The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 22 Knowing My Chivalry
Jiang Huaiyin didn't sleep all night.

I woke up several times during the journey. When I opened my eyes, I saw that the people who had been captured by the bandits were also pale-faced, but their eyes also revealed a strange excitement. Last night, a one-armed swordsman had saved them.

Then they were told to wait a moment, and that someone would come later.

Will anyone actually come?
At that time, Jiang Huaiyin asked the man why he was waiting and why it was that boy. The man didn't say anything, which made Jiang Huaiyin somewhat uneasy.

Is it really possible to get out of this place? Yes, get out, get out…

What are we going to do after we go out?

Jiang Huaiyin was somewhat dazed. The cold dew that had gathered on the rocks fell on her neck, making her shiver. She shrank back, knowing that she was thinking about the past again.

Everything that has happened over the years feels like a dream.

She was a musician.

He was one of Emperor Xuanzong's three thousand disciples of the Pear Garden, specializing in playing the konghou (a type of harp).

This is near the Qinling Mountains, not too far from Chang'an.

During the great chaos of a few years ago, Emperor Ming fled the palace at night, and they were all abandoned. When they woke up, they realized something was wrong and hurriedly ran with everyone else, only to be captured by bandits.

If she hadn't known a little about the disguise techniques of Peking Opera performers and painted her face and body with sores, she would have been doomed long ago. But even so, she probably wouldn't have lasted much longer. She thought she was sure to die, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better.

In the quiet of waiting.

An elderly woman with wrinkles on her face whispered to the person next to her:

"Miss Jiang, do you think we'll be able to get out this time?"

Jiang Huaiyin felt scared and confused, but she forced a smile and comforted him:

"Well, definitely."

She said softly, "Didn't you want to go out and see your grandson? You can go out soon, everything will be alright." The old woman nodded, her eyes filled with hope, but also with the fear that this hope was just a bubble.

Jiang Huaiyin let out a breath.

She said that, but she was actually very confused. Where else could she go? Chang'an had fallen, and all she had was her musical skills. But she quickly calmed down. She had hands and feet; she could always find something to eat.

Who was the young man the one-armed man was talking about?
A sharp crack startled Jiang Huaiyin awake. She saw the door shaking and her heart tightened, fearing something had happened. She shielded the kidnapped child behind her, clutching a sharpened hairpin in front of her, her face pale and her fingers clenched tightly.

If a thief comes, we'll fight them; it's come to this point.

We finally saw a glimmer of hope, but there's no going back.

She imagined this hidden, dark place, where a knife slashed in through the doorway. As the knife was sheathed, sunlight streamed in through the crack, an eye peered in, and then a young man's voice came through: "There's someone inside!"

"Those inside, please step back. If there's anything to conceal, it's hidden behind those things. And this door... tsk, why is this door locked so securely?"

Hearing the boy's somewhat annoyed voice, Jiang Huaiyin realized that this was reinforcements. She wanted to say that the room was actually locked from the inside and filled with a bunch of things, which was why it was difficult to open. But as soon as she breathed a sigh of relief, she felt weak and her limbs went limp.

The boy sheathed his knife, and just as Jiang Huaiyin was about to speak, she suddenly heard the boy's voice say, "Forget it, let's not open it, let's just break down the door."

"Please step back and do not move."

"three."

"two."

"one."

Jiang Huaiyin was puzzled.

Her doubts were broken by a dull, piercing sound.

With a loud crash, an axe was embedded in the hole. The axe was pulled back, and the crack widened. Jiang Huaiyin and the people who had been robbed by the bandits were in a daze, as if the dark, fearful lives they had lived for the past few years were being cleaved open, one stroke at a time.

Light streamed in, shattering the darkness, and finally, a young man dressed in brown clothes and covered in blood kicked open the door.

Sunlight, dust, and a gentle breeze all swirled in.

The boy threw down the axe in his hand. Jiang Huaiyin thought of the chivalrous stories she had heard in the past. At this time, chivalrous people would usually say that they were so-and-so, disciples of so-and-so, and that they had suffered.

But the boy simply squatted down, wrapping his hands with cloth, prying open the gap in the door to widen the opening, and asked earnestly:

"Is anyone hurt?"

His gaze swept over the malnourished children and the elderly. A slight, comforting smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but in Jiang Huaiyin's eyes, it seemed more like sadness. After a moment of silence, Zhou Yan said:
"I have medicine."

"The elderly and children should come out first. Once their injuries have subsided, they should not get up immediately."

"Don't panic, don't rush."

"If you feel unwell, please tell me."

Just like time and again before, and then, completely instinctively, as if there was a red flag behind him, he said:
"Please trust me."

………………

Zhou Yan rescued everyone.

He used the first aid techniques he learned while supporting the search and rescue team to bandage some people's wounds. Then he found the bandits' large pot, put grains and meat into it to cook porridge that wasn't too oily or too thick, with the aim of supplementing nutrition.

Then they found paper and pen and counted the number of people and their origins.

This sense of order made people subconsciously follow his arrangements and rhythm, and there was no chaos. Zhou Yan carried an old man out from inside and carefully placed him on a stone next to him, confirming that it was muscle atrophy caused by long-term malnutrition.

Everything was quiet. None of the dozen or so people who had been rescued said anything. In this quiet and oppressive atmosphere, Zhou Yan brought out many bowls and then used a large wooden bucket to fetch water to wash them clean.

call……

Zhou Yan stretched his shoulders and grinned.

Why is there no dish soap?

These damn scoundrels, why is this dish so hard to clean? Zhou Yan put in a lot of effort to wash the bowls and chopsticks, ladled out the porridge, and then handed the meat porridge to them.

They took the meat porridge blankly and sipped it slowly. The first sip was fine, but as the porridge went down into their stomachs, a warm feeling spread to their hands and feet. It didn't matter if it burned their mouths or was too thin. Later, slowly, for some reason, their noses started to sting and their vision became blurry.

Tears fell into the bowl, and from somewhere, a soft sobbing sound began to rise. The sobbing gradually grew louder, and even Jiang Huaiyin could not control herself and burst into tears.

It was as if she was trying to unleash all the emotions she had accumulated over the past few years.

His body trembled uncontrollably, he was panting heavily, and after a while, he heard the sound of a knife. Then he subconsciously looked over and saw the young man sitting cross-legged over there.

He looked up and said softly, "The porridge is getting cold."

The past is past, and new possibilities are unfolding ahead.

And when these people look back on their past long, long afterward, the very opportunity that led to this new possibility is just a bowl of porridge, the simplest meal in the world: a bowl of water, some coarse rice grains, some time, and a little patience.

It's the simplest meal that even a child can make.

It's all just a mundane world, and a full meal is the hope for living a good life.

Zhou Yan reassured these people.

He calmed them down and went to the back alone, carrying the knife.

Then he swung his sword and beat up the surrendered bandits again.

They beat the opponent until they were black and blue.

That felt great!
The pain in Shen Cangming's eyes was more genuine, but he hid it. Zhou Yan and Shen Cangming questioned the bandits and found where the bandit leaders had hidden their belongings, including a large amount of money, food, clothes, and jewelry.

Zhou Yan looked at these things, thought for a long time, and then said, "Uncle Shen."

Shen Cangming: "Mm."

Zhou Yan said, "I want to return it to its rightful owner."

He hesitated and struggled before speaking, but after speaking, he no longer hesitated.

Shen Cangming nodded.

Zhou Yan inventoried everything, returning all personal items such as jewelry to their rightful owners, while keeping unclaimed items for the time being. The copper coins were divided and distributed as travel expenses according to the origins and journeys of each person previously identified.

Someone asked, "Young hero, aren't you going to keep some?"

Zhou Yan said, "These guys have valuable weapons, as well as some horses and such. Besides, they are all wanted criminals, so they are valuable in themselves."

"But……"

Zhou Yan said softly, "Although I don't have the right to speak, but..."

"Consider it something the world owes you."

Everyone regained their spirits and thanked him profusely. Zhou Yan found a donkey cart, let them sit on it, and then went down the mountain. After they got down the mountain, he told them about the current situation. There was a slight change and ripple in Jiang Huaiyin's eyes.

When they arrived at the first town, a group of the townspeople left the small group. Jiang Huaiyin also took her leave, saying, "I was saved by my benefactor this time. I don't know when we will meet again, and I don't even know how to address him."

She paused for a moment, then said, "My two benefactors."

Zhou Yan said, "I am Zhou Yan."

“This is my uncle, Shen…”

Shen Cangming pressed down on his shoulder, shook his head, looked at Jiang Huaiyin, and said in a low voice, "There are no famous people in the world, so there is no need to ask clearly."

Jiang Huaiyin nodded.

Jiang Huaiyin watched the two men, one big and one small, leave, bowed deeply as they walked away, and only after they entered the crowd did she take a deep breath, a glimmer of light returning to her eyes.

The government troops have already recaptured Chang'an.

The Emperor will return soon, and all her knowledge and musical skills will still have a place to be put to use. She looked at her fingers, which had become rough from years of hard work to survive.

But her experience remains, and the skills she honed over ten or twenty years are still there.

Even in that place, she did not give up music theory.

I did not give up on myself.

"Zhou Yan..."

"Thank you for the porridge. There really are still chivalrous people in this world."

In her eyes, the boy's sword represented martial arts, and his bowl of porridge represented chivalry.

She found the government office, identified herself, and was sent to Chang'an.

After waiting for several more days, we finally received news.

Official document from the Ministry of Rites of the Ministry of Rites, issued by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

[Jiang Huaiyin, a disciple of the Pear Garden, was employed by the Konghou Workshop of the Ministry of Justice. She presented the strings of the Golden Millet Konghou as proof of her skill. She was also proficient in the fingering of "Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Robe". Her voice and appearance were accurately identified, and her musical register was restored.]

[He was granted the position of Director of the Pear Garden, with a rank equivalent to that of the Assistant Director of the Imperial Music Bureau, and was in charge of the transmission and training of classical music.]

[Xu recruited fifty displaced musicians to rebuild the Ministry of Justice]

[He was assigned to the Music Camp of the Prince of Guangping's Marshal's Office, and temporarily served as the Prefectural Instructor.]

Jiang Huaiyin breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she had made the right decision to return. When order was restored, the musicians who returned first would have a chance. She recalled the princess and murmured to herself:
"The Second Princess of the Prince of Guangping's Mansion".

"Li Zhiwei".

(End of this chapter)