Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 18 A Gentleman is Poor for a While

In the back mountain, inside the bamboo pavilion.

Wang Jincong's fingers stroked the zither, and the strings vibrated, producing a sound like flowing water, like a complaint or a cry, or a silver bottle breaking, like the sound of nature. However, if you listen carefully, you can hear that compared to the previous zither sounds, the current zither sounds carry a hint of resentment.

"Den!"

When my index finger plucked the string, I don't know if it was because of the strong force on my fingertips or because the silk string was not under the force, it broke into two pieces in an instant and the sound of the piano stopped abruptly.

Looking at the broken strings, Wang Jiyou sighed.

"What happened to Qian Jin?"

Hongniang, who was embroidering nearby, put down her needle and thread and asked with concern.

"nothing!"

Wang Ji smoothed her skirt and stood up, looking at the woods around her that had fallen into silence again. For some reason, she felt a little annoyed.

Hongniang seemed to notice that Wang Ji was in a bad mood and said, "You are a rich girl who lives in the back house all the time. Why don't you go out and relieve your boredom?"

"Where can we go?" Wang Ji asked.

Hongniang rolled her eyes and said, "Xiaojun is practicing horse riding and archery at the foot of the mountain. Why don't you go down the mountain to take a look?"

"Go see Brother Ling?" Wang Ji was somewhat tempted.

Hongniang took Wang Ji's arm and said teasingly, "Mr. Zhang may be studying at the foot of the slope, and my daughter may come to visit him on the way!"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Wang Ji's cheeks suddenly turned red, and he said, "What does Mr. Zhang have to do with me? If I go down the mountain now, I will go to watch Brother Ling practice archery."

Hongniang saw that Wang Ji was not speaking the same words, and she laughed inwardly. As Wang Ji's maid, she could already see Wang Ji's current mood.

Since Wang Hong was dismissed and returned to his hometown, Wang Ji has been living in the mountain courtyard. Apart from playing the piano and reading, there is no other fun in his daily life. When Zhang Yu bumped into Wang Ji's life, it was like a wave on the calm lake, adding some color to Wang Ji's boring life.

As for why Wang Ji was feeling depressed for no reason, from Hongniang's perspective as an observer, she could vaguely feel that it might have something to do with Zhang Yu.

For some unknown reason, Zhang Yu not only stopped sending messages every day, but also refused to accept cakes. Such an inexplicable and abnormal behavior caused the girl's emotions to fluctuate a little. In Hongniang's eyes, the best way to solve this problem today was to meet each other.

Holding Wang Ji's arm, Hongniang smiled and said, "It's too late. I'm afraid Xiaojun will come back!"

Under Hongniang's coaxing, Wang Ji walked downhill along the forest path.

At the same time, Zhang Yu was reading the scriptures with great concentration.

Soon, Zhang Yu heard the sound of a faint conversation coming from the hillside. Looking for the sound, he saw the figures of Wang Ji and his maid Hongniang.

Because he didn't expect Wang Ji to appear here, Zhang Yu was stunned at first, then he came to his senses, put down the scriptures in his hand, and greeted Wang Ji and the others.

"The path in the forest is not convenient to walk on, how come my daughter is here?" Zhang Yu said with a smile.

Hongniang spoke first and deliberately said, "My dear, you promised to find a song for me. Now there is no news. Can't you let me come and ask about the progress?"

Wang Ji patted Hongniang's hand and said with a red face: "Hongniang's smile and piano music are hard to find, Zhang Lang, don't take it to heart!"

Lifting the hair by his ear, Wang Ji said, "I accidentally broke a string while playing the zither today. I was bored, so Hongniang and I were going down the mountain to watch my younger brother riding and shooting. I passed by here today. I wonder if I disturbed Zhang Lang from reading the scriptures?"

Zhang Yu had met Wang Ling, Wang Hong's youngest son, several times. He was smart, cute, and talented, and was deeply loved by Wang Hong.

"I just happened to be tired and was resting, so there was no need to disturb me."

Zhang Yu said humorously: "I heard Hongniang say before, and I thought the girl came here to ask me to pay back the cakes!"

Wang Ji covered his face with a round fan, smiled and said, "You are joking. The cakes are already in my stomach. Unless I cut open my stomach, I don't know how to repay it."

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "The Qianjin has a kind heart. If you force me with the matter of Liuzi, I will have nowhere to complain!"

"What about the six sons?" Wang Ji asked doubtfully.

Seeing that Wang Ji was doubtful, he briefly explained the story of Liu Zi's cutting open his stomach to take out the powder in order to prove his innocence, using the background of the Han Dynasty.

Hongniang smacked her lips and said, "Sixth Son is really pitiful. He was slandered for eating too many Hu biscuits and had to cut open his caesarean section to prove it."

Wang Ji frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "This six-year-old is a bit stupid. He has eaten the Hu Bing and has been slandered by the store owner. It is already difficult for him to prove his innocence. How can he rush to prove himself and put himself in a disadvantageous situation?"

Seeing that Wang Ji's words made sense, Zhang Yu asked, "If the girl is Liuzi, how should I respond?"

Wang Ji blinked and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhang is really good at making things difficult for others!"

Wang Ji fluttered his round fan and pondered for a moment before saying, "If I were Liu Zi, I would have accused the store owner of stealing the customer's money instead of arguing about the number of Hu Bing he ate. If I insist on proving my innocence, I would have played into the evildoer's hands."

Wang Ji was smart. He knew that the cake had been eaten and his innocence could not be proved, so he decided to change the subject to avoid falling into the trap of self-proof.

"I wonder how Mr. Zhang can resolve this dilemma?"

Zhang Yu put his hand on the hilt of his sword and joked, "If I were Liu Zi, I would take out the villain's eyes and let him take a closer look inside my stomach to see how many biscuits I ate."

Although the tone was joking, it was difficult to conceal the coldness and arrogance in the tone.

Previously, Wang Ji had been influenced by Zhang Yu's gentle words and deeds, so she had forgotten what she knew about Zhang Yu being born in a frontier fortress. But these words made Wang Ji look at Zhang Yu again.

Obviously, although Zhang Yu was modest in words and deeds and treated people with kindness, he had a domineering and wild nature in his bones. This wildness was not brought about by rough fighting, but was based on personal confidence in his own abilities and a mentality of daring to challenge conventions.

It was hard to imagine that humility and wildness could appear in one person at the same time, which gave Wang Ji an indescribable feeling. "My dear, your words are a little scary!" Hongniang said timidly.

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "If you were Liu Zi, how would you feel if I stood up for you like this?"

Hongniang hesitated for a moment and said, "I will feel at ease, and there is also a sense of pleasure in letting the bad guys suffer for their own actions!"

"Then why is Hongniang afraid?" Zhang Yu gave Hongniang a charming smile and said.

Hongniang blushed slightly and said, "My dear, what you said makes sense!"

"I wonder if you are afraid of Qian Jin?" Zhang Yu asked.

"Why are you afraid? The bad guys are allowed to slander me, but I am not allowed to threaten them. How can this be justified in the world?"

Wang Ji waved his round fan and said with a smile, "My dear, your methods are sharp and you will never be an ordinary person in the future."

As a girl from an aristocratic family and a woman living in the frontier, Wang Ji was by no means as weak as the women in the Central Plains. She liked poetry and songs and was full of prejudice against archery and horse riding.

A man who is both talented in literature and martial arts and has great ambitions is more likely to win her appreciation.

The three of them were chatting when Sun Zi came over without them noticing.

Wang Ji saw Sun Zi from a distance, and in order to avoid gossip, he said goodbye and said, "I have something to do and I'll go ahead. Thank you for looking for some music for me!"

"I have been feeling unwell recently, so I apologize for wasting your kindness!" Zhang Yu explained.

"Has the condition improved?" Wang Ji asked with concern.

"I'm recovered!"

"good!"

Wang Ji said, "My dear, you need to take care of yourself when you are far away from home. I will ask Hongniang to send some medicine to nourish your spirit tomorrow!"

"Thank you for your concern!"

Without saying much, Wang Ji hurriedly left with Hongniang before Sun Zi arrived.

When passing by Sun Zi, the two of them had met each other several times before, so they greeted each other.

After chatting with Zhang Yu for a while, Wang Ji felt much happier and had a faint smile on his face.

Hongniang took Wang Ji's hand and deliberately said, "My daughter wants to go back home now, why don't you go down the mountain to see Xiaojun?"

"It's getting late today, I'm afraid Brother Ling has left, so you and I should go back home first!" Wang Ji said.

Hongniang said sarcastically, "I'm afraid he met someone and couldn't move for a while."

Hearing this, Wang Ji was so ashamed that he became angry. He patted Hongniang's hair with his fan and said, "Don't talk nonsense. If anyone hears you, I will tear your mouth apart!"

"I know I was wrong!"

The master and servant left after playing around and returned to the house through the main gate.

After Wang Ji left, Sun Zi looked back, as if curious about why she appeared here with Zhang Yu.

"Yanlong!"

"Jian!"

Sun Zi quickly stepped forward, grabbed Zhang Yu's sleeve, and said in an angry tone, "Jian, look at the good things you have done."

Seeing Sun Zi's reaction, Zhang Yu knew that Sun Zi's brother and sister-in-law had sent a letter to Sun Zi.

Thinking that Sun Zi was unhappy with what he had done, Zhang Yu apologized and said, "Please forgive me for taking the initiative to order Maoshan to visit your brother in your hometown and to encourage you. If Yanlong is unhappy, please forgive me."

Sun Zi loosened his sleeves, smiled bitterly, and said, "Jian's kindness to me is so great, how dare I be dissatisfied? I owe Ji'an a favor."

Zhang Yu invited Sun Zi to sit down and said with a smile: "A gentleman may be poor for a while, but he will not be poor forever. With Yanlong's talent, he will surely be able to display his talent in the world in the future. You and I are classmates, so we should help each other."

Then, Zhang Yu raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "I wonder if my brother and sister-in-law are happy that I am making such a fuss for you this time?"

"Very happy!"

Sun Zi sighed and said, "I lost my parents when I was young and was raised by my brother and sister-in-law. They endured the cold and hoped that I would become a talent. I have studied hard for more than 20 years and deeply regret that I am incompetent and have been unable to enter the government. If it were not for the kindness of Lord Chang Wen, how could I have been able to enter the Imperial College this year?"

Zhang Yu asked Zhang Maoshan to go to Sun Zi's hometown to let Sun Zi's brother and sister-in-law show off in front of the villagers for a while, which really increased the face of the brother and sister-in-law.

The brother and sister-in-law were so happy that they wrote to Sun Zi to ask about it. In order not to make his brother and sister-in-law sad, Sun Zi had no choice but to accept Zhang Yu's favor.

Of course, Sun Zi was also willing to accept Zhang Yu’s favor!
His brother and sister-in-law hoped that he would become a successful person, but he had no chance to enter the government, and could not repay his brother and sister-in-law for their upbringing and training. Now Zhang Yu helped him to shine in front of the villagers, thus fulfilling his long-cherished wish.

Sun Zi clasped his hands and said, "I will always remember Ji An's kindness. If I have the chance in the future, I will repay him!"

Zhang Yu held down Sun Zi's hands and said, "The reason why I helped Yan Long is not to ask for your gratitude in the future, but because Yan Long and I are like old friends. I did this to preserve our friendship as classmates."

"Book of Tang·Biography 8": Sun Zi, courtesy name Yanlong, was a smart child. He lost both his parents at the age of three and was older than his brother and sister-in-law. He read a lot of biographies and was very talented in literature. Wang Hong was impressed by him at first sight and asked him to study at Dalu. When Taizu studied under Hong, he made friends with many talented people of Yandai. When the two met, they felt like old acquaintances. Zi had found a bosom friend and devoted all his efforts to doing everything he could.

"Jiangzuo Yice": In order to achieve great things, Emperor Shenwu used minions to describe people. At first, Zi studied at Dalu. He was talented and not an ordinary person. In order to win his heart, Emperor Shenwu sent someone to hide in Zi Township to promote his reputation. Zi then felt grateful to Emperor Shenwu.

(End of this chapter)