Spring Breeze Carries Me Swiftly

Not mentioning Pei Guanli's clever maneuvering in the Marquis's mansion, Chen Yi and the others who had left the mansion traveled south along Bashan Street, then turned east onto Sishui Street in the city.

At this time, it was early summer, and the weather was warming up.

Most of the pedestrians coming and going in Shuzhou City had changed into summer clothes.

Especially those with a bit of family wealth—their light, silken robes floated as if weightless, requiring a sash tied around the waist to hold them in place.

As for the foreign travelers, they were different.

The people from the Poshushuo Kingdom were still wrapped up tightly from head to toe, only revealing their colorful eyes, with the dirt stains on their veils visible at a glance.

Those from the mountain tribes wore clothes similar to Pei Guanli's—bright and multicolored, adorned with ornaments on their necks, heads, and hands, which clinked and jangled as they walked.

Occasionally, one could also see a few burly men—far taller and more robust than the Armored Soldiers of the Marquis's mansion—with their hands bound, being whipped and driven toward the East Market.

When Xiao Die saw them, she kept tugging at Chen Yi's arm, shouting excitedly, "Son-in-law, son-in-law, look over there! They're the Barbarians."

Chen Yi naturally saw them clearly, and with his improved Cultivation Base, he could even detect the hidden energy within those Barbarians' sturdy bodies—indeed, as the rumors said, comparable to ninth-rank cultivators.

But he also noticed that these bound Barbarians bore whip scars on their bodies and branding iron marks on their faces.

Barbarian Slaves?

Before long, he confirmed his guess. Behind these Barbarians were a group of merchants dressed in Poshushuo Kingdom style, shouting along the way in a strange accent:

"Strong Southern barbarians, great strength! Not fifty taels, not thirty taels—fifteen taels each, my friend!"

Chen Yi couldn't help but grin, and the trace of curiosity he had about the Barbarian slaves faded a little.

In fact, it wasn't just him—most of the onlookers nearby laughed as well, including a few neatly dressed City Guards maintaining order.

"Don't all of you crowd around here! What's so interesting about Barbarian slaves? They're just livestock fit for pulling millstones and tilling the fields."

"I wouldn't want that kind of livestock. A few days ago in Jiaozhou, some Barbarian slaves rebelled and nearly slaughtered an entire household."

"You might not want them, but plenty of others do. Those big families need these Barbarian slaves who work for free without complaint."

"The world's gone to ruin—since when can Barbarians be bought and sold like this?"

"Those bandits from Poshushuo will sell anything. Damn them all..."

As the carriage passed by, Chen Yi listened to the idle chatter of the loud-mouthed people nearby, gaining a more realistic understanding of the situation in Shuzhou.

Last time, he had gone to the South of the City for a quick look and only saw the brothels and willow lanes of Shuzhou.

Today, he came to the lively streets near the East Market and gained a deeper insight into the commoners, local rich, mountain tribes, Poshushuo people, and Barbarians.

To borrow a profound saying—everyone is struggling to live.

Just then, Xiao Wuge asked, "Brother-in-law, where are we going today?"

Chen Yi thought for a moment, then pulled open the curtain to check the sky. "Let's circle around first, then turn north from ahead and take a look over there."

Xiao Wuge let out an "Ah?" "Brother-in-law, you want to join the fun too?"

"What? Do you know what's happening there today?"

"The Third Place Scholar Parade. It's been all over Shuzhou for the past two days. Uncle Liu even came to visit Grandfather specially, saying that the Third Place Scholar wanted to pay his respects to the old man."

After Xiao Wuge finished, Xiao Die nodded repeatedly. "Son-in-law, I thought you knew."

Chen Yi looked a bit embarrassed. "I've been focusing on training in the Martial Path these days and haven't paid attention to these matters."

Xiao Die seemed to understand. She leaned over and glanced at his profile, asking softly, "Son-in-law, are you still regretting not taking part in this imperial examination?"

Chen Yi shook his head. He had only just managed to write the Wei Qing script clearly and knew nothing about the policy essays and parallel prose of the imperial examinations.

"I'm just going to watch the excitement."

Seeing his calm expression, Xiao Die believed him for now.

During this time, she wasn't worried about her son-in-law running away from the marriage again, and she could see that he was staying put in the Marquis's mansion. But the imperial examination was a major dream for every scholar.

If she were Chen Yi, with his talent and learning, she would also want to take the exam and enter officialdom.

Xiao Wuge glanced between the two of them, half-understanding, and said, "Brother-in-law, when Second Sister comes back, I'll have her arrange a military post for you."

Chen Yi was startled. "No, don't!"

Hearing such "treasonous" words sent a chill down his spine—even more frightening than Liu Si'er, the "Hidden Guard" driving the carriage up front.

After much persuasion, he finally got Xiao Wuge to drop the idea of pulling strings for him.

Chen Yi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that everyone in the Marquis's mansion was not to be taken lightly.

Fortunately, only Pei Guanli had discovered his martial cultivation so far. If Second Uncle Xiao Xuanshuo or the Old Master caught wind of his progress on the Martial Path, they'd probably drag him straight to the military camp.

By then, his hopes of returning to the Marquis's mansion, going back to Chunhe Garden to fish and drink tea, would only exist in his dreams.

Before long.

After taking in the bustling streets of the East Market, Liu Si'er drove the carriage north toward the area rumored to be a gathering place for talented scholars, beauties, and literary men—the academies and taverns.

Along the way.

Liu Si'er kept a blank expression the whole time, but his ears were pricked, catching every word from Chen Yi and the others inside the carriage.

When he heard Xiao Wuge offer to arrange an official post for Chen Yi, a slight ripple crossed his face.

But after hearing Chen Yi's persuasion, his brows furrowed so tightly they could pinch a chopstick.

Liu Si'er found it hard to understand Chen Yi's thinking—clearly a man of great talent, how could he be so calm after arriving at Xiao Manor?

Could it be that since his failed escape from marriage, he had given up on himself?

That, for him, was hardly good news.

"Fourth Brother."

Just then, Ge Laosan, sitting beside him, nudged him with an elbow and jerked his chin sideways with a wink.

"See that? Looks like all the talented scholars and beauties of Shuzhou City have shown up today."

Liu Si'er followed his gaze and saw, on the expensive, smooth bluestone path by the roadside, a procession of impeccably dressed scholars chatting and laughing with spring in their steps.

Some clearly unmarried young ladies, half-hiding their faces with small round fans, trailed behind them.

To an outsider, one might think they were heading to the capital for the imperial exams.

Liu Si'er snorted lightly. "It's not like they're parading through the streets. All this fuss for nothing."

Ge Laosan rolled his eyes at him. "Who asked you to talk about that? Didn't you see the girls?"

"So what if I did? You think they'd take a shine to roughnecks like us?"

"Just imagine..."

Hearing the exchange ahead, Chen Yi gained a new understanding of Liu Si'er.

No wonder he'd managed to stay hidden in the Marquis's mansion for years without being discovered—with this single-minded dedication to his undercover role, this uprightness that didn't even spare a second glance at women, couldn't he have done something else with his life?

Thinking this, Chen Yi openly pulled aside the curtain and took a look at the Singing Girls lining the street. They did indeed have a unique charm.

If he had to describe it—it was probably that youthful ignorance of sorrow, eyes brimming with the first flush of love.

Those bright gazes were full of spirit, clearly untouched by hardship.

Chen Yi glanced a few times and was about to lower the curtain when the corner of his eye caught something ahead, and a sound reached his ears—a horse's hooves far crisper than those of the Marquis's carriage.

Clop, clop, clop...

In that gentle, clear rhythm, a dashing young man in a bright red robe, sitting upright on a white horse, came into everyone's view.

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow and stared, a line of poetry surfacing in his mind—perfectly fitting.

"With spring breeze and pride, the horse's hooves race; in one day, all Chang'an's flowers I face."

Though Shuzhou wasn't as lush and splendid, the young man on the white horse certainly wore a smile on his face.

"I thank you all for coming. Huaigu is deeply grateful..."