Chapter 8
A cool breeze blew in through the window, and Shen Yi realized that he had broken out in a cold sweat. He clenched his trembling fingertips and temporarily asked the few people who remained in the room to leave.
He squatted down, looked up at Liu Qianshan's hazy eyes, and although he spoke very softly, he paused and asked slowly, "When did the fighting in the west start?"
Liu Qianshan was completely drunk and could not utter a single complete sentence. "Every year... I don't want to go... I don't want to be an official..."
He stood up again with the help of a chair and continued to look for the wine cup on the table. Seeing that there was still some wine left in it, he sat down again and continued to drink quietly.
Chen Yi stood there, sighing at the sight of Liu Qianshan, completely drunk. The alcoholic odor in the room had become a disturbing smell. He turned and went downstairs, calling a waiter to help look after the drunk who was still begging for drinks in the side room.
He was even a little dazed. He found a corner and sat down alone, with his fingertips touching the steaming teacup, feeling the stinging pain from the scorching heat.
How could Longxi start fighting again? At this time, especially at this time, late autumn has just begun. Even Liu Qianshan knows the news, so it must be more than just a small fight.
Shen Yi buried his face in his palms, slowly sorting out the questions that were about to burst out. As for the other things Liu Qianshan said, they were just some nonsense. If something really happened, Liu Zongzheng would not ignore him.
As for him, since Shen Qian and I were both disgusted with each other, it was understandable that he was unwilling to tell me right away. But what about Mrs. Huo? Didn't his mother know about it?
Did his grandfather know that such a thing happened in his former base? Did he know that there would be another war to be fought this year?
Then he was convinced by himself again. What came out of Liu Qianshan's mouth was biased to begin with, not to mention that he was obviously drunk just now.
Perhaps it was just a rumor that had spread by mistake, or perhaps it was similar to the battles in previous years, and the court would naturally send some unimportant people over - if that person was determined to eliminate the dissident party, it would be just right to send these people from aristocratic families.
Chen Yi was not as afraid of leaving Chang'an City as Liu Qianshan, but when it came to whether he was afraid of death or not, he would crawl back from the west no matter what. He still had his mother, his sister and his grandfather.
If I go there myself, I might be able to feed my grandfather's old friend for him. But I don't know if the eagle will still recognize the people of the Huo family. He only tasted a little bit of the wind and sand in Longxi from the occasional meal, and he has never experienced it himself.
Shen Yi drank half a cup of cooled tea and rinsed out the alcohol from his mouth. He suddenly thought of Liu Qianshan's words "save me" and couldn't help but laugh. His companion was probably really confused, or maybe he was just using his drunkenness to get closer to him.
However, if something really happens, he will not stand idly by. If he can help, he will naturally help and do a favor.
After being interrupted like this, Shen Yi felt that he could no longer sort out his messy thoughts. He went to the shopkeeper and gave him one more instruction to close the door and send Liu Qianshan back to the sect. Someone would naturally come to pay him when the time came. Then he went to look for his horse.
The white horse lowered its head to chew the hay in the stable, and struggled a few more times when he put the bridle back on it. Shen Yi gently stroked the horse's back and adjusted the saddle before leading it out.
Riding his horse through the streets and alleys, Shen Yi felt that the smell of alcohol on his body had been blown away, and he was once again stained with the dusty air of Chang'an City and continued to run.
Whether he knew it or not, it was impossible for Longxi to send another general there. He still vaguely remembered that when he asked his grandfather why he didn't go back to Longxi a few years ago, the old man just remained silent.
He asked once, then remained silent. Later, he seemed to understand this gradually and stopped asking questions.
Chen Yi returned to the Marquis' Mansion and borrowed the oil lamp used by the servants to keep watch at night and walked into his own room. He lit the candle with his own hands and watched the flames swaying constantly.
He remembered that there were other things he should have kept in mind when it came to Longxi, like his grandfather's promise to find him a young eagle to teach him how to train one, and the fact that after he came of age, the old man would personally teach him how to use a spear...
Chen Yi took off his shoes and socks, lay on the bed, resting his head on his arms, thinking about these promises, and felt a rare sense of joy.
He gradually closed his eyes and dreamed of what his grandfather had told him. Perhaps it was a story he had heard a long time ago, or perhaps some things were brought up again this year.
The sandstorms in Longxi are as turbid as the wine over there. The cities on the border between the Han and the Hu people are always filled with life and death and fighting. The mountains in Longxi are high and majestic. In late autumn, the white on top begins to grow downwards, which means that snow has begun to fall on the top of the mountain. The rivers in Longxi will freeze into very thick ice in winter, and it is difficult for people standing on them to maintain balance and avoid falling.
Of course, his maternal grandfather was one of them. That silver spear had pierced countless armors and plundered countless heads, its red tassel replaced time and again, now gathering dust on a shelf in the general's mansion.
The old man would only pick up the silver spear and dance for another half an hour when he remembered.
But that night, he seemed to see a new red tassel on the silver spear, fluttering in the wind, fluttering on the horse's back, and continuing to return to Longxi with his grandfather.
He knew that his grandfather would always be invincible and would catch an eagle for him from the dazzling sandstorms of Longxi. The high-hanging general's flag would never fall.
Perhaps because he forgot to close the window tightly, the wind continued to make noises that disturbed him in the middle of the night, so Shen Yi did not sleep very soundly. He felt as if he had suddenly been pulled out of his dream, and after a moment of confusion, he fell asleep again.
But he could no longer dream of those things, those wars and battles that were only told by others, those vast heroic spirits that came from the north and only existed in the north, those white mountains that were connected into one piece, and the frozen bloodstains illuminated by the moonlight.
The light leaking in from the window shone on his face. Shen Yi wanted to raise his forearm to block the light, but he found that his arm was a little stiff from sleeping. He wiped his face, turned his gaze to the clepsydra clock in the room, calculated the time, and hurriedly got up.
A'niang should have woken up a long time ago, and today is not Chen Qian's day off, so I won't run into him if I go out now.
He paused, remembering his mother's previous instructions. Now that his elder sister had entered the palace, it made no difference whether he could go to the Huo Mansion or not.
Chen Yi let the maid tie his hair and looked at himself in the bronze mirror. The remaining drunkenness from yesterday had completely dissipated, but there was still a hint of indulgence on his face - after a while, the old man should not be able to see it after the cold wind blew.
He quickly drank some meat soup and picked another well-rested horse. He reached out and touched the faded bridle. He happened to be going to the Huo Mansion today and could just steal some new horse harness from the old man.
Thinking of this, Shen Yi smiled and then shook his head, turned around and rushed to the general's mansion.
There was a new waiter on duty in front of the mansion. He was a sharp-eyed man and recognized that the horse Shen Yi was riding was brought back from Huo's mansion. He stepped forward and took the horse for him.
"The young marquis is here." He turned around and shouted towards the mansion, with a smile on his face as he walked in to meet Shen Yi.
Shen Yi walked through the courtyard with ease, heading to see the steward feeding the horses. The most important daily task in the general's mansion was feeding the horses. "The young marquis is here," the steward pounded his waist. He didn't even look up at the footsteps, but simply clambered onto the horse's back and patted it.
"Are you here to ask for a horse again?" Shen Yi walked to the side and followed the steward's instructions, pretending to be ready to choose a horse. "I'm not asking for a horse, I'm here to ask for some wine. Can the old steward point me to a place?"
After the steward had finished feeding the horses, seeing that he had no intention of picking on the horses, he was willing to say some kind words. "The general has just been urgently summoned to the palace, and the young marquis is already asking for wine," he said, drawing out his words and letting out a hoarse laugh. "He really is here to take the lives of us old fellows."
Shen Yi knew that he had always loved horses, so he couldn't get any other information from him. He just said that he wanted to send the horse back to the general's mansion to raise it for a few more days. After making the old steward happy, he walked into the courtyard.
The old man had stayed in Longxi until he was appointed a general. He refused to plant any flowers in his garden, only tall weeping willows or poplars. The autumn wind whistled past, blowing the branches. Shen Yi reached out and grabbed the willow branch that was about to hit him in the face, and picked off the yellowed, dead leaves.
The weeds beside the tree were growing vigorously, and insects were chirping in the sad autumn sound, but he never saw where the little creature making the sound was hiding.
Shen Yi did not think about the urgent edict in detail, and just thought that the person suddenly had the idea to continue testing his grandfather. He had not done anything in the first place, so he was innocent in testing the old man again.
Seeing that they couldn't invite him to sit inside, the waiter placed a pot of hot tea and some snacks by the pavilion and said, "Young Marquis, if you have anything to do, please feel free to tell us."
Shen Yi continued to walk around the courtyard with his hands behind his back. When he saw some broken bricks and tiles and was about to take note of them, he unexpectedly recalled his childhood.
That must have been when he was very young. He could only walk with the old man holding his hand, and pointed at the butterflies passing through the courtyard through the high wall. As for later -
He couldn't quite remember whether he had caught the butterfly in the end. He just remembered that the old man held his legs and lifted him up, and he sat on the wall, shaking his legs and laughing, calling "Grandpa" incoherently.
Thinking of this, Shen Yi curled his lips. He walked for a long time before he was willing to sit down in the pavilion to rest. The tea in the cup had already cooled down, so he only took two or three sips to quench his thirst.
Today, the sun was clear and the light from the sky was even warmer than usual. He almost wanted to take another nap in the pavilion.
Just then, the sound of wheels could be heard outside the door, and the waiter shouted into the mansion at the top of his voice, "The old general has returned from the court—"
Chen Yi stood up and lightly adjusted his robe with his hand. He glanced at the dust that had accidentally rubbed off on the corner of his clothes and put his hand down again. He simply sat in the pavilion and waited for the old man to walk in before bowing.
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