You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 14 Arrogance Must Have Limits

When Chen Shao arrived at his destination, he immediately realized that the old courier had ill intentions.

Although this place is not magnificent, it is very elegantly built, nestled against the mountains and by the water, with beautiful scenery and large gardens all around, where bright yellow chrysanthemums are in bloom right now.

A large lantern hung at the entrance, illuminating the plaque with the three characters "Duleyuan" clearly.

The victorious army consisted entirely of soldiers from military households in the Northwest. They were illiterate, not even knowing the character for "one" if a carrying pole fell over.

However, Chen Shao noticed something amiss. He tilted his head slightly and asked with a smile, "Brother Gu, do you know about this Dule Garden?"

Li Liangsi laughed and said, "You Song people don't know, how could I, a Liao person, recognize you?"

“Commander, who cares? Let’s go in first. This courtyard looks nice; it seems to belong to a wealthy family. If we can’t afford to offend them, we can always back out. Out of respect for Commander Xuan, they won’t make things difficult for us.”

Their group of thirty-odd people had openly gathered at the door, which had already drawn attention from inside.

Duleyuan Garden, Houzhai.

Incense smoke filled the room. A Bagua alchemy furnace stood in the center of the room, with two futons on either side, each with a person sitting opposite each other. One of the people was about thirty years old, with a clear face, a slight mustache on his upper lip, and wearing a crane cloak. He was meditating and chanting scriptures.

The door creaked open, followed by light footsteps. A servant tiptoed closer, bowed, and whispered, "Master, a group of soldiers have arrived outside. They're gathered at the door without knocking. I wonder what they want."

This man was Sima Zhi, the grandson of Sima Guang. He was always of a tranquil nature, disliked pleasure, loved literature and poetry, and was obsessed with the Huang-Lao philosophy.

There were many Taoist priests in the Song Dynasty, especially after Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) became obsessed with Taoist practices. But Sima Zhi was different; while others flattered the emperor, he was genuinely interested.

Upon hearing this, Sima Zhi said, "Why bother asking about such a trivial matter? Just send it away."

Opposite him stood an old Taoist priest with silver hair and beard. The old priest opened his eyes and said, "When refining elixirs, one must concentrate one's mind and calm one's spirit, and not be distracted by external things."

The old Taoist priest's name was Zhang Shaojie, and he practiced Taoism at Shangqing Palace in Luoyang.

Shangqing Palace was one of the important Taoist temples in the Song Dynasty, enshrining the Shangqing deities. It was not only an important place for Taoist practitioners to cultivate themselves, but also frequently responsible for royal sacrifices and prayers.

Upon hearing this, Sima Zhi immediately smiled and said, "This disciple understands, thank you for your guidance, Master Zhang."

He then ordered his servants to leave and sat down to meditate.

At the entrance, Chen Shao had already arrived at the door, knocked on the door, and inquired about the origins of the homeowner.

When he heard that he was a descendant of Sima Guang, Chen Shao was also startled.

Although today we value literature over military affairs and scholars enjoy an extremely high status, people like Sima Guang belong to the old faction.

It was written on the Stele of the Traitors by Zhao Ji and Cai Jing.

Even so, he still couldn't easily provoke these people, because scholars still held a very high social status.

The descendants of Sima Guang, in particular, hold a unique position.

At that moment, a man who looked like a butler came out from inside.

Upon seeing them, the steward, showing some knowledge, asked, "Are you from the Northwest?"

Chen Shao immediately said, "We are Commander Tong's personal guards, on official business in Tokyo. We are passing through your area and would like to ask for lodging for the night."

The old steward was disgusted and naturally unwilling, but he was also afraid that they would cause a disturbance and disturb the master's cultivation.

And most importantly, how could these ordinary soldiers be so bold?

Could it be that Cai Jing instigated this?

Everyone knows that Cai Jing was at odds with the old party members, while Cai Jing and Tong Guan had a deep connection.

Cai Jing is currently enjoying immense power, having held the position of prime minister for over a decade, breaking the record for the longest-serving prime minister in the Song Dynasty. Although he and Tong Guan have had some disagreements over the years due to their power struggles, who knows if they might join forces to continue harming their master?

Anyway, there were many empty guest rooms in the outer courtyard, so he waved.

The old steward whispered a few words to the visitors, instructing them to take the group to the west wing to stay.

Duleyuan Garden, a residence personally built by Sima Guang, was once a true sanctuary for scholars, frequently filled with distinguished guests.

These guests were all officials, and naturally they brought many servants with them.

So a special place was set up for the servants of these guests to live in.

Chen Shao and his group followed the servants of the Sima family to a side room, where they immediately realized something was wrong.

Although this place looks nice, it's not as good as the homes of some ordinary gentry living in front.

Chen Shao gave a signal, and one of the soldiers from the Victorious Army immediately grabbed the servant by the collar and angrily asked, "Where is this place?"

This servant was a servant born into the Sima family; he had never seen such a fierce soldier.

After all, soldiers couldn't get into the Sima residence.

Let alone ordinary soldiers, even military officers wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

It's only because the current emperor holds absolute power and has suppressed the scholar-official class that they've become somewhat more restrained. In the past, civil officials dared to spit in the emperor's face right to his face.

At this moment, Li Liangsi said quietly from the side, "This place is probably for servants to live in, but it has been used to entertain us. They really have a keen eye for people."

The men of Shengjie Army, who had been used to Chen Shao's arrogance along the way, immediately became indignant after hearing this.

They started yelling and threatened to hit someone.

Chen Shao reached out to stop him. Although he was arrogant, he was not brainless.

Whether you hit someone first or you hit them first, the nature of the situation is quite different.

Creating some conflict with the old party isn't without its benefits, but the degree must be carefully managed.

This can't go on.

He glanced at the area separated by a wall, where there were even lights.

"We'll go stay next door," Chen Shao said softly after thinking for a moment.

"No, absolutely not!" The servants of the Sima family, disregarding their fear, hurriedly waved their hands to stop them.

These people completely ignored him. Dong Dahu, who was standing behind Chen Shao, stepped forward and pushed hard, opening the gates of both courtyards.

A group of people, ignoring the servants sprawled on the ground, came in laughing and insisted on finding their own rooms.

Since these were guest rooms, places for servants to stay, they couldn't be too far from the master.

So, just a wall away were the proper guest rooms of the Sima Mansion.

Inside the guest room, a woman, dressed in a soft robe and with her hair piled high like clouds, was playing her newly acquired guqin. Suddenly, she heard a commotion outside and frowned. "Haitang, who's making such a racket outside?"

The maidservant rushed out to take a look, then immediately ran back into the room, clutching her chest, her face pale and bloodless, and said in a trembling voice, "Something terrible has happened, something terrible has happened, Madam! A group of soldiers have rushed in!"

"Oh?" The young woman was not surprised but rather curious, and said, "Is that so? I'll go and see."

This young woman was extremely charming. Her fair and delicate skin was pure and radiant, so smooth and translucent that one could almost smell its fragrance. Her phoenix eyes, with their upturned corners, and her shapely figure hidden beneath her loose-fitting clothes, moved with a graceful gait that resembled surging waves. Her alluring demeanor was natural and captivating.

(End of this chapter)