492 Julu Crisis (1/2)
Hours passed after Lu Zhi had lashed out in the clan chat.
North of Ye, Julu was still as peaceful as ever.
Julu city had long become the calmest town in Ji Province. Traders, merchants, and tourists often visited this place along with Ye, the capital of Tong's empire.
Taoist temples, military schools, food stalls, and the old battle site, Anping Fort, where Tong fought the turning point battle against Han Fu Army and his allies with fewer soldiers and won, were the main attraction for tourists and scholars.
Not only this city was popular among the tourists, but medicine practitioners also came to Julu because of one person.
Hua Tuo
Tong's father-in-law had opened a medical school as suggested by Tong and Zhang Jiao. He finally had a place to call home and enjoy his semi-retirement.
Hua Tuo passed down his techniques and knowledge to all physicians and all scholars, but he accepted nothing in return, which earned him a title, medicine saint. His disciples became teachers for the physician trainees while Hua Tuo sometimes gave his disciples tips and advice.
By Hua Tuo's side, Tong's eldest daughter, Zhang Min, always attended to her grandfather. Her copy-image of Hua Shi became a replacement for Hua Tuo's daughter, which soothed his fragile heart.
This medicine saint was a happy man. If God could grant him one more wish, he would have asked for these days to last forever.
He had friends.
He had a family.
He had disciples.
He had everything he had always dreamed. As long as Tong was still the Han Dynasty emperor, nothing could go wrong.
”Grandpa! Look at my wings! Is it pretty?”
Despite all the happiness, Hua Tuo also had worries.
”Look! There were four yesterday, but I have six now! Cultivation is so easy. You should cultivate, too!”
Hua Tuo sighed, ”I'm too old to compete with youngsters. I'm satisfied with having a couple of thousand years of lifespan, Min'er.”
Zhang Min was now a full-fledge 18-year-old maiden. Her glossy long black hair, pretty face, smooth white skin, and the perfect S-curve body created a stunning beauty that could fall any nation.
Yet, this princess was still single, and Tong had not wedded her to anyone.
In fact, Hua Tuo found it hard to recommend any worthy man to be her husband. He also wanted to cherish this granddaughter longer.
”But you can't fly with only one or two wings, grandpa! You need at least 4 wings to fly!”
”Haha! True. Well, how about you carry me when you fly, so I can fly, too?”
”Don't be lazy, grandpa! Sitting and playing chess all day will ruin your bones and muscles. You need to exercise. Come! I'll teach you basic muscle training for elders that I learned in school!”
Zhang Min grabbed Hua Tuo's hand and pulled him off his chair.
Both of them had a fun workout. But in the end, Zhang Min carried her grandfather and flew in the sky, pranking her grandfather.
.
.
Another semi-retired man, Zhang Jiao, was puffing smoke. A new product that Te Langpu had invented became his favorite relaxant, a cigar.
The old man gazed into a distance while he was standing in front of the assembly hall. As usual, he was still donning in daoist robes but with a different color than the old yellow. His white outer robe and red inner robe contrasted, but it looked cleaner than the old uniform.
His hair was still black even though he was already in his 60s. Because of the extra lifespan that Tong had distributed to his father, Zhang Jiao's appearance was that of a man in his 40s. His face and body slowly regressed back to his youth each year. Zhang Jiao would look as young as Tong in the next 20 years.
His long black hair was tied and kempt, unlike the past when he worked as a physician and a daoist priest. Traces of the angry sect leader was gone, leaving with the only satisfied and dignified look of a retired man.
Zhang Jiao was still working as the governor of Julu Commandery. Still, he entrusted most of his tasks to his deputies.
Just like others, Zhang Jiao also had his memory back, but he did not mind having Tong as his son in this life.
What was there to regret when his son had become an emperor? No sane father would be sad when their sons succeeded in life.
”SLOW DOWN, MIN'ER!!”
”HAHAHAHAHA!!”
The voice of his friend and his granddaughter was audible from afar. Zhang Jiao could see that Zhang Min was flying in the sky while piggybacking Hua Tuo.
Zhang Jiao sighed, ”She won't be able to find a husband if this keeps up. Should I arrange a marriage partner for her?”
He looked at the clan chat menu, which he rarely used.
Deep down inside, Zhang Jiao wanted to talk to Tong and consult him about Zhang Min's future. He was worried that she might stay single for life if she still had this childish attitude.
Zhang Jiao hesitated to send texts in the chat. Recently, the situation in Ye did not look well because of Te Langpu's movements.
Zhang Jiao also took 100% of Julu farmland and all businesses as his clan assets when Te Langpu had offered him the deal. They completed the transaction in the open, but no official dared to object since Zhang Jiao was Tong's father.
He felt guilty because his action aroused the jealousy of other governors. As a result, many of them took advantage of Te Langpu's project and bribed the prime minister to gain extra territory for their clans.