Chapter 45: Staging Arts Shows in Lu
The night was deep and heavy with dew, but the camp was full of joy.
The dogs had all been dressed in warm clothes and were running around happily, begging for food.
For these students, this was their first time traveling far and spending the night outdoors. They were so excited they could not sleep at all.
They gathered around the bonfire and ate roasted meat that, under ordinary circumstances, they probably would have found hard to swallow. The conditions of traveling far from home were actually very harsh. For example, the roasted meat had only been sprinkled with some simple seasoning. And this was only because they had just left Shangjing. After some time, once there was nowhere to replenish supplies, they would have to gnaw on dried meat as tough as tree bark.
But to these students, none of that mattered at all. They were still caught up in excitement.
“I think the sky here is even bigger than the sky in Shangjing.”
“When I come back from study travel, my old playmates will definitely be so jealous they’ll die.”
“I heard Lu State has the strongest scholarly atmosphere among all the states, and its etiquette also follows the rites of Zhou. I wonder how it differs from our Daqian.”
They were childish words, full of imagination and expectation, curiosity toward a foreign land.
Perhaps this was the carefree nature unique to youth. It was truly nice. They were a little naive, but they had no worries at all. They did not even need to be afraid of what difficulties they might encounter on this trip.
Chen Bai was different. He glanced toward the female students gathered around another bonfire. They had only just left Shangjing, yet many people were already looking at them strangely. Once they reached Lu State, who knew what the situation would be like?
Lu State valued propriety and ritual. In other words, they were the people least able to tolerate anyone breaking the rules.
Chen Bai did not know what lay ahead. But listening to the young students beside him talk innocently about their expectations and curiosity for the trip to Lu State, the worry in his heart seemed to ease a little.
True. They might as well treat it as traveling abroad. Why think so much? Worrying would not change what was about to happen anyway.
After figuring that out, Chen Bai also happily ate the roasted meat Chen Xiaobu brought over, occasionally chatting with the little ones.
The night breeze blew gently, and the bonfire flickered.
After they finished eating, it was time to rest.
Chen Bai crawled into the tent. The tent could only block some of the cold wind. Inside, there were quilts that could be wrapped around the body.
Chen Xiaobu crawled in too, wrapping himself into a little caterpillar. Grinning, he stuck his head outside the tent, not afraid of the cold wind blowing in, and started chatting with the Shang brothers, who had also stuck their heads out of the tent beside theirs.
Chen Bai smiled and said, “Don’t play too long.”
Chen Xiaobu nodded his little head hard, but it was obvious he had not taken the words in.
Chen Bai glanced at Chen Xiaobu, who was bundled up tightly, and stopped worrying about him. As long as he was not cold, it was fine. Chen Bai also took a thick quilt and wrapped it around himself. Only then did he feel warm.
For the first time, he truly felt the hardships of traveling away from home. Unfortunately, it was not convenient to buy things with his phone. Otherwise, if he bought something warm to drink before sleeping, it would probably feel much better.
Chen Xiaobu was not sleeping, so Chen Bai did not dare fall asleep just like that either. Only after the little fool Chen Xiaobu finally pulled his red, frozen face back into the tent did Chen Bai close the tent flap.
“Brother, I think sleeping outdoors is really fun.”
Chen Bai gave a soft snort. “We’ll basically be sleeping outdoors the whole way. Let’s see if you still think it’s fun then.”
Chen Xiaobu scratched his head in confusion. “But it is fun.”
Chen Bai did not explain. He only said, “Sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow.”
Zuo Qiu was escorting weapons, so there was no way he would make any stops. They would rush back to Lu State as quickly as possible. It was easy to imagine just how early they would have to wake up tomorrow.
Chen Xiaobu gave an “oh,” but his eyes were shining. It seemed he would not fall asleep anytime soon.
“Brother, when I come back from study travel, I also want to become a grand scholar. When I walk on the street, everyone will salute me.”
Chen Bai listened as he closed his eyes. Children’s thoughts really could be wildly imaginative. If one could become a grand scholar just by study traveling, then grand scholars would be worthless. He said, “Then you’ll have to study hard at Shangjing Academy.”
Chen Xiaobu’s little brows wrinkled. “But I don’t want to go to Shangjing Academy at all. Every time class starts, I get sleepy. The teacher just shakes his head and drones on and on, all day long.”
The classes at Shangjing Academy were indeed rather dull, but all the teachers were like that. It was not something that could be changed.
Chen Bai replied, “Then you’ll have to make some contribution and earn a court reward. If you want to become a grand scholar, there are only these two ways.”
Chen Xiaobu’s head drooped. How could that be easy? His brother, Grand Scholar Zhaoxue, had risked his life to seek justice for the people, nearly losing his little life. Then during the great plague in Shangjing, he gave injections to the patients and saved countless lives. Only then did he receive the king’s reward and become a grand scholar.
He felt that the second way was even harder than the first.
Worry. At such a young age, he was already frowning with worry.
Even without opening his eyes, Chen Bai knew exactly what expression this clever little imp had. He said, “If you really want to become a grand scholar in the future, your brother does have a way.”
Chen Xiaobu’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
The little bob cut on his forehead almost lifted up with excitement.
The exchange was warm and gentle. Chen Bai did not even know when he fell asleep. He finally understood how hard raising a child was. Chen Xiaobu was already this old and still made people worry this much, let alone even younger children.
The next day, before dawn had even broken, Chen Bai was woken up. The procession was about to set off.
Chen Bai glanced at the time. It was only three o’clock.
Chen Xiaobu was even harder to wake. His eyes would not open at all.
The entire time, he was led along by Chen Bai with his eyes closed. Chen Bai smiled. If someone else had been leading him, they probably could have kidnapped him and he would not even have reacted.
Chen Bai asked for some hot water, washed his face, and then got into the carriage.
Chen Xiaobu sat in the carriage like a puppet on strings and fell asleep again. Or perhaps he had never truly woken up.
Chen Bai had someone keep an eye on Chen Xiaobu, then went to check on the other students before they set off.
Breakfast was one flatbread, as simple as could be.
The night road was extremely difficult to walk. Only the frontmost part of the procession had torches lighting the way. The people behind were basically following in the dark.
Chen Bai really wanted to wake Chen Xiaobu up and let him see whether sleeping outdoors and traveling far away were fun or not. After thinking about it, he let it go. Let the child keep the joy in his heart.
By the time Chen Xiaobu woke up, the sky was already bright.
Chen Xiaobu panicked at first, probably not knowing why he was in the carriage. Only when he saw Chen Bai beside him did he calm down.
Then the whole procession became lively again.
Chen Bai shook his head. This was fine too. At least they could head toward Lu State in high spirits.
They traveled like this for about a week before Qi Zheng came over and said, “We’re about to leave Daqian territory. The road ahead likely won’t be peaceful. Stay with the procession and don’t fall behind.”
Chen Bai nodded. Along the way, he had also been admiring the scenery and local customs, and had gained quite a lot. No wonder the ancients always emphasized that reading ten thousand books was not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Especially in an era where information did not travel smoothly, this saying was truly too accurate.
The farther they got from Shangjing, the poorer the common people became. This could be seen in everything, whether buildings or clothing.
Shangjing was like the cultural and economic center of Daqian.
Even Chen Bai’s students were somewhat shocked. They had originally thought all of Daqian looked like Shangjing. They had not expected…
Looking at those ragged commoners, they had at first thought they were beggars.
This was class. These young masters from Shangjing belonged to a class and environment that made it impossible for them to come into contact with such people.
Chen Bai finally understood why Qi Zheng would rather place himself in front of everyone, risking becoming the bird that stuck its head out, just to obtain the right to promote potatoes.
He also understood why the king, even though he disliked Qi Zheng, had no choice but to let Qi Zheng take charge of promoting potatoes after public opinion rose.
Because potatoes were as important as life itself to the common people of Daqian. Not the slightest dispute or problem could be allowed over them. No one dared play tricks with them.
Chen Xiaobu was gnawing on a flatbread. He had not wanted to eat it at first, but after seeing these commoners, he felt that refusing to eat would be far too affected. After all, some people had nothing to eat.
Chen Bai’s expression gave nothing away. Along this road, what he saw was Daqian’s true state of livelihood.
Qi Zheng actually rode beside the carriage and asked, “What are your thoughts?”
Chen Bai: “…”
He had experienced the bustling prosperity of Shangjing, grown familiar with the enthusiastic cries of street vendors, the crowds in the eastern and western markets, and the leisurely comfort of listening to storybooks in teahouses.
Now he had also seen commoners in ragged clothing, unable to even eat their fill.
To be honest, the two images clashed sharply in his mind.
It actually gave him a feeling of peace being whitewashed.
Chen Bai did not know what to say, nor how to describe it. Perhaps what he was seeing now was the real Daqian.
Qi Zheng said without much emotion, “The states are in chaos, and war is everywhere. Everyone says Daqian’s people are fierce, that every household’s strong men can become the finest soldiers on the battlefield at any time. That is why our military strength is the strongest, and no one dares invade.”
“But who knows that if a lie is repeated too many times, even we begin to believe it? Daqian’s so-called military strength is merely an empty shell.”
Chen Bai’s heart tightened.
Based on what he had seen along the way, the common people were so poor they could barely afford food. How could the strong men of each household simply go to war? Without laborers, would the old and young at home be left to starve?
Perhaps the king could forcibly conscript soldiers, but in Chen Bai’s view, that would be no different from drinking poison to quench thirst.
So if Daqian were to enter conflict with the other states, perhaps it could indeed appear strong at first, but it absolutely could not last long.
Chen Bai suddenly felt a sense of crisis. If Daqian fell into danger, then he was now a Daqian person too. He could not escape.
Yet everyone in Shangjing seemed smugly proud that their people were fierce enough to resist all the states.
Chen Bai sighed. Perhaps it was not that no one saw the problem, but that no one was willing to admit it. After being flattered for so long, even if it was a lie, they probably wanted to hear more of it. That was human nature.
Daqian… was not as safe as imagined.
Qi Zheng continued, “Do you know why Lu State is so eager to build good relations with Daqian?”
“According to the news Zuo Qiu brought this time, Ba State and Wei State have formed an alliance. They also intend to ally with Chu State. I heard they have already sent envoys there.”
Chen Bai’s eyes narrowed. “Vertical and horizontal alliances. What kind of extraordinary talent actually thought of such a method and has already begun putting it into practice?”
The situation in this world was likely about to change because of this person.
Qi Zheng paused. “What?”
Chen Bai shook his head. Explaining that would be complicated, so he did not explain directly. Instead, he asked, “News brought by Zuo Qiu? Ba and Lu are enemies. How does he know such secret information about Ba?”
An alliance between such major states would surely not be announced openly. Otherwise, it would alarm the other states and cause them to resist together.
Qi Zheng’s expression became strange. “Because Wei State sent envoys to Lu State, wanting to pull Lu into their alliance.”
Chen Bai: “…”
Ba and Wei had already allied. Logically, they would attack Lu together, but Wei had also sent envoys to Lu to seek an alliance.
This relationship was complicated enough. It seemed this alliance was not as solid as imagined.
One moment forming vertical alliances, another moment opposing each other? Wei State’s little schemes were probably worth pondering.
Chen Bai asked, “Do you know who brought about the Ba-Wei alliance?”
Qi Zheng replied, “Wei State’s crown prince, Su Jin. Rumor has it that Su Jin’s identity is not simple. He is said to be the direct disciple of the Former Sage.”
Chen Bai’s heart trembled slightly. It was actually the crown prince of Wei. This Su Jin was truly an unusual person, probably someone who could rival Zhao’s Su Dan. If there was a chance, Chen Bai would have to meet him.
Chen Bai said, “Why are you telling me all this?”
Qi Zheng glanced at him. “If something happens to the king’s health and Crown Prince Jiao becomes Daqian’s king, do you think he can protect Daqian in the current situation?”
Chen Bai: “…”
In the end, Qi Zheng was still trying to make him stand firmly on the same boat.
But Qi Zheng was not wrong. With Crown Prince Jiao’s personality, how could he contend with the other states?
As things stood now, Zhao had Su Dan, who was like a sage walking in the world. Wei had Crown Prince Su Jin, who, from what could be seen so far, was extremely skilled in alliance strategy and could not be underestimated.
And Daqian would rely on Crown Prince Jiao?
The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. It was unreliable. He truly did not know what the king was thinking, insisting on letting Crown Prince Jiao take the throne. From what he had seen, although the king was a bit ruthless, he did not seem like someone who did not understand reason.
Perhaps there was some reason Chen Bai could not guess.
Just as he was about to ask more, Chen Xiaobu came back leading his Dalmatian. This child had insisted on getting out of the carriage and running alongside it with Shang Jujiu and the others, unable to sit still. Because the procession was transporting weapons, its speed was actually not very fast.
Several servants were stuffing dry cloths into Chen Xiaobu’s clothes to prevent his sweat-soaked inner garments from causing him to catch a cold.
Seeing someone come over, Qi Zheng slowly urged his horse away.
Chen Xiaobu climbed into the carriage happily. “Brother, we’ve left Daqian. I just saw the border marker.”
His face was full of joy.
“Just now, the Shang brothers were grinning foolishly and touching that stone marker for ages.”
Chen Bai said, “Once we’ve left Daqian territory, we have to be more careful. Don’t run around anymore.”
“I know. We didn’t leave the procession.”
Chen Bai nodded. As long as someone kept an eye on them.
Once they left Daqian, it was no longer safe. The roads they took grew more and more remote, and they had to hide their tracks at all times. Once Ba State learned of the news, they would definitely not let Lu carry the weapons back.
The route had been planned by Zuo Qiu. Chen Bai did not know whether it was safe or not, but this was the border between Daqian and Lu. This side was already Lu territory. Although some troublesome Ba troops had not yet left Lu territory, surely Zuo Qiu was still more familiar with the routes and terrain.
They continued like this for another two or three days. Aside from setting up camp and necessary rests, Chen Bai did not let Chen Xiaobu get out of the carriage, and he also told the other students not to run around unless necessary, lest something happen or they get lost.
They were so cautious, yet something still happened.
A group of Ba soldiers appeared from who knew where and began attacking the procession.
Chen Xiaobu curiously stretched his head out to look.
Outside, there were shouts of killing everywhere. The child was small, but his courage was big.
Chen Bai had the carriage driven beside Zuo Qiu. “Didn’t you say this route was safe? Only a very small number of people knew your route. What is going on now?”
Zuo Qiu frowned and said, “A traitor? Perhaps our route was exposed. Actually, Lu’s situation is rather complicated too. Ba has infiltrated us quite deeply. It can’t be explained clearly in a short time.”
Chen Bai’s mouth twitched. “…”
You should have said that earlier. If he had known, he would have taken his people and traveled separately.
Zuo Qiu said, “There’s no need to worry too much. Judging from their numbers, they should be an advance force. If they can’t take us down, they will naturally leave.”
Chen Bai replied, “In other words, they have follow-up troops? Be honest with me. How many Ba forces are still inside your Lu territory? Even if they retreat, they’ll probably send word back.”
Zuo Qiu: “…”
That was the real trouble.
Sure enough, just as Zuo Qiu had expected, once the Ba troops failed to take them down, they retreated.
It was Chen Bai’s first time seeing large-scale war in this world, as well as heaps of corpses.
His face turned pale. But looking at the people around him, he did not know whether they were used to it or numb. They did not seem particularly uncomfortable.
Chen Bai went off to the side and vomited, which instead stunned quite a few people.
Zuo Qiu even asked strangely, “Are you really the eldest son of the Court Commandant’s Estate? The Court Commandant’s Estate is still a military merit family, after all.”
Chen Bai did not want to talk to him. He had already vomited until only sour water came up. He did not want to describe what he had seen. War was far more cruel and merciless than imagined. It made his whole body go cold.
When Chen Bai returned, Zuo Qiu, several Lu envoys, and Qi Zheng were discussing matters.
Zuo Qiu said, “Our route has likely been exposed. All the routes we originally planned, including the backup routes, can no longer be used.”
Chen Bai could hear something from that. It was likely that some truly important traitor had appeared. Even a secret operation like transporting weapons had been leaked.
The group looked deeply troubled.
“The Ba people have grasped our approximate route. It will probably be very hard for us to avoid them.”
“And we need to leave this place quickly. Those people just now were very likely trying to delay us. Otherwise, it would be strange for them to continue attacking fearlessly despite knowing they couldn’t take us down. The person delivering the message may have used this time to return.”
“But which road do we take now?”
It seemed no matter which road they chose, they could not avoid the Ba army.
Worry.
At that moment, Chen Bai spoke. “Actually, it’s not necessarily impossible to avoid them.”
Chen Bai pointed behind him.
Everyone looked over and saw a young noble boy holding a yin-yang-faced exotic beast. He was covering his eyes with one hand while still peeking at the corpses, crying “aiya, aiya” as he looked, acting like a complete little clown.
The Lu envoys’ eyes lit up. “Is that your country’s Young Master Gan Thirteen? Can he truly help us scout the enemy’s movements and avoid the Ba army on the road?”
Chen Bai nodded. “He should be able to. We have no other choice now, do we?”
Everyone looked at that silly little clown again.
The situation was urgent, and there was no choice left. They had to get moving quickly. If they delayed any longer, they might not be able to leave at all.
Zuo Qiu temporarily drew up a route, and the procession set off.
Gan Xin was brought into Chen Bai’s carriage.
The student watch and drone that had previously been given to Gan Xin had already been taken back by Chen Bai. After all, those things went somewhat against common sense and were not suitable to be spread around.
Chen Bai explained the situation, then said, “You know what to do?”
Gan Xin nodded. “I can even control the unmanned chicken with hand gestures now.”
Chen Xiaobu: “…”
What chicken?
There were only the three of them in the carriage, so there was no need to avoid him.
For appearance’s sake, Chen Bai’s carriage had to leave the procession from time to time and circle around the surroundings. Qi Zheng was in charge of protecting them.
The escorting soldiers followed from a distance.
Chen Bai had even opened a cover in the roof of the carriage.
Once they left the procession, a drone flew out from above and headed ahead to scout the road.
Over on Zuo Qiu’s side.
“Can that child really help us avoid the Ba army?”
“Judging from the time they return to camp, they shouldn’t be going very far each time they go out. How can they scout information about the Ba army?”
Zuo Qiu shook his head. “That child himself is already impossible to understand. Have you not heard enough rumors about him being called the chief scout of Daqian? I heard Prince Zheng relied on the information he sent back to beat enemy troops several times their number into utter defeat.”
Everyone: “…”
After all, they were only rumors.
Zuo Qiu said, “Right now, we have no way back.”
They traveled like this for several days without incident. It seemed Zuo Qiu’s temporary route was not bad.
But just as everyone was beginning to relax, Chen Bai returned in a rush and said, “Change course immediately.”
Everyone froze. “Haven’t we been traveling perfectly fine along this road? At this speed, it won’t be long before we reach the place where our Lu army is stationed. Once we get there, we won’t need to fear Ba State anymore.”
Chen Bai glanced at them. “I’m afraid you won’t have the chance to meet your army. The Lu people are lying in ambush ahead, with layer upon layer of checkpoints set up. Their numbers are several times ours. If we keep going, there’s no way we can escape.”
No wonder they had not seen any pursuers these past few days. So they were waiting ahead, ready to catch them like turtles in a jar.
Chen Bai glanced at Zuo Qiu. “The Ba army is brutal. No matter what you choose, we will definitely take another road.”
If they refused to listen, then they would meet again in Lu’s capital. Though Chen Bai felt that if the Lu people did not listen, they probably would not make it back to their capital at all.
Qi Zheng also said, “There is no time to lose.”
Zuo Qiu gritted his teeth. “Change course.”
Zuo Qiu did have some understanding of what kind of person Chen Zixiu was. Back then, just because of a few emotional words from him, Chen Bai had taken such a huge risk to help Lu State out of sympathy. He was an overly sentimental and damnably kindhearted person. Although Zuo Qiu felt such a person would have difficulty surviving in this world, Chen Bai would absolutely not joke about such a matter.
The other Lu people opened their mouths. “…”
Zuo Qiu was in charge of this escort mission, so they could not say much.
Chen Bai looked at Zuo Qiu, the corners of his mouth carrying a trace of a smile. “Zuo Shanqin, I’ve saved your life. When we reach your capital, Qufu, you’d better treat us well.”
The procession was quickly reorganized and set off again. This route was even more remote.
The wind was cold, the dew was heavy, and the journey was hard, especially for those who had to walk the whole way.
It was inevitable that some would complain. If they had followed the original road, they would already have joined up with their army.
But Zuo Qiu suppressed all of it. Since he had chosen to trust Chen Zixiu, they had to keep walking this road.
Those complaints stopped when they passed through a small Lu town.
Because…
News came from the town. “A major battle happened a few days ago. The Ba people beat the army stationed at Wuyang into utter defeat, and afterward they remained entrenched in that area without leaving.”
When the news came, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air. Wuyang had originally been the place they planned to seek shelter.
If they had really gone there, would that not have been delivering themselves straight to the Ba army’s blades?
Their gazes could not help turning toward Chen Bai’s carriage, toward Young Master Gan Thirteen, who was smiling as he poured water for his exotic beast.
He clearly had not left the camp for long, yet he had truly brought back information, as if he knew everything like the back of his hand.
They also felt a little fortunate. Luckily, Zuo Qiu had chosen to change course. Otherwise, they might already be corpses by the roadside.
After replenishing a few supplies, the procession hurriedly set off again. This place was not too far from Wuyang, so they could not be discovered.
During the journey, Zuo Qiu walked beside Chen Bai’s carriage and said seriously, “When we reach Qufu, I will certainly sweep the couch clean to welcome you.”
Chen Bai was not polite either. “Prepare good wine and good food. We are all official-family sons of Daqian. We can’t endure hardship.”
Zuo Qiu paused, then laughed. This Chen Zixiu really was… very comfortable to get along with.
But before long, he no longer thought that way.
Because Chen Bai took a bunch of small wildflowers from the roadside and ran up to Zuo Qiu. They were tiny white flowers. “I just asked your Lu people. They said these are Lu’s white moon flowers. Tsk, back then, didn’t you have someone tell me Lu had no such thing as white moon flowers? You even said that in this world, no one except one’s closest kin could be trusted.”
Zuo Qiu’s mouth twitched. Chen Bai was using his own words to block him.
Zuo Qiu reached another conclusion: Chen Zixiu was a good person, but he held grudges.
Zuo Qiu said, “These are indeed white moon flowers. Don’t look at them and think they’re small and inconspicuous. They bloom in the dead of winter and have tenacious vitality…”
The more he spoke, the more inspiring it became. Someone who had originally planned to kill themselves would probably regain the will to live after hearing it.
Chen Bai spat and turned to leave.
What a Zuo Qiu. He was probably born the type who could stir emotions and pour chicken soup for the soul at every turn.
No wonder Su Dan had once described Zuo Qiu as a minister of troubled times, someone with the talents of troubled times.
Because this fellow Zuo Shanqin did more than just stir emotions. As he stirred them, he would lead things off course, making people unknowingly walk straight into his trap.
Chen Bai cursed him as a dead fox. What a waste of that refined face. His heart was black as ink.
For the rest of the journey, they changed routes every so often. But now, no one objected, and no one complained.
A longer road was still better than losing their lives.
After changing roads again and again, they finally traveled for more than a month before they were safe. Qufu had arrived.
The journey had been dangerous, but thankfully without disaster.
If even this place was not safe, then the batch of weapons would be useless to Lu State anyway.
Compared to the roughness of Daqian’s cities, Lu’s cities had a more delicate and refined air. Even the moat outside Qufu looked much more elegant. Rows of willow trees were planted on both sides of the moat, unlike the moat around their Shangjing, which was bare and fierce-looking.
After entering the city, Zuo Qiu arranged for someone to take Chen Bai and the others to the posthouse.
Ordinary scholars on study travel definitely would not be able to stay in a posthouse, but Chen Bai and his group were different. They were all descendants of Daqian’s meritorious families, so staying there was normal.
Zuo Qiu said, “Grand Scholar Zhaoxue, I still have duties to attend to, so I won’t take you there myself. Once I’ve reported back, I will certainly invite Grand Scholar Zhaoxue to experience the customs of our Qufu.”
Zuo Qiu’s task was urgent, so he could not stop or delay.
Chen Bai nodded. “Don’t forget the good wine and good food you promised. I hear Lu’s cuisine is especially unique. I’d like to see it for myself.”
Zuo Qiu replied, “Certainly.”
After saying a few more words, he led his people away to complete his mission.
Qi Zheng left with him as well. Qi Zheng himself was one of Zuo Qiu’s missions in this trip to Daqian.
Chen Bai took his people and followed those arranged by Zuo Qiu to the posthouse. Along the way, quite a few people watched them.
When they saw the group of female students following Chen Bai, they were so shocked they could not speak.
“Are they accompanying family members?”
“It’s quite strange to bring family members on a study tour.”
As a result, Shang Jujiu and the others stuck their heads out. “They aren’t family members. They’re students from our academy. They came along to study-travel too.”
They were unbearably excited. So this was what it felt like to arrive in another state? Tsk, tsk, everyone was crowding around to look at them.
These Lu people were indeed different. Looking at their clothing, even the commoners were very proper. Tsk, unlike Daqian, where people rolled up their sleeves, exposed their arms, and looked like bandits.
The people around them: “…”
Academy students? Female students? Female students who came to study-travel?
Hua.
The entire street burst into an uproar.
“What is going on with Daqian? I’ve never heard of female students before.”
“Did I hear wrong? Daqian allows women to enter academies?”
Chen Bai had known this would happen.
Alas, such was the world.
But Chen Bai did not need to worry about it for long, because the people on the street soon accidentally noticed the exotic beasts belonging to Shang Jujiu, Chen Xiaobu, and the others.
They stared until their eyes nearly fell out.
“Look quickly! What is that on their carriage?”
“Quite a few of them look like strange beasts, but… why are they licking people’s faces? Look, that child is trying to block it with his hand and can’t even stop it.”
“They really are licking faces. Are they trying to eat people?”
Chen Xiaobu laughed until he giggled. “Brother, aren’t they making too much of a fuss? They even said our dogs are eating people.”
Chen Bai also found it funny, but he understood. If someone had never seen such animals peacefully staying with humans, it really would attract attention.
Such voices followed them the whole way. Especially when they reached the posthouse and got down from the carriages with the dogs on leashes, the scene dumbfounded everyone.
The Husky’s silliness, the Corgi’s big butt and short legs, the Old English Sheepdog’s fluffiness, the Dalmatian’s spots, the French Bulldog’s honest and goofy look—where had they ever seen such things before?
“Could it be that everyone from Daqian has one of these strange beasts?”
Calling them strange beasts did not seem quite right either, because they looked rather friendly. They were not fierce and did not bark. They even leaned against people. Look at that child actually using dried meat to tease one. Was he not afraid it would bite his hand off?
Only after quite a while did the topic change.
“The one walking at the very front is Daqian’s Grand Scholar Zhaoxue? I heard he tricked Zuo Qiu out of half of the Secret Records of Duke Lu and has the ability to read ten lines at a glance and remember everything. Later, Zuo Qiu set a trap for him, and after going back and forth, they finally managed to make the trade happen.”
Chen Bai thought, So he was actually famous?
Zuo Qiu’s ability to purchase weapons had indeed shaken the entire Lu capital. After those Lu envoys spread the story through the streets, Chen Bai could truly no longer be considered a stranger in Qufu.
Only after they entered the posthouse did things finally quiet down.
Chen Bai finally let out a breath. On the road, they had basically been fleeing like desperate men, spending most of the time in the carriage. It was far from easy. Now he could finally lie on a bed.
Most importantly, he could finally take a proper hot bath. He had been uncomfortable to death.
Before the hot water was delivered, Chen Bai went to check on Chen Xiaobu and the others’ rooms one by one. The little fellows were already rolling happily on their beds.
“Wuwuwu, I can finally sleep on a bed. My little butt has calluses from sitting. My hair is almost turning into straw.”
Chen Bai gave a soft snort. Who was it who said riding in a carriage was especially fun and exciting?
Naturally, servants helped them make the beds, arrange the things in their rooms, and buy anything else they needed.
After Chen Bai bathed, he had originally planned to check on the female students. After all, he was currently their senior brother and had to take care of them.
But when Chen Bai went over, each of them was carrying two swords on her back and following Le Xun out to stroll around.
Chen Bai: “…”
Were they going out to blow up the streets?
Chen Bai could not possibly forbid them from going out. He told them to take more people, gave a reminder to be cautious, and told them to find Zuo Qiu if anything happened.
That fellow owed him a favor, and as one of Lu’s four great young masters, he should be able to settle small troubles.
Only then did Chen Bai return comfortably to rest. In the end, Chen Xiaobu, Gan Xin, and the others were already having the time of their lives in his room.
“So this is Lu State.”
“Haha, we’re actually in Lu’s capital now.”
“No, I have to write a doggerel poem to commemorate this.”
Chen Bai: “…”
Was he too much of a homebody?
He had originally thought that since they would surely stay in Qufu for a while, he would go out sightseeing after resting properly.
Chen Bai smiled. There would be plenty of time to have fun.
He sorted out what they currently had, checked what else they needed, and ordered people to buy it.
He was here for study travel, so logically, he should visit an academy or call on some learned scholars. But that was too troublesome. His title of grand scholar had been conferred by reward anyway, and he did not care much about such things.
So he decided to follow his own ideas.
He planned to ask around about fun places, then take Chen Xiaobu and the other little ones, who were as excited as if injected with chicken blood, out to play.
At the same time, he would wait for the good wine and food Zuo Qiu had promised.
However, before Zuo Qiu’s good wine and food arrived, an invitation to a banquet from Lu’s palace came first.
The invitation was delivered directly to the posthouse, and the reason given was to welcome them.
Chen Bai froze. They were merely here for study travel. Why was the royal family specially holding a welcome banquet for them?
After thinking briefly, was it because Lu was now preparing to build good relations with Daqian? Or because of Qi Zheng? Or because he himself had helped when Lu purchased weapons?
He could not figure it out. Of course, this banquet had to be attended.
Chen Bai carefully looked at the invitation. It asked him to bring all the Daqian students who had come for study travel.
All of them…
Chen Bai neither agreed nor disagreed inwardly. But it should not be a Hongmen Banquet. He was just a scholar here for study travel. He did not represent Daqian and did not even count as an envoy. There was no point in targeting him.
There were still three days before the welcome banquet. Preparations still had to be made. Lu State valued culture and education, so perhaps they would inexplicably end up competing with someone at the banquet.
Chen Bai did not want to compete. Then he had to make the other side not dare compete.
In that case, they could hold a Daqian arts performance and give the people of Lu State a little boost and brainwashing.
But what Chen Bai had not expected was that before the welcome banquet, one of the accompanying guards suddenly came to him and handed him a secret order from the king.
Chen Bai opened the secret order and looked at it. He roughly understood why the king had insisted on sending him to Lu State at this time.
