I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 225 Enjoying this place, I don't miss home.
After being "invited" back to Jiangdong, Yuan Tan actually lived a fairly comfortable life.

Not only was a residence prepared for Yuan Tan, but people like Lu Su and Gu Yong also frequently came to visit him, providing him with money, gifts, and servants... They didn't even restrict Yuan Tan's movements, allowing him to freely wander around Jinling City.

Yuan Tan privately asked Guo Tu if he could escape, but Guo Tu stopped him.

"Let's not even talk about how to cross the Yangtze River. Even if we do cross it, there's the Huai River to the north. North of the Huai River, it's either Cao Cao or Lü Bu. Does the young master really think it would be better for us to fall into their hands than to fall into Liu Miao's hands?"

Cao Cao dared not say, but Lü Bu would definitely kill Yuan Tan!

Yuan Tan knew that returning to Hebei would be difficult, but he asked Guo Tu with a glimmer of hope. When he saw that Guo Tu didn't have any good ideas, he completely gave up the idea of ​​fleeing to Hebei.

"Actually, living in Jinling City isn't bad..."

As Yuan Tan was pondering this, Yuan Shu's son, Yuan Yao, came to find him again: "Brother! There's a troupe of acrobats from Jiaozhou in the city today! Come quickly with me to watch!"

Yuan Tan's mother died early, and he only had open and covert struggles with Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi. Where was there any brotherhood between them?

On the contrary, he and Yuan Yao, the son of Yuan Shu, had no conflict of interest and were both fellow sufferers, so they ended up getting along well.

The brothers Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were sworn enemies, like oil and water. Yet their sons were closer than brothers in Jinling, meeting up almost every day to play together. It was truly a twist of fate.

When Yuan Tan saw Yuan Yao coming to find him for entertainment, he pretended to be reluctant but actually did the opposite. As he got up, he scolded Yuan Yao: "What kind of Jiaozhou acrobatic troupe is this? Didn't we agree to study together today? Haven't you ever seen any acrobatics before?"

Yuan Yao ignored them and pulled Yuan Tan to go outside: "You've never seen anything like it! These people actually brought an elephant with them! Its body alone is the size of a house!"

"Oh?"

An elephant... Yuan Tan has never seen one before!

After dressing, putting on belt hooks and jade pendants, and carrying a lotus bag, and tying on a veil containing angelica and autumn orchids, Yuan Tan and Yuan Yao rode in a carriage to the Huai River near the Zhuque Bridge.

Yuan Tan had visited Jinling City several times, and the city left a deep impression on him.

The newly built roads are wide and flat, and even four carriages can travel side by side in the inner city.

The city's layout was also quite rational, with markets and government offices separated to avoid interference. Numerous waterways were channeled from outside the city, ensuring both water supply and the city's cleanliness.

When Yuan Tan learned that just a few years ago, this place was still an empty expanse without such a magnificent city, he was even more amazed.

Although Ye City had a much larger population than Jinling, its scenery could not compare to Jinling's.

Sometimes Yuan Tan even wondered if he should just stay in Jinling instead of going back to Hebei...

In any case, he and Yuan Yao were more like brothers, and because Yuan Shao had adopted Yuan Tan to Yuan Ji, Liu Miao's legal wife, Lady Yuan, was actually Yuan Tan's true legal relative, especially considering that Liu Miao's attitude towards him didn't seem hostile. All of this made Yuan Tan harbor different thoughts.

"What's wrong, brother?"

On the carriage, Yuan Yao noticed Yuan Tan's melancholy.

"Is he missing his hometown?"

Yuan Tan shook his head: "I am so happy here that I don't miss my hometown."

Upon arriving in Hebei, he had to please Yuan Shao, contend with his two brothers in open and covert struggles, and be bogged down in trivial political affairs and military matters...

How could those days compare to the carefree and unrestrained life in Nanjing?

Moreover, the longer Yuan Tan stayed in Jinling, the more he looked down on Hebei, and even spoke ill of it...

Rather than saying that Nanjing is necessarily richer than Hebei, walking on the streets, one can clearly feel the tranquility and peace that is unique to Nanjing.

The people coming and going here are neither emaciated nor deeply resentful.

Even some butchers who seem somewhat crude are all smiles and treat others with courtesy.

This feeling is especially pronounced at markets.

Even though the crowd was already shoulder to shoulder, there was no arguing, only a noisy murmur.

"Brother, it's time to get off the carriage!"

This is also a rule in Jinling City.

Even the most distinguished person cannot enter a crowded marketplace by carriage.

Yuan Tan had been to this place before with Lu Jun, Lu Su, Gu Yong, and others, but even they had not broken this rule, so Yuan Tan naturally got out of the carriage and continued on his way.

After getting off the carriage, Yuan Tan was able to experience the uniqueness of Jinling even more.

The market was divided into different sections, with silks, lacquerware, and bronze mirrors displayed on the east side, and rice, water chestnuts and lotus roots from Taihu Lake, and fruits from Huaihe River region gathered on the west side. In the middle, there were dazzling jewels, with necklaces, jade ornaments, and tortoiseshell from the East China Sea all displayed together.

Despite the presence of so many goods, the people of Nanjing did not cause the slightest disturbance.

Five-zhu coins and gold ingots circulated orderly among the fish-scale roofed shops, while the armored soldiers with swords were idly yawning and leaning against the railings, whistling towards the women's quarters.

"Unbelievable!"

Yuan Tan had come here from Qingzhou, now in its most dilapidated state, but he never imagined that a mere river could separate them like heaven and earth. If it weren't for his occasional nightmares about Lü Bu or Yuan Shao, Yuan Tan might truly believe that the world was now at peace!

"If Liu Biaoqi was able to enable the people to live and work in peace and contentment, does that mean that he was the one with the Mandate of Heaven?"

Yuan Tan couldn't help but ponder this question, but the deeper he thought about it, the more Yuan Shao's terrifying face appeared in his mind, causing him to frown.

"Brother! What's wrong with you today? Why are you looking so gloomy even when you come to play? Come quickly! That's the Jiaozhou Hundred Entertainments I told you about!"

Yuan Tan looked at Yuan Yao with envy.

Now Yuan Yao has neither worries about the world nor about his father, so isn't he carefree?
"Ah~~"

Yuan Tan followed Yuan Yao up to a pavilion. Yuan Yao was clearly a regular customer; the servants immediately greeted him, and Yuan Yao exclaimed, "Put the food by the window! I want to see the acrobatic performance downstairs!!!"

"Okay!!"

The waiter quickly brought over some meat dishes.

"These are all big fish that were just caught from the sea today! Gentlemen, please have a taste!"

Yuan Tan picked up his wooden chopsticks, took a bite, and immediately exclaimed in astonishment, "I've eaten sea fish before, but I've never tasted anything this delicious! What kind of fish is this?"

“This is a large yellow croaker! Young master, you may not know this! This fish is extremely timid. When it is frightened, it will swim to the deep sea, so it used to be very difficult to catch. But now that we have ships, we no longer have to worry about it and can go directly to the deep sea to bring it back.”

"Ship?"

Yuan Tan was puzzled.

Yuan Yao knew perfectly well: "It's the ship that Registrar Lu took when he went to Qingzhou by sea! Brother, don't ask so many questions! Look down! Look down! My goodness! How can this elephant be so big? I wonder how much it weighs!"

Hundred plays originated from the elaborate plays of the Qin and Han dynasties, and later included stilt walking, knife swallowing, fire walking, and zigzag walking.

Nowadays, the variety of performances is even more diverse. There is the "Parthian Five Acts" which comes from Parthia, where performers change their movements and fold and stand upside down on a large, stacked, and precariously swaying drum. There is also the "Plate and Drum Dance", in which graceful women dance with their sleeves waving and their feet stepping on plates and small drums on the ground, moving to the music with beautiful postures.

Another example is "Fish and Dragon Spreading," where several people hold drums and tease a fish and a dragon in costume, with a child on the dragon's body performing various acts.

There is also “singing, dancing and acting”, which means that some people tell fabricated stories to amuse people and make them happy.

But Yuan Yao's purpose today was very clear: to come and see the elephant!
The elephant had a bluish-gray skin, a long trunk that was curled up high, and four hooves like beams supporting its house-sized body. It was truly an eye-opener!

Yuan Yao and Yuan Tan were particularly dumbfounded when they saw some acrobatic performers jumping onto the elephants and dancing on their backs!
"Amazing! Amazing!!"

Yuan Yao was delighted and immediately took out his pouch, took out some small pieces of gold and silver, and threw them out: "Reward! Reward! Wow! You're really something!"

The surrounding crowd erupted in cheers, throwing money at the performers' feet, which made them even happier. They then performed several more impressive moves, drawing even louder applause!
Just as Yuan Tan was enjoying the show, he heard someone calling his name repeatedly.

"Young Master! Young Master! A letter from Jingzhou!"

It was Guo Tu who came looking for me!
Guo Tu pushed his way through the crowd and went upstairs, whispering in Yuan Tan's ear, "Young Master! A letter has arrived from Jingzhou!"

"It is said that Lord Yuan has sent Feng Ji as an envoy to Jingzhou to meet with General Liu! General Liu then sent someone to invite you, young master, to Jingzhou for a discussion!"

Guo Tu danced with joy, completely oblivious to the disappointment on Yuan Tan's face: "In that case, we can return to Hebei!"

"Yes, we can go back now."

When Yuan Tan thought about going to Hebei, seeing Yuan Shao and his two brothers again, and getting caught up in all those trivial matters, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Zhaodao, should this market be closed in time?"

"It's still early! There's still an hour left!"

"Alright! Bring some wine, let's have a good drink together today!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yao immediately became happy: "How could my brother be like this? In the past, when I came to see you, you wouldn't touch a drop of alcohol! I heard that General Liu gave up drinking because he was worried that drinking would lead to trouble. What do you think we brothers have to worry about? Come on! Bring the wine! Bring the best wine!"

Guo Tu looked at Yuan Tan as if in disbelief.

But seeing the dejection on Yuan Tan's face, he ultimately did not stop him. Instead, he sat down and asked Yuan Yao, "With one more person, you shouldn't mind, right?"

"What's there to mind? It's just drinking! The more people, the better!"

Guo Tu looked at the carefree Yuan Yao and felt a little envious.

Raising his wine cup, Guo Tu first offered a toast to Yuan Tan.

"Young Master, this may be the last time we can drink so freely."

"I know."

Yuan Tan raised his wine cup and clinked it heavily with Guo Tu's!
"Afterwards, I will return to Hebei and fight for my father!"

(End of this chapter)