The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 162 Southbound
On the second day of the second lunar month, the weather is mild and the wind is gentle, making it a good time for travel, especially long journeys, and the trip will be smooth and auspicious.

In the sunny south side of the city, the snow melts and forms streams that flow slowly along the moat.

More than fifty riders halted their horses in the morning light, waiting for the envoys' procession to join them.

Xiao Yi looked toward Xunfeng Gate.

He had already inquired before setting off and learned that An Yuanzhen was heading south to Xiangzhou today, so he deliberately made sure to depart today.

Several riders came from the city. One of them was clearly a woman disguised as a man. She was pretty and quickly caught his attention. But when she got closer, he recognized that she was not An Yuanzhen, but Li Zhaoning.

His gaze shifted and landed on Li Fang.

"Brother Mingyuan has arrived. Please wait a moment; the envoy from Langzhou has not yet arrived."

"It must have been you who recommended me before the Emperor, which led to my promotion to Assistant Minister of Rites, a promotion of three ranks. Thank you very much."

"Could you reduce or waive some of the money I owe Brother Mingyuan?"

"Public matters are public matters, and private matters are private matters; how can they be confused?"

Xiao Yi sensed Li Zhaoning riding over, her bright eyes fixed on him, seemingly observing him intently.

After the Lantern Festival, the two did not meet again. Xiao Yi thought she must be angry and had given up on him.

He nodded naturally, as if speaking to a friend, and asked, "Are you here to see Brother Mingyuan off?"

Li Zhaoning stared at him for a moment, a hint of dissatisfaction in her eyes, before replying, "I went south with my cousin."

"No, enemy territory is dangerous; how could you possibly go there?"

"You won't let me go?"

"Yes, I am the commander of this mission, and I do not allow you to go."

The displeasure in Li Zhaoning's eyes disappeared, replaced by a slight smile. He said, "I'm not an official under you, you can't control me."

"I am an official, you are a commoner, how can I not manage this?"

What if I insist on going?

Xiao Yi felt that Li Zhaoning had never been so willful before, and looked at Li Fang, saying, "You are not allowed to bring your family members on this trip."

"You've misunderstood." Li Fang smiled, but then adopted a serious tone and said, "My cousin is not going to Chu with us, but to Xiangzhou."

Why go to Xiangzhou?

"Her brother Li Can escaped a calamity back then because he visited Marshal An. Now, news has come from Jiangnan that Li Can went to Yuanzhou last year, so she plans to ask Marshal An to send someone to meet him."

"Ok."

Since this matter had nothing to do with Xiao Yi, he shouldn't say anything more.

Li Zhaoning smiled and said, "Lord Xiao, do you still care about me?"

"You are only allowed to go to Xiangzhou."

"Yes, Your Excellency, I will obey your orders."

As they were talking, An's carriage arrived. An Shoulin, dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse, led the procession, followed by a luxurious carriage. His guards stood on both sides, and servants followed behind, making for a large entourage.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and An Yuanzhen peeked out and looked around. Seeing the view from afar, she was extremely surprised and waved.

Xiao Yi didn't tell her in advance that he would go south with her, partly to surprise her and partly out of fear of any unexpected events.

There was definitely a bit of an unexpected turn of events.

Li Zhaoning saw An Yuanzhen waving and waved back.

Xiao Yi was taken aback when he saw An Yuanzhen from afar. It was only then that he noticed Li Zhaoning. He looked guilty and dropped the curtain in his hand. He quickly lifted it back, showing a look of jubilation.

"Young Lady!"

The two teams met.

An Shoulin's bruises hadn't completely faded, and he looked at Xiao Yi with a wary expression.

"General An, I am ordered to go and bestow the title of Prince of Nanyang. Would you like to accompany me on this journey?"

"You thief, who knows what evil intentions you harbor?"

An Yuanzhen pushed open the carriage door, looked at it, and seemed to be in a daze for a moment.

Her eyes were filled with tenderness, as if she had a thousand words to say, but when she spoke, she said, "Cousin, Youniang is my close friend. I should travel with her to talk to her."

"Humph."

An Shoulin snorted coldly, indicating that he knew everything, but he did not object, only guarding against Xiao Yi as if he were a thief.

Li Zhaoning dismounted and boarded the carriage.

An Yuanzhen took the opportunity to turn her gaze to Li Zhaoning, her eyes conveying deep affection, before she took Li Zhaoning's hand.

"You Niang, I miss you so much."

"I haven't seen you in a long time, and I've been very worried about you."

As they spoke, two beautiful young women entered the carriage hand in hand and closed the door.

Xiao Yi sensed the scrutiny in Li Fang's eyes and calmly whispered, "General An has misunderstood me because he believed the rumors in the capital."

"I see, it really is just a rumor."

"coming."

As they were talking, another group of people came out of the city gate. It was Yan Jinqing leading the envoy from Langzhou.

This man was in his thirties, with a dark complexion and short stature. He was dressed as a scholar and seemed to be very sensitive to the cold. As you got closer, you could see the shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

“Li Guanxiang, the chief secretary of the Wuping Military Governor’s Office, has met Governor Xiao and has long admired his reputation. It is a great honor to be able to travel with him today.”

"Mr. Li, there's no need for such formalities," Xiao Yi said. "Sir, you have served as a commoner of Langzhou, traveling far and wide, and your contributions are immense. However... the imperial court has not yet officially appointed Liu Liuhou, yet you have already been appointed as the chief secretary?"

Li Guanxiang laughed and said, "Before Liu became the military governor, I was already in the Langzhou military headquarters."

"I see. I was unaware of the situation in the south. Please forgive me, sir."

"I caused quite a few laughs in the north, but luckily the court didn't punish me."

"I hope you will offer me much guidance along the way."

"To understand each other and share resources."

The group set off, with Xiao Yi and Li Guanxiang riding side by side to gather information about the situation in the State of Chu.

After saying something well-known, Li Guanxiang would always change the subject, talking about local customs and traditions, and all sorts of things from all over the world.

Li Fang often listened from the back, occasionally interjecting with a few witty remarks.

If Li Guanxiang composed a poem, Li Fang could readily respond in kind.

One is "When I return to my hometown after achieving success, I will lean on the railing and admire the misty isles again," while the other is "Three years of studying at the Phoenix Pavilion, five years of writing at the Imperial Palace."

Xiao Yi wasn't very knowledgeable about poetry, but he could tell that Li Fang was clearly superior.

As night fell, we stayed overnight at Weishi Post Station.

After the meal, Yan Jinqing saw Li Guanxiang off, while Xiao Yi and Li Fang sat in the hall warming themselves by the fire. "I think Li Guanxiang is a little jealous of your talent. When you compose poetry in broad daylight, his face darkens as soon as he hears it."

“I know,” Li Fang said. “I deliberately only suppressed him by a little bit.”

"You're really amazing."

"It's clear from his words that Liu Yan was indeed coerced into becoming the military governor, and that's not a lie."

"Yes, Li Guanxiang only wrote a memorial on behalf of Liu Yan after he arrived in the Central Plains, not because he had Liu Yan's trust, but because Wang Kui and Zhou Xingfeng controlled the military power."

"Perhaps it was Li Guanxiang who gave Wang Kui and Zhou Xingfeng the idea to ask Liu Yan to be the one to take the lead."

Xiao Yi already understood that the reason why military men of the time liked to support others was not because of enthusiasm, but because the risks involved were too difficult to manage. Emperors were changed every day, let alone military governors.

This is a way to transfer risk, balance factions, and leave room for maneuver.

Suppose that in the Wuping army, Wang Kui and Zhou Xingfeng are roughly equal in strength and neither can command respect on their own. Whoever takes power will have to fight among themselves. If they want to rebel against the Ma family, they would bring in Liu Yan, who has higher prestige. If they succeed, they will be credited with supporting the new emperor. If they fail, they can kill Liu Yan and continue to be loyal subjects of the Ma family.

"The risks of this trip are higher than I anticipated."

“Yes,” Li Fang sighed, “It seems I don’t need to thank you for promoting me.”

“Brother Mingyuan, you are too cautious. Fortune and honor are found in danger. Look, I didn’t pass the imperial examination, but my official rank is much higher than yours.”

"You're too adventurous. I just hope you're still alive when I'm in a high-ranking position and enjoying great wealth."

Chatting with Li Fang was not very interesting, so Xiao Yi went to practice martial arts.

I practiced a set of sword techniques, did a hundred squats, and was drenched in sweat. I then fetched a bucket of water and went to my room to wash myself.

After I finished wiping, I heard rustling sounds outside the door.

Xiao Yi guessed that An Yuanzhen had arrived, so he wrapped himself up and went to open the door.

There was no one outside the door, only the sound of a woman's voice coming from the corner of the long corridor in the courtyard.

"Why are you here too?"

"Take a look at the environment of this inn."

“I… I’ve taken the wrong road. Let’s go back quickly. Your brother is looking for you everywhere.”

"Ugh? He's so annoying."

Xiao Yi thought to himself that he probably wouldn't have many opportunities to spend time with An Yuanzhen along the way.

Sure enough, during the next few days of their journey, An Shoulin kept a close eye on him and never allowed them to be alone together in the same place.

Occasionally, during breaks, Li Zhaoning would find opportunities to avoid others, and she would always stay by An Yuanzhen's side.

Upon arriving in Nanyang City, An Yuanzhen took Li Zhaoning to a pharmacy to get some medicine. The next day, halfway there, An Shoulin suddenly started having diarrhea.

The procession had no choice but to stop by the roadside and wait for An Shoulin.

As if on cue, Xiao Yi looked toward the carriage and, sure enough, An Yuanzhen waved to him.

"Madam An".

"General Xiao, could you please set up a makeshift tent for me?"

"Alright, Madam An, do you want a big pit or a small pit?"

"You're such a nasty person."

An Yuanzhen got angry, grabbed Li Zhaoning, closed the car door, and after a moment, opened the car door and quickly threw out a sentence.

"Two small pits."

Xiao Yi took the tent, beckoned Xi Hou over, and ordered him to lead the team to spread out and keep watch, in case An Shoulin suddenly came over.

After selecting a location and surveying it with binoculars, they began setting up.

After setting up the tent, he sent a maid to inform An Yuanzhen, but he stood behind the tent. A little while later, An Yuanzhen came over and hugged him tightly.

"You bastard, I missed you so much."

"Did you give An Shoulin a laxative?"

"We finally made it all the way to Xiangyang, and he just had to get in our way."

"You went too far. Be careful."

"Hmph, why don't you know your limits? You hurt him."

"..."

They had barely kissed when a whistle sounded in the distance.

Xiao Yi glanced in the direction of the group through his binoculars and said, "Li Zhaoning is here."

"Ah? You should leave quickly."

"Is it convenient for you?"

"Why do you ask that? How annoying. I... I just wanted an excuse to see you."

"Then I'll bury the hole."

Xiao Yi moved quickly, dug a small pit, and was about to step on it when he realized that the footprint was the wrong size.

He had no choice but to hand the small shovel to An Yuanzhen.

“Sweep away my footprints.”

"Oh."

Leave in a hurry.

During their ten-day journey, the two only had this brief moment of tenderness.

But I never thought about whether it was worth it or not.

On February 12, the team arrived at the Han River.

In the distance, Xiangzhou City stands on the south bank of the Han River.

At the north bank dock, banners obscured the sky, and squads of soldiers, clad in armor and wielding halberds, stood on both sides of the official road.

As the drums and music sounded, a group of elite cavalrymen escorted a man who leaped out from the crowd. He appeared to be in his fifties, with a long beard that fluttered in the wind and armor that gleamed brightly in the spring sun.

"Uncle is here!"

An Shoulin shouted and was about to spur his horse forward.

Xiao Yi raised his hand to stop him.

An Shenqi was indeed impressive, but today's grand occasion should not be because the father was receiving his daughter, but because he, the imperial envoy, had come to confer the title of Prince of Nanyang.

His imposing manner must overwhelm the opponent, at least for a while.

"Prepare the ceremonial guards of the Pacification Commissioner, and tell An Shenqi to change into his court attire and come forward to receive his investiture!"

(End of this chapter)