "Young Master" in many years. The moment he heard it, countless memories flooded back, making him feel youthful again. He replied, "Who are you? Please rise and speak."
The steward stood up in fear and revealed his identity. It turned out he was a servant from Murong Hanzhu's own family who had been working at this information point for many years and was most familiar with daily affairs.
With little time to spare and not daring to linger, Murong Hanzhu quickly gave some instructions. The steward hurriedly commanded his maidservants to attend to him well before rushing out. After making some announcements, he returned to Murong Hanzhu and said, "Master Cui, everything has been arranged. Please follow me outside."
Murong Hanzhu felt a surge of joy as he followed the steward out. Instead of taking the main street, they navigated through narrow alleyways. Soon they arrived at a large estate; not daring to use the front entrance, they sneaked in through a side door. Upon entering, they found an elderly man in plain clothes waiting for them.
The old man was visibly emotional upon seeing Murong Hanzhu. He quickly stepped forward, grasped Murong Hanzhu's wrist, and trembled as he said, "My dear nephew, you have finally returned! If your father knew this, he would surely be comforted in spirit!"
"Uncle, please allow me to bow to you," Murong Hanzhu said warmly, feeling tears welling up in his eyes as he prepared to kneel. The old man hurriedly supported him and joyfully led him into the inner residence. Just as he was about to call for his children to meet Murong Hanzhu, he was stopped by him.
"Uncle, I must confess that I have returned this time with an important matter in mind. I wish to meet someone; I hope you can introduce me..." Murong Hanzhu stated directly. The old man glanced at the steward who promptly took the hint and stepped outside.
Although he was just a family servant, he dared not listen when it came to matters involving the Left Minister of the Shangshu Cui Shanyong and his own relatives.
Once the servant had left, Cui Shanyong picked up a teapot and poured a cup of tea for Murong Hanzhu before casually asking, "Although your uncle has struggled in officialdom for half his life and can no longer reach the ranks of third-grade officials, his words still carry some weight. Who do you wish to see?"
Murong Hanzhu accepted the teacup with both hands, raised an eyebrow, and softly replied, "I wish to meet Lord Pushe."
"Which Lord Pushe?"
"Today’s Minister, Right Chancellor Changsun Wuji."
Cui Shanyong's teapot paused in mid-air.
Although he was also a member of the Ministry of Rites, the Left Minister of the Shangshu was worlds apart from the Right Chancellor. If it weren't for the foundation of the Cui Clan, he wouldn't even be able to speak to Changsun Wuji. It was indeed difficult for Murong Hanzhu to ask to meet such a noble figure right off the bat.
Seeing that Cui Shanyong remained silent, Murong Hanzhu understood well that Changsun Wuji was not someone who could be easily met. However, with the reputation of the Cui Clan, he believed that as long as Cui Shanyong agreed, he would definitely be able to meet him.
With this thought in mind, Murong Hanzhu reached into his sleeve and pulled out an item, gently pushing it towards Cui Shanyong.
"What is this?" Cui Shanyong glanced at it and then couldn't take his eyes off it. He hurriedly set down the teapot and carefully picked up the object, his eyes filled with greed. After a long while, he finally came back to his senses and tucked the item into his bosom.
After a moment, Murong Hanzhu left the residence with Cui Shanyong and got into a carriage, heading straight for Changsun Residence.
Murong Hanzhu was busy planning something, while Xu Zhen had no time to investigate because upon returning to Chang'an, she was taken by Li Mingda's people to Shuyi Courtyard.
Hearing that Xu Zhen had achieved new merits, the court officials seemed to have grown accustomed to it. However, what Li Mingda cared about was merely Xu Zhenzhi's safety.
Since the Incident at Taiye Pool, the Sovereign had assigned many Female Knights to protect Li Mingda. Upon seeing Xu Zhenzhi, Li Mingda disregarded the Female Knights nearby and shouted, "Big liar, you finally came back!"
After some time apart, Li Mingda had grown quite a bit taller and more graceful. Now she stood elegantly and had been living comfortably in the palace, her body slowly maturing and becoming more voluptuous, her beauty increasingly captivating.
However, in front of Xu Zhen, she still acted like a little girl. Ignoring her manners, she directly rushed into Xu Zhen's embrace. Just as she called out "big liar," she immediately regretted it and looked up with tears in her eyes asking, "Brother Xu, have you suffered?"
Xu Zhen chuckled and playfully pinched her delicate nose saying, "Your brother is fortunate and cunning; how could he suffer? But you’ve grown quite a bit..."
Hearing Xu Zhen's self-deprecating remark made Li Mingda's heart bloom with joy. However, when she realized that her chest was pressed against Xu Zhen's body—an intimate position that felt somewhat inappropriate—her face suddenly turned crimson. Yet she was reluctant to pull away from Xu Zhen.
Seeing Li Mingda like this warmed Xu Zhen's heart as well. She allowed Li Mingda to share all her stories of hardship during their time apart. They exchanged feelings until evening when Li Mingda reluctantly sent Xu Zhen off and promised to visit her at her residence the next day before parting ways.
Upon returning to the residence, Princess Jinyang was greeted by many servants, but notably, Caesar was absent from the welcome. This left her feeling puzzled, yet she proceeded to pay her respects to Old Man Mo Ya before heading to her own quarters.
Meanwhile, Caesar gazed longingly at the autumn waters and noticed that Zhou Cang and the others had returned, but Princess Jinyang was still missing. Feeling anxious, he inquired and learned that she had been invited by Lady Li Mingda. Although he understood that Princess Jinyang regarded Li Mingda as a sister, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
By this time, the lamps had been lit, and the welcome feast laid out in the room had grown cold. The cleansing fragrance of the bathwater had been changed twice, yet there was still no sign of Princess Jinyang's return. Caesar felt a mix of anticipation and melancholy.
As he silently scolded Princess Jinyang in his mind, he suddenly heard the sound of the door opening. He saw Princess Jinyang standing at the entrance with her neatly groomed mustache. Caesar feigned anger and ignored her, but when Princess Jinyang smiled and opened her arms, he could no longer contain himself. He quickly walked over and leaped into her embrace, holding her tightly.
Princess Jinyang had intended to share some playful banter with Caesar, but sensing his worry made it impossible for her to joke. Instead, she held him close, feeling his heartbeat.
After a long while, they reluctantly parted. Caesar pointed to the table filled with food and drink and said, "Sister prepared a welcome feast for you..."
Princess Jinyang smiled without replying.
Caesar then pointed to the bathing tub in the inner room and added, "There's also fragrant bathwater for you..."
Having not seen each other for some time, Caesar appeared even more alluring and mature. Princess Jinyang initially thought to maintain her composure, but upon seeing Caesar's charm, she lost control and swept him up in her arms, tossing him onto the bed with a mischievous grin. "Forget about the welcome feast for now; let's get down to some serious business first, hehe... hehe..."
Outside the window, there was no wind, yet the red candles began to flicker...
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