Chapter 1: The Sound of Autumn (Third Part)

  Wang Jun's strength was too great, and Yuwen struggled a few times in vain before giving up resistance. He hastily shouted with a pale face: "Stop, stop it! It's choking! Hurry up and let go, if you don't let go, I'll really get angry!"

  "After knowing you for so many years, I've never seen what you look like when you're angry?" Wang Xuan added a bit more strength to his arm and pulled Yuwen Zhi to his side. He let out a cold laugh as he released his grip, then hooked his arm around the other's waist, pulling him tightly under his armpit.

  "Everyone is here, Second Brother, can you spare me some face?" Yuwen Zhi was helpless and bowed his head to beg for mercy.

  "Get out of here, can't you see I'm discussing important matters with Master Yuwen? If the news leaks out, it will be your responsibility!" Wang Chun shouted at the servants standing nearby, his eyes wide open. The servants from both the Yuwen and Wang households were familiar with each other, knowing that their masters had a long-standing relationship and wouldn't suddenly turn against each other. Therefore, they didn't dare question Wang Chun's words and dispersed after responding with a "yes".

  "It's done, the others have all left. This time, you, Master Yuwen, should give me an explanation." Having dismissed the strong men of the two families, Wang Xun released Yuwen Zhi, but kept a distance from him that was just within arm's reach, making it impossible for him to escape.

  "I, didn't I just tell you?!" Yuwen Zhi looked around and realized that no one could save him today, so he had to explain with a gloomy face, "Our Changle Fang had bad luck today, the great general who was in charge of maintaining order..."

  "Pfft!" Wang Chun laughed and spat on the ground, "That Li Bai may not be a big shot with a good reputation, but he's still a famous name. As the saying goes, 'a jade stone won't actively collide with a tile', for a few small coins, he ruined your show? Who else in all of Chang'an can you fool with this nonsense except me?"

  "No, isn't it just a coincidence? People lose money and get anxious, who still cares about these empty reputations!" Yuwen Zhi stammered and continued to equivocate. Suddenly seeing Wang Xun's smile turn cold, he immediately raised his hand and shouted loudly, "I say, I say, it was me who didn't have the eye for it, seeing that they were all country bumpkins from outside, so I ordered my partner to think of a way to swindle them. Who would have thought that the one doing the deed wasn't careful..."

  "So you were caught red-handed? And then you refused to admit your mistake and tried to silence the other person by force?" Wang Xuan grabbed Yuwen Zhi's collar, scolding him in a fit of rage, "You really have no shame! For the sake of winning some money to buy a coffin, you're willing to lose face. No wonder that Li guy said I was setting up a scam, I thought he was just talking nonsense, but it turns out you were caught cheating!"

  "I, I didn't know his gaze was so venomous. Moreover, while he's winning our money, he's muttering to himself, saying this is just a minor trick, but it's got too many people enthralled, causing endless harm. I find him too arrogant, that's why I want to teach him a lesson!"

  "I think the one who should be taught a lesson is you!" Despite still having some doubts about Yuwen's words in her heart, Wang Xuan decided to put an end to today's matter. After all, nothing too big had happened, and although Li Bai was a famous name, he wasn't very influential in the Chang'an official circles. Offending him wouldn't be a big deal, it wasn't worth causing a rift with good friends over just one person like him.

  "I've been taught a lesson, you see how I was beaten by him." From Wang Xuan's tone of voice, Yuwen Zhi knew that he had once again gotten away with it, pointing to Wu Qing's eye sockets and complaining in a low voice.

  "Serves you right!" Wang Xuan was somewhat resentful, "Who told you to have no integrity, and instead of making a profit, you got caught red-handed! All the losses at Chang Le Fang today will be deducted from your year-end dividend. From now on, if that guy surnamed Gao has any medical expenses, you'll be paying for all the medicine yourself! Don't think about going out with me again, I don't have a brother who's all talk and no action!"

  "We, our family of forty or so people, are just waiting for that little dividend to get through the New Year!" Yuwen Zhiyi was shocked and immediately jumped up in protest.

  "Your home is by the Wei River, and you still have 400 mu of land, right?! Don't tell me that this year the village suffered another disaster and didn't harvest a single grain!" Wang Xun retorted with his mouth turned up, completely without courtesy.

  "Isn't it? This summer the rain was too heavy, the Wei River flooded, and many houses were washed away. You also know me, I've always been soft-hearted, can't bear to see the villagers having nowhere to live, so...". Yuwen Zhi climbed up the pole with a bitter face.

  "Get out of my sight, you soft-hearted Yuwen young master!" Wang Xuan slapped his palm and sent Yuwen Zhi flying far away. "If you're soft-hearted, there won't be any evil tyrants under the sky. Scram, don't let me see you again today!"

  Having said that, he ignored Yuwen Zhi's pleas and mounted his horse, returning home.

  Although he had said everything, he was still unhappy about being deceived by his friends and acquaintances into becoming a thug. Therefore, he didn't have the heart to provoke Bai Wei again, so he took a few of his personal bodyguards and headed straight home.

  At this time, it was already mid-autumn, and the sky darkened quickly. When a group of people arrived at the ancestral home in Chongren Alley, lanterns had been hung in front of each household's door. Bright and shining, colorful, they outshone the starry light in the sky.

  The Wang family's ancestral home has only five entrances, and its scale is not too large in the Chongrenfang area, but it has a long history and good feng shui. It is said that this house was built in the early Northern Zhou Dynasty. Later, after experiencing the change of dynasties from Sui to Tang, it was bought by Wang Xian's great-grandfather Wang Qiang during the Wude period of Emperor Gaozu, and has been passed down to this day.

  Perhaps it was because of the many killings at the end of the Sui dynasty that the Wang family's population had always been sparse. Therefore, no one asked Wang Xun's grandfather and father to divide the family property. Wang Xun's grandfather and father were also content with their simple life, and over the years, their title only decreased but never increased, so they couldn't find an opportunity to glorify the family name. However, this also allowed the Wang family to avoid the complex factional struggles during the "Yongchang", "Tianyu" and "Jingyun" periods, and they were able to remain safe and sound. Unlike the Cheng, Xu, and Gao families in Chongren Alley, who have changed owners countless times, only the swallows on the roof beams remained unchanged year after year.

  At the end of Kaiyuan, Wang Cong's father, Zicheng, finally realized that the court had returned to normal. If his family didn't produce another outstanding talent, he feared that by the time of his great-grandchildren, they would have fallen back into being commoners. Therefore, he hired famous scholars at a high salary to come to the Wang household and guide his son in becoming accomplished. However, Wang Zicheng himself was an unconventional person, so naturally, the friends he associated with were even more unorthodox. As a result, when teaching Wang Cong, he also had low standards and lenient requirements. Consequently, from a young age until adulthood, Wang Cong read many books and paid respects to many famous teachers, but what he learned was neither literary nor martial. He could only join forces with a group of noble-born sons to dominate the eastern and western markets, but he didn't have even half a talent that could be sold to an imperial household.

  Fortunately, the world has been at peace for a long time, and many of the old rules set by the ancestors when the country was founded are now being enforced with one eye open and one eye closed. As a result, although Wang Xun's title had been reduced to that of a viscount, his family's property had expanded several times over what it was during his great-grandfather's time. Relying on the good connections his father had established before his death, he also partnered with Qin Guoyuan and Qin Guoyong, the sons of Hu Guogong Qin Xianbao, as well as Yuwen Zhi, a descendant of Yuwen Shide, Duke of Gui, and Ma Fang, a descendant of Ma Zhou, Duke of Gaotang County, to open two famous cockfighting arenas in the capital: Chang Le Fang and Bai Sheng Guan. In addition, the owners behind the prosperous wine shops Lin Feng Lou, Jin Xiu Xuan, Bao Chang Yuan, and other silk and pawn shops on Dongshi Street were also members of the Wang family.

  Guarding these several generations of squandered fields and shops, Wang Xun's small life was spent in great comfort. To give face to the local officials, he never personally went to inspect the shops, and every now and then, the shopkeepers would come to report on the recent specific business situation. His father's concubine, Yun Niang, was originally from a merchant family and had a pair of sharp eyes that could see through everything, so although Wang Xun's father had passed away four or five years ago, the Wang family business was getting more and more prosperous.

  Every year, a large amount of copper coins were earned by Yún Yí and flowed through Wáng Suī's hands like water. Wáng Suī and Wáng Míng Yún were quite influential in the city of Cháng'ān. The only regret was that he had never been able to enter officialdom. When Yún Yí managed the family business, she used her father's connections to arrange many idle jobs for him, but they all ended up being messed up by him. Now that he was in charge himself, he didn't even want to make progress and didn't think about entering officialdom at all. This made Yún Yí chase after him every day, saying that she hadn't fulfilled Wáng Suī's father's entrustment and felt guilty towards the ancestors of the Wáng family.

  Today, Wang You returned home earlier than usual. Yun Ni finally caught an opportunity and of course wouldn't let it slip away easily. She casually found a reason to hurry over and have dinner with Wang You. Before swallowing a few grains of rice, her mouth opened but didn't stop talking. From Wang You's father, Wang Zicheng, when he was alive, hoping his son would become a dragon, all the way to Wang You's great-grandfather, Wang Xiangru, struggling to start a business. Fortunately, Wang You's great-grandfather, Wang Xiangru, came from a very humble background, and could only trace back to his father, Wang Sanzhu, a poor laborer, and his grandfather, Wang Wujin, a farmer. Otherwise, the topic of this family history would go on until midnight without ending.

  Wang Xun was already in a bad mood today, and at first, he could still muster up the energy to listen to Yun Niang's account of his family history. However, after finally managing to recall the entire Wang family history, Yun Niang still wouldn't let him off the hook. She changed the subject again, bringing up the young master of the Niu family in the same neighborhood who had passed the imperial examination and was appointed as a governor. This time, Wang Xun couldn't hold back his temper anymore. He yawned, smiled, and said: "Is it really that easy to do official business? I remember that the Niu family's mansion used to belong to the Cheng family. Wasn't General Cheng beheaded by imperial decree during the Tian Hou era? The Cheng family members were either imprisoned or escaped, and their entire clan was destroyed overnight. If they had known this would happen, why did they work so hard for the royal family back then?"

  Cheng and Wang families were originally close friends. In the past, the first master of the Cheng family, Zhen Gong, and the first master of the Wang family, Xiang Ru Gong, were sworn brothers. They shared weal and woe together, and their honor and shame were intertwined. However, when it came to their sons' generation, they drifted apart because one family was prosperous while the other did not strive for progress. Nevertheless, in the end, the Wang family, who did not strive for progress, still lived in Chongren Fang, wearing silk and eating delicacies. The Cheng family of Zhen Gong, however, dispersed during the reign of Wu Zetian because his son, General Cheng Wuti, took the wrong side.

  This bloody fact, although it's been a few years since then, Yun Shi couldn't deny. She was taken aback for a moment, and forced a smile to explain "Is it really that dangerous? The Emperor now is not the Empress of Heaven from back then, he has always had a compassionate heart. Since his ascension to the throne, the country has been at peace, and all is well...

  "That's killing off all the people who should be killed. If the Emperor had been soft-hearted, he would have been chopped up by Princess Taiping years ago! Moreover, although the Emperor himself doesn't like to kill people, Prime Minister Li is notoriously a three-eyed wasp, with honey on his mouth and a needle in his belly. Anyone who offends him can die immediately, which is always the best outcome!"

  The people living in Chongren Alley are relatively well-informed. Yun Ni usually socializes with a group of women, and it's inevitable that she hears some gossip about the officialdom. The Minister of the Central Secretariat, Li Linfu, has monopolized the position for over a decade, and all his political enemies have been forced to live in misery. Due to his old age and poor eyesight, he needs to hold a crystal-made mirror to see things clearly, earning him the nickname "Three-eyed Wasp". However, the women only dare to mention this nickname privately among close friends, as they fear that if Li Linfu were to hear it, their husbands would be ruined.

  "But now you're just a viscount. If you don't achieve some real merits, the next generation will only be a count. If the imperial court suddenly investigates land ownership one day..."

  "The sky is falling, but there are tall people holding it up. When will it be my turn? Haven't you seen that even Ma Lao Gongye, who was in charge of investigating land ownership back then, now has thousands of hectares of land? If he really gets serious, Wang Xun's mouth is much more useful than Yun Niang's. He cites all sorts of examples and refutes his opponent until they are left speechless."

  "Your grandfather repeatedly told me to cultivate you into a talent... " As soon as Wang Xuan said this, Yun Ni brought out her killer move. Mentioning Wang Xuan's father who had passed away many years ago, she herself couldn't help but feel desolate in her heart, her eyes reddening and dropping a few tears.

  Although she wasn't his biological mother, after all, she had done her duty as a mother and raised him to adulthood. Wang Xuan couldn't bear to see Yun Niang sad, so he smiled wryly and spoke in a low voice, "I'm only seventeen this year, right? Even if I go out to do something, who would really take me for an adult? Moreover, in the capital, there are at least two or three thousand young masters like me. If I don't have some real ability, how can I possibly stand out? I want to join the army, but I'm not willing to leave this family. But going to take the imperial examination, I'm not good at writing and literature either. So I can only take it one step at a time, first under your guidance, make our family business bigger. Then spend a lot of money to find a way to get close to the emperor, even if it's just being a palace guard, every day under the emperor's eyes, it's still faster than climbing up from the bottom!"

  "Although that's the way it is, where's the door?" Seeing Wang Xuan no longer arguing with herself, Cloud Aunt slowly wiped away her tears. "This is all my fault. When your grandfather was alive, he didn't mind my humble background and took me with him wherever he went, introducing me to many noble ladies. But I always felt like we couldn't talk on the same level, and I didn't want to take the initiative to get close to them. After such a long time without contact, when I need to ask for help, our relationship has already become distant!"

  "Those people, they have to show off for three or four days just because they ate a piece of rock sugar. What's the point of socializing with them?" Wang Xuan joked, not wanting Yunniang to take all the blame on herself.

  "Others may not have money, but the power in their hands can be exchanged for money at any time!" Yun's aunt sighed and said quietly. "Our family has a lot of money, but it's hard to find a few people who can talk..."

  "Don't worry, don't worry, it'll come slowly!" Wang Xuan smiled and pretended to be full of confidence about the future. "Guess who I met today? This person will definitely have a bright future!"

  "Except for the useless Yuwen family, who else can you recognize!" At the mention of Wang Xuan's friends, Yun Yi felt a tingling sensation in her teeth.

  "This time you're really wrong. I know a proper and serious San Ding Jia! To make Yun Ni happy, Wang Xun had to bring out Zhang Xun as a shield. 'Little Zhang Tan Hua, do you still remember? The one who came to our house for a visit before being sent out as an official?'"

  "Has Little Zhang achieved success?" As Wang Jun had expected, Yun's face immediately changed from cloudy to sunny. "He has returned to the capital? Why didn't he come home? Speaking of those days, although you were still young at that time and I was just a woman who couldn't help him much. But after all, I pointed out a clear path for him. Otherwise, even if he had carried a pig's head, he wouldn't have been able to find the temple gate to offer it as a gift!"

  "He just arrived. He said he wanted to come and thank you for your kindness in the past, but I saw that he was really tired from his journey, so I politely declined. Afraid that he would be worried, I invited him to meet at Linfeng Tower the day after tomorrow to wash the dust off his feet. At the same time, I also invited Li Bai and Gao Shi to accompany us!" In the afternoon, Wang Xun still thought Li Bai was insignificant, but now in order to please his elder, he hastily brought out two newly acquainted talents again.

  At this time, in the entire Chang'an, there may be people who do not know who the Prefect of the Imperial Capital is. But it's hard to find someone who doesn't know Li Bai. When Wang Xun finally agreed to make friends with a few famous and talented scholars of the time, rather than just enjoying cockfighting and dog racing, Yun Ni's heart immediately bloomed with joy. She gently rubbed her eyes, smiled and said: "That's great! Getting to know more people who understand progress will be good for mutual support in the future. We don't expect them to help us with big things, but which family doesn't have some unexpected big or small matters?! When that time comes, you'll realize that what I've been nagging you about are all reasonable things!"

  "Alright!" Wang Xuan dragged out his voice in response. "I know you're all doing this for my own good. Tomorrow I'll go to the West Market to buy books and start reading from scratch, trying to become a successful candidate, isn't that enough?"

  "Stubborn!" Cloud Aunt smiled and scolded, "I know you're impatient again. Alright, I won't bother you anymore. It's getting late, you should get some rest too!"

  After finishing speaking, he smiled and stood up to leave. In his heart, he was genuinely happy that Wang Xuan knew how to "make progress". His footsteps were even more brisk than before dinner.

  Note 1: Wu Jin, refers to a five-row courtyard layout in a vertical direction.

  Note 2: Yongchang and Tianguo were the era names of Wu Zetian. Jingyun was the era name of Ruizong's second reign.

  Note 3: San Ding Jia, refers to the top three in the imperial examination. The term "Tan Hua" also originated from the Tang Dynasty. Historical records state that "the first banquet in the Apricot Garden after passing the imperial examination was called Tan Hua Banquet. Two people were appointed as Tan Hua envoys to tour famous gardens, if someone else picked flowers before them, the two envoys would be penalized."

  Wine slave note: It's not easy to open a new book, please help promote it. Wine slave has opened a Weibo on Sina, welcome everyone to visit.