After the rain, the sky cleared, and the western horizon was painted with a brilliant sunset. On the northern bank of the Yi River, a few people stood scattered, seemingly admiring the evening glow. Among them was a middle-aged man dressed in a white silk robe, his demeanor carefree and his expression slightly agitated.
He spoke incessantly, his voice rising: "Since Rong has gained power, he has become arrogant and extravagant, indulging in banquets and pleasures. He has built grand mansions, destroying hundreds of public and private residences, causing widespread disappointment. In this matter, even Zimei has suffered.
Why are you preventing your nephew from accepting the official position offered by the Minister of Works?"
His words were impassioned. Judging by his expression—his thick brows furrowed, his eyes wide with anger, and his right hand unconsciously clenched into a fist—he appeared deeply concerned for the nation and its people.
The man standing before him remained silent, only shaking his head and sighing.
He knew this cousin of his well. The man usually had nothing to do and enjoyed idle chatter. Concern for the nation and its people was definitely not his style. This time, he had come to persuade him to allow his son to take up an official position, and his urgency in both words and demeanor suggested that he had a deep entanglement with the Minister of Works.
"Zimei," the middle-aged man softened his tone, seeing that the other remained silent. "The Minister of Works has established his office, and many talented individuals have gathered there, all from prestigious families. If your nephew accepts the position and interacts with them, given his talent, he is sure to gain a great reputation among the gentry. This would greatly enhance our family's standing."
The man opposite seemed somewhat moved. After a while, he asked, "Who are the officials under the Minister of Works?"
Seeing that there was hope, the middle-aged scholar's expression relaxed significantly. He instinctively glanced around and lowered his voice, "I heard that Cao Shangshu from Peiguo has accepted the Minister's invitation and joined the office as a military advisor."
"And who else?" Zimei waited, but when no further names were mentioned, he found it strange and pressed for more.
The middle-aged scholar looked slightly embarrassed and said, "Liu Qia from Donghai serves as the Left Military Advisor."
"Dai Yuan from Guangling is the Military Consultant."
"Mi Huang from Donghai has been appointed as the Protector."
...
"After all that, apart from Cao Shangshu, the rest are all from minor or humble families. I've never even heard of Liu Qia's family background." Zimei sighed, then added self-mockingly, "But then again, how much better is our family compared to theirs?"
"Exactly, that's why we should seize this rare opportunity," the middle-aged scholar urged.
Yu Zimei hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "Let's go back inside and discuss this further."
The middle-aged scholar paused, then casually agreed, "Alright, let's have a proper talk."
The group then walked forward. Behind the middle-aged scholar followed several soldiers, all quite young. The leader among them appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, his gaze steady and even bold, unlike the usual timid and self-conscious demeanor of ordinary soldiers. This made Yu Zimei slightly uncomfortable.
Has the Minister of Works lost his mind? Has everyone in the fiefdom died out? Even recruiting young soldiers like this made him even more hesitant.
The soldier's name was Shao Xun. He seemed to sense Yu Zimei's gaze but remained silent, walking quietly with a look of weariness on his face that didn't match his youthful appearance.
A system? That didn't exist! Such high-end things were beyond his reach.
His martial arts and horsemanship were quite good, but it was just experience and knowledge. Muscle memory was completely absent, and he had only managed to recover some of it through hard practice, which wasn't easy.
Honestly, he wasn't sure where these skills came from. They felt like his own, yet also not.
Did the heavens send me to this time just to mess with me? To make a joke out of me?
Wouldn't it have been better to give me a large sum of money, a noble family background, and a bunch of beauties to live a carefree life? Then I might not have been so angry.
But—whatever, what's done is done. No point in complaining.
The group soon entered a dilapidated house.
The house wasn't large and seemed to have belonged to some local wealthy family. In these chaotic times, even officials and gentry were struggling to protect themselves. What could a local wealthy family with no foundation do?
Around Luoyang, there were many houses that had changed hands repeatedly. Who knew how their previous owners had died?
The house was home to a large family of over ten people, along with seven or eight guards, servants, and maids.
To be honest, it was a bit shabby, unworthy of their family's status.
Blame those beasts from the Sima family!
Yu Zimei led the guests inside, and his wife, Lady Qiu, came out to greet them.
Shao Xun stayed in the courtyard, arms crossed, scanning the surroundings.
He was responsible for the safety of the middle-aged scholar named Yu Ai, who was someone the Minister of Works valued and wanted to recruit. If he wanted to survive in this chaotic world, he had to put in some effort.
The four soldiers who came with him were all from Donghai, around seventeen or eighteen years old. They looked at him with awe, then silently dispersed, standing guard with their weapons.
Shao Xun chuckled.
These young soldiers were quite inexperienced in martial arts. He had casually given them a few pointers, correcting their bad habits and movements, which immediately earned their deep respect.
Of course, being their direct squad leader also played a significant role.
In chaotic times, those with skills could still make a living.
In the courtyard, a few men in coarse linen clothes were practicing martial arts with great seriousness.
Shao Xun glanced at them but wasn't interested. Their skills were too poor.
He also saw a few youths in brocade robes chopping firewood, and a little girl bustling about, handing out water and occasionally chatting and laughing with them. They seemed very close, undoubtedly siblings.
Sigh, as members of the gentry, they probably never imagined they'd have to do such menial tasks one day.
Just wait, there's more fun to come. Not only will they have to do menial tasks, but they'll also go hungry and even die.
Noble ladies being sold into slavery—surprised?
But then he thought of himself and couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.
His situation wasn't necessarily better than theirs. In fact, it might be worse.
Around Luoyang, there were too many disorganized troops, each with their own agendas and not under unified command. If things went south, they might start fighting among themselves. Could he alone withstand such a tide?
Hard to bear.
"Do you want some water?" The little girl lifted her skirt and walked over with a porcelain bowl, asking softly.
Shao Xun glanced at her. She was about five or six years old, with bright eyes and white teeth, showing signs of becoming a beauty.
But what was most striking about her wasn't her appearance, but her large, dark eyes, sparkling with enthusiasm, innocence, and curiosity, as if she had just been born into this world.
"No, thank you," Shao Xun smiled and replied.
The little girl also smiled, her lips curling slightly, her big eyes curving like crescent moons, showing no sign of anger or disappointment.
She then carried the bowl around, asking the other four soldiers if they wanted water. They all waved their hands in refusal, even looking a bit flustered.
Shao Xun silently praised her. The little girl was quite kind-hearted, which was rare in this hierarchical society.
But in these chaotic times, who would cherish such a kind person? If they encountered someone cruel, it would just be a matter of a single stroke of the blade.
Suddenly, he felt a wave of irritation.
Even if he wanted to give up, this damn world wouldn't let him.
He was just a soldier from Donghai, no different from the other four soldiers beside him. He had no family background or status, and in this society, he was as lowly as dirt.
The Yu Ai he was escorting was a genuine member of the gentry, and he didn't even spare him a glance, his attitude quite clear.
Given the reality, if he didn't want to rot away, his options were limited.
Like Shi Le, he could join the peasant rebel leader Ji Sang, hoping to rise through the ranks—for those without family background, joining the peasant rebels was a good path.
But Ji Sang's forces were weak, and the peasant army was just a ragtag group. Being beaten on the battlefield was highly likely, and going there was a nine out of ten chance of death, with uncertain outcomes.
What about joining Liu Yuan? Not to mention whether he'd be accepted, he wasn't too keen on the idea himself.
Well, he'd just have to take it one step at a time.
Sima Yue, the Prince of Donghai, had just become the Minister of Works and was in an awkward position, lacking both civil and military officials.
In fact, he didn't even have military power and was recently trying to recruit soldiers from other provinces to come to the capital.
To be in such a sorry state, it was quite something.
"Whoosh!" An arrow flew out, missing the target...
A guard from the Yu household put down the bow, looking dejected and muttering to himself.
Seeing this, Shao Xun couldn't help but say, "Haven't you practiced before? Lean forward, lower your left arm, elbow inward..."
The guard seemed to ponder this.
Shao Xun stepped forward, snatched the bow, nocked an arrow, and shot it in one smooth motion.
"Whoosh!" It hit the bullseye.
The guards stared at him dumbfounded, their expressions complex.
"Did you see that?" Shao Xun asked.
The guard shook his head.
Shao Xun slowed down his movements and shot another arrow, hitting the bullseye again.
"Still not clear?" He asked again, not waiting for an answer, and shot a third arrow, still hitting the bullseye.
The guards were numb.
"Enough, this can only be improved with practice," Shao Xun shook his head, untied the bowstring, and handed it over along with the bow, saying, "The string needs to be replaced."
With that, he walked back to the wall, leaning against it, lost in thought.
He had an instinctive familiarity with archery. Whether it was a foot bow or a horse bow, when he held them, his entire body seemed to rejoice, and various movements surged through his mind.
Armored foot shooting, shooting left and right, mounted archery, prone shooting, and back shooting—all felt as familiar as if he had been a master archer in a past life.
But he had no memories of a past life, only experiences from modern society.
Although the body he had transmigrated into was that of a soldier, he had only practiced archery a few times, with mediocre results. Most of the time, he had been farming, so it couldn't have been from this life.
After much thought, it was probably talent, or perhaps there were many unknown secrets involved.
Whatever! It's a good thing, right?
Even if he had been a master archer in a past life, so what? He didn't remember any of it. This life was a new one, with a different body, personality, family background, and social relationships—he was already a different person.
"Truly a master archer!" The people chopping wood in the courtyard stopped their work, exchanging glances, their faces showing surprise.
Among the tens of thousands of troops in Luoyang, there were certainly master archers, but they were usually hard to come by, kept close by the various princes.
The Yu family had fallen on hard times.
If the main branch could barely be considered gentry, their branch was only a minor family, and they were at risk of sliding into obscurity—if no one in the family could attain a high position.
In these times, Luoyang was like a den of tigers and wolves. Previously overlooked soldiers, if they had exceptional skills, could no longer be treated as mere servants.
For minor families like theirs, they even needed to use the etiquette reserved for guests to attract such skilled warriors—though strictly speaking, guests were still servants, just the highest-ranking ones.
What a pity.
"You were quite fierce just now," the little girl came over again.
Shao Xun glanced at her and said, "What use is a man if he's not fierce?"
The little girl retorted, "My brother isn't fierce."
"In a family, someone has to be fierce," Shao Xun said. "What's your name?"
"You're a bit rude," the little girl smiled and shook her head, not answering.
Shao Xun also smiled.
"Why are you so bold?" the little girl asked. "When I spoke to them earlier, they stammered and didn't dare to look me in the eye."
She glanced at the other four soldiers.
Shao Xun was stumped. This question was quite complex, perhaps related to social customs and traditions.
Between the nobility and the common folk, there was an invisible chasm, as if they were two different species, even with reproductive isolation.
Some were used to being haughty, others to being subservient, and this had gone on for hundreds of years, with everyone taking it for granted, even believing it was right.
What a joke! No wonder they were taught a lesson by the likes of Liu Yuan and Shi Le.
As for why he wasn't subservient, was that something to be discussed?
"Tell me your name, and I'll tell you why," Shao Xun joked.
The little girl's eyes curved into crescents again, and she covered her mouth, giggling, but still shook her head.
"Zimei, you'll regret this, sigh!" Shao Xun was about to say something when he heard a voice from the main hall.
Yu Ai walked out, looking displeased, having failed in his persuasion.
He didn't even glance at Shao Xun and the other four, walking straight out the door.
Shao Xun signaled with his eyes, and the other four quickly followed. Soon, the group left the Yu residence.
"Wenjun, it's time to practice the zither," a voice called from inside the house.
The little girl responded, lifted her skirt, and went inside.
(End of Chapter)