Extra four
On the day of Jingzhe, there was a rumble of thunder outside the window and the lights in the room flickered.
In the second half of the night, the noise in the bedroom stopped. Yuan Heng fell asleep with the person in his arms, not forgetting to gently raise his hands to cover Xiao Ziyu's ears.
The annoying thunder became louder and louder, as if ringing in his ears. Yuan Heng woke up suddenly. Something rolled to the ground with a "bang".
It was a crouching tiger paperweight that was completely black.
Yuan Heng raised his head in astonishment, and a carved teak desk came into view. He was wearing a black robe with gold inlays, which was clearly the attire of a prince!
The eunuch serving beside him had already picked up the paperweight tremblingly and placed it carefully on the table: "Your Highness... Your Highness, are you dreaming?"
Everyone knows that Daliang's Crown Prince Changfeng is moody, he keeps the old emperor under house arrest, excludes his brothers and sisters, and those around him will be punished if they do not serve him well.
However, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had no intention of punishing him at this moment. A trace of horror flashed in his eyes, and he asked solemnly, "What year is it?"
The chief eunuch did not dare to think too much, thinking that the prince was having a nightmare, and whispered, "To answer your Highness, it was the year 64 in Daliang."
Yuan Heng let out a sigh of relief. It was still early, the year before Xiao Ziyu entered the palace. Although I don't know why I inexplicably returned to this time, even if it was a dream, everything is not to the point of being irreparable.
He stood up, his tall figure swayed, as if he was still a little dazed, and ordered in a deep voice: "Prepare the car to leave the palace, I want to go to Southern Shu."
The old eunuch was stunned. Not to mention that it was the Waking of Insects season, there was a thunderstorm outside. The disaster in Southern Shu has not yet passed, there are refugees and bandits everywhere, and there are constant disputes on the border. If you go there, you will be putting yourself in danger.
He knelt down with a plop: "Your Highness, please do not do this. There is a lot of miasma in Shu, and it happens to be a disaster year. The situation is in chaos."
Yuan Heng frowned slightly, but did not lose his temper immediately. He said in a deep voice: "When will it be your turn to comment on my decision? Why don't you go down and prepare?"
The old eunuch took the order and went away. Prince Liang secretly entered Shu, riding a fast horse and a light carriage, and it took him ten days to get there.
When he arrived in Shu, he found that people were living in poverty just as the old eunuch had said, and beggars were everywhere. He disguised himself as a rich young man and walked on the streets of Shu, which was shocking.
Yuan Heng casually asked the local official beside him: "Is there any famous opera theater nearby?"
It is understandable that His Royal Highness wanted to come to Jiangnan to meet a beautiful girl on a whim, but the local official said tremblingly: "The harvest has been bad recently, and no garden can be opened. Most of the former actors traveled around, entertaining the rich and powerful, and there are really no gardens open to receive guests."
Seeing Yuan Heng's gloomy face, he hurriedly made up for it, "Recently, a wealthy family named Shen held a banquet to celebrate the birthday of their old man. Almost all the amateur troupes in the city were invited to play music in the streets for three days to show the power of the family. If you don't mind, you can go there and take a look."
Looking for someone in the city is like looking for a needle in the sea. Yuan Heng had no other choice but to follow the road and find the Shen family's house. Sure enough, he heard the sound of blowing flutes and beating drums from afar.
The stage was built temporarily, and was crooked and crude, but the troupe on stage was very strong. Several tall men were sitting or standing, playing flutes and strings. The clear and ethereal music was totally inconsistent with the decadent music around them.
Yuan Heng squeezed forward regardless, wanting to see their faces clearly. He heard the sound of the piano fade away, and then a clear voice interrupted him, singing "Autumn in the Han Palace" in layers, rising and falling, twists and turns.
He felt that the voice was indescribably familiar, and the local official beside him sighed: "The one singing the story is actually a child, no older than an elephant."
Yuan Heng looked intently. The boy on the stage was no more than thirteen or fourteen years old. His jaw was round and slightly pointed, and his phoenix eyes had not yet fully opened. He did not yet possess many of the charm he would have in the future. He had his hair in a boy's bun and wore a very ill-fitting costume. However, this did not prevent him from stretching his posture, and his movements were dignified and graceful.
Like a well-protected little swan, even when singing, it holds its neck high, with the black and white pupils in its eyes distinct, exuding a bright spirit.
Yuan Heng subconsciously clenched his fists. Who else could that person on the stage be but Xiao Ziyu?
Back then, Xiao Ziyu pretended to be a hostage and entered Liang. He lived in Yongxiang for more than half a year before he was able to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The growing boy changes every day. Yuan Heng was afraid to recognize the person he saw two years ago.
How could she be so small? She looked like a flower bud about to bloom. The blue pendant on her forehead made her skin look white, and her every move reflected the past of many years later.
What's wrong with Xiao Jinchuan, letting such a young child come out to perform?
The boy's clear voice was not as mellow as when he was young. He sang to a very high point and then suddenly dropped, repeating this many times. Most of the spectators around wanted to make friends with the Shen family, but they were unexpectedly attracted to them. The sounds of plucking strings and playing flutes matched him skillfully, like a spring morning in a flower garden, which stopped abruptly when it reached its most lively point.
Amidst the thunderous cheers and applause, Yuan Heng stood in the crowd, still a little dazed. It turned out that Xiao Ziyu was so well-liked in his early years.
In a trance, the young man on the stage had already bowed and retreated leisurely, but a commotion broke out in the crowd not far away.
Everyone looked sideways. It turned out to be the sixty-year-old Shen family master who was helped out. He raised his goose-skinned finger tremblingly and pointed at Xiao Ziyu on the stage: "Where is Le Ling from?"
The servants stopped Xiao Ziyu and asked loudly, "Master is asking you a question. Where are you from?"
Before Xiao Ziyu could answer, a young man who was playing the strings stood up and said respectfully, "We are locals from Shu and happened to be traveling here."
The old man of the Shen family narrowed his eyes, nodded, and said something to the person next to him. The servant shouted, "The master said he wants to keep Le Ling in the mansion to serve. How much do you want for her redemption? The Shen family will definitely not bargain."
As soon as these words came out, Xiao Jinchuan, who had just spoken, immediately changed his expression and bowed again, saying, "My younger brother is still young and not old enough to be a disciple. I am afraid that I cannot serve the master well."
As if they had not expected his refusal, the spectators around him began to whisper to each other. It happened to be a year of disaster, and life of wandering around would definitely not be easy. One should be satisfied if one could have a place to stay.
What's more, the master of the Shen family is old and may pass away at any time. If he plays with her for a few years and gets a share of the property, he can at least ensure that he will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life.
As expected, the Shen family didn't expect that the Liyuan would not let him go. The servants were used to taking advantage of their power and said sternly, "This is General Shen's residence. How can a small Liyuan actor make the decision? It is a blessing for your junior brother to be favored by our master. If one day the sword is ruthless and kills your junior brother on the road, don't blame us, the Shen family, for not giving you a chance."
"You..." The disciples of the Pear Garden stood up one after another, but the servants were faster and surrounded the stage without any explanation. They were all strong and had martial arts skills, and did not take them seriously at all.
The onlookers held their breath and retreated, fearing that they would get into trouble. The spacious street was suddenly silent. At this time, a low laugh came from the crowd. The local official looked at Yuan Heng beside him in fear and heard him say, "Who did I think it was? It turned out to be Chen Huan's house."
The old man looked over with cloudy eyes, and the servant said angrily: "How can a little white-faced boy like you call our great general by his name?"
The Daliang secret guards who were lying in ambush nearby straightened their bodies in an instant. They had followed Yuan Heng through the palace coup and had long since acknowledged his master. Each of them was worth a hundred men and their contributions were so great that it was no problem for them to take down the entire general's mansion.
Yuan Heng made a gesture, indicating that they should calm down, and stood up in full view of the crowd. He spoke to the Shen family, but his eyes were always fixed on Xiao Ziyu on the stage: "No matter how powerful Shen Huan is, he is just a defeated general of Daliang. You all look down on others. Have you forgotten that you are dogs because you have been standing upright for too long?"
Hearing this, Xiao Ziyu also looked over. The young man had clear eyes, but he did not show much fear from beginning to end. At this moment, he was mostly confused, as if he didn't understand where this reckless man who was not afraid of death and wanted to watch the fun came from.
The next second, the Shen family's servants were indeed angered and rushed forward shouting. The eunuchs beside Yuan Heng seized the opportunity and also rushed out from the crowd. In an instant, they had detained most of the servants.
The remaining few people returned to Master Shen in a hurry. No one expected to encounter such things on his birthday. The old man rolled his eyes and fainted.
The spectators finally reacted. I don't know who screamed first, but the crowd retreated like a tide. Only the opera performers stood there in a daze, looking at each other, as if they were still trapped in the tension from before.
Xiao Jinchuan was the first to react. He used Qinggong to step down from the stage and landed steadily in front of Yuan Heng. He saluted with a little more sincerity: "Thank you for your help, brother."
When had this person been so polite to him before? Yuan Heng found it interesting and took the initiative to reveal his whereabouts: "I am actually a businessman from Beiliang. You are all hired escort masters. It has been hard work along the way. I didn't expect that Shu was in such a disaster that there is not even an inn to rest."
"Since you are a local, could you please provide me with a place to stay?"
Xiao Jinchuan thought to himself that there was indeed close trade between Shu and Northern Liang. Due to the difficult journey, most of those who could do this business were not good people, otherwise they would not openly provoke the local wealthy gentry just to speak up for them.
He hesitated for a moment and agreed: "I can help arrange it."
Yuan Heng seemed mysterious on the surface, but he had already been calculating things in his heart. At the moment, Xiao Jinchuan had not yet been crowned, and looked like a handsome young man, not yet as stern as he would later be. However, he would get carried away easily when encountering things, and would take people home without even finding out their background, and he was not afraid of being robbed.
He secretly gave people scores. Xiao Ziyu has grown into a little fox at this age, but his brother is still a big white rabbit.
Big White Rabbit Xiao Jinchuan didn't feel that he was being framed at all, and arranged Yuan Heng and his men in an empty room in the Liyuan. It was called a place to stay, but it was nothing more than a few walls that could shelter from the rain and a large bunk bed. The eunuchs were trembling with fear and said that the servants could sleep on the big kang by themselves and they could sleep on the floor.
Yuan Heng had lived in a military tent before, but he didn't find the environment to be harsh. After settling down in the Pear Garden, he traveled around openly.
There were little kids doing leg stretching exercises in the yard, while the older ones took turns chopping wood and washing clothes. After taking off their costumes, everyone had their own work to do, and the small garden was running in perfect order.
Today it was Xiao Ziyu's turn to cook in the kitchen. He was seen standing behind the half-person-high stove with a calm face, his brows not tainted by the worldly air at all, but his movements were clumsy. He scooped up the brown rice with a ladle and was about to pour it into the pot.
Yuan Heng: "..."
He rolled up his sleeves and walked into the kitchen, looking down at the naughty kid who didn't know how to do housework. It must have taken him a lot of effort to light the fire, and there were two smears of dust on his fair face.
He stopped her by saying, "You put the brown rice into the pot without washing it?"
The young Xiao Ziyu raised his head and looked at the uninvited guest. He was not deceived by his overly handsome face. "Who are you?"
The tone seems to be quite polite.
Yuan Heng resisted the urge to pinch his cheek and said, "If I wasn't here today, you would have to work as a servant in the Shen family, do you know that?"
Xiao Ziyu turned his head, his long hair swung in the air, and said crisply: "Senior Brother will protect me."
If you rely on that big white rabbit, your entire opera garden will be stolen. Yuan Heng gritted his teeth secretly and dropped a bombshell: "I know your name is Xiao Ziyu, your courtesy name is Nanzhu, and your birthday is on the winter solstice, is that true or not?"
The young boy opened his eyes wide and turned his head sharply: "How did you know?"
Yuan Heng finally managed to get back on his feet, and said in an unfathomable manner: "Not only do I know your birth name, I also know that you have been singing mostly female roles since you were young, and you are best at the roles of female warrior and female warrior and female warrior, right?"
If it were an ordinary child, he would have been so scared that he would have run to his senior brother's arms for comfort. However, Xiao Ziyu rolled his eyes and no longer had the initial shock. "What is your intention in telling me this?"
Yuan Heng laughed. He didn't expect that this man, who was ten years younger, could still control him. He took out a jade token from his bosom and put it in his hand: "I don't have any intention. I just think we are destined to be together. There are many disasters in Shu. Why don't you go north to Liang? With this jade token, the Liang army will help you."
This is the Prince’s Jade Order. Seeing the sign is like seeing the Prince. Now that Xiao Ziyu's life has not officially begun, Yuan Heng would not want to expose his identity and kidnap him directly. He just left him with one more option so that he would not be too embarrassed if he was desperate in the future.
He didn't know how long he would stay in this time and space. What he could do was too limited. He didn't want the opera world to repeat its previous mistakes.
Xiao Ziyu grabbed the jade token, his palm could only hold half of it, and looked at it carefully for a moment. Just when Yuan Heng was worried about whether he would accept it, the little guy put the jade token into his arms without hesitation: "You can't regret it and ask for it back."
Yuan Heng was quite knowledgeable at such a young age. He smiled and said, "If we are lucky enough to meet again in the future, this jade token will be a token of our love."
Xiao Ziyu seemed to understand, as most children in ancient times matured precociously, and most of those his age were already married. However, Xiao Jinchuan always treated him as a child and did not let him come into contact with those men and women.
But in the opera world, there is no shortage of romantic affairs. Xiao Ziyu knew that tokens were mostly used to seal a relationship, and perhaps they could also be used to make a vow. He said naively, "I will keep it well. Thank you, uncle."
Yuan Heng: "..."
He is now ten years older than Xiao Ziyu, so it seems nothing wrong to be called uncle. Yuan Heng picked up the wooden ladle resignedly and returned to the previous topic: "Do you know how to wash rice?"
Xiao Ziyu looked at him, not knowing whether he couldn't or didn't want to do it, and shook his head.
Yuan Heng put the rice into a wooden barrel, rinsed it with water, and then steamed it in a pot. He used to cook big pot meals in the military camp, and this skill found its place.
However, there was a shortage of food in the pear garden, and the most available were potatoes and sweet potatoes. Yuan Heng picked up a bag of potatoes and asked Xiao Ziyu to take them to wash them, and made a dish of garlic sweet potato leaves and crispy shredded potatoes.
Even in modern society, he seldom cooks by himself. After cooking for more than half an hour in the smoke and fire, his face had several cigarette ash marks like Xiao Ziyu's.
When the dishes were served, Xiao Ziyu's eyes finally showed some surprise, as if he did not expect that this wealthy businessman who seemed to be so arrogant would actually be a cook.
However, Yuan Heng's subordinates did not dare to pick up their chopsticks and just buried their heads in eating dry biscuits. It was already an offense to eat at the same table with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. They would not dare to ask the Crown Prince to cook for them even if they had ten times the courage.
Yuan Heng settled down in the opera house and learned that they would move to a new place to make a living every three or four months. When they were not on stage, they would go to the fields to help the villagers work in exchange for food.
Now is the time to harvest wheat. Farm work is urgent and even children have to go to the fields to help. The accompanying local officials saw that Yuan Heng was not in a hurry to return to the palace, but instead changed into coarse cloth clothes and prepared to harvest wheat. They were so scared that they knelt down several times: "Your Highness, the court cannot be left without someone in charge, you, you stay here..."
"Yuan Ye is not young anymore, and he has the help of those old guys from the Imperial College. How about he share my worries for a few days?" Yuan Heng put on his hemp shoes slowly, obviously not intending to leave.
"This..." The local official hesitated to speak. The Eighth Prince was only two years older than Xiao Ziyuxu and was at the age when he loved to play. Why was his treatment so different?
In fact, Yuan Heng was quite good at cooking, but he knew almost nothing about farming. But he had been used to being in charge for two lifetimes and was not good at showing weakness. Even though his posture of holding the sickle was wrong, he still remained steady while standing on the edge of the field.
Xiao Ziyu had already changed into a neat black cloth suit, with his hair tied up high in a bun that swayed with every step. When he passed by with a basket in his hand, he immediately saw Yuan Heng's embarrassment and asked, "You don't know how to harvest wheat?"
The tone of questioning was naive, which made people feel embarrassed. Yuan Heng's men all looked away, fearing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would feel embarrassed afterwards and get rid of them as soon as possible.
Yuan Heng never showed off in front of him. He half bent down and looked at him straight in the eyes: "Then can you teach me?"
"It's very simple," Xiao Ziyu put down the basket and jumped into the field, saying as he demonstrated, "Just grab a handful at a time, press the wheat down first, and cut it from the roots, and that's it."
Yuan Heng looked at his profile. His skin was fair and delicate, his bones were three-dimensional, and his skin was slightly thin. He could only vaguely make out some of his grown-up appearance. If Xiao Ziyu had not been coerced by the King of Shu, he could have grown up safely. With his skills, he would surely have been seen by more people when he was in his prime.
Just as he was daydreaming, a hand suddenly waved in front of his eyes. The boy and the imaginary shadow almost overlapped, and even the tone of his voice was exactly the same: "Are you listening?"
"Hmm?" Yuan Heng came back to his senses and laughed softly, "I learned it."
"Then try cutting it once," Xiao Ziyu looked suspicious, as if he didn't understand why this person always liked to stare at him in a daze.
Yuan Heng really followed suit and cut off a handful swiftly. Xiao Ziyu patted the back of his hand: "You should hold the front half, otherwise you'll easily cut yourself."
Yuan Heng followed suit and changed his posture: "Is this okay?"
"It's okay," Xiao Ziyu finally agreed and ran to the fields to help his fellow brothers.
After a busy morning, the harvested wheat was finally piled up into a small hill. Yuan Heng's men were usually ruthless in killing and assassinating people, but they were exhausted by farm work. They sat in a row on the ridges of the fields, holding their backs.
Under the shade of the trees, several farm women who were in charge of cooking shouted loudly: "It's time to eat!"
The villagers in the fields gradually gathered here. A woman sat down next to a secret guard and said loudly, "You look very strong. Have you never done farm work like us?"
The secret guard had a long, shiny braid and a hot, full body. He was only seventeen or eighteen years old. He hesitated and didn't know where to look. Yuan Heng slapped him on the back of his head and said, "Can you grow up a little bit?"
Everyone seemed to be scrambling to get food. Yuan Heng relied on his height and long legs to stand in front and looked at the woman who was serving the food in front of him: "Can I do it myself?"
His eyebrows were sharp, and the slightest arc made him look affectionate. The girl had never seen such a scene before, so she handed over the spatula without thinking: "Okay, okay..."
Yuan Heng took a spatula and carefully picked up a few slices of lean meat and crispy vegetable leaves from the pot. The workers like to eat pork belly with a little fat. The girl asked, "You, you don't eat meat?"
Yuan Heng seemed to be talking to himself: "Not too much."
When the autumn heat comes down, even the wind becomes warm. Xiao Ziyu hid in the shade of a tree, wanting to wait for the crowd to disperse before going out to ask for food. The farmers' big pot meals were too greasy and he never liked them.
Yuan Heng squeezed out of the crowd and handed him a bowl of rice with both meat and vegetables: "Are you hungry?"
The meat slices were thin and tender, and the vegetables were crisp. He was a little surprised because he clearly had not revealed how the food tasted in front of Yuan Heng.
"What are you thinking about?" Yuan Heng raised his lips, "It's not poisonous."
Xiao Ziyu took the bowl and asked hesitantly, "Did you know me before?"
Yuan Heng ignored the question and said, "I'll take you to a place tonight."
The place they agreed to meet was a pleasure boat. Xiao Ziyu only knew that he was generous, but he didn't expect that he actually chartered an entire two-decker boat. The boatman rowed to the center of the lake. The lights on the shore were like stars, and the noise of tourists on the street not far away could be heard.
Yuan Heng stood with his hands behind his back. Xiao Ziyu walked up to him hesitantly and asked uncertainly, "Who are you?"
Yuan Heng turned his head, his wide robe sleeves fluttering in the night wind. He looked up at the sky and asked, "Do you like fireworks?"
"What?" Before Xiao Ziyu could react, a whoosh sound came from afar, followed by a gorgeous firework blooming in the sky.
He forgot his questions as his attention was drawn to the place. Daliang's secret guards hid in the bushes and lit up the fireworks one by one, one after another, overwhelmed. The stars in the sky are falling, it seems too beautiful to be real.
Just like the person who suddenly appeared, whether he was willing to admit it or not, he left a trace in his memory.
He suddenly didn't want to bother with the man's name, so he asked first, "Will you leave soon?"
Yuan Heng's expression was not clear in the night, but he tightened his jaw and said, "Yes, is there someone waiting for me?"
Without waiting for Xiao Ziyu to ask again, he continued, "A year later, someone will invite you to come to this pleasure boat to play music and entertain you. You must not show up. Just follow what I say and go north to Daliang."
Xiao Ziyu secretly took note of it, but was still surprised: "Are you from Liang?"
Yuan Heng nodded: "We will meet again if we are destined to do so."
There was another explosion in the sky. Xiao Ziyu looked up and saw that the fireworks were like a gorgeous net, covering the entire sky. When all the prosperity came to an end, he suddenly looked back and found that Yuan Heng was no longer on the boat.
Yuan Heng woke up from his sleep when he heard the sound of thunder and rain. The alarm clock had not rung yet, but it was only 6:15 in the morning.
The embrace was heavy. Xiao Ziyu curled up and opened his eyes. They looked at each other and said in unison: "I just had a dream."
Xiao Ziyu stared in amazement, only to hear Yuan Heng speak first: "I dreamed of you when you were a child."
Xiao Ziyu remained silent, he also dreamed of his childhood self, but he was trapped in that small body and unable to control his own body. Until Yuan Heng inexplicably appeared and took him to see a magnificent fireworks display.
He put his arm around Yuan Heng's neck and pulled him closer: "You said someone is waiting for you?"
Yuan Heng kissed his lips and said, "Yes, that is my dearest lover."
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