Chapter 2: The First Snow (Seven Falls)

  Zhu was a old brother who followed Yang Guozhong when he was still a low-ranking official, and normally relied on Yang's trust to order his fellow apprentices around. This time, suddenly flying into a rage, although the apprentices and guards didn't understand what had happened, they didn't dare ask questions, and one by one they fled in disarray.

  Fortunately, the cloud gentleman didn't walk fast, and after chasing him around the corner, they saw his back. Several guards learned from their previous lesson and didn't dare to get too close, so they first sent some men back to report to Zhu, then pretended to be strolling and followed secretly behind the cloud gentleman.

  It was unclear whether he was careless or fearless, but the surname Yun's fallen young master first watched a puppet show at the entrance of Shanhefang Street, then turned to Kaihua Fang to buy a few pearl flowers, and strolled aimlessly. Until he had exhausted several followers who were panting with their tongues out, he suddenly quickened his pace and rushed straight to Yongxing Fang under the foot of the Imperial City.

  Several guards saw the situation and stuck to the wall, running quickly. They were afraid that if they blinked, they would lose the person and be unable to report back to Zhu. Then, Yun Gongzi entered the Yongxing Fangkou and rushed straight to the fourth large courtyard on the left side of the street. First, he smiled and said something to the doorman, then stepped up onto the steps and looked around in all directions.

  "Oh no! He's seen us!" Several guards hastily shrank back into the corner of the wall, like a stray dog cowering in the shadows. Fortunately, Young Master Yun was a noble who often forgot things and didn't remember their faces at all. He just smiled and walked towards the inner courtyard.

  "I'll go and leave a mark quickly!" A nurse with the surname Zhou reacted quickly and lifted her leg to head out.

  "Go to hell!" The other three guards stretched out their hands and pressed his shoulders, pulling him back with force. "You still have a mark on you, hurry up and leave! Zhou Lao Hu, are you blind?!"

  "What's wrong!" The guard, nicknamed Zhou Lao Hu, was still dazed and asked back in a muddle. Suddenly seeing the color of the glazed tiles on the wall of that house, his heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his head and let his accomplices drag him away.

  They all escaped without a trace. Yun Gongzi walked out of the courtyard gate again with a smile, bid farewell to the doorman in a polite manner, took a few quick steps, and disappeared into the depths of the streets like a startled swan.

  It wasn't until now that his real skills were revealed. He took a shortcut through the quiet alleys, and in the blink of an eye, he had already run down four or five streets. He circled around the southeast part of Chang'an City, confirming that he had completely shaken off the tail behind him. Only then did he jump onto a horse carriage parked at the temple gate, which was specifically for taking scattered passengers, and slowly headed towards the city gate.

  The curtain fell, and Zhang Xun, Lei Wanchun, and Wang Jun, who had been waiting anxiously inside, immediately gathered around, asking in unison, "Ji Yun", "Lao Ba", "Ba Ge", the first half of the sentence was different, but the second half of the sentence was all six words, "How did things go?"

  "Fortunately, I didn't disappoint!" The fake "Cloud Young Master" slightly cupped his fist and smiled as he introduced himself to the three of them, "Thanks to Mr. Zhang's meticulous plan! Those people at Zhuji Nanhuo Pawnshop are indeed a bunch of greedy and unscrupulous individuals. As soon as they saw the Giant Void Sword in my hand, they immediately forgot about everything else. The owner of Zhuji quickly came out to talk to me personally, and then I handed over the letter in front of a group of employees."

  Then, didn't he try to lay a hand on you, Eighth Brother?" Wang Xun was the youngest and also the worst at hiding his true feelings, so he pulled on the other's arm and asked anxiously.

  "I've told you several times, don't call me Eighth Brother." The fake "Yun Gongzi" turned the giant sword hilt over and gently tapped Wang Xuan's forehead with the priceless sword handle. "Either call me Nan Ba or Yun Yun. Eighth Brother, Eighth Brother, do you think I'm a foolish bird you raised?"

  "Heh heh!" The people in the carriage covered their mouths and snickered. After they finished laughing, the atmosphere was no longer as tense as before. The fake "Cloud Young Master", aka Nan Xi Yun, took a deep breath and continued to introduce himself, "They didn't dare to take action against me immediately because they didn't know my background. They only sent a few people to follow me. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to shake them off for the time being, so according to Lord Zhang's prior arrangement, I led them on a wild goose chase to the residence of Princess Yu Zhen Chang. Just as Lord Zhang had anticipated, they were all scared away by the gate of the princess's residence!"

  After so much effort, Nan Xiyun didn't take any credit at all, attributing everything to Zhang Zhou's prior arrangements. Zhang Zhou and Lei Wanchun knew his personality and didn't say anything more, just shaking their heads with a smile. Only Wang Xun, who had only met up with everyone again that morning, was unclear about the discussions between the other three last night, and asked in confusion: "Princess Yuzhen, is Brother Nan very familiar with Princess Yuzhen? Why did he drag her into this again?"

  "I'd rather get familiar with her?" Nan Xiangyun smiled and shook his head, "If I were familiar with her, I'd probably have joined the Fei Long Imperial Guard long ago, and wouldn't still be a nobody now."

  Fei Long Imperial Guard is the emperor's personal guard, with only a few thousand people. However, the status of the officers is extremely high, and even a small traveling officer among them has the title of sixth-grade martial general. With Nan Xi Yun's skills and intelligence, if he also had the backing of the emperor's most beloved younger sister, it would probably not be any problem for him to become a garrison commander in the Fei Long Imperial Guard.

  It's obvious that Nan Xi Yun doesn't have any intention of serving, so joining the Fei Long Imperial Guard is just a joke. Then how can he easily enter and exit the Princess's residence? It's really strange. Seeing Wang Xuan's curious expression, Nan Xi Yun couldn't help but use his giant sword to tap him again, laughing as he explained: "Dummy! The Jade True Long Princess has always liked to entertain some extraordinary talents, I'm carrying a priceless giant sword and going to her house to ask for a drink of water, would I still be beaten out?"

  "Ah! Oh——" Wang Xun was like a dream awakened. Deep down, he had to admit that compared to his seniors Zhang Xun and Lei Wanchun, he really didn't understand anything. At this moment, Yang Guozhong and Li Linfu were exchanging blows, the most taboo being to push the other forces watching from the sidelines into the opponent's camp. The Princess of Tang had always been favored by the Emperor, no matter which side she joined, the other side would probably immediately collapse.

  So Nan Xi Yun went to the Yu Zhen Gong Zhu's mansion after delivering the letter, which completely eliminated Yang Guo Zhong's idea of investigating this matter. At present, it is just the alliance between Li Lin Fu and Wang Gou that has made the Yang family's power passive everywhere. If the lower officials do not open their eyes again and offend Yu Zhen Long Gong Zhu, who is the leader of the royal family, even if the noble concubine is favored again, she may not be able to let Yang Guo Zhong rest in Lingnan for a few days.

  The more unclear the origin of the letter was, the less Yang dared to have the intention of killing and silencing. If the crime on Yuwen's head were to be put under the sunlight for a fair trial, Yuwen would definitely not escape death. But since Yang Guozhong was a high-ranking official who specialized in taking crooked paths, he could only swallow his anger for now.

  Wang Xuan's face finally showed a look of sudden realization, and Nan Xi Yun smiled slightly, putting on an air of being easily taught. "If things go as I expect, within three days, the Yang family will definitely try to intervene in your friend's case. But whether he can safely get out of it or not cannot be entirely relied upon by the Yang family. The yamen of Wan Nian County and Chang An County have always been Wang Xuan's domain. To make him let go, we need to add more fuel to the fire!"

  The four of them lowered their voices and discussed slowly, with occasional bursts of gentle laughter coming from inside the carriage.

  At almost the same time, inside Zhuji Nanhuopu, however, it was a scene of gloom and desolation. The shopkeeper, Zhu Qiye, hunched over with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth in the house, repeating endlessly: "How is this possible! How is this possible? How could that surnamed Yuwen know someone from Princess Yuzhen's residence? Are you sure you saw it clearly, did that little brat surnamed Yun really enter the princess's residence?"

  "Seventh Master, you're just lending us a bit of courage, we wouldn't dare to lie about this matter either. Truly and sincerely, that was the young master entering the residence of the elderly Princess Chang. The doorman even greeted him with courtesy." The guards were afraid that Zhu would vent his anger on them, so they all swore oaths.

  Their worries were apparently unnecessary. After repeatedly confirming the direction of Yun Gongzi's departure, Zhu Qiye, who was usually majestic and powerful, collapsed to the ground like a deflated pig's bladder. "Chang Gongzhu, Chang Gongzhu, with the surname Yuwen, actually got involved with someone from the Chang Gongzhu Mansion as a backer. This time I really blinded my eyes, blinded my eyes..."

  The fellow servants and nurses looked at each other in dismay, no one dared to speak words of comfort. Through private exchanges with each other, they had already roughly guessed the ins and outs of the whole thing. On the one hand, they secretly congratulated themselves on not having been like Li Gong who had recklessly tried to curry favor and ended up getting burned, while on the other hand, they felt an overwhelming sense of pleasure at the severe punishment that Zhu Zhanggui was about to face.

  He sat paralyzed on the ground, dazed for a while. Zhu the shopkeeper let out a long sigh and slowly got up again. In just half an incense stick's time, he looked like he had aged ten years. The hair on his temples was disheveled, and his gait became unsteady.

  He glanced down at the people below, and Zhu the shopkeeper waved his hand, smiling as he said: "Everyone should just do what they need to do. Today's events will be left in our stomachs, no one is allowed to speak of it outside. As for the adults' side, naturally I'll go explain things myself. If we meet again in the future, considering that half my neck has already been buried in yellow earth, please don't spit on my face. Thank you, thank you!

  "Seventh Master!" Someone finally had a soft spot, aside from Zhu's usual arrogance, and remembered some of his good deeds. He cleared his throat and called out in a low voice.

  "It doesn't matter if you spit on me. I'll be back anyway, sooner or later!" Zhu the shopkeeper smiled again, stretched out his hand to lean against the wall, and walked unsteadily towards the outside. As he stepped over the threshold, he turned his head back, gazing at this southern goods store that he had run for over a decade, as if trying to remember everything. But in the end, he knew it was a luxury, shook his head, and slowly boarded the horse carriage waiting outside.

  Note 1: Princess Yu Zhenchang. Sister of Tang Xuanzong, famous female Taoist priestess of the Tang Dynasty. Remained unmarried throughout her life. However, she enjoyed socializing with celebrities and knights-errant. She was close friends with great poets such as Li Bai and Wang Wei. According to folklore, she once attempted to marry the immortal Zhang Guo Lao, but ended up scaring him away, causing him to flee on a donkey.

  Note 2: The official positions of the Tang Dynasty were divided into substantive appointments and nominal appointments. Substantive appointments held real power, while nominal appointments only enjoyed corresponding treatment. Many officials' nominal appointments were several levels higher than their substantive appointments to show imperial favor.