Fanfiction 10: Dream of Beijing - Chu Ming Huai Li
On the night when the capital was officially moved to Yanjing, Yang Yizhong had a very long dream.
The Jin Dynasty was destroyed, the imperial treaty was signed, and the northern border was settled. It took several more years of planning and construction to slowly move the capital here. After the dust settled, the emperor held a banquet in the palace rebuilt with the old objects of the original Jin Dynasty imperial city, and almost got drunk. Yang Yizhong and Shao Chengzhang, one on each side, helped the emperor back to Zhaoming Palace (Note 1) from the Da'an Hall where the banquet was held. They clearly heard the emperor talking nonsense, such as "an ordinary college student", "I'm back in the capital", "the imperial capital is now like this", "do you want to build the Forbidden City? Forget it, it's too expensive..."
Shao Chengzhang looked bewildered, and Yang Yi had thousands of thoughts in his mind, but he said nothing. He just held his breath and listened to the official's dream talk gradually replaced by snoring. He returned to his own residence and was suddenly moved.
The capital had been relocated, Yanyun had been completely recovered, and the foundation for the great cause had been laid. The alcohol had made his head dizzy, and now he thought of the old dream of Tokyo before Jingkang, the turbulent first year of Jianyan, and the national hatred and family feuds on Bagong Mountain, which made him feel dazed and he didn't know what day and year it was, or where he was in the dream.
Yang Yizhong was awakened by the bright lights while he was half asleep. He opened his eyes and found himself standing in front of a building that was taller than he had imagined. In front of him was a huge box with six wheels. A dozen young men in their twenties were lining up to walk in. They were dressed strangely. The men had short hair and shaved heads, while the women were dressed quite boldly, with their shoulders, necks, arms and thighs exposed. Judging from their expressions, they didn't seem to mind.
"Zhao Jiu, get in the car quickly!" After everyone got into the box, an older man leaned out of the box and said, "We've been waiting for you!" His accent was quite similar to the northern dialect. Although there were subtle differences, I could still barely understand a few words.
When Yang Yizhong first heard the name "Zhao Jiu", he was not too surprised, thinking it was a homonym. However, the familiar voice that sounded immediately startled him, and he subconsciously wanted to call the official.
"Here I come!" A young man with a backpack trotted over and jumped into the box in two steps. Yang Yizhong followed him subconsciously. The man was not short, but still looked a little thin. His facial features were not similar to those of the official, but his demeanor was somewhat like that of the official... No, Yang Yizhong's eyes fell on the big-headed duck on the other's clothes, holding its head and looking dull. He suddenly doubted his eyesight. Why did he feel that this duck was somewhat similar to the official?
Yang Yizhong also entered the box, but the people in the box seemed not to see him. Zhao Jiu ran to the last row with his bag and sat down. The elder waved to the middle-aged man in the front row holding a strange round plate and said, "We are all here, Master, please drive."
The box suddenly moved. Yang Yizhong fell forward unexpectedly. He subconsciously held onto the seat, but saw his hand pass through it without any obstruction. He stood firm and found that his feet were also floating on the ground.
This must be a dream. Yang Yizhong moved to the back row and waved in front of the young man named "Zhao Jiu", but the other party did not respond. He was immediately relieved. Since it was a dream, then everything didn't matter. He just had to do whatever he wanted.
He cast his eyes out the window and could not take his eyes away. Although it was night, the lights on the street were still shining brightly. There was a bridge flying in the air on the wide road, and I didn't know what it was used for. At the intersection, there were lights that automatically changed colors to indicate the direction, red, green, orange and yellow, in an orderly manner. There were tall buildings on the street, and although the shops were not open, there were colorful lights flashing in front of the doors, which looked like neon lights from a distance. Although the street was dark, you could see that there were green trees and flowers in full bloom, a magnificent scene.
It was a strange sight. Yang Yizhong suspected that he had come to some magical world, but he found some familiar names on the roadside signs, such as Yuyuantan, Lianhuachi, and even a "Jinzhongdu Road" (Note 2). "What you think about during the day, you dream about at night." He said to himself that in the past few days, as the officials looked at the map around Zhongdu, he had to engrave these place names into his mind, and they would even appear in his dreams.
The "wheel box" sped along the road for an unknown period of time, and Yang Yizhong suddenly saw the city tower that he had sketched thousands of times in his mind. It jumped out of the small coin and suddenly had color. In the dim morning light, he saw the golden roof, red walls, big red lanterns, and the portraits hanging high with dignified and kind faces. Isn't this the hometown of the official family?
Bewilderedly, he followed the group out of the car and looked around, only to find that although it was early in the morning, the wide square behind him was packed with people. There were also a few people wearing Han costumes, vaguely recognizing upper robes, pleated skirts, and jackets, but it did not look like the style of the Song Dynasty.
What were so many people doing here so early in the morning? Were they going to enter the city? But there were only towers but no city walls. There were towers and terraces not far away, so it was obvious that they were in the city. This city within a city… He was moved. Could it be the palace city in the capital? Before he could figure it out, everyone in the box had come out. The older man who led the team counted, raised a small flag with the words "XXXX University Summer Cultural and Museum Practice" written on it, and walked towards the monument that towered into the sky in the center of the square.
This is where the official family came from. Yang Yizhong walked beside the young man named "Zhao Jiu", and his mind was full of thoughts. Could this person be the official family? Although the appearance was different, the voice and name were too coincidental.
He decided to continue observing. At this time, it was convenient for the other party not to see him. Yang Yizhong followed the yawning students all the way to the center of the square. This group of young people included both men and women, chatting and laughing with each other. The women here seemed to be quite unrestrained, able to travel freely and communicate with men. And the so-called "university" on the flag seemed to allow women to study... I just don't know what kind of institution this university is, is it similar to the Imperial College? Or is it similar to the Academy? No matter what, it is a place to study and learn.
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