La vie des gens de la campagne en ville sous la dynastie Song

Chapitre 93

Zhao Jiu and Zhao Jin both looked at him. The man in black was smiling brightly, his lips red and teeth white. Unexpectedly, Zhao Jin reached out his hand. He was surprised to touch something soft and withdrew his hand.

"Oh. It's a woman's place."

Zhao Jin was dressed as a man. The man in black blushed and immediately drew his sword, shouting angrily, "Disgusting!"

Suppressing his surprise, Zhao Jiu stopped her knife and said, "Miss, my sister did not mean to offend you."

The woman in black was also taken aback. She looked closely at Zhao Jin and realized that beneath the men's clothing was clearly a woman.

When Zhao Jin saw someone dressed as a man like herself, she warmly took the woman's hand and asked, "What's your name?"

The woman in black, mindful of having just been saved by Zhao Jiu and finding Zhao Jin kind and approachable, didn't stand on ceremony and said, "My name is Liu Ling'er. Thank you for your help, brother!"

Zhao Jiu said, "So you are Miss Liu. No need for such formalities."

The three walked and chatted along the riverbank. When Zhao Jiu asked Liu Ling'er why she was traveling alone, Liu Ling'er stammered, "Ever since the beginning of the year, my mother has been nagging me to marry. But I've always wanted to explore the world, so I decided I had to go out and make my own way before I got married!"

Zhao Jiu felt that what she was doing was inappropriate and said, "You left home alone? Aren't you afraid your family will worry?"

Liu Ling'er lowered her head and said, "But...but I must see that person..."

Zhao Jin asked, "Who are you seeing? Your sweetheart?"

Liu Ling'er was extremely embarrassed. She pushed Zhao Jin and said, "I don't have a sweetheart. He's a hero I admire."

This made Zhao Jin even more curious. He kept asking, "Who is it? Who is it? What kind of hero is it?"

Liu Ling'er mustered her courage and said, "The person I want to see is the famous 'Mistake Flower Sword' Ninth Prince!"

"Well?"

Zhao Jin knew very little about the martial arts world; what she knew was mostly what Zhao Jiu had told her. She had never heard of "Wuhua Sword" or "Ninth Young Master" before. Zhao Jiu, on the other hand, blushed because the person Liu Ling'er was talking about was him!

Liu Ling'er spoke with admiration about how the Ninth Prince fought against the heroes of Mount Tai, and how he cleverly subdued the heroes of Jiangnan at the banquet on Taihu Lake. In her words, the Ninth Prince seemed to have become a celestial being descended to earth, a perfect person who could not be compared to ordinary people!

Finally, Zhao Jin asked, still confused, "Brother, didn't you say you did all of this? Are you just trying to fool me with the Ninth Prince's affair?"

Zhao Jiu looked embarrassed, Liu Ling'er looked surprised, and everyone fell silent for a moment.

When Liu Ling'er's gaze fell on the "Sky-Supporting Sword" at Zhao Jiu's waist, she gasped, exclaiming with a mixture of surprise and delight, "It really is you...it really is you...Ninth Young Master!"

Zhao Jiu clasped his hands and smiled. Although he was famous, he was no different from an ordinary person in front of his family. It was only then that Zhao Jin realized how famous his brother was.

"My name is Zhao Jiu. The name 'Ninth Young Master' is just a nickname used by people in the martial arts world. You can just call me Brother Zhao."

"Really?" Liu Ling'er's eyes sparkled, her face beaming with happiness.

She had been away from home for over three months, constantly thinking of finding the Ninth Young Master, but she couldn't hear any news about him anywhere. In desperation, she recounted the stories she had heard about him from her family, one by one, hoping to find a trace of him. Unexpectedly, she was so lucky; she actually met the Ninth Young Master!

The person she had once admired in her dreams was right in front of her, and he even kindly told her that she could call him "Brother Zhao." She suddenly felt overwhelmed by happiness!

"You and my sister are about the same age, so what's wrong with you calling me Brother Zhao?"

Hearing Zhao Jiu say this, Liu Ling'er sweetly replied, "Yes, Brother Zhao!"

Feeling uncomfortable under Liu Ling'er's adoring gaze and Zhao Jin's ill-intentioned look, Zhao Jiu said, "It's getting late, we should go back. What about you, Miss Liu?"

Liu Ling'er said, "I am traveling alone and have stayed at the Tianxing Inn."

"Tianxing Inn?" Zhao Jin exclaimed in surprise, "We're staying at Tianxing Inn too, let's go back together!"

Tianxing Inn belongs to Linlang Pavilion, so the siblings naturally stayed there when they traveled. However, they didn't expect Liu Ling'er to stay there as well.

Since they were living together, they naturally had to go back together. When Qingmei saw them, she pulled Liu Ling'er aside in surprise and said, "Miss Liu, what are you doing here?"

Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky 179 Another Surprise

Mei recognized Liu Ling'er, which greatly surprised everyone. Liu Ling'er widened her eyes, not understanding how this person knew her, and asked, "Do you know me?"

Zhao Jiu and Zhao Jin pressed on, asking, "Aunt Mei, do you know her?"

Qingmei asked, "Are you the daughter of General Liu, the General of Zhenbei?"

Under the surprised gazes of Zhao Jiu and Zhao Jin, Liu Ling'er nodded. Qingmei said, "That's it. We received a letter and a portrait of you from your father three months ago, saying that you had run away from home and that they had sent people everywhere to look for you."

Zhao Jin and Zhao Jiu understood. If it was about finding someone, their parents' men were indeed very capable. They just didn't know why they hadn't been able to find her after three months, but instead, they ran into her outside.

Liu Ling'er asked again, "How do you know my father?" She thought to herself, "Heavens, how does my father know the Ninth Prince's men? If I had known this beforehand, why would I have bothered searching for the Ninth Prince everywhere?"

Qingmei smiled and said, "When I saw you all come back together, I assumed you knew each other, but it turns out you didn't." She said to Zhao Jiu and Zhao Jin, "This is General Liu Qi's daughter, the eldest daughter of the Liu family. She looks a lot like your Uncle-Master Ji. Didn't you recognize her?"

I hadn't noticed it until Qingmei mentioned it, but Liu Ling'er really does look very similar to her mother Ji Wushuang and her uncle Ji Wuhuan.

Then she said to Liu Ling'er, "My young master is the son of the retired emperor, the current Prince Rui, and my young lady is the Princess Qingguo."

Liu Ling'er was even more surprised when she learned their other identity, and her face immediately turned bright red. She vaguely remembered that before leaving home, her mother had mentioned intending to marry her off to Prince Rui. At that time, she was only thinking about the Ninth Prince and hadn't paid any attention to Prince Rui. Now, knowing it was the same person, her heart pounded like a deer, and she was filled with panic!

In Bianjing, a hundred miles away, the three-story pavilion of Zhenlongfang was filled with distinguished guests. Qin Zhen and Zhao Gou were there! Qin Zhen smiled and said to the people opposite him, "It's only interesting when the children meet and get to know each other on their own."

With her hair piled high in a bun, Ji Wushuang's eyes held a mixture of reproach and amusement as she replied, "Sister, why didn't you tell me Ling'er's whereabouts sooner? I've been so worried about her these past few months!"

Zhao Gou, standing nearby, said, "You, you! I told you I was worried about Jiu'er's marriage, but you acted like you had it all figured out. So you had been keeping this arrangement from us!"

Qin Zhen smiled brightly and said, "This is not something I can arrange. It also depends on whether these two children are destined to be together."

Everyone laughed, just then someone knocked on the door and said, "Master, Madam, our distinguished guest has arrived."

The door opened, and Zhao Yi, dressed in plain clothes, walked in first, followed by Liu Qi, who had come to escort him out of the palace, as well as Yue Fei, Han Shizhong, Fan Tianxiang, and others.

Suddenly, a chaotic chorus of greetings filled the room, with people calling out titles like "Emperor Emeritus," "Empress Dowager," "Emperor," "General," "Prime Minister," and "Marquis" incessantly.

When his head was spinning from all the talking, it finally quieted down. Zhao Gou said, "We're all very familiar with each other, so there's no need for so much formality. Come and sit down. Yi'er, come and sit with your uncle."

Zhao Yi smiled and walked toward Zhao Gou and Qin Zhen, calling out, "Ninth Uncle, Aunt, I heard that you sent Jiu Di and Jin Mei to the capital, and I thought you weren't coming. Who knew you would arrive even earlier than them?"

Qin Zhen looked at Zhao Yi with affection and said, "It's Yi'er's wedding. How could we not come? We just know those two children are playful. We're just giving them a chance to relax."

As she spoke, Qin Zhen asked Yue Fei, "Brother, why haven't I seen your young master? Jin'er keeps talking about him."

The young marquis was naturally referring to Yue Yun. Yue Fei said, "Yun'er heard that Prince Rui and the Princess arrived in the capital today, so he went out of the city early this morning to meet them. He always thinks about them."

When Zhao Gou saw that everything was alright, he was overjoyed and said, "Yi'er, come, let's all have a drink together. The world is peaceful and the country is prosperous. This is all thanks to you."

Zhao Yi dared not raise his cup and said, "My uncle has worked so hard to build such a peaceful and prosperous empire for me. If I cannot even protect it, how can I face my ancestors and the people of the world? Besides, the current achievements are also inseparable from the contributions of Lord Yue. If he had not been willing to return to court to oversee things at the beginning of my reign, Tibet would not have submitted so quickly. There are also Generals Liu and Han, as well as my adoptive father. Without any one of you here, it would not have been possible!"

Zhao Gou said with satisfaction, "That's very good. What the world needs is a wise ruler, and since your mind is as clear as a mirror, I can rest assured."

Everyone was surprised. Zhao Yi asked, "Judging from what you said, Uncle, it seems there's more to it than meets the eye?"

Zhao Gou glanced at Qin Zhen, who said, "He always complains about being bothered by people living in Lin'an and wants to find a secluded place to hide away. After your wedding next month, we'll be leaving. Don't ask us where we're going; we'll be living like immortals."

Everyone at the table looked reluctant and tried to persuade him to stay, but Zhao Gou was determined to take Qin Zhen away and live a carefree life. Now that the children had grown up, they could finally rest easy.

"You all don't need to stay. We'll show up when it's time. Don't worry about Zhen'er and me getting into trouble. We know how to take care of ourselves and will remember to keep in touch with everyone!"

Zhao Gou emphasized it repeatedly, and the others didn't say much. They just thought that since it was a time for them to get together, they should drink a few more cups of wine and have a good chat.

Half a month later, the emperor's wedding took place, and the whole country celebrated. Everyone in Bianjing offered their congratulations. The empress whom Zhao Yi married was the youngest daughter of the Zhu family. It was said that she was exceptionally intelligent, virtuous, and kind. There was a story about how Zhao Yi met her. Qin Zhen heard about it and felt that it was somewhat similar to the story of Zhao Huan and Zhu in the past, which made her sigh again.

The wedding was a joyous occasion, and before the festive spirit had faded, Zhao Yi bestowed two more marriages upon the newlyweds: Prince Rui, Zhao Jiu, and Liu Ling'er, daughter of General Zhenbei; and Yue Yun, son of Marquis Zhongyi, and Princess Qingguo, Zhao Jin. The entire city was draped in red silk, its color even illuminating the clouds in the sky!

Volume Two: Soaring Eagle 180 - A Legend Among Legends [The End]

On the coast lies a city called Yungang, a newly emerging port in recent years. It was once just a small fishing village, but with the opening of the golden maritime trade route, it has developed into a major coastal port. Today, the port is bustling with ships, their sails filling the sky, while caravans constantly shuttle through the city, creating a lively and vibrant scene.

In a teahouse by the main street, a storyteller was sipping fragrant tea and telling a story. He was telling the story of Emperor Gaozong. Many merchants who were taking a break were drinking tea while listening to him tell his unofficial historical tales.

The storyteller sighed deeply, saying, "...It's a pity that since the grand wedding of Prince Rui and the Princess, the world has never seen the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Dowager again. Some say that the two emperors greatly promoted commerce, becoming the wealthiest merchants in the land and living an incredibly carefree life; others say that they wielded swords to uphold justice, roaming the martial world, settling scores and enjoying a life of unbridled freedom; still others say that the two emperors sailed out to sea, achieved enlightenment, and ascended to immortality..."

A merchant, puzzled, interrupted the storyteller, saying, "I am a merchant who travels all over the country and has heard many rumors. I have also heard people talk about the first two guesses you just mentioned, but I have never heard anyone mention the last one, which is about ascending to immortality. Are you just making this up? Although the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Dowager are not ordinary people, this idea of ascending to immortality is really strange!"

The storyteller, neither hurried nor impatient, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and fanned himself as he said, "Esteemed sir, this is the latest news, not mere fabrication. To truly understand its origins, we must go back to half a year ago..."

Six months ago, at the end of the year, the newly built Prince Rui's Mansion in Lin'an was bustling with activity as guests from all walks of life came to congratulate the young prince on his first birthday. Some important figures even came, hoping to catch a glimpse of Zhao Gou and Qin Zhen.

Zhao Gou and Qin Zhen have been missing for more than three years. Apart from receiving congratulatory gifts from them when Zhao Jiu had a son and Zhao Jin had a daughter, there has been no other definite news. Instead, there are many different rumors circulating in the martial arts world, and it is impossible to know which ones are true and which ones are false.

Zhao Jin pushed open the door to his sister-in-law Liu Ling'er's room and saw his brother Zhao Jiu sitting to the side, watching Liu Ling'er and the nanny change his son's new clothes. He walked over to Zhao Jiu and asked, "Do you think Father and Mother will come this time?"

Zhao Jiu pondered for a moment and said, "The first two times, they sent letters saying that the child was too young to see clearly and that they would come to see him when he was older. Now that A-Xu has turned one year old, they should come to see the child soon."

Hearing him say that, Zhao Jin finally smiled. She muttered, "Hmph, they're so heartless, leaving for three years. Now that we've seen them, I'm not letting them go!"

At noon, the Prince's steward came in to report, "Your Highness, all the guests have arrived and are just waiting to take the young prince out for his first birthday celebration."

Zhao Jiu asked, "Besides the distinguished guests listed on the invitation, are there any other special guests coming?"

The steward thought for a moment and said, "The Marquis of Xinling, the Marquis of Zhongyi, and Prime Minister Fan came together, along with a few unfamiliar gentlemen. But since they were distinguished guests brought by the marquises, we invited them all in."

Zhao Jin said, "I suppose the other senior brothers have all come."

Zhao Jiu nodded and said, "Judging from today's scene, everyone's waiting to see their mother."

As they spoke, Liu Ling'er picked up the child, and the three of them walked outside together. Upon reaching the courtyard, they found it bustling with guests. Zhao Jiu and Zhao Jin quickly glanced around but didn't see their parents. They felt a pang of disappointment, but comforted themselves, thinking that even if their parents had returned, they certainly wouldn't make a big show of themselves in front of everyone. They decided to wait until the guests had left.

The first birthday celebration was lively, and most guests left after the banquet. Qin Zhen's six senior brothers were all present, and the couples of Yue Fei, Liu Qi, and Han Shizhong, whom he knew very well, were still there. Zhao Jiu ordered tea and supper to be set up in the back garden and invited everyone over. Ji Wuhuan stepped forward and asked Zhao Jiu, "Are those two not here today either?"

Zhao Jiu shook his head and said, "I thought my parents would come back to see us today, but there's still no news."

Yelü Huan, who had traveled a long distance to see her, said, "Junior Sister is too heartless. How could she leave for several years without a single letter? It's truly worrying!"