Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

"Good evening, sir. Would you like a meal or a room at the inn?"

Just as the city gates were about to close, the greetings of the innkeeper rang out again outside the inn.

Her voice, which was originally crisp and clear like a radish, had become weak and listless, as if she had been shouting all day.

At this time, Zhu Wu's legs were also numb, and he hardly sat down all day.

Upon seeing that the newcomer was a man on horseback, he immediately perked up, his bull-like eyes widening in surprise. However, as soon as the man removed his mask, his face instantly fell.

It had a yellow face, a short beard, slanted eyes, and a scar on its face; the horse was also gray.

Damn it! It's not his young master.

"What an idiot!"

Zhu Biao glanced at the window briefly and spotted Zhu Wu by the window. Relieved, he was also furious and his head was throbbing.

"He just stands there so brazenly by the window, his eyes practically bulging out, as if he's afraid no one will know he's waiting for someone?"

After a while, the city gates closed, and there were no travelers left on the street.

The waiter who had greeted the guests finally went back to the shop to rest, and Zhu Wu also closed the window in a huff.

"Sigh~"

He and Ruyi sighed at the same time.

Ruyi raised an eyebrow and gave him a slightly helpless glare.

"Husband, why won't you listen to my advice? There's no need to stand guard by the window. Just hang up a silk handkerchief, and he'll come looking for you when he sees it."

Zhu Wu, with a sullen face, said in a deep voice:

"Mother, wife, are you hungry? Shall I go downstairs and buy some food?"

咣 咣 咣!

Just then, the door was suddenly knocked on loudly, followed by a deep, domineering male voice.

"Is that blue mule in the backyard yours? That beast was trying to steal some food, and I kicked it hard."

"You son of a bitch!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Wu suddenly felt a surge of anger and took a few quick steps to grab the knife from the bedside, but was stopped by Ruyi.

"Yes, it's my lord!"

Her voice trembled, and her eyes reddened.

"what?"

Zhu Wu was stunned, but Ruyi had already run to open the door without paying any attention.

She is very perceptive.

Even if the mule really did steal the food, since it has already kicked it, why bother to question it again? It seems reasonable, but it is actually absurd; it is clearly deliberately looking for them.

Moreover, although the person outside had changed his accent and tone, he had not lost the youthful spirit in his bones.

The door opened, and Ruyi glanced into the man's eyes and was completely certain that this person was none other than Zhu Biao.

The appearance of eyes can change, but the look in one's eyes is hard to change, especially the familiar warmth in Zhu Biao's eyes that made her heart flutter.

"My lord."

With red eyes and a choked voice, she murmured something.

"Ruyi, how was your journey?"

Zhu Biao smiled, and seeing that no one was around, he lowered his voice and said.

Ruyi could no longer make a sound, but nodded vigorously. A hot drop fell onto the back of his hand.

The following day, a mule cart with sidecars slowly drove along the official road outside Chenliu City.

Zhu Wu sat cross-legged on the crossbar, a smile he could not hide on his lips, his eyes bright, and he occasionally cracked his whip excitedly.

"drive!"

He also changed his appearance.

With his sallow complexion, thick beard, and mute servant Huo Congen, Zhu Biao gave him the role, a natural performance that was almost perfect.

Inside the mule cart, Ruyi had regained her original pretty face and was helping Zhu Biao apply powder and draw his eyebrows.

At this moment, Zhu Biao's face was tense, his brows were furrowed, his jaw was clenched tightly, and his eyes were constantly narrowing, as if he were being tortured.

Seeing his expression, Ruyi's pretty face turned bright red, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

"Maybe we shouldn't wear the flowers in our hair?"

When she picked up a bright red silk plum blossom, Zhu Biao finally couldn't resist.

"Does an act have to be convincing? You taught me that, my husband. Those romantic scholars have always loved wearing flowers in their hair."

Ruyi called him "husband" shyly and timidly, her eyes sparkling, which even made Zhu Biao's heart flutter.

"Then, let's wait until we get to Tokyo to put it on."

He stuttered, which was rare for him, and picked up the bronze mirror beside him to look at himself.

"Ugh~"

Seeing my own grotesque appearance was like being doused with a bucket of cold water; any romantic feelings I had instantly vanished.

He had a face like jade, red lips and white teeth, long eyebrows, bright eyes, wore a carved headband, and a royal blue Taoist robe with a silver-gray fox-collar cloak.

More womanly than a woman!

His face was so disfigured that not only others, but even he himself did not recognize it.

If Liang Siqi were to see him, she'd probably whip him on the spot; that little vixen despises hypocritical scholars.

He reached up and gently touched his face, his fingertips instantly turning snow-white. Zhu Biao glanced at Ruyi and said irritably:

"My lady, isn't this powder a bit too much? I'm a scholar, not an actor."

"Hahaha!"

Ruyi could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.

As darkness fell, the gates of Fengqiu in Tokyo were closed.

Zhu Biao leisurely dismounted from the donkey cart, straightened his robes, bowed to the gate guard leader, and handed over his travel permit and official document.

"Greetings, Captain."

"I, Zhou Maolin, a scholar from Linqing, have come to Tokyo with my wife to visit my teacher at the Imperial Academy and to visit old friends along the way."

His heavy perfume, the trembling silk flowers at his temples, and his cheesy, affected tone of voice made the hairs on the back of the gatekeeper's neck stand on end.

"Good evening, sir!"

But he dared not be negligent in the slightest, nor dared to speak ill of him, and quickly returned the greeting.

The most dangerous people in the Song Dynasty were the civil officials. The Zhao family suppressed the military with civil officials, which led to the growing power of the civil official group. Even the eunuch faction dared not provoke them easily.

Don't be fooled by how fiercely these civil officials fight each other in normal times; they immediately band together when faced with a conflict between civil and military officials.

Don't be fooled by this repulsive pretty boy's current status as a mere Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination). Once he passes the imperial examination and becomes a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), he will immediately become a seventh-rank official.

Even if he fails, his teachers and classmates will inevitably be civil officials, and his teachers, classmates, and colleagues will all come up with a host of pedantic scholars if he offends one of them.

You've blown your skull to pieces!

"Take care, Scholar Zhou."

The guards only glanced at the travel permits and official documents, and then at Ruyi in the carriage and Zhu Wu, the driver. Without checking them, they let them pass.

There were no members of the Liang or Zhu families at the city gate, and no one obstructed Zhu Biao's second entry into Bianliang City.

"My lord, Bianliang is so prosperous, it's like a fairyland."

At this moment, as the city lights were just coming on, the red and yellow lights from all directions bathed the giant city in a dreamlike and beautiful glow.

Ruyi lifted the curtains, feeling that even two eyes weren't enough to take it all in.

Zhu Biao scoffed coldly:

"Ha, that's right, a cannibalistic paradise."

Ruyi was slightly taken aback:

"Why do you say that, my husband?"

Zhu Biao pulled out a piece of dried meat, put it in his mouth, and exhaled two streams of foul air from his nostrils.

"This morning..."

He succinctly recounted what he had seen and experienced at the Zhou family wedding banquet, leaving Ruyi completely stunned.

"In broad daylight, right under the emperor's nose, how dare those nobles act so lawlessly?"

"Sigh~"

Zhu Biao curled his lip.

"Just because it's under the emperor's nose, they still have to care about their reputation and find an excuse."

In his mind, images of Lin Chong, the mountain bandits, Pang Wanchun, Yue Fei, the black market, the will-o'-the-wisp, and the chaos outside Bianliang City flashed by like a revolving lantern.

Ruyi was very perceptive. Seeing that he was in a bad mood, she quickly lowered the curtains and changed the subject.

"My lord, where shall we stay tonight?"

Zhu Biao peeked through a corner of the curtain, thought for a moment, and then instructed Zhu Wu:

"Turn right at the next intersection."

Zhu Wu nodded like a blockhead.

Damn it! This idiot, if you ask him to pretend to be mute, he really won't utter a sound, not even pretending to be mute.

A moment later, at the Sanyuanlou residence, Zhu Biao booked a secluded courtyard with three rooms, a latrine, and a stable.

"My lady, please rest early. I'm going out to visit some friends tonight, and we'll definitely have a good drink and a long talk by candlelight. I won't be back then."

Zhu Biao, dressed in a flashy outfit and carrying a bundle, rushed out the door.

Ruyi leaned prettily against the door, her eyes filled with helplessness.

"My husband, please drink more wine and take care of your health."

"Pooh!"

A rough-looking merchant passing by spat at his retreating figure and muttered a curse under his breath:

"Nonsense! That scoundrel must have gone out drinking and carousing. What a pity for his virtuous and beautiful wife."

His pockmarked companion glanced at Ruyi as she closed the door, nodded in agreement, and said with a wistful tone:

"The most righteous are often the lowly butchers, while the most heartless are often the scholars. If I had such a beautiful wife, I would never go out to seek pleasure with prostitutes."

"ha!"

The boorish merchant laughed:

"You? Sun Mazi, the night before your wedding, you fucking dragged me to a brothel."

Passing by a secluded spot, Zhu Biao grabbed the hairpin that was trembling wildly in his hair, but then slowly let go.

He unpacked his bundle, took out a black cloak and put it on, lifting the hood to cover the hairpin and most of his face.

He instantly gained a cold and austere air.

Given his behavior just now, knocking on the door so abruptly at night, I was afraid Pang Qiutang would mistake him for a womanizer and shoot him with an arrow.

Sanyuanlou Residence and Dongsheng Inn are both located in the southern part of the city, forming a triangle with Zhang Jiaotou's residence in Tianjing Lane, with each about five li apart.

This is the result of Zhu Biao's three site visits.

He planned to change his identity again tomorrow and rent a secluded house. Bianliang was too dangerous; it was better to be careful than to make a big mistake.

While pondering, they arrived at Dongsheng Inn. After circling around three times, Zhu Biao was furious to find that none of the guest rooms had silk handkerchiefs hanging on their windows.

It was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky: something had happened to Pang Qiutang?