Chapter 5 Spring Dawn (Part 1)

  Yuwen Zhi couldn't bear to part with his family after all, and followed his brother back home. Ma Fang was busy finding someone to study the knife spectrum left behind by Lei Wanchun, and also hastily returned to his own home. In the blink of an eye, the Wang family's courtyard had restored its usual tranquility. Looking up at the four-cornered sky outside the high wall and the trees with branches that were about to shed their leaves, a wave of indescribable fatigue suddenly surged in Wang Xuan's heart.

  These past few days, he had seen too many unbelievable things. So much that it had far exceeded the limits of what could be accepted. While busy worrying about his and Yuwen's fate, for now, he still didn't feel any mental fatigue. As the external pressure eased up, with Yuwen's case closed, his heart suddenly felt a huge relief, and all sorts of chaotic thoughts immediately followed one after another.

  Most of the friends I've made in my daily life are basically useless. At critical moments, it's actually Gao Chang, who relied on his connections to climb up the ranks, and whom I didn't think much of before, who lends a helping hand. Usually, I would recklessly charge through the streets of Chang'an, treating those common people as if they were ants. But in the eyes of Yang Guozhong and Li Linfu, who truly hold high positions, I'm probably no better than an ant myself. The noble title left behind by my ancestors can only intimidate outsiders like Sun Renshu, but it's useless at critical moments. On the other hand, a single word from eunuch Gao Lishi can make the Magistrate of Wannian County forget all his previous plans and respectfully release Yuwen Zhi, who was already considered a dead man walking.

  Lei Wanchun's unparalleled martial arts skills were useless, unable to save others or even himself. A mere county bailiff from a small town like Wan Nian could mobilize a group of skilled fighters who were not inferior to Lei Wanchun. In the face of power, Zhang Shou's vast knowledge was equally powerless, while Princess Guo's elegant gesture with her hand could silence half of Chang'an's bailiffs and constables, leaving them as quiet as cicadas in winter.

  All sorts of thoughts, correct or incorrect, miscellaneous and confusing, kept striking his heart and torturing his nerves. Forcing him to sit down for the first time, carefully examining this Chang'an city where he grew up from childhood. But found that he had never really understood this city, neither its prosperity nor its mystery.

  Who lives in those separate courtyards by the Qujiang Pool? Wang Xun found that he had never cared about it. In Chang'an City, apart from His Majesty the Emperor, who has the greatest power and can decide one's life and death with just one word, Wang Xun had also never noticed. In his 17 years of life, he grew up in a daze, fought in a daze, and acted as a young master in a daze, but never opened his eyes to see the changing weather outside. He didn't understand others, nor did he understand himself.

  He found himself completely unaware of Zhang Zhou's worries, and seemed unable to see through Jia Chang's smoothness. Even the intensity of Yuwen Zhi and the shamelessness of Yuwen De were beyond his comprehension. Ma Fang's naivety, though transparent at a glance, was now out of place with him. It was as if he had encountered a thick fog while climbing a mountain alone, with only whiteness above and vagueness below. At this moment, the only companions to his own were loneliness, confusion, and endless perplexity.

  Perhaps life is destined to be lonely. At night, he lay awake and thought solemnly by himself. Then, gazing at the moonlight filtering through the curtains, he began to compose a poem. Unfortunately, before he could finish writing it, he had already dozed off. In his dream, he was having a great time playing with Yuwen Zhi, throwing mud at each other.

  Fortunately, the days of being stunned were not many, otherwise the Tang Dynasty might have produced another poet who sighed in sorrow. In an instant, the day of entering the camp arrived, and early in the morning, Wang Xun was called up by Yun Niang's personal maid to bathe, change clothes, and then go to the ancestral hall on an empty stomach to worship the few ancestors of the Wang family, asking for their blessings from heaven to ensure a smooth career path. This life had no opportunity to gallop across the battlefield. Next, he returned to his room to have breakfast with Yun Niang, put on his armor, and bid farewell to others in the household.

  "Fourth Brother went to the military camp, and he must not rush out again. When you see something, hide a little further away. You are a hereditary viscount after all, even if you don't achieve anything in your lifetime, relying on your qualifications will still get you promoted faster than others!" Cloud Aunt personally helped him adjust his shoulders, nagging and reminding him repeatedly. As she spoke halfway through, she suddenly discovered that Wang Xuan was already half a head taller than herself, her eyes suddenly turned red, and she turned around and walked out.

  "Isn't it the big camp in the south of the city? It's only half an hour's ride on horseback to get back!" Wang Xun shouted, looking puzzled at Yun Niang.

  "Second Brother!" Zi Luan's voice trailed off in a scolding tone, wanting to say some intimate words, but her nose suddenly turned sour, and she stretched out her hand to hug Wang Zhong's waist, tears streaming down her face.

  "Look at you, it's as if I'm really going to the battlefield! Wang Xuan stroked her smooth hair and comforted her with a smile. If you can't bear to part with me, then I won't go after all. Anyway, relying on our family's friendship with Uncle Feng Si, he definitely won't treat me like a deserter!"

  Zi Luan wiped her face, gritted her teeth and shook her head desperately. With tears in her eyes, she looked at Wang Xun a few more times, as if he would disappear the next moment, then took out a token from her bosom and quickly tied it around Wang Xun's neck while the maids in the house were not paying attention. "I don't care about Second Master becoming a noble or an official, just being ordinary and safe for a lifetime is good!"

  As she buttoned up Wang Xuan's collar again, her tears fell down in a flurry. Made uncomfortable by the sorrowful atmosphere in the room, Wang Xuan smiled wryly and protested in a low voice, "Look at you, it's as if I've abandoned you..."

  "No...” Zi Luan hugged him again, finally sobbing out loud. Feeling the wet tears on his chest, Wang Xun's heart finally warmed up. He smiled and said in a low voice, "Don't cry, I'll definitely come back to see you and Yun Ni every ten days or half a month. Help me get my knife, it's getting late. Don't be late for the first day of work."

  "Uh-huh!" Zi Lao nodded cleverly and picked up the golden scabbard horizontal knife from the table, slowly helping her husband put it on.

  Looking at her meticulous appearance, a sense of responsibility towards men arose in Wang Xuan's heart. This family, he was the only man. Yun Ni hoped that he would make something of himself, just like she hoped for her own son. Zi Luo hoped that he would achieve great things and bring honor to their faces. And he, eventually had to take on all the responsibilities that came with being a man, sooner or later, unable to escape.

  As soon as he stepped out of the gate, it was a completely different scene. The neighbors had already heard from Wang Ji and Wang Xiang that the young master of the Wang family had made a good fortune and become an eighth-grade deputy envoy. The glances they cast were not without envy. Of course, there were also many people who scoffed at this matter, especially when they saw Wang Shu's bright clothes and the large package on another horseback, which strengthened their original judgment: "The child of the Wang family will definitely not be able to bear the hardships of the military camp. The Flying Dragon Guard is a place where the emperor has just ordered strict training, he went there, I estimate that it won't take more than three days, and he'll have to cry and sneak back!"

  For the neighbors' gossiping gazes, Wang Xun had long been accustomed to. From childhood on, he had never been a positive role model for others. For a very long time in the future, it was estimated that this would not change either. "Don't learn from Wang Erlang, he has no manners at all!" "Study hard, otherwise when you grow up, you'll become like Wang Erlang and surely drive your father to death!" Similar words were not worth thinking about, and with just a grab in his memory, there was a whole handful of them. However, this time, Wang Xun hoped to leave a good impression on the neighbors, making an effort to sit steadily on horseback, straightening his back as straight as possible, silently reciting in his heart: "I am the great-grandson of General Wang Qian, the grandson of Wang Zheng, and the only son of Wang Zitian. I am the only man of this generation in the Wang family..."

  A long, long time later, Wang Xuan still remembered his own childishness and stubbornness from back then. He looked back at the memory of himself with a smile, as if savoring fine wine.