fake gentry

"My lord is awake?"

Xie Hong opened his eyes, and a bright, yet alluring, oval face came into view. Those lively eyes made it difficult to tell whether she was a young girl or a woman.

"Ayi?"

Xie Hong tried to get up, but suddenly felt a splitting headache, let out a cry, and collapsed back onto the bed.

Song Yi chuckled and said, "My lord, please don't move. I'll bring you some hangover soup right away."

A charcoal stove had been prepared in advance beside the bed, and steam was rising from the small pot.

That was a hangover soup that Song Yi prepared early in the morning, using kudzu root and red bean curd as ingredients, and kept warm after it was cooked.

There was also a small food table next to it, with some candied fruit and fresh fruit, which Xie Hong could easily take at any time.

Song Yi stayed by Xie Hong's side almost all night without taking off his clothes.

She wasn't qualified to attend last night's private banquet, but she knew everything that happened during the meal.

Xie Hong was carried back by several songstresses.

She was originally in charge of all the singing and dancing girls in Wang Dun's shogunate. When the girls talked about Xie Hong's performance at the banquet, they made no secret of their envy of Song Yi.

Compared to other lowly people, their fate was much better, but who wouldn't want a real support? Unfortunately, they were not as beautiful or talented as Song Yi, so they could not have the same opportunities as Song Yi.

The songstress mentioned Xie Langjun playing the zither, and then asked Song Yi if he could find a way to ask Xie Langjun to bestow one or two pieces of music upon her.

Song Yi fell silent for a moment.

The popular Qing Shang music of today, whether it is palace music or folk music, is all passed down from the pre-Qin and Han dynasties. Even if there are some changes, it cannot be considered a new piece. This has resulted in all the tunes being basically the same.

Song Yi was a master of music, so he naturally understood how precious Xie Hong's music was.

Whether it was the pipa music played in the main hall or the flute music played, it was all beyond her imagination.

There was no way around it; the emotionally charged melodies from 1,700 years later were a complete game-changer. Even if Xie Hong's playing technique was flawed, it appeared as a completely new skill in the eyes of Song Yi and the other singers.

As singers and dancers, their sole purpose is to entertain people with their voices and sights. If they can learn a new song, they might even change their fate and become famous like Song Yi, perhaps even having the opportunity to become a concubine of a high-ranking scholar.

Unable to resist their persistent requests, Song Yi finally agreed, promising to ask Xie Langjun for a song for everyone at the right time. Only then did the songstresses depart happily.

After serving Xie Hong the hangover soup, Xie Hong then instructed the maid to boil water so he could take a bath.

I showered twice a day in Lushan, morning and evening, and felt uncomfortable if I didn't shower for a day.

After taking a bath, Xie Hong felt much more energetic, and his headache subsided.

After changing his clothes and having breakfast, Wen Qiao went directly to Xie Hong's door. Upon seeing Xie Hong, he laughed and said, "My dear Xie, after hearing your music, I can no longer bear to listen to anyone else play. I am going to Jiankang the day after tomorrow, what should I do?"

Wen Qiao joined Wang Dun's staff as a spy, deliberately ingratiating himself with Wang Dun and Qian Feng. He successfully deceived Wang Dun and was regarded as a confidant. Wang Dun then recommended Wen Qiao for the position of Prefect of Danyang, nominally making him a pawn planted by Wang Dun in Jiankang. In reality, Wang Ahei had no idea that Wen Qiao was his mother's spy.

Before Xie Hong arrived, Wen Qiao had already prepared to leave. Wuchang was a place of trouble, and he really didn't want to stay there any longer.

But meeting Xie Hong before his departure gave him a feeling that the fate of the entire land depended on one person.

Xie Fengzhi is the one who will save the world; we must protect him.

So he went straight to their door early in the morning, disregarding even the etiquette expected of aristocratic families.

When Song Yi saw that a guest had arrived, he instructed his maid to serve tea, and then quietly retreated to the courtyard.

Wen Qiao didn't beat around the bush: "I am a close friend of your clansman, so you can call me uncle. I have two sons. My eldest son, Shizhi, is in mourning and I'm afraid he won't live much longer. My second son, Fangzhi, is similar to me. Fengzhi can befriend him."

Of all the famous people Xie Hong has encountered since his time travel, Wang Dun is undoubtedly the most prominent. However, if we were to discuss who he respects the most, it would undoubtedly be Wen Qiao.

Leaving aside his three acts of saving the Jin dynasty, his support for the Xie clan of Chen Commandery alone is worthy of Xie Hong's respect.

Historically, Xie Kun died the following year. It was Xie Kun who risked being killed by Wang Dun to go directly to Yuzhang to mourn him, and then paved the way for Xie Shang, which led to Xie Shang's opportunity to serve as a regional commander.

Xie Hong immediately left his seat and bowed respectfully to Wen Qiao: "When Hong greets his uncle, he must treat him as a father."

Wen Qiao couldn't help but wonder why Xie Youyu was taking this so seriously. Could it be that Xie Youyu had specifically mentioned him to him?

He was deeply moved and quickly helped Xie Hong up, saying seriously, "Fengzhi, please get up quickly."

"Originally, I was worried that you would be harmed, and I thought that I would persuade the Prime Minister to let you leave before I left. But now that Wang Shiru has arrived in Wuchang, he is an upright and honest man, and he will not let you be harmed by Wang Shiru... Chu Zhong also has no intention of harming you, so I can leave with peace of mind."

Wen Qiao smiled at Xie Hong: "Xie Youyu has probably sold all his face for you. I'm sure all the prominent figures in Jiangzuo have been alarmed."

Xie Hong smiled wryly and took a sip of tea: "My uncle dotes on me."

Wen Qiao lowered his voice and said, "If the Prime Minister doesn't release you, there's nothing anyone can do for the time being. But don't worry, once I arrive in Jiankang and meet His Majesty, I will definitely find a way to rescue you. Although the court is currently being suppressed by the Prime Minister, it's not entirely without room for maneuver. I plan to present the 'Xie Family Calculation Rules' to the Emperor. Once the Emperor issues an edict, you can get away."

Wen Qiao was naturally unaware that Sima Rui had known about the "Xie Family Calculation Rules" even before Wang Dun, and that even the Crown Prince Sima Shao had sent Wang Yue, a lecturer in the Eastern Palace, to personally recruit Xie Hong.

Xie Hong was deeply moved and bowed to Chao Wenqiao again: "Uncle, you don't need to worry about me. There is something on my mind that I don't know whether I should say or not."

"speak."

Xie Hong glanced out the window, confirming that Song Yi was the only one in the courtyard, then looked away and whispered, "The Duke will surely raise troops again, for at least a year, or at most two years."

Wen Qiao froze completely.

He leaned forward slowly, his gaze fixed on Xie Hong's eyes: "What makes you say that, Feng Zhi? Although the Duke is arrogant, the court is currently treating him with great leniency. Why would he raise an army again?"

Xie Hong smiled and said, "Uncle, if the Duke were truly content with being a regional commander, he wouldn't be living in the Wu King's Palace. Once ambition takes hold, it's hard to control."

Wen Qiao remained silent for a long while before slowly saying, "Why are you so certain about one or two years, instead of three or five?"

Xie Hong thought to himself, "How am I supposed to explain this to you?"

"Uncle, how about this? I once predicted for Xi Daohui that Taishan County would be captured by Shi Hu in July. We will know the outcome in another month. At that time, you can make your own judgment."

In fact, after Wen Qiao arrived in Jiankang, he immediately reported that Wang Dun was bound to rebel. Upon hearing this, Sima Rui died of grief and indignation at the end of the year.

Wen Qiao remained silent for a long time before finally raising his head to look at Xie Hong. His expression was extremely complex, a mixture of shock and undisguised ambiguity.

"Fengzhi," he said in a low voice, "Don't tell anyone these things. Wait until another day."

"I won't tell anyone except my uncle," Xie Hong said with a wry smile, looking at Wen Qiao. "I trust my uncle, but I don't trust anyone else."

Wen Qiao took a deep breath, then leaned down to look at Xie Hong, his voice extremely low: "Does Feng Zhi know why I'm in Wuchang?"

Xie Hong pretended to be stunned and lost in thought. He didn't say anything, but instead dipped his finger into the teacup and gently wrote a character on the table.

探！

Wen Qiao froze upon seeing this.

After a long while, he took a deep breath and gave Xie Hong a long look.

"Truly, heroes emerge from our generation. If Feng Zhi had been born twenty years earlier, would the Yongjia Rebellion have occurred?"

Xie Hong laughed and said, "Uncle, once you enter Jiankang, you shouldn't gamble anymore."

Wen Qiao is a super gambler who always loses everything. Yu Liang has bailed him out countless times.

Xie Hong was afraid that if he stopped asking Yu Liang for favors and instead asked him for favors, he would be in big trouble.

Upon hearing Xie Hong's words, Wen Qiao burst into uncontrollable laughter: "Compared to Ruan Yaoji, I am far inferior."

Ruan Yaoji was Ruan Fu, one of the Eight Worthies of Jiangzuo, and the second son of Ruan Xian, one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.

This guy was a true gambler, and he was impeached countless times for gambling. There's a story about waxed clogs, which says that even after he lost all his money, he would still use the last of his gold to wax his clogs.

He calmly said that one doesn't know how many pairs of clogs one will wear in a lifetime, meaning that a person doesn't know how many pairs of clogs they will wear in their lifetime.

It can be said that he was completely unrestrained.

Xie Hong had absolutely no liking for the so-called Eight Worthies of Jiangzuo. Apart from Huan Yi, who was a pragmatist, the other seven were all drunkards, gamblers, and masters of empty talk. They were not even qualified to be county magistrates, but instead became prefects or governors.

Including Xie Kun.

If it weren't for Wen Qiao's strong support, Xie Shang might not have achieved the same level of success as the Xie family of Chen Commandery.

Otherwise, Huan Yi's son, Huan Wen, would have become the most powerful minister in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.