About Cao Cao's reincarnation as the emperor's uncle

Chapter 36 A Journey Together Through the Snow

The palace banquet did not last long, especially since the imperial relatives were all quite old, and they all yawned and took their leave.

Zhang Rang carried the lantern, his eyes slightly narrowed with a smile; it was he who was seeing Liu Fang off.

As they approached the palace gate, Liu Fang was about to speak when Zhang Rang suddenly raised his hand to stop him.

“Now that Yuan Yi Gong is the Imperial Uncle, it would be inappropriate for him to still call me ‘Father’.”

The smile lingered on his round face, but didn't reach his eyes.

Liu Fang chuckled awkwardly and bowed slightly.
"Master Zhang, then we shall part ways here."

Zhang Rang stepped aside to make way, raised his chubby hand, and bowed in return:
"The night is deep and the dew is heavy, Lord Yuanyi... please proceed with caution."

The moment Liu Fang turned and stepped across the threshold, a soft, murmuring voice came from behind him:

"These osmanthus trees... though they are divided into golden and silver osmanthus, their roots are planted on the same tree."

The wind swept a few withered leaves across the stone steps.

Liu Fang suddenly turned around, but Zhang Rang was nowhere to be seen.

……

The moon leaned against the eaves, and Feng Xu and Xu Feng were already waiting on the bluestone path.

Suddenly, several figures emerged from the vermilion palace gate. Feng Xu slowly bowed, while Xu Feng stood on tiptoe and peered again.

Upon noticing the two young men in blue robes beside Liu Fang, Feng Xu raised an eyebrow, seemingly lost in thought.

Xu Feng, however, just scratched his head blankly:
"My lord, we just saw off the two boys from the Xun and Qiao families, why are you..."

Halfway through his sentence, seeing that Liu Fang remained silent and composed, he realized he had spoken out of turn and rubbed his hands together.

Seeing that Liu Fang had not said a word, Liu Dai immediately took half a step back and, with a flick of his wide sleeves, performed a standard long bow.

Liu Yao, however, could not contain himself and strode up to Xu Feng:
"I am Liu Yao, my father's second son, and this is my elder brother Liu Dai."

Upon hearing the word "father," Xu Feng's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit a soup dumpling:
"Ah? This..."

His gaze darted between Liu Fang and the two boys.

Seeing this, Feng Xu had already made up his mind. He stepped forward half a step and bowed deeply, saying:

"My name is Feng Yuanhuo. I greet you both."

As he spoke, he lightly kicked the sole of Xu Feng's boot with his toe.

Xu Feng snapped back to his senses, stiffened his neck, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said:
"Xu Ziyuan, my lord's...beloved general."

He emphasized the last two words, "beloved general," and glanced sideways at Liu Yao out of the corner of his eye, like a child whose favor had been divided.

Liu Yao felt a strong smell of jealousy in the air and scratched the back of his head, trying to hide behind his brother.

Upon seeing this, Liu Dai bowed deeply again, his composure as firm as a pine tree:

"My brother and I are deeply moved to be reunited with our father today after a long separation, and we have been slightly impolite..."

"I hope that Lord Feng and Lord Xu will continue to take good care of me in the future."

Having said that, he gently tugged at Liu Yao's sleeve, and Liu Yao hurriedly bowed in response:

"Yao... has met Lord Feng and Lord Xu."

Seeing that the two men were very polite, Xu Feng's expression softened slightly, but he still muttered under his breath:
"Two more have come..."

Liu Fang and Feng Xu exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of helpless smile in each other's eyes.

After handing the two boys over to Xu Feng, he gestured with his hand:

"This is not the place to discuss matters; let's return to the residence and talk again."

……

On the way back, Xu Feng continued to press the two boys about their origins.

Liu Yao occasionally chimed in, which amused Xu Feng, who would sometimes glare and sometimes burst into laughter.

Before long, they arrived at the mansion.

Feng Xu walked beside Liu Fang, glancing at the laughing and joking group ahead, and whispered in their ear:
"King of Pingyuan?"

Liu Fang nodded, looked up at the starry sky, and recalled Liu Shuo's meaningful gaze at the banquet.

Upon reaching the backyard, one sees it brightly lit, where everyone is gathered.

Liu Fang gestured to Xu Feng, instructing Xu Feng to take Liu Dai and Liu Yao to rest first.

Before leaving, Liu Dai suddenly stopped and took out a piece of yellow silk from his sleeve:
"My uncle asked me to give this to my father..."

The few words on the yellow silk sent a shiver down Liu Fang's spine as he glanced at them.

"Master Zhang entrusted his son to pass on a message to his younger brother: 'Don't worry about Taiping.'"

Teacher Zhang...

Zhang Jiao, a great and wise teacher.

In a previous life, there were thirty-six leaders who called themselves "disciples of the Great Virtuous Teacher," among whom the best were known as the Eight Great Disciples.

Based on speculation, Liu Kang is Tang Zhou, and with the addition of his alias Ma Yuanyi, two of the eight disciples have now appeared.

If Liu Shuo is one of them, then this so-called eight disciples becomes quite interesting...

Who exactly is this Zhang Jiao? He looked up at Feng Xu, and when the latter took the secret letter, the two remained silent, understanding each other perfectly.

It seems that this upheaval in Taiping was indeed inextricably linked to the clan.

Feng Xu was about to speak when Liu Fang raised his hand to stop him.

"Not urgent……"

Liu Fang's expression turned serious, and he stepped into the hall.

The aroma of rice mixed with the pungent smell of newly opened wine jars wafted over, making one's eyes sting.

The crackling of the charcoal fire cast a rosy glow on everyone's faces.

Liu Fang straightened his clothes, flicked his sleeves, and bowed in a circle:

"I've kept you all waiting."

Before he finished speaking, a chorus of toasts and encouragement filled the room.

Zuo Feng hurriedly brought over a wine cup.

This is much more comfortable than being in the palace.

In the blink of an eye, several rounds of drinks had been consumed...

As Yin Duan stood up, clutching his wine cup, his sleeve slid down to his elbow, revealing several grotesque knife scars that flickered in the firelight.

Liu Fang stared at the scars:
"Lord Yin's injury..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhu Jun interrupted him with a smile:

"I've heard about the origin of Master Yin's injury countless times in Kuaiji."

Yin Duan laughed and cursed as he slammed his fist on the table, the muscles in his forearm tensing, and the knife scar bulging out.

"Back then, I was cleaved by the Qiang people's curved swords. I thought I was going to be buried on the banks of the Huangshui River. It was only because of you, Lord Ming, that I was pulled out of the pile of corpses."

"At that time, Ji An was still Lord Ranming's personal guard, and he stood guard outside the tent for three days and three nights."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ji raised his wine cup and took a large gulp, the wine dripping down his disheveled beard:
"Lord Yuanyi, you may not know this, but that year, it was Yin Sima who first took three blows for Lord Ranming, and only then did Lord Ranming carry him back to camp."

He turned to look at Liu Fang, his gaze gradually deepening:

"If we're talking about gratitude, we roughnecks are all indebted to each other by several lives, even that Xia..."

Zhang Ji suddenly realized he had spoken out of turn, stopped abruptly, raised the wine in his hand, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

He probably meant Xia Yu...

Although he did not witness it firsthand, Liu Fang knew the circumstances surrounding Xia Yu's death.

As the atmosphere fell silent, Liu Fang raised his glass and changed the subject:

"I have heard that the Qiang cavalry charge with great ferocity. Has Lord Yin ever been afraid?"

"afraid?"

Yin Duan wiped his mouth and said, "Back then, if the Qiang people wanted to cross the Huangshui River, they would have had to step over our bones."

He picked up his wine cup and poured some wine into the hearth:
"The brothers are not afraid of death; they all beg to die on the battlefield..."

"On the contrary, I have heard about the dangers that have befallen Lord Yuanyi over the years. If something goes wrong, he will not even be remembered."

As Liu Fang gazed at the flickering candlelight in his cup, he recalled the snowfall at the Bronze Sparrow Terrace in his previous life.

"I am not as good as Lord Yin, and I am afraid of..."

"I fear I won't live to see the day I achieve great things, I fear future generations will point at my back and say I'm a traitor or a villain..."

"What I fear even more is... that the Han dynasty will fall into ruin."

As Zhu Jun listened, his gaze gradually drifted into the distance:
"I heard from Master Yin that the snow in Liangzhou is beautiful..."

He seemed to be implying something more than just snow; he was talking about snow, but it wasn't just about snow.

"I wonder if Lord Yuanyi has ever met you?"

Liu Fang simply shook his head slightly, while Zhang Ji slammed his fist heavily on the table:
"That won't do! Lord Yuanyi insists on seeing the snow in Liangzhou!"

"During a winter patrol of the border years ago, I personally witnessed the snow on the Qilian Mountains rolling down the mountainside, like a thousand troops, like ten thousand horses..."

As he finished speaking, his voice gradually lowered:

"if……"

Liu Fang rose from the table, smiling as he took over the conversation:

"If one day...the nation is at peace, I will surely go to Liangzhou with you all!"

"Look at the snow-capped Qilian Mountains, like silver mountains; listen to the ice cracking on the Huangshui River like thunder..."

"This cup of wine is a toast to the day when we walk side by side through the snow!"

Everyone stood up, and the clinking of wine cups echoed for a long time.

"Respect! Tomorrow..."

One day, amidst the heavy snowfall over the other side of the pass, mighty men of Han will appear, their banners fluttering like a forest...

(End of this chapter)