freeallnovels 022 Lu Sheng
022 Lu Sheng
The sky was as clear as water, and the moonlight as bright as a mirror, a scene of pure and bright radiance.
Li Yu opened the scroll by the moonlight.
After a few breaths, the scroll suddenly shone brightly, as if the moon's reflection was imprinted on it.
The next instant, light enveloped Li Yu. Time and space shifted, and the surroundings had changed.
He sat under a large poplar tree beside the official road, and not far in front of him was a village.
A small bridge spans a flowing stream, where mulberry trees stand tall and ancient houses stand.
As evening approached, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys.
Li Yu looked around and saw cowherds riding on the backs of oxen and farmers returning home with hoes on their shoulders—a truly idyllic scene.
It inspires longing and makes one yearn to follow it without ever turning back.
"[System]: Time limit for residing in the 'Lu Sheng' realm: 2 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes."
Three days only?
Li Yu, who had been somewhat relaxed, immediately became tense.
He had already made a judgment on [Moonlight Roll - Lu Sheng].
The description on the scroll—"A butterfly enters the pillow, or perhaps it is mistaken for Zhuangzi's dream of a butterfly, or a dream of wealth and glory"—evokes a sense of Zhuangzi's dream of a butterfly and a dream of wealth and glory. Connecting this with the name "Lu Sheng," Li Yu determined that [Lu Sheng] is the story world of "The Pillow Book."
"The Pillow Book" tells the story of a man named Lu Sheng who met a Taoist priest named Lü Weng at an inn in Ganzhou. Lu Sheng lamented his poverty. Lü Weng gave Lu Sheng a celadon pillow to sleep on, while the innkeeper was cooking rice. In his dream, Lu Sheng enjoyed all the riches and honors, but when he woke up, the rice was still not ready.
The first thing Li Yu did upon arriving in this world was to find Lu Sheng.
The story of "The Pillow Book" takes place in the city of Gandan, where Lu Sheng is a passerby. Going to Gandan now, it's highly unlikely he'll find anyone.
The fact that [the scroll] left him here, not in Gansu Dan City, suggests that there was a reason behind it.
Li Yu got up, preparing to go to the village ahead to inquire about some news.
They took only one step before stopping.
With his short hair, if he walked right past, he might be mistaken for an escaped prisoner.
Li Yu turned around, hid behind a tree, took out a bronze scroll knife from the [Fine Fragmented Square Pot], and haphazardly chopped off his buzz cut. Then he took out brick powder for rinsing his mouth and rubbed it on his lips, making them turn white and bluish.
Finally, he rolled on the ground, getting covered in mud and grass clippings.
He wasn't satisfied with that, so he grabbed some dirt and rubbed it on his arms and ankles, and even patted his face.
Once his fingernails were filled with black mud, Li Yu was finally satisfied. He got up, put away his copper knife and brick dust, and sauntered towards the village.
The story of "The Pillow Book" takes place in the seventh year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong.
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, also known as Emperor Ming of Tang in operas, was in the seventh year of the Kaiyuan era, which is 719 AD.
During the famous "Kaiyuan Prosperity," the most prosperous period of the Tang Dynasty, Yao Chong, the "savior of the times," and Song Jing, the "upright official with golden chopsticks," ruled the world together. The government was efficient, the economy was prosperous, the people were happy, and no one picked up lost items on the road.
Of course, this was not a peaceful year either.
In July of the fifth year of the Kaiyuan era, Guo Zhiyun, the military governor of Longyou, decisively defeated the Tubo (Tibetan) forces.
In the same month, the Heavenly Army was stationed in Taiyuan, with 80,000 troops assembled to prevent the Tiele from rebelling.
In February of the sixth year of the Kaiyuan era, an imperial edict ordered the relocation of Hengye Army in Weizhou to the north of the Taihang Mountains, where 30,000 troops were stationed to defend against the Turks.
With the state of the nation in such a state, it is difficult for the people to truly experience "joy and peace".
Li Yu approached the village.
His disheveled and destitute appearance quickly attracted the attention of the villagers.
Several people surrounded an elder and came forward to inquire about the situation.
Li Yu described him as a poor, unsuccessful scholar who, on his way home from the capital, was robbed. Not only were all his money and belongings stolen, but he was also humiliated, forced to have his hat and hair shaved, as if he had been subjected to the punishment of shaving his head.
He was too ashamed to return home, so he wandered the desolate wilderness. Today, he was starving and could hardly bear it, so he came to the village to beg for food.
The elder was the village chief, and upon hearing Li Yu's account of his ordeal, he felt sorry for him. Although Li Yu was disheveled, his skin was delicate and his flesh tender, unlike that of a rough and uncouth man from the martial world.
He asked a few more questions, and his answers were well-reasoned and logical, showing that he was a learned man.
The village chief was relieved and took Li Yu back to the village, where they first took a bath.
After Li Yu changed into new clothes and put on a turban, he stepped out of the room and was immediately praised by the village chief as "a gentleman as fine as jade" and "a remarkable young man".
The food and wine were ready, and the village chief led Li Yu to his seat.
Having attended several banquets during the late Han Dynasty, Li Yu's performance at the dinner table was not bad. However, he had to put a lot of effort into feigning extreme hunger.
After a hearty meal, Li Yu made a move to leave.
The village chief tried to persuade Li Yu to stay, and Li Yu readily agreed.
During the banquet, Li Yu learned that the village was called Nanbai Village, named after the 800-year-old cypress tree at its entrance. Most of the villagers were surnamed Liang.
Li Yu asked if there were any other families with the surname Lu. The village chief replied that there were two families with the surname Lu.
Li Yu's eyes lit up, and he casually asked, "Are you from out of town?"
The village chief said no. Originally, the Liang and Lu families in Nanbai Village were almost equal. However, in the last hundred years, the Lu family has not prospered, and only two households have survived: one is a butcher, and the other is a farmer.
At this point, the village chief paused, then said that the farmer's son's situation was similar to Li Yu's. He had been well-versed in literature since childhood, but as he grew older, he repeatedly failed the imperial examinations.
Li Yu said, "We've already felt a sense of sympathy even though we've never met. I'm so glad you've introduced us, elder. Let's get to know each other, two people with the same ailment."
The village chief had no objection, but said, "Young Master Lu went to Ganzhou to sell his calligraphy; I wonder if he will be back tonight."
Li Yu saw that there was still enough time, so he decided to wait and see.
In the evening, someone came to report that Lu Langjun had returned. So the village chief led Li Yu to see him.
The farmer's son was named Lu Ying, courtesy name Cuizhi. He wore a short brown turban and had an ordinary appearance. He was feeding the horse with hay.
Li Yu bowed and greeted him, saying, "A wanderer of the Jianghu greets Brother Lu."
Upon hearing the village chief's explanation, Lu Ying felt a sense of kinship and said, "Brother Li, if you don't mind the simplicity of my humble abode, please stay here. Wouldn't it be delightful for us to enjoy wine and crabs, and stroll around by candlelight at night?"
Li Yu clapped his hands in approval.
The village chief then left. Lu Sheng was unmarried and lived separately from his parents. After Li Yu helped Lu Sheng feed the horses and fetch water, the two began to discuss matters of the world.
From discussing the great principles of the Book of Documents to the three chapters of Cangjie, from the Qinhuai tavern to the Kunlun Immortal Mountain, they truly spoke freely and without reservation.
Lu Ying said, "Having a conversation with Brother Huan was truly delightful!"
Zhihuan was a courtesy name that Li Yu gave himself. Xiandi was the term he used to address his brother after they determined their seniority.
The two were able to talk for so long, and Lu Ying was still so "at ease," for two reasons—
Firstly, Li Yu harbored impure intentions and was obsequious; secondly, although Lu Sheng boasted that he "had always been devoted to learning and was rich in artistic pursuits, and believed he could attain high office in his youth," he was actually not very talented. Otherwise, given Li Yu's mediocre level of classical Chinese learning, he would have been exposed long ago.
When Lu Ying met Li Yu, they immediately became close friends, much like Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi, or Bao Shuya and Guan Zhong. They spent their days playing drinking games, singing, and drinking, enjoying themselves immensely.
Of course, Lu Ying was truly happy, while Li Yu was mostly anxious.
He was convinced.
Lu Cuizhi was truly a chatterbox; in over two days, he didn't repeat a single topic. Li Yu seriously suspected that the reason this young man failed the imperial examinations was because he had read too many vernacular stories, Tang Dynasty tales, and supernatural tales.
"[System]: Time limit in the 'Lu Sheng' realm: 7 hour and 43 minutes."
On the morning of the third day, Li Yu saw the system notification, and his anxiety was about to overflow.
He got up early, intending to find an excuse to trick Lu Ying into going to Ganzhou, but found that the other party had come to find him first.
Lu Ying, looking ashamed, said, "Brother, I am ashamed. I am short of money and cannot entertain guests. Let me go to the city of Gansu to sell some calligraphy and paintings, and then we can drink and chat together."
Lu Ying didn't have much money to begin with, and these past two days of drinking and feasting had completely depleted their savings. If they didn't go out and earn some money soon, the two of them would starve to death in the house.
Upon hearing this, Li Yu immediately said, "I have nothing of value and have troubled you so much, brother. I am very ashamed. I hope you will allow me to go to Gansu with you, so that I may do my part and find peace of mind."
Lu Ying felt he hadn't been hospitable enough and didn't want his "brother" to go to so much trouble. Only after Li Yu pleaded several times did he reluctantly agree.
Lu Ying's old and weak horse was too old to carry two people. So Li Yu went to the village chief and borrowed another horse.
The two mounted their horses and set off together for Gansu.
Meanwhile, outside the city of Gandan, a middle-aged Taoist priest with a tall hat and long beard stood under the scorching sun, holding yarrow stalks in his hands, his face full of doubt.
A few days ago, he counted that he still had one!
How did it become an even number?