Traveling through an ancient military camp: Bao'er's survival song

A horse and a driver, the light carriage rolled gently along the official road from Louyu County to the capital.

Wu Peng'en remained silent throughout the journey in the carriage. He didn't have much time to grieve. When he returned to the capital, all the affairs of the world would be on the emperor's desk. He would have to watch over the court officials for the young emperor and keep an eye on all the people of the Han Dynasty.

But what was the point of his efforts to climb to such a high position? Was he wrong?

he does not know.

But he knew he had made a mistake in recommending Hua Mingshi.

What was he thinking when he heard the master of ceremonies in the Golden Palace announcing that the new top scholar was Wu Peng'en?

He forgot.

He only remembered standing on the steps of the imperial palace in his robes, hat, and boots, with drums and music playing, receiving the imperial edict before the emperor.

The drums were loud that day, but the funeral bells tolled even louder.

The sound of great mourning rang out; the Empress had passed away.

The carriage stopped.

The mourning was interrupted when a hand with calloused palms lifted the carriage curtain, and the ordinary face of coachman Wu Guo appeared before Wu Peng'en: "Master, would you like to get out of the carriage and stretch your legs?"

Wu Guo's reminder made Wu Peng'en realize the back pain caused by sitting for a long time and being jostled around, but he still refused Wu Guo's suggestion: "Let's hurry back to Beijing."

Wu Guo didn't leave; instead, he got into the carriage and sat down. The carriage was very narrow, and even though both Wu Peng'en and Wu Guo were quite thin, the cramped space still made them squeezed together tightly. Wu Peng'en showed no surprise or reprimand at the old servant's actions; instead, he tried to sit to the side to make as much room as possible for Wu Guo.

“This is a fork in the road.” Wu Guo’s eyes were somewhat vacant, as if he had recalled something. “The one to the south leads to Menglian Mountain.”

Wu Peng'en remained silent.

After a while, Wu Guo spoke again: "Sixteen years have passed, aren't we going to go and take a look?"

Wu Peng'en didn't answer, but just sighed, bowed and got out of the car, saying, "Get out and stretch your legs."

A new moon rises in the sky, and all the people on earth look up to see it.

Thirty-six years have passed since then. The former poor scholar who became the top scholar in the imperial examination is now a high-ranking official in the government. Wu Peng'en has heard all sorts of praise for him: handsome as Pan An, his carriage overflowing with fruit, his talent astonishing, his poetry and prose unparalleled, a pillar of the nation. But no one would have thought that the heart of Grand Tutor Wu, who has been navigating the ups and downs of officialdom for more than ten years, is very small.

So small that I only want to fit two or three people in, so small that I only want to love two or three people.

But he couldn't protect even one of these two or three people. His heart was forced to contain the vast imperial court and the people of the country. But in the very beginning, he only wanted to protect two or three people!

In his youth, he was ashamed to admit his tender and affectionate nature. Now, however, Grand Tutor Wu began to resent himself for repeatedly giving up his tender feelings.

got windy.

Grand Tutor Wu adjusted his outer robe and began his journey back to the capital.

……

The General's Mansion in Guide, the capital city.

"Ouch, ouch, over here, over here, use a little force!" Zheng Xiqing stretched his neck while sparring with Peng Zizheng early in the morning.

How could Li Bao'er miss such a great opportunity to perform? So she volunteered to massage her master's neck.

"The general said we'll be staying in the capital for three to five months. Tomorrow, go buy some writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones yourself, and three days later, go to the private school at the back of the alley to study!"

This move stunned Li Bao'er. She stopped what she was doing, turned to Zheng Xi, and asked incredulously, "Me? You want me to study with that bunch of little kids?"