"Brother Fugui, why so glum?"
"When was I glum?"
"The young ladies are quite lovely, why are you ignoring them? Just drinking by yourself, wasting this perfect moonlit night."
"Begone, begone, you pedantic fellow! Go enjoy yourself. Don't disturb me and Young Master Tang as we drink."
In the Chunyue Tower of Youzhou, Zhou Fugui's companions were indulging in various pleasures: some drinking, some watching opera, some admiring the Hu dance, and some even flirting with the women of the establishment, gradually immersing themselves in the pleasures of the night. Only Zhou Fugui and Tang Yao sat aside, drinking.
"Does Brother Fugui dislike these common courtesans?" Tang Yao, a year younger than Zhou Fugui and thus considering himself a junior, raised a cup of wine and turned to Zhou Fugui, asking with a smile.
"Do you want the truth or a polite fiction?" Zhou Fugui frowned, downed a large gulp of wine, and said, "Pah! Chunfeng Tower, you call this? Serving such bitter and astringent wine to fool people?"
"A bitter and cold land, what good wine can it produce?" Tang Yao chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Brother Fugui, tell me the truth or the fiction as you please, Tang will listen with open ears."
"The truth is I'm not in the mood, and a polite fiction would also be a lack of interest," Zhou Fugui replied.
"Ah? What do you mean by that?" Tang Yao asked in surprise.
"I'm about to travel south, and my fate is uncertain. How can I be in the mood for moonlit dalliances?" Zhou Fugui laughed. "But a youth without youthful folly is a wasted youth... Say I have no interest, that's just deceiving myself..."
"Hahaha..." Tang Yao couldn't help but laugh. "It seems Brother Fugui still looks down on these common courtesans, or perhaps these Hu women? Are there any Southern women here at Chunyue Tower?" Kai Shu Ge
"Hey, shopkeeper," Tang Yao said, not one to delay. "Are there any Southern women here, preferably from Jiangnan?"
"Jiangnan women? This..." The Chunyue Tower shopkeeper pondered.
"What 'this' and 'that'? If there are, please bring them out. Are you afraid my elder brother here won't pay?" Tang Yao said.
"Is that so, Brother Fugui?" Tang Yao then turned to Zhou Fugui and asked with a smile.
"You fellow, always stirring up trouble?" Zhou Fugui quickly glared at Tang Yao and asked, "Young Master Tang seems to know a great deal about the south. Could you tell me about it?"
"Know a great deal? Not quite, just a little," Tang Yao replied, countering, "What aspect are you interested in?"
"Tell me about the southern wars," Zhou Fugui said.
Tang Yao found it secretly amusing. Zhou Fugui was merely a Han conscript soldier of the Yan army, yet he wanted to know about the wars between Yan and Xia? What use would it be even if he knew? He would still die.
"In the third year of Gengshi, the Xianbei from the northern frontier launched a massive southward invasion, driving directly towards the Xia capital. After several major battles, Xia was utterly defeated, and the Xianbei forces besieged the capital." Tang Yao said dismissively, but still spoke slowly.
"Xia capital... Where is that?" Zhou Fugui searched his memory, but couldn't recall where the Xia capital was. He asked.
"How can you not know anything?" Tang Yao asked with some frustration.
"A villager, ignorant and provincial, cannot compare to your vast knowledge, sir," Zhou Fugui said with a wry smile.
Tang Yao thought it made sense and nodded, continuing, "The Xia capital was the ancient city of Luoyang. The Xianbei unified the northern frontier and established the Great Yan. They launched three southward campaigns, eventually breaching the Xia capital and forcing Emperor Yang Liang of Xia to surrender. Xia then perished."
It's over, it's over, Zhou Fugui sighed inwardly. He wondered what dynasty he had transmigrated to. Was it a two-dimensional world? Xia, Great Yan, Emperor Yang Liang, these names were nowhere to be found in historical records.
What was going on? Zhou Fugui wondered to himself.
"Was the Xia capital breached so easily?" Zhou Fugui said. "Xia should have been a powerful central kingdom, right? They must have had a large army?"
The memories Zhou Fugui had inherited were intermittent and incomplete.
"A powerful kingdom?" Tang Yao nodded. "Xia did have a large army, said to be over a million strong. But no matter how many troops, they couldn't withstand internal strife."
"The Rebellion of the Eight Princes?" Zhou Fugui blurted out, recalling something.
"What Rebellion of the Eight Princes? I've never heard of it," Tang Yao rolled his eyes at Zhou Fugui and continued, "I heard it was a rebellion between the Xia court faction and the eunuch faction, which greatly depleted Xia's national strength. Furthermore, Emperor Yang Liang of Xia was dissolute and tyrannical, causing Xia's national strength to decline day by day. The people of Xia lived in misery, so the Xianbei and others from the northern frontier took advantage of the weakness."
"Then, a prince of the Xia royal family established another court south of the Great River to continue Xia's lineage?" Zhou Fugui smiled slightly.
"That's roughly it. How did you know that?" Tang Yao asked in surprise.
"Looking at history, isn't it always like this?" Zhou Fugui replied with a smile.
When nomadic peoples from the north invaded, and the Central Plains dynasties could not resist, they would utilize the intricate waterways of Jiangnan to defend against cavalry, settling for a corner of Jiangnan.
"Brother Fugui, are you truly from the countryside? Tang truly underestimated you," Tang Yao said, looking at Zhou Fugui with confusion. "Emperor Yang Liang of Xia's eighteenth son, Prince Ming Yang Yuan, was known for his virtue. After Xia fell, renowned Xia generals like the Grand General of the Zhen Army, Li Shizhong, and the Grand Marshal, Lu Qiyue, escorted Yang Yuan to Jiangnan and proclaimed him the new Emperor of Xia."
Although Tang Yao was not favored by the Tang family, he was the biological son of the Tang family's master, and thus had received an education from childhood. Tang Yao also enjoyed reading. While he couldn't claim to have read all the classics, he was generally well-read.
And Zhou Fugui, who repeatedly claimed to be a simple villager, spoke with considerable insight, which made Tang Yao somewhat puzzled.
"Li Shizhong? Lu Qiyue?" Zhou Fugui nodded. "And then the court relentlessly pursued, continuing the campaign against Xia?"
"Brother Fugui's prediction is not wrong," Tang Yao nodded. "How can they sleep soundly with someone else sleeping beside their bed? The court has been engaged in warfare for years and is already exhausted, their soldiers weary. Moreover, Jiangnan is a water region, and our Great Yan relies mainly on cavalry. This war is indeed difficult to fight. You people... you people... alas... Tang views you all as withered bones in a tomb!"
"Withered bones in a tomb?" Zhou Fugui was momentarily taken aback. A moment later, he understood. Tang Yao considered them all as good as dead. Although he knew Tang Yao was speaking the truth, he couldn't help but get angry. He retorted angrily, "You are the withered bone! Your entire family are withered bones, withered bones that are rotten yet immortal, worthy of eternal fame, heh heh heh heh..."
As Zhou Fugui spoke, he actually burst into laughter.
A flicker of anger flashed in Tang Yao's eyes. However, thinking that he had provoked the argument first, he admitted he was in the wrong. Thus, Tang Yao suppressed his anger and asked Zhou Fugui with a smile, "Am I not speaking the truth?"
"Alas..." Zhou Fugui's back, which had straightened just moments before, slumped again. He sighed, "Man is the knife, I am the fish! Young Master, please forgive my insolence."
"Man is the knife, I am the fish? Well said!" Tang Yao exclaimed, then asked, "However, Brother Fugui, you don't need to be so disheartened."
"Mm, does Young Master Tang have any good advice?" Zhou Fugui asked, having heard this question for the second time.
"Good advice? No..." Tang Yao shook his head. "I only believe in the principle that good people are blessed by heaven."
"Good people are blessed by heaven?" Zhou Fugui said with a bitter smile. "Am I a good person?"
"Your name contains the characters for 'fortune' and 'wealth,' which can be said to be blessed by heaven. If you were to perish prematurely, it would go against heavenly principles!" Tang Yao said, like a fortune teller.
"That's not necessarily true..." Zhou Fugui shook his head.
"A pure heart like water, clear water is the heart. A gentle breeze arises not, ripples remain calm. A solitary bamboo grove, a long cry and a zither's song. Zen meditation entered, poisonous dragons flee. My heart has no openings, heaven rewards diligence. My righteousness is awe-inspiring, all ghosts and demons flee. My emotions overflow, heaven and earth return to my heart. My ambition soars, water rises and wind blows! The sky is high and the earth is vast, flowing water like drifting clouds. Purity is the root, the straight path is for self-preservation. Ultimate nature, ultimate good, the great Dao is achieved!"
At this very moment, as Zhou Fugui and Tang Yao were deep in conversation, and as the patrons of the wine house were noisily indulging in pleasure, a melody suddenly emanated from within the establishment.
The music was melodious and ethereal, refreshing and pleasing to the heart. It felt as if one were amidst verdant peaks and murmuring streams, or as if a clear spring had flowed into one's heart, instantly silencing the chaotic scene.
Could there truly be such beautiful music in the world? Zhou Fugui and Tang Yao exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing.
Everyone fell silent, quietly appreciating the beautiful, yet subtly melancholic melody.
However, good times do not last, and there are always those who disrupt such serene atmospheres.
"Where did this southern barbarian slut come from? How dare she ruin our drinking mood?"
"How will she compensate for ruining my mood?"
"Hmm, a bit too thin, but I suppose she'll do."
"Brother, you can share her with us, hehe!"
Several Hu men, dressed in luxurious Hu attire, stood up from their tables. Their robust bodies pushed their way into the elegant room from which the music had come.
A moment later, the lewd laughter of the Hu men and the screams of women could be heard. The shopkeeper and others could only silently chant "Amitabha," while Zhou Fugui and his companions, though angered, dared not speak out.
With the establishment of the Yan dynasty by the Xianbei, the Hu people were naturally held in higher regard. If Hu people harmed Han people, though it was a crime, they would usually be fined or pay with cattle and sheep, and the matter would be dropped. However, if a Han person harmed a Hu person, especially a Xianbei, the crime was far greater, potentially leading to death.
Judging by their attire, these Hu men were clearly nobles among them.
"Crash!" With a sound, a slender girl of about ten years old, holding a guqin, desperately rushed out of the private room. Perhaps in her panic, she stumbled and ran in front of Zhou Fugui, crying out, "Save... save me..."
It was easy to imagine the fate of such a delicate girl in the hands of these plump Hu men.
Without time to think, Zhou Fugui pulled the pitiful girl behind him.
This action, however, brought trouble upon himself.
"Han dog, how dare you block your grandpa?" a Hu man with blond hair, blue eyes, and a full beard yelled, pointing at Zhou Fugui with a finger as thick as a radish.