Taiheiki

Chapter 11: Love
"Maybe!" Cai's father sighed: "Don't worry! Everyone likes to make friends with the powerful, but you also have to see when and with whom, instead of just rushing in blindly. In my opinion, given the current situation, you should first put more effort into your own farm, village and clan. Fertilizing the fields and mulberry forests and maintaining clan harmony are the long-term solutions. It may be better to put other things on hold!" Having said that, he stood up and went to the display shelf behind him to fiddle with the various toys and ornaments on it. Obviously, the conversation between father and son was over.

"I will follow your instructions!" Cai Buyi knelt and bowed again before rising to leave the hall. His father's last words had left a deep impression on him, but his desire for advancement ultimately prevailed. He gritted his teeth and said, "Father is old. If I miss this opportunity, I don't know when I'll come across it again. I must seize it!"

——————————————————————————————

"Go two miles ahead, then turn east and walk about ten miles. You'll come to a lacquer forest and see the ferry! But you'd better cover your head!" A farmer on the side of the road looked at Zhao Yannian and said sympathetically to the dignified, somewhat elderly man, "It's windy and drizzling. It's really bad to catch a cold this season!"

"Thank you!" Zhao Yannian was a bit dazed. The farmer's words reminded him of when he was sixteen and had joined the army. It was the same season, with wind and drizzle. He was still a child then, unable to even wrap his own hair properly. It was the village head who did it for him. The head had said the same thing to him then. So many years had passed, and the head was no longer alive. He couldn't even remember what he looked like.

Zhao Yannian thanked the farmer and limped on. The rain grew heavier, his wet hair hanging heavy, loose strands clinging to his forehead and cheeks. It was easy to imagine how awful he felt. But he didn't care. The autumn rain in Jingzhou was soft and gentle, unlike the rain in Longyou and Shuobei, which was icy and merciless, penetrating the bone marrow and turning into a frost at night, robbing the body of warmth and life.

The raindrops hitting his cheeks felt like his mother's caress in childhood, a feeling that brought him back to his childhood. He remembered the two large mulberry trees in the village head's backyard. Every spring, they produced an abundance of sweet mulberries. As a child, he often climbed over the wall to steal some, getting chased by dogs all over the village. How small he was then! How happy he was!

Hearing the sound of a carriage behind him, Zhao Yannian quickly retreated to the side of the road to avoid being splashed by the mud and water brought up by the carriage. However, the carriage stopped by the side of the road, and a voice came from the carriage: "The rain is getting heavy, come up and take shelter! Where are you going? I will take you there!"

Zhao Yannian stared at the carriage in astonishment. He had never seen anything like it before—it had four wheels, front and back, and was pulled by two horses. The carriage was nearly two zhang long (approximately 4 meters; a zhang in the Han Dynasty was about 2.3 meters) and eight feet wide. It was unpainted, revealing its natural wood color. There was a door on the side, which had been pulled open, and a step underneath, obviously for people to board. The driver sat in a chair with a backrest at the front of the carriage, wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, and looked at him with a grin.

"Come on!" the driver said with a smile, "The rain won't stop anytime soon, and you have trouble walking. My husband is a kindhearted man, so he'll give you a ride!"

Zhao Yannian hesitated for a moment, but decided to accept the other party's kindness and satisfy his curiosity about the four-wheeled carriage. He bowed to the driver, got on the carriage, wiped his face, and bowed to the people in the carriage to thank them: "I am Zhao Yannian, thank you for your care!"

"No need to be so polite. There's a stove next to you. Take off your coat and put it on to dry!" Wei Cong looked up and down at the person getting on the bus. His hair covered most of his face, making it difficult for him to see clearly. However, judging from his gray hair, he was no longer young. His name sounded familiar, but he knew that auspicious names like Yannian, Yanshou, and Qubing were very common among people at that time, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

Zhao Yannian nodded gratefully. The warm and dry air in the carriage made every pore relax. He carefully unbuttoned his outer robe and placed it on the iron rack of the charcoal stove. He tidied his hair, knelt down, and was about to thank the man opposite him again when his body suddenly froze - the man sitting opposite him was the eight-foot-tall man who had defeated him on the mountain with a big bamboo stick. The other party had obviously recognized him and was looking at him in amazement.

"Why is it you?" Wei Cong subconsciously reached out to grab the horn crossbow beside him, only to remember that it was not yet strung. Wang Shou, who was standing beside him, was not slow to react either. He had already drawn his dagger, pointed it at Zhao Yannian, and shouted, "My dear, jump out of the car quickly. I'll block it for you!"

"Don't be so rude, I have no intention of hurting anyone!" Zhao Yannian, however, remained much calmer. He straightened his body and opened his arms, indicating that he was unarmed. This action gradually calmed Wei Cong and Wang Shou. Wei Cong put down the useless horn crossbow and asked, "Weren't you sent to the government? Why are you here?"

"The man I killed was the great enemy of my parents. The county magistrate thought this was an act of filial piety and deserved praise, so he released me!"

"Is that even possible?" Wei Cong was surprised. Wang Shou, who was standing beside him, interrupted, "It's true. The county magistrate is a Confucian scholar who likes to use the Spring and Autumn Annals to decide cases. I've also heard about this from Cai Youjiao!"

Wei Cong looked at Zhao Yannian. As a former modern man, he had long been ingrained with the principle of "crime and punishment must be determined by law," meaning that the severity of a criminal's sentence should be determined according to the crime they committed. This completely contradicted the Confucian legal principle of "conviction by original intention." Naturally, he could not accept Zhao Yannian's acquittal after murdering his entire family.

"You two!" Zhao Yannian coughed and said, "Since that's the case, I'll get off the car first! In any case, I'll still accept your kindness!" Having said that, he bowed to Wei Cong and Wang Shou, then stood up with difficulty and was about to get off the car.

"The wound on your leg was caused by us stabbing you last time, right?" Wei Cong suddenly asked.

Hearing the other party's question, Zhao Yannian suddenly flashed back to the scene at that time, and he felt a surge of anger. But then he thought about how this tall man had restrained him with just a bunch of bamboo branches, preventing him from displaying his martial arts skills and finally surrendering. Not to mention his skills, his vision alone was incredible. Now that he had a leg injury and the spirit he had after his resurrection from the dead was gone, fighting him again would be very dangerous.

"Not bad! But it's almost healed!" Zhao Yannian whispered.

Wei Cong looked at the old and exhausted man before him, remembering that he, like himself, had lost all his family and was now alone. He couldn't help but feel a pang of grief: "That means he's not fully recovered yet! Your leg injury is also related to us. Wherever you want to go, I'll take you there in a carriage!"

Zhao Yannian looked at Wei Cong in surprise. Wei Cong sighed, "Right now, I'm alone, just like you. Seeing you like this, I thought of giving you a ride in a carriage. I have no other intentions!"

Hearing Wei Cong say this, Zhao Yannian remembered how frightened and helpless he was when he first met this man in the mountains. He couldn't help but feel moved and nodded: "I'm going to the ferry! Thank you very much, my dear!" Then he knelt down again.

"You have an injury on your leg, so there's no need to be so formal. Just sit cross-legged like me!" Wei Cong said with a smile, "Old Wang, tell the driver, we're going to the ferry!"

With the ring of a bell, the carriage began to move. Zhao Yannian was surprised to find that compared to the ox-drawn carts and horse-drawn carriages he had ridden before, this one was much lighter and smoother. Wei Cong even set out food and wine on a low table and treated him graciously, just as a host would treat a guest in his own home. "Where did this carriage come from? Why is it so fast and smooth?" Zhao Yannian asked cautiously.

"Haha!" Wei Cong laughed. "It was made by me. Today is the second time I'm trying it out. I'm so lucky to have met you!"

"You made it?" Zhao Yannian looked at Wei Cong in surprise. In his impression, this tall man was a scholar proficient in martial arts, but now he was also proficient in craftsmanship. Had he guessed wrong? He wasn't a scholar, but a craftsman? Judging from his appearance and demeanor, he clearly came from a wealthy family. How could he bear the hard work of a craftsman?
"Not bad!" Wei Cong said with a rather complacent smile, "Of course, this isn't just my achievement. There are over twenty craftsmen of various kinds, plus other small workers, almost a hundred people!"

"Sir, why are you being so modest?" Wang Shou interrupted. "From drawing the blueprints to assembling this carriage, you were the only one who did it. The craftsmen were just following your instructions. Without you, how could they have built such a carriage? Even if you ask the craftsmen themselves, they wouldn't dare to say they built this carriage!"

Hearing Wang Shou flattering him, Wei Cong felt a little embarrassed. He coughed and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Since you've been released by the county magistrate, why did you leave your hometown?"

Zhao Yannian let out a wry smile. "You may not know, but Cao Wujiu is from a prominent Xinye clan, with hundreds of retainers. Even though I've killed his entire family, there are still many who want revenge. If I don't leave quickly, I'm afraid I'll be in danger of being killed at any moment!"

"I see!" Wei Cong nodded, raised his glass and said, "Then I wish you a safe journey!"

"Thank you!" Zhao Yannian raised his glass hastily. "I will always remember your generosity!"

The carriage moved very quickly, arriving at the ferry around noon. Beside the ferry was a market, but it was held every seven days, and today was not one of those days, so the stalls were empty. There was only a muddy road and two thatched huts. Wisps of wood smoke rose from the chimneys in the rain, adding to the desolation.

"After sending you a thousand miles, we must finally say goodbye. Today, I'll stop here!" Wei Cong stepped down from the carriage and bowed to Zhao Yannian: "I wish you a bright future and great achievements!"

"Yannian, a fugitive from death, has received such kindness from you, and I have no way to repay you!" Zhao Yannian, feasting on wine and meat in the carriage, his face flushed. He was at the end of his rope, but unexpectedly ran into Wei Cong along the way. The two of them chatted happily in the carriage, and a sense of mutual admiration had already formed in their hearts. He bowed and said, "If there is any need for me in the future, please send me a letter. Yannian will repay you with his life!"

"The ground is muddy, get up quickly!" Wei Cong hurriedly helped Zhao Yannian up. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly heard a slight sound, and a feather arrow was nailed to the carriage behind him, only half a foot away from him.

"Zhao Yannian, don't run away! Return my master's life!"

A dozen people rushed out from the thatched hut not far away, each armed with swords, spears, bows and arrows, and surrounded him. Zhao Yannian quickly stood up, pushed Wei Cong away, drew his sword and shouted at the intruders, "Zhao Yannian is here. If you want to kill me, come and kill me. It has nothing to do with others!"

"My dear, get on the carriage!" Wang Shou pulled Wei Cong onto the carriage and shouted to the driver, "Hurry up!"

"What about Zhao Yannian? We can't just abandon him, right?" Wei Cong asked anxiously.

"Sir, don't be such a pushover! He wiped out an entire family, and it's only natural for a guest to avenge his host! You and he only had a drink together on the way, so is it worth risking your life for this condemned man? Let's get going quickly, or we'll be stuck!" Wang Shou said as he took out his shield, thrust it towards the driver, and shouted, "Hold on tight, don't get hurt by stray arrows!"

Wei Cong was speechless and could only look out the window carefully. He saw that Zhao Yannian had intercepted the approaching people. Several of the ambushers surrounded and killed him, and the rest were chasing after the carriage, obviously intending to capture him as well.

"Aren't these bastards going to kill Zhao Yannian? Why are they chasing us?" Wei Cong said anxiously.

"It's because you are such a good person that you brought him to the ferry in a carriage and even got off to see him off. The thieves must have thought we were in the same group! But don't worry, this carriage is much faster than them. As long as we run, they won't be able to catch up!" Wang Shou said as he shot at the pursuers out of the window.

"What indiscriminate fellows!" Wei Cong knew those guys wouldn't listen to his explanation if they caught up, so he picked up his crossbow and imitated Wang Shou, shooting at the pursuers behind the carriage. He shot one guy, and Wang Shou shot one too. The rest of the men slowed down, waving their fists, hurling insults and curses at the carriage, and retreated in a chaotic manner. Relieved, Wei Cong had the time to observe the battle. He saw Zhao Yannian standing under a large tree, his back pressed against the trunk, a ring-handled sword in one hand and a hook in the other. Two people lay on the ground at his feet, their lives unknown.

"My dear, you don't need to watch anymore. That guy is dead this time!"

"How do you know? He's very good at martial arts!"

"I know that!" Wang Shou said, "But he has a leg injury. In a foot battle, he's outnumbered, so he can only fight and retreat. Once surrounded, no matter how good his martial arts skills are, he'll be dead!"

(End of this chapter)