Journey

The Pingyang Marquis's mansion was grand and deep, and what happened there was always a mystery to outsiders.

The new emperor's convoy began preparations last night and set off again at the first light of dawn.

This was a bit early compared to Zhang Xuezhou and others' estimate of half a month, and Zhang Xuezhou kept repeating the journey he had spent on the trip.

However, compared to the previous quietness, this time it was noticeably noisier.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Sima Tan's carriage was closely connected to Zhang Xuezhou and the others.

Seeing that there were few people in Zhang Xuezhou, Sima Tan came over.

"You're quite something! Other people bring a female companion to help with their travels, but you brought your cousin!"

Sima Tan complained about the two men in the car, feeling that their lives without women to take care of them were absolutely terrible.

"Lord Sima also brought female relatives?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise.

"Yes, I brought my wife with me," Sima Tan said with a hint of satisfaction. "My wife can manage all the details of my trip, which allows me to focus on court affairs!"

"These things aren't difficult; my cousin can help me with them," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"As men get older, they need a woman," Sima Tan said. "No matter how capable your cousin is, he can't warm your bed for you."

"I'm not that delicate, I can keep warm myself!"

"That's not the kind of warmth I meant!"

Sima Tan made a fist with one hand and a sword-finger gesture with the other, and after gesturing back and forth several times, he finally made a signal.

It may sound inappropriate to bring women on a march, but it is the norm for long journeys, and women are present even in the military.

The men, burdened by violence and bloodshed, have immense physical needs, and the women, in addition to caring for them, also provide emotional support.

Sima Tan was not good at socializing, so he chose some private topics to get closer to each other.

But Zhang Xuezhou thought this kind of topic was absolutely terrible.

He and Rong Tianding exchanged a glance. At the moment, they were neither good enough for a high-status nor low-status match, and they were unwilling to settle for just anyone, so they were getting married rather late.

Moreover, Zhang Xuezhou not only has health problems, but he also frequently teeters on high-risk paths and doesn't want to harm ordinary women.

They haven't even started doing this kind of thing yet.

As long as they don't start, they can protect their bodies and don't have the leisure to think about warming a bed and having children.

"Don't even mention us, even our Emperor has this need," Sima Tan said.

"Your Majesty didn't bring the Empress with you, did you?" Zhang Xuezhou asked hesitantly.

"So His Majesty couldn't resist either," Sima Tan shrugged. "He asked for a woman from the Marquis of Pingyang's residence to accompany him!"

"You can just ask this woman outright?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise.

"Haven't you seen some of those outrageous banquets? You can pick any woman you want there," Sima Tan said. "If you see one you like, you can take her away!"

"I've never had such a good thing before," Zhang Xuezhou sighed. "If Lord Sima ever hosts such a banquet, you must invite me along!"

"I didn't run into them either," Sima Tan said dejectedly. "None of them invited me."

"How did you know that?"

"I can see," Sima Tan said. "Don't say I'm bad at fighting, but I'm very good at peeking. Our school's techniques are best suited for observation. Even a radius of thirty or fifty miles is within my Yangpo's grasp in a single thought!"

"Amazing!"

Zhang Xuezhou praised him repeatedly, and he couldn't help but inquire about Sima Tan's true skill in stealthily observing people.

Knowing that the other party could be observed directly within ten miles, that Yang Po could arrive within thirty miles in half a moment, and that he could go anywhere within a fifty-mile radius, Zhang Xuezhou felt relieved.

Sima Tan's technique was exquisite, but compared to the Yang Soul Transformation Technique, which brought about a qualitative change to the Yang Soul, the opponent's range of movement using the technique was reduced by half compared to Zhang Xuezhou's.

Even if they clash with Sima Tan in the future, as long as Zhang Xuezhou keeps running, Sima Tan will be unable to track him after fifty miles.

Knowing Sima Tan's abilities, he felt a sense of satisfaction and believed he was much safer traveling in Chang'an City.

"These kinds of banquets where women are given away happen three to five times a year in Chang'an City," Sima Tan said. "Actually, bringing a woman home isn't a big deal!"

"I think this is a very big deal," Zhang Xuezhou replied seriously.

"You won ten thousand gold coins by guessing the answer; that's enough to buy an ordinary woman," Sima Tan said. "But if you need a top-quality woman who is both beautiful and can dance and sing, like the woman Princess Yangxin gave to His Majesty, you could definitely buy her for two hundred thousand gold coins!"

"That means it would cost two hundred strings of cash to buy a good one... I suddenly think it would be nice to ask my cousin to help me with the tidying up. Besides, I'm not married yet, so I need to save up some money before I can buy one!"

Zhang Xuezhou considered the price Sima Tan mentioned and thought being single wasn't so bad.

His accumulated wealth after several years of Struggle is less than two hundred strings of cash, so it would be quite difficult for him to make a fortune in this area.

"Women in Chang'an City are too expensive. In our Hibiscus City, we can get one for just three or five strings of cash," Rong Tianding said, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"There's a reason why it's expensive," Sima Tan said. "Can women from Hibiscus City play the zither and make music? Can women from Hibiscus City compose poems and recite essays? Can women from Hibiscus City have any talent for cultivation...?"

After Sima Tan's series of questions, Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding realized that being expensive did indeed have its advantages.

The women mentioned by Sima Tan were not those who required anyone to pay a price to raise from childhood. These expensive women were generally from families of officials who had committed crimes, or noblewomen captured during wartime victories, which led to the emergence of their respective market value.

If one cannot marry into a wealthy and powerful family, these women are considered second-best matches.

He sat in the carriage with a serious demeanor, yet he spoke eloquently, using these matters of men and women to broaden the horizons of Zhang Xuezhou and the others, and also to bring them closer together.

By the time the convoy camped out again, Sima Tan had successfully integrated into Zhang Xuezhou's inner circle.

Zhang Xuezhou and others gained valuable knowledge as listeners, while Sima Tan felt that he had also delivered a very good presentation based on what he had heard secondhand.

Using these conversation topics, he got very close to Zhang Xuezhou and carefully examined every part of the other man.

Sima Tan finally confirmed that Zhang Xuezhou did indeed have a scent, which was much lighter than the scent that had knocked him unconscious that day, and even difficult to detect, but it was the scent that Sima Tan was familiar with.

Sima Tan felt that Zhang Xuezhou must have something in common with Yili and the Empress Dowager.

This connection likely stems from the problematic elixir possessed by the Marquis of Pingyang.

This is very likely the cause of Yili's death. Sima Tan also kept a close eye on Zhang Xuezhou to see when he died, and then recorded this cause and effect for the Marquis of Pingyang. This might even uncover some related matters concerning the Empress Dowager.

But then he realized that he too was affected by this aura, and seemed to have a faint, similar scent on his body. He was momentarily unsure whether he would die first, or whether Zhang Xuezhou and the others would die first.