"I know," Manbao raised her hand too, "in the northern part of the Gaochang Kingdom. I heard that the reason Gaochang was destroyed was because they listened to the Turks’ provocations and did not pay tributes on ti, and even conspired with them to rebel, either secretly or openly insulting our Great Jin, so His Majesty sent people to destroy Gaochang."
However, the Turks are quite good at fighting, and they are farther away, so the emperor picked the softer target first.
Thinking about it this way, their emperor doesn’t seem that upright, huh.
"So the world outside is not as stable as we think," Bai Shan shook the book in his hand and said, "Being prepared is crucial. Great Jin is so vast, and nowadays, only the Central Plains and Jiangnan are stable. I might not be able to get a job in those places, so it’s better to be more prepared."
Bai Erlang thought about himself. He didn’t want to add more coursework, so he asked, "Can I just read what our teacher writes?"
That was what the teacher required, and he couldn’t refuse.
Bai Shan looked at him strangely, "I didn’t force you, did I?"
"Then you can’t read these extra books in front of the teacher, or else the teacher will definitely think of ."
Manbao said, " too. I’m really busy recently and don’t want to add more coursework."
Bai Shan knew she had been reading leisure books recently. If it weren’t for the unsuitable conditions caused by the bumpy carriage ride, she would probably spend six hours a day sitting and reading in the carriage.
He glanced at the two of them and said, "Your demands are too high."
Manbao then turned her eyes and said, "How about I wrap the book for you?"
Bai Erlang’s eyes lit up, "That’s a good idea. Manbao and I will do it. As for the thickness of this book, let make it look like The Zuo Tradition, how about that?"
Before Bai Shan could refuse, Manbao and Bai Erlang enthusiastically went to make a cover for him.
Bai Erlang’s book chest had so blank blue covers, which he got through his connections with the bookshop owner. The reason he could disguise so many leisure books with covers the teachers couldn’t recognize was because of this.
He took one out and gave it to Manbao, who carefully folded it. Then she snatched the book from Bai Shan’s hands to asure and, after folding, began to grind ink to add characters to the blank cover.
This task was naturally handed over to Manbao.
Bai Erlang helped her grind the ink.
Bai Shan watched from the side, and upon seeing Manbao holding a brush outlining on the blank cover, seemingly drafting a design, he stepped forward and grabbed the brush, saying, "Let do it."
Manbao imdiately gave up the spot for him.
Yin Huo and Liu Huan witnessed the entire process of Bai Shan forging the book cover, creating it with a single brush stroke.
He blew on the ink to dry it, then showed them, and even Yin Huo couldn’t help but say, "It really looks real."
"Of course," Bai Erlang proudly said, "More than half of the covers on the miscellaneous books we’ve read since childhood were written by him."
The remaining small portion was fabricated by him and Manbao individually.
Mostly, for the books they discreetly wanted to keep from being recognized and could let close friends know, Bai Shan was responsible for making the cover.
Yin Huo and Liu Huan looked at Bai Shan with expressions that said, "Didn’t expect you to be such a Bai Shan."
Bai Shan handed the cover to Bai Erlang, letting him wrap it, and put away the brush, saying, "I’m just good at writing."
Everyone: ... Haha?
Anyway, the book was wrapped. Indeed, Mr. Zhuang didn’t notice what Bai Shan was reading, mainly because they didn’t have much ti to read books at the mont.
After dinner in the evening, they went out for another stroll. Liangzhou City wasn’t big, and within a day and a half, they had explored it thoroughly, having a sense of what was available. Then they started preparing for their departure, carrying large and small bags to the post station.
Even Governor Duan from the governor’s mansion knew they had bought a lot of things. The next day when they t, Governor Duan laughed and asked Zhou Man, "Lord Zhou, did anything in Liangzhou City catch your eye? I can ask soone to prepare so local products for you later."
Manbao laughed, "The naan in Liangzhou City is delicious."
Governor Duan hesitated, unsure if she was serious or joking.
Manbao was already reminiscing, "I heard so families even make it with milk, sugar, and sesa, making it even more delicious."
Governor Duan confird she was serious.
After pondering for a mont, he said, "That shouldn’t be difficult. The cook in my house can do it. If you enjoy it, I’ll send so to the post station."
He then laughed and asked, "Where do you plan to settle next, Lord Zhou?"
Manbao replied with a smile, "We might pass through the Suzhou area; we’re hesitating whether to detour to Suzhou City or go straight ahead and only stop in its subordinate counties."
Governor Duan suggested a route for them, being more familiar with the road conditions around since he was the governor of Liangzhou. Manbao listened attentively.
They had also brought along Wei Xingren and others because, for travel planning, it was natural to consult Assistant General Nie, Wei Xingren, and others.
On this topic, everyone had a pleasant chat. In the end, Manbao and the others even changed their route a bit, primarily because they heard there had been frequent bandit activities on their originally chosen route.
After the al, their relationship ward significantly, and Governor Duan took the opportunity to invite Zhou Man to see his mother for a dical consultation.
When he proposed this, he was sowhat apprehensive, given his status might not be sufficient to request a fifth-rank imperial physician to see his family, fearing Zhou Man might mind.
Actually, his mother didn’t have any major illnesses, just that the cold weather in Liangzhou made her bones feel chilly.
Manbao didn’t give it much thought and, looking delighted, agreed, then went with Zhou Liru to see Old Madam Duan.
Governor Duan breathed a sigh of relief, with the smile on his face even warr.
Bai Shan and Mr. Zhuang, however, noticed the cautious intent behind Governor Duan’s request, smirked slightly, and sipped their tea.
Yin Huo, noticing the synchronous actions of the teacher and disciple duo across from him, lowered his eyes to glance at the tea in front of him as well.
Governor Duan was quite pleased and turned to speak to Yin Huo, "...I haven’t seen Lord Yin in a long ti, and didn’t expect to see his nephew all grown up in the blink of an eye."
Governor Duan once served under Yin Li for a period, sharing a connection.
Yin Huo smiled and responded accordingly.
Governor Duan genuinely marveled, surprised that Yin Huo was still alive, and even more surprised that he could travel far to Liangzhou and intended to go to Gaochang.
If you’d told him this eight years ago, he wouldn’t have believed it, nor would others. How many tis had Yin Huo been prepared for the end from childhood to now?
Governor Duan hadn’t missed a single one. After exchanging information with Bai Erlang about the Crown Prince’s recent situation, he finally turned to Bai Shan and Mr. Zhuang.
He refrained from reminiscing with them and displayed more solemnity, understanding that these two had status equal to Zhou Man, the leader of the group.
So the three of them discussed the situation along the route, especially that in Liangzhou.
Bai Shan raised a long-held question, "Throughout our journey, I noticed that the relay stations are quite spaced out, so are dilapidated, and so, though appearing livable, are locked tight with no one managing them. I’m very curious about what’s going on?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers