"It's a pity that I only have some superficial understanding of chess. I guess my chess skills have not reached the seventh level. It would be better to give birth to you." Yajun was a little disappointed. Today he saw Chen Fan's piano skills, calligraphy, and poetry. Although there was no chess competition, he After hearing about the opponent's chess skills, I felt that I lost in these four aspects. I didn't expect that I would meet such an outstanding young man just after arriving in Liang Kingdom. It seemed that I had underestimated the world's people.
"That's not necessarily the case. There are many factors that determine the outcome of chess. It's not necessarily who loses or wins. I just wonder if Yajun can lend me the "Lan Ke Pu" for a look? "The "Lan Ke Pu" is a legendary fairy music book. The ranking is still above "Grass and Trees". Chen Fan doesn't know where to buy it. He has it ready-made in front of him. Of course, he can borrow it if he can.
"I'm not here yet, I'm still in my hometown of Luoyang, but I heard that there should be one at Puming Temple in Suzhou." Yajun replied slightly embarrassed.
"Oh, Na Yajun, do you still remember the chess score? If you do, we can record it and study it." Chen Fan asked expectantly.
“I still remember the first hundred or so hands, but I can’t remember the rest.”
"Then let's study the front part, you say, and I'll draw it." Chen Fan said enthusiastically.
Seeing Chen Fan's high enthusiasm, Yajun was probably infected by Chen Fan's learning spirit and said, "That's fine."
The two of them immediately walked to the desk, and Chen Fan drew a map on the paper.
Not long after, a red sun reflected on the river, "Gusu has arrived." The eldest brother came and interrupted them.
At some point, the boat had docked. The two looked at each other and smiled. Chen Fan collected the chess records. Although there were only more than sixty moves, Chen Fan felt that he had gained a lot.
As for the poem manuscript that was on the table before, when they started to play chess scores, it had already been taken away by Chen Fan's master, Master Jia.
When a group of people got off the boat, there was already a carriage waiting on the shore. It turned out that before setting off, the eldest brother had arranged for people to rush to Gusu and arranged everything. This time, in addition to the original crew, the eldest brother also arranged for several small school students to accompany him. After all, he was not in his own place, so he had to be careful.
The boat stopped at the pier not far from Gusu City Gate. The group got in the car and arrived in Suzhou not long after. Gusu is a big city. At a glance, Chen Fan could see that the walls stretched so far that he couldn't see the edge. Chen Fan had already learned about the history of Gusu before. The city, like Suzhou in Chinese history, was once the capital of the Wu Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It was expanded under the hands of Wu Zixu. The city wall was 47 miles long and eight gates were set up. One, to symbolize the Eight Diagrams of heaven and earth. At present, Suzhou City has a population of nearly one million, which is a rare large city in the Liang Kingdom.
The place they are currently at is Loumen in the northeast of Suzhou. The place the eldest brother chose to eat is not far from the city gate. It is called Lao Pavilion Restaurant. It has a long history. It is said that the ancestors once worked as cooks for kings. The restaurant faces the river. Covering an area of one acre and with a three-story building, the store's decoration is antique, simple and rustic yet stylish.
The first floor of the store is dominated by the lobby, which is a bit noisy. The eldest brother booked a private room that can seat ten people on the top three floors and arranged for the primary school and the boys to dine in the lobby downstairs. As a result, Hou Feng refused to go along with it. Everyone sat in the private room together, and Chen Fan didn't force it. Finally, Hou Feng had dinner with the principal and the boys in the lobby downstairs. Hou Feng was a leading figure there.
In the private room for ten people, only eight people were seated. Gusu is particularly famous for its fish and shrimp, and the taste of Lao Loft is even better. The eldest brother ordered a lot of dishes, and also ordered two jugs of wine, one jug weighing two kilograms. , but the two jugs of wine were quickly finished, and four more jugs were added later. At the request of the eldest brother and the mage, Chen Fan also joined the drinking party. Everyone drank a lot of wine during the dinner, including Chen Fan. Exception, fortunately, the wine in this store has a fragrant aroma, mellow and sweet taste, and is not unpleasant to drink at all, even Chen Fan can drink it.
After three rounds of drinking, everyone was slightly tipsy. During the dinner, the eldest brother had made an agreement with Master Jia that Master Jia would return to the Taoist temple tomorrow to explain the situation to the Taoist temple masters and elders. At the same time, he also needed to take care of the backlog of affairs in the temple. The next morning, the eldest brother took Fa Sheng and Ah Qingqian went to visit the Taoist temple. The eldest brother has arranged to stay at an inn, which is not too far from the Taoist temple. It is called Jiayuan Inn and is a relatively elegant garden-style inn. If the situation changes, you can send someone to the inn to notify. In the era before mobile phone communication, it would be very troublesome to contact you later if you did not agree on a contact location in advance.
The eldest brother was in a happy mood after talking about Fa Sheng. As he drank to his heart's content, the singing voice of a singer came from outside the room. The voice was clear and melodious. I guess it was someone from the private room next door who ordered the singer to come in and sing.
Although in this era, many people in the world like handsome young men, and even take pride in raising prostitutes, the tradition of men loving beautiful women has not changed. Many restaurants have invited singers to sing in order to attract customers.
Maybe the singing next door aroused Yajun's interest, "I meet you all today and we have a great time together. How about I play the piano and sing a song to cheer you up?"
"Of course that's great." The eldest brother immediately became interested and was the first to agree.
Everyone smiled and nodded. The private room was large and there was a desk by the window. Yajun had brought his piano with him. He thought he had made this plan before dinner. Yajun put the piano on the desk and played with it with his fingers. Strings, the sound pours out like running water, without a trace of dust, the singing voice is low and gentle, as thorough as a clear spring, it is the same as what Chen Fan heard at Wangyue Tower before, and it is still "Midnight".
It is said that this song was composed by a woman named Ziye. She was so lovesick that she could not sleep for a long time. She seemed to hear the call of her lover, so she created this love song to express her longing and sorrow for the man. It is a feeling. Songs with delicate language and fluent language are vividly expressed when Yajun sings her lingering longing, sadness and resentment.
After singing the song, the sound is like deep mountains and deep valleys, leaving only lingering and shocking feelings.
"Good song, good song, so well sung!" Everyone was affected by Yajun's singing and were immersed in it, unable to extricate themselves. Suddenly, cheers and applause came from outside the door of the elegant room.
"I wonder if we can come in?" The person outside the door did not rush in, but consulted outside. He seemed to be a gentleman.
Upon hearing the inquiry, everyone looked at the eldest brother. As the owner of this place, he was suitable to come forward.
The eldest brother didn't want to be disturbed, but he didn't know how to refuse, so he hesitated for a while.
The person outside the door heard no response for a moment, and then said: "I am Lu Yan, the dean of the Chess School of Songxiang College, and there is my student Xu Zhen next to me. The two of us are in the private room next door. I heard such a clear voice today, and we are so different." I would like to see you, is it possible?"
No need to guess, in fact, everyone knows that they are here to see Yajun. The social atmosphere of this era is relatively open. It is common for people to listen to the voice and seek visits. It is also common among scholars. Instead of violating it, everyone regards it as an elegant thing. Brother Looking at Yajun, Yajun was slightly embarrassed and said, "Chen Langjun just decides."
"Brothers, please come in." The eldest brother said loudly to the door. Since the other party had already reported his name, not seeing him would make him look petty. There was no harm in meeting him, so the eldest brother decided to invite the two of them in.
The first person who came in was a tall middle-aged man with regular features, wearing a light blue straight-collared robe, a white jade crown on his head, and a four-finger-wide green belt around his waist, followed closely by a young man in brocade. He is tall and slender, and his clothes are as black as ink. He has his hands behind his back, his eyes are deep and lively, and he has an awe-inspiring look on his body.
"I've met Dean Lu. I'm gathering here with a few friends. I didn't expect that the sound of the piano disturbed a few of them. Please forgive me." The eldest brother stood up and spoke.
"It doesn't matter, we were presumptuous, it turns out Mr. Yu is here." Lu Ban's eyes lit up, and then he glanced at Yajun standing in front of the piano, and said with a smile: "I think this is Mr. Yu who just played the piano. "
"Exactly." The eldest brother replied. When Lu Chan came in, everyone respected his status and stood up to greet him.
"Let me introduce you to both of you. This Taoist Master Jia is Master Zhenwu Guan and the master of Master Shedi. This gentleman is Huang Yan. Master Huang is the master of my cousin Xiao Qing. And I My good friend Yuying and his brother Yajun; that is Tietang, the iron brother; I am Chen Daotan, a soldier who joined the army." The eldest brother introduced the servant in a concise and concise manner, and described Yuying as a person without humility. His friends.
"I've admired you for a long time, but I didn't expect that I would be interested in hearing Yajun's music today, so I met you all by chance. I'm holding a chess tasting party tomorrow in the Plum Garden not far from here. I wonder if Yajun and you are free. , can you honor me and participate?" After speaking, Lu Yan looked at Yajun with his eyes, obviously waiting for Yajun's answer.
Everyone consciously remained silent and looked at Yajun. Seeing everyone looking at him, Yajun did not directly answer Lu Yan's question, but said to Chen Fan, "Does Fa Sheng plan to go tomorrow?"
Chen Fan was slightly stunned. To be honest, Chen Fan wanted to go. Since it was a chess competition, it would be good to experience Gusu's chess skills in advance. But at this time, it was obvious that the person Lu Xian wanted to invite was Yajun, and the others were just incidental. If Chen Fan ran over as a dispensable person, Chen Fan would rather not go.
"I plan to visit Suzhou tomorrow, so I won't go." Chen Fan declined. Chen Fan gave the reason why he couldn't go. In fact, he wanted to go. It depends on whether Lu Xian sincerely invites him. If he really doesn't want to go, just say that I have something to do tomorrow and it will be over if I can't go.
"Then let me accompany Fa Sheng. I haven't been to Gusu either, so I want to be with Fa Sheng." Yajun said to both Chen Fan and Lu Fan. The implication was obvious, Fa Sheng should go to me. Just go. If Fa Sheng doesn't go, I won't go. I want to be with Fa Sheng.
"Come on, all of you. We can visit Gusu another day. There will be a chat at the chess tasting meeting tomorrow. There is a man named Chen Fasheng who proposed the Nineteenth Way Theory. You can come and listen to it and share your thoughts." Lu He invited everyone again. This time he was obviously more sincere than the last time he invited everyone. It was probably for Yajun's sake.
