Volume 1: Wind and Clouds of Chang'an Chapter 001: A Young Master from a Prestigious Family (1)

  The eleventh year of Tianbao in the Great Tang Dynasty, summer.

  At the second watch of early morning, as the first beat of the morning drum resounded on the Chengtian Gate of the Taiji Palace, the streets opposite each city gate in Chang'an City responded with a unified drumbeat, "The six streets rise with a rumbling drumbeat."

  A new day has begun.

  This was the time when the emperor held morning court, but unfortunately, during the Tianbao period, the world had been at peace for a long time, and Emperor Xuanzong Li Longji was lazy about government affairs and diligent in romantic affairs, deeply indulging in feasts and tours, no longer insisting on holding court in the early morning, so the morning drum became a mere formality.

  In the rear courtyard of Zhang's residence, a slender and elegant young man in traditional Chinese attire stood leaning against a sturdy Osmanthus tree, his eyes gazing wistfully into the distance at the majestic and solemn three thousand palace eaves, before finally letting out a soft sigh.

  At this time, Li Sanlang was probably holding the beautiful Yang Guifei, who only wished to be drunk and not wake up.

  "The spring night is short, the sun rises high. From now on, the king will not hold court early." The young man murmured to himself, slowly turning his head to glance at the two delicate and timid girls standing behind him with their heads bowed, the light in his eyes gradually becoming firm and resolute.

  A refreshing summer breeze blew by, and the air was filled with a mysterious scent. This was a strange smell that mixed the breath of burning cow and sheep dung with the fragrance of wine, flowers, and incense, belonging to the unique flavor of Chang'an, the capital of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

  Chang'an City has awakened, with the sounds of human voices, carriages, horses, camel bells, and chickens and dogs filling the air. The sound of wind chimes is no longer prominent, and may even be drowned out by the din. However, for those who have lived in Chang'an City for a long time, they can distinguish various movements from these chaotic sounds.

  The young man stood silently leaning against the tree.

  Two beautiful maidservants stared at each other in dismay, exchanging a suspicious and astonished glance.

  The third son of the Zhang family, who is only eighteen years old, has already become a seasoned veteran in this Chang'an city, calling out to friends and visiting brothels every day, not returning home until late at night.

  But today was very strange. Before the morning drum sounded, the two women had already heard their master getting up and moving around, so they hastily got dressed and came out to attend to him.

  "Third Young Master... Your humble servant will attend to your bathing and dressing."

  One of the maids tiptoed over, her voice soft yet as clear and melodious as a canary.

  The young man's body slightly stiffened, and he turned around to see a clear gaze cast on the face of the girl in front of him. Her delicate features were accentuated by two small dots of light red rouge, and she smiled warmly at him. Just as he was about to reach out and pat her shoulder affectionately, the girl's expression suddenly tensed up, her slender eyebrows arched slightly, and she subconsciously took a half step back, lowering her head and stuttering, "Third Master, your servant..."

  The boy's smile froze. His outstretched hand stopped in mid-air, and at this moment, he only felt a sense of helplessness that made him want to throw his head back and let out a long sigh.

  The maid looked timid and fearful, but in her eyes, which darted about like a frightened rabbit, there was a glimmer of disdain that she could not quite conceal.

  This reminded the young man that he was no longer the deputy mayor of a third-tier city in modern society, who had changed careers from being a historian to entering politics. Instead, he was now a young master born into a prestigious family in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, with a personal maid who feared and looked down on him as an uneducated and dissolute young nobleman - Zhang Huan, the youngest son of Zhang Jiuling, a famous minister of the Kaiyuan era and a prominent official of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

  Zhang Jiuling is not simple, not only once held the position of Chancellor and Minister of the Central Secretariat, but also a famous poet and writer, known as "the first person in Lingnan, the first minister of Shengtang". However, he was later plotted against by the powerful minister Li Linfu, lost favor with the emperor, was dismissed from office and demoted, and died of illness on his way back to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors.

  Despite this, the Zhang family of Chang'an was still a powerful and respected household. Firstly, there was the illustrious reputation of Zhang Jiuling, with his disciples and former officials spread throughout the imperial court; secondly, the current emperor still showed some consideration for their dignity.

  It's no longer important how to travel through thousands of years and be in the midst of Tang Feng Liu Yun - this matter is inherently mysterious and unpredictable, and there is no way to find a clue; what's important is how to survive. Fortunately for Zhang Xuan, although his current identity as a young master is indeed extravagant, he also enjoys wealth and luxury without worrying about making a living. As a former history scholar and modern official, it shouldn't be too difficult to quickly adapt to this identity and this era.

  He let out a soft sigh. The young man waved his hand and said calmly, "Ruoyan, Ruyu, I'll go back to rest for a while, you can go down now."

  Like smoke and jade, the two beautiful maidservants looked at each other in surprise again, both curtsying in response. However, a strange and inexplicable feeling arose in their hearts: The current Third Young Master seemed to be somewhat different from before.

  That figure, those manners, and the luster in her eyes all exude a few points of clarity.

  ……

  ……

  A white parrot from Seres, a small dog from Samarkand, a rare book from Magadha, and a dose of Byzantine ***, these four items tantalize Zhang Huan's expectations for the prosperous Tang Dynasty, also reminding him to remember his identity as a noble scion.

  That snow-white little dog was lying on the carpet, its fur smooth and spotless, with a dazzling and flattering light in its eyes. This made Zhang Xuan feel speechless, wondering what kind of person would raise such a dog, and how it had fallen to this state, as the saying goes: "people get the air from the earth, dogs get the air from people".

  Like smoke, gently rolling up her sleeves, revealing snow-white and delicate jade arms, standing softly and delicately behind Zhang Xuan to comb his hair, while Ruoyu raised the waistband of her skirt with one hand, then bent down to tie his boots tightly.

  Even if he was a deputy mayor in his previous life, he didn't have this kind of super treatment where every move had beautiful maids serving him closely. Zhang Xuan sighed and enjoyed it at the same time, her eyes involuntarily falling on the pale white and deep cleavage at the collar of the light green shirt, as well as the faintly visible plumpness, and she pursed her lips.

  This foreigner indulged in pampering and admired the beauty of abundance, these two little maids were at most fourteen or fifteen years old, yet they were born with such curves and developed to such maturity, which truly astonished him.

  As if jade-like, she seemed to sense the master's extremely aggressive and unscrupulous gaze, her heart suddenly skipped a beat, she withdrew her hand and wanted to get up but didn't dare, so she sat down in an awkward posture on the carpet under the master's feet.

  The people of the prosperous Tang Dynasty were open-minded, and the Tang women matured early. Although they had just passed the age of hairpinning, they were not unfamiliar with romantic affairs between men and women. Since being assigned to serve Zhang Huan's room by Lady Liu a few days ago, the two women had been prepared to surrender themselves at any time, as they would be facing this dissolute young master day and night.

  They can only hope that this master will be slightly more lenient, not occupying their body until they are bored and then casually giving themselves to those equally unlearned and useless friends, abandoning them like worn-out shoes.

  The first two daughters of this house, Yu Qing and Yu Lian, didn't they end up in that miserable state?

  Her face was flushed with a mixture of red and white, her head slightly lowered, clutching a ball of yarn from the carpet, feeling anxious in her heart.

  But after waiting for a long time, there was no follow-up to the imagined white day. Yu's heart became even more uneasy, and he slowly raised his head to steal a glance at Zhang Xuan, only to see that Zhang Xuan had already turned his head in another direction.

  Could it be that he looked down on Nu? Yu's heart sank, but then she became resentful and sat on the ground, forgetting to get up. Yu Yan lightly coughed and took advantage of Zhang Xuan's inattention to gently lift her foot and kick Yu's jade buttocks.

  Ru Yu hastily glanced at Ru Yan with a flustered expression, and instantly her cheeks flushed.

  Suddenly, the sound of a group of people rushing in a disorderly and urgent manner broke through the tranquility of Zhang's mansion in the afternoon, also disrupting the ambiguous desires that had just sprouted in Zhang Xuan's heart. Immediately after were the sounds of horses' hooves and the clashing of swords, followed by a shrill and high-pitched shout that lingered in the air above Zhang's mansion for a long time.

  "The Emperor decreed: The Left Zan Shan Daifu of the Crown Prince, Zhang Huan, falsely claimed to have a prophetic diagram and pointed at the imperial carriage. He is hereby stripped of his position and sent to prison for investigation by the authorities."

  Zhang Xuan was greatly shocked, his face suddenly changed, and he hastily got up and ran out. Ruyan Ruyu was also frightened and followed him inexplicably, leaving Zhang Xuan's bedroom hall, passing through the beautifully carved wooden corridor, and rushing to the front hall of the main courtyard with a servant girl.

  New book uploaded, old fish returns, history repeats itself from scratch, looking forward to support from new and old friends, thank you.