The child’s babbling nonsense, especially about the absurdity of spirits appearing outside the shrine, naturally stirred no ripples. At first, the Cai Shishan people paid little attention. However, Hu Chunya, fond of Bustling, joined the children by the stream. When she saw the half-familiar back of that figure, she felt an indescribable emotion. Hesitating for a moment, she walked over and stood by the stream, glancing at the snow-white-clad man. Normally, she would have given him a piece of her mind after being slighted outside, but now she found herself unable to utter a single sharp word.
As the children stood puzzled, a sumptuously dressed, plump woman emerged from the shrine, like a lush peony. Compared to the youthful Hu Chunya, she bore a similar outline but with added maturity and charm from years of experience. Seeing her daughter’s figure, the woman paused, smiled, and approached gracefully. As she neared, the tall, white-haired man had already risen and turned around. The woman was startled, expecting an older guest from Cai Shishan, only to find a remarkably refined and charming young gentleman. Especially his phoenix eyes—she inwardly marveled how such eyes could capture a woman’s heart. Regaining her composure, she was about to tease her daughter playfully when the young man introduced himself with impeccable manners. His conversation was crisp and refreshing. Confident in her judgment, she thought that if this young man could marry into Cai Shishan, it would not be a bad match for Chunya.
During their conversation, the woman kept looking at the young man with a mother-in-law’s gaze, making Hu Chunya extremely embarrassed. After much persuasion, she finally managed to drag her mother up the mountain. Yet the woman kept turning back to chat with the dashing young man, inviting him to come admire the scenery on the mountain the next day. The young man readily agreed. As the mother and daughter nearly disappeared from sight, he headed down the mountain to his residence. Just then, the woman turned back and exchanged a glance with him. He smiled and waved. The woman, who had been reciting scriptures and eating vegetarian meals in the shrine, slightly diminished her smile and softly asked, “Chunya, who exactly is this Xu Qi?”
Hu Chunya then rambled on about the two incidents at Longwei Slope. The woman gave a bitter smile, chuckling at her own earlier thoughts of having him marry into their family. Sighing, she said, “That is no ordinary scion of a military family. Cai Shishan is too small to hold him.”
Hu Chunya grumbled, “Why keep him? If not for Sister Zhou’s sake, I wouldn’t even let him come up the mountain to mooch off us.”
The woman poked her daughter’s forehead playfully, teasing, “No one knows their daughter better than a mother. Don’t pretend to be a tigress with me. I know that once you marry, you’ll become a devoted wife and mother.”
Hu Chunya, clinging to her mother’s arm, playfully asked, “How do you know that guy is from a military family?”
The woman was none other than Hu Jingxia, the famous fierce woman of Cai Shishan, who quietly revealed the truth, “That young man carries the same aura as your grandfather. Only someone who has walked through blood and corpses can possess such a presence. Even high-ranking officials who smile politely and act proud inside still don’t carry this kind of air. Besides, you said he single-handedly slaughtered over a hundred armored soldiers of Tie Lu at Longwei Slope. In the court of Liyang, civil and military officials usually keep to their own spheres. Without a high-ranking military figure in the family, no one dares to act so brazenly. Even if you were a minister’s son or grandson, you wouldn’t dare behave so arrogantly. Furthermore, you mentioned that his retainer, sitting on horseback, easily killed a powerful enemy with a single spear thrust. That is clearly a warrior capable of breaking through enemy lines in battle. Chunya, we must not take Cai Shishan lightly. Let’s go tell your grandfather everything.”
Hu Chunya pouted, “I won’t go!”
Hu Jingxia smiled sweetly, gently holding her daughter’s cold little hand, and slowly walked up the mountain.
Feelings arise unknowingly, yet run deep. Unfortunately, many fade from deep to shallow, and eventually forget each other in the vast world.
When Xu Fengnian returned to the quiet bamboo pavilion, he found Gu Dazu and Huang Chang already waiting. After apologizing briefly, he asked the servant girl for a pot of wine and joined Yuan Zuo Zong and the others around a brazier. The brazier had four legs, with a large iron basin in the center filled with charcoal and its ashes. A servant girl squatted beside it, holding a pair of iron tongs, skillfully stirring and flipping the charcoal to keep the fire neither too fierce nor dying out. Her face was slightly flushed under the glow of the firelight. Xu Fengnian, learning how to manage this unfamiliar brazier, took the tongs from her with a smile and let her rest first. As she exited the room, he chuckled, “If there were sweet potatoes or southern-style dumplings, roasting them over the fire would be delicious. When I first traveled out on my own, I was quite destitute, but it wasn’t just hunger that made the food taste good—it really was good.”
Gu Dazu nodded, gave a perfunctory agreement, and then said solemnly, “Earlier, when discussing with the Prince, you indeed had a deep understanding of The Compendium of Ashes, not just trying to flatter an old man like me. Since I, Gu Dazu, wish to go to the impoverished lands of Beiliang to show my abilities, there are some things I won’t hide. As The Compendium of Ashes states at the beginning, the strength of a fortress ultimately lies not in its geographical advantage, but in the people who defend it. Beiliang is poor, not only in wealth and terrain but also in talent. Prince of Beiliang’s military discipline is admirable, but in recent years, the court has constantly hindered Beiliang, preventing the formation of a strong group of scholars. Just when we finally had the Yao family, Yao Baifeng was taken to the capital by the court, filling the void left by the downfall of the Song family, like a country woman who has long flirted with city nobles finally marrying into a wealthy household as a concubine. Moreover, the Spring and Autumn period has always been seen as unjust by the scholars of the world, and the Prince of Beiliang has been regarded as the one who broke the scholars’ spines, making it difficult for any powerful clans to join your Xu family, fearing disgrace in history and shame to their ancestors. The lack of scholars in Beiliang is already an urgent issue. Though Li Yishan is a great talent, even he cannot cook without rice. Now, with Chen Zhibao leaving Beiliang for Shu, taking many generals with him, and planning to establish his own domain, waiting only for his enfeoffment as the King of Shu, this will further weaken Beiliang, making it like a house with walls and windows that leak from all sides. At this time, a large number of new talents are needed to patch up the walls and windows. The outer walls of the courtyard are still okay, protected by the Prince’s thirty thousand iron cavalry, and neither the Liyang court nor the fierce Beiman dare to provoke them easily. But for the house to be warm, it ultimately depends on civil officials to do the delicate work. Warriors may ride fierce horses and wield iron spears, but they are not suited for the fine work of embroidery!”
Xu Fengnian calmly said, “The Lu family, the leading figure of the Qing faction, and one of the eight top ministers of Liyang, Lu Feichi, is a genuine power broker of two dynasties. He has served in the military, household, and official departments and even the Grand Chancellor Zhang Julu had to treat him as a teacher before retirement. This old minister intends to marry one of his daughters into Beiliang. This return to Beiliang, my visit to the Shangyin Academy is a personal matter, while my visit to Qingzhou to meet Lu Feichi is the main task. I intend to persuade the old man to relocate his entire clan north.”
Xu Fengnian stirred the fire with his hand and smiled, “Before, I couldn’t bring this up. First, the marriage alliance wasn’t yet certain, and I feared that Beiliang might end up being overly eager and rejected. It wouldn’t matter if I lost face, but Xu Xiao couldn’t afford to lose face. Moreover, the timing wasn’t right. At that time, the Qing faction in Qingzhou, known for its unity in the court, hadn’t yet scattered like today. Now, under Zhang Julu’s manipulation, the Qing faction has disintegrated. The other two major families have each attached themselves to Zhang’s and Gu’s factions. The Lu family must also be seeking a way out. After all, the Lu family was once the most powerful, but now they are suppressed by the other two families and cannot compete after the division. Now the Lu family is like a widow sleeping alone.”
Huang Chang, who had not spoken all this time, asked curiously, “A widow sleeping alone? What does that mean?”
Gu Dazu laughed openly, “There’s no one above!”
Huang Chang, who always tried to behave properly, showed his teeth in a grin and quickly lowered his head to drink.
Xu Fengnian smiled, “If the entire Lu family moves north to Beiliang, it will be a strong medicine, while Huang Chang coming alone is a gentle remedy. Both are indispensable to Beiliang. In addition, Beiliang is also willing to shelter all the poor scholars of the world. Soon, the whole world will know of Chen Xiliang and Liu Wenbao.”
Huang Chang pondered for a moment and softly said, “Poor scholars, what a wonderful way to say it.”
Gu Dazu, always straightforward, said, “Scholars study the books of sages, but few truly aim to become sages themselves. In reality, they are all seeking fame and fortune. The powerful clans with deep roots can afford to ignore Beiliang, but the poor scholars without a foundation are different. Although the court, under Zhang Julu’s leadership, has spared no effort in recruiting poor scholars, not everyone is foolish. Over the years, only a small number have risen to prominence. Many more scholars, even if they pass the imperial exams, are still suppressed by the aristocratic families, eventually fading into oblivion. If Beiliang offers substantial rewards, there will be many frustrated scholars rushing to Beiliang like fish crossing a river, and even many exiles from the Spring and Autumn period in Beiman may head south.”
Gu Dazu murmured, “The capital region has always been a battleground of four directions. Xishu is the easiest place to grow separatist forces. Jizhou, where the Han family was loyal and brave, can control the fate of the world. The southeast regions are not weak in land or troops, but their lack of ambition leads to their inability to defend themselves. I dare to say that for a thousand years, the pattern will always be that the north conquers the south. Beiliang’s narrow territory, seemingly squeezed into survival, may not be an unfortunate situation after all. Beiliang is suitable for raising troops, which cannot be compared to the southern regions. To be honest, I am just a brute who only knows how to lead troops. Where else can I go besides Beiliang? Can Liyang give me an army of over a hundred thousand without worrying about me rebelling every day? Hmph, I really want to rebel and fight Gu Jiantang properly! Gu Jiantang defeated the Southern Tang, what a great feat!”
Without mentioning the irony in Gu Dazu’s words as a Southern Tang exile, just the word “rebellion” made Huang Chang sweat coldly.
Gu Jiantang in the north, and Gu Dazu in the south.
Li Yishan once commented on the Rivers and mountains in the Tingchao Pavilion, saying the fall of the Southern Tang was not Gu’s fault.
Huang Chang glanced at Xu Fengnian, whose expression remained calm, seemingly unresponsive to Gu Dazu’s disrespectful and rebellious words.
A group entered the bamboo pavilion, including Zhao Hongdan and Hu Jingxia. Leading them was an old man with frosty hair, tall and strong, exuding vigor despite his age. One thing overcomes another—Hu Chunya, fearless in front of anyone, was unusually obedient and gentle in front of this grandfather. The old man was named Hu Gonglie, a Southern Tang exile, and once a valiant general guarding the border of Southern Tang. After the fall of Southern Tang, he still raised a cavalry unit in Cai Shishan, seemingly unable to sleep without the sound of war drums and thundering hooves. Hu Gonglie was known for his fiery temper. Entering the bamboo pavilion now, he strode like a dragon and tiger. Gu Dazu, sitting with his back to the door, did not speak. Hu Gonglie was about to open his mouth when he saw Gu Dazu’s back and froze.
Gu Dazu turned around but said nothing.
Hu Gonglie waved his hand and ordered his daughter and son-in-law, “You all go out.”
Only he remained standing in the room.
Hu Gonglie, who held absolute authority in Cai Shishan, did not sit down but suddenly knelt, his fists pressing to the ground, solemnly saying, “Hu Gonglie, the former general of Shutai in Southern Tang, pays homage to General Gu!”
Gu Dazu turned around without looking at Hu Gonglie, who was kneeling on the ground, and sarcastically said, “How did you recognize me as Gu Dazu?”
Hu Gonglie remained silent.
Gu Dazu sighed, “Stand up. Back then, you Hu Gonglie followed the emperor out of the city, how many times did you kneel? Southern Tang was lost on its knees.”
Hu Gonglie wept silently, his forehead touching the ground.
Gu Dazu said calmly, “At that time, many people knelt to gain high positions and wealth, but you Hu Gonglie at least remained true to your conscience. Alright, stand up and speak.”
After Hu Gonglie stood up and turned his head to wipe his face, he spoke in a way that made Huang Chang uneasy, “General, I heard that the Western Chu wants to restore its kingdom. Shouldn’t our Southern Tang also rise up? General, rest assured, if any of the Hu family’s little rascals on Cai Shishan dare to hesitate, fearing being beheaded, Hu Gonglie will be the first to twist their heads off!”
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