Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 480 Young people, huh?
Luoyang City.

Zu Ting arrived in Luoyang from Weizhou, and was somewhat surprised even before entering the city.

Luoyang, which had been decimated by the Six Garrisons Rebellion and the rule of the Erzhu clan, has now returned to its former glory.

This city of Luoyang, which was first built during the Western Zhou Dynasty, has endured countless trials and tribulations over the past thousand years.

Destroyed and rebuilt several times.

Today, Luoyang finally has the appearance of a capital city that can hold five or six parts of the country.

Zu Ting was about to go into the city to take a look, but before he even reached the city gate, someone stopped him outside.

"Xiaozheng, we've suffered so much waiting for you!"

Zu Ting looked around and saw his former friend, Mu Zirong.

Mu Zirong was a Xianbei, and also a Xianbei who had been Sinicized. He was originally from the Qiumuling clan.

Qiumuling clan was one of the eight clans of the Xianbei people.

The eight Xianbei clans and the four clans of Guandong were the top elites in Luoyang.

These Sinicized Xianbei people were the object of hatred for the northerners. Since the Rebellion of the Six Garrisons, these Sinicized Xianbei people without military power have lost their former comfortable lives and have been living a life of wandering and displacement.

After Luoyang restored its former order, these Sinicized Xianbei people settled down.

However, nowadays, the northerners no longer hold the power they once had, let alone these Sinicized Xianbei people.

"Shanxing, why are you waiting for me?"

"Now that Xiaozheng has arrived, how could I not wait!"

With that, Mu Zirong led Zu Ting into the carriage and entered Luoyang City.

Zu Ting followed behind Mu Zirong, shaking his head more and more as he looked at her. There was nothing about her that he found appealing.

Mu Zirong didn't notice Zu Ting's regretful expression and led him directly to Yishou Lane in the inner city. Across the street, Yonghe Lane was on the right.

Zu Ting found it somewhat strange.

Why did Mu Zirong bring him here?
The current inner city of Luoyang was built on the site of the old Luoyang city during the Eastern Han Dynasty. However, it did not adopt the north-south palace system of the Han Dynasty, but instead adopted a single palace system.

The reduction in size of the palace city led to changes in the layout of the inner city.

The inner city is not square; it is narrow in the west and wide in the east, with the Golden Yong City and the East Palace located to the left and right of the palace city.

Government offices were located east of the palace and on both sides of Tongtuo Street.

The palace, Jinyong City, government offices and other buildings occupied most of the space in the inner city, while the rest of the area consisted of various neighborhoods.

After Luoyang was rebuilt, the neighborhoods west of Tongtuo Street in the inner city of Luoyang, centered on Jinyong City, were inhabited by officials and military officers of the Prince of Qin's Mansion and the Tiance Mansion. As for the most spacious residential area in the southeast of the inner city, these were the various neighborhoods where the court officials and nobles lived.

Yonghe Lane, for example, is located in the southeast of the inner city. It was a neighborhood that existed since the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Dong Zhuo lived here after entering Luoyang.

After Emperor Xiaowen entered Luoyang, Yonghe Lane was rebuilt and inhabited by famous ministers and generals of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

How could Yishouli, which is just across the street, be any worse?
The aristocratic families of Hebei entered Luoyang a little later, and in order to show their prestige, they spent lavishly to buy mansions in the inner city.

As soon as Zu Ting entered the gate, he saw the servant carrying the lantern with the surname Cui and knew Mu Zirong's purpose.

"When Lord Cui hosted the banquet, Xiao Zheng arrived at just the right time."

Zu Ting came from the Zu clan of Fanyang. Although his family was not as prestigious as the Lu clan of Fanyang or the Cui clan of Qinghe, he was not someone who had only recently been recognized as a relative like Gao Huan.

Even so, Cui Ling treated Zu Ting with exceptional courtesy.

At the banquet, he was not only seated in the front row, but the banquet was also drunk with him personally.

Such banquets held by aristocratic families were originally intended to promote younger generations, with mutual flattery used to enhance the reputation of the aristocratic scions.

Zu Ting had attended similar banquets before in Hebei, but Cui Ling's enthusiasm exceeded his expectations, revealing that she greatly admired Zu Ting.

At the banquet, Cui Ling recited Zu Ting's previous poems and praised them highly.

In an instant, Zu Ting, a newcomer to Luoyang who had no place to live, seemed to have become a rising star of the imperial court.

After the banquet, Cui Ling even prepared a temporary residence for Zu Ting.

A tipsy Mu Zirong also shared a room with Zu Ting, but compared to Zu Ting, Mu Zirong's face showed a hint of apology, and even a touch of jealousy. "Xiaozheng, don't blame me!"

Zu Ting didn't seem to mind. He took out a beautifully crafted golden cicada from his sleeve and was admiring it.

"I understand being under someone else's roof."

Taking advantage of his drunken state, Mu Zirong grabbed Zu Ting and said:

“You don’t understand, the world has changed. The five families of the past are still the same five families. The Wang, Xie, Yuan, and Xiao families in the south are no longer subjects when they arrive in Luoyang. But we are no longer what we used to be.”

Zu Ting asked:

"The King of Qin wasn't too bad to you, was he?"

"It's not bad, but the King of Qin values ​​those with military merits and scholars more. You don't know how difficult it is for us to gain the King of Qin's favor!"

The Sinicized Xianbei people were in a predicament.

After the Rebellion of the Six Garrisons, they suffered a ruthless purge by the northerners, and Emperor Xiaowen's Sinicization reforms were completely overthrown by the northerners.

Li Shuang raised the banner of Emperor Xiaowen's Sinicization reforms in Guanzhong, and later destroyed the Erzhu clan in Luoyang, continuing Emperor Xiaowen's policies.

However, after the war, the Xianbei people no longer had much influence in the court, local areas, or the army.

In Luoyang today, the Northerners have lost their power. The eight Xianbei clans that were the first to be purged by the Northerners have fallen to a lower level and are no longer comparable to the five clans that were once on equal footing with them.

After their realm was lowered, the eight Xianbei clans, facing the five clans who were once equals or even looked down upon, now had to look up to them and desperately tried to climb up the social ladder by leveraging their past kinship ties. Only then did they realize how absurd the clan system they had designed back then was.

"Unlike you, who are appreciated by Lord Cui and will surely be given important responsibilities in the future."

As they were talking, Mu Zirong fell asleep.

Zu Ting shook his head and said:

"Brother Mu, this wine isn't as delicious as you think."

……

Cui Ling's servant, Cui Er, helped Cui Ling, who was drunk and unable to walk, by taking off his outer garment.

Cui Er, who had previously shown no respect to Yuwen Tai, was now extremely submissive to Cui Ling.

"How is Zu Ting doing?"

"Rest assured, my lord, this old servant will personally keep an eye on things and will not neglect his duties. However, this old servant has heard that Zu Ting is extremely greedy. I wonder if he can understand your intentions?"

Cui Ling smiled and said:
"Even the most foolish person should understand that gold and silver are only temporary needs. I have given him a promising future."

As he spoke, Cui Ling touched his waist and realized something was wrong.

Where is my golden cicada?

Upon seeing this, Cui Er hurriedly searched the surrounding area, and after turning it over once, he said:
"My lord, what if we fall off the road?"

Cui Ling shook his head. The cicada was in a bag, and now the bag is still there, but the cicada is gone, so it was obviously stolen.

After thinking about who had approached him, Cui Ling's expression suddenly changed.

"Could it be Zu Ting?"

Upon hearing this, Cui Er's face revealed a fierce expression.

"This old servant will take men and capture him to avenge our lord."

Cui Ling waved his hand, and despite the pain in his eyes, he gritted his teeth and said:

"Great talents always have some minor flaws that are hard for ordinary people to understand, but it's nothing to worry about!"

"But my lord..."

"I already said it's nothing."

……

(End of this chapter)