The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 759 Asking for help
Qingwen went up to the Convex Jade Mountain Villa, found Jia Huan, and told him that a Second Master Liu had come to visit.

"Second Master Liu? Could it be... Liu Xianglian?" Jia Huan was secretly surprised, because if he thought about it carefully, it had been five or six years since they had parted ways in Tongzhou.

Immediately, Jia Huan rushed to Rongxi Hall and found a young man dressed in Hu clothing and wearing a felt hat standing with his hands behind his back facing the wall, seemingly admiring the antiques displayed on the shelf.

Jia Huan carefully examined the young man's back and found him quite unfamiliar, so he tentatively called out, "Second Brother Liu?"

The young man suddenly turned around, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He first looked Jia Huan up and down, then said with delight, "It's been many years since we last met. Brother Huan has grown much taller, and his demeanor is even more impressive than before."

The young man in front of me was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Although his skin had darkened considerably, I could still vaguely recognize him as Liu Xianglian.

Jia Huan stepped forward with delight and said, "So it really is Brother Liu Er. You've changed so much that I hardly recognize you."

Liu Xianglian touched his face and laughed self-deprecatingly, "Is it so ugly that you can't recognize me?"

Jia Huan shook his head and said seriously, "No, Brother Liu looks stronger now, more composed, and more heroic. Hmm, he's also more pleasing to the eye."

Jia Huan was telling the truth. In the past, Liu Xianglian had fair skin, a very handsome face, and a slender figure. He liked to perform in opera troupes and could bewitch Xue Pan when he played a female role. Although he was free-spirited and unrestrained, his beautiful appearance ultimately overshadowed his heroic spirit.

Liu Xianglian is now noticeably stronger, his skin is much darker, his facial features are more defined, his sword-like eyebrows slant upwards, and his eyes are bright and spirited. He exudes a heroic and spirited aura, and his gaze is firm and steady. His overall demeanor has changed a lot, but his features remain handsome. This kind of appearance and temperament is undoubtedly very attractive to women.

Liu Xianglian laughed heartily and said, "Brother Huan, you haven't changed at all. You're still as eloquent as ever. No wonder you can enjoy the blessing of having two wives."

Jia Huan exclaimed softly, "Second Brother Liu knows too?"

Liu Xianglian said with admiration, "Brother Huan's reputation is known to everyone in the world. However, it was Feng Ziying who told me about Brother Huan's wedding on the Lantern Festival."

"So, Brother Liu has already met Brother Feng. Come, sit down and let's chat." Jia Huan invited Liu Xianglian to sit down and ordered someone to serve tea.

After the two sat down and drank a couple of sips of tea, Jia Huan asked curiously, "When did Brother Liu return to the capital? Did he come back from beyond the Great Wall?"

Liu Xianglian nodded: "I did just return from beyond the Great Wall a few days ago. I visited Feng Ziying the other day and heard that Brother Huan is getting married on the Lantern Festival. Moreover, he is marrying two beautiful women at the same time. I am very envious and admire him greatly."

Jia Huan said, "I'm sorry to have made Brother Liu laugh at me."

Liu Xianglian shook his head and said, "I truly admire Brother Huan."

"Oh, what do you mean?" Jia Huan asked curiously.

Liu Xianglian said earnestly, "Brother Huan defied the imperial decree for the sake of Lin and Xue. His sense of responsibility and courage are truly admirable. Moreover, Brother Huan later successfully brought the two women back from Hami, even earning a title of nobility, and finally achieved a happy ending, marrying both of them. Yesterday, Feng Ziying and I talked about this, and we both exclaimed in admiration. This is simply a miracle, almost impossible to achieve. Perhaps only Brother Huan could have done it." Jia Huan said frankly, "Actually, this journey to Hami was fraught with danger, and we were only fortunate to have had some luck."

Liu Xianglian nodded and said, "There was indeed an element of luck involved. Who could have predicted that the envoy sent by Hami to welcome the bride would actually be the Taiji of Turpan, who had ulterior motives and actually helped Brother Huan. Otherwise, Brother Huan would not have been able to rightfully terminate the marriage alliance and even destroy Hami. However, Brother Huan's courage and wisdom are the key. Otherwise, even the best luck would be useless."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Brother Liu, you flatter me. It seems that Brother Feng has talked to you a lot."

Liu Xianglian smiled and said, "After a long separation, Old Feng and I really have a lot to talk about. In addition, Brother Huan's experience this time has been truly exciting, so I couldn't help but ask him some questions. I hope Brother Huan doesn't mind?"

Jia Huan shook his head and laughed, "How could that be? And stop talking about me. Tell me about yourself, Brother Liu. We parted ways in Tongzhou and then disappeared without a trace. Have you been in the borderlands all these years?"

Liu Xianglian nodded and said, "That's right. I've been searching for Brother Qi's whereabouts in the borderlands all these years."

This chapter is in Volume 1 and spans a considerable period of time, so it's necessary to mention it again here.

Back then, Emperor Qiansheng made his first attempt to seize military power from the retired Emperor Kangping. He stirred up public opinion by taking advantage of the "Hongyanlou Incident" and successfully took control of the Shenji Battalion. However, soon after, the Tatar Chaohua tribe broke through Gubeikou. Ligdan Khan then launched a large-scale invasion, ravaging the area around the capital.

Emperor Kangping seized the opportunity to return to power, regained control of the Shenji Battalion, and quickly drove away the invading Ligdan Khan, thus consolidating his control over the imperial army.

Subsequent "investigation" revealed that it was Qi Yuanchao, the guerrilla general in charge of guarding Gubeikou, who was greedy for merit and went out of the pass without authorization to pursue a small group of Tatar cavalry, which led to the ambush and allowed Chaohua's troops to take advantage of the situation and break through Gubeikou.

Qi Yuanchao and Liu Xianglian were close friends. Qi Yuanchao was highly skilled in martial arts and could draw a bow with a four-stone capacity. He was the first martial arts champion after Emperor Qiansheng reopened the martial arts examination.

It should be noted that almost all the generals of the Great Jin army at that time were people of the retired Emperor Kangping. The reason why Emperor Qiansheng reopened the military examination was to select talents through the military examination, gradually replace the old noble group who were loyal to the retired emperor, and thus seize control of the army.

Therefore, Emperor Qiansheng placed high hopes on Qi Yuanchao, the first champion of the military examination. Unfortunately, before Qi Yuanchao could grow up, he perished in the "Gubeikou Incident" and was even blamed!
However, Liu Xianglian believed that his friend Qi Yuanchao was highly skilled in martial arts and would not die easily even if he was ambushed. So he decided to go beyond the Great Wall to find him and try to uncover the truth behind the incident. As a result, he was gone for five or six years and only returned to the capital now.

Getting back to the main point, Jia Huan then asked, "Did Brother Liu find General Qi later?"

Liu Xianglian nodded and said, "Over the years, I have traveled almost all over the border regions, from Lake Baikal in the north to the Hetao area in the south, from the Altai Mountains in the west to Hulunbuir in the east. Finally, my efforts have paid off, and I have found Brother Qi."

Jia Huan couldn't help but show admiration and asked, "Where is General Qi now? If he is in the capital, why not introduce me to him?"

Liu Xianglian shook his head and said, "Brother Qi hasn't come back yet; he's still in the border region. I'll definitely introduce you to him when I have the chance. I came back this time for an important matter. I originally planned to ask Feng Ziying for help, but after thinking about it, I think it's more appropriate to ask Brother Huan for help."

　I have a class today that doesn't end until 12 PM, so the second update will probably be before midnight.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)