Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Chapter 334 Cinnabar Candlelight

The snow stopped falling after just a few days, but it was still incredibly cold outside. Zhang Jingwei had planned to wait until the snow melted before leaving, but Liu Yanzhi kept sending people to his house every other day to urge him to leave. Now that Liu Yanzhi had been promoted to the position of prefect of Yunzhou, he was Zhang Jingwei's superior, and his subordinate's delay in taking up his post made him extremely anxious.

Huangfu Changshui stood at the door, frowning and urging, "Hurry up! There are few post stations on the official road. If you delay until dark, the road will be difficult to travel!"

While packing his luggage, Zhang Jingwei replied calmly, "Don't worry, I've been on this road before, I'm familiar with it!"

Huangfu Changshui waved his hand impatiently: "What do you know? It's not even spring yet, and it's getting dark so early!"

Zhang Jingwei looked up at the sky and said with a smile, "But it's only the morning of the 11th. I want to eat a bowl of noodles on the street and leave after it gets light!"

Huangfu Ling saw this and gently pulled his father's sleeve and said softly, "Dad, why don't you go back to the camp first? We can handle our own affairs."

Huangfu Changshui sighed and said in a sad tone, "Alas, after getting married, I will treat my father as an outsider."

Huangfu Ling smiled and shook his head: "Dad, that's not the case. Don't you still have to report for duty? If you delay any longer, I'm afraid you'll miss the time."

Huangfu Changshui shook his head helplessly, turned around and mounted his horse. Before leaving, he did not forget to remind them: "Be careful and don't delay too long on the road!" After that, he rode away.

Zhang Jingwei looked at the stone dumbbells and barbells on the cart and couldn't help asking, "Do you want to take all of these? Or maybe we can go to Gaoyang and find someone to make a set for us."

Huangfu Ling answered without hesitation: "No, I have been using it for so many years and it is very easy for me to use."

Zhang Jingwei smiled bitterly: "Other wives wear jewelry and valuables, but you wear these broken stones!"

Huangfu Ling raised an eyebrow, with a hint of teasing in his tone: "Do you have any objections? If you have any objections, you should have said it earlier. You have already paid your respects."

Zhang Liu interrupted, "Master, Madam, don't quarrel so early in the morning. It's unlucky!"

Yesterday, I was still calculating what to bring, but today, I just can't seem to finish it all. Huangfu Ling has reduced her crew significantly, only taking Douya and two maids with her. Zhang Jingwei has also given up some furniture, and everyone else's luggage can be thrown away.

After they had almost finished cleaning up, Zhang Jingwei looked around and suddenly asked, "Where are Qian Ming and Mu Tou?"

Liang Dahai scratched his head and replied, "Qian Ming and his family rented an ox cart and set off a long time ago. He didn't even tell you. The wood... I don't know either. It disappeared when I got up just now!"

Zhang Jingwei frowned and sighed helplessly: "This wood... Forget it, no more waiting, let's set off!"

The group finally set off, the wheels creaking as they rolled over the snow. Zhang Jingwei sat in the carriage, looking at his home gradually moving away, feeling a little emotional. Huangfu Ling leaned beside him and asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"

Zhang Jingwei smiled and held her hand: "It's nothing, I just feel that with you around, I have nothing to lose!"

Huangfu Ling smiled slightly and held his hand tightly: "Don't worry, no one can bully you with me here."

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei couldn't help laughing: "Yes, yes, Madam, you are a martial arts expert. I dare not provoke you."

Huangfu Ling pretended to be angry and glared at him. The two smiled at each other, and the carriage slowly drove away and disappeared in the morning mist.

……

The snow still lay at the boundary marker outside the city, and icicles clung to the eaves of the pavilion. Wrapped in a gray squirrel fur coat, Liu Yanzhi stood in the pavilion, waiting from the end of the yin hour until the sky began to turn pale. Finally, the creaking sound of wheels rutting through snow could be heard on the distant official road, and his fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the stone table.

"Master, it's Master Liu!" Zhang Liu, riding his donkey, knocked on the carriage. Zhang Jingwei lifted the curtain and looked out, only to see his teacher's shoulders covered in morning frost, standing in the pavilion like an ice sculpture. His eyes suddenly warmed. He jumped off the carriage and hurried forward, his official boots breaking the thin ice. "Teacher! It's so cold outside the city..."

"The official road in Gaoyang has many steep slopes, so you have to be careful in snowy weather." Liu Yanzhi interrupted him and took out an oil-paper bag from his arms, which contained steaming sesame cakes. "Your aunt Meng got up early in the morning to bake them." He then took off the jade pot from his waist and handed it over. The aroma of wine mixed with the pungent smell of ginger wafted into his face.

Zhang Jingwei held the warm wine pot in his hand, his throat choked up: "My journey is only a hundred miles..."

"An official from a hundred miles away is still an official!" Liu Yanzhi suddenly raised his voice, startling the pine branches outside the pavilion as they rustled with falling snow. "Last month, the son of Li Zhubu had a car accident in a neighboring county and is still limping!" He trailed off at the end.

He raised his hand to brush the snow off Zhang Jingwei's shoulders and said, "You must come in person to the political report on the seventh day of every month. I want to test your homework."

While the two were talking, Huangfu Ling came over with a sandalwood painting box.

When Zhang Jingwei unfolded the scroll, the unique rustling sound of the rice paper broke through the frost.

On the four-foot-long piece of snow-wave paper, the ink is divided into five colors: the solitary boat drawn with burnt ink splits through the waves rendered with light ink, and the rain marks on the straw raincoat of the old man at the bow of the boat are actually created by rubbing with indigo.

The most wonderful part is the poem - the last vertical stroke of the character "舟" in "教人如渡舟" is like a paddle entering the water, bringing up white waves; the character "白" in "一秆促白头" leaves a crescent-shaped space in the middle, just like a straw raincoat blown open by the river breeze, revealing a wisp of silver thread.

Liu Yanzhi's fingertips trembled slightly as they hovered over the "candle" in "Candlelight Illuminates the World." The tiny flame, outlined with cinnabar and gold powder, shone like a star amidst the ink-filled paper. He suddenly recalled that rainy night ten years ago, when the young Zhang Jingwei crouched under the porch of his own courtyard, eavesdropping on a lecture, while he held up an oil lamp to illuminate him.

"How often have I sought the wind and rain..." Liu Yanzhi recited hoarsely, his sleeve brushing across the waves in the painting, leaving a drop of water stain on the rice paper. It was unclear if it was melting frost or something else. "When I taught you to read 'On Teachers', you insisted that 'there are different levels of understanding'. 'We're not as good as 'getting drunk together with wine'."

Zhang Jingwei stood beside the pavilion pillar with his hands hanging down, watching his teacher carefully wrap up the scroll. Suddenly, he found that the wooden hairpin used by his teacher to tie his hair had become shiny with patina, and he couldn't help feeling a little sad.

Liu Yanzhi didn't say anything more, took a bundle and handed it over.

After Zhang Jingwei accepted it, he bowed deeply and said softly, "Teacher, take care of yourself!" Then he turned around silently and wiped the corners of his eyes.

The shadows of the mountains in the distance gradually turned golden red. When the convoy set off again, he looked back and saw his teacher still standing in the pavilion with the painting box in his arms. His dark green official uniform blended in with the dark green rocks. Only the cinnabar candlelight flickered in the morning mist.