Sword Roaring in the Sky

Chapter 106 I Have a Close Friend Li Tanhua (Sixth Update, Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Yongzhou Governor Nian Guishou was preoccupied with his son's wedding and had no time for state affairs. He smiled and said, "Lord Su has just escaped from prison, and now there's a young man looking for his relatives. I have an old house by the Xiang River that I haven't lived in for a long time. How about Lord Su take your young man and settle there first? We can discuss the rest later."

Su Wanhong saw that the governor seemed quite busy, and knew that his son was about to get married, so she really couldn't disturb him any more. She said, "Since that's the case, Wanhong won't refuse."

Nian Guishou was very happy, but he didn't know what kind of struggle was going on in the court.

Why did this top scholar Su suddenly make a comeback?

Nian Guishou didn't want to get close to Su Wanhong, the new magistrate, nor did he want to suppress him. He just wanted to be an official in peace and stability. He casually instructed a reliable servant to take the father and son to the old house.

Arriving at the Nian family's old house and seeing off the servant who led the way, Su Wanhong's face suddenly darkened and she asked, "Why don't you study anymore?"

"Even though your mother has passed away, we still have a few acres of land at home, which is enough for you to study."

“If you don’t read, how can you understand reason? If you don’t read, how can you understand the world?”

"I'm happy that you've come all the way here to find me, but you did the wrong thing. You should study hard at home and wait for next year's imperial examination."

Sun Yanwan replied calmly, "After my mother died, all the family property was taken by my relatives, and my son was sent to work as a clerk in a large store. He has long since lost the opportunity to study."

Su Wanhong was speechless for a long while. After a long while, she finally said, "My father has just started his official career and must be very busy with government affairs. I'm afraid I don't have much energy to teach you literature."

"Besides, I am the magistrate of Yongzhou, and I handle the treasury and grain of the entire state. There must be someone who is trying to trick you into committing a crime so that they can take advantage of your father."

"I will borrow some money from my colleagues and write you a letter recommending you to study in the capital..."

Su Wanhong pointed to her head and suddenly said with a wry smile, "In fact, I don't know how long I can keep this head."

Sun Yanwan was speechless for a moment. He had just returned from Luojing and actually knew a little about the situation in the court.

The eldest brother had to be secretive when he came to pick up his mother. It was obvious that living in the capital was "very difficult", but it was not the difficult that Bai Juyi described.

Su Wanhong is just a scholar and has no martial arts skills, so the risks of being an official are really great.

Su Wanhong spoke with her son for a while and saw that he was in a low mood. She thought that although he had seen his father, he was sad about his mother. Thinking of his first wife, she felt very sad too, so she took some paper and wrote a letter.

Although he was demoted, he eventually became the top scorer in the imperial examination and had several good friends.

The person Su Wanhong wrote the letter to was the top scholar in the same imperial examination. His surname was Li and his name was Wangyou. He did not write the same letter as Su Wanhong, so he was safely appointed to a noble and leisurely position in the government. Arranging for a child to go to school was a piece of cake for him.

After writing the letter, Su Wanhong went out. Not long after, she returned and handed Sun Yanwan more than five taels of silver. She said, "Originally, we should have been together for a few more days, but I have a feeling that Yongzhou is in turmoil and is not a safe place."

"The son of Yongzhou Governor Nian is a man of the Jianghu, so on the day of his wedding, Yongzhou was crowded with many Jianghu VIPs."

"As a father, I don't want you to get involved. How about..."

"You should set off tonight and head to the capital."

Sun Yanwan held the letter and more than five taels of silver in his hands, and was stunned for a while. Then he fell to the ground, kowtowed eight times, and left quietly.

Su Wanhong watched his son leave, deeply saddened. However, he had just gone out to borrow money and had heard several things that had filled him with fear. Ever since he wrote a letter to the emperor and was demoted to Yongzhou, where he became a doorman, Su Wanhong had become much more cautious. Although he felt that his son, a small child, would face many risks traveling alone to the capital, he had no one around him, not even a single reliable family member, and he simply couldn't send anyone to escort the child.

Su Wanhong sighed and said, "I hope Nanqiao arrives in Luojing safely, just like he did when he came." "I also hope that Brother Li can take good care of the child for me."

Sun Yanwan left Nian's house and found a place to throw away the beggar's clothes on his body. He sniffed and found that there was still a smell on his body. He asked a few passers-by and found out about a bathhouse nearby. He hurried to take a bath and then went back to the inn to rest.

Sun Yanwan opened "Father's Letter," glanced through it, and felt slightly moved. He thought to himself, "It's a pity that I don't have time to study in the capital. If I went, I'm afraid I would kill the local scholars."

"I wonder if this Li Tanhua has the elegant habit of giving girls away. If he really wants to, I will firmly refuse him."

Sun Yanwan is very confident in his ability to study. When he was a student, he mastered countless study tips. Even if he started from scratch, he was confident that he could overtake others and come from behind.

He took the letter and the five taels of silver.
It was obvious at first glance that Su Wanhong was a poor scholar, so even if Sun Yanwan had money, she wouldn't dare give it away.

Moreover, as the magistrate of Yongzhou, Su Wanhong would not be short of money if he was in cahoots with the corrupt officials. If he was an honest official, and his family suddenly had more money, it would be like being framed.

The next day, Sun Yanwan got up, still a little reluctant to go back home.

He was struggling with the decision when a clean servant brought him an invitation.

Sun Yanwan took the invitation and saw the words written on it:

Junior Brother Yan Wan
I was delighted to hear that you were here on behalf of your master. I have prepared a banquet on the Xiang River and am waiting for you.

Below is the signature of Nian Xizhao.

Sun Yanwan thought to herself, "It turns out that as soon as I entered the city, I was targeted by Nian Xizhao's men."

"But how did he know my identity?"

Sun Yanwan didn't believe that the "civilian intelligence agency" in this world could be so omnipotent, so he asked Sun Lingdie and Namco. Sure enough, when the two entered the city last night, they sent invitations to the "close friends" of the Tianji Sun family and the Namco family respectively.

The two women wanted everyone in the world to know that their relationship with Zhang Yuanqiao as apprentices was confirmed, so they mentioned Sun Yanwan's name in the post.

When Sun Yanwan learned about this, he had nothing to say. Brother Nian had already sent an invitation, and his words were particularly polite. You have to know that he was the disciple of Zen Master Da Ku, and his seniority was actually comparable to the Seven Friends of Songyang, but he only called himself "Foolish Brother". If he didn't give him face, it would be unreasonable.

Sun Yanwan immediately said to the messenger, "Please wait a moment. I'll pack up and leave right away."

He first went to find Sun Lingdie and Namco. The two women knew that there would be a banquet today, but their status was not worthy of Nian Xizhao sending someone to deliver the invitation in person, so he just sent someone to deliver a verbal message.

Sun Yanwan changed into the pale yellow Taoist robe custom-made by her senior brother and equipped herself with two long swords. The two women also preened their makeup in front of the mirror, but remained dressed in formal attire. Namco even wore a small crown, a common sight among scholars, giving her a rather handsome, scholarly air. The three of them then, with the servants of the Nian Mansion leading the way, boarded the carriage prepared by the local branch of the Tianma Gang and headed for the banquet.

At this time, above the Xiangjiang River, two young men were performing their own Qinggong. One of them was stepping on a bowl, his body swaying, and the other was stepping on a green bamboo, looking as graceful as an immortal. They were talking and laughing loudly, and at the same time, they were practicing their own Qinggong.

　There's still an hour and a half left, and I'm trying really hard to see if I can get one more chapter out...

　　However, I can't guarantee that the update will be before midnight...

　　Please give me a monthly ticket, please give me a monthly ticket, please give me a monthly ticket...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)