Chapter 1 Autumn Sounds (Seven Down)

  Wang Jun was also a straightforward man, and when Zhang Xun spoke seriously, he didn't make any more polite remarks. He immediately ordered his servant to lead the way, and led the three friends into the main room to serve tea.

  Upon hearing this, Zhang Xun smiled and waved his hand, saying in a low voice: "Drinking tea can wait! Let me pay my respects to the old lady first. In those years when I was in the capital, I was rejected everywhere, but only Wang's stepmother spoke up for me and showed me a clear way!"

  "Brother Zhang is too polite. Back then, Auntie was just doing a favor and sending some good wishes!" Wang Xun didn't expect Zhang Zhou to take the small kindnesses of the Wang family so seriously, and he smiled humbly.

  "For the old lady, it might be a matter of course. But for Zhang, it's like clearing away clouds to see the sun!" Zhang Xun shook his head and continued to insist on thanking her for leading the way first.

  Wang Jun led the three to pay respects to his stepmother. Zhang Zong and others, despite knowing that the Wang family was in trouble with the authorities, still took the risk of being implicated and came to visit, which made Yun Ni very grateful. After exchanging a few pleasantries with everyone, she smiled and suggested, "Wang Jun's case, I've already asked him about it in detail. He definitely hasn't done anything unjust or unrighteous. My daughter-in-law and I can swear an oath on our ancestors' spirits to that effect. However, the twists and turns of officialdom are not something we women understand. Since you're here today, I won't stand on ceremony with you. Help Wang Jun think things through carefully later, so he can get out of this situation as soon as possible!"

  "The elder has spoken, how dare the junior not obey!" Zhang Xun clasped his fists and replied solemnly.

  "I won't delay your work then. Rong'er, tell the servants to order a table of wine and dishes at Linfeng Tower, tonight we don't need to go out, let's just have a dinner at home to welcome Tanhuang Lang!" Yuni smiled and returned half a courtesy, under the service of the maidservants, she got up and walked towards the back hall.

  The four of them bid farewell to Cloud Aunt with the courtesy due to a junior, then smiled at each other and headed towards the main house of the Wang family to receive the noble guest. Lei Wanchun and Wang Xuan were tall and had long legs, so they walked very quickly. Zhang Zhou was also eager to learn about the details of the case, so he followed closely behind them, not falling behind by even half a step. This made things difficult for Ma Fang, who was already shorter than the other three by quite a bit, and on top of that, he was wearing a long scholar's robe, which got tangled around his legs after just a few steps, causing him to stumble and cry out in surprise, grabbing onto a nearby small tree for support.

  "What's wrong?" Wang Xuan, who was walking in the front, heard the exclamation and turned back to ask with concern.

  "It's nothing, it's nothing!" Ma Fangmang waved his hand nonchalantly, his originally very pale face didn't have a hint of blood color.

  "Sprained?" Relying on intuition, Wang Xuan found that Ma Fang's condition was not right. He turned around and walked to the other side, holding his shoulder with one hand. As he approached, Ma Fang's expression changed greatly, took a few steps to the side, and smiled: "Nothing! I accidentally stepped on a stone while walking!"

  "Nonsense, how could there be extra stones in my family's courtyard!" Wang Xun smiled and shook his head, pulling Ma Fang over. "How did your leg get hurt, did you fall off the horse or were you beaten by someone?"

  "Just now on the way to find Zhang Tanhua, I fell off the horse and rubbed against it a bit. I'm really fine, but first let's discuss how to deal with your and Zida's lawsuits." Ma Fang smiled and shook his head, but didn't notice that sweat had already rolled down from his temples.

  "Not a speck of dust on your clothes, who would believe you fell off the horse!" Wang Xuan shook his head and sneered coldly, "Who bullied you? Tell me, I'll help you get back at them."

  "It's really nothing! Why are you being so nagging!" Ma Fang suddenly turned his face and pushed Wang Xun hard.

  His thin arms and legs pushed Wang Jun, like a dragonfly shaking a big tree. Wang Jun didn't even dodge, and was pushed by Ma Fang, then lowered his head to grab his outer garment, quickly lifting it up. Only to see that under Ma Fang's robe, the small clothes were stained with a patch of bright red blood, new blood beads seeping out along the old scars.

  "My goodness!" Wang Xun couldn't help but exclaim, and without saying a word, he carried Ma Fang onto his shoulders. "Don't go to the main house for now, let's go to my bedroom first. Hurry up and apply some medicine, lest you fall ill. Whoever did this is so ruthless! I'll definitely not forgive him in the future!"

  "Let go! Let go!" Ma Fang's legs kicked back and forth on Wang Jun's shoulders, "Two big men, sneaking into the bedroom in broad daylight, what kind of decency is this?"

  "Don't worry, I don't have a habit of cutting off abruptly. Besides, it's definitely not just the two of us." Wang Xuan was so angry that he laughed out loud, and while quickly walking towards his bedroom, he shouted loudly: "Zhang Dage, Lei Dage, you can come over directly, don't be polite! I've already asked the ladies to withdraw!"

  Concerned about Ma Fang's injury, Zhang Xun and Lei Wanchun had no choice but to follow. Wang Xuan stopped a maid halfway and ordered her to send a message to Zi Luo, telling her to tidy up her bed. Then, she grabbed the little maid Xueyan who rushed out to check on the situation, ordering her to bring two large basins of hot water and also fetch her usual wound medicine.

  "Use mine, it's probably more useful than yours!" Lei Wanchun pulled out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and handed it to Wang Xuan. Seeing Ma Fang's face turn bright red, he smiled and continued: "Old Lei used to roam the rivers and lakes, and when I was injured, women would often strip off my clothes to apply medicine - it's nothing unusual. If one is too rigid about minor matters, the men and women of the jianghu world would have died out long ago!"

  Ma Fang's greatest ambition in life was to wield a three-foot-long sword and roam the rivers and lakes. Upon hearing Lei Wanchun say this, he stopped struggling and allowed Wang Xuan to carry him back to his bedroom. Having received advance notice from the servants, Zi Luo had already cleaned up Wang Xuan's bedroom. Seeing everyone enter, she curtsied and quickly retreated with her personal maid.

  Wang Xun put Ma Fangping on his own bed, pulled over a pillow, and let him lie down. Then he went outside to receive the hot water brought by Xueyan, first washing his hands clean. Then he found a brand new cotton towel, wet it with another portion of boiling water, wrung out the water, and carried it back into the bedroom.

  Lei Wanchun often helped people deal with injuries in his early years, and his hands and feet were more agile than Wang Xuan's. Seeing that Wang Xuan was ready, he quickly walked to the bedside and slowly rolled up Ma Fang's outer robe. "Ah!" The three of them involuntarily took a cold breath at the same time, and saw that Ma Fang's underclothes were stained with blood from his waist to his calves. New and old bloodstains overlapped each other, as terrifying as they could be.

  "Who did it. You say, I'll go and avenge you tonight." Lei Wanchun was furious, his fists clenched with a cracking sound.

  "It's me, your grandfather." Ma Fang sighed and acknowledged helplessly.

  "Your father isn't on duty these days, is he?" Wang Xuan asked indignantly as she slowly rolled up Ma Fang's clothes and used a damp cloth to moisten the scabbed blood on his clothes. "So you sneaked back home at noon just to beat me up! Is this how a father should behave? Are you really his biological son?"

  "Isn't it? He suddenly came back at noon today! Grabbed me and gave me a good beating!" Although Wang Xuan had tried to be gentle, Ma Fang was still hurting so much that she kept gasping for air. "Second Brother, slow down, slow down, it hurts, it hurts!"

  "Let me!" Lei Wanchun squeezed out Wang Cui and took over his work. "I'm good at handling these things. Honestly, how could your grandfather bear to be so ruthless?"

  "What's the big deal? When he was a kid, my grandfather beat him even harder." Ma Fang curled his lips in self-deprecation. "If I don't take it lying down, I'll just have to discipline his grandson severely when the time comes. After all, our Ma family has always believed that 'a good son is born from under the rod'! Oh, Brother Lei, slow down a bit, please!"

  "The slower you move, the more painful it is. You're also like this, after being beaten, not staying at home to recover from your injuries, but instead running out to do something? You must have sneaked out, right? These few places, the medicine applied earlier was all washed away by blood!" Lei Wanchun said while efficiently treating the wounds, speaking to Ma Fang's spirit.

  Ma Fang sighed and didn't continue.

  A hot flush rushed directly to Wang Xun's nose. Ma Fang ran out in the afternoon, dragging his injured body, of course, to help him move around and find reinforcements everywhere. This brother looks a bit delicate, speaks softly, but has a hard bone that touches people. Seeing Ma Fang being injured like this and still rushing around for Wang Xun and Yuwen Zhi, Zhang Zhou, who was helping on the side, also felt moved, patted Ma Fang's shoulder, and said in a low voice: "Good kid, you're a good friend. I've made friends with you for life."

  "A real man must be willing to take a knife in the ribs for his friends! Ahhh, it's killing me!" Ma Fang gritted his teeth and continued to boast.

  His hypocritical appearance made everyone laugh. After laughing enough, Zhang Zhou walked to the table, poured a cup of hot water from the tea pot wrapped in silk, and personally handed it to Ma Fang's mouth, feeding him a few sips. Then he asked with a smile: "Didn't your father say why he beat you today?"

  "Alas! Father beats son, what reason is needed? Want to beat just beat! Who let me be his own?" Ma Fang shook his head and said with great helplessness.

  "There must be some excuse?" Zhang Xun's eyebrows wrinkled slightly with an extremely subtle movement, continuing to tease Ma Fang.

  "It's nothing but saying I don't study hard and make friends with some bad people, right? Just an excuse!" Ma Fang sighed, feeling helpless about having such a father.

  "Was there an outsider present at that time? Besides saying you were careless in making friends, what else did he warn you about? Otherwise, you wouldn't even know the reason and this beating would be for nothing!" Zhang Xun smiled and asked again.

  "Tell me, recently I've been forbidden from going out, or else my two legs will be broken. Hmph, it's not the first time, I'm not afraid!" Ma Fang furrowed his brow, carefully recalling the scene of being beaten up at noon. "I remember now, there was another person present, surnamed Zhou, a friend of my grandfather's, who seemed to work at the Imperial Censorate or something. He's really despicable, watching me get dragged away by servants and beaten with a big stick, yet he didn't even say a word on my behalf!"

  "I reckon he's afraid of losing face and making it impossible for the respected elder to back down. You'll get beaten even harder, won't you!" Zhang Xun smiled and nodded in explanation.

  As they spoke, Lei Wanchun finished treating Ma Fang's buttocks and thighs for boils. After reapplying the golden ointment, he asked Wang Xun for a piece of fine woolen cloth brought by a Tianzhu merchant and carefully placed it on Ma Fang's buttocks. Then he helped him put back on his small clothes and covered him with an outer cloak. Smiling, he looked at Zhang Zhou and asked for instructions on the next move.

  Zhang Xun exchanged a glance with Lei Wanchun and Wang Cong, then smiled and said: "Look at this injury, I reckon Brother Ma won't be able to leave the house for half a month. To avoid any further complications, why don't we ask Ming Yun to send a carriage to take Brother Ma home first?"

  "Don't go!" Before Wang Xun could respond, Ma Fang immediately loudly protested. "I'd rather not go home, or else I'll be beaten to death by my father!"

  As he spoke, he struggled to get up, but was pressed down on the bed by Wang Xuan and Lei Wanchun, each stretching out one hand. "Listen, don't be reckless. You're really ill, not playing around. If you're not careful, you'll end up paralyzed for the rest of your life." At this critical moment, Wang Xuan's mind turned quickly, and a kind lie came to his lips.

  "Listening to Zhang Tanhua's words, it must be right!" Lei Wanchun smiled and chimed in from the side, "You have a weak body, you absolutely cannot run around again. Originally I had a copy of the double knife's knife spectrum, yesterday I forgot to bring it to you. You hurry up and recover from your injury, while I'm still in the capital, I can teach you early how to use that Bohai State curved knife!"

  Before Ma Fang could speak, Wang Xuan continued: "You're injured and leaving, isn't it because you don't trust me and Yuwen Zidao? I'm safe now, you've seen that yourself. As for Zidao's side, we three will take care of it, no matter how much effort it takes, we'll get him out of the yamen as soon as possible!"

  It's unclear whether it was Wang Jun's last words that took effect or the temptation of learning martial arts from Lei Wanchun, but after much hesitation, Ma Fang finally nodded and reluctantly agreed.

  Wang Xun saw this and immediately ordered his servant, Wang Xiang, to prepare the most comfortable carriage in their household. He added two more quilts on top of it. He personally lifted Ma Fang up and carefully placed him inside the carriage. Then he commanded Wang Xiang that he must send Ma Fang back to the Ma's residence before he could return.

  "When you get there, tell Old Master Ma that Young Master Ma had an appointment with Little Zhang Tanhua this afternoon and didn't dare to be late, so he rushed out despite his illness. Little Zhang Tanhua was very moved and will definitely return the visit another day!" Before leaving, Lei Wanchun also pulled aside Wang Xiang and carefully instructed him on how to make up nonsense to tell the Ma family.

  Xiao Zhang's reputation as a flower explorer is much more glorious than Wang Xun and Wang Mingyun, the tyrants of this city. This explanation may not be able to please Master Ma, but at least it can save Ma Fang from being beaten up. Wang Xiang understood and nodded, smiling and waving his whip.

  The remaining three people turned back to the main hall, drank a few mouthfuls of tea, and listened to Wang Xun describe the case as he knew it. Zhang Zhou thought for a moment, then said seriously: "I'm afraid this storm isn't aimed at you, Wang Mingyun!"

  "Yun Yi thinks so too!" Wang Xuan nodded in agreement, speaking softly. "But I don't know who it's aimed at!"

  After all, Zhang Zhou had been a county magistrate before, and his eyes were much sharper than those of Wang Xun, Yun Niang, and others. He paused for a moment, then continued: "I'm afraid it's not aimed at other people either. Zida, you, and the noble descendants who were summoned by the government today are probably just an excuse. Judging from the current situation, it is highly likely that there are gods fighting in the upper realm, causing you small fish to suffer!"

  "What does the fight between gods have to do with us?" Wang Xun was somewhat puzzled by Zhang's words and furrowed his brow in inquiry.

  "Immortals fight, who will die first? Still, it's just a matter of sacrificing some small fish and shrimp to save face!" Zhang Zhou shook his head and smiled bitterly. "If I'm not mistaken, the government didn't take you away today. In the future, they may not come looking for you again. As long as you hide out for half a month, it's likely that no one will remember what crime they were going to charge you with today!"

  Wang Jun was speechless, and whether he understood or not, he could only listen with a humble ear. Zhang Zhou hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly revealed a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. "Master Ma today, in front of outsiders, severely disciplined his son, I reckon it's also because of this reason. He himself has already beaten his son to the point of being half-crippled, so others wouldn't dare to use Little Ma Fang as a scapegoat! I reckon those two gods who fought, their levels definitely won't be too low. Otherwise, they wouldn't have forced Master Ma to the point of teaching his son a lesson, and dragging the imperial historian along as evidence."

  "Hmm!" Following Zhang Xun's hint, Wang Xun also thought that the other party's analysis was very reasonable. "If so, can Zida also turn danger into safety?"

  "It depends on how deep he's gotten himself into!" Zhang Xun stood up and paced back and forth in the room. "If he's just a small fish who got swept away by the storm, like you, I reckon with some money and connections, he'll be released soon enough. All the old cases will just get pinned on someone else's head. But if he's already taken sides or joined one of the factions, then this time it's going to be trouble!"

  Thinking of Yuwen's character, who feared that the world would not be chaotic, Wang Xuan and Lei Wanchun looked at each other and a chill ran down their spines. Although Ma Fang's father was not highly ranked, he could deliberately pull an imperial censor to testify, and in front of his opponent, scolded his son with a heavy rod, such a person can be counted on one hand in the city of Chang'an. Yuwen has always hoped to restore his family's glory in his generation, and with his character, it is not impossible that he would secretly cling to the thigh of some big shot to achieve this goal.

  "This is just my speculation, it may not be accurate!" Seeing Wang Jun and Lei Wanchun's worried faces, Zhang Zhou smiled and comforted them in a low voice. "Besides, even if Zida's troops have advanced very deeply, to the point where they are about to be killed by their opponents to establish prestige. The big shot behind him will not ignore it either. Otherwise, who would still be willing to sacrifice themselves for that big shot in the future?"

  Lei Wanchun and Wang Xuan nodded, finally seeing a glimmer of hope in the endless darkness. Zhang Zhou thought for a moment, then said: "Now our top priority is to figure out whether Yuwen Zidao was innocently drawn in or has already become someone else's pawn. To what extent was he involved? Who is the big shot behind him? We must get results before the authorities confirm his guilt. Otherwise, once the first charge falls on his head, I'm afraid all the black pots will be poured onto him one by one!"

  "What are you waiting for, let's go quickly?" Upon hearing this, Lei Wanchun stood up. "Didn't Xiao Ma hide the two concubines of Yuwen Zidao in a brothel in Pingkangli? Let's go find them and ask about the situation!"

  "It's so late, and the two of you haven't even eaten dinner yet?" Wang Xun was also anxious in his heart, but he had to put on a host's demeanor and invite Zhang and Lei.

  "Can't we save you the trouble of this meal? Let's go, don't be late!" Lei Wanchun pulled up Wang Xuan with one hand and held onto Little Zhang Tanhua with the other. "Later I'll treat you to a bowl of mutton soup and blood clams on the street, it won't be much worse than the wine feast at Linfeng Tower. If we linger here for a while longer, Yuwen Zidao's side might get another round of beatings. That guy is clear to me, don't look at his surface-level politeness, after three rounds of beatings, he'll confess to whatever crime they want!"

  Thinking of Yuwen Zhīpíng's past behavior, Wang Xūn had to admit that Léi Wànchūn's analysis was reasonable. He could only order the servants to cancel the banquet and then ordered people to bring out three fine horses from the stable, one for each of them, and rushed towards Píng Kāng with lightning speed.

  After a whole afternoon of fuss, at this moment, the sky has already turned completely dark. Before the arrival of the quiet hours, Chang'an City in the night, gradually fell into another kind of bustle. On the crowded streets, people came and went, all kinds of snacks were open for business, the aroma followed the night wind into the pedestrians' noses.

  After entering Pingkangli, the air was filled with another kind of flavor. With a hint of sweetness and greasiness, accompanied by the sound of silk and bamboo from the high-rise buildings on both sides, it made people's hearts itch. In front of the casino on the street, someone had already lost all their money for today and was being thrown out by the casino staff. There were also people with bulging bags, excitedly rushing into the casino, ready to stake everything they owned to win a bigger prize.

  In contrast to the bustling atmosphere in front of the casino, the taverns and brothels on the street were also crowded with customers. At a table by the window, several scholars who had repeatedly failed the imperial examination and were stranded in the capital drank wine while loudly cursing those wealthy and powerful young men who were illiterate but occupied good positions in the government. They cursed the examiners for being blind to their own talents. They cursed the unfairness of the world that prevented them from achieving their ambitions. After enough curses and getting drunk, each of them hugged a prostitute they fancied and staggered into the backyard private rooms, indulging in carnal pleasures.

  There were also many wine guests who were very quiet, and after settling the bill, they slowly walked out of the tavern and stood silently by the roadside. They were mostly descendants of aristocrats, and their ancestors' faces couldn't be lost, so on such a night, no matter what, they couldn't walk home on foot. Soon, a group of Kunlun slaves with pitch-black skin appeared, completely solving their troubles. With their bodies bent in half, squatting on the ground, more than a dozen Kunlun slaves lined up in a row. The drunken aristocratic descendants picked and chose, selecting the sturdiest one from among them, slowly climbing onto his back. The selected Kunlun slave let out a joyful whoop, "Hold tight, sir!", using his legs to propel himself forward with a speed rivaling that of a galloping horse, carrying the aristocratic descendant into the darkness.

  Wang Xun, Zhang Xun and Lei Wanchun's three figures walked together, slowly entering the autumn night of prosperous Tang. At this moment, everyone thought they were awake, but unknowingly, they had all slowly merged into this enchanting and intoxicating prosperous world, drowning together.