Xun Wu led the way, and the group arrived at a quiet and pleasant valley. After getting off the carriage, the young men stepped inside. Shi Lan looked around, wondering how to pass the time.
Xun Wu turned to look at her and suddenly said, "A-Lan, you come along too."
Shi Lan frowned, turned to look at the other young men, and saw that each of them was accompanied by one or two attendants, so she walked over.
The group arrived at the banquet venue and took their seats in turn.
Wang Liu sat in the first seat as a matter of course. It was only then that Shi Lan, who was standing to the side, saw what Wang Liu looked like.
His face was as white as jade, his eyebrows and eyes were delicate and clear, and his figure was tall and slender. When he sat upright on the couch, his back was straight, like a green bamboo that stood proudly against wind and rain. At this moment, his eyelids were half lowered, and although he did not speak, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned. His coldness turned into a faint warmth, like a rare warm jade quietly blooming with inner brilliance.
As the landlord, Xun Wu sat on the right-hand side, while the Xiang family had a legitimate daughter who entered the Wang family as a concubine. Although she was betrothed to a son-in-law from a collateral branch of the Wang family, compared to the other families, Xiang San naturally sat on the left-hand side, first seat.
The Lu family has always been superior to the Xun family, and Lu Er sat with Xun Wu at the lower end of his seat.
The Shan family is now in decline, but Shan Si is not convinced and does not want to be inferior to Liu Er, so he squeezes Liu Er out of the way and sits opposite Lu Er.
Liu Er frowned, glanced at Xun Wu who was equally dissatisfied, and slowly walked over to sit down below Lu Er.
In the central seat, Wang Liu wore a light blue robe with gold trim around the collar, which made his already fair face shine and revealed his inherent nobility and extravagance.
Wang Liu raised his eyebrows slightly, quietly watching the surging waves below. He understood in his heart, but his eyes remained calm and undisturbed.
The melodious sound of a zither drifted from afar. Wang Liu raised his cup in acknowledgment, and everyone followed suit, thus beginning the banquet.
As the sun rises high, the servants raise gossamer-thin gauze curtains. A gentle breeze stirs the curtains, and a group of gentlemen in long robes, all smiles, chatter about national and international affairs as they clink glasses.
Shi Lan stood quietly behind Xun Wu, listening to the crowd discuss the Northern Liang Kingdom, which was not far from Yi Kingdom and was led by the Yuan family.
As the crowd before her scoffed at the North's crudeness, rudeness, and utter lack of manners, Shi Lan glanced up at Wang Liu, who had only uttered a few words but hadn't said another.
Wang Liu seemed to notice her gaze and looked up at her.
Shi Lan quickly looked away and continued to stare at her toes.
As the sun began to set, the young men reluctantly dispersed, and Xun Wu, as the host, accompanied Xiang San and Wang Liu to their carriage.
Wang Liu stood by the carriage for a moment, then suddenly said, "This place is only about two hundred li from Beiliang Kingdom. Do you really think the Yuan family of Beidi is as insignificant as the gentlemen at the banquet have said?"
Xun Wu was taken aback, pondered for a moment, and then asked in return, "The Northern Liang Kingdom is located in a wild and uncivilized place. Although its people are fierce, they are uncivilized. How can they be feared by us?"
Wang Liu twitched the corner of his mouth, didn't answer, and climbed into the car on his own.
Xun Wu realized that his reply just now seemed to displease Wang Liu, but after careful consideration, he felt that what he said was right, and he was a little confused for a moment.
Turning back to look at Xiang San, seeing that Xiang San also looked puzzled, he had no choice but to give up.
Shi Lan lowered her eyes and thought to herself, "There has been very little rain this year. In the past few months, there have only been three or five light rains. This is the most critical period for the growth of crops. Without rain to irrigate, how can the crops grow?"
These young men, who do not farm but live in luxury every day and are surrounded by servants and guards, have no idea that the crops have probably already withered and died of drought.
The northern lands are very close to here, and the climate should be similar. Imagine what a group of hungry and fierce barbarians would do if they saw these weak young men who were squandering huge amounts of food.
The answer is self-evident. Wang Liu had clearly foreseen this, but these young men living in luxury were completely unaware. Even Xun Wu, who was in charge of affairs and had seen the world, was no exception.
The carriage clattered away into the distance. Xun Wu stood silently for a moment before returning to the carriage.
Upon returning to the Xun family, Shi Lan suddenly felt a sense of urgency. Every day, apart from her duty shifts, she would hide in her room to train her body. In just over a month, she had strengthened her skin and other physical abilities. When Commander Gu saw that her swordsmanship had improved again, he praised her and had the idea of recommending her to the family head.
Shi Lan was, after all, a nun. Commander Gu wanted the patriarch to see her value and bring her to his side. This way, whether it was marriage or serving as the patriarch's personal bodyguard, Shi Lan's situation would be much better.
Shi Lan was unaware of Commander Gu's thoughts. At this moment, she was plotting to find an opportunity to make a great contribution and then request to be removed from the register.
Summer arrived in the blink of an eye, and after a banquet, Xun Wu brought back news that Wang Liu was leaving.
When the eldest son of the Wang family was leaving, the Xun family, one of the five families here, naturally had to see him off. Xun Wu, who was in charge of family affairs, took the lead without hesitation. The other families also sent their sons, and noble ladies from the clans who had heard the news also insisted on coming. Thus, what was originally a simple farewell procession turned into a long convoy.
The group slowly made its way north. After two days, Shi Lan grew a little annoyed and turned to ask Yi, "Why are we being escorted so far?"
Yi said, "This area belongs to the four major families. If something happens to the eldest son of the Wang family here, no family can bear the responsibility. Therefore, we can only feel at ease if he is escorted away."
Shi Lan nodded and asked, "Where is the young master of the Wang family going?"
Yi touched his chin and said, "I heard we're going to Yancheng."
Shi Lan blinked, recognizing Yancheng as the closest city to the North and the territory guarded by the Xun family.
How far are we from here?
Yi scratched his head, unable to say exactly how far they had gone, only vaguely saying, "They've probably only gone about halfway by now."
Shi Lan nodded, not surprised by Yi's vague answer.
In this world, books are more precious than gold and silver. A family can be proud to have a hundred scrolls of books. As for geomancy, it is even rarer. Even a small or medium-sized family like the Xun family only has a palm-sized scroll, which is kept in a secret place by the family head and is rarely seen. Therefore, those of them who have traveled through this world can only make a rough estimate based on the number of days and the route they have taken. If it is really determined to be specific, none of them can say for sure.
The caravan of several hundred people traveled for another five days before finally arriving at an extremely simple city.
Since this place belonged to the Xiang family, Xiang San had just settled everyone in and hadn't even had a chance to rest when he heard a commotion outside.
Some guards at the entrance stopped him and questioned him sternly.
Standing in the courtyard, Shi Lan, who was asking if there were any vacant rooms, turned her head and saw a clay figure kneeling on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly and shouting for help.
A man quickly emerged from the inn, and before he could get close, another man followed him out. Shi Lan sized him up for a moment and, judging from his slightly more luxurious clothes compared to the other servants, quickly deduced that he must be from the royal family.
The two walked quickly to the clay figure, asked him a few questions, and then ordered someone to take him to wash up. The two quickly walked back, and Shi Lan squinted at their extremely solemn expressions, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
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