To the north of Qingan County in Youzhou was Yanzhi County. The reason why it was called Yanzhi County was that Yanzhi County's wives were famous for their beauty. Even in the Central Plains, some rich old men in Jiangnan Circuit would take pride in marrying a young woman from Yanzhi County as a concubine. Most of the beautiful women from Yanzhi County who were unwilling to suffer hardships preferred to leave the border for the rich and fertile Central Plains, never to return. Even though many of them had fallen into prostitution, they would never turn back. Thus, they were mocked by the Liyang Imperial Court as "flowers in the wall, fragrance outside the wall". There was another Yanzhi County with the same name in Yanzhi County, which was full of beautiful women. It was a man's good fortune to marry a Yanzhi County woman and bring her home to warm his bed. If an official in Youzhou didn't have a Yanzhi County woman as a concubine or a concubine, he wouldn't have the face to go out and greet his colleagues. Pei Nanwei might have been tired of wearing that cumbersome curtain hat. When she entered the inn in Yanzhi County to spend the night, she abandoned the curtain hat and was shocked by the men and women who were lucky enough to recognize her face. Today was the Lantern Festival of the first year of Xiangfu. The Lantern Festival was a big festival. Officials and people enjoyed it together and went out to enjoy the lanterns together. Youzhou was obviously very different from Lingzhou, which had a granary. Although the lantern market was lively, it didn't have a glorious aura. Men and women's clothes were also mostly simple, unlike Lingzhou, which liked to be luxurious. Youzhou was neither Liangzhou where the Xu family lived nor Lingzhou, which was relatively stable and comfortable. Youzhou had always been mocked by the officials of Youzhou as being raised by a stepmother. Of course, they didn't forget to bring one or two Yanzhi County women who were bought with a lot of money. As a stepping stone for the unfamiliar official career, it was tacky to give money. If they gave too little, they would be looked down on. Giving women was both elegant and practical.
Hsu Fengnian and Pei Nanwei walked side by side. They looked like a perfect couple. In the night, they could only see Pei Nanwei's face from afar. Therefore, they didn't cause too much of a stir. However, those who had seen her face and figure didn't want to go too far away. If she wasn't in their bowl, they could take a few more glances at her bowl to satisfy their craving. Some idle ruffians were quite bold. They wanted to take advantage of the crowd to take advantage of her. However, they were kicked far away by Hsu Fengnian. They were just shrimps who looked fierce but were timid at heart. They were angry but didn't dare to say anything. Furthermore, they were in the wrong first. After that, they became much more restrained. Originally, they wanted to pretend to call for people to gang up on the childe. However, no one was willing to take a few more glances at the beautiful woman on the mural. Therefore, they gave up bitterly. In addition, in Youzhou, the government would turn a blind eye to fights. However, if they made trouble in the lantern market, they would definitely be caught and skinned by the patrolling soldiers. There were three scholars walking in front of Hsu Fengnian and Pei Nanwei. Judging from their accents, they were scholars from the Central Plains. Most likely, they had heard that Yanzhi County was full of beauties and could be easily found on the streets. Therefore, they came here to try their luck. Beiliang women were bold and unrestrained, so they might have a short-lived marriage. The three young scholars had already seen the beautiful young woman behind them. Due to etiquette and self-esteem, they didn't have the nerve to strike up a conversation with her. Therefore, they could only slow down their steps and deliberately speak in a loud voice. It was as if they were competing to see who could speak more shockingly. Some said that they were relatives of a certain official in Lingzhou and would soon enter the county government office to become an official. Some said that it had always been the Liyang Dynasty who had been watching Beiliang with ulterior motives. Now that West Chu was about to be reinstated, Beiliang could finally sit down and eat melon seeds while watching the imperial court make a fool of itself. There were also some who said that since childhood, they had yearned for the iron horses and golden spears of the frontier fortress. Which scholar had given up the scholarly honor that was within reach and had come to this impoverished land to enlist in the army?
When Hsu Fengnian heard one of the scholars mention the endlessly prattling West Chu's victory and defeat, he smiled and quickened his pace. He took the initiative to ask, "Young master, how do you know that the reinstation of West Chu is destined to end miserably within half a year?"
The scholar, who did indeed have a somewhat refined temperament, did not reply to Hsu Fengnian. Instead, he shot a glance at Pei Nanwei and introduced himself. "This young one is a descendant of the Fan family in Huansha County, Gangnam-do."
Hsu Fengnian went with the flow and feigned surprise. "The Fan family in Huansha County is the most famous county in the south of the old Northern Han. I never imagined that young master Fan's background would be so illustrious. There are only a few families like this in all of Beiliang. It is certain that even the prefects of Beiliang would treat you as an honored guest. It is an honor, an honor to meet young master Fan!"
The other scholar also hurriedly introduced himself. He was from the Shizao Zhou family in Dongyue. The remaining scholar, probably because he was of ordinary birth, was speechless and indignant. In reality, the Fan family in Huansha County and the Shizao Zhou family were flourishing during the Spring and Autumn Period. They were not first-rate families that were unreachable. As long as one had the surname of Fan and Zhou, most of them would be relatives. No one would take them seriously. These two scholars had clearly come to Beiliang, where their horizons were not broad, in order to make up the numbers. In this era where even the servants of wealthy families had sharp eyes and could see the depth of a family's wealth with just a belt, such clumsy tricks were not worth mentioning. They had clearly underestimated the abilities of Beiliang's officials. Beiliang was poor, but the poor were the common people who faced the earth and the sky. The officials were not poor at all.
Hsu Fengnian had originally wanted to fish for information and amuse himself. Unexpectedly, Pei Nanwei's words were truly earth-shattering. "What does your surnames and names have to do with this old lady?! This old lady only likes robust men over two hundred jin. The three of you can scram to the side and cool off! "
It was as if the three scholars had been struck by lightning. Afterwards, they didn't even dare to let out a fart, leaving with their tails between their legs.
Hsu Fengnian gave Pei Nanwei a thumbs up. She ran her fingers through her hair and turned her head. When she turned her head, the corners of her mouth curled up. She had a rare expression on her face that said, "If this old lady doesn't make a move, she will be invincible."
Hsu Fengnian touched the pot that didn't boil. He clicked his tongue and praised, "Beiliang is really a place with good feng shui. Sister Pei has also been infected with heroic spirit."
Pei Nanwei scowled coldly. She kicked the back of Hsu Fengnian's shoe and twisted it hard.
Hsu Fengnian was amenable to coaxing, but not coercion, let alone pain. He muttered to himself, "It's only been half a year? Cao Changqing and Sun Xiji, two great remnants of West Chu, working together shouldn't be so useless, right? "
Pei Nanwei said coldly, "A lot of people will die."
Hsu Fengnian's eyes were ice-cold. He said slowly, "Yes, a lot of people will die. But you also have to know that there are so many people in West Chu who have shaved their hair and fled to Zen. They don't hesitate to shut themselves in cellars and escape into the mountains to become wild elders. They've lost their minds and are patrolling the city in the middle of the night, shouting that everyone is a ghost. They're all living a life worse than death. This group of wandering ghosts who can't forget the West Chu dynasty can't wait to drag their families down with them. You don't even know how to evaluate such foolishly loyal remnants. "
Pei Nanwei said hatefully, "If they want to die a worthy death, no one can stop them. But don't implicate the innocent people who just want to live a peaceful life and have a good night's sleep!"
Hsu Fengnian said with a smile, "In the past, I always felt that you were lifeless, like a female ghost in human skin who haunts ancient temples deep in the mountains. Only today do I know that you can still speak human language. Why don't you stay in Yanzhi County? Maybe you'll become a living person in the future. When you miss the reeds by Tidehark Lake, you can go back and take a look. "
Pei Nanwei said without hesitation, "Okay."
Hsu Fengnian was momentarily absent-minded. He seemed to have said these words to others before. However, Hsu Fengnian quickly recovered and nodded with a smile. "Then I'll have to show off my status as the heir. I'll ask the governor of Yanzhi County to arrange a private residence for you where no one will disturb you."
Hsu Fengnian asked for directions and arrived at the governor's mansion. Unfortunately, the governor had also brought a large group of family members to enjoy themselves with the common people. The gatekeeper, who had trained a pair of discerning eyes, saw that Hsu Fengnian had an extraordinary aura and had him sit in a small room by the side door. After waiting for four whole hours, even the gatekeeper was somewhat impressed by the young man's patience. During this time, the gatekeeper solicitously inquired about his well-being and served him tea. Naturally, this was because Hsu Fengnian had taken advantage of the beauty Pei Nanwei's reputation. Governor Hong Shandong rubbed his eyes as he returned in high spirits. He had never set foot in Beiliang Palace in his life and didn't recognize the young master. However, he recognized the "retainer" who could only stand. It was the general's personal bodyguard, Xu Yanbing! One year, when the general was patrolling the border, he passed by Yanzhi County. Hong Shandong was fortunate enough to meet him once. This person was actually qualified to eat and drink with the general. His memory was especially vivid. If Xu Yanbing had to stand, then who was the young man sitting and drinking tea? Hong Shandong wasn't an idiot. He immediately collected his thoughts and waved his sleeves. With a plop, he knelt on the ground and paid his respects to His Royal Highness who had come to his humble abode. The large group of Hong family descendants crowded outside the small room widened their eyes. The older ones knew the ways of the world and were somewhat fearful. The younger ones' clean eyes were filled with childlike curiosity. Although the threshold of the governor's mansion wasn't low, the highest position received by the governor was only the previous general of Youzhou. How high was His Royal Highness's position? When this young man put on the yellow official robe and became the King of Beiliang, everyone in Liyang would know how high his position was.
Hong Shandong didn't have the courage to look at Pei Nanwei from beginning to end. After knowing that this woman with no clear status would live in Yanzhi County, he was surprised but not happy. He didn't mind enshrining her like a female Bodhisattva. This was what he should do. It might not be a merit, but since ancient times, beauties were a source of trouble. If there was the slightest mistake, then wouldn't his originally smooth career come to an end? However, since His Highness the Crown Prince had spoken, Hong Shandong could only grit his teeth and squeeze out a smile to agree. That night, the governor tossed out an elegant residence with mountains and rivers. Hsu Fengnian had the men of sacrifice secretly greet the spies in Yanzhi County. The men of sacrifice were originally great spies who had accumulated great prestige. They were familiar with this kind of shady business and could handle it flawlessly. Afterwards, Hsu Fengnian abandoned the carriage, which was already redundant, and rode with Xu Yanbing out of the city that very night. They hurried to the familiar Tuma Pass.
When Pei Nanwei got off the carriage, she didn't forget to pick up the curtain hat. In the secluded residence with only two old servant girls, she stood in the courtyard without saying a word. It was only when she was about to go to bed that she threw the curtain hat in the courtyard. On the dressing cabinet in the room, she caught a glimpse of several boxes of exquisite and expensive rouge. She sneered and said, "It's all a burden."
How many of the seemingly valuable items were actually valuable?
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