Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 138 Splendor
Five days passed in the blink of an eye. Lü Shang stood under the eaves of the Duke of Qi's mansion, gazing at the sky obscured by gloom.

Lu Quan, the steward standing to the side, said softly, "Your Highness, the Secretariat has sent a document saying that the emperor will resume court tomorrow and will reward the generals who have made meritorious contributions in the Northern Expedition in the Daxing Hall. You are the vanguard general of the Northern Expedition, and all the generals in the Northern Expedition will regard you as the leader, so you will be the first to receive the reward."

Lü Shang took the yellow silk document from Lü Quan. The three characters "Great General" circled in red ink still gleamed coldly under the eaves. At the end, in small regular script, it read "Lü Shang, Duke of Lu County, granted a fief of one thousand households." The ink was three times darker than the entries for meritorious officials next to him.

"The first person to receive the title," he chuckled softly, tapping the ink spreading across the document with his knuckles.

After thinking for a moment, Lü Shang instructed, "Go and prepare two jars of Jiannan Shaochun, two jars of Fuping Shidongchun, two jars of Xingyang Tukuchun, and two jars of Wucheng Ruoxiachun for me. I am going out to visit a friend."

Lu Quan was slightly taken aback. Although he had doubts, he dared not ask any further questions. He bowed and replied, "Yes, Your Highness, I will send someone to the wine cellar to pick out these wines."

After Lü Quan hurriedly agreed, he turned to prepare the wine. Suddenly, Lü Shang raised his sleeve and pressed down on his shoulder, saying, "These wines don't need to be placed in the vermilion food boxes. Have someone wrap the wine jars in plain cloth and come with me out through the side door."

"Yes,"

Lü Quan responded in a low voice.

After Lü Quan had made all the necessary preparations as instructed, Lü Shang had changed into plain clothes. The eight jars of wine were wrapped tightly in plain cloth and carried by two attendants. The group quietly filed out through the side door.

Lü Shang walked along the bluestone road, turning through three streets and alleys, and passing through two neighborhoods.

Upon seeing the gate of the neighborhood ahead, the outline of its flying eaves was revealed in the twilight. Two ram's horn lamps on the side of the gate swayed slightly from side to side in the wind, making the two characters "Jing'an" on the plaque appear and disappear.

He entered Jing'an Ward with his entourage. The ward's alleyways crisscrossed like a chessboard. As they reached the second alleyway, the sound of camel bells suddenly came from behind them. Two camels carrying brocade were slowly making their way through the twilight.

The Hu merchant leading the camels wore a felt hat. Seeing that Lü Shang and his party were simply dressed but had an air of authority, he lowered his head and gave way. The sound of his boots scraping against the stone pavement was particularly clear in the silence.

Lu Shang turned his head and saw a plaque with the words "Han Mansion" hanging on the vermilion lintel at the end of the alley. The stone tablets beside the door were mottled, with "Descendant of Marquis Gao of Han" on one side and "Successor of Marquis Wu'an of Wei" on the other.

when!
He walked to the gate of the Han residence, raised his hand and knocked on the door knocker. The clear sound of the brass rings clashing startled the roosting birds. The door creaked open halfway, and the gatekeeper, who was over fifty years old, poked his head out.

"you are?"

The gatekeeper noticed that although Lü Shang was dressed in plain clothes, he exuded an air of nobility, and he was followed by two attendants carrying loads. His gaze involuntarily fell on the wine jar wrapped in plain cloth.

Lu Shang said gently, "Please inform Jinxiu Lang that Lu Shang from the Qi County Duke's Mansion has come to visit, bringing several jars of fine wine, and wishes to reminisce with Jinxiu."

The gatekeeper's expression changed drastically. He said, "So it's Young Master Lü. I'll go and inform him right away. Please wait a moment, Young Master."

As he spoke, the gatekeeper hurriedly opened the door completely and then ran into the mansion, bowing low.

Not long after, a hearty laugh came from inside the mansion.

"Brother Lü, I thought you had forgotten about your old friend!"

Han Jin, dressed in a casual brocade robe, strode out the door, the jade ornaments at her waist clinking together with a crisp sound.

He glanced at the wine jar, raised an eyebrow, and laughed, "Brother Lü, you truly keep your word. I thought the sandstorms of the Northern Frontier had long since blown your promise away." "I didn't expect Brother Lü to still remember what you said before you left. Come in quickly, we're going to drink with you until we drop today."

As they were talking, Han Jin warmly took Lü Shang's arm and led him into the mansion.

The gatekeeper next to him quickly ordered his servants to take the load from the attendants' shoulders and follow behind the group.

Passing through the hanging flower gate and around the artificial hill, we arrived at a pavilion overlooking the water. The lanterns under the eaves were reflected in the water, shimmering and sparkling.

Han Jin gestured for Lü Shang to sit down, then instructed the steward of the manor, "Quickly fetch my wine vessels; I want to drink heartily with Brother Lü."

The servants quickly arranged the celadon wine cups, and Han Jin personally removed the seal from the wine jar. Instantly, the aroma of the wine filled the air.

"Jiannan Shaochun!"

Han Jin took a deep breath and praised, "Back in the Secretariat, you said you would treat me to drinks. Now, after so long, you have finally kept your promise."

Lü Shang picked up the celadon wine cup, the candlelight flickering on the wine, creating slight ripples, and said, "Back then, the northern expedition was rushed, and this promise was put on hold for a long time. Fortunately, this return is not too late."

Having said that, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp. The spicy liquid slid down his throat, and a warm feeling instantly spread throughout his body.

Seeing this, Han Jin also tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup. He wiped the corner of his mouth and smiled, "Brother Lü has returned with great military achievements. Now, everyone in the court knows that Prince Lü made the greatest contribution in the northern expedition. After receiving his title and honors tomorrow, he will be the youngest nobleman in our dynasty, and his future will be infinitely glorious."

Before Jinxiu Lang could finish speaking, a splash was heard on the water. It was a fish flicking its tail, creating ripples that shattered the reflections of the lights in the pond.

Lu Shang gazed at the dappled sunlight swirling around the rim of his wine cup and chuckled, “Compared to my current glory, I miss the leisurely days when I was studying at the Secretariat. If I had a choice, I would like to go back to the Secretariat.”

Han Jin was stunned for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed, saying, "Brother Lü, if those people in the court who are eagerly hoping to be granted titles heard you say this, they would probably be so angry that they would vomit blood. Now that you are highly valued by the emperor and are about to be granted the title of duke or marquis, you actually think about going back to the Secretariat to gnaw on those moldy classics?"

He laughed as he poured himself another glass of wine, which splashed out and wet the exquisite bronze incense burner on the table.

Lu Shang shook his head, tracing the patterns on the celadon wine cup with his fingertips, and said, "Everyone has their own ambitions. Compared to leading troops, I actually yearn for a life of leisure and freedom."

"As you know, I used to be obsessed with seeking immortality and asking questions, and I did a lot of ridiculous things."

Han Jin's smile faded, the candlelight flickering in his eyes. As if remembering something, he said, "How could I not know? You left your family to seek the Dao in Zhongnan Mountain, and you've been gone for over a year. Everyone in Daxing High School knows this, and they all say you've acted recklessly."

“Is it absurd?” Lü Shang chuckled, tapping the table with his fingertips, and said, “Back then, at the Star Observation Platform on Zhongnan Mountain, looking up at the Twenty-Eight Mansions star chart, I suddenly felt that worldly fame and fortune were like fireflies, how could they compare to one ten-thousandth of the brilliance of the Milky Way.”

"Brother Lü is truly carefree!"

Han Jin paused in mid-air with his wine glass in hand, then slowly lowered it, saying, "I am trapped in this bustling capital, struggling daily in the cage of human relationships, unable to control my own destiny for the sake of my family's reputation. Brother Lü, on the other hand, can do as he pleases, unburdened by fame and fortune. I am not as good as you."

Outside the pavilion, a gentle breeze rippled across the water, causing the lanterns' reflections to sway like countless shooting stars.

(End of this chapter)