Jeune Premier ministre, un ermite - Chapitre 20
The contrast between the crimson sleeves and the blue robes, the support and the introduction, do not reveal the owner's identity. The dust and the red crane are both shop names. The omitted "Zhai" at the end perfectly matches the hidden "Lou". It is not only neat but also rhyming. Both are vivid descriptions of the scene and can be described as a stroke of genius.
Li Tianqi looked at Wei Zijun with admiration, his handsome eyes shining brightly. Li Longyi also showed a hint of intrigue on his face.
"Ah, true friends are hard to find. I am so fortunate to have such a friend in this life. How wonderful! How wonderful!" Chen Chang sighed with emotion, picked up his wine cup and drank it down in one gulp.
Next, it was Chen Chang's turn. Chen Chang rested his hand on his chin and laughed, "I'll start with a common one, because it's too easy and many people have already come up with it. So, you can't think about it, you have to come up with a matching one right away. The one with the most perfect matching wins, and the rest are punished by drinking. This couplet is: A goat goes up a mountain and bumps into a goat's horn."
"A fire dragon breathes fire, and the fire burns its whiskers," Wei Zijun blurted out without hesitation. Then, realizing it might be inappropriate, she added, "This is the best: an otter goes into the water, and the water doesn't even reach its waist."
"The water buffalo's lower body is submerged up to its waist," Li Longyi said.
“Brother Li, I don’t think ‘water buffalo’ is a good match,” Wei Zijun said. “Water is best paired with mountain, and ‘buffalo’ is also good paired with ‘sheep’, but ‘buffalo’ is an entering tone, which is too sharp. Although the words match, the sounds don’t. ‘Otter’① is a rising tone, which matches not only the meaning of the words but also the sounds. I think ‘otter’ is the best match.”
“Indeed, Brother Wei’s ‘Fire dragon breathes fire and burns the dragon’s whiskers’ is quite good, but fire is not as good as water. ‘Otter goes into the water and the water is not as big as the otter’s waist’ is indeed the best. It is possible that no one will be able to come up with a better match than this pair from now on. I will not show my lousy couplet.” Li Tianqi praised, and his gaze toward Wei Zijun became brighter.
After reading it twice, Li Longyi realized that his own pronunciation of "ox" was too jarring, so he conceded defeat and drank the wine.
Next, it was Li Longyi's turn. Li Longyi proudly shook his pale face and parted his red lips slightly: "I have a requirement for this pair: it can only be used on heartless pairs." As he spoke, his eyes fixed on Wei Zijun's black robe and said: "All crows under the sky are black."
Wei Zijun was a little angry. He actually used her as a topic and even called her a crow. So without thinking, she replied, "A white monkey with two yellow spots in front of you."
Today, Li Longyi was wearing a white silk robe. Due to drinking, the whites of his eyes, which were originally yellowish-brown, were also reddish-yellow. And he happened to be sitting opposite her.
Although Wei Zijun knew that it was inappropriate to have two colors in her poem, she was willing to drink the penalty wine in order to scold him.
"Hahahaha... White monkey... Hahaha... Brilliant... Absolutely brilliant..." The two people standing by, seemingly uninvolved, burst into laughter.
Although Li Longyi's face was dark, a smile still lingered at the corners of his mouth: "That's not right. My couplet only has one color, 'black' and 'oo' are both black, but you got two. Penalty drink! Penalty drink!!"
Wei Zijun calmly drank the wine in her cup. She felt quite relieved after scolding this guy who kept talking nonsense.
“Brother Wei is not only kind and virtuous, but also so quick-witted. If he were to serve in the court, he would surely bring blessings to the region,” Li Tianqi sighed. “I wonder if you share this idea, Brother. If you do, I can certainly say a few words in your opinion.”
"May I ask if you serve in the imperial court?" Wei Zijun asked.
"Ah...that's right. I came here because of the matter of procuring and transporting provisions. But the matter has not been resolved. I wonder if you have any suggestions, my worthy brother?"
Huh? Li Tianqi was a little puzzled. Why did he casually ask for the opinion of someone he had just met? Was it too hasty? But why did he trust him so much? Perhaps it was because of the Danhelou incident last time. Such a kind-hearted person must be reliable.
"Brother, you flatter me. I am but a rough man. Although I know a few words, how dare I speak on important matters of the court? Please don't joke with me," Wei Zijun declined.
“Brother, you are new to this place and must not know the local situation. I was being presumptuous.”
“Brother, why are you being so presumptuous? If it is truly within my power, I will certainly not refuse.”
“Yes, I know you’re not one to stand idly by.” After saying that, Li Tianqi suddenly lowered his voice and asked, “Do you know the manager here?”
"I really don't know anything about him. If you'd like to learn more about him, I'd like to ask around for you, would you mind?"
“Well, it seems that this shopkeeper has been colluding with the grain merchants here and controlling them, which has made it difficult for us to procure grain.”
"Oh? If that's true, then his intentions are far from ordinary," Wei Zijun muttered to herself.
The other three exchanged glances, their eyes revealing both admiration and a hint of understanding.
"By the way, Brother Wei, this is a thousand taels of flying money." Li Tianqi took out a thick piece of paper from his pocket, on which was written "one thousand taels". It was an incomplete piece of paper with half a vermilion red seal on it. "The silver note you asked for last time should be this one."
Is it really that simple? Not even a single pattern printed on it? Did they not have printing technology yet? What dynasty is this? Flying coins! Flying coins! It seems to be a product of the Tang Dynasty.
While in the valley, Wei Zijun had asked Dieyun what the current state was called. Dieyun replied that he rarely left the valley and that several states had changed their names since then, so he didn't know which one it was now. She then asked her master which emperor was currently ruling, and her master said it didn't matter who was in power, as long as the people lived in peace and prosperity, and that there should be no more wars. Since she couldn't get a clear answer, she thought she would know once she left the valley, but due to the events that followed, she had completely forgotten about it.
But I can't ask them now, because if I do, they'll definitely suspect my identity.
"Brother Wei, is it not enough?" Li Tianqi asked when he saw Wei Zijun staring blankly at the flying money.
Wei Zijun snapped out of her reverie. "Oh, that's enough. I just looked around the neighborhood and couldn't find a suitable shop. There was only one that was perfect, but it was closed down. Sigh!" Wei Zijun then revealed her intention.
“Gongzhi, my brother, you must be referring to the former residence of the third son of the Left Valiant Guard General.” Seeing Chen Chang nod, Li Tianqi continued, “That makes things easier. The property has been confiscated and no one is using it. I can take it down. Gongzhi, have someone clean it up tomorrow.”
At this moment, Wei Zijun was truly grateful to tears. Since he had helped her so much, she had to repay him. "Brother Li, I won't thank you enough. I will definitely repay you in the future. I'll also think of a way to deal with the grain supply." With her business acumen, dealing with this matter wouldn't be too difficult.
"Tch—you opportunistic guy, you only do things after you get the benefits!" Li Hongyi sneered from the side.
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Note: ①Otter. Pronounced tǎ. Just wanted to clarify that some readers might mispronounce it as lài, haha.
[Volume 1, Deer City Chapter: Chapter 18, Sworn Brotherhood]
After a satisfying meal, the group prepared to leave.
Wei Zijun frowned as she looked at the table full of leftover food.
In modern times, she always ordered only what she could eat and never wasted food like this. It wasn't about the money; it was because the thought of the homeless living under overpasses filled her with guilt. Once, she had just thrown the meatballs she couldn't finish into the trash can when a pair of hands reached into the garbage, picked them up, and put them in their mouths. From then on, she knew that there were still people eating the food they discarded.
"What's wrong?" Li Hongyi asked when he saw her frowning.
"Look at how wasteful you are, do you even know how many people outside have nothing to eat?" Wei Zijun sighed and stood up.
The three men stopped when they heard what she said.
Li Tianqi gazed at Wei Zijun for a long time. The slanting sunlight from the window shone on her face and body, making her black clothes feel warm, and her fair face radiant. Suddenly, he stepped forward and took her hand. "Brother Wei, how about we become sworn brothers?"
Looking at his handsome face, gilded by the sunlight, and his earnest, gleaming eyes, as if controlled by that intense gaze, Wei Zijun replied without hesitation, "Okay."