In the Three Kingdoms period, the opening scene features the killing of Huang Gai, shocking Zhou Yu!

The Zhang family's steward had just weathered the "money-throwing" scandal outside.

After finally getting rid of those big shots,

I didn't even have time to drink some water.

There was another uproar at the gate.

"Lord Zhang! You must stand up for the civilized people! The dignity of the Han people... is shattered!"

"I'm innocent! I can't live like this anymore!"

The butler was very puzzled:

Didn't we already give them the money? What's going on now? Do they think the money isn't enough?

Again?

He pushed open the door with a dark expression.

I originally wanted to say something sarcastic,

But the door was only half open.

They were dumbfounded.

At the bottom of the steps in front of the Zhang residence's main gate,

Four servants carried a stretcher.

Ding Yi was lying on the stretcher.

Jiang Gan, with disheveled hair, knelt beside the stretcher, clutching a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand.

"An angel has been assassinated! The Jiangdong warriors have rebelled! Lord Ding is about to die for his country!"

"Quickly! Go and inform the master!"

This is an angel!

He can't make the decision.

What if I die at the gate of the Zhang residence?

Jiangdong would then have to bear the blame for "murdering Han officials".

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhao ran all the way to the door.

Upon seeing Ding Yi's "near-death" state,

My palms were sweating uncontrollably.

"How could it come to this? How could it come to this!"

Zhang Zhao pointed at Ding Yi, his fingers trembling.

When Jiang Gan saw that the person in charge had arrived,

"Lord Zhang, you must stand up for us!"

"We want to go back to Xuchang to complain to the Emperor."

"How can Jiangdong be considered a land of etiquette?"

"This is clearly a bandit's den!"

"Brother Zhengli was just trying to break up the fight, but he was kicked three zhang away by that old scoundrel Han Dang, and I don't know how many of his ribs were broken."

Ding Yi twitched in perfect unison.

He squeezed out two words from his throat:

"Zhang...Zhang Gong...rites...rites and music have collapsed...I...I am about to die..."

Zhang Zhao sighed deeply, feeling his face turn bright red.

This empathy for intellectuals who have been humiliated,

It made him wish he could pluck Han Dang's beard right now.

"Inside! Quickly, carry him inside! Someone, fetch the doctor!"

……

In the main hall of the Zhang residence, the smell of medicine mingled with the stench of money.

Ding Yi lay on the makeshift soft couch.

He would cough weakly every now and then.

Just as agreed,

With each cough,

Jiang Gan wiped away a tear beside him.

Zhang Zhao sat to one side.

Looking at the mahogany chests scattered on the ground,

His face was grave.

"Master Zhang".

Jiang Qian wiped away his tears.

"Brother Zhengli's life hangs by a thread. He said before that his body is worthless."

However, His Majesty's condolences and sympathies to the renowned scholars of Jiangdong must not be discontinued.

"Bring it up!"

The servants opened the first box.

It was a glass cup, crystal clear.

In the Eastern Wu period, this level of glass was considered a tribute item.

Zhang Zhao glanced at it without even lifting his eyelids.

Vulgar.

Too tacky.

He's a man of the world; these things used by nouveau riche to flaunt their wealth can't shake his integrity.

The servants opened the second box.

Spices from the Western Regions.

Zhang Zhao stroked his beard, his expression remaining calm.

He has no shortage of money.

He also had things.

These things were clearly not sent by His Majesty.

Cao Cao's attempt to bribe him with these things was a gross underestimation of Zhang Zibu, who was "undecided about internal affairs" in Jiangdong.

Do I, Zhang Zhao, lack a few melons and dates?

Jiang Gan caught the disdain in Zhang Zhao's eyes.

That's normal. Although these things are rare, they are not something that scholars would look down on.

He chuckled.

Just as Lord Zhao had predicted, the old man was indeed quite aloof.

Walk to the last box.

"Master Zhang, you don't know, but in Xuchang, His Majesty often says, 'All the talents in the world belong to Jiangdong.'"

"The hopes of Jiangdong all belong to Zibu."

"Those gold, silver, and glazed tiles are indeed unworthy of you. But this one... was specially saved by His Majesty from the imperial treasury."

"His Majesty said that only Zhang Gong's talent is worthy of this jade-like object."

The box slowly opened.

A roll of paper.

Zhang Zhao, with his sharp eyes, arrived at the box in just a few steps.

"This is... Zuo Bo paper?"

"That's right."

Jiang Gan observed Zhang Zhao's reaction.

That was a ruthless finishing move.

"His Majesty has heard that Zhang Gong's calligraphy is unparalleled in Jiangnan, and he cannot bear to see Zhang Gong wasting his efforts on those rough bamboo slips."

This paper absorbs ink without bleeding.

His Majesty said that there are only a few rolls of this kind of paper in the entire country. Apart from a few rolls kept in the palace for archiving, the rest are all here.

Zhang Zhao's fingers glided across the paper.

As a scholar and a calligraphy enthusiast.

This made him tremble even more than touching the skin of a peerless beauty.

Bamboo slips are heavy.

Silk is expensive and easily stained.

Ordinary paper is rough and unusable.

This roll of paper is incredibly dangerous.

Your turn, formalities.

"Master Zhang... Zhengli... I'm afraid... that kick... I'm afraid I won't see Master Zhang wield his brush... What a regret..."

This soft murmur

It became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Zhang Zhao turned around.

He looked at Ding Yi, then at the unique item in his hand.

The contrast is stark.

"Masayoshi has suffered!"

Zhang Zhao let out a mournful cry, and tears truly streamed down his face.

He walked up to the stretcher and took Ding Yi's hand.

"Jiangdong...Jiangdong has failed all the scholars of the world!"

"Military men ruin the country! Military men ruin the country!"

Ding Yi suppressed the urge to laugh and even had to roll her eyes in response:

"Lord Zhang... with your words, I... can die without regret."

"Zhengli, rest assured. I accept these papers... no, Your Majesty's sentiments."

I will find the best doctor and use the best medicine for your injury!

"This debt... I must settle it with my lord!"

Zhang Zhao did not appear angry on the surface.

But in his heart, he had cursed Zhou Yu and Han Dang countless times.

"Thank you very much, Brother Zibu!"

Jiang Gan bowed deeply.

"Brother Zibu, we've only come to deliver a gift and, incidentally, to seek justice. We don't want to put Lord Wu in a difficult position."

"And please don't get too angry. If you get sick from anger, that would be our fault."

Zhang Zhao waved his hand:

"This is justice! This is civility! As an elder of Jiangdong, if I cannot even protect the dignity of a scholar, how can I face the world?"

……

Of course, that's not all.

After leaving Zhang's residence, Jiang Gan did not return to Xiyuan.

Instead, he brought Ding Yi, a "mobile prop".

Heading to the next stop—Gu Family.

Gu Yong, the head of the Gu family, is known as the "Silent Tiger" and is usually a man of few words.

But this man had a particular hobby—he was a top-notch qin (a seven-stringed zither) enthusiast and greatly admired Cai Yong.

Upon arriving at the Gu residence, the same recipe, the same taste.

First cry, then make a scene, to bring out the real culprit.

When Gu Yong came out with a sullen face,

Jiang Gan didn't say a word.

They presented me directly with a yellowed, fragmented ancient book.

"Brother Yuan Tan (Gu Yong's courtesy name),"

"Zhengli's trip south was intended to exchange musical skills with you."

"This is the only copy that Cai Yong, the Imperial Secretary, once owned and lost in Xuchang."

"His Majesty specially ordered someone to find it from the imperial treasury and entrusted us to bring it here."

"What a pity... Brother Ding can't even sit up now, so I'm afraid he won't be able to play the zither anymore."

Gu Yong's perpetually unchanging poker face,

My heart shattered the moment I saw the sheet music.

To cut off someone's path to music is like killing their parents!

The Lu and Zhu families need no further introduction.