Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 16 The Little Succubus of the Wu Family

Seeing these knights approaching on horseback, Ding Cang and others quickly came to Zhang Luo and protected him behind them, holding sticks and looking at the other side vigilantly.

"Don't be alarmed, my lord. We mean no harm. A nobleman was moved by the song and wished to meet you. He sent us here to inquire. If the song wasn't composed here, we'll look for it elsewhere."

Seeing that the other party had misunderstood, the leading knight signaled his men to stop and immediately began to explain.

Zhang Luo breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, and immediately replied, "Indeed, I was just composing this song. I was overwhelmed with grief and longing for my family, and I didn't know there were some nobles enjoying an outing nearby. I hope you will forgive me if I have offended you."

"My dear, you are too kind. In that case, please take over here for a while. Your Excellency will be here soon."

The leading knight showed a little joy when he heard that the real leader had been found, and signaled the followers behind him to dismount and stand separately on the hillside. Their movements and positions showed that they were well-trained, with a strong military style.

After seeing this scene, Zhang Luo waved his hand to signal Ding Cang and others around him to step aside for the time being. Looking at the other party's posture, if they really wanted to harm them, no matter how much they resisted, it would be in vain.

After a while, the sound of carriages and horses was heard again from behind the bushes on the hillside. Soon, a carriage with exquisite carvings and curtains on all sides came here, surrounded by people in front and behind.

There were more than a hundred infantry and cavalrymen following the carriage, and most of them were armed. In addition, many maids and servants were following the carriage, holding various items such as horse whisks and feather fans. The entourage was so full that the entire hillside was filled with people.

Just by looking at the pomp and ceremony, one can tell that the distinguished person in the car must be of high status, probably extremely noble.

The knight leader who had arrived earlier quickly came to the front of the carriage, bowed for a moment, and then turned back to Zhang Luo and the others and said, "Your Excellency, please come in and have a chat."

"Alang..."

Ding Cang and his companions still had worried expressions on their faces, but Zhang Luo waved his hand to signal them to stop, and he walked forward slowly. They had no say in the current situation, and he was curious about who was making such a grand display in this desolate wilderness.

Zhang Luo came to the front of the car and was still thinking about how to address the person inside when a female voice, slightly low but still melodious, rang out from inside: "Who wrote that song just now?"

"I was thinking of my deceased mother and writing this to relieve my sorrow."

Zhang Luo bowed slightly and took all the lyrics and music for himself without hesitation. No one in the world would compete with him for them.

"Oh, you did it yourself?"

The nobleman in the car sounded slightly surprised. After a moment's silence, he asked again, "Whose family are you, young man?"

"I am the descendant of Zhang Linggong, the Duke of Yan. Today I have come to the mountain to pay homage to my deceased mother."

Zhang Luo thought about it and finally answered. Although he was planning to leave the Zhang family, this identity was the one he could talk about most.

"So he's a disciple of Zhang Yan Gong. No wonder he has such a profound family background and is so good at writing brilliant words."

After hearing Zhang Luo introduce himself, the nobleman in the carriage no longer sounded surprised. He then said, "I apologize for disturbing you while you were paying respects to your parents. However, I was deeply moved by your words just now. Could you trouble me to sing for you again?"

He thought he had encountered some bad guys in the wilderness, but he didn't expect that it was a fan visiting him, and the fan was so powerful. Naturally, Zhang Luo couldn't refuse this request. He immediately coughed a few times to clear his throat, and then sang the song "Sad Journey" again.

"Madam, the voice and tune have been recorded."

After the song was finished, the nobleman in the carriage was silent for a long time. A maid came in from the back of the carriage holding a roll of paper.

Zhang Luo was surprised when he saw this. It turned out that he was asked to sing the song again just to copy it?

At this time, the nobleman's low and melodious humming voice came from the car again. The melody was even more sad and mournful than Zhang Luo's singing, especially when he sang the last sentence "Young man should not travel far away, for those who travel far away often do not return", the tone was even more weeping and plaintive, which made people feel sad.

"You are a young man of great talent. You have composed this wonderful poem in remembrance of your beloved. Your deceased relatives would surely be pleased to hear it. I am using this poem to dispel my sorrow. Now that I have arrived here, I should offer you a small glass of sake as a token of my gratitude."

The nobleman in the carriage raised his hand gently, and the maid beside the carriage came forward and lifted the curtain. Zhang Luo could not help but look up and saw a woman in a plain white skirt and with her hair tied in a bun sitting in the carriage.

The woman had rosy cheeks, almond-shaped eyes, and long, slender eyebrows. Her facial features were pretty and bright. She looked to be in her thirties, or perhaps even younger, and was filled with a bewildering charm.

As the curtain was lifted, the entire luxurious car suddenly became dim, and the attention of the people around was involuntarily drawn to the beautiful lady.

Zhang Luo knew that it was inappropriate to look at her, but he couldn't help but stare at her seriously for a few seconds before looking away and moving to the side of the carriage.

The woman got off the carriage with the help of her maid. On the other side, servants had already laid a felt mat in front of the carriage, extending all the way to the tombstone of Zhang Luo's deceased mother.

The woman walked to the tomb on the felt carpet, and glanced at the tombstone with her beautiful eyes. Her gaze suddenly fixed on it. After carefully reading the words on the tombstone, she turned back and looked at Zhang Luo seriously, and said in a deep voice: "Is your mother buried in this tomb? Are you the grandson of Duke Xi?" Zhang Luo was stunned after hearing this before he realized that Duke Xi was the title given to his grandfather Wu Youyi after he was stripped of his kingship after the Shenlong Revolution. Yingniang, Ding Cang and other old slaves were still used to calling him by this noble title in private, which made him feel a little unfamiliar for a moment, so he nodded again.

After seeing this, the woman looked at Zhang Luo with a more complicated look, raised her hand and said, "Come closer."

Zhang Luo walked forward slowly, and naturally did not dare to look at the woman presumptuously anymore. He stood outside the felt carpet, his eyes fixed only on the tips of his boots.

"What's the meaning of the words on this stele?"

The woman looked Zhang Luo up and down, then pointed at the words written in blood on the tombstone and asked.

Zhang Luo still didn't know the other person's identity or relationship to his family, so he naturally wouldn't tell him the truth. He only said, "To be honest, I was so ignorant of the funeral arrangements back then that I didn't even notice any omissions in the stele. Now that I'm older, I feel even more deeply for my late mother's kindness in raising me. I'll repay her with my blood and build a stele in the future."

"How old are you?"

The woman stood in front of the stele and pondered for a moment, then looked at Zhang Luo and asked a question.

Yingniang on the side quickly replied: "My son Alang was born in May of the first year of Kaiyuan." Strictly speaking, the young Zhang Luonu was born in May of the second year of Xiantian. In December of the second year of Xiantian, the reign was changed to Kaiyuan. There were two reign titles in one year, so the latter one shall prevail.

"My dear child, although you don't know me, I have a strong connection with your family. According to your mother, you should call me Aunt."

After hearing this, the woman's expression softened a little, and she looked at Zhang Luo and said with a smile.

"Aunt, aunt?"

Zhang Luo was greatly surprised when he heard this. The memories of the young Zhang Luonu he had received contained almost no information about his mother, let alone any relatives from his mother's family. He immediately looked at Ying Niang in confusion, and Ying Niang also had a bewildered look on her face, obviously not understanding the situation either.

The woman had her maid spread out the offerings in front of the tomb and performed a brief ceremony. Then she sighed and said, "I left home when I was young and have had little contact with my relatives. You lost your mother at a young age, so it's not surprising that you don't know me.

Today I have come to this mountain to commemorate my child who died young, and I have met you here to pay homage to your deceased mother. We are aunt and nephew, both heartbroken people who have been left alone in this world for our loved ones. Our meeting here is also a matter of fate."

Although Zhang Luo still didn't know the other party's identity, at this point, and with the other party outnumbering him, he could only temporarily acknowledge this elder. He bowed and said respectfully, "The deceased is gone, and the living must still earnestly live their lives. Otherwise, who in the world would care so much about the deceased? Please also, aunt, take care of yourself and grieve."

"Thank you for your comfort. I was truly heartbroken back then, but now I've finally been able to move on a little."

The woman smiled, and although there was still a hint of resentment in her eyes, her beauty made all the flowers on the mountain pale in comparison. She walked towards the carriage again, saying, "It is inconvenient for me to go in and out, so I must return quickly. I don't have time to talk to you in detail.

This chance encounter is truly delightful, but unfortunately, I was in such a hurry to leave that I couldn't give you a gift. So, for now, I'll give you a token of my gratitude. If you need help in the future, you can visit my servant in Qinghuafang, Luobei. I'll be happy to help you with any common ailment you may have.

As he was speaking, a young servant with a pale face and no beard came up to him, took out a copper fish talisman from his waist, handed it to Zhang Luo, and whispered, "Sir, please keep this talisman safely. You can visit Niu Gui'er in Xiquzhi, Qinghuafang, someday."

As soon as the young servant approached, Zhang Luo smelled a scent from him that was similar to Ding Cang's, but it was not too obvious because it was covered by stronger spices.

He subconsciously raised his hand to take the fish token. Before he could even look down at the writing on it, the woman had already boarded the carriage. She leaned out and said to him, "There's a stone pagoda to the south of here for your cousin who died young and had no luck. I may not be able to come here often in the future, so please, Luo Nu, take care of it when you have time."

Zhang Luo nodded quickly in agreement. Immediately, the woman summoned another knight and ordered, "Leave a horse for my nephew."

After hearing this, the knight did not dare to delay and quickly selected a very majestic blue horse from his companions' mounts, along with the saddle and bridle, and left them behind. Then the group followed the carriage and went down the mountain road together.

"Ah Lang, this is actually a royal horse from the inner stable!"

When the group of people walked away, Ding Cang went forward to lead the horses. He saw the markings on the saddle and bridle. After a quick identification, he immediately widened his eyes and exclaimed in surprise.

At the same time, Yingniang on the side also spoke: "I remember that there is a mourning tower in the south of the mountain. It was built by the current sage for his beloved son who died young. Alang, this, this lady is a noble lady in the palace. But, I just can't remember any other relatives in my family who are Fengchen..."

Yingniang couldn't remember the identity of the beautiful woman for a moment, but Zhang Luo had already confirmed it. He looked down at the fish token in his hand, which clearly read "Niu Guier, the servant of the Ministry of Internal Affairs", and a surprised smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

The aunt he met by chance in the mountains was actually Concubine Wu Hui, the favorite concubine of the current Emperor Xuanzong, who could be called the little succubus of the Wu family!

Let me explain a small detail first. The Eunuch's Fish Token is mainly a certificate for entering and exiting the palace. After giving it to the protagonist, he can return to the palace to report the loss and exchange it for a new one.

As the grandson of Zhang Shuo, the protagonist does not need to rely on Niu Guier's status as an eunuch to bully others. If he uses it to break into the palace, he will be caught on the spot. It also shows that this kid is impulsive and daring, and is not worth associating with. Of course, this is Wu Huifei's own idea.

In addition, after the Shenlong coup, there are still many people in the Wu family alive. In addition to Wu Huifei, there are also Pei Guangting's wife, Wu Yuanheng's ancestors, etc., including Wu Youyi's second wife is still alive. They just protect themselves and rarely interact with each other. Therefore, the protagonist cannot be sure of Wu Huifei's identity at the beginning, and it does not affect his character.

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(End of this chapter)