The Great Han Dynasty Volume 1 The great wind rises and clouds fly high Thirty-five Liu Hou Zi

  The calm before the storm, huh.

  Happy Valentine's Day.

  Wishing everyone can find someone to spend the holiday together with.

  Today continues with double updates.

  Pink rose made of tied up tickets.

  Until they had walked far away from the carriage, Cao Zhi finally caught up with them and curiously asked, "Young master, why did that official Liu treat you with such respect?"

  "I don't know either." Zhang Yan stared blankly at the dust raised by the passing carriage, still in a daze. Logically, she shouldn't have accepted Liu Jing's courtesy, but at the time, she was startled by his solemnity and didn't have time to react and avoid it - "Has he done anything wrong to me?" She thought confusedly, but immediately threw it behind her back, "Forget about him," she covered her stomach pitifully and shook her fist, "Tong Tong, I'm hungry."

  "Isn't the young master going back?" Tong Xiang shouted in surprise, then immediately looked worried and whispered, "It's getting late, you still have a confinement order on your body. If we don't go back early, Master Hou will scold us."

  "Since we're already going to get scolded, why bother delivering it personally?" Zhang Yan smiled slyly and whispered, "It's better to eat our fill first and then head back, at least we won't be afraid of being punished without food." She dragged Mu Jin back, and they bumped into a young man in casual clothes.

  His bones are very hard. Zhang Yan rubbed her shoulder, which was squeezed, and thought reflexively. In the midst of the city, it's not uncommon to rub shoulders and step on each other's feet, and it's not clear who's right or wrong. Zhang Yan smiled apologetically and wanted to turn around. The young man recognized her and said with a smile, "Long time no see, Mrs. Zhang?"

  Zhang Yan was shocked and uncertain, turning her head to carefully examine the young man from top to bottom.

  The young man wore a suit of gray linen, obviously not the son of a noble family. At the age of seventeen or eighteen, he had thick eyebrows and big eyes, with both elegance and martial spirit existing between his eyebrows.

  "Who are you?" she asked awkwardly.

  "Does the young lady not remember me?" The youth smiled, his skin slightly darkened by the sun, but his smile was radiant. "The young lady went to the Temple of the Gods to see His Majesty that time, and I showed her the way."

  "Oh..."

  Zhang Yan remembered that it was the day of Lu Yuan's younger brother, Yan Er. Lu Yuan had a difficult childbirth and Zhang Yan was frightened, only thinking of going to find Liu Bang to ask him to let her father accompany her mother. At that time, she was not familiar with the path to the Longle Palace, so she asked a school officer to take her to the Temple of the Gods.

  "Zhang's wife was crying so hard at that time, her eyes were blurry and she couldn't see my face clearly, which is understandable." He smiled with pursed lips, gently making excuses for himself.

  Zhang Yan lowered her head, feeling a bit ashamed. The young man had sincerely guided her, but she had forgotten him completely after the event. Although it was understandable that she was emotionally stirred up at the time, it was indeed somewhat ungrateful of her.

  "What did you go after I entered the fairyland that day?" she asked.

  "I'm out of the palace." The young man smiled, "The guards in the palace are not allowed to linger after their shift is over."

  "Hey, you know who I am, but I still don't know your name?"

  "My name is Lü Bi." Lü Bi's eyebrows and eyes were relaxed and calm.

  Lü Bó had met the girl three times, and on two of those occasions, he had exchanged more than one sentence with her. Yet she didn't remember him at all. Nevertheless, he still liked this little girl very much because every time he saw her, she was fighting with all her might to protect the people she loved.

  Luan Yu thought, she was a very hardworking and loving girl.

  "Is Mistress Zhang out for a stroll in Chang'an today?"

  Zhang Yan nodded, "I sneaked out of the house. To think about it, this is my first time strolling around Chang'an, and I don't know what's fun here yet." She secretly glanced at him with her eyes.

  Lü Xiao was amused by her and asked, "Do you need me to take you around?"

  Yes, both girls nodded heavily at the same time.

  At that time, Chang'an City had just been established for a few years and was far from the prosperity of the number one city in the world many years later. However, under the emperor's feet, it was already somewhat different from ordinary places and had begun to take shape. Lü Bi pointed far away and said, "There are several restaurants on Linhua Yang Street over there. Sitting upstairs can see Huayang Street. Do you want to try looking, Zhang Niangzi?"

  "Okay. Just in time, I'm hungry."

  I knew you were hungry, that's why I said so. Lu Bi thought for a moment, "Among them, Shang Shi and Qiong Yang are the best. Which one do you want to choose?"

  "Hmm," Zhang Yan raised her hand to shade her eyes and looked around, "That rascal from just now seems to be at Shang Shi restaurant, let's go to Qiong Yang."

  Because of its location in the downtown area, Qiongyang Restaurant was doing a good business. The first floor hall was packed with people. Zhang Yan went up to the second floor along the stairs and before she reached the stairwell, she heard someone upstairs say, "The play just now was really wonderful. Poor Rongping Princess's fate is lonely and bitter, but the spotlight was stolen by others. Speaking of which, Ah Xiang, do you remember that child who later became Liu Jingyi?"

  Zhang Yan slightly curled her lip in discontent. There are indeed gossipy people everywhere, but she had only recently entered Chang'an and spent most of her time in the palace or at the marquis's residence. Apart from her own relatives and palace staff, it was unlikely that anyone would know her.

  "One of them replied faintly, 'I don't know, but judging from how much Lü Neng has yielded to him, he should have some connection with the Lü family.'"

  The voice was elegant and pleasant to listen to. But as soon as it entered Zhang Yan's ears, it was like a sudden drumbeat, and he felt a hundred familiar feelings rushing into his heart, and it was surprisingly similar to the voice of Gu Yan in his memory, with at least 70% resemblance.

  She smiled wryly and went upstairs, looking for the person who was talking.

  At that time, the sky was near noon, and it was time to have lunch. The second floor hall was already filled with seven or eight guests, and among them, the best view was by the window, where four people sat opposite each other. Among the three of them, her appearance was blurry, only because she had seen only one person in her eyes. A 15- or 16-year-old elegant young man, wearing a crimson robe, couldn't hide his radiant beauty.

  "Master, young master——" Lǚ Zhī stopped in front of her, calling out uncertainly, "What's wrong?"

  It's as if I've lost my soul all of a sudden.

  "It's nothing." She came to, covering it up, and was led by Lü Bu to sit down beside a vacant food case, as if a small waiter had come up to ask them what dishes they wanted to order. She nodded randomly, her eyes dazed, hardly ever moving away from that person for half a second.

  How is it possible?

  Not only are their voices similar, but also their appearance, as if they were twins.

  Is it her longing that has become an illness, and heaven took pity on her, allowing Guan'er to come here to accompany her, or is this just fate playing a joke on oneself?

  They thought they were discussing the right and wrong of others behind their backs, but were caught red-handed by someone in front of them. Although the other party was just a young child, the four of them felt somewhat embarrassed. One of the youths stood up tall, walked to Zhang Yan's side, smiled and said, "I am the son of Cao Xiangguo of Qi State, with a single surname Kun, I wonder how this little prince is called?"

  "My surname is Zhang." She said softly with her eyes cast down.

  "Huh," Cao Kui slightly surprised, "Ah He", he turned back and smiled, "There's a Zhang Gongzi here too?"

  The other two also laughed and said, "This is quite a coincidence, but both are Young Master Zhang, how can we distinguish between them?"

  "Isn't this easy?" Cao Cong said nonchalantly, "One is called Big Zhang Gongzi, the other is called Little Zhang Gongzi."

  "Good." The two companions were overjoyed and laughed, saying, "In a few more years, I wonder who will be stronger, Big Zhang or Little Zhang?"

  Zhang Yan couldn't help but lift her head again amidst everyone's smiles and gaze at that person.

  A brilliant ray of sunlight shot in through the window frame, shining on his body, making him look even more radiant and handsome. In an instant, the entire restaurant seemed to become a backdrop, while the young man in red lifted his head, like a bold stroke of ink in a watercolor painting, standing out from the dull background color.

  "In the next life." He said lightly and bowed his head to drink again.

  Zhang He?

  Zhang Yan furrowed her brow, feeling that this name was familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.

  "It was him." said Yu Rou softly beside her.

  "Who is it?" Zhang Yan asked subconsciously.

  "Yan Yin Gongzi Zhang He, known as the ultimate in both calligraphy and painting, was a renowned young nobleman from Chang'an. Countless boudoirs of talented women had their hearts set on him." Lu Fei explained, his expression somewhat melancholy, "His father was Liu Hou Zhang Liang."

  "Oh."

  Zhang Yan remembered hearing this name somewhere, in the house set up by her uncle Liu Ying, she had seen a lacquer screen of immortals playing chess, and the two players were vividly depicted. Her uncle said that it was the handwriting of Yan Yin Gongzi.

  As I remembered, I also fell into deep despair.

  It wasn't a smile after all.

  It's also impossible for it to be a smile.

  Zhang Yan smiled slightly, withdrew her gaze, picked up the cup on the table, and brought it to her mouth.

  "Cough, cough."

  The wine went down her throat cool and refreshing, but already had a bit of a burning sensation, like real liquor. She was caught off guard and choked, bending over at the waist. As a result, many people on the scene burst out laughing, with some kindly teasing, "Young master, a big man, how can you not learn to drink wine? Practice more, and it will be better later."

  Lü Xi stretched out his hand to support her, saying: "It's my fault. I thought this was the most famous vintage wine in Qiongyang Restaurant, so I ordered it. But I didn't think that young master is still young..."

  "It's nothing." She shook her head and secretly shed a few tears under the cover of intoxication.