Chapter 110: Enduring Romance
He Month seventh day.
Yun Ce held a stack of paper and walked into the county office of Lantian County under Jingzhao Chang’an.
County Magistrate Lin Weizhou, after hearing the report from the yamen runner, hurriedly came to the rear hall of the second yamen to receive Yun Ce.
The two met without time for greetings. Lin Weizhou hurriedly took the paper handed over by Yun Ce, stroked it as if it were a treasure, and said to Yun Ce, “Have you tried ink and brush on it?”
Yun Ce smiled and said, “Isn’t this waiting for the County Magistrate to personally write on it?”
Lin Weizhou was not polite. He spread felt on the desk, placed the paper properly, and prepared to write.
Yun Ce, however, smilingly removed the thick felt, placed the stack of paper directly on the desk, and gestured for Lin Weizhou to write.
Lin Weizhou looked at Yun Ce in surprise and said, “Has the bleeding problem been solved?”
Without waiting for Yun Ce’s response, he picked up the brush and copied a copy of 《Qin Feng · Wu Yi》 on it.
How can it be said we have no clothes? With you, we share the same robes. The king raises an army; we mend our spears and halberds. With you, we share the same hatred!
1 How can it be said we have no clothes? With you, we share the same armor. The king raises an army; we mend our spears and lances. With you, we go into battle together!
1 How can it be said we have no clothes? With you, we share the same skirts. The king raises an army; we mend our armor and weapons. With you, we march forward together!
1 After Lin Weizhou finished writing the last character, Yun Ce recited it once, then said to Lin Weizhou, who was examining the paper, “The magnificent prose left by our ancestors looks most comfortable when written on this white paper.”
1 Lin Weizhou nodded and said, “Indeed, but this heavenly item—you really plan to offer it to Your Majesty just like this?”
1 Yun Ce sighed and said, “My wife quarreled with the shrewish woman next door again yesterday, just because that family’s rank is Zan Niao, while I am merely Shang Zao rank. My wife couldn’t say many insulting words, and returned home defeated, leaving the whole family restless.”
1 Lin Weizhou laughed heartily upon hearing this, pointed at Yun Ce, and said, “You’re probably worried about not being able to keep this heavenly item, so you choose to offer it to Your Majesty, then rely on His Majesty’s power to continue running your small workshop, right?”
1 Yun Ce, upon hearing this, solemnly cupped his hands toward Chang’an and said with a straight face, “Naturally, we rely on Your Majesty. The County Magistrate is overthinking it.”
1 “Hahaha, whether it’s because you lost a quarrel with a bad neighbor or fear you can’t guard the papermaking secret recipe, in any case, once this papermaking secret recipe is presented to Your Majesty, according to our Great Han law, those who craft extraordinary items will be enfeoffed as Grand Master Rank and granted one thousand strings of cash.”
1 Although this reward does not match the paper you offer, it can solve your most pressing problem right now. You’ve just arrived and not competing with others is the right choice.
1 Yun Ce smiled and nodded, then took out another roll of paper filled with writing from his sleeve, placed it on the desk, cupped his hands to Lin Weizhou, and said, “The secret recipe is here. Please verify it, County Magistrate.”
2 Lin Weizhou did not touch the roll of paper but looked at Yun Ce and said, “This thing will go straight to Your Majesty’s dragon desk. Not to mention that this official cannot look at it, even the person delivering it afterward cannot look at it until Your Majesty confirms it is genuine.”
2 So, you must ensure this item is without error.
2 Yun Ce nodded.
2 Lin Weizhou clapped his hands. A expressionless man in green robe walked in from the rear yamen, holding a metal tube. The green robe man carefully placed the paper roll into the metal tube, closed the lid, locked it with a delicate small lock, sealed the lid with a roll of thin leather material, and poured some red oil on top. In moments, the red oil solidified.
2 Lin Weizhou carefully applied his seal on it, and Yun Ce likewise took out his own seal and stamped it on the red oil.
2 Lin Weizhou carefully checked the metal tube again before handing it to the green robe man.
2 The green robe man took the tube, wrapped it in cloth and silk, held it in his arms, put the paper Yun Ce brought into a wooden box, and turned to leave.
2 Watching the green robe man leave, Lin Weizhou sighed and said, “This may be the best news Your Majesty has heard since the Chuyun Prefecture Shehuo has not gone out.”
2 Yun Ce said, “Chuyun Prefecture is tens of thousands of li away—a mere scabies itch.”
2 Lin Weizhou shook his head and said, “The Shehuo was rejected by the Ancestral Fire yet does not extinguish—this is no small matter. Fortunately, the Chuyun Prefecture Shehuo is merely a level-two Shehuo. If it were the Great Han home prefecture Shehuo, Chang’an might not be so peaceful.”
3 Yun Ce, do you remember the Haikun Prefecture incident?
3 Yun Ce nodded and said, “A hundred-zhang giant wave swallowed a thousand li of mountains.”
3 Lin Weizhou said, “Chuyun Prefecture only broke Gaoliang Mountain, with tremors spanning six hundred li.”
3 Yun Ce nodded repeatedly and said, “I felt the Chuyun Prefecture tremors even in Daizhou Prefecture.”
3 Lin Weizhou smiled and said, “Daizhou Prefecture is a good place. Since you come from Daizhou Prefecture, just be a proper Chang’an person here in Jingzhao.”
3 Yun Ce stood and saluted, saying, “Naturally.”
3 Not talking about Yun Ce’s background is fine, but mentioning his background, he didn’t want to speak anymore. He even contributed the papermaking technique, yet this doggy still hinted suspiciously that he might come from Chuyun Prefecture.
3 Though the guess was accurate, at this time, don’t show off your cleverness—it made Yun Ce again harbor thoughts of killing to silence him.
3 Fortunately, Lin Weizhou’s words stopped there without probing further. After all, when things are good for you, me, and the Emperor, don’t stir up new waves.
3 Even if Yun Ce is a descendant of a Chuyun Prefecture convicted prisoner, now that he has offered the papermaking technique, which is nearly akin to an auspicious sign, Lin Weizhou is willing to cover for him a bit.
4 Yun Ce came out of the county office, faced the warm sunlight, and couldn’t help stretching lazily. This place is really good. Apart from complaining about the name Lantian County, there’s nothing to say.
4 No way around it—Chang’an has appeared here, so having one more Lantian County nearby is perfectly reasonable.
4 After all, since the third year of Qin Ershi, Liu Bang’s army bypassed Yao Pass, crossed Kuidui Mountain, fought the Qin army south of Lantian, then fought again north of Lantian County. The Qin army was greatly defeated, leading Liu Bang’s forces to approach Ba Shang and eye Chang’an. Thus, Chang’an and Lantian County have been inseparably linked.
4 Unexpectedly, this branch of Han people brought the old habit here too.
4 Choosing to live in Lantian County wasn’t Yun Ce’s idea but Doggy’s suggestion. Doggy claimed to have ridden a carrier pigeon circling all of Chang’an’s territories and still thought Lantian County was best, mainly because Chang’an’s winters are long and harsh, while Lantian County’s geothermal resources are very abundant, with excellent development prospects.
4 Another key reason for choosing Lantian County as home was to shield the Chuyun Prefecture Shehuo aura. Simply put, less than a hundred li from the residence Doggy selected is a dormant volcano. Though it hasn’t erupted in a long time, Doggy still hoped Yun Ce would dig a hole and place the Shehuo in the volcano’s crater.
4 Yun Ce naturally wouldn’t listen to such nonsense. The Shehuo connects with heaven and earth veins. If mishandled, it might trigger a volcanic eruption—what then if the home burns down?
4 Yun Ce’s home was by Dragon Lake, thirty li from the county office. Dragon Lake is very large, spanning fully five hundred li. Yun Ce’s manor used to specially catch fish and raise chickens for Chang’an nobles. Later, that family’s three sons all fell in battle at Iron Enclosure Pass. The family stopped eating fish and ate eggs instead. When selling the manor, E Ji took it over.
4 It cost E Ji a full fourteen hundred taels of gold. For this, E Ji even scolded Zhang Min, mainly because when this secret agent from Panxing Tower helped her bargain, Zhang Min insisted that fourteen hundred taels of gold was a great deal.
4 The manor isn’t large, barely a thousand mu of land, and it wasn’t used for growing grain before—it was specifically for raising chickens to collect eggs, then sending them to Chang’an to sell.
5 Of course, the chickens here aren’t the kind Yun Ce imagined. Whose chicken grows to a hundred jin?
5 Using a thousand mu to raise fewer than five hundred chickens is utter waste. Fortunately, they also planted hundreds of Yi Trees on the land.
5 This gave Yun Ce material to experiment with his papermaking.
5 E Ji really likes the chickens they raised and the large eggs they laid. She likes eating all kinds of eggs—fried, boiled, pickled, or even made into egg custard, which is her favorite.
5 E Ji originally thought that if she held firm on the price, that family would surely lower the price and sell the chickens along with the slaves on the manor.
5 In the end, they didn’t indulge her. Right in front of her, they slit the necks of all the chickens and even sold the slaves here cheaply to the neighbors.
5 In the vast manor, apart from a tall Chicken Dung Mountain, they left nothing for E Ji.
5 When Yun Ce returned to this rundown manor, E Ji immediately came over, acting cautious and timid, without her usual arrogance.
5 Yun Ce dismounted, untied the reins and bridle, and the red date horse went off to find food by itself.
5 “Young Master, I made a money-losing business deal.”
6 Yun Ce glanced at Zhang Min, who had come to watch E Ji’s misfortune, frowned, and said, “Why haven’t you gone to work at Panxing Tower yet? Or are you still surveilling me?”
6 Zhang Min pursed her lips and said, “If I don’t stay in your manor, do you think someone like Lin Weizhou would feel at ease about you? Even if you and your wife keep your mouths shut, there are still three hundred twelve people in this manor. Do you think Lin Weizhou can’t extract your background from them?”
6 It was I who told him through Panxing Tower that although your origins are debatable, you are genuinely a good son of Great Han, and you will go to Iron Enclosure Pass to wield a halberd for Great Han in the future.
6 Yun Ce shook his head and said, “I’m not going to Iron Enclosure Pass.”
6 Zhang Min sneered, “Going to Iron Enclosure Pass to wield a halberd isn’t up to you. As long as your martial power meets the requirement, you have to go whether you want to or not.”
6 Moreover, this isn’t an imperial order but the self-awareness of a Han person. If you meet the requirement but don’t go, it’s not illegal, but all the people of Great Han, including Great Han’s doggies, will look down on you.
6 Yun Ce smacked his lips and said, “I just produced paper. I don’t need to say how important this thing is, right?”
6 Lin Weizhou said that I will become a scholar of Grand Master Rank in the future. I think the battlefield should have nothing to do with me.
6 Zhang Min shook her head and said proudly, “Iron Enclosure Pass is the soul of Great Han. There are invincible commanders, the bravest generals, fierce soldiers who fight to the death without retreating, strategists with unparalleled wisdom, and civil officials who manage provisions without error. Yun Ce, since you live in Great Han and enjoy the peace and prosperity they bring you, what right do you have not to go to Iron Enclosure Pass?”
