The following morning, the wind and snow continued.
Zhu Pingan woke up early, spread the black wooden board on the table by the window and practiced calligraphy with his wrists hanging over it, and when everyone else in the inn gradually got up, Zhu Pingan collected the black wooden board, put the brushes and other things into his school bag in order, packed up his bed and his own things, and went down the stairs with two sheets of oil cakes made by Chen.
In the lobby of the inn, Zhu Pingan ordered a bowl of mutton soup like last night, soaked the oil cakes and finished eating.
“Shopkeeper with pleasure, may I ask in which direction is the official road to the north?”
Zhu Pingan ate his breakfast and asked the shopkeeper archly about the route as he paid the bill.
“Dare not, dare not, there are two official roads to the north in this town, where is the guest going to?” The shopkeeper was a mass of peace.
“To the capital.” Zhu Pingan returned.
“If you are going to the capital, then go in this direction, after Peac*ck Terrace there is an official road that leads straight to the Luzhou Prefecture, and there are many more ways to go towards the capital from there.” The shopkeeper led Zhu Pingan to the door, pointing in a direction and giving Zhu Pingan the route.
Lushu Prefecture, that is, modern Hefei, since ancient times, Hefei is a place of war, the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Wei, Dongwu two countries in Hefei war for decades. Song for Luzhou, the Southern Song Dynasty, Hefei is the front line of resistance to gold. After Hefei and then to the capital is also good, just to see what this place of war in ancient times.
“Thanks to the shopkeeper.” Zhu Pingan arched his hand and thanked the shopkeeper.
After asking for directions, Zhu Pingan informed the shopkeeper to check out of the room and pack up his things, the shopkeeper helped to take the things to the backyard and put them on the back of the well-fed and well-drunk killer black horse, Zhu Pingan took out another rabbit fur long-collar cloak from his baggage and put it on before mounting the horse.
This cloak is mother Chen specially made for himself, to protect himself from the cold and wind on the road, rabbit fur is elder brother Zhu Pingchuan in the mountain set of rabbit nitro skin made.
“There is snow today, the guest may wish to stay a little for a day, and leave when the snow stops.” At the doorway, a group of peaceful shopkeeper’s advised.
“Thanks to the shopkeeper, it’s not cold when it snows, it’s a good time to catch the road.” Zhu Pingan rolled onto his horse and slightly arched his hand to thank the shopkeeper. Then he drove his horse along the route pointed out by the shopkeeper just now.
The small town was not big, and after riding the horse for about ten minutes or so, he saw the Peac*ck Terrace that the shopkeeper had mentioned.
Originally thought that the shopkeeper belongs to the peac*ck platform is just the name of a mound, did not expect to see this peac*ck platform is a magnificent. Peac*ck Terrace is ‘convex’ shape, covers an area of about 100 square metres. Is the upper and lower two-storey structure, on a wide empty platform, corridor hall type roof, flying eaves and corners, each layer has arch. The carved beams and painted buildings are magnificent.
How could a small town have a building like this, Zhu Pingan drove his horse closer in curiosity.
“The peac*ck flies southeast, wandering for five miles.”
Peac*ck Terrace in front of the corridor on the stone wall window, engraved is such a “Southeast Peac*ck Flight”, handwriting is not bad, full of a sense of pathos.
Er, I remember.
Huaining County, small town, the peac*ck flying southeast, yes. This is with the Northern Dynasty’s “Mulan Poetry” known as the “music of the two jewels” of the “Southeast Flight of the Peac*ck” birthplace, that is, Jiao Zhongqing, Liu Lanzhi burial place.
In Huai Ning County for so long, unexpectedly to such a place to forget, fortunately, he rushed to the exams passed here, really read ten thousand scrolls of books is not as good as travelling ten thousand miles ah.
During the Jian’an period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Lanzhi, who was both talented and beautiful, and Jiao Zhongqing, a minor official in Lujiang, fell in love with each other sincerely. But his mother-in-law, Jiao mother for various reasons on Liu Lanzhi, Lanzhi resolutely please return to the mother of Zhongqing to plead ineffective, the couple had to say goodbye, and both “vowed that the sky will not be negative”.
Lanzhi returns to her mother’s house. The marriage proposals came one after another, first from the county magistrate on behalf of his son, and then from the governor who condemned the prime minister to be the matchmaker. Lanzhi refused categorically because she had an appointment with Zhongqing. However, her elder brother gave her a bad advice. Lanzhi has no choice but to accept the match. When Zhongqing hears of the change, the couple agrees to be “birds of a feather in the sky and branches of a tree on earth”. On the happy day of Lanzhi’s marriage, Liu and Jiao were both killed in the Yellow Springs, which is the last song in the history of the world.
If I were myself, I would not let such a tragedy happen.
After a long time of mourning at the Peac*ck Terrace. Zhu Pingan lamented, then drove his horse away from the Peac*ck Terrace, along the official road all the way to the north.
The official road with snow is much better than the official road with rain, the black horse seems to ignore the wind and cold, in the snow and wind with the head of the horse all the way to the front, perhaps this goods feel that the official road is better than the mountain road, right.
Along the official road north, the official road on both sides from time to time can see the shadow of the village, unlike yesterday as walked for more than half a day can not see a family.
Walked to almost noon, Zhu Pingan down the official road, went to a small village near the official road.
The north wind was very hard, scraping the floating snow on the ground from the field into the village, and then out from the village centre road, and then piling up a path of calf-high snow under the roots of the wall, and under the stacks of firewood outside the wall, and in all the places where the wind was at the back.
The gullies on both sides of the road were filled with snow, and the road was as flat as the road, if not for the burnt artemisia grass tips exposed in the snow on the side of the road, emitting a sibilant tremor in the wind, Zhu Pingan was afraid that he could not tell which was the road and which was the gully.
A group of chickens in the village, led by a few roosters, gathered under a stack of firewood stalks, slowly and methodically looking for food. A few bored roosters were pecking each other for the right to own a certain little hen, and the crackling caused the snow to fly about.
On a flat area at the entrance of the village, there are a few urchins supporting a basket on the snow, spreading some chaff underneath, pouting and lying on the side waiting for the sparrows to be deducted.
Seeing Zhu Pingan riding over, startled in the sparrow, caused a few urchins sniffling with a face of bad look at Zhu Pingan.
“This mountain is opened by me, this tree is planted by me; if you want to cross this road, leave the money to buy the road.”
A little kid with snot bubbles stuck his waist in front of Zhu Pingan’s horse, tilting his head in a bullish manner. Then several other brats also stood behind that outgoing brat as backup, also looking at Zhu Pingan with an unkind look on their faces.
Looking at the several bear children with snot bubbles hanging from their noses, Zhu Pingan slightly hooked his lips.
“I am a bird demon under the Snow Demon, I heard that you guys were plotting against my men here, so I took human form to come here to find out what happened, I never thought that I would be the one to see it, tsk, I heard that children’s meat is the most delicious.”
Zhu Pingan rode on the back of his horse and inhaled hard in the direction of a few children, then made a look of intoxication and licked his tongue.
“Demon ah.”
A few bear children sniffed, then looked at Zhu Pingan with a look of wanting to eat meat, wailed and ran away.
“Er, I’m joking for you guys.”
Looking at the several bear children scattering their legs and running away, Zhu Pingan was somewhat in tears, these bear children were also too innocent.
“Wouldn’t fall for your trick!”
“Don’t you come after us oh, we have child urine.”
A few bear children sniffed and made a face towards Zhu Pingan and ran even more cheerfully, disappearing in the blink of an eye
