"Golden Hairpin Zui" in Chang 'an was a branch of "Golden Hairpin Zui" in Luoyang.
When Wu Zetian moved back to Chang 'an in her later years, the owner of "Golden Hairpin Zui" also took the opportunity to open a branch in Chang' an. As expected, business was booming, especially for those who moved from Luoyang to Chang 'an. Many of them liked to come to this old restaurant in Luoyang to drink, which made this restaurant famous in Chang' an.
It was easy for Princess Taiping's people to find out the location of this hotel. This hotel was located in the East City, very close to Longqing Square, so Princess Taiping drove directly to "Golden Hairpin Zui".
Although "Golden Hairpin Zui" in Chang 'an was a branch, it was bigger than "Golden Hairpin Zui" in Luoyang. It was five stories high, like an ancient pagoda. The higher the floor, the smaller the area, but the more luxurious the interior decoration was. Even the tables and tables were very particular.
The style of the highest floor was completely different from that of the lower floors. It appeared to be very simple and elegant. There were no gorgeous decorations at all. The tables, lamps, and utensils were no longer made of gold or silver. Instead, there was a sense of grace and elegance to it. Generally, those who chose to stay and entertain guests here were the rich and powerful. Too vulgar decorations obviously wouldn't attract their attention.
There was a relatively spacious place in front of the hall, which was convenient for the dancers and musicians. But now it was empty. There were only two guests sharing a table. Sometimes they whispered, and sometimes they laughed. But the whole roof was too empty, so it was still quiet.
A pretty girl was kneeling behind the master. She was wearing a yellow kimono embroidered with red cherry blossoms, and a wide snow-white belt was tied around her slender waist. Although she was kneeling, she appeared to be graceful and spirited, beautiful and pure. She listened to the owner and the guest with a gentle smile and took the opportunity to pour wine for them.
After a while, the guest bowed to the owner and said goodbye. The owner didn't get up. He just smiled and nodded to the guest, watching him stride away. When the guest disappeared at the top of the stairs, the owner sighed softly. He closed his tipsy eyes slightly and fell back, lying on the soft and round thighs of the girl.
The man lying on the beauty's lap was naturally Yang Fan, and the man who just left was Xu Liang.
Recently, when Yang Fan was meeting with his old friends, he often chose this place instead of his mansion. He had left the Imperial Court, so he naturally could not cut off his friendship. However, he did not want to continue to have too many connections, so he could only show it in some small details, such as the banquets. The fact that he did not entertain guests at home was his signal.
Through this exchange with Xu Liang, Yang Fan was finally relieved about the future of his comrades. In the six months since he left Chang 'an, his brothers in the army had already completed a major turning point in their lives.
Li Longji had once promised him that he would treat his brothers well and not harbor any suspicions towards them. This stemmed from Li Longji's immense confidence in himself. Yang Fan believed in his promise, especially when Li Longji had ignored Wang Maozhong, who had abandoned him at a critical juncture. Li Longji had appointed him as a third-rank Grand General of Guide Virtue. This made Yang Fan even more confident that Li Longji wasn't a ruthless person who would cook his hounds after the cunning hare was killed.
But even so, he still planned ahead and gave his brothers some instructions before he left. Chu Kuangge, Maqiao, and the others were a group of pure soldiers. They had no ambition, but given their positions, it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't be schemed against. Although it was glorious to be a general of the Yulin Guard, the risks they had to bear were also great.
Yang Fan instructed them to resign from their military positions in the Yulin Guard to the Emperor, and to be transferred to other guards in the Northern or Southern branches, or even to serve in the local or frontier areas. These people had great trust in Yang Fan, so they naturally obeyed his instructions. Now, Ma Qiao, Huang Xuchang, and the others had smoothly been transferred to the Southern branch, and Chu Kuangge had asked to go to the Western Regions.
When these generals were transferred out of the Yulin Guard, they had all been promoted by one or two ranks. Now, no matter where they were placed, they were all generals with great authority. The only one left in the Yulin Guard was Xu Liang, who still held the position of commander-in-chief but didn't directly command the troops. With his brothers' affairs settled, Yang Fan was naturally relieved.
Resting his head on a round, charming, and fragrant thigh, Yang Fan's body completely relaxed, but there was still a hint of heaviness in his heart. He had originally thought that the future of his brothers was the last problem he needed to worry about. Who knew that when he was far away in Japan, he would suddenly hear news of Taiping's ambition?
Yang Fan never thought that Princess Taiping would be so keen on power. She was a princess of the Tang dynasty and the younger sister of the current emperor. She had taken care of the emperor's family for many years and was highly respected and favored by the current emperor. She could have always enjoyed a happy life and maintained her influence on the court, but she actually coveted the throne?
Yang Fan couldn't believe that she would make such a choice, but he had to believe it. If his subordinates didn't have more conclusive evidence, they wouldn't have reported it to "Tianshu", and the think tanks of "Tianshu" wouldn't have made such a judgment and sent people across the sea to urgently report to him.
However, Taiping refused to see him and ignored him three times in a row. If Yang Fan wanted to see her, it was not impossible. With his martial arts, he could even sneak into the heavily guarded Princess Mansion. The problem was that Taiping was so unyielding. If she was determined to see him, what was the point of sneaking into the Princess Mansion and seeing her?
Thinking of this, Yang Fan sighed deeply. He could accept that Taiping had left him, but how could he sit back and watch her go into the abyss? He didn't understand what Taiping had been pursuing all her life. Now that the Li Tang dynasty finally had a more satisfactory situation, why did she create trouble?
"Sir, you can't go up. The upper floor has been reserved by a guest. Ouch …"
The voice of the waiter came from the stairway, followed by the sound of someone rolling down the stairs. It seemed that someone had pushed him down the stairs. Yang Fan's heart trembled. His guards were guarding downstairs. How could someone rush up without a sound and ask the waiter to stop them?
Yang Fan suddenly sat up, but he only glanced at the stairway before his tense body suddenly relaxed. There was a scholar in a white robe at the stairway. She wore a green gauze cap on her head and a leather belt around her waist. Her face was like jade and she was elegant and elegant. It was Princess Taiping dressed in men's clothes.
…
Liangzhou, the Ma family's old restaurant.
The female receptionist leaned over the table and flirted with the customers who were talking dirty. Some people were sitting there holding large bowls and eating, while others were holding horsewhips and strode back and forth through the hall. In the front courtyard, cows, horses, alpacas, and all kinds of goods were in a mess, giving off an unpleasant smell.
Ever since Moche changed the strategy of the eastern expedition to invade the Western Regions, the relationship between the Turks and the Tang dynasty had eased a lot. Last year, Moche had won a great victory in the western expedition, but because they underestimated the enemy, they fell into an ambush. This battle changed the situation from a great victory to a great defeat, and the Turks suffered a great loss.
In order to supply the soldiers, horses, cattle, and sheep needed for Moche's western expedition, many of the tribes in the east who were dependent on Moche suffered unspeakable hardships. Now that Moche was defeated, their control over the east rapidly declined. Many tribes took the opportunity to break away from the Turks and seek refuge with the Tang dynasty. The Tang dynasty did not reject any of those who surrendered and settled them in the Liangzhou area.
For their safety, and of course to restrain these surrendered tribes, the imperial court also appointed the Right Yulin General Xue Na as the Chief Supervisor of Liangzhou, with the Chishui army stationed in Liangzhou. They also appointed the Left Guard General Guo Qianguan as the Chief Supervisor of Shuofang, with the Chishui army stationed in Bingzhou.
The sudden increase of so many tribes and garrisons meant that Liangzhou needed a lot of daily necessities. At the same time, there was a lot of livestock that could be sold. This was a great business opportunity for merchants, so there were merchants everywhere, making it the most developed place in the Western Regions.
The Ma family's old restaurant occupied a large area. In the backyard of the house, there were large livestock pens. Behind the pens, near the wall, there were several houses that seemed to be the living quarters of the workers who took care of the livestock. This place was extremely secluded and quiet, so it was difficult to attract the attention of outsiders.
A man in a Chinese-style leather robe passed through the long livestock area and came to a secluded small courtyard in the backyard. He pushed open the courtyard door and walked in. In the small courtyard, there was a scholar sitting under a tree, reading a book. The small courtyard was very clean, but the outside was full of livestock sheds. The smell was extremely bad, but the scholar was calm and did not care about the bad environment around him.
As soon as the courtyard door was closed, the man in the leather robe hurriedly reported: "Young Master, there is a big business today, you have to make the decision."
The scholar raised his head and looked slightly surprised: "What kind of big business is it that you need me to make the decision?"
This person was Lu Binzhi. He actually hid in the Western Regions, in Shen Mu's old nest. Who would have thought that he was hiding in the most dangerous place? Moreover, the movement of people in Liangzhou was very frequent, and the composition of people was extremely complicated. The official household registration system was very difficult to use here, so it was no wonder that the Obvious and Hidden Sects could not find him.
The man in the leather robe and dressed like a local man was Lu Binzhi's advisor Ding Yue. Ding Yue excitedly said: "The person who contacted me said that his master is called Ashina Musi, the son of the Turkic Khan Moche. Because his voice is hoarse, he was given the cold shoulder by his family, and his tribe was ostracized by the other tribes, so he angrily betrayed the Turkic Khaganate."
Hearing this, Lu Binzhi was somewhat moved. A skinny camel was still bigger than a horse. Since this person was Moche's son, even if he was not valued, his tribe was still a wealthy tribe in the current Liangzhou. After falling into Yang Fan and Shen Mu's trap, Lu Binzhi almost lost all his family's wealth. Now that he wanted to make a comeback, he urgently needed financial support, so he could not ignore such a big customer.
Lu Binzhi anxiously asked: "What does he want to buy, and what price does he want to pay?"
Ding Yue said: "Musi is not willing to be abandoned by his family, and he has always wanted to use force to take back the position of Khagan. However, the Turkic Khaganate is oppressed by the other major tribes, and there is no chance for him to grow stronger, so he hardened his heart and betrayed the Tang dynasty. But the Tang dynasty will give him farmland, pastures, and provide for him to raise his people, but they will not give him weapons, so he will not have a powerful force, so … "
"I understand!"
Lu Binzhi put down the scroll, and with his hands behind his back, he paced around the small courtyard twice. Suddenly, he stopped and said: "This person is worth meeting. This person will become our old customer and help us recover our strength as quickly as possible. Where has his tribe been settled? I will personally go and meet him. "
Forty li to the west of Liangzhou was a fortress, and around the fortress was a large piece of land that could be used for farming. Further west was a desolate and uninhabited grassland that spanned several hundred li. This was the pastoral land of the Ashina Musi tribe.
Lu Binzhi and a few guards disguised as local people, riding fast horses towards Musi's stronghold. As soon as they arrived, the people of Musi's clan, who were guarding in front of the stronghold, immediately used their horns to send a message into the stronghold. Musi, who had long known that there would be a wealthy merchant from the Central Plains paying a visit today, immediately came out with a few trusted subordinates to welcome them.
Lu Binzhi went forward with a smile, and when he saw Musi's appearance, he was so shocked that his soul almost left his body. Drawing his saber in shock, he shouted: "We've been tricked! He is Yang Fan!"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
