Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 20: Red Gate and Bamboo Gate

In September, the weather gradually turns into late autumn.

A few days ago, because he was going to Luoyang to study at the Imperial College, Sun Zi said goodbye to Zhang Yu and Li Song and left Dalushan.

On the day of departure, Sun Zi told Zhang Yu the news he had heard from Wang Hong.

Due to the long-standing friendship between the Wang and Wen families, Wang Hong did not explicitly refuse, but used the excuse of time to tactfully reject Wen Shao's proposal. In order to get Wang Hong to agree, Wen Shao said that he would continue to come to Dalu Mountain to study next year, and Wang Hong reluctantly agreed.

Therefore, Sun Zi hoped that Zhang Yu could seize the time and grasp the opportunity, and not let Wen Shao get the beauty!

Faced with the change in the situation, Zhang Yu did not rush to seek answers from Wang Ji.

As for why?

The reason is not difficult to understand. Love is not something that can be forced by one person alone, but is a matter of two people. Therefore, sometimes no answer is needed. If you follow nature, you can get the corresponding result.

In other words, the relationship is not established, but it will naturally show up when it reaches a certain level. You don't need to be anxious at that time, but the other party will be anxious and hope that you can give a reply.

Under such circumstances, Zhang Yu, as always, secretly went to the back mountain to meet Wang Ji in his spare time. During this period, the relationship between the two became closer and the ambiguity between them continued.

At dusk, smoke from cooking rises.

In the stone pavilion, Hongniang held up the lacquer box and said, "The weather is getting colder, you need to wear more clothes to avoid catching a cold!"

"Ok!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "I will return home in a few days!"

"Homecoming?"

Hongniang asked in confusion, "My dear, are you not going to continue your study tour?"

“I can’t swim anymore!”

Zhang Yu was tidying up the bamboo slips on the stone table and said with a smile, "In October in Taiyuan, heavy snow is coming. I live in the frontier, and the road is long. If I don't return home early, I'm afraid the heavy snow will block the road and make it difficult to move forward."

Winter in Bingzhou comes earlier than in the south, and it is very cold and hard to go to school. Therefore, at the end of the last lecture, Wang Hong emphasized that there was only one last lecture left, so that the scholars who followed him to study could make arrangements to return home early.

Zhang Yu has already written to his family, agreeing to return home in the middle of next month with a caravan of horse traders.

Hongniang frowned slightly and said, "Are you leaving so soon, my dear?"

"Can't bear to part with it?" Zhang Yu teased.

Hongniang said unhappily, "It's better to go back earlier, so I don't have to come here often to deliver cakes!"

Zhang Yu stared at Hongniang's face and said, "With the red mole painted on, Hongniang is indeed more beautiful!"

Hongniang touched the red mole with her fingertips, looking a little shy, and said, "You have some vision. You can see that it will look better if I paint the mole."

Zhang Yu put the bamboo slips into his book bag and said, "I will come again next year, maybe for another matter."

"What's the matter?"

Zhang Yu looked at Hongniang's pretty face and said with a smile, "Thank you Hongniang, for the red mole. I wonder if you can answer my questions truthfully!"

"Speaking!"

After a moment's deliberation, Zhang Yu asked, "I heard that Wen Shao proposed to Qian Jin, I wonder what Qian Jin's attitude is?"

Hongniang shook her head and said, "I heard from Qianjin that the master of the family did not like Wen Shao, so he rejected Wen's marriage proposal. Qianjin thought that Wen Shao was not a good match, so she rejected it sternly."

Blinking her eyes, Hongniang asked curiously, "Why do you ask me, my dear?"

Zhang Yu joked, "I'm afraid Hongniang will marry into the Wen family with the daughter of a rich family, and will be bullied by Wen Shao in the future."

Hongniang looked a little gloomy and said, "Before Wen Shao came to visit, a sister was ordered to serve him. However, Wen Shao relied on his status and had an arrogant temper. He often scolded. If my sister had not been my Wang family's maid, I'm afraid she would have been bullied by Wen Shao. If I had followed him, I'm afraid it would really be as my husband said!"

Zhang Yu smiled and said, "If I ask for marriage from Qian Jin, would Hongniang agree?"

Hongniang's beautiful eyes searched for Zhang Yu's handsome face and asked, "Are you serious, my dear?"

Zhang Yu said with a serious expression, "How dare you say this!"

Feeling a little shy, Hongniang turned her back and said, "Since you want to marry me, why don't you do it quickly? I am just a servant, I can't be the master of a rich woman!"

Zhang Yu smiled bitterly and said, "My family is humble and not as famous as the Wen family. I am afraid I will not be favored by the princes."

Hongniang half turned around and said softly, "Because the master dotes on the daughter, he attaches great importance to her opinion on marriage. Now that you want to marry the daughter, you might as well understand her feelings. If you can meet her wishes, you still have a chance to succeed."

Zhang Yu put one hand behind his back and stroked his waist with the other, saying, "Hongniang is smart and virtuous, and has been with Qianjin for a long time. I wonder what your opinion is?"

Hongniang pondered for a moment and said, "When Wen Shao came to ask for marriage, Qianjin once said that a man who could be her husband should be able to draw a bow on horseback and study when he got off a horse. He should be handsome and dare to do things that ordinary people dare not do. Judging from this statement, and the relationship between you and Qianjin, Qianjin is likely to be interested in you."

Then, Hongniang took a fancy to Zhang Yu and said, "My dear, you will be back home soon. Why not ask your daughter how she feels about you?"

Zhang Yu looked at Hongniang's pretty face and said, "Hongniang is considerate and clever. I will treat her well from now on!"

Although the words did not say it explicitly, Hongniang was not stupid, she heard Zhang Yu's indirect promise. This promise might be a little greedy, but for Hongniang, it was a better outcome.

After all, as Wang Ji's servant, she was born to be Wang Ji's subordinate and could not choose her own future, so it was a rare thing for her to meet such a caring man. Hongniang lowered her beautiful eyes, hugged the lacquer box, and said: "Tomorrow, Madam needs to bring Qianjin down the mountain, and Qianjin may have time the day after tomorrow."

"It's such a hassle for Hongniang!" Zhang Yu said.

"It's getting late, please go back early!"

After Zhang Yu bid farewell to Hongniang, he returned home with his book bag on his back and happened to meet Wen Shao along the way.

However, Wen Shao didn't seem to be in the mood to cause trouble for Zhang Yu at the moment. He looked a little depressed and strolled on the mountain path with his entourage.

"Young Master, look at that fellow Zhang Yu!" The attendant pointed at Zhang Yu and said excitedly, "He is alone here now, why not catch him and beat him up to avenge our past grudges."

Wen Shao glanced at Zhang Yu, not in high spirits, and said, "If I beat him up, will I be able to marry the princess?"

The attendants looked at each other in bewilderment and fell silent. Ever since his young master was rejected for marriage, he had been unhappy every day and often brought them to the mountain courtyard, under the pretext of visiting Wang Hong but actually to visit Wang Ji.

But Wang Ji only met Wen Shao once and never met him again, which made Wen Shao even more depressed.

Li Pu, the accompanying scholar, said cautiously, "Young Master, there are so many beauties in the world, why do you only want Wang's daughter?"

Wen Shao shook his head and said in annoyance, "How can the beauty of the prince's sister be compared with that of an ordinary vulgar woman? She is sensible, good at playing the zither, and her words and actions are like those of a fairy. If I can marry her, I am willing to shorten my life by ten years."

After a pause, Wen Shao remembered something and asked, "Have you heard which family's son the princess likes?"

"Not yet!"

Li Pu pondered for a moment and said, "But according to what Wang's maid said, Miss Wang told Lord Wang that she wanted to marry a man who is both civil and military, and has great ambitions. And this man must be handsome and dare to do things that ordinary people dare not do."

"This~"

Hearing this, Wen Shao felt troubled and muttered, "It's good for me to learn literature, but it's really difficult to learn martial arts and archery."

Li Pu couldn't help complaining in his heart. Not only was it difficult to practice martial arts and archery, but Wen Shao didn't meet the standard of handsome appearance. Wang's daughter was beautiful, but he really couldn't understand why Wen Shao was obsessed with Wang's daughter.

At the same time, Li Pu glanced at Zhang Yu who was passing by, and suddenly felt that Zhang Yu met the requirements of Wang's daughter very well.

A bold idea came to his mind, and Li Pu said, "Young Master, the appearance of the man that Miss Wang mentioned seems to be quite similar to Zhang Yu."

"Zhang Yu?"

Wen Shao sneered a few times and said disdainfully: "Even though Zhang Yu is handsome, he is just a herder. Unless your sister is blind, how could she fall in love with Zhang Yu?"

Although he said so, Wen Shao was still worried. Before, Wang Mei saw him talking and laughing, but since Zhang Yu became Wang Hong's disciple, she treated him more and more coldly, and went to the back mountain house to play the piano every day.

"Young Master, do you want to avenge that vengeance?" The attendant rubbed his hands, seeming to want to teach Zhang Yu a lesson very much.

Thinking of the hatred in the market, Wen Shao became more and more upset and asked, "Did you find the boy who sold the horse?"

"There's news!"

Li Pu nodded and said, "According to the information obtained by the retainers, the young horse seller Hao Zhao has appeared in the horse market again in recent months. However, unlike before, he is accompanied by a large number of horsemen, so the retainers dare not take action. However, the retainers have heard that Hao Zhao is selling horses for the Yunzhong Zhang family caravan."

"Zhang Clan in the Clouds?"

Wen Shao frowned and asked, "But where is Zhang Yu from?"

"Of course!"

Li Pu said: "As far as I know, among all the clans in Yunzhong, the Zhang clan is only the Zhang Yu clan."

"Zhang Yu is such a courageous fellow!"

Wen Shao, who was already troubled, thought about the several conflicts between him and Zhang Yu, and the desire for revenge became stronger. He kept thinking about how to take revenge on Zhang Yu.

Li Pu observed the expression of the man and whispered, "Young Master, when I was learning about the Zhang family in Yunzhong, I accidentally learned something. If you want to take revenge on Zhang Yu and Hao Zhao, you can start from here!"

"explain?"

"My Lord, I heard from the people of Yunzhong that the Zhang family of Yunzhong had a grudge against the Chigan people of the Xianbei. Once upon a time, a Hu person from Chigan stole a horse. Zhang Yu rode alone to kill the Hu and took the horse back. His reputation spread throughout Dingxiang and Yunzhong."

Li Pu narrowed his triangular eyes, leaned close to Wen Shao's ear, and whispered: "If you want to take revenge on Zhang Yu, you might as well do it this way..."

"Good idea!"

Wen Shao's eyes lit up, and he said, "The reason why I didn't dare to seek revenge is because I was worried about being discovered by the prince. If I act according to your words, I can not only eliminate the hatred in my heart, but also prevent the prince from knowing about this matter. It really kills two birds with one stone!"

"hey-hey!"

Li Pu stroked his beard and said with a smile: "Even though Zhang Yu is an excellent rider and archer, he will still be captured and killed by the young master."

"This matter is left to you to take charge of,"

Wen Shao patted Li Pu on the shoulder and said, "After the task is completed, I will reward you with land and property."

"Thank you, young master!"

Wen Shao stared at Zhang Yu's back as he walked away, and sneered, "If the Bamboo Sect dares to fight the Red Sect, they must be tired of living!"

(End of this chapter)