Voluou Glints Like Snow (1/2)

Voluou Glints Like Snow

The twenty-sixth day of the secondwas a war in the Zhenhuai Tower before a , overlooking the scenery of the city, his cal had been a failure Though they occupied Chuzhou and Sizhou, he still couldn’t feel good about himself He had received an imperial decree to only tie up the Southern Chu e of Lu Can being trapped in Wuyue to take the initiative and sally forth, which annoyed hi and how Zhangsun Ji’s Nanyang Barracks had been reinforced to three hundred thousand strong while he hadn’t gotten any reinforcements yet Currently, the Xuzhou Barracks didn’t even have a hundred thousand men Even if he wanted to launch a h reserves to do so How could he not be annoyed?

The other thing that annoyed hi He had planned to wait until the situation stabilized to dis and replace him to avoid an unstable foundation Back when Luo Louzhen controlled Chuzhou, Gu Yuanyong had heart but no power, overn, he surprisingly becaanized all of Chuzhou’s adically When Pei Yun was first beaten back frorip on the front line of Chuzhou and Sizhou truly was ’s assistance Pei Yun was a ave fair rewards and punish supre his post

However, the court had already dispatched Luo Jing to serve as the Governor of Chuzhou Although Pei Yun was less than willing, this act could be explained away After all, the location of Chuzhou was extre, his te Chuzhou was heavy-handed and provoked the commoners of Chuzhou into open discontent If he were placed elsewhere, Pei Yun wouldn’t oppose him, but Chuzhou was a key location on the front lines, as well as newly captured The city needed to be placated, so he hinted at this to Luo Jing However, the new governor was conceited in his great talent and refused to htest concession If it were someone else, Pei Yun would probably beat hi back After all, Chuzhou was still an occupied city and needed Pei Yun to adovernor’s backer was extre the beloved son-in-law of the current e was an i the distinction of assisting the crown prince, Li Jun, in overseeing Youzhou He had an extreh Pei Yun didn’t fear Gao Rong, he was a defeated general right now, so he didn’t want to rashly offend Gao Rong However, this caused the civil andwith full force? Pei Yun couldn’t not be annoyed by such a frustrating matter

Pei Yun stood at the , silent Standing behind hi was calm and collected As an official who’d submitted, he’d made ample preparations beforehand As for the safety of his fa had continued for enerations It would never be wiped out because of one unworthy son Right now, he only needed to worry about his own family and life

He was a person who knehich way the wind blew He had always been a son of Southern Chu nobility and had devoted hi the ilory for his family and clan, he becay: He would put his own safety before ued with Luo Louzhen for the sake of Chuzhou’s citizenry and soldiery, he controlled it to be within Luo Louzhen’s tolerable range He also took pains to bond with the officers of the Chuzhou Barracks, giving hi for their help and favor

When the Yong arloomily submitted, but Pei Yun entrusted him with an important duty So he did his utmost to accomplish it Now that he was removed fro whether he should look for an opportunity to return ho court Gu Yuanyong believed hie person, powerless to contend for power As long as it didn’t overly violate his interests, there was no big difference between being a Yong subject or a Southern Chu subject Of course, if Southern Chu counterattacked and retook the region, he wouldn’t io back to past experiences² But if a person fro ludicrous like persuading his relatives to sub and work from without and within to attack Southern Chu, he would never be willing to do so Gu Yuanyong had always been like this, so Pei Yun intended to leave him in Chuzhou, and he stayed as a side Pei Yun Meanwhile, the new governor didn’t know that many of his edicts unpopular with the Chuzhou people hadn’t incited riots because of Gu Yuanyong’s orders to the Chuzhou officials to only pay lip service to the laws and to hide the truth

Pei Yun stood there for a long tiet it, I won’t keep thinking about these concerns Gu o out for a bit A distraction would be nice”

Gu Yuanyong smiled and replied, “General is normally busy withof the city of Chuzhou If you wish to relax today, let Yuanyong accompany you to admire the scenery of Huai’an”

Pei Yun s “Today’s outing is just for leisure You’re not allowed to cause trouble”

Du Lingfeng hastily agreed, blushi+ng He was pugnacious by nature and always liked to make trouble If not for this reason, he would’ve officially joined the aro out to relax, the three of them were too conspicuous Pei Yun was thirty-four this year, but he’d practiced Buddhist cultivation techniques since childhood His internal energy was so refined he looked younger than thirty years old Coupled with his exceptional looks and bearing, everyone would pay hiarb, not tosoldiers ould have to salute hi was the for had nothing to do, he loitered around the city, and a huge nunized him too In full view of people, they would have no way of enjoying their stroll Pei Yun laughed at hi a sant restaurant on the side of the road, he strode inside

The restaurant’s waiter stumbled over himself to welcome them in The proprietor ran over in a few steps, then lowered his head and bowed, guiding the three men upstairs There were only around seven tables upstairs, with the three tables facing the s fenced off by screens, baant and unique

Gu Yuanyong may have lived in Chuzhou for many years, but he had never co it today, he felt a deep sense of regret for not noticing it earlier The three men sat down before a , ordered some dishes and wine, then drank and chatted Pei Yun pushed open theand looked down People were co than the unfrequented roads people kept away fro plain clothes to go out incognito was the right choice

The proprietor guided another several customers upstairs at this tiuests upstairs today, but Du Lingfeng was quite smart and knew Pei Yun had come out today to relax More people would onlywarned the proprietor not to disclose that there were distinguished guests upstairs and had hih the proprietor dared not refuse, he still stayed cautious and judged whether the custo them upstairs

This party had a total of six custo way and were people of considerable status, so he could rest easy in inviting the them walked off by themselves and sat at the table on Pei Yun’s left side The other four people picked seats by the stairs, away from the partitioned area The distinction between master and servant was apparent

The proprietor was just about to turn around and head downstairs when he caught sight of two handso upstairs The two h one was taller than the other and older by one or two years The proprietor was astonished at the sight The two er, Zhou Hui³ They had always come to the upstairs section of his restaurant to drink Zhou Ming had the most unruly and wild behavior and always had a few rebellious words to say It was noruests were upstairs today Thinking of this, the proprietor was about to go over to discourage hi, “Old Du, you said last tireen plum wine could be opened today We brothers specifically caave ait was too late to stop hireen plum wine is both sour and tart Only you brothers like it”

Zhou Ming laughed again, while Zhou Hui just sreen plu the su in winter ice and snow Although it tastes sour and tart, it has a different flavor too How could a layman understand? And it’s not only us brothers who like it Qingpu’s favorite is also this wine It’s just that he can’t corew a little heavy

The proprietor was surprised again He quickly changed the topic “Aren’t there two other gentleet the wine Both of you gentlemen, please sit” Then he approached the two men and was about to whisper, but he heard a snort He tre from behind the bamboo shades He was forced to head downstairs Just before heading down, he quietly looked back to see the Zhou brothers sensing nothing ae, but he could only be sad

Pei Yun was s thinly behind the screen He had made the noise to warn off the proprietor, but he still felt worry creep in When he thought of the ever-growing antagonis, he couldn’t prevent hiently

The Zhou brothers abruptly walked to the right the s like they owned the place Zhou Ming walked while saying to his little brother, “Last year, when you and I saw off brother Qingpu to distant places, we promised we’d reunite here today and drink Old Du’s newly ferether Unfortunately, Chuzhou now belongs to Great Yong, and the roads have been cut off Brother Qingpu will fail to be here today”

“This cos to Southern Chu Brother Qingpu’s word aze at the unripe pluh His home he cannot return to; his country he cannot head for,” said Zhou Hui

“Thiswith a spu is a master of both brush and sword, always determined to save the country Just, he hates to see the fatuity of the court, so floated about as free as duckweed, uninterested in pursuing a career in govern, brother Qingpu h the two arht be able to, considering his skill And brother Qingpu has never failed to keep a promise, which is why I wanted to wait here for him today Otherwise, if he risks his life to return yet we brothers are hiding at hoood friend”

“Elder brother should watch his words In little brother’s opinion, brother Qingpu not coards Sir Hua as a father,” Zhou Hui rebutted “If brother Qingpu learns of the sad tidings of his death, he won’t be willing to give up But that thief, Luo, is the Governor of Chuzhou and holds ie, I fear he’ll lose his life instead”

Zhou Ming sighed heavily in response

Pei Yun hadn’t been paying any attention to the other diners upstairs, but the Zhou brothers hadn’t lowered their voices in any deliberate fashi+on, so he clearly heard their conversation He looked at Gu Yuanyong, suspicion expressed in his eyes

Gu Yuanyong also heard the two brothers’ conversation and orrying for them, then met Pei Yun’s eyes He hesitated, words difficult for hi hispered, “I believe the general has forgotten about these two individuals Last year, when our ar, wrote a prose poe you, General He also said publicly that Lu Can would surely recapture Chuzhou Such arrogance would ordinarily be asking for a beheading, but Martial Uncle didn’t care You just had Gu daren restrain them

“After Luo ot into many disputes with the officials and poor scholars in the city and assigned people to surveil the inappropriate, they were imprisoned and denounced Now, the majority of officials in the city have shut themselves in their homes to avoid ruin I fear that the only people downstairs are Luo ents As for the Sir Hua they referred to, I believe it’s Hua Xuan, a fapu, I believe it’s Zhuang Qingpu, a gifted scholar fro Luo Louzhen’s soldiers Zhuang Qingpu is the leader of the Chuzhou officials He is best friends with the Zhou brothers”

Only now did Pei Yun remeant literati’s conde steadily won battles, those people would naturally stop ranting and raving over ti Hua Xuan would be quite the hassle The e, and six or seven out of ten Confucian scholars in the city called the army had marched into the city, Hua Xuan had shut hi tried to force hi to win the hearts of the officials, but the offer was harshly rejected In rage, Luo Jing locked Hua Xuan up in prison

It was Gu Yuanyong who personally appealed to Pei Yun forto release the man, which allowed the old master to escape from the ruin of prison Yet Hua Xuan was still old and frail and had even suffered abuse in the prison Not a fortnight after leaving prison, he died of illness If not for Gu Yuanyong’s intervention and Pei Yun’s tiarrison size, the Chuzhou scholars paying their respects to the deceased at the Hua family ho had even written a letter to the court accusing Pei Yun ofhis person It ry he nearly fainted, but he had a staid disposition Although he was infuriated, he didn’t show it He si hi to smother him, but wouldn’t it be much easier to cause trouble? If the people were riled up, how could he keep the peace in Chuzhou? Thinking of this, Pei Yun grew pu really comes, I’ll take hie An unfortunate loss of a talented azed out theagain

Gu Yuanyong, pu was a fahuai, fiercely loyal by nature He had excellent literary skill and was an expert in swordsenerational talent from Chuzhou His parents had already passed away, and he had few relatives in his fa hipu likely wouldn’t have reached adulthood If he heard news of Hua Xuan’s death, Gu Yuanyong feared he really would seek Luo Jing out for revenge Zhuang Qingpu had an exceptional reputation a the Chuzhou officials If he rallied the masses to his call and set off a revolt, that would be tre didn’t knohat Pei Yun was thinking, so he orried Zhuang Qingpu would risk coht hard about how to lead Pei Yun away or how to privately pu and persuade hi there drinking wine and ad up He also didn’t dare to give any indications of what he was up to or signal to the Zhou brothers Gu Yuanyong became even more anxious

The proprietor finally arrived back, holding a s open the clay seal at the top of the jug, the fragrance of wine spilled forth, already sreen liquid into a small cup, took a sip, then loudly recited:

<blockquote class="Quote">“DawnsorrowFacing the wind, I pour one out for the countrySinging all of ‘Yang Pass’⁴”</blockquote>

He sang this several tihtly furrowed his brows at the singing Although he didn’t really understand poetry, he did know this was the first half of the poe, a talented man, not finish the second half of the poem?

Then a clear and aloof voice ca:

<blockquote class="Quote">“Green plu yearly into Du Fa alone on a skiff,Until dead drunk”</blockquote>

Zhou Ming and Zhou Hui were both pleasantly surprised Zhou Ming even burst out fro out in question, “Brother Qingpu, have you really returned?”

Pei Yun was shocked He never expected Zhuang Qingpu to actually arrive Disregarding for the ates, thePei Yun gazed through the ba clasp a scholar’s ar’s face He was clearly touched and excited The white-robed scholar was quite excited as well, but his expression also contained a calm deter the scholar had bladelike eyebrows and big, bright eyes He had a char and talented He truly looked like a dandy He had an exceptional coh his whole body e some of the friendliness The scholar ide robes of snohite and a sash, the large sleeves of the robe billowing A sharp sword three was cinched at his waist, and it was unlike those light, decorative swords whose sole purpose was to look pretty Instead, it was a si in a black scabbard This scholar was clearly a ave a h of admiration His eyes swept by and landed on the face of the scholar Even though the intensity of his expression hadn’t lessened, a shadow had fallen over his eyes on his wan face In addition, a faint burgundy spot appeared on both his tehed sadly and softly to hiant voice came from a table to the left “What a pity for such talent”

Pei Yun was taken aback He gazed left, the voice sounding a little familiar, but he couldn’t see the customer’s looks due to the partition created by the screen He couldn’t think of who it was in thesaw his expression and knew exactly as going on “Those four people came with those two,” he whispered into Pei Yun’s ear as he pointed vaguely in their direction

Pei Yun looked over and saw four youngThe four ht in their eyes indistinct They sat raht, their clothes looked normal, and their blades were all wrapped in cloth They looked like noruards of a rich merchant, but how could any normal traders still be in the territory of Chuzhou? Besides, Pei Yun knew at first glance that they were extraordinarily skilled The htly furrowed his bladelike brows Security ht now Why hadn’t he gotten a report of such figures appearing in Chuzhou?

Meanwhile, the white-robed scholar scanned the entirety of the restaurant customers upstairs and thinly smiled As he followed the Zhou brothers to their table, he said, “You still remember all the words to the poe If I hadn’t come time, it seems like you would’ve condemnedtihu</ereen plu cherished desire today I’ll have lived a full life even if I die i with joy He could only be described as wild He quickly grabbed a large wine goblet and filled it full of green plu it up The white robed scholar downed it in one swig His wan face flushed with blood Zhou Ming happily said, “Brother Qingpu is still just as straightforward Old Du only brews ten hundred-catty jugs of green pluht all of them already this time You and us brothers will drink until we black out and spill all our sad feelings fro We’ll stay till we sober up, and no er brother will gladly obey” He didn’t think it appropriate to ask his friend if he’d heard news of his dearbeat around the bush

Listening fro with anxiety, wishi+ng he could shout a warning

The white-robed scholar s to request of my brother I sireen plum wine That’s all” With those words, he picked up the wine flagon at his seat and poured himself another cup and downed it His face flushed with heat, ant

Zhou Ming hesitated and went to speak, but he eventually wasn’t willing to ask if his friend had learned the news of Hua Xuan’s death

Then someone raised the flaxen-colored bamboo shades Two people in dark robes walked in The one in front had gray hair and hoary te calm and free Thewith head lowered

Zhou Ming was taken aback The older raceful If he had seen this type of person in the past, he would’ve taken pains to ed to Great Yong Although the race of a Southern Chu citizen, he was undoubtedly a citizen of Great Yong, so Zhou Ming angrily said, “Why is sire trespassing and interrupting ourflashed in the man’s eyes, and he replied, “I heard the three of you praise the green plum wine and also wanted to try this wonderfully unique wine If you gentle, this one would like to trade this ite of neine What do the three of you think?”

He then opened his right hand, the center of which held a wax pellet the size of a longan Zhou Ming was about to ask about it, but thea pill red as a flame This side of the upper floor instantly overfloith an aro’s mind and raised his spirits with just a whiff Scholars had a saying: If one cannot be a good e medical skill, he still knew this was an excellent life extension pill However, the three of the Qingpu sternly said, “Many thanks, sire, but a single jug of green plum wine is nowhere near the worth of this pill If sire is fond of this wine, I can have the proprietor send up a jug”