Chapter 17.1
After sending these people away, Zong Luo ushered in a few days of relative leisure.
As the calligraphy competition ended, it was no surprise that Gu Ziyuan won first place. After some time, invitations flew to the Confucian residence like snowflakes, which was very lively.
Confucianism achieved good results this year, and even made great achievements in martial arts, and attained many good rankings. Every Confucian disciple would straighten his back unconsciously when going out, looking like a proud person.
The next day would be the hunting competition. Zong Luo originally stepped out today, and planned to wander around the shops in the Imperial City to buy the necessary supplies and then go to do some errands. Since the Fourth Prince had already handed over the “bait” to Zong Luo, he more or less guessed what the next step would be. He should be waiting for that person who received the pill to take the initiative to deliver himself to his door.
But Zong Luo wouldn’t, not only that, he also wanted to let the other Imperial brothers know the news.
Everyone should compete fairly together. As they all knew that the Third Imperial Brother was blind and amnesiac, it would be meaningless if only one person took advantage of his situation.
Just as he was about to go out, a white dove flew over from the sky, with the imprint of Ghost Valley engraved on its ankle ring. Zong Luo hastily unloaded the thing on the white dove’s leg before letting it fly out while no one was around.
“Calculating the time period, it should be about this time.”
He unfolded the letter, and as expected, he saw the same message as in his previous life. After thinking about it for a while, Zong Luo put the letter back into his pocket and was about to go out, but he was stopped at the door unexpectedly.
“Young Master Gu, my Lord invites you to see him.”
Outside the gate of the Confucian residence, a low-key carriage was parked. The servant saluted him respectfully, and handed him a waist token for him to see.
He’s a person of Pei Qianxue.
Zong Luo paused, pressed down his own business, and got inside the carriage amidst many envious eyes.
When the carriage was far away, many students expressed their emotions one after another.
“Although Young Master Gu is blind, he is really lucky.”
“That’s not right. If you have good sword skills, presumably, you would not need to worry about a thing.”
“Yes! If I remember correctly, Prime Minister Pei’s rule is to never accept any Menke. However, now he made an exception, who would have thought.”
First, the King of Beining gave him his jade waist token, and now he had the favor of Prime Minister Pei. These big figures were beyond the imagination of ordinary students. With such luck, one couldn’t simply know what to say.
****
On the other side, Zong Luo sat inside the carriage.
Although it looked unattractive from the outside, the interior decoration of the carriage was quite elegant. The fragrant and cool agarwood was burning in the empty incense burner. The upholstery was also made of high-quality materials. It was covered with thick fur blankets with a slowly burning silver charcoal below, keeping the narrow space warm.
Now that the weather was getting colder, sitting in such a carriage was really very comfortable.
Zong Luo sat up unceremoniously, propped his head, and appeared to be in deep thought.
Anyhow, he was still a close friend with Pei Qianxue in his previous life, therefore he naturally knew that this was the carriage that the other party used in ordinary days. Since the other person used his own carriage to pick him up, he must have recognized him already.
This Prime Minister of Great Yuan was not a man of extravagance and desire, but a man with a lot of leisure and fun. He was omnipotent in playing zither, chess, calligraphy and painting on ordinary days, and he was even more dexterous in burning incense, rituals and music. He was very particular about food and clothing, untainted by worldly desires, and had the nobility of a high-level literati.
But when it comes to writing an official public declaration and starting a debate, Pei Qianxue was really concise and powerful with every word, hitting the nail on the head, like a cannonball in a rapid succession. No one could compare to him with full firepower alone, which was quite different from his cold appearance in ordinary days.
After he sat firmly, the carriage moved in due course. Rolled over on the stone road of Zhuque Avenue.
Smelling the familiar cold fragrance in the carriage, Zong Luo became a little annoyed, and lifted the curtain to look outside.
Looking outside, they happened to pass by the shops in the street. As the undoubted commercial and political center of the Great Yuan, the prosperity of the Imperial City was unquestionable.
Today, however, these stores all laid fabrics outside their stores. Clothing stores hang up clothes, while fabric dye stores receive beautiful dye colors, as pots of orchids were placed at every door.
Not only that, even the clothes of passers-by on the road were mostly of dull colors. There was not a chatter heard even from the City Gate, and they all looked dismal.
As if in response, today’s sky had also darkened from the previous morning light, and large chunks of dark clouds piled up in the sky, as if a storm was about to come.
Great Yuan was located in the North. Winter comes early every year, and it snows almost every year. Looking at the weather getting colder day by day, it was estimated that at the start of the hunting competition, they would presumably welcome the first snow of this year.
Zong Luo was curious, lowered his voice and asked knowingly. “Which way is this? Why does the surrounding sound so deserted?
“Answering to the Young Master, we are now on Zhuque Avenue, and we are heading to Yulu, the Prime Minister’s residence.”
The boy driving the horse replied. “Unfortunately, today is the death anniversary of the Third Prince, and the people have gathered in the Quartet Witch Ancestral Temple to express their condolences. That’s why the streets are sparsely populated.”
“Alas, you have just arrived in Great Yuan not long ago, you should have not known about it. In the battle of Hangu Pass, if there was no Third Prince that time, I’m afraid we would all be forced to move out and it would have been hard to say whether the Imperial City would be preserved.”
As if hurt by the scene, he also added, “After that, all the people dreamed of the scene of His Highness saving the country. His Highness was really an immortal sent from the sky, who is determined in saving and helping us common people!”
“But there is nothing we can do for His Highness. We can only offer some incense and put a pot of His Highness’s favorite flower on our doorstep. If His Highness wants to go down to see the world someday, he would definitely find a way back.”
Zong Luo was stunned.
He was still wondering if it was because the Great Witch issued an order today, and broke some taboos, that’s why the people stayed behind closed doors, or that Prime Minister Pei had offended another aristocratic family, putting everyone at risk.
But he never thought that today would be his own death anniversary.
“This is really…”
The swordsman clad in white put down the curtain with a wry smile, and with a strange expression on his face.
Just like the other day at the banquet, listening to others read his posthumous title in front of his face, no matter how awkward it sounded, he still felt very uncomfortable.
After a long time of waiting, he bounced back to the matter at present.
In all truth, Zong Luo’s feelings towards Pei Qianxue were very complicated.
“The same as before, there should be such a day.”
Zong Luo sighed silently.
If it was said that he was playing a game of breaking through barriers now, Emperor Yuan would be the final level boss, and Pei Qianxue would be the little boss who guards the door of the final level boss.
