The next morning, the wind and snow were still there.
Zhu Pingan got up early and practiced calligraphy on the table near the window with a black wooden board hanging from his wrist. After everyone else in the inn gradually got up, Zhu Pingan put away the black wooden board, put the brushes and other items into his schoolbag in sequence, and placed the bed Ji packed up his things and went downstairs with two pieces of fried rice cakes made by Chen.
In the inn lobby, Zhu Pingan ordered a bowl of mutton soup like last night and finished it with fried pancakes.
"Thank you, store owner, which direction is the official road to the north?"
Zhu Pingan had breakfast and asked the shopkeeper for directions when paying the bill.
"Don't dare, don't dare. There are two official roads to the north in this town. Where are the guests going?" the shopkeeper said in a friendly tone.
"Go to the capital." Zhu Pingan replied.
"If you want to go to the capital, then go in this direction. After passing the Peacock Terrace, there is an official road leading directly to Luzhou Prefecture. There are more roads to the capital over there." The shopkeeper led Zhu Ping'an to the door and pointed in one direction. Give Zhu Pingan the route.
Luzhou Prefecture is the modern Hefei. Since ancient times, Hefei has been a battleground for military strategists. During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Wei and Dongwu fought in Hefei for decades. During the Song Dynasty, it was Luzhou. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Hefei was the frontier in the fight against the Jin Dynasty. It’s not a bad idea to pass through Hefei and then head to the capital, just in time to see what this battleground for military strategists was like in ancient times.
"Thank you so much, shopkeeper." Zhu Ping'an cupped his hands and thanked the shopkeeper.
After asking for directions, Zhu Pingan informed the store clerk to check out and packed his things. The store clerk helped him take the things to the backyard and put them on the back of the well-fed and drunk Shamat black horse. Zhu Pingan picked up the baggage before getting on the horse. He took out a rabbit fur cloak with a long collar and put it on.
This cloak was specially made for me by my mother, Mrs. Chen, to keep out the cold and wind on the road. The rabbit fur was made from rabbit skins that my eldest brother, Zhu Pingchuan, made on the mountain.
"It's snowing today. You might as well stay a while and wait until the snow stops before leaving." At the door, a kind-hearted shopkeeper advised me.
"Thank you, shopkeeper. It's snowing but not cold, so it's a good time to go on the road." Zhu Pingan got on his horse and thanked the shopkeeper with a slight cup of his hand. Then he drove his horse along the route pointed out by the shopkeeper just now.
The town is not big, and after riding on horseback for about ten minutes, we saw what the shopkeeper called the Peacock Terrace.
I originally thought that the Peacock Terrace to which the shopkeeper belonged was just the name of a mound, but I didn't expect that the Peacock Terrace looked majestic and majestic. The Peacock Terrace is in the shape of a "convex" and covers an area of about 100 square meters. It is a two-story structure with a wide empty platform on top, a gallery-style roof, cornices and brackets on each floor. The carved beams and painted buildings are majestic.
How could a small town have such a building? Zhu Pingan was curious and drove his horse closer.
"The peacock flies southeast and lingers for five miles..."
Engraved on the stone wall window in the corridor in front of the Peacock Stage is the poem "The Peacock Flies Southeast". It is written in good handwriting and full of pathos.
Uh, I remembered it.
In the small town of Huaining County, the peacock flies southeast, yes. This is the birthplace of "The Peacock Flying Southeast", which together with the "Mulan Poetry" of the Northern Dynasties, is known as the "Twin Jewels of Yuefu". It is also the place where Jiao Zhongqing and Liu Lanzhi are buried together.
After being in Huaining County for so long, I actually forgot about such a place. Fortunately, I passed by here on my way to take the exam. Reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles.
During the Jian'an period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Lanzhi, who was both talented and beautiful, and Jiao Zhongqing, a small official in Lujiang, fell in love sincerely. However, her mother-in-law Jiao's mother made things difficult for Liu Lanzhi for various reasons, so Lanzhi resolutely asked her to come back. Zhongqing's plea to her mother was ineffective, so the couple had to say goodbye and "swore that they would not be in trouble with each other."
Lanzhi returned to her parents' home. Admired suitors came one after another. First, the county magistrate proposed on behalf of his son, and then the prefect, Cu Cheng, acted as matchmaker. Lanzhi flatly refused because she had an appointment with Zhongqing. However, his brother spoke ill of him. Lanzhi had no choice but to agree to the marriage to the prefect's family. Zhongqing came over after hearing about the incident, and the couple made an agreement: "In heaven, they would like to be like winged birds, and on earth, they would like to be like twigs." On the happy day of Lanzhi's wedding, Liu and Jiao both died in the underworld, marking an eternal masterpiece.
If I were myself, I would never let this tragedy happen.
I paid my respects at the Peacock Terrace for a long time. Zhu Ping'an sighed with emotion, then drove his horse away from the Peacock Terrace and headed north along the official road.
The official road that has snowed is much easier to walk than the official road that has rained. Black Horse Shama seems to ignore the wind and cold, holding its head high in the wind and snow and moving forward happily. Maybe this guy feels that the official road is better than the mountain road. Just leave.
Walking north along the official road, you can see the shadows of villages from time to time on both sides of the official road. Unlike yesterday, you couldn't see a single house after walking for more than a long time.
At almost noon, Zhu Ping'an got off the official road and went to a small village near the official road.
The north wind is very strong, blowing the floating snow on the ground from the wild into the village, and then blowing it out from the village path, and then piles up calf-high piles under the roots of the wall, under the firewood stacks outside the wall, and in all places leeward. of snow.
The ravines on both sides of the road were filled with snow and were as flat as the road. If it weren't for the burnt yellow wormwood tips exposed in the snow on the roadside, making a hissing trembling sound in the wind, Zhu Pingan would not be able to tell which one was which. The road is a ditch.
A group of chickens in the village, led by a few roosters, gathered under a firewood and straw pile, slowly looking for food. A few bored roosters flapped their wings and pecked each other for the right to own a certain little hen, causing the snow to fly around.
On a flat ground at the entrance of the village, there were a few urchins who set up a basket on the snow, scattered some grains under it, and lay on the side with their buttocks stuck out, waiting to catch the sparrows.
Seeing Zhu Pingan coming on horseback, the sparrows flew away in fright, causing several urchins to sniffle and look at Zhu Pingan with unkind expressions.
"I opened this mountain and planted this tree. If you want to go this way, leave money to buy the road."
A little kid with a snot-filled nose stood in front of Zhu Ping'an's horse, his head raised and he was coaxing. Then several other brats stood behind the brat who stood out as backup, and they all looked at Zhu Ping'an with unkind expressions.
Looking at the naughty children with snot bubbles hanging from their noses, Zhu Pingan raised the corners of his lips slightly.
"I am a bird demon under the Snow Demon. I heard that you were plotting to kill my men here, so I turned into a human and came here to find out. I didn't expect that I would see you. Tsk, tsk, I heard that children's meat is the best. "
Zhu Pingan rode on the horse, took a deep breath in the direction of the children, and then licked his tongue as if he was intoxicated.
"Monster."
When the naughty kids heard this, they looked at Zhu Ping'an and looked like he wanted to eat meat. They squealed and ran away.
"Well, I was just kidding you."
Seeing these naughty children running away, Zhu Ping'an felt a little dumbfounded. These naughty children were too innocent.
"I won't be fooled by you!"
"Don't come after us, we have child urine."
After hearing this, several naughty children made faces at Zhu Pingan, ran more happily, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. (To be continued.)
