As the mother river of the Chinese people, the Yellow River flowed continuously. For thousands of years, it was sometimes gentle, sometimes violent. The Yellow River, which had breached its banks and changed its course several times, had brought countless disasters. However, the flow of water had eroded and deposited. Every time the river changed its course, the flooded area would be left with incomparably fertile soil. Thus, human beings were able to breed. Relying on the violent or quiet water flow, they multiplied from generation to generation and built a prosperous civilization.
With this as the center, the Chinese people eventually radiated out. Around the Yellow River, settlements eventually developed into cities. Some lasted for thousands of years, while others were gradually submerged in the long river of time, leaving only names and memories. Among them, Kaifeng Prefecture's Bianliang City was one of the most brilliant names.
Located at the tip of the huge alluvial plain downstream of the Yellow River, Kaifeng Prefecture had been prosperous since ancient times. It had fertile soil, a suitable climate, a key geographical location, and convenient land and water transportation connecting the north and south. Since 2000 BC, the Xia Dynasty had built the capital of a dynasty here for the first time. Then, for more than four thousand years, a total of ten dynasties had set their capital here. The Yellow River gave birth to the city, but also constantly destroyed it. Every time the river changed its course, the old city would be submerged, and after the water flowed, the new city would be picked up again. In 2000 AD, Kaifeng Prefecture was still an incomparably prosperous city, but the past city and memories were buried layer by layer under the silt of the Yellow River, never to be seen again.
In the Wu dynasty, Kaifeng Prefecture's Bianliang City was the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties. This was a city that Ning Yi had no memory of. A thousand years later, Kaifeng was much taller than today's city. This city, which would theoretically be buried underground many years later, now looked both old and young. Under the leaden curtain of rain, the city's old buildings and new buildings were mixed together. Just like every city that was developing at a high speed, with its hurried, uncoordinated memories and contradictions of the old and new, with a nostalgic and disgusting atmosphere, it left traces of people's lives in the river of time.
Under this city, there might be ancient traces of the Xia Dynasty, the city walls of Great Liang during the Warring States period, and the ruins of Bianzhou during the Tang Dynasty. Thinking about it in this way, he couldn't help but feel a strange feeling in his heart. When he got off the boat, Ning Yi stomped on the ground twice.
The dock in the rain was chaotic and noisy.
They had traveled together since Jiangning. Now, it was finally time for them to part ways. The birthday calendar would be handed over by someone from the royal family. The royal relatives and nobles heading north all had their own connections to find and relatives to meet. At this time, the flow of information could not be considered flexible. As the group traveled north, there were all sorts of delays. It was difficult for the people in the capital to estimate the exact time of arrival. Some people of higher status, who cared more about their status and reputation, had already sent their servants to the capital last night to deliver the news. At this time, some people who seemed to be of high status were waiting at the pier to welcome them. There were also people like the Little Junzhu who had a high status, like Kang Xian and the others who were worried about her safety. They had already sent people to inform the capital that she was coming. Every day, they would send people to wait at the docks. This kind of treatment was the most ardent, and also the best way to prove their status.
The affairs of the Office of Secret Investigation were not as strict as they used to be. Wenren Bu 'er and the others came to the capital mainly to visit Qin Siyuan. He was originally going to greet Qin Siyuan as a disciple. At this time, they had already reached the shore and were going to visit the Prime Minister's Mansion in the afternoon. As for Ning Yi, he was supposed to go to the Prime Minister's Mansion. However, along the way, there were also Xiaochan, Su Wenyu, Su Yanping, Yunzhu, Jin 'er, and four or five servants and guards of the Su mansion who were more trustworthy. They brought a lot of things, so it was impossible to bring all of them. So, they had to find an inn to stay in the afternoon. As for the three brothers of the Qi family, Lu Junyi, and the others, since they were already very familiar with each other, they might as well stay in the inn together.
It was their first time in Bianliang, so they were actually unfamiliar with the people and the place. Fortunately, there was an experienced person in the Su family accompanying them. It was Manager Liao, who came to Bianliang to add insult to injury during the incident of the royal merchants. This person was called Liao Sanhua. Among the shopkeepers of the Su family, he was considered very trustworthy. Moreover, he had experience in running business in the capital city. This time, he was allowed to follow them to make the first move.
When everyone was discussing where to stay in the hall at the pier which was specially used to welcome distinguished guests, Zhou Pei led a few people over to greet them. They were from the Prince Chong's Mansion in the capital city. In the following days, she would probably stay in the Prince Chong's Mansion until after the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. Therefore, she came over to ask where Ning Yi was staying.
After the events that had transpired along the way, she had already begun to admire Ning Yi. In the past few days, she had spent a lot of time pestering Ning Yi with questions about this and that. As usual, the times when she had to retort back in defiance had greatly decreased. Even when Ning Yi had made up a list of the world's top one hundred experts for fun, she had to make a copy of it and ponder over its mysteries. If it was possible, she was afraid that she would rather follow this kind of 'teacher' to learn. But of course, most of the time, she was sensible and knew that this matter was basically impossible.
At this time, Ning Yi and the rest were preparing to stay at the Bianliang's biggest and most expensive Fortune Inn according to Manager Liao's recommendation. When the name was said, a steward of the Prince Chong's Mansion who followed Zhou Pei also said, "Fortune Inn. That place is quite big, but I am worried that there are no vacant rooms. When the time comes, if you can't stay, why not go to the Wenhui Inn at the side of Imperial Temple Street. The Prince Chong's Mansion has some connections with that inn. "This steward looked like a eunuch, but his attitude was gentle and respectful. As he spoke, he handed over a name card. It seemed that the relationship between Prince Chong's Mansion and Prince Kang's Mansion was not bad. The other party's action also made the young princess feel proud.
"Tomorrow, I will ask Grandpa Qin about teacher's place. If there is anything, teacher can come to Prince Chong's Mansion to look for me. " When Zhou Pei finished speaking, she clasped her hands in front of her chest and slightly bent her knees to bow before leaving. The fifteen year old girl appeared noble and generous.
After Zhou Pei left, Chen Jingui also came over to say a few words to Ning Yi. He was thanking Ning Yi for his help along the way and said that he knew some people in the capital. If there was any need, Ning Yi could just ask and so on. After Chen Jingui, the one who came to look for Ning Yi was Li Shishi.
At this time, everyone went back to their own homes. After 'reluctantly' saying goodbye to everyone, Li Shishi wanted to return to Fan Lou and came over to inquire about Ning Yi's residence. In fact, Ning Yi might stay in an inn for the first one or two days. After that, he would buy a few courtyards in the capital.
"If you are free, Brother Ning can come to Fan Lou. There are many talents in the capital. Does Brother Ning still remember Zhou Bangyan and Zhou Meicheng? He has always been thinking about your poems. Of course, the most important thing is that I hope to have a gathering with Brother Ning, Brother Yu and Brother Chen. "
Her attitude was earnest and sincere. Ning Yi felt that it was not good to reject her. Of course, there was no need for him to reject such a matter, so he nodded his head in agreement. Li Shishi bowed slightly and left with a smile. Although her figure was not as noble as Zhou Pei, she was graceful and decent. It was like the combination of the innocence of a young girl and the charm of a woman, yet it did not lose its purity. If Yun Zhu was like an elegant lily, then she was probably like a pure daffodil with a hint of natural flamboyance. Perhaps it was because of this that Yun Zhu could not blend into the environment of a brothel, but she was able to do it with ease and contentment.
"This Miss Li is so amazing …" At this moment, Yun Zhu, who was dressed in plain clothes, watched Li Shishi leave after saying goodbye to everyone. She could not help but tilt her head and sigh. This was probably pure worship. When she tilted her head, she had a charming temperament. Ning Yi looked at her and smiled. At this moment, Yuan Jin'er was dressed as a man. She sat on the luggage and snorted disapprovingly.
It was still raining. The group rented a carriage and left. After crossing two streets, the unique dirtiness of the pier gradually subsided. However, when he lifted the curtains and looked out, the street scene was still crowded. Buildings of various heights were squeezed together, and the narrow alleys were crooked. Under the curtain of rain, the scene in front of him was sometimes old and sometimes new. There were new taverns, old teahouses, and high and low eaves overlapping each other. Sometimes, he passed by an old courtyard with its walls covered in moss. Sometimes, he passed by a newly built building with its red paint washed clean by the rain. In front of dignified mansions, there were large stone lions. In the courtyard of the escort agency, there were tall flagpoles. Warriors carried weapons on their backs and sheltered from the rain under the eaves. In the brothel, there were beautiful lanterns. Some even had clothes and colorful silk hanging on them. Women with longing in their eyes looked at the passers-by absent-mindedly. Some of the windows were filled with singing, laughter, and laughter, but the sounds were drowned out by the rain. Ancient trees grew in the corner of the courtyard, at the end of the bridge, and at the corner of the street. In this ancient city, there were luxuriant leaves. In the distance, there was a towering palace wall.
They walked all the way from the pier to the Auspicious Fortune Inn. When they wanted to stay, they discovered that the Auspicious Fortune Inn was indeed full. Following which, Ning Yi and the group turned to the Tower of Literature that the steward of Prince Chong mentioned. That place was indeed a grand and luxurious inn. Ning Yi and the group took the name card and rented two courtyards to stay in. By the time they arrived, it was already close to evening. The rain had not stopped yet. The inn was brightly lit with lanterns. Many people were talking loudly in the hall. They were talking about something that had just come out yesterday: Guo Yaoshi, the commander-in-chief of the ever-victorious army of the Liao Kingdom, had forced Liao and Yi Provinces to surrender to the Wu Dynasty through his efforts.
Just like in the future, in the capital, everyone liked to talk about politics. Ning Yi only knew about this news two days ago. However, it was good news after all, so the higher-ups didn't try to hide it. At this time, Jin Jianliao had achieved consecutive victories. However, the Wu dynasty had always been all bark and no bite. Previously, the 100,000 soldiers could not defeat 10,000 soldiers, which made people very unconfident. Even if Tong Guan had led his army to the north, it was hard for people to have confidence in the Wu dynasty's army without any victories. On the other hand, the ever-victorious army was formed by the people of Liaodong. It was originally formed to fight against the Female Zhenren. They were called the Resentful Army. Although they might not win against the Female Zhenren, they were still very strong. Obviously, this was how the imperial court publicized it.
Regarding Guo Yaoshi's Resentful Army, the Wu dynasty had been fighting for it from the beginning, especially Qin Siyuan. He knew that the Wu dynasty's army didn't have enough strength in the front, so the Office of Secret Investigations had spent a lot of effort in the background. They had used all kinds of methods to weaken the army. This time, for the Office of Secret Investigations, it was a great victory …
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