Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 90 Liu Lang and the Weaver Girl
"Bian Ji, A Bing, come inside and talk."

Liu Bei was taken aback for a moment, but looking into Bian Ji's gentle eyes, he calmed down and, with a slight embarrassment, led her into the house.

Jian Yong has already brought people along; they've traveled a long way to see him, so he should at least be polite.

come all come...

Bian Bing did not enter the room, but stayed outside to pack his luggage. The lowly boys who had worked as musicians in the music hall were all extremely sensible.

"Liu Lang, is this place called Xihe?"

Bian Ji entered the room, tilted her head, and asked softly, as if confirming something.

The way he looked at Liu Bei was very kind.

There seems to be a hint of... anticipation.

"Yes, this is Xihe Pavilion."

Liu Bei sighed helplessly. He knew what Bian Ji was trying to confirm—in the Han Dynasty, the Milky Way was used as the north-south reference point, and Vega was located west of the Milky Way.

Actually, the place called Xiheting was originally called Xihe, and it was called that during the Qin Dynasty. Liu Wei did not give it a random name.

But when a woman gets stuck on a particular idea, there's really nothing you can do.

Back when Ren Lang was weaving straw sandals at the music hall, he told Bian Ji a story.

It was the Qixi Festival, and Bian Ji sang a song, a poem called "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl." (Note)
This poem was written during the reign of Emperor Guangwu. It depicts a woman longing for her husband who has left home. Although it was not included in the Yuefu (a collection of folk songs) at that time, it was already widely circulated among the people.

Most of the female musicians were relatives of officials who had lost their husbands or fathers. In those days, most officials also left their hometowns, wives, and children to seek a better future. This poem was also a must-sing piece in the music hall.

These days, there are already records of the constellations Altair and Vega, and they are depicted as a divine couple. However, no story has been formed. The two constellations are simply regarded as gods of agriculture and weaving, representing the simple concept of men plowing and women weaving.

The story Lang Ge told Bian Ji was a later adaptation of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl tale.

—The golden boy, banished for his crimes, became the impoverished Cowherd; the Seventh Fairy Maiden was implicated and descended to earth to weave, while the Cowherd stole the Weaver Girl's clothes in the West River, became a rogue, and then they met on the Magpie Bridge…

This is a myth known to everyone in later generations, but it was just something I casually told while weaving straw sandals.

But for someone like Bian Ji who had never heard of this story before, it was a perfect match for these two people...

Liu Bei was born into the royal family, yet he was poor and destitute. At the time, he was punished for committing a crime and sent to the music hall, which perfectly matches the story of the Cowherd, a golden boy who was banished to the mortal world by the Heavenly Emperor for making a mistake. Moreover... Liu Bei was indeed 'Liu Lang'.

Bian Ji was indeed implicated by her family. Her family were officials in the music and dance troupe of Langya, descendants of disgraced officials, not prostitutes, but their movements were restricted and they had no freedom. Furthermore, there were unusual signs at Bian Ji's birth; her father consulted a diviner, Wang Dan, who said she was a person of great fortune, with a limitless future…

Vega represents hand-knitting.

At the time, Liu Bei was making straw sandals, and he only told this story on the Qixi Festival.

—For Bian Ji, the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl was not just a story, but destiny.

In fact, Bian Ji and Lang Ge didn't have much contact, but this story touched Bian Ji's heart and she couldn't forget it.

Of course, the main reason was that Liu Bei was indeed tall and handsome...

"Is there any place for weaving or textile production in Xihe?"

Bian Ji looked at Liu Bei, her face slightly flushed, her eyes sparkling.

Liu Bei understood what Bian Ji meant—she was asking Liu Bei if he would be willing to let her stay there, because this was the place where the Weaver Girl should live.

"No……"

Liu Bei shook his head slightly, and seeing the sorrowful look gradually appear on Bian Ji's face, he helplessly changed his words: "...But now that you've come, then it's settled."

Bian Ji has already brought her whole family here. If we don't take her in, her whole family will probably be doomed.

Liu Bei couldn't bring himself to do it; the other person was innocent.

"Liu Lang is observing mourning at home, and it is inappropriate for him to live next to us musicians. Where should I... go to settle down?"

Bian Ji's face lit up with a sunny smile, her eyes filled with joy as she bit her lip.

During the mourning period, one should not get too close to musicians, or engage in any entertainment activities, otherwise it would be the same as dancing on the grave.

"Let's move to the other side of the river first. There are a few empty houses on the other side of the bridge..."

Liu Bei's manor was located on the riverbank, and the surrounding area was already filled with his comrades. Only the opposite bank of the Juma River had a lot of open space.

The empty houses built there were reserved for Liu Bei's retainers as spares. His retainers could move their families there, or marry there, and would need housing at any time—the auxiliary soldiers were idle anyway, and would usually be building houses. But as soon as he said this, Liu Bei regretted it…

Why even mention a bridge!
That was a wooden bridge built last year, and a road was also built along the bridge. It was specifically for transporting horses, as it was very difficult for horses to cross the Juma River.

But when Bian Ji heard Liu Bei say this, her eyes welled up with tears, turning into crescent moons. She was clearly thinking of the Magpie Bridge.

Alright, that's how things are now, and Liu Bei had no choice but to accept it.

Hopefully, Cao Cao won't become my mortal enemy...

Actually, if we hadn't partnered with Cao Cao to trade horses, it wouldn't have mattered at all...

After all, given Bian Ji's beauty and figure, if any man could treat her as if she were nothing, he must have some hidden ailment.

Liu Bei was perfectly healthy, though he felt embarrassed, anxious, and in danger...

But ultimately, there was also a hint of secret joy.

But—we're currently making money in partnership with Cao Cao…

After finally easing tensions, Liu Bei had originally planned to ally with Cao Cao against Yuan Shao.

Forget it...

This is fate, you have to learn to accept it.

Brother Mengde has a virtuous wife and a lofty ambition to become the General Who Conquers the West. I have just given him hundreds of millions of wealth, so I suppose he won't be too concerned about a mere entertainer... right?

If we must become enemies and fight to the death... then we should support his wife and daughters!

No problem!
So what if we have a duel? We're all just wandering swordsmen anyway...

Liu Bei was quite open-minded.

Cough... Bian Ji is indeed beautiful...

Liu Bei couldn't help but chat with her a bit more: "Now that you're here, you shouldn't be called Bian Ji anymore. You should give yourself a new name..."

……

Bian Ji did not talk with Liu Bei for long. Officials and musicians had many rules, and she was one of the best among them, even more so than the average lady from a prominent family.

Liu Bei was observing mourning, so she didn't disturb him much or make any further requests. She then took Bian Bing to live in an empty house across the river.

Two days later, Jian Yong came again.

This time, he brought Bian Ji's new household registration—Bian Bing, a migrant from Langya, who purchased land in Zhuo and was attached to Liu Xuande, the former Commandant of Anxi from Zhuo, and was registered as a civilian. His sister followed him to join the household.

In other words, the refugees migrated to Zhuojun, became Liu Bei's retainers, bought land, and were registered as civilians under Liu Bei's guarantee.

The names of "Bian, a female musician, and Bing, a musician" that were originally on the list of musicians were directly crossed out, citing "their deaths at the hands of bandits in the Taihang Mountains."

This is no fake document. It would be too easy for Jian Yong to get a household registration in Zhuo County. All the officials in Zhuo County are his brothers... This is much cheaper than redeeming himself, and it doesn't cost any money.

However, when Jian Yong arrived, Liu Bei had just gone north to exchange horses with the Hu people, so Jian Yong handed over the Bian family's household registration to Zuo Yuan.

Note:

The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are separated by the Milky Way.

With slender, delicate hands, she busily weaves at the loom.

All day long, I could not compose a single poem; my tears fell like rain.

The Milky Way is clear and shallow; how far apart are we?
Separated by a mere stream, they gaze at each other silently, unable to speak.

—The poem "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl" from the Eastern Han Dynasty, author unknown.

Note 2: The legend of Altair and Vega, which evolved from two constellations into a myth, was recorded and popularized by Cao Pi and Cao Zhi, sons of Bian.

In Cao Pi's "Yan Ge Xing", Cao Zhi's "Luo Shen Fu" and "Nine Poems", the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl were already described as a married couple.

For example, Cao Zhi's "Nine Poems" says: "The Cowherd is the husband, and the Weaver Girl is the wife. The stars of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are located beside the Milky Way, and they can only meet on the seventh day of the seventh month."

This is the clearest record of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl myth at that time.

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(End of this chapter)