Seeing Zhou Tong and Xu Mo Again

Once outside the Yan Residence, a night breeze blew, and Shen Jingchuan was no longer in a hurry to find an inn.

He had two people on his mind: Zhou Tong and Xu Mo.

He formed a friendship with these two brothers at the poetry gathering in Chang'an years ago, and both of them later came to the Capital after the other.

Zhou Tong is selling carriages for him here, but it's hard to find out where the shop is in the short term.

Xu Mo's family were officials, so the Xu residence was easy to find. Once they found Xu Mo, Zhou Tong naturally found him as well.

He made up his mind, asked around for directions, and after many twists and turns, finally found the Xu residence.

The doorman opened a crack in the door, looked him up and down without recognizing him.

Shen Jingchuan cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Please inform him that I am looking for Xu Mo. Tell him I am an old acquaintance from Yuxi Prefecture, and my surname is Shen."

The gatekeeper was skeptical, but he agreed anyway, telling him to wait at the door while he went inside to inform the gatekeeper.

In just five minutes, the gate to the mansion was suddenly pulled open from the inside.

A figure darted out quickly, and by the light of the lantern at the door, it was Xu Mo.

"Brother Shen!" he exclaimed with delight. "You've finally arrived! Please come in, please come in!"

More than a year had passed, and he still looked like a scholar, with little change, except that there was a hint of world-weariness between his brows.

Shen Jingchuan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Brother Xu, how have you been?"

"I'm alright, I'm alright, come inside and talk." Xu Mo grabbed him and led him into the mansion. "I've been talking about you a lot. You've come at the right time. There's someone you really should meet."

Xu Mo didn't beat around the bush, leading him through the halls and courtyards, straight to the backyard.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, a rough-looking man inside heard the noise, lifted the curtain, and rushed out.

The man was dressed in coarse cloth and short clothes, his face covered in dust, looking much more haggard than when he was in Chang'an. But when his eyes saw Shen Jingchuan, they lit up instantly.

"Young Master Shen!" He rushed over, his voice trembling, "I've finally found you!"

Shen Jingchuan was taken aback, recognizing that it was Zhou Tong.

"Zhou Tong? What are you doing here?"

Xu Mo lowered his voice.

"Brother Shen, this isn't the place to talk. Let's go inside and discuss it."

Zhou Tong nodded quickly.

"Yes, yes, come inside, come inside."

The three of them entered the house. Xu Mo turned around and closed the door tightly. He then adjusted the lamp wick and personally poured Shen Jingchuan a cup of hot tea.

Xu Mo sat down opposite him and asked.

"Brother Shen, why are you only coming to see me now? I've been waiting for you for quite some time."

Shen Jingchuan took the tea and sighed.

"Sigh, since arriving in Yuxi Prefecture, one thing after another has kept me so busy I haven't had a moment to breathe. It's a long story." He waved his hand, "I'll tell my two brothers about it later."

"I've come to the capital for two reasons: first, to pay my respects to my master, and second, to see the two of you."

Upon hearing this, Xu Mo's expression became serious.

I've also heard about your teacher's situation; he's been dismissed from his post and is staying at home.

He sighed, his eyes filled with admiration. "What kind of person is Great Confucian Yan? He is upright and unyielding, daring to speak for the people. He is a good official who speaks up for the people. Such a good official, yet the court cannot tolerate him."

"Speaking of which, the current situation is truly one of officials forcing the people to rebel."

Xu Mo leaned forward and lowered his voice.

"Brother Shen, you've come from Yuxi Prefecture. The news has already spread throughout the Capital that officials have been killed and a rebellion has broken out there. A large army is gathering outside the city, and I heard they'll be sending troops to attack Yuxi Prefecture in the next few days."

"You've come here to escape the ravages of war?"

Shen Jingchuan held the teacup, secretly amused.

He's hiding? He's a cultivator; what can a mortal soldier do to him? He's just here to check the situation.

He remained calm, offering no explanation, and simply shook his head.

"No, not at all," he said calmly. "These people aren't enough to make me hide."

The words sounded light and casual, Xu Mo and Zhou Tong could hear the underlying confidence and disdain, yet they couldn't quite grasp them.

Shen Jingchuan didn't dwell on it any longer, turning to look at Zhou Tong and jokingly teasing him.

"Brother Zhou, you haven't said yet. So late at night, in the backyard of the Xu residence, are you looking for Brother Xu to indulge in romantic escapades?"

The smile on Zhou Tong's face vanished instantly, and he let out a long sigh.

"Oh, don't even mention it. The carriage business my family was doing with you was going very well in Chang'an. My father was overseeing it, but somehow, the Prince Jing's Heir took notice of it, and it's said to be connected to the Third Prince as well."

"They told my family to give up the business, but my father refused. Within two days, he was falsely accused and thrown into jail."

Zhou Tong clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Thanks to the old steward of the house, who happened to be out at the time, he wasn't caught along with us and escaped all the way to the Capital to inform me."

"When I received the news in the Capital, I didn't dare to return to Chang'an. I could only hide here and there, and that's how I ended up staying with you, Brother Xu. Right now, I'm completely relying on you for shelter."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jingchuan slammed his hand heavily on the table, causing the teacup to jump.

"Shameless! Utterly shameless!"

He suppressed his anger, his chest heaving.

"Look at the Great Qian now! It's a complete mess!"

"Merchants who do honest business risk losing their families and lives if they catch the prince's eye. Ordinary people suffer from famine, and the court doesn't provide a single grain of rice; they can only watch helplessly as they starve to death on the roadside."

He looked at the two of them, speaking each word carefully.

"How can you blame people for rebelling? People can't even survive. If they don't rebel, are they just going to starve to death?"

After listening, Xu Mo remained silent for a while, then let out a long sigh.

"Brother Shen, I understand what you're saying. But once the war starts, swords will fly everywhere, lives will be lost, and it will be the common people who die."

His expression was full of worry, and his voice was lowered.

"My father is not giving up. These days, he has contacted several upright colleagues in the court, all of whom are upright officials, and they are preparing to jointly submit a petition to the court, requesting that it quickly procure grain and open the granaries to provide relief to the disaster victims."

Xu Mo gave a wry smile and shook his head.

"I'm really worried about this."

He glanced at Shen Jingchuan, "Your teacher is a renowned Confucian scholar in the Great Qian. After submitting his memorial, he at least escaped the death penalty, only being dismissed from his post. But my father and his family are of low status and have no powerful backing. Whether this trip will bring them fortune or misfortune is truly uncertain."

He turned to look at Zhou Tong, his tone earnest.

"I was just talking to Brother Zhou, telling him to go away for a couple of days and find another place."

"Since you're here, Brother Shen, why don't you take Brother Zhou with you?"

Xu Mo stood up, his expression solemn.

"My household is not guaranteed to be peaceful from now on. What if my father really gets into trouble, his property is confiscated, and he is executed? You will all be implicated. What will become of you then?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than footsteps sounded outside the door. A servant bowed and reported, addressing Xu Mo as "Young Master."

"Young master, the master heard that you have distinguished guests in your household and wants you to take them to the front hall to meet them."

Xu Mo was taken aback.

"My dad found out so quickly?"

Shen Jingchuan stood up and straightened his clothes.

"Now that we've arrived at Brother Xu's residence, it's only proper etiquette to pay our respects to your uncle; we should go."

Xu Mo nodded and said no more.

"Okay, let's go together then."

The three of them stopped chatting inside the house and, one after the other, crossed the courtyard and headed towards the front hall.