Chapter 164: Liu Rushi (Please subscribe and play)
No words were spoken that night.
The next morning.
Zhao Huan stretched comfortably. It felt so good to sleep until he woke up naturally. He was reminded to get up at noon.
Looking through history books, few diligent emperors lived long lives; all of them died from overwork.
He changed into a long silk gown and tied a jade pendant the size of a girl's palm around his waist. He looked like a handsome and elegant young man.
But the young man's actions at this moment were not very romantic. Zhao Huan squatted in front of the flower bed in the courtyard, holding a large blue and white tea bowl in his left hand and a pig-bristle toothbrush in his right hand, which he dipped in coarse salt grains and poked in his mouth, while chatting vaguely with Shao Chengzhang who was in the same posture beside him.
"Shao Chengzhang, what do you think is the most important thing in the martial arts world?"
"I believe that when walking in the underworld, loyalty is paramount. If you want to make it in the underworld, you must make friends all over the world."
"Xiao Ah Si, what do you think?" Zhao Huan asked the little guard behind him.
Xiao A Si, whose real name was Zhao Si, was affectionately called Xiao A Si by everyone because he was the youngest among all the guards.
"Your Majesty, I believe that the most important thing for a swashbuckling martial artist is strong martial arts skills. Without these skills, you'll easily get beaten to death if you stand up for justice. The martial arts world is full of ruthless people."
"Little Ah Si, please keep this a secret. Outside the palace, you must address me as Young Master."
"Mr. Zhao?" Little Ah Si called out tentatively.
"You're so clueless! I told you to keep it a secret, and yet you still call me Master Zhao."
"Then what should I call you?" Little Ah Si scratched his head. He was really not good at thinking.
Zhao Huan took a big sip of water to wash away the coarse salt particles in his mouth, and then spat out the water in his mouth with a "ah" sound.
"In the martial arts world, the most important thing is not to be loyal and make friends, nor to have superb martial arts skills and be a hero."
"When traveling in the martial arts world, the most important thing is to create a fake account for yourself. Using your real identity to travel the martial arts world is too dangerous."
"What if someone promises to marry you after you do good things? What if someone hunts you down after you do bad things? What if someone curses you behind your back every day, even if they pose no threat to you? What if someone stabs you with a needle?"
"Then what's the point of traveling around the world? A passing goose leaves its name behind, a passing person leaves his voice behind. Even if you make a big name, not many people will know about it." Little Ah Si disagreed.
"When we travel the Jianghu, we pursue freedom and the pleasure of settling scores. Fame is vulgar. People may call you a hero in front of others, but they may not necessarily say what they will say about you behind your back."
"Outside the palace, I am Chu Liuxiang, and you all call me Master Jia, do you hear me?" Zhao Huan said to Shao Chengzhang and Xiao Asi.
"Understood, Your Majesty... Young Master Jia."
"That's right, brush your teeth before meals and rinse your mouth after meals. Let's go eat!" Zhao Huan patted Xiao A Si's shoulder and walked forward in a leisurely manner.
"You'd better be more careful, Xiao A Si, and stop growing muscles." Shao Chengzhang followed suit, patted Xiao A Si's shoulder, and walked away shaking his head.
After a while, little Ah Si took big strides and chased after the two of them.
"Oi, wait for me."
We had a very pleasant breakfast, consisting of an ordinary four dishes and a soup.
Pickled cucumbers, pickled cabbage, tofu with green onions, scrambled eggs, the soup is spicy soup, and the staple food is scallion pancakes.
Little A Si arrived the latest and ate the most. He ate half a bowl of spicy soup, eight scallion pancakes, and some side dishes. He finished 80% of the total amount by himself.
"Little Ah Si, if your parents hadn't sent you to the prince's mansion, your three brothers would probably have starved to death." Shao Chengzhang teased.
"Then I'll eat less next time." Little Ah Si scratched his head innocently.
"No need, you will all be rich soon, and then you can even eat with your helmet." Zhao Huan simply described the happy life in the future to Xiao A Si. When others can't get enough to eat, you can eat with your helmet. It's simple and plain.
Xishan, as the name suggests, is the mountain range to the west of Bianliang City.
In reality, Xishan lies northwest of Bianliang City. It forms the northern remnant of the Taihang Mountains, located in the present-day Haidian, Mentougou, and Shijingshan districts. Nestled between mountains and water, the Wuding River runs through it, dividing it into two parts, north and south. The now-famous Xiangshan Mountain lies to the north of the Wuding River.
In the Complete Tang Poems, there is a not-so-famous poet who wrote a battlefield poem that moved even ghosts and gods.
"I vowed to wipe out the Xiongnu without caring about my own life, and lost five thousand sables and silks in the dust of the barbarians. My bones are pitiful by the Wuding River, but I am still the man in my dreams."
The Wuding River in Chen Tao's poem "Longxi Xing" is not the same as the Wuding River in Xishan. The Wuding River in the poem is in the Yulin area in northern Shaanxi today, flowing from northwest to southeast into the Yellow River.
The Bianliang City of the Song Dynasty is located in a ring of today's Bianliang, about 25 kilometers away from Xishan.
In China 400 years ago, the rich and powerful rode horses when traveling, while the gentry and landlords drove cattle and donkeys, and ordinary people relied on their two feet.
Zhao Huan, Shao Chengzhang and Xiao Asi, leading two horses, left the mansion and headed straight for the West Mountain.
Why two horses?
Because Zhao Huan couldn't ride a horse.
Xiao A Si drove the carriage, and Shao Chengzhang followed slowly on horseback.
In the Song Dynasty, no one had put forward the slogan "If you want to get rich, build roads first", and the road from Bianliang to Xishan was particularly difficult to travel.
The road was uneven and overgrown with weeds, so in order to avoid being too bumpy, the carriage could only move forward slowly.
Zhao Huan looked at the outside world through the window of the carriage with great interest.
This world has no industrial pollution, no car exhaust, no factory emissions of harmful gases, no billowing black smoke from burning coal, and naturally no products of modernization.
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