Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 110 A Lasting Romance
The seventh day of the month of lotus.

Yun Ce carried a stack of papers into the county government office of Lantian County, which was under the jurisdiction of Chang'an, the capital of Beijing.

After hearing the report from the yamen runners, Magistrate Lin Weizhou hurriedly went to the back hall of the Second Yamen to meet Yun Ce.

Before the two could even exchange pleasantries, Lin Weizhou hurriedly took the paper from Yun Ce, caressing it as if it were a precious treasure, and asked Yun Ce, "Have you tried the brush and ink?"

Yun Ce laughed and said, "Isn't this just waiting for the county magistrate to personally put pen to paper?"

Lin Weizhou didn't stand on ceremony. He laid out a felt mat on the table, placed the papers, and prepared to start writing.

Yun Ce smiled and removed the thick felt blanket, placing a stack of papers directly on the table, indicating that Lin Weizhou could begin writing.

Lin Weizhou looked at Yun Ce with surprise and asked, "The problem of the smudging is solved?"

After saying that, without waiting for Yun Ce's reply, he picked up a pen and copied down "Qin Feng: No Clothes".

How can you say we have no clothes? We share the same robes. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our spears and shields. We will fight alongside you against this common enemy!
Qi said without clothes?Tongze with the child.Master Wang Yuxing, repair my spear.Work with the son!
How can you say we have no clothes? We'll share our garments with you. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our armor and weapons. We'll march together!
After Lin Weizhou finished writing the last character, Yun Ce recited it once, and then said to Lin Weizhou, who was checking the paper, "The magnificent writings left by our ancestors look most comfortable on this white paper."

Lin Weizhou nodded and said, "That's true. But are you really going to offer such a rare treasure to His Majesty like this?"

Yun Ce sighed and said, "My wife had another quarrel with the wicked woman next door yesterday, just because her title is Zan Niao while mine is only Shang Zao. My wife couldn't say many of her curses. After the defeat, the whole family was in turmoil."

Lin Weizhou laughed heartily upon hearing this, and pointed at Yun Ce, saying, "Is it because you were worried that you wouldn't be able to keep such a treasure, that you chose to offer it to His Majesty, and then rely on His Majesty's power to continue running your little workshop?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Ce solemnly cupped his hands towards Chang'an and said, "Naturally, we rely on His Majesty. County Magistrate, you are overthinking it."

"Hahaha, whether it's because they can't win an argument with their bad neighbor, or because they're afraid of losing the papermaking secret, in any case, once this papermaking secret is presented to His Majesty, according to the laws of my Great Han, anyone who makes something extraordinary will be appointed as a Grand Master and given a thousand strings of cash."

Although this reward is disproportionate to the paper you offered, it solves your most pressing problem. As a newcomer, it's wise of you not to compete with others.

Yun Ce smiled and nodded, then took out a roll of paper covered with writing from his sleeve and placed it on the table. He cupped his hands towards Lin Weizhou and said, "The secret recipe is here. Please examine it, Your Excellency."

Lin Weizhou did not touch the roll of paper, but looked at Yun Ce and said, "This thing will go directly to His Majesty's desk. Not only can I not see it, but even the person who delivers it afterward cannot see it until His Majesty confirms that it is genuine."

Therefore, you must make sure this item is correct.

Yun Ce nodded.

Lin Weizhou clapped his hands, and a man in blue robes with an expressionless face walked in from the back office, holding a metal copper coin in his hands. The man in blue robes carefully put the paper roll into the metal tube, closed the lid, put on a delicate little lock, sealed the lid with a roll of thin leather, and poured some red oil on it. In a moment, the red oil solidified.

Lin Weizhou carefully affixed his seal to it, and Yun Ce also took out his seal and stamped it on the red oil.

Lin Weizhou carefully inspected the metal cylinder again before handing it over to the man in blue.

The man in blue took the tube, wrapped it in cloth, and held it in his arms. He put the paper that Yun Ce had brought into a wooden box, then turned and left.

Watching the man in blue leave, Lin Weizhou sighed and said, "This may be the best news His Majesty has heard since the folk festival in Chuyun Prefecture never stopped."

Yun Ce said, "Chuyun Prefecture is tens of thousands of miles away; it's just a minor ailment like scabies."

Lin Weizhou shook his head and said, "The Shehuo was rejected by the ancestral fire, yet it did not go out. This is no small matter. Fortunately, the Shehuo of Chuyun Prefecture is only a second-level Shehuo. If it were the Shehuo of the Han Dynasty's own prefecture, Chang'an would probably not be so peaceful."

Yun Ce, do you remember the events of Haikun Prefecture?

Yun Ce nodded and said, "A hundred-foot giant wave can swallow a mountain for a thousand miles."

Lin Weizhou said, "Only Gaoliang Mountain was broken when we left Yunzhou, and the earthquake only lasted for six hundred li."

Yun Ce nodded repeatedly and said, "I also felt the earthquake in Daizhou when it occurred in Yunzhou."

Lin Weizhou smiled and said, "Daizhou is a good place. Since you come from Daizhou, then be a good Chang'an resident in Jingzhao."

Yun Ce rose and bowed, saying, "Of course."

If you don't talk about Yun Ce's background, it's fine. But once you do, he won't say anything, even offering up his papermaking technique. That bastard even hinted that he might be from Chuyun Prefecture. Even though his guess was accurate, it's best not to show off your cleverness now, or you'll just make Yun Ce want to kill you to silence you again.

Fortunately, Lin Weizhou's words were brief and did not delve into the matter further. After all, when everyone is on good terms, it's best not to stir up trouble.

Even though Yun Ce was the descendant of a criminal from Yunzhou, and now he had presented the almost auspicious papermaking technique, Lin Weizhou was willing to cover it up for him.

As Yun Ce emerged from the county government office, he stretched in the warm sunshine. This place was truly wonderful. Aside from complaining about the name Lantian County, there was nothing else to say.

There's no way around it; since Chang'an has already appeared here, it would be perfectly reasonable to add Lantian County nearby as well.

After all, since the third year of Qin Er Shi's reign, when Liu Bang's army bypassed Yaoguan Pass, crossed Kuishan Mountain, and fought the Qin army south of Lantian, and later north of Lantian County, the Qin army suffered a great defeat, leading Liu Bang's army to approach Ba Shang and spy on Chang'an. Chang'an and Lantian County have become inextricably linked.

Unexpectedly, this group of Han people also brought their old habits here.

Choosing to live in Lantian County was not Yun Ce's idea, but Gouzi's suggestion. Gouzi claimed to have ridden his messenger bird all over Chang'an and finally decided that Lantian County was the best. The main reason was that Chang'an had long and harsh winters, while Lantian County had very rich geothermal resources and had excellent development prospects.

Another important reason for choosing Lantian County as the location was to conceal the atmosphere of the Shehuo (a traditional folk performance) in Yunzhou. The main reason was that there was a dormant volcano less than 100 miles away from the place Gouzi had chosen to live. Although the volcano had not erupted for a long time, Gouzi still hoped that Yun Ce could dig a hole and put the Shehuo inside the crater.

Yun Ce naturally wouldn't listen to such nonsense. Shehuo (a type of folk performance) is connected to the heavens and the earth's veins. What if the Shehuo is not handled properly and causes a volcano to erupt, burning down the house?

Yun Ce's family lived on the shore of Longhu Lake, which was thirty miles away from the county government. Longhu Lake was very large, covering an area of ​​five hundred miles. Yun Ce's family estate used to be used to fish and raise chickens for nobles in Chang'an. Later, all three sons of the family died in battle at Tiewei Pass, and the family no longer liked to eat fish and eggs. When the estate was sold, Eji took over it.

It cost Eji a full 1,400 taels of gold. For this, Eji even scolded Zhang Min. The main reason was that when she asked this spy from Panxing Tower to help her negotiate the price, Zhang Min insisted that 1,400 taels of gold was a very good deal.

The estate wasn't very large, barely a thousand acres. It wasn't used for growing grain before; people raised chickens to collect eggs, which were then sold in Chang'an.

Of course, the chickens here are not the chickens that Yun Ce thought they were. Whose chickens can grow to 100 pounds?

Raising less than 500 chickens on 1,000 acres of land is a huge waste. Fortunately, the locals have also planted hundreds of pine trees on the land.

This gave Yun Ce the materials to test his papermaking technique.

Eji really liked the chickens that other people raised, and she also liked the big eggs that the chickens laid. She liked to eat all kinds of eggs, whether they were fried, boiled, pickled, or even made into egg custard.

Eji originally thought that as long as she held firm on the price, the family would surely lower the price and sell the chickens to her along with the slaves on the estate.

As a result, they didn't tolerate her. In front of her, they not only slit the throats of all the chickens, but also sold the slaves there to their neighbors at a low price.

In the vast manor, apart from a towering mountain of chicken droppings, nothing was left for Eji.

When Yun Ce returned to the dilapidated manor, E Ji immediately came over, becoming cautious and losing her usual arrogance.

Yun Ce dismounted, untied the reins and bridle, and the chestnut horse went to find food on its own.

“My lord, I’ve made a losing deal.”

Yun Ce glanced at Zhang Min, who had come to see E Ji make a fool of herself, and frowned, "Why aren't you at Panxing Tower yet? Or are you still spying on me?"

Zhang Min curled her lips and said, "If I don't stay in your manor, do you think someone like Lin Weizhou would trust you so much? Even if you and your wife are stubborn, there are still 312 people in this manor. Do you think Lin Weizhou can't get any information out of you from them?"
It was through the Climbing Star Tower that I told him, "While your origins are debatable, you are indeed a respectable son of the Han Dynasty, and you will one day serve the Han at Iron Enclosure Pass."

Yun Ce shook his head and said, "I'm not going to Tiewei Pass."

Zhang Min sneered, "Going to Iron Enclosure Pass to wield a halberd is not something you can decide whether to go or not. As long as your martial prowess meets the requirements, you will have to go whether you want to or not."

Moreover, this is not an imperial decree, but a Han Chinese's voluntary decision. If you meet the requirements but don't go, although it's not illegal, everyone in the Han people, including the Han scoundrels, will look down on you.

Yun Ce smacked his lips and said, "I just got the paper. I don't need to tell you how important it is, right?"
Lin Weizhou said, "I will be a scholar with the rank of Grand Master in the future, and I think the battlefield should be none of my concern."

Zhang Min shook his head, somewhat proudly saying, "Tiewei Pass is the soul of the Han Dynasty. There are invincible commanders, the bravest generals, fierce soldiers who fight to the death, strategists with unparalleled wisdom, and civil officials who manage the grain and fodder with perfect precision. Yun Ce, since you live in the Han Dynasty and enjoy the peace and prosperity they bring you, why don't you go to Tiewei Pass?"

(End of this chapter)