"Young Master Liu, if you recite another poem, I will grant you one request."
Five or six young and beautiful women surrounded Liu Bowen, their exquisite bodies partially concealed by gauze dresses, constantly rubbing against him.
"Okay, let's play another song then."
Liu Bowen's face had turned bright red, and there were six or seven wine jugs on the table in front of him. It was hard to tell whether he had drunk too much or was just surrounded by women.
However, it was clear that Liu Bowen was in a very good mood and thoroughly enjoyed being surrounded by the sounds of singing and laughter. Seeing the women around him urging him on, he was suddenly inspired to write a poem:
"A fine horse in a white fox fur coat, with jade bridle and golden reins. Guests and attendants like floating clouds, their every glance radiant. By morning they drive through the dusty streets, by evening they are drunk with courtesans in brothels."
They see the beauty of flowers and the moon, but know not the frost and snow that fall.
In later records, this poem was written by Liu Bowen as "A Young Man's Journey." If Li Boyang knew that this poem was actually created under such circumstances, he wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Young Master Liu is truly a man of exceptional literary talent."
"Young Master Liu is so amazing, I admire you so much."
As soon as Liu Bowen finished reciting the poem, the beautiful women around him all looked at him with admiration. These women in the painting were all courtesans who were literate, meaning they sold their art but not their bodies. They were all proficient in lyrics and music, and could naturally distinguish the quality of a poem and whether it was plagiarized.
Liu Bowen was clearly a man of genuine talent and learning; otherwise, these women wouldn't admire him so much. Judging from the way the women around him looked, they would probably offer themselves to him with just a flick of the wrist.
Seeing the women gather around again, Liu Bowen laughed heartily and said:
"Not at all, not at all. If it weren't for you ladies here, I wouldn't have been able to create this poem. It's all thanks to our joint efforts."
"Young master, I'd like to offer you a toast."
"Young master, I want one too!"
"Okay, okay, drink up, don't rush, one at a time."
With his face flushed, Liu Bowen leaned back in his chair, his legs propped up on the thighs of a beautiful woman. He grabbed a wine jug from the table and started chugging it down his throat, giving off the air of a dashing scholar.
"This is utterly incomprehensible."
Li Boyang watched Liu Bowen's absurd behavior, shook his head silently, ignored him, and turned to leave the pleasure boat. As for how Liu Bowen would get back, he could swim back when the kid sobered up.
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Chapter 128 Shen Family's Imperial Envoy
Spring goes and autumn comes, several years pass in cold and heat.
A year has passed in the blink of an eye.
The situation in the world was relatively calm this year, with no major changes, and the momentum of the anti-Yuan movement seemed to have declined.
The rebel army was still the same rebel army, but what had changed was that Guo Zixing's power had vanished, and the one who succeeded Guo Zixing was a rising leader named Zhu Yuanzhang.
Li Boyang's involvement was undoubtedly crucial in this.
A year ago, Li Boyang sent Liu Bowen to serve under Zhu Yuanzhang. Liu Bowen did not go empty-handed; he also brought with him 100,000 taels of silver sponsored by Shen Wansan.
Don't underestimate the value of 100,000 taels of silver. For Zhu Yuanzhang, who was in dire straits at the time, it was like sending charcoal in snowy weather. Liu Bowen thus gained Zhu Yuanzhang's favor.
It can only be said that Liu Bowen truly deserves the title of chief strategist. However, when he was with Li Boyang, many of his talents were unconsciously suppressed by Li Boyang and thus were not displayed.
Upon joining Zhu Yuanzhang's forces, his fortunes immediately changed dramatically.
In just three months, Liu Bowen became Zhu Yuanzhang's most important confidant. On Liu Bowen's advice, Zhu Yuanzhang did not rush to seize Haozhou, but instead turned his attention to Ma Zhilan and launched a love offensive, successfully taking over the mountain stronghold and marrying Ma Zhilan.
Who is Ma Zhilan? She is Guo Zixing's adopted daughter, also known as Empress Ma with Big Feet, who left her mark on history.
Guo Zixing had no children, only this one daughter, whom he loved dearly since she was a child.
Don't think this is a despicable trick. The fundamental reason why Zhu Yuanzhang was ostracized was that he lost Guo Zixing's support. By marrying Ma Zhilan, Zhu Yuanzhang regained Guo Zixing's trust.
Liu Bowen's plan could be described as unconventional, but it yielded the greatest benefit: Zhu Yuanzhang married Ma Zhilan, naturally becoming the nominal first in line to succeed Guo Zixing's power.
Guo Zixing's health had deteriorated, and he passed away six months later, passing the position of commander-in-chief to Zhu Yuanzhang. Liu Bowen had already planned for this.
Even before Guo Zixing showed any signs of impending death, he had already advised Zhu Yuanzhang to secretly prepare measures to pave the way for inheriting the rebel army.
As soon as Guo Zixing left, Zhu Yuanzhang immediately launched an attack, using the contingency plans he had made in advance to massacre the opposition and ruthlessly suppress the protests in the army. With the second round of aid from Shen Wansan, the soldiers who were about to mutinied were appeased with money and food.
With such a plan, Zhu Yuanzhang was able to successfully inherit Guo Zixing's legacy and establish himself. As Zhu Yuanzhang became the commander-in-chief of the rebel army, Liu Bowen naturally rose in status and became the most influential figure in the rebel army.
After Liu Bowen left, Li Boyang thought it over and over again and finally agreed to Shen Wansan's request, becoming a retainer of the Shen family.
The reason is simple: Shen Wansan proposed that the leader of the gang collect all the martial arts in the world as a condition for exchange, which was fatally attractive to him, who was stuck in the stage of mastering the Nine Yin Manual.
The efficiency of searching for martial arts manuals by oneself is completely different from doing things by relying on the power of a force, and Li Boyang was very clear about this.
After Li Boyang moved into the Shen residence, as time went by, word spread among the servants of the Shen residence, and everyone knew that an extraordinary person had moved into the Shen residence.
This extraordinary person led an extremely regular life.
Every day at the first light of dawn, this extraordinary man could be seen practicing martial arts in a courtyard of the Shen residence.
Every day after noon, you can always see a strange person quietly reading under the shade of the tree.
Every day when the moonlight hangs in the sky, this extraordinary man will sit cross-legged under the myriad stars.
After this eccentric man moved into the Shen residence, every so often a scholar-looking man would come to visit him with several guards, seemingly to ask him about some difficult problem. Each time, he would arrive with a bitter face and leave with a smile.
Besides the scholar, some renowned Confucian scholars in Jinling City also frequently visited the Shen residence to exchange literary ideas with the extraordinary man.