Chapter 180: Journey to Zhaoguo
On June 13th, the moon is half crescent.
A pair of very eye-catching "brothers" appeared in Taibai City, the westernmost city of Zhao State.
These two "brothers" are one tall and one short, one with broad shoulders and one with narrow shoulders, one with a cold face and the other with a warm face.
Both of them have slender figures and extraordinary bearing. They are obviously masters of martial arts.
He dresses elegantly but not flamboyantly, spends lavishly but does not show off his wealth, and acts in a very mysterious and low-key manner.
But the "brother" among the "brothers" seemed unhappy, especially when the "brother" called him, his face looked very unhappy.
"Brother Huo, would you like noodles or rice? And a bowl of salty soup?"
"Brother Huo, let's order some roast duck!"
"Brother Huo, we have lychee wine! Give me a jar!"
Yun Chen's stomach was growling with hunger. He sat in the restaurant, took out the menu and ordered a lot of food.
Huo Gannian was sitting next to her, watching her ordering food enthusiastically. He thought it was so cute that he couldn't help but smile.
But when he heard her calling him "Brother Huo" again and again, he couldn't laugh at all.
A few days ago, on the way back to Yancheng from Guying City, Huo Gannian and Yun Chen quietly left the team alone.
Ye Yan and Buyan continued to drive the horses, while Hua Jue disguised himself as Huo Gannian and took Huo Luyu on the journey.
When Huo Gannian and Yun Chen were about to leave, Huo Luyu hugged Yun Chen tightly and refused to let go.
In the end, Huo Gan had to give them a bowl of knockout drug and they were able to escape from Huo Luyu.
Combined with Huo Gannian's forbearing attitude in the face of Yan Shijiu's provocations in Guying City, and Donggong Ling's ruthless rebuke, everyone thought that Huo Gannian had returned to Yancheng in disgrace.
In fact, he and Yun Chen were on a mission and secretly headed east, passing through cities and customs along the way, crossing the eastern border of Nan Kingdom, and entering Zhao Kingdom from the west.
Because the matter was confidential and involved serious consequences, the two had to disguise themselves in order to travel more conveniently.
Huo Gannian suggested that she and Yun Chen pretend to be an ordinary young couple, but Yun Chen said that it would be too conspicuous for a woman to show up in public, and it would be best for her to dress as a man.
Seeing Yun Chen quickly changed into a men's outfit with a long robe and a waist belt, Huo Gannian felt a little disappointed.
Since both of them were wearing men's clothes, they could only pretend to be brothers.
Huo Gannian felt happy again and was just pricking up his ears, waiting to hear a soft and shy "brother", but Yun Chen opened his mouth and called out in a clear and loud voice "Brother Huo".
Every word was sonorous, powerful, dignified and upright, which made Huo Gannian's mind dizzy and all the pink bubbles were shattered.
"Brother Huo, eat quickly!" Yun Chen shouted again.
Huo Gannian sighed deeply and began to eat his meal.
Yun Chen ate quickly. After finishing his meal, he spread a one-foot square miniature map on the table and began to check the next route.
The map of Zhao State is very interesting. From the whole map, it is well-arranged and integrated. It is laid out using the Three Enclosures, Four Symbols and Twenty-Eight Mansions of the celestial phenomena.
The entire Zhao Kingdom was divided into three major parts: Ziweizhou, Taiweizhou and Tianshizhou in the north, middle and south.
There are four major counties in the continent according to the directions of east, south, west and north, namely the Eastern Qinglong County, the Western Baihu County, the Southern Suzaku County and the Northern Xuanwu County.
Each county governs seven important cities, for a total of four counties and twenty-eight cities.
Other prosperous small towns in the country are also named after the stars.
It is said that the court of Zhao State also used the names of Zuo Shu, Shao Zai, Shang Wei, Shao Fu, and San Gong as names of official positions, and established an imperial power system with orderly hierarchy and clear class distinctions.
Just by looking at this map, Yun Chen was quite impressed by the emperor of Zhao Kingdom. Apart from anything else, this emperor must be a master of urban planning and construction.
Combined with the free and prosperous people's livelihood scenes that I have seen along the way since entering Zhao State, the people live and work in peace and contentment, the towns and cities have prosperous commerce, and all cities, towns, villages and checkpoints are heavily guarded, but they do not disturb the people.
Just from what I saw and heard, I could see the wisdom of Emperor Zhaoguo.
Yun Chen pointed at the track on the map and said, "Next we have to go to Kuixing City, Comet City, and Yaoguang City..."
Huo Gannian continued, "Then it's the capital—Tianlang City."
"Zhao Kingdom is very small. We can reach Tianlang City in about half a month."
"Zhao State was once a fiefdom of the previous dynasty, and Nan State became an independent nation three years later."
"I see."
Huo Gannian and Yun Chen were discussing their journey in a low voice when a young lady in a silk skirt came over with a pipa in her arms and saluted. Her voice was as clear as a yellow cry and she said:
"My two lords, the wind is blowing brightly today. I would like to sing a song for you. Would you like to listen?"
Yun Chen looked at the girl, whose face was as white as a silver plate, with curved eyebrows, and her face was made up but looked simple, elegant and beautiful. Her eyes were as gentle as water, and he was stunned.
It wasn't until Huo Gannian snapped his fingers in front of her that she came to her senses.
The young lady playing the pipa could not help laughing, she covered her face with a smile and asked:
"You two gentlemen are from outside the country, right? Are you from the Southern Country?"
Huo Gannian suddenly became wary and squinted his eyes to look carefully at the young lady playing the pipa.
Yun Chen didn't notice anything, he was dazzled by the "beauty" for a moment and nodded in agreement:
"How can you be sure we are from Nan? We are clearly wearing the most fashionable clothes of Zhao Kingdom, and we don't speak with any accent. How can you be sure?"
Miss Pipa pointed at the map Yun Chen spread out on the table and said with a smile:
"We Zhao people never use maps. We just look at the stars and we know which direction to go. We never go wrong. Even a three-year-old child can tell the way by reading the stars. You two are holding maps, wearing new clothes and old boots. You are definitely not strangers!"
Yun Chen gave a thumbs up to show his admiration, while Huo Gannian's face turned slightly cold:
"Even if you know we are foreigners, how do you know we are from the Nan Country?"
Miss Pipa bowed again and said with a gentle smile:
"Then may I ask, sir, did I guess correctly? If not, I will sing a song for you two without your expense. If I guessed correctly, please reward me."
It turned out to be a little trick commonly used by singing girls. If they guessed correctly, they would get a reward. If they guessed incorrectly, they could still make people laugh, which was good news at least.
Yun Chen was not disgusted. He quickly dragged out a chair and asked the young lady playing the pipa to sit down. Then he sat back at the table and looked at her with stars in his eyes.
The young lady playing the pipa stretched out her water-green fingers and plucked the strings. The sound was like pearls falling on silver plates. She sang charmingly and movingly, which made people's bones almost melt.
Seeing that Yun Chen was so engrossed in listening and staring at the young lady playing the pipa without blinking, Huo Gannian briefly considered whether he should sign up for a talent class and learn to play the pipa.
"I didn't know you liked these?" Huo Gannian approached Yun Chen and whispered.
Yun Chen didn't even turn his head, still staring at Miss Pipa:
"Don't you think she's beautiful? Just looking at her is a delight. I'm so glad there are so many beauties in the world. It's not boring anymore."
Huo Gannian raised an eyebrow, "Is your soul taken away just like that?"
"Hehe..." Yun Chen smiled foolishly.
It was just a song. Huo Gannian didn't hear anything clearly. He just felt a sour feeling in his stomach.
He himself found it ridiculous that he would even be so jealous.
Yun Chen was still not satisfied, so he quickly took out the silver and handed it to the young lady with both hands.
The young lady didn't take it, but just lowered her head and smiled.
Yun Chen reacted and quickly put the silver on the table, and the young lady reached into her purse to pick it up.
She was a very polite girl. Judging from her dress, speech and behavior, she was both smart and decent. The pipa she was holding did not look like a cheap one. Huo Gannian's guard, which had just been let down, suddenly rose again.
He looked at the Pipa girl with scrutiny and asked:
"The girl looks educated, but why would she choose to sing in the streets? Perhaps her family has fallen on hard times, or something unexpected has happened that has forced her to make a living this way?"
This is probably the most common background, and the identity often used by classic spies in disguise.
Unexpectedly, the young lady just smiled:
"Although my family is not rich, we are wealthy. We have no shortage of money and have not suffered any misfortune."
Huo Gannian pressed on: "Then why are you singing for money?"
Yun Chen took over and replied:
"Just... because I like it, is that not okay?"
For the first time, Huo Gannian felt like he was being bullied by a "pig teammate".
The young lady looked surprised, and her eyes lit up instantly when she looked at Yun Chen.
Completely unaware of Huo Gannian's wide-open eyes, as if facing a formidable enemy, Yun Chen continued with a smile:
"The girl must not like being cooped up in the house, so she came out to sing. I'm so glad that she didn't have a sad life story. This is perfect."
The young lady bowed solemnly and respectfully, and said with bright eyes:
"My humble daughter knows Luo, and it is a pleasure to meet you, sir."
Yun Chen clasped his fists and saluted, and was about to give his name when Huo Gannian pulled him up and said hurriedly:
"We have something important to do, so we have to go on a journey—a long journey and we won't come back. Please do as you please, young lady!"
After saying that, without caring about Yun Chen at all, Huo Gannian immediately half pushed and half hugged Yun Chen and left the restaurant.
Only the pipa-playing lady Zhiluo was left standing there, still looking at Yun Chen's back with reluctant eyes.
Yun Chen was pushed onto the horse by Huo Gannian and asked in confusion:
"Brother Huo, what's wrong with you?"
Huo Gannian did not answer, but curled his lips unhappily. He jumped on his horse and ran forward. Yun Chen had to catch up with him.
Along the way, Huo Gannian whipped the horse so hard that it made a rustling sound, and the horse ran without touching the ground.
Yun Chen followed with some difficulty.
Yun Chen didn't understand why Huo Gannian's mood suddenly changed, but after being his bodyguard for so many years, he was already used to it, so he didn't say anything and just followed him silently.
They drove in a hurry for most of the day. When they were about to reach the gate of Kuixing City, Huo Gannian suddenly stopped his horse and Yun Chen almost bumped into him.
She blinked her bright eyes and asked with concern:
"Brother Huo, what's wrong? Is there something wrong?"
Seeing that she was fine and her heart was not aroused at all, Huo Gannian was so angry that his teeth ached.
He asked, "What is our relationship?"
She thought he was asking about his current disguise in Zhao State, so she said:
"Isn't it... Big Brother and Little Brother? You are Big Brother Huo, and I am your Little Brother Yun, right?"
He closed his eyes and swallowed the blood in his throat.
What a great "Brother Yun"! What a wonderful "Brother Yun"!
He said no more, but rode his horse into the city to find an inn, his face darker than the sky that was about to fall.
She scratched her head in confusion, not knowing what she had said wrong again.
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