Chapter 237
Book 21 Chapter 8 - The Song And Dance Troupe
Without any danger or experiencing anything alarming, Xiang Shaolong exited from the tunnel.
The exit was located at the side of the wall of a large well located inside a horse stable. The exit was located at least seven or eight feet above the surface of the water, and there were footholds leading to the top of the well.
By the time he stuck his head out of the well, the snow had already stopped. Slight hints of light could be seen coming through the sky. A barn was laid out to his right, along with group homes of several stable hands.
This type of stable was very common, both the state owned ones and the privately owned ones. Most of the horses came from the pastures outside of the city, and were purchased by the rich and influential people of the city.
Xiang Shaolong snuck into the barn. He was wondering whether or not he should steal a horse, but also was concerned that his motivations might be too apparent. Suddenly, voices could be heard. Startled, he hurriedly hid in a corner, covering himself with the sweet gra.s.s which was fed to the horses.
Two people came.
One person said, "Master Zhang, please rest your mind. My superiors have long since made arrangements for me to provide you with the finest horse we have. Ah! In all of Daliang, is there anyone who doesn’t want to see the world-renowned song and dance of the young lady? For me to be of the slightest a.s.sistance to her is a tremendous honour."
The fellow surnamed Zhang clearly knew how to put on airs. He just let out a bored ‘humph’. Arriving near to where Xiang Shaolong was hidden, he said, "This horse seems good. Its teeth are uniform and white as snow. What sort of horse is it?"
That stable master said, "This is a purebred horse from the deer pastures of the far north. It’s both attractive and hardy. Master Zhang, you have a good eye!"
The fellow surnamed Zhang was silent for a moment, before saying, "Did you find the charioteer I ordered you to locate? This really has been a huge bother to us. A perfectly good employee suddenly became sick and died, forcing me to run about trying to find a replacement."
The stable master said, "How would I dare to slack off in the slightest in my duties for the young lady and for Master Zhang? I already found someone known as Shen Liang. He previously served as the charioteer for Prince Wuji, and is an expert in martial arts as well. He also looks extremely handsome. For sure, he fulfills Master Zhang’s criteria."
Continuing, he said in a low voice, "He’s an old friend of mine. Master Zhang, I’m sure you understand. Right now, n.o.body in Daliang dares to use the former subordinates of Prince Wuji. Otherwise, for someone of Shen Liang’s talents, how could he remain unemployed for over two years?"
The fellow surnamed Zhang coldly snickered. "Where is he?"
The stable master smiled as well. "He didn’t know that Master Zhang would come here so early. I expect he’s still sleeping. Master Zhang, why don’t you first go to the inner hall and have a hot cup of tea. I’ll call him up and have him meet you right away."
The fellow surnamed Zhang said, "How do I have the free time to drink tea? First get the horse for me, and I’ll pay you right away. Later, summon that fellow to see me. If he’s late, don’t blame me for not waiting for him. You’d best know that we have other options for our charioteer as well."
This was followed by the sound of the horse being walked over, then the two of them going to another stable.
Xiang Shaolong thought to himself that heaven was helping him. He hurriedly put on the clothes that he had previously stolen.
These clothes were the most unattractive clothes in Lord Pingqu’s chest of clothes. It was very suitable for the likes of a Shen Liang, someone who was the former servant of a fallen n.o.ble house.
By the time he had finished hiding his old clothes in a secret location, the stable master had already left the stable and was headed in the direction of the sleeping rooms. Clearly, he was going to go wake Shen Liang up.
Xiang Shaolong hurried out. Seeing that the fellow surnamed Zhang was staring at four horses, he coughed and bowed all the way to the ground. "Your humble servant, Shen Liang, requests that Master Zhang forgive me for my tardiness."
Master Zhang didn’t expect him to arrive so quickly. He glanced at him a few times. A look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes, his gaze dropped to ‘Blood Wave’, which hung from Xiang Shaolong’s waist. He calmly said, "My name is Zhang Quan. I’m the manager for Miss Feng. You had previously served as the charioteer for Prince Wuji, so you naturally know all the rules. Five taels of silver a month, and if Miss Feng is satisfied with you, you can work for us permanently." Zhang Quan was roughly thirty years or so of age, had an intelligent face, but had a very vulgar air to him. Above his lips were two slanting thick mustaches, giving him the appearance of a man who indulged too much in wine and s.e.x.
Xiang Shaolong hurriedly agreed.
Zhang Quan said, "We don’t have much time. Let’s go. It’s about to starting snowing again."
Xiang Shaolong secretly thanked both the heavens and the earth. Picking up his cloak, he took the reins of the horses and walked them out.
The departure of the city was unexpectedly easy.
The most ironical part of it was that the number of people who came to send them off was vast beyond counting. And yet, he, the most wanted criminal in the city, was able to saunter away in their midst.
Before they had reached the city walls, snow once again began to fall. Putting on his cloak and hood, he wrapped a wind-blocking mask around his face, lowering his head to avoid the wind. Combined with the fact that he was wearing very ordinary and appropriate attire, naturally not a single person suspected him. The most miraculous thing of all was that, as he was seated in the position of the charioteer, n.o.body could tell that he had a ma.s.sive, powerful physique.
He was originally afraid that Feng Fei would recognize him, but fortunately, he didn’t even have the chance to meet her.
To be honest, right now, with his face covered by a beard, even if Feng Fei paid him any mind, she would be hard pressed to easily see through the disguise and recognize him as Xiang Shaolong.
It was actually funny, come to think of it. He didn’t want to disturb Dan Meimei, but in the end, it was through her a.s.sistance that he left the palace. He wanted even less to involve Feng Fei, with whom he had no relations.h.i.+p at all, but in the end, he had to rely on her to help him charge through this final barrier of the city gates.
This could really be described as coming back from death’s door.
He hoped that this time, things would go smoothly and he would easily return to Qin.
Naturally, he didn’t want to go to Qi. As soon as he saw an opportunity to do so, he would slip away.
The people of Wei were extremely courteous to Feng Fei. They sent an escort of five hundred light cavalry to accompany them, led by General Ao Xiang.
Feng Fei’s song and dance troupe was a strong force of many men, fully filling over ten large vehicles. In all, including the dancers, the musicians, and the serving girls, they numbered more than two hundred. Paying their salary alone was certainly an enormous expenditure. From this, one could tell how heavy Feng Fei’s income must be. He couldn’t help but begin thinking about that world-cla.s.s beauty seated in the carriage behind him, and began to think about that day where the two of them quietly murmured touching words to each other in the small manor in Qin.
She was the equivalent of a musical superstar of the 21st century. Only, the people who were given the chance to enjoy her music were only the utmost n.o.bility. Ordinary people would almost never have that sort of good fortune.
After the team of carriages left Daliang, it pa.s.sed through a major ravine and headed straight north. When it arrived at flowing water, there were five huge three-sailed s.h.i.+ps awaiting them.
Only now did Xiang Shaolong come to understand why they had to leave so early. By now, it was already sundown.
When he saw the cavalry escort also board the boats, he couldn’t help but groan silently.
If he was forced all the way to the country of Qi in such a manner, it would be absolutely terrible for him.
Flowing along with the river, it wouldn’t take more than four or five days for the boat to arrive at Qi’s borders. By then, if he wanted to return to the Zhao border, it would cost him a huge amount of additional effort.
But he didn’t have any other options for the moment. Steeling himself, he boarded the s.h.i.+p.
Of the five large s.h.i.+ps, the people of Wei occupied three while Feng Fei and her people occupied two.
Compared to the previous days, where he was facing the soldiers of Wei on a daily basis, Xiang Shaolong felt much more at ease.
The boat he was on was the boat on which Feng Fei lived. At this point in time, his status in the song and dance troupe was the lowest of the low. He was a.s.signed to a room in the bottommost deck, a tiny room with just one window which he had to share with other low-ranked servants. The six of them shared that single room.
Maybe it was because they were jealous of him s.n.a.t.c.hing the prominent position of being Feng Fei’s carriage driver, but the others all linked together to shun him. As soon as they entered the room, they would immediately begin to gamble, but they wouldn’t invite him to take part.
Xiang Shaolong was more than happy to let the situation remain this way. After dinner, he burrowed onto a sleeping mat in a corner of the room and immediate closed his eyes.
Those people intentionally said mocking words, including words that were designed to denigrate his ‘master’, Lord Xinling. Xiang Shaolong found their technique of ‘pointing at the mulberry tree and insulting the locust tree’ (ie, to insult someone by proxy) to be hilarious. He honestly didn’t care at all and shortly drifted into a deep sleep.
After sleeping for an unknown period of time, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his upper thigh. Opening his eyes, he saw that it was a charioteer named