Chapter 2: The Book of Requests (Seeking Collection and Recommendation)

  Huìwén Lóu, a three-story small building, is old and simple, with overlapping bricks and tiles. The large golden plaque above the gate is imposing from afar, giving off an air of military might rather than literary elegance. In the heart of Jīnlíng City, where every inch of land is worth its weight in gold, this humble tea house has stood for who knows how long, yet it remains just a ordinary place selling tea, water, and dried fruits.

  Wei Zhao looked at the golden characters on top of his head, as a master with great calligraphy skills, he could vaguely feel the domineering aura hidden in the font.

  Wei Zhao glanced around at the towering high-rise buildings with intricate carvings and white marble, then looked down at the much lower tea house. A faint smile played on his lips as he stepped inside.

  Xiangliang's small mouth moved, and she finished eating the last sugar gourd. The seeds in her mouth were spat out like a machine gun 'puff' 'puff' 'puff', and she wiped her red and moist little mouth, chasing after him quickly.

  "The story goes that the Zhao Water Pass was nearly a hundred feet high, with thick and solid city walls. The bandits attacked day and night for three days and three nights, but they couldn't do anything to harm Taizu in the slightest!"

  To the left of the gate, as usual, a raised platform, a table, a book, a bowl of water, an old man in a cloth robe standing in front of the table, concentrating and gesturing continuously while telling a story.

  Wei Zhao sat down at a table closer to the old man, ordered tea and dry fruit, and watched with interest as the old man spoke enthusiastically. Xiang Qian listlessly hung her small head, resting on the table and moving her lips, seemingly still savoring the sugar gourd from earlier. As for this storytelling, the little girl had never liked it, saying it was more torturous than monks chanting in a temple. If Wei Zhao didn't like it, she wouldn't have come even if you killed her.

  Wei Zhao ignored Xiangqian and listened intently, thinking that although one could learn about this era from books, it was far less authentic than experiencing it firsthand.

  "The enemy army is one million strong, but the truly elite troops must be at least 100,000. The Taizu led an army of less than a thousand and held off the enemy for nearly a month at Zhōushuǐ Pass! During this month, the Taizu never closed his eyes, and the officers below him didn't dare to slack off!"

  Wei Xiao listened with a smile, unaware of his own amusement. People in ancient times often liked to exaggerate and turn small things into legendary tales, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to show off their skills. Such absurd and unconvincing stories were being devoured by the crowd with great relish, without anyone raising an eyebrow or questioning them.

  "For the past month, the enemy army has been getting more and more enraged, with wave after wave of attacks quickly turning into a full-on assault! Meanwhile, inside Zhōu Shuǐ Guān, they were exhausted to the extreme, their combat strength incredibly weak. Just as it seemed like Zhōu Shuǐ Guān was doomed, amidst the wind and rain, Taizu rode out alone, facing off against an army of hundreds of thousands with ease, riding solo into the enemy camp..."

  Keeping pace with the old man's rhythmic tone, the crowd suddenly became excited and enthusiastic, watching the old man who was intentionally teasing them, they all shouted loudly.

  "What happened next?"

  "Come on, say it quickly, what's the truth about Taizu..."

  "You old man, are you looking for a fight or what? You're driving me crazy..."

  The old storyteller was very satisfied with the effect he had created, and with a self-satisfied smile, he glanced around in a circle, just about to speak, but found Wei Xiao looking at him with a calm and gentle smile on his face, occasionally throwing a dried fruit into his mouth, eating leisurely. Looking around again at the crowd stretching their necks with red faces and thick necks, the contrast was extremely striking.

  Another careful look, the old man couldn't help but have a displeased expression, with a flash of anger in his eyes. He thought for a moment and then bowed to Wei Zuo, saying: "This young master, I observe that you are carefree and composed, seemingly well aware of what's going on below?"

  Everyone looked at each other and turned their attention to Wei Zhao, with a look of great surprise in their eyes. Because the old man's stories were not recorded in history books, or rather, this old man had deliberately collected, sorted out and embellished these unofficial histories, how could anyone have known about them beforehand? Isn't this just shooting oneself in the foot?!

  Wei Zhao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled calmly and replied, "You've guessed one or two things."

  "What about afterwards? What happened to Taizu later on......"

  "Yes, Taizu can retreat a million thieves..."

  "Taizu may have been injured, and several bandit chiefs were captured..."

  The crowd of people who had been stirred up by Old Gao immediately surrounded Wei Zhao, asking questions in a flurry of voices. Their eyes were wide with excitement, their faces red, their necks thick, and they spat as they shouted loudly. Clearly, they had heard a story, not history.

  He glanced at the old man who was telling the story, and smiled calmly: "Of course, Taizu retreated a million thieves, safely guarding the Zhaoshui Pass."

  "How did you know?" The old man asked first, his eyes staring at Wei Zhao extremely unkindly, as if Wei Zhao had stolen his manuscript.

  "Right, how did you know?"

  "Taizu was a military man, how could he have a silver tongue that could persuade the enemy..."

  "Yes, if possible, Taizu wouldn't have had to work hard for a whole month..."

  Even if it's just a story, it must be able to withstand scrutiny.

  Wei Zhao was initially calm and collected, but as the old man began to ask questions, his eyes gradually became strange, his face turned red, and he burst out laughing, pounding on the table.

  Wei Zhao's movement immediately startled Xiangxiang, who was dozing off: "Young master, are we going back?"

  "Hey, you haven't told me how Taizu defeated the bandits yet..."

  "Right, can't go, we still have a lot of questions..."

  "Yes, yes, scholar, speak quickly, quickly, otherwise you will definitely not be able to leave today..."

  Wei Zhao was already lying on the table, laughing so hard that he couldn't make a sound, holding his stomach and convulsing.

  "If something happens to Taizu, will there still be a Great Qi dynasty? Haha..."

  As soon as Wei Xiao's voice fell, the scene suddenly quieted down. Ah, isn't this question obvious?

  The old storyteller's face turned bright red with shame, and he wished he could find a hole to crawl into. This was the first question he had asked!

  The crowd also quickly reacted, with their faces flushing red, the corners of their mouths twitching, and their shoulders shaking, unsure whether they were crying or laughing.

  Wei Zhao smiled for a while, stretched his waist, and made a fist at the old storyteller before picking up the rice paper on the table and preparing to leave.

  Today was really too much fun.

  Xiangliang looked at the usually bustling tea house, now crowded but eerily quiet, her small face flushed with excitement, her big black eyes darting around inside the tea house as if searching for some secret.

  "Sir, would you please stay a moment?" The old storyteller spoke again just as Wei Xiao had lifted his foot.

  Wei Zhao was taken aback again, looking at the old man with some confusion, and said: "Sir, what instructions do you have?"

  The storyteller's face still had an awkward expression, and he forced himself to say: "I don't dare to accept your instruction, but I'd like to ask the young master a question."

  Wei Zhao also wanted to know why he had just signed his own name for no reason, so he smiled and nodded slightly.

  The old man's face grew increasingly awkward, and he glanced at the bowl on Wei Xiao's head before cupping his hands together and saying, "Young master has come to listen to my storytelling many times now. I dare ask, why do you always laugh but never speak?"

  Wei Zhuo chuckled and pointed to the old man's table, saying: "If Mr. Old brings a wooden clapper next time and slaps it twice while speaking, the momentum will be even greater and business will be better."

  He was referring to the business of the tea house. After finishing speaking, he nodded and walked out.

  Xianglian saw that Wei Zhao had already left, so she quickly put down a few coins, picked up the things on the table and chased after him. Unfortunately, she didn't find out the secret that those people were quietly discussing earlier, and she lacked something to brag about when she got back.

  The old man who narrated the book carefully savored Wei Xiao's words, and his eyes lit up. He was also an old hand, and as soon as he thought about it, he knew the benefits of this. Originally, he was still somewhat dissatisfied with Wei Xiao for not paying to listen to the storytelling, but now that he thought about it, his anger dissipated a lot.