Chapter 2 The First Snow (Grade 6, Volume 2)

  "Ah——" Inside the shop, many women were enthusiastically selecting goods. Seeing a man suddenly rush in and knock down all four guards, they let out a shrill cry, dropped their things, and hid behind their family's servants' backs.

  That unexpected guest didn't think there would be so many people in the shop, and was taken aback for a moment. He quickly placed his hands on the hilt of his sword, smiled, and bowed to all sides, "Everyone, please don't panic. Cloud certain is here to deliver a message to Zhu boss. I couldn't stand these few guards' arrogant behavior, so I couldn't help but teach them a lesson. For causing trouble, please forgive me!"

  After that, he bent down and patted the back of the necks of several strong men on the ground. He stretched out his hand and pulled each of them up one by one.

  Four burly men were knocked down and then pulled up again, their faces twisted in anger. But the other party's skills were far superior to theirs, and they mentioned Zhu the shopkeeper as if he was an old acquaintance, which made them lose even the courage to curse, each covering their necks, at a loss for what to do.

  "Just now I was too heavy-handed and offended a few people!" The uninvited guest took another step back, smiling and bowing to them.

  It's strange to say, but the body is still wearing that piece of cloth robe that has been washed so many times that its original color can't be seen, and the feet are still wearing those boots with worn-out edges. The face of the uninvited guest suddenly breaks into a smile, and the whole person looks immediately elegant and pleasing to the eye. No longer feeling any hint of shabbiness, but rather exuding an air of simplicity and elegance that makes one can't help but want to take another look.

  The women hiding behind the screen had long forgotten their fear, those who were already married smiled slightly with pursed lips. Those still in the boudoir gazed at the young unexpected guest with eyes that sparkled and shone, reluctant to leave. The Tang Dynasty was powerful and its people were simple yet bold, it was not uncommon for an unmarried woman to ask her elders to send a matchmaker to the man's family to propose on her behalf if she had set her sights on a certain young man. At this moment, some girls had already secretly pinched their maids' waists, hinting at them to go forward and chat with the unexpected guest, asking about his name and specific family background.

  The commotion in the front hall had already startled the attendant on duty inside. Hiding behind the bead curtain, he peeked out for a moment and saw that the simply dressed guest, apart from scolding a few of the temple's guards, did not make any excessive moves. Unconsciously, he believed some of what the man had said earlier. Clearing his throat, he smiled and emerged from behind the door curtain, "Cloud Young Master, please! I am Li Ge, the attendant of Zhu Ji. May I ask, Cloud Young Master, what brings you to find Attendant Zhu?"

  "Li Gongfeng, please!" The uninvited guest placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and bowed politely to Li Gongfeng, "I have come today at the behest of a friend, bearing an urgent matter for Zhu Zhanggui. If Zhu Zhanggui is in the backyard, would you kindly inform him?"

  He offered Li Ge a scrutinizing glance, seemingly hesitant. Suddenly, his gaze fell upon an intricate pattern on the sword hilt, and he trembled with excitement, his voice shaking as well, "Dare I ask, sir... might I borrow your precious sword? No, no, you hold it yourself, just let me take a closer look!"

  "Just a sword to wear, Li Gongzhu is interested, take it and have a look!" The guest smiled and handed over the precious sword with its scabbard.

  Just like holding the imperial edict's eight treasure Liuli pot, Li Gongzhang trembled as he took over the precious sword. He didn't dare to unsheathe it, his fingers stroking back and forth on the flower pattern of the hilt, while his lips quivered, making indistinct "uh, uh" sounds.

  In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, it was a fashion for young men to wear a precious sword at their waist as an ornament. Some of them would even inlay the entire scabbard with gems, which was not unusual. As the guardian deity of Zhuji Nan's general store, Li Ge had seen all sorts of treasures in his life, but today he suddenly lost his composure over an unremarkable sword, which was astonishing to behold.

  At once, many male guests who had slightly recovered from their fright gathered around, stretching their necks to see what was on the treasure sword. But Li Gong didn't want to show it again, and with both hands holding the sword up to his eyebrows like he was holding a precious jade, he solemnly returned it to the young unexpected guest. "You, please take good care of it. Zhu the shopkeeper is right behind me, I'll go invite him for you now. You few, what are you standing there for? Hurry and open up the elegant room, and invite the noble guest in for tea!"

  "Ah, ah!" The suddenly scolded companions turned around in a daze and quickly pushed open the luxurious room for receiving important figures, respectfully inviting the uninvited guest inside.

  Some people didn't have the eyesight, seeing Li Gongzhu lift his foot and head to the backyard, quietly following him, pulling on the other's sleeve, and reminding him in a low voice: "The seventh master is entertaining guests inside, why don't you wait a while before calling him? What kind of background does that young man have, how come he looks like a beggar who comes to the door to extort money?"

  "Get out! Have you ever seen a beggar wielding a giant broadsword to extort money?" Li struck the neck of his companion with a sleeve, knocking him to the ground.

  "Ah, ah-----" The little fellow who had been beaten stood in place, rubbing his cheeks. Not because it hurt, but because of the two words "Jù Què".

  Zhuji Nanhuopu was opened by Yang Guozhong, the brother of the imperial concubine, with funds from behind the scenes. In addition to supplying rare and exotic goods from Guangzhou port to wealthy families in Chang'an City, they would also secretly buy various precious and strange objects at low prices from the descendants of fallen noble families. Therefore, the young shop assistants all had a discerning eye for valuable items. The attire and demeanor of the unexpected guest were vastly different, but he was holding a precious sword that Wu King Helü had used in his lifetime. Based on these few points alone, it could be inferred that this person must have come from a wealthy family. However, due to some misfortune, their household had suffered a calamity and they had become impoverished, leading them to live a humble life. But the more such families fell on hard times, the more precious the items they secretly brought out to sell were. Think about it - if something was not discarded even during a house search, would its value be low?

  Among the guests, a few with sharp ears also heard the two words "Jiu Que". Their eyes lit up instantly, and under the pretext of selecting goods, they no longer wanted to leave.

  In this era, the wealth of the world is gathered in Chang'an. In the city, wealthy families buy pearls and agate by the catty. The young masters and princes carry gold-inlaid jade swords when they go out, but it's nothing special. However, if one were to obtain a giant Qianlong sword from that simply dressed young man or through Zhu Ji Nan's southern goods store, and present it to those families in urgent need, would the rest of their lives be worried about not being prosperous?

  With all sorts of thoughts in mind, most of the partners and guests were no longer in the mood to haggle. They stared blankly at the bead curtain behind them, hoping that Li Gong could run a little faster and bring Zhu Zhanggui over sooner.

  Li Gong's legs were indeed not slow, and in just five or six breaths, his figure had already appeared outside the back hall. He poked his head inside and shouted in a low voice, "Seventh Master, Seventh Master, there's a young man looking for you up ahead!"

  "Who hasn't seen that I have a noble guest? What kind of young man is he, making him wait!" Zhu Qiye's voice came from the back hall, with a hint of anger.

  Sitting opposite him drinking tea was a young man with a greasy face, seeing Zhu Qiye's displeased expression, he hurriedly smiled and interceded for Li Gongzhang, "If you have something to attend to today, go ahead and take care of it. Our family has been out for quite some time now, the Grand General still needs to accompany the Emperor this afternoon, so we should head back early to serve him!"

  "Lord Feng, look, these people don't understand the situation. You shouldn't lower yourself to their level!" Although he was several years older than his opponent, Zhu Qigui still stood up and apologized to him with great respect.

  "Our family won't bother you with this!" The eunuch with a face as smooth as applied cosmetics smiled and lightly waved his handkerchief. "Our family has indeed been out for too long, and is anxious to return. You should attend to your own business, our family will leave through the side door. Oh right, the things that Her Highness the Imperial Consort needs, you'd best prepare them as soon as possible. On the Double Ninth Festival, His Majesty still wants to see Her Highness re-choreograph the Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Robe Dance. If it's delayed, we'll all be in trouble!"

  Upon hearing this, Zhu the shopkeeper nodded and bowed repeatedly, "Understood, understood. Please rest assured, Your Honor. And please, General and Imperial Concubine, be at ease. A message has already been sent to Guangzhou Port, and as soon as this year's new goods arrive, they will be immediately delivered via express post!"

  "Then I'll wait for your news!" Old Man Feng smiled and stood up to leave.

  "Give my regards to the General. I've prepared a small gift, some humble snacks from Panzhou that are hard to get. My master knew the General had a taste for them and specially ordered someone to rush them up from the south, please trouble Feng Gonggong to bring them into the palace!" Zhu Zhanggui chased after him for a few steps, then came forward to personally open the door for Feng Gonggong.

  "Our family will thank your master first on behalf of General Dai!" Old Man Feng smiled and nodded in agreement.

  They called him the great general, not one of the several governors who guarded the four sides for the Great Tang, but the famous inner court manager Gao Lishi. Because he was deeply favored by the emperor, he was promoted to the title of General-in-Chief in the seventh year of Tianbao. Since ancient times, as a palace eunuch, holding the highest military position in the country, Gao Lishi can be called the first. At this time, the noble concubine was exclusively favored in the harem, and as the emperor's confidant, Gao Lishi and Yang Guozhong also naturally became acquainted with each other. The disciples under their command came and went continuously, all gaining a lot of benefits from this relationship.

  Although treated as a superior guest by Zhu, the young servant surnamed Feng was very considerate of others' difficulties due to his usual teachings from Gao Lishi. When he went out and saw Li Gong waiting at the door with his head down, he smiled and whispered to Zhu, "Old Li probably didn't know you were home earlier, so there's no need to blame him too much. We're all familiar with each other, no need to be too particular!"

  "Didn't you hear? Still don't hurry up to thank Mr. Feng, you blind thing!" Zhu the shopkeeper glared fiercely at Li Gong and shouted loudly.

  "Xiao was just reckless and didn't know that the old man was inside. Damned, damned!" Li Gongzhu said helplessly, slapped himself twice, and shouted loudly.

  "Alright, alright. Everyone says don't take it too seriously!" Mr. Feng shook his head and slowly walked towards the side door.

  "We'll settle the score later!" Zhu threw down a ruthless remark and quickly followed up. Li Gong's body suddenly stiffened, raised his eyes, gazing at Zhu's back, and a hint of cold smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

  Note 1: Gao Lishi was originally from Panyu, Guangdong Province, so Yang Guozhong sent him Panyu delicacies as gifts.

  Note 2: A handsome guy appears, guess who it is? In this book, there will be a fairy, a Confucian, a knight and an official. Hehe, you can also take a guess!