"In order to get her, you used despicable means to send her husband into exile... Oh! Her husband's name is Lin Chong... Doesn't this name sound familiar?"
"Lin...Lin Chong?"
"He was the instructor of the 800,000-man Imperial Army, possessing the courage of ten thousand men. Because his head resembled a leopard, the people of Tokyo, knowing how to pronounce it, nicknamed him Leopard Head... Tsk tsk! Leopard Head Lin Chong, what a domineering name."
Gao Yanei scratched his head and thought for a long time, but he couldn't remember the guy with a head like a leopard.
He grabbed Zhang Shixun's horse reins and asked angrily, "Who said that?"
"This birdman is called Shi Naian." Zhang Shixun said seriously.
"Shi Naian..." Gao Yanei muttered a few words, then jumped off his horse and hopped over, saying, "Where does this fellow live? Tell me now! Ah, bah! How dare he ruin my reputation like this? I'm going to find him now, and I'll tear his beak apart."
"I don't know where Shi Naian lives." Seeing how furious he was, Zhang Shixun began to doubt: Could it be that this guy is not as terrible as described in Water Margin?
Gao Yanei was so angry that he kicked the door of a roadside shop.
"Young Master, be careful not to damage other people's facades, or you'll have to pay for it," Zhang Shixun reminded him kindly.
"I'm kicking, I'm kicking!" Gao Yanei kicked again, but this time he didn't control the strength well and kicked a little hard, causing him to grimace in pain.
The attendant Gao Wu quickly ran up to him and fawned over him humbly: "Yanei, if you're angry, just kick me."
"Get out!" Gao Yanei pushed Gao Wu away and limped forward without even riding his horse.
Seeing that the Imperial Street was ahead, Zhang Shixun jumped off his horse and handed the reins to the follower behind him.
Gao Yanei kept asking Shi Naian where he was from and where he lived.
"Don't ask, I won't tell you." Zhang Shixun laughed and said, "Since you didn't do it, you're not afraid of what others say. This is what they call doing nothing wrong and not being afraid of ghosts knocking on your door."
"I'm very angry." Gao Yanei said angrily.
The road ahead was getting wider and wider. Zhang Shixun roughly estimated that it was about two hundred meters wide, and he couldn't help but click his tongue.
Even in later times, the width of this Imperial Street would not be much worse than Chang'an Avenue.
Gao Yanei pointed ahead and said, "If you go any further, the middle imperial road will be closed. That's where officials can only use it for traveling or attending court. Everyone else can only use the black forks on both sides."
The so-called black painted railings are black railings.
Looking at the Xuande Tower, Zhang Shixun wondered what the ridiculous Emperor Zhao Ji was doing in there at the moment. It wasn't completely dark yet, so he probably wouldn't be making trouble for the concubines in the harem.
According to historical records, Zhao Ji had a strong fertility and fathered seventy or eighty children in his lifetime.
Being captured by the Jin people did not stop him from having children. The women around him gave birth to more than a dozen children for him. However, it is not known how many of them were his own. It is said that the Jurchens were very happy to help in this regard and gave him green hats one after another.
Gao Yanei saw him looking at Xuande Tower like an idiot, so he pulled him and said, "Don't look at it stupidly. It's time to turn east. The corner is East Cross Street. When you get there, you're very close to Zhongwa."
"What are we going to Zhongwa for? Aren't we going to the Lotus Pavilion?" Zhang Shixun was puzzled.
"The Lotus Pavilion is in Zhongwa."
"oh!"
Zhang Shixun walked and looked along the way, his ears filled with noisy sounds.
There are all kinds of miscellaneous goods, such as medicine sellers, second-hand clothes sellers, fortune tellers, paper cutters, and candy figurines sellers. It is dazzling and overwhelming...
Compared with Jieshen, the goods here are more popular.
"Brother, should we go around first, or go straight to listen to Madam Ding sing?" Gao Yanei asked Zhang Shixun.
"Is there any need to ask? Since you have come here specifically to listen to Ding Dusai sing, of course you should go directly to the Lotus Pavilion." Zhang Shixun answered casually while looking around.
"Okay." Gao Yanei was indifferent. He came here to play with Zhang Shixun, and his purpose was to make this guy happy.
There were crowds of people in front of the lotus shed, and Gao Yanei pushed through the crowd and squeezed to the door.
The gatekeeper had sharp eyes and saw that it was Gao Yanei who arrived. He immediately nodded and bowed to greet him, "So it's Gao Yanei who has arrived. I am honored to meet you."
Gao Yanei casually threw him a few copper coins and said arrogantly, "Stop talking nonsense. I brought a friend here today. Hurry up and arrange a good seat inside."
"Don't be anxious, Yanei. This show hasn't started yet. Please go in first. I will arrange a seat for you right away and I will make sure you are satisfied." The doorkeeper took the wine and food from Gao Yanei's hand attentively and bowed to invite them in.
After entering the lotus shed, Zhang Shixun was immediately shocked by the scene inside.
The venue was hung with lanterns, lighting up the entire place.
The rows of seats were already packed with people.
The bustle in the lotus shed was beyond Zhang Shixun's expectations.
A middle-aged steward ran over and said to Gao Yanei with a smile, "Yanei, please come this way. There are a few good seats available in the viewing booth up front. They were originally reserved by His Royal Highness Prince Yi, but unfortunately he couldn't come due to something... Hehe! Yanei, this is what they call arriving early is worse than arriving at the right time."
"A blessing is never too late." Gao Yanei threw him a hundred coins and nodded, "Lead the way."
The steward attentively led the two of them to sit in the center of the front row.
Gao Yanei asked his followers to place the food on the small table and waved his hand to let them help themselves.
The spectators in the surrounding private seats were all well-dressed and obviously people of status.
"Yanei, long time no see. What have you been busy with recently?" A sturdy young man waved and greeted Gao Yanei from across a few seats.
"Oh! It's He Dalang. I've been very busy lately and have been busy all day long. I haven't had time to relax. Today I have some free time, so I came here to play with my friends." Gao Yanei responded with a smile.
"I have wine and meat here. Would you like some?" He Dalang invited politely.
"I have some with me, no need." Gao Yanei bowed to him, turned his head and whispered to Zhang Shixun, "This fellow is the eldest son of He Guan, the chief officer of the Imperial Guard's Infantry Division. His name is He Ji."
"The Imperial Guards' Infantry Division?"
"The Infantry Division is also one of the Three Yamen." Gao Yanei saw that Zhang Shixun didn't understand and patiently explained, "The Palace Front Division, the Infantry Division, and the Cavalry Division are collectively known as the Three Yamen. They are all the imperial guards."
"Oh, I see."
"He Dalang's father, General He, was a formidable figure," Gao Yanei introduced. "He was a true military scholar, a master of martial arts, and his archery skills were truly remarkable. He was arguably the best in the Song Dynasty."
"The best in archery?" Zhang Shixun became excited when he heard it.
"When General He was young, he was fighting against the Liao people. The Liao soldiers stood outside the range of arrows and provoked him. General He drew his bow and shot arrows, and every arrow hit its mark. He shot several Liao soldiers in a row, frightening them and making them flee in panic. Afterwards, when the Liao soldiers returned, they were amazed to see that some of the arrowheads were embedded in the stones. Even the Liao general Xiao praised his archery skills as unparalleled."
"The arrowhead is stuck in the stone? That's too exaggerated, right?" Zhang Shixun didn't believe it.
"It's absolutely true. I'm not exaggerating at all."
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