Southern Kingdom
Pei Zi Yun walked along the streets. The history of the Southern Kingdom could be traced back to a thousand years ago. It was either the capital of a province or the capital of an independent kingdom. The structure of the city was like a chessboard, with deep alleys and alleys intersecting with each other. The buildings were all tiled, and the walls were made of cobblestone.
There were two rows of shops along the street, selling milk fans and dung pies. There were many people dressed in strange clothing, carrying baskets on their backs. Some sixteen or seventeen year old boys wore hats and carried children on their backs. Some of them wore floral hats or scarves.
"Eggs, selling eggs." An old woman was selling eggs on the street.
"Grasshopper, fresh grasshopper, three copper coins a bunch, three copper coins a bunch." An eight or nine year old boy walked barefooted as he used straw to skewer the grasshopper.
Along the way, there were many Han Chinese people walking around. Women and children were out to buy groceries, as they bought the groceries and placed them in their baskets.
Pei Zi Yun was dressed lavishly, and had a handsome face. Some young girls were sizing him up, as if they had taken a liking to him.
At this point, Pei Zi Yun looked around and frowned. Most of the people around him were speaking in the local dialect, and Chinese wasn't the mainstream. He thought to himself, 'The previous dynasty had lost the Southern Kingdom for over a hundred years.
'Although the dynasty has been wiped out and reintegrated into a county, it's difficult to improve their culture and language.'
A man saw Pei Zi Yun and his eyes lit up. He then walked up and greeted him, "Young Master, Young Master, are you from the mainland?"
This man was dressed in Han Chinese and spoke in Chinese. He looked like a ruffian. Seeing this man walk up to him, Pei Zi Yun hesitated before smiling, "What business do you have with me?"
The man smiled and walked up, "This must be Young Master's first time in the Southern Kingdom, and you're not familiar with the roads. I am Hong Lin, and can show you around. All I ask is some money."
"Oh, how much do you charge me?" Pei Zi Yun asked curiously.
"Young Master, it's not much. Just ten taels of silver. I can be at your beck and call. I've been around this place for a long time, and if there's any trouble, I'll be able to deal with it." The man smiled.
"Ten taels? Do you really think I'm a fat sheep? Hmph. "Pei Zi Yun snorted and walked past him. Was he trying to take advantage of the fact that he was unfamiliar with this place to extort money from him?
The man watched as Pei Zi Yun left and hurriedly said, "Young Master, Young Master. Five taels, three taels. I can't go any lower. I'm just trying to earn some money for my hard work."
"I'll give you one tael. Take it or leave it." Pei Zi Yun waved his hands dismissively, "A proper tour guide doesn't even cost three hundred copper coins a day. You're asking for too much."
"One or two will do." Hong Lin smiled as Pei Zi Yun tossed a piece of silver over to him. Hong Lin rubbed it and took a bite. He then said enthusiastically, "The weather of the Southern Kingdom is unpredictable. Here it rains, and there it dries. You have to wear clothes for all four seasons. Young Master, you have to prepare for your travels."
The weather of the Southern Kingdoms was ever-changing, and the difference in temperature was huge. Clothing from all four seasons could be seen everywhere, with different lengths and thicknesses. This was something that Pei Zi Yun had already experienced before. He then waved his hands, "Cut the crap and lead the way. Bring me to the Official Tusk, I have something to do."
Hong Lin then led Pei Zi Yun away. He seemed to be familiar with the Official Tusk and shouted, "Uncle Hong, I've come to introduce you to some business."
A middle aged man walked out and frowned when he saw it was Hong Lin. He then looked at Pei Zi Yun and smiled, "What business does this Young Master have with me?"
"Tell me more about the Southern Kingdom." Pei Zi Yun looked around and said, "It's not convenient to speak here. The three of us shall find a restaurant to talk."
Hong Shu Yuan was still hesitant when he heard Pei Zi Yun's words, "Young Master, no problem, no problem."
"Young Master, I know that the Four Way Restaurant in the Southern Kingdom is not bad." Hong Lin smiled and led the way.
Four Way Restaurant
Although the Southern Kingdom was very different from the mainland, it was obvious that this restaurant was a Han Chinese restaurant. Pei Zi Yun looked at it and smiled, "The style is not bad, but the words are lacking."
As he spoke, he walked in and noticed that there was a private room nearby. Pei Zi Yun then tossed a piece of silver to the waiter and instructed, "Serve the dishes according to this."
The waiter received it and smiled. He then bowed, "Yes, yes!"
Uncle Hong's expression changed as well. This man was being too generous. One tael of silver per table. He then pointed to the opposite side and said, "Young Master wants to play. Look, the opposite side is Chong Sheng Temple. It has four eaves and thirteen floors. At the four corners of the pagoda, there is a golden-winged bird that is made of copper. Each bird is two meters tall.
It's also known as the Golden Rooster Pagoda. "Pei Zi Yun looked up and saw that the gold on the surface of the pagoda had already peeled off.
He then asked, "Why is there a Golden Rooster at the top of the pagoda?" "Buddha said that the Golden Rooster can subdue dragons. There are many mountains in the Southern Kingdom, and there are many floods. Hence, the Golden Rooster placed the Golden Rooster at the top of the pagoda. In the past, the Golden Rooster had a copper whistle in its mouth. When the wind blew, it would cry out.
It was noon, and the sun was high up in the sky. The three of them sat down and chatted. After a while, a sumptuous meal was served. After drinking several cups of wine, they were all tipsy. Pei Zi Yun then said, "I would like to know more about the Southern Kingdom. Please tell me more about it."
This middle aged man was called Hong Hui. He worked in a broker house and was very well-informed. If not, how would he be able to do business? Pei Zi Yun asked. Hong Hui thought for some time before replying, "In the Southern Kingdom, there aren't many Han people. Hence, it hasn't been very prosperous. Instead, it's the tribes and the yamen that manage the Southern Kingdom."
"Now that the Southern Kingdom is flourishing, the Imperial Court is migrating Han people here. That's why our business is getting better." Hong Hui stretched out his chopsticks and picked up a large piece of meat. He then took a sip of wine and blushed as he spoke.
"The way I see it, the Imperial Court is migrating Han people, and at the same time, they're supporting the tribes. I think …" Hong Lin interrupted unhappily as he was interrupted by Uncle Hong.
Pei Zi Yun was speechless and said, "Tell me more about the officials in the city, the tribes, and the different tribes."
These weren't sensitive matters. The few of them drank some wine and started to get a little tipsy. They then started to talk and familiarize themselves with their surroundings. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to continue working as a broker house. Hearing these words, Pei Zi Yun started to understand more about the Southern Kingdom.
Pei Zi Yun used his chopsticks to pick up a peanut and ate it. He then thought to himself, 'Listening to these words, there are four suitable targets. However, Official Wu is a high official. Even if I were to go as a High Scholar, I wouldn't be able to gain much respect.'
'Official Dai's official rank is average. Although I might be able to gain much help, I wouldn't be able to get much help.'
'There's a benefactor named Bao who comes from a small tribe in the previous dynasty. He has the blood of the Southern Kingdom. Although his official rank is low, he has quite a bit of influence. He's especially fond of Han culture. I can go.'
'There's another one who's too young, I won't bother.'
Thinking about this, he laughed, "Come, let's drink, let's drink."
After the wine and meat were finished, Pei Zi Yun tossed a tael of silver to Hong Hui. Hong Hui was already drunk, and was in a daze. However, he caught the silver very quickly. Hong Lin was used to fooling around, and thus wasn't drunk. Pei Zi Yun then said, "Bring me to the house of Registrar Bao."
The two of them left the house and bought some gifts before arriving at the Registrar Bao's house.
The Registrar Bao's house was rather luxurious. Pei Zi Yun walked up and handed the invitation, "Ying Prefecture's Top Scorer Pei Zi Yun requests an audience."
When the servant heard this, he hurriedly smiled, "Young Master, please wait."
After some time, a man who looked different from the average Han man walked out. He was extremely attentive, "Are you the Top Scorer Pei who wrote 'Bring in the Wine'?"
"When I heard that it was Pei Zi Yun, I felt a sense of familiarity. I've read some of your poems before, and it's a very admirable one. Please come in, please come in."
"Serve the tea!" Following the Registrar Bao's voice, two young ladies dressed in Miao attire carried the tea over.
"Your excellency Registrar Bao praises me too much." Pei Zi Yun replied humbly.
"I'm not praising you too much. I'm speaking from the bottom of my heart." The Registrar Bao looked at Pei Zi Yun, "Recently, has Top Scorer Pei written any new works? Would you like me to take a look?"
Looking at the Registrar Bao, Pei Zi Yun's heart skipped a beat. He then laughed, "Of course I have. However, essays and poems have their own fate. I've written one for the Emperor and the Grand Princess."
"Oh?" Hearing Pei Zi Yun's words, the Registrar Bao's eyes lit up, "Master Top Scorer has met the Emperor and the Grand Princess. The Southern Kingdom is a remote place, and I've never heard of them. Would master Top Scorer please tell me more about them?"
Pei Zi Yun then told him about his experiences in the capital city. He then said, "This poem is boring to talk about, but I can write it down."
"Please wait a moment master Top Scorer." The Registrar Bao's face was filled with joy, "Bring me a brush and ink."
Before long, a serving maid brought the brush and ink to the Registrar Bao. The Registrar Bao picked up the ink and grinded it. Pei Zi Yun then picked up the brush and started writing the poem. The Registrar Bao looked at it and sighed, "What a famous scholar!"
Retracting his smile, the Registrar Bao hesitated for some time. He then placed the scroll down gently and raised his head, "Does master Top Scorer have something you want me to do? I'm just a mere Registrar Bao, and it would be difficult for me to do something like this."
Pei Zi Yun laughed, "Benefactor Bao, you underestimate me. I've received an audience with the Emperor and the Grand Princess, and have some reputation as well. My family has land and a house, and I don't lack money. How could I possibly make things difficult for you?"
"It's just that there's an elder in my family who came to the Southern Kingdom many years ago. I've read about him in my family's records. My mother instructed me to look for him. It's just that I'm not familiar with the place, and thus came here today to look for you."
When the Registrar Bao heard this, his nervous expression relaxed. He then looked somewhat ashamed, "So that's how it is. I hope master Top Scorer can tell me the name of this elder, so that I can find out more about him."
"Li Xian Lian, he was originally a Daoist." Pei Zi Yun then said, "I just don't know what alias he used when he came to the Southern Kingdom, and what occupation he had."
"That's easy. Master Top Scorer, please leave me an address. When I've asked someone to find out more about him, I'll inform master Top Scorer." The Registrar Bao smiled as he spoke. He was born a chieftain, and had a good understanding of the various tribes and mountains. Furthermore, he had become an official in the city. It could be said that he had connections with both the black and white aboriginals. Not mentioning anything else, he had indeed found the right person to look for.
"I don't have an address. How about this, I'll look for an inn nearby." Pei Zi Yun waved a hand as he spoke. After some time, he took his leave.
"Who said that this person was forthright, and loved Chinese culture?" Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly as he walked out the door, 'This person is really cunning.'
Although they had only known each other for an hour, Pei Zi Yun could tell that this person was forthright, and especially loved the Chinese culture. It was all because the Xu Dynasty had taken over the Southern Kingdom, and had increased their control over the region. This person had taken advantage of the situation, and acted like he loved the Chinese culture.
"Who knows, he might even be a spy sent by the chieftains."
"But this has nothing to do with me. This person is a local tyrant. It shouldn't be difficult for him to help me find someone. After all, that's all there is to our relationship."
As he thought this, he shouted out, "Hong Lin, find me a quiet inn."
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